[WIP]cpl_snaketemple

Uriak

L8: Fancy Shmancy Member
Apr 27, 2008
543
70
Well this is my second source map project so far...

CPL doesn't stand for capture payload or whatever, it is a circular payload map.

Each team starts with a cart in the opposite part of the loop. Winners are the ones who can hit the other team's cart with theirs by advancing faster and crippling the ennemy progression.
I expect having to make some gameplay tweaking such as overall higher cart speed than in goldrush, and some kind of bonus for the team nearing the other (in respawn time or cart speed maybe) to avoid stalemates.

The map is set into a canyon where an old temple was once carved. Discovered a century ago and stripped of its riches, it is written that who wins a mystic race will be granted acces to the power still lying within. Knowing this, BLU and RED engage in this strange challenge.



I'm done with basic layout, and I'm doing some rough displacement/detail/texturing before going into the logic and first testing.
I consider giving slightly different feeling to both sides of the loop, but of course I can't use the blue/red themes. I think the canyon itself will have a dry and greenish sides, and the temple a darker and lighter ones.
 
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roninmodern

L3: Member
Feb 5, 2008
124
5
This sounds really interesting.

You have it working so that if red collides with blu or vice versa it causes victory/loss?

I'd like to try this.
 

Ida

deer
aa
Jan 6, 2008
2,289
1,372
Sounds like a very interesting idea. You should consider calling it pl_snakemountain in my opinion, so that people who are searching for "pl_" in game can find it. Nobody ever searches for obscure things like cpl... or ccp...
 

Uriak

L8: Fancy Shmancy Member
Apr 27, 2008
543
70
well maybe I should call it "pl" but I wouldn't want people to get confused about this :p

This sounds really interesting.

You have it working so that if red collides with blu or vice versa it causes victory/loss?

I'd like to try this.

I'll set a a trigger zone behind both cart with filter by name with each other, it should work I guess. So far I already had a test payload setup work some time ago, so I'll be fine with the basic logic.
There will be four control points linked with the spawn rooms. In circle game mode one could chose to make the spawns advance asap or the latest possible. Since I want to provide an offensive feeling, I've chosen the first option. I also consider creating two teleport rooms linking the most opposite parts of the map to give more flow to the game... but only if tests show players aren't too confused.

I don't know really if currently the HUD allows to show both a circular track and two carts at once, so I think I'll rely on some special dynamic sign featuring a circle with eight possible positions for the carts. This should give players an approximate idea of the situation at any time. It invoves some brush messing but I'm a friend of the maker of cp_cube so I know for sure everything -however insane- is possible :)
 
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Uriak

L8: Fancy Shmancy Member
Apr 27, 2008
543
70
Working on the outside. It's my first cliff, and I found many useful tips here. Interior of the temple will feature a mix of carved stone and the cliff rock showing from place to place.






I apologize for the OP pic, my host is currently down.
EDIT : here it is
 

psihomir

L4: Comfortable Member
Mar 17, 2008
192
32
Great idea, but have you tried making a cart for the Red team? AFAIK the HUD does not work with a Red cart, there's only Blu icons and the last time I tried making a Red cart I remember not seeing any HUD at all. If anyone has a solution it would be great though, because I'd really like to experiment with some such stuff.
 

Uriak

L8: Fancy Shmancy Member
Apr 27, 2008
543
70
Yup, I expressed my concern about this one. I could certainly make custom textures for the HUD but I fear it's a loosing battle since it was never really meant to support two carts at once. I'm going to create a special dynamic sign placed in spawns and some keys locations to tackle this issue. For the HUD, I could stick with displaying the state of the 4 control points, which should give the player a quick overview of the situation.

But any idea is welcome !
 

MangyCarface

Mapper
aa
Feb 26, 2008
1,626
1,325
Definitely stick to "pl". New naming conventions confuse players more than they help. Valve calls dustbowl cp_dustbowl, not a/d_dustbowl. Also consider a shorter name, snakemountain is a mouthful :D. Perhaps pl_ouroboros? Name refers to a snake eating another snake which is in turn eating the first snake, very reminiscent of your gameplay.
 

Uriak

L8: Fancy Shmancy Member
Apr 27, 2008
543
70
Thanks for advice. I'll just stick with cpl for the thread while the actual map will be a "pl". I though about naming it snaketemple instead, seemed easier to spell, but the mythological reference is an interesting one;)
 

Uriak

L8: Fancy Shmancy Member
Apr 27, 2008
543
70
First tries of texturing in the carved zones. The central room is on subterranean level and is filled with water (I love such ambush places) The ways leading to it are the exact same than will allow to go on some of the higher zones.

As I supposed, I'll need to make some custom texture for the stone/concrete elements mixed surrounding the carved cliff in the inside, as well as something for floors and ceilings. Mainly color correction at first. I just don"t know if 'll bother with that before the first alpha testing.









I'll make some minor corrections tomorrow and begin with logic entities, hopefully (aka if I don't go in any kind of distraction like, say playing TF2 :p )
 
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Uriak

L8: Fancy Shmancy Member
Apr 27, 2008
543
70
Here's a sample of what the dynamic sign could be
Of course in the real one, there will be only one red and blue marker at the same time.

 

laghlagh

L6: Sharp Member
Jul 15, 2008
389
53
I was thinking something like
cplqh5.png
 

Ida

deer
aa
Jan 6, 2008
2,289
1,372
Here's a sample of what the dynamic sign could be
Of course in the real one, there will be only one red and blue marker at the same time.


As much as I like it, I think Notoorjus' cleaner suggestion will fit in better in TF2.
 

Uriak

L8: Fancy Shmancy Member
Apr 27, 2008
543
70
Maybe it would work better and be more fit in multiple aera (and whatever the theme of the map will be) but with this suggestion you don't mean something gradually updating, do you ? I don't know if it's even possible with all the malfucntions in hammer.

I'm done with a fair part of the logic, but eventually the filter_activator_name won't function anymore :/

As the normal payload HUD isn't adapted, I've chosen some thing like this, which allows me to display at once both the spawns status along the track and the pushing of the two carts.

 

Uriak

L8: Fancy Shmancy Member
Apr 27, 2008
543
70
I finally overcome Hammer insanity :) The setup works as supposed, with carts capping points and victory on cart collision.

I still have to do the spawn room allocation rules and the counters needed for cart position info.
 

Uriak

L8: Fancy Shmancy Member
Apr 27, 2008
543
70
Here's a screen of the working "loop" panel :



I may add some text on the HUD but what do you think the most needed information would be : distance, speed, position ?

By the way, I keep getting killed by my carts :) I should seek for the payload threads, I guess...
 

Uriak

L8: Fancy Shmancy Member
Apr 27, 2008
543
70
I finished most of the entity logic. The respawn process will be the following :

There are 4 main spawn rooms along the tracks. Each one is linked with a capture point. When a team pass a CP, there are granted with the corresponding spawn. Former spawns stay open for ressuply.

When a team takes all four control points, the losing team spawns in a central location until they can reach the normal control point. In the meantime if the other team manages to hit their cart... boom !

Alpha testing will show if this setup is enjoyable.
 
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Uriak

L8: Fancy Shmancy Member
Apr 27, 2008
543
70
We did a small stress test this night and I have two main issues.

When a spawn room is taken, people inside it may be trapped by respawnroomvisualizers. I could add a delay, but I don't like it. Is there a way to force respawn elsewhere ?

When someone tries to block the capture, it doesn't stop the cart progression I previously though a capture blocked changed capture number to zero... The capture_area brush has only an imput for OnBreakCapture, and I don't think I can work with it. I think I'll make a trigger_multiple filtered with the ennemy team which will disable and enable the capture zone. But I fear that blocking a cart won't be very visible.

Still the session end was quite fun with both team grouped around their cart and shooting each other :D Looked like a car shooting.
 

Chilly

L6: Sharp Member
May 3, 2008
326
127
When a spawn room is taken, people inside it may be trapped by respawnroomvisualizers. I could add a delay, but I don't like it. Is there a way to force respawn elsewhere ?

Have a teleporter over each spawn that activates for each team and sends them to their current spawn. That's the quick and dirty method, anyway. :)