Heyo! We pugged on this map a little while ago and I had some ideas on how you could improve the map. Please keep in mind that we played this map in Ulti
trio, so not all of this may necessarily translate to Ultiduo. (That being said, it'd be cool to have both a Duos and Trios version of the map. It's a pretty cool one!)
So, during the playtest, I felt like there was a lack of different approach options for teams. One major one that I very rarely saw used was the Underground section of the map, which while cool, ultimately proved to be a route that was very disadvantageous. I think one way to improve this would be to add a wall next to the control point that blocks direct access to the stairwell from the point. This would, ideally, create a risk-vs-reward scenario where you could ask your scout to check the stairwell when you're holding the Point. The Scout would be alone, so if the other team is going through lower he would be risking his life for vital intel on where the enemy team is approaching. This would also have a secondary effect of making the Control Point less spammable. I feel this would be a good change, as during our playtest it really felt like we weren't safe anywhere on the Control Point since attackers could counter-rotate so fast.
So one of the things that I particularly felt while playing medic is that he doesn't really have a good rotate option for this side of the map. This isn't the case for soldier or scout because soldier can jump straight in and scout has double jump. Medic has to awkwardly walk up this grass and then turn around, which takes an unnecessarily long time imo. I think having a thin, wide ramp here would really help medic feel more effective on this map.
We all felt that there was a significant lack in ammo around the map, and this hut I feel would be absolutely perfect for a medium ammo pack. It's nice and right in the action when you need it.
Pleaaaaaaaase make the timer 3 minutes or 3:30 minutes!!! It's such a nice quality of life change for the speed of a game, and it leaves you less tired when playing. I promise you will never be able to go back after it lol.
One thing I feel particularly strongly about is the ability for me and my team to effectively move around the map without getting stuck on stuff. I really felt this went maneuvering around this wooden platform, as I actually got stuck and died here because I couldn't escape due to the lack of ability to get up. It was really frustrating, and I think it's something that should be avoided. Additionally, there's this half of the ramp that can't be walked up and I think that's just a tiny little annoyance that can be fixed. It would be really appreciated if there was a clip brush or two next to it that allowed you to move up the full height of the ramp and not get stuck. Just a QoL fix.
I really think that half of this wall should be removed. It really clutters up the area on the side of the control point, and more than once did I feel restricted in my movement options due to this being just that much too long. I don't think the
whole thing should be removed, just this half of it.
Aside from those gameplay feedback things, you've likely noticed how absurdly bright the map appears in my screenshots. This is due to HDR and bloom, which you can read up on more and learn how to fix here:
https://tf2maps.net/downloads/anti-hdr-blindness-device.8516/
It's not
necessary, but it would greatly be appreciated if there was some tonemapping going on in the map. It strains the eyes when trying to play more than it should currently, and I think that takes away from your map.
Despite my feedback, I had a really good time playing Swine. I think it's of high quality, and I want to see it be improved upon! My hopes is that, when the time comes, we can be able to play it in Ultitrio Season 3, as this was genuinely one of the most UNIQUE maps that I have ever played in my time playing Ultitrio (~9 months). Hopefully my feedback has helped you out in finding a direction to improve your map, and I hope you have a good day!
Edit: Also, please get in contact with Coolstuff (".coolstuff" on discord) if you'd be willing to continue this map for Ultitrio, we'd love to have you on board!
submitted a new resource:
