Linedrive rc2a

Linedrive made the 2024 Featured Maps list!! Don't worry-- this is ABSOLUTELY going to my head.

Minor update this time-- originally it was going to be even smaller than this, just a few bugfixes and tweaks, but I wanted to tweak the detailing a bit more. Screenshots are still from the last version, I don't plan to update them until I give this map another refinement pass, and I need more feedback than a few playsessions can provide for that.

OVERALL

• Added additional pipeball-exclusive clipping across the map to smooth out specific snag points
• Removed the fences on the ramps into each team's goal area
• Replaced the brush "patches" with proper patch overlays
• Added a texture 'glow' to the pipeballs, as a fallback if the tf_glow breaks
• Clipping adjustments
• Lightmap adjustments
• Detailing adjustments

---- Replaced the structure behind the mid dropdown with something more interesting
---- Moved several skybox structures closer to the main map
---- Replaced the glow sprites in the skybox with a sharper image
---- Made the beams in RED spawn thinner
---- The team-colored lights on each side are more saturated
---- Minor map-wide texture adjustments

SPAWNS

• Fixed the forward exit in RED's spawn clipping through the roof
• Tweaked the lighting on the "Pipeball How-To" signs in spawn, to make them more visible
• Raised fences directly outside of the spawn exits to block sightlines and perches

GOALS/GRINDERS

• Increase the time added from a scored goal, from 1:00 to 1:30
• Grinding a ball now adds 45 seconds to the clock

- Various changes backported from Linedrive Event
---- The grinder building's entrance is now wider
---- The grinder doors are now at the entrance instead of being over the pit
---- The grinder now disables itself during a stalemate
---- Slightly expanded the interiors of the "barns" behind each team's goal
---- Spawn points are now angled towards the front spawn exit instead of the rear exit
---- Removed Box of Paper's push force logic, as it wasn't working as intended

• Fixed dynamic shadows being cast at the wrong angle
• Added additional signage to assist new players
• Detailing tweaks
• Lighting tweaks
• Optimization pass

NEVER have I EVER finished a map before. I'm lighter than air right now. This shit rules, why the hell haven't I done this before.

----

OVERALL

• Brightened the playable area
• Added more pipeball-exclusive clipping around the map
• Added triggers in the out-of-bounds area that reset the ball if it gets knocked into an unreachable area
• DRASTICALLY reworked the cover around the map, to better break up sightlines and make the map feel less boxy
• Updated the menu pictures
• Color correction!

LOGIC

• Re-implemented a previous method of making the pipeballs glow, using a fix suggested by ficool
• When Sudden Death is entered, all spawn doors will automatically open, so the COWARDS will have nowhere to run and hide.
• Added special "ball push force scale" logic, based on code graciously written by @Box Of Paper! Now, primary and secondary weapons are slightly weaker when pushing the ball, and melee weapons are MUCH stronger! "Heavy stacking" should be much less annoying to fight against now!
  • This change does not fix certain weapons not pushing the ball, unfortunately. That's a bug with func_physbox entities themselves, and I've submitted a bug report to Valve.

TUNNEL

• Added a small healthkit

GOALS

• The "angle bumper" near the grinder has been moved closer towards the rear spawn exit, to act as a jump path to quickly access it from the goal area
• The "angle bumpers" are now nobuild
• The dropdown rooms now have glass in their windows
• The goal is now wider
• The main bumpers near the goal have been removed
• The grinders are now inside a small shack, to reduce accidental resets
• The grinders' warning klaxons are now louder
• Grinders now function differently!
  • Both grinders now start locked
  • When an imbalance is detected, the trailing team's grinder will activate
  • Once used, the grinder will disable itself.
  • When teams are tied, any open grinders will automatically disable themselves.

These changes are, as far as I'm aware, the only pressing issues of the map. I honest-to-god feel that this map is RC-ready now. This is... genuinely exciting. Never finished a map before! We're in new territory!

----

• Added anti-griefing measures
• Added a bit of detail to the tunnel
• Clipped the roof of the center dropdown building

Gamble failed. Here's a hotfix.

• Fixed the doors not working
• Fixed the grinder messages not displaying only once
• Fixed the mid buildings not having roof clipping
• Added a mission briefing

It's 2 A.M. here, and I'm uploading this immediately before heading to bed. There's a few changes I didn't playtest, but I'm betting on them working as I intended (hence the update title of "The Gamble"). If they don't work, I'll push out a hotfix.

----

OVERALL

• Added menu pictures
• Clipping improvements, for both the ball and players

LOGIC

• Reverted the previous version's timer change (the round timer is once again 5:20)
• Increased the time on goal from 1:00 to 1:15
• Fixed the finale effects being broken
• The grinder cooldown has been increased from 30s to 45s
• The grinder "about to open" klaxon is now louder, and can be heard from slightly further away
• Grinding a ball now grants an additional 30s as a consolation
• Fixed the "RED/BLU Grinder Enabled!" text appearing too many times
  • This is one of the "gamble on this working" changes. Here's hoping "StartTouch" and trigger_once entities work as advertised...

GOALS

• Added a new room to the building behind the goal, creating a route between the rear spawn exit and the dropdown room
• Increased the size of the health packs in this area
• Added new "goal markers", courtesy of @Wendy!

MID

• Detailed the dropdown area added in the previous version

SPAWN

• Fixed RED's doors being open-able by BLU
  • I have no idea why this was even happening? The doors were set up correctly, as was the team filter logic. I replaced everything with 'fresh' logic, just in case that somehow fixed it.

SIDE DROPDOWN

• Decreased the size of the health packs in these rooms
• Unclipped the windows

There's a bit more I wanted to get done for this update, but I'm moving soon so I won't have much time in the next week or so to work on this. I could've waited until after the move to release this, but I want people playing it NOW!

I was exclusively listening to the discography of Hall and Oates while making this update.

----

OVERALL

• Further artpass adjustments (Thanks for the feedback, @Tiftid!)

LOGIC

• Reverted the previous version's setup time change. It is once again 10 seconds long.
• Decreased initial round time from 5:20 to 3:30. Maximum round time remains unchanged (8:00)
• Falling to a goal now sends players to a "gib room", instead of lazily teleporting them into the grinder
• The white ball is now slightly lighter (weight scale lowered from 0.35 to 0.3)

GOALS

• The grinders now start "shut", and open up once your team loses a point
  • When used to reset the ball, grinders will now disable themselves for 30 seconds.
  • The grinder gates use a "timer door" texture, created by @dabmasterars!

MID/TUNNEL

• Replaced the "oil car" side of mid with a new dropdown into the Tunnel
• The goal-to-mid ramps are now slightly wider, to make accidental grinder uses less common
• Extended the corrugated prop fences near the side dropdown room
• Flipped the tunnel to lessen a sightline (as well as to fit the new center dropdown)

SPAWN

• The stack of crate immediately outside of spawn are solid now. Whoops.
• Slightly extended the security fences outside the rear exit, in attempt to discourage Snipers coagulating back there

VSCRIPT/LOGIC

• Forced the respawn wave time to 2s
• Slightly increased the phys_pushscale again, from 20 to 30
• Disabled sv_turbophysics. This allows the ball to properly "bump" players without getting them stuck, as well as dealing minor impact damage!
• Reduced setup time from 10 seconds to 5 seconds (Might revert this to be honest)
• Points are now awarded instantly when a goal is scored, instead of shortly after
• Experimenting with respawning players ONLY for the scoring team
• Added logic that checks the scores on round end. Whoever is in the lead will win. If tied, Sudden Death will occur.
  • When a goal is scored during Sudden Death, the team that scored will win
• Removed the "bleed radius" from the Black Ball, as it was poorly telegraphed
• The Black Ball now, once again, instantly kills anyone it touches

GOALS

• Moved the bumpers further away from the goal

OVERALL

• Artpassed the map!
• Increased brightness of light entities across the map by 50%
• Lowered average respawn wave time, from 4s to 2s
• Replaced the previous pipeball glow method with a new one (suggested by @Narpas!), which fixes a few edge-case bugs
• Increased the height of the skybox by 384hu

TUNNEL

• Added a new side room

GOALS

• Added some gutter props behind the goal area, so players can "ledge walk" between the rear spawn area and the dropdown room

KNOWN ISSUES

• Spawn doors are a little weird right now. Not sure why.