8bit

I'm sorry to say this is one of my first maps. I haven't published any maps with the new knowledge I have found. I watched a lot of videos and talked to some people such as 3kliks and they helped me learn how to make better maps with better brushwork and such. It would be very helpful if I could get a solid layout, because I feel my maps even with good aesthetics will suffer in gameplay without a well working layout. I thought a more experienced member of the community would be willing to pass down an old layout or any good layout that you would like to see tried in a map, and it would be such a help. Thanks You mention new knowledge, what's your old knowledge? From old engines? I'm willing to work with you if you can show me something, doesn't matter what engine it is from as long as it's from a fps perspective.

I was looking forward to playtest arizona... somehow i got kicked back into my desktop when the game tried to load the map, now server is full...

Layout looks solid, schedule a date for a playtest, It's time....

Please do.

Ran around it and although a tad big, I really like the layout. it's intriging, engaging and the height levels are awsome. I wish you wouldn't go with cs_italy's assets but I understand that it's something you wanna do. Really like the layout and can't wait to see the finish product, keep it up! It's indeed bit big in the version that's in Workshop, but the latest I'm working on is wee bit tighter in size. And, I didn't plan on going fully cs_italy looks, but something I use as a basis. Colors will be brighter and warmer though. Good to hear, now update your workshop so we can give you proper feedback

Ran around it and although a tad big, I really like the layout. it's intriging, engaging and the height levels are awsome. I wish you wouldn't go with cs_italy's assets but I understand that it's something you wanna do. Really like the layout and can't wait to see the finish product, keep it up!

Did any of you who attended GDC got a change to record Sal's & Shawn's GDC speech?

Ran around it just now, some stairs need clipping but I guess we can live with that for todays playtest. And don't be nervous lol, I like mid, needs abit of tweaking but It's not bad at all. Also like theme, I assume it's some sort of gaming expo?

Ahhh, just what I was waiting for . Upper part of the bridge looks much cleaner now, more so now than before. I really like what you did with the right side of the bridge (when going up the stairs as T), you can now come out behind it, feels solid and I imagen seeing see alot of close clutches in that area Underpath starting close to T spawn at the beginning of mid, that could be eliminated keeping only the path from middle of mid to B, like in the edit i did below. http://i.imgur.com/ejzsp4A.jpg Reason being is that the T covering mid can easily/effortlessly rotate to B from T spawn or if the team switches for A site, he'd just jump into vents and be out of sight really fast. To me it feels like an extra path that is not needed since you have one at the middle of mid doing the same thing. Mid, imo, is a battle of will so to say, (well, every entrance leading somewhere should), but I mean for an awper. For an awper clearing mid forcing T's to peek if they wanna pass tords B, that feels good when you are the one taking care of things not letting them pass (think mid catwalk on Dust2). Now, If you give T's too many escape routes/choices that early in the round/map, things gonna feel bit too easy for the T holding mid and what could have been a great battle @ mid, wouldnt take place. Maps should be abit CT sided since it's the T's that needs to blow shit up, but not as CT sided as de_nuke though, lol. Regarless, changes to the brigde and site are coming along nicely, keep at it man!

Tbh, it can work as a defuse map too, a little bit of tweaks here and there and boom you have a unique layout we haven't seen before in Counter strike. You should keep working on it, take some suggestions and schedule a playtest. Recon you could update what you have to the workshop? Personally, I'm really liking the idea of your layout.

By your logic no map is broken -- all the poorly balanced maps just aren't being played right. Therefore we may as well all give up on level design? Even if Nuke doesn't get fixed, it's an interesting exercise to discuss possible changes, and it's the sort of discussion I'd like to see more of rather than less, especially on a forum full of accomplished and aspiring level designers. I agree. Of course there has to be some balance, but it doesn't hurt maps like Nuke who are 60/40. It's what makes Nuke unique. Even if it's the fast rotation times or getting sniped from heaven, it's annoying but it's how it's been since 1.6. I'm not fanboying 1.6 or saying there doesn't need to be changes to be done, I myself would like to see doors from squeeky to outside, I'm just saying that it's not that of a radical difference to go and start rebuilding the map. I just feel like if every map as 50/50 it would get too much repetitive like Dust2 (that map is WAYYY too over-played). Again, if you are making a new map - Feel free to make it balanced. It's your map after all (and it should be done, Valve cares about balance). But when we talk about nuke, damn, that map is 15 years old besides the outside changes. Lastly, as my closer note, since I don't want to get into deeper discussions I'll just say that Valve isn't fast with the updates, so expect Nuke changes in 2 years. See you all in 2 years! *Magic flying carpet appears* Besides your contradiction about old stuff staying the same but that you do want to see some changes done to it and it being 60/40 and not hurting the map (scratches head...) I really dont agree that Nuke is unique cause of the imbalance and there is a reason Dust2 is the most played map in the history of Counter strike. If we feel that the map is way over-played, that is irrelevant, those are personal opinions with the only fact that the map is old... Nuke being imbalance isn't, the math is there and you know what is even more annoying/unfair/shit? That on paper, equally skilled teams that play equally on balanced maps, they lose when starting as T's. Too many times we've seen teams lose majors cause of the imbalance of nuke, that is why it gets banned from map pools in general. If I only would posses the skills some of you do, I'd take on the project myself and with the help of the community, I'd give it my best to try and save Nuke. It's a real shame people only like Nuke if they get to start as CT's cause it's so easy to hold, you just need a good awper on yard which can take out an entire team, same with a good defensive player (can also be an awper) on ramp which in return leaves THREE players to hold inside... (Arguments can be made about a good awper on yard... An example rushing into B on Dust2 only thing is that Dust2 fixes this issue by giving you 3 quick options, running out mid, running up ramp or rushing long A, options Nuke excutes very very poorly). The changes Volcano did to the yard was not a bad idea but not the best either. Throw a couple of good smokes and T's get through yard with ease, it's a start but then you have the instant rotations by the CT's and boom dead. The other change he made was to close off the left lower entrance to B site from yard (next to the vents), again not bad but the bloody vents are there to play hide and seek in and as CT you can easily hold from ramp or window and yet again T's are seating ducks, like so many times we've witnessed it before and you dont even have to be lurking in the vents as CT either. A site... Rafters, dear old rafters... If you are good enough you can block T's from coming in before they even know what's happening, you can spam the hut or nade it to death, no smoke will ever do some good for T's there. What does all of this tell us? More that often you have T's wait out the clock only to run out, make a fast play and rush somewhere, if only CT's didn't have those unfair insta rotations... Nuke is not unique due its imbalance, it's unique cause of only the name and the theme and cause there was no Nuke2 or any other type of nuke after that, people tried but they always made the same mistake, they started working over a flawed formula. The theme and name is nice, it's catchy and blowing nukes up is bad ass (virtually atleast). I personally think that fixing Nuke is the Achiles Heel of mapping for Counter strike, it's a hard task to take on and if it fails, the internet will devour you. It's either that or mappers are too busy with their own projects to care. I give alot props to Volcano for trying and I doubt he will return to CSGO now that he got a job as leveldesigner for other games and I know FMPone said no to it on his stream today, I was hoping he would take it on.

Hmm, I think you misinterpret what I meant over pm. The extra passage you added now sort of nullifies the original entrance. I'd add two closed doors at new passage, make them spammable and add something like in the pictures below instead (pictures 1 to 3). The door in picture 1 closest to T spawn, you could open up the interior to give T's more room to maneuver in. Opened up sort of like the interior in de_mirage, right before exiting palace @ A site. The 4th picture though, it might be too powerful for T's to give, a catwalk looking over A site.

Jesus, the level of mapping skills some people posses... I gotta say that I love everything about it, lightning, atmosphere and brush work. I'm not a NS2 player myself but I had to congratulate you on a job well done! Tell me do you make CSGO maps too? The competitive CSGO scene welcomes experienced leveldesigners when it comes to either balance or create new maps for competition. Valve tries to make this happen but more that often it is the community that set the standards in regards to what does and does not work. FMpone is regarded as "the" leveldesigner for CSGO atm, he is working on couple of projects but if I can add my 5cents worth, I really think that we need more like him, there are a couple out there but so far only his creations are being used competitively/professionally rest are maps created before CSGO was released. The map pool for CSGO looks currently like this. de_dust2 de_inferno de_nuke de_train de_mirage de_cobblestone de_cache de_season de_overpass That's it, 9 maps that have been beaten to death over the years, except cache, season and overpass cause they haven't been around for that long during Counter strike's lifetime. Again, your map looks very good and I hope it plays as good it looks, cheers.

What a simple fun layout, really simplistic but it can easily become a classic one with really nice details. One thing though, imo, there is enough cover everywhere already, dont fill the place with crates. Everything feels clean but B needs abit more to it, rest feels good already and maybe T entrance into A could need a tune up for that extra fun factor. Keep it up!

Nice changes so far, really liking them, would love to test them out. About the B squeaky door, imo change the rotation axis to the opposite side. Atm, when it opens/closes it looks really odd and non realistic for a door. http://i.imgur.com/fuXC9A1.jpg Plus it makes the passage unnecessarily even more narrow.