Flakey

[Colt Seavers]

Flakey Beta 1 is being playtested tonight on the European TF2 Maps server.

I'd be extremely grateful for your feedback as with the big day approaching, there is obviously a tight dev schedule for this project.

Some of the more useful feedback so far, which will be addressed for this weeks Beta 2 release (a new release each Sunday till Christmas).

- far too small and cramped. Inevitable on a small, cramped map I don't dismiss this - but I do stress that a design goal was small, hectic and playable by 3v3 or 12v12 - inevitably one of those extreme of player numbers will be imperfect - but if I make it bigger, it looses alot of what I aimed for with the design.

- Lower entrance to intel is too hard to defend (I agree - especially as the idea of the lower route was to open a fast but difficult to pass, route to the intel : well, it's 3 seconds faster than any other way). Having a think about how best to address this.

- Confusing at first. This is no doubt due to the early Beta release being woefully under propped and signed. Thankfully people who've played a whole round said they found it intuitive after they familiarised themselves - but this is not good enough. Adding outdoor details and internal props / overlays, to make the routes quite clear and natural. Nothing more I can do as far as layout to make them more natural and still keep the Up to the Top down to the Intel access relevant --- the routes are essentially circles - and each time you exit a rise, you simply have to go to the next you see to progress in the right direction.

- Block off the route through the trees - it's annoying that it's not obviously inaccessible. Done in B2 WIP already.

- Give the building more clear context - a few satellites don't suggest this is the executive HQ of spytech.....I agree. It's to be addressed. There is a base within the mountain, with 'detail' rooms, and it will be opened up to view but not access - from within the 2 side snow arches.

- Where's the snowman? He's in there now - just by the cabin

- add more of our custom Christmas Card props - doing it

- sort terrible lighting - totally, beta 1 didn't concentrate on lighting - it works for testing

- re consider health and ammo pack placement - on it, but feel free to suggest where and how big

 

[Colt Seavers]

Cheers for the feedback at gameday - Especially Mr Boojum Snark.

As a newbie mapper, it's the comments that at first confuse and take you back, that are often the most spot on.

Here's what's happenned on test so far : people have gone 'ooo nice snow, ooo nice christmas tree' and had a frag fest, which felt a bit fun.

Tonight, ABS had to quit to spec - he obviously believed what he said - 'Am I the only one that thinks it feels too convoluted and cramped'. This, people, is entirely true, having loaded up hammer and really looked at it harshly.

What buildings make you run to the top before going a huge distance to the bottom? Not many - even 2 fort is less of a haul - plus water is not a comparable playing area to snow.....

Where, in the relevant parts of the building, can you have a multiplayer frag, with any chance of survivors....not many.

So, changes.

Working on them now - I've taken a back up of the detailing i've done for beta 2 and am going to tweak some.

Lets hope I don't lose what's good about it at the moment. On the other hand, who wants to make a map that's good for a couple of games. I believe it has more potential than that - or at least I've enough time and effort available to give it a go.

cheers to all who played.

 

[Smetzle]

I acutally had a lot of fun playing this map (and I got my first reflected Huntsman-arrow kill on it ). I agree with ABS that it's convoluted, and as a result of that Pyros were overpowered, but aside from that the map seemed well-balanced and fun to play as most classes. I also commend you for making a ctf map where the intel room did not become an unassaultable Sentry farm, even with two Engineers camping it . Since you already know about the convolutedness of it all, my only criticism is that the edges of the map weren't clearly defined, and the playerclip walls were closer in than I thought. I'm not saying put metal fences all around the map, but something to define exactly where the player can and can't go would be nice.

 

[Colt Seavers]

Cheers - useful feedback all acted on in B2 - which is now ready to optimise and compile have worked solidly every day on it - apart from 1 - can't believe how long tbh, when i look at it - still, i'm very new to mapping so it takes me ages to try different options.

beta 2 is about there, preview:

Here's a linky to more pics - will release publically tomorrow night. I've made some small but significant changes which open the map up and hopefully make it feel less convoluted.

http://www.playstuff.net/showpost.php?p=19684&postcount=95

 

[lana]

I hope that isn't the headshot sign from Meet the Sniper.

 

[Colt Seavers]

why? its not the high size version

 

[Colt Seavers]

CTF_FLAKEY_B2 is now out

Download from the Downloads/Maps section here or at http://playstuff.net/flakey

I've spent a hell of a long time on it - but then everything takes me a long time Played with various route changes and settled on a more free flowing approach - to avoid a closed in and convoluted feel to gameplay - reported by some.

I've updated the changelog, but not the pics yet - and to save you scrolling up, here's the changes....

b2 - following useful feedback from b1, the map has been openned up slightly.
new route into spiral stairace - allowing quicker trasit into and out of intel.
added prop rooms - maintenance room. Vehicle lift.
added missile launch complex, which provides an Engi point for defence or attack.
added props and details.
tweaking of area portals.
removed one balcony entrance door from top floor.
added one walkway between buildings on top floor.
added doorway to first floor, allowing circular access to this floor.
replaced temp lights with correct lighting.
added snow overlays
added signage
log cabin + fire
Propped Skybox and adjusted displacements.
checked everything needed was func_detailed.

feedback valued.

 

[Colt Seavers]

SCREENSHOTS

 

[Colt Seavers]

lol - glad the 80 odd hours i put in since B1 has raised all of your enthusiasm

Well, since it's nearly Christmas, and after Christmas, the snow on this map will have melted and the lights on the tree put away for another year, I've decided to run a 24/7 CTF_FLAKEY server 84.45.84.166:27015

Pop and and give it a spin - then leave me some feedback so I can improve this, my first releasable map.

 

[DJive]

I really need to get off my butt and give a run through on this map!

Changes look great man, and its cool to see you progress from map to map as far as your mapping skills.

Nice job tackling that displacement =)

 

[Sonic]

Loooks awesome..i will try in my server

 

[Masakari]

We threw it up on our server last night, and it got a lot of positive comments (A lot of people whined about not being able to find their way around, but we get a lot of them like that it seems). After a good five minutes into the map, I had a good way of how to get everywhere I needed.

Once thing that did confuse a couple of people was the room with computers on the very bottom of the map - it seems to be a dead end (At least on blue side), and had no health, ammo, or purpose that I saw. Am I missing something here?

 

[Colt Seavers]

nope - my bad really. I left it in as a room enemy engi's could use and defend - for a forward teleport - and because i was reluctant (stylistically) to close it off.....in hindsight it was a mistake! I'll definitely be addressing it for beta 3 - i'm just not sure how yet.

a couple of people have said they think there are too many routes to intel....i'm not sure - i did intend it to be a hard one to defend - trying to make it fast paced. hmmm, it's a tough balance.

cheers for the feedback 8)

 

[Colt Seavers]

Big changes in new release now available at http://playstuff.net/flakey or http://forums.tf2maps.net/downloads.php?do=file&id=3023

B3 Changelog:

Top Floor, both sides (obviously) :
- Restricted access to spiral staircase to spawning team only.
- Made all doors to spiral staircase Exit only - so only the team whose side it is on can use it.
- Removed 2 walls to open up play and inserted Railings, pipework, other detail.
- Improved Signage,
- Removed walkway between 2 bases - only scout, demo and soli access now.

1st Floor
- Removed section of wall and widenned openning through to rear of building
- added handrails
- added other detail
- simplified layout

Intel Mezzanine
- Changed access from top floor - now enter via car lift.
- improved engi postitions
- detailing

Ground Floor
- Improved Signage and lighting
- Complete redesign of layout. Restricted access to half of floor - openned rest up, so intel is now reachable by staircase to either side of the intel room.
- improved engi positions
- fixed engi exploit

Outside
- Created cover for gameplay - to break line of sight of snipers, using trees.
- improved signage
- detailing

Apologies if you joined a server earlier - you will need to delete your local copy of b3 - further change made prior to public release just now.

 

[absurdistof]

Re-release the map as yourmapname_b3a or _b3b so people don't have to do that

 

[Colt Seavers]

Thought about it - It was an hour or so max though - and i don't think anyone joined

Got to say too, as a server operator for some time, I have enough trouble keeping on top of new version releases - and b1, b4 etc is much easier to remember and deal with than b1c etc...That was a copy paste from my community forum post, sos wasn't meant to be here.