[WIP] de_frequency

[waymaker]

STEAM WORKSHOP LINK

Currently in the graybox stage for my map de_frequency, where a Central American radio station broadcasting revolutionary messages comes under attack by a band of mountain guerrilla fighters.  The theme focuses on three distinct zones: a shanty village with a massive ceiba tree (A site), a radio tower at a construction/archeological site (B site), and a disused WW2 bunker built into the mountainside (middle). CTs spawn inside an elevated pillbox above A, which has a LOS on part of the site. The ceiba tree on B site has massive roots which are used here as natural cover. I'm trying to avoid using foliage as cover, but ever since I saw roots taller than a human on my visit to Costa Rica, I thought these could be as useful as a wall or a crate. You can also boost over the roots and jump from some to others. The fence between the two pillars near T-spawn (placeholders for stone Olmec heads) can likewise be stood atop and run across.

Just like everyone else in the graybox stage I'm mostly looking for layout feedback, but I'm also specifically looking for input on the connector that wraps around the CT pillbox (is it a waste of space? necessary?), as well as the placement of CT spawn itself. Thanks in advance for any feedback positive or negative.

[mtchromatic]

Why are the walls so thin? There's really not any negative space.

[waymaker]

Did some quick blocking-in in middle and the NE corner of the ceiba tree + replaced the thin wall dividing B long with thicc boulders. Is that sort of what you're talking about? (Image below for reference compared to original). Filled in unplayable spaces that may have previously appeared like playable rooms with orange on Paint, highlighted accessible tunnels with blue. Anything that shows as orange below is pretty much inaccessible. Thanks for the reply.

[Wintrius]

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.

[csWaldo]

Negative space refers to the unplayable space on a map. If you look at the radars of official maps, you'll find that most of them have large chunks of empty space between the playable areas. This really helps with giving your layout form and structure.
Your layout kinda looks like a single, large courtyard with a lot of walls and objects thrown into it, which usually just makes for weird, chaotic gameplay. It'd probably help you to give your level some more structure. Looking at other successful maps can be a good reference for this.

 

[H1PP0P0T4MU5]

You would want to have more negative space.

Also for better minimaps/radars, use TAR(terri's auto radar), it makes the process of minimap making much easier. 

[waymaker]

Here's an updated radar using TAR, thanks for the replies guys. (Filled in some missed masked areas / cover quickly on Paint) I made middle a bit less chaotic by extending a wall further out, so that you can clear the angles better one at a time. Changed up the sightlines from T spawn approaching B using this canyon as cover. Removed some generally useless space. Will likely add more cover to the bottom of the B site area near the bottom-right hut. One thing that's hard to see from this radar image is that there are lots of opportunities for jumps/boosts. For example in Long A you can jump from the elevated platform onto the pillars and fence that runs between them -- the T team could peak at both elevations, or they could also boost up behind the fence itself (or, more cautiously, could simply use the wall-bangable fence as cover to sneak past). On B site the tentacle looking things (roots) can be climbed and jumped between -- this includes a box on the upper side of the tree that you can use to strafe jump over a root-wall and into the site. Images below for reference.

The jumpable/boostable pillar-fence:The ceiba tree root-walls on B site:Back of B-site -- crate you can use to strafe jump onto the root-wall:

The resulting sightline:

Thanks again for any input

[csWaldo]

The path from T spawn to B looks particularly tight and corridor-ish. If the radar is anything close to the actual area you'd probably want to flesh that out a bit more and make it less constricting.
 

From the radar the mid area also looks a bit worrying. It connects to pretty much every part of the map and even withit itself there are multiple paths you can take through multiple doors. Seems to me like its going to be almost uncontrollable and it'll pretty much mean that once CTs lose control over that part the map falls into utter chaos because everyone can rotate from everywhere to everywhere without really being seen.
I would probably either cut this into 2 areas, one for A, one for B. 
Or simplify it into a single, more controllable area with clear chokepoints around it. I'd probably also reduce the number of ways that lead to mid a bit.

[waymaker]

Pardon the late posting here guys, but I was game jamming last night and forgot to update my forum post (but I swear the map was up on the workshop before I passed out last night :D)

STEAM WORKSHOP LINK https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1884788645

As you'll see I ran out of time to texture and detail everything, but the map's layout is pretty much all there. Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to model any of the main features of the map (the big kapok tree and radio tower on the 2 bombsites), but I plan to continue working on the map even after the competition has ended. As with any mapping project I learned more than I knew coming into it, and I hope I'll take that knowledge on to whatever project I take up next. Happy mapping everyone.

de_frequency: