Casablanca

Uriak

Uriak

L8: Fancy Shmancy Member
Apr 27, 2008
543
70
info
cp_casablanca is a Gravelpit like map, taking place in an south mediterranean style city. Blu have discovered that Red have using the place as a intelligence spot or worse. They must take other all the buildings used by their archfoes.

Casablanca is significantly larger than its older revision. In the current one, Red have too succesive spawns and engineers far more solid options.

Update

Update to revision V2_A4a

* Last capture point redone from scratch
* Red have to spawns : one active while A and B are not capped, one active for point C defence
* Laser arrays protect the last zone from blu incursions while A and B are still held
* Some passages reopened, some closed to improve optimization
* New area textured and lit but not detailed.
* Fixes on the skybox

Work

After some midly welcomed update, I've reworked the second half of the map. This revision seems balanced as far as the two first capture point go, but I lack feedback about how the last CP plays. Red have two successive spawn, a setup somewhat experimental in gravelpit like maps, but players told me it would have been to difficult overwhise, since the map grew significantly larger from its early stage.
 
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Uriak

Uriak

L8: Fancy Shmancy Member
Apr 27, 2008
543
70
Incoming work : point B

The current point B is mainly opened, while surrounded by a covered L shaped gallery. Red have a spawn (one of two) between C and B, and a series a long and boring corridors grant them covered access to the point.



I aim to add two buildings. One will take the place of an opened roof, to deny extreme sight line and optimize things. The other is a big building extending itself behind the current map limites. It would feature a ground level story 1, with an acess from the CP zone. And a upper level 2, giving access to the roofs bordering the CP. This building would also feature an acess from the future red Spawn, and a one way passage 3, useful for Blu.
I can't tell if such a zone with no direct sight on the cap point would be very useful. But currently in casablanca there is a lack of such protected zones, useful for engies.

To make things clearer, here's a shot of the current CP B , viewed from the red perspective (imagine the viewer looking at the East on the map)

You can see the L shaped roof and gallery bordering the CP. And the brown bordered roof that serve as one of the main routes for blu attackers.

If you want to get a more extensive glimpse of the old version of casablanca, you can get it there
 
Uriak

Uriak

L8: Fancy Shmancy Member
Apr 27, 2008
543
70
Hello, here's are some screens from the revamped control point B.

By the way, anyone knows how to force vrad to cast shadows from a translucent textured brush ? Youme's tutorial is about alpha mapped props, but I can't find any discussion on this topic...



 
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Zeewier

Zeewier

L9: Fashionable Member
Sep 20, 2008
619
262
That tutorial should explain everything perfectly... and there is a discussion in the thread about it I think :)
 
Owlruler

Owlruler

L12: Fabulous Member
Dec 10, 2008
964
275
wow, this looks very nice.
 
Uriak

Uriak

L8: Fancy Shmancy Member
Apr 27, 2008
543
70
Thank you :)

So, I'm pondering about some gameplay tweaking there. Casablanca always offered some nice sniper positions, although there are protected alternatives (you don't have to use the roofs at all to go anywhere). But with my most recent changes, I think it will need some line sight limitations.

With a new building WH on A, I opened a sniper line of sight, and there ise one from CP B as well, both covering the roof, the blue team is most likely to use at start (they spawn on the right bottom corner)



So I'm hesitating between to solutions :

1 : adding 2 small obstacles (jumpable by a scout) on that roof.



2 : adding one obstacle and a fence like barrier, with a new passage on that building between the roof and CP A.



I've the feeling, 1) is a bit artificial (and I don't really know what would that obstacle be to keep with the map setting, but 2) tends to kill a bit the "opened" nature of that map. I already closing some existing gaps and I wouldn't end with a enclosed map in the end.
 
A

Apom

L6: Sharp Member
Sep 14, 2008
366
65
I think a fence will be hard to fit in your map's theme (option 2 also gives the impression of creating a one-way passage, which is probably bad in gameplay terms).

If you choose option 1, you could use some market stands (to fit with the awning that's in the area) with fruits or whatever. Of course, people would jump into the fruits, because those TF2 players are so rude.

Maybe another option is to expand H so that it fills the gap? And give it doors that are offset in such fashion that you can move, but not have a clear line of sight across it.
 
Uriak

Uriak

L8: Fancy Shmancy Member
Apr 27, 2008
543
70
Players on CPC forum agreed to this, too. I don't have any fruit (could be done by texture, at least, some spices...) but I could pile up some things. I've replaced the awnings with displacement based ones and with a new fabric texture, so I'm likely to add more of them to spice up the area.
 
F

FLOOR_MASTER

L3: Member
Mar 10, 2008
118
140
It's been a while since we ran this on 2f2f, but from what I remember, the time limits were unusually long. If I'm remembering correctly, has this been addressed?
 
Uriak

Uriak

L8: Fancy Shmancy Member
Apr 27, 2008
543
70
On the current build, it's 6 min + 4 + 4 with a maximum capped at 10 minutes. (I believe, I should check) I'm speaking of B6 build, the one currently available on fpsbanana. It's pretty much balanced, at least on our server : http://www.uber.fr/stats/map.php?id=8

I may tweak this a bit on the newer version, but it will mostly revolve around tweaking both teams respawn wave times (since red will have to travel more to defend the first 2 control points, and less with the last one)
 
Uriak

Uriak

L8: Fancy Shmancy Member
Apr 27, 2008
543
70
I've given a link to the previous release, hosted on fpsbanana. I didn't want to, but I think I'll set it as download link
 
A

Apom

L6: Sharp Member
Sep 14, 2008
366
65
Isn't the vertical pole supporting the awning going to be a hindrance for players who want to use this passage? Maybe you could make it horizontal.

The spice stand looks nice, but the other one looks oddly technological compared to the rest.
 
Uriak

Uriak

L8: Fancy Shmancy Member
Apr 27, 2008
543
70
I checked the space yesterday. Compared to player's height, the awnings are quite high, and players can easily walk on either side of the pole. I could remove it later nevertheless, if people complain.

There are many technological gimmicks in the map, it's some kind of vent/climatization space. I just did't find what to put on the top, so I'm leaving it this way.

I'm wondering whether I should detail the roof in that area. In most maps, displacements, and noisy textures add a sense of massive visual detailing, but I shouldn't try to mimick that, maybe.
For the moment I'll focus on point B indoors, then on point C. I'd like to extend the pool/reservoir areas, perhaps to the point of circling around the control point. The existing balcony will have some equivalent on the other side, both designed to be usable by either team, depending of which one takes the lead.
 
K

kwagner

L2: Junior Member
Feb 28, 2009
92
6
To keep with the setting, maybe could replace a fence with a grape vine trellis, or set of clotheslines? If you made the clotheslines passable by players they could interrupt the snipers line of sight, while still allowing players to run through them?

I'm new at this, so I don't know how to handle the texturing and modelling to make that happen. Just tossing out ideas.

I like the theme, though. Got an airport for the final scene? :)
 
Uriak

Uriak

L8: Fancy Shmancy Member
Apr 27, 2008
543
70
Thanks for the advice ;) People from my forums asked me for clotheslines too. I don't mind adding them but it's more custom content to do, unfortunately. I'll try to focus a bit on designing the new areas first. I'm currently almost done with the rooms behind point B in terms of general layout, but I've still to detail them, and I'm not sure of the theme. Maybe somme bathroom like zone ? I don't know.

I took advantage of my compile to test new light settings, with some kind of rose ambient term.
What do you think ?

 
A

Apom

L6: Sharp Member
Sep 14, 2008
366
65
Maybe you could rip some clothes off the uniform locker rather than make entirely new ones?

Also I like the new lighting!
 
Uriak

Uriak

L8: Fancy Shmancy Member
Apr 27, 2008
543
70
For the cloths, I mostly intend to make them as flat quads, the same way I did the grape foliage. Easier to draw, but still need some texture work.
 
Uriak

Uriak

L8: Fancy Shmancy Member
Apr 27, 2008
543
70
In the previous thread, I explained that the current WIP was a rehaul of the amost beginner level previous one. So I'm fixing the horrible hallways that allowed flanking of the various zone with completely new zones with each their own visual theme, to add some variation to the general setting.

I'm mostly done with what I explained here : a new building behind the second CP


Behind the second CP, I've added this two story room


It gives access both to the ground zone behind the CP and to the upper defensive position. From the attackers side, this zone (on the right) was a dead end with some packs, to give them shelter and a possible TP zone.

Now it allow players to jump down to a sewer like area leading to the new building, as a flanking possibility

 
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