Multi Stage Dune (CP) [B12] 12.0.0

Howdy folks, seems like Dustdevil was well received, and a lot of insightful comments were left during playtesting to further aid in this map's development. This time I made sure, because originally I had no clue how to view demos, and then I finally around to setting it all up to view. Y'all found some goofy stuff to pull off in the dunes that I didn't even figure was possible!

This beta version both improves the small hints of map jank, as well as providing a better experience at all stages of the map.

OPTIMIZATION:

• Stage Two and the Final Stage have been cut in half with a skybox brush as per request.
• Many brushes have been cut, mostly to help with potential t-junction issues.

GAMEPLAY:

GENERAL

• Significantly shorter capture times; slightly adjusted respawn wave times.
• More flanks and cover for all stages.

FIRST STAGE

• RED now has the honor of being provided their own rooftop cover around point A.
• RED has been given more walls to take cover against BLU, especially BLU Snipers.
• Point A now has a capture time of 15.
• Point B now has a capture time of 9.
• RED's spawn is now locked off, meaning BLU must push the point in order to keep RED at bay, instead of flanking inside their building. RED is given more longevity thanks to a full health pack inside the building.
• BLU has been given more cover around the left side of the Data Center to help them secure a forward position, but this can also be used to aid in a counterattack from RED.
• BLU has a bit of cover on the Data Center's right-side flank.

SECOND STAGE

• Unusually close access to both teams' spawns, and by extension points C/D, have been completely shut off to force both teams to go into the Second Stage's, "fort," being the fortress front entrance. This now plays similar to the First Stage's, "fort," being the Data Center.
• A flank has been opened up along the left side of the fortress front entrance, both to keep consistency with the, "fort," from Stage One, and to attack pesky backline defenders.
• The fort's front entrance interior now has a hallway leading to a balcony, which can be used as an alternate route to the main path.
• The area that was previously widened up at the top of the staircase now is even more open thanks to a balcony and open staircase, allowing drop-downs, useful sightlines, etc.
• Windows near said staircase have been opened to allow for quicker access to the fort's front entrance.
• The doorway below the C and arrow combo signage by point D is closed... somewhat. BLU can use the ajar garage door to shoot towards point D if RED defenders are being a nuisance. Cheeky!
• RED now has a second exit from their spawn at point D.
• Point C now has a capture time of 20, and point D now has a capture time of 7.

FINAL STAGE

• The middle building between the teams' bases has been removed for less chokes, but more cover from the dreaded RED Snipers.
• Removal of the building and some props should provide RED Spies more wiggle room to skirt past incoming gunfire and start harassing BLU team. More health and ammo has been provided in the backlines for these Spies to utilize.
• BLU's big metal door has been opened up more to allow BLU to dodge incoming danger a bit easier.
• Very few members of both teams used the flank on the far right of point E; we'll try a Battlements sign and a medium health pack at the end of this flank's path and see where it goes from there.
• Point E now has a capture time of 40; BLU will still have to defend against waves of RED counterattacking, somewhat switching the roles. With a full health and ammo pack provided right before the point, this should hopefully aid BLU in their defensive hold. To further help BLU, RED's full health and ammo by their spawn is removed, forcing RED to emerge from hiding or run back into their spawn to recover. The No Trespassing wall has also been removed to force RED into more dangerous situations. We'll see how it all plays out.

Eyo folks! I'm really hoping this version of Dustdevil can actually be played, as a lot of adjustments have been made for optimization and gameplay.

OPTIMIZATION:

• FPS remains at 60-200 thanks to splitting the map in half.
• About 2 hours of compile time to add more visleaves while balancing ent count, func_details, and brushwork.
• Compression thanks to CompilePal's BSPZip support. Went from +60KB to +20KB.
• Bones on any dynamic prop should be disabled now.

GAMEPLAY:

GENERAL

• Rounds now start at 10 minutes compared to 7 minutes but cannot exceed more than 10 minutes. Capturing a point still adds 7 minutes to the clock to encourage the stalemate nature, as well as pushing for more team coordination and clever plays. This also allows BLU an additional 3 minutes at point E to capture it, given it is now the longest capture time of the map.
• More flanks and cover for all stages.

FIRST STAGE

• The building separating BLU spawn and point A is now a gazebo, with plank bridges that can be accessed from RED and BLU sides respectively. A medium health pack is provided behind cover from RED side.
• BLU has a lot more ground to flank and maneuver around, both high and low ground.
• Previously, BLU could very easily claim point A thanks to a quick capture time if a majority of BLU was present on the point, as well as a slow respawn wave time from RED. RED team now has a significantly faster respawn wave time, and the point now has a capture time of 30.
• The Data Center, used as a base for RED and BLU alike, now has had its one-way entry removed thanks to a wall removal next to it. A full health pack replaced a medium health pack in the lower floor's hallway junction.
• Point B now has a capture time of 15.
• A small health pack is provided for RED defenders and BLU flankers behind the tires across the capture area for point B.

SECOND STAGE

• BLU's warehouse spawn now has an area to the right that has open windows. These windows can be used to access the flank to point D, or have an overview of point C. They can also be used to view any RED members hiding within point D's bunker.
• The tunnel coming from the flank to point D now has a direct path to point D. This can benefit RED as much as it does BLU, especially when trying to reclaim point C.
• The fort's front entrance interior now has a balcony on the second floor to allow RED to shoot down at BLU attackers.
• There's a slightly wider view at the top of the staircase leading down towards point D to allow for an easier time to attack enemies dwelling in the bunker.
• Windows near said staircase have been opened to allow for quicker access to the fort's front entrance.
• The flank next to this staircase outside along the fort's front entrance has been adjusted to allow for more movement, as well as being provided a full health and ammo kit.
• RED will respawn significantly faster while they own point C.
• Point C now has a capture time of 40, and point D now has a capture time of 25.

FINAL STAGE

• Due to, "Why try to push into the capture zone as BLU so early in the round? Why not wait till the end," the gameplay has been modified. Instead of a CP/KOTH A/D hybrid area, it is purely A/D with the longest capture time out of all control points: 80. This is done to keep the goal of the area in spirit: BLU must both push and defend point E; RED must defend and counterattack if they are shutdown.
• An exit from BLU spawn leading directly to the point has been completely blocked off.
• Access to the circular rocket building has been provided, giving RED another means to exit spawn if BLU is choking their other exits. This can also help sneaky BLU members to get behind RED enemy lines.
• Access to the building in the far-right corner has been provided, allowing RED to hole up and form a counterattack for any BLU offense. This can also aid sneaky BLU members in their flanks.
• Access to the central building separating the two bases has been provided so BLU can gain the upper hand on a strong RED defense.
• Thanks to these various new areas and more easily accessible vantage points, Snipers will now have to compete with more classes, other than himself.
• More health and ammo packs have been provided to BLU's side of the area.
• RED and BLU now spawn slightly faster to ramp-up gameplay.

MISC:

• Menu photos have been added for the loading screen and the briefing screen. Adds some lore/flair into the map; makes room for potential holiday variants if there's an interest.
• Custom briefing text which should support all languages provided in TF2.
• Heavily modified nav mesh to make any TFBot usage more convenient.
• All of these should be packaged and repackaged into the BSP to make it helpful and filesize-friendly.