Giza

[n30n]

This. Looks. Epic. Will do a final (by the looks of it) run-though if thats aight. Edit post later

Ok so the thing I have circled is some boxes, sorry I was in mat_fullbright 2

Yey!


Great job on the map, man. It looks like it will be positively awesome. Here's just some quick stuff I noted but couldn't really put in picture format(namely my paint-mouse-writing "skills").

Firstly, I noticed that there were very few ways to get on to the buildings with the ramps in between. This may be on purpose, but seeing how the only way on is even a bit subtle, as of now I can't see too much activity on it.

Secondly, the null texture in place of the gold looked really, really shiny, if that's the case with the cold allow me to advise against it and keep the spec. map a bit more shiny than the sandstone. Also, keeping the bump map/uv map for the hieroglyphs, but using the gold texture would be awesome.

Thirdly, some areas of the map seem like the player has to navigate somewhere not obvious to the point where it seems almost wrong to go that way. This is namely the intersection of the corner of the building (that you can hop up via barrels), the spawn tunnel (with the iron windows) and the pillars. I just get this "off limits" vibe from it.

That's all I have on the top of my head. I can't wait to see this map in gameday, especially with some more detail in the betas. The 3d skybox is great too.



-Absurdistof

Thanks for great feedback!

Looks like pakrats autoscan failed me oh well. I didnt really work on optimalization just yet. Ive redone buildings on the side, i guess some clips got misplaced. And i will add more clips and change stuff that blocks. ill see what i can do about those glyphs.

 

[n30n]

New version alpha 6a
Fixed missing texture.
Fixed misaligned textures and props.
Added better looking signs.
Download

 

[Wegason]

I think the capture point inside the building is quite dark and makes it difficult to determine enemy players. I think the map may also suffer from the outside areas being almost deserted and no fighting occurring, they're almost superfluous.

The map looks great and plays quite well so well done on that and it was quite an enjoyable KOTH map.

Also, I think there needs to be a medium health and ammo pack nearish to the Capture point inside the Pyramid, the two small ones aren't enough.

 

[n30n]

I think the capture point inside the building is quite dark and makes it difficult to determine enemy players. I think the map may also suffer from the outside areas being almost deserted and no fighting occurring, they're almost superfluous.

The map looks great and plays quite well so well done on that and it was quite an enjoyable KOTH map.

Also, I think there needs to be a medium health and ammo pack nearish to the Capture point inside the Pyramid, the two small ones aren't enough.

Thanks for feedback.

Ive changed the interior of pyramid significantly, it wont be too dark now. Outside... what outside? Stuff there is mostly to fill empty space, break los and provide cover to spies ambushing pyros and whatnot. I want action to be focused on main point not somewhere else. Ive also changed small hp packs into medium inside.

Tho my biggest headache is map crashing the server.

 

[Wegason]

Yeah, not sure why that happened but it did two or three times, if you can fix that, with the other changes it looks like it will be a good addition to the KOTH Gamemode

 

[absurdistof]

Oh! Wegason just reminded me haha, I forgot one thing. Can you make the sides of the map more defined? It is very easy to get lost between red/blue side.

Also, I'll check out 6a

 

[n30n]

Version alpha 7 is live.
Download
Changes:
HDR - gone
Reworked interiors of spawns and pyramid.
Added custom signs and textures.
Wont crash the server if im lucky.

Maybe I will add some red/blu signs, but if youre lost - go to pyramid you will find action there.

 

[absurdistof]

Maybe add some little signs to do with excavation or artifact extraction, and have some red or blue trucks and digging equipment (textured red or blue) outside the map? Traditional red/blue signs might make the map seem ordinary.

EDIT: oh and I think I might go through the a7. Btw when could this get on gameday I really want to play an 8v8 or 12v12 on it!

Ok, so I just did a runthough and I have a few things to say (in no way are you obligated to listen to them ) just about my impressions of the map, and where the 5 pic's I took fit in.

From a design standpoint, the work you put into a7 is astonishing. You put amazing amounts of work into changing the theme for the map, and a lot of detail which I liked, i.e. the spawn rooms.

I really, really hate to say it, but I think a6a kept to the general egypt theme a lot more than a7. A7 is set up so that in a more industrial theme it would be completely awesome, but in my mind it clashes really really hard with the egypt theme. In cp_egypt (my only real reference to the egypt style) everything was egypt. THe spawn rooms still had that great dusky red glow as with every building there. They also implemented trucks and wood supports in a way that supported the theme, so that it seemed an excavation process was going on.

Now, you don't have to change this, because a setback between so utterly different alphas is a pain in the ass, but if I could suggest anything it would be to take a step back, admire the kickass work you put into a7, but go to a6a and continue that theme through.

The pictures I took are assuming you wish to continue your theme, as are the following suggestions.

Suggestion 1) The gold signs are clever, but I think the stock a/b arrow signs would make the player more comfortable in the new environment.

Pics:

 

[n30n]

Thanks for feedback... again!

Ill fix issues you pointed out. Now to general theme change, I did it because hollow pyramid looked bad inside. Someone pointed out that spytechish inside would be cool, so i went with it. Im not perfectly happy with it yet, but ill wait for feedback from gameday. Torches are bright yes, mainly because people complained that its too dark and they cant see difference between blu and red. Also im not sure what do you mean with stop sign on door, care to explain?

And still theres issue of server crashes :c

 

[absurdistof]

Usually people have the sign behind the door, so you only see it when open.

Yeah I don't know, I just liked the egypt setting inside the pyramid, maybe I just like the theme in general.

Oh, and as for the lighting, try putting the old lights in, but then putting in a subtle light in the middle with a low brightness but a high linear value to set a base light level for the room.

 

[Wegason]

Going to have to agree, not sure on Spytech inside, only ever saw one person say that on a gameday last week. I think Egyptian goes better inside, perhaps add jewels or gold as a reason to be fighting over the point, or perhaps ancient artifacts, more statues or something inside could break up the inside, and perhaps tunnels going round the edge of the inside of the pyramid would make it less empty.

I thought the previous version played great anyhow for a KOTH map, no one class was dominant, and snipers were especially not, which is good seeing as a few KOTH maps give them big sightlines.

 

[n30n]

Yeah im not perfectly happy with spytech either. Tho i still dont like how it looks inside I will go back one stapi guess. Ill try to figure something out. And theres the issue of this goddamn server crashing...

 

[absurdistof]

It could be something to do with a custom texture or model or such.

It didn't crash for me though.

 

[n30n]

All NEW version is live!

Alpha 7a
- redone spawns and pyramid again... yeah!
- many changes to lights
- fixed issues here and there
- with some luck it wont crush some servers
- i think i messed something up with cubemaps, there are there but one time they work one dont. Will be fixed soon
Due to popular demand there are two downloads, 7z and zip:
7z, 7mb
zip, 10mb

 

[n30n]

Yay another update Sorry thats so fast but i think its worth it.
And another!

Changes:
Where did a7b go? Dunno... fixed few things i found. I broke something and map doesnt lag at start and is smaller. Strange. Also beware of traps on lower level.

a7d - better signs.

7z, 5mb
zip, 8mb

 

[absurdistof]

Yeesssss <3 its back! Will test. Might I suggest the normal model signs?

Aand could I suggest that you stick with gold displacements, maybe in trucks outside of the map, like have them parked by a road that goes visibly to a distant city? The bullion is creative, but I don't think that anyone has quite nailed the theme of theme yet... It just seems out of place I guess... Maybe you could have the corners plus, say, 64 units going out where the wall would be, and a full wall back (however thick that is) having a square of gold under the hill. So, basically, you would cut out the middle of the walls directly under the hill, leaving 64-96 units on each side of the wall, and what would show would be a giant golden heiroglyphed block holding the hill up/ that the hill is resting on.

And for the second edit on the post haha, the bars of the upper section of the hill make me think of a stripper :/

Could I suggest the normal which gave it a much more bold theme?

 

[n30n]

Yeesssss <3 its back! Will test. Might I suggest the normal model signs?

Aand could I suggest that you stick with gold displacements, maybe in trucks outside of the map, like have them parked by a road that goes visibly to a distant city? The bullion is creative, but I don't think that anyone has quite nailed the theme of theme yet... It just seems out of place I guess... Maybe you could have the corners plus, say, 64 units going out where the wall would be, and a full wall back (however thick that is) having a square of gold under the hill. So, basically, you would cut out the middle of the walls directly under the hill, leaving 64-96 units on each side of the wall, and what would show would be a giant golden heiroglyphed block holding the hill up/ that the hill is resting on.

And for the second edit on the post haha, the bars of the upper section of the hill make me think of a stripper :/

Could I suggest the normal which gave it a much more bold theme?

Signs will stay for time being, normal is bad The gold i dunno, i need to make texture with gold coins, with the one i have it looks like yellow blob kinda broing. I can add some trucks i guess. For bars i made them so you can see and shoot back players on top, whole stone made too good of a cover.

Edit: Alpha 8 is live.

Added new custom texture and some details.

7z
zip

 

[absurdistof]

Onlyy suggestion is to make the signs into the walls not coming out of, when I first saw them it was the tiniest bit confusing. Maybe just make it more obvious?

 

[n30n]

Theres a technical reason why they are sticking out 1 unit, but i can make them not stick. Thats because reflective gold letters are actually under the sign. I couldnt find out how to make reflections and alpha in same sign so here goes.
Edit: Ive cahnged signs, they look like painted on the walls now. Gonna fix displacements as suggested by ABS now and new verion will be upped.

Edit2: New version alpha 8a

Changes:
- displacements redone to fix potential crash issues
- changed signs
- detail

Download:
7z
zip

 

[absurdistof]

Btw the falling ground around the lower gold is amazing.