[CS:GO] de_aftermath (WIP)

As someone who really wants to get into CS:GO mapping, I've been working on some time on this map, which will be my first public competitive (ish) map.

Steam Workshop (include screenshots and overview) : http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/fi…s/?id=659156801

Set in an old european city akin to Inferno/Italy, terrorists must work their way through this standard Dust 2/Cache/Mirage/Season style layout to blow up one of the 2 bombsites. The map is currently quite early in development, with the layout still being iterated with and detailling not being done yet.

Radar overview :

Spoiler [Blocked Image: http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/489018224652391856/304A6E135AE5F86F29A613BA5F4321E8F51CD145/]

Quote from Bodd Jonar

I don't really like the theme you are going for. Depressing brick buildings with pale interiors. I recommend that you spend some time on google and find a good theme, something a little happier, it is the very first step that you should take if you have a basic layout.

Thanks for the tip, although I'll admit I've always been bad at finding good visuals for stuff. Personally I don't find it that depressing, mainly because of the bright sun, but it's maybe because it used to be even more depressing (white and grey everywhere).

Either way, I'll try to find some happier theme if I can, although if you have any rough suggestion I'll happily try them out on my end.

Quote from MaanMan

I recommend simplifying the layout and removing unnecessary paths.

Sorry to ask, but could you be a little more precise about what paths exactly seems unnecessary to you ? Without more details I can't really know how exactly should I simplify the layout.

Quote from MaanMan

I would also try to keep the gameplay ideas simple.

I'm also curious about what makes you say that; is it some of the passage ways (the one you stated as "unnecessary" earlier) ? Or is it like the shape of the bombsites or some other areas ? Again, I can't really answer without more details.

EDIT : Didn't see that the playtest sheet got updated, I guess it points out to that. Reading it kinda made me feel like I would need to completly scrap the layout, or at least a good chunk of it (from what I've understand), so maybe I'll take some break from working on this map, and maybe I'll come back on it some time later.

Quote from McMessenger

Simplifying the routes in a level is always a great idea when developing a CS:GO map; if it's too complicated for you, then it's definitely too complicated for anyone who's never played it before.

The thing is that, for me, the layout feels very simple. Although I would admit that maybe one or 2 corridors could be just a little bit simpler, I still don't find anything really to say about it.

Quote from McMessenger

While the structures and buildings look promising, I feel like there could be more varied props and brush work.

I didn't really spend much time detailing the map, I really wanted to test the layout more than anything else. Although the main problem here is that the playtest sheet told me to greybox the map (and improve lightning and redo bombsite A), which means detailing will take much more time than that.

But thanks for saying it's promising though.

EDIT (to not post twice in a row) : I'll post the second version around monday, it will be completly greyboxed (requested by the playtest sheet), have a sightly simplified mid to B connector, sightly redone CT spawn and a completly redone bombsite A (although I've kept its overall shape).

Preemptive sorry for posting twice in a row.

After working on it during the weekend, the second version of the map is now available, it has been greyboxed for a potential playtest, has been somewhat simplified and also features a revamped bombsite A (with an experimental thing to it). A big thanks to RZL for pointing out some issues I didn't even think of.

Download : https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B83zt…eElvU1JMUndHRlE

Layout + timings + screenshots : http://imgur.com/a/SeNo6

And if you want to read on bombsite A's experimental twist, you can read an explanation about it below :

Quote

So A now features what I could call a "second mid" : a long corridor accessible by both terrorists and CTs that can easily be pinned down by a CT sniper. Taking control of this area as Ts will open up 3 new entrances : one to the site, another to the catwalk part of the site and a farther away entrance to CT spawn, which allows for a long flank may you have the time to do it.

I am very aware that this might not be a good idea, but I'm willing to try it at least, just to see if it works. If it does, then that'll be at least one thing that will differenciate my map from more classic ones. If it doesn't work, I'm ready to gut a huge part of it to turn it either into a straight up second T entrance or some sort of extension to the site.

At this point, I'm just hoping that it'll get accepted into playtesting with this feature still in, mostly because I couldn't really find a good equivalent to it in the current competitive map pool; but as I said, I won't be mad if I had to scrap it, at least I would have tried.

Quote from Logic

I'd change the sun angle a bit. It's almost it has to be -80 degrees or something, doesn't really feel that natural

Yeah I know, but I kinda wanted the glass roof at mid to make a pretty effect on the ground... I'll tinker with it more once I'll get to work on the next verison

Quote from jackophant

• You have a few very steep ramps, particularly the A connector
  
  • These don't play very well as people can vary altitude rapidly and use them for head peeks

The A connector was kinda of rushed, as I compressed this part of the map because it had a line where it was nothing but straight corridors. Thanks for the feedback though, I'll try to see if I can find a better way of doing it.

Quote from jackophant

• You have a lot of long angles AWPy angles you should really tighten up with staggering of paths or more substantial cover

Could you make a quick album of screenshots or highlight them into the layout and send them to me please ? That would really help in fixing them. Although I just want to add that the one in the A "second mid" is intentional.

Another update released, with more changes to A site, a reworked mid and an overhauled CT spawn. In addition to that, the layout has been simplified quite a bit by removing that huge "second mid" next to A and cutting down all connectors from the CT balconey that overlooks mid.

Download : https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B83zt…eHFfdmlISXJYMlE

Screeshot album + layout : http://imgur.com/a/dpuib

I kinda want to collect some more feedback before submitting this map (again) to the playtest submission thingy, just to fix obvious flaws and stuff I've missed to ensure it'll play as good as it can.

PS : I did not realise how close to Mirage's A my A T entrances where until I finished them... not that it matters much but I just wanted to clarify.

Quote from Wrakk

I understand crates on bomb sites but A site is crate central right now. You need to remove a few of them and try to replace some other ones to vary it up a bit.

I'll try to change it up a bit then on the next version, although I would argue that it's one of the things to distinguish it a bit from bombsite B (which I'll also do some cleanup, I'm not satisfied much with the crates there).

Quote from Wrakk

A lot of the interiors are also way too dark.

Is there any specific interior(s) that you feel like is/are too dark, or is it just a general sense ? I have some ideas on my own, but I want to make sure I "fix" the correct ones once I'll do it.

Alright, after changing my mind a bit, showing this map to my global elite friend (who proceeded to beat the hell out of me while simultaneously doing some stupid shit), and looking a bit more at other maps (mainly Tuscan and Season, although I don't think this matters too much), here is version Alpha 4.

Download : https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B83zt…OGRoX3RtX1JLa3M

Screenshots + overview : http://imgur.com/a/KIhHL

This version comes with a new sun angle and skybox, as well as some tweaks to both bombsites (notably the window room in B being merged with the mid entrance and being replaced with the arches; and the T balconey in A getting a door), a sightly larger T spawn (although it doesn't do much, it looks better) and a (yet again) reworked CT spawn.

I still would like to gather people's feedback and opinions, especially about mid since it's an area I'm not satisfied with, while at the same time not knowing what to do with it.

Quick update that I finished after the delay on the playtest : https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B83zt…N0JMQnZlRDJ2VDg

Updated overivew : http://imgur.com/8rsF20y

The changes are relatively minor, although it does fix some of my easily fixable concerns (fixed timings on A, widened B arches, changed the T mid entrance to be a little bit less awkward and allow faster rotations through T spawn, sped up A door opening amongst other details) as well as remove a big box on A that obstrued the view way too much for my taste.

Firstly, I want to thanks everyone who participated in the playtest and gave feedback, it was a great time.

Secondly, I started to work on the next update, which will come later because I want to check the whole list of feedback and the demo (which are not available yet as I'm writing this) to make appropriate changes rather than with what I remember from the playtest.

So, while it's not final, I thought it would be appropriate to show roughly how it's going via this overview (as most changes I made are visibile from it) : http://imgur.com/WAVrWEl

Big update to the map, which is now available on the Steam Workshop because it's much easier to update there : http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/fi…s/?id=659156801

A lot of the changes were made with the feedback from the playtest in mind, including widening most of the corridors, removing the sniper nest on mid, changing the balconey in A (which is now extremly similar to Mirage's), allowing the terrorists to enter B via the arches without having to take mid, adding cover to B, and improving visibility as much as I've felt appropriate.

I also put some minor detailing by replacing the big orange squares with colored Nuke crates and putting some textures on the A ramp and on B.

Another big update made after the last playtest, check the workshop to see it : http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/fi…s/?id=659156801

This comes with a bit more partial detailing, attempting to cut down some line of sights; but the main change is to completly close off the CT mid entrance. Taking mid as terrorists was just impossible once the CTs got their hands on an AWP, coupled with the fact that the only benefit to get mid was the ct flank, this didn't make it very appealing. Now, it's still possible for CTs to contest mid through the mid/A connector, although it's not as required, since the mid/B entrance only serves as a secondary entrance to the arches, and the mid/A connector is a very tight and exposed entrance. However, mid still serves its purpose as the fastest route to rotate from one bombsite to the other.