THE 'PIT HATH SPOKEN. I'm revealing for the 'pit to critique my third foray into Source mapping. Set in a mine, just like Bloody Ore 1, this map focuses on the underground tunnels instead of topside structures, which was Bloody Ore's downfall. A small "easter-egg" in the skybox can be seen -- the main elevator structures of BO1 :P.
Some features of the map include the more powerful and dangerous weapons in hard-to-reach areas, an exploding shack, phys_cannisters (gas tanks that fly around like rockets when shot) and most importantly almost no lag.
The people that have joined my test server liked it, but I'd like to hear what my fellow Snarkers have to say.
Numerous things have been accomplished with this: I've gotten out of the HL1 mindset when Source mapping; I'm using more curves instead of 45-degree angles, for instance.
Discussion
Posted by Captain P on
Sun Dec 10th 2006 at 12:51pm
I guess they were fine with the layout because they could play the game by it's core elements, e.g. aiming and firing. And that can be fine for certain maps - I've had a lot of fun playing 1v1 in a map that was basically a square, with four corridors around it. All we did was running in circles and shooting at each other. :smile:
However, I believe it's short-lived fun: I only played that map two or three times and that was it. Compared to maps that provide cover, allow players to flow through the map without getting confused, where combat is never too far away, where taking risks is rewarded... such maps simply provide a much richer experience.
A killbox can be fun for a while, simply because you can kill some enemies in it and toss some toilet pots at each others heads. The problem is, the map doesn't enhance this by adding elements of it's own. Some maps even hinder this core gameplay...
Posted by reaper47 on
Sun Dec 10th 2006 at 11:10am
Juim's and Captain P's last post could really be a solution. Make those corridors bigger. Then they might even shrink in length automatically as you continue because their vastness becomes more obvious.
The large mineshaft at the end of Ravenholm could serve as an example. The place is huge and would be ideal for a central focal point, and with corridors around it that are big enough things could work out fine layout-wise.
The place just feels very claustrophobic right now.
Posted by Victor-933 on
Sat Dec 9th 2006 at 11:13pm
[Author]
Well.. the people that joined my other playtests never had a problem
with the layout, really. I asked each and every one of them. shrug
Posted by Captain P on
Sat Dec 9th 2006 at 10:44pm
A mine, yes. A fun deathmatch level, not really. :smile:
Use real-life objects to give a level a theme, a sense of place, and to give area's a sense of purpose, which can work as a landmark system too. But make sure the layout is game-oriented if you want the level to be fun.
I've done a HL2DM map a while ago, didn't finish it completely (although all that was left were some visual things, it's fully playable). Anyway, the layout is very compact, mostly all connections take just a few seconds. It's a tomb/cave level, but I wouldn't be surprized if such a layout isn't possible in real-life. It doesn't matter: after some playtests and tweaks it played fast and fun, and it looks like a cave, so why would I want to stick to how real caves are laid out?
For example, you can have mine corridors, but make them wider - much more wider. Have multiple cart rails come together in these large hub-like corridors, add multiple levels, etc. There's a lot of possibilities within the mine theme. Just don't stick to this kind of layout. It's boring. But, it's your map. :smile:
Posted by Victor-933 on
Sat Dec 9th 2006 at 10:14pm
[Author]
Well.. at the moment I'm going to try linking the main areas with
corridors, and insert a few more rooms.. in my mind, this is how a mine
would look.
I've learned a lesson or two about long hallways in deathmatch, and I can tell you they are valuable. As it stands in this last screenie, the whole map is almost all hallways, or corridors. You need arena rooms with multiple levels for decent deathmatch gaming. My last map(dm_waterwerx) was ignored by the deathmatch community for being too large and drawn out. No-one could find each other without huge amounts of running around, so it went the way of the do-do bird.(That, and it was not so hot from a technical stand point). If I were you, I would draw a box around the central area of the map, and use that as a guide to eliminate most of the extraneous corridors. Re-connect everything closer to the central hub and see how that layout works.
Posted by Victor-933 on
Sat Dec 9th 2006 at 5:55pm
[Author]
I've been working on layout, and have accomplished the following:
Reduced the number of dead-ends, which I'm still working on
Replaced the RPG hallway with a flooded lower chamber
Lopped off the useless elevator
Improved connectivity some, still working on it
Posted by amanderino on
Sat Dec 9th 2006 at 2:16am
That's what I was afraid of.
I think it'd be a good place for an RPG.. but I like where you have it now more.
Maybe RPG ammo and add a little bit on to the architecture.. add a short hallway or something so it appears to go somewhere?
Or maybe just scrap it? lol.. I don't know what to say about it.
Posted by Victor-933 on
Sat Dec 9th 2006 at 2:13am
[Author]
It's a good distance, and I would rather not make an open field and have this map bring any computer that runs it to its knees.
Posted by amanderino on
Sat Dec 9th 2006 at 2:11am
Hey man, it's your map. Do with it as you please.
I'm just giving my opinion on some things.
How far is the Chain Link Elevator room from the rest of the surface? Maybe you could combine them? That's just a suggestion.
