Multi Stage Dune (CP) 21.3.0

Just a quickie patch to address a spawn door visual whoopsie in the first stage, and I also increased the capture times of B and D as I think BLU had too easy of a time with them.

So yeah, this is it, this is the possibly last version. Did some additional optimizing and, based on some art feedback from Hoppkins, I added some details to the oil spills to better indicate, "Hey, don't step in that!" At the time of typing this, the map's still going through the approval process, but hey, at the very least it's here.

Third stage? What third stage? Keeping it 100%, seeing people not reach the third stage and, if they do, not enjoy the 3-cap gimmick eventually convinced me it'd be better worth my time improving what people have already played/enjoyed, especially based on recent feedback (thanks a bunch for the kind words, welcoming the ol' Dune back). Also, for the record, I had no ill-will towards Rick May; the static statue always being there made it feel honorable, but I will admit shoving under some stairs was half-assed and I could see it coming off as disrespectful. Apologies to those who were offended/bothered.

As for the, "Possibly the Last Beta," bit, you'll probably see this on the workshop very soon. Partly because I personally feel satisfied with the end result, partly because I have another map commitment to attend to before the 4th, and partly because the amount of stress that I had to endure working solo on that rollercoaster of a map is exhausting.

Last but not least, I did my damnedest to take everything anyone's ever said about Dune and fixed as much as I could within the timeframe. I even incorporated/improved elements from Dune v2 as a sort of reference to the very brief v2's existence in my radar. I hope y'all enjoy this beta, may be the last!

So how do I put this is... I messed the map up really, REALLY bad post beta 12. Somehow, each version got progressively worse. After the stress-fest disaster that was b18 and finishing testing on b20, I stopped with TF2 mapping for a long while... a LONG while. Recently been having loads of fun with Minecraft modding, at least! I logged back into my account here and realized I never uploaded b21, which brings back the good of b12 and then a bit some. Truthfully, I don't know how much I'll be doing with Dune or Dune v2 past this point, we'll see. I'll probably spitball the map(s) on the workshop before the end of the month/early next month and leave it at that.

In other news, I'm working alongside Razoldon to make a lil' KOTH map for this Offshore thing that I was totally 100% aware of, yes. Just started collaborating sometime last week!
It's been months since I last worked not only this map, but Hammer in general, so honestly, I don't know what's different between b12 and b21. Don't know what the future for Hammer antics has in store, either. Regardless, I hope y'all enjoy it.

Just now, I've released an alpha build of Dune v2, a new, more foundational take on Dune's aesthetic concept while offering up a whole new map with its own set of challenges and secrets to discover. Give it a go, or wait till it hits the rounds in testing:
cp_dune_v2

As for v1 of Dune, this one, I'm still working on this original take. However, my insecurities and overcorrections ruined the original visage, so this time, I'm going to eventually dial it back to its b12a iteration and improve upon that one (as a matter of fact, I already have!). For those who saw what classic Dune could be, I hear you, and I thank you for the support all throughout the ups and downs so far.

Alright, fixed a bit of brushwork around BLU first spawn, and adjusted the time addition for the last point from +5min to +4min (guess I forgot about that point when I was running through the other points, lol). If the time additions are still too much to handle, I may consider lowering them for later points or capping the max round time from 20min to something like 13-15min.

Made the first stage choke a bit less chokey by adding a new route to B, and a staircase leading directly up to the upstairs hallway. Also made it clear that the DEATH point (as it's now called lol) causes both teams to spawn significantly faster while it is being contested by BLU. The one super dangerous route to DEATH, being right under RED spawn, has now been made a secure, blocked off one-way for BLU so RED cannot easily flank them.

Fixed and adjusted stuff relating to spawns and respawn waves; also, I opened the big metal doors in front of the Complex and added a hint of skill-jumping near the one-way exit to point D.

Alright, another biggun, hopefully in the right direction. I've made the layout more linear with a handful of modified/new routes, in turn, making fights more centralized. The round timer now stacks (5 minutes per point that's captured), just like Dustbowl, and goes up to 20 minutes max, so BLU is rewarded for capping fast while still allowing time to mess around for a while. Obviously with all these layout changes, there's more health and ammo scattered everywhere, and spawns have been reworked to accommodate the changes.

Enjoy!

Updated some respawn times and capture times to reflect what b18 had; want to try those timings in this map iteration at least. I also added some more health/ammo between point E and the final (skull) point, and sealed off a route from RED spawn that would let them flank BLU once point E was captured; felt too strong to have a route that'd take you there that quickly.