L4DOD map ideas, need help

[l3eeron]

Hi guys. I've been trying to get a good start to my Left4DoD map, but have been running into a sort of writer's-block. Right now, I have a few buildings and bridge mashed together. :/ I'm looking for a good lay out to flow with the zombies (keep in mind the zombies don't like door ways). I have two ideas, I wanted to hear some others.



The first idea is zombies cap 3 flags configured in a triangle, allies 2 dets side by side on the zombie side of the map.

2nd idea would be like the bridge level in l4d2. A long bridge with caps up the length and a last flag by the "bases".



Or maybe a generic small town map?


So, if you got any ideas, I would like to hear em.

[v.o.c]

how about something like sturm on 1.3 but without the sewer

[NoahTheBoa]

I kinda like the idea of a rural village with cornfields and stuff.

[M's]

[quote="v.o.c";p="222472"]how about something like sturm on 1.3 but without the sewer[/quote]

This

[mr_s]

snow covered Carentan?

[BETTEH]

[quote="<eVa>mlite";p="222491"][quote="v.o.c";p="222472"]how about something like sturm on 1.3 but without the sewer[/quote]

This[/quote]

That would be Merderet, the original.

[l3eeron]

hmmmm


I like the idea of merderet....

Sturm was always one of my fav maps.


It wouldn't be too hard to do, I might even be able to do a direct port on some of the world geometry.

[!B a T m A n!]

it would be cool to have a hill where the allies stand off against the zombies surrounding them coming up the hill... just my idea

[BETTEH]

[quote="!B a T m A n!";p="222687"]it would be cool to have a hill where the allies stand off against the zombies surrounding them coming up the hill... just my idea [/quote]


Charlie, from DOD 1.3


Stormin' The Beach

(although you would need to reverse teams)

[NoahTheBoa]

[quote="BETTEH CROCKHURR";p="222746"][quote="!B a T m A n!";p="222687"]it would be cool to have a hill where the allies stand off against the zombies surrounding them coming up the hill... just my idea [/quote]


Charlie, from DOD 1.3


Stormin' The Beach

(although you would need to reverse teams)[/quote]
I was just about to say that. Charlie was my favorite 1.3 map

[Dog]

Charlie comes up from one side, which is too easy.

The fun would be a single flag in the middle which the Allies have to defend from ever increasingly powerful Zombies.

Maps like Sturm would be OK, but Allied players would simply sit on the bridges and camp. Then I'd have to add spawn points behind them since the Zombies couldn't get over the bridges.

[l3eeron]

ok, something like this? Are trenches a bad idea? The one allied flag would be right next to the spawn, either on top of the building or next to one side...


It's going to be a challenge to make a map like this optimized, since it's basically one giant room and 32 players all being drawn at the same time will be taxing on people's systems (not to mention all the explosions and gas effects n such). We wont know for sure until I get something we can test.

[dredfox]

[tab]I had a thought a while back that seems to be very similar to many ideas here.
[tab]I was thinking about a defense map where allies defend a raised area like a rooftop or hill. It might get a bit boring sitting up there and sniping, so the allies should have some incentive to run down the hill. Three or four flags should be set around the center point with the zombies spawning behind them. If flag control can change zombie spawn locations, as each flag is captured it makes defending easier with one less direction for zombies to attack from. The downside is that each flag gets progressively harder to capture as more zombies spawn from that particular direction.
[tab]Each flag should have a slightly unique flavor to the surroundings. One should be in a ruined area that offers sniping opportunities but little defense; another should have a split path or a one-way path shared with another point allowing zombies to counter-attack allies as they approach the flag. If zombie pathfinding allows, a rooftop flag would be possible; the path could be dotted with holes that force players to backtrack and make another attempt should they fall through. Forcing players to be more cautious while dodging might prove more annoying that fun though. Another option for this type of setting might be a multi-level house that has zombies dropping from holes in the ceiling above.
A radial pattern to the flags offers an interesting strategy trade-off too. As the points become progressivly harder to take, attacking all of them at once would be a valid option. If any one of the attacks fail though that last point would be difficult to take. Also, an all out attack would leave few players to defend the center.

To prevent the difficulties with optimization, each sector could be separated from the center and others sectors with tall fortifications, building facades and thick fog or smoke effects. A wide "L" shaped alleyway here and there could provide some of the benefits of doorways without the zombie blocking problem. Breaking the center into four sections would require more players to be on the map to allow defense, so the center should be made into a medium sized area with paths into the other sectors.

[l3eeron]

Some good ideas there dred. I think your post is on a whole other level! I would like to try some of your suggestions if this evolves into a full scale project. For now, I want to try to get the "hill" working if possible. I think if I get the fog working just right, it will be fine.

[Dog]

The plugin automatically looks for an env_fog_controller entity (all maps have them apparently) and sets the levels. It also changes the skybox.

This is why I didn't have to edit any of the stock maps - I just got the plugin to change them.

Now if you would rather me have the plugin switch off its fog settings for your map, that is also do-able.

On a side note, I have a spare server set up for map testing