Hello! Give Me Feedback on My TFC Map

[o_buckshot enema[x7]]

Hey all,

I'm new here. I decided to join because I'm working on a TFC map and I'm looking for a community to get some feedback. Right now, this seems to be the most active place for TF fans, and I thought I could get a few of you to take a look at some screenshots and tell me what you think. About 20 shots can be found here: http://x7clan.proboards24.com/index....num=1108699294

If you have any criticism, please don't hesitate to tell me.

I'm not sure when I'll make the leap to HL2 (my computer can't really handle it) but I figure this is good practice until that day.

Regards,
Buckshot Enema[x7]

[o_rebo]

Welcome Buckshot Enema, whilst this is a forum for FF many people here are long time TFC fans too. So hopefully they can provide some feed back on your map. Hopefully one day it can make the transition to FF

[o_sobe green]

That is looking very good. Is it your first map? The only thing I can tell from the screenshots is I'd suggest changing this door:

http://img129.exs.cx/img129/111/lowerspawn2ha.jpg

I never liked the red and blue doors that much. Maybe its just me. Other than that I think I'd like to one day play this map to see how well it plays.

[o_zorro]

looks very cool

[o_espionagedb7]

hey person I've never met before in my life ever, I think it's pretty boss

[o_buckshot enema[x7]]

Rebo, thanks for the welcome. It looks like you guys at FF are doing a great job of picking up where Valve has dropped the ball. I particularly like the character artwork of the medic you guys have released. Perhaps if I decided to start using the new SDK (I have HL2 sitting on my computer) I can make the leap to custom mapping for FF. To be honest
I'm intimidated by the freedom the new engine gives. I kind of like operating within the limits of HL1 r_speeds. Expectations aren't very high in terms of complex architecture and vistas.

I guess I'm hesitant becuase, yes, this is my first map. I started learning about a year ago back when I played CS. I never made an entire map, I usually just did little exercises to learn entities, tricks like 1 way glass, and experiment with tex lighting and architecture. I took a long break and just came back to mapping about a week or two ago. Then I started this.

Yes I agree with you on the textures. I'd really like to try to get away from the standard Valve textures, and those recycled from other maps, and while I will check out the wadfather I was hoping someone might have a suggestion for a better wad.

Thanks for the feedback so far guys. Oh and good to meet you Espionage DB7.

People have been telling me the yard is boring and that I need to change my cliffs and ground. But I like the way it is now. What do you think about the cliffs? I guess if enough people tell me its horrendous I'll go about changing them.

[o_valk]

looking very nice champ

onyl suggestion is t tihnk about making most of those stairs into ramps, particulary the ones in front of the flag. ramp slides usually make it a bit more interesting for offense, new concs to learn etc, and makes the game more itneresting.

otherwise, nice

[o_valk]

oh and the yard is good, leave it

[o_storm]

I love the lasers

[o_lektrik]

I would leave the stairs but make them act as a ramp, is that even possible?

[o_rebo]

I think the stairs to the first floor look damn cool, but valk makes a valid point that rampslides make the game interesting.

[o_buckshot enema[x7]]

lektrik, thats a good idea. i'm assuming i can just put a clip brush over the stairs at the same angle as the incline so it acts like a ramp but still looks like stairs. of course... people wouldn't exactly be making contact with the stairs, but i guess if there's enough demand i'd be happy to make that change.

anyway -- we held our first playtest tonight. we had about 16 people show up over the course of the night and 10 people on at once. everyone seemed to enjoy the map and i'm happy to say they made me feel proud of my work. all the hours i should have spent doing homework... paid off (in the short term anyway).

the laser controls got messed up after 20 minutes or so of gameplay, and i'm not exactly sure why. i'm hoping i just have to put a longer delay on the button reset. any ideas?

i think on the mirroring of the bases I overlooked some entity changes?

I tried to get rid of the repeating textures, but everytime i started slicing brushes i was left with leaks for no apparent reason that i could not track down. so i just gave up on that for now.

anyway -- hopefully i'll make some tweaks and have a final up for download in the near future. thanks for all your feedback. if any of you guys still play TFC let me know and you can play the map if you'd like.

[o_cruor]

Lo and welcome, love your map.
Only thing I could point out is that the middle yard looks a little bland, perhaps if you made a demopack blowable entrence somewhere in the lower midyard that would make things more interesting.

Perhaps even a dual-demopack entrance:

1:st demopack: to open the entrance of a caved in mineshaft in the midyard.

2:nd demopack: Don't know how much tweaking this would take but if the mineshaft led to that ventilation shaft you have in you map and you'd have to blow up a part of the ventilation pipe to get in. Only setback with this entrance would be that you end up over the fan, and stand a good chance of getting sliced on your way down. Also it could perhaps start a wind blowing through the whole mineshaft slowing you down as you try and take that way.

[o_buckshot enema[x7]]

hey cruor,

thanks for the ideas. my clan leader espionage acutally suggested the same idea, about being able to det under the bridge to reveal an underground river or something of the sort. there's a perfect place for it if i wanted to implement that idea, but right now i'm not sure how much it would improve gameplay. if i can come up with an original idea (mine shafts are ubiquitous in maps and i want to get away from the prosaic) then perhaps i'll add a new route. maybe a forgotten underground tomb, or... .i don't know.

it would be fairly hard to get the underground route near the fan, because the fan right now is the highest point of my map and the detroute would be the lowest.... i'd probably have it come right out near the flagroom instead.

good ideas though cruor, and thanks for the comments!

[o_storm]

get making it for ff now :P

[o_buckshot enema[x7]]

hmm maybe its time to learn...

[o_binarylife]

It's certailny a cool map. The doors could be changed, but it's not a huge thing. The detail is pretty good too, the rock looks like rock, etc.

If you're looking for a way to deblandify the yard you could just put hills in it like Torch2. It adds a different dynamic to the game play, one you don't see too often.

[o_buckshot enema[x7]]

hmm yeah. the problem with hills in the yard is the weird way grenades react to sloped surfaces make it a little hard to kill someone. although I think i will add some sloped tetrahedrons in the corners and on the sides, just to give it some variety.

[o_cruor]

Originally Posted by Buckshot Enema[x7

]hey cruor,

thanks for the ideas. my clan leader espionage acutally suggested the same idea, about being able to det under the bridge to reveal an underground river or something of the sort. there's a perfect place for it if i wanted to implement that idea, but right now i'm not sure how much it would improve gameplay. if i can come up with an original idea (mine shafts are ubiquitous in maps and i want to get away from the prosaic) then perhaps i'll add a new route. maybe a forgotten underground tomb, or... .i don't know.

it would be fairly hard to get the underground route near the fan, because the fan right now is the highest point of my map and the detroute would be the lowest.... i'd probably have it come right out near the flagroom instead.

good ideas though cruor, and thanks for the comments!

Thx allways glad when I can offer constructive crits. To bad you layout didn't fit with the ventshaft idea but that's no matter. I'm sure your map is good gameplaywise as it is, but making a second entrance in the yard would make all the difference I think, as does your clan leader as I understand it .

Anyway cudoos to this your first full map. Keep up the good work.