Two Years of Abandonment: The Evolution of zf_industry

BrokenTripod

L5: Dapper Member
May 11, 2009
248
65
About two years ago, a guy on the Penny Arcade forums by the name of Sirot made a mod for Team Fortress 2 and asked if anyone would make a custom map for it. I volunteered and created the very first map for this, entitled zf_industry.


So the map started with Sirot making a mockup of it
zfindustrybq7.jpg



Then I made it and he posted pictures of it.
zf_industry_a30013.jpg



It got some popularity so I basically doubled the size of the map for replay value, entitled zf_industry_rc1.


If you click on that, you’ll notice that the first two comments have serious business feedback.
Then I made another version and removed the CPs from the map (It was broken because of them, but that’s literally all I did)

So after this point I completely abandoned the project. Everything after this is happening with me not knowing. Keep in mind I spent very little time on the map and it’s actually really really bad, you can’t possibly comprehend. (Okay, it’s not THAT bad.) Ubercharged.net welcomes Zombie Fortress and play my map, as it’s the only one. There’s a screenshot of the map there. Yay.

They continue playing it, despite the new maps that have been released. They are enjoying the hell out of it and the train that is somewhat dysfunctional. Note that article is not about The Train God as in the train that is in a ton of TF2 maps, but it’s specifically about MY Train God and how dysfunctional it is. Then Ubercharged decides to do away with Zombie Fortress, but not before talking about Industry.


zf_industry_rc10084_1000x625.jpg

At some point, it gets put on a random Wiki. I didn’t even take this picture. Someone else took this and put it on their wiki. It’s never looked so pretty.

I’m pretty amazed that it was popular and got played, so I had a good laugh there, but here’s the part that made it so good:
zf_baseback-2.png

That’s my map. Adapted for a mod called Undead Garrison for Gang Garrison (A 2d spinoff of TF2) What’s even crazier is that someone says right after that: “WAIT A SEC There's hills in the BG of industry.”
I’ll be honest, I spent two minutes, MAX on those hills, but here’s someone who has played my map enough to remember that the map has hills.

zf_baseback-3.png

Let there be hills. That’s not even the end of it. Someone notes: “CP-less, right? Everyone hates zf_cp_industry” This guy even knows that there’s a version of the map with the CPs. This is like 6 months after I’ve made the map. Okay, so the mod they’re working on dies, but STILL. It’s my map 6 months after the fact, and now there’s ~20 other maps that they could be playing. At this point, I’m loving the internet for everything. I keep looking and look at some stats for the map and notice that zf_industry_v2_1b2 is being played. What’s that? Did I make that at some point and accidentally put it up somewhere?

128531c.jpg

Nope.

They went and decompiled my map and made improvements on it. They credit me, but as far as I know didn’t try contacting me. I could care less, though. So I’m laughing at this and notice that it was posted 6 months ago.

Wait, what? Someone took my map and improved it and posted this new version 6 months ago? People can’t possibly still be playing my map. That’s just…

Wait, there’s other versions? Okay, okay, let’s check just MY version. Wait. What? 21/32 people played my map? TODAY? (What the hell?) Apparently Zombie Fortress is popular in Russia. And my map was played by a bunch of people in Russia 2 years after I put it on the internet.

WHAAAT?

I love the internet. Also, this is the best thing I’ve done ever and the most fun research I’ve ever done. I’m sure I missed something, though. I’m kind of sad that I didn’t credit myself with making it in the map, but whatever. Crazy things happen.

9/20/10 got the comment: "Can I just say that I had such a bloody good time on it? Dude. You created some serious brilliance man; and you definitely get a piece of the glory-pie.

Love from a gamer girl in Singapore! xoxo"

:'3 Love the internet.
 
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Moose

L6: Sharp Member
Nov 4, 2009
312
616
moral of the story: make bad maps and get popular.

(SWATY, duel_duel2, and pretty much any popular custom map out there on servers besides TF2M are other examples of this.)
 

Bermuda Cake

L9: Fashionable Member
Feb 20, 2009
679
480
ah, yes, the new version of the map not by you... I've played it on the GFL zf servers. It seems popular solely because it's terrible. This huuuuge map sees the red team crowding into a tower that's maybe 256x256 units for the entire round.
I love the original, though, especially with the new zf perks like leap:)
 

Jethro

MUSty Complainer
Nov 2, 2009
287
281
Heh, reminds me of this oblivion mod I made aaaaaaages ago, that now has 5000 downloads. :D
 
Mar 23, 2010
1,872
1,696
shall call this "the 2fort effect"
 

lana

Currently On: ?????
aa
Sep 28, 2009
3,075
2,778
At least old things of yours people like are playable. I still get shivers from Lone Wolf.
 

BrokenTripod

L5: Dapper Member
May 11, 2009
248
65
Someone just found me from this and asked if I really made it and I got:

"Can I just say that I had such a bloody good time on it? Dude. You created some serious brilliance man; and you definitely get a piece of the glory-pie.

Love from a gamer girl in Singapore! xoxo"

:'3 I love the internet.
 
Nov 14, 2009
1,257
378
Someone just found me from this and asked if I really made it and I got:

"Can I just say that I had such a bloody good time on it? Dude. You created some serious brilliance man; and you definitely get a piece of the glory-pie.

Love from a gamer girl in Singapore! xoxo"

:'3 I love the internet.

No comment.
 

Retroid

L5: Dapper Member
Aug 25, 2009
206
22
God I shuder to think of some of the shit Gabe and Robin must get through the post...
 

REEJ

L420: High Member
Aug 26, 2010
437
176
This reminds me when I was writing an instrumental, played it to my cousin in a jam session..
2 weeks later I see him post "his song" on youtube, he took my main riff, added some random effects like auto-wah and chorus.
This kind of crap happens in any field
 

nik

L12: Fabulous Member
Aug 14, 2009
987
564
don't worry broken, all these downers are jealous that they can't make a SUPER AWESOME MAP that gets played by people years after making it


suckers
 

Hawk

L7: Fancy Member
Dec 3, 2007
419
213
The internet is craaaaaaaaazy :)

Over a decade ago I made a Quake 2 player model and people are STILL contacting me and asking to put it in their homebrew games. It's not a particularly fantastic model, but like you, I'm a bit tickled that people are still using something I made.