Drum

Gerbil

aa
Feb 6, 2009
573
846
This is a new payload map that I started working on after discovering the wonders of the gametype library (Thanks ABS!). I decided to make it one stage like badwater. But hopefully a bit different.


BACKSTORY:
After a successful spying mission, BLU has discovered that a nearby red base stores all their oil drums in a small room with a surprisingly easy-to-bomb window in the ceiling. With tracks leading to it. Can it really be so easy? Let's find out.


This map is more of a test for me. Since this is probably the first map I've done properly. And it's not even done yet. Hopefully some testing will make it a fun map to play.


When it's done I'm hoping I'll be able to give it a HUEG explosion. ;)



Thanks:


A Boojum Snark - Gametype library, general mapping wisdom.
Acumen - Chair and Beam gun models.
Psy - Weather effects + collision.
Anyone who told me how to do something - because I needed to know. Herp.
 
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Dr. ROCKZO

L8: Fancy Shmancy Member
Jul 25, 2009
580
159
That last little area looks a bit open if an Engineer found a cranny, also, if you're trying to make a badwaterish map, be sure to include lots of alternate routes to prevent too much bottlenecking.

But it looks good! I'ma always jealous of how other peoples Dev Textured Maps look compared to mine.
 

Omnomnick

L6: Sharp Member
Aug 16, 2009
335
111
This map looks great, I'm loving the snowy payload! I notice your map is a bit smaller than most 4 control point payload maps, that might have an effect on how your map plays out. I'd test it and maybe consider adding an extra section to it, just to make your map play longer.
 

lana

Currently On: ?????
aa
Sep 28, 2009
3,075
2,778
Looks great, but in the second screenshot add some supports to the overhang. It look like it's magic right now. Also, why are there sniper fences on the roof in screenshot 3?
 

Gerbil

aa
Feb 6, 2009
573
846
Looks great, but in the second screenshot add some supports to the overhang. It look like it's magic right now. Also, why are there sniper fences on the roof in screenshot 3?


You can get up there. So I wanted to add some cover. I'll probably replace those with some brushwork or a more fitting prop later on. :)

Thanks for the feedback everyone. Maybe I'll submit this for gameday. :p
 

lucky

¯\_(ツ)_/¯
May 25, 2009
583
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This was a pretty big map, and we steamrolled a few parts (perhaps due too our two heavys!) and had a slight stall in others.
One of the problems for red is that there are not really any good sentry positions to hold down those nasty heavys.


Another thing, the ground is very flat, you should make some displacement ground and give it some variation.

WARNING: lots of screens!


Blu spawn you have a door which goes through the roof, just needs the roof thickened a bit. It's not too noticable unless you're far back enough or high up, but something you might not want to miss.




The two separated exits from blu first spawn I'm not sure I like.. if you could get rid of the door out of immediate spawn that goes to the one exit, and make a route where my cursor is connecting the two exits or something.. I dunno.


You have a lot of models not packed properly (or at all)


The first area surrounding the cart has not much purpose for red at all. On badwater you have the high ground to cover the cart and ambush as necessary. Here you can choose to use that defensive opportunity, where blu can easily surround you - or just spam from around behind the rock. imo there's not much purpose to the track from where it is now to the rocks, so if you maybe the building that the rocks connect to give red some sort of defensive position, just not too strong.


This area was weird. The clipping I can understand why you did (for balance) but I can jump on top of these (beneath my feet) and yet the roundy looking roof and the area left of the fence I cannot jump to. I could also run along the fence which I liked, but then you couldn't get on to the roof of the next building! Kinda disappointed me there. I jump off the vents, and theres a big invisible wall which I slam in to and fall down, I'm sure you know what I mean as you can see where your clips are. It was before I got to the edge of the roundy roof thing.



So I did like this area of the map, despite the odd height restrictions. It had some good intense battles, and was a place we actually had to work to get the cart through.


This rather tall building which has a huge view, can't say I think it's a good idea. It's hard to get up to jumping, and if you have control of the top, you have control of the top.
Perhaps if you got rid of the roof access, and lowered a level?


Also I can get on top of the dish :/ even more height advantage! (Height advantage is worse when theres a silly demoman sitting on top spamming stickys down)



The little route here which went underground, I did not favour use of. It was way too narrow in parts, and no supply of any sort ):


As I came out of spawn here for blu (when you are going for last I believe), you need an arrow! big one pointing left. On the game day when we had pushed the cart nearly to the end and then died - I come out here and have no idea which way the cart had gone.


Not sure what you were going for here with this alleyway, but it doesn't have much use. A sentry here can easily be taken down, as there is a long way for people to spam, and a place for snipers to go where it's hard to backstab is really annoying. Not that they get much of a view with the slope there.


THIS DOOR. It doesn't open? what the hell? Both sides are accesible places! The door should open, or get rid of this dead end route. If you do keep it, then it sort of renders the other underground route opposite redundant since they both come out the same place.


Not sure these stairs fit with this environment! Make your own, you don't seem to have had trouble with that in other places..


Can't be entirely sure what happened here, you will have to have a look at the gameday demo, but I think someone was in front of the cart just in front of the ledge(where the red meets the snow), and got the cart stuck. Probably just need a player clip where the track is, as I'm guessing it doesn't have collision.



These two props in the background are pretty darn random and don't fit with the map, at least for now. I would not worry about adding props like these for now - only worry about props that affect gameplay for your alpha stage.


This is the underground exit, and I think this has a pretty good place, but I didn't like the route getting to it, as I already said.

You can however cover from the top of it, not sure if this is a good idea or not, but it's the final cap which is supposed to be hard so for now, why not?!



My computer CRASHED after taking the last screenshot.. so I'm not going to bother loading up tf2 again and taking it. The area out of reds last spawn is huuuuuuuuuge and veeeeeery open.
 
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Aug 10, 2009
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^^ Yep shrink the final area. Also, the little corner by the (4th?) PL cap, behind the building that you can go to the roof on is very open.

I think that the forward spawns are in the action, too much so. There are forward spawns for the last cap and they are kind of rediculous :/ They turned it into a raving killfest when it could have been a good ol' standoff. Also, there are a lot of unused buildings in the map, where I rarely saw players go. Try to diversify the last half of the map (vertically, and add much more cover). Make buildings more apparent and accessible, and useful for that matter(I.e. the roof on that one building near cap 3 or 4 was only found late in the game). The spawns for the defending team also get to close to the action, and we were locked in once :/.

Finally, packrat the map!
 

Gerbil

aa
Feb 6, 2009
573
846
You have a lot of models not packed properly (or at all)

Really surprised about this, since those models are pine tree and cliff wall models just like in viaduct. Do I need to pakrat them anyway?

This area was weird. The clipping I can understand why you did (for balance) but I can jump on top of these (beneath my feet) and yet the roundy looking roof and the area left of the fence I cannot jump to. I could also run along the fence which I liked, but then you couldn't get on to the roof of the next building! Kinda disappointed me there. I jump off the vents, and theres a big invisible wall which I slam in to and fall down, I'm sure you know what I mean as you can see where your clips are. It was before I got to the edge of the roundy roof thing.

I'm not sure if I can remove those clips, because they can affect gameplay quite a bit. I'll see if people get really annoyed with this. If so, I'll remove it.

The two separated exits from blu first spawn I'm not sure I like.. if you could get rid of the door out of immediate spawn that goes to the one exit, and make a route where my cursor is connecting the two exits or something.. I dunno.

Same as above, I'll see if people hate it and if they do I'll change it a bit.



Apart from those things I'll fix a whole lot of stuff. Does anyone have any suggestions for the last part? I'm not sure what to put in.

Thanks for the great feedback!
 

Gerbil

aa
Feb 6, 2009
573
846
Updated to A2

October 23rd (Alpha 1 to Alpha 2) -
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- Fixed "dumb door" near red base.
- Added health and ammo packs in the underground tunnel.
- (Hopefully) fixed error models. I chose the wrong directory for the pine trees.
- (Hopefully) fixed bad pakratting. Should be better now.
- Added clips on point 3 to prevent the cart getting stuck on a player.
- Replaced the right big ramp in red spawn with a building. This should make the area a bit more interesting.
- Added a small building near BLU spawn. Hopefully this will make the first section a teeny bit easier to defend.
- Optimized a bit.
- Detailed BLU spawn.
- Removed roof access to the tall building near point 2. Added windows and made the building 1 story shorter.
- Added another way to get to red base. A window near the previously bugged door.
- Fixed being able to shoot through BLU spawn gates.
- Minor edits.
 

Gerbil

aa
Feb 6, 2009
573
846
Oh man, it does.

D:

Oh well, I'm sure they will turn out pretty different. I'm going to try and add some custom stuff so it won't be so similar.
 

Gerbil

aa
Feb 6, 2009
573
846
Updated to Alpha 3. Changes are in the changelog.

Also submitted this to gameday, so I hope it turns out well!
 

Gerbil

aa
Feb 6, 2009
573
846
Updated to A4.

On a sort-of-related note, is it possible to delete screenshots that I uploaded to this thread? I want to get rid of the last 2 since I only took 4 screens. :O
 

Gerbil

aa
Feb 6, 2009
573
846
Holy crap an update.

january 4th (alpha 4 to alpha 5) -
------------------------

- heightened skybox and jump limit.
- added small ramp near one of red's exits to prevent fall damage on the way.
- added minor detail.
- moved to hdr.
- made some of the tracks less "floaty".
- changed respawn wave times and the time added on each capture (should be much shorter now).
- removed a door from the building near cp2. Removed access to the roof. (will make this more obvious later on)
- changed the opening window to a sniper window.
- hopefully made it easier for red to defend.
 

Gerbil

aa
Feb 6, 2009
573
846
Gameday bump! Won't be able to come though :(

Tested this with my clan earlier this week. Turned out pretty nice. RED even managed to win a couple of times :p

Still buggy as hell though.