Pipeball Ultra

PIPEBALL Pipeball Ultra RC5

T

The Asylum

old thread: https://tf2maps.net/threads/pipeball-ultra.25817/

Asylum submitted a new resource:

Pipeball Ultra - Come play with my pipes and balls

yeah its pipeball ultra. just be quiet about it OK? This is a special pre-alpha test release just for tf2m

reuploaded because compile pal did me dirty and vide is a house of lies. pakrat for life

Read more about this resource...

You've played Classic Pipeball. You've played Halloween Pipeball. You've even played Medieval Pipeball. But, since spring of 2022 you've only played 2/5ths of the monster that is known only as Pipeball Ultra. Now, behold! NEW AND EXCITING!! It's PIPEBALL ULTRA!! The ACTUAL Pipeball Ultra! That's right! All of it this time! No more teasing! No more being a little piece hidden in a dog's breakfast of a map and then going to a museum for some reason. You've waited almost 10 unbelievable years for this day and here it finally is! No bypassed sections, no modified rules, it's Pipeball Ultra as God intended!

So for those who don't know, here's how this shit works:

The game begins with the main timer at 5 minutes. The teams begin in their primary spawnroom at opposite ends of the rink, and the match starts with the ball being "served" from a pipe in the middle that shoots the ball upwards- like a tip-off in basketball. The objective here is to shoot or melee the ball into the other team's goal pipe, awarding the scoring team one point.

Now here's where it gets... "fucky."

Each team has two control points, or "perks" as I like to call them- that they can capture- one on their side of the rink just beside the main ball serve pipe, and another that's waaaaaaay deep in enemy territory. Capturing the closer point will enable that team's ball cannon- a panel on the rink floor will open to reveal a pipe that will transport the ball to the ball cannon right beside it on the outside, and launch it into the other team's end of the rink. Capturing the furthermost point will take the enemy goal pipe and greatly expand it, making scoring goals a cakewalk.

Now here's where it gets "fuckier."

Scoring a goal in this rink will NOT make you respawn back in your spawnrooms. Nope, once a goal is scored, the main timer pauses, and the scoring team respawns in the scored-on team's spawnroom, while the scored-on team spawns further back into their base. For the next 60 seconds the scored-on team must defend the goal pipe in their "bonus room," while the other team tries to score one more goal. If the defense is successful, the teams respawn in the main rink, the perks are reset, the timer resumes, and the game continues. BUT! If the assault is successful, everyone gets respawned back onto the main rink as usual, but the attacking team is awarded not one, but TWO additional points! That's right! Scoring once in the main rink and again in the bonus room nets your team THREE points! It's like a final point defense in Hydro, only it's not Hydro because nobody plays Hydro.

Now here's where it gets even fuckier.

If a team scores twice in the bonus room consecutively- that is to say, if they score in the main rink, then in the bonus room, on the main rink again, and finally in the bonus room a second time, all without interruption, that team wins the game. Doesn't matter if they're leading by two points or behind by fifty. Two consecutive bonus room goals and all the points go out the window.

Oh? Oh what's that? You think that's it, do you? You're thinking to yourself, "Well this can't possibly get any fuckier," huh? Well that's where you're wrong, pal. This, now, is where it gets the fuckiest of all.

Once the main timer reaches zero, the scores are compared, and the team with the highest number of points wins. Unless, of course, there's a tie. In other Pipeballs past, a special tiebreaker ball would be released. Most would be the instant-kill Black Ball, and that seems to be the crowd pleaser. So, that's what you'll get, and more. Not just one, not two, not three, but FOUR- count 'em, FOUR, instant-kill Black Balls, all dropping into the arena!

Oh, didn't I mention the arena? Yeah. With Sudden Death enabled (seriously, do it! It's fun!), all of you losers get respawned not at the main rink, or the bonus rooms, but on a FOURTH rink that's just a rink with some shields and wall bumpers. No goal pipes here, the only way to win is to kill freaking everyone else on the other team. And with four super-lethal balls flying around, that should be pretty quick. You all asked for Arena mode Pipeball, you got it.

So don't delay! All this super awesome Pipeball goodness can be YOURS to enjoy! All you gotta do is hit that download button! Do it! Do it!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
T

The Asylum

Some things from tonight's test:

- The bonus rooms play a LOT better than the original idea. Still, I suppose I do have to do something about that lower entrance for the attacking team, and the transit times for the upper entrances. I'm sure I can figure something out in time for July

- Additional scoreboards. Might take some doing, but I can already think of a few places where they'll be easily noticed and out of the way of the ball.

- Goal defense time display. Yeah, I dunno. I could go the old TFC route and have a slowly depleting gauge, or go the Spaceball route and have a circular clock.

- Perk cap times. I agree, too long.

- The drop-down vent building. Yeah, it's ugly. I can do better.

- General gameplay information. I really didn't want to have to go overboard with game_text_tf, but it looks like I'll have to.

I might resubmit this tomorrow, just to get some more feedback. Otherwise, I think it's held up pretty good, no major disruptions.
 
T

The Asylum

For those who haven't seen the glorious debut in action:

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iBwBwABLaks



It plays pretty much as I expected. Was kind of hoping for more evenly matched teams, but still, I'm surprised it didn't break- especially with that last goal at the end.

I'll be working on a "B" pre-alpha build, seeing how I've done fucked my shoulder up good and am basically useless at both my jobs now. Mapping with one hand, how hard could it be?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
T

The Asylum

The Asylum updated Pipeball Ultra with a new update entry:

a0b version released!

changes:

- new vent stairs in buildings beside main rink
- more text displays to indicate 1 point scored or 2 points scored
- added flank routes to bonus rooms for attacking team
- improved other routes for bonus room attacking team

Read the rest of this update entry...

A0b!
20220525132408_1.jpg

There we are, should be pretty hard to miss this.

20220526181857_1.jpg

Once again, NOT going detail crazy in a pre-alpha release. am doin a smert

20220525195323_1.jpg

The bonus rooms get better! ...for the attacking team anyway. The main routes are more accessible...

20220525195313_1.jpg

...with an added flanking route that leads...

20220525195234_1.jpg

...right behind the defender's goal. MOAR PICKUPS too

20220525195340_1.jpg

And with all that new space I was able to make a little Spytech room. In pre-alpha. am doin a dumb

The ball cannon loading bays now have a push trigger that will blow the ball and players into the loading pipe. And more game info text.

As for the other issues... I tried. Nothing I wanted to do worked right for the bonus room time countdown, so I just said fuck it, I'll deal with it later. And the control point capturing at the end of time....

......... no, I'm not writing a novel. So until further notice, it's not a bug, it's a feature.

CHANGES FROM A0A

- Added text displays that indicate one point scored or two
- Improved bonus room routes for attacking team
- More pickups in the bonus rooms
- Ball cannon loading bays now have push triggers
- Made the vent stairways in the main rink stage look better
- Cap times reduced
 
Last edited by a moderator:
T

The Asylum

more info posted during the bonus rounds:

20220527190443_1.jpg

20220527190455_1.jpg

20220527190502_1.jpg

Also, I've finally gotten the timer to ignore control points mid-capture, by not using the timer. The actual timekeeping device is now a train entity underneath the map in the secret killswitch room (that only the EU server players know about, and now so do you!) That's right, the time you see on the HUD? It is a house of lies.

Once I can settle on a design for the control point icons (and figure out how to implement them), you'll be seeing the A0C release!
 
T

The Asylum

The Asylum updated Pipeball Ultra with a new update entry:

A0c!

CHANGES FROM A0B

- Fixed some ball teleport brushes
- Added custom HUD icons to better help players understand the gimmicks
- Added timer gauges for the bonus rooms
- Fixed issue with the main timer not ending if players are capping a perk point
- Removed the "stalemate" option from the secret killswitch room. But you didn't need to know about that, did you?

Read the rest of this update entry...
 
T

The Asylum

A0c time, featuring custom HUD icons!

20220528173200_1.jpg

glorious

CHANGES FROM A0B

- Fixed some ball teleport brushes
- Added custom HUD icons to better help players understand the gimmicks
- Added timer gauges for the bonus rooms
- Fixed issue with the main timer not ending if players are capping a perk point
- Widened some entry points
- Removed the "stalemate" option from the secret killswitch room. But you didn't need to know about that, did you?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
T

The Asylum

The Asylum updated Pipeball Ultra with a new update entry:

A0d!

CHANGES FROM A0c

- Fixed the cap icons being glitchy at round start. Also put the right ones in the right place this time. Boy was that dumb of me
- Added some more out of bounds reset brushes for the ball
- Finally got a visual representation of the ball cannon loading bay's push trigger working that wasn't a framerate killer
- Respawn time fuckery in the bonus rooms. The attackers get a shorter respawn time.
- Revamped the pickup availability in the bonus rooms for the attackers.
- Phys...

Read the rest of this update entry...

20220531190918_1.jpg

There. Exxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxtra wide. Now the Sniper is left with but a few slivers of the other side to camp. I think this is a more than reasonable compromise.

CHANGES FROM A0c

- Fixed the cap icons being glitchy at round start. Also put the right ones in the right place this time. Boy was that dumb of me
- Fixed issue with spawnroom doors and the vent in the bonus rooms. Again, dumb.
- Added some more out of bounds reset brushes for the ball
- Finally got a visual representation of the ball cannon loading bay's push trigger working that wasn't a framerate killer
- Respawn time fuckery in the bonus rooms. The attackers get a shorter respawn time.
- Revamped the pickup availability in the bonus rooms for the attackers.
- Phys pushscale command fires every 30s now. In case a server admin forgets to turn servercommands on before the map loads, they can do it on the fly now.
- The ball now has an ever-visible "glow" that will follow it around everywhere, so you'll always know where it is
- Speaking of which, the ball will always respawn in the reset mechanism like its supposed to, if, in the rare case, it "falls asleep" if nobody touches it in the bonus rooms. You guys do know that you need to hit the ball in order to win, right?
- Increased cap time for the goal expanders. Originally it was at 10, then got bumped down to 7, now it's at 9.
- Made the defense timer sign more noticeable
- Reduced height of the doorways in the bonus rooms' back area. No more vent to spawn sniping.
- Enlarged the goal shields in the middle of the main rink. This will cut down on Sniper's effectiveness everywhere but their own end.
- Sudden Death option is back in the Secret Killswitch Room. But again, you're not supposed to know about the Secret Killswitch Room. So kindly pretend you don't, ok?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
T

The Asylum

20220619182647_1.jpg


There we are. The "meat grinder" as it was called now has a wide open door, while the ball will be held back by the laser beams.

Now, we wait for July 1, where A1 will finally see a "public" release!
 
T

The Asylum

The Asylum updated Pipeball Ultra with a new update entry:

A1!

It's OFFICIAL RELEASE TIME!

Changes from A0D

- The "Meat Grinder" doorways as they were called in the bonus rooms have been expanded
- The ball is now kept at bay by a vphys clip brush in the bonus rooms, making shooting it much easier
- Issue with the ball reset brushes triggering with the ball cannons resolved
- Attacking team respawning in the bonus room rounds now face the doorway to the bonus rooms

Read the rest of this update entry...
 
T

The Asylum

It's OFFICIAL RELEASE TIME!

Changes from A0D

- The "Meat Grinder" doorways as they were called in the bonus rooms have been expanded
- The ball is now kept at bay by a vphys clip brush in the bonus rooms, making shooting it much easier
- Issue with the ball reset brushes triggering with the ball cannons resolved
- Attacking team respawning in the bonus room rounds now face the doorway to the bonus rooms
- The side buildings now have an open window to shoot through
 
Last edited by a moderator:
T

The Asylum

So yes, there are issues I'm aware of. I'd love for Pyro's airblast to push the ball, but alas, it's one of the many limitations of func_physbox. Could all this have worked better with varying terrain levels? Well, I'm not so sold. The freedom to hit the ball anywhere is a major principle for me, and not create a trap where it's difficult for one team to push it out of their end.

Realistically though, I think this'll do it. Not just for Pipeball maps from me, but... well, anything from me. I just won't have the time to make anything meaningful or be able to put in the level of polish that I'm comfortable with releasing anymore. These last few months have been an anomaly to be sure, but now? Back to the 16 hour work day grind.

And, while I'm being completely honest with both you, dear reader, and myself, I was never really that good at this shit anyway.

Aside from gradual cosmetic upgrades, Pipeball Ultra will be my latest and greatest, as well as my last. I couldn't pack it in with this dream map of mine unfinished, and once it IS done, so too will I be.

...and that voice in the spawnrooms? That's me and a dumb joke that it looks like I forgot to remove before release
 
Last edited by a moderator:
T

The Asylum

20220729190328_1.jpg

There we are, no more "are they, aren't they deadly" lasers holding the ball back in the bonus rooms. Also cuts down on shooting the ball straight into the goal pipe once it spawns.

A2 coming once I am able to test A1 for myself, which is hopefully soon. My days off are few and very far between, and hopefully the stars align so that I'm free once an admin is running a test.
 
T

The Asylum

20220731082207_1.jpg

so yeah that happened too. Now you can be just like Teddy Roosevelt as he charged up San Juan Hill! Or, Teddy from Arsenic and Old Lace as he pretended to charge up San Juan Hill. Whatever floats your boat.
 
T

The Asylum

yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh those sniper windows need to go. Come A3, they will.

Otherwise, holy shit that mound fixed a lot of problems. Thank you, Snickerpuffs, for giving me the courage to rip up a good chunk of my map to make things better.

ETA: The standard respawn wave time is 10, right? That's what I've got currently for the main rink and bonus room defenders, but people tonight have been complaining that it's too long. I don't know, should I reduce it? 9? 8? Not going for 7 or below, and honestly I feel like it's fine as it is at 10. If I get no feedback by the time I roll out A3 (And assuming my idea for a HUD-based scoreboard works), I might leave it at 10 or set it at 9. If you want to see it at 8 or lower, make your case now.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
T

The Asylum

So a few people have asked how I made the "ghost" effect that made the ball be able to be seen through objects. It's really just another non-solid ball I parented to the actual ball, made with a custom VGUI texture that has about a 50% transparency. Since VGUI textures render over just about anything, it's simple yet very effective way to keep the ball in sight.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
T

The Asylum

Before I finish pulling all my hair out trying to get a HUD based scoreboard to work, here's a question I'd like some input on: scoring.

Right now, it's one point for the regular goals, two points for the bonus rooms. Well, what if that were different? I wanted to have the mantle of leading team fluctuate wildly throughout the match, but it seems that it only changes hands once or twice per game. Also, I was anticipating higher scores happening, but so far the highest score I've seen since May was 7- the average being 4. Of course, I wanted to have the 2 bonus room goals snatching victory for a lesser-goal team be a thing, but in order for that to happen, the higher scoring team needs to have more than 6 points, and I've only seen it once.

That, and the scoreboards go up to 30 so I may as well use that space

Here's a few proposals:

1. 2 points for the regular goals, 3 for the bonus. This way, it'll be easier to rack up points, and the lesser-points team can steal a victory with a sudden surge

2. 2 points for the regular goals, 1 for the bonus. This will be more in line with American Football, where the "bonus" points are more like a treat than a significant make or break for a team. And for some reason, people like American Football.

3. 1 point for the regular and bonus goals. Why make things more complicated than they need to be?

Basically, I'm trying to have my cake and eat it too. I want a team to have an incentive to get out there and fight until the last second regardless of score, but I also want a team that scores a bonus goal to be given a reasonable reward.

Anyone?
 
T

The Asylum

It doesn't work.

It just simply does not fucking work.

Everything I've tried to get a HUD-based scoreboard to appear (and stay on) just does not, can not, and absolutely will not work. So, it's time to finally throw my hands in the air and exclaim "fuck it"

pbuhammersc_2022_03.png

Scoreboards. Scoreboards everywhere. If you still can not discern who's winning after I'm through with mass scoreboard implementation, let me break it down real simple like right here for you.

BARS GOOD. BIG BARS BETTER. IF OTHER TEAM BAR BIGGER THAN YOUR BAR YOU ARE LOSING. SCORE GOAL MAKE BAR BIGGER. BIGGER BAR MAKE WIN GAME.

....oh yeah also the main ball serve cannon gets quite a bit shorter, to cut down on the flying ball spam

A3 releasing whenever I can scrape together the time. So..... Christmas?
 
T

The Asylum

lol disregard that i suck cocks

Thanks to Stack Man, I've finally gotten the PD scoreboard and the CP HUD to appear at the same time. I'm also experimenting with fade out commands to make the respawning less jarring. I think as soon as I get Pipe Balle's latest build tested, I'll finally release A3.