The Life Snatcher

CTF The Life Snatcher b5

zythe_

✖ ✖ ✖
aa
Feb 20, 2018
571
331

zythe_

✖ ✖ ✖
aa
Feb 20, 2018
571
331
zythe_ updated The Life Snatcher with a new update entry:

a2 - update

whats new?
  • added glow indicating the radius where the flag will drop
  • slightly decreased flag radius
  • redesigned cover to remove camp spot
  • added doors to connect highground platforms
  • added more health and ammo pickups across the map
  • redesigned connectors and spawn from the ground up
  • improved lighting
  • added pumpkin bombs!
  • minor changes
thanks to all the playtesters!

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zythe_

✖ ✖ ✖
aa
Feb 20, 2018
571
331
zythe_ updated The Life Snatcher with a new update entry:

a3 - update

whats new?

map changes:

  • added new back area that you can access with the intel!
  • added tiny cubby next to the point
  • health kit was moved into the cubby
    - this is to introduce a sort of risk vs reward element to grabbing the health, if theres no medic on your team you'd inevitably die after some time so i want at least some way of healing yourself
  • added new area between spawn and courtyard
  • minor changes
    -zythe
vscript changes:
  • added custom...

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Tiftid

the Embodiment of Scarlet Devil
aa
Sep 10, 2016
602
465
Hi zythe!
As this map hasn't been updated in almost a full month, I suspect you have little intent or motivation to work on it.
Since I'm eager for a proven example of what I call "biblical KoTF", I want this map to flourish.
Therefore, I will omit problems from my feedback and instead gear it towards solutions, making it as easy as possible for you to return to working on the map.

Solution #1: Two bridges over the point area​

Here's what RED's bridge would look like:
1688300597473.png

Green is lower walls, orange is floors/stairs and cyan is upper walls.
The green wall on the left would solve the issue of rotate time approaching the point area (especially if the door blocked by the stairs is moved left so you can keep it), since defenders would no longer be able to hang out next to the main door from the attacker lobby and watch all their routes by standing in one spot.
The bridge makes it doubly easy for attackers by making their rotates while already in the point area much safer (and therefore their rotates in general become much faster as they don't have to backtrack to safety first).
It also acts as a good sentry spot to prevent defenders from pushing forward.
As for the possibility of defenders using it for safe, fast rotates, I wouldn't worry too much about that, since it's not part of the allowable flag region and the cyan wall makes it so that it doesn't cover much of the point area.

If you wanted to take extra steps to make attacker rotates more favourable, you could also modify this area:
1688301226114.png

But I don't think this is a perfect idea, since the region I flagged as "The Pit" would be a hotspot for defender engi camping, even with the stairs that would make it an agonising spot to try to build in.

By the way, yet another perk of the green walls of the bridge suggestion is that it makes it easier to reach the enemy side of the arena without being stopped along the way, which is what the map design seemingly wants players to be able to do in order to prevent camping.

Solution #2: Adjust attacker pickup balancing​

Move this health and ammo:
1688301683963.png

Move this health:
1688301808934.png

What I'm implying here is that the lobby may need further geometric adjustments, but to be honest, defenders holding the lobby in my matches was ultra rare, so I'll only suggest a solution for the lobby when I'm convinced that it needs one, which is not now.

Delete this health or move it up to that bridge I suggested earlier:
1688301990326.png

And I reckon that's about it!

Solution #3: Adjust the mechanics surrounding the flag​

Firstly, you should reduce the region which the flag is allowed to be carried in to the concrete floor:
1688302233787.png

This prevents players from simply sitting behind this wall with the yellow pipe and letting their teammates prevent the attackers from even reaching them.

Although this isn't absolutely necessary, you should also probably adjust the geometry of the concrete arena to prevent safe spots:
1688302460803.png

1688302575026.png


With these features in place, I believe that camping would be so hard that you could maybe even make the flag heal instead of hurt (or at least deal no damage at all), since forced damage is not cool ever, even if it's for a good reason like preventing camping.
The crits for the flag carrier should probably also be axed, since it only helps defenders, which is the opposite of what we want from a KoTH or KoTF mechanic.

By the way, the allowed flag region being restricted to the concrete is also good fictionally, since why would you be able to take a flag attached via tight-ish cable indoors?

Finally, you should enable lightmapping on the radar dish prop and set it to have 128 luxels on both axes, since it will make it look sexy:
1688302844246.png

1688302936363.png
 

zythe_

✖ ✖ ✖
aa
Feb 20, 2018
571
331

zythe_

✖ ✖ ✖
aa
Feb 20, 2018
571
331
zythe_ updated The Life Snatcher with a new update entry:

a5 - update

whats new?
  • slightly increased flag holding radius
  • added some crates to prevent the flag carrier from using the pipes as cover
  • removed third person
  • the flag holding area is now a cylinder instead of a sphere, jump as much as you like, carrier!
  • added medium health-kit inside building next to death pits
  • minor changes
thanks to all the playtesters!

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zythe_

✖ ✖ ✖
aa
Feb 20, 2018
571
331

zythe_

✖ ✖ ✖
aa
Feb 20, 2018
571
331
zythe_ updated The Life Snatcher with a new update entry:

a7 - update

whats new?
  • converted whole building in front of spawn to be part of spawn
  • changed crit-boost condition to one that hopefully doesent get removed by healing sources
  • added ammo in center shack next to death-pit
  • made hold zone gradient more translucent
  • minor changes
thanks to all the playtesters!

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zythe_

✖ ✖ ✖
aa
Feb 20, 2018
571
331

zythe_

✖ ✖ ✖
aa
Feb 20, 2018
571
331

zythe_

✖ ✖ ✖
aa
Feb 20, 2018
571
331
zythe_ updated The Life Snatcher with a new update entry:

a13 - update

whats new?
  • working to minimize sightlines... again...
  • removed vent walls from red and blue pipes
  • added cover around mid
  • removed shutter door into mid
  • moved spawn points slightly to the left to encourage players to go the longer route
  • i dont remember anything else
thanks to all the playtesters!

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zythe_

✖ ✖ ✖
aa
Feb 20, 2018
571
331
zythe_ updated The Life Snatcher with a new update entry:

b1 - IT LIVES!

whats new?
  • artpass!
  • various custom assets implemented, notably, the life-snatcher itself.
  • in map logic converted to vscript
  • lots of minor gameplay changes as a result of detailing
  • minor changes
this version has a lot of unfinished stuff, namely sfx, animations, part of the artpass, assets, etc. however im uploading b1 to test script changes, optimization, and how the detailing affects gameplay.
thanks to all the playtesters!

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zythe_

✖ ✖ ✖
aa
Feb 20, 2018
571
331
zythe_ updated The Life Snatcher with a new update entry:

b3 - update

whats new?
  • blocked various sniper sightlines (hopefully sufficiently)
  • made yard area surrounding pit safer to be in
  • added medium ammo pack in connectors
  • various detailing changes
  • various clipping changes
  • removed MFD on DEVICE carry
  • pit carry outline is now:
    • team colored
    • less saturated
    • hopefully less opaque
  • scaled up the Life Snatcher
    - this results in a bug that causes the rope attaching to the intel to not work properly, right...

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