Squad

Another Time-lapse Video for all you time-lapse fetishists! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3g-faCY_fU

Well, it works now thanks to the new update.

No problem, man. Just buy the game, it's fun!

@ colte: most important thing that I notice is that it's indeed too dark for CS:GO. Possibly not enough cover, but that really depends on what kind of area this is and more importantly how it plays out in gameplay tests. There is the long corridor in Dust 2 that doesn't have a lot of cover either, but it works.
Other than that, looks like a good start! But another piece of advice, don't go too much into detailing if you only have a single area. Try blocking out the layout first, making sure that it plays well. It's a lot easier to make changes to the layout if your level is just made of big blocks.

@ colte: most important thing that I notice is that it's indeed too dark for CS:GO. Possibly not enough cover, but that really depends on what kind of area this is and more importantly how it plays out in gameplay tests. There is the long corridor in Dust 2 that doesn't have a lot of cover either, but it works.
Other than that, looks like a good start! But another piece of advice, don't go too much into detailing if you only have a single area. Try blocking out the layout first, making sure that it plays well. It's a lot easier to make changes to the layout if your level is just made of big blocks.

Just tried it again and now it worked!

Hi!
I made new map for CS:GO.
 
Screenshots:
 
 







 
Download
 
Steam Workshop

Im playing with the tf2 Soho assets for a detail contest

Very sexy, Hollow! JP made a valid point though, hope you can find a good compromise between visuals and readability

Slowly but surely working on this map whenever I get the chance. Created a new lighting setup to get a more interesting mood going on (TLoU inspired ).
 

 

Those who want a sunset setting will in all likelyhood be pleased when the map is done. 
 
See you fellas tomorrow!
 
 
The old path created some gameplay problems. The layout was too interconnected and didn't promote classic Counter Strike gameplay (few routes, high risk chokes). It also allowed T's to very quickly attack CT's from the rear.
 
What I've decided to do is to simplify the map down to 3 basic routes and verify that this core basis works. This comes at the cost that the map feels a bit simplistic (and might be the reason why you feel something's missing). That's why I'm currently reworking the paths to add some personality or "twists". Things like CT's grenade-window into the atrium. For example, the side-route (the big room that's not the main atrium) now has a balcony for CT's side. It gives them elevation at significant risk (crossing through line of fire). That risk can be reduced by smoking and it should make the area's dynamics a lot more interesting.
 

It has been a very long time that i was visiting this site often, don't really know
why i stopped doing so. But, i just found this forum back and i would like to add
a thread about my latest HL2 SP-mod, called HL2 Episode 3; The Closure.
 
Maybe some of you are familiar with previous sp-mods of mine, like Coastline to Atmosphere,
Strider Mountain or Final project Diary. Those were quit large sp-mods, but this latest one
of mine is even bigger. It has 21 very large levels and will give at least 15 hours of gameplay.
I have been working on it for the last 3 years daily  and it is almost done. Guess i need
another 2 months or so to release it.
 
here are just a few screens for now to show here;
 

 

 

 

 
 
here you can see one of the many trailers;
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmN9PVLgKw4
 
Over the years i have placed loads of videos, screens and
info on Moddb.com. It is never nice to point to another site but should you be interested in all
of the publications then please check there;
http://www.moddb.com/mods/the-closure
 
thanks for watching and or reading,
 
Leon
(aka SPYmaps)
 
 

Congratz!!

Inventing layouts is really just about experience and understanding the game it's designed for. You have to know what kind of things work and what don't, and that's learnt through experimenting.
 
You can of course learn a lot from looking at other successful maps, and there's the usual obvious advice like making sure you carefully time how long it takes each team to get to key points (you might want it to be equal for violent clashes, or not equal if you want one team to have time to set up), making sure there's facilities in each area for each kind of class, etc. There must be a million tutorials that cover things like this.
 
More than anything though, experience and experimentation. Look at any WIP map thread on MapCore and you'll see people putting their maps out there for testing (MapCore has held regular playtesting events for CS:GO), and then people give feedback on what works and what doesn't. Even veteran and pro mappers need to do this.
 
Just have fun! Make whatever wild ideas come to mind and see if people like them. That's how true creativity happens.

Try some at different heights and find out?

something different o/
 

 
128 x 128 x 663.  not flawless, but I've had my fun.

Some of the stuff I did on cache :
 
Some of the textures:
In total there are 76 new textures being used in the final map  . I tried to match the look very closely to the existing cs:go content.






 

 
Some props:

And props for the skybox.

 
I had to work extremely fast and efficient on these ones, as I had only something like two weeks to do it all, while it was the end of the term at university (with a lot of presentations, examns and all that). Still, it has been a lot of fun and I'm very proud of the output and the general map feels fantastic to walk in.

KK ordered CS:GO... Installing !
 
[EDIT]: Damn ! They overhauled the game ! Searching my MILF...

I found quite some things that aren't properly build. The biggest is the displacements you used as floors and ceilings. Displacements don't block VIS, so the engine is probably drawing most of the map at any given location.
In this picture I unchecked everything that doesn't block VIS (props, brush entities, displacements, func_detail) leaving only regular brushes visible. It gives you a good idea of what the engine "sees".
 

 
There is a gap at the bottom of your walls (you made the floor a displacement), so that needs optimization.
 

 
Here are a few things that should be func_detailed (highlighting in red).
 

 
You should seal of the map with skybox texture better, not leaving a gap between the outside wall and the skybox. Also nodraw the non-visible side of the wall.
 

 
Also, your brushwork is rather sloppy in some places (making for unnecessary cuts in VIS). It might be a good idea to have a look at how official maps are build.
 
 

Another update!
 
I rebuild the cellar, hopefully making it a bit more interesting visually.
 

 

 
The map is a bit too CT sides, so I did some changes to help the T side.
Blocked of some of the spots where CTs can hide for any attacking Ts at Bombsite A.
 

 
Made the cellar entry a bit curved, as to break up the sightline of any CTs defending it (they can now hardly cover the entry courtyard from within the cellar, making it easier for Ts to access the courtyard).
 

 
This is experimental. I made the wall surrounding bombsite B higher, so it seals of the bombsite more. I also blocked the bombsite with a gate. It's possible to jump over the wall from both sides, but it'll take a little longer than just running in and it also makes you temporarily more vulnerable doing so. Of course you can also take the safer route through the back or the wine cellar. I did this to help the T side as the bombspots used to be 6 seconds from each other which made CT rotates to quickly.
We'll see how testing goes
 

 

no more time for this ATM, but i hope it looks better

I've just updated the map on the Workshop. Hopefully this is gonna be a (near) final version.

I've just updated the map on the Workshop. Hopefully this is gonna be a (near) final version.

I've just updated the map on the Workshop. Hopefully this is gonna be a (near) final version.

Hello, I thought I'd post here to both show a few things I've been working on and to promote this great mod a bit.
 
The latest Fistful of Frags update comes with two maps I've worked on over the past several months.
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXhbaeci_Lg
 
'CrippleCreek'
 
Cripplecreek is a fairly large and open map, I started with a rough sketch but no clear idea of how it would play like or what sort of gameplay it would accommodate. With the help of the mod creator we found a fun solution. Vigilantes must go around the map collecting loot sacks and bring them to a cap zone, the desperado's must prevent this. The cap zone fixes to a moving train after the first loot capture, and that's when the chaos begins, the trains route can be changed by using rail switchers at junctions (You can see this in the video above).
 
Mod Creators comments



 

 

 

 
The biggest challenge alongside making this map fun was optimising it, since it was so big this wasn't easy. I managed to get the map running quite well using a few straightforward methods. The first is simple fade distances on static props, I gave props the same start and end fade distances wherever I could, as faded props don't go down 'the fast path',what this means fully I don't know, but what I do know is that they take longer to render. The second method I used was to combine many props into a single prop, this took a lot of work but was well worth it, the performance gained was really noticeable. I also tried to reuse textures wherever I could on the models.
 
'Rio Bravo'
 
Since I made so much new content for the first map I thought I should at least create a second so it saw its use. This map was much more relaxing to create, once I had the gameplay blocked in so early I was able to relax and just have fun making it. Its a symmetrical design with several layers to it, and is quite a dangerous environment. Falling to your death and avoiding a fast moving train spilling explosive barrels gives you something else to worry about alongside dynamite throwing lunatics. There is no visibility blocking in the map, so I used the same methods for Cripplecreek to keep the frame-rate steady.
 
Mod Creators comments



 

 

 
 
I should have been showing WIP's of these previously but I found I didn't have much confidence in the work and was unsure if I'd ever finish them. I'm glad I did mange to finish them, I owe R_Yell, the mod lead a big thank you for keeping me motivated to get these out, and for keeping the FoF mod alive after so many years. In total I added 177 new props and a bunch of new textures.
 
I also created the train you can ride around on
(Click)

 
 
Many thanks, and DOWNLOAD THIS GREAT MOD
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSdj_ViFDeA
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txJmt7_yqh8
 
And please vote YES on Greenlight!