Journal #7924

Was good. I'm not really a fan of CSS anymore, and the bots were annoying as Hell. The map though, is looking real nice and there is a fair amount of variety in the gameplay which is all you can ask for in a CS map really. The doors need to go though, or open once and stay open. Otherwise, damn good fun.

It was fucking awesome PAUL KILLED YOU ALL
But Scotch was pro with 370ping he was the first on the scoring board.

@Skals PAUL was stuck xD

BTW I hated the doors they were like snitches

Yeah the doors will go...I think for fairness they'll make a sound but I think we'll disable the self closing thing from HL1. Also from what I've seen of NUKE from CS:GO, they made it so you can shoot the windows out. I think the metal should block bullets but you should be able to shoot through the windows. That's my thoughts on that anyway.

Glad you liked it. I look forward to really pushing the art for when we get our hands on CSGO.

@Lajron: Paul sux! I kicked his ass, with my fist! Fizzybubbleh? Showaddy waddy.

@Habboi: I think it was good. But you should probably light up the dark red pipe room a little bit. I doubt anyone will go there, with the reason being that most players prefer wide open spaces where they can use their ak and m4 more accurately, that's where skill comes into play, nobody will prefer to go down that dark tight corridor where one guy that goes "OH SHIT" can just spray you and kill you easily, or it's hard to spot enemies.
Nobody wants to use flashlight either, that will give away their position!
So I suggest that you add some more light, not necessary light up the whole area, but perhaps add some more spotlights like the one that already is there, so it's easier to spot foes.

Also I guess you will obviously add more detail into the duct connecting spot A and that dark room, but if not, then I'm just putting that out there, because it look horrible.

Oh yeah and finally, make the glass only 2 units thick if it isn't, this way you can be sure that all bullets will go through the glass, even if it doesn't break, many players would prefer it that way, then have some thick glass that lets some bullets pass through it (like awp) and some not (like pistol bullets etc).

@Lajron: That can't be right, I kept getting owned. =P

Ok, here's what I noticed. (Keep in mind I have very little experience with Counter-Strike, and I could be talking complete bollocks.)

As already has been mentioned, something has to be done about the doors. Continuously having to open them (particularly with the big delay from ping, but given the circumstances, perfectly understandable) was a pain. I think opening and staying open is probably the way to go. Then you'll still get a telling sound, but only once, so the players have to be careful.

I did have trouble with my spacial orientation, kinda confused about where I was, but I imagine a map on the radar would sort that out. (I assume that's coming later.)

The long corridor with the pipes did provide some variation visually and tactically, but I'm not sure about its practicality. It didn't connect very directly with the bomb sites (except B, via that vent area. I like that bit). Speaking of, I think the steps in that vent spot should be shorter, so you don't have to jump up them. The footstep sounds kinda ruin the stealth you've got otherwise.

I think the lower area of bomb site B needs some cover somewhere. It's all a little TOO open. Someone standing on the upper platform can see just about everything. Anything that can block off at least some of the upper platform's view to the far doors would do well, I think.

Other than that, the layout seemed fine from my CT perspective.

EDIT: Realised that seeing as I downloaded the map, I could do a little more playtesting of my own. =) Noticed that the arrows around the map that pointed to A pointed to B on the radar, and vice versa. Just mentioning in case that was an oversight. Also, bots occationally got pretty stuck, usually around the indoor areas with water in them. (Usually IN the water.) Lastly, I noticed as I was running around, this:
http://i50.tinypic.com/u5t29.jpg
http://i50.tinypic.com/14c40vb.jpg
Oh yes, and the ladders in one of the water parts has a very... template-like texture.

I'll let you know if I find anything else.

All fair feedback but keep in mind we didn't ask for visual feedback because quite frankly it's barely been touched. I've done a few models here and there and applied textures to every surface but we're ultimately waiting on CSGO so in the end what you see now will not be the same as GO.

Though I'm glad for the most part the layout was good, we will definitely take your feedback seriously. I was just thinking this morning how the CT's need a little more cover in bomb b.

As for radar, visual glitches, glass that doesn't break etc etc that is because I either didn't do it, used a placeholder or didn't make a proper collision model hence it wrapped around the glass and stopped bullets hitting it but I assure you besides that one console in t spawn, all the other glass breaks but again these things are placeholder for model versions which I'll make breakable like the windows in Militia for example.

The map ultimately has a long way to go visually and I look forward to showing you what we can really do!

Why did you make a model with glass on it? Couldn't you just add that in later?

Why do you assume I did? It's a brush with a glass material applied to it and placed manually in Hammer. It doesn't break because as I said the collision of the console overlaps the glass since I told it to just use the base mesh as collision since there are more important things than making proper collision at this stage.

And as I said I'll be replacing those glass panels with model versions so I can compile them with gib versions that break into nice little pieces rather than just vanish aka HL1 style.

Unless you're literally saying "Why did you add that in now, why not later." The answer is we're testing ideas out visually and gameplay wise although I never got round to making proper collision for that one console. Which looking back was kinda dumb but we ran into a load of problems and I'm amazed we got the map working and grabbed a small group of people.

I was up late morning sorting files out, arguing with Smoker and getting people to give me a yes / no as to whether they would join so all in all I'm happy we even got to play it even in its buggy, ugly state.

I assume you did because when I shot at it, it seemed to apply metal bullet hole decal, and the texture did not look like it was one of the defaults Sorry.