[CS:GO] de_investment (WORKSHOP, Update 7 Sept)

[Sathor]

The playtest is now over. Thanks everyone who participated. Your feedback is of course welcome!

[MaK]

I missed it again

[Armageddon]

It was big, and the right stairwell from the CT spawn should be flipped.

[MaK]

I don't like what you did with the lighting and HDR. Everything else was great.

[stoopdapoop]

map is really shaping up, really liked the changes you made to the offices.

Lighting was good in my opinion, no silly dark spots.

[Sathor]

A small update. I am working on the map and have made the last major change in the general architecture. I never liked the staircase and the two rooms connecting the terrorist spawn to the rest of the map, I think I now found the solution!
Now it is all part of the big lobby, making it visually smooth and also easier to navigate.

This is still WIP - on the upper floor the left wall is lacking the doors leading to the atrium in the middle of the map, and I didn't work on any real detail yet. But I still wanted to show you what I am currently working on.

[mookie]

I see by the calendar that the playtest was fully two weeks ago now, so things have probably changed, so here are some thoughts that may or may not still be relevant:

Bombsite A

Bombsite A feels claustrophobic, and more so as you get closer to the target. There are a lot of obstacles to movement around, and not a lot of free space to move in. I don't see the servers or columns disappearing, but the servers could be slimmed down a bit, and the space between themselves and around the columns could be expanded a little to make navigation easier. The fences I think exacerbate the problem, because they restrict your movement from certain areas, but also don't give you any kind of cover. For the L-shaped fence between the two ground-level doors, this seems like a natural area to be able to take cover if the fence were removed and some hard cover were put between the column and the near wall. The fence behind the target is tough, because it traps you away from the wall, so that you can easily be shot at from above if someone happens to be there.

Bombsite B

It's difficult to guess where exactly you'll be able to plant here; the target is very small, and there's no visual cue as to where the target is.

The back way into the site for the CTs feels very useless. You have to run for a ways without any kind of cover, then either turn around and go up this long flight of stairs, or run even further with only cover from above to get out in the open where you can start to approach the target from the T side. A more direct route from CT spawn to the second level at B would probably make a big difference here.

The large step (planter?) leading up into the black-carpeted meeting room from the green-carpeted walkway on the T side is uncomfortable. The jump from the carpet through the window is just barely doable; the result is that the large step actually slows you down compared to jumping through the window to the right of it, because it's difficult to clear the depth of the step and still hit the window high enough to go through (usually, you'll have to jump twice to go through). If the idea is that you need to use the step to get through, the bottom of the window frame needs to be raised; otherwise, the step should probably be raised some so that you can walk through the window from it without jumping again. The black-edged thing (planter?) on the CT side presents a similar problem, with the added problem that the inability to walk over it severely restricts your movement here, even if you have no interest in going through the window.

The green counter can be difficult to get over, because of the slope on the backside above the grey part. A steep slope is impossible to walk over, even if it's low enough to be a step.

The movable office chairs here and throughout the level are a navigation hazard as well. The high-backed black chair right next to the target is the worst, but the chairs around the conference table also present a problem that will affect gameplay.

CT Movement

The movement for the CTs behind and through the middle seems difficult; the biggest problem here is that they have no easy access to the grey Z-room the goes into A on the lower level, and there is no other ingress into A from the CT side (other than the upper-level entrance). If you're in CT spawn or B, entering A from the ground floor means going out into the middle and down a very long flight of stairs (or jumping for a lot of damage). Otherwise, the only option for getting into A is the upper-level entrance from CT spawn, which is very exposed due to the transparent floor there. There are probably quite a few ways to deal with this; the entrance into A from CT spawn could be split to open on the catwalk in two separate places, an entrance directly from CT spawn to the lower level of A could be added, an easier way down from the upper level of the middle to the area between the two entrances to A could be added, a way from CT spawn into the second level of the room with the stones and water could be added.

[Sathor]

I see by the calendar that the playtest was fully two weeks ago now, so things have probably changed, so here are some thoughts that may or may not still be relevant:

Yes, for example I worked on bombsite A, but you still give a lot of valid feedback, some of which led to a major change in the layout!

It's difficult to guess where exactly you'll be able to plant here; the target is very small, and there's no visual cue as to where the target is.

Consider this a flaw of the test version, enough visual cues will be added.

The movable office chairs here and throughout the level are a navigation hazard as well. The high-backed black chair right next to the target is the worst, but the chairs around the conference table also present a problem that will affect gameplay.

The chairs will be static in the next version.

The movement for the CTs behind and through the middle seems difficult; the biggest problem here is that they have no easy access to the grey Z-room the goes into A on the lower level, and there is no other ingress into A from the CT side (other than the upper-level entrance). If you're in CT spawn or B, entering A from the ground floor means going out into the middle and down a very long flight of stairs (or jumping for a lot of damage). Otherwise, the only option for getting into A is the upper-level entrance from CT spawn, which is very exposed due to the transparent floor there.

This part caused a major change in the layout. I added another route for the CTs (or even Ts, too, obviously), which made the problem about this disappear, while not meddling too much with the general layout of the map and without destroying the architecture. A stair was added to the small connecting corridor between the hall after CT-Spawn and bombsite A, which connects this area with the smaller room which connects the atrium and bombsite A on the lower level. You can see the change in the screenshots:

Updated entrance to bombsite A from the upper floor, with an added stair leading downwards.


Updated entrance to bombsite A from the lower floor, with the stair visible from this perspective.


Screenshot of the status quo of T-Spawn. A first test model of the handrail prop has been added.

[Epifire]

Aside from some slightly noticable repetitive plant life in that last screen shot I think it is all still looking pretty good. I think it could use a wee bit more props spread out among the areas shown, but it depends if you are going for the evacuated office look (with papers and stuff scattered everwhere) or just the plain clean look.

Still looking developing well though, and I am looking forward to testing this when I get back onto my regular home computer.

[Text_Fish]

I think those blue and yellow textures are horrible. You have to get just the right shade to make a block of bright colour look good and I also think there's a bit too much of a pattern in them which makes them look too weathered.

[Sathor]

Aside from some slightly noticable repetitive plant life in that last screen shot I think it is all still looking pretty good.

The plants are the standard plants from CS:GO, I will replace them later. My custom plants for this planter type will repeat only every 256 units (or something) and will have a white texture, like in Mirror's Edge.

I think it could use a wee bit more props spread out among the areas shown, but it depends if you are going for the evacuated office look (with papers and stuff scattered everwhere) or just the plain clean look.

I want the plain, clean look. I think maps in games are generally way too littered in an attempt to make them look detailed. There will be some more props, like trash cans, security cameras, small tables, and perhaps one or two sculptures. I don't want any kind of paper or anything of that kind on the floor.

I think those blue and yellow textures are horrible. You have to get just the right shade to make a block of bright colour look good and I also think there's a bit too much of a pattern in them which makes them look too weathered.

Don't worry, I recyclced some really old textures which are not meant for the map and just represent the general colour scheme I am going for. A yellow (with a slight orange tint) and a fairly dark blue.


Thanks for your feedback!

[MaK]

That new CT-Spawn area is really shaping up. I like the black. Please have my children.

[Sathor]

Screenshots of the handrails I am currently working on. They will get a brushed metal texture. It is a whole system, so almost anything can be done.

There are six basic pieces.
sath_handrail01a_L64 (L128, L256) = a standard piece with a post at one end (or in between, on the longer ones)
sath_handrail01b_Lx = an ending piece with two posts (x = for example 24, 32, 40, 48 and others)
sath_handrail01c_Lx = an ending piece with one post (x = for example 24, 32, 40, 48 and others)
sath_handrail01d = the outer corner (64x64)
sath_handrail01e = the inner corner (72x72)
sath_handrail01f = just an end post and a small plate for the upper part. Used in combination with 01c to cover smaller intervals.

There will be some special pieces for this map later, the roundish pieces were for now constructed with the standard pieces (can be easily noticed up close)

[Sathor]

Update 5th of October, 2012

I am still working on the map. In the past few weeks I have mainly worked on the areas which had been most unfinished. Some areas were redesigned a bit, too. From the terrorist point of view, the left route is now entirly in green, the right route is in yellow, while the middle route (and the T-Spawn) are in orange.

This now represents fairly well the final look of the map, without any polish. Most of the textures are either still in work or simple placeholders, the lightning is experimental or dev, and so on.

The map is a big project, with many props to create.

Still, I want to show some progress.

Terrorist spawn


Corridor in the office area


Offices


Room with a fountain (connecting bombsite A and the office area)


Room with stairs between the long hallway and bombsite B

[Epifire]

Except for the rather plain, office corridor I think all the other ones look marvelous. I am really liking the idea you have behind taking one piece of detail and anchoring it in a pivotal area to accent it in a really simple but authentic manor. Keep up the good work man!