CTF Vector Final

[lana]

Or maybe a sign.

 

[Tinker]

Perhaps, but not many players actually take the path to the right. They see the CP, and the catwalk, and want to push head on through. Although this almost always fails, I don't believe in forcing players to act against their instincts, or blame them for not taking the alternate route. Instead, I want to be giving players a choice, rather than punishing them for not playing how I'd like them to play. Ideally, The catwalk should be as viable as the other route. That way, nobody is frustrated, and nobody would feel the need to blame me for making one of the potentially easiest cap on the map, impossible to win.

Of course, I have yet to personally test the double-catwalk layout, but if it's needed, I'll make the side path harder. I've seen far too many matches stall there, and everyone feels frustrated. I believe the first CP in these stages should primarily be a "time-waster", and not be an actual "winnable" point to defend. Asking around, players pointed 3-1 as their most disliked CP, which I'm not really fond of either. Balance should always be a focus when mapping AD maps, but my goal is to make it both balanced AND fun.

Well, from what I've seen, not many people take that sentry spots anyway, as it's very easy to take out. Instead, they build next to the BLU-side wall on the catwalk, which does the same job but shoots enemies earlier.
The double catwalk seemed to lead to more frustration than that it helped from what I've seen. RED players often walked from the point to the other side, expecting the logical stairs right in front of the cap to materialize, which, of course, didn't Seeing as the two catwalks are so close together and open anyway, there isn't much of a difference in how the point is the defended.

I haven't seen people not finding the side entrance within one time dying, oddly. Maybe it's just a conflict of server populations, though. What I'd suggest to make it more attractive is to have the little corridor immediately to the right lead to a staircase, leading to a catwalk above the REDs, or maybe even having both routes to the sideway ramp up so that RED can't come there except via the (dangerous) catwalks next to the point. That way, they'd be locked into their defense and fairly immovable, while BLU can drop in from various places. (If that was unclear I wouldn't mind drawing it )

 

[Icarus]

Should give attackers a little breathing room before they start assaulting the point. Do you think it should be shorter?

A few things I need to know:
1. How hard is the new 2-2? I fear it might be too easy.
2. How hard is the final CP 3-3? I don't feel that I have enough data on this. Win ratio should be 50/50 here.

 

[Icarus]

Vector (CTF) Beta 3
by Eric "Icarus" Wong
Email: ericgfwong@hotmail.com
Download: FPSBanana
Mirror: TF2Maps.NET

CHANGES TO B3:
-Clipping and visual improvements
-Fixed a bug where the on-screen compass would not appear for players carrying the sapper-intel if the enemy is blocking the point
-Added alarm when the sapper-intel is near the active CP
Stage 1
-Added short wall near second cap to give attackers some breathing space
Stage 2
-Modified pickups and layout to better help attackers for the initial CP
-Removed upper sentry ledge for second cap
-Reduced number of barriers, making sentries a little bit more vulnerable
-Increased number of health packs
Stage 3
-Added second walkway and railings to the initial CP
-reduced the size of sentry-campable window for initial CP
-Reduced size of health packs
-Moved pickups near final CP closer to defenders

 

[Jack Riguel]

Vector (CTF) Beta 3
-Removed upper sentry ledge for second cap

Very nice. This makes that point a lot more fun to defend and attack. Oddly enough, removing this makes it easier to defend, as most of RED team now stays on the lower deck near the intel.

However by contrast it also makes the stairs more liable to sentry spam, which is difficult to remove do to the amount of cover it's given.

Either way though, that cap is a lot more fun to play at now. Good work.

 

[eerieone]

This is what i was talking about in my review, i actually love this one because of the "Conserve Energy" next to it

There is are others, but i forgot to screenshot them :/ once i play it again, i´ll provide you with the rest

 

[Icarus]

This is what i was talking about in my review, i actually love this one because of the "Conserve Energy" next to it

That was... on purpose... yeah...

>_>

<_<

 

[Ginxeng]

So far I love this map. My first impression of the map was "It feels too small" But after playing all the levels, that made up for that feeling. Great work on this map.

 

[Engineer]

I was a nasty boy yesterday and decompiled some of your earlier versions, to take a look at some stuff :blushing:
They gave me so much inspiration for my map Thank you Icarus. The map is really looking great

 

[Icarus]

I have no qualms against using it for educational purposes.

Thanks

 

[Kronixx]

I have no qualms against using it for educational purposes.

Thanks

he'll just cut your throat later, no worries. Enjoy it while you can

 

[Psy]

There needs to be ammo at BLU's entrance into the area of 1 - 2. As a Heavy I have to constantly run all the way back to CP1 in order to get ammo. :\

 

[Icarus]

Already done in B3.

 

[MrAlBobo]

bit of an update after...extensive playing (by my standards )

Since the tf2 blog update where the server has been constantly filled with random people, not a single offensive team has taken the last control point that I have seen, ive also never seen the first defended, and the second was defended twice.
So...yeah...

I think the second stage is fine, its at about the difficulty id like to see it at, though at 2-2 if blue gets a sentry in the window connecting to the building with a pipe it can pretty much grind counter-assaults to a halt as it sees everything <_< Still don't think anything needs to be changed though I was just wishing I had another way up while on red.

The first stage defending at the second point I can't help but notice that blue always has a height advantage. Makes it a bit unfun as...pretty much any class that can't get up that high on their own. Infact...the only time I ever recall red winning that round is when they have a ridiculous amounts of soldiers/ demos... I think something as simple as a stack of random crap for red to jump up at one point would change that slightly, note the side path dustbowl 2-1. Possibly at the end of that path on the far right from blues perspective. Anyone jumping up would be instantly visible to the cluster of blue people usually gathered there and would likely be knocked down or killed, but it gives another option over walking under blue down a narrow path to the first cp, then climbing up, just to get on even ground.

Finally...stage 3...do not touch the first point, its not the problem. Many of the random people mentioned earlier think that the second point is the primary flaw with the map, one of them being incredibly vocal. <_< Anyways...most of the time, red is clustered on one side of that main narrow path, with blue clustered on the other. Usually neither can really make any progress, but eventually red pushes through as they have the advantage of close spawns, a wall to bounce explosives off of and the fact that those explosives practically hit everyone on blue trying to enter the area. I have several ideas regarding that:
1) Simply widen the hallway, tons of people try to run though it, expand it to match
2) Add an "underground" detail area at the bottom of that wall that will allow many of the pipebombs that miss the blue team to fall safely out of the way. Basically a "gap" that is approx. 40 units high
2a) Possibly allow the teams to enter said area, main purpose would be to give blue snipers an advantage of sorts
3) Reduce reds access to the room on the right side (blues perspective), this will give blue a chance to set up a better forward spawn without a pyro always running in from a side entrance. Im thinking completely remove that side path and compensate by giving red a way up with random crap (see suggestion for round 1) on the ledge on their side.

My votes are for doing 1 and 2, maybe 2a. 3 seems like it will change things too substantially.

Anyways...yeah...I think a multistage map should have red defending round 1 10% of the time, round 2 25-33% of the time, and round 3 50% of the time. Based on the last eight rounds ive played your more at, well...0/8 for round 1, 2/8 for round 2, and 8/8 for round 3. So...yeah...

 

[Colt Seavers]

Really looking good - only played it a couple of times testing on our map lab server.....but it played well enough that there weren't obvious things I could usefully feedback.

What I would like to say, is thank you - I admire your detailing and brush work a great deal and have learnt lots since I took up mapping just from having one of your maps open next to hammer. Quality work.

 

[Icarus]

Next Week on Vector: Series Finale!

Stay tuned for V1

 

[The Political Gamer]

Skipping RC?

 

[Icarus]

I don't use _RC nor _final

_v is sort of a merger of them both. More complete than RC, but not as absolute as _final.

 

[strangemodule]

Congrats on 2nd place man, you deserve it.

 

[eerieone]

Gratz Man