KotH Clanker's Cavern

anubite

L1: Registered
Oct 21, 2011
1
0
Clanker.jpg


I'm relatively new to Hammer and map making. I've played around and made some attempts and creating things, and done pretty well so far. I'd like to attempt to undertake the task of creating my first comlpete and full-fledged map for TF2.

And the idea for it lies in Banjo Kazooie!

It's a KOTH map, clanker in the middle of a deep pool of water, a control point right in front of his middle fin. He periodically submerges underwater for 30 seconds and will devour anyone who gets too close to his mouth. Surrounding Clanker is a metal walkway with sewer passage ways that loop around the walkway, which lead to each team's spawn point and sniper locations on a second tier grating above Clanker. There are also two fully underwater passages which lead to hidden rooms that hold ammo and health.

I'd like to open discussion for this map idea. Do people like it? What are some ideas I should take into consideration? What kind of things do I need to plan for? My main concern is - how do I animate Clanker? He's going to be a rather large mechanical shark, I want his mouth to move and his submerged fins to idly swish back and forth in the water. How difficult is it to create this kind of thing? His only movement will be vertical, beyond the idle parts (I could scrap the idea of him eating people, if that is too complicated).

My main concern is the negative space above clanker. I plan to have walkways above Clanker, but this may be tricky to make the map fun and balanced. There isn't enough space for players to control with this idea, most KOTH maps have a few areas you need to control in order to hold the point entirely. There won't be a lot of cover for players rushing for the point, besides using the water to their advantage. Making Clanker big enough to house a room below the point players can control is one idea, though that would distort his scale quite a bit and I'd need him to be rather large in size.

One aspect I'd love to include is the Clanker Cavern music, at a very low volume running in the background, but I know the negative aspects related to that idea.

I'd appreciate suggestions or thoughts on this map idea before I go and invest time in it, as I'm sure there will be some hiccups along the way since I'm not a veteran at this. Thanks.
 
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Jeremy

L11: Posh Member
Oct 24, 2010
829
299
For a start, it really helps to put up screenshots so we can give you feedback. Nobody wants to download a map until they see screenshots beforehand.
 

Schrikvis

L1: Registered
Aug 3, 2011
37
11
For a start, it really helps to put up screenshots so we can give you feedback. Nobody wants to download a map until they see screenshots beforehand.

Sir Flater is right. I'd love to take a look at it, or at least at some drawings or something similiar. Just early sketches so we can see what you're planning. ;)
 
Jan 20, 2010
1,317
902
The main problem is how much water you'd have on this map. In TF2, water is not fun to fight in. About the only map that's ever done it successfully is Whalerace, and it was still pretty annoying on there and it was (mostly) okay because it was a novelty map and didn't really play that well in the first place.