KotH Shanty

[YMM]

Hey all, this is my first ever TF2 map. I think I've almost got it to the point where I can mirror it and start testing. Lighting is done, most gameplay props are set and all the game logic works.

For a KOTH map it's a bit odd, in that the teams run parallel to each other from their spawns towards the CP, instead of converging from either side of the point (if that makes sense). There's still a large effective distance between the spawns so it will probably play similar to other KOTH maps anyways, but I'm hoping this quirk will give it a unique feel.

All the texture choices are temp so far. I want the visual style to be similar to thunder mountain (the map is very inspired by the rocky mountains in British Columbia, Canada).

I'll probably be trying to get in on a gameday soon. Any advice on stuff to make sure I do before I mirror everything is muchly appreciated as well, as this is my first map.

 

[YMM]

Added a buncha props, mostly to thwart sniper sightlines and added an additional route through the center house. I'm pretty nervous about the layout right now but I guess it's my first map so that's probably normal and I'll just have to give it a go in testing and see what happens. Gonna try to get everything mirrored tonight and post new screens.

Turns out Hammer started crashing ~50% of the time on compile, so it can take me quite a while to run a short test. Really really frustrating. Aaaaand I lost a few hours work because all of a sudden all my brushes are unlit (pitch black) ingame - don't have any invalid solids and can't seem to figure out which change since last backup caused it Playable map delayed unfortunately.

 

[colacan]

Don't know much about it, but it seems that vrad is having issues. That could explain the fact that everything is pitchblack. But I think some other people now more about this then me.

 

[LeSwordfish]

I'm going to be boring and say obvious things: have you put your compile log in the Interlopers checker, is there a leak, etc etc

 

[YMM]

No leaks but I'll give this error checker a shot, thanks!

Aside from the skybox problem that I've been ignoring since the start (can't load default cubemaps), there's two problems:

1) error: material tile/floor_tile_reflect doesn't have a $bottommaterial
The error checker says this is because I'm using a water texture, which I'm not. I don't know what to do about that. It says invalid textures should have a certain suffix, which none of mine do.

2) zero area child patch.
It says I have invalid solids if I get this error, which hammer says I don't (when I use alt+P). I tried using the cordon and compiled just the spawn, which worked! So this one is the culprit. But no matter how I cordon the level I can't seem to pinpoint these alleged invalid brushes :/ I'll check the level in chunks and they'll all be clean, then I'll compile the whole thing and the error will return. I'm not sure what a zero area child patch would even look like if I found it haha.

Anyway, it's rapidly approaching not worth it territory to salvage this so I'm reverting to the backup and hopefully it won't happen again!

EDIT: In case you found this post searching about the issue, I don't think it was actually the zero area child patch thing causing it. My backup has that error as well and plays fine.

 

[Forcegamer]

i think you should make it brighter because the map better fit to Team Fortress, if it is brigther.
Just my View ;D !!! Otherwise The map look pretty cool.
Have a lokk at my Map too please ;D

 

[YMM]

Just uploaded A1. Whew. Whether or not it is an unmitigated carnival of failures has yet to be seen.

I brightened it to the Lumberyard skybox and I like that a lot better (thx for the tip Forcegamer), also added more geometry/props to cut up sightlines, definitely an improvement.

I'm still more than a bit worried about the layout tbh, it seems pretty weird to me what with the parallel spawns and all. A scout can sprint spawn-to-spawn just a couple seconds faster than in viaduct so I'm hoping that's fine. All in all I really have no clue how it'll play! Wheee!