Munitions

Sikyanakotik

L1: Registered
Aug 1, 2008
35
6
CP Munitions, Alpha 2a
4CP Push
Alpha build. For TF2Maps use only.

Greystone Munitions, an advanced weapons research facility, is on the cusp of going out of business. Its two best customers, RED and BLU, each seek to acquire the firm for themselves. In lieu of drawn-out bidding wars and contract negotiations, the two conglomerates decide to resolve the purchase in the manner they are most accustomed to. Who will prevail in this old-fashioned hostile takeover?

Munitions is a four control point Push map set in and around a neutral munitions lab. The two central points (one in the front courtyard, one in the building proper) begin neutral and unlocked. A team must hold both of these control points before they can capture the enemy's final point.

This is a very early build. Most textures are still developer textures. It does, however, feature basic lighting and signage. Playtesting should focus primarily on actual gameplay at this point, although I will still listen to aesthetic concerns.

All feedback is appreciated, even downright nasty stuff. Do not go easy on me just because this is my first map. It's the only way I'll learn how to make it better.
 
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Sikyanakotik

L1: Registered
Aug 1, 2008
35
6
This map uses Icarus' custom lettered control point holograms, which I'd like to thank him greatly for making. I'd also like to thank A Boojum Snark for his gametype entity library and Ravidge for his lighting library, both of which helped me quite a bit putting this thing together.
 

Zeewier

L9: Fashionable Member
Sep 20, 2008
619
262
Do not go easy on me just because this is my first map.

:rolleyes:

Check the screenshot you added :p
 

Radaka

L420: High Member
May 24, 2009
491
244
Personally, I think leaving cubemaps out is just as bad as mat_fullbright. It only takes about 2 minutes to build cubemaps.
 

Sikyanakotik

L1: Registered
Aug 1, 2008
35
6
Personally, I think leaving cubemaps out is just as bad as mat_fullbright. It only takes about 2 minutes to build cubemaps.

Lighting has gameplay ramifications. Reflections do not. I think I should get the layout nailed down better before I spend the extra compile time on building cubemaps, unless it's really that much of a distraction.
 

The_Ulf

L6: Sharp Member
May 26, 2009
399
115
Lighting has gameplay ramifications. Reflections do not. I think I should get the layout nailed down better before I spend the extra compile time on building cubemaps, unless it's really that much of a distraction.

It is really a polish thing, but it can be deeply annoying with weapons that are mostly reflective (esp. with jarate - the damn thing just turn into one glowing white HDR bloom bomb) and it's good to get into the habit of. Plus, slapping the cubemaps into a new release is rather satisfying, in my opinion - dunno why. :laugh:
 

Sikyanakotik

L1: Registered
Aug 1, 2008
35
6
Some todo notes from yesterday:

  • Add a 30 second setup timer and gates. Not only will this help reduce the effectiveness of Scout rushes, it will also give the teams time to coordinate who should hit which point.
  • The points aren't defensible enough, resulting in too many switches and cap-backs. In particular:
    - Cap A seriously needs a better sentry spot. This may be a sign of a greater problem of it being too open. I saw a little BLU sentry on the ground, and it made me sad. :(
    - Holding exactly one of the central points should cut off the enemy's direct access to that point, forcing them to use the other point as a staging area. This will also help funnel combat through the main, "foyer" passage. I just need to figure out how to do this without leaving each team with exactly one deliberately-easy-to-block exit from their final cap areas.
  • The B battlements need signs. There's health and ammo in there, and a wall between the two rooms, so it's discouraging that few people seemed to use them.
  • Too much walking through the same areas, taking fairly roundabout routes, in the endgame. Someone suggested a direct tunnel between the two final cap areas, but I still want attackers to go by the central control points when attacking the final point, since having to attack one point while defending two is not easy. Perhaps forward spawns are the answer.
 
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Sikyanakotik

L1: Registered
Aug 1, 2008
35
6
New insights from gameday:

So far as I can tell, the main problem with the map so far seems to be the fact that the players aren't pushing against each other. Why take an opposed route through the flank tunnels or main corridor, after all, if you can just walk into the point room straight from spawn. That destroys one of the major forces that make Push maps, well, actually feel like pushing. It might be a little confusing, but I need to seal off direct access to a point whenever the opposing team holds only that point and their final. This will require rebuilding of the flank tunnels so they can block access from the main point but not between A and B, but it should be worth it.

To accommodate this, and to fight feelings of the map being too small, I'm going to widen the gap between A and B and build a more involved foyer area to fight in. The flank tunnels will also be brought into this area, creating a direct route between the BLU and RED spawns so the winning team doesn't have to wind through A and B to get to the final point. (Of course, considering they still have to defend those points, they might want to.)

These are not the only issues, of course. Spawn times may or may not be bugged, but in any event they are too long. Both points need more sentry spots, preferably ones vulnerable to different forms of attack. And those setup gates, while possibly not as critical as I previously thought, will still come in to give the teams more time to collaborate.

Still, I am hopeful. The first fifteen minutes or so of the demo had very little discussion of the map itself, only strategy. Instead of focusing on the map, players were focusing on having fun, and that was a very good sign. It's not there yet, but I know this map has the potential to be something fun.
 

Sikyanakotik

L1: Registered
Aug 1, 2008
35
6
Bump for 2a. Since we really couldn't get a proper test of the gameplay with the doors malfunctioning, this is just a minor update with little actual change to the layout. It turns out to have been a relay set to close the wrong door that was causing the problems.

So why did it take a week to update? Two words: Puzzle Quest. :(