BAD MAPS!!!! Please fix them before i get too frustrated!!!

[PinkRobot]

The stairs: what i like to do with my stairs is make some 'ramps for the disabled' as I like to call them. Like the ones on Stormkeep and Warfare. If you want to stand still you can stand on the steps and when you want to hit them at speed aim for the ramps Not only does this give a nice look to the stairs, it is very effective. It is not bad imho to have some aspects of the map focused on gameplay instead of looks. This is not to say that this means they should look bad, but you can put stuff into maps that will improve people's speed and gameplay ONLY to improve speed and gameplay

The preview images: Could the game not draw from a universal download source ? One http address that has all the images of all the maps known to Nexuiz ? So that when you do not have the map it downloads the image from that external source ?

CTF gameplay: I am not a CTF player at all so can not really comment on the technical bit. But could the problem be that the mappers who make them have a failing perception of what CTF play is like ?

I do think a LOT of responsibility lies with the server operators as well ! They have to make a good selection of all the maps that are out there. Don't just bung a map on your CTF server only because it supports CTF. Like esteel says, it might be that it supports the game mode but it does not automatically mean that it is playable as well

How about we develop a Mappers Guide that has no info about 'download GtkRadiant, install, build, caulk, blabla' but just a set of general directions for mappers about map layout, item placement, etcetera. More like a gameplay guide with stuff for every Nexuiz gamemode. Start with DM and CTF then TDM, Keyhunt, etc. There is a big group of motivated Nexuiz mappers, use them to your advantage

As an afterthought: would it be a good idea for esteel to get control over a good CTF server if he feels up to that ? Only put maps on there that you think are good CTF maps. Hell, you could even bring back the old fashioned rotation system of choosing map to protect people against themselves it's still supported in Nexuiz so why not. Just a thought

edit: also, do not say sorry because airing your frustrations in such a well spoken manner makes great impact when it comes from someone like you and I think people will really think about it, as is shown already from the great number of constructive posts. In the end, if action is taken in these area's the level of this game can only become even higher

[Rad Ished]

http://method.gamedesign.net/ctf_tips.htm
http://www.doom3world.org/phpbb2/viewto ... f=1&t=9380

[PinkRobot]

That is a good base to start from, but it should go even further to take into account the Nexuiz weapons and powerups, how they affect gameplay and how they should affect map design as well.

[[-z-]]

I would suggest you open them in Radiant and fix them, like I did with desertcastles6 (is my mod up on any servers yet, btw?), and then let the players decide which version they like the most.

Feel free to start with Chasmv2 or Canoplasmaspam.

There was no .map file in Chasmv2 but I ran it through q3map2 at -scale1.5. It can go up to 2 and still be fun but I thought this would be appealing to a wider variety of players.

Without further ado Chasmv2_x_1.5
It's on all the nexuiz ninjaz ctf servers.

[FruitieX]

ftw / wtf: two (or four) bases with a straight way between them and hardly anything else, add some slime to get pushed into and some weapons. I do not even have an idea how to turn this into something other then the joke it seems to be

- And is.

/me wins, has 2 maps ppl bash about :p

[esteel]

FruitieX: Well i'm not necessarily bashing maps i'm just listing weak points they have. As i said i can also enjoy such maps but only for a limited time

Clueless Newbie: Thats a good hint but well i KNOW that i do not have a clue about mapping itself as i never done it but i DO know about gameplay and layout. Sure there are different tastes but 'fixing' maps by doing a remix or reloaded version of them is also bad as there are then many different maps that will just confuse players. Best example was mirrorzone which was darkzone just 'the other way round' it was really mind boggling

Urmel: Well the maps from the mappack are q3 maps and never optimized for Nexuiz but i think in 2.4.1 they should be very playable even on your computer

Having a map rating on nexuizninjaz would be great, I think LordHavoc also suggested to have 'community approved' map packs of good maps to help server admins choose maps. I like that idea, so i think i'll start a thread about good maps shortly..

[Ed]

There is no way to "fix" the stairs other than to make a playerclip "slide" on them. However, you then can't stand on them anymore, and instead slowly slide down. That's annoying too...

You can instead use a set of smaller playerclip steps in between the normal steps. This is what Strahlemann suggested for bloodprisonctf so that it didn't have the same problems with bots jumping at the steps that the standard bloodprison used to have.

[k0jak]

on bloodprison i can go up the steps with speed me thinks, but most of the maps i cannot.

i'd rather slowly 'slide' and be able to move up them then not slide and get stuck most of the time when im trying to keep my speed to get around a map whilst using them.

[LordHavoc]

on bloodprison i can go up the steps with speed me thinks, but most of the maps i cannot.

i'd rather slowly 'slide' and be able to move up them then not slide and get stuck most of the time when im trying to keep my speed to get around a map whilst using them.

I can fix the speed loss on stairs in the server code, the client already does not lose speed (which is the main reason why prediction glitches so often).

The problem is reduced if you use cl_netfps 1000 or so (it's capped by your current fps).

[Clueless Newbie]

Honestly i think the reason people like Canoplasmaspam is because they should rather play FFA then ctf! They just want to spam around and frag senselessly.

Well, I like Canoplasmaspam (getting a bit bored with it now though), but I've never really liked FFA. Canoplasmaspam isn't FFA, it's just extremely chaotic CTF.

Maybe the same is true for why people like Chasm.. its narrow so hitting someone is (too) easy. People that like that style of play are those players that just join and try to frag instead of playing CTF!

Nope. It's just a style that different from the style you prefer.

It might sound arrogant but you need good experianced players to make ctf fun for everyone

That is simply not possible. I've been making game levels since... 1996(?), and one thing I've learned in all those years is that you can never please everybody. The more some people like a level, the more somebody else will hate it. And if you make levels that are designed to please as many players as possible, you'll end up with a bland, boring level that bores everybody and then nobody will be happy. Appealing to the masses might ensure that nobody is revolted, but the result will always be like airplane food; bland and tasteless.
IMO the best way to go is for me to make levels that I want to play, and then hope other people also want to play those levels.

I do not mean to tell people how to create maps, but rather to keep in mind that you might drive off NEEDED people with all those 'ohhh cute and fun' maps and that new players might get a wrong first impression when joining to see that Nexuiz is about! I admit i also can enjoy some of those maps now and then but please not 5 maps at a row! Maybe its a good idea to have seperate servers for 'real' ctf maps and 'fun' ctf maps???

But who gets to decide what maps are "real" and which are "fun"?

And i just guess the situation for TDM, KH and DOM is even worse..

I wish the CTF servers would allow a third vote when the map has been chosen; between KH, DOM, and CTF (or whichever are available) on the map they've chosen. I think that would get more players to try out those game-types. Even though I prefer CTF, I would like to play DOM and KH now and then. But the servers are always empty.

Actually, I've never played DOM.