Skylab

KotH skylab rc1

Dec 25, 2007
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439
Not content with fighting in every corner of the Earth, the R.E.D. Corporation and B.L.U. Industries are attempting to seize control of an orbiting space station. As usual, they cannot agree as to who should have command of the station and its deadly space laser, so it's up to you to help resolve this dispute!

This is a King of the Hill map, with action tightly focused around a central capture point. With numerous approaches to the point, the action tends to be fast and furious.
 
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Sel

Banned
Feb 18, 2009
1,239
2,570
You should watch this

Get some inspiration from that movie, and maybe take a physics course, because gravity in the 30s wasn't much different than it is now, and that picture is making me nauseous !
 
Dec 25, 2007
566
439
Get some inspiration from that movie
Yes, I've seen it. Parts of the map were already inspired by it: notable the stairs running up the window and into a door on the roof.

maybe take a physics course, because gravity in the 30s wasn't much different than it is now
True, and in an orbiting space station you won't feel the effects of gravity at all, since you're in free fall all the time. However, this space station has an artificial gravity generator that lets the teams walk around normally; when that's off (sv_gravity 0) then the other passages from the window become usable. ;)
 

Fireman

L4: Comfortable Member
Mar 21, 2008
150
59
We had a demo camp our spawn exit for a bit, either make it so the other team can't get all the way up to that door, or provide an alternative route out.
 

Flame

aa
Jul 19, 2009
368
865
yeah i was that demo =P that needs fixing.

the textures are really sweet but I think the maps too short. The walking times are nonexistent and it gets very easy to spawn camp.

The detailing looks great, the middle needs a little bit more light though
 

Sel

Banned
Feb 18, 2009
1,239
2,570
Yes, I've seen it. Parts of the map were already inspired by it: notable the stairs running up the window and into a door on the roof.


True, and in an orbiting space station you won't feel the effects of gravity at all, since you're in free fall all the time. However, this space station has an artificial gravity generator that lets the teams walk around normally; when that's off (sv_gravity 0) then the other passages from the window become usable. ;)

While it's cool that you're trying to make the map be playable in two different ways, It might be confusing to players, and the flaw in having no gravity at all is that there will always be an up and down, and no way for players to rotate on the various directional axises.

Go for it though, see if it works out, and try to prove me wrong.
 

Steff0o

L6: Sharp Member
May 31, 2009
295
132
i love it except for the spawns, they just dont fit your space theme, to much stone wall, too big, and no metal textures.

I hope it will be different, but thats up to you :p
Good luck with it, i look forward to play the next beta
 
Dec 25, 2007
566
439
While it's cool that you're trying to make the map be playable in two different ways, It might be confusing to players, and the flaw in having no gravity at all is that there will always be an up and down, and no way for players to rotate on the various directional axises.

To clear up the confusion: This map is only intended to be played with the normal gravity setting. I was making a joking reply to the "take a physics course" comment. The sideways paths on the window are intended to make it feel more "space station"-ish, as if the gravity could be changed.
 

Colt Seavers

L6: Sharp Member
Dec 30, 2007
288
82
looking forward to playing this.

personally love the 'mess with your head' geometry. makes you think - makes a change ;)
 
Dec 25, 2007
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Beta 2 released. The change log is above, but this should help resolve some of the problems from the first beta.

I'd love to hear your comments.
 

SlayerBlitz

L3: Member
Dec 3, 2009
120
46
I love the map a lot (im a big fan of koth).

The top battlements though need some cover or walls and such and more railing. 1 engie built a sentry there and no one was able to stop us and they did the same thing the following round and owned us.

Maybe you could make the walls on the cp higher and go all the way around (to make it look like a glass can) to protect people form sentries. You should keep two exits on it though (1 with path 1 without) to keep it basically the same.

I didnt really understand why the semicircle wall was there. Maybe you could put a large medkit there and get rid of the one in the orange back room.

I really like the glass walls and I think you should make more of the walls in the map see through so that you can see enemies coming.

thats all I really had for gameplay and such suggestions. Its a great map and I had a lot of fun. good job.
 
Dec 25, 2007
566
439
Thanks for your feedback, SlayerBlitz!

I'll keep an eye on sentries in this map, but I'm not sure it's as big a problem as you make out. Note that a sentry on the battlements cannot cover the whole central room; the battlements on the other side of the map, for example, would be accessible without passing near the sentry, and will be out of its range, so a soldier could quite handily take it down from there.

Your idea about a healthpack by the semicircle wall is good; I'll think about that for b3.

More glass walls within the map areas cause problems for optimisation, so most glass walls will only be for viewing dioramas, not playable areas of the map.
 

Colt Seavers

L6: Sharp Member
Dec 30, 2007
288
82
Downloading now. It'll be up on the Teamplay soon bud - it's more than worthy and will hopefully boost feedback nicely. Played no small part in influencing my new map stylistically ;) - well, that and persuading me that maps in space were as good a plan as I suspected :)
 

Nosher

L4: Comfortable Member
Feb 3, 2008
184
20
Well - very nice Velvet!

There are still some dodgy lights ents that seem to be hanging in mid air, but the map shows real promise......

I love the satellite array outside (sweet!), as well as the floor-on-wall stuff - really cool.

The smaller ante chambers off to the side look neat as well.

So overall, visually, it looks extremely tasty.

Your biggest problem is, we know you can do quality mapping, so the benchmark is already set pretty high.......but this is a good start! ;)

Have not had chance to play it yet, so if you see me on Steam (and you are playing it on a server) gimmie a shout.

Nosher.
 
Dec 25, 2007
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Apr 19, 2009
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All is going according to plan.
/
episode_5_darth_vader.jpg
 
Dec 25, 2007
566
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TPG, WTF?

Anyway, the areas I'd really like to test in this map are:

  • Spawncamping - how much of a problem is it? So I'd like to see teams trying to spawncamp. If you can spawncamp effectively then I need to change the spawns a bit; if you can't, then they're ok. By effectively, I mean shut the whole other team out for 3 or 4 spawn cycles (i.e. a minute or more).
  • How the map plays as a spy: Are there enough places to hide in/retreat to to recharge? Can you effectively get on the CP while cloaked without always having to pass through spam that gives you away?
  • How the map plays as an Engineer: This is koth, so you have to have a combat engineer mindset that your sentry won't last long; but are there enough useful places to set up? How's the metal placement -- too much or too little, or just right?
  • How the map plays as a Sniper: Do the battlements give you useful sightlines onto the cap point? Do they have enough cover to move to between shots?
  • Healthkits: is there not enough health/too much health/just about right?

I'd love to get your feedback on these, particular from players of the different classes.