Post by The Cheshire Cat on Jul 27, 2011 1:31:35 GMT -5
So I've been tooling around with Hammer lately and I feel like I want to try to put together a TF2 map. I've got a bunch of ideas, but I'm not sure which ones only sound fun on paper and which ones would actually make for a good map. My original idea was to have a gravity shifting map where players could move along different axes from each other, but it turns out you can't really do that without making a whole separate mod for it. So instead I've been thinking about some ideas kind of similar to that concept, but that would be doable within the constraints of a normal TF2 map. Some of the ideas:
-A CTF based around a central bridge that constantly rotates, cutting off and opening up routes dynamically based on its position. There would also be static routes available, but they would be longer overall.
-An attack/defend map that rotates the entire map based on which points are currently being contested. Think like Steel's control point triggers crossed with my original gravity shifting idea - imagine a cube with control points on five sides (arranged in such a way that two of them are always accessible with the current orientation). Capturing a point would rotate the map so that you're still playing in the same area, but all the paths have changed because of the new orientation of the geometry. There might be some play issues involved with this concept though - I'm not sure if engineers can build things on surfaces that can move, for example. I could probably get around it by making it a TC map where each control point pair exists in a duplicated version of the same map, but rotated.
-A vertically oriented payload map. Instead of pushing a cart along a track, it would be more like an elevator. It wouldn't fall back like the elevator in hightower, but other than that I haven't really thought too much about this idea. Basically you would guide it up by riding the cart, and you would be able to reach it through various sets of stairwells and suspended walkways surrounding the payload elevator. Alternatively, the cart could be guided DOWN the elevator, making the action start high up on the map among a bunch of dangerous bridges where falling will probably kill you, and have it work down towards the ground. This could be interesting for the attackers as well, since to start off they could easily just rush the elevator and jump down to wherever it is, but the closer to the goal it gets, the more damaging the fall will be, until it eventually becomes fatal and they can't take the shortcut without some unusual tactics.
Obviously I'm trying to do something a little bit different with my map designs than your standard setup - I want to make a map that's more dynamic than most, and makes players have to think a bit more when picking routes and making rushes. cp_steel is a great example of the kind of map I mean - something that takes a standard game type and, through the unusual mechanics of the map, makes it something completely different.
Anyway, I ended up typing more than I planned there so hopefully someone reads this far - my main question is - of those ideas, which one sounds like it would make for the most playable map?
-A CTF based around a central bridge that constantly rotates, cutting off and opening up routes dynamically based on its position. There would also be static routes available, but they would be longer overall.
-An attack/defend map that rotates the entire map based on which points are currently being contested. Think like Steel's control point triggers crossed with my original gravity shifting idea - imagine a cube with control points on five sides (arranged in such a way that two of them are always accessible with the current orientation). Capturing a point would rotate the map so that you're still playing in the same area, but all the paths have changed because of the new orientation of the geometry. There might be some play issues involved with this concept though - I'm not sure if engineers can build things on surfaces that can move, for example. I could probably get around it by making it a TC map where each control point pair exists in a duplicated version of the same map, but rotated.
-A vertically oriented payload map. Instead of pushing a cart along a track, it would be more like an elevator. It wouldn't fall back like the elevator in hightower, but other than that I haven't really thought too much about this idea. Basically you would guide it up by riding the cart, and you would be able to reach it through various sets of stairwells and suspended walkways surrounding the payload elevator. Alternatively, the cart could be guided DOWN the elevator, making the action start high up on the map among a bunch of dangerous bridges where falling will probably kill you, and have it work down towards the ground. This could be interesting for the attackers as well, since to start off they could easily just rush the elevator and jump down to wherever it is, but the closer to the goal it gets, the more damaging the fall will be, until it eventually becomes fatal and they can't take the shortcut without some unusual tactics.
Obviously I'm trying to do something a little bit different with my map designs than your standard setup - I want to make a map that's more dynamic than most, and makes players have to think a bit more when picking routes and making rushes. cp_steel is a great example of the kind of map I mean - something that takes a standard game type and, through the unusual mechanics of the map, makes it something completely different.
Anyway, I ended up typing more than I planned there so hopefully someone reads this far - my main question is - of those ideas, which one sounds like it would make for the most playable map?