Galang, a new map for 1v1, beta #3

[Lukin]

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[lvlshot]http://www.mojobin.com/800x600/beta3/800x600/l4dm1a.jpg[/lvlshot]

Quote from readme.txt:

TO DO:
- polishing gameplay
- maybe cleaning few walls from needless textures
- fixing bugs (some sparkles, misaligned textures, etc)

CHANGELOG
Beta 3:
- removed a lot of ramps
- cut a hole below "MH ramp"
- simplified "MH ramp"
- moved some walls to improve the flow
- removed the acceleration pad
- added a ledge between the highest floor and the MH
area
- added some walls to eliminate camping spots (and to
make a whole map more balanced)
- removed YA (was in current RL location)
- removed some health packs, spawn points and armor
shards
- mixed placement of weapons and items
- brightened up the ambient light
- more, more, more

[Ground_Zero]

Ran around in the map for 10 minutes or so. Runs great, constant 63fps no stutter. Textures & Geometry seem to be in place also.

Constructive criticisms:

Visuals -----> Get rid of the boxes that block access to the "outside." They look a little sloppy and aren't really necessary.

Layout/Gameplay -----> Not sure if it was intended to be this way, but the map plays really slow. Items like the YA and RL are in odd spots that, while technically "in the open", slow down the pace. The pace is further inhibited by the numerous ramp jumps required to get to most of the map's resources, and by lots of tight turns that are too tight and narrow to crouchslide around. Both of these things preclude movement, and it would seem that the map would ultimately boil down to aim alone, which is fine if that's what you're going for.

My Suggestions: Open up the map a little more. It needs to breathe. Don't open it up so much that it becomes like q4dm11v1 or whatever, but try to strike a happy balance. If you really wanted to take it to the next level, you could open up different avenues for getting to the MH besides a plasmaclimb and the one you included. Which also leads me to say that the map seems to lack a focal point. Perhaps when you rework it, the MH could become that point.

Not trying to be a douche here, just throwing in my .02. Good job though! I thought about making a map once, but gave up cause quite frankly I'm too effing impatient. :icon25:

[Lukin]

Thanks for suggestions Ground_Zero. Beta 2 is up and ready. Now the map is much more open and much more faster
I'm not sure about second YA and some other items placement. Waiting for suggestions.

[rgoer]

I played this (beta 2) for about an hour today with some buddies. We did 1v1 for a while and some 3-man FFA. I'll stick to the 1v1 impressions since that's what you seemed to have in mind for this map.

In its current state, the RL dominates this map uncontested. It's just too tight of an area for the other weapons to have a chance... it got to the point where we wondered how this map would play if it didn't have a RL at all. I was up by like 30 frags just from whoring that shit. Maybe drop the RL and move the RG up to where the RL was?

I like the little light-fixture ramp lips a lot. They are a fun new addition to the designer's bag of tricks, I hope more people start using those as a means to bridge wider gaps and reach higher ledges.

2 YA and a RA seems like too much armor for a map this size, but then I've never been much of a fan of super-armor-control type gameplay. It seems like losing 1 YA would be ok (I would toss the one that's right next to the RA... keep the YA that is accross the ramp lip chasm).

I like the MH area a lot. The convergence of three routes that all can't see each other until you are standing on top of the MH itself is pretty cool. If you were to move the RG up to where the RL was, that would put even more risk on that long line of sight you have up to the MH platform, too...

What's up with the random glass/liquid on the floor that hurts you? I wasn't a fan of that. If it's supposed to be a lava-type device (environmental hazard or what have you), it needs to be less subtle--right now you barely notice it until you get hurt. And even then it's quite a surprise.

The layout itself was very cool, didn't take too long to learn and had some nice routes and connectivity. Like I mentioned before, I really like your use of the small ramp lips for added connections. I might do away with a few of the "normal" sized ramps you have all over the place, it seems almost like you're overdoing it with those, but other than that I really enjoyed the movement in this map.

With the advent of Q4 teleporter projectiles, you might want to reconsider the placement of some of your teleporter exits in relation to player spawn points... if you kill somebody down at the bottom of the SG area (where the two teleporters are), you have a decent chance of scoring a few NG hits through teleporters on a respawned opponent. This may have been dumb luck, but it seemed to happen with some regularity.

We enjoyed playing it, and I can't wait to see where it goes. Cheers!

[Ground_Zero]

All I can say is wow. The quality of your map just increased ten-fold. You really took my suggestions and ran with them, while at the same time keeping true your own themes and ideas!

I have to agree with Rgoer, the little "light lips" being used as ramp jumps to maneuver to other spots is INCREDIBLE. I'm not sure if you realized it when you came up with that idea, but that's just flat-out amazing! The potential they have for future pro/osp/cpm-type maps is PRICELESS IMHO. They give the player so much more control over where they are going, and they are much quiter to boot. Don't forget to smile when you see ppl ripping that idea in the future!

With respect to final polishing and tweaks, I'd go with what Rgoer said. Tone down the big ramps and give a little more thought to armor and spawn placement.

Congrats again, you took this map from something really rough and gave it alot of potential. :icon31:

[ShapeShifta]

This map is really great. Dunno how else to put it .

oh, my first post too

[akiraZ]

very awesome map, if not a bit cramped. i'd love to see you do a nice huge ra4 map, this kinda flow would be fantastic.

[Lukin]

In its current state, the RL dominates this map uncontested. It's just too tight of an area for the other weapons to have a chance... it got to the point where we wondered how this map would play if it didn't have a RL at all. I was up by like 30 frags just from whoring that shit. Maybe drop the RL and move the RG up to where the RL was?

Ok, I'll switch RL with RG.
Removing rocket launcher is like a mad experiment. I won't risk

It seems like losing 1 YA would be ok (I would toss the one that's right next to the RA... keep the YA that is accross the ramp lip chasm).

I was considering removing this YA before releasing second beta. Then I decided to leave it - that was a mistake.

Don't forget to smile when you see ppl ripping that idea in the future!

When I figured out how jumping works in "Q4" the trick with a small ramps was so obvious to me that I was really in hurry with the first beta - just for not being called a copycat
But I got nothing against ripping the idea on other maps. I'm the guy who has a problem - how to make another "Q4" map without repeating the same concepts

What's up with the random glass/liquid on the floor that hurts you? I wasn't a fan of that. If it's supposed to be a lava-type device (environmental hazard or what have you), it needs to be less subtle--right now you barely notice it until you get hurt. And even then it's quite a surprise.

Next version won't contain this liquid or even a lava. It looks terrible (though it's a Raven shader :P) and really adds nothing to gameplay.

With the advent of Q4 teleporter projectiles, you might want to reconsider the placement of some of your teleporter exits in relation to player spawn points... if you kill somebody down at the bottom of the SG area (where the two teleporters are), you have a decent chance of scoring a few NG hits through teleporters on a respawned opponent. This may have been dumb luck, but it seemed to happen with some regularity.

Good point. Have you used a teleporter near SG to shoot into MH place? I wonder if this is useful somehow or it's only a dumb luck.

Don't forget to smile when you see ppl ripping that idea in the future!

When I figured out how jumping works in "Q4" the trick with a small ramps was so obvious to me that I was really in hurry with the first beta - just for not being called a copycat
But I got nothing against ripping the idea on other maps. Actually I'm the guy who has a problem - how to make another "Q4" map without repeating the same concepts

This map is really great. Dunno how else to put it .

oh, my first post too

Thanks, and welcome to forum.

very awesome map, if not a bit cramped. i'd love to see you do a nice huge ra4 map, this kinda flow would be fantastic.

Who knows.

[junglist]

I like the title... do you listen to MIA?

[Ground_Zero]

When I figured out how jumping works in "Q4" the trick with a small ramps was so obvious to me that I was really in hurry with the first beta - just for not being called a copycat
But I got nothing against ripping the idea on other maps. I'm the guy who has a problem - how to make another "Q4" map without repeating the same concepts

No man I think you misunderstood what I was saying. I'm saying ppl are going to copy YOUR ideas, not that you copied someone else's. I was/am really impressed with your light jump ideas.

As far as future maps are concerned, just look at basic ideas other maps. q3tourney4 was so great, imho, because it took the idea of a multi-tiered map to the next level. No map before or since has been so open yet so.... not. :icon25:

Or maybe there's a specific weapon you like that you could base a map around. That was a recurring theme in q3 tourney maps: "who can control this key weapon and use it in the most innovative and origional ways?"
The nailgun is a new weapon(well, so far as it acts totally different from the ng's of q1) that has really been left out of the loop thus far. Perhaps you could make a level where the advantages of that weapon outweigh others (or at least what's available on the map) and expand on that idea...

Just throwing some stuff out there for ya mang. ee[ up the good work.

[Lukin]

I like the title... do you listen to MIA?

Yep. I don't know what "Galang" really means (respect or go on, I've checked it a minute ago :icon26: ) but the MIA's song (as the whole album) is great.

No man I think you misunderstood what I was saying. I'm saying ppl are going to copy YOUR ideas, not that you copied someone else's. I was/am really impressed with your light jump ideas.

I just thought that someone else will release a map with similar trick before me. That did not happened. Actually I think I could believe if someone use a trick like this on his level and claim that he did not seen "Galang" - as I wrote before: to me it was an obvious way to make use of ramps, just like using crates for double jumps in "Q2". Anyway, I'm glad you like it.

P.S. I got some ideas for next maps (I even made an alpha version of l4dm2). Though inventing something fresh (like those "lamp jumps") may be hard. But that's the problem for next month, now I've got to finish l4dm1

[Lukin]

New version is out. Download from HERE.

Have fun.

[jester!]

Cool, hopefully I can run around it tonight and see what all this talk about light ramps/jumps is about. Something like the little ramps up to RG in lost fleet?

[{uZa}FreakOfNature]

I was running the previous one on our server and am now running the newest version. GREAT job. I love every change you made to the level. We run mostly custom maps (And Q4Max) on our DM server and I think this map is one of my favorites.

Keep up the steller work!

[twism]

hey man

Great going with the map, I really like it.... well, as much as you can like a map after running around on it alone (No high speed internet or friends to lan with.... yet - exams)

Just wanna say I love the way the map was desinged to support quake gameplay... like the little "platform" that was added enabling you to strafe jump to the MH.

Anyways, keep up the work man, loving it :P


Twis

P.S. is anyone going to remake tourney4? my alltime fav map, been looking for a q4 version, but with no luck

[Oeloe]

P.S. is anyone going to remake tourney4? my alltime fav map, been looking for a q4 version, but with no luck

I had a version that uses all of the Q3 textures with weird lighting and it runs at low FPS. Not very playable atm. I can't find it though... i must have deleted it (too unplayable).

[Ground_Zero]

Sow you keep rolling with this idea. Your map is picking up alot of positive comments around the different forums too. Congrats, glad my input was some help! :icon31:

[jester!]

I see Galang is being used in CAL 1v1. n1 man :icon26:

[Foo]

I've been maintaining this for a few weeks now.. has got a few clickthroughs to here