ctf_halfpipe_b1

[HeyItsMK]

README.TXT                     

Contents                       
===============================
1. About                       
2. Version History             
3. Credits                     
===============================


1. About                       
===============================
Halfpipe is an idea I had for a
long time, but I could never   
get the hang of Hammer enough  
to be able to pull it off. Then
one day I just sat down and    
twelve and a half hours later, 
I have a BETA release of the   
map I've wanted to get out of  
my head for so long. I don't   
know what it was, things were  
just clicking with me and I was
having the easiest and most fun
time I've ever had working on a
map. I know future development 
will be just as much fun, and I
look forward to hearing your   
suggestions on how I can add or
improve things to this map. So 
gimme an email, it's listed at 
the bottom of this file.       
Thanks!                        


2. Version History
===============================
Beta1                          
ctf_halfpipe_b1.bsp            
-------------------            
-Initial release. Everything   
 appears to be in working order
 and I will take in suggestions
 from people if they have them.
-Texturing all over the place  
 needs to be done, as well as  
 general optimization all over 
 the place.                    
-Must fix map boundaries issue 
 with people dying and falling 
 into the skybox area.         


3. Credits                     
===============================
===     Custom TF2 Maps     ===
===    http://tf2maps.net   ===
===============================
===     Map by [MRCA] MK    ===
===    mk@fruit-salad.org   ===
===============================

That about says it all. Here's some screenshots, and a download is available of the map itself.



If you have any suggestions as to how I can improve or optimize this map lemme know, I wanna hear it good or bad. If there's a server anyone wants to put this map on let me know here as well, I would actually like to know how it plays before I get into learning some more advanced stuff (AND applying it)...

[Wiebbe]

Seriously, i applaud you mapping spree, finally being able to get into hammer what was into your head. But PLEASE PLEASE dont release maps like this..
This is NOT a map, its not a work in progress, its just some brushes thrown togheter in 1 day.

Maps take time to create, you have to fine tune stuff, the very first release i made took me 1 1/2 months! to do a gameplay test. Thats how mapping works.

the best thing you can do i just save this somewhere on your pc and start on a new map.

[Snipergen]

I agree with wiebbe, keep this for yourself, no server would run it (and I think you know this). So dont release this but just keep it for yourself and start a new map.

[HeyItsMK]

Ow. Yeah I just made this cuz I wanted to get it out of my system and concentrate on other things, and I think I can now. Hammer is looking a lot more appealing, and I learned a whole hell of a lot doing this one.

But can you guys tell me WHY it's so bad? I need insight if I'm gonna get better at this, and two people isn't enough to convince me to hide this away forever.

[Paria]

you have a beta ready after 12.5 hours - thats the first problem.

I would hate to think how many hours a popular custom map would have spent on it - i would guess its more it regions of 100's

the brushwork dosent actually resemble anything that looks like a building/structure , the texturing is rushed /repetitive (floor tiles going up the walls), the skybox looks like a hl2 one, theres is very little lighting (black shadows everywhere)

thats the stuff i noticed anyway - having not released a map myself yet and being new to mapping/hammer in general.

on the positive side you have the basic concpets of maps design sorted now, my advice would be to go through the official maps the decompiled versions and even some of the better custom maps and see how they do things, its a great source of learning how to do stuff, so long as you dont just copy paste it .

The part about people playing it,

honestly people will seem to play anything in tf2 if someone else is already on a server - last night i fired up a test of 1 wall, i forgot id left my ports open so it was visible to the internet, after going afk for 10 minutes i tabbed back in to find 4 other players on the server having a grand battle over the 1 wall and 1 spawn point in the map

hmm it's not bad it is just not the same as every other map.
If you look at the gameplay you get a sniper fest.
If you look at the textures you should use more then 1 texture on 1 brush.
It looks like nothing.
There are no models.
So if you find this bad it is bad
If you think tf2 maps are mirrort brushes with the same texture on almost every brush and with strang brushes on strange places then it is not bad
The Truth is in the Eye of the Beholder < this will be my sig from now on

[YM]

12.5 hours work on a beta. That is your problem. Even at a pinch I'm hard pushed to get an alpha out in 12 hours.
Maps come in four stages:
Concept - you toy with ideas on paper/in your head/talk with friends/test ideas in hammer
Alpha - You get the basic concept into hammer and produce a playable game, you ommit anything that is asthetic(visuals like props, skybox, texture...) You are concentrating on getting a map that plays well and makes everyone playing smile and chuckle. Alpha maps are often only ever released to a few core friends, they are almost always not acceptable to have the whole world seeing them
Beta - Once your alpha plays well and your getting a whole bunch of "It plays great, love it" then you can start adding things like proper lighting, detail with props, brushes, textures...etc. This is the stage where your map first becomes public, you get it out there so that as many people as posible can give you critique so you can improve it (A lot of maps seem to miss out the "listen to critique and improve upon" stage)
Release - Once you've had several beta releases and just about everyone is giving you great feedback on how much they love your map you pack everything in do a last compile with all the settings whacked up to full and release it properly.

Your map is still well within the alpha stage, you have got alpha and beta confused.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Youme

12.5 hours work on a beta. That is your problem. Even at a pinch I'm hard pushed to get an alpha out in 12 hours.
Maps come in four stages:
Concept - you toy with ideas on paper/in your head/talk with friends/test ideas in hammer
Alpha - You get the basic concept into hammer and produce a playable game, you ommit anything that is asthetic(visuals like props, skybox, texture...) You are concentrating on getting a map that plays well and makes everyone playing smile and chuckle. Alpha maps are often only ever released to a few core friends, they are almost always not acceptable to have the whole world seeing them
Beta - Once your alpha plays well and your getting a whole bunch of "It plays great, love it" then you can start adding things like proper lighting, detail with props, brushes, textures...etc. This is the stage where your map first becomes public, you get it out there so that as many people as posible can give you critique so you can improve it (A lot of maps seem to miss out the "listen to critique and improve upon" stage)
Release - Once you've had several beta releases and just about everyone is giving you great feedback on how much they love your map you pack everything in do a last compile with all the settings whacked up to full and release it properly.

Your map is still well within the alpha stage, you have got alpha and beta confused.

in tf2 after release there is a v2 and v3 etc.

[Tokit]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snipergen

no server would run it

That is a complete lie, there are tons of shitty servers with quick gimmick maps like this.

[HeyItsMK]

Tokit tells the truth, and that's where this got me.

Wiebbe I understand what you're saying now, it was my intention the whole time and what everyone in the thread is saying the whole time - I do intend to develop this over time. Texturing will be done all over the place, general building structure will be improved etc etc. I have a general design idea for the map ready and might even go as far as making custom textures.

But thank you all for the kind words. I still am however concerned over how it plays. I know some server out there will play it and I'm gonna try to get them to play it after I get at least some decent texturing down.