a big project

[NiklasU]

Hi guys,
maybe you've already heard of my new map cts_village I'm planning at the moment and maybe you also know that I still need sb who would like to work with
me on that project. Because my aim is really high, I need an all in all good mapper who has already made some experiences in making maps, modelling and texturing.
So let's tell you a bit about me and my project. I already finished (or nearly finished) my map [ame="http://forums.tf2maps.net/showthread.php?p=65209#post65209"]pl_alpine[/ame] and it wasn't bad actually the community really liked it. Its major problem was only the performance cause of the large open areas in my map, but as you might know you make always some faughts in your first map ^^
I also can work with blender and import my finished objects to hammer
Now to my project. I'm planning a large and open alpine village in a snowy scenery. It should look very harmonic and cute, simply like a classic village in the mountains look like . You should be able to enter nearly every house or store in that village to build you sentry or hide behind a window as a sniper. So hope you can imagine a bit my plans.
And I don't want to make just a map like most of the other ones, I really want to make that map special and maybe become an official one.
It sounds like hard work but it's not unmakeable. I already started creating and detailing the BLU spawn room. Which shouldn't drift too much away from that village style I told you. So I made the base in an old basement with 3 different exits at the moment, just click at the screens below




Hope you like them
But that's not all of my plans, because I'm also planning a completely new game system. It should be a mix out of cp and ctf. As you can see from the screens above there's a whole in the wall and that's a part of the story for the new game system . The RED team distructed the wall to steal the money of team BLU out of the safe you can also see on one of my screens.
So the job of team BLU is to get their money back and that will work with that new game system:





I think that system will make so much fun and may be really popular by the
comunity

All in all it would be so great when sb of you guys could be my partner in that giant project to support me especially in modelling and texturing, because there are so many new models I need for that map.(lonely in my spawnroom there are 4 custom models)
So hope we'll work together in near future

[Mick-a-nator]

Any of this any help?

I have done few maps. Mirror industry was my first map (and I learned a LOT from the mistakes in it) and the latest failure was mohave county (I just raged and quit). However I have been around for the production of some of hanz' and dabeatzproject's map and I hope they found my advice and opinion helpful.
Now I have started 2 maps which I hope one of them get finished as it is a new, secret game type (I said too much already). I am interested in Blender modeling but I find it difficult to unwrap and I have no idea where to start texturing things.
'bout it really.

[Vigilante212]

Mick do a youtube search for blender texturing

[eerieone]

this definately looks interesting, but make sure to bring out a dev-alpha, so the visibility and performance wont stop your project in its tracks

[Jack Riguel]

Sounds like an interesting idea. A visual thing though: Those photos all seem very dark. It may be just the poor monitor I'm using right now but I find it very hard to see what's going on in any of them. Remember that TF2 works a lot around well lit areas, not just to identify areas of interest but also to help players see and identify each other. You can still do a dark theme though (even look at the maps in L4D and you can see how those are darkly lit but you can still see what's in the distance through a use of coloured fog and eerie glow).

[Mick-a-nator]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vigilante212

Mick do a youtube search for blender texturing

I know the technique, just I suck at it. Its just a question of practice.

[Washipato]

Hey NiklasU. Thanks for the offer, but right now I can't start to work with you because I'm already co-participating in another map. But meanwhile, I have some suggestions for this project.

1- FLAG

I see you want to use money as flag, but that wouldn't make much sense in the TF2 universe because money there is not something very valuable. The heavy's minigun consumes a LOT of money and there are maps where you can find gold on the ground.

I would suggest something more "valuable". The first option would be gems, necklaces and jewelry, giving it a nice 60' feel (there are lots of old cartoons where the thives steal big blue diamond and pearl necklaces). You can also use something that do looks normal, but it posses something incredibly important. Like a wine bottle with a very important and mysterious paper inside. Finally, you can also change the flag to an antiquity, like a portrait or a priceless sculpture.

2- GAMEMODE

There is a problem having the capture zone to open the safe in the same place where the intelligence is. First, it lowers the value of spies and scouts in the map for getting it. Those classes like to strike fast and get the intel before the enemy can react. They will need to open the safe first, giving the enemy team a lot of time to defend the intel/valuable item. Second, the only way to get the intel would be with a huge offense. This will make the objective so hard that the match will end in a deathmatch, driving the map to stalemate.

But the idea of opening the safe with a capture zone is very awesome. I would suggest:

A- Have the capture zone in a different place from the safe. This will divide the defense, making it easier to attack.
B- Have a way to "remove" the influence of the defending team in the intel room before opening the safe. A trigger to kill everyone inside or to lock a door would be nice. For example, when the safe is opened the main entrance to the room is locked
C- Make the capture zone a neutral control point. It will open the safe of the team that is not owning the point and also it could open some new routes for the team owning it, encouraging them to get the intel

[alecom]

How about stealing a lunchbox full of sandviches ;D

[Aly]

Make a safe electric and have the capture zone a the electric box somewhere else in the building. Capturing the point opens the electric box and allows you to cut the wires, making the safe lock powerless, allowing you to capture the intel whereever the safe is.

[NiklasU]

thx for all your suggestions ^^ ...
@ eerieone I know what you mean ... finally it shoulnd't end up like alpine
I only detailed the spawnroom to show how the map should finally look like
@ Jack Riguel yeah I can brighten it up a bit but it should still look a bit mystical with that
secret way through the wall etc.
q Washipato generally good suggestions, but I don't want to make it just a ctf map ... so
I'm thinking of a good way to balance the teams well
1. The scout always captures the cps 2 times faster than other classes
2. Maybe the spy can place a snaper on the safe to unlock it ^^
3. The ieda of clsoing doors is great ... maybe I'll make that the doors
will close gradually until finally there's just 1 door open with 80%
captured

all in all thx for you support I'll open an official thread for my map when I've finished
a first alpha version for it ^^