pl_AURUM

Fearlezz

L10: Glamorous Member
May 4, 2008
787
476
AURUM

IMPORTANT!

Pl_Aurum is a 3 stage Payload map. Although it has been for development for 7 months, I am only making stage 1 avaible for download. This map file was released way back, months ago. Just for beta testing stage 1. This was before stage 2 and 3 was even created. As we speak the huge Aurum is being optimized and is soon ready for the public. For now, enjoy stage 1.

The idea behind pl_Aurum is to let the player be able to move around more then usual. Could you jump on that roof normally? Well, you can in Aurum.

In latin, Aurum means gold. Because I wanted the same theme and artstyle as pl_Goldrush, I decided that this name fitted. For the architecture and textured used for this map, it uses the most common textures seen in Goldrush. For example, if the wood floor in goldrush used this texture, it will most likely be the same texture in Aurum.

The story behind this map, is simply, that Blue has found out about Red's huge gold facility. For unknown reasons they want to destroy it, badly. They must escort their little bomb through Red's properties. Along the way, they goes through several checkpoints.
Red must stop Blue for successfully destroying their gold storage.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jq_6fhah4bU&fmt=18"]Aurum stage 1 flythrough[/ame]

IMAGES:
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More images:
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Last edited by a moderator:

Spike

L10: Glamorous Member
Feb 13, 2008
716
82
Is it just me or this map had a different name in the past?
 

MungoKing

L3: Member
Jul 12, 2008
148
47
Hey, ran through the map today, and the layout is awesome. Love how you can actually get to most of the roof's... until you can't :p

Here are a few examples, there were a few more, but I forgot to take screenshots of them. Just make the roof's that you can't get onto a little more obvious that they're unreachable. Since most of them were, it kind of threw me off when I couldn't get on to others when I was right next to them.

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Pakrat and cubemaps...
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This one way door allows the defenders to flank the attackers a little too much imo, maybe disable it after they cap the point?

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Just a displacement problem:
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And finally, these moving carts were awesome!
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Hope that helps! Really looking forward to the rest of the map now :D
 

Fearlezz

L10: Glamorous Member
May 4, 2008
787
476
MungoKing @ Thank you for checking the map out and giving great feedback. I guess I forgot to mention that those missing decals arent there because myself lost them, this bsp goes way back and I dont have the actuall decal anymore :/

As for the missing cubemaps, they arent really missing. They are there and by looking at your screenshots I can tell they arent build. Although they where on my machine.

Type buildcubemaps in the console to fix that for you.
 

Chilly

L6: Sharp Member
May 3, 2008
326
127
As for the missing cubemaps, they arent really missing. They are there and by looking at your screenshots I can tell they arent build. Although they where on my machine.

If a client does buildcubemaps it modifies their bsp which will then differ from the server. Bad advice. I had the missing cubemaps as well. You need to build them for both HDR and LDR. There are step-by-step procedures for this elsewhere.

And finally, these moving carts were awesome!

We played the map with a handful of people. I think at most we had 8 people on it, since we were just getting the server going for the evening. My personal opinion of the moving carts, which was agreed upon by at least a couple other players, was that they seemed gimmicky. The carts don't even touch before they move, and the tracks that they move on go nowhere and don't have any "purpose". I'm not saying that maps need to be realistic, but when the rest of a map looks realistic then a single unrealistic part stands out.

Right after that cart section, I think you need more cover from the snipers up on the cliff. I really like that area, but it will be impossible to attack against even a single good sniper.

I loved being able to access all of the roofs as an engineer, but they also allowed me to get to a spot where I was looking off the map. It was about halfway through the map where you have a multi-tiered roof. I can get screenshots on later revisions if it's still there.

You have some gaps between buildings and posts that should either be widened or narrowed. If a gap is wide enough to walk through that should be made obvious. Otherwise it should be narrowed enough to make the opposite obvious.

For being a 3 stage map, that first stage is extremely long. I'd suggest trying to find a way to shorten it and also give the attackers some shortcut paths once they push the cart far enough. You might also want to consider making it a 1-way door that first allows red through (to setup at the front faster) and then later allows blue through (to attack easier). Along with this you might want to consider making the stage have 2 checkpoints in the middle. The first would be to lock red's access through the door and the second would be to allow blue's access.

I think you should make a pass and make sure you have some smaller health and ammo spread around the map as well. I remember there being some larger ones in key places, which is good, but I also remember there being a lack of small ones in other areas. As you hash everything out more it'll be easier to say where.

Finally, I love the red spawn area and cliff. It's a nice touch. Nice start overall. I look forward to playing future versions. :)
 

ProfFiendish

L2: Junior Member
Nov 15, 2008
95
10
Wow, the detailing looks great. :)
 

Phobos

L3: Member
Feb 22, 2009
130
50
I want to give you some gameday observations:

1. I got fps hits in the Blu spawn and other places around the map. I can't exactly say where else but the map needs optimization.

2. The cart does not move backwards if it isn't pushed. It just remains at its spot until it's pushed again.

3. The one-way door in the tunnel leading to the Blu spawn is buggy, you can get stuck in it
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4. There seems to be little ammo on the map. It's hard for an offensive engie to build his stuff unless he can scavenge dropped weapons.

5. The health/ammo pickups right after the first checkpoint (in the building with the ladder) can't be accessed unless you do a double/rocket jump. Move them to the ground.

6. There are two small health bottles right next to each other. Why not just a single medium one?

7. The map is difficult for attackers:
-Blu's spawn time is too high. Waiting 20 seconds for a respawn is too long for a payload map.
-The first stage is already around the size of the first two stages of Gold Rush, it could use more checkpoints and/or a forward spawn.
 

GrimGriz

L10: Glamorous Member
Jan 2, 2009
774
133
I think it's pretty important to rework red spawn so that it's not such an obvious cut and paste job from goldrush. I actually tried to go left out of spawn out of habit from playing goldrush :)

I had framerate issues too...they seemed worse on the blu side of the map for me. The size is an issue....unless you decide to just make the first round into badwater style. Huge is an option, but I think you'll lose potential audience.
 

Apom

L6: Sharp Member
Sep 14, 2008
366
65
The map is really big indeed (as pointed out by others). I also believe that the one-way gate should be inverted once attackers capture point 1.

The visual quality is good, the only thing I didn't like is the wooden door on a metallic blue wall (inappropriate!).