Bomb Factory

Bomb Factory a7

The_Ulf

L6: Sharp Member
May 26, 2009
399
115
Ka-PUT ON HOLD!

The Racing Equine Dynasty ranch and Better Livestock United farm, fronts for their RED and BLU holding companies, are dead set to destroy each other! Each team is vying for control of the explosives secretly produced in the central Gray Gravel Co. warehouse factory and trying to destroy their enemy's missile base and outposts.

Gameplay:
-Frenetic, offensive capture the flag with a single neutral, explosive flag!
-Once the flag has been picked up for the first time, the 45 second timer starts! Escort your flag courier to the heart of enemy territory and hold their capture zone until the bomb detonates! Don't let it fall into enemy hands, as explosive briefcases know no loyalty.
-To win, Destroy all three of your opponents bases before they do the same! Remember! There's no required order to make captures in, but you can't destroy the same base twice.

ALPHA SEVEN IS HERE

intel.jpg
closed_mid.jpg
red_c.jpg
blu_c.jpg
blu_b.jpg
red_b_outside.jpg


Currently in alpha.

Credits:
Fortress Builders Poster - Youme
TF2 Maps Poster and Cardboard box prop- The (amazing) Swamp Theme

Special Thanks:
captainAngry and the good folks over at Calculated Chaos for their playtesting, Penguin for feedback,
riuthamus and friends for playtesting, and the TF2maps.net community for your awesome tips, tutorials, playtesting and resources!
And a very special thanks to Nerdboy who has been waiting so damn patiently for me to get my ass around to sending him my entity setup - something I think I promised I'd do for him sometime around Fall of 2009...
 
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The_Ulf

L6: Sharp Member
May 26, 2009
399
115
Hellos all! First map I'm willing to submit to actual scrutiny and gameplay testing! And boy will it need it. I'm already working up a hefty To Do list on top of anything that arises as a need from testing.

Current To Do: (As of 1/5/10)
-For Alpha 8
-Devlop and test alternative mechanics
-Optimization pass

-Eventually
-Custom props pertaining to the RED ranch and BLU farm

Known Issues: (As of 1/5/10)
-The HUD is more cramped than I want it, but is apparently limited by the cap layout string. Bleh.
-The intel always appears red right now - even though it technically switches to whatever team last held it. The new hybrid HUD seemed touchy about how many flags a single, neutral flag is (two, evidently). As I will eventually replace the flag model (and the silly temporary alarm light stuck to it), just ignore this for now.
-Speaking of the placeholder alarm light, it will sometimes come into view on certain melee animations. Again, as it's destined to be removed anyway, don't worry about it.
-On some manner of condition I don't seem able to reproduce consistently, the flag HUD splits into an indicator for the flag, with the last team that held its color and its proper location and a phantom flag at the location and team from the end of the last round.
-Rare dud flags have been getting into the mix (they return themselves to the mid before they explode). I'm checking my timer alignment - the latest round of entity revision seems to have buggered it.
-The map is hella unoptimized. My b. :(
 
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The_Ulf

L6: Sharp Member
May 26, 2009
399
115
Oh, and if anyone's interested I'll post a .vmf of the entity set up once I've tweaked it post feedback.
 

Zanpa

L4: Comfortable Member
Jan 17, 2009
164
43
It sounds very good :)

You should plan to have a custom model for your flag ; a briefcase filled with paper is hardly explosive.

How do you manage all the information on HUD ? (State of 6 points + where is the flag).
 

The_Ulf

L6: Sharp Member
May 26, 2009
399
115
You should plan to have a custom model for your flag ; a briefcase filled with paper is hardly explosive.

How do you manage all the information on HUD ? (State of 6 points + where is the flag).

Aye, at some point I want to edit the briefcase - slap on an alarm light (I temporarily have the payload cart particle system stuck to the flag) and some extra wires coming out of it - and change it's paper trail to more exciting things.

As for the HUD - I don't. Yet. : /
I think I'll have the flag direction indicator working (haven't checked it yet, but if it isn't pointing at the flag I think I know a workaround) but I'm pretty sure I borked the capture zone indicator by how I handle disabling re-captures of already destroyed zones. I need to look into that. In the meantime, I'm relying on signage to point flag-bearers in the right direction and the giant pillars of smoke and fire left behind by previous captures (the map's small enough you can actually see them from roughly anywhere) to indicate what's been taken.
 
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The_Ulf

L6: Sharp Member
May 26, 2009
399
115
Alright, alpha 2 is up with a couple of important fixes in place. Give 'er a download!
 

The_Ulf

L6: Sharp Member
May 26, 2009
399
115
Er, hahaha. Now alpha 2 is up. Ignore lack of cubemaps in your special version, Pyrosquirrel.

>.>

<.<
 

Penguin

Clinically Diagnosed with Small Mapper's Syndrome
aa
May 21, 2009
2,039
1,484
This was to be my next Ramapage map idea. Seems you beat me to it. I'l lahve to play this some time. Looks fun.
 

The_Ulf

L6: Sharp Member
May 26, 2009
399
115
Oh shoot - sorry. >.>

Although, I kinda like how your Rampage settup currently forces players to actively assault the computers themselves - adding a decision/payoff for choosing to defend themselves while attacking or just focus fire on the shields to see if they can bring them down a bit more before they die.

With this ctf silliness I'm implementing here, I'm a bit afraid no one will ever end up actually making a capture. Only testing will tell, I guess.
 

The_Ulf

L6: Sharp Member
May 26, 2009
399
115
Been working off of feedback from some local friends and there's a couple of possible revisions I'd like you guys' thoughts on.

First
: An alternate route (or several) avoiding the factory itself. The main one I'm considering is allowing players to enter the train tunnels on the cliff side and connecting them with some kind of service passage.

Second: Opening, at least partially, the sniper windows in the factory so that players can exit the building that way (particularly after first grabbing the flag).
 

The_Ulf

L6: Sharp Member
May 26, 2009
399
115
Alpha 3 bump. Vastly revised Capture Zone A - The Stables on both sides. Should be more obvious where it is and should be more interesting to fight in and around.
 

StoneFrog

L6: Sharp Member
May 28, 2008
395
81
That's one doomed space marine gray Gray Gravel Co. building. :thumbup:
 

The_Ulf

L6: Sharp Member
May 26, 2009
399
115
Currently doing a primary texture pass in preparation for doing a possible gameday submission. :D

Edit: for a later gameday submission. Also awaiting playtesting results for probably some hefty revision before alpha 4.
 
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The_Ulf

L6: Sharp Member
May 26, 2009
399
115
In preparation for tomorrow's playtest, here's an overview shot of the map I've gone and doodled on:

ctf_bomb_factory_overview.jpg

This is the map layout and pathing, as it stands.

Below, I've marked a set of side routes I'm considering adding (the orange arrows would be tied to and open with their nearest capture zone) in orange and a sniper sightline that's particularly bothering me in pink (I'm currently considering 2 ways of cutting it - either putting wall extending from the main A side entrance or covering the open roofed area of A with and dropping supports for the new roof in the way).
ctf_bomb_factory_gameday01.jpg


The teal area I'm considering adding props to so that offending players can climb to the roof of A (not just soldiers and demomen).

If you could, keeps these in mind for tomorrow or reflect back on them after the fact.
 

The_Ulf

L6: Sharp Member
May 26, 2009
399
115
Whalp, my home router successfully prevented me from attending today's gameday (*&*%&^%*@#$!!!!!!!) - how did it go?

I'm looking for pretty general/critical (did the map break?) feedback from this playtest, as it was Bomb Factory's debut.
 

TMP

Ancient Pyro Main
aa
Aug 11, 2008
947
560
General concensus: It worked. No crashing.

BUT! The game mode was so complex that most people did not understand it unless we drove it into our skulls. The map just was like "What am I supposed to do?" mostly.
 

The_Ulf

L6: Sharp Member
May 26, 2009
399
115
Yep - sounds like more signage and HUD alerts are due...

This thing is really gonna need an intro video - but it's gonna be forever until I can get that set up :(
 

Micnax

Back from the dead (again)
aa
Apr 25, 2009
2,109
1,585
Confusing to new players, but goddamn FUN.

Possible suggestion to rename to ctf_jihad

HUD was useless, but that's no surprise because of it's complexity.

I got stuck as well in the big pit room where the flag is at the bottom, had to suicide to escape.

But overall, I loved it. You've inspired me to make a map with this gamemode :D