Toucan RC3a

• Shifted balance over time mechanics into lift speed rather than respawn time

Respawn times ended up being too long to still be fun, so I've reverted them to values closer to the previous version. Instead, the lifts now raise faster the longer the round has lasted. Initially, it rises at a rate of 40Hu a second - the same as doomsday. After 2.5 minutes, that is increased to 70Hu a second. Finally, after another 3.5 minutes, it reaches the maximum speed of 100Hu a second, meaning it reaches the top in just under 4 seconds! This puts more of a focus into defending the lift itself rather than fighting off people that are already on it.

• Fixed a bug preventing the elevator from raising
• Logic improvements
• Added intro video - not sure if it actually works after being packed in

• Added round timer

This was something I was trying to avoid doing, but there's been a habit of rounds taking far too long for teams that are evenly matched so although rounds are supposed to end prior to this timer concluding, this is there just in case.

• Dynamized spawn times

Another step to making rounds go faster is making the spawn times more dynamic. There are now a few "sets" of spawn times for the map. The longer the round goes on, the longer the spawn time of defenders. Also, that value is set to the maximum whenever attackers are on the lift, no matter how much time has passed.

• Revamped the upper route out of mid

This area felt very tight and was generally not a very fun space to fight in despite it being the preferred route, so I've opened it up and made it a bit nicer to look at too.

• Added a new route to the cliffside area

This new route will take you over the cliff and into the building next to the lift. This is intended to be an alternative route to help access the lift a little easier by bypassing the more exposed area leading to the lift. This will also block some cheeky airblast plays that were previously possible.

• Detail improvements
• Bug fixes
• Packed in the HUD which I forgot about last time

I had a look at the previous demo, and realised that the main cause of the stalemating was not entirely a layout issue - but that defenders were spawning far too quickly.
I wanted it so that if you were alive when the enemy boarded your elevator, you would respawn before they finished capping. However getting to the elevator proved to be a lot more challenging in this version that in previous iterations, so most of the offense would be wiped before even being able to touch it. Why? Attacker spawn times were 8 seconds, but defender spawn times were 10. Not nearly enough of a difference for one team having to traverse the entire map (30 second walk) and the other team just walking out of spawn (8 second walk).

• Increased defender spawn time from 10 seconds to 22 seconds
• Minor detail improvements
• Bug fixes

• Major improvements to soundscapes and ambient sounds
• Reactor hatch now opens twice as fast
• Major optimisation pass
• Fixed an issue allowing players to open the other team's spawn doors
• Logic improvements
• Clipping improvements
• Added menu photos
• Added english.txt

• Skybox improvements
• Clipping improvements
• Detail improvements
• Lighting improvements

• Slowed down lift climb speed

Previously, I had thought that the speed of which the lift raised was the same as doomsday. This was not the case! It was in fact 70% faster. I've slowed the speed back down to its initial value, which feels a lot more defendable.

• Added new ledge to the side of the lift

Defending the lift could be a bit of a challenge sometimes, as once it reaches a certain height you are required to get onto the nearby rooftop, which could only be accessed using a somewhat-hidden set of stairs. Now, there is a new natural ledge adjacent to the lift platform that also provides another route to the rooftop.

• HUD improvements
• Logic improvements
• Added basic 3D skybox
• Optimisation improvements
• Adjusted spawn times
• Clipping improvements
• Detail improvements

Still a couple more things left to do but workshop release is fast approaching
Yes I know the monitor is fucked up

• Reworked capzone areas

I wasn't very happy with how these areas played, the gameplay space was uninteresting and it could be difficult to determine your capture progress without turning around to look at the gate. I've now changed it to be an elevator, similar to doomsday.

• Shortened spawns

It could take a bit too long to exit spawn, so it has been squished a bit to reduce walk time, and a third exit has also been added to accommodate the reworked capzone.

• Added new flag model and particles

Thanks MCL for the flag model!

• Removed jump pads at mid

These were generally unfun to fight against and made it harder than necessary to move around mid. Jump pads have been replaced by ramps.

• Removed setup time

I uh, forgot this boosted medic's ubercharge rate. Whoops!

• Redid the capping logic to fix several bugs
• Adjusted pickup quantities and qualities
• Clipping improvements
• Audio improvements
• Detail improvements