Map Preview WIP - Solar

moo43

Proficient
Nov 17, 2014
41
27
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30
Florida


Solar is an asymmetrical map designed for 2-8 players. With this map I tried to focus on having multiple levels with a decent amount of verticality with ramps, jump ups and lifts connecting different areas of the map. I'm hoping to get some playtests in on it soon, so if your interested let me know. Any feedback is greatly appreciated. Oh and thanks to Kurismic and SangBoss for helping me with a lot of the aesthetics and making the map better overall.


WEAPONS/POWERUPS


Sniper x1
Shotgun x1
Energy Sword x1
BR x3
Carbine x2
Plasma Pistol x1
Brute Plasma Rifle x1
Assault Rifle x2
Suppressed SMG x2
Magnum x1
Needler x1
Plasmas x4
Frags x4
Overshield x1
 

Psychoduck

Round Objects™
Dec 23, 2012
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This looks solid. I like the verticality, but it looks like you've maintained a decent amount of lateral sightlines as well which is cool. It likes like the majority of encounters will take place largely within the same vertical space, but that there is still plenty of incentive to move vertically between levels. Very interesting. I may be failing to predict the implications this would have on flow, but it would be cool to see the sword platform lowered to force players to drop from top gold in order to attain that weapon. Just a thought. Anyway, I'd love to play this sometime.

Also, it may have just been the video, but there appeared to be a framerate drop right at the beginning when looking down that long sightline along the bottom of the map. Is there? Hopefully it was just the video.
 

moo43

Proficient
Nov 17, 2014
41
27
33
30
Florida
I think the framerate drop at the beginning was the video. I'll have to go back and double check. I didn't think about lowering the sword platform but now that you mentioned it I think that may be a good idea. I'm definitely interested in getting some playtests in on this, that would be great. Thanks for the feedback.
 

moo43

Proficient
Nov 17, 2014
41
27
33
30
Florida
UPDATE

Was having some framerate issues so i replaced the leafy trees with palm trees and deleted a few unnecessary terrain pieces. That seems to have fixed it.
 

Psychoduck

Round Objects™
Dec 23, 2012
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Greater Seattle Area
I apologize for putting on a non-sequential hill variant on here earlier. Anyway, I think this map has a lot of potential for KoTH and a lot of potential in general that isn't being realized quite yet.

Regarding hill placement, I think all three hill locations should be reevaluated. You shouldn't be able to hold a hill without also locking down other positions with sightlines over to that hill, and that is not a problem on this map. Teams should also be forced to move and set up at different locations, using various parts of the map in different ways to control each hill. Again, that isn't really a problem on here. However, your alpha and bravo hills were deathtraps and your charlie hill was far removed from the action (the entire area surrounding the shotgun and charlie hill seems a bit oversized and underutilized, both in hill and in other modes). You may find that geometry changes are necessary in addition to movement of hill locations in order to get the most out of KoTH on the map.

Outside of hill, I do think that ball is very strong on this map. I do think that looking into how intuitive the deathpit and surrounding routes appear as a player would be worth your time. I also think that reevaluating the placement of some of the weapons on the map would be a good idea. Currently, the shotgun is in an under-trafficked area, and in general might not be the best choice for the map. You already have a sword for close range encounters (I think the sword's placement is great), so the shotgun seems unnecessary. You might want to consider replacing it with a brute shot, but having that weapon placed in a more intuitive, more highly-trafficked location. The sniper's placement is also awkward. I didn't even know where it spawned until I looked around the map in forge, which tells me that its placement is not intuitive (unless I'm actually an idiot). It's good that players must move to gain a powerful position once attaining the sniper, but its placement in an exterior corner, at the bottom of the map, right under the sword just doesn't make much sense.

Anyway, with a few tweaks to weapons, objectives, and map geometry, I think Solar will be a really fantastic map and one of the better asyms I've seen in quite a while. I've asked some of the other guys we played with today to come drop their own feedback in this thread, so hopefully you find it useful.
 
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moo43

Proficient
Nov 17, 2014
41
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Florida
Wow thanks this is probably the best feedback I've ever received on a map. I really appreciate it.

As for what you said about the weapon placement and hills. I think I need to change the locations of A, B, and C. I agree about hills A and B were just complete deathtraps and was something that for whatever reason I had never taken into consideration. The shotgun I will probably just get rid of. It just seems like no one ever uses it. And the sniper could probably just get moved to better location. With the deathpit I'm still trying to think of a more intuitive way to implement it into the map.

If anyone has any ideas feel free to let me know. I want to do whatever I can to make this map as good as it can be.
 
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