Quite a great map right here, with so much detail crammed in it, that sometimes it feels surreal it was done during the compo. A lot of interesting placements, layouts, fun traps and secrets.
The sole cons I have, that stops this from being full perfect, is that it's quite a big map, so if the server isn't at least half full, you will have some trouble finding some players.
In my opinion, the coolant instantly killing you ( or hurting you very fast on the small puddles / waterfalls ), kinda makes it at times a punishing element if you miss a jump / get pushed, but its minor in my view.
This was a nice map, with a cool layout, and the Xen secret is neat. The item placement could be better, as often you find more ammo than weapons, so recently spawned players are sometimes at a disadvantage, although it isn't bad.
The map has some points where the clipping is a bit weird and can make the player even stuck ( the top curve of the climbable pipe especially ), and an invisible barrier at the top of the tower, which, while to avoid players climb on places they shouldn't, it doesn't make it obvious at first.
The Xen water heals too fast, so a player that can move and dodge can camp without many issues in there.
Commented 9 months ago2024-02-03 12:49:21 UTC
in vault item: SanitationComment #105954
Excellent, very good on all the aspects. Layout, design, brushwork, detail...all almost perfect. I really have no complaints on this map, and it was a blast playing it with friends.
The rising radiation flood mechanic is good at forcing players to adapt their gameplay and strategies, and there are plenty of spaces and items to switch between different ways to play and move across the map.
For being done in 1.5 months, it is an incredible job.
Commented 9 months ago2024-02-03 12:44:11 UTC
in vault item: AmplifiedComment #105953
Great brushwork and layout design ( MAP2Curve wasn't used in this! ), as well as great use of vanilla textures, which blends all perfectly.
However, there is an issue that stops me from rating 5/5 this map: The "map wide kill zone".
The cooldown for it is very short, and as seen in game sessions, it can be almost constantly triggered. It also doesn't help that it isn't clear which zones are affected or not, or the small range of visual effects indicating that it is activating, as well as the fact that the kill zone lasts for several seconds. All of this makes players lose health and die for a couple of times, while being confused of what's going on.
The jumppads under the swinging platform aren't very useful, and it is easy to get trapped into the pit at the map center, but these are small complaints.
Commented 9 months ago2024-02-03 12:11:44 UTC
in vault item: Upsilon_AnnexComment #105952
Very well detailed map, with lots of care around. However, there are two big cons that plays negatively towards your map:
The map is too dark. Even after rising the brightness and gamma settings over the default ones, a lot of places have shadows strong enough for playermodels to blend in, as well as corridors in total darkness. While this would be acceptable somewhat in SP, it is not in MP, as it's easy to miss not only other players, but also items as well. It also doesn't help make the player being disoriented, as mentioned next
The layout is relatively complex, with several "dead end" rooms, corridors that make you run in circles easily, and being kinda big. Also at the train section, the navigation is weird when you come from the lower level, as you have to jump several times and avoid falling into the deep.
If you could raise the general brightness, add more entrances / exits to several rooms, as well as some playerclips around to help navigation, it would improve vastly the map.
Commented 9 months ago2024-02-03 11:27:20 UTC
in vault item: Area47Comment #105951
Played it yesterday with some friends. While super rough, one can tell that you have ambition, as many different things in the map are present, like a camera, lifts, or teleports.
The issue with a big map, is that you have to extend yourself, and having to take care of many things. Therefore, making in the future smaller ones, will help you focus better in other tasks.
I also recommend you to focus first on planning the gameplay itself, on the layout, to see if it is fun or not, before you start decorating it. While the idea with the vehicles isn't bad, they are placed into tight places, where it is hard to drive around ( and often one can't go further ahead ).
There's potential on the map, one can see what you were aiming for. Hopefully you will keep improving your skills as time goes, so your future projects are better.
Texturing — 10
Ambience — 10
Lighting — 10
Gameplay — 9
The sole cons I have, that stops this from being full perfect, is that it's quite a big map, so if the server isn't at least half full, you will have some trouble finding some players.
In my opinion, the coolant instantly killing you ( or hurting you very fast on the small puddles / waterfalls ), kinda makes it at times a punishing element if you miss a jump / get pushed, but its minor in my view.
Texturing — 7
Ambience — 8
Lighting — 8
Gameplay — 7
The map has some points where the clipping is a bit weird and can make the player even stuck ( the top curve of the climbable pipe especially ), and an invisible barrier at the top of the tower, which, while to avoid players climb on places they shouldn't, it doesn't make it obvious at first.
The Xen water heals too fast, so a player that can move and dodge can camp without many issues in there.
Outside all those points, is a fun map.
The rising radiation flood mechanic is good at forcing players to adapt their gameplay and strategies, and there are plenty of spaces and items to switch between different ways to play and move across the map.
For being done in 1.5 months, it is an incredible job.
However, there is an issue that stops me from rating 5/5 this map: The "map wide kill zone".
The cooldown for it is very short, and as seen in game sessions, it can be almost constantly triggered. It also doesn't help that it isn't clear which zones are affected or not, or the small range of visual effects indicating that it is activating, as well as the fact that the kill zone lasts for several seconds. All of this makes players lose health and die for a couple of times, while being confused of what's going on.
The jumppads under the swinging platform aren't very useful, and it is easy to get trapped into the pit at the map center, but these are small complaints.
Overall, great job, for being done in ~15 days!
- The layout is relatively complex, with several "dead end" rooms, corridors that make you run in circles easily, and being kinda big. Also at the train section, the navigation is weird when you come from the lower level, as you have to jump several times and avoid falling into the deep.
If you could raise the general brightness, add more entrances / exits to several rooms, as well as some playerclips around to help navigation, it would improve vastly the map.The issue with a big map, is that you have to extend yourself, and having to take care of many things. Therefore, making in the future smaller ones, will help you focus better in other tasks.
I also recommend you to focus first on planning the gameplay itself, on the layout, to see if it is fun or not, before you start decorating it. While the idea with the vehicles isn't bad, they are placed into tight places, where it is hard to drive around ( and often one can't go further ahead ).
There's potential on the map, one can see what you were aiming for. Hopefully you will keep improving your skills as time goes, so your future projects are better.