I realize I'm relatively new here, so I wanted to ask: Do you guys have some such "top ten" of the previous year post?

I was thinking this for hl2dm only, 'cuz its the only game I play/map for. I already have a good idea of my faves after playing and soloing them, so I was thinking after Dec 31 to start a post about it. Maybe even donate some $ to the top candidate or something, after a set date.

I realize there is a rush to map for tf2 and portal, this is a subversive way to get people to look at "my" game again :smile:

Apologies if this should be in a different forum.

Omigod, people still map?

Ofcourse

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Aaron's Stuff

Yes, I'd be glad to help you pimp the HL2DM mapping scene. It gives me a good excuse to look through some of the better maps that I didn't really manage to check out this year.

First some maps I liked, from the top of my head:

dm_derelict, a map that caught my attention because it's so beautifully simplistic and yet thought-through. Just my kind of map.

Reno's sparkling dm_weaver which looks so professionally awesome that there's little more to say. My only gripe: The physics-prop-hate. God, the pro-gamers have left the scene ages ago, so even if props can be in the way sometimes, why not have some fun with the single most unique feature of HL2DM?

Also: dm_soylent: Baron, stick to it, please! Conveyor belts ftw!

There are a couple of other maps that definately look interesting. I might look through a couple more of them and come back.

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Why snark works.

o

Will do, I'm still working on it on and off between other projects :wink: I'm more skilled with hammer and level design now so I think what I've got is still worth keeping :razz:

I haven't played HL2DM a whole lot this year, so a few of these I haven't actually played online but here are my favorites that I remember:

DM_Hiatus (Juim) - Good use of Z-axis, the largely circular layout keeps people moving and there's usually someplace to retreat. The upper deck gets hectic with the xbow and magnum along with the combine ball in the center and especially when people break out the tripmines. Water below means another relatively safe place to retreat, the sub-marine goodies carry a well-balanced degree of risk (you'd better have full O2!). I'm a tripmine whore so I found the spiral staircases, ladder chutes, and overall fast-paced nature of the layout made this map ideal for them.

DM_Residential (midkay) - A cool vista of an urban neighborhood under seige, centered around a small park. Another example of good Z-axis use, this map also features a mix of long distance and close quarters battles.

DM_3006 (reaper47) - Lots of winding paths and possibly taller (Z) than it is wide, 3006 has an industrial styling that definitely fits the unique setting. The style remains quite consistant throughout, which for a map of this size is an achievement unto itself. There are plenty of hidden and trick goodies in this map and some player-driven environmental hazards.

DM_Cloudcity (MisterBister) - While it wasn't released in 2007, it was close and I think it deserves honorable mention for being so damn cool and so unique. Definitely has a certain atmospheric feel reminiscent of Bladerunner, and that can only be a good thing. Lighting and architecture are executed well, and there are interesting vistas almost everywhere you look.

And as long as we're mentioning unreleased maps based on potential,
DM_Shipshape (haymaker) - has plenty of it, I'm anxious to see how the finished product looks and plays.

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o

Oh yes, dm_hiatus definitely deserves a mention here. The 10 or so betas bringing more and more polish to the map were interesting to follow, too. I had this one in my list and simply forgot to mention it while scanning for older maps I feared I could miss. Doh'

Juim's other map this year, dm_stonepark was quite impressive as well. I just noticed I promised a more detailed review sometime which I never delivered. How embarrassing. Very nice architecture and good (if over-sized) layout.

dm_shipshape looks very promising, too. The reality-based architecture could be quite problematic, so I'd really like to see a BSP of the newer versions which I think solved this issue quite elegantly. Hurry, haymaker, and you might make it for 2007 :biggrin:

dm_residential and dm_cloudcity are great, of course, but I wouldn't pick them for a specific "2007" list because of their release dates.

A few other maps that caught my attention while scanning through the archives:

Kasperg's dm_suspended, a very awesome and near-perfect map featuring magnet-action.

Another map that spawned from the mapcore 1024 units competition: dm_tobor by Pericolos0. Cool, curvy looks.

dm_cannon by Radon. Some excellent brushwork there. Not my style and too many corridors/too little open spaces for my taste but super-solid and technically perfect.

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Why snark works.

Thanks for the ideas ( and the map plug, sadly I am quite sure I won't get a quality beta out by the 31 :sad: )

I went through and made my preliminary list, you guys have reminded me of a couple I overlooked. Hopefully we can get more peeps to chip in.

How should this be implemented do you think? Have a poll with the top 20 or so on it? Or should it just be as is, continuing this thread. Problem with the latter is that there may be a couple good 'uns before the 31st, myself I would like to see them on server rotation so I can check the plays.

thanks for the kind words fellows. A few of my favorites were :

dm_drift, (sorry forgot my linkage lingo)

dm_vapour

Somebody here made a map in a large cavelike complex with pick axes, a waterfall, and a river down below. For the life of me I can't remember.

dm_3006,

and of course Renos dm_weaver.

dm_tobor does rock,as do all of the afforementioned maps.

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Quote from Nietzsche....God is dead
Quote from God....Nietzsche is dead

dm_torque holds every spot in every top 10 since 2005

Don't be so modest

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o

Somebody here made a map in a large cavelike complex with pick axes, a waterfall, and a river down below. For the life of me I can't remember.

Captain P's still unfinished and super-monumental "Mudanchee".

A very good pick, also.

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Why snark works.

Yes, thats the one thx Reap!

Another group of maps I would like to mention:

dm_walkway

dm_moroes

dm_megawatt

dm_moil_final

dm_tech,(Mostly for presentation, layout is all too small for any true DM)

dm_roman_sanctuary,(Possibly one of the best uses of a 3d skybox ever, plus some very cool technical achievements(Like the rpg puzzle)

dm_montana

and if it was posted in very early 2007, I think it would qualify,

dm_octagon

I forgot about this post...

Here is my humble contribution.

The first 10 are ones that I have a good amount of gametime on. ALL of these maps will be in rotation here ( 8.6.3.240:27015 ) for the next 7 days or so.

#1-pg_icepick, dm_icepick no question, damn near perfect and almost alive,
http://files.filefront.com/dm+icepickzip/;5532847;/fileinfo.html

2-dm_drift_revised, great sense of place, gameplay excellent, performance good. Originally released in 04 though
http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?p=5919188#post5919188

3-dm_compressed_r1, not the prettiest but strikes the balance between performance and gameplay perfectly, great layout
http://www.fpsbanana.com/mirrors/startdl/1?path=http://files.fpsbanana.com/maps/dm_compressed_r1&sectionid=620714&ext=7z

4-dm_gaunt_greenlet, very fun map with a strange vibe, though I am unsure if it's a remake

5-dm_montana, nothing terribly new but very professionally finished
http://www.leveldesign.eu/artikel/?id=4

6-dm_feudal, fast as hell and fun even though I hate bounce pads, remake
http://files.filefront.com/dm+feudalbspbz2/;7858219;/fileinfo.html

7-dm_urban_day_07, proven itself fun to play and full of subtle details though bad on the fps

8-dm_armageddon, another promod rerelease, fast fun

9-dm_tobor, strange and beautiful and also cramped

10-dm_corrugated, nicely executed but marred by poor weapon placement
http://www.fpsbanana.com/mirrors/startdl/1582?path=http://www.rustednut.net/fpsb/maps/68/dm_corrugated&sectionid=613948&ext=zip

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hm's, mostly because of no playtesting or performance issues

-dm_3006_beta, great vibe, have not seen it online
-dm_octagon, released 12-22-06 but very worthy of mention despite being a remake
-dm_biological, sadly broken release
-dm_hiatus, concept comes together with personality, looks great
-both versions of dm_crossfire, one keeps the engine under control, the other does not, though I dislike the gameplay
-dm_uncivil, good imagination and runs nice too
-dm_campgrounds_pro, nicely performing remake, bad on the rpg
-dm_cannon, broken on linux?, beautiful work
-dm_moroes, beautiful yet very frustrating to play
-dm_weaver, perfect execution, limited gameplay ( please expand this map! )
-dm_moil, nice finish, performance hit
-dm_outyling_beta, what outside maps should look like, performance issues
-dm_meatgrinder, redlining the engine without overheating it
-dm_walkway, no playtime here, can't get bzip to crunch it for some reason
-dm_thefactory, decent layout, good performance for what it is.

Good work everybody; HL2DM ftw

Yak_Fighter said:
dm_torque holds every spot in every top 10 since 2005

I concur. Not only for my long association with Joe, but it got played so often that that in itself spoke mounds.

Also, Hydro is up there as well.

Lest we forget Mazemans contribution. Still one of my favorites.

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The best things in life, aren't things.