Hopper a5

[SnickerPuffs]

Hoppertayta - Hold the Jack

Made for the "Pick it Up" Minicontest, and made within 3 hours for the "Pick it Up" Microcontest.

Time to fix bugs.

 

[SnickerPuffs]

- Made the map much brighter (some interior areas are still a bit dark though!)
- Fixed the backwards train on BLU's side
- Added Tom Cruise

My goal for the *actual* next update is to make it longer (I had to lob off 20% on each side to finish the map before the microcontest deadline) and make any changes based on community feedback beyond that.

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[SnickerPuffs]

I was planning on doing more for this update, such as overhauling the flawed layout and adding signage, but I wanted to put out a more bugless version of A1 before I did that.

Also I realized that this gamemode isn't "Hot Potato", but more "Keep Away", so the funny name I was going to give it doesn't even work.

- Changed the map name to Hopper (SnickerPuffs MC3 doesn't roll off the tongue that easily...)
- Reduced timer by 30s for slightly faster games
- Fixed the train and Jack getting caught on each other
- Fixed an exploit where the Jack (and players) could be trapped
- Fixed BLU's mid doors opening incorrectly
- Fixed a minor visual bug that caused the ball/player tracker to render much shorter than it should
- Brightened up some interior rooms that were still darker than intended
- Added a few pickups around the map
- Added some missing clips near mid
- Added observer points
- Tightened the "diaper skybox" around the map
- Changed the sound that plays when you grab the Jack

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[SnickerPuffs]

- Changed the gamemode from Hold the Jack to PASStime
- Overhauled the layout
-- Remade the whole map from scratch, to fix numerous behind-the-scenes issues
-- Made the ball spawn platform at mid significantly larger
-- Covered up a nasty sightline that went from one team's trainyard to the other
-- Converted a detail area in the trainyard into a small side room
-- Added a jump pad to the bonus goal, to make capping it easier
-- Removed the trains on both sides. I intend to re-add them when I'm more comfortable with the capture areas.

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[SnickerPuffs]

It took me a week longer than it should've to finish this update. Granted, the reasons weren't entirely under my control, but that's still time off the clock for me to refine this.

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- Expanded the map
- Lowered round time to 12:30 (from 15:00) to encourage faster games
- Extended setup time to 45 seconds (from 30 seconds) to give defensive/slower classes more time to set up
- Map fog now begins 512 units away from the player, instead of 64
- Replaced the cranes at mid with simple geometry
- Replaced a model building with brushwork to better convey the clipping I had on it
- Made the bonus goal look like a hopper.
- Replaced the bonus goal jump pad with a vertical jump pad
- Added a sign to spawn rooms with some notes and a few bugs
- Readded Tom Cruise
- Fixed a bug where players could stand on the roofs at mid
- Fixed a bug where RED could get into BLU spawn
- Fixed a bug where the Jack could get into BLU spawn

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[SnickerPuffs]

- Fixed a bug that made respawn time unbearably long
-- I set up the logic incorrectly. Instead of setting the respawn time to a certain length, it added that length every round.

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[SnickerPuffs]

Mid (and surrounding areas)
- Reworked mid to give it a less of a "KOTH vibe"
- Removed one of the side paths to mid to focus gameplay
- Removed a "ghost clip" on RED's side of mid
- Readded some health and ammo packs that didn't mirror from the other sides of the map

Goal Areas
- Removed the jump pads under the bonus goals
- Moved the bonus goal 128hu closer to the main path
- Made the goal rooms brighter
- Fixed an inconsistency with the nobuilds in the goal room that allowed BLU to build where RED could not.

Known Bugs
- Goals do not show up on the HUD. I'm not sure what caused this, but I'm asking around to see what the problem might be.

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[SnickerPuffs]

Just finished the playtest for the newest version, and I want to share my thoughts on goals going forward.

I know this map is lackluster, that's why I'm digging in my heels and working on this full-time until the contest is over. I just didn't realize, until it was repeatedly pointed out to me, how bad it was. Areas are too small or have designs more befitting of entirely different gamemodes, while the map as a whole is really flat and cramped. The spots open enough to actually fit PASS Time are plagued with sightlines. Spawn is awkward, requiring a full 180 to leave. The main path to get into the goal area is actually sidepath, and the path I intended to be a sidepath is the most accessible route.

Needless to say, I have a lot of issues I need to address, so I'm going to probably start by reworking this map from scratch. I'll be looking at the official PASS Time maps for layout ideas, as well as CTF maps, their closest relatives. I'll also be taking a number of cues from Foundry, as even though it's a 5CP map it's design has been a big influence on this project.

Finally, and this is a personal gripe I had with the playtest, I really hated how this map was skipped as soon as the oppertunity arose. I know my map has more glaring issues than most, but I'd still like more than 10 minutes to gather feedback, especially with the feedback server dropping out from time to time like it was.