Wintrius

OMG this map is LITERALLY unplayable.

Ah... I knew I recognized that name somewhere:

This is definitely one of my favorite entries; I love the theme and style. When will you update the workshop version?

After that last Mandalorian episode we need Taika Watiti to direct a full Star Wars film. That guy is incredible at what he does.

Cool, just curious. ?

Under what circumstance would the deadline be extended?

Multiplayer seems like it'd be fun on here. Next big e-sport?

If I had to recall my favorite movie scene, I'd probably have to go with the entire ending of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. The coupling of the incredible score from Ennio Morricone with the suspense of the scene is goosebump-inducing. The previous graveyard scene is just as good. If you have not seen this movie, do yourself the favor. Another scene that stuck with me was the Baptism scene from The Godfather. The juxtaposition of the Baptism and the killings made for a truly memorable moment.

Not to discourage you from your current project, but if I were you, I'd definitely still focus on Jungle. There's definitely a lot of valid criticism to be had about the map, and as it is already in CS:GO, I see no better time to work on it. If you aren't willing to go back to Jungle, I'd suggest getting another experienced mapper to polish it up. Otherwise, this new map looks interesting, but I hope it does not suffer from the same visual issues as the previous map. That's not to say it looks bad, it just doesn't fit Valve's style as much as I would like. Either way, I wish you luck. Also: How long do these maps take you to make?

Christmas was canceled, do you not watch the news? Anyway, some actual criticism for the map: The layout is still tight corridors, might want to loosen that up and add some more unique shapes. I wouldn't hop into visuals just yet if I were you... unless those are placeholders. If those are the actual visuals you're planning on having on the map, I'd recommend making your own. Not only that, I'd try to make the geometry a bit more realistic in its architecture. I don't know about that lighting. I'd try to make the routes on the left side of the map a bit more interesting, as in something that is possibly more vertically based.

I'd buy that if it were on Steam, to be honest. With some patch-ups that could definitely be worth a few bucks. Sidenote: If this does actually come to Steam with workshop support, I'm becoming a full-time BPA mapper.

Well, layout always comes before visuals in my eyes. You can adjust the visuals to the layout I'm sure. Still, I wish you well on your future developments.

Edit: removed the quote because it added an enormous blank space for some odd reason. At first glance, I thought that meat was strawberry ice cream and was really disappointed when I scrolled down. Anyway, Waldo does have a point here. A map with so many corridors doesn't stand out very well and doesn't typically play very well. If I were you, I'd limit myself to one, if not zero corridors. Try opening some of them up, and I don't just mean make them wider. Change the shape of these areas... unless you really want to take a jab at claustrophobic individuals. Now, remember, I'm not telling you to make these changes, I'm just showing you from a first glance how to open areas up. I'll give you an example of some things you can do here:

This is surely coming along well, the style is interesting. This reminds me of Houtouwan, China. Now, I'm assuming the skybox is not final. If it is, then I'd recommend a custom one. The overall layout seems interesting, and this map certainly has a chance. I wish you well in your future development on Cache's sister map.

If you're struggling with Hammer, I'll guarantee you this: it's way easier to use than you think. It becomes instinct very quickly and has more options than appears on the surface. I respect your choice to leave, but if you ever are to continue in the future, 3kliksphilip and TopHattWaffle have great tutorials for Hammer beginners. 3kliksphilip is especially helpful for impatient individuals (nudge nudge). Still, I'm assuming you're just going to go back to Halo mapping--so good luck with that.

I like the lighting, matches the skybox well it seems. I suggest you put up an image of the layout.

Although I really enjoy your map and am glad Valve appreciates it, there are some valid complaints fewseb has listed. Most notably being: Off lighting. Low resolution/quality custom props, as well as some really old Valve assets that don't hold up very well. The sand and grass contrasted with the black rocks look rather unpleasant (sorry to say). Some textures look a tad bit repetitive, one example being the pavement. Other specific things I found that looked odd were the crane (among other red metal objects) having incredibly low texture resolution, that ancient white van, the houses looking full-bright, as well as some awfully low-res barrels. Now that I've listed some problems, I would like to provide you with some possible solutions: Change the lighting for certain areas with different types of lights, maybe even some dust particles in the air. Increase the texture quality of some custom props, and also give them some overlays to give the illusion of more detail. Make sure all primary textures are at least 1024 by 1024, as that's what Valve did in their Danger Zone maps. Try using some custom 4-way blends similar to the ones Valve uses for particular areas. Lighten up and detail those rock props, give them the same style of crisp texture that Valve has on their DZ maps. Although not necessary, it'd be cool if you got some other mapper who's an industry veteran to assist in the making of custom assets. I just say this because I find that it'd be more expedient and likely more motivating than you being the sole worker on the project. Also, just some questions out of pure curiosity: What percent of the map would you say is composed of assets made entirely by you? How long did this map take to create? Were you expecting Valve to respond as they did? In conclusion, I really like what you've done with this map. You took a risk, and Valve recognized that. Although I am being very critical in this post, it's only because I would like to see the map improve. I supported this project when it was first uploaded, but now that it's under the light of the entire community, criticism means a lot more. Good luck with your future mapping endeavors, and I hope you integrate these valid critiques.

This map is progressing very fast, and I'm definitely a fan. If I had to give you advice on something, it'd be not to cloud up the map's color theory. Try to keep the colors a bit consistent with probably three colors at most. Also, that one long entrance is rather... extended. Still, this map is looking really cool. I can't wait to see more progress.

This gives off some real GTA III/Skate 3 vibes. I really like the lighting.

Those are some Valve quality assets. Great job, love that theme. Reminds me of Insertion 2 a bit. Good luck!

Time to beg Valve for a Cobblestone remake.

This gives off some real Quake vibes with the color palette. Good luck!

Although openness is typically an aspect that is not displayed enough in maps, it seems here you've done the opposite. I'd recommend narrowing out the areas present and have a couple of tight angles as a contrast.

This is some very nice concepts going on. I do however suggest that you attempt to maintain the color scheme to be somewhat consistent and have around three main colors. That's just a recommendation so the color doesn't look all over the place. I like the incorporation of elevation also. If Favela were to ever be remade, I'd imagine it'd be somewhat like this. Overall, this is a pretty awesome theme. I can't wait to play this. Good luck!

That's a promising and original theme you have... just remember to make the lighting correct, as that may be difficult in a laser tag arena. Also, not that you said you wouldn't, but this will be 5v5, correct?