Ramshackle

gastrop0d

L3: Member
Apr 22, 2009
110
33
Been really wanting to make a payload map. I had a few loose ideas for points/stages in my head, so started getting them down.

This will be a multi-stage payload map. 3 stages of 2 points each. So far I have 4 of the 6 points/areas thought out. Still chasing those remaining 2 :O

I've pretty much finished blocking in Stage 1. Don't really know what style I'll go for with it. I basically think of it like "Gold Rush meets Gravel Pit" play-wise, so that might be the direction I go with with the theme.

The first point goes through a chokepoint that Red can set up at. But the entire building can be flanked on the lower side, which is the main battle area. Things I wanted to focus on were fun areas for scout and soldier, jumping around above the battlefield a lot.

Once point 1 is capped, a number of gates open. The second point's area is much tighter, with each team having good height advantage over the cart. A mineshaft gives spies, scouts and pyros good opportunities to get behind the frontline of the enemy and deliver some fatal blows.

That's about it, so far.
 
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J4CK8

L11: Posh Member
Mar 4, 2009
820
243
A lot of payload maps being made recently, nice to see a multistage one in the works. It's looking nice from the screenies but these mineshafts...they're not going to be small in width are they? Spies would have a tough job getting through if they're swarmed with enemies. Also in screeny 4, what's with the overlay tracks?
 

gastrop0d

L3: Member
Apr 22, 2009
110
33
They're tight corridors, the mineshafts. But they have a couple of little "rooms" in them that can allow a cloaked spy to side step an enemy. It is part of the risk of taking such a path. That's in theory, anyway. If it proves too difficult, I'll widen it up and add more movement options for it.

Spy is my least played class so I often find it tough to plan out routes for them.

As for the overlay tracks... I was feeling pretty lazy when I got to that hill. Putting tracks on hills is tedious XD. Obviously it's only like that because it's alpha and once it gets further along I'll put in proper tracks.
 

gastrop0d

L3: Member
Apr 22, 2009
110
33
Okay, I've found time to come back to this. I played the first stage a bit with bots and decided to rearrange some things to give red more of a chance at defending.

I added a shack on the first point that gives more cover for red:

pl_ramshackle_020002.jpg


pl_ramshackle_020001.jpg


pl_ramshackle_020000.jpg




The second point's area needed much more work. I expanded its size a little and added more cover for the high ground, as well as making a platform for soldiers to jump on to and bombard the area:

pl_ramshackle_020004.jpg


pl_ramshackle_020003.jpg




I also moved the mineshaft so it comes out in low-ground rather than high-ground:

pl_ramshackle_020005.jpg



I've gotten stage 2 planned out and have begun blocking it in. Should have some shots soon!
 

Nineaxis

Quack Doctor
aa
May 19, 2008
1,767
2,820
Looking at that layout, what I'd be worried about is how you can run from BLU spawn to the first point without ever going near the cart. Makes it too easy for the attacking team to push forward, probably not bringing the cart with them. On Badwater you can skip the tracks, but you're going the same direction, and it ends with a massive one-path, narrow choke that prevents teams from getting ahead of themselves. Your track goes way out to an area of no cover, through an area furthest away from spawn, as compared to Badwater's closed and covered tunnel that you can quickly get into, safely, from spawn.

While you have a choke after the point, I think it'll be counterproductive, with red being stalled behind the first point, unable to defend it properly while BLU pushes up and spams that doorway.
 

koth

L1: Registered
Jul 23, 2010
17
4
agreed, but great work so for on what you have, it should be a fun map.
 

gastrop0d

L3: Member
Apr 22, 2009
110
33
That's very helpful, thank you Nineaxis!

The original idea I had for the first point was "you can flank the defense strongly" but this seems to have mutated into "you can bypass the defense".

So some quick fix ideas:

pl_ramshackle_040000.jpg


Removed ramp leading up to point. This forces most classes to go through the building that leads back to the cart:

pl_ramshackle_040005.jpg



Also added more cover at that first corner:

pl_ramshackle_040002.jpg


pl_ramshackle_040001.jpg


pl_ramshackle_040003.jpg



Another thing I could do is take out some of the gates that are closed until the first point is capped. Or make them one-way gates in red's favour until the cap. The mineshaft could be a good candidate (top middle of the overview).

This would allow red to come out behind anyone spamming the main tunnel. But it also means they would be cut off from the point.

Regardless, this feels much better now with the ramp removed.