Summerize

CTF Summerize A02

BigBang1112

L1: Registered
Oct 25, 2015
27
4
Summerize - Small CTF map with 2 symmetrical forts.

Here's my second map with Capture the Flag gamemode. It's a simple map with 2 forts and few buildings. I'll try to design this map in a near future.

At this moment, the map is not optimized, and doesnt have any design at all. I'm currently focusing on a gameplay.

Personally I'm not sure about how is it fun. Can you help me, if it's good to continue this?

View attachment 17799
 

Aeix

L3: Member
Feb 14, 2016
147
58
Well, here's my thoughts based on the pictures:
The vertical elements of this map look...kinda extreme (although the screenshots may not be helping). If there is any sort of dropdown ledge that you take fall damage from, then it's possibly a little too high.
The central area looks like a squeeze, since most maps (I'm assuming yours does too) tend to direct players toward the central area, it needs to generally be quite large (also, most players with only a few exceptions will tend to gravitate toward the centre of the map)
Also...I believe that you have housed the flag separately to the spawn rooms (if so then good job), but make sure it isn't in a place that can be locked down by a single sentry.
I haven't actually played this map in game, but I'm looking forward to seeing it on an imp sometime!
 

BigBang1112

L1: Registered
Oct 25, 2015
27
4
Thanks a lot for feedback!
If I understand right what you mean, you can't get on these buildings in any way (there's a player clip on them till skybox). They are here for the design only.
I struggled a lot on a middle for sure. I was in need to remake it completly (previously it was a shit). I'll be remaking the middle a lot in a next versions.
Yes, the flags are placed seperatly to the spawn rooms (good me that my brain realized its better). The gameplay is still pretty fast though. Let's see what I'll do with it.
 

BigBang1112

L1: Registered
Oct 25, 2015
27
4
I'm doing huge changes to the layout, especially in symetrical buildings. Updated version should come very soon.
 

BigBang1112

L1: Registered
Oct 25, 2015
27
4
I made some mayor changes to the map:
  • Improved map layout, especially in main symmetrical buildings.
  • Added path to the Building 2 roof.
  • Added first textures and more small designs to the map.
  • Fixed no_entry texture on func_respawnvisualizer in both teams.
  • Removed player clip from Building 2.
I'll be getting soon into optimizing and designing, so I would appreciate to see the current map feeling/gameplay kind of review from you. :p

ctf_summerize_a02_1.jpg

Read the rest of this update entry...
 
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nickybakes

You should've played Rumbleverse
aa
Jul 28, 2015
911
1,739
l be getting soon into optimizing and designing, so I would appreciate to see the current map feeling/gameplay kind of review from you. :p
If you want feedback on the gameplay, you'll need to get it play tested! To do that, submit it to a gameday (schedule playtest session) thread (if there are any going on at the time). Or join the TF2Maps steam group chat and submit the map through there, where it will be played on an imp (unscheduled playtest session that usually happen once every day or two) and people will leave lots of good feedback. You can find the steam group page on the homepage of TF2Maps.
 

Skittelz

L6: Sharp Member
Mar 17, 2016
399
281
Please add some more screenshots. They don't help much without downloading the map. I mean, who would wanna download a map that doesn't know what to excpect? An actual room inside the buildings? Come on, man.
 
J

jackal

Please add some more screenshots. They don't help much without downloading the map. I mean, who would wanna download a map that doesn't know what to excpect? An actual room inside the buildings? Come on, man.
It doesn't matter that much...don't be so condescending
 

Samniss Arandeen

L1: Registered
Mar 3, 2013
33
7
As a fan of CTF looking forward to seeing this on an imp, I'll leave this here.


In the meantime, I'll fly around it a bit and come back with some initial feedback.

---

EDIT: I have flown around the map as well as bombed around as Demoman in it. I hate to sound overwhelmingly negative, but while it's a really cool map, it needs a *lot* of work.


POSITIVES:
Mid being sunken in, plus the smorgasbord of route options leading to and from Mid, offers some nice gameplay. It honestly sounds like good fun to just slug it out in what is essentially a death pit.
Side routes on Mid have potential, and the "wraparound" areas lead to a flank with some nice height advantage on the defending team, though defenders have no way to climb up there without explosives or building jumps. Too bad the small alcove in them doesn't have any health/ammo, Demos can sticky jump in there for some sneakybombing and may need to restock.
Buildings in front of spawn exit are nicely designed, though a few gameplay tweaks could make them even better.

NEGATIVES:
Unacceptably dark in some areas. A few prop lights and the light_env just aren't lighting the map enough.
No info_observer_point entities?! Dude, wtf. Plonk a few of those in, point 'em where the fightin' happens, team-code ones pointing at Intel and spawn, and set the center one as a welcome point.
Missing/insufficient/misleading signage ("BATTLEMENTS" comes to mind, and the lack of signs for resupply)
I found a texture error and a place where I run into the skybox.
So many unjumpable roofs without indication that they are unjumpable.
Capture Zone/Intelligence: a bit too little cover from one angle and a bit too much cover from the other.
Too little cover for potential Sentry positions on the Intelligence.
Battlements have too little cover, they're way out in the open, and are fall-damage high
So many useless dead ends! What purpose do these have?!
Can we please have more than one exit out of spawn? I can easily see the spawn being camped by an attacker going for the flag, there's a sightline directly connecting these two points.
Speaking of that sightline, every single possible route with the Intellgence goes past that same point with a direct line of sight to respawning defenders, opening anyone trying to steal it to Demospam or a sentry parked there for days. It's like that spot in 2fort that covers both the L-shaft and the spiral.
All in all, there's some nice height variation, but the varying heights themselves are overscaled.

ALTERATIONS:
That small antechamber just ahead of spawn with the full ammo/small health should have a staircase to the lower level (that leads to Mid) in it, maybe delete the entrance leading to spawn to make spawncamping harder.
A small roof over the Intelligence area for Engineers to build under. As it stands, Demospam can wreck some of the key areas in the map.
Cut out half of that wooden fence prop and let us crouch-jump with the Intel onto that little ledge - trade speed for cover. Should also open up potential flanks against any Sentries parked there.
Either delete that useless, dark, dead-end chamber accessed by turning right out of spawn, or give it some purpose. Probably defensive purpose, this map seems a bit attack-oriented. I know CTF is normally a turtlefest, but this just seems like overcorrection.
 
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BigBang1112

L1: Registered
Oct 25, 2015
27
4
Please add some more screenshots. They don't help much without downloading the map. I mean, who would wanna download a map that doesn't know what to excpect? An actual room inside the buildings? Come on, man.
There are few reasons why there are only 3 screenshots. First is that map updates are huge and doesn't look simillary to itself, so i need to retake all screenshots. Previously I had 6 screenshots here, but since the map changed a lot I was in need to remove them and add the updated ones. Secondly I thought that top-down screenshot will tell a lot. Good to hear it though!

For Samniss Arandeen:
Thanks a freaking lot for this pile of info! Although my brain isnt the best englisher, it's hard to understand it all. :D
First of all, info_observer_points are already in the next version. Was a bit lazy to put it in first one, whatever. xd

Absolutly undestand and get the "only one spawn door" problem, cause spammers (and not only spammers) can simply spawnkill like shit (found it when bot playtesting too). Gonna add one more door in A3 version.
The lights are still in work for sure, I just need to light the rooms to see them lol.
The inteligence places are just pure prototypes, which i'll be remaking very soon.
Not sure what I'll do with the dead-end chamber in the big building because I want to put something there, but don't know what. The "dead-ends" in the middle are because of spy purposes.
I actually don't know what I'll do with the battlements since I have no idea how to cover them.

I started to design the map before I read these posts, so it will be a bit harder to do the changes, but I'll try my best.

I took much more feedback than I wrote here, so don't worry. :D
 
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BigBang1112

L1: Registered
Oct 25, 2015
27
4
Need to say something important.
I did about 2 hours of bot playtesting already, and I just don't feel right. The map has several problems that I can't fix because these problems are too much mayor and mayor problems are hard to fix, maybe even impossible. Here are few examples:
  • There are only 2 very different ways to the mid, which I think isn't right for capture the flag gamemode.
  • When playing with bots, at the beginning, one of the teams will die completly (don't know if this is common with bot playing).
  • Pretty much no obstacles, which is even recommended to do in Valve Developer Community page at CTF gamemode. It's hard to do obstacles to such an open field (you know what I mean if you played the map).
What's the reason? I didn't intensively playtest the map. This is the thing that makes the map good map. And I didn't do it.
The map making doesn't stop though. Just I'll took most of the feedback quick from these posts, and finish the map without big struggling with the design and scenery. Sorry for putting me such effort to make feedback, but I think this map won't be popular even.
I'll not put it on workshop either (or maybe will, depends on what I'll do with it). I got better plans for my new map, but now with very intensive playtesting, because that's the key to a good map.
Planning the release on 30th June, and coming B01 on 18th June. Thanks for being friendly and help me making better things!
 

Crowbar

Spiritual preprocessor
aa
Dec 19, 2015
1,455
1,297
Bots often give a completely wrong result. It's not recommended to base an opinion on bot test.
 

BigBang1112

L1: Registered
Oct 25, 2015
27
4
Yeah, actually bots arent made specially for ctf. But also I forgot to mention that the gameplay is very very fast. The 3 cap round takes under 5 minutes to complete. And ctf is more a chill gamemode with slow progressing.