Nuclear

Waif

L7: Fancy Member
Mar 22, 2009
412
125
Nuclear

Nuclear is a single stage payload map with 4 capture points.

The basic synopsis is that Red has a large Nuclear reactor, which Blue must destroy.
So blue, using a custom 'pinch cart' made by Cerulean must travel around and finally into the looming Nuclear Plant to wreak devastation upon the red team.

Currently I am really after lots of feedback, in whatever form (bugs,balance, fun-factor etc) to help me along the road to making this map something special :D

Cheers, mashpotatoe

Special thanks:
-Cerulean for cart model
-III_demon for track peices
-fearlezz for smoke particles
-Nipet for helping in general
-Floor Master for lots of testing

Updates:


alpha 14 (16/09/09) changes


-Raised the hieghts of many buildings throughout map
-Altered the layout from cp1-cp2 slightly, there is now more horizontal variation and hopefully less of a choke point
-Redesigned the Nuke cooling tower again, looks better then before
-Rasied the hieght of the last section insed the Nuke building
-Enhanced 3d skybox
-Altered prop fade distances and fog settings
-Rotated the ramp in the building near the start to hopefully favour blue
-Altered the fencing near cp 1 so that there is a path behind the rock, hopefully easing this chokepoint
-rasied the hieght of the skybox significantly
-Fixed clipping issues on fences so that projectiles now bounce off them
-Add some extra/ altered some exisiting buildings around the edge of the last point to ease the openess
-Lowered the final cap point further so it isn't on one large plane level of flat ground
-Changed the layout of side buildings near cap 2
-Optimised slightly
-Added a cross on the glass at the end so it is evident where the payload finishes

alpha 13 (06/09/09) changes

-stretched the map out horizontally
-Enlarged the final cap point area
-detailed the beginning of the map further
-added custom smoke stack particles made by fearlezz
-Tweaked respawn wave times through out the map
-Increased the amount of time Blue get from captures
-Changed the building on the way from 2-3 by increasing its size and altering layout
- Fixed the weird looking water
-Added a small shelter at the final stage near reds spawn door to prevent camping
-added some tuck aways at the final cap to favour engineers and ambush classes etc
-Increased the size of the nuke smoke stack
-changed the post\itions/ aamounts of health and ammo
-Lots of other small fixes/ tweaks

alpha 10 (21/8/09) changes

-Much redesign over the whole map in the hope that it plays even better!
-Enlarged the final cap area inside of the Nuke cooling tower
-Totally redesigned the area from cap 1 to cap 2
-Added a basic 3d skybox
-detailed Blues 2nd forward spawn
-redesigned the area leading up to the last cap point from 3-4.
-Added a generator/doomsday device/ whatever you want to call it into the final area below the ground
-Changed the Nuclear smokestack to a more basic one that can't be seen through.
-Stretched the map out in general so it is not as craped
-Added some proper lighting here and there
-Altered the maps ambient colour and fog settings to make it visually better
-tweaked respawn times
-Added some more detail in sections
-Added fade distances to props
-Altered many area portals/ hints etc for optimisation in new layout
-Expanded the staircase ramp in the building from 2-3
-removed a lot of uneccessary signs and moved others to better spots
-Altered many health/ ammo packs throughout the map
-reduced the thickness of many walls from an over fat 32 units to more acceptable 16.
-Slightly detailed Blue's first spawn room
-Changed the whole map to snow theme (just joking :p)
-Lots and lots and lots of other things that I am too lazy to write out or have forgotten about!

alpha 9 (24/7/09) changes

-Expanded the triggers on all doors so they open smoother
-Added some small sections of detail around the map
-tweaked spawn times throughout the round
-Changed the ledge near cap 1 so it is harder for red to acess and easier for blue to get on
-Totally changed blue's first spawn room
-Changed the initial gates to be bigger and not all face the same way
-Added soundscapes throughout the map
-Removed many uneeded windows throughout the whole map
-Totally changed the layout from capture 2 to cap 3, the track now goes behind the building and the building has been
altered to be more of a focus on gameplay. the infamous "ledge" is now able to be accessed from the new centre building
-Totally changed the ottom bit on the way to cap 3, it is now more narrow as more action is to happen above near the tracks
-Altered the area near 2nd cap by adding a ledge/ balcony for defenders and removing a unused window
-Removed the small bridge on the way to cap 2 (that connected toa rock) and walled up the entry way there so red engineers have
a better chance.
-Added a window to the alternative entrance to the last cap point and made it larger (the door and the ledge bit)
-lowered the partial cap rate given by the cart, so attackers don't accumlate as many points
-Moved the one way door in the side route to cap 1 to make it harder for red to flank blue
-Added a teleport entity for red players that get locked out of spawn after cap 1 disables the door
-Changed the layout of the building nearblues initial spawn so that blue demomen/soldiers can rocket jump into it
fixed the issue with water not being translucent
-removed some uneccassary signs

alpha 8 (18/7/09) changes:

-fixed blue being able to build in their first spawn
-Made a direct path for red to cap 1, so no-one wanders off the wrong way after leaving spawn
-Tweaked respawn times all through each cap point for balance
-Set the max time for blue to 10 mins
-Lightened up the last point
-Added a few more displacements around the last/3rd point
-Added some detail around 1st cap point
-Optimisised more around cap 1/2
-Addded another route and small building during 4th cap point to add more interest to red defending the track
-Made it more obvious which doors are locked
-Changed the side passage near cap 3 so that it is larger and made the previously unused side route onto the point more viable
-Altered some health/ ammo distributions

alpha7 (29/6/09) changes:

-Completely changes the track layout to capture point 2
-Textured and added detail to some buildings
-Changed the theme of the map to Hydro-likeness
-Removed much nasty orange texture sfor more pleasant grey ones
-Tweaked respawn wave times throughout each cap point for both teams
-Changed the amount of time captures give blue
-Removed the laserand its pillars on final cap to open it up
-Slightly changed last cap point
-fixed many dark static props so they look better
-Redid most displacements to make them smoother and better looking
-Slightly altered Blue's first spawn room
-Added no-build to some areas that aren't meant to be built in
-added lots of optimisation, map should run much better throughout now
-heaps of other little fixes and changes that take to long to write out individually
-Hopefully pak-ratted properly :p!

alpha6h (18/6/09) Changes:
-completely redesigned reds spawn
-added slight optimisation
-fixed a few shuddy displacements
-moved the door leading red from spawn out during cap 2 so that red gets to the fight quicker
-tweaked spawn times all around
-Added No entry overlays to team specific doors
-re-textured most of the ground/ cliffs to proper textures
-moved the sun upwards so it isnt as impacting on gameplay
-changed the layout on the way to cap 3 to help blue out more
-Slightly altered initial start time and awarded cap times
-changed the cart model to Cerulean's pinch cart model
-Changed the end explosion wityh a dramatic new effect
-Lots of other little changes not worth mentioning

alpha5 (8/6/09) changes:

-Fixed an issue where red players would get stuck in the rolling back cart
-Fixed an issue which caused blue to spawn in their forward spawn before it was unlocked
-Adjusted all doors in the map to open more smoothly
-Added a side route on the way to first cap starting from near blues spawn and finishing in
either the building with the open wall or outside behind the chokepoint.
-Slightly enlarged the area just before first cap which is also the end location
of the new side route
-Changed the first blue spawn room's outer doors to gates to allow blue an idea of the layout
before the setup time finishes
-Added more signs throught the map
-Reduced the amount of bonus time each capture gives
-Reduced the intial time to 6 minutes
-Increased the setup time to 65 secs
-Altered a few door models to gates that can be looked through
-Added more cover on the from 3rd cap to 4th
-Added a side tunnel on the way from near blues final forward spawn to the third cap point
to help give attackers a bigger advantage
-Shortened blues respawn wave times throught the whole round
-Slightly lengthened red respawn wave times on the last cap point
-Changed the last cap point moderately to make it more open and less choke-pointy
-Changed both of the old side doors leading into the last cap so that they can be opened
either way
-Fixed the evil sidedoor in the final cap point to make it more usable
-Added another route inside to the final cap point to help attackers out
-Added some basic textures to the final point
-Completely changed blue's final forward spawn to give attackers more cover when leaving.
There is now two exits from this spawn as well.
-Added water and textures underneath the bridge in the area with rocks between 2nd and third cap.
-Added some minor optimisation throughout the map


alpha4 (4/6/09) changes:

-Fixed some no clip issues
-Added more rocks in certain areas such as on the way to third cap
-Added a new path with a one way gate beneath the plant on the way to second cap
-Altered the cart prop to look more interesting
-Fixed a few texture problems and small nodraw leaks
-Added more cover at the very start of the map for blue
-Added an access route via a rock to the building with open ledge near the start of the map
-Made the access doors into the last cap one way only from outside
-Modified some of the health and ammo packs distributed throughout the map

alpha3 (29/5/09)
-First public Release
 
Last edited:
May 23, 2009
205
34
Cooling towers don't have square bases! make sure when you detail the map you remake your cooling tower with a non-square base!
 
Last edited:

Ezekel

L11: Posh Member
Dec 16, 2008
818
245
not sure the nature/ground theme you've picked will work with a nuclear powerplant as the focal point of the map.
i'd have expected a more industrial theme, with perhaps a river/lake in the skybox (nuclear powerplants need these for cooling purposes)


another asthetic thing:
the smoke coming from the chimney shuold be white if it's a nuclearplant, as it would be steam.
 
Last edited:

Waif

L7: Fancy Member
Mar 22, 2009
412
125
not sure the nature/ground theme you've picked will work with a nuclear powerplant as the focal point of the map.
i'd have expected a more industrial theme, with perhaps a river/lake in the skybox (nuclear powerplants need these for cooling purposes)


another asthetic thing:
the smoke coming from the chimney shuold be white if it's a nuclearplant, as it would be steam.


yeah I still havent fully decided on the theme, I may even ditch the whole Nuclear aspect if people don't like it :sleep:
However I do hope to keep the sort of big, doomsday science experiment sort of thing happening lol..
That is, once i get the map balanced and fun- should hopefully get it into the enxt gameday :)
 
Dec 25, 2007
566
439
Nice one. I've been working on a nuclear-powerplant-themed map as well, also featuring cooling towers, but it's CP, not PL. Let's hope we don't confuse people too much between us :)

Did you do your cooling tower out of displacements?
 

Waif

L7: Fancy Member
Mar 22, 2009
412
125
Nice one. I've been working on a nuclear-powerplant-themed map as well, also featuring cooling towers, but it's CP, not PL. Let's hope we don't confuse people too much between us :)

Did you do your cooling tower out of displacements?

Yeah I made two basic blocks (One like a pyramid with a flat top, the other a small cube on top of it) and then just subdivided. The only problem is that it has a square base, however that makes it easier to build around anyway.
 

captainAngry

L420: High Member
Feb 1, 2009
434
247
It's today and tomarow. The way it works is that until your map gets a certain number of ratings, it will be in the rotation every Monday and Tuesday. If we rate it good, it goes into our regular rotation from there.

The process starts over every time the map is updated.
 

Waif

L7: Fancy Member
Mar 22, 2009
412
125
Update to alpha4.
Its also entered in Gameday on saturday so should hopefully get some more accurate testing done :cool1:
 

brick

L3: Member
Apr 12, 2008
103
13
There are 2 big choke points. First cap and the last cap. The first cp has really only 2 ways. The main track and a path on the side. The side path is very close and doesnt go far. Add a third way from the second path on the side which goes more to the capture point. The last point has multiple ways, but it is very condense. Red also can spawn camp very easily. The 1 way doors are odd and annoying, but I think you did it so red cant use them. Their needs to be more cover over all for blu. Having the cart higher might help. Sentry spots galore at the last point. Put some los obstacles for this.

All the doors seem to be open on touch, this should be fixed to have a trigger open the door at a certain range.

The last cp with the beam, blu can die before the cart reaches the control point.

Red gets stuck on the cap when it is backing up. Also the cart should provide more cover.
 

Waif

L7: Fancy Member
Mar 22, 2009
412
125
There are 2 big choke points. First cap and the last cap. The first cp has really only 2 ways. The main track and a path on the side. The side path is very close and doesnt go far. Add a third way from the second path on the side which goes more to the capture point. The last point has multiple ways, but it is very condense. Red also can spawn camp very easily. The 1 way doors are odd and annoying, but I think you did it so red cant use them. Their needs to be more cover over all for blu. Having the cart higher might help. Sentry spots galore at the last point. Put some los obstacles for this.

All the doors seem to be open on touch, this should be fixed to have a trigger open the door at a certain range.

The last cp with the beam, blu can die before the cart reaches the control point.

Red gets stuck on the cap when it is backing up. Also the cart should provide more cover.

Thanks a heap for the feedback :)
Anyhow I watched the source Tv and I ahve gathered there are a fair few minor glitches and some bigger problems.

I see now that the last point is too spammy so i hope to open it up a bit for blue so it is easier to actually win :p

With my doors, I have done them with trigger_multiples but I think the distance is too small so I will need to fix that.

This is pretty much what I hope to change:
-Add better signage
-Add more setup time
-Lessen the amount of extra time caps give
-Blue forward spawn issue
-Add extra routes at first cap
-Change some of the doors to gates that can be viewed through
-fix all of the door/gates so they are more smooth to open
-Alter Blues final forward spawn so it is not as open to fire from red
-Perhaps slow red respawn waves on the last cap
-Change the last point to make it more accessable and less spammy
-Alter the cart, perhaps make it a littlehigher for cover and fix the clips on it.

Thanks a heap guys for putting up with it, I hope it was reasonably fun:mellow:
 

Waif

L7: Fancy Member
Mar 22, 2009
412
125
Well... Updated to Alpha 5!
Due to everyone who tested it on gameday giving such awesome feedback, I have been able to do a lot of changes, some big some small for this version :)

Hopefully the map should play much better now, less choke pointy and possibly more fun :p

Anyway i hope to give it a go in another gameday soon!
 

FLOOR_MASTER

L3: Member
Mar 10, 2008
118
140
We played a5 on 2f2f (16v16) for two rounds -- both teams were unable to progress past the 2nd point. RED has some strong height advantages that you may want to curb or counter with adjustments to respawn times, etc. Send me a PM with a link to your Steam Community page and we can arrange further playtests.
 

Waif

L7: Fancy Member
Mar 22, 2009
412
125
Bumpedy Bump for gameday :D

Oh and floormaster, if you read this Id like to know if you ran my map today. I Couldnt get on steam as I worked overtime :|
 

Kronixx

L5: Dapper Member
Apr 17, 2009
205
38
the map was fun, i enjoyed demo on it a lot.

One main concern / complaint i had was this window shown below:
A2.3_4.jpg

It has a peachy view of every single one of blue's exit doors...If this is intentional, cool. If not, blue needs a little cover from this window imo, either a slightly larger rock or moving 1-2 of the doors a little more off to the side so its not so easy to watch all of them at the same time. Other than that, i felt a little like red spawn kinda felt strange. It felt like it didnt really flow into the map having to run through the pillars by the laser or having to jump on the ramp where the tracks are felt kind of interrupting to the flow of traffic for red leaving spawn...not sure a possible fix but i'll leave it to your discretion / imagination. Those are my thoughts for now, other than that, good map. I enjoyed it