Version Alpha 6 of ctf_chin. I feel like the map is in quite a good spot right now. Much fewer gripes are being reported by playtesters compared to previous versions. From playing the map myself in tests, I am very happy with the resulting combat in individual areas - it feels quite different from every other CTF map I've played and much more interesting engagements are happening.
One thing lacking in playtests is comments on
additions that could be made. Plenty of comments can be left on the existing material in your level, but it is quite difficult for a tester to estimate the merit of adding something new. Therefore, I will be experimenting with some changes in Alpha 6 that were not requested, but are alterations I am interested in testing to see if they improve the overall experience. I will also be tweaking some existing geometry to improve micro gameplay and class balance.
*Players on the ground at mid could feel quite vulnerable to suprise attacks at high playercounts. The geometry blocked vision as I intended it to for the purpose of keeping snipers in check but this made it quite difficult to check corners and behind solid walls. Snipers also commented that they felt quite useless at mid as they were often unable to get a good sightline on an attacker before they got too close. I have strategically removed certain walls in the shacks to make it easier to check the opposite side from you for flankers. Now you don' have to walk all the way around to check which comprimised your position and exposed you - quite a chore. I have installed transparent wooden fencing in the new gaps so that it does not alter the geometry, it just permits more vision. This should also buff snipers, allowing them to see through the shacks, charge up a shot and shoot the enemies lurking behind it.
In addition I have added a detail that I've been wanting to add for some time, but previously had no reason to in a gameplay focused alpha. It is based on the burial chambers below the Khazneh in Petra. A metallic grate blocks off the new out of bounds detail and will signal flankers' location to players at mid should they walk over it, emitting loud banging footsteps near the health pack.
*To further reduce the chore-like nature of checking the flank routes, I have displaced the rock pillars at mid, pushing their lower inner surface in towards mid and exposing a sightline from lower to the enemies' porch. This reduces the distance you have to walk to check this cave area. It should also make peaking from the lower area for info easier as you can now check farther into mid. In addition, this will make the exit options through mid easier to identify when returning to your base from the valley basement.
The shoe like base of the rock pillar has been displaced also. I wasn't quite happy with how movement was organised here - classes couldn't quite make the jump from the rock to the sniper balcony. I have displaced the surfaces closer so this jump is easier for slow classes and I have added a little extrusion at the base near mid that can be jumped up to climb onto this high ground.
*In preparation for Beta versions and the detailing ensuing, I have removed the Swamp Pack intelligence briefcase signs. Originally I added them to denote the flag's location more clearly, but I feel like they were clumsy looking and will break the immersion of the level. Why would both teams sign where their secret documents are? The capture zone text beneath them could confuse players as other maps use it exclusively on the objective itself. This could confuse some players into thinking the capture zone was near the signs. I looked at other maps in TF2 to look for methods of signing my objectives in a less immersion breaking manner. I settled on a method similar to another temple themed map, Lakeside, which uses the capture point arrow signs. They have the added benefit of directional symbols that point to the objective instead of vaguely implying it is behind the sign somewhere. They are also less overt about the secretive nature of the objective, which I think strikes a happy balance between immersion and gameplay.
I have moved the signs back from their previous postions so the arrows are less confusing but have been careful to ensure they are still visible where they are important. This should also declutter the view outside of spawn which previously had 4 or 5 signs visible at once, overwhelming the player with information. Now you just see two arrows pointing you towards mid.
*The porch area is a high traffic combat zone and the sand pile jump to the left entrance was often annoying to use as it opened you up to attacks from behind you. I have smoothed this movement out by changing it to a simple staircase leading to a wider doorframe.
*The right exit was quite daunting to use as an attacker as it was a blind turn into an open area. I have widened the doorframe here so you can see farther into the room from the diagonal vantage point you approach it from, allowing better vision on the important windows early and making it easier to check for enemies. This also removes an annoying corner that could be abused at the top of the stairs. I have also sliced the stairs in half and pushed them around the central wall. This makes the climb to the window room more gradual and lessens the advantage of players camping at the top of them inside.
*The upper secondary entrance to the window room was quite annoying to use. It was a tight corridor leading to a blind doorway and confused some players about how it connected to the rest of the gameplay space. I have widened the room so there is more space to dodge attacks and to make it easier to check around corners without sacrificing your postion by pushing forward for info. The height advantage the left side had over the main entrance made it feel disjointed so I have smoothed this transition by lowering it slightly. This should make this area feel more like a lobby and a staging area rather than two independent routes. The more open, straightforward nature of this modified route should make it easier to read at a glance and new players searching it for health packs here should be less dissapointed when they have to retreat as there is less ground to cover. (I don't want to add packs close to the windows as I feel it could make camping this room far too easy. Players should have to retreat or commit to moving forward.)
*The modifications made in Alpha 5 to draw better attention to the all important windows in the attic were not sufficient. New players still ignored them. I feel like this is because they have seen the windowframe props used before in other maps and associate them with solid glass barriers. I have researched other maps for methods to denote that an opening is solid to your movement but not to your projectiles and I settled on de_mirage from CSGO's solution. Valve used jail cell like bars on the window frames to block one of the windows in the B apartments. I tried to immitate this in a similar fashion but in a slightly different way so that the bars obstruct vision less. There is a small gap in the new arch openings that let you clearly see all of the room below but the bars above should show that you cannot pass through this aperture. The angled nature of these windows previously made it difficult to see much through them from any direction that was not perpendicular. The width and height of the windows has been increased to make it easier to see into the room below (and above) from a diagonal approach. This should make firing shots through these holes easier and more effective for defenders and attackers alike.
I have also cleaned up the room and reverted some changes so the windows are less chokey to approach and less controllable by spam below.
* I appreciate that engineers enjoyed defending the flagroom from attackers above but I feel like it came at the cost of slowing the game down too much and it frustrated players trying to play the objective. This goes against the intention I had to make this map have a quicker pace than other CTF maps whose rounds could be extended for a very long time by turtling in the flagrooms. As an experimental change I have flipped the stairs and bridge in the flagroom to push the lowground towards the exits. This makes defending far into the flagroom more of a risk as there is less advantaged ground to retreat to when attacked. There is less uninterupted flat space for defenders to hold, making it clearer this is an unsafe area and defenders should be defending from outside the flagroom. It also creates a gulf between the attackers' and defenders' entrances. Previously using the dropdown deeper into the flagroom would place you in between two exits that defenders could use. Now it should be more clear where you can escape as both exits are pushed forward away from your entrance dropdowns.
These changes should incentivize holding in a position that is easier to approach as an attacker as it is not only approachable from one direction (it is pinned between the normal routes and the dropdown shortcuts). This should resolve engagements quicker as attackers will wipe the defense and win the flag or defenders will kill attackers (who are forced to commit to the further back sentries) dropping down and get a chance to push forward. There should be no more stalemates between attackers in the windows and sentries below.
As a result of the flipped stairs, the side exit has been pushed forward which should decrease rotation times for both teams and kill some dead space that contributed little.
*Players remained confused about where to exit from the flagroom. I feel this is because the buildings in front of them were quite intimidating and hard to read. I have removed the overpass over the main mid route so it is more cleanly denoted as a main path. This should also make it easier to blast jump out of the middle path, making it much more important to defend because movement in that area is less confined. The sky access above the mid route should make the exit direction easier to read.
* The ceiling of the lowground has been raised to give more room for movement and the support wall has been pushed back from the bridge for better vision. This also better shows that there is a route from the highground as it is no longer planar with the rest of the platform. From below there is a small hint there is a route above as the staircase cuts through the ceiling.
*The valley exit felt very segregated from the rest of the outside area near spawn. I have shaved off the corner of the rock wall. This should give better vision of the entire gameplay space from all angles. Together with the removal of the arch over the road, this should make this outdoors space feel like more of a unit instead of seperate spaces, simplifying the geometry for memorisation for new players and increasing the number of landmarks visible at any given time.
A hoodoo rock has been added near the bridge to give a strong spot to hold from. This should give flagrunners something to worry about should they choose to use the lower exit. It has an extrusion like the rock pillars at mid, allowing slow classes to climb it and jump onto the bridge, which should make for some interesting engagements and make valley more defensible even after being widened.
* Finally, as a small gameplay detail, I have lowered the canyon wall between mid and spawn. This makes it less visually imposing adds contrast to the tall wall over the flagroom. This should hint that the flagroom is a dead end and the lower wall is the direction of your escape. I have heightened some of the walls over the secondary exit from the flagroom to give it more of a profile from the side and to block sight to the sky, making it look less friendly to push into.
Thanks for reading and sorry for the delay on this update. I wish you a very Happy Christmas.
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