dm_hydroponicz | map by Pig Popper

[Pig Popper]

Thanks for all the help, this map is now complete.. enjoy

DOWNLOAD!!

Play Style:
Built with 3v3 in mind but shold work equally well as 1v1
The RPG is atop of a tube that constantly raises and lowers so you gotta spend some time planning when yuo're gonna access it, it also functionis as a lift (it is not a lift) to the 3 levels. When someone attempts to collect the RPG the seconds it takes allows an opposing player time to reach a vantage vai an alternative route, hopefully balancing the rpg's role during play.

Theme:
Set in what has been described as a lost colony, possibly harvesting some unknown resource

Weapons:
2x mags
3x xbow
3x shotty
2x ar2
plenty of grenades
3x orbs
3x smg nades

Health:
1 x super charger
2 x suit chargers
2 x health chargers
plenty of health kits and a few suit


Areas: The map is comprised of 3 main play areas
1. charger area
2. RPG (lift) area
3. Garden area (+ indoor botanical garden)
there is also a rather pivotal connecting setion that overlooks all 3 to some degree.

Special Thanks to;
Ripstar for sounds / logos and general great ideas
eX for extensive playtesting
boshed for being boshed shaped
shoobie for his critical eye
all the cats at gHOST for some killer tdm matches on this 1
and everyone at [url]hl2dm-University.com[/url], [url]snarkpit.net[/url], [url]interlopers.net[/url] and [url]fpsbanana.com[/url].

Thanks a bunch peeps.

[Supervillain]

Really? No comments on this yet?

I can't speak for HL: DM gameplay (since it's not my cup of coffee) but I really like the visual style of this map. Perhaps it's because I am a full time Horticulture student at the University of Arizona, where I focus mostly on hydroponic systems/greenhouses for application in space, that I am partial to your design.

I think you did a great job of mixing a sort of industrial sci-fi feel with the plants. The green lighting and draping vines are really nice, as are the multiple planters,glass tubes/cases, and machinery. It's a very nice looking design. I also like the custom textures you made with your "hydroponic symbol." It really gives the feeling of an abandoned plant facility on another world.

Nice work!

[Chopium]

Green lights don't really work. Try to focus on warm and cold colors. In an artificial greenhouse, purple lighting is used for the plants. I'd like to see the brightness on a couple lights turned up. (especially on picture 11)
Add more ambient light to areas with low light. (light entity 100% constant falloff) You might want to think of your empty areas and give them a purpose. Empty rooms are weird in buildings. Some suggestions: Power room, Server room, Water filtration, Water pump, Lab room, Pipe room, storage, Repair shop, ect ect. The layout and general design look good, but some aesthetic valves are lacking. Light in the plant room should come from above not below.

[Kubata]

I can't say it's a BAD map, the design definitely looks fit for DM style gameplay. What I can say is that judging from the screenshots, you've got great brushwork as far as walls and ceilings go, but in between there's little variety. It looks like an empty facility that nobody inhabits, it seems a bit TOO clean. You've got a trash pile near that computer, but it seems a bit out of place since the rest of the facility is immaculate.

All it needs are some realism factors, maybe some effects. But the idea of "this place is used by people" needs to be addressed by the maps aesthetics, and rooms need to be filled with ...stuff.

Wonderful job otherwise.

[haymaker]

rooms need to be filled with ...stuff.

sigh

too many maps in hl2dm suffer from this notion ( Not like it matters, being 2010 and all I guess ). Aesthetically it makes sense, but in terms of gameplay and maximum frames equaling minimal impact on Source's dipshit netcode, is generally a bad idea. Adding piles of crap props like buckets and keyboards just makes me RQ trying to play an actual game.

I think Popper's done an admirable job of using other detailing, like lighting, and has kept a good balance overall. What prop detailing he has done is done smartly by hiding it behind world brushwork. It's too bad I don't see this map run more often.

[Kubata]

When I said "stuff" I didn't explicitly mean random and useless props. I was more referring to brushwork or perhaps prop_static's which wouldn't affect the overall design. Ultimately it depends on your priorities. If you want a perfectly running map, make a couple of rooms, connect them with hallways and throw in some lights. If you want a terribly optimized map that looks wonderful, spend hours of your life wittling out tiny details. I like to strike a balance somewhere in between, perhaps leaning a bit to the detailed side considering the source engine's age.

[Unstoppable Florence]

rooms need to be filled with ...stuff.

sigh

too many maps in hl2dm suffer from this notion ( Not like it matters, being 2010 and all I guess ). Aesthetically it makes sense, but in terms of gameplay and maximum frames equaling minimal impact on Source's dipshit netcode, is generally a bad idea. Adding piles of crap props like buckets and keyboards just makes me RQ trying to play an actual game.

Overloading the map is always going to be bad, but I thought the whole point of hl2dm was to have stuff that the gravity gun can toss around. I counted 3 physics props in those screens, its not enough. Certainly if you want a map in which GG use is limited, this makes sense, but to me that kills the whole point of the game.

Regarding the map itself, really nice idea, but it doesn't take it anywhere near far enough. 90% of the map is composed of grey walls with green light, if it weren't for the title, I would have assumed this was some kind of futuristic warehouse that happens to have plants in it for decoration. It feels like a serious of interconnecting chambers with funky lighting, not a place that ever had any purpose. The brushwork is lovely though. : )

[haymaker]

Yeah. Valve intended the ggun to be the focus hence lagfest map overwatch. Turns out the game is far deeper than that, a great percentage of today's player base prefer to use the fast movement it offers, and accordingly want a greater challenge in targeting. Overabundance of big props is considered weak gameplay, and small ones are just junk as noted. The game offers decent balance without props being the focus. Ggun is only really useful for catching orbs and nades on a map like this