Has "Dust" theme become too old to replicate?

[Tensei]

Well, i myself don't enjoy the dust castle-ish part, but i like the suburban design, so i am mainly using Dust suburban theme to make defusal map set in whatever Pakistan/Afghanistan area set in suburban area. The kind of area like you would see in movie "Black Hawk Down"

Well i made the poll to gather people's view on yet another "dusty" map, but without the palace stuff with big blue domes all over the place.

[biXen]

A good level is a good level. But I personally think if you want to stand out you should make something else than Dust (dusty desert) or Cache (industrial). Simply because people that want more of the same will just play Dust and Cache. These people most likely can't be swayed as easily to the new maps over the long term. 

[Puddy]

You have to make it different somehow, just look at de_mirage and de_pakistan as examples.

[Pivac]

I like the Middle East setting generally and I think most people do (sunny, palm trees, warm colors), you just have to make it a bit different and have some unique landmarks. Try to use some custom texures and models in combination with existing ones. 

Speaking of Black Hawk Down, having something unique like a chopper on a bombsite would make your map stand out.

[tomm]

I think it's about execution rather than theme, make the map stand out so it has its own identity.

easier said than done though.

[maxlevelboi]

The middle east has a wide variety of themes : -) it is not all desert 

However on the specific topic of dust levels I have seen dust themed levels since 1.6 and I am getting a bit tired of it personally however a good level is always a good level proven by levels such as zm_lila_panic looks like garbage but plays really well and thus the gameplay will always outweigh the theme I think!

Edited January 16, 2016 by maxlevelboi

[Tensei]

• putting carpet out of balcony
• plastic melted chairs
• blowed walls
• grafitties with arabic words
• bricks and wires
• and american army jeeps
  these things can make any map "middle eastish"

personally in the  cod4 modern warfare, there was a map called "backlot", this map was so much intense, ı could feel the abandoned city.
we need much more mess in dust series ı think

From CoD4 I loved Crossfire map. I don't plan to remake it or anything. But i love the scenery which im trying to realise.

 

[Radu]

I think most cs and cod maps set in the middle east are way too monotonous; The guys behind Insurgency have managed to pull off a more believable look:

 

Edited January 22, 2016 by Radu

[Tensei]

I think most cs and cod maps set in the middle east are way too monotonous; The guys behind Insurgency have managed to pull off a more believable look:

Hidden Content

You are true about that. Insurgency world looks more worn. Not like your nostalgic perfect world. It's shit there and shit there. Insurgency also uses fog aspect quite more, which leads to it. Also Insurgency is more detailed in small things, but for the game it's good, because it's more tactical (detailing also leads to it, because you have got to concentrate more on spotting enemy) Not like in CS:GO where you see that something is out of the place, lets shoot up above, probably "suka blyat" incomming, because 69deg flick to head. Counterstrike is less detailed for the sakes of simplicity. Well that's just my point of view. I would love to see super realistic counter-strike, but it's not gonna happen with this old engine. It wouldn't sell so good anymore, because not everyone can afford decent PC for those 90-120 fps minimum required for quality gameplay. I don't know a thing about source2, but in my fantasy it's more balanced on performance, allowing more stuff. Being able to get hold of many more propmodels, overlays and whatsoever. I remember super-size map back in the CS:Source called de_wanda, which i couldn't run on more than 60 fps, when de_forest  and all default maps could be ran on 120-250 fps

Btw i love de_forest, i need it in matchmaking, but i hate that the trees were thr visible in radar, though it's easy to fix that, (Block LOS tool texture around each pine-trees leaves)

 

Before everyone tells that de_wanda was badly optimized, i wasn't in Source Engine Level Design at that point of time yet, so i didn't know all about nodraws everywhere and visleafs and stuff.

Edited January 22, 2016 by Tensei
P.S

[FMPONE]

Not really. At least not in my opinion. 

It's easy to make something that looks cliched (imagine how BF3 used to look back in the day), but even cliches like that often look great and absorb players

 

Not so great:

Great:

[Tensei]

Not really. At least not in my opinion. 

It's easy to make something that looks cliched (imagine how BF3 used to look back in the day), but even cliches like that often look great and absorb players

 

Not so great:

 

Great:

 

Well, this picture, i guess im in love !