CTF Marshrock

Gadget

aa
Mar 10, 2008
531
527
CTF_MarshRock
Alpha 1 (2011/06/08)

I picked up a map that I started about a year ago and put some more hours into
it to create a playable alpha version to finally see how the layout works.
Unfortunately I don't have a lot of time for mapping lately so I decided to
work on a smaller map instead of finishing one of the others that I started a
long time ago.

Right now it's a capture the flag layout but I guess it could work as KOTH or
arena as well (with some modifications). For the size of the map I took 2fort
and turbine as references. I have not added any direction signs yet but the
layout is not too complicated so it should be playable.

Please note that this is an alpha version which is primarily created to test
the path layout, sentry spots and gameplay. You will find glitches related
to lighting, clipping and displacement geometry which you don't have to report
in this phase of the map. So when giving feedback please concentrate on the
layout and gameplay, thanks. Some questions that I'd like to have answered are:

- Too many paths or not enough?
- Should I clip the roof of the main building in the center and all the trees and rocks so you can't get on top of them?
- Any places that need more cover or less?
- Are there enough sentry spots or too many?
- Any comments on the placement of pickup items (health and ammo)?
- Is it fun to play? Any class that is no fun at all or a lot of fun to play on this map?

Thanks for your cooperation.

Once this map is done I might go back to complete pl_downhill.

Download
ctf_marshrock_a1.zip (4.29 MB)

Screenshots
 

Pocket

Half a Lambert is better than one.
aa
Nov 14, 2009
4,694
2,579
You already have planned out how many test versions you'll go through? Who do you think you are, Microsoft?
 

Gadget

aa
Mar 10, 2008
531
527
You already have planned out how many test versions you'll go through? Who do you think you are, Microsoft?

Yes indeed. Although I'm not Microsoft this is not the first map I started to work on and I sure won't release 10 to 20 alpha versions of the map because that's totally unnecessary. Also it's more of a road map and not a master plan so it might change sooner or later. (There's that thing called project management, you know)

planning placing occluders before props doesnt really make much sense imo

That's partly true. Although at that point most of the detail props are not placed yet, the geometry is already there and I know where most of the props will be at so I can place occluders where they are needed.
 

REEJ

L420: High Member
Aug 26, 2010
437
176
nice theme combination, the rocks contrasting with the gloom look oddly pleasant
 
May 2, 2009
320
306
THe lack of any significant height variation will kill the gameplay on this map.

Yes the gameday had some problems with this. The map feeled long and flat. Most battles took place on middle and not on rocks or roofs (not even in trees). Also there might be couple of rocks too many and not so many buildings. Also the map was more of a maze than a fair battle ground. More arrows and signs please.

The battle feeled more of deathmatch than a CTF. Intels were hard to find and quite far away.

On the middle there were one doorway blocked with player clip.

For me ammo and health placements were right on spot, altought I played like a five-year-old.
 

Wilson

Boomer by Sleep
aa
May 4, 2010
1,385
1,223
The layout is actually pretty cool, it just needs more height difference and less rocks everywhere.
Where you should really put most of the work on is the intel area, it was boring, dull and uninteresting area to fight in and engineers had field day with two way intel room.
 

grazr

Old Man Mutant Ninja Turtle
aa
Mar 4, 2008
5,441
3,814
90% of your optimisation should be done by alpha 2, excluding of course prop fade distances as props will be added throughout beta development. Occluders only come into it if it's needed desperately. I think the problem people have with your OP is that everything you listed under a1, a2 and a3 and even nobuild should all be done by a1 and the rest is just a matter of fixing unforseen anomolies in the gameplay. You can't predict where your alpha's will take you, you may be forced to make many pre-beta tests regardless of what you desired from the on-set.

My advice for optimisation would be fewer glass windows on structures. They add nothing to gameplay and only hinder performance. Your placement of doors also seems unmethodical, there doesn't seem to be any specific choke points and doors near a corner with another door on the other side seems nonsensical.
 
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MangyCarface

Mapper
aa
Feb 26, 2008
1,626
1,325
Setting project goals, deliverable deadlines etc. is a commendable goal; the issue here is that you're using an outdated project development model.

While this spiral model works for many different types of projects, it is especially applicable in the fields of software design and by extension game/level design:
image001.jpg


Between every iteration you'll have a separate development cycle as a fractal of the whole; each dev step is performed on both the macro (the entire spiral) and the micro (one loop) level.


ohiguessididlearnsomeshitincollege Anyway, address that height issue and this'll be a lot more playable I think
 

Seba

DR. BIG FUCKER, PHD
aa
Jun 9, 2009
2,364
2,728
In short, the map was very weird. The way it's laid out provided no incentive for players to go for the enemy intel - simply going forward would land you (rather quickly) at enemy spawn and get you killed. Other than that, it was extremely spawn campable, like I wrote in Feedback - you can get on all the cliffs around spawns and spam stickies or what have you.

This post is most likely useless and worded badly, but the main point is that the map is very confusing and doesn't feel like CTF.