CTF Arenagate

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friagram

L1: Registered
Jan 2, 2012
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MLP Themed CTF map, inspired by Q3DM1.
Bases are arranged similarly to 2fort in distance.
Powerups, VA, Teleporter, MLP/SFX
Underground tunnel to enemy base/intel.
Traditional ctf system with touch-return.

Invisibility has to toggle tf_wearables for all players to get a decent effect (hats and such will come back after the buff expires)

Issues:
I could not find a way to prevent players from spamming the flag with the touch return system through filters - that is, I could not create an entity to filter the item_teamflag to see if it was touching a trigger_multiple near the capture zone, and test if a player was standing near it. Instead, I just made math counter that checks if a spam occurs, which toggles a trigger_hurt in the capture zone in which the flag spam occurs. If anyone knows a better solution let me know :S

Known Bugs:
- Rarely the flag buffs may bug out when despawned, and a neutral counter will - exist where they are disabled until they respawn.
- The right side of the skull shaped doors is a few hammer units shorter than the right, will fix later.
- 3d skybox seam is not 100% dead on, but it's close enough.
- Lighting over archways in spawn causes some odd shadows at the point of the inner arch.
 

Yacan1

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Nov 7, 2010
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It's pretty hard to say anything with all of the throw-up on my keyboard.
 

Rizz

L5: Dapper Member
Dec 18, 2009
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I approve of this map. People will say shit like Yacan1 did because it doesn't match the TF2 theme at all, but neither do some of the other popular maps I've played on. Minecraft is a theme people are starting to go with as well.
 

Yacan1

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Nov 7, 2010
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I approve of this map. People will say shit like Yacan1 did because it doesn't match the TF2 theme at all, but neither do some of the other popular maps I've played on. Minecraft is a theme people are starting to go with as well.

I didn't even say anything about the theme. I had some VERY bad lunch. I don't like the map. it's far too linear. It SHOULD be a different theme, yes.
 

friagram

L1: Registered
Jan 2, 2012
19
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Those testures look hideous. Like they have veins running through them or something. I thought it was set inside a dragon from the thumbnail.

You must be new to gaming, or not have played any videogames in the past (10) years?
 

LeSwordfish

semi-trained quasi-professional
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Aug 8, 2010
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You must be new to gaming, or not have played any videogames in the past (10) years?

Oh thank god i was worried I was being rude.

The visual noise on every single texture i can see is way too high. Looks like proper textures with the scale set way too low. Even when TF2 has textures for gravel or dirt, it never looks as gritty as this.

Ironic you should mention the past ten years, since it's designed like quake- that same sort of "everything is brown with a tint" design. For a MLP map, it sure looks... dark and gritty. Cover up the posters and you'd have no idea.
 
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Fruity Snacks

Creator of blackholes & memes. Destroyer of forums
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Sep 5, 2010
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Gameplay wise on full servers you will have an issue with stalemates, more so than 2Fort does. When you have a spawn exit right next to the capture area (along with full Ammo and an alcove ... It is an engineers dream), that will be a sentry magnet, you will probably see 2-3 sentries there if this was tested. These sentry spots are even worse than 2forts (this includes the back stairs to the tunnels where there is a little alcove with a med health, that will be a sentry/teleport magnet too.

Also, you have no good flank routes. You have 3 entry ways into the cathedral, they instantly all go to a choke point then to a branch which goes back into the main area that will be a sentry hive (see above)

Finally, you have the flags down inside a little tunnel of sorts. This means that the flag capper needs to go forward, get the flag and then do a complete 180 and come back where (s)he came from. It is a commonly overlooked thing. This is worse than what 2Fort does, where they make you turn ~150 degrees or so to go out the second exit (which you don't even have) ... Double cross does this best by allowing the capper to run in and out without barely turning.


Now for artstyle: this is a TF2 Map, not a quake map. I personally hate the quake textures inherently (I like the tourney plan color ones they use). Quake artstyle is dark, gritty, grungey, blood-all-over-the-walls, make you feel uncomfortable, realistic style.... Where as My little pony is the Polar (pony?) opposite of this... Pastel colors, flat color, happy, magical, pretty, cutie, make-you-go-awwwwwwwwww, style. Mixing the two together is absolutely wrong. If anything, the MLP:FiM is closer to TF2 artstyle than quake is.

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friagram

L1: Registered
Jan 2, 2012
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It's been playtested quite a bit on 24 and 30 player servers, and stalemate is countered by implementation of the buff system, which draws players out of the base more to control the buffs than to turtle the flag. You can build 10 sentries in there, but 1 player with correct buff usage can counter sentry nests if assisted by the team. Then again, if they try to go in with the buff alone, they will just die and the buff will be turned on their team.

Another issue is that since the map is touch return, the enemy also has to be able to get into the other base to retrieve the flag, which is probably overlooked by crtics. This is an issue with spawn rooms, which don't even exist in touch return games - and players just respawn anywhere. Creating too many places to hide would make returning the flag too difficult - instead the flag carrier is encouraged to move around with the flag in base utilizing the area above the spawn/skybox area, teleporter, or below the base.

As for the mash up. I was tired of all the 2d blinding mlp maps that the tf2/mlp community is plagued with. I could probably darken the lighting and throw dirt on the posters and wear effects and they would fit in a lot better (like the statues).

As far as textures - Gothic cathedrals are full of dark lighting contrasting with bright light and pastels/stained glass windows. The textures are the same scale as they are in Q3a. Typical scale of that generation was .5 or .7 texmap scale as opposed to the .25 scale source uses, which accounts for the grainy look. However, you must keep in mind that they are 10+ years old, and the game was designed to run on pentium 2's.

That being said - I think the map plays a lot better than you critics would think.
It's not tf2 art style
It's not tf2 game play style
 

Sergis

L666: ])oo]v[
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Jul 22, 2009
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Typical scale of that generation was .5 or .7 texmap scale as opposed to the .25 scale source uses, which accounts for the grainy look.

"source uses?" you do know texture scale can be changed in hammer? and if you wanted to keep .25, you could just upscale textures in a graphic editor.
 
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