guide

I'm generally hesitant to write about topics that others have already covered. But it seems that I continually see maps get the same things wrong, especially in regard to optimisation. So this guide will aim to provide a wide breadth of knowledge about intermediate-advanced level optimisation...

This is something that hasn't ever been enough to warrant putting in a guide, but still irritates me whenever I see a map get it wrong, so it's time to talk about it. Here's a tile floor, connecting to a 45-degree tile floor. This looks strange - no one would build tile floors like this in...

Tutorial for Tails' coldmaps application which you can get here: https://tf2maps.net/threads/coldmaps-generate-heatmaps-from-demo-files.42677/

This a quick explanation of how I compile maps for TF2 using Hammer++ Included is a .cfg which has the exact compile options I use that you can import to use yourself Get Hammer++ here: https://ficool2.github.io/HammerPlusPlus-Website/ VDC references...

Those who know me well know that for the past couple of years or so, I've been obsessed with light and shadow. You can't be obsessed with something and not gain at least a little knowledge about it, so I'm going to share that knowledge with future generations, who will definitely be attentive to...

As a mapper, you should always try to make the map less repetitive. One way of achieving this is by adding texture variants to spice up the layout. However, multiple texture variants can cause your map's file size to increase by a margin. Let's say you have a 512x512 texture that is ~600 KB...

Hi, I'm Katsu. I like writing articles, but I don't have room for them in my bio! (And the formatting would feel weird) So, I'm just gonna post a list here. There's a treasure trove of knowledge in these threads and while they're not all super sunny and positive, I'll always recommend them to...

If you know one thing about me, it's likely my custom maps spreadsheet. It's a resource that I am very proud of, and something that I will continue to improve upon, little by little, until the day I die. That is something I promise. My goal is to improve the knowledge of all mappers as much as I...

When making a custom map that uses flags in some way, have you ever stopped to ask yourself "Hmm... maybe I should debuff the flag carrier to make them work with their team?" Or perhaps in an Invade CTF map, you've observed that carrying the flag makes you a dispenser for your team? Well my...

Introduction Welcome to my guide on how to create skyboxes for Team Fortress 2 (and other source games) using Blender as our method of creating the skybox! With this guide you can expect a step-by-step walkthrough on how to create both HDR and non-HDR skyboxes. The method used may be used for...

Hello. Today I would like to try and educate you on why Reverse Invade Capture the Flag, as a concept, falls flat on its face, and why it reasonably could continue to be neglected by level designers for the foreseeable future. I'm going to try and keep this relatively brief since this gamemode...

This is gonna be a bit of a rant so forgive me if this turns into a massive tangent or is overly wordy. It's hard to deny that Attack / Defense Capture the Flag is a controversial gamemode. People over here say that it's terrible because backcaps are the devil, people over here say that it's a...

As you may have noticed, tf2maps.net proudly advertises five content packs at the bottom of the homepage. These content packs each promise a distinct map theme, and the textures and models you need to create it. In fact, one of these - the Swamp pack - was even bought by Valve and officially...

The 60MB Rule is something that I've been trying to posit to mappers for a few months now; In this, I will explain what it is, and why it's a good thing to keep in mind. What is the 60MB Rule? The 60MB Rule is a guideline when making a map to not let a map's filesize exceed 60.0 MB. This is a...

For a more permanent place for this info, I've updated the Valve Developer Community page on tf_logic_koth. Introduction The zz_red_koth_timer and zz_blue_koth_timer entities are team_round_timer entities auto-generated by the tf_logic_koth entity on map load. These timers control the...

Control the Keep is a custom, hybrid Capture the Flag & King of the Hill gamemode created by @Spipper in 2014. The gamemode consists of bringing the singular flag between each team's base, and gaining time. There are four things that define Control the Keep at its best: There must be a neutral...

"The Rock" is a map present in Team Fortress Classic, having been remade multiple times in Team Fortress 2 to varying degrees of success. One thing that makes Rock distinct from the other CTF maps in TFC is its gamemode, which we call Contamination. There are two points that define...

This guide talks about how to make your map better over time, when to call it done and how to give better feedback to other people's maps. I didn't go too much into the "how do we know what changes to make that will solve our equation" part, because that's really what my other guides are for -...

Lately I've been thinking of writing another guide, since it's been the traditional 8 months since my last one. I have a kind of pipe-dream agenda of eventually writing a guide for every gamemode, even some unofficial ones. I think that would take around 7 years? But I've already covered the...

This is a super short guide about particles I made for myself and I felt like sharing it here. Most of this has been taken from VDC, so go there for more information. Keep in mind this is super short, so I won't go in detail about the stuff i mention. Getting started To open the Particle Editor...