[WIP]pl_swift

[Ezekel]

this is a map i really like. especially all the custom signs around the map.

one big problem i've found with it though is red locking blu into the spawn room at the start. the problem is simply due to the chicken-wire fence. a person on red can see blu people coming, and know which side they'll exit.
if that brush was made into something non transparent, it'd fix that problem.
i know you put it there to let blu get a view of what's going on outside, so you could perhaps put a few small windows in, but not something that lets red easily see into the spawn from a distance.

 

[What Is Schwa]

Thanks. I've experienced the red lockdown once and was kinda surprised. Despite this, blu did manage to push the cart during the last minute. I'm not sure if it really is a problem or not, as each stage should have some level of difficulty. However, spawn camping is one of my biggest peeves.

Right now I'm sorta accumulating feedback and deciding if a v2 is worth a release or not.

 

[Ezekel]

well my only real beef is that i was able to keep a 5man team locked in the spawn room pretty much on my own as a soldier. because the doors are open/shut sort, not even spys could get out without me knowing it.

- a concerted effort as a team would have easily overwhelmed me, but on average teamplanning/play is not something you see often on an online game.

 

[Steve]

First of i'd like to say great map, I got to play it with a few people the other day.

Everyone seemed to enjoy the map, however the only issue we found, was BLU's forward spawn is way to small and easy to spawn camp. The main issue is that the door was opening when people respawned so there is no chance to build up an Uber-charge to break out.

 

[What Is Schwa]

The forward spawn got camped? Wow... I've never seen that. Blu has a fairly short respawn cycle there. Do you think if the building that blu spawn is in had some one way exit doors that dropped after CP3 was won the problem would be fixed?

I mean... there is always going to be a jerk demo man at your spawn every once in a while. What kind of camping was this?

 

[flubber]

Is it normal that props diseaperring at middle distance, 'cause that's pretty crappy.

 

[YM]

Is it normal that props diseaperring at middle distance, 'cause that's pretty crappy.

Yeah there are a lot of props that dissapear too early. In particular I noticed today the barrels at the very end all fade out whilst they'd still be clearly visible.

 

[What Is Schwa]

I'm going through and collecting these minor annoyances and deciding if a V2 build is necessary. Every prop in the game was manually tweaked (not a single one is at -1) and therefor a few did slip past the testers and myself. Fatigue from looking at it for too long I suppose. Most aren't actually noticeable when you are playing, and outside of the barrels Youme mentioned, none effect gameplay.

If you want to take screens that'd be great.

 

[flubber]

Well i'll try , i've noticed at least 10 of them just outside blue spawn, i'll try to do it soon.

 

[What Is Schwa]

Woah that many. Cool thanks. No hurry or anything. I'm kinda waiting on more data to see if spawntimes need adjusting or maybe reducing the overall time for each CP. V2 isn't going to happen soon.

Also, are you running the map on your server? I'm having trouble finding a game.

 

[eerieone]

i wanted to check which version i played yesterday, and i just found a file called "pl_swift"
you should always put a version number behind the name whilst still in developement, only "pl_swift" should be reserved for the final gold release, or people will get error messages and wont download the newest version off a server

at first blue spawn, when you leave blu spawn, there is a rock on the right by the hut you have to jump over in a weird way, clip it, so people just walk over it

as a spy, i always look for alternative routes, and i found plenty, but all the other lemmings walked always the same path straight into disaster, make the alternate paths more apparent. use the sliding sign like in badwater for giving the players some visual stimuli pointing them in another direction

oh, and hey, swift was mentioned on Control Point
they should definately start making some custom map discussions

 

[What Is Schwa]

The jump on the rock is intentional. Any class can normal jump up it if they are standing near it.

I felt swift was a fully polished product and didn't really intend on returning to it. I've gotten a lot of positive feedback and am kinda surprised by the reception. I am thinking about a v2 just to take care of the niggling stuff that popped up, but really this version is fully playable and balanced and is quite enjoyable. I don't mind it being the one with the release name on it.

 

[Spartacus]

If you're still on the edge of releasing a v2, please consider it. After playing a few rounds on my clan's server we found:
-Rocks around the first point could have stickies thrown in them, allowing players to surprise detonate them to kill others
-A couple of doors trapping people inside of them, so no one can get in or out (screenshots coming)

Also, if it's possible to get a few extra entrances out of the ravine around the first point, since there being effectively one exit to leave from makes it a death corridor for any players that happen to fall inside of it without a way to double jump/explosive jump out.

Other than that, it's found its way to being up for voting on the server, but if you're still considering releasing a second version... one group would be really happy

 

[Zanpa]

Rocks around the first point could have stickies thrown in them, allowing players to surprise detonate them to kill others

And sentries, too.

 

[What Is Schwa]

Thanks for the feedback Spartacus.

-Rocks around the first point could have stickies thrown in them, allowing players to surprise detonate them to kill others

Unfortunately Valve didn't make collision meshes for any of the gray rocks you see. I'm not comfortable decompiling valve materials and doing that, so what appears in-game is a compromise. Block Bullet brushes create vis_leaves, which exponentially increase file size. Getting a perfect conformation to the rock would increase the file size to an absurd degree (assuming a compile could even handle it). I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Valve will make further use of the Alpine materials in their next update and include meshes. V2 won't be released before than. If Valve doesn't fix their meshes, I'll try adding more block bullet brushes, but it won't ever be perfect.

-A couple of doors trapping people inside of them, so no one can get in or out (screenshots coming)

I know what doors you are talking about. The "Blue Only" doors only work for blue, and if aggressive Red try to chase through the door will close on them. I'm experimenting with two solutions.

Also, if it's possible to get a few extra entrances out of the ravine around the first point, since there being effectively one exit to leave from makes it a death corridor for any players that happen to fall inside of it without a way to double jump/explosive jump out.

That was pretty much the entire point of the ravine. It is a gameplay element I'm fairly happy with. I wanted blu players to have to be a little careful when crossing the first bridge. Even so, the ravine works in favor for some classes: Scouts and Spies can use it as a quick way to flank the enemy and avoid sentries. I've seen tons of spies use it effectively to kill Red snipers in the tower than wreak havoc with any engy buildings. So you're right, it does suck for some classes, but benefits others. I think that kind of trade-off is what makes TF2 such a fun experience.

 

[Spartacus]

Okay, we'll be eagerly awaiting a new version but we'll play with what we have for now.

 

[flubber]

Here's some screenshots about the clipping props, i must have miss some i'll check again later.

 

[MangyCarface]

You can tie blockbullets brushes to func_details to prevent them from creating visleafs : /

 

[What Is Schwa]

Here's some screenshots about the clipping props, i must have miss some i'll check again later.

Thanks, going through 'em now.

Is your monitor upside down? All these screens are flipped

 

[What Is Schwa]

You can tie blockbullets brushes to func_details to prevent them from creating visleafs : /

Ugh, I wish I'd done that instead of deleting all my carefully contoured block bullets brushes.