***Mapping Contest #8 Vote***

No fair- my group JUST finished a CP map, but somehow never noticed this contest was going. We even used TF2maps.net for so many great tutorials/help (thank you very much btw!).

Next time, we'll be more vigilant! Good luck to the contestants!

I don't really know who to vote for, but I chose Frags, I've always wanted to see a TF2 map based in the city. :U

Overall, very interesting maps. I found lots of things I liked about each of them but one defintatly stood out to me. As normal, my review is my view at lots of different concepts I consider to make up 'detail' and I know some disagree...but its the only way i could figure out to give a fair review of each map. They are available at ...
http://pinksrealm.com/External/CapContestReview.txt

in short...
ABBAttoir: 47
andysss456: 64
BMP: 70
medd: 48
pink_panther: mine
psyphil: 48
sgtfrag: 46
tdsoys: 62

Pink_Panther said:

the orangle lights in the side rooms did not give enough light to see in rooms (especially ones with ramps up to roof, i fell off a couple times because I couldnt see the ramp at all)

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I like the way you review and point out the things you don't like though there is nowhere near that dark anywhere in my map that I can notice and seeing how you give most of the maps pretty low 'lightningpoints' maybe, as you said, "your limitation of the display" affects the points given petty much?

someone pointed out the severly bad and nodraw-looking strings on the wall at the beginning of the stairs. I've got to say that is one of the most weird bugs I have seen because that wall consists one one big block with no nodraw anywhere near is

Once again, thanks for the feedback.

Wow. I don't mind the score Pink Panther but I'm curious about the lighting.
This is a question for everyone.

Was my map really that dark? I understand there are a few spots (like the side stairways and underneath the point in particular- spawns also) that need more lighting. And I have adjusted that already and also increased the radius of an ambient in the middle point (which helps light up props alot).
But PP almost makes it sound like my most of my map was black.
Other than a few spots that were dark I could see everything fine, just like in most maps I play.

I'm just curious so I can improve it. But I don't ever change my gamma and other than a few nighttime maps that can be hard to see in I thought mine was OK. (of course it could be better)
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@ PP.

You mention the point seems a bit 'out of the way' or that it could be in a better spot. Any ideas? recommendations. I want to turn it into a 5 point map so if it could be better...
My thoughts on the design was that it was a warehouse/maintenance building for the bridge crew.
But I was also feeling it's a bit too open maybe, too plain.

One idea I had was to put some 'offices' or crane control rooms in the front corners where there is currently some metal shelves. There's not alot of room but would add cover.

Sgt Frag said:

Wow. I don't mind the score Pink Panther but I'm curious about the lighting.
This is a question for everyone.

Was my map really that dark? I understand there are a few spots (like the side stairways and underneath the point in particular- spawns also) that need more lighting. And I have adjusted that already and also increased the radius of an ambient in the middle point (which helps light up props alot).
But PP almost makes it sound like my most of my map was black.
Other than a few spots that were dark I could see everything fine, just like in most maps I play.

I'm just curious so I can improve it. But I don't ever change my gamma and other than a few nighttime maps that can be hard to see in I thought mine was OK. (of course it could be better)

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The parts that I found that I couldn't literally see in was the side stairways, under the point in that blank room. Other than that it was not "bright" per say and every now and then if I wanted to look at something a squint might have been involved, but it was a foggy level so I can see why it was how it was.

I had a look through all the maps and the one that really stood out for me was by The Dark Side of your Shadow. I have to say that the egypt theme definitely does not suit itself for team colours, and those that chose it did well with what they had.

I was also working on for the cap point competition, however i didn't make the deadline because i cant read bold text

I'm putting this up for anyone who is interested in having a look as i don't think I will ever make this into a map. You can get it here

Really I don't mind not getting it in the competition since i have learnt alot about how to optimise a map, and some new techniques to do so.

Sgt Frag said:

Wow. I don't mind the score Pink Panther but I'm curious about the lighting.
This is a question for everyone.

Was my map really that dark?

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It was very dark in side areas, I would work on that if you develop this one

pitto said:

I was also working on for the cap point competition, however i didn't make the deadline because i cant read bold text

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If I may ask, what was the "bold text" you forgot to read? This is the only bold text I found on the rules page: Any questions? Ask away!

Lol

Ok I meant underlined
"PM to me before Monday 20th April"
particularly the before part

and "technically" according to the stats of the last competition there are still a good 45 votes to go!!

If it remains this close at the close of the poll (still several days away), might have to do a run off poll. /bites nails :-D

pitto said:

particularly the before part

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Eh, it's somehow reassuring to see that I was not the only who got caught by the absence of a precise time.

Im really over the desert themed maps and the Egyptian thing doesnt really do it for me tho I appreciate a good design.

For me its between Sgt Frag and Medd, as they are unique and would work gameplay wise with some changes. Medd pinches it with the moody gray/spytech theme.

Abbatoir - great potential, WAY sniper friendly but its a WIP.
Andyss - 3rd place for me, bit cramped for heavy fighting.
BMP - Killed my FPS, I liked the scaffold but thought it could be more original.
Medd - Personal fave, the cavern sides could do with structural support detail.
Pink - Like the touches, you have skillz to make a great detailed map.
Psyphil - Could do with more originality
SgtFrag - Like this a lot. Original, altho its gonna be hard to finish the bridge/other side cos the fog isnt so great in TF2. Needs some work to bring it all together.
TDSYS - Liked it, just needs to be opened up a bit, very cramped.

I gotta agree with Youme that the rules were posted and there for a month.
I have noticed that every contest someone(s) blatantly miss one rule or another.
I've even caught myself re-reading and seeing something I didn't before (can't remember what, I just remeber it happening).

Needless to say I'm disappointed that Pitto was late. The pic of his entry looks pretty good.
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Darker came out of nowhere D:
Well, not nowhere but he caught up quickly. It's anybody's game at this stage.

I don't really care about a revote on this one. The reason it needed done last time was there were around 28 entries and a few that were very close (maybe even tied?). And the number of entries had spread the votes out alot.
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@Noggin

I've already upped the lights and put the back half of the bridge in the skybox. I also threw a couple skybox buildings in. The textures show through the fog so I think it'll look better once I detail that stuff.
I'm also gonna tweak the fog to the color I wanted and have to make a skybox tex to match the fog.
That'll help the fog alot imo. Right now it's kindof a modified well sky/fog. (well had the best light angles I thought.

Needless to say I'm disappointed that Pitto was late. The pic of his entry looks pretty good.

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Yeah I should have either worked on it more at the lan I went to on the 17th/18th (i was up 36 hours straight from 10am on the 17th) or submitted an earlier version of it (if i had noticed the before 20th which is really silly of me.

Also you can download and look at my map if you want, it is quite big since there was no 3d skybox allowed.
http://forums.tf2maps.net/downloads.php?do=file&id=1257

Oh well bring on the next comp.

Sgt Frag said:

Wow. I don't mind the score Pink Panther but I'm curious about the lighting.
@ PP.
You mention the point seems a bit 'out of the way' or that it could be in a better spot. Any ideas? recommendations. I want to turn it into a 5 point map so if it could be better...
My thoughts on the design was that it was a warehouse/maintenance building for the bridge crew.
But I was also feeling it's a bit too open maybe, too plain.

Click to expand...

Right now i am limited to a 6 year old laptop as my good computers are 1000 miles away. So, all my lighting observations have to be taken with a grain of salt. This thing wasnt really meant to play games (though my fps was pretty decent) So, lighting is questionable and I had a feeling that many of the really dark spots may be a monitor issue.

For placement...its hard to say. I had to look at the map as a single point map because its all i had to work with and I really couldnt see much as well. from what i remember the placement wasn't bad. It just felt like it was laying out there without much reason to be in that exact location. Is the point of the map to blow up the bridge, control it, etc all lead to the concept of the location and I just didnt get that feeling from the location. Perhaps if it was surrounded by something that added to the concept?

Psyphil:
after looking at SgtFrags map i started to see that this laptop was doing the darks a little wierd. So, ya that did effect the scores some. But, what I tend to look for in lighting is not easy to achieve. I look for their placement, angles, texture matching effects, number, colors(i want to see many working together), usage of multiple lighting techniques (point, spot, texture light, enviro) and bravery in going outside of the established standards. Controlling all these is really really difficult to manage. consider 5 to be good standard lighting, most of what valve produces I would only give a 5 or 6. Most of my best maps I would give a 7 or 8 (my entry for this contest would be 4ish). I'm picky and think everyone can get better at everything. I just point out what was good and bad as best i can in a short amount of time. (i gave each map about 30 min this time around) Hope that helps in understanding where im coming from.

I find it a bit odd that a lot of people are making comments about why they don't like a particular map based on gameplay. Such as a map being cramped or something like that. It's a detailing contest, not a gameplay contest.

"Cramped" is aesthetic.
Gameplay can never be 100% removed from the equation, the contest is based around placing a capture point after all. You're detailing towards a specific game, and part of that environment is the scale of its battlefields.