Ivorian By Paranoia UK Created for the 'Throwdown Contest' Introduction Having never participated in a Forgehub contest Ivorian is somewhat of a first for me. The map is built entirely with the Throwdown contest in mind and as such is a small and competitive map with a focus on gameplay rather than aesthetics. Having said that I have tried to keep a high level of aesthetics in the map in order to keep it eye catching and enjoyable. Design and Build From the get go I had a rough idea of what I wanted to make. I decided to base it roughly on Citadel from Halo 3. Not in in terms of look but in terms of gameplay and playability. The map features a large atrium in the center, two spawns / bases, two smaller conflict areas and two long walkways. The map itself covers two elevations and has a number of ramps and doors connecting the two. Initially I wanted to use a concept from one of my Halo 3 maps. This was to have window slits stretching the who length of the map in order to open up some interesting sight lines. The final version differs from this slightly as it was too open. There is however, the possibilty to see from one end of the map to other without it being to overpowering for a DMR weilder. The main core of the map is constructed using 'Brace Large' and '3x3 Short Blocks'. I have done this in order to maintain a clean and nice looking environment. Being a small map I was aware that I would have much more budget to play with towards the end so I was happy to invest in nice looking map geometery. Playtests and Feedback The map has had extensive playtesting throughout its construction. From the first build to the current build not much has changed. I have made minor changes to the 'Armor Ability' rooms, added ramps into the main chamber and changed the height of the two spawn areas. All of these changes were implemented to enhance the flow of player movement and to remove any areas which offered an unfair advantage. In creating Ivorian I have found the need to try a whole new way of setting up spawns. The first and second build had some annoying issues with spawn camping. This was mainly due to the predicable spawing locations. The final build has been setup by overlapping weak spawn areas in an elongated L shape. The respawn areas are located where the two spawn areas meet, this means that to spawn a player in that area the system has to take into account both channels leading from it which ensures a safer spawn location. On top of this I have placed a Respawn area of the L shaped respawn areas to boost its value considerably. In game of Team Doubles this method is almost flawless. It would however need some considerable fine tuning for teams of more than two. Weapons and Objectives Ivorians weapon selection has had many changes all through out the testing stage. I have tried to place weapons which enhance the players starting loadout. There are two DMRs and two Needlers close to the spawn areas. This gives you the option to grab more ammo or change to your preferred Needle Rifle if the case may be. There are also grenades close to the spawn areas aswell to give you a much needed boost at the start of the game, we all know how important an early lead can be in competitive doubles games. 2 DMR 2 Needle Rifle 2 Magnum 2 Plasma Pistol 2 Plasma Rifle 1 Grenade Launcher 1 Sniper Rifle 2 Frag Grenades 2 Plasma Grenades 1 Armor Lock 1 Drop Shield At first glance the power weapon locations will seem strange and unfamilar to most players. They are both located at either side of the main atrium. I can say with confidence that this actually works very well for gameplay and does not offer an unfair advantage to those who get there first. Numerous test sessions have proved this. The map is optimized for the 'Throwdown' contest. It is setup for a variety of different gametypes though. Ivorian supports the following modes :- FFA, Team Slayer, CTF, Oddball, Assault, Stockpile, Territories, KOTH, Infection, Headhunter and Juggernaut. Video YouTube - Ivorian Overview Video YouTube - Ivorian Gameplay Video Outro I am very happy with the outcome of Ivorian. The map plays to a good standard and has pleasing aesthetics also. I am not expecting it to go far in the 'Throwdown' contest. I have seen many of the maps already submitted and some yet to be submitted too. There calibre of maps I have seen has been very high and I expect the contest to play home to many great maps. Thanks for checking out my map. Please feel free to download, comment and rate. Thanks.
Yes, it finally has a name great job. I must say it kinds of reminds me of some of the things you might see in star-trek. So I was wondering it you used the 5x1 block for the stairs and how well they work when ascending/descending?
It may be just me, but I usually find the drop shield to be better than amour lock and a sniper more powerful than a grenade launcher. Have you considered switching the sniper's and grenade launcher's sides, so that it would be amour lock and sniper vs. drop shield and grenade launcher?
I was wondering how you knew I was struggling for a name and then I realised its in my signature lol! The stair case is made from a 3x3 short (invis barrier) and then 3x1's horizontally merged. The staircases are smooth both ascending and descending. I didnt need to give much thought to the power weapon locations because of the way the map flows. In Slayer (and throwdown) there are no team specific spawn zones. This means that mid game players can spawn near either power weapon. thanks for the comment guys
Great looking map with a beefy, solid architecture feel. Seems well-sized for the 2v2 competition. You mentioned no team specific spawn zones in the Throwdown contest. Is that a requirement? I didn't read that anywhere or understand that. I'm not very up-to-date on game type specifics though.
As far as im aware its not throwdown required, just my preference for slayer settings. It allows for less predicable spawning
Looks really nice, i'll be trying this out. Good luck in the contest =) edit*: I walked around it a bit and really like your style of design. I'm not too sure about the middle structure as the braces are just there with nothing there, I guess just hard cover? Not sure on the snipe/grenade launcher on either side as well but we'll see how it plays. You have some z-fighting in a few spots (bottom mid-flooring and some from the double doors. I would say just nudge them as they will keep moving (the flooring).
I have to say this map has some very pleasing features which has given me some great ideas for future projects. Its clean lines and aesthetics are very well thought out and put together. I like this map alot. I havent had a chance to play a match on, just a quick walk through on forge so if you doing a custom let me know p.s thanks for the help with getting my first reach post on here.
Nice, you posted it. This map was sooo much fun to play on. I remember when you first showed it to me I almost **** my pants haha. The design of the entire map was flawless and the gameplay flowed so well. I really liked the stairs you made they were smooth and fit well in this map. Overall, I'd say this map flows well and is a very solid competitive map, glad you got it posted.