User profile

tovlakas

member

Registered:: Thu Aug 11th 2005
Website:: http://http://www.planethalflife.com/
Last seen:: Mon Sep 10th 2007
Location:: USA
Occupation:: Student
Steam profile:: tovlakas@yahoo.com

Logins:: 1
Snarkmarks:: 11
Forum posts:: 9
Profile views:: 434

Profile

I am a student at the University of California, Davis. I am currently in my 4th year, and am majoring in Political Science and History. I live with 2 of my friends and enjoy partying, playing the guitar, gaming (or course), and reading. My favorite games currently are TFC and Guild Wars. I am the Content Director at Planet Half-Life, so you may recognize my handle. I can be found idling in Gamesurge IRC channels such as #fortressforever, #phl, and #clanrzp. My in-game name is "D3pth Charge" so if you see me, give me a holler!

I am just starting to dabble in map-creation, my first real map being a capture-the-flag map entitled flagtrap for the Halflife2 mod, Fortress Forever. As this is my first map, I know I have many things to learn in order to create well-made, optimized maps, so don't hesitate to give me any pointers that you can think of!

D3pth Charge
Planet Half-Life Content Director
http://www.planethalflife.com

Maps

flagtrap

Current Version: Alpha 1.0

This map is based loosely off of the first level in Descent II. Fans of the game should recognize it immediately. Game improvement techniques include elimination of offense - offense contact through map design, defensive AND offensive switches, 2 alternate routes with one detonatable per side and a very unique flag room.

Updates:

03/14/06
Progress is coming quite nicely, and I am learning a lot about Hammer in the process. I have decided to use Defrag's original design for Bases as my theme-style. I finished the rough layout, and have now begun to texture and create architecture for my map. Being a perfectionist, this is taking quite a while, and I don't expect to have the map out any time soon. Hopefully, it will be worth the wait.

I suppose now is a good time to go into detail on what exactly this map's gameplay will consist of. I am describing this map as a "Double Shutdown" variant of CTF. By "Double Shutdown," I am referring to the fact that in each base there is both an offensive and defensive switch. The flagroom consists of a small area accessable through two long corridors, as well as one tunnel that runs beneath the flag room, connected by a ladder. Normally, the corridors are inaccessable due to locked barriers blocking both teams from entering them. The tunnel is the only way to get the flag, unless the offense hits the offensive switch. When the switch is hit, the barriers open, allowing the offense much easier (and quicker) access to the flag room, via the corridors. However, at this point, the tunnel's ladder access is in turn blocked off, rendering the corridors the only means of access.

The defense also has a switch that can only be activated once the offensive switch has been hit. This switch does two things; it closes the front entrance and lasers activate where the barriers once were. These lasers are lethal to both teams, so if the flag carrier is still in the flagroom or corridors when the defense hits the switch, he is effectively trapped in there and must toss the flag out to a teammate on the other side of the laser. If the defense manages to kill the flag carrier before he can get the flag out of the corridors, then the offense is back to square one and must wait for the switches to be reset, as there is no way to get back into the corridor until the lasers turn off (which are timed to deactivate after 31 seconds, while the doors close after 30 seconds).

In addition to the front door entrance (which is closed during the defensive shutdown), there is a water entrance and a detonatable entrance. Both entrances will meet under water near the mid-map area. As for the midmap, I am designing it to discourage offense-vs.-offense, by creating a slope on either side of the midmap that ends in a high cliff, so that without a conc, one must use one side of the midmap only for getting to the enemy base or vice-versa.

Each base will have two sniper nests which are being designed to provide a real use for defenses as opposed to providing simple sniper-vs.-sniper wars. I am still in the planning stages in regards to how the sniper decks will also integrate into the bases' innards, but for now I have the map layed out so that neither bases' sniper decks can see the other's decks at all. Snipers will be free instead to focus entirely on eliminating offensive units, as they were designed.

There will be two 2fort-style respawn rooms in each base, on opposite sides of the base, and the map will be medium-sized, perfect for 5-vs.-5 up to 7-vs.7 league play.

I will post some screenshots once I have implemented some lighting (fullbright is ugly), so expect a few in 3 weeks or so.
03/09/06
It's been a while since my initial update, but I have made some progress. After drafting out the entire map on paper I began creating it in Hammer. Unfortunately, after I had finished the rough layout of one of the bases, I realized that my scale was way too small, and the fort looked like a children's playhouse! I lost a lot of my steam after that, but recently came back and rescaled the entire thing to make it the correct size. Right now the base is all in dev textures and very boxy because I am more concerned with the core layout at this point than the fancy look of the map. Once I am completely satisfied with the size and flow of the base, I will begin creating more complex architecture, and then texturing it. I plan on replacing many of the textures when the Fortress Forever Mapper's Kit comes out however.
11/25/05
I came up with the idea for this map while being bored out of my mind in POL 051 last week. Descent has always been one of my favorite series, and what made it so special was its great map design. In my opinion, the first level in Descent II lends itself perfectly as a starting point for a really cool map. While my map will have changes and will not be exactly like the original, it will have a distinct similarity that any fan should immediately see. I am currently sketching out the map in my journal, and want to get a really good idea of where to go before I start. More updates to follow.