Thunderclap

What theme should the map be made into?

  • Swamp it up!

    Votes: 13 16.9%
  • Thunderstorms, rain, and oil rigs sounds nice..

    Votes: 64 83.1%

  • Total voters
    77
Aug 10, 2009
1,240
399
Ladies and germs, I present: push_thunderclap!

So, here are some clarifications:
- The 'push' gametype (temp name) is a combination of a CP map and a KoTH map. Holding the hill for the allotted amount of time will win the game or capping a teams final CP will win the game.
- The skybox has been switched. Yes, this is pre-beta, but I wanted to establish some sort of feeling for the map, despite the murderous compile times.

**If you have just tested this map and are coming to post feedback, please keep in mind the following:

- How did the courtyard (area outside of the mid building)
- Where were most of the battles staged?
- What parts of the map felt too big?
- Was there any 'dead' (unplayed) space in the map?
- Were there any sentry farms and where?
- How were most of the games won?


Finally, future plans that I have for this map:

- After a fresh change of sheets and layout, this map is very susceptible to more layout changes, though I hope they aren't as major as this one.
- I don't expect the courtyard to stay like it is, so if you have any feedback concerning it, please don't hesitate.
- The area between the second and final points is very subject to change simply because it feels a bit small right now, which allows it to be easily covered by a number of classes.
- This map, like all cotton shirts, is subject to reduction in size


MANY THANKS:
Penguin (not like he made the gametype in entities or anything..)
Boojum (Savin' mah time)
VBCT (compile tool that doesn't freeze up hammer, look for it on the VDC [yes I know it's practically the same but it has a nice UI :p])
WastedMeerkat (the elevator suggestion)
Anybody giving feedback :)
 
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Mar 23, 2010
1,870
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nice spots of light

Don't they need some kind of structure that holds the light? (light can't just come out of a wall)
 
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Aug 10, 2009
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Basically each team holds one CP at the start of the game, and there's a neutral hill. Controlling the hill unlocks the enemies CP, which you can cap to win. Alternatively, holding the hill until the time runs out will also win you the game.

nice spots of light

Don't they need some kind of structure that holds the light? (light can't just come out of a wall)

Thank's for upping the word count :)
It's in early alpha now, so that's not a big concern of mine, even though the HDR makes them a lot brighter then they would 'normally' be. That said, when I start to detail I think they'll be the long thin fluorescent lights, embedded in the ceiling.
 

Penguin

Clinically Diagnosed with Small Mapper's Syndrome
aa
May 21, 2009
2,039
1,484
not like you forgot tha anyone deserves any credit here, nothing to see move along.
 

ANova

L7: Fancy Member
Jul 16, 2009
415
132
In this picture i would say make the point in the middle and not on a random side
 
Aug 10, 2009
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I'm sorry the pictures are horrible, and horribly indescriptive(yes, I just made that word). The middle of the map is a massive courtyard, on the top you have the hill, on the bottom you have this large turn. You can sort of see the actual middle of the map in screens 5/6.

Screen 5 shows the middle of the middle, with a sightline-blocking building appendage spanning the top/bottom of mid, what it attaches to on the far side overhangs the other part of mid.

In screen 6, the far large building in the top middle is the building with the hill in it, the structure across from that is what the 'bridge' spans. The bridge can also be seen spanning the two in screen 6.
 
Nov 14, 2009
1,257
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Your second screen is the only one that makes me want to play the map. And that it does. I cant wait to try this on a gameday!

In other news, I feel sorry for those who have to worry about compiles! With my i7, I can compile almost anything in 10 mins :D
 
Aug 10, 2009
1,240
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Well atm this map is ~8 minutes depending on what else I'm going. As of now it's not 100% done, and I'm not too sure about US testing as this maps pretty huge atm and 7v7 could be a little stretched out. I don't know, maybe it would work :p
 

Mr.Blob

L8: Fancy Shmancy Member
Jun 12, 2009
573
249
Wow, screenshot #2 looks cool. The gamemode sounds interesting. I'd love to see how it plays.
 
Jan 20, 2010
1,317
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Move the lights away from the wall. The bright spots look weird. One thing you can do is make a tall skip brush with a light on top and place it in various places. That would make the lights look less strange.
 
Aug 10, 2009
1,240
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Move the lights away from the wall. The bright spots look weird. One thing you can do is make a tall skip brush with a light on top and place it in various places. That would make the lights look less strange.

Those lights are very temporary. I tacked them on wherever I felt necessary, then removed about 70% of them when I changed out the skybox and environment prefabs.

Plus, the design looks very fitting to it already. However, cp_oilrig already has most of that going already...

I'm not exactly sure what you're saying. Are you saying that the name cp_oilrig is taken? or are you saying that the map should be called cp_oilrig?



All that aside, my dear womenfolk and paramecium I give you the ACTUAL RELEASE of a1, fully intended to crush, ruin, and possibly set fire to this page's bandwidth. Please appreciate it and make sure to always, always cover your func_details because I just spent forty-five minutes doing just that. To good music though, at least that helped :).

So, the download link: http://forums.tf2maps.net/downloads.php?do=file&id=3636&act=down

The pictures (new and improved with effort!):

The RED spawn and final capture point
push_thunderclap_a10021.jpg


Looking into the 'courtyard,' basically the mid outside of the hill. Shot was taken from the upper level of the beginnings of the intermediary between the courtyard and red spawn/cap. I might dub these areas(yes blue has one too) the battlements.
push_thunderclap_a10022.jpg


This beauty was taken midway into the main BLU route into the red spawn and cap area. The ending of this tunnel can be barely glanced right below the cap(there is a red arrow on the ground pointing at it) of the first screenshot.
push_thunderclap_a10024.jpg


Another picturesque print taken at RED's corner of mid(corners are sold out, neutral zones are still on sale for one hundred dollars per square foot. This package may include a health or ammo pack, and does not come with insurance. A complimentary ramp may also be provided). It looks out over the majority of mid, including the hill itself. The blue elevator is visible on the far side.
push_thunderclap_a10025.jpg


A picture taken from a spectator-only vantage point(all manner of jumpers, ye be warned) showing the blue half of the courtyard.
push_thunderclap_a10027.jpg


Finally, to end what has hopefully changed your life, and to probably what has melted your loading times, I present a humble picture of the BLU spawn, taken in the BLU spawn.
push_thunderclap_a10028.jpg


So that is it! In case you missed it, here's the download link again:
http://forums.tf2maps.net/downloads.php?do=file&id=3636&act=down


Thanks for reading, and enjoy the map!

On a perfectly unrelated sidenote, is it fair to say you 'read' a picture operating on two assumptions:
1) A picture can be quantified in 1000 words, could it be traded for those words though?
2) That reading, in its most base form, is looking or observing something and extrapolating information from that thing.

My guess is no. Anyways, thanks again for taking a look at this and keep an eye out for future tests!
 
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Mr. Wimples

L6: Sharp Member
Jan 27, 2010
276
226
An oil-rig themed map sounds cool, and additionally there aren't nearly enough maps out there with weather effects, sounds good to me! Personally I like experimental maps (Combos, new game modes, etc.) and I'd like to see it pull through. Keep up the good work.
 

Penguin

Clinically Diagnosed with Small Mapper's Syndrome
aa
May 21, 2009
2,039
1,484
5 cps.

Less wasted space.

You known what needs to be done.
 
Aug 10, 2009
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Quaint, compact, informative, indeed.

The plan for the next alpha is to
+Rework the latter half of the courtyard to compliment what is already there
+Place a CP in the red and blue 'intermediary' play area
+Double the Hill timer
+Greatly reduce capture times for the last points
+Reduce capture times for the hill, second and fourth points
+Fix forward spawns

I'd like to get a bit more testing in before I make any more significant changes though.

I think I'll start detailing when I have a better idea of how the map is to play out. Expect the new skybox in the later alphas, I'd like to have this to beta by a10.
 
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