So, I have had some minor success with using the SDK in CS:GO, and was wanting to work on another map since summer has come around. I was thinking "Maybe the folks over at Serious know what it takes to make a great TTT map." So I suppose I want some idea to what the community thinks belong in the best map possible. I have some ideas already. Maps should have a combination of Close and Long range areas for combat. Players are naturally drawn to Tester rooms and Traitor rooms, so having interesting dynamics in these areas is essential. An overall theme for the map. Quality Textures, Prop, and Wall Placements. Interesting traps and map features. So I wanna see some specifics \o/ This includes themes and other things. EDIT: I Will post some progress pictures on some drawings and prelims once I get adequate feedback. Or no feedback. Or above average feedback.
I think interesting map features are primarily gimmicks to get people into a map, whereas the design itself is what keeps them there. These are preliminary thoughts of mine, not necessarily fully formed, since I haven't really considered the question before: 1) Two 'lobbies,' preferably near one another. One lobby is jihad central, a massacre, and means people are standing in one place doing little else but crowbar drawing. A 'lobby' to my reckoning is defined as a large yet clearly confined space where people can gather and feel that they're relatively safe from sniper fire- yes, they might still get shot, but they will have places to retreat. Examples: Datmap has one lobby, and there's just nothing to do there. Amsterville has three, all of them dramatically oversized, and people are constantly lost and end up congregating in single stores. 67th way has two, effectively: the street, and the hallway by the tester, and rotating between the two feels fairly natural. 2) Limited sniping potential. The reason Metropolis and Highrise are iffy in most peoples' minds is that it's simply a sniper's paradise. They're about absolutely nothing other than how good the group of traitors are with the SVU. There's really nowhere to hide from it, and every round goes the same because of it. Yes, every map should give credence to sniping, but also a complete safe haven from it, preferably one of the lobbies mentioned before. 3) Careful limitation of traitor traps and traitor rooms. This is mostly for the sake of map flow. If you block off a major area with traitor traps, you're giving traitors an excuse to camp. If you give traitors a large or multi-stage traitor room, you're giving traitors an excuse to camp. Camping traitors makes for bad gameplay. A traitor room should be something a traitor pops into, activates a trap, makes a little base to retreat to if things go awry, and then pops out of. So, please, no water traps or bathroom flooding nonsense, where a single person sits by a button and waits. 4) Interesting, but non-game-breaking props. If you're ever in Community Bowling, you'll note that spectators LOVE to possess and roll around bowling balls. It can be slightly annoying, but ultimately it's not really disruptive to gameplay. Props within the map are infinitely superior to props in a separate 'spectator room' because we feel like we can vaguely tease the living players, even though we really can't usually affect them much. Note: this means that prop selection should be carefully contained to props that can't really affect a living person. The car in forest is bad. People get killed all the time with that car. 5) Interesting, plausible innocent victory conditions. Give the innos something to do on a map other than waiting for the traitors. People love the Lost Temple victory, and while it has its perils, it means that you'll never see groups of innos running around like idiots and drawing on walls. It means that the traitors have to get their act together and secure areas, or risk losing. The construction victory condition, for instance, was simply not plausible- it took nearly a full round to complete, and could be ruined by one tiny mistake since you had exactly as many TNTs as red spaces. On the flipside, the Minecraft victory condition is too easy- two or three dedicated innos can complete the diamond block within two minutes. 6) Proper map choice for both tactics and server size. Clue is the most egregious violator here. People are so crammed in that tactics are just silly. Every single round devolves into C4 spam. That's not good gameplay. On the other side, Amsterville and Terrorception feel like they were maps made for a 128 person server. 7) Verticality and parkour moments. Take advantage of the fact that physics works in 3 dimensions in the engine. Datmap is essentially completely flat. There is almost no point at which there are multiple elevations present. Parkour examples: Assault, Amsterville. Let the people who know how to strafe jump screw around and get to areas that are fun, but ultimately not game-breaking. (The area above CT spawn in Assault is game-breaking, in my opinion.) 8) Few, if any, one-wide choke points. Especially choke points using activated doors that can be held closed. Whitehouse is an absolutely abysmal map for this reason, among others. The area around the oval office is basically a death trap because people stack up in that hallway. One person goes one way, one person goes the other, and before they sort it out there are twenty people stuck in that hallway, all shouting at each other. It's not fun. It's not fun to die in that situation, and it doesn't take any skill for a traitor to clear the hallway once it happens. Another poor example is Community Pool- a troll or two at the doors, whether the front doors or the doors by the tester, can wreak havoc. 9) Few, if any, lengthy dead ends that can be fortified into bases. Dead ends are a camper's paradise, and lead to bad gameplay. The lower floor of Whitehouse falls under this, as does the tester area in Community Pool. A small group of innos and detectives can camp there, and once the traitors approach them, there's no way to legitimately say "hey, stop camping." Because then it's a stalemate. We can't force the innos to come out once they're pinned down, and the traitors can be in a situation where breaching is suicide. Some other thoughts: Why hasn't anyone made a map with multiple secret knives? At least give *two* people something to do! I like maps where the traitor tester can easily be hit by C4. It means that the innos using it have to be on their toes. Aliens is great for that, especially since the C4 has to be planted right in the open to hit it, so the traitor has to be careful with guarding it.
@Salisian i agree with all those and ik detective rooms are camp paradise for the detectives but provide at least a little saftey
Honestly, I love larger maps where you can sit back and observe large areas without being targeted. Another reason I like larger maps is because C4 spam and Double Barrels are less viable. #removethedb2015
don't add a stupidly overpowered T trap in the tester make it an open world or a rooftops style map so you cant just spam nades in a room make it not look horrendous.
Back in the days of COD, I use to love Wasteland. Nice open big map.. would love if this could be a TTT map.
Strategy as traitor on 67th way: Hang out in the basement, keeping note of anyone else who is already down there. If you're a traitor, great! Let's get started. Close all doors and hang out close to the water trap. Immediately gun down anyone who goes downstairs. Have a traitor buddy come down as backup, if possible. If enough player have been killed or the innocents are not coming down stairs, either try to lure them down or simply go and find a few upstairs. Since the basement is technically a dead end, you seldom have to worry about players coming from behind you.
Alright everybody, here are some prelims I have of what I plan to make. Consists of a Lab (3 floors) a Mine (1-2 floors), a forest w/treefort (1-2 floors), a mansion/large building (2-3 floors) and a barracks (2 floors). I hope it turns out great!
As for theme, a map based on something from something popular and that gets people all nostalgic would be a good idea. Star Wars? Halo? Legend of Zelda?
I prefer maps with a lot of Sneaky Sneaky Spots to have fun . I also like some fun, troll maps. Normally, any map with my BBs x3
I like my maps to have: A Small Traitor Room A Traitor Tester that Traitors can modify A nice small map As for a theme: I haven't seen castle maps as much as I would like to. Consider Middle Aged maps. Also to consider, and is which I would probably make when I make a map, is a boat; I love me'self some boats boats boats.
