[WIP] tc_meridian

[YM]

no snipes I dissagree, there are not enough rivets (not screws, rivets look better) but they should be much smaller and more frequent at the seams

This map is going to look beautiful once its done, too bad the filesize is likely to be >100mb compressed

 

[Snipergen]

Well the thing is that I didn't expect the robot being so blocky, I liked the robot on the prev screens because it had good smoothing groups and I would like to see them back on this model.

Ofcourse, this is just personal again. Like I hate every Half Life game so far.

 

[MangyCarface]

Fucking sweet, love the yellow eyes.
Bridges are also incredible but the level of normal mapping seems a little much for a tf2 prop maybe?
Custom content = drool

 

[Buddikaman]

This map is going to look beautiful once its done, too bad the filesize is likely to be >100mb compressed

How big would a valve map be with an entirely new theme and setting, supported by all new texture sets and props to support that theme? Im willing to bet over 100mb.

I hear this alot, and i just dont get it, should we just stick to the same old desert/industrial setting so people dont have to spend an extra 2-3 minute downloading? F that.

Snipergen- The reason the curvy look was abandoned was because it looked to sci-fi. A more blocky metal/w screws look fits the time span and theme of the game much more appropriately. Sorry you dont like the screws though, they are a bit big.

Mangycarface- I will be no longer normal mapping any more props for this map, mostly because of how time consuming it, but also because the game doesnt use it much. This will probably be Shmitz's and I last tf2map for some time to come, as we've recently begun making a full fledged game using UE3 that will require our full attention.

Scott Petty
Environment Artist
www.Buddikaman.com

 

[YM]

Well I personally don't have any problem with downloading even a 200mb map (although thats way larger than any map would ever be)
But the reason I point it out is that I know that a lot of people don't have as fast a connection as I do and so stop downloading a map if it takes too long, I used to myself when my connection was less good.
No one complains about valves maps being gigantic because they are forced to download them, whilst you have a choice with customs.

 

[Buddikaman]

Yeah, i dont think it will be that big.

Scott Petty
Environment Artist
www.Buddikaman.com

 

[Shmitz]

I'm also keeping an eye on file size, and will make sure we optimize in that regards wherever possible without sacrificing visual quality.

 

[oxy]

Great custom work. Regardless of file size (sub 100mb) this will get upped on our server.

 

[Spike]

file size isn't a problem, you can always compress it, and nowadays 100 MB isn't that much.

 

[PMAvers]

Snipergen- The reason the curvy look was abandoned was because it looked to sci-fi. A more blocky metal/w screws look fits the time span and theme of the game much more appropriately. Sorry you dont like the screws though, they are a bit big.

It's funny, but I was thinking the old 'bot looked more like something that BLU was develop, instead of RED. A sleek, efficient killing machine, versus a massive, smoke-belching, un-elegant engine of destruction.

What I'd think a BLU 'bot would look like...

And a RED 'bot, in comparison.

(The colors on them were quite coincidental.)

 

[Nineaxis]

No, this is more like a RED bot:

Needs to be falling apart and include wood.

 

[AWESOME-O]

And last but not least..for my man LOLZ.

Thanks man!

For real Lolz, do you not remember that bamboo texture from 2Fort?

They have bamboo all over Dustbowl too.

Don't forget the huge dam in hydro which is almost entirely made of bamboo.

And the train station in Well.

A little known fact: Those barrels at the end of goldrush that you see blow up? Bamboo. That isn't actually fire in the explosion, just burning bamboo.

Sniper Rifle? Bamboo

Rocket Launcher? Big Bamboo

Bamboo is now a meme.

seriously lolz, think about what you just said

For the rest, FY

But serious, it could be a standerd texture, do you guys even know that there is a picture off a cat?

Prepare to die:

 

[YM]

I like it nineaxis! looks like a good payload cart model a steam powered robit thing, not much good for meridian though, imho. Budikaman has done a sublime job with his robot and not much needs changing really, its just little nitpicks here and there.

Well lolz you certainly provided us with a few lols then, well done :thumbup:

 

[Nineaxis]

I'd agree, Meridian strays from the default TF2 theme, so that robot wouldn't work well.

Might be an interesting payload idea though... invade the opposite base with a giant robot.

 

[TheDarkerSideofYourShadow]

And when it finally gets to the red base, it beats down the walls or something. Or, at the end of the round, creates a tunnel to the next area.

 

[Nineaxis]

Oh, if I knew how to make custom models.

 

[Spike]

Oh, if I knew how to make custom models.

XSI is your program then. I'm going to make more than one custom pl car soon (when I repair my PC)

 

[Shmitz]

Oh lame, forum rollback to like Thursday =\

I don't have time to re-update the OP at the moment, but have a download link to alpha 2

 

[PMAvers]

Got a chance to do a little bit of play-testing last night with it on my private server. It's definitely looking interesting... will have to dig up my screenshots of it later.

A few random thoughts:

There isn't a CTF HUD showing up. Was this intentional, or is it just a bug?

I noticed I was able to sticky-jump over the "red doors" at the village to get to the boat area. Don't see anything that I could exploit over there...

There seems to be a little bit of a "lip" on some of the rope bridges, which stop me from walking directly onto them half the time. I often have to make a little hop to go across.

One of the point match-ups has one of the bridges removed since there's a red door on the other side. I noticed that, even though the bridge is gone, you can still walk across/stick stickies in mid-air. Didn't try building a sentry on it, though. That "missing bridge" point looks weird, too, since it looks like you should be able to sticky-jump to the other side, but can't. Maybe leave the bridge visible, but have a gate on the one side (possibly made from bamboo? ) to keep people from walking on it?

The "skull" point seems to be a pain in the butt to assault. Is there supposed to be something up on the "eyes" platform, or is it just a ledge for demos/soldiers to hang on and completely murder attackers?

Swarms of scouts seem to be common-place. Any chance of a little bit of set-up time between rounds, so a engineer has time to at least get a sentry up and running? It doesn't have to be long, maybe 10 to 15 seconds.

 

[Shmitz]

The CTF HUD not being there is thanks to Valve's lack of planning and gametype flexibility. Because TC requires a control point master entity for TF2 to recognize the game type, it automatically eliminates the CTF HUD. I have some small tiny hope that they may implement something before the map gets finalized, but I'm not holding my breath over it.

Definitely will be adding setup times to the defense rounds. I'm still debating setup times on normal rounds, as I've found one demoman can make a big difference in preventing the scout rush while an engy gets his stuff up. However, setup times might make it more pub friendly. In a few cases that might require special animated props to act as doors though, since once people are out of their spawns it becomes a bit ugly to just have walls disappear.

The ability to get over the red doors will be gone once the actual doors are made and clipped.

The openings where the bridges are missing but still have what look like accessible ledges will eventually have vines draped across them to show those paths are barred. The material for that just hasn't been created yet.

The invisible bridge thing sounds odd, and there shouldn't be places for people to perch on the temple face. I'll look into clipping that, and the bridges you're getting stuck on.