dm_casual - Finished 1/1/05

[Mouse]

I just found out about this site, seems like a lot of people here like to give feedback. I like feedback. Released this map on January 1st and sent it to Valve shortly thereafter for the mapping contest. It's running on a few server rotations right now and I've had a pretty good time playing it, but my opinion is biased and I'd like to get others.

What I've heard so far:

"This is a cool map"

"It got hit on the head with the ugly stick by bounce" (I'm assuming this means the RAD bounces didn't do such a great job in certain areas and this is something that I didn't really pick up on until after release, but I'd like to discuss more.)

"Good for a small amount of players"

"Skybox is too low"

It's a map that revolves around a subway station, with a city-arena area stacked above it. There's a train that goes through the subway every 20-30 seconds that you can toggle on and off. My personal opinion is that it would be fun with between 4-10 players but I haven't really played it with more than 4.

Soooooooooooo, without further ado here are pictures and download links.

Download:

http://www.letsplayclan.com/e107_files/downloads/dm_casual.zip

http://www.mapsource.hl2db.com/files/maps/hl2dm/dm_casual.rar

http://www.globalassault.com/mapreview.cfm?id=3538

What I'd love to hear most about it is how you think it plays with other people. There's a couple of servers with it in rotation that you might be able to catch it on: 199.202.118.254:27015, 80.175.60.240:27015, 62.4.74.226:31300

There does seem to be a problem for some people, including myself, where the train and elevator do not make any noises when they move. There are, in fact, sounds that I put into the func_tracktrain properties from HL2 that make noise when you launch it on your own. When they don't work is when you play it off another internet server. A couple of people said they heard them, but many said they didn't. I can't hear them at all when I play it online. I think it's a bug with HL2 rather than the map.

[Marcos]

Looks open and nice, I like that. But I think you could have done more on the lighting and architecture bit. The lighting is pretty bland inside. Some more harsh colour lights and less white would do..

[Minos]

I like the outdoor atmoshphere, but the indoors suck. They lack sense and better lighting.

[Mouse]

How do the indoors suck, aside from lighting? You're the first person to say that and while I like all kinds of criticism, maybe you could be a little more elaborate.

[Phlek]

I'm with Mino on this one, I'm not really liking the indoors either. I can't exactly put my finger on it though. Maybe it's to "casual" and lacking some detail, especially the 3rd pic down.

BTW, What part of Mass or you from?

[Mouse]

I live in the Boston area. I would have added more physics props to the top area, but they had a tendency to make the train get stuck. Also, the last two maps I did took a combined 4 or 5 months, this one was a month almost to the day and was a lot more rushed. But I'm sure there's things that I completely overlooked that detract from the map.

I am pretty dissapointed with the indoors lighting in the main area. What really bugs me is how the green/red train signal reaches all the way down the platform to the other side and is reflected off the wall. I couldn't figure out why.

[csharp]

It looks kinda empty, you should put some barrels etc. <3 gravgun

[von*ferret]

barrels are the new crate.

[Mouse]

Why would there be barrels in a subway station? Or crates for that matter.

Not that it doesn't look a little empty on the top level of the station, but barrels?

[von*ferret]

make your own props

[Mouse]

I would if this wasn't a contest map, I could use a modelling program to any degree of efficiency, or I really believed that maps need to be full of phys objects.

BTW ferret whenever I try to go to your domain to download your rebar map or check out your work it doesn't resolve the host.