Map Name: Graphite Tags: WHACKYGORDON, GRAPHITE Canvas Map: Forge World Last Updated: 05.20.2012 Status: Near Complete Screenshots: Spoiler Ideal Player Count: 12 Recommended Gametypes: Spartan Skirmish Supported Gametypes: Invasion Skirmish, Team Slayer, Oddball, CTF, Assault, Headhunter Budget Remaining: ~$2600 Overall performance: Haven't had any issues so far Split Screen Framerate Rating: No issues detected Special Thanks: A Haunted Army
This looks similar in shape to Asylum, with its open spaces between vantage points. However I feel like your map doesn't have enough cover in those areas in between, meaning that players might tend towards camping in the structures, and not really venturing forth. I mean, what's the incentive if there's no objective?
Advice: dont use so many building pieces, it shows laziness in a way. Use more building blocks, ramp 2x2's, and build up a more solid and easy to get around structure to your maps. Its advice thats helped me throughout forging. That tiny bit more effort put into your maps can make a big difference whether someone will download it or not. As for me, the layout doesnt seem very well thought out, and Ive seen alot of maps like this. You seem to have your aesthetics down in some areas, but theres alot of poor object choice here and that sometimes makes maps awkward to maneuver and escape. I know that you, like everyone else here, will eventually get the hang of it and release maps better than the previous, but im just tryin to speed up that process. Take a look at other maps here at F-Hub and get some ideas. Dont completely rip them off other maps, but make it your own. Anyways, I look foreward to what youll accomplish a few months from now (not being a creeper or anything). I was stunned how far Ive come to be honest. But remember, just a little bit more effort and alot of testing could make a differnce
I don't think the building pieces are used in a lazy way here. They seem to fit well into the map and are more importantly integrated with other parts to create an interesting or at least practical whole. They aren't the best uses I have ever seen, but they aren't bad, and especially not simply because they are from that category. Too many people seem to think there is a taboo on that section of structure pieces and so won't use them at all.
I agree that building pieces aren't necessarily bad. I think they're only a problem if their forms comprise the majority of a map. Then, the map's layout has just been a preset template rather than something created by a person.
Yes this map look very cool , the red and blue base are very simple but amazing , also i dont like the middle , it looks very out of the map , and it looks a bit to open , Are you going to add vehicules ?
Well so far the playtesting has been exclusively Invasion Skirmish variants (so there are objectives), but I'm still not encouraging players to run out in the open. I like maps with a region your really shouldn't go into. It might be a bit big here, but I feel that player choices should be important in a game, and that players should have the option to do something foolhardy. That's why there are open windows in the bases. If a player really wants to jump out the window, that's their choice. Still, I've been working on integrating more cover for the open areas and making them more playable, at least from their perimeters. The objectives (weapon drops) work quite nicely at keeping players moving around the map, provided they don't lock down the other team on their spawns. In balanced games, it's played pretty nicely so far, with players giving up control of gold or green to move toward center or the opposite side to attempt to capture more weapons. I like the buildings - I forged a version of this with structures built out of blocks and then worked through the palette looking for pieces with better aesthetics that would provide the same flow. The buildings just fit the bill. Earlier builds of the map were a little more complicated and frustrating, but I've since simplified it down to some very straight-forward routes. What objects feel out of place? I tried to maintain consistency in my selection as best I could. By the way, I've been playtesting the crap out of this map, thanks to the gracious hosts over at Blueprint. It's been the defining factor in this map's development. But yeah - feel free to stalk me - there's an unreleased variant of Graphite set in the canyon on my fileshare named "Graphene" - stalk away Thanks Do you like how the sniper nest fits into the room triple? When I put that together, I had no idea how well it would fit. I love the little balcony it created. And I agree that buildings can be used inappropriately, but if you use it like you would use any other piece and work it into a structure instead of just plopping it down as a stand-alone I don't see why they should be avoided. As long as you build with them and not around them, I suppose. The layout is what would be unique. It's the structure that would be preset, and just as much as the structure of the blocks and braces and everything else. The only issue is whether the objects have been used creatively. I mean, if I dropped three double walls and a door in a square and threw a 3x3 flat on top of it, wouldn't that be just as preset as using a pre-fab building? I'm glad you like it. I had vehicles on it, but they got pulled during a revision and I haven't worked them back in yet. They don't spawn for Invasion Skirmish, so it wasn't a factor during the playtesting. The middle has been reworked umpteen times - I'm having trouble nailing a decent structure down there that looks right and plays well. So far the current set-up seems to be what it needs in terms of gameplay, but I suppose that's hard to say. I guess chalk that one down as "it's on my list" lol