DM Map - testers wanted please

[Dario D.]

I would like to test my map before release...

You can download the test version of the map and try it out.
Please, please post again what you think. I'm more interested in what's wrong with it than right.

I would espiecially like to know if you can host it online, because I would like to play it against people to see exactly how it works.

Thanks.

http://www.deefrag.com/Files/dm_plaza17_test1.bsp

Screenshot:
http://www.deefrag.com/images/hl2/dm_plaza17 showcase1.jpg

 

[Rick]

looks nice I think alittle more detail would make it a great map.
nice work how long did it take.
Im just going from the screen shots.

 

[Dario D.]

*More* detail? Man, you guys have been playing UT2004 too much.

Jk. - It took about 10 days of pure non-stop work, day and night, trying to meet the contest deadline. Much pain, but better than I thought it would come out in such a short time.

Not done though... time to test, fix, and release.

 

[Tynan]

You need to add trees, power lines, and a car.

 

[Physicles]

Wow. Nice work, seriously. We need more maps like this.

Suggestions... I have a small list of issues I found, some of which are opinion and some of which are more objective:

- I'm not a fan of the boards on one of the doors leading into the main building. I can understand the intent, but they're more annoying than anything else.

- The elevator in the main building appears to not work. This confused me; if the panel is inactive, perhaps you should make it spark or something, and disable the "use" target.

- The map ran kinda slow on my computer (~15fps minimum, Athlon XP 2200+, GF4Ti4600). Not much you can do about that though.

- The ledge that overlooks the main "town square" (with the speakers, nice music) has boards on it. This makes it almost useless for sniping, since it's so hard to walk on anything controlled by physics. I'd say replace the ledge with non-physics props. (You can still make them breakable, if that was the intent)

- There are quite a few bad places it's possible for the player to get to. One is between the two combine barriers, back to back -- an explosion or stacked cars could get a player in there and get him stuck (the other barrier is also a problem, I think). Also, the ledge above the "Northern Petrol" sign is dangerous if the player gets up there, since that opens up access to much of the skybox.

- Speaking of skybox, the corner of the map with the train tracks and force fields has a ledge above that you can walk along, but a clipping brush keeps you from walking off the far edge. I'd suggest putting something visible there, so you can see what's keeping you from falling.

- There's probably way too much stuff in the main building (~60 crates, lots of filing cabinets and couches, etc.), but you might want to playtest that before making a final judgment.

- If you stand next to the speakers and look toward the central building, look at the bottom part of the two pillars, and inspect the sides facing directly away from the buildling. Part of the brush is diagonal, and the textures don't match.

The clipping stuff could be pretty hard to fix, so don't worry if you don't have time to get it all.

Great work so far, and good luck in the contest! I'm looking forward to playing this.

 

[rpgprog]

may i ask what contest, VALVe isn't accepting any more entries is it? Is there Another one?

 

[holligan]

The map looks nice,but is anyone putting it on their server.
Because i heard playing with yourself can make you blind :angel:

 

[1Luc1]

:thumbs:!!Great Map!!:thumbs:
Well Physicles said almost everthing. But there is also something i want to say.
The one room with the windows faces to the rails. would be nice if the window is breakable. nice for snipers.

About the fps just ask in the forum how to fix that problem. I think i have read something about this.

i have also some errors in the console (i think it doesn't matter):

SOLID_VPHYSICS static prop with no vphysics model! (./models/props_lab/corkboard001.mdl)
SOLID_VPHYSICS static prop with no vphysics model! (./models/props_lab/corkboard001.mdl)
SOLID_VPHYSICS static prop with no vphysics model! (./models/props_lab/corkboard001.mdl)
SOLID_VPHYSICS static prop with no vphysics model! (./models/props_lab/corkboard001.mdl)
SOLID_VPHYSICS static prop with no vphysics model! (models/props_canal/refinery_03_skybox.mdl)
execing skill.cfg
Executing listen server config file
Gibs/HGIBS.mdl has wrong version number (37 should be 44)
Model models/gibs/hgibs.mdl can't be loaded!
Found multiple fog controllers in the same level.

And nexttime you release a map, pack it please to *.rar or *.zip whatever you want.

Great map

1Luc1

 

[Dario D.]

Ok, thanks for the good replies.

[Console Errors]

Yeah, I've been trying to figure out the errors in the console...
(Corkboard? I never used a corkboard model.)

-

[Boards under Rocket Launcher Deck]

The boards under the rocket launcher deck are meant to be there as a hazard for people who try to get the AR Grenade and AR2 PlasmaBall / Battery / HealthKit under the window. Within the deck you are protected, but outside you can be blown off, or have the boards blown out from under your feet.

...I admit that it isn't as solid as it sounds. I need wider boards, and less of them, so that it's
A: Easier to blown them out under somebody
B: Easier to stay up there without falling

-

[Low FPS]

The map is circular and open, so it's impossible to bring the FPS down as low as Lockdown (which is long and narrow), or Overwatch (which is very simple). It's structured very heavily (as opposed to Lockdown and Overwatch which are structured very simply), so... But don't worry, I'm still working on it, trying to squeeze the most FPS out of it possible.

All in all, though, the FPS isn't that bad. I found I got very GOOD FPS (in every map) if I just lowered the resolution from 1280x1024 to 1024x768, AND even got the nerve to lower Texture Quality from High to Medium. HUGE difference in FPS, and I can't notice the difference when I'm playing. If anything, it's even easier on the eyes and very smooth to look at (more FPS + slightly smoother textures), so it's even better for me personally.

-

[Bad Places the Player can get to]

Yeah, I didn't bother blocking much off at first. Definitely gotta block above the outer walls and Combine walls.

-

[Too much stuff in the main building]

Yeah, there are alot of boxes, but that's the only area in the map that has alot of physics stuff. When you add it up, it's really not that much more than Lockdown or Overwatch, but regardless, it IS a lot for a small place, so I'll remove some.

-

Thank you for the good reviews... I'll get right to fixing it.