http://forums.tf2maps.net/blog.php Dedicated Site for custom TF2 Maps, Tutorials and Resources en Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:04:11 GMT vBulletin 60 http://forums.tf2maps.net/enlighten/misc/rss.jpg http://forums.tf2maps.net/blog.php http://forums.tf2maps.net/blog.php?b=216 Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:20:39 GMT Got a new cast today. I can type, play TF2, map, and do other things... Image: http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/2050/img0067if.jpg Got a new cast today. I can type, play TF2, map, and do other things...

]]> The Political Gamer http://forums.tf2maps.net/blog.php?b=216 http://forums.tf2maps.net/blog.php?b=215 Wed, 07 Oct 2009 02:31:57 GMT As some of you know from Twitter Shoutbox etc. I crashed my car today. I dislocated my sholder in the crash but I was able to pop it back in so now... As some of you know from Twitter Shoutbox etc. I crashed my car today. I dislocated my sholder in the crash but I was able to pop it back in so now I got this sling for the rest of the week, typing is a bitch.

Now for the pictures!

First up is are 2 visual representations of before/during the crash. (Draw by my mom because my right arm is busted for now.



Next up: My car:



This is the car I hit:



Pain pills here!



And last but not least... my sling:



TL;DR: I fucked up my car and my arm. ]]> The Political Gamer http://forums.tf2maps.net/blog.php?b=215 http://forums.tf2maps.net/blog.php?b=214 Mon, 05 Oct 2009 08:39:15 GMT Here is the very general idea for the layout; The map will be like badwater (payload, 1 stage, 4 captures, explosion at end). Image:... Here is the very general idea for the layout; The map will be like badwater (payload, 1 stage, 4 captures, explosion at end).

]]> Cerulean http://forums.tf2maps.net/blog.php?b=214 http://forums.tf2maps.net/blog.php?b=213 Fri, 02 Oct 2009 07:49:09 GMT After spending weeks thinking of themes for a map, I decided to combine a lot of individual ideas. The main project idea started with a section of... After spending weeks thinking of themes for a map, I decided to combine a lot of individual ideas. The main project idea started with a section of the cs 1.6 map de_volare. The rest of my ideas are from locations near home. I expect I'll be making a lot of custom content, variation of alpine theme.

My lame photoshop drawing of what I remembered:



Later, viewing it in Crafty:



Initial blocking:




As the phrase goes, "Once begun, halfway done." ]]> Cerulean http://forums.tf2maps.net/blog.php?b=213 http://forums.tf2maps.net/blog.php?b=212 Mon, 28 Sep 2009 02:48:10 GMT Well, yesterday I came up with a map idea for an attack/defend gravelpit style map. I'm hoping to make it pretty close (gameplay wise) to the actual gravelpit by using similar ideas (I.E: tunnels connecting the areas together). For the theme, I'm thinking of a kind of grey-ish theme. Using the textures in the winter and swamp packs. The last control point will be under a giant drill (Which I think Acumen made) and over a giant bottomless pit of death. In the giant pit bits of silver will pop out of the walls (I edited the gold_ground texture). Not sure about the skybox yet. I want to make a custom skybox but I don't know how. :(

So far I made point C and the red spawn room. Still have to make the rest.

Is the name "silver" taken yet? Because I'm thinking about using that. ]]> ScreamingGerbil http://forums.tf2maps.net/blog.php?b=212 http://forums.tf2maps.net/blog.php?b=211 Mon, 07 Sep 2009 12:28:22 GMT well.. Being a VIP and everything I guess I may as well post a blog to kill some time (especially when theres no mods around to make announcements... [SIZE="4"]well..[/SIZE]

Being a VIP and everything I guess I may as well post a blog to kill some time (especially when theres no mods around to make announcements so that people will join server ...grrrr!)

Anyway you probably don't know me, I go as [I]waif [/I]mostly through steam and such and my main map is pl_nuclear.

Whilst the map has been around for like 5 months or so, I actually had the idea of the map as soon as payload first came out- way back when I didn't even know the purpose of life valuable func_details and what not:P

I made some designs of the map (as seen below on my awful paper sketch)

[IMG]http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq359/mashpotatoe/pl_nuclear.jpg[/IMG]

and then blocked it out in hammer.

Unfortunately I hadn't much mapping skills (coming from an easy to map game css to very difficult tf2 at the time )
worst of all I didn't even know of tf2maps.net for support/ tutorials and so I quickly gave up....

[B]
However! [/B] ...a few months/ half a year later or whatever down the track I stumbled upon this site and was amazed.
I quickly signed up and rekindled my interest in mapping once more.
I didnt post much or make myself known, basically just read heaps and heaps of tutorials and started making pl_nuclear again as I went.

Unfortunately as I now look back I see a fair few flaws in my design over the map, being a newb at the time I didnt take into account things like progression, flow, sightlines, optimisation, scaling and such, all problems which have come back to malest me :P

But anyway I blocked out the map, did some dodgey displacements, learnt a whole heap about entities ( I did everything without Boojums prefab library etc :o)

And then released my map... pl_nuclear_a3

[IMG]http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/1722155/pl_nuclear_a2_v100008.jpg[/IMG]

But thats not the end folks , theres much more :)

To be continued.... ]]> Mashpotatoe http://forums.tf2maps.net/blog.php?b=211 http://forums.tf2maps.net/blog.php?b=210 Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:04:31 GMT I kinda felt like starting a blog on snowdrift's development. In this first part I'll tell you how snowdrift was born, what I was thinking when I created this awful excuse for a map (I'm not serious) and show some early screenshots and stuff.

When the third annual contest was finally revealed, it was immediately obvious to me which gamemode I wanted my entry to be. Payload race, of course. You see, back then, A/D ctf was much different than it is today. We didn't have no fancy cp/ctf hybrid hud, what we did have were those awful, awful screen messages.
"WE HAVE CAPTURED COMMAND POINT!"
So plr was the way to go. I started mapping with high hopes and all that. It didn't go exactly how I had planned, though. I blocked a rough layout for the first and only stage of the map, only to realize it was uninspired and sniper friendly... So I abandoned payload race, and started thinking about ctf_drift.



Yes, the first alpha of snowdrift was called ctf_drift_a1. It featured an edited version of cp_ice4's custom dusk skybox, which was basically a more red version of it. While the first part of the map remotely resembled what ctf_snowdrift is today, it was almost as uninspired as my plr map, the scale was off and it was too open also. It was my plan initially to make it a 4-cp map, like snowdrift is today, but I was too lazy to include the other 2 cps in the first alpha. (Which tells something about my lack of motivation and inspiration.)



I went to play some goldrush and dustbowl, and before I even had the chance to test ctf_drift_a1, I remade the whole thing using my newly gained inspiration, and so ctf_snowdrift_a2 was born. When designing the layout, I thought of the map as a more fast-paced payload map, where the cart had a mínd of it's own, and thus could go wherever it wanted. I consciously wanted to minimize the amount of paths for the blue team, so the red team could effectively keep track of the flag carrier. The first half of a1, which was the first stage, I blocked without any plans on paper, but I had to do some "paperwork" for the second half. Alpha 2 used the cp hud instead of the ctf one, and featured custom hud icons that were later used again with the cp/ctf hybrid hud.



Stay tuned for part 2. ]]> Jonah http://forums.tf2maps.net/blog.php?b=210 http://forums.tf2maps.net/blog.php?b=209 Sat, 29 Aug 2009 08:07:49 GMT So, since my last update (a4). Which will be on today during gameday. I've started working on v.a5. The new update will focus mainly on detail. I did leave the structures the same though, in case I will need to change something important.

I've also decided on a theme for the map, it will be kind of like 2fort (industrial vs. old fasion). The red side's structures are made of wood while the blu side's structures are made of concrete and metal. I've also changed the train tunnels and stops on each side to mach the theme more. The control point is left unchanged.

Things left to do before I release a5:

- Change according to feedback from the playtest.

- Add basic detail.

- Fix bugs, playerclipping etc. (If there are bugs.)

Things I'm planning on for a6:

- More advanced detail.

- 3D skybox beginning.

- Structure fixes (if necessary.) ]]> ScreamingGerbil http://forums.tf2maps.net/blog.php?b=209 http://forums.tf2maps.net/blog.php?b=206 Sun, 23 Aug 2009 04:27:03 GMT [s]I actually give in. This plr/ctf push contest is too much. I'm not that good at layout design when it comes to these maps and often have hard time deciding on a layout that works. In all effort, I couldn't finish stage two, and probably should have dropped it from the start. It got rather complicated that I wasn't enjoying it to continue working on it within the 28 days that were left.[/s]

[B]EDIT[/B]: AND then BAM, just as I think I'm out they give an extension!

I rather do a smaller map, much like Koth or such.

Well, I had dropped the map, and dropped the name.

Here's a bit of work on my next map project:

Its an early dev shot of the Koth map.

[url]http://forums.tf2maps.net/picture.php?albumid=31&pictureid=709[/url] ]]> Swamp-Bog Mcgee http://forums.tf2maps.net/blog.php?b=206 http://forums.tf2maps.net/blog.php?b=205 Sat, 22 Aug 2009 22:16:50 GMT Hi All,

For those who read my blog, i'd want to say im not an experienced mapper. Although i map for a while now, until 4 months ago i only used the SDK reference docs to solve my problems...:blushing:

Now i only use tf2maps.net and i must say, my mapping has greatly improved in the last 4 months. So by this i want to thank all of the people here.:P

My current project: pl_volcano
At the beggining of the summer vacation, this is where the story starts, i couldn't sleep so, i started thinking about tf2. In that night i thought out a brilling map. The next morning i could remember all i thought out, wrote it on a piece of paper

So i started full of hope on this new project....:P
the hope was sapped as soon i was done blocking out the map:(:
It was waaaaaaaaaaaay too small:blushing:
But that doesn't say i stopped. no i had to go on because it was a brilliant map, and now i learned i must never use the grid size of my sketch. The next morging i diceded to make the map again. And now nearly a month later, im almost at half (i think:P)

Some screens:












Im planning to make the final point inside the volcano on the map. The cart will fall of the tracks into the heart of the vulcano. This will cause a massive erruption of the vulcano, destroying the Red Goldiggers Mine Facility (that name i just considered:rolleyes:) ]]> Steff0o http://forums.tf2maps.net/blog.php?b=205 http://forums.tf2maps.net/blog.php?b=203 Sat, 22 Aug 2009 01:48:35 GMT Look at the title broseph Look at the title broseph ]]> LordNor http://forums.tf2maps.net/blog.php?b=203 http://forums.tf2maps.net/blog.php?b=202 Thu, 20 Aug 2009 03:43:10 GMT Let me begin by showing you the basic floorplan of my apartment complex's hallways.



As you can see, it's a square. It has notches on two sides, but it is, for all intents and purposes, a big square. The entrance to the place is on one side. My apartment is on the opposite side. To get to the apartment, visitors have to walk around one side of the square.

After the third time my wife and I invited some friends over and they commented on how labyrinthine our apartment complex was, I had an epiphany. Most people a) don't have internal compasses, and b) don't build internal maps based on changes in direction as they walk. Our friends walked to our apartment and because of those simple little notches, exceeded their tolerance for direction changes. They couldn't tell that they had basically just walked on a single path in half a square to get to our apartment.

Now, let's take another close look at those notches. Do they look familiar? Why yes, they are something commonly used in FPS maps to optimize and control visibility between to major areas. If we modify the diagram just a little, we get this:



What does this mean for us as mappers? This is a really darn simple layout. It has the bare minimum of areas, and the bare minimum of optimization pathing between them. Despite this, people will get confused. People will call the map complicated, confusing, and maze-like.

First, mappers should be aware that because of this phenomenon, simplicity of layout should not be a priority. Rather than that, focus should be placed on giving players intuitive directions. Make sure when they enter any area, they immediately see something that makes them want to move to where they are supposed to go. This can be signs. You can use lighting contrast. Place more detail around major exits. Anything that makes them forget that they don't know what direction they're supposed to go and think "hey this looks promising".

Secondly, it also means that nine times out of ten when someone complains that your layout is confusing, you can safely ignore them. Or rather, you don't need to simplify your layout so much as heed the paragraph above. If a player is confused, it's not the layout. It's your visual cues.

Of course even then, there will be players who will be completely oblivious even if the first thing they see when they spawn is a gigantic arrow. If most people get your layout though, don't worry about the few who don't. ]]> Shmitz http://forums.tf2maps.net/blog.php?b=202 http://forums.tf2maps.net/blog.php?b=201 Mon, 17 Aug 2009 04:39:18 GMT Hello, my name is The Magic Potato, and I make maps. Of course we all do, so yeah. As school is starting soon, I figure I should get started on... Hello, my name is The Magic Potato, and I make maps.

Of course we all do, so yeah.

As school is starting soon, I figure I should get started on a koth map to get caught up with everyone before I get off to college stuff. I also have decided it would be best to have some sort of motivation, so I will be posting daily blogs explaining in depth what I did that day for the map.

I will be posting a plethora of screenshots and whatnot during this, and even perhaps videos, so be prepared.

Tomorrow I will announce the theme, along with pics of the lighting style and perhaps a name. I may have a layout as well.

Until then, I will rest. It is 11:37 p.m. CST, and I do not have anything planned to do today for it. ]]> Magical Potato http://forums.tf2maps.net/blog.php?b=201 http://forums.tf2maps.net/blog.php?b=200 Wed, 12 Aug 2009 04:27:15 GMT I probably should ask to have my name changed again. I know I did it before, back in ... June. I feel a little embarrassed to ask again, actually. ... I probably should ask to have my name changed again. I know I did it before, back in ... [ame=http://forums.tf2maps.net/showthread.php?t=2697]June[/ame]. I feel a little embarrassed to ask again, actually. I haven't really liked being called "Mort" in game anymore... In fact I don't know why I held onto the name "Mort" for so long anyway.

It was a screen name given to me by an ex-girlfriend. Its not really about keeping it because of her. I kept it because of my love more for the Disc world series, the first books I ever got for it were [i]Mort[/i] and [i]The Reaper Man[/i].

I feel I want to change my name on the forum again. [I]Swamp-Bog McGee[/I] as I've been going as for a while now, on steam, since the end of June.

Oiy, should I even bother? What if I turn around and what another name? ]]> Swamp-Bog Mcgee http://forums.tf2maps.net/blog.php?b=200 http://forums.tf2maps.net/blog.php?b=199 Sat, 08 Aug 2009 06:19:00 GMT What the hell, I paid for this blog, I'm gonna use it for my meandering thoughts. Am I qualified to pontificate, being green to mapping and unproven with any finalized work? Perhaps. So here we go:

Names

The thing to remember is this is going to be the very first thing a player ever learns about your map. Somewhere in the frontal lobe, synapses are making new connections already. You want them to be connections to the good parts of the brain. When your map comes up on a cycle at a later date, players will have an immediate reaction to it. That's the nature of modern technology. A good name can help push that reaction in a positive direction

So, what constitutes a good one?

I'd say:

• Short
• Unique
• Evocative
• Thematically Relevant
• Memorable

Can I pick an example that I think meets all these criteria?

Steel

It is:

• Short (5 letters)
• Unique (at the time nobody was using names of alloys and elements, now its all the rage)
• Evocative (Close your eyes and think of that word. What comes to mind, besides the map itself? I always see the texture of brushed metal, workers laboring over white-hot cauldrons, rows of warehouses). Words have power
• Thematically Relevant (Industrial setting, makes sense)
• Memorable (Quite so)

And what constitutes a bad one? Well, luckily I won't pick out any examples, but I've noticed a lot of map names that seem to be jumping onto a particular approach in map names. It's like if I built a car and called it a Giraffe, another car maker would come along and call theirs a Hippo. Eventually this is going to devalue the names of all maps using the same approach. "Damn, how many cars can they make named after African wildlife?"

The more obvious bad habits are long, hard to pronounce, unnecessarily complex names. The reasons why these are bad are self-explanatory, and aren't really of interest in my pseudo-intellectual musing

So basically those are my thoughts on this seemingly minor detail of the mapping process. I think if we want to maximize our creative potential, a good name is a great place to start, and finish. ]]> uma plata http://forums.tf2maps.net/blog.php?b=199