CP Skyscraper a2a

[DarthPhilistine]

cp_skyscraper - A 5CP map set on the top of a highrise building.

The central point lies on the top of a skyscraper with blue and red coming from taller buildings either side, the middle point is surrounded by a death-pit. Second is intended to look like an office area, it is not detailed, and the final point is supposed to resemble a reception desk, based on one in the black mesa facility.

Been working on this for a number of weeks, any feedback is appreciated I would love to know what people think of my work.

I already know of several things I would like to improve on or replace, some areas are just messy in terms of brushwork, and slight imbalances, where spawnpoints and lighting are not mirrored exactly.

View attachment 12641 View attachment 12642 View attachment 12643 View attachment 12644 View attachment 12645 View attachment 12646 .

 

[Aeix]

I haven't actually tried this map out ingame yet... so what I am saying maybe completely wrong

From the pictures, there seemed to be a lot of open space, particularly around that middle point actually out on the roof of the building. Maps that are too sniper friendly can be horrible to play on (I particularly learnt that when mapping for csgo)

Also, it's good to mix up ramps and stairs to give your map a varied feel, but when making ramps, try to keep off a 1:1 ratio. 2:3 is quite good or even sometimes 1:2 can be good. Always experiment with ramps, as having a ramp too steep or shallow can ruin an entire area

Again, I haven't actually seen this map ingame, so some of what I've said maybe completely wrong, but this looks good, and I think it has some serious potential!

 

[DarthPhilistine]

Thanks to the two people who gave me feedback. I have attempted to focus on reducing sniper sightlines and making the map less open.

I still have issues with the map, and will now work on them, below is a list of the things I have changed, I probably missed some. Thanks again for the responses, I hope that I can improve my mapping ability, and that the changes I have made are sufficient.

Changelog:
- Added a building to surround the central point.
- Widened all existing bridges to the central point.
- Added a longer, covered path to mid.
- Added extra cover to block sniper sightlines.
- Removed unnecessary props from the central point.
- Added a new path around the second point.
- Added a wall next to second, to close up the room and give attackers more ways to go.
- Extended cover around the second point and on the upper battlements to reduce long sniper sightlines.
- Moved left door to last closer to the centre.
Added a glass window in the second->last transition room. To reduce sniper sightlines.
- Made last point more narrow.
- Added a wall blocking one entrance, so defenders cannot jump onto the point directly from spawn.
- Added large window textured walls in the centre of the last room to close it up.

The map reminds me of Hightower, considering this would a different game-mode other than 5cp suit it better?

Read the rest of this update entry...

 

[Severia Zezt]

Can't wait to try this new version now.

Edit:

Downloading the file, it says "cp_skyscraper_a1" instead of "cp_skyscraper_a2?" Not sure if that's an error or not...

 

[Crowbar]

Will it fit TF2 which is in 70s? Well, looks pretty good and original.

 

[RodionJenga]

The Empire State Building was built in 1932 and The World Trade Center (rip) was built in 1972. Skyscrapers also exist in Koth_King and Mvm_Mannhatten.

 

[DarthPhilistine]

Sorry, last update has the original file rather than the updated one, I have now updated and replaced the file correctly.

Read the rest of this update entry...

 

[DarthPhilistine]

Downloading the file, it says "cp_skyscraper_a1" instead of "cp_skyscraper_a2?" Not sure if that's an error or not...

Yes, thank-you! I'm not sure what happened, I must have uploaded the wrong file. Thanks for realising, I would've never noticed.

 

[munchkino]

Is there a hole in the roof of the mid building? If not you could get rid of the AC units and put in hole. That would make the cranes more useful and add to the gameplay. I think.

 

[DarthPhilistine]

Is there a hole in the roof of the mid building? If not you could get rid of the AC units and put in hole. That would make the cranes more useful and add to the gameplay. I think.

Yes, there is a hole in the roof, probably going to delete or move the cranes to the side in the next update. Players walking across are just too vulnerable, and the clipping on the wires obstruct players from moving across directly.

 

[Severia Zezt]

Yeah, the map has vastly improved. I haven't explored every part of the new map yet, only played two rounds. Feels a lot more balanced now. (Though, probably needs more play-testing).

I'm not sure why, but I'm still getting these missing textures and floating ERROR props:

This seems like an interesting room, but I haven't seen it have much use yet. I'm shooting in the dark with this idea, but perhaps some custom prop isn't getting packed in the .bsp file?

 

[DarthPhilistine]

Thanks for the response, all of the errors are props from the TF2maps construction pack.

The room was originally a sniper perch, but the sightlines were even more ridiculous than the rest of the map in the alpha 1 version. It's just a transition room now. I liked the idea of the front of both buildings being under construction.

Here's a screenshot of what it should look like, it's from a1, but it hasn't changed much.

I might change the theme of the room for the next version, so that everyone can play without errors.

 

[Severia Zezt]

The room could still be a good flank route, as it seems the side entrances to the next point act more like the main entrances. But I'm not sure how to make it different/better. Perhaps if used as a flank route, there could be an air duct players could use to sneak to the ledges on the second point? (Like ctf_turbine.)

 

[MaccyF]

you need to pack your custom content into the map

 

[DarthPhilistine]

Sorry for not updating sooner, Haven't launched hammer in quite a while now. I have finally packed the custom content into the bsp file. It seems to have worked as far as I can tell, I tested by renaming the 'tf' folder and having steam create a new one, the custom props appear visible in game.

Hopefully it works for anyone who downloads (Provided that I uploaded the right file this time).

The file is still version a2.

Read the rest of this update entry...

 

[Severia Zezt]

I just tried it. Still getting the missing textures and Error props.

I thought I might have put in the wrong version, but the downloaded .bsp seemed to be the same file size as the old one.

I tried to download it twice, in case I made a mistake, but I'm still not seeing the custom props and textures.

There must be something not being packed in the .bsp the right way.

 

[Vel0city]

Sorry for not updating sooner, Haven't launched hammer in quite a while now. I have finally packed the custom content into the bsp file. It seems to have worked as far as I can tell, I tested by renaming the 'tf' folder and having steam create a new one, the custom props appear visible in game.

Hopefully it works for anyone who downloads (Provided that I uploaded the right file this time).

The file is still version a2.

Read the rest of this update entry...

Instead of renaming folders, try sv_pure 2 on your local server with the map running. This command only allows custom content from the bsp. It'll completely ignore any custom content you'll have in the folders, so custom content that isn't packed also shows up on your end as checkerboard textures or big red ERROR signs.

As for the packing itself: make sure your bsp is in tf/maps and pack the map from that location. It's important for the internal bsp file structure. Also, what tool are you using for bsp packing? VIDE? Pakrat?

 

[DarthPhilistine]

Instead of renaming folders, try sv_pure 2 on your local server with the map running. This command only allows custom content from the bsp. It'll completely ignore any custom content you'll have in the folders, so custom content that isn't packed also shows up on your end as checkerboard textures or big red ERROR signs.

As for the packing itself: make sure your bsp is in tf/maps and pack the map from that location. It's important for the internal bsp file structure. Also, what tool are you using for bsp packing? VIDE? Pakrat?

Hello, I set the server to 'sv_pure 2', and the custom content still showed up?
I'm using VIDE, nothing else seemed to work correctly. All of the files are packed into the BSP. I've double checked with a couple of tutorials to make sure I had used the program correctly.
I don't know what I'm doing wrong here, unless I uploaded the wrong file again, I don't think I'm stupid enough to do it three times (I removed one of the updates), And there is only one file called "cp_skyscraper_a2" in my tf/maps folder. Is this a common problem?

 

[Vel0city]

Hello, I set the server to 'sv_pure 2', and the custom content still showed up?
I'm using VIDE, nothing else seemed to work correctly. All of the files are packed into the BSP. I've double checked with a couple of tutorials to make sure I had used the program correctly.
I don't know what I'm doing wrong here, unless I uploaded the wrong file again, I don't think I'm stupid enough to do it three times (I removed one of the updates), And there is only one file called "cp_skyscraper_a2" in my tf/maps folder. Is this a common problem?

What I'd do is rename your .vmf to something that's not a2 (so a2a for example), recompile, and then pack, so you know that the version you're uploading is the new version. Is your custom content in tf/custom or in the tf/materials and tf/models? If it's in the former (tf/custom), set it as the directory for VIDE to search in for custom content. Just setting it to tf will cause VIDE to sometimes not find stuff in there (idk why but it does that). Finally, you can always manually search and insert custom content (also via VIDE) if all the automated stuff fails on you.

 

[DarthPhilistine]

Ok, so I checked the file sizes for the one in my tf/maps which has the packed content, and the download. They were massively different. I've now recompiled and repackaged the map under the extension 'a2a'. I seem to be having trouble uploading files, it doesn't update correctly every time, really not sure why.

Thanks for the help and advice, the packing should have worked now, testing gives the same results with the packed file, where all the custom props show up correctly with 'sv_pure 2' enabled.