TC Strata (version 538) b1c

[Sergis]

played _a15 tonight and that's a no, also the map ended at the end of a miniround i.e. the capture of one area rather than red or blue;s last dinosuar points when we hit the end of the map's server time if you know what I mean

imo a tc map should be that way, otherwise the backandforth fight can go on for eternity

 

[Harribo]

I just was left wanting to finish the whole round as it left we were taking back our lost territories and it change map halfway through is a bit of a buzz kill, surely it can work the same way as a multi-stage A/D cp or pl map where even if you hit end of map time as long as blue keeps capturing you to get the carry on playing the next stages

 

[Sergis]

well, you have 3 rounds in multistage maps and not a single round more. tc is unlimited

 

[grazr]

Yea, maps do have a time limit set by the server config, usually 30 mins. So it's not that the map is broken.

 

[YM]

Today's new feature is quite a radical change.

Setup timers! (and gates)

Don't worry though, they're only 25 seconds for the mid rounds and 15 seconds for the final rounds.



Other small news, the mid rounds are basically complete now, my focus shifts to the two final stages which haven't had much attention at all. I might crop them out for testing on their own... Would people still be interested in testing that?

 

[YM]

From that (non representative) test, it seems the 25 seconds of setup time added, on average, a minute of gameplay per round.

Promising, but one was a stalemate and one was one in overtime. More testing is what the doctor orders!

 

[Freyja]

I prefer the rounds not being super fast, much prefer it.

 

[Doctor Paprika]

I really hate that crazy staircase. I don't remember which point it's at, but you have to know which one I'm talking about. It's disorienting to look at, and it's really out of place in the map. Nothing else is weird or distracting, but then there's this weird angled staircase that pops out at you like an optical illusion. There has to be a way to make it look normal.

 

[YM]

Yeah it didn't look bad in hammer but is totally wrong ingame.

Snipped out the middle stages to turn the final two rounds into a more standard a/d cp for focused testing.

If you really need to download it (there's nothing new): http://www.subtleallusion.com/files/stuff/tc_strata_ends_a1.zip

 

[YM]

The setup gates are staying for now, they're promising but it seems 25 seconds setup and the reduction in respawn timer advantages for partial caps I added is too much.

So the next version will have that respawn advantage back for the team currently capping as well as a slight reduction in overall capture times. That should keep the ninja caps away since the setup time is still there but make it easier to continue capping when you make a break later on. Hopefully eliminating the stalemates.

Also, you guys know these are hidden around already, right?

 

[Doctor Paprika]

You better be ready to make a Halloween version with a zombie T-Rex boss fight.

 

[YM]

Today I'm using my, frankly unrivalled, modelling skills to make some more fences.

 

[LeSwordfish]

I presume those are stock textures or something? Looks pretty good, but i'd suggest it be less irregular.

 

[YM]

Been revising the ends somewhat, blue's doesn't look a whole lot different but is a slightly different shape and slightly larger.

This is what's happened to red's. That left path leads into the server room as before, but from ground level rather than blue having to go up and then down again. Should bring a lot more traffic that way. Overall this area is longer, running from one side to the other should take all of a second more! :O

There's also a nice new surprise for when you get inside the main building

 

[Melvin D Engineere]

I have some footage of your map from this past Friday.

TF2: tc_strata_a17

 

[YM]

That highlights an interesting statistic. Between versions 15 and 17 I added 25 seconds of setup time, the average round length rose to almost double, but the percentage of stalemates rose tenfold, from 1.68% to 20.4%

 

[Fruity Snacks]

That highlights an interesting statistic. Between versions 15 and 17 I added 25 seconds of setup time, the average round length rose to almost double, but the percentage of stalemates rose tenfold, from 1.68% to 20.4%

Makes sense, you give more time for people to set up defenses on a map with channeled routes, the easier it'll be for them to defend. (see Hydro)

 

[YM]

Rawr

 

[tyler]

Hurry up already

 

[ForbiddenDonut]

Har. Those Jurassic Park influences. That room looks just like the visitor center.

Looking good!