I really wish this hadn't been released yet- I saw so much room for improvement while playing on this map. There are some issues with this map that everyone seems to be overlooking here and since everyone has already complimented the tower (the best part of the map IMO), I'll get down to brass tax. Frame drops out the ass. Looking at the tower from just about any angle resulted in frame rate issues ranging from mildly annoying (water walkway) to flat-out atrocious (near where Hemorrhage's blue cave is). As stunning as the tower looks, these kinds of heavy frame-drops are unacceptable in any map, let alone a competitive one. No doubt you could find a way to drop the object count there and eliminate some of this. The walkway over the water is one huge LoS with no cover and hardly any room to strafe and maneuver. Sure, it provides cover from vehicles for infantry units, but the infantry v infantry combat in this area was boring and left no room for out-thinking your opponent. You either stayed and fought, or jumped off the ledge into more open territory where you were likely to get killed anyways. By pushing this area further out into the water and turning part of it into an actual structure with rooms and elevation changes would make this area much more interesting, not to mention is would provide a much needed area everyone can fight over to gain control of the map. The supports of the tower could provide good vantage points to counter this. Speaking of the tower, I also wish there was a second story to it (perhaps it could be connected to that new area I was just talking about). This may provide too much cover for infantry however, so if you were to actually try implementing one of these ideas, I would recommend the former. As it stands, aside from the tower and some sporadic structures, it never felt like there was much to do on the map. Everything was thoroughly standard in terms of game-play I can't help but feel that more time went into the tower's design than the design of the overall map. If you are still interested in making significant changes to this map, I would be glad to go with you into Forge sometime and try laying down some ideas.
after further look I was able to determine that the framerate drops were thanks to all the people constantly leaving and joining the game thanks to connection issues. ALTHOUGH, framerate drops are apparent, not heavy but they are in one or two spots. In my post I did state that the framerate was minimal, not gone. as such I plan for a version II with more LOS blockers to reduce framerate and hopefully effectively eliminate it. Nighthaque I apprieciate your feedback the night before, while your post I admit seems a bit over-zealous. None the less, feedback is feedback and should always be taken seriously when founded by logic.
I actually strongly agree with this point. The others I could take or leave, but this bothered me and now remembering it I didnt like it at all. I think I actually subconsciously avoided that area. Rooms may or may not be the way to go, but something could be done. I also see a point with the statement of "nothing to do" on the map. There really is no high point and the tower is nice and pretty and has cover, but its not a height advantage. I can understand where one may not feel sure of where to go in this map (though I personally play this like I did Zealot- run/drive in circles). Just something to point out.
What? The framedrops we experienced were not caused by people joining and leaving. When that happens the game stutters a few times, that's it. This wasn't the case, in certain spots you had consistent framedrops, simply because the center structure has a too high object-density.
I went into Forge with him and it appears that it isn't just the tower causing the issue. It's the fact that, from many angles, you can see large portions of the surrounding areas as well. The tower certainly contributes the most to the object density, but it alone is not the cause of the frame-drops. Redemption sounds like he's set on completely redesigning the map and moving the tower to a location that blocks more sight lines and opens up room for another structure to add diversity to the game-play.
yes, under stress it appears in the outskirts of the map, this I have always known and haven't denied. In other areas I find it hard to believe, such as the center area where you cannot actually see too many objects. I have had many responses both really good and bad. With this I cannot say this map is fit for matchmaking. The tower design I am not changing, the fact it only took 1600 budget to create overall with 50% of the objects decrative. I will however try to add more diversity to the tower for more interesting gameplay. Lynx, I may ask for your assistance on gameplay issues and I hope to get more feedback in the future for version 2. TY all
Great Job on the Middle Structure, I like the aesthetics and the Weapon placements. Can't wait to give a download and play it. The map seems well balanced with the spawns and the vehicles. This map would also seem like a good racing map, going around the Pillar. But overall i think its a very well-made map and it just looks amazing!