Cybris

*** Update: pl_cranetop_b8 has been released! Get it from fpsbanana. *** -- Beta 8 -- Fixed grayscale issue by deleting the color correction entity Fixed monorail cart passing over ducked players Fixed getting stuck on the large girders in stage 3 Fixed some bad displacements Fixed getting stuck behind the barrels in the round room in stage 2 Fixed a hole in the upper floor of stage 3 Fixed the custom chalkboard texture showing up in other maps Added small side rooms at stage 2 cap 2 to defuse that chokepoint Added a small tunnel between stage 3 rocket room and the upstairs area Added a bit more cover from snipers in stage 3 Remade the stairs that lead to the rocket tower Used a different cart switching method for stage 3 More performance improvements for stage 3

*** Update: pl_cranetop_b7 has been released! Get it from fpsbanana. *** -- Beta 7 -- Fixed grayscale display on map restart after stage 3 BLU win Fixed the cart moving backwards too fast Allowed more time for the server to change carts to eliminate the floating bomb bug Moved stage 2 last cp a bit. Should be easier to capture now Added entrances to stage 2 last cp room from the air vent area Deleted the electric transformer room in stage 3 because the route was redundant Deleted a redundant entrace to stage 3 from the BLU side Slightly shortened the stage 3 mining tunnel Added a bit of cover to RED spawn 3 so not everyone gets sniped when exiting the spawn room Changed the area under the rocket room a bit, providing some space to hide spies or teleporters For visual feedback the monorail cart is now destroyed when the crane picks up the bomb Lots of performance improvements for the last room

I'm still working on b7, but in the meantime I have released a new map: arena_cranetop. You can download it here: http://www.fpsbanana.com/maps/73917

Update: pl_cranetop_b6 has been released! Changelog: -- Beta 6 -- Rotated the rocket tower and shortened stage 3 track Enlarged the fenced area in the volcano Readded steps to the upper ramp in stage 3 rocket dome Reconstructed the upper stage 3 right side room with more cover Added a room and two small tunnels to stage 3, deleted dropdown vent Added another CP to stage 3 - it's fake (8 is max), but works mostly like a real one Added more cover to stage 3 volcano dome side entrances Moved the BLU blackboard so that it actually gets read Fixed a faulty one-way door and added "Dead end" signs in stage 3 Fixed getting stuck on the cart at the switch to the monorail Fixed invisible stairs being solid in stage 2 sewers Fixed faulty stairs in stage 1 wooden warehouse Fixed a small spot from where you could jump over the RED spawn wall Converted some func_details to displacements or world brushes to free entities

Thanks for liking it! Yes, the skybox is a bit bland. I hadn't really groked displacements when I did it (in May), and although I've been adding to it, I had to delete a lot of stuff in the current version because of the edict restrictions. Most stock skybox buildings are crap, and if you need anything good looking, you have to build it yourself and func_detail it. TF2 Skyboxes generally need a lot of work to look good, and most players don't even see them. I hope the gameplay makes up for the crappy skybox in this and future revisions of the map.

The compile is done, I've tested and uploaded B5. Enjoy!

Sorry, I'm recompiling right now. Dedicated servers crash with this error because of an engine limitation that doesn't occur with local listen servers. This is caused by having too many entities (there is a stupid 4096 entity dictionary limit). The command line option -num_edicts 8192 _may_ solve the problem, but I'll just reduce the number of entities, recompile, and upload another version. I'm very sorry for the inconvenience - if only the dedicated server behaved identically to the listen server, this would've been caught much earlier (read: it's Valve's fault. And mine, for not testing on a dedicated server) I have deleted a few hundred entities (mostly light_glow, props, and detail brushes). I've installed the TF2 dedicated server and will test the map thoroughly. I will spawn some bots and have them flip out, but wether the map will accomodate 32 players in a real game, I cannot say after trying it on a live server.

pl_cranetop_b4 has been released! Download the latest version from fpsbanana Enjoy! The changelog: -- Beta 4 -- Added a third stage Added a mission briefing with text and screenshots Added in-game instructions on crane operation via chalk boards Lowered spawn times except on last CPs of the stages Redesigned and enlarged back entrance room and back door to stage 2 Enlarged small steps in the entrance hall at CP 6 Enlarged small sewers at stage 2 RED spawn and added more signage Enlarged RED spawn exit area on stage 1 and added some detail and a wall Slightly moved stage 1 tracks so players can get between the cart and RED spawn Added even more clips to doors, stairs and railings Fixed getting stuck below the warehouse Fixed dead end sewer pipes not being black Fixed more occurences of getting stuck when being pushed by the payload Changed some stairs to props Made a number of optical changes

*** Update: pl_cranetop_b8 has been released! Get it from fpsbanana. *** A long time ago (in 1999) I created a TFC map called Cranetop. It was a very large Hunted map and I never was able to play it on a full server. I got some positive feedback, but soon TFC waned and many of us moved on. Until... In 2007 a -=Great Game=- was released - TF2. When Goldrush was released I started working on a Cranetop successor - now it's here. It's called pl_cranetop. Here is the map on FPS Banana: http://www.fpsbanana.com/maps/65823 This is a three stage Payload map with a small twist: the payload is suspended from a crane and BLU must first capture the crane top. BLUE has three spawn exits in order not to get locked in, but the map gets progressively harder, especially during the second stage, which takes place in REDs underground bunker. Here are some comparision screenshots: There are numerous modifications from the original (which you can find here: http://www.fpsbanana.com/maps/65821). TF2 has no ladders and no Hunted game mode, and on top of that I had to decompile my old map because I'd lost the map file. So this is a complete reconstruction, brush for brush, and then twisted and stirred and modified for the TF2 style. Enjoy!

Tweak the fade distances on the models und use some func_occluder entities. Not much else you can do on a map this open, neither areaportals nor hints will get you much more performance.