wilder

TracerDX

L3: Member
Jun 9, 2009
127
26
About:
This is my first attempt at a "real" Team Fortress 2 map. It is modeled after the "push" concept (ex. cp_well, cp_granary). However, not wanting to create yet-another map in this genre, I added a twist. What is usually the center control point is now 2 control points that can be captured by any team. To proceed past the "center" part of the map, a team must control both of these control points. I did this to make the center battle a little more challenging than sending out a scout rush to capture a single point, though it is still possible if they divide and conquer.

Once a team captures the enemy's first owned cp, then both of the center points are locked as if they were the single center cp. Other than that, this map plays like your usual push map.

This map is rather large and the center is full of side paths, making it the key to winning or losing the round in this map. Once a team controls the center, its a downhill assault into the enemy base, making turtling a bit harder. However, it is quite a distance from the center to the next CP, so waves should be semi-coordinated to be successful against determined defenders.


Overview:
Intelligence acquired by our agents have alerted us to the existence of an enemy missile factory cleverly disguised as a harmless mining operation in the mountains. What they don't know is we also have such an operation across the valley.

Objective:
Your mission is to secure the valley then infiltrate and capture the enemy control points in their base while defending our own.

Other Notes:
Control points cannot be captured while they are locked.
The valley has 2 control points. You must control both to capture the enemy control points.

Credit
TheDarkerSideofYourShadow - For his skyboxified Pine Trees.

Additional screenshots may be found here:
http://s529.photobucket.com/albums/...tress 2 Screenshots/cp_wilder Beta 2 Release/

Updates
  • Alpha 4
    • Tweaked HDR exposure values to reduce transitional glare. (Now 0.8 to 1.2)
    • Added lights to mining areas.
    • Changed color and intensity of tunnel/lamp lights.
    • Added lights to Control Point 2/Shack areas.
    • Added lights to Final Control Point/Base areas.
    • Added subtle light to center area "dark caves" to make walls visible in new exposure settings.
    • Replaced some point_spotlight with env_sprite light effects.
    • Fixed "off" startup gate
    • Fixed misaligned textures.
 
Last edited:

Seba

DR. BIG FUCKER, PHD
aa
Jun 9, 2009
2,364
2,728
Looks amazing so far, but I have to agree with Political, some of the areas are too dark. Leave the Stream Cave the way it is though, provides a nice contrast to the bright and open space of the middle grounds.
 

TracerDX

L3: Member
Jun 9, 2009
127
26
I guess you're referring to the mining areas and bases. Thnx, I'll add it to my to do list. I kinda wanted to bring a contrast to the light beams and the environment, but playability must come first. :X
 

Ian_Suffix

L1: Registered
Jan 3, 2009
27
3
Don't worry too much about contrast, it's just the floors that need every square inch lit. On the subject of contrast, however, I recommend that you decrease the HDR exposure level a bit so that the outside area isn't blindingly bright.

Here are some other notes I took while running through the map:
- Go for sprites rather than lightglows. Lightglows are a little overpowering for small light sources.
- Nice displacement work!
- Stairs with huge gaps in them might make players (such as myself) feel uncomfortable, despite knowing very well that they are clipped
- Excellent side rooms
- Well detailed and realistic skybox-- with the exception of the dirt blend texture. Somehow, the dirt just feels weird. It makes it a bit more obvious that it's a skybox at best.
- I don't know how much of a stickler you are for lighting consistency, but the water in one of the lower caves is lit curiously because of the difference in lighting in the skybox:
cpwilderb20003.jpg
 

TracerDX

L3: Member
Jun 9, 2009
127
26
Thanks again for the feedback. I have taken it all into cosideration for my change list for the next version. :)

If anyone knows of a good low-detail bluish rock texture, I'd be happy to use it. The one used in the skybox mountains is just a Photoshop Patternmaker simplification of the existing bluish forest rock. I'm no texture artist and I'm not really happy with how it turned out, looks like "static" but using the original made the texture's repetition very obvious and unrealistic, as the geometry is very large, in scale with the texture. And I needed to maintain the scale to keep the grassy parts looking right. :closedeyes:

Since it appears the US Saturday gameday thread is locked already, I will probably have the time to make these changes before the next gameday.
 

TracerDX

L3: Member
Jun 9, 2009
127
26
Due to the fact that I will be testing exclusively with tf2maps.net, I have decided to return to "alpha" on this map. As there were 3 clan-internal alphas with this map, this is technically alpha 4. A few minor changes from "Beta 2" due to lighting issues, and I am assuming there will be many more after gameday testing.

I will upload new screen shots of the brightened areas later today. But I must pass out. Been up all night working on this.
 

TracerDX

L3: Member
Jun 9, 2009
127
26
Life kicked my ass for a couple years and I couldn't continue development of this map, but that's all over now.

In the coming weeks, I will be releasing cp_wilder_a5. Gunna take me some time to get back into my groove with this map and mapping in general, but I really want to see it finished. Never got to test this latest build, but I'd rather do some quality check passes anyways before I waste people's time testing it. I got a fresh perspective and a few new ideas to apply to it as well.

In the meantime, if for some crazy reason anyone has actually played a4 and has some feedback, please reply or msg me so I can incorporate it into this next release. :)
 

TracerDX

L3: Member
Jun 9, 2009
127
26
Its playable as is and really, I am so close to it being completed it'd be a shame not to. I really just need to make the lighting better, do some detail passes and make a 3D skybox that is not-suck.

Oh yea, and definitely back from the dead :p