KotH Earthquake a14

[Mugenman88]

Earthquake - An earthquake tore up a building and opened it for capture!

A first for me, mirror symmetrical and features a large pit near the cap, with a full health pack as a temptation

 

[Mugenman88]

a1 > a2:

Reworked mid:
-Cap building and zone larger
-More geometry added outside

-Engineers were having a hard time with mid so this should hopefully help​

-New shack exit for cave
-No longer able to bypass mid with building flank
-Some props moved around
-Nasty sightline patched up with a prop on each side

-Still trying to figure out better ways to stop it but this will do for now​

-Full heal downgraded to mid heal

-Plank also made very slightly smaller​

-Small ammo upgraded to mid ammo

-Moved the plank it was on out a little bit​

-General lighting updates

Reworked spawns:
-4 exits, 2 on each floor
-Slightly reduced area size
-Blocked off truck tunnel
-Moved a truck

Other:
-Large roofs next to cap clipped off, this is a temporary change to see how it works out, if gameplay is improved with it gone it will stay gone.

-Note: Look at the roofs! I texture coded them so you will know what you can and can't stand on.​

-Added some NoBuilds to some shifty spots
-Added some clipping to some cliff spots to discourage being outside the fences
-Actually packed the damn thing this time, 11MB to 3MB LUL
-Some optimization and func_detail work

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[Mugenman88]

The goal of this update was to reduce how chokey the map was and give attackers some additional options to, well, attack.

a2 > a3:

Spawn rework:
-Low elevation removed, the spawn area now matches up with the upper area

-It really wasn't adding anything to the map on closer inspection and should make rollouts friendlier for everyone​

-Bigger upstairs area with extra ways to see potential attackers
-Ramps within spawn moved around to make it easier to get upstairs
-Trucks moved

Team area:
-Ramp angle reduced

-This should make rollouts easier for Soldiers and Demos​

-Walkway to window added to first building
-Distance between supports on walkway from first building to second increased
-Added a small rock ramp to allow all classes to get on fallen tower
-Added a ramp in second building to allow easier access to upper walkway
-Slightly reduced height of rock arch

Mid reworked (again):
-Mid point height reduced

-In hindsight, having your point be the highest standable point on the map really isn't a good idea, who knew?
-Quick note, the bump on the open part of point is intentional to give a little breathing room against pyros, will be removed if necessary.​

-Removed railing on battlements
-Made battlement wood slightly smaller
-Replaced barrel prop pyramid with rocky cover
-Stairs that lead to it are a single set on each side
-Cliff angles adjusted to ensure someone can't just hang out there
-Added a glass window to shack exit
-Scaffolding on cap sides adjusted
-Added rock cover to interrupt a sightline

Other:
-Adjusted some clipping near cliffs
-More optimization

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[Mugenman88]

The goal of this update was to update the building just outside of mid to make it more appealing to use in general.

a3 > a4:

Mid:

-Added a box to get on the bigger boxes on cap
-Shortened the ramp on the cliff side of cap, it can be walked up now
-Cliff faces removed, it is now a sheer drop
-Clipping on edges pushed to the extreme
-Health and ammo added next to fallen tower
-Made the wood scaffolding around mid a little thinner for more breathing room
-Updated some window textures

Cave:

-Added central rock beam to hump to hopefully spice things up a bit
-Health removed

Building reworks:

-2nd floor fleshed out, now has windows with one being open and another exit being a dropdown further in
-2nd floor has a mid heal and full ammo
-Cave exit into shack closed
-Health and ammo pickup added to shack
-2nd exit added to shack
-Rock outside of shack made slightly bigger for better sightline interruption
-Both shutter doors removed from lower level

-The 2 doors in the 2nd building outside of spawn are still in, pending more feedback​

-Supporting pillar in 2nd building extended to wall

-Health and ammo moved away from it​

-Made it slightly harder to access the window from the crates

Spawn:

-Removed upper room, now just opens onto a small metal roof
-Front general area greatly shortened and cleaned up to make things better for jumpers

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[Mugenman88]

The goal of this update was to fix some of the wonky height differences and completely rework the cave

a4 > a5:

Mid:

-Changed window textures
-Extended building through cliff

-So, the whole thing with my map is a building destroyed by an earthquake, but mid wasn't really damaged enough for my taste, so I made the building extend through the cliff and have big holes where the walls there should be, it should not change gameplay excessively​

-Capture zone markings added
-Scaffolding slightly reworked
-Health pack in dropdown changed to small heal

Cave:

-Old lower cave sealed, new cave added, accessible via side ramp and lower area

-Hard to describe all the changes so seeing is believing​

-Also has an opening into 2nd building

2nd Building:

-Opening added to drop down room into new cave
-Some windows removed
-Changed window textures

1st Building:

-Made doorway into building a little more obvious


Other:
-Soundscapes added
-Everything outside of mid has been moved up 96hmu, meaning that mid is a lot more flush with the pit area and sits more in a middle ground
-Lots of func_detail that I missed since last time
-Optimized skyboxes, note the smaller packed bsp size

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[Mugenman88]

Just fixing up some sight lines with a slightly changed mid approach

Also big thanks to Smig for a lot of suggestions for mid stuff

a5 > a6

Mid:

-Sealed small hole in fallen tower out of map

-This is an undocumented change from a4>a5​

-Extended rock to stop inner cliff to building sight line
-Added small ledge ramp to get to cliff from mid for all classes
-Tapered off cliff extension to give more room for movement below
-Slightly changed front door approach for cap to accommodate bigger rock
-Added some cover to front door approach
-Removed smaller box on cap that allowed all classes to stand on large crate
-Scaffolding slightly adjusted to make it easier move to pit area
-Ramp onto scaffolding moved to make access more intuitive
-Turned underside of scaffolding into a more secure hidey hold, just don't let soldier or demos crash the party
-Changed a rock prop
-BlockBullets added to sheet metal lips to hopefully prevent milk/jarate from exploding and not coating players right next to it

1st Building:

-Opened up another window

2nd Building:

-Sealed a random window on the ramp to walkway

Other:

-Added some ground below the death plane to make it a little more pretty

Next update I might plan on moving spawns forward to compensate for the map's wideness, I am aware of this slight scaling issue

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[Skye]

for screenshots without the HUD, type cl_drawhud 0 in the console

 

[Mugenman88]

So, here's the biggest update I think my map's seen so far. Hoo boy. Just a quick fun fact, this map went from ~9200 hmu in length (including skybox) to ~7400 hmu, it's wild. Also I hate not documenting everything but the spawn and first area rework is so significant it's hard to put it all on one post, just give it a try.

Also, thanks to Fault in Maps for some suggestions for courtyard.

a6 > a7

2nd Building:

-Completely removed

-The new map layout in sections is spawn > courtyard > building > mid, and will be referred to such from here onwards
​

Spawn:

-Completely overhauled, moved forward significantly

Courtyard:

-Brand new area!

Building:

-Added room partition behind ramp to section it and to cut off some sightlines
-Walkway now has a small building for easy dropdowns

Mid:

-Fixed missing clipping on fences
-Slightly increased size of rock ramp to cliff
-Added a small ramp on inside of windows
-Added a plank to make transition from rock ramp to front door access smooth
-Added a rock under it to deny access
-Slightly increased size of wall above pit-side window on mid building
-Fixed up some non-matching geometry

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[Mugenman88]

The goal of this update is to try and open up a little more action and make it a little easier to get onto point or clear it out

a7 > a8

Mid:

-Removed the small boxes allowing all classes to jump on the bigger boxes

-I had added them in a6 > a7 but forgot to document it, but this time they are gone FOR GOOD​

-Added a new high ground ledge in pit area, somewhat exposed but promises a good spam point to discourage cap camping
-Added a new window to make transitioning from tower into building much easier

-Also makes it easier to flank snipers up there for you scouts and spies​

-Widened the ramp up to the top of tower
-Removed a part of the cliff that was causing more sight line issues
-Removed the medium ammo pack next to point

-Trying to incentivize engineers to play a bit more conservatively and use more of the spots I actually want engineers to build on.​

Building:

-Some tweaks to the spytech transition hall
-Fixed up warning tape on dropdown

Spawn:
-The earthquake did even more damage and knocked down the walkway, leaving it open as a dropdown spawn or as a quicker way for explosive classes to get into building on the other side
-Removed furthest spawn door

-It saw literally zero(0) use in playtesting​

-Just a quick thing to address some feedback, the shack outside spawn is there to make sure that snipers don't cause shenanigans when they stand at the cave entrance and give attacking option into that opening

Other:

-Fixed roofs all over, each team has their own roof

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[Mugenman88]

a8 > a8a

-Fixed team spawns

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[Mugenman88]

So, cliff area gets another facelift and now there's a nice high ground attack route that leads directly into the point

a8a > a9

Spawn:
-Fixed a small hole in spawn, thank goodness no one noticed it

Mid:
-Tower medkit changed to a mid heal
-Adjusted entryways
-Removed boxes
-Balcony added above the point

Cliff:
-New building added next to the cliff, with a route directly over the entryway
-Made the ramp bigger

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[Mugenman88]

So yeah, I don't really like what the new high ground did but I did kind of figure out a bit of a middle ground with it and should still make it a lot harder to turtle on point

a9>a10

Spawn:
-Moved all spawns to lower floor
-Ramp to upper exits moved forward and made a little more obvious

Building:
-Fixed a window that had somehow gotten itself messed up in dimensions, no longer need to jump to exit it
-Slightly extended plank from courtyard -> building upper entrance to make it easier to explosive jump in

Mid:
-Removed fat high ground

-Hallways are still there, but they drop down now to directly outside the point​

-Old balcony above point removed

-Window kept as a possible entrance for explosive classes and scouts​

-Re-added old fences as the side cover for entryway
-Plugged the hole below ramp plank

Other:
-Added clipping to all fences before mid to prevent falling out in unintentional places
-Removed some old janky clipping

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[GallowPole]

I tested it alone. I think the upper spawn door is a bit narrow. Can't wait to test it with more players.

 

[Mugenman88]

The building was interesting while it lasted but it isn't earthquake-proof

a10 > a11

Mid:
-The building has been demolished

-It is now open to the air with cover dotted around the cap via ruins of it​

-Sealed the hallways above the cap

Building:
-Added a window for more visibility
-Closed a different window to prevent a new degenerate sight line

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[Mugenman88]

Just fixing up some sniper sightlines, I do feel that the time of alpha will end soonish

a11 > a12

Mid:

-The fallen tower is gone
-Open side reworked slightly, features some raised ground that is crouch-jumpable, but not tall enough to be a feasible cross-map sightline
-No access to the building window from here now unless you're a class with mobility
-Some geometry in mid changed a bit for sightline reduction as well
-Removed the smaller center cover on pit side
-Moved the health kit and ammo in that area back a little more

Other:

-Touched up some textures and clipping and a bit of optimization

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[Mugenman88]

That alley is annoying, hopefully this is a nice fix to section things off and make it better

a12 > a13

Mid:
-Alley has a new building added to it that connects directly to the extra high ground closer to point
-Changed ramp location to prevent peek-a-boo snipers
-Medium HP changed to small
-HP and ammo moved next to ramp
-Changed lip to just being over door so you can't cheese your way around the 1-way

Building:
-Changed window drop to one-way door to new alley building

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[Mugenman88]

a13 > a13a

-Fixed BLU's respawnroom being set to RED.

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[Mugenman88]

More building changes

a13 > a14

Mid:
-Building has been less damaged
-New extension to scaffolding
-New central ring platform
-Barrels changed to more substantial geometry

Building:
-Shutter removed
-2nd level removed from alley building
-raised ground made uniform, new ramp to low ground

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[Skye]

While I feel the gameplay on this map is mostly solid, I feel like the building(on blu's left side of the point) should be finished and the spawn courtyards should be adjusted.
I feel that the building in its current state feels like a placeholder (maybe it is, but I feel like that should be the goal for a15), and takes up space that could be used for more interesting gameplay.
The spawn courtyards are slightly... wonky.

This building, in particular, is either completely unused, a spot for an engineer to upgrade his buildings before moving them into combat, or a ticket to spam land. Additionally, the rock in front of the main exit feels like it takes up too much space, and is out of place. I can understand blocking sniper sightlines, but it splits the team if they decide to take different routes, which is entirely likely in the disorganized casual setting that most experience this map on.

I really really like this map, and I feel with these issues fixed, the map will be almost close to being ready for beta/an artpass.

or im dumb and my ideas are dumb

you probably shouldnt trust me im an unreliable source

 

[Skye]

Additional thoughts after gameplay:

You can arc pipes onto the point from here.

Mini-sentries are very irritating when paired with a wrangler and lack or respect for fun.

They're also small enough to fit up here.
Hope this comes in handy!