Into the forge: 4v4 testing with Xdemption

No worries man hopefully this time off helps your lobbies grow. Take the time u need

 

More Kennecott test pretty please Strongholds and Slayer

 

Raven's Lair.

Gametypes: CTF, Assault, Strongholds.

 

I'm going to join this

 

Scorch Palace:
- Timers still feel off, and Sniper ammo is non-standard. Games feel so slow because of this.
- Like the increase in space behind the robotics and hotel areas.
- Big enough now to incorporate OS/Camo. Would recommend doing this to make the map have a few more interesting encounters and to allow more setup breaking plays to be made that aren't dictated entirely by the rocket timer.
- Cut down on autos a little. SMGs are really good (a little too much so) on this map given the angles and tight rooms.

Kennecott:
- Prohibitively difficult to communicate where people are. Needs to lay off the art in favour of gameplay.
- Corner camping is a legitimate strategy on Slayer. And on Strongholds, apparently. Need more lines of sight and fewer corridors & 90 degree corners (this includes crates).
- Just doesn't look or feel like a Halo map to me.

Maelstrom:
- Felt a little small for 4v4. Could be scaled up a little then add some more stuff. Felt kind of sparse to me. Layout was nice, though; lots of interesting lines of sight and routes.
- Yep, defintiely too small.

Raven's Lair:
- From bottom mid you can jump up the broken wall side with a regular crouch jump. Can't do this on the unbroken side.
- Ways for players to quickly orient themselves could be improved. (More colour, perhaps?)
- Generator rooms are frustrating to spawn in because it's such a tight area. You have options but don't have visuals on anywhere else on the map. This is a really frustrating spawn when you're not playing with a highly communicative team, and even then it feels like it takes a long time for you to get back into the action from this position.
- Assault is probably the strongest gametype for this map. Slayer is definitely the worst, however I love making plays with Camo on this map.

C9-Renovate:
- I actually like the layout. I think. Could maybe do with some slight simplification of certain areas and opening up of a few lines of sight into the campier rooms (the one with the Plasma Rifle next to turret bridge is particularly offensive since it's easy to hold and reinforce with spawners).
- Not really map feedback, but "It's meant to be a fun map" is a bullshit excuse for not trying and intentionally making terrible plays like running out onto a bridge to perform an animated assassination on a guy you could have just shot or backsmacked when he has two team mates in the room in front of him that immediately kill you and the team mate who was trying to back you up. If people essentially throw games then the testing is inaccurate because the team that's about to win easily is never challenged so we never get to see how the map breaks down in high pressure situations.

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Wrapping up with a small rant:

I've said it before, and I'll say it again now: Testing isn't meant to be "fun". It's meant to find flaws, bugs, issues, and areas that could be improved in a product. If you can't turn of you "lulz I'm playing videogames" brain for a couple of hours to help creative people improve their maps by providing the best possible gameplay to base a review and feedback from then you're hurting more than helping. During a testing session you need to be a resource more than a person.
A lot of these maps have potential to be really good or a lot better than they are when we play them. By not taking the testing seriously we do a disservice to Rick, our fellow testers, and above all, the map's author.

- Sincerely, someone who actually works as a QA tester.

 

Scorch Palace:
Not much to complain about here, it played well with easy to learn call-outs and balanced weapons and power positions.
Kennecott:
This map is a symbol of perfection. I also heard that the creator is quite handsome. Depending on other criticisms I might switch the Strongholds back to their previous positions.
Maelstrom:
This map seems like it will play well once it gets either up-scaled or expanded. The general consensus was that it was a small 2v2 and needed to be bigger.
Raven's Lair:
The map seems to play better with objective rather than slayer. I enjoyed the two sniper gameplay as it didn't seem overpowered with good segmentation. I would get stuck on the doors with spaced out trims sometimes so I would patch them with invisible blockers. Some said that it was a difficult map to call out on and gain your bearings when spawning but after enough experience on the map it will be more enjoyable and play better with slayer.
C9-Renovate:
This map was interesting with the quirky weapon choices and flow. I enjoyed the map for what it is but some sweaty people might have varied opinions on what the map should be as the flow is more of a king of the hill, rush to top mid and hope the turret isn't looking in your direction. All in all a well executed style with original and memorable gameplay.

 

1) I'll look into this. You can sprint-stabalize-clamber on both side though.
2) Damn, this is still an issue? Was hoping the subtle blues and reds on the sides of the map, on top of asymmetrical aesthetics, would do the trick. :/
3) This has been a problematic room in general, I'm open to suggestions. I do like the layout of it, but I can see how it feels cramped or disorienting.
4) Yeah... Slayer sucks. The map was designed explicitly with Assault in mind. Contemplating adding some sort of "play ball" chute in the Capture/Arm Point rooms because they can get bogged down pretty badly at times, but then again, that might not be a bad thing.


Sorry for bailing after that first game... I get a tad frustrated if the game is sweaty and I have no one communicating on my team. And no, Soulflame, calling out "Red building" or "Blue building" really doesn't do **** for anyone that isn't familiar with the map... Try instead to focus on soft communication, like "I'm moving towards you, let's push together" or "Watch out dude, two dudes flanking on you". That kind of communication is significantly more helpful for team mates that aren't familiar with the map yet.

 

@SecretSchnitzel I didn't realise I was on blue team in game 1 until it started. My current setup doesn't have an XBL chat cable so I can only use party chat via the Windows 10 Xbox app; no game chat is possible for me. However I could still hear everything that was said. I'm sorry that I inadvertently took the place of someone who would have been able to talk in my stead.

 

Thank all of u that has given me feedback it helps so much. Xdemption there wasn't a stream to watch. Is there any way to see the gameplay from your test lobby???

 

You can go to the game history of someone who was in the games (ie: Demption since he was hosting the lobby) on Waypoint and bookmark them from there. You just need to open the page for the game you want and the option to bookmark will be near the top right just beneath the final scoreboard.
It's unfortunate we can't grab other peoples' films in-game yet, but at least it's possible this way via Waypoint.

 

War calls for new battlefields to shed bloodshed on

How does one shed bloodshed demption?

 

Demption communicates primarily with loud reactionary sounds. Gotta give him some leeway with the more subtle forms of expression.

 

How I Imagine demptions call outs

 

New map called Vanity works for slayer, ctf, assault, and Strongholds. Get your sweatbands ready!

 

Strongholds/Slayer on ODA-241.

I finally finished the Heights art pass! Now that I'm done making it look pretty, I really want to start polishing every aspect of the map.

 

And remember guys! Be nice and only give constructive feedback! Don't want Demption slamming his banhammer on you!