Frostbite - Danger Zone

I'm going to have to split this feedback into separate parts due to file size.

Part I:

Spoiler

Part II:

Spoiler

Part III:

Spoiler

One of my favorite video game maps!

The map is definitely great, however the amount of chefs in the kitchen definitely starts to show. I feel there is a lack of cohesion between certain areas. Some buildings feel out of scale in general, somethings are overly detailed, some things are empty. I also find it strange how different snow textures are used and their implementation, you have nice custom hd snow, the that one hd snow from Monestary and those are usually worked in really nicely through blend work and custom props. Other times you have the low res snow from css that its just plopped on top of something with obvious edges from where the displacement go underneath a surface. The tunnel in particular has a basic geometry and no finer details while the rood is just a snow textures applied on flatly with no transition between it and the walls and no depths of the snow itself.

I also worry about areas that look so similar. The ski lift hubs in particular lack identifying details. Something like a different colored paint stripe and a number to make them distinct would be nice, I also noticed how the bakery building with the militia food stack in the back was used twice with next to no changes in between the separate buildings. I honestly though I had somehow gone in a circle the first time I exited one and entered the other. Them being that similar is not good for gameplay.

Lastly I noticed a large discrepancy in asset quality. For most of the map you have a lot of nicely done custom models and well crafted structures. Others use older, extremely low quality props that are just sort of crammed in. I noticed how the church uses so many Vostok assets and just sort of sticks them on, its honestly hard to tell the church is more then a basic cube at times because of how little depth he building has. Like wise the crusty food stacks and DoD Source breads in the bakeries contrast harshly with the HD assets used around them. I think using old assets is fine usually but they just dont work here, something as simple as upscaling the textures would go a long way.

I applaud you for not making an island however where the boundaries of the map are could be better defined, alot of the slopes meant to be too steep to climb I know I could climb if the invisible wall wasnt there. Something simple like a barbed wire fence or hedge would mark it better.

As a last note, not something necessarily important. But I found the location to be a little inconsistent. I would assume its set in Germany based off the German language signs. But so many areas also have signs in English and while I guess the assumption is that English speakers have set up shop to make the place into a Danger Zone test area I find a lot of the sign work to be unnatural, like there a lot of red Dangerzone signs put in areas that dont seem to mean anything. Like why would they just put up random Signs related to Danger Zone around town and in the ski lift hub, the signs work in the under ground areas but not so much in the old civilian areas. Like wise the amount of signs telling you to watch you step or put on your respirator outside of the under ground areas seems nonsensical. Again its nothing major but it comes off as uncanny running around in game.

There is a lot of dead ends. I don't like it and it's bad for gameplay imo. Also underground is very linear.

Last thing. Make ski lift moving and I can see this map in game.

Ice texture is pretty cool. Good job guys!

Quote from fewseb

1 hour ago, fewseb said: I also find it strange how different snow textures are used and their implementation, you have nice custom hd snow, the that one hd snow from Monestary and those are usually worked in really nicely through blend work and custom props. Other times you have the low res snow from css that its just plopped on top of something with obvious edges from where the displacement go underneath a surface.

I'll let others address the other issues you mentioned but this one specifically caught my eye. Every snow texture on our map is custom, we don't use Monastery or CSS snow.

Is this a trend or are people gearing up winter-themed maps for a chance in the next 2020 operation ?? Michael just released his snowy Dagner Zone map like a few weeks back as well. It's actually surprisingly similar in visual appearance as well.

Quote from JorisCeoen

40 minutes ago, JorisCeoen said: Is this a trend or are people gearing up winter-themed maps for a chance in the next 2020 operation ?? Michael just released his snowy Dagner Zone map like a few weeks back as well. It's actually surprisingly similar in visual appearance as well.

We started this map before him.

Quote from Slimek

20 hours ago, Slimek said: I'll let others address the other issues you mentioned but this one specifically caught my eye. Every snow texture on our map is custom, we don't use Monastery or CSS snow.

Well I looked at it again and you are right the snow on top of the tunnel is custom, I thought it was the css snow.

I also noticed that all of the ski lift hubs are missing either a top texture or a continuation of the beam so you can see through the bottom half. Also despite clearly being metal the hub prop itself just makes generic step sounds when you walk on it.

Awseome work! When I went through it I noticed just a few minor things.

It would be nice with more ways to jump on top of roofs, especially the flat ones if the drones drop items on top of them. Also some of the windows on the top ski-lift building look like you can jump through them, but you can't.

"feedback" :"empty áreas, empty buildings"...(in other words:make it look like pubg, far cry 4/5). Well, the source engine it is stretched to its límits anyway in the case of dz maps s-o i don't see a reason to add more detail.

Quote from Serialmapper

1 hour ago, Serialmapper said: "feedback" :"empty áreas, empty buildings"...(in other words:make it look like pubg, far cry 4/5). Well, the source engine it is stretched to its límits anyway in the case of dz maps s-o i don't see a reason to add more detail.

That is not true. You can take a look on official dz maps. They dont have much empty spaces. I think more details in some areas is a valid feedback.

Quote from zombi

On 7/17/2020 at 2:16 AM, zombi said: There is a lot of dead ends. I don't like it and it's bad for gameplay imo. Also underground is very linear.

Last thing. Make ski lift moving and I can see this map in game.

Ice texture is pretty cool. Good job guys!

How are dead ends bad for gameplay?

Quote from Soldat Du Christ

1 hour ago, Soldat Du Christ said: How are dead ends bad for gameplay?

Since CS weapons have crazy quick kill time players could just hold inner areas with no chance of people breaching it. it's also kinda bad for flow.

Quote from JorisCeoen

On 7/17/2020 at 12:06 PM, JorisCeoen said: Is this a trend or are people gearing up winter-themed maps for a chance in the next 2020 operation ?? Michael just released his snowy Dagner Zone map like a few weeks back as well. It's actually surprisingly similar in visual appearance as well.

This looks very nice, good job, always impressive with these large scale levels in source engine.

The past few years, guess after the first few operations Mapcore can feel as either an extension of the entitled CS:GO community or a lot of contrarians who will question all feedback "I dont read books cause it will make me a less unique author", but I think that a lot of valid stuff has been posted here, especially Wintrius post is some feedback that I´d take to heart. It reminds me of a time when we were aspiring to learn and develop and not aspiring to be right. I suggest listening to those detailed feedback posts ?

Quote from Vaya

4 hours ago, Vaya said: Since CS weapons have crazy quick kill time players could just hold inner areas with no chance of people breaching it. it's also kinda bad for flow.

Well of they are a T they have to push the objective, if they are a CT they have to defend the objective. So it just depends on where the dead ends are, they might not be worth defending. When it comes to methods it's better to address them on a case by case basis to see if they work in the context of the map, instead of simply spotting these as instant red flags

Quote from Soldat Du Christ

1 hour ago, Soldat Du Christ said: Well of they are a T they have to push the objective, if they are a CT they have to defend the objective. So it just depends on where the dead ends are, they might not be worth defending. When it comes to methods it's better to address them on a case by case basis to see if they work in the context of the map, instead of simply spotting these as instant red flags

It's more about map control theory. If you commit a player to an area that happens to be a dead end with not really advantages, you wasted a lot of resources. It is really bad feeling to commit to an area to realise its a dead end.

Quote from Soldat Du Christ

1 hour ago, Soldat Du Christ said: Well of they are a T they have to push the objective, if they are a CT they have to defend the objective. So it just depends on where the dead ends are, they might not be worth defending. When it comes to methods it's better to address them on a case by case basis to see if they work in the context of the map, instead of simply spotting these as instant red flags

sir this is a dangerzone map.