Thaw A12

[Maid]

Maid submitted a new resource:

Thaw - An alpine outpost where the snow is just starting to melt.

My map for the 2022 Summer Jam! (early entry, submitted 1 hour before my personal deadline)

Custom content used:

Diva Dan's Tall Thin Pine Trees
Door textures from EArkham's Snowycoast Assets
A rock from Dr Spud's Landfall Assets

Read more about this resource...

 

[Maid]

Maid updated Thaw with a new update entry:

Version A2

- swapped the intels to CTF mode instead of AD mode. this means that they show up as red in outline and colour instead, and i'd prefer them blue, but the announcer voicelines don't work in AD mode (without me having to bloat the map filesize).
- made the access to the lowground route from the large connector building at A a short dropdown, to make it harder for red flankers to easily bomb blu engie bases on the highground and to generally make that lowground route worse for red. Note this is...

Read the rest of this update entry...

 

[Maid]

Maid updated Thaw with a new update entry:

Version A3

- attached a blu dispenser to the flag, to reward blu players for staying close to the flag carrier and encourage more team coordination around the flag. the dispenser is only active while the flag is carried.
- i'm mainly making changes to A and B right now, and may completely tear out and redo C next version.
- made the left lowground route on A significantly thinner and more precarious to increase and better communicate the disadvantages of that route.
- added a bridge between the high...

Read the rest of this update entry...

 

[Maid]

Maid updated Thaw with a new update entry:

Version A4

- completely tore out C and rebuilt it as a new and different point with new routes, reusing parts of the existing lobby area and connectors. the idea behind the new point is that the point area has a choke on either side, which both lead to advantageous positions over the point, so red must split their attention between those chokes, but doing so will give them simultaneous control over the lowground and point area. however, if blu pushes either choke that advantage should allow the rest of...

Read the rest of this update entry...

 

[Maid]

Maid updated Thaw with a new update entry:

Version A4b

- fixed the visualisers on red's last spawn being disabled due to duplicated entity names.

Read the rest of this update entry...

 

[Maid]

Maid updated Thaw with a new update entry:

Version A5

- raised the small shed at B up onto stilts. this allows it to block sightlines across the upper level of B, and opens up the lowground to allow for more comfortable combat in that area. also added another rock on blu's highground behind it to allow for more cover to help them combat red snipers.
- made most of the platform directly behind B an interior, to allow red a more covered approach to the building to the side of the point.
- restructured and consolidated the lowground route on C to...

Read the rest of this update entry...

 

[Maid]

Maid updated Thaw with a new update entry:

Version A6

i had covid and nothing else to do so heres my dramatic return to this map!

- completely tore out red's spawns for B and replaced them with a more angled setup using the same exits. this should make the exits more equally used rather than the lower exit being the primary exit.
- removed part of the cover behind B and moved the highground platform down to make it more accessible to blu attackers trying to hold the area for the extended cap time. also generally changed up the visuals to...

Read the rest of this update entry...

 

[Maid]

Maid updated Thaw with a new update entry:

Version A7

another long-delayed return! hopefully i keep updating it this time

• the eagle-eyed among you will notice that this update post was accompanied by two seperate versions of the map, marked respectively as _a7_adctf and _a7_cp. for a7, i'll be testing both as adctf and as standard a/d, to compare and determine which gamemode i'll be moving forward using. over the map's lifespan, i've recieved a lot of feedback suggesting that the flag doesn't add much to the map, and some discussions...

Read the rest of this update entry...

 

[Maid]

Maid updated Thaw with a new update entry:

Version A8

• after last version's playtesting, i've decided that i'm going to be going forward with the standard attack/defend version of this map, meaning the primary version string has now changed to cp_. The a/d versions played better, smoother, less swingy and removed a lot of the annoyances caused by the flag, and will in future allow me to continue one of the primary aims of this map (focusing on rewarding player creativity) without having to worry about the negative effects of the flag...

Read the rest of this update entry...

 

[Maid]

Maid updated Thaw with a new update entry:

Version A9

• removed one half of the lower wooden stairs next to A, to require blu players to more properly commit to taking over the highground instead of attacking the point, as they have to do it from a different angle or specifically jump up to the ledge.
• i'm unsure about the shutter in the window of the building ahead of B that half-closes after A cap. it's been disabled this version to examine the effects of doing so, but it may return in future versions.
• a collection of doors shut at the connector between A and B after B is capped, to prevent red roamers harrassing the blu spawn for C from that angle. this doesn't shut off the area, so players in the A area don't get stranded.
• i'm happy with the new blu spawn for attacking...

Read the rest of this update entry...

 

[Huwareyou]

Always really enjoyed this map

 

[Maid]

Maid updated Thaw with a new update entry:

Version A9b

• reverted the previous version's spawntime change on A.

Read the rest of this update entry...

 

[Maid]

Maid updated Thaw with a new update entry:

Version A9c

• adjusted the openness of many of the doorways into the A building, to allow for less tight access for blu and tighter access for red, and to more properly open up sightlines to the red highground from the blu right-hand route.
• fenced off the upper cliff edge over the lower route on A to make it a little safer.
• added a prop jump from the lower route on A up to the central courtyard.
• slightly reduced the capture time on A.
• very slightly increased blu spawn time on A...

Read the rest of this update entry...

 

[Maid]

Maid updated Thaw with a new update entry:

Version A10

• restructured and raised the C point and the area directly behind it, and gave more routes up to that area, to make the point less quickly accessible and hopefully more interesting to both attack and defend. this change will definitely need a lot of playtesting, so might be a bit rough around the edges at the moment.
• also added a direct staircase between the upper route's balcony and the highground behind C, to make that route more advantageous for blu and also more easy to...

Read the rest of this update entry...

 

[Maid]

Maid updated Thaw with a new update entry:

Version A11

another return to this map, after having a break from it during my first university semester for this year.

• A on this map is really weird: sometimes it rolls and sometimes it's a complete lockout. i've realised that this is primarily due to engineers: if red has two or more engies who know what they're doing, they can use a particular pair of sentry spots to completely and entirely lock down A. this makes balancing the point really hard, since not using this strategy makes the...

Read the rest of this update entry...

 

[Fluury]

Yo I wanted to elaborate on the feedback I left today since I couldnt really finish the trail of thought during the feedback round

It's in regards to this flank. I mentioned that it didnt feel productive for BLU to attack the point from this angle, while you responded by saying that in contrary, its actually the most powerful one.

During play RED controlled the lower point area, and since that little perching spot completely reveals you from all angles to down there, using that position to gun down players down there was pretty tough since you'd get shot at from everywhere, especially if Sentries are present. Seems generally fine though since the dmg falloff is pretty low from there.

My main issue mostly stems from the RED spawn connecting to this route - you can't use this position as a perching spot to establish control of the area by withering down RED from up there because RED comes from behind you, from a route you can't see - at max damage range. Even the lil' window there is blocked so you have no idea when something is coming from the BLU POV - you constantly have to check behind.
This introduces a problem where to effectively use this position you kinda need like a BLU Demo to be on spawncamp duty (which the medium health + ammo at this position enforces even more, feels like), since otherwise something like a Heavy + Med combo can't chill there solo due to Tails probably spawning with a backburner straight behind them while the Heavy is focused on gunning down people below.

I don't really think the spawncamp duty player is a good thing to have and/or encourage, generally. Compared to the Badwater Last map-room that has BLU also overlook Last, RED's approach into the room is pretty telegraphed for any BLU players inside since they can see them go the route from the windows, so BLU can make an effective retreat from the same viewing angle they use to gun RED down. RED's approach into the room is also generally a longer route instead of straight out of a spawndoor which makes controlling the room feel more impactful and longer-lasting. I think this position would benefit a lot from introducing these gameplay elements to it, and generally make it feel better for BLU to control and RED to fight around.

 

[Maid]

Yo I wanted to elaborate on the feedback I left today since I couldnt really finish the trail of thought during the feedback round

It's in regards to this flank. I mentioned that it didnt feel productive for BLU to attack the point from this angle, while you responded by saying that in contrary, its actually the most powerful one.

During play RED controlled the lower point area, and since that little perching spot completely reveals you from all angles to down there, using that position to gun down players down there was pretty tough since you'd get shot at from everywhere, especially if Sentries are present. Seems generally fine though since the dmg falloff is pretty low from there.

My main issue mostly stems from the RED spawn connecting to this route - you can't use this position as a perching spot to establish control of the area by withering down RED from up there because RED comes from behind you, from a route you can't see - at max damage range. Even the lil' window there is blocked so you have no idea when something is coming from the BLU POV - you constantly have to check behind.
This introduces a problem where to effectively use this position you kinda need like a BLU Demo to be on spawncamp duty (which the medium health + ammo at this position enforces even more, feels like), since otherwise something like a Heavy + Med combo can't chill there solo due to Tails probably spawning with a backburner straight behind them while the Heavy is focused on gunning down people below.

I don't really think the spawncamp duty player is a good thing to have and/or encourage, generally. Compared to the Badwater Last map-room that has BLU also overlook Last, RED's approach into the room is pretty telegraphed for any BLU players inside since they can see them go the route from the windows, so BLU can make an effective retreat from the same viewing angle they use to gun RED down. RED's approach into the room is also generally a longer route instead of straight out of a spawndoor which makes controlling the room feel more impactful and longer-lasting. I think this position would benefit a lot from introducing these gameplay elements to it, and generally make it feel better for BLU to control and RED to fight around.

This is all super fair feedback, and thank you for writing it out so insightfully!

As I mentioned at the end of the test, my plan for next version is to cut out most of the C point area and redo it, keeping a few of the routes approaching it (including this one). I'm planning on moving the C point more solidly over to the right (from blu's perspective), to allow defenders to establish more of a corner hold, and therefore move the red spawn away from this route and simply allow them to rotate into it from the direction where the spawn door currently is, most likely at a height disadvantage. My aim is to keep the unstable feeling of holding this route as blu, requiring watching multiple entrances, while keeping it as a powerful position, but no longer giving a spawn exit directly to it to make it more defensible, and pushing the point back from it so it no longer stands out as the most powerful route when blu does successfully hold it.

Thanks so much again, and I'd be interested in seeing what you think of the changes to this area once I've released them!

 

[Maid]

Maid updated Thaw with a new update entry:

Version A12

this update is focused on major changes to the C point.

• tore out most of the C point, replacing it with an entirely new point design, keeping only the lobby and part of the left-hand 'upper' route. this C design is a really different direction from either of the previous major iterations, and will likely take a lot of refinement. i'm also unsure how i'm thinking of setting it, so it's tentatively placed outside for now. let's hope it plays...

Read the rest of this update entry...