KotH wharfcrane a6b

[Mathyaz]

koth_wharfcrane - Fight for control of the crane.

Welcome!
Thanks for viewing my map! This is the very first one I've ever really felt comfortable putting up for download, and I'd appreciate it if I could get as much feedback as possible throughout this experience.
Now, before we get too far into this, I'd just like to say that this is a very, VERY bare map. I have the terrain in place and the general formation of buildings. There is very little to no texture in place. Props are only put up for things like sightlines and view breaks, and that's all. Lighting is very basic, but there's a light_env out there. There is hardly anything around the map itself, and you can easily see the skybox around the bay and the departing roads. You'll know what I mean when you see it.
I would like to put thanks out to hutty, TheDarkerSideofYourShadow, and the Bulletcrops Project for assets involving the shipping containers and the bay props.
*That being said, there are props that I had to import! Let me know if they show up as ERRORS and I'll get to fixing that!*

koth_wharfcrane
This map is a simple koth map, with the central point for capture in the office of controls for the crane. The layout is inspired by koth_lakeside. The main shipyard is separated by two tall buildings, a storage/factory area at the bottom, and the bay itself on the top of the map. BLU and RED spawns have three ways of entrance/exit, that point you toward different areas of the map.


I hope you enjoy my map, and help me see this through to finish!

 

[Moonrat]

I think there is some interesting stuff going on in this map. The curved window in that warehouse looks pretty cool as well.

My only worry is the sightlines. Some seem a bit too extreme. Though playtesting will tell how bad they are

 

[Davekillerish]

The orange dev texture that you have should be replaced with a grey or a brightness varient (grey > white).
Orange makes lights seem bright, and its the worst color to look at to the human eye.

 

[Mathyaz]

My only worry is the sightlines. Some seem a bit too extreme. Though playtesting will tell how bad they are

I agree, there are certain areas which make me worry about sight lines, like the RED and BLU courtyards and along the docks. With a bit of opinion I'll find a way to block them up.

 

[Mathyaz]

Changes for A2:
Navigation changes and visual swaps, mostly. Noted some sightlines that needed to be blocked up, so I put in a truck carrying a shipping container on either side of the map to break a line that crossed the whole map. (Whoops.)
After using custom models from Bulletcrops and others, I finally PACKED the .bsp file so they should show up elsewhere. Let me know if anyone finds ERROR prompts.
Also, I realized the spawn room's second floor was pretty high up, so I put in a damage filter that should negate all fall damage in each team's spawn rooms.

ADDED:
Put in parked trucks in each team's first courtyard to break a sightline through the factory
Made each Team's docks wider for easier jumping to their platforms
Created playerclips on top of certain buildings, and block bullets along all staircases
Put in a damage filter in each spawn room to negate fall damage from the drop of the secondary spawn area
SWAPPED:
Changed certain building textures to the gray measurement dev kit instead of the orange one

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[radarhead]

The orange dev texture that you have should be replaced with a grey or a brightness varient (grey > white).
Orange makes lights seem bright, and its the worst color to look at to the human eye.

This is a matter of opinion. Because the lighting in this map is a bit darker and more neutral than some maps, the orange color should get a pass. It only really becomes a problem when absolutely everything is orange.

 

[FerJox22]

RED containers at main shipyard are smaller than BLU's...

 

[Mathyaz]

RED containers at main shipyard are smaller than BLU's...

The images are not up-to-date anymore. I'll add new images, but in a2b, all RED shipping containers match the BLU one's LxHxW.

 

[Mathyaz]

Changes for A3:
Detailing additions for this update. Texture changes, prop placement, etc. Remodeling of the interior for the spawn rooms after finding a bug that negating Soldier Rocket-Jumping. Yikes.

ADDED:
Created shelving with brushes, placed crates/items on shelves, for the warehouse.
Formed BlockBullets around the lamp posts on the docks after finding out that they had no collision models.
Remodelled the interior of the spawn rooms, lowering the platform for players to jump off from.

SWAPPED:
Replaced the RED containers with the size equivalent with the BLU ones.
Changed the sizes of some of the ammo and health kits around the field.
Switched out palletes with barrels to water containers around the docking area.

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[Mathyaz]

Changes for A4:
Holy guacamole, Batman. Talk about updates.
This is the first version release since the gameday on 3/20. I've made changes to the terrain, buildings, lighting, and overall gameplay. Hopefully, I can get this version tested to see the feedback. Anyway, here's the changelog.

ADDED:
Multiple arrow overlays to direct the player toward the capture point
Completely reworked the docks; two platforms, more staircases to get out of the water
New scenery to block off the skybox a bit on either end of the map
Placed new shipping containers and sheds for cover in the main courtyard
Placed BlockBullet ramps for height changes along the road in the first yards
Elevated the main shipyard and rearranged certain shipping containers
Replaced ground-level sheds with elevated desk areas
Made a fourth exit on the second floor of the spawn rooms
Created new buildings with porches in each first courtyard
Built a 3 story tower for the capture point to sit in (on second floor)
Placed 4 info_observer_points along the map for spectating
Created larger docks on other ends of fence for skybox blocking

REMOVED:
Brought down the player clip on a few of the shelving units with empty spaces for cover
Took out a good chunk of the healthkits and ammo packs, spread them out a little more

SWAPPED:
Certain textures that I know I won't want to alter were replaced with NODRAW
Changed the glass textures to be a brighter color, making them easier to see through
Changed the color of floor textures in the team bases to help determine safe zones
Replaced some lights in the middle ground with standard white/gray lights

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[Mathyaz]

Changes for A5:
Oh my lanta, the changes. There's still a lot of feedback regarding the amount of space. So, I took my creative spirits and did as much as I could to make the map feel a little more concentrated rather than open-ended. I closed off the bay, made it more scenery than interactive. I put in two tunnel-like structures outside of each spawn to help break up the terrain and sightlines down each courtyard. I also took apart the main courtyard where the capture point is and pieced something together that insinuated more of a "king of the hill" feel.

ADDED:
New warehouses along the bay to block off the water.
The first buildings separating the courtyard have new routes to go through them/
An experimental tunnel segment was placed between the spawn rooms and the first buildings to break sightlines and provide corner cover.
New capture point area in the main courtyard
Height change and cover placements
"Top Secret" brush doors in place in certain areas for detail
Arrow and light replacements

REMOVED:
Got rid of the silly tower for the capture point. Too small, wasn't seen as a battleground.
Main courtyard has been heavily altered
Took away some of the dock space, made it feel more like a wharf than a shipyard

SWAPPED:
Replaced a few large containers with the half-sized ones

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[LeSwordfish]

We played this map in our gameday today. You can find the feedback at http://feedback.tf2maps.net/map/koth_wharfcrane_a5b/ - and if you sign in to the site and claim the map, you can download the feedback as a .vmf. You can also download the demo file here: http://demos.geit.co.uk/demos/1459800720-eu-koth_wharfcrane_a5b.zip

I like this map, but so much of it just doesnt get used. All the areas except the point are very big, and some of them are very far away from anything. That also makes it very good for snipers - there's a perfect 2fort-style sniper deck on each side, which makes it very easy for snipers to dominate the centre.

 

[Mathyaz]

Changes for A6:
After the last GameDay Wharfcrane was featured in, I got an enormous amount of critical feedback. There was lots of talk of unused space, areas feeling a little overwhelming, and just really large in general. I took all of this information into account and decided to take a week and a half off of adding onto the current version of the map, a5b, and remodeled the entirety of the map itself with a new building structure, new environment settings, and mechanics. However, the original layout of the map is the same: a middleground courtyard, a warehouse at the bottom, two smaller buildings between spawn and the middleground, and spawn buildings for each team. However, I completely overhauled the area itself. More routes, more height changes, and new terrain in general. Here's a basic rundown of the new and improved Wharfcrane.

Spawn Rooms:
I placed the initial spawn rooms underground, away from a set of stairs that lead to a hub of three pathways. The resupply cabinets are in this new hub room, so you don't have to trek across spawn to get to them. Again, colored floors are key to where it is safe to change classes.

Train Stations:
After each spawn room is a small train station that leads to the first buildings. This is meant as a height variation chamber, leading to more direct routes to the capture point. There is still a long-ways building in the train station that will provide a doorway route to the large warehouse at the bottom of the map, instead of another courtyard.

Sewer System:
Since I only built from the surface up, a lot of my buildings were large to provide for groups of players. Instead of doing this again, I added more routes with smaller branching paths. The main difference being a new sewer system I made under the map. If this is well received, I'll keep it in. There are doors in this sewer that will open after the point is captured. However, they will only open for the team that has lost the capture point! This is to help classes like the spy and the scout get to the capture point with ease to help their team.

Middleground:
The middle ground was enormously open in a5, and I got feedback that told me that it didn't feel like a battleground with a high capture point. So, I added new terrain, cover, and easier ways to get to the middleground. There are new walls, an elevated capture point, and access to the newly integrated sewer system. The cover should also provide slower classes in the field with an easier way to avoid sniper fire across the map.

Warehouse:
The warehouse! The signature for Wharfcrane. Previously, it was just this ginormous empty building with a few, dark shelving units in it. Well, I went to lengths to fill hallways, and readjust the middle of the building for classes to jump around and attack each other in. Hopefully with this new cover it becomes a battleground and/or clinch point for the team currently dominating the capture point.

And that's about it! I hope you guys enjoy the newly remodeled Wharfcrane. Let me know what you guys think!

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[LadyRaee]

Unless you updated your map and left old screenshots, but map looks dark as satan's anus.
**EDIT**
You have "flat sun" parallel to the horizon, change your env light pitch to face more downwards (but not straight down!)

 

[Mathyaz]

Changes for A6B:
I made a few changes to the underground route that takes either team to the center point, which can be accessed from the sewer grates. I also added a few weather aspects too, like rain/wind on the surface and running water against windows and down into the sewer. Instead of long hallways, I turned them into rooms with a walkway over some pipes. Just some minor changes here and there to make the atmosphere better.

ADDED:
New weather! Added a standard rain/wind particle effect to the map. Still working out the kinks to this though, so bear with me.
A few new signs and arrows around the map to point players toward the center point.
Air vents were added to the underground rooms as a secondary route for when the doors are closed.

SWAPPED:
Changed the long hallways in the underground route into rooms. New props, a walkway, and lighting.

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