Oh I get it. Well, they're appendixes of sort to give people cover when going around a corner. I always feel like straigth "L" shaped corridors make movement feel a bit "forced".

Oh, no, sorry, I was unclear about that.

By "boxes" I meant tiny little rooms off the main map. Like you literally cut a hole in a wall and put an open box there for someone to walk into. No long corridors to walk down to hit a dead end; the dead ends are quite small and from what I recall simply box-shaped extrusions off the main level.

Hmm, I think you mean the cardboard boxes underneath the fences? They were more decorative than anything. The reason I removed them from this version is that they were bugged somehow. You can still get the battery inside with some ggun acrobatics.

I don't know if anyone noticed, but there's another small shaft somwhere near the arch. Throw in a grenade and you should get some goodies.

I agree with Kasperg in that the upper area is very provocative. That's a very good word to describe the feeling I (and apparently others) get whilst up there. :smile:

I do recall running into a few dead ends, but none of them really bothered me - I only recall a couple little "boxes" off the main level you could step into to get a weapon or somesuch. Could even call them good hiding places or ambush spots.

Thanks, Kasperg. The fan idea sounds interesting. I'm not sure if I find a way of implementing it but I really like it.

The dead ends are... well, I feel rather confident about building a circular or figure 8 layout so I decided to break this up a little and add a few harmless dead-ends here and there. The annoyance factor is hard to tell yet but I don't see anyone running in a dead end thinking "wtf, I'm trapped!".

If you find a dead end which feels very annoying please tell me. I consider closing or opening it to improve the flow.

yeah I mean its a bit like a Deathmatch modification of a normal city.
but like when I think of futuristic Im thinking of like lasers and flying
platforms you know ;D this is more like a part of a ghetto to me ;D
a well designed part of a ghetto but a ghetto nonetheless ;D

I think the upper area (just like the rest of the map) is superb in
terms of potential and "evocative" power. I like the skybox city seen
beyond, even in it's early stage.

As for making further vertical connections, maybe you could use a fan
like the one in HLDM's snarkpit map. I don't know if it fits with
your idea of an abandoned place, but it would bring interesting
variation to the gameplay. For example, the fan could be in a wide
shaft where there are different platforms and height levels to jump
off.

As for other aspects of the map, it's too early to judge. There seem to be several dead-ends but that will probably change.

I have a question regarding the upper part of the map.

So far you can only get there using the elevator. This naturally creates a choke-point but it's intended. There's also a spawn point up there but it's far away from the elevator. The only weapon in the upper areas is the magnum. There isn't even any ammo for it. So in order to get anything better or ammo for other weapons you have to move down the elevator again. I did that to avoid people camping in the upper parts forever. But at the same time you can camp up there for a short while very elegantly which is something I like to do.

Now this sounds good to me but it's very experimental. I'd be interested in how you think about it. Should I add a second way up (a ladder, for example?). SHould I put more spawn points up there.

This is something that haunts me layout-wise.

Thanks, Blister. The underground parts are something I wanted to build for a long time. This map gave me the opportunity add such architecture freely. The reasony I didn't post any screenshots yet is that there aren't any proper angles that look "right" enough for me yet. Also it's embarrassingly obviously too dark down there...

I guess I always liked the "dirty" style in general. The more I build it, the more the map reminds me of the fifth element, whose NYC scenes have always impressed me quite a bit. I'm not a big fan of HL2DM maps where you fall to death all the time, which kinda forced me to build this map on the bottom of the city rather than on the top of these skyscrapers. I'll try to establish the alien, futuristic theme a bit more with some graphical updates, but I love the dirty feel too much to add much high-tech/shiny stuff. I like to think of the place to be old and abandoned, like it's been in use long ago and now forgotten. That's one of my favourite aspects of HL1/2's art direction and I have no problem with keeping that. I think that the combine structures have always been too shiny in contrast, for example, although they do look very cool.

I don't want to live in what you consider a normal city, guys, but thanks! :biggrin: