Temple Nights

This is my first post and my 3rd map ever so please don't be too brutal, I'm still learning to forge and, having seen some of the maps this site has to offer, am keen to get better, so constructive criticism would really be appreciated, some of you guys seem to really know what you are doing and any tips will help loads.

On to the map. It was originally started as a villa style building (I pretty much make it up as I go along, very little planning as I find it hard to visualise creations in the right proportions for foundry) with a curved outer wall, but the building grew and it looked more and more like a temple grounds so I went with that.




Edit: v2 is now available here:
Temple Nights v2


Edit: Download Temple Nights v1 (escapable, v2 is fully sealed):
Download Temple Nights


This is the view of the map from the top of the curved double box outer wall (this position is not accessible during play) which has a curved walkway made from fence walls following it around the mid section and accessed at either end by stairs. The layout of the main structure is simple- ground, 1st and 2nd floors with bridge ramps linking each. There is only 1 ramp between each floor, 1st/2nd floor ramp is double width, but the open nature of the levels means jumping or dropping between levels is very fluid. The ground floor has 3 entrances:

Above is the view out of the front door. It opens out under a large walkway supported on either side by pillars (seen in the middle of the main image, the 3 upturned bridges).

Above is the Fountain on the right side of the main image, constructed from barriers, single boxes, a corner wall, shield doors (large/small) and an invis. This structure is nicely defensive as the shield doors forming the surface of the water form a solid surface against bullets and explosions if crouched underneath them. Fighting in here can be tricky as bullets are unreliable due to the level of the shield doors but melees are very effective, good for cowering in if you're low on health. This is directly outside the largest door in the base (standing at the back of the base looking out it is on the left hand side, coined short side due to the outer box wall (and thus the outer walkway) being slightly shorter on this side.

Above is the view out of the last door in the ground floor of the base. It is a pillared walkway similar to that of the front door but made instead from 2 single walls end to end and then a double wall centered on the end (seen on the left hand side of the main image). As a result it is alot narrower than the front walkway even though it opens out at the end. This side of the level was coined longside for reasons explained above. Ramps leading from both walkways up to the 1st floor (due to difference in height of a barrier, used as pillars, and a wall) are made from doors. The base walkways are also accessible from outside by jumping or crouch jumping off surrounding objects/the outer walkway.

This is the view from the back of the base on the ground floor, a central ramp leading up to the 1st floor which is again supported by pillars. There is walkable space between, outside and inside the pillars using walls, upturned bridges and fence walls which form a wide walkway around all 4 sides of the base on the inside, only the two outer facing walls have walkable space outside the pillars.

There is a double width ramp from the 1st to 2nd floor above the pillared, right hand side entrance to base (longside). This takes you up on to the top of the temple/base:

Again, this level is comprised of an outer edge with a gap in the middle leading down into the base, due to the 1st floor walkway being wider on 3 sides than the top floor, it is easy enough to drop down to the 1st floor without falling down to the ground floor. This position commands a very good view of the level, except the covered areas below it obviously, and so is bare of weapons (there are enough on the way up on the ground floor and the walkways) it is open and does not have a huge amount of floor space due to the central gap and so is not overpowered as a position, not to mention the mancannon that launches from the fence wall walkway on the outer curved wall into the base (I have had trouble finetuning this mancannon and any tips would be appreciated, it invariable lands you in the base, just the exact position seems to shift sometimes even though I have not touched the mancannon). The 1st and 2nd floors are both more open than most bases and so are attackable from outside, especially considering the ability to get on the protruding walkways and attack the front of the 1st floor. The inside of the base is easy to traverse ( I am considering something else inside the back corner of the base but have not decided yet, see v2 when it arrives) and lends itself well to multileveled fights, jumping from walkways to ramps being nicely fluid. The overall aim of these decisions was to create a structure that was not too easy for a team to hold as it has commanding view of the whole level. It definatley has nice advantages and is nevertheless a great position, but it is not impenetrable as, with a level this size and layout, it would often be a forgone conclusion if one team managed to secure the base. As it is, the ground floor is so well covered when looking from the top of the base that it is easily possible for team to push in, well covered, at ground level and then attack from beneath/behind. The intention of this level is for it to be cyclical, teams moving from area to area and cycling between attacking and defending, without there being one dominating position. Infact, despite its open nature, the outer curved walkway is a good position with nice views of key areas, although you are obviously vulnerable from many sides.
Here is a view from the top of the temple/base

The grounds outide the base are great fun to run around with a nice amount of interspersed cover in the form of pillars and dumpsters (a crude attempt to emulate the contextual cover of statues) with two double height end to end dumpsters standing in a pair between the main protruding walkway of the base and the outer curved walkway (known as mancannon walkway) These make fighting outside the base alot of fun as well, and can be used to jump around and access the outer 1st floor of the base (dumpsters can be crouchjumped onto from ground level or jumped onto from mancannon walkway) The fountain also provides a nice structure for gaining access to the base on the outer 1st floor. The two sides of the base are colour coded using A and B signs, shortside is red/B and longside is yellow/A.
I have set this level up for Team Slayer and FFA only as of yet (oddball would not work well as the fountain would be an obvious spot for the ball carrier and very hard to dislodge them from) but other gametypes will be done soon, I really want to try infection on this level. Please tell me what you think as its hard getting the opnions of lots of people, especially in team games as its hard to get that many people I know to play at once. This is not by any means a final build and will be changed based on peoples responses here and my own thoughts as I play it. Please play and Post! But remember, I'm just starting here so try to be gentle as well as honest.
Thanks for any help or suggestions, hope you enjoy

As far as technicalities go, slayer spawns are set with attackers spawning on shortside (red/B) around the fountain and defenders spawning on longside (yellow/B) around the pillars of the door into base. Sniper spawns against the outer curved wall, under the walkway, in the middle (below the mancannon) and shotguns are placed at each team start point. BRs spawn inside the 2 doors into either side of the base on the ground floor. Other weapons are placed about the map but those are the key ones, no rockets as yet due to the delicacy of the pillars etc.

I also want to say thanks to forgehub for the how to post your map thread, really helped alot in this post. I have drawn inspiration from many of the great maps I have seen here, for instance the large curved wall in Cylopean, the pillars on the bottom floor of Pi, the water features in levels like Bart's Manor and Villa Roma. I do not try to plagurise, so thanks for the great levels to the guys who made those maps and I hope you like this one. Other levels, Unchained especially, have provided hours of custom game fun for me and my friends so thanks as well.

 

The grenade jump issue is a good point, and the next thing I'm going to work on is blocking that off, I'm thinking single boxes on top of the double boxes, but what should I do in the spaces where the (awkwardly shaped) roof of foundry means I can't fit them in? I've looked into melding objects into map geometry but havent had much luck, they just jerk about and never end up quite where I want them, any tips?
thanks for the interest btw, this is a great community.

 

Thanks, that sounds perfect, I'll start working on it soon, though probably not tonight as its 1am here in the UK and I have an exam in 2 days, but after that I'm gonna be forging pretty solidly, expect an update.

 

love the Super-Goose, and thanks as well.

 

Spawn killing is really important, and I've tried to avoid it by putting the out of base spawn points under or near the cover of the 2 pillared walkways or the fountain, but it needs testing more to see if it I've got it right. Please also be aware that the spawns shown on the images may not be included in the level, these pictures are to illustrate the structure of the map and changes have been made to some spawns since. All weapon placements shown should still be accurate although more have been added today since the screenshots were taken