Kandor (UT3 map) (nonfiction)

From Gnomon Chronicles

Kandor is an Unreal Tournament 3 mod by Karl "Handy Vandal" Jones.

Map design notes

  • Package: Kandor 0.1.0
  • Map prefix example: VNDL-HIVE-Kandor
  • Depends on: SpawnControl

OVERVIEW

Kandor is a dual-scale experience inside a single .ut3 map. Players choose Macro or Micro before the match starts and remain in that dimension (with optional later swap). All scale translation is handled by one invisible bridge actor.

MACRO SPACE

Visual / dimensional brief

A large-scale control room or bunker at normal player scale. The dominant visual feature is a large physical bottle (glass cylinder mesh) sitting on or near a pedestal. The space should feel industrial / military and give clear sightlines and approach paths to the bottle.

Key geometric design features & function

  • Bottle pedestal area: The origin point for all Micro→Macro feedback. Keep clear space around it so tilt/rumble and ClientMessages feel local.
  • Approach / Use paths to the cylinder: Players must be able to walk up and Use the bottle (or shoot/trace it) to paint into Micro.
  • Macro spawn pads: Clustered in safe, thematically appropriate locations (not on top of the bottle).
  • Optional stage-gate volumes / swap pads: Placed where designers want progression or evacuation points.

Required / recommended Kandor entities

 Actor                              Placement notes                          Key properties to set
 UTActor_KandorWorldBridge          One per map, anywhere (invisible)        MicroOrigin (exact location of the bottle
                                                                             city far away), MacroPedestalOrigin
                                                                             (usually the cylinder’s base or the
                                                                             bridge’s own location), WorldScaleRatio
                                                                             (default 64), MacroShakeRadius
 UTActor_KandorCylinder             On the pedestal in Macro                 Auto-registers as PhysicalBottle.
                                                                             Give it a glass/bottle mesh.
 UTActor_KandorDimensionChooser     Anywhere (Info)                          MacroPoolName = Macro,
                                                                             MicroPoolName = Micro,
                                                                             bRelocateOnMatchStart as desired
 UTActor_SpawnController            One per map (from SpawnControl)          InitialSpawnPool = Macro (or leave empty)
 UTTeamPlayerStartPool              Several player starts (Macro pads)       SpawnPool = Macro,
                                                                             set team / StartUse as needed
 UTActor_KandorSwapPad (optional)   Near exits or evacuation points          TargetPool = Micro
 UTActor_KandorObjectiveGate        Stage progression triggers               NextSpawnPool = Stage2 / Stage3,
 (optional)                                                                  ObjectiveScoreReward

MICRO SPACE

Visual / dimensional brief

A complete playable city or facility that exists inside the bottle. Place it ≥ 50 000 UU away from Macro (the bridge’s MicroOrigin). Because of the 64× scale ratio, the city appears tiny when viewed from Macro, but players who spawn into Micro experience it at normal size. Design streets, buildings, and landmarks that look good both from the Macro “god’s-eye” paint view and at street level.

Key geometric design features & function

  • MicroOrigin: Exact world location the bridge uses as the zero point for all Macro↔Micro translation. Keep the city centred on or near this point.
  • Paintable streets / surfaces: Areas that should receive the Macro paint impact emitter (usually ground-level).
  • Jammer coverage zones: Places where designers want to block Macro painting until the jammer is destroyed.
  • Blast volumes: Regions where Micro explosions should rumble the Macro bottle.
  • Micro spawn pads: Safe starting locations inside the city.
  • Stage gates & swap pads: Same progression/evacuation logic as Macro.

Required / recommended Kandor entities

 Actor                              Placement notes                          Key properties to set
 UTTeamPlayerStartPool              Several player starts inside the city    SpawnPool = Micro
 UTActor_HiveJammerNode             On rooftops or key intersections         JamRadius, JamHealth — while alive it
 (optional but common)                                                       blocks paint in its radius
 UTVolume_KandorMicroBlast          Volumes covering streets / combat zones  BlastIntensity (default 0.5) — any
 (optional)                                                                  projectile Touch notifies the bridge
 UTActor_KandorSwapPad (optional)   Evacuation points                        TargetPool = Macro
 UTActor_KandorObjectiveGate        Stage triggers                           Same as Macro
 (optional)
 Additional UTTeamPlayerStartPool   Stage progression                        SpawnPool = Stage2 or Stage3


SPAWN-POINT RULES (BOTH WORLDS)

  • All player starts that participate in Kandor must be UTTeamPlayerStartPool actors.
  • Set the SpawnPool name exactly:
    • Macro
    • Micro
    • Stage2 / Stage3 (for gated progression)
  • Hive / special starts use StartUse = HiveOnly and TeamIndex 4 (do NOT use SetTeam(2)).
  • The DimensionChooser + SpawnController combination automatically assigns each player to the correct pool at match start. Per-player overrides always win over the global ActiveSpawnPool.

QUICK PLACEMENT CHECKLIST

  1. Place one UTActor_KandorWorldBridge and set MicroOrigin + MacroPedestalOrigin + ratio.
  2. Place the UTActor_KandorCylinder on the Macro pedestal.
  3. Place UTActor_SpawnController + UTActor_KandorDimensionChooser.
  4. Place Macro pads (SpawnPool=Macro) and Micro pads (SpawnPool=Micro).
  5. (Optional) Add jammers, blast volumes, objective gates, and swap pads.
  6. Keep Micro geometry ≥ 50 kUU from Macro and centred on MicroOrigin.

Follow the locked design rules in the agent summary (no new game type, no multicast RPCs, Hive = TeamIndex 4 / HiveOnly, etc.).

Extending Kandor

When extending Kandor: bump package version, sync config + README, run make, and update the agent summary if API names change. Do not edit unrelated maps.

See also