Snowdrift

CTF Snowdrift b4a

jpr

aa
Feb 1, 2009
1,094
1,085
CTF_Snowdrift, an attack/defend ctf map, contest entry for the third annual TF2maps.net mapping contest.

Objective:
Blue team wins by delivering their briefcase to all of the Control Points before the time runs out. Red team wins by preventing the Blue team from delivering their briefcase.

Other Notes:
Control Points cannot be captured while they are locked.
Credits:
Map by Joona "Jonah" Pääkkönen (jonah.paakkonen@gmail.com)
Custom snow and skybox materials by Joona "Jonah" Pääkkönen
Capture point doors by Alex "Rexy" Kreeger (kreeger242@missouristate.edu)
Intelligence pedestal by Mark "Shmitz" Major (shmitz@gmail.com)

Special thanks to all the testers
 
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jpr

aa
Feb 1, 2009
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1,085
I thought about it while making my previous snowy map, but after sawmill came out and I saw the rain was made with particles, I wanted to make the snowfall with particles too. The problem is you can't bspzip particles... But I'll think about it.
 

Tentor

L1: Registered
Nov 28, 2008
18
1
It sucks because you made and you're ugly.

Nah, just kidding. It looks really well done and I'm pretty excited to try it out.
 

Tentor

L1: Registered
Nov 28, 2008
18
1
Okay so after playing the map. I have come up with a list of things that you should fix
- One of the tunnels in the blue spawn is very narrow. Please widen it.
- Needs more health kits, put more medium health kits in areas.
- The setup time should be about a minute to 50 seconds. Because in 45 seconds I got a level 3 sentry up with a dispenser on the first cap.
- You might need another way to get to the last point, there are a lot of good sentry spots near the end of them.
- Both plates need good sniper spots.
- Put some crates by areas where you can't jump up to them normally(Not like, 5 stacked on top of each other, but like a one or 2 stack for scouts and medics)

ALSO I LIKED PL_YOUTUBEPOOP FFFF
 

jpr

aa
Feb 1, 2009
1,094
1,085
Okay so after playing the map. I have come up with a list of things that you should fix
- One of the tunnels in the blue spawn is very narrow. Please widen it.
How is it too narrow? It's not like any enemy pyros are going to get in.
- Needs more health kits, put more medium health kits in areas.
Odd, I kinda thought I put more health than I should have. I'm not saying you're wrong though.
- The setup time should be about a minute to 50 seconds. Because in 45 seconds I got a level 3 sentry up with a dispenser on the first cap.
You mean 75 seconds. That's intentional.
- You might need another way to get to the last point, there are a lot of good sentry spots near the end of them.
There is another way, and I tried to make it as non-sentry friendly as I could
- Both plates need good sniper spots.
All right.
- Put some crates by areas where you can't jump up to them normally(Not like, 5 stacked on top of each other, but like a one or 2 stack for scouts and medics)
If you can't jump up to somewhere, it's usually intentional.
ALSO I LIKED PL_YOUTUBEPOOP FFFF
Unpooped you mean? Because I didn't make the original.
 

Tentor

L1: Registered
Nov 28, 2008
18
1
How is it too narrow? It's not like any enemy pyros are going to get in.
It's too narrow because it looks like a cluster fuck if classes go in there and the lights scare me because i think i'll get stuck on them or go through them.

Odd, I kinda thought I put more health than I should have. I'm not saying you're wrong though.
No, I think you need more

You mean 75 seconds. That's intentional.
But it shouldn't be that long because your map is small enough to get to the first point and get a level 3 sentry up and a dispenser. If you make it lower then it will give blue an advantage to get to the point while getting the engineer.

There is another way, and I tried to make it as non-sentry friendly as I could
YOU DIDN'T DO IT HARD ENOUGH

All right.
Cool

If you can't jump up to somewhere, it's usually intentional.
No I mean areas where a scout could double jump/force a nature up but others can't
Unpooped you mean? Because I didn't make the original.
YES THAT
 

Fearlezz

L10: Glamorous Member
May 4, 2008
787
476
Hey, I forgot to crit this one. So here comes a short sum.

First things first, this map has some narrow tunnels and paths. Not good at all for spys. And VERY good for pyros. Im sure you can think of why its like this ;). As we discussed in game today, the spawn times where messed up. Just to put it up here, Blue managed to cap point 2 before Red even spawned. Which is no good.

Something I also pointed out was that there should be more defendable positions everywhere in the map. And specially at the setups gates.

PIC1; This area was very narrow, expand it, and in a matter of fact, make another room half way up here. It could really do the job of satisfying everyone :)
ctf_snowdrift_a20000.jpg


PIC2; Depending on how you are planing to texture and detail this in the future, this might look good, or not good at all. Something that would improve of this no matter, would if you lowered the ground. Right now you hit your head in the roof there if you jump, not fun.
ctf_snowdrift_a20001.jpg


And now I want to say very good job on the snow, whenever you did it or not, its a good job. At first I didnt see that it was just a simple recolor of the old dust texture until I took a good look at it. So good job on that.
ctf_snowdrift_a20002.jpg


So overall, very clean and nice start. I like some of the open places in the map, I recognize these kind of open places in maps like badwater and other great maps. So Im looking forward to this map.

Great work, keep it up.

(I hope I havent forgotten anything)
 

jpr

aa
Feb 1, 2009
1,094
1,085
Updated to a3:
-Added health and ammo, and changed some of the old ones' places
-Added more signage
-Fixed the spawntimes (Now 10 seconds faster)
-Added a single cubemap to get rid of the purpleness
-Teams now switch on map win
-Added shmitz's intel base models and made the cap area smaller
-Added the room fearlezz suggested and made the tunnel higher
-Added a possible sentry spot near blue spawn

I think that was all.

Oh, and also, Radaka kindly gave me his gameday spot, so this will be tested on sunday after all.
 
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jpr

aa
Feb 1, 2009
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gameday bump
btw, if anyone has any suggestions on how to make keeping track of the flag easier without having to switch to the ctf hud, tell me. I tried a sprite pointing at the flag, but it didn't quite work as I had planned.
 
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Dr. Spud

Grossly Incandescent
aa
Mar 23, 2009
880
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Sorry I ducked out early, but I got to play a few rounds. I didn't notice any glaring problems, except that you need the compass on the HUD pointing to the flag. It doesn't look as clean as the capture point HUD, but we really didn't know where to go without the arrow.
 
Aug 19, 2008
1,011
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if i remember right that one was the confusing map, i ran many times in cirles following red signs

rule of thumb: red signs/red objective , blu signs/blu objective

if i see a red arrow that points straight ahead, and i´m red, i will follow it and not look for another arrow on the hard left

i think it was confusing immediately right out of reds spawn...

long story short, it´s white, all... therefore you need clearer signage :)
 

jpr

aa
Feb 1, 2009
1,094
1,085
ctfsnowdrift0027.png

Changed the hud to a ctf one and added this little building thingy to stop capping from above. Also, the points are now blockable. No testing next weekend because I'm going to london this week. Also, I'm going to finish the next 2 cp's before the next playtest, and designing good maps takes time. It took about 2 weeks to come up with the first part of the map.
 

Jive Turkey

L3: Member
Jan 22, 2008
120
32
The lighting really looks to complement the snow theme well. Looks very cold and isolated. I'm getting The Thing vibes here. Feel free to add dogs with tentacles and snow monsters as well.