- Jan 10, 2011
- 25
- 2
Clearbridge - Small experimental map with Badlands spires, prominent water, and dynamic one-way windows.
Overview
I've occasionally dabbled in mapping on-and-off for the past few years, and a few days ago started "doodling" a small KotH map while brushing up on some tutorials. It started with a couple of Badlands spires facing each other diagonally before things started to take shape, which inspired the use of a lot of angled geometry in the map after the initial sketch was rebuilt orthogonally.
Granted, the map right now is still somewhat in the "stuff in a box" stage and it's rather small even for a KotH map, having no real intermediate area between the zone outside spawn and the point section. That said, there's a lot of cover and an attempt to keep long sightlines limited.
Highlights of the map are the two spires, which connect to each other at the top via a bridge with a windowed floor (the eponymous "clear bridge") and a small medkit. Below that, is the point, which - along with the surrounding area - is partially flooded, with deeper pockets out near the edges. Each side also has a little "house" with pick-ups inside and a perch with some cover on its roof.
The most unusual feature, I'd say, is the prominence of windows, especially one-way ones. While those are nothing new in TF2, they're usually relegated to letting players peek out of spawnrooms. While that's still the case here, there are also a couple more in areas of cover that are meant to let you safely look out into wider spaces without even being seen. But the big twist is that the one-sidedness of everything but the spawn windows is tied to ownership of the point, allowing each side's hidden information to change depending on who is attacking and defending; the attackers have an easier time sneaking to the point while the defenders' movements are more exposed. So while the map is small, I think I managed to give it a decent amount of nooks and crannies without being overly complex or too cramped. Of course, it's highly experimental.
Additional Images
I hope it's enjoyable. Past three days were spent building it, but I think I've got something interesting.
One last note: I'm aware that the bloom can be a little overbearing if you're using HDR, especially on the orange meshes if you're looking away from the sun. All the lighting was set up before I turned on HDR, so the numbers are a little out of whack. It's still totally playable, though.
Overview
I've occasionally dabbled in mapping on-and-off for the past few years, and a few days ago started "doodling" a small KotH map while brushing up on some tutorials. It started with a couple of Badlands spires facing each other diagonally before things started to take shape, which inspired the use of a lot of angled geometry in the map after the initial sketch was rebuilt orthogonally.
Granted, the map right now is still somewhat in the "stuff in a box" stage and it's rather small even for a KotH map, having no real intermediate area between the zone outside spawn and the point section. That said, there's a lot of cover and an attempt to keep long sightlines limited.
Highlights of the map are the two spires, which connect to each other at the top via a bridge with a windowed floor (the eponymous "clear bridge") and a small medkit. Below that, is the point, which - along with the surrounding area - is partially flooded, with deeper pockets out near the edges. Each side also has a little "house" with pick-ups inside and a perch with some cover on its roof.
The most unusual feature, I'd say, is the prominence of windows, especially one-way ones. While those are nothing new in TF2, they're usually relegated to letting players peek out of spawnrooms. While that's still the case here, there are also a couple more in areas of cover that are meant to let you safely look out into wider spaces without even being seen. But the big twist is that the one-sidedness of everything but the spawn windows is tied to ownership of the point, allowing each side's hidden information to change depending on who is attacking and defending; the attackers have an easier time sneaking to the point while the defenders' movements are more exposed. So while the map is small, I think I managed to give it a decent amount of nooks and crannies without being overly complex or too cramped. Of course, it's highly experimental.
Additional Images
![20161227172244_1.jpg 20161227172244_1.jpg](https://sjc1.vultrobjects.com/tf2maps-forum-attachments/data/attachments/38/38815-a75c6c8c2f760d2023f2c17f3d14fb3f.jpg)
![20161227172644_1.jpg 20161227172644_1.jpg](https://sjc1.vultrobjects.com/tf2maps-forum-attachments/data/attachments/38/38817-6103d0ad88b1eb8571234eeb42b0aa3e.jpg)
![20161227172721_1.jpg 20161227172721_1.jpg](https://sjc1.vultrobjects.com/tf2maps-forum-attachments/data/attachments/38/38818-3b12e4c165d8e736efd112ad64ee4c93.jpg)
![20161227172743_1.jpg 20161227172743_1.jpg](https://sjc1.vultrobjects.com/tf2maps-forum-attachments/data/attachments/38/38819-77776405344cfe8931b802e4d56574b2.jpg)
![20161227172806_1.jpg 20161227172806_1.jpg](https://sjc1.vultrobjects.com/tf2maps-forum-attachments/data/attachments/38/38820-eaf05cf271852d596898c8921bb1d382.jpg)
![20161227172836_1.jpg 20161227172836_1.jpg](https://sjc1.vultrobjects.com/tf2maps-forum-attachments/data/attachments/38/38821-018a67978c013ad30473fa8de1988398.jpg)
![20161227173128_1.jpg 20161227173128_1.jpg](https://sjc1.vultrobjects.com/tf2maps-forum-attachments/data/attachments/38/38822-b5e36b5516e35d58820c6332d767beb3.jpg)
![20161227173221_1.jpg 20161227173221_1.jpg](https://sjc1.vultrobjects.com/tf2maps-forum-attachments/data/attachments/38/38823-db19c82c943edfbd25c06333dd02e773.jpg)
![20161227173531_1.jpg 20161227173531_1.jpg](https://sjc1.vultrobjects.com/tf2maps-forum-attachments/data/attachments/38/38824-4c6fd868deda3fa17e9af81fa3ff1160.jpg)
![20161227173602_1.jpg 20161227173602_1.jpg](https://sjc1.vultrobjects.com/tf2maps-forum-attachments/data/attachments/38/38825-6669b9a3bff0b0c5371b8fbff5d015ba.jpg)
![20161227173643_1.jpg 20161227173643_1.jpg](https://sjc1.vultrobjects.com/tf2maps-forum-attachments/data/attachments/38/38826-7cd900b485d6daf8074f8681ae111aab.jpg)
![20161227173707_1.jpg 20161227173707_1.jpg](https://sjc1.vultrobjects.com/tf2maps-forum-attachments/data/attachments/38/38827-c358922ed76eb39e0be81eedfe3b479e.jpg)
![20161227173749_1.jpg 20161227173749_1.jpg](https://sjc1.vultrobjects.com/tf2maps-forum-attachments/data/attachments/38/38828-dc2b31ee815e230bb451847092955490.jpg)
I hope it's enjoyable. Past three days were spent building it, but I think I've got something interesting.
One last note: I'm aware that the bloom can be a little overbearing if you're using HDR, especially on the orange meshes if you're looking away from the sun. All the lighting was set up before I turned on HDR, so the numbers are a little out of whack. It's still totally playable, though.