KotH Tupor

Doktor Richter

L3: Member
Feb 13, 2014
115
89
After 4 months of hiatus, I'm bringing this one back with another overhaul. It's got (hopefully) much better midzones and more interesting routes to either side of the point. It's my first map, and more of a personal learning project for me, so I'm not gonna abandon it completely as long as I got something to learn.

As this is my first and only map, I greatly appreciate any feedback. Thanks!

Note: Map file provided as .bz2. Use a compression program such as 7zip to open.
 
Last edited:
Jul 30, 2014
75
153
Ok, I am going to attempt to explain what I meant when I said it doesn't feel like tf2, i'm as much of a map maker as you so take it with a pinch of salt :)

The area in your map feels completely unreal, this is probably a lot to do with the scaling and the fact it isn't detailed, but on most alpha maps you get an idea of how the map is split up into different buildings ect. A big factor in this is that the skybox starts so high up, leading to giant walls surrounding you constantly, giving a feeling that the map is cramped inside a box. Another issue which confuses me is that the only ceilings in the map are over the point and over the spawns, which suggests the area is outside, yet there are walls separating areas like i am in some sort of warehouse? This isn't just a cosmetic thing, as if you are in a room changes how an area plays dramatically.

Some of the lobby feels more like an indoor play area than coherent buildings with the random walls and height changes. I did like the centre though, especially the ramp side of it. You can probably remove quite a lot of the small health packs.

Hope I said something useful :)
 

RubbishyUser

L7: Fancy Member
Feb 17, 2013
414
488
From your screenshots, I really recommend getting some more basic lighting in. Make a env_light, wack up the intensity to 400 or something stupid high like that, and put one every place you want the players to see. Basically every doorway or middle of a room. It doesn't need to be pretty, but it's vital for a good player experience.

For a quick fix of your ridiculously high walls, I'd cut them in half and give the top half a skybox texture. You'll be amazed at how much it brightens up the map, without comprimising on gameplay. Even if you like the high walls feel, many Valve maps that feel like enclosed spaces are actually much more open than you'd think, with much of the height an illusion created in detailing- so you don't need to go overboard like you have here.

Also, congratulations on getting to finishing your first map!
 
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Doktor Richter

L3: Member
Feb 13, 2014
115
89
Ok, I am going to attempt to explain what I meant when I said it doesn't feel like tf2, i'm as much of a map maker as you so take it with a pinch of salt :)

The area in your map feels completely unreal, this is probably a lot to do with the scaling and the fact it isn't detailed, but on most alpha maps you get an idea of how the map is split up into different buildings ect. A big factor in this is that the skybox starts so high up, leading to giant walls surrounding you constantly, giving a feeling that the map is cramped inside a box. Another issue which confuses me is that the only ceilings in the map are over the point and over the spawns, which suggests the area is outside, yet there are walls separating areas like i am in some sort of warehouse? This isn't just a cosmetic thing, as if you are in a room changes how an area plays dramatically.

Some of the lobby feels more like an indoor play area than coherent buildings with the random walls and height changes. I did like the centre though, especially the ramp side of it. You can probably remove quite a lot of the small health packs.

Hope I said something useful :)

Thanks for the feedback, and for sticking around in the imp today. I really haven't nailed down the aesthetic yet, although I'm thinking the entire map will be interior. I just wanted to lay down the basic brushes and get a workable layout before dealing with ceilings and all that. Since I have as good a sense of scale as a ruler made of play-dough, I'll be changing the map a lot before I get something I'm happy with.

From your screenshots, I really recommend getting some more basic lighting in. Make a env_light, wack up the intensity to 400 or something stupid high like that, and put one every place you want the players to see. Basically every doorway or middle of a room. It doesn't need to be pretty, but it's vital for a good player experience.

For a quick fix of your ridiculously high walls, I'd cut them in half and give the top half a skybox texture. You'll be amazed at how much it brightens up the map, without comprimising on gameplay. Even if you like the high walls feel, many Valve maps that feel like enclosed spaces are actually much more open than you'd think, with much of the height an illusion created in detailing- so you don't need to go overboard like you have here.

Also, congratulations on getting to finishing your first map!

Thanks! The screenshots are from a slightly earlier version; the newest has better lighting. I definitely plan to ditch the ridiculously high walls, as soon as I get a good feel for both the basic layout and the interior design. I'm just amazed with myself for even getting the map working, since I have the creative design skills of a boulder (see ruler comparison above). I'll definitely look into cutting down the walls for the next version, so thanks for the advice.
 
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RubbishyUser

L7: Fancy Member
Feb 17, 2013
414
488
Goodness, isn't that so much better! I mean, I knew it would help, but that REALLY helps. Can't wait to play it!
 

Doktor Richter

L3: Member
Feb 13, 2014
115
89
Goodness, isn't that so much better! I mean, I knew it would help, but that REALLY helps. Can't wait to play it!

Thanks for the advice regarding the walls/roofs! I really like how the slanted roofs ended up looking, especially in the side building (didn't get a good screenshot of it to show, though). At any rate, they're a lot more welcoming than the giant overbearing walls everywhere.
 
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Doktor Richter

L3: Member
Feb 13, 2014
115
89
Small update for a6. Feedback from the last test was pretty sparse compared to some of the others, but no news is good news, right? Either way, going to start cleaning up the map to prepare for beta, and if the next few tests go well, I'll start the detailing soon! Still taking any and all feedback regarding layout and gameplay with much appreciation, so don't hesitate to post your thoughts if you've played it recently.
 

Doktor Richter

L3: Member
Feb 13, 2014
115
89
Updated to a7. Getting closer to beta, and a layout I'm happy with, so I'm starting to toy with some non-dev textures. Changelist and screenshots updated.
 

Doktor Richter

L3: Member
Feb 13, 2014
115
89
Updated to a8. Just a few tweaks this time around. Playing with displacements and moving closer and closer to beta. Changelist updated.
 

Doktor Richter

L3: Member
Feb 13, 2014
115
89
Not a whole lot of changes for a9, but the 8 minutes of testing we got in before the server crashed were enough for me to find some issues I wanted to correct. Changelist and screenshots updated.