KotH Descent a13

Descent - KOTH in a cavern miles underground

Miles below the Earths crust, the merc war rages on. A large vertical shaft, sunk to extract valuable resources, has become the gateway to further wealth and power; and thus a source of conflict.

It's a concept I've had in my head for awhile. Time to test and refine the layout. Can't wait to detail this thing.

In the future, expect to see hazards in the form of minecarts. These rustbuckets will rocket along some of the rails laid down across the map, killing anyone they hit. Don't worry, I plan to use this feature with restraint.

Big thanks to anyone who helped test my map! Future improvements:

Lighting- I was hoping the lighting wouldn't be too dark, as I love the moody theme, but turns out it was. I'll brighten that up, especially on RED's side.

Ceiling heights- I've been in quite a few tight underground areas, mostly mines and caves. My goal was to simultaneously have the feeling of claustrophobia from being trapped in an enclosed space underground, while leaving most of the important areas roomy enough to not cause any issues. These goals tend to run counter to each other, so I expected a few hiccups here and there. I'll fix any places where the player is forced to crouch (this was an accident), and expand a few rooms. Most of the claustrophobic themes will be added in beta in the form of inaccessible rooms.

Overall geometry- This seemed to receive a good reception. I can think of a few areas to modify, and few issues to fix, but it will largely remain the same overall. If there are any large changes that need to be made, let me know.

And yes, I will move the deathpit triggerhurt up. In an alternate universe, at the bottom of the deathpit is an invisible teleporter that moves you to another identical shaft seamlessly to continue the fall forever.

Version A2 of koth_descent

Added:
- Deadly minecarts to patrol some of the high ground
- Connector from the rail access shack what was previously a dead-end
- Displacement columns
- Raging subterranean river that leads to a deadly fall

Changed:
- Pickup locations and types in a few spots
- Minor geometry alterations
- trigger_hurt in deathpit raised
- Improved soundscapes
- Fixed spawn entry exploit
- Improved lighting
- Fixed areas where the ceiling was unreasonably low
- Changed most non-rock wall thicknesses from 32 to 16 HU

Planned:
- More minecarts!
- Another deathpit
- Glorious detail (after layout is finalized)

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Another thanks for another test.

Most of my recent changes seem to be well received, albeit needing some refinement. So pleased with all this feedback!

Minecarts:
- I'm going to make them louder as well as add a second alarm near their exit by the point.
- Currently they're empty. I'll load 'em up with something, probably bombs (they travel between teams)
- There will be more, and I know where to put them. Not too intrusive.

Raging river:
- The surface of the water obscures what's below, so I'll add a nobuild there.
- I'm not completely satisfied with the two bridges over them, I'll rework those.
- The death-falls at the end of them will be more obvious in the future. This will also open up more beauty options in beta.
- Any exploits related to the (non-killer) waterfall will be patched.

Spawn:
- I despise it when the spawnpads are visible (or close to it) to enemies pressed up against the door. Gonna fix that ASAP.

Rail access shack:
- The flank route tunnel leading from it to the point is cramped, I'll double the width.

Empty shack:
- The fact that it's called this says enough. It was going to be a garage for a bulldozer doubling as a hiding and health room, but it's too big for that, and too small for anything else.
- I'll try and connect it with the basement tunnel exit behind it, make it more useful to pass through. Anything else I can think of to make it worthy of players time. Possibly a second story with glass windows overlooking the point.

Deathpit:
- Damnit, still too deep! Guess I gotta raise the kill area up again. It's tough, I want a very deep mineshaft, but I also want a logical reason why players would die mid-way falling down it. Convection from a lava pit would justify it, but we're still not deep enough for lava here, I would like to keep some realism. Oh well. Worst case scenario, a quick, mid-air death. That's all any of us could really hope for, anyway.

General:
- More geometry and layout changes. Prepare for a rework of the spawn exits-to-mid area. I hope to make a more defined main route to the point
- There will be more stalactites coming down from the ceiling in some areas to put a bit of a damper on jumping sollies and demoes.
- Damnit, the lighting is still too dark! Time to brighten some more.

Version A3 of koth_descent

Added:
- A second minecart route on each side
- A powerful yet extremely hazardous sniper nest facing mid on each side
- Stalactites (not fully detailed)

Changed:
- Raging river and waterfalls are now prettier and have sounds
- Deathfalls are more obvious
- Minecarts are louder (as loud as the settings would allow)
- Empty shack now connects to basement and sniper nest
- Bridges over river reshaped and repositioned slightly
- Deathpit kill trigger raised again
- Lighting brightened again
- Flank route by rail access shack widened and reshaped
- Spawns altered
- Minecarts given contents

Fixed:
- Clipped off waterfall
- Made the deathfalls an obvious hazard
- Gave the minecarts more warning sounds
- Pickups given ground patches

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More tests, more feedback.

Minecarts:
- Even with their volume cranked up as high as I can make it, they still blend into the background noise. Guess I gotta figure out how to increase the volume further.

Raging River:
- Feedback indicates this component is too large and obtrusive. Some possible solutions I have in mind include narrowing its width, decreasing the water current strength, making it shallow enough for players to see above the surface when standing on the bottom, and making it easier to exit from. More likely than not, I'll employ all of these.

Battlements:
- The sniper nest overlooking the point didn't see as much use as I hoped, perhaps I should expand its FOV. In addiiton, I'll remove the door that was blocking access to the rest of the rails. Should also make it easier to deal with snipers camping inside.

Rail door spawn exit:
- This area sees very little traffic, and it's kinda obvious why. Seeing as the other two spawn exits are far enough apart to deal with camping, I might just close this off completely

Waterfall spawn exit:
- Being forced to jump into the river doesn't seem fun. I'll add a platform or bridge here.

No complaints about the lighting or deathpit this time. The trigger_hurt is at the right altitude it seems. The lighting, while apparently bright enough, is not final, and will change when detailing is commenced. I'm not going out of alpha until I'm certain the layout and geometry is completely optimized, fun and balanced.

Version A4 of koth_descent

Added:
- Connector from the main base at mid to the formerly empty room
- Garage door at the main entrance to mid to curb a nasty sightline
- Warning signs placed near dangerous area
- Sporadic crates and walls for cover

Changed:
- Raging river is less wide, less deep, less noisy and less pushy
- Third bridge installed over river from flanking spawn door
- Minecarts are even louder, and have better alarms
- Bridges over river given arches to more easily allow players underneath
- Bridges over river repositioned slightly
- Spawn exit by rails removed
- Access to sniper nest and battlements over mid altered
- Rail door blocking access to sniper nest from battlement removed

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Fixed 'em

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The last test highlighted a few small issues, all of which can easily be fixed. Just minor things like clipping, a few dark areas, etc. The layout seems to work well as it is, but it'll take a lot more than 5 tests to convince me of that. This is my first map design after all! Anyway, here's something more interesting; Future plans.

- The elevator cap point has two drawbridge-style doors that are resting on the edges of the pit. I plan to make these a moving object. When the round starts, the point is unavailable for a short while, and the ramps upright in a vertical position to signify this. Once the point becomes available, a klaxon will sound and the ramps will drop down, slamming into the ground loudly (and possibly killing anyone caught in the small area beneath them).

- When I both move on to the Beta phase, and learn how to pack custom content, I'll be using many of the assets from the construction theme. There are so many props there that mix well with mining, especially a more industrial and modern mining theme.

- More minecarts! NOT in the active play area. We've got enough of those already. Minecarts moving around in out of bounds areas to really give this place an active-mine feel.

- Atmosphere and detailing: Once the gameplay is solid, I'm going to seriously try and make this map as immersive as possible. Healthkits available at 'first aid stations'. Each building having a clear non-gameplay reason for existing. A plethora of atmospheric sounds and particles. Maybe some minor interactive elements (think of the yeti statue from mercpark).

- Do you like displacements? Currently all of the cave except stalactites and columns is brushwork. In the future... every rock and stone surface will be displaceified.

I'd like to add some more interesting features, but I've already got two deathpits, a river that moves you and two minecarts (on each teams side).

Version A5 of koth_descent

Added:
- Various props and textures, couldn't resist doing a little decorating
- A door to the control room facing mid to deal with a sightline
- Awnings over door and widows

Changed:
- Fully detailed the elevator cap point.

Fixed:
- Dealt with various small clipping and lighting issues
- Fixed a slope too steep to climb

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Version A6 of koth_descent

Added:
- Light fog
- Light mist over the rivers
- Observer points

Changed:
- Shortened the tunnel area to be less flanky, now only connects to one of the shacks

Fixed:
- Added more visual cues for the minecarts
- Volume of minecart alarms increased

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Minor update, fixed some HDR issues.

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TheMightyGerbil said:

So I tried the koth_descent_a6a version on our server and got a lot of missing textures in every room. For example https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd....471/B764688BA3EE8CBD041ACE0D3DAC05D60D4A0E7D/ . Normally I'd equate this to not packing the textures but, unless you modified them, those textures look stock in your screenshots. We couldn't play it in that condition but If you get it fixed I'll try and give it another test.

Click to expand...

Thank you, I've been working through a lot of strange compiling issues throughout the last weeks. At this point sound and lighting compile properly, but I'm still having issues with textures. Its weird because CompilePal says they're packing, and when I open up the bsp, I see them there. I would absolutely love to get descent tested once this mess gets sorted out, as it's my 'main map' at the moment.

No more custom textures because CompilePal can't pack them. I will fix this, as soon it starts to make sense!

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Version A7 of koth_descent

Added a few small visual changes and some improvements to the lighting and HDR. Moved to a7 because a6b is a nuisance. Looking for extensive feedback testing to refine the layout.

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Added:
- Minor detail elements
- Rotating elevator drawbridges, they deploy when the point becomes available for capture.

Changed:
- Extended the roof above the control room to form a balcony
- Nerfed the sight lines in the highest rooms, snipers need to expose themselves more.
- Slightly reduced river push force
- Opened up the connector from the main building to the high room

Fixed:
- Fixed players not always being killed by the minecarts
- Clipping issue above one of the buildings

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Added:
- Visibility fence in the pillars surrounding the elevator to allow players to see the control point as soon as they exit the gate, and to allow those capping the point to see attackers earlier.
- A new ledge along the side of the pit where players blasted off the point can catch themselves.

Changed:
- Raised and clipped off the roof above the building along the flank to nerf a powerful sniper perch.
- Reduced healthkits along flank routes.
- New floor textures.
- Lowered cap time from 12s to 8s.
- Removed an unnecessary door and merged the control room into the larger room beyond.

Fixed:
-Various small issues with lighting & displacements.

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