Lux

Lux Flare Lux

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/fi…/?id=3302009197

I scrapped the previous layout and theme that I was working on and started from scratch, with a more interesting theme and more concrete ideas. My new map is set in a solar thermal power plant, in the desert.

Spoiler

Key Ideas

The key ideas that I want to implement are:

• I like big, arena-like bombsites, à la A site on Train, where you have a lot of freedom to choose where and when you take fights.
• I like bombsites where the majority of the spots are effective against one of the entrances but vulnerable to the other, meaning that if Ts coordinate well and CTs don't communicate effectively, the Ts can obliterate the CTs.
• I like areas where players with good movement can use the walkable surfaces more effectively to get an advantage over their opponents.
• I like long sightlines that penetrate the map, rewarding players with intel about how the enemy is moving so they can make pro-active decisions.

Layout

This is the abstract layout. There are two big sites close to one-another, an upper level (purple), and a connector for fast rotations, which can be accessed by the upper level. Everything else is subject to change. A site is called A because Ts get 2 entrances to it and B site is called B because Ts get 1 entrance to it (unlike Anubis and Ancient which have them backwards). Filled circle means ladder, empty circle mans drop-down (maybe boostable). The upper level acts effectively like a "middle" in your generic 3-lane map.

Bombsites

I chose the particle receiver tower and the air cooled steam condenser for the bomb targets, because they're most recognizable from afar and I can make them tall enough to be visible from both spawns, which is a neat feature.

Spoiler

This is bombsite A. There is a stack of explosives placed next to the receiver tower. There are 4 entrances. Ts come from bottom-left and bottom-right. Connector is top-left. Top-right leads to CT spawn. Everything else is subject to change.

Spoiler

This is bombsite B. You're blowing up some pipes connected to the steam condenser. Ts come from the bottom-left. CTs come from the top-left and top-right. Bottom-right is connector. Everything else is subject to change.

Here's connector —

Here's A site —

Wetness is the essence of beauty — Derek Zoolander

Hence, here's some water — in a cooling pond and a silo —

And here's some water — in a tank —

And here's my zen garden —

I have almost all the pieces now.

Here's some more cylinder-centric geometry —

A year from now, the pundits in the pro scene will be talking about cylinder-savvy teams and cylinder-dull teams. And new stars will be birth from artificial cylindrical wombs to push the game to new limits.

Art Update[/b]

Pantone blue with red and yellow accents is the color scheme of Nuke, so I'm moving away from it.

Fit check.

This is the vibe —

— except a bit more vibrant, and with accent colors of rose, teal, and straw.

Layout Update[/b]

I discovered a really cool element of Inferno, which is seen in practically no other map in the pool, and which is — I think — essential to what makes Inferno such a great tactical map. I'm looking for ways to implement it in Lux. It fits the theme and it would complement my other ideas really well. Inferno better watch out! I'm so thrilled. I'll tell you more later.

The name is Flare now, but I am going to change it Sol some time in the next few weeks. Be ready for it.

Here's a cool reference photo of a real life ultra-modern building taken from the real world —

Actually, you go tricked! This is an in game photo. Stunning! I know you wish you could go to this place and brush your naked skin up against the smooth glass panels and taste its metallic trims with your tongue. But you can't. I'm sorry. This is only in the virtual world.

Theme Update[/b]

I've been thinking about how I could make the theme more epic and this is what I came up with: a solar-system-themed-solar-thermal-power-plant. It's planets, but silos. Planet-painted-silos, and the receiver tower is the Sun. Targets would be the earth silo and the mars silo (sphere-shaped steam condenser). Then I would pick textures and shapes for the buildings to give them a space station sort of vibe. The terrorists arrive in 1972 Maserati Boomerangs. This might be a bit too surreal. I'm still on the fence about it. Here's a quick mockup —

Let's be honest guys, Anubis sucks as a competitive map. We gotta do better. Stop making operation maps. There's no more operations.

Quote from Roald

5 minutes ago, Roald said: Troll confirmed

Thinking that Anubis sucks makes me a troll? I've just been analyzing the maps that are in the pool and I think that ... it kinda sucks by comparison. Your new map looks more interesting though. Maybe don't take things personally.

Quote from Roald

Just now, Roald said: You can think what ever you want and you can have your opinion, but once there is no constructive feedback I can't take it seriously. Goodluck with your map 😘

You don't have to take it any way. This wasn't addressed to you. This is not a feedback thread for Anubis. I don't have to qualify everything I say here.

What if I'd said "Vertigo sucks for competitive, guys, we gotta make better maps than Vertigo. Maybe try making better maps than Vertigo.", would that be trolling?

Maybe this was just a teaser for the extended Anubis critique. I think you're confusing teasing with trolling. I can't release the extended Anubis critique right now, thought. I need more time to collect some data.

Some things about Anubis are really great! How about that? It's the prettiest map in the pool. The fights at the bombsites are really fun, mid is really fun for 1v1s. I like the fast rotate through water, it's kinda like Inferno in that way.

Maybe think about what you're doing and see if that's maybe trolling.

Quote from Roald

15 minutes ago, Roald said: I think you are on to something here 🤔

Maybe creating Anubis was one big troll to the CS community.

Let's see what Skyline will bring.

You're putting words in my mouth. I never implied anything like that. I meant that you're trolling me with these comments. It kinda looks like you're trying to rally the CS community at me, because I off-handedly said a bad thing about Anubis. So please stop.

Besides, the fact that Anubis won the last competition doesn't mean that it's infallible, nor that it has won some sort of undisclosed glazing rights. I hope Skyline brings good things. It already looks more interesting.

It does miss some flare in that T spawn ngl. I don't get enough vitamin D there and my anxiety is flaring up. Maybe that's why the hallways feel claustrophobic.

As part of my design process, I decided to rank all the maps in the current map pool, based on how good their layout is. Here's the ranking :

I'll have more stuff to show you soon.