[CS:S] de_offshore

[Yokai]

FINAL UPDATE!

August 21st, 2009

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de_offshore (Final Edition)

Map created by Yokai

Email : YokaiSlayer@gmail.com

Twitter: TheYokai

DEVELOPERS NOTES in the next reply!

An article highlighting the development of de_offshore, the artistic / game-play goals I aimed to achieved, and miscellaneous developer notes.

>>DOWNLOAD DE_OFFSHORE<<

Overall Change List:

B3 => Final Changes:

* Aesthetic changes made to various interiors / exteriors. See Developer's Blog Entry for details.

* Ladder positioning changed to make scaffold climbing easy.

* Texture changes to various props. (Specifically placeholder officeinsp pictures.)

* Lighting adjustments made, making lights feel less intense by desaturating them a bit.

* Small changes to cover / prop positioning.

* Optimization Changes, specifically prop fade in / fade out distances and hint / skip placements.

* A few areaportals added to help performance on lower end machines.

* Adjustments made to physics model properties to remove unwanted player movement restrictions.

(I.E. Chairs / Phones / etc have been changed to "debris" to keep player movement unaffected, while

wanted obstacles such as file cabinets have remained unchanged.)

B2 => B3 Changes

* Added HDR

* Added point_viewcamera entities

* Made all sound files function properly.

* Modified a few hint+skip brushes to help performance on low end computers.

* Modified fade in/out distances of some props to help performance on lower end machines.

* Removed quite a bit of crates that didn't provide any need. All crates that provided cover and vertical height still remain to help game-play feel less linear.

* Added credits decal.

* Removed the ladder in the tall room near bombsite B in replace with the new "scaffold" system, providing more cover, detail, and intense game-play.

* Fog has been modified to fade in and out depending on distance to help low end machines' performance.

* Re-skinned and zipped the re-skinned model textures into the BSP to added a few extra custom content in the office area. This method should prevent re-skinned models appearing in other maps.

* Added TXT file with info and credits.

* Rescaled water to make it loop less frequently.

* Changed a few lighting options to help change the light intensity and darkness of certain areas. Few areas remain dark for game-play's sake.

* Removed whiteboards in office areas for they did not receive light properly.

B1 => B2 Changes

* Fully functional radar display.

* More Decals for extended detail

* Soundscapes added

* Removed ladders in favor for ramps and stairs in 2 locations.

* Removed one water tanker with a sheltered area instead, giving players more move around space.

[Yokai]

DEVELOPER NOTES for DE_OFFSHORE

This is the first of a series of developer notes I plan on releasing for both future maps, and maps I have decided to revisit for one last update (This map being an example of the latter.) The goal of these developer notes is both to help me analyze my own pieces and help everyone else understand how they should attempt to achieve the goals they have set for their own level designs. Hopefully, the subjects I discuss in this developer notes session will be intriguing and entertaining for the people reading as well as being an insightful piece of material for all level future level designers / game developers.

Part 1 - - - Layout and Gameplay

Within the development of this map I had many goals to focus on, but this is probably the one I wanted to focus on most. I've always found layout and gameplay design to be my biggest hurdle, and with de_offshore I planned to get over it without any trip-ups or mistakes. So I began by taking valve classic maps (in this case, de_dust2) and assessing them so I could apply my findings to my own level designs. So, lets begin by looking over a layout of de_dust2.

The above is the layout of DE_Dust2, which can arguably be (and is probably frequently) referred to as the best and most competitive cs layout that has ever been developed. Even if your opinion differs, there's certainly a few interesting points that I highlighted during my assessment of de_dust2.

Here is my assessment of the map layout, obviously the red lines serve the purpose of being a basic skeleton. As you can see, de_dust 2 has 2 vertical sniping lines which are renown as deadly awping areas, and make those areas and intersections very dangerous to the unprepared player. It also make it so that players with snipers can control the area of movement of the opposing players. You see, if two or more snipers occupy those sniping lines, it causes the players on the other team to chose 1 of three options. First, they can attempt to snipe the enemy snipers, which is a good counter technique but it also limits the player who chooses to snipe to only occupy those few sniper lines if they want to be of full use to the rest of your team. Second, they could attempt to flank the snipers. However, if the enemy sniper is being assisted by a few other snipers, the snipers can easily fight back with side arms and eliminate some of the opposing teams team-members, which makes this a a risky maneuver as well. Lastly, they can take one of the non-sniping routes and be safe from sniping attacks. This is the basic premise of area control, and is the fundamental of most player vs player games. Fighting games also use area control as the main source of strategy, all characters in a fighting game have some method of vertical and horizontal control that limits the opposing players movements. After observing this, what areas players control was taken into consideration while designing de_offshore.

If you further refer to the assessment of de_dust2, there's also other noticeable layout choices made. CT's have a very short distance to cover to get to the bombsites, which is understandable since the whole point of DE_ maps is to protect the bombsites from being blown up. Giving terrorists and counter terrorists equal walking distance to the bombsites would be a mistake. If they were to travel the same distance, the gameplay would be nullified and players would encounter each other at the bombsite, making it a chokepoint rather than an objective location. Each of the bombsites has 3 entryways, however 2 of the entrances share the same route for bombsite 1. One more thing I noticed is that elevation, or the z axis, plays a big role in some chokepoints, which makes it so that there's even further dimensions of area control that players must take into account. Typically, taking higher ground gives the opposing players an advantage. (Just ask Obi Wan Kenobi, "It's over Anarkin! I have the higher ground!".)

So with all of that in mind I created my layout, but I also took one more inspiration. While observing de_dust, I recognized a pattern that you can find in another type of map. fy_ maps. Just take the 4 box layout skeleton I made for dust2, even each of the squares, and remove the quick diagnal path from mid to bombsite 2. That's right, 4 boxes of glorious deathmatch goodness. It is little noticed, but the reason why dust and iceworld are so popular is mostly because of it's basic, easy to understand layout.

What I wanted to take from iceworld is the basic, very easy to understand layout, that allows players to jump right into the map. Nothing is worse than playing a map that is complicated for the first time, it takes a long while to understand each route and eventually players find out the best route and rush that one every time, thus making maps that don't follow this rather formulaic layout harder to balance between teams.

With all of that in mind, I made the layout below:

Notice the similarities I tried to capture from de_dust2, using this and adding a z-axis layer of depth, I feel as though I accomplished a similar but different sort of layout that players can jump right into and feel at ease while navigating. Chokepoints are exactly where I want them to be, with each route having been timed. Players will frequently be fighting near, but not too far away or inside, the bombsites. Whether or not this map is balanced is not really resolved as of yet, however I am confident that the map's layout makes it so neither team has a huge advantage over the other.

Part 2 - - - Design

First, I would like to highlight the process of the color correction choices. If you remember very early screenshots of de_offshore, you will remember something similar to this in tone:

de_offshore_alpha version (de_frost)

This version of offshore's color correction captures the coldness I wanted to capture with the color correction, however I feel as though color correction is frequently used this way. You know what I mean, you see it all the time. They desaturate everything, change it to certain color, and dub it as an amazing use of color correction. It sure is cool if you are trying to make a film-noir esque mod for half life 2, but it isn't what I wanted. I just wanted a brief color change to make the map feel cold while also giving a few other rooms some warmth. This is why my color correction was altered to look more like this:

Notice how many of the colors still show through with this newer color correction .raw file. This is really the look I wanted to achieve, and I feel as though it makes it easier for the user to play when it isn't completely desaturated. For example, it makes it easier to know whether the user you spot is on your team or on the opposite team. It also makes it so that lighting can be more diverse color wise, which messes with the users perspective in terms of temperature.

Other than discussing the color correction, I want to highlight a few of the changes I made from b3 => Final.

In the pictures above, you may have noticed the rather extreme lighting change I made. I feel as though the green (or without color correction, yellow) lighting may have been a bit too strong, and just looked kind of poor in my opinion. However, I still wanted it to feel different than the rest of the map, because I didn't want people to think they were blue living in a blue world. (haha!) So I change it to be a very light yellow color. Remember, since there's a blue color correction, obviously the closer to white you go the more blue it gets, and anything that is yellow turns green, so this lighting is more of a a neon-green esque lighting that feels different from the rest of the map without feeling drastically different.

The two before and after pictures show how I wanted to revert to the maps theme more. I want this to be an abandoned oil rig that is being used as a military storage base for nukes. Because of this, I wanted to keep the destruction theme while also having concrete bags / repairing to make it seem as though the military is currently in the process of reconstructing this oil rig. And besides just lore in mind, I focused on adding more detail to rooms that felt a bit empty of fancy little mapping / brushwork use, so it is really a double wammy!

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TO BE CONTINUED.... Feel free to critique / check grammar. This will be on my website when I am finished reconstructing it!

[Freak]

I love that second screenshot <.< and I´d say thats some awesome lightning you have, good work.

Only 2 small things I´ve noticed: The windows in the snowy screen with a cliff on the left are kinda killin my eyes, they´re too bright. And the hole in the wall in the third screenshot from the bottom doesn´t fit the rest of the wall colour (it shouldn´t, yeh, but the dirt is straight down the wall)

[RA7]

Like it alot, will update the mirror. Good work.

[Tydax]

I think you do love color correction.

[Sentura]

i like the way you reflect upon your own work, and the way you show use of analysis of other maps/levels for implementation in your own. i find that generally self-assessment shows more of an understanding of mechanics than a portfolio without descriptions. i think it could do some good to add a bit about testing/test strategy (how you planned out testing, how you filtered your results, and what you decided to tweak from said results). you could possibly integrate it with your beta changes.

another thing: i think you should have revised your map layout/game flow; because from what i see here, the counter terrorists have a huge advantage in the sense of (what at least looks like) two sniper lanes. if they aren't, a legend for high/medium/low ground as well as any other topological factors may be necessary for understanding.

other than that, the theoretical part is pretty much what i'd expect to see or hear from a designer in the industry... theory wise (watch them not care).

for the design part, however, i think you're a bit lacking.

for the indoor areas, details look sparse and the map gets the feeling of being incomplete. it needs to be more interesting visibly; you need people to see that the place has a (narrative) purpose. props in a square room or hallway just isn't good design. i would recommend looking into modular pieces and remaking the entire map with them.

for the outdoor areas, you need to show how the original map looks without any color correction. i'm getting the impression that you've tried hard to get the correction values just right; even though it may look better au natural. your arguments for doing the color correction are not strong enough.

all in all: decent analysis, average implementation. also for writing documents such as these, i would recommend you to look through some uni reports from anyone you may know. software projects may in particular be interesting, as they touch upon some of the same issues as you do (albeit in a different context).

[2d-chris]

oil rig was one of the best cs maps ever ...

[General Vivi]

Looks really nice man! Congrats on the release

[Baumwoll-Auge-Joe]

Someone else have a different lightning on a dedicated server? If I play the map local, the lightning is correct. Otherwise:

[Yokai]

Sorry for the late response... Any computer not running direct x 9 cs:s cannot have color correction enabled, otherwise all direct x 9 computers should have color correction working. I believe it is because Color Correction REQUIRES direct x 9!

Anything else would be an unknown for me, can you link your computer specs and/or server specifications?

Thanks for the feedback everyone, I will take it into consideration with my upcoming TF2 map. Hopefully my next map will exceed expectations.

[Baumwoll-Auge-Joe]

The lightning is correct if I start a local game. If I connect with the same computer to a Linux dedicated server with the same map, the lightning is like on the image.

[Baumwoll-Auge-Joe]

Do you investigate the problem or should we accept the different lightning?

[Yokai]

Do you investigate the problem or should we accept the different lightning?

I'm currently looking to find a solution. I haven't found a way to duplicate the event with my friends home-run server however I do not have a linux server to work with. Have you tried dying and letting the map reset at the end of the round? There have been very rare cases of the maps color correction not being activated until the begining of each round. It would also help if you told me the server specs / addons and modifications related to it because that can sometimes effect the color correction appearance. My assumption would be that the colorcorrection does not work perfectly on linux servers because of the lack of direct x support, however the color correction should be client sided and thus it shouldn't be the issue. I'll keep looking into it, sorry my answers aren't hasty since I've been working on another map and have been avoiding the internet recently since of its distracting nature.

Can anyone else confirm this occurrence / replicate the situation? This is really the first in a long run of betas that I have had this experience been mentioned. I appreciate your post because this was the type of stuff I really wanted to hear the first times I posted it on competing sites. Looks like mapcore will be be my best source for stress testing maps I assume. :ssj: For now, I will try to replicate it on my friends server and find a solution. Maybe run it on the server and comment on the game play experience / response from the community!