Boundaries: More elegant ways to separate the player area from the sky?

Belli

L69: Deviant Member
Jan 21, 2012
69
1
What'S the best approach to block off a larger part of the maps, where building would look kind of odd and a cliff (like upward) doesn't fit either?

Shutting it down with fences and player-clips, like gravelpit, or mountains, like watchtower, just doesn't seem very realistic, and people hate invisible walls.
 

Fish 2.0

L6: Sharp Member
Nov 22, 2012
324
262
Give them a reason to not want to go over there. Make the area look boring, like nothing worth worrying about is over that way, then just block it with something.

However, your lack of info isn't really helping. Could you post a picture of what you're trying to block in game and a bit of background detail about the setting of that map?
 

Psy

The Imp Queen
aa
Apr 9, 2008
1,706
1,491
Shutting it down with fences and player-clips, like gravelpit, or mountains, like watchtower, just doesn't seem very realistic, and people hate invisible walls.

It might not be realistic but it works.
 

Egan

aa
Feb 14, 2010
1,375
1,720
And also look at the neat ways other official/popular maps do it. Like nucleus has trucks that are inside tunnels just big enough to fit the truck - no room to get by. Badlands has a train with things stockpiled on it that blocks off that one area - screenshot. As PvtFish said, make the other side look boring. Like in pl_goldrush there are a few knee high fences on cliffs that block out a desert area. There's nothing out there, why bother.

Gullywash also has just a basic fence, like your example of gravelpit, but there is large dull and single coloured contrasting geometry just outside that fence - not what players are interested in.
 

Fish 2.0

L6: Sharp Member
Nov 22, 2012
324
262
You would be surprised what you can get away with. As long as your blocking method dosen't have a large custom texture saying "Try to get over this to get to the admin room" people won't actually give two dams about it.

They will however if it looks like a viable route. A few times in gamedays I have seen something that looks like a route but is just kinda badly put there as a block.
 

grazr

Old Man Mutant Ninja Turtle
aa
Mar 4, 2008
5,441
3,814
Look at some of the official maps for some reference material.

In all honesty though, Valve make a big deal in their level design commentaries about not using huge swafts of fences to cordon a play area in a map, and yet in all the major official TF2 maps that's exactly what they've done. It's either cliffs, a big wall or those gameplay fences. The important thing to note though is areas where these fences or big plain walls are utilised, aren't major walls that are directly viewed upon by players, they are on the sides where players pay little attention or are too close to see large parts of it at once to notice how bland they are. For example the concrete wall at badwater's staging area, the wooden wall at goldrush's staging area.

If players are sufficiently distracted by enemies or busy travelling to engage enemies in the next area, they will overlook a lot of underdetail. You'll get some complaints from people who are specifically looking out for it in a lone-run-through or someone not actually playing the game in order to "clip test" or pedantically scrutinise the map. But you can use your own artistic license and choose to overlook that kind of feedback.
 
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