The Hammer Times: December 2012 Newsletter

[tyler]

December 2012 Newsletter

Hello again! It has been a while, hasn't it? The last time we had a news post was July, which feels so long ago. A lot has happened! We have a lot to talk about.

News
First: the site rules were recently updated, including forum, chat and server rules. Please take a moment to refresh yourself. It is all pretty common sense stuff, so there shouldn't be any issues. You've probably seen this already. Thanks!

The 9th contest is upon us! It's all about Mann vs Machine, and collaboration is allowed. Get to the rules thread for more info!

As a reminder, we do operate an IRC channel in addition to the Steam chat, so if IRC is your bag, connect here or point your client to #tf2maps on Quakenet.

In minor site and server news...

• There is a new map rotation on the server!
• In addition, RTV has been disabled
• TF2M has an official MVM server that anyone can use, like the normal server
• Prestige, Seba and yyler have all been promoted to site staff
• Maps in the workshop and showcase now correctly link to TF2stats.net, so players can see where a map is getting played
• Forum users can now use
  Spoiler

  tags (in the same way as QUOTE or CODE) to hide large chunks of text.
  [*]SD and MVM are both selectable in the "Game type" field when posting a map (image)

Spoiler

Maps and Assets Highlight
Several great maps have been put in the showcase lately! Here are just a few:

• cp_stoneyridge - http://forums.tf2maps.net/showthread.php?t=16091
• koth_arctic - http://forums.tf2maps.net/showthread.php?t=19603
• koth_anthem - http://forums.tf2maps.net/showthread.php?t=19435
• pl_swiftwater - http://forums.tf2maps.net/showthread.php?t=6749
• cp_axle - http://forums.tf2maps.net/showthread.php?t=8227
• koth_former_cornfield - http://forums.tf2maps.net/showthread.php?t=19454

And great new assets? Sure!

• Log textures - http://forums.tf2maps.net/showthread.php?t=19978
• Switchboard and stool models - http://forums.tf2maps.net/showthread.php?t=20134
• Updated ivy models - http://forums.tf2maps.net/showthread.php?t=20271
• General use lava effects - http://forums.tf2maps.net/showthread.php?t=20040
• Hydraulic door legs, separated - http://forums.tf2maps.net/showthread.php?t=20173

Tutorials, Resources, and Guides
Many great tutorials and resources have sprung up lately. Here are just a handful:

• Don't use the SFM Hammer, ever - http://forums.tf2maps.net/showthread.php?t=20385
• Let's talk about Mann vs Machine - http://forums.tf2maps.net/showthread.php?t=20439
  An analysis of the three MVM maps in the game and how bots move around them
• MVM syntax hilighting for .pop files in Notepad++ - http://forums.tf2maps.net/showthread.php?t=20297
  A great resource for anyone who wants to make custom waves for their MVM map
• Making animated props with Blender - http://forums.tf2maps.net/showthread.php?t=20197
  A short guide on animating props
• Kong King prop library - http://forums.tf2maps.net/showthread.php?t=20024
  All the new models from koth_king, laid out in a vmf
• Conveyor belt prefab - http://forums.tf2maps.net/showthread.php?t=19907
  Plug and play!
• The Dev Process: Creating Anthem - http://forums.tf2maps.net/showthread.php?t=20277
  Quick notes on making a map from start to finish

Well, that looks like all we have this time! Thanks for reading and we'll see you next month! As always, leave your feedback and point out anything we missed.