Mercury

    Since my other map wasn't going to be possible with the limitations of the current gamemodes, I decided to start a new one. It's based off a map I started for Ham and Jam that was never released, but I'm using the basic layout and starting from scratch.


    Operation Mercury was the German airborne invasion of Crete against British, Greek, and Cretan resistance forces. Axis start in farmland outside a small town, which they have to move through before capturing a nearby airfield. Since the majority of the layout was already planned and I have a few assets already created too, hopefully it shouldn't take as long to finish this, considering I'm already a few weeks behind.


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    Looks good but the last picture confuses me. What is this contemporary architecture doing in a small town in Crete?

    Quote from the0rthopaedicsurgeon

    2 hours ago, the0rthopaedicsurgeon said: The door prop? It's meant to be a brown door, but a lot of props keep showing up with a white/silvery tint over them which is why it looks like a modern door. This is my reference for that building: http://i.imgur.com/IDKQ2gh.jpg

    I was more confused as to why there is a door on the upper floor without any stairs, but yeah, that works too.

    Been detailing one building at a time for the last few days, should have the central 3/4 done fairly soon and then I need to work on the two ends of the map, which are both really wide open spaces.


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    Quote from Wrakke

    On 16/10/2016 at 1:45 AM, Wrakke said: I was more confused as to why there is a door on the upper floor without any stairs, but yeah, that works too.

    Doors opening in the void are actually a thing when buildings are renewed our damaged, I was training in one of ours field centres this week and noticed there was a door just like that. They must have removed a wing of the building… there one in the map would probably be "sold" a bit better if there was sign of damage that suggested the building was hit by a bomb.

    ~

    Anyway, can't wait to see this map completed ?

    I think in this case there used to be a balcony there. I've got quite a few references of buildings with doors leading to nothing so maybe it's a common thing over there. Here's another photo of the same kind of thing. I think in the context of the map it makes slightly more sense - there's not actually any battle damage at all in the map, but there are a lot of old crumbling or already ruined buildings. I'm not decided yet whether or not to add bombing damage, the island was bombed beforehand but I like the picturesque look it has now, so I might concentrate it on the airfield/military objectives.

    Been on holiday this week so I'm working full time to get this finished now. Pretty much done, just need to sort out the spawns, objectives, 3d sky, and finish a few custom props including a Ju52 bomber if I have time. Not 100% happy with the lighting/fog etc either, but hopefully I can get it on the workshop in a few days to get some feedback before the deadline.


    The airfield was originally going to be an objective area, but it's just a spawn area now, and the location for the radio at the end. It also means it should now be able to support all the gamemodes, since the timing between objectives is pretty much dead on in a 3-point setup.


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    This should be fixed now. I didn't know how to upload the soundscapes or map script as separate files (which didn't work when packed into the bsp), but apparently they upload with the bsp automatically. Tested it out and the map loads fine now, missed the playtest deadline though so I'll have to wait till next week.

    I won't lie to you, from the screenshots I was expecting it to be bigger. The scale of some areas would be more suitable for a cs:go level.

    I was a little worried it was too small, it was originally a Ham and Jam map which had a 24 player limit. I started from scratch and made a lot of areas bigger, but I did still consciously try to make it less wide-open than most official maps while keeping some longer sight lines. The timing between each point is the same as Comacchio so if I have to, I can easily expand the side routes.

    Here's your feedback as promised.

    Mercury is looking great. I like the amount of detail that has been added. The props really help with selling the setting and make it feel more like an actual place, and the crashed plane is a nice touch. The lighting in the level looks good overall, although the bloom is a bit too much. Also, the interior lights feel a bit dull. Maybe try some warmer colors to give your interiors a different feel from the exterior of the map. Gameplay wise the map was really fun to play, though the capture zones can use some work. The A capture zone covering two floors is a bit too much. I would suggest to only make the objective the top floor. B is a great objective, nothing to add here. C is really fun and quite a special gameplay experience, however the capture zone is a bit too large. I suggest to make it only the courtyard and upper walls. And a small side note, I noticed in console that the map doesn't have any ins_viewpoint entities.

    Looking forward to next iteration and final version of your map. Keep up the great work!

    Thanks for the feedback @Xanthi. I found it hard to get an idea of how A and B played, since people were new to the map and didn't have time to learn the flanks, defensive positions etc. I'd already removed the yellow building from the apartment capzone, but I've changed it to just the top floor now too, to see how that plays, as well as changing the doors around and giving Allies a stairway up into the point. I've also moved the First Axis spawn on Offensive back behind the barn to give Allies a few more seconds to set up defences.


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    On B, I thought Allies were at a disadvantage so I've swapped the little side door for a whole new flank. On C, I've taken out the route from the Axis advanced spawn directly to the fort, so they now need to take the main road (past the fountain). The area is still there, you just have to go the long way round.


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    And finally, a texture for the Ju52:

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