Rollout

well this is my entry for the map contest.


Alpha one release
that means all stages, and most of the niggly bits (including custom soundscapes) are sorted out

- one small bug that i'm aware of, and will fix in next version is that engineer buildings remain when the next stages begin, which can lead to a teleport exit being in the previous stage and thus could cause griefing.

so for now i'd ask that engineers be nice and destroy their buildings when a new stage starts.



---------

basically i'm planning to combine plr pipline gameplay with a simplified TC system.
there will be 5 stages in all, 2 bases, 2 intermediates and a middle map.
symmettry will exist over the whole map, but stages will be asymmetrical internally (excluding the middle map).
i'm also avoiding the cross-over tracks as i find them clunky personally.

now although gameplay layout of the levels will be symmetrical, the actual themes will vary somewhat, with red base set on the side of an alpine valley and blu base besides a hydroelectric dam. the reason that i decided to do this is linked to the idea of using trains/trucks as final terminus points. ergo, the idea is that there is a level of travel time between the 2 bases, and the fighting occurs in the transportation hubs between them.
oh and it won't be a night map! i'm going for nice-and-bright (similar to what i did in devil's brew).
although i admit that this is partially due to the fact that i'm having changing locales and i don't think i can get hammer to give me different skymaps + lighting for each area. however, it's mainly cos all the plr maps i'm seeing are night/rainy maps, and i don't think that plr has to be set at night.

[Anda02]

It looks like a promising design, I can't really say more without viewing a larger portion of the map. I have to say though it does look interesting

[Ezekel]

Originally Posted by Anda02

It looks like a promising design, I can't really say more without viewing a larger portion of the map. I have to say though it does look interesting

thanks anda.
i've actually only built the basics for that round so far. i'm still doing a lot of pencil/paper work though, as i've got some ideas that need developing and testing in hammer to make sure they work the way i want.

[Ezekel]

i've not had much time mapping wise lately, however, i probably should put out some more info here:
rollout isn't going to be a vanilla plr. i was keeping a hat on the ideas cos i was still playing with them. since everyone else is showcasing their ideas openly, i guess i should too now i'm confident with them.

basically i'm planning to combine plr pipline gameplay with a simplified TC system.
there will be 5 stages in all, 2 bases, 2 intermediates and a middle map.
symmettry will exist over the whole map, but stages will be asymmetrical internally (excluding the middle map).
i'm also avoiding the cross-over tracks as i find them clunky personally.

now although gameplay layout of the levels will be symmetrical, the actual themes will vary somewhat, with red base set on the side of an alpine valley and blu base besides a hydroelectric dam. the reason that i decided to do this is linked to the idea of using trains/trucks as final terminus points. ergo, the idea is that there is a level of travel time between the 2 bases, and the fighting occurs in the transportation hubs between them.
oh and it won't be a night map! i'm going for nice-and-bright (similar to what i did in devil's brew).
although i admit that this is partially due to the fact that i'm having changing locales and i don't think i can get hammer to give me different skymaps + lighting for each area. however, it's mainly cos all the plr maps i'm seeing are night/rainy maps, and i don't think that plr has to be set at night.

the other little extra is that within the team's bases. the defending team will have a short area of track where the cart will roll forward (and subsequently be destroyed, though a new one is supplied right at the top of the roll forward area), and the defending team need to stand on a certain point to make sure the cart doesn't careen into a pit.
although this may seem unfair, the defending team will be moving downhill most of the time.

finally: the most important thing in my opinion is that there will be a game timer clock, which will trigger sudden death if a round runs for too long (i'm looking at 5-6 minutes a round at the moment).
i think this was a major failing in pipeline, as no one enjoys being in a stalemate ad infinitum.

[Mr. Hanz]

Yea, it looks kinda interesting, I will keep following this..

[Ezekel]

meet the A0 version XD
http://forums.tf2maps.net/./download...o=file&id=1791

[Zeewier]

finally: the most important thing in my opinion is that there will be a game timer clock, which will trigger sudden death if a round runs for too long (i'm looking at 5-6 minutes a round at the moment).
i think this was a major failing in pipeline, as no one enjoys being in a stalemate ad infinitum.

I suggest something else (I will use this for my own plr map): give both trains a base speed after X time (I will start with 7 minutes when balancing) . So the team that pushed the best has the advantage. And in this map you will solve a stalemate problem that most tc maps have .

[Ezekel]

actually after some bsic playtesting i've abandoned the round time limit, due in part to entity limitations, but also due to the fact that it doesn't actually seem necessary, as the rounds still eventually end even with a turtling team.

[Joodude]

Unfortunately, The map kept crashing the server after 2/3 rounds for some strange reason. Maybe a bad entity setup?

I enjoyed it though. I like the train-cart idea with the spawns.

[Ezekel]

Originally Posted by Joodude

Unfortunately, The map kept crashing the server after 2/3 rounds for some strange reason. Maybe a bad entity setup?

I enjoyed it though. I like the train-cart idea with the spawns.

i don't know the reason for the crash, as it's worked perfectly fine on other servers across multiple rounds and play.

i imagine there could be something in relation to certain server mods that might be the reason, and probably is tied to the fact i'm using only one round.
ABS said he knew a way to make this work as multiround. i'm eagerly awaiting his feedback post regarding this.