[cp/koth]_temple

[Thorn]

Hi guys! I have been working on a new map lately called "cp_temple". It is a close quarters map that only relies on a 3 point capture to win (your base, the mid point, and enemy base), but has 2 other points on the outside of the temple that alter the available pathways to favor one team or hinder another.

This map has not been tested with more than 4 people in it at once, so at some point if enough people are interested, I would like to start beta testing it with a larger group, I am hoping for at least 6v6! The map is fairly small, so I don't know how many people is feasable, but that what testing is all about. So without further adieu, here are some screenies!




















Download cp_temple_beta1 !!!
http://www.mediafire.com/?rtm1zywztzx

Here are some screenshots from the koth_temple_beta6 version, lots of tweaks here and there. Made the outside of the pyramid alot more interesting, and hopefully made the game play much more intuitive. I still think the signs are a little confusing, but once you figure out what they are indicating, they are very helpful in understanding how the map works.
(signs indicate why a certain block is positioned where it is (Red-A sign next to a block / door tells you that it is being controlled by that point and by that team.)

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Download koth_beta6 !!!
http://www.mediafire.com/?mrbq5wje52caj21

[NoahTheBoa]

2 other points on the outside of the temple that alter the available pathways to favor one team or hinder another.

I like this aspect, should make for some interesting strategies.

Let me know when you're playtesting it. It looks like fun.

[Ian_Suffix]

Nice work, Thorn! I love the pyramid in the middle.

[Thorn]

2 other points on the outside of the temple that alter the available pathways to favor one team or hinder another.

I like this aspect, should make for some interesting strategies.

Let me know when you're playtesting it. It looks like fun.

Yeah, it is a pretty cool aspect of the map, however, I am finding it exceedingly difficult to communicate how it works to people who have never seen the map with some type of in-game que. Most people assume you have to cap all 5 points to win, but you could technically win with capping the enemy base, while they control the outside points.

It is also hard to figure out which cap point does what inside the temple, because you can't really see it when it happens, you just hear something shift

[Thorn]

Nice work, Thorn! I love the pyramid in the middle.

haha yeah, I have a green light coming out of the top, with a green lit middle point. trying to incorporate some alien/egyption theme going on here. after all... ALIENS BUILT THE PYRAMIDS!!!!

[Fraulein Arztin]

Egyptian style! I like.
Looks fun. I don't think your on my friends list, Thorn
but Noah is. So Noah, if you're ever invited to testing, you should invite me as well

[Thorn]

would there be anyway to host this map on a ville server for play testing?

[Ian_Suffix]

Paging Dr. Jackson.

Say, Thorn, do you have the map uploaded? At the very least I'd like to jump around it a bit.

[Thorn]

Paging Dr. Jackson.

Say, Thorn, do you have the map uploaded? At the very least I'd like to jump around it a bit.

I just added a link at the end of the first post for a media fire upload I have =)

[black_and_blue]

Sounds pretty cool. I'd very much like to try it.

I tend to like non-standard maps a lot.

[Boss Llama]

I'm DL'ing it as we type, and will play around some tonight if I can

For ideas on how to clarify the point-order, and what needs/does what, try running around Steel a bit. That has a similar thing, where you really only need the last point to win, but the other 4 do things to help.

[Stevo]

It's on the events server for whenever you want to playtest it.

[Ian_Suffix]

Looked at it just now. Although not immediately obvious, the support points are a real boon, amazingly so. And they're so clever! I also like the one-way door inside the pyramid that opens in a cool fashion.

I found no obvious visual or clipping issues, so I'll rattle off some thoughts. First off, I wonder if there would be a way to make the start of the sand pit's draining more obvious, something like sand kicking up (perhaps using a [custom?] sprite parented to an invisible door). That would have alerted me to it. I actually thought what had opened up was the sort of difficult-to-enter-hole in the pyramid underneath wooden scaffolding, especially since there were not-really-explicable explosion sounds occurring immediately after capturing a support point. To be honest, it sounded like the explosions were coming from where the scaffolding was, not where the sand pit was. Lastly, I might rework the temple interior so that the side route where you go into the pyramid is instead connected to the interior of the pyramid. Somehow I felt that the extra entrance was either unnecessary or confusing or both. You might throw up a few directional signs in the pyramid, not only to direct people in the right direction, but to give them a sense of landmarking so they know where they are.

[Thorn]

To be honest, it sounded like the explosions were coming from where the scaffolding was, not where the sand pit was. Lastly, I might rework the temple interior so that the side route where you go into the pyramid is instead connected to the interior of the pyramid. Somehow I felt that the extra entrance was either unnecessary or confusing or both. You might throw up a few directional signs in the pyramid, not only to direct people in the right direction, but to give them a sense of landmarking so they know where they are.

Thanks for taking a look Ian! So, the explosion sound you hear is actually coming from the blocks very close to the mid point of the pyramid (the ones that provide cover for your team / block the other team). When you cap point A for blue (B for red), you are dropping the sand, and moving 2 blocks on the inside of the pyramid (1 to hinder the other team and 1 to help your team). The other point moves 2 blocks (1 to hinder and 1 to help).

The sand kicking up is a good idea for the sand drain. I am still learning how to use all the different cool effects in hammer, but I bet I could find some sort of particle effect.

My main issue is still trying to figure out a good way so that people understand what they are doing when they are capping the side points, and that you don't need the side points to win. I figure that if you play it enough you will figure it out, but at the same time, if you have no idea what is going on, why would you play the map for that long? lol

Also, I am not sure what entrance you are talking about, are you talking about the broken hole in the wall or the triggered sandpit passage?

[Ian_Suffix]

Broken hole in the wall. Just seems to add an unnecessary entrance to me (not to mention it's hard to enter).

Concerning the sand kicking up, you might be able to find the particle effect for when a bullet hits the sand and duplicate it a few times so that it looks significant (you're more likely to find a sprite, though). Now, I had no idea that a block was moved to hinder the other team. Perhaps you could make this block appear different from the others so that people know what they've done.