Grack

CP Grack b13

h3r1n6

L4: Comfortable Member
Sep 7, 2009
158
95
Name is temporary (or is it?)

It's a 5cp map, intended for 6v6, and testing/balancing will be pretty much 6v6 only I guess. Pub feedback would probably be pretty useless here, constructive input is always appreciated though.


Pics:
1st is mid
2nd is 2nd
3rd is last
4th is overview

Concepts:
I want it to have faster rounds, so the team winning the midfight should have a decent advantage and good possibilities for pushing. However, it should also be possible to defend 2nd and last and to push out of those, so comebacks in rounds are possible (and the points that are not mid aren't pointless). Pretty much like badlands, which is a huge inspiration for this map. Actualy, pretty much like 5cp should play.

As for classes, main design is focussed on scout soldier and demoman. A good deal of vertical space to rocket/sticky jump, shortcuts and ways to flank for scouts.

I didn't design the map with a specific way of playing it (your heavies push this way, while the scouts hold that way) in mind, I rather focussed on making it play well, and giving a couple of options, which the players then should utilize into a way of playing the map.

Mid has a split up capture zone, which means you can cap on the platforms next to the tower in the middle. I designed it so it rewards aggression and taking hold of the cap zones, which should make it play well.

Second as a tower is for having vertical play. It is easy for the attackers to get on, but it only caps slightly faster than mid, and its easy to force them off again.

Last is split between 2 height levels basically, and forcing the defenders down on the point is a key aspect of attacking.



Development status:
It made it's way through a couple of versions in beta now, and the layout and gameplay is nearly done. Will have to figure out how to make it look nice though. It's decently optimized, although I was quite lazy and will do it a bit better sooner or later :)


Runthrough, demo rollout and solly rollout:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsQPMY86ySM


Thanks to:
Materials:
Creators of the construction pack
Sebastian 'Seba' Grus for the health overlays

Testing:
Tf2maps.net
BiG (esp. gachl and reload)
CaptainValentine
Chaos
Leftism
Old_grandma
Torden
Waxpax and his map test pug group.
Everyone else who tested/gave feedback. :)
 
Last edited:

nik

L12: Fabulous Member
Aug 14, 2009
987
564
RELEASE THE GRACKEN!

best name ever, definitely going to follow this map to the ends of the earth. Mr. Fields can roll in his grave
 

Fruity Snacks

Creator of blackholes & memes. Destroyer of forums
aa
Sep 5, 2010
6,394
5,571
It looks tight, but that might be a good thing, gameday testing should show that, so I'd toss it up for the Friday Gameday (if there is on because its Xmas eve...)

besides that, for the mid, I would toss an ammo pack up there, its a little odd to see just a small health pack, maybe just toss up a small ammo pack while your at it.

for the second pick I'm not sure having 2 elevated ways to an open point is the best, either add a more direct route also, or toss up a few small barriers, demoman could knock people off, snipers can pick people off and heavy's, well they just kill people off...

but yea, besides that, toss it up for a gameday, we'll see how it runs.
 

Mr. P. Kiwi

L5: Dapper Member
Nov 22, 2009
244
95
Looking great. Oh, and a great name.
Nice design, but there are no sightlines at all = no snipers = about 9th of the TF2 community won't like the map. Hope to check this out on EU server gameday!
 
Mar 23, 2010
1,872
1,696
I like the last point, but mid's point looks cramped. also the texturing is horrendous around mid/second.

I do think having a map work on both pubs and comp is important, not just competitive play.
 

h3r1n6

L4: Comfortable Member
Sep 7, 2009
158
95
Looking great. Oh, and a great name.
Nice design, but there are no sightlines at all = no snipers = about 9th of the TF2 community won't like the map. Hope to check this out on EU server gameday!

As I said, scout demoman and soldier were in the focus of the design, there are a few sightlines, but it's true that snipers probably aren't viable. In the best case scenario, snipers might be viable in certain situations, but I rather don't have them at all instead of having them a lot.

Actualy, they might work at 2nd, and maybe at last sniping from the bottom.


It looks tight, but that might be a good thing, gameday testing should show that, so I'd toss it up for the Friday Gameday (if there is on because its Xmas eve...)

besides that, for the mid, I would toss an ammo pack up there, its a little odd to see just a small health pack, maybe just toss up a small ammo pack while your at it.

for the second pick I'm not sure having 2 elevated ways to an open point is the best, either add a more direct route also, or toss up a few small barriers, demoman could knock people off, snipers can pick people off and heavy's, well they just kill people off...

but yea, besides that, toss it up for a gameday, we'll see how it runs.


I guess submitting it for gameday can't hurt, but I probably won't have time to really test it before next year. Will submit it when I have time.


1 ammo pack would kill the symmetry, so it would have to be 2 small ones. I don't really see the point of putting ammo there though. It's enough of an advantage as it is, and I was rather thinking of removing the health, and adding a bit more geometry, or some fitting prop.

Well, a demoman on that balcony that is the height of the point will probably be a bitch to deal with, so you'd need someone flanking him from behind, which is easily possible though. A heavy on that might be even worse, so I might just rethink that layout. Or as you said a bit of cover on the point. Needs playtest :)



I like the last point, but mid's point looks cramped. also the texturing is horrendous around mid/second.

I do think having a map work on both pubs and comp is important, not just competitive play.

It's partially the screenshots fault, should've chosen a one from a lower angle. I have to displace the entire ground, so I can paint grass, make the walls displacements or something else and redo the arc up to second. I didn't want it to be all grey for alpha, but I didn't want to spend a lot more time just to get the idea out.

If it works for 6v6, it will work well enough for pubs. If you consider maps like nucleus or egypt working, then it will definately not have a problem.
 

h3r1n6

L4: Comfortable Member
Sep 7, 2009
158
95
a2:
-Increased size of the map
-Adjusted last
-Changes to lobby: new balcony, dropdown removed, entrance from outside to top lobby removed
-Reworked height levels at mid
-Shorter cap times, a bit longer spawn times
 

h3r1n6

L4: Comfortable Member
Sep 7, 2009
158
95
a3:
-improved health/ammo layout
-new top lobby
-adjustments/detailing to a couple of areas
-proper lighting (just proper with lamps n stuff, not good :) )


Also, new screenshots.
 

h3r1n6

L4: Comfortable Member
Sep 7, 2009
158
95
a4:
-changed dimensions of a few areas
-entrance to mid changed
-clipping
-some more details, esp for orientation

Basically updating it a bit for gameday.
 

tyler

aa
Sep 11, 2013
5,102
4,621
Besides what I wrote during the test, make the walls around the final point something you can see through. Metal mesh, glass, something like that. Or even make it visible from spawn. That's the most key area on the map for both teams and when you leave spawn you cannot see it unless you look for it.
 

h3r1n6

L4: Comfortable Member
Sep 7, 2009
158
95
Yeah, that's a good call. I had something like that in mind earlier during development, but totally forgot about it.

I will add glas, so you can see it from spawn.
 

h3r1n6

L4: Comfortable Member
Sep 7, 2009
158
95
a5:
-redesigned house
-room connecting house with lobby now an outside area
-flattened middle
-made last a bit larger
-some details/new rock texture/glass showing last from spawn/etc.
 

Wilson

Boomer by Sleep
aa
May 4, 2010
1,385
1,223
Hey, i would like to know why half of feedback i left during gameday was deleted from feedback page.
 

h3r1n6

L4: Comfortable Member
Sep 7, 2009
158
95
I deleted everything that didn't help or didn't make much sense. I didn't seem to be able to annotate or group the feedback, so I just deleted what I didn't need.

For example a comment about pyros airblasting people off spire. This is designed and balanced as a 6vs6 maps, pyros are not a major concern. Well, in this case I actualy still might add the cover, but it's main use then be breaking sniper sightlines and making soldiers be able to spam the point by exploding rockets on it.
 

h3r1n6

L4: Comfortable Member
Sep 7, 2009
158
95
a7:
-displacements
-added a jump for scouts on 2nd
-detailing/clipping/small adjustments etc.
 

h3r1n6

L4: Comfortable Member
Sep 7, 2009
158
95
b1:
-fixed cp logic of mid (timer resetting to 10 minutes)
-made a few areas more interesting
-some detailing etc.

New screenshots, rewrote the op a bit as well.
 

Zhan

L5: Dapper Member
Dec 18, 2010
208
244
Looks like the exteriors of each base are currently quite similarly detailed (same textures). Obviously this is not a really high priority gameplay comment, but eventually you'll need to make it so each base is clearly different so that the symmetrical sides of the map are still recognizable, by using different textures and perhaps different architecture. This will keep people from getting lost or running the wrong way to attack a CP.