Next new dude

kwagner

L2: Junior Member
Feb 28, 2009
92
6
Hi all,

I'm kwagner. I've gamed as a hobby for (literally) decades, and dabbled a tiny bit with 3D design. I did a couple of amateur level designs for Homeworld that I never showed to anyone. (Using a GUI like Hammer is leaps and bounds above writing the text file layouts for Homeworld. You've no idea how nice you have it here!) I've been wanting to do some FPS maps, and TF2/Hammer seemed a likely candidate.

My first TF2 map was a tiny thing in a box, to get some familiarity with Hammer and how to make CP's and doors and spawns work. Got that done as much as it needed to get.

The second is in the early stages. Got the bare bones in place (basic battle field, CP's, spawns.) It's WAY too large, with wide open spaces only a sniper would love. So I'll need to bring in the borders quite a bit. And, because of it's theme, the CP's are very close to each other, so I'll be building some unique barriers to keep things (hopefully) interesting. Don't know if I'll succeed in that, but I'm enjoying the challenge.

Right now I'm learning a lot about leaking areaportals. D:

A friend hosted the second map on his machine so we could run around in it a bit. He forgot to set a password and a 3rd person wandered in. Didn't expect that. It was kinda cool to see other people running and blasting about on terrain I've built. Suspect it will be a lot better to see the same thing, only without the map looking as barren and featureless as it is at this point.

The more I get into this, the more I realize how much effort you all devote to it. Hat's off to you all!

(PS: I bite at playing TF2. Most of my hours are as an engineer, 'cause at least the sentry can hit what it shoots at. :rolleyes: )
 

GrimGriz

L10: Glamorous Member
Jan 2, 2009
774
133
Welcome abroad :)

Think of areaportals as making a map within a map. You fill in open doorways and such to seal them from "the void"
 

kwagner

L2: Junior Member
Feb 28, 2009
92
6
Heheh, yah. It's that 'sealing' part that was giving me fits. Noticed other posts saying to Map> Load Pointfile. Good to know. Gave me the cure for that particular instance. No doubt I'll run into it again.

My real bugaboo right now it how to instill TF2's cartoony look into my maps appearance. Most of the textures/models in Hammer seem too hard edged (guess they are from other valve games?) I think I need to both decrease my maps X/Y size, and increase it's Z (height.) Far too flat at the moment.

Eh, work in progress.
 

kwagner

L2: Junior Member
Feb 28, 2009
92
6
Thanks Sgt. I'll keep that in mind. It'll be a while, though. Right now it's kinda like some playdough rolled flat with legos stuck ontop. :D When it's got something resembling play value I'd love to get a bunch of folks to stomp all over it.
 

kwagner

L2: Junior Member
Feb 28, 2009
92
6
So, before putting up a map for game day tryouts, what elements need to be present? I'm not talking finishing touches. I'm talking what is essential to tryout gameflow/playability, and not give players/servers headaches.

My current map has working spawnrooms, working capture points, working doors, a modicum of lighting, and a scattering of health/ammo packs.

What else is needed? What else is good to have, albiet not essential at an early development point?
 

Owlruler

L12: Fabulous Member
Dec 10, 2008
964
275
Welcome to the community!
 

GrimGriz

L10: Glamorous Member
Jan 2, 2009
774
133
welcome abroad!

So, before putting up a map for game day tryouts, what elements need to be present? I'm not talking finishing touches. I'm talking what is essential to tryout gameflow/playability, and not give players/servers headaches.

Well, depending on when the next gameday thread appears for submissions...you could always just attend one and see..

Me personally, I get to a point where I need to make decisions on gameplay before I make the map pretty (so i don't have to change basic structure and lose all the work I did making it pretty)
 
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kwagner

L2: Junior Member
Feb 28, 2009
92
6
(Thanks for the Welcome, Owlruler.)

Me personally, I get to a point where I need to make decisions on gameplay before I make the map pretty (so i don't have to change basic structure and lose all the work I did making it pretty)

I've been learning as I go. I've read where people really don't deal with textures at all until they have the gameplay pretty well adjusted. I've been texturing as I go, and I can clearly see the merit of a minimally textured approach now. Ah well, lessons learned. :blush:

I've also done something which is probably a classic beginners mistake. I've tried to build something 'different' gameplay-wise for my first real map, rather than going with the tried and true mirrored approach. That's why I'm now interested in getting in on a game day. I'd like to get some feedback to see if what I've done has any chance of being enjoyably playable at all, before I expend much more effort.

Yah, that means I need to create a WIP thread for the map, and upload it too. Little steps.
 
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kwagner

L2: Junior Member
Feb 28, 2009
92
6
Submitted my first map. It's Batter Up. (cp_batter_up_a1) It's a work in progress, and I'm learning (a lot!) as I go.

Guess I can't claim to be the 'next new dude' anymore. Yeah!