Hard Dock By HereticalLeech An infection has spread to the docks so it's been quarantined from the rest of the city. The only real promblem is you and your companions are trapped inside and you must survive until rescue comes. Easy right? Map works with all infection game types. I would just like to say this may be my first map post but I have been forging since Reach came out...so be gentle...Oh and thanks ahead of time for all positive feedback.
I would suggest making the background buildings a little different for each different one. Maybe put some fake windows on one, maybe some linework on another... that would make people think better about the map, but as for gameplay, if havent played it so im not totally sure.
This is the kind of idea I like to see. Aesthetics. It basically looks like a real dock would. I like your use of blocks unsnapped and on top of each other to create the illusion of crates. It almost looks like a shipping yard. Very cool. I'll download to see how gameplay works out.
I haven't really got to do the much gameplay testing. The most I have ever had on this map is 5 people.
Welp, you asked if I could chime in on the map, and here you go... be careful, this might turn into an essay, but I LOVE looking at maps and throwing around ideas... OK, first off, I love aethetic maps, competitive or non, and I love the approach and work that went into everything, especially the Ship, Church and "Gazebo" out back. I like the dock-yard idea, and have always wanted to find an excuse to use the old "large walkway as a crane" trick... still haven't found an excuse to yet, but haven't given up hope! Overall the feel is good but I think it could become outstanding if a couple things were considered. (not saying you haven't considered anything at all, in fact the reason I can have anything to say is because there's good work here!) Well, I think you have 3 good ideas here that are all fighting each other, keeping this map from becoming even better. You have the "spooky deserted church with graveyard and busted doors" feel, you have the "zombies off a ship and loading dock" idea, as well as the locked out of the city" feel... but the problem is that none of them are focused on and taken to their extreme, but rather they are all kind of diluted to accommodate each other... I guess what I’m saying is that you have several awesome and viable ideas, but they just don’t play nicely together… and well, sometimes the best maps don’t have all the best ideas on them, but are instead just one simple idea taken to an extreme. [FONT="](here’s some extended comments that not everyone has to view if you don’t want to) Spoiler [/FONT] Take the zombie off the ship and loading dock idea, capitalize on just that! Isolate the dock, make the map a maze of crates with a loading dock control building and have massive cranes and maybe one or two transport ships accessible to gameplay, maybe have a couple semi-trucks around with the big shipping crates on them as well sitting in the yard and forge a forklift or something like that... have the map bordered by warehouses, maybe having only one accessible and the rest locked up... kind of like this feel - http://renaissanceronin.files.wordp...g_containers_at_port_elizabeth_new_jersey.jpg and http://s3.ravenelbridge.net/large/apr_02_dock_waiting.jpg and http://www.aquaprom.eu/images/gal505.JPG and http://www.portseattle100.org/images/properties/t18/Cosco Vanc_48.jpg making it all dense and imposing, creepy and dark… maybe have the zombies initially spawn in the ship, but then respawn in a shipping crate stacked up high… like this - http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2RomDWhx1JM/TK-LRl1ItfI/AAAAAAAAATU/cYWNuSqIPD8/s1600/PA082773.JPG but whatever you do with this theme, go hardcore with it, over-selling the idea and your whole map will sing. IF you’re going with the spooky church idea, then sell it… get rid of the “battleship” style ship (even if it does look awesome) and make the size of the map (ground surface area) half or one third the size you currently have, consolidate and remove blank space, reserving some green space yes, but making it smaller and closer… add many more houses, designed to match the era of the church you’ve built, the basic form of that church is late 19th century/early 20th century, so match your houses and house size accordingly, and make the surroundings appropriate to the setting, smaller if you’re going for the “deserted small community, ravaged by a zombie apocalypse attack” feeling, a little spread out but having a main street and a couple alleys, not much more, dirt roads. If the more of a city feel, then put down some street (coliseum walls, not too fancy) and make it feel urban instead of mid-west settlement, spread out and open but somehow having a modern shipping dock next door with a massive walled city on its other side?) Shoot for something like this (if more settlement, late 19th century look) - http://www.washoe.k12.nv.us/americanhistory/elementary/si_07_jpegs/Stafford_ Aurora_1950s.jpg and http://darrow.law.umn.edu/photos/Mining_town_anthracite.jpg and Recent image by Idahomajesty on Photobucket and http://evldlh.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/2008-009-164.jpg or if you’re going for the more urban 19th century/early 20th century look, a little denser with pavement then like this - http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/1920_Toronto_QueenSt_from_OldCityHall.jpg and New York City Black & White | NYC Black & White - Part 3 But if you’re going for the setting of a modern big city with walls, being locked out and being attacked, I would remove the loading dock (with the rather small loading dock area at that) as well as the busted in church… which is randomly outside the city with nothing else really?) and go for this kind of a feel of big modern city walls - http://coolvibe.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/worldinyear3000.jpg or this kind of massive gate feel - http://kdsperegrino.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/burgos-gate.jpg or http://www.hopviettravel.com/upload/photo/hue_forbidden_city.jpg or http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_d3V_nSv4f...s1600/Entrance+to+Trinity+Almshouses+1871.jpg In the end, I do like your map, its playable and a great start (I’m saying that even when I know you’ve already put many, many hours into this maps creation and alteration, trust me, I understand) but I think now you have three ideas that each deserve their own map, and they could each be award winners. Hope I didn’t say too much, and hey, nice job!
I like your ideas and I'll see what I can do about building them. What this really was was random forging that turned out to be a decent map but now that I have your ideas I can build with purpose and really focus on specific things.
Yup, keep those ideas in mind and be specific about your intent from the start, then your whole map will be cohesive and have a "sense of place" related to it. This was my inspiration for Zeitpunk des Todes My Free Wallpapers - Fantasy Wallpaper : Halloween - Village http://library.clevelandart.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/1998.176_w.jpg http://www.oceansbridge.com/paintin...ge-With-Washerwomen-xx-Private-Collection.jpg http://www.planetware.com/i/photo/vannes-f1536.jpg and the map changed as building went along, straying a little bit from the initial concept, but in the end I could look at my "inspiration" and the end product and be able to connect them pretty well. happy forging