Converge

[Psy]

The capture zone is very large and exposed, and easy to jump onto as a scout. It flowed well though, but the intel return system needs to be more highlighted. A countdown timer of some sort would help to explain that you can't pick it up for a moment.

I thought the announcer sounds were clear enough but now that I think about it, there's no real indication as to what it's all about apart from the no_entry sign that floats above the intel. So I'm thinking of adding a series of sprites (numbers) that appear in succession above the intel in the final 5 seconds of cooldown. It's not perfect (people who aren't directly looking at the intel won't have a clue why the announcer is counting down) but it's better then using game_text which looks icky.

It was hard to fall back and defend, even if you knew they (he, a single scout) was coming rushing. since he would just pop out and cap faster than it was possible to do damage to him (except sentries, but those are cheating anyway!)

Several people have suggested that I add the ability to block captures. Now I do want to add it in using the same method I've seen in CTF A/D (no_entry sprite above the cap zone to indicate it being blocked) but my only concern is that it breaks normal CTF conventions which will confuse and annoy new players. Bah. I might just add it in anyway.

Like most of the other posters, I enjoyed playing on this map. I particularly like the center (which is where I spent most of my time). Perhaps a wider bridge there may server to ease the spam issues a bit.

I also agree with a commented I heard in game about the long tunnels. I think you could do with fewer. Maybe leave the lower one (into which trap door spawn exit drops) and widen the opposite side of the base into a larger staging area.

I'll see what I can do about the bridge and the side routes. Probably doing something as simple as removing the railings would help to reduce the number of nades collecting around the intel.

 

[Flame]

map reminded me a lot of gorge. I like the layout of mid but i think the bases need either more rooms or more props. theyre kind of boring compared to the mid.

 

[Uriak]

Ho I totally forgot to comment on this one !

Well, it could be pleasantly played, and the middle was interesting indeed. During the map test the other team managed to invade and utterly contest our base permanently, something I'm seeing more and more throughout all these ctf. I don't know what kind of fix could be used, but something as extreme as a new "setup" might be needed, or a new round... So far, this utterly destroy any kind of fun we could have because one team ends up permanently impaired...

I apologize but since I was trapped in my own base most of the time, I can't tell much about the general layout.

 

[SPHinx]

I'll see what I can do about the bridge and the side routes. Probably doing something as simple as removing the railings would help to reduce the number of nades collecting around the intel.

I like this idea. Keep the posts on the bridge and have some of the railings collapsing or missing or something like this.

 

[Psy]

Here are the changes I made today.

• 
  
  Pickup changes in the Middle - Previously there were 1 medium ammopack and healthkit grouped together on either side of the middle. Now I've removed the ammopack, downgraded the healthkit and upgraded the healthkit under the bridge. These changes should help make it more difficult to overtake the middle as engis will have to move to the sides to collect metal whilst leaving their buildings vulnerable and other players will have to squabble over the medium healthkit. [1] [2]
  
• Wider bridge - The bridge has been widened and there are gaps between the railings allowing grenades to roll off and players to walk off without having to jump. [3]
  
• Wider Central Corridor - It's a little more open then before and the exit is now half covered so this should alleviate spam coming straight from the middle. [4] It's not perfect but...meh.
  
• Cooldown Sprites!!1! - The announcer sounds have been removed and replaced with an awfully fancy visual countdown over the intel. [5]
  
• Cap Blocking - Players can now block the capture point belonging to their team. [6] Yes. It looks horrific.
  
• Back route leading to balcony is dead. - No more ninja capping from above. [7]
  

 

[DaBeatzProject]

Nice changes! Maybe make the sprites - both cooldown and blocked one - a bit more in the style of tf2? Not just a massive OMG BLOCKED HAHA, maybe a more subtle way might be enough, like a barrier or something.

 

[The Political Gamer]

The BLU and RED containers are floating!

Z fighting at the drop down hatch.

You can build in the doors.

Put a small health here:

Extend the clip to the edge of the bridge.

 

[Psy]

Alpha 4 - February 3rd

• Contains all the changes mentioned in this post.

DOWNLOAD NOW!

 

[Psy]

Impromptu testing bump. I'll post my thoughts after.

 

[Ravidge]

Feedback boomerang!

Opinion, but I think the rock sticks out of the ground oddly. I would suggest putting a bush or one of the tiny rocks in that gap [1]
You have a clip brush on these that goes higher than the existing collision mesh, so you're kinda floating when walking on them. [2]
Crouching at the end of this tunnel is just enough to get a view of enemy heads under the doorframe. Move the doorframe forward (towards me in the picture) just a little bit [3]
You have really good clipping in the map, though this one only worked in theory. move the clips back into the level [4]

As for gameplay you already covered that backdoor capture path I mentioned in my previous post here, and I wasn't at the test earlier so I don't have anything to add.

 

[Psy]

Thanks Rav.

Last night I (and a lot of other players) were under the impression that it was too easy to flank and that the constant back and forth with the intel was frustrating because any progress made could be instantly destroyed. I'm going to change things a round a little with the intel so that it only goes neutral after X amount of time. This should help solve the annoyance of the current gamemode. Also, I'm going to be adjusting the spawn times so they're change according to whoever is winning/losing in a bid to allow the losing team more breathing space to get back into the middle.

 

[Psy]

Impromptu testing bump.

 

[Hanz]

^Lower these windows so a sentry gun can look over it.

 

[Rexy]

I was very frustrated having to wait for the intel to turn over to the other team when dropped. That's a personal choice I suppose, but I could do without it, especially since there's already a cooldown time between captures in this map.

I also felt like I spent the whole time walking back from spawn in this map because it was so far away from the middle area of the map.

 

[Psy]

I found the map to be pretty frustrating particularly around the middle area where I kept getting raped by Scouts and Demos. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood but I didn't particularly enjoy it overall. Hmph.

 

[gastrop0d]

I thought the map was a little too broad. Particularly in the bases, I think you could remove a passage to focus the gameplay a little more. Maybe the passage that has the drop-down chute from the spawn.

This way theres more a sense of the teams pushing against eachother, rather than avoiding eachother with passages until you reach the cap room where turtling becomes dominant play.

That's just what I was thinking while playing it, anyway. Otherwise I like it, I like the middle area and the cap room.

 

[Psy]

Testing bump for A5. Not really much to say. It seemed to play well and the removal of the low route helped to focus the flow of the map. The new respawn timers worked from my point of view as I never felt like I was being completely locked into my own base because the enemies that had just capped spawned twice as slow so killing them would help an awful lot.

The only change I'm planning right now is to use the old lower route and rework it into a one-way exit out of the base so a sentry in the middle can easily be overcome. Then maybe it will be time for some comp testing?

 

[Psy]

Alpha 6 - February 10th

• Added one-way route out of the base.
• Moved the middle's roof so it's higher.
• (From A5) Capping will cause the opposing team to respawn twice as fast to help them push back out into the middle for a period. After 45 seconds the respawn time will return back to normal.
• (From A5) reverted back to old Invade style. (Flag goes neutral instantly)
• (From A5) Removed lower side route which used to lead from the cap room to the intel.

 

[Psy]

Gameday bump.

 

[PenPen]

If you ask me I think I like this map quite well, lots of going back and forth.

Don't think I have much feedback aside from that though. I think it's fun.