HL2DM Winning Maps Released

http://www.steampowered.com/index.php?area=news&id=409

I'm gonna take a walk around right now...

I agree with Valve's decision 100%. dm_underpass is truly a
masterpiece. I have never seen, or will probably ever see, a
finer map than this one. It blows the competition out of the
water, hands down.

The visual, the overall ambiance, the sounds, the lighting, and msot
important of all, the connectivity, are all top-rate. I can't
find anything wrong with this map. It beats anything Valve has
come up with at this point.

In addition, it's also the best optimized. The framerates are
great. In fact, they're far higher than most of the deathmatch
maps with far less visual and props.

I am just stunned, in a good way.

<DIV class=quote>
<DIV class=quotetitle>? quoting satchmo</DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext>I agree with Valve's decision 100%. dm_underpass is truly a masterpiece. I have never seen, or will probably ever see, a finer map than this one. It blows the competition out of the water, hands down.
</DIV></DIV>

Wow, I'll have to see this one for myself.

EDIT: My report:

dm_underpass is really nothing special. It's not bad by any means - though, at places, it toes the line of mediocrity. The lighting is tasteful, with occasionally nice colors and shadowing, but nothing exceptional. The layout is more cramped than Steamlab, and I'm wagering it'll be a real pain to frag at a fast pace in this one. Worst of all, in my admittedly brief run-through, I counted only three areas in which the author used curved surfaces for any purpose. There are a few "pipeline" sewer tunnels, a few pillars with rounded corners, and a lone vent with a curved edge up in the far reaches of the map. The architecture is as boxy as it gets. This is bad.

If asked to rate it, I'd give it a 70% tops.

IMO they are all good/mediocure. AND THESE ARE MY OPINIONS, SO DONT ARGUE WITH ME IF YOU DONT LIKE THEM.

Powerhouse was the best, the texture and lighting sceme all flowed to
gether nicely, the atmosphere was right on with a warehouse/power
station and what not (I really like the setting sun color against the
rustng metal). Although the architecture/design is "boxy" (as cass puts
it), it fits the level overall. For some reason this map reminded me of
prisoner from Halo 1, which describes its gameplay well (as in its got
verticle combat). It also had fitting ambient noise (generators and
what not) This IMO was the best of the three. 95%

Resistance this map was nice also, I really like the use of the flares,
they added some interesting light to the mixture. But other than that
there really wasnt anything too special about it that made it stand
out. I see potential for gameplay because it is open in most areas, but
close in others. IMO this was the second best map. 80%

underpass is a map that has nothing really special about it (sorry :sad: )
but its true. The ambient sounds of the alarms were random (I think
when ever I walked in certain triggers it would start the anouncer
saying where you are...that made it unrealistic). The lighting was all
the same just about (white). Like cass said the map is close quaters,
and that can lead to poor game play. But i dont know. IMO this map
shouldn't have won the #1 spot. 73%

If only yak had submitted torque......that map whoops all these in a
nut shell. The verticle combat in torque is best, the sounds are great,
along with the flow of eveything (too bad about the cube maps though :sad: )

What happened to avalon?

dm_underpass: I will have to look at the final release but I have had the map for a while now and saw nothing spectacular in it. yup its good, bordering on great, but its far from the best i have ever seen.

the other two maps i have yet to look at. will post comments later on those.

I can say without any hesitation that damned few must have looked at the map i suggested was the best i ever saw. "dm_inevitableconflict" has everything a map requires to qualify IMO. My only complaint, and its a major one was, the doorways were far to narrow for proper fragging, but the map is so huge that the odds of two people meeting in a door and becoming stuck on each other is nil.

we should begin a "wowzers" thread. one where we can post a link to our current favorite map. this would speed up the searching process IMO and get us the best maps quicker. course opinions vary a bit, but most of us are of like minds.

underpass really fits in with the whole city 17 theme brilliantly imo
which is probs why it won. not too keen on resistence, cant really tell
what its supposed to be. powerhouse looks amazing especially with the
windows and the view from them :smile:

I want a map pack. I do not trust valves judgment to pick the "best"

I trust mine a bit more, since it has no ulterior motives to do anything other than pick the best. :/

if valve does not provide some sort of a map pack, it will only confirm my thinking.

well if the map compitition deadline wasnt so damn pressed im sure he
could made even better improvements on this map. But overall its the
well deserved winner out of the 3. Avalon is well... too artsy.

MJ said:
well if the map compitition deadline wasnt so damn pressed im sure he could made even better improvements on this map. But overall its the well deserved winner out of the 3. Avalon is well... too artsy.

you know, herein lies the dilemma.

After playing through them a bit I'd say that powerhouse is a far
better map than underpass as far as connectivity and playability goes.
I found underpass to be extremely cramped, with lots of props and
things to get stuck on, as opposed to the more traditional and more open
style of powerhouse. That said I'd agree that underpass beats
powerhouse in the looks department, as it actually looks fairly real
where as powerhouse looks like its trying hard to be a UT map.

I don't know what to say about resistance, as it has some area's that
look alright, but the layout is fair s**t, at least compared to the
other winners. Personally I think its f**king awful, with a mish mash
of texturing and themes, poor construction throughout most, over the
top lighting and only two levels for z axis play. There were a number
of better entries than this one.

Over all I'd say out of the 3 that powerhouse 1st, underpass 2nd, and
resistance last. Generally nothing much exciting about any of them.

I've added all 3 of the new maps to the rotation. I'll comment on my thoughts later, once I've actually taken a look :smile:

<DIV class=quote>
<DIV class=quotetitle>? quoting ReNo</DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext>I've added all 3 of the new maps to the rotation. I'll comment on my thoughts later, once I've actually taken a look :smile:
</DIV></DIV>

more valve maps?

sighs

so much for a server with contents no one else has, the basic premise of the damned thing. :rolleyes:

before you complain, that was not my words, i am just reiterating them.

Of the three.. man thats so yucky a term. Anywho's I think powerhouse was best, followed closely by underpass.. I chose powerhouse for its classic feel. underpass has to many narrow places to be my first choice.

as for resistance, it shouldn't even have been considered for a top placing. we have better maps right here.

/me is very suspicious about that map.

I don't think it was for content nobody else has, but for content that
was created at the pit. I think that just now in the HL2DM community,
people want to play servers with the brand new contest maps. If they
come to do so on our server, then between those maps they will find
content produced by snarkpit members. Besides, they aren't "valve"
maps, they are still produced by community members (just ones who hang
out elsewhere, such as mapcore or shudder the steam forums). I'm not
saying they will stay on in the long term, but I think they deserve to
be tested properly for a week or so.

Oh well - I was looking forward to see ReNo's "Echo" on the 1st place but since it is not finished, I'll have to wait. :smile:

whispers to Duncan

I think the server should run "any" top quality map.. remember? I am just telling you what "I" was told. I do not care how many valve maps, or non-snarkpit maps are run on it, just so we only have top grade maps. to me its a horrible sin to perpetuate low quality maps just because.. so do not get me wrong, i feel the contest maps are perfect, but i do not like double standards and feel it is always prudent to point out any infractions.

valve maps and contest maps hosted by valve are not snarkpit maps. if we are not going to run top quality maps just because they were not produced within our community, then "ALL" maps should count.

/ rant

Resistance and powerhouse look great, but underpass' indoor areas have
terrible lighting and are fairly depressing. The outdoor environment
looks great, though. Underpass isn't much fun either, most of the
action taking place near that derailed locomotive. Powerhouse's main
arena is large enough for 10 players to fight in without getting a
touch of claustrophobia. Resistance is fun too but there really should
have been some more sideshafts in there to link the main ones.

The contest maps are quite well done, an American won... Heh

Honestly the Snarkpit server has great maps running on it although sadly there are a few good maps that I think should be added to the server that have died or hardly anyone saw them.

how can it take more than an hour to download 3 maps that don't have any custom content? :sad:

fishy said:
how can it take more than an hour to download 3 maps that don't have any custom content? :sad:

must be your connection bud. both my comps updated simultaneously and took right at 12 minutes. both share the same DSL connection.

truth though, there has got to be more in the update than 3 maps :/

Perhaps new weapons :smile:
Maybe Valve should help promote their game by making a map of their own to add to the collection.

Nothing new in the update apart from the 3 maps, according to the steam
news. There is a fix for some CS:S bug that went out at the same time
however.

I'm not hugely impressed by the maps but will hold my full judgement
until I actually play them on the server. Underpass is a pretty nice
map but the connectivity is pretty iffy in places, and to me it doesn't
seem like it should be the winner. Resistance looked promising in
screenshots but the map felt too small to me and lacked polish. The
areas that are in place also looked as if they would offer loads of
vertical gameplay but really failed to deliver. Powerhouse is, from
first impressions, my pick of the bunch. It has loads of vertical
gameplay, its a good size, and it looks fantastic. Some of the linking
corridors felt a bit boring and unsuiting to both the source engine and the
main areas, but nothing too drastic.

Agent Smith said:
After playing through them a bit I'd say that powerhouse is a far
better map than underpass as far as connectivity and playability goes.
I found underpass to be extremely cramped, with lots of props and
things to get stuck on, as opposed to the more traditional and more open
style of powerhouse. That said I'd agree that underpass beats
powerhouse in the looks department, as it actually looks fairly real
where as powerhouse looks like its trying hard to be a UT map.

Why do you write your replies in free verse?

Cassius said:
<DIV class=quote>
<DIV class=quotetitle>? quoting Agent Smith</DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext>After
playing
through
them
a
bit
I'd
say
that
powerhouse
is
a
far
better
map
than
underpass
as
far
as
connectivity
and
playability
goes.

Why do you write your replies in free verse?</div></div>
Could be worse. :kitty:

Underpass is the best looking of the 3 but it is also cramped at times.

Underpass is the best looking of the 3 but it is also cramped at times.

No no no and further more NO. It has god-awful lighting. Why don't
people understand that lighting is just as important as architecture
and proper texturing? Besides, good lighting can mask ugly
architecture. I know best :biggrin: .

It's really up to our own personal taste. I think the lighting is
pretty well-done in underpass, with a good mixture of natural
(light_environment) and artificial (light_spot) light sources.

I didn't think connectivity is such a problem for underpass
either. I haven't played it, so I guess I can't say that with
authority.

Of the three maps, I found underpass indeed best-looking. It has a
strong City-17 feeling and the natural lighting just fits the area. The
high surroundings also make quite some impression.

Powerhouse is my personal second. It has a more unique look, despite
the HL2 textures it reminds me of an UT2K4 level. Looks very
gameplay-oriented, with all the emphasis on weapon placement and such.

Resistance has some nice touches, like the torches, but I found it the
least impressing map. The z-axis could've been used much better for the
combat I think. It's quite a large building, but most combat plays at
only one or two levels.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with these maps, and I'll definitely go and have some fun in them (I haven't played them on-line yet).

I like Powerhouse the best, for the same reasons as Reno - it seems to
have the best potential for gameplay and looks good. However, there are
some serious framerate issues and a few too many crates for my liking.

Underpass has some good connectivity, but some of it feels a bit too
random for my liking (like the arched hallway in the sewer). Way too
much use of graffiti decals in some areas too. While it is probably the
most realistic / City-17-ish of the three, that definately doesn't make
it the best looking.

Resistance has some great scale (especially the outdoor area) but it's
really disappointing when you find out there's only 1 or 2 Z-Levels to
fight on (as Captain P mentioned). Seems kind of shallow and gimmicky in that respect, like the
mapper built the amazing outdoor area then decided to build the rest
afterwards.

But overall, pretty inspiring. I would still take Torque or Rebar over any of them, any time of the day though. :smile:

<DIV>Underpass - I've seen all the versions of this one and the framerates seems improved in this final version. Looks good, but still, for me, the connectivity and flow let the level down a lot. Much of the layout is a series of tiny rooms one after another which no interconnecting routes. Doesn't even get in my own personal favourite top 10, nevermind 1st.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>Resistance - I'm not sure what to make of this one tbh. I want to like it, but it seems half finished. Others here have commented on the lack of z axis fighting; it seems to me like much more was planned. The relatively small level size, impressive but largely wasted building frontage outside, shabby construction in places, and routes up to the 1st floor being pretty pointless - I kinda think he may have intended extra floors above (collapsed in places like the main indoor room) which also connected to the outdoor building frontage, but perhaps through lack of time he decided to concentrate on the bottom floor.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>Powerhouse - I always liked Wolf's levels from HL1 and for the most part like this one too, though unfortunately it seems a departure from his old style (more UT influenced with "show off" geometry, less two tier sprawling & twisty outdoor levels). The big industrial rooms are great for fighting in, though their framerate isn't too good (I've got HL2 installed on 3 PCs and don't get more than 25-30 fps on any of them in the large rooms). Still my favourite out of these 3 winners, though.</DIV>

This seems to be the general opinion of a majority of mappers, which I
think is saying something about Valve's judging. Sure these maps have
some good points, but most of us have seen maps that are much better
than these. In short, a complete ripp.

We've all seen maps that are better since the deadline. Remember
that not all the "better" maps were entered into the contest.

True, but also don't forget these maps would have been edited after the
deadline to bring them up to scratch, so they wouldn't have been this
good when submitted. Really Valve should have had a further deadline,
instead of just a month, it was really rediculous.

Agreed with that, if it was a month longer I think more people's maps
would have gotten submitted, and they would be better.

I pretty much agree with all of you, my personal favorite was
powerhouse. It just looked damn good, and the map layout is
great, but perhaps somewhat unoriginal. The fps just rapes me in
outsides of the middle room. I liked how the whole level recieved
about the same level of detail, there weren't any really bland or too
complex areas.

Resistance I thought wasn't that great at all, and I can't believe that
there was nothing better submitted. The floating trees and shrubs
outside were a nice touch to an otherwise mediocre map. The only
thing I really like about it is that hallway where the light shines
through the prison cells and casts shadows on the floor. That and
the outside area where you cant get to was better than the rest of the
map.

I thought underpass was really good too. The outside areas were
about as low fps as the room in powerhouse, but it was much more
complex a layout. I didn't really like how the outside areas were
well put together but the sewer tunnels and below areas seem like they
were put together as an afterthought. Plus the falling props at
the beginning of the map is on the same level of noobocity as the
floating shrubs in resistance. I don't like the repeating sounds
as they get annoying and old after a while. Maybe if they were
repeated less it would be better.

I played dm_resistance last night on another server (where the lag
isn't so horrible for us Americans on the SnarkPit server), and it's
not all that interesting as far as gameplay goes. As mentioned
before, vertical play is virtually non-existent, and the weapon
selection is very limited. Most people kill others with either
the SMG or the crowbar (which was the weapon I favored).

I'll look into dm_underpass in a real game setting soon.