Artpass_Soupstorm

Soupstorm

L2: Junior Member
Sep 22, 2009
67
12
Right now, everything is completely WIP unless otherwise specified.

The idea behind this map is a long, dare I say "epic" attack/defend map, with rounds averaging 12-18 minutes, though I could be way off the mark. Generally, combat arenas are being made slightly larger, more open, and complex, but the flow of the level will remain unchanged.

Story: BLU begins their attack in [important RED building X], by a mountain and road. After reaching A, they find the truck door is sealed and locked, forcing them to attack RED obliquely through the badlands. After passing through the valley and reaching [front door area], they charge over the hill and along the ground to overtake [important RED building Y].
 
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Mr. P. Kiwi

L5: Dapper Member
Nov 22, 2009
244
95
First of all, whatever you've done there is a big gameplay change.
Secondly, I don't think it's a good change. I liked more the spawn VALVe made.
Thirdly, Next time you take pictures do it in-game - it's hard to see what's going on there.
Fourth and last, on the first pic it looks like you can walk outside the map, And the you hit an invisible wall. You might want to do something about that.
 

Soupstorm

L2: Junior Member
Sep 22, 2009
67
12
An update, for once.

fh4jE.jpg


gaxlF.jpg


sFCth.jpg


pn74I.jpg


2mHTn.jpg


ozZMY.jpg


24nqW.jpg


What I'm trying to do here is add a bit of length to the first section. Playing it through in my head, the default seems to cause RED to fall too easily to sheer concentration of enemies. The changes are fairly major, but as far as I can tell the "flow" of the level is still pretty much the same. Mostly, I just didn't like how those parts of the level felt in a few specific ways, so I changed it while keeping most of the effects on gameplay intact.
 
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Nov 14, 2009
1,257
378
Looking good so far.

No, it doesnt.

Im gona preface this post by saying that everything that follows is meant to be constructive, and not insulting in the least.

There are honestly so many things wrong with this, I dont know where to start. I guess il go through it screenshot by screenshot:

First, your sattelite dish is out of place. It is also floating. Next the BLU spawn is red colored. A nono. Why is it there? Your map needs a backstory, a reason to be fighting. Your floor texture is repetitive, and makes no sense. Why would you want wood flooring there?

Next, what are you going to do to stop people from falling off? You need a reason so that it doesnt become a pyro airblast fest. Align your textures. Use displacements, not brushes so it isnt so blocky.

Third, I honestly cant figure out where this is! It is such a mess of badly aligned and badly placed textures, it makes no sense in the least



This screenshot is by and far the most incriminating. You have a repeating texture, and brush that should be displacement, a floating SKYBOX model on a square stick thingy. It looks hideous. Oh yes, you have 2 different textures on the same rock. One is grass. WTF.

This one isnt so bad. You need displacements, but I already said that. However, your second level shouldnt be rock. It should be some sort of platform. Why would someone hollow out a mountain into 2 compartments in you could just blow a hole, and add a scaffolding.

This is by and far the best. All you need are some displacements, and it looks quite fine.

ALLIGN your textures. Displacements. I dont need to say more.



Finally, on your comment at the bottom. First, you are wrong. The first section of a map is always supposed to fall quickly. A reasonably balanced team should be ALWAYS able to cap A, 60% of the time B, and 50% of the time C. Secondly, it is not your job to change layout. Valve gave us the layout, and we are here to prettify it. You risk being DQ'd, so just dont do it.

I hope I have been somewhat helpful, good luck!
 

Soupstorm

L2: Junior Member
Sep 22, 2009
67
12
I'm aware of this. None of my map is anywhere close to final. I'm a visually-oriented person, so I'm trying to figure out the art style as I block out the level. Hence, no displacements, sketchy prop positioning, and so forth.

As far as map layout goes - other maps have taken certain liberties with the design, to make them conform with a map theme and so forth. I don't think my cave area changes the gameplay appreciably. It'll stretch encounters out and maybe add 1 minute of average defensive hold, but this doesn't change map flow, so it should be fine. The right spawn area I'm not happy with, so it will definitely change. The general idea here is "I didn't like the specific way these areas/encounter-ideas were blocked out, so I'll mold them a bit", so I won't be treading into the area of adding flow-breaking things like a route from left-spawn to the B route.

[edit] New images. And now I sleep.

1IABe.jpg


J00YV.jpg


BNDSC.jpg


BlwsR.jpg
 
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Toast

L1: Registered
Jul 19, 2010
45
15
I have no idea where screenshots #3 #4 are :confused:, and does that blue spawn hang off the cliff? If so nice :thumbup:
 

Draco18s

L9: Fashionable Member
Sep 19, 2009
622
136
The only problem I have with Blu spawn being off a cliff is that the trusses under neath are not nearly thick enough to hold the building up.
 

Soupstorm

L2: Junior Member
Sep 22, 2009
67
12
Yeah, there's no good way to construct an elaborate system of supports, so I'll probably jut the rocks out about a thousand units instead. I'm thinking that this is the "story": BLU is trying to destroy a RED weapons plant (big surprise). BLU spawns in the communications tower, which is hanging over the edge slightly to let the dish receive communications from a satellite, which otherwise would be blocked by the mountain-to-be that is that long-A path. RED built it in this difficult spot because the entire base is on a mountaintop, and their weapons R&D/assembly facilities (point C) were built first and thus got the easy construction spots.

Comm tower:
2ztTs.jpg


What used to be the barn:
WpJCJ.jpg


Looking from the A building to BLU spawn:
BNcSc.jpg


The reorganised long-A path:
3jOK2.jpg


I'm going to watch some Louie and then start back up in an hour or two.
 

Soupstorm

L2: Junior Member
Sep 22, 2009
67
12
The theme I've settled on is a Dustbowl/Hydro theme, which I guess is the same as a Badlands theme, so we'll go with that. I'm about 70% finished my first pass of retooling the map to fit what I'm looking for. My goal here is to make this map a long three-point attack map, with each point separated by a longer encounter-distance than Dustbowl, for example. It's on the order of Gorge, if not slightly higher. Battling through to cap A will be average-to-long with a corresponding time limit, so even fail teams have ample time to puncture Red's defenses out of sheer attrition. From here, capping B is a quicker advance, so A's capture will give a short time bonus. The slightly wider-open terrain means success and failure are more discretely divided based on team cohesion. From there, C may be the longest cap time, with B's capture giving a comparatively large time bonus.

The idea of the terrain is that the road route (made of ugly sketch brushes), which follows the concrete built-up areas, is blocked and closed, forcing BLU to attack from an unexpected side route, which is through the mountainous badlands. The terrain will eventually be dotted with little Red shanties and sheds, though most will be inaccessible.

BLU Spawn:
sRD4g.jpg


Short A route:
M3TiB.jpg


Long A entrance:
fuxBx.jpg


Long A
GPsDr.jpg


Point A:
1k8HY.jpg


B Route:
Ggx5n.jpg


Stair Block:
pqx22.jpg


Post-B Route:
zMHid.jpg


B Route for Red
RvnJH.jpg


Point B:
OtN8Y.jpg


Low C Route entrance:
Z1Jki.jpg


Top C Route
y7ALi.jpg




Notes:
- BLU spawn-arena is too complex and too dense, needs major retooling.
- B still not flow-parallel with the original map.
- Needs more shacks for Red.
- Get rid of wood supports on concrete.
 

Soupstorm

L2: Junior Member
Sep 22, 2009
67
12
Everything is seriously WIP. I'm not spending time perfecting terrain that might be fundamentally misplaced :p
 

Jetti

L5: Dapper Member
May 2, 2010
226
111
Thats... I... Alright, I'm confused. Why did you think any of that neccessary!?