Morras Castle

[Sergis]

have you considered the fact that the map might actually deserve this reputation?

i have considered the fact that i've started over completely (which makes previous experiences irrelevant) and not a damn thing has changed. people were having fun on old versions, but told me that the map is too huge and confusing. i downsized the thing, but it still was too confusing. now i've simplified it but apparently most people here are just sick of it.
if you compare a33 with a12, a33 is smaller, simplier, less confusing, with better mapflow. yet a12 had an excellent test with everyone loving the map, but a33 lost 1/4 of players on mapload.

 

[Turbo Lover]

What you need to do is lay low for a few months, slowly working on the next version, then release it under a completely new name, and make sure no one knows it's still morras_castle. Then when it is tested, we'll only know it's the same map until we've downloaded it and got in the server, and then we will test it without being tired of it.

Or something, there's always the delete button.

 

[Sergis]

What you need to do is lay low for a few months, slowly working on the next version, then release it under a completely new name, and make sure no one knows it's still morras_castle. Then when it is tested, we'll only know it's the same map until we've downloaded it and got in the server, and then we will test it without being tired of it.

Or something, there's always the delete button.

im sure you'd recognize not only the map, but also the cunning plan to trick you in there and then im fucked

 

[LeSwordfish]

Morras has had such a development cycle fatigue has likely set in. Is there anywhere else you can test the next few versions?

 

[Sergis]

Morras has had such a development cycle fatigue has likely set in. Is there anywhere else you can test the next few versions?

i can try cafe i guess

 

[Sergis]

so i got a test on cafe. first comment - "oh its this one again" guess that proves me right about stigma and players having made up their minds before playing. thankfully at least this time the playercount stayed ok (and it didnt got rtv'd like the previous map) and i think i wont be needing gameplay tests anymore. i'll just tweak balance, finish detailing, lay low with this map for a few months and then we'll see what happens.

 

[Sergis]

After 6 months, it's time to awaken this beast. Once I sort out the mess created by rotating the final point area 180 degrees, I might even have something playable for once.

 

[soylent robot]

no offense, but why not just start a completely new map? you can put the castle theme in after the layout is good, something i had to learn after a few bad maps
get a fresh perspective, sort of thing

 

[Sergis]

Starting a new map is a hit and miss thing, whereas if I fix existing maps, I learn better how things work. This isn't as much a bad map as it is my learning map, though I understand that from outside perspective there is no difference.

 

[Sergis]

Well, this last test seemed to go quite well. Who knows, I might even finish the map this year

 

[Sergis]

dear valve, gimme a break here

 

[Burnout6010]

And I thought the bug was gone ...

 

[Wilson]

It was never gone.

 

[Sergis]

i can see the end now and it is nearing

Updated to test5.

Changes:
- reviewed timer settings
- reviewed health and ammo placement

- made the hay roofs more steep so they don't look as walkable
- closed the view from stage 1 to stage 2 in the name of performance
- added a nook for engies at C

- begun displacing the caves

- rebuilt the stage 1 blu spawn hut

- reintroduced the 'light shining through walls' bug

All I really have to do now is finish up the aesthetics and the map will finally be finished.

 

[Pocket]

I don't have much to comment on based on the test, but the "Capture Zone" marking did stand out as a bit too ancient-feeling. I get that simple runes make more sense for something that might be drawn into the dirt, but it felt wrong to me somehow. See what you think of this instead:

 

[Sergis]

tbh the runes have kinda grown on me over the years

 

[Sergis]

An update! almost got it impromptu-ed too, but the MAX_MAP_BRUSHSIDES and engine hunk overflow kept me busy for longer than estimated.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/9180221/TF2/MC/cp_morras_castle_b7.bsp.bz2

 

[Arne]

An update! almost got it impromptu-ed too, but the MAX_MAP_BRUSHSIDES and engine hunk overflow kept me busy for longer than estimated.

You can always try the Propper (a compiler that turns func_propper brushes to a single prop) to convert the details brushes to props to reduce the brush-limit.

 

[Sergis]

After fighting yet another battle with MAX_MAP_BRUSHSIDES, I have decided to push this map into RC stage (even though there is a ton of little details in need of adjustment ). So, here it finally is - a release candidate version of Morras Castle! No more full rebuilds, no more testings every week till everyone is sick of it, no more people continually getting lost - apart from a possible tiny detail update or two, this map is done.