Before I say anything else, I’m making this post because I’d like to get some help on a few aspects of the map and gametype’s settings to help with map balance and gameplay…I’m not the best at this, so I figured if a few others could help me with that I can make this map the best it can be. So warning…this will be a long read, but I feel detailing my thoughts of what to do may help in getting advice.
Working Title: Polaris Skies – A mysterious find of two similar, yet opposite islands now used as a training ground for air and ground based combat by the UNSC.
The map design is simple…two floating islands, each team having a base filled with bridges and paths, aircraft and weaponry. There are also platforms in the middle which hold powerful weapons and powerups, and control of these may be crucial to the game. I can’t say the overall design of each base is completely finished as of yet, I may need to add more entrances, but for now here’s a couple screenshots of the blue team base, and a basic schematic of the entire map since I can’t get great screenshots of the entire thing due to the amount of space it covers
(RTP/BTP = Team Platform, SP = Side Platform, MID = Center Platform (in which a neutral flag would be, as well as two more turrets)
I’m trying to get the map to focus on two aspects…air-based combat between the bases, as well as combat inside the area of the bases, and specifically a balance between the two. Each team will get aircraft to try to fly to the enemy’s side of the map, and control the airspace, as well as infiltrate the base in CTF games. (As of now each team will get 4 hornets and a banshee). Also, each team will get a varied arsenal including rockets and snipers to defend the base from incoming ships, as well as SMGs and BRs and many grenades in gun battles with enemy players.
The CTF gametype I’m using for this map will have a few altered settings, such as magnum starts with 2 grenades, and a long respawn period of 15-20 seconds, considering the size of the map and how kills can really have an effect in the game because of this. Also, a long time to return the flag, possibly two minutes, due to how difficult it may be to get the flag outside the enemy base, and how losing it midflight will simply reset it entirely. I’m thinking of putting radar-altering trait zones at each of the bases as well, leaving the default range to be large, 100-150 meters, but inside the trait zones a small range, so you can see aircraft a good distance away, yet the radar inside the bases won’t be a big clump of dots. Also, considering it may be difficult to score the enemy flag, I may make the game a long one, 15-20 minutes, maybe even 30 if the game warrants it if the game proves to be difficult enough.
To give an idea of what kind of arsenal each base has, here is basically everything each team can use…items with an asterisk will have a question I want to ask based on the weapon:
Each Base has:
4 Magnums, 2 on the top ring by the initial spawn (where the blue light is)
4 SMGs - Near the side entrances, the end of the large circular bridges
2 Plasma Pistols – By the hornets
2 Sniper Rifles – In the upper bunkers (which may not be great at sniping people due to longer than usual distances, but moreso good for damaging hornets and banshees)
2 Rocket Launchers – 1 in the triple room, one in the initial spawn near the top
12 Frag Grenades – in groups of 2 around the base
8 Plasma Grenades – same thing, groups of 2 scattered around
1 Sword – at the top of the base’s satellite antenna piece…it’ll take a grav lift jump from behind to get to it (Regular sword for blue team, infected for red…this was intended to be décor at first actually)*
2 Turrets near the spawn to guard the base in the upper bunkers
1 EMP Tower activated by a switch at the top of the base
4 Hornets near the front of each base
1 Heretic Banshee - Under the base, will take a hornet to get there*
1 Scorpion (which is stuck on a platform at the back of the base, but is able to act as an anti-air cannon)
1 Overshield Powerup – behind the pyramid portion on the ground
A “Team Platform” as seen in the schematic, each with a rocket launcher*
Additionally, each side platform has another rocket launcher and sniper rifle.
With the details of the weapons and tools that each base will have, I would like to ask a few questions considering ways to balance/improve on the game…
1. Instead of 2 rockets, just have one rocket at the base, and replace the other one with another weapon?
2. Add a second banshee under the base? I figure the banshee is a bit faster and more maneuverable than the hornet, yet you cannot carry a second teammate, and you don’t have a “banshee bomb” whereas the hornets have missiles along with their machine guns.
3. On the team platforms, should I add an additional turret to guard the base? I’m not sure if I should due to the turrets already at the base…additionally, should the turrets even be at the base? It would be possible theoretically to just fly the hornet right to the flag, grab it, and fly away…so having turrets at the base may help make that extremely difficult to do and encourage combat within the bridges and corridors of the base itself.
4. Also for the team platform, add an additional sniper rifle for damaging aircraft and sniping other players that may be on the middle platforms? (Might be better for sniping people on the platforms, they’re a fair bit closer)
5. I was told by a friend yesterday that the infected sword has a farther lunging distance than a regular energy sword…I would think this is true in infection, but in another gametype does this actually occur? If so, I’ll have rethink including swords as a weapon in this…sadly.
Other Questions:
6. The respawn time for this game I’m setting at 15 or 20 seconds, to allow for each kill to actually do something to possibly push back enemy defenses, especially in the base (due to the immense size of the map)…it seems as if it will be difficult to actually grab the flag, so instead of having a usual respawn time, and having someone you just killed spawn pretty much in front of the flag again potentially with that, you actually get the enemy out of the way. Kills would actually be rewarded with temporary advantages in manpower, possibly. Would you suggest that I do have a usual respawn time though, such as 5-8 seconds? If so, why?
7. Good or bad idea…as I mentioned before, should I make the default radar to a large range, 100 to 150 meters, but, in a small circle around, above and below the base, have a trait zone in which the radar range changes to a default 25 meters, or even shorter and maybe no radar at all?
8. The flag return time at 90-120 seconds…due to how difficult it may be to reach the flag, I feel like there is a reward to getting the flag out of the base, to give that team plenty of a chance to regrab it. Especially considering losing the flag mid-flight will likely lead to a total reset anyway…good idea?
9. Any other additions I can’t think of to the settings that may improve the game, and why they would? Any other tips and additions to the map itself?
Sorry for the inconveniently long post, but I feel like to know what I’m doing, I need advice along with the experience. So, if anyone has a way to chime in, I’m all ears. I honestly have no clue how to really make a good map If you want to maybe playtest a few things with me too and check it out for yourself, I wouldn’t mind either, just let me know, and I’ll get back to you. Thanks, and if you made is this far, double thanks ^^
Working Title: Polaris Skies – A mysterious find of two similar, yet opposite islands now used as a training ground for air and ground based combat by the UNSC.
The map design is simple…two floating islands, each team having a base filled with bridges and paths, aircraft and weaponry. There are also platforms in the middle which hold powerful weapons and powerups, and control of these may be crucial to the game. I can’t say the overall design of each base is completely finished as of yet, I may need to add more entrances, but for now here’s a couple screenshots of the blue team base, and a basic schematic of the entire map since I can’t get great screenshots of the entire thing due to the amount of space it covers
(RTP/BTP = Team Platform, SP = Side Platform, MID = Center Platform (in which a neutral flag would be, as well as two more turrets)
I’m trying to get the map to focus on two aspects…air-based combat between the bases, as well as combat inside the area of the bases, and specifically a balance between the two. Each team will get aircraft to try to fly to the enemy’s side of the map, and control the airspace, as well as infiltrate the base in CTF games. (As of now each team will get 4 hornets and a banshee). Also, each team will get a varied arsenal including rockets and snipers to defend the base from incoming ships, as well as SMGs and BRs and many grenades in gun battles with enemy players.
The CTF gametype I’m using for this map will have a few altered settings, such as magnum starts with 2 grenades, and a long respawn period of 15-20 seconds, considering the size of the map and how kills can really have an effect in the game because of this. Also, a long time to return the flag, possibly two minutes, due to how difficult it may be to get the flag outside the enemy base, and how losing it midflight will simply reset it entirely. I’m thinking of putting radar-altering trait zones at each of the bases as well, leaving the default range to be large, 100-150 meters, but inside the trait zones a small range, so you can see aircraft a good distance away, yet the radar inside the bases won’t be a big clump of dots. Also, considering it may be difficult to score the enemy flag, I may make the game a long one, 15-20 minutes, maybe even 30 if the game warrants it if the game proves to be difficult enough.
To give an idea of what kind of arsenal each base has, here is basically everything each team can use…items with an asterisk will have a question I want to ask based on the weapon:
Each Base has:
4 Magnums, 2 on the top ring by the initial spawn (where the blue light is)
4 SMGs - Near the side entrances, the end of the large circular bridges
2 Plasma Pistols – By the hornets
2 Sniper Rifles – In the upper bunkers (which may not be great at sniping people due to longer than usual distances, but moreso good for damaging hornets and banshees)
2 Rocket Launchers – 1 in the triple room, one in the initial spawn near the top
12 Frag Grenades – in groups of 2 around the base
8 Plasma Grenades – same thing, groups of 2 scattered around
1 Sword – at the top of the base’s satellite antenna piece…it’ll take a grav lift jump from behind to get to it (Regular sword for blue team, infected for red…this was intended to be décor at first actually)*
2 Turrets near the spawn to guard the base in the upper bunkers
1 EMP Tower activated by a switch at the top of the base
4 Hornets near the front of each base
1 Heretic Banshee - Under the base, will take a hornet to get there*
1 Scorpion (which is stuck on a platform at the back of the base, but is able to act as an anti-air cannon)
1 Overshield Powerup – behind the pyramid portion on the ground
A “Team Platform” as seen in the schematic, each with a rocket launcher*
Additionally, each side platform has another rocket launcher and sniper rifle.
With the details of the weapons and tools that each base will have, I would like to ask a few questions considering ways to balance/improve on the game…
1. Instead of 2 rockets, just have one rocket at the base, and replace the other one with another weapon?
2. Add a second banshee under the base? I figure the banshee is a bit faster and more maneuverable than the hornet, yet you cannot carry a second teammate, and you don’t have a “banshee bomb” whereas the hornets have missiles along with their machine guns.
3. On the team platforms, should I add an additional turret to guard the base? I’m not sure if I should due to the turrets already at the base…additionally, should the turrets even be at the base? It would be possible theoretically to just fly the hornet right to the flag, grab it, and fly away…so having turrets at the base may help make that extremely difficult to do and encourage combat within the bridges and corridors of the base itself.
4. Also for the team platform, add an additional sniper rifle for damaging aircraft and sniping other players that may be on the middle platforms? (Might be better for sniping people on the platforms, they’re a fair bit closer
)5. I was told by a friend yesterday that the infected sword has a farther lunging distance than a regular energy sword…I would think this is true in infection, but in another gametype does this actually occur? If so, I’ll have rethink including swords as a weapon in this…sadly.
Other Questions:
6. The respawn time for this game I’m setting at 15 or 20 seconds, to allow for each kill to actually do something to possibly push back enemy defenses, especially in the base (due to the immense size of the map)…it seems as if it will be difficult to actually grab the flag, so instead of having a usual respawn time, and having someone you just killed spawn pretty much in front of the flag again potentially with that, you actually get the enemy out of the way. Kills would actually be rewarded with temporary advantages in manpower, possibly. Would you suggest that I do have a usual respawn time though, such as 5-8 seconds? If so, why?
7. Good or bad idea…as I mentioned before, should I make the default radar to a large range, 100 to 150 meters, but, in a small circle around, above and below the base, have a trait zone in which the radar range changes to a default 25 meters, or even shorter and maybe no radar at all?
8. The flag return time at 90-120 seconds…due to how difficult it may be to reach the flag, I feel like there is a reward to getting the flag out of the base, to give that team plenty of a chance to regrab it. Especially considering losing the flag mid-flight will likely lead to a total reset anyway…good idea?
9. Any other additions I can’t think of to the settings that may improve the game, and why they would? Any other tips and additions to the map itself?
Sorry for the inconveniently long post, but I feel like to know what I’m doing, I need advice along with the experience. So, if anyone has a way to chime in, I’m all ears. I honestly have no clue how to really make a good map
If you want to maybe playtest a few things with me too and check it out for yourself, I wouldn’t mind either, just let me know, and I’ll get back to you. Thanks, and if you made is this far, double thanks ^^
