CTF Base7

clayton

L1: Registered
Jun 17, 2011
44
23
so, after preparing a map for the 72 hour contest only to find that no one really liked it, at all (not that i'm bitter.. haha), i decided to have another shot at a simple ctf map, taking into consideration some of the things i learned from that experience. here is the first playable iteration of that map.

it's loosely inspired by ctf_turbine, but i think the only part that's a direct homage is the drop down over the intel area. otherwise it's a similar size to turbine (if anything it's smaller), and the flag room is in a vaguely similar spot in relation to the spawn room. during play, people didn't seem to know where the cap zone was on my last map, so i've practially made it impossible to get lost on this one! you can't not see the intel/cap zone from the spawn positions, and there are no convoluted paths (although there are numerous ways to approach the flag room, they're easy to follow, i hope). i'm confident this adheres better than my 72hr map to many of the conventions tf2 players expect from their maps in these respects.

no-man's land (between bases) has several large pieces of cover, but lots of space in between. i've given snipers plenty to aim for, but also plenty of jeopardy. from the most advantageous sniping nest you are well visible to opposing snipers (thanks to a gap in the central structure), as well as vulnerable to demomen and rockets. you are also basically stood in a corridor, and will probably be interrupted frequently by scouts. as for other classes, spies have plenty of nooks in which to hide, and engineers are well catered for with some great sentry positions (i hope).

although it's a night map, i think i've struck a good balance with my lighting, and there are very few dark spots (if any..). whilst i actually like the occasional very dark corner, in constrast to well lit thoroughfares (aesthetically and in gameplay terms), i've learned that many people take offence to maps that aren't relatively highly lit throughout.

finally, i should just note that the general theme is still very definitely a WIP.. though i like the boldness and simplicity of the few textures i've used so far (less is more, maybe? sometimes? no? ok... it'll probably change a lot in looks in the near future) anyway, i'm not so worried about that for now, more about the way it plays (first things first).

if you've read this far, thanks. please let me know what you think. cheers.
 
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Pocket

Half a Lambert is better than one.
aa
Nov 14, 2009
4,694
2,579
I give it a 10 out of 13.
 

clayton

L1: Registered
Jun 17, 2011
44
23
i'm having a couple of specific issues, which are giving me headaches. i'd appreciate some help :)

issue 1. i keep getting really dark patches on walls and ceilings. admittedly i haven't been very scientific in trying to diagnose the cause (it seems pretty random to me! although i know it won't be), but i'm sure someone else will have had this problem too. couple of examples here:
icmWGs.jpg
and here:
icnhuW.jpg

i'm also getting similar localised darkness around doorways: see e.g.:
icmYO0.jpg

is it just a case of having additional lighting?

issue 2. i've used a good few point_spolights, and i'm generally happy with the results, but i can occasionally see the halo effect through several walls. i got one in a screenshot (right in the middle):
iciG0s.jpg
often i get 4 or 5 flickering at once. it's a fleeting thing, but pretty annoying! any suggestions? (preferably short of "remove the point_spotlights")

a more general question i have for anyone who's read this far is whether you think i've over-done it with the number of point_spotlights outside, particularly since i added some in the skybox. i like them, but they might drive others to distraction, i don't know.. one thing i've done is to hide the halo effects on the ones in the skybox, as they seemed to have an annoying lag when coming in to view. but the light beams are pleasing, i think. opinions on this, and everything above, are very welcome.

thanks for reading!
 

clayton

L1: Registered
Jun 17, 2011
44
23
Fr0Z3n: i've found no evidence of leaks (nothing shows up in the bsp compile, so there is no pointfile). notably, the dark spot in the second example shown above disappeared when i deleted the uniform locker (leaving the other props you can see), and returns when i create a fresh prop_static with the same model.

Beetle: thanks for the link, i may have a play around with reflectivity. it's good to know that that's an option. the issues i'm having seem to be highly localised though, in areas that are otherwise well lit (predominantly from bounce lighting). we'll see...
 

clayton

L1: Registered
Jun 17, 2011
44
23
further to that last post: the dark spot above the uniform locker also disappears when i disable shadows on that prop_static; similarly, the darkness around doorways goes away when i disable the shadows on the door frame prop. i'm still getting a spot above the doorway in the first example above (http://k.min.us/icmWGs.jpg), even when i remove the door altogether (that's the func_door, trigger_multiple, door frame prop_static and door prop_dynamic)
 
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Moose

L6: Sharp Member
Nov 4, 2009
312
616
further to that last post: the dark spot above the uniform locker also disappears when i disable shadows on that prop_static; similarly, the darkness around doorways goes away when i disable the shadows on the door frame prop. i'm still getting a spot above the doorway in the first example above (http://k.min.us/icmWGs.jpg), even when i remove the door altogether (that's the func_door, trigger_multiple, door frame prop_static and door prop_dynamic)

Is that wall above the door a func_detail? If it is, try turning it back into world geometry.
 

Pocket

Half a Lambert is better than one.
aa
Nov 14, 2009
4,694
2,579
what's that in metric? 7.5 or something? very generous of you. cheers.

It was a math joke actually. I wonder if anyone got it.
 

clayton

L1: Registered
Jun 17, 2011
44
23
a math joke? it's lost on me. but don't explain. there's nothing worse than a joke that requires explaining! except perhaps a maths joke that needs explaining... :p

moose: i had made all the beams and pillars around the walls func_detail, and i thought i'd eliminated that as a cause of the dark spots (i'd previously turned a few of them back into world geo, to no avail), but when i changed them all back it seemed to fix things. i suspect it also has something to do with lightmaps, but i'm not sure... i'll experiment with it, anyway. cheers.
 

clayton

L1: Registered
Jun 17, 2011
44
23
it's just dawned on me: "base-7". right? (i still don't get the joke though!) any connection to the numeral system is unintended, i assure you. it started as ctf_base, then ctf_base1, base2, base3 etc. number 7 was the just first version worthy of public scrutiny (and it's probably stuck now). it therefore also has nothing to do with this nonsense: http://www.newprophecy.net/base7.htm (no offence to any numerologists out there!)
 
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Prop

L3: Member
Jun 17, 2010
109
24
If you still havn't figured out the black spot problem, try turning the light_environment to 700
 

clayton

L1: Registered
Jun 17, 2011
44
23
i've got it sussed now, i think. but thanks. i did have a play with light_env brightness though. surprising how subtly it changes things when you're using a dark colour (it seems for night-time effects, a much more important variable is the colour of the light, not the brightness).