Epicenter

tehOMGfather

L1: Registered
Nov 15, 2009
27
3
Hey all, Dr. P encouraged me to join a while ago and I finally did so a few weeks ago. Now that I have something worth posting I'd like to draw your attention to a little map I've been working on since early November. Before I even started I performed some searches on this forum and elsewhere and have noticed that this is one of those maps which hasn't been ported over in true TF2 style.

I am aware of a few youtube videos showcasing what appears to be a direct copy of the original but haven't yet seen a release so I decided to carve up my own version. It's still quite a long way from being complete but I figured that I would at least give you a taste of what's to come.

So without further ado, I present to you a preview of a capture point in the newly revised CTF Epicenter. Enjoy.
 

tehOMGfather

L1: Registered
Nov 15, 2009
27
3
It was either that or a canyon of buildings and other repeating corridors, otherwise I was just going to recreate MPTerra1 for TF2 as a 5 point CP map but decided against it. So for now it's a forested granite canyon/crater.

But keep in mind that in order to make this work for TF2 I had to ditch the blown-up building setting used in TFC and swap it for some plausible mining/logging/secret bunker operation as is the theme of TF2. So the choice was made and it kind of saves me from going crazy with an overly-detailed skybox which only gets about 30 seconds of attention from most gamers. I might scale it back a bit later after play testing, but currently it's working well and will help explain the rubble ramp near each capture area.
 

A Boojum Snark

Toraipoddodezain Mazahabado
aa
Nov 2, 2007
4,775
7,669
"overly detailed skybox" is the standard though. That's how things are meant to be made. If the entire map is surrounded by tall cliffs players feel locked in and cramped.
 

StoneFrog

L6: Sharp Member
May 28, 2008
395
81
The original map in TFC was fairly good fun - similarly to flagrun, I liked how people had a tendency to split up as opposed to there being two clear-cut groups of offense and defense for each. The original was clearly a town ravaged by an earthquake (as if the name wasn't obvious enough), perhaps you could detail it as a mining down, with evidence of a rockslide or something? Rubble from the surrounding cliffs, downed trees, etc.
 

tehOMGfather

L1: Registered
Nov 15, 2009
27
3
I interpreted "epicenter" more as a focal point of activity rather than a center point of an earthquake to be honest. For me it was more of two opposing sides attempting to take strategic control over a previously bombed city area. But I guess both interpretations could work.

Currently it's being reworked as more of a functional rail/mining depot with a stretch of tracks running across the center where the original bridge connecting the center buildings was. So this rail line also extends into each base area and beyond which adds some extra surface areas for players to reach. So in that regard I took a few liberties and improvised in some areas.

One of those changes also involved turning ladders into stairs or ramps and making sure things fit together. I quickly noticed that by doing this I was ultimately changing how the map would play. But since there are no real usable ladders in TF2 I didn't really have a choice there. For me, Valve changed Well and Badlands enough that they don't entirely resemble the original versions, so this is kind of in that same vein. Path-wise there will be much familiarity, but it will reside under a new skin with some alterations to the general structure.

The bottom line for me right now is to keep it as a push CTF map which were more fun for me (and obviously others) than traditional CTF. I don't expect everyone will like or even enjoy it, but remade games change the fundamental playing style so I'm trying to explore how a couple of changes in Epicenter work for the better. Or worse...
 
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gamemaster1996

L13: Stunning Member
Sep 30, 2009
1,064
134
Looks good although i never played the original. :)
 

MadMax

L1: Registered
Mar 25, 2009
32
20
you may have to re-think the map name as ctf_epicenter has been done by some chap on fpsBanana also ctf_epicenter2.

would make a change to see a better version done without hl2 textures in it but dont think you can use the map names below as there taken.

ctf_epicenter
ctf_epicenter2
 

tehOMGfather

L1: Registered
Nov 15, 2009
27
3
you may have to re-think the map name as ctf_epicenter has been done by some chap on fpsBanana also ctf_epicenter2.

would make a change to see a better version done without hl2 textures in it but dont think you can use the map names below as there taken.

ctf_epicenter
ctf_epicenter2

I now see and recognize that some other folks have made their own version of Epicenter, layout and all with HL2 texture. So I agree with you that a "better version" is necessary, but not sure if the name really matters. On one hand they're all "Epicenter" but the previous versions are actually classic recreations. I don't believe it will really make much of a difference until the actual map file is out there. Obviously I don't want client/server conflicts so I'll name the file appropriately, but the map name is still "Epicenter" either way...

Perhaps I'll call it "Epicentered" or "Epicenters" by the time it's close to being release. For now it's still a variant of Epicenter and it's the only one here on TF2maps, so as far as naming goes I'm open to suggestions, but at the core it's still an updated Epicenter for TF2 that's not a pure TFC copy. But as I said, I'm mostly open to ideas.
 

tehOMGfather

L1: Registered
Nov 15, 2009
27
3
"overly detailed skybox" is the standard though. That's how things are meant to be made. If the entire map is surrounded by tall cliffs players feel locked in and cramped.

Yeah, I have some ideas which may remedy that. I haven't completely pulled the idea for having a 3D skybox, but I also have some in-map details that might make adding a 3D skybox over-kill. It may just be me, but seeing what appears to be a wide-open area beyond the fences on a map then realizing you're confined to a space makes a map feel so much smaller and confined that say something like koth_nucleus or similar maps. Sure you're stuck in a pit, but the details in that pit tend to offset the trapped feeling.

I have plans to open it up a bit, but first I want to make sure it runs well enough to allow me a chance to throw in a 3D skybox scene where it would be useful. So I'm not against using one.