a1, rc1, ??wut

S

Spae

so ive seen these at the end of map names. i know they are the version of the map but i dont know what they are in order of like newest to most complete map. could someone explain these to me please.
 
S

saph

Alpha is the first stages of the map. It's focused on nailing down the layout.
Beta is mostly about detailing.
Release candidate is for the final versions of the map.
 

MoonFox

L10: Glamorous Member
Mar 17, 2015
739
74
IMO, I have a bad habit of doing detailing in Alpha stage
 

Muddy

Muddy
aa
Sep 5, 2014
2,574
4,592
IMO, I have a bad habit of doing detailing in Alpha stage
I've seen people start detailing in alpha and I've seen people skimp on detailing in beta, so I guess it's ultimately down to how you interpret it I guess.
 

MoonFox

L10: Glamorous Member
Mar 17, 2015
739
74
Some details and textures aren't bad in alpha, but sometimes, I go overboard too.
have you seen me detailing... I am a freak when it comes to it
though... a lot of it (is one reason why im trying hard to fix my sdk bug... which I apparently have not had success with, and im not the first) is using props to restrict areas, and just give some basics
 
T

The Asylum

I am the absolute worst when it comes to insane amounts of detail in early alphas.I truly am an artist before I am a mapmaker
 

Snowbat

L4: Comfortable Member
Apr 23, 2013
165
74
For me it goes like this: Alpha is the earliest stage, usually unplayable. The only thing I show to other people at this stage, is perhaps a few screenshots if I need an opinion on something.
Beta: playable, but not ready for release. Just ready for private testing with a few buddies. Most oftne my map goes through plenty of beta-versions. My current map is now at beta 13. Next step is probably release candidate which brings me to the next step: rc. I only say a map is a release candidate when I genuinely think it's a finished product ready to be put on the workshop. At this point, the map can still go through several rc-versions depending on how many issues or changes I need to make based on player feedback.
 

JMaxchill

L5: Dapper Member
Jan 21, 2015
215
69
Generally, Alpha is perfectly playable but the layout needs work, so get this tested. After a few versions and when you feel like the layout's pretty solid, go to Beta. This is where you work on your detailing, so you want the layout to work well first because otherwise moving everything is a nightmare. Once you feel your map's the best it's going to get, go to RC. Here, it doesn't need so much testing, because in theory it's already done. Once you thing it's perfect and everyone agrees with you, go to Final (which is either just cp_mapname or cp_mapname_final).
At all of these stages, you need to test time and again, which is where http://tf2maps.net/forums/server-events.35/ comes in handy. When a new gameday pops up, post a comment asking to put your map in (generally people explain that in the OP) and wait for it to get played! Alternatively, hang around in chat and when someone suggests an impromptu ask to put your map in.
 

UKCS-Alias

Mann vs Machine... or... Mapper vs Meta?
aa
Sep 8, 2008
1,264
816
_t is for private tests. just to test if the entity works into a state i can even release an alpha version
_a is for gameplay testing and adjusting the map. on entity work its still often flawed but i at least try to ensure its playable
_b is for detailing. at early betas my map is mostly dev textures with only a few areas detailed. but the last versions are fully detailed
_rc is a state on which i barely will do anything to a map (just like crash i see it as a final). so far only 1 map of me reached this state, and even though it had a few bugs, i never released an rc3 of that map (and rc2 was a private version i dropped as it brought more problems instead of fixing them).
_v is a fixed version of a final. most of the time needed when rc versions are rushed. Although now with the workshop that is no longer the case as the _v suffix no longer is needed.

For me the longest stage to have a map in is _a with versioning, _rc with actual time for a single version (although intercept didnt follow this by having a year of no progress at all after alpha)