KotH Cliffside A8

[Da Spud Lord]

Cliffside - Capture and control a system of caves on the side of a cliff.

I know there are a few things that I forgot to add, but I procrastinated finishing the map for about a week and I want to put it out here and start getting feedback for my first legitimately serious map. I'll probably put it out for testing sometime after A2. I'll be adding screenshots in the Overview section; click that to check them out.

To do list:
-Add arrows telling players where to go (although it's not too difficult to find your way around, the map is kinda small)
-Nodraw areas that cannot be reached
-Add cubemaps
-Add spectator points
-Figure out how to make a 3D skybox

 

[Da Spud Lord]

Just a small update containing a few things I wanted to add before I submitted the map for testing, as well as a couple other improvements.
-Added arrows directing players where to go
-Fixed an alignment problem with the battlements fences on Blu's side
-Marked areas that cannot be reached with nodraw
-Shrunk the skybox in areas that cannot be reached
-Replaced the "Invisible" tool textures with "Clip" textures
-Fixed some overlapping brushes causing overlapping textures
-Added a cubemap

Read the rest of this update entry...

 

[Da Spud Lord]

So I decided that I didn't like the design of the cave system too much, mainly because it favored a single route to the point and neglected the building on each team's side. So I redesigned the entire cave system from the ground up. I started over from my A1 version and deleted all of the caves, so most of the changes in A2 have ben lost. I'll re-add those things, as well as further refine the map to get it ready for testing, in A4. Unfortunately, this update also brings with it a new bug- one of the brush faces near each team's spawn is entirely dark, which is why I delayed this update for a few days trying to (unsuccessfully) fix it. See this thread for more info on the problem. Any help with fixing it would be greatly appreciated.
-Redesigned the entire cave system from the ground up
-Added a little more space on each team's side of the control point
-Slightly lowered the second floor of each team's building, so players jumping over the fence won't take fall damage
-No more light props in the caves, just consistent lighting throughout the entire cave system (Real lighting will return in the next update)
-Clipped the stairs in each team's building

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[Da Spud Lord]

Okay, NOW I'm finally ready to have the map tested.
-Added proper lighting in the caves
-Added light props in the caves
-Removed a brush outside of the playable space
-Added arrows directing players where to go

Read the rest of this update entry...

 

[nitewalker]

Hey spud lord, if I could give you one tip that will make your map a lot easier for testers to play, it would be to replace the texture on the walkable surfaces with something that will distinguish them from the walls.

as an example of what i mean, take a look at this screenshot:

in this picture, its very difficult to distinguish from the floor and the walls, and several doorways are nearly impossible to see without straining your eyes.

if you change the area I've highlighted in this image to another texture, preferably one with decent contrast against the walls, then it will make your level much easier to navigate for playtesters.

this same concept applies to the buildings on the map, which generally have the same wood texture on both the floor and the walls, and makes it more difficult to distinguish floors from walls.

 

[Da Spud Lord]

Alpha 5: Dev Textures
-Rebuilt the entire map from the ground up, replacing rock textures with dev textures
-Replaced the rock textures with dev textures
-Added a rock pillar next to the point
-Further elevated the drop on the flank next to the point to prevent players from spamming onto the point
-Removed unnecessary parts of the skybox
-Added a room, small health and medium ammo pack under each team's building
-Added a slight balcony in the mid cave area between each team's spawn and the point, with small health and ammo packs on this balcony and a one-way door leading to this balcony from the spawn area

Spoiler: A5 Screenshots

View attachment 60593
Overview of the control point.

View attachment 60595
From above the shack next to the control point.

View attachment 60599
From inside the shack next to the control point.

View attachment 60597
From inside the cave next to the control point, from Blu's side facing Red's side.

View attachment 60598
Above the control point, facing Red's side.

View attachment 60600
Inside Red's building, main floor.

View attachment 60594
Inside Red's building, top floor.

View attachment 60602
Inside Red's building, basement.

View attachment 60601
Behind Red's building, next to the cliff.

View attachment 60603
The main section of the caves, Red's side.

View attachment 60604
The main section of the caves, Red's side, from an alternate angle.

View attachment 60605
Just outside Red's spawn.

View attachment 60607
Inside Red's spawn.

View attachment 60606
Overview of the map. Blu on the left, Red on the right.

Known problems:
-Some of the respawnroom visualizers are rendered behind their doors

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[Da Spud Lord]

Alpha 6
-Shifted the one-way gate on each team's side closer to the edge
-Fixed z-fighting by two brushes next to the cliff
-Deleted an unnecessary nodraw brush outside of the map
-Rebuilt the area outside of spawn and reworked the flank routes near the cliff
-Changed the 2D skybox to sky_trainyard_01 (previously sky_morningsnow_01)
-Removed the pillar next to the control point
-Widened the area around the control point

Spoiler: A6 Screenshots

Overview of the control point. Red's side is on the left, Blu's side is on the right.


From above the shack next to the control point. Red on the right, Blu on the left.


Inside the shack next to the control point. A medium ammo pack rests on each side of the barrier separating the two teams. Red on the left, Blu on the right.


From inside the cave next to the control point, from Blu's side facing Red's side. A small health pack rests in front of the lights.


Above the control point, facing Red's side.


Inside Red's building, main floor.


Inside Red's building, top floor.


Inside Red's building, basement. A small health pack and medium ammo pack sit in the corner.


Behind Red's building, next to the cliff. The upper platform houses a small health pack, while the lower spot next to the cliff carries a medium health pack.


The main section of the caves, Red's side. The small, dark room on the left contains a medium health pack and a large ammo pack. On the right next to the light, a small health and ammo pack rest.


The main section of the caves, Red's side, from an alternate angle.


Just outside Red's spawn.


The two flank routes leading from the cliff.


Inside Red's spawn.


Overview of the map. Red on the right, Blu on the left.

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[Da Spud Lord]

Alpha 7
-Reduced the medium ammo packs in the shack next to the point into small ammo packs
-Reduced the large ammo pack into a medium ammo pack
-Turned the small health pack next to the point into two small health packs
-Func_detailed some stuff
-Lowered the point a bit
-Fixed some unrotated textures that looked weird
-Applied some team-colored wood textures to each team's battlements building
-The drop to get to the basement from the point has now been replaced with a 2-way ramp
-Moved the ammo in the basement out of the basement, away from the point

Spoiler: A7 Screenshots

Overview of the control point. Red's side is on the left, Blu's side is on the right.


From above the shack next to the control point. Red on the right, Blu on the left.


Inside the shack next to the control point. A small ammo pack rests on each side of the barrier separating the two teams. Red on the left, Blu on the right.


From inside the cave next to the control point, from Blu's side facing Red's side. A small health pack rests in front of the lights.


Above the control point, facing Red's side.


Inside Red's building, main floor.


Inside Red's building, top floor.


Inside Red's building, basement. A small health pack sits in the corner.


Behind Red's building, next to the cliff. The upper platform houses a small health pack. In the lower area next to the cliff, a medium ammo pack rests on the left next to the building and a medium health pack rests on the right next to the caves.


The main section of the caves, Red's side. The small, dark room on the left contains a medium health pack and a large ammo pack. On the right next to the light, a small health and ammo pack rest. Below the camera, another small ammo pack rests.


The main section of the caves, Red's side, from an alternate angle.


Just outside Red's spawn.


The two flank routes leading from the cliff.


Inside Red's spawn.


Overview of the map. Red on the right, Blu on the left.

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[Da Spud Lord]

Alpha 8: Unnecessary Detailing
Did a small bit of unnecessary detailing and retexturing, cuz I was bored and I lost most of the feedback from the IMP. We played A7 on the EU server, but it didn't get saved to the feedback section. In fact, new maps appear to have totally stopped appearing in the feedback section. Is there a bug with feedback?
-Fixed an improperly flipped light and light prop on Blu's side
-Made the outdoor wall-mounted light props nonsolid
-Expanded the balcony space in the second floor of each team's building
-Slightly lowered the spectator point to match the lowering of the control point in the previous version
-Made the large stairs behind each team's building nonsolid; clipped it with a blockbullets brush instead (the default collision mesh was slightly too wide, and players could stand on the side of the beam)
-Made the small stairs in the basement of each team's building nonsolid; clipped it with a blockbullets brush instead (the default collision mesh was bumpy)
-Added a flank route on the cliff behind the shack next to the point
-Slightly raised the roof of the shack next to the point
-Added a wall to the upper part of the doorway entering the shack, to prevent sightlines across
-Widened the doorway coming out of the basement
-Slightly lowered the staircase coming out of the basement
-Widened the front entrance to each team's building and added a door frame
-Replaced the board in the front entrance to each team's building with a staircase
-Slightly expanded the capture area
-Made the dip to reach the basement doorway a smoother drop
-Made the small room holding the medium health and ammo pack into an elevator
-Slightly raised the capture area
-Retextured the balcony in the cave area between spawn and the CP
-Nodrawed some stuff
-Added a small staircase on the jump in the cave area close to each team's spawn
-Fixed an improperly flipped lightbulb prop in Blu's building
-Added a downward slant to the part of the balcony in the mid caves with the small health and ammo

Spoiler: A8 Screenshots

Overview of the control point. Red's side is on the left, Blu's side is on the right.


From above the shack next to the control point. Red on the right, Blu on the left.


Behind the shack, next to the control point.


Inside the shack next to the control point. A small ammo pack rests on each side of the barrier separating the two teams. Red on the left, Blu on the right.


From inside the cave next to the control point, from Blu's side facing Red's side. Two small health packs rest on either side of the lights.


Above the control point, facing Red's side.


Inside Red's building, main floor.


Inside Red's building, top floor.


Inside Red's building, basement. A small health pack sits in the corner.


Behind Red's building, next to the cliff. The upper platform houses a small health pack. In the lower area next to the cliff, a medium ammo pack rests on the left next to the building and a medium health pack rests on the right next to the caves.


The main section of the caves, Red's side. The small, dark room on the left contains a medium health pack and a large ammo pack. On the right next to the light, a small health and ammo pack rest. Below the camera, another small ammo pack rests.


The main section of the caves, Red's side, from an alternate angle.


Just outside Red's spawn.


The two flank routes leading from the cliff.


Inside Red's spawn.


Overview of the map. Red on the right, Blu on the left.

Download this version
Go to the update entry...