Spillway

FreeLance_FoX

L6: Sharp Member
Sep 6, 2008
353
173
CP_SPILLWAY

A linear five-CP push map set in the cascading valley between two hydroelectric dams. Both dams are owned by the parent company Mann Co., but through an odd series of transactions RED and BLU have come to each run one of the dams. In an attempt to sabotage their rivals, both teams are now attempting to access the valves controlling the spillways of one another's dams. These spillways provide vital egress for overflowing water should the dams burst and flood the teams' bases.

The first point is set in the floodgate control room, which is partially flooded by the water overflowing the teams' dams. The second point is set in the cavern where the spillway passes through, controlling the vital override controls for either team's emergency pressure valve. The middle point is located in the basin where the water finally settles and the surrounding buildings control either team's dam.

Thanks to the following:
  • Sawks & Nineaxis, who have stepped up late in the alpha versions and volunteered their help mapping :3
  • Sexy Bread, for being my entity-creation-slave and idea bouncer! Without him, I would just be a dumb newb with a map idea.
  • A Boojum Snark, for the Props & GameType libraries
  • Mangy and F_M for their amazing support, plus the time of the entire 2f2f community
  • Various others including Flame, Remix, Mavrix, Gear, Icarus, MrAlbobo, Supertoaster, etc for their support and testing help!
  • All of TF2Maps for the wonderful testing and the answers to all my dumb, newb questions. :p

Please remember that at this point visuals are not important. It is pretty for an alpha and I like to make it that way, but I haven't even made an effort to fix the ugly shadows and unimportant details yet so cool it. I need gameplay feedback NOW, not later. I'm hoping that the beta versions will be 100% detailing and I can avoid gameplay issues at that stage altogether.
 
Last edited:

botboyx3

L1: Registered
May 24, 2009
20
0
Good lookin' design; my only concern is the two forward spawns are too close together. I should really put my contest entry on the books soon...
 

Rootbeerz

L1: Registered
Mar 5, 2008
35
3
...Turbine Rooms?!? D: D: Why the turbines!!! :( :(

Anyways... good looking layout so far. :D
 

FreeLance_FoX

L6: Sharp Member
Sep 6, 2008
353
173
Bump!

cp_spillway_a2, my first playable release and first map ever, has been released!

>_0
 

FreeLance_FoX

L6: Sharp Member
Sep 6, 2008
353
173
Just to get it down, anyone who has already helped me test the map out, these are the proposed layout changes that may show up in a3. a2a will be released tomorrow to fix some minor spawning glitches, that is if I don't just shove a3 right out. >_0

http://img188.imageshack.us/img188/8167/overviewa3.png
 

FreeLance_FoX

L6: Sharp Member
Sep 6, 2008
353
173
a4 released!

Changelist -
* Changed flow of valley around 2nd point by adding rock-wall, moving floor, etc.
* 2nd point revamped with less open space, more small height increments.
* Right-side cave area under 2nd removed, stairway in back of cave moved next to point.
* Moved 1st forward spawns further up.
* Adjusted health placement on 2nd.
* Spawn times lowered overall.
* Cave adjacent to middle smallified, less useless space.

http://forums.tf2maps.net/downloads.php?do=file&id=2152
 

Remix

L69: Deviant Member
Feb 27, 2008
69
15
This map has come a long way since you last showed me foxy. Definitely looks awesome. Will download and have a run through :)
 

Rasputin

L3: Member
Sep 20, 2008
107
20
I played this today.

You need to make it easier to get up on to the middle point. The brushes sort of blocked it the ramps on both the sides and the corners. There was also an overlapping brush somewhere near one of the spawns.

My major gameplay resentment was the gargantuan distance between the last and middle points. I would try and shorten those distances.

Also, I'm not much into the whole aesthetic idea of encasing the whole map in a canyon as it just feels like there isn't much going on outside the canyon.

Other than these gripes, the map looks gorgeous even as an alpha.
 

FreeLance_FoX

L6: Sharp Member
Sep 6, 2008
353
173
Gameday Bump! Can't wait to hear what you guys have to say!

KNOWN ISSUES:
  • Hills around middle need playerclips to aid climbing >:3
  • Need signage to differentiate which side is which @ middle
  • More signage indicating location of 2nd as well as alternate routes
  • Fan in vents @ last needs to have collisions ON ^_^
  • Pieces of trim on the platforms @ last are misaligned & through the floor
  • Fence @ BLU spawn is out of place
 
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Ankh

L3: Member
Sep 18, 2008
114
41
After playing, my thoughts were thus:
-hydro feel is good, however the scenery isn't all too varied
-some routes are either in your easy line of sight, but the wrong way or vice versa
-displacements need work - many, many tears
-The entire map seems bigger than it needs to be
Overall though, it was fun to play on, had plenty of opportunities for a spy or pyro to ambush and escape, though many of the verticals may be too high for rocket jumping and the layout took a bit of getting used to. So it's certainly a good start as most of the problems I had were graphical, and nothing that ruined it for me gameplaywise once I got the hang of it.
 

Rikka

L5: Dapper Member
Feb 10, 2009
208
388
The map definitely felt too large. I think part of that was the sense of scale with the canyon, though.
 

Psy

The Imp Queen
aa
Apr 9, 2008
1,706
1,491
The final point is almost exactly like one of the buildings in Hydro.
 

Barncow

L1: Registered
Aug 11, 2009
6
5
Some areas seemed too big, and seemed very scout friendly. Testing yesterday seemed to indicate others realized this as well because there were a ton of scouts.

You mentioned signage, but its important to get this right since there were lots of times I would get lost. Modifying the map geometry may help this a bit. By making main paths wide and obvious, and side, flanking paths smaller and less obvious, you can direct traffic with less signage.

Because of the size of the map, it seemed as though the caps were too quick. It sucks getting backcapped because the cap is so quick and you are too far away to do anything about it.

Watch sniper sightlines, and give some cover, especially at mid. One good sniper can dominate here.

It was mentioned before but I will reiterate; try to reduce the whole "box-canyon" feel to the map. Get rid of some of the outer walls and show some outer scenery. Not a big deal at the moment though since this is alpha.
 

FreeLance_FoX

L6: Sharp Member
Sep 6, 2008
353
173
A5 RELEASED!!! ^_^

Alpha 5 - 8/23
* Map's overall shape changed from S to / in order to improve flow & create linear flow.
* 1st CP moved up into generator building, spawns moved up & warehouse smallified.
* Combat area between 1st & 2nd redesigned.
* Stairway @ 2nd deepened.
* Stairways @ middle pulled back behind the rock arch to make height advantages of the CP platform, the small hoodoo, and jumping classes more noticeable.
* Signage revamped, more than three times as many signs now!
* 2nd forward respawns moved to a new position @ mid that makes sense.
 

FreeLance_FoX

L6: Sharp Member
Sep 6, 2008
353
173
Testing bump... I know I had a full server of people critiquing the map there, some of you have to have opinions! >:3
 

BrokenTripod

L5: Dapper Member
May 11, 2009
248
65
Loved it, it reminded me of the good parts of TFC, and not the grenade jumping scouts flying around the skybox part.

The doors could open a teeeennnyy bit faster, but that's the only entity problem I really saw with the map. The map played very well, and I liked the short spawntimes, because it kept the action up.

The last point I had a really tough time doing anything at, usually. Because it was inset inside the building and the entrances to the building were close to Red's spawn, I often found myself jumping at the point and crossing my fingers (gloves, because I was pyro) that no one would be under me, or just happen to be walking by and notice me before I could take cover behind the generator.

Overall, though, I enjoyed it. I just worry about what a good sniper could do to the map.