Isotope

Isotope Final

-Removed bomb warning alarm
This sound tended to bug out a lot, and was quite annoying when the bomb was in the hazard area frequently. As such, it has been removed.
(I have added a different one to replace it, which plays much less often)

+Improved voiceline frequency
This should reduce announcer spam when in the hazard area

+Added nobuild areas directly outside the bomb hatch
Engineers would put their sentries directly in front of the hatch in order to prevent entry, which was awful to fight against without a large push.

-Removed planks to access the highground from mid
These made it a bit too easy to get to the highground, leaving snipers very vulnerable; and making it harder to regain mid once lost.

+Added additional highground walkway in canyon
This is more experimental than anything, but should give defending engineers a good spot to place a sentry gun and make the canyon corner feel a bit more enclosed. It also functions as a good sightline blocker.

-Reverted timer back to 15 minutes
The games could end up lasting far too long in the previous version, with the round timer reaching upwards of 30 minutes. The max time is also now 15 minutes. Time added on capture is now also back to 5 minutes.

+Re-added flag timer
The flag now belongs to the team that last possessed it for 5 seconds before becoming neutral. This is to make it harder to kill an enemy holding the flag in a group, pick it up, and run off without consequence.
(also lessens announcer spam)
This may be removed again in future.

+Multiple prop lighting improvements

-Reduced time taken for the bomb to self-destruct from 2 minutes to 1.5 minutes

+Added a hint module to help explain the gamemode


+Slightly raised the 'ceiling' in canyon

+Balls
+Added planks to reach the connector buildings roofs from mid
This was originally in early development versions, but I removed it. Now it's back, hopefully to help.

+Increased timer length by 33% (was 900 seconds, now 1200 seconds)

+Fixed a bug which caused the warning alarms to play endlessly

/Shifted some prop positions
+Added additional route from mid to the boiler room
People often commented the map felt too choke-heavy and didn't have enough routes, so this additional route has been added to give some more options; especially to flankers. This route also provides more cover from snipers, and gives attackers a good angle to assualt a sentry nest in the boiler room. This was going to be added in A6, however.... I forgot. Sorry.
Demonstration of route

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This is the only change made in this update, apart from a couple bug fixes.























-Removed gay frogs
Detailing changes:
+Added lots of extra detail-based props and geometry to the map
Working off of the minor detailing changes I made recently, i've altered some more textures and placed a very large number of props here, there and everywhere. I did however focus on the transition buildings in particular.
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+Major displacement improvements
I've done a lot of work on the side wall displacements in the canyon and mid to look more like the cliff walls of hydro, now looking rougher and bumpier overall.

+Added many additional decals
These include tyre tracks in the canyon, signs in the transition buildings, and more.

+Added a large window to the boiler rooms canyon entrance
This is mostly detail-based, but it does add some extra visability so who knows, may be useful gameplay-wise.
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+Added inaccessible 'detail' rooms to the transition buildings
Check 'em out, they're pretty neato
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Gameplay changes:
+Added a 'self-destruct' mechanic

I occasionally saw in gameplay that people would hold the flag for a very long time without making much advancement into enemy territory. This, I then realised, could let a player throw the game by taking the flag and reaching a position too difficult for the enemy team to attack, such as directly outside of friendly spawn, thus ruining the game for everyone. This mechanic has been implemented to combat that, and should only rarely be seen in normal gameplay.

Holding the flag for 2 minutes without dropping it now causes the bomb to explode, resetting to its original position. The explosion damages ALL players within a small radius. A warning and alarm is given shortly before detonation, encouraging the user to drop the flag or make a last-second push.

+Added cover on a section of the canyon high-ground.
I noticed that the most common route for players to take after exiting spawn was to immediately head towards the small high-ground alcove in the canyon, then to the boiler room high ground. This I feel gave defenders too much accessibility to the high-ground, which is targeted more towards the offenders. To fix this, I've added a small concrete barrier along the edge of the alcove, and another at the high-ground exit of the boiler room. Both are topped with security fences. This not only provides attackers with more cover and better offensive ability, but also prevents defenders from reaching the alcove as easily. (scouts can jump over the barrier just fine however, so watch out)
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+Added attacker voicelines for 'the final stretch'
Previously, bringing the flag into the 'hazard area' would only play a voiceline for defenders, warning them of an imminent capture. Now; a voiceline also plays for attackers informing them of their progress. This should prevent attacking players from thinking the bomb is near their base when the alarm sounds. (Alarms still plays for both teams)


Also, we're on the workshop, baby!
+Improved skybox
These are just some visual changes to improve the atmosphere of the map, there's still a lot of work to be done.
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+Changed dynamic respawn times
It felt a bit too difficult to push into the enemy territory given the distance you need to travel and the instant pickup having now been implemented, so I've changed the respawn times to strongly benefit offenders.
Attacker respawn time (max): 9 seconds, previously 12
Defender respawn time (max): 24 seconds, previously 18

+Changed round timer mechanics
With the frequent stalemates from past playtests, I have once again changed the round timer settings.
Starting time: 15 minutes (same)
Added time on capture: 5 minutes (same)
Maximum times: Unlimited (up from 20 minutes)

+Raised 'ceiling' in mid
I've removed the player clip 'ceiling' in mid, and made clipping improvements around the area to accommodate this. This change was made due to more vertical playspace in the area compared to the canyons, and you would often hit your head when attempting to use vertical movement abilities in this area.
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+Minor texture improvements

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Garage/Boiler room:

+Increased floor space on the top walkway and garage floor

It often felt like there wan't quite enough room to smoothly traverse this area, this change should help (floor space on the high ground beside the truck has been reduced)

+Replaced fan props with vent props
The fan, being a mercenary park prop, didn't quite fit the 2007
aesthetic



Mid and Canyon:

-Removed all joshua tree props from gameplay area
these props tended to clutter the area and didn't have the best clipping

+Retextured areas on red's canyon

needed more redness



Gameplay:

-Removed the 'team' timer on the bomb
To increase the overall pace of the map, the bomb now instantly becomes neutral when dropped, rather than after 15 seconds. This encourages a more offensive playstyle and discourages solo pushes

+Increased the initial timer length from 7 to 10 minutes
Should help against stalemates, as they were still occurring after the last update. (time added on capture is still 5 minutes, but maximum time has been increased to 15 minutes (from 10))


Other:

+Fixed misc bugs
+Fixed some overlays


Storage/Boiling buildings:

+Removed many walls
I had many complaints that these buildings were too chokey/claustrophobic. With the removal of these walls the buildings feel much better to fight in and less enclosed.
Before and after shots here


+Made red side more... red
I felt like there wasn't as much distinction between the red and blue sides as needed, though this should fix that

+Added doors to the large entrances to mid
With the changes to these buildings, a rather extreme sightline was created. The doors should help cut this off.

+Changed several other textures
There wasn't enough variety in the textures of these buildings, this makes the space feel much better and expressive

+Added some extra detail
Props

+Changed some lighting positions
Related to the building changes

+Added several ambient sounds
Primarily prop based (fans, boilers, etc)

+Added awnings above windows
Snipers had a bit too much free reign here, especially against jumping classes. These awnings should help restrict their capabilities, if just a little.


Mid:

-Removed some nature and other excess props
Some props in this area were simply unneeded, and complicated the area a bit too much

+Added a miniature control point underneath the bomb spawn location
The single piece of paper just wasn't cutting it, this should signify the spawn location better


Canyon/Final Stretch:

+Alarm sound now plays for the duration of when the bomb is in the 'hazard area'.
Previously the alarm only sounded once, when the bomb entered the area. It now sounds continuously as long as the bomb is within the trigger. (the voiceline still only plays once per trigger)

+Added shake effect to capture
This shake effect should better help signify that an explosion has occurred, and help show defenders that the bomb has been delivered.
(planning to add a 'point scored' effect in future for the same purpose)

+Clipping improvements
Self-explanatory


Spawn:

-Spawn now only has one resupply cabinet, down from 2
This change should increase the time it takes for engineers to set up and maintain a nest directly outside of spawn. Additionally, the new resupply cabinet is located in the centre of spawn rather than beside a spawn door.

+Added new spawn area, where players spawn.
This is the first stage of my spawn detailing, adding some height variation in spawn and providing more room for improvement

+Added windows above spawn doors

Mostly a ambient/detail based change, though it does create some good opportunity for strategy

+Increased opening speed of spawn doors
Players moving at speeds slightly faster than scout would often hit the doors before they were able to fully open, this change should now allow even charging demoknights to get through the doors smoothly


Gamemode:

+Respawn times shift dynamically based on who owns the bomb
Lengthened respawn times for defenders, lessened respawn time for offenders (the specific times in question are likely to change frequently)

+Halved time it takes for bomb to reset/become neutral
The 30 seconds it took for the bomb to become neutral often felt tedious to defend whilst attackers flung themselves on it, frequently resetting the timer back to 30 seconds. The time to become neutral is now 15 seconds, emphasising teamplay over 1-man runs, and time to reset to the spawn point is now 30 seconds, down from a minute.

+Extended initial round time from 5 to 7 minutes

The short round timer often didn't provide enough time for teams to score 3 points within the time limit, resulting in frequent stalemates.
Adding a additional 2 minutes should help, though extra time may be added in future if stalemates persist. If they continue past that, the timer may be removed altogether. (Side note: capturing still adds 5 minutes to the time remaining)


+Added 'flag returned' voicelines

Self-explanatory


Other:
+Fixed some miscellaneous bugs
+Fixed positions of multiple particle effects
+fixed clipping on multiple props and surfaces
+added missing voicelines
+changed intel timer
+removed overtime
forgot resupply cabinets
+added resupply cabinets