Hello Decrypter,
I've had a quick run through on your map and i noticed a few things.
I'll try to be as constructive with my criticism as i can be.
But since the map isn't labled anything like alpha, beta or v1, i thread it like a final version.
First off a few bugs/issues:
- some of the penetrating weapons cause particle effects on the skybox (
CMAG,
AR33)
if you can show a screenshot of that part of the map in Hammer, we might be able to figure out the reason for this inconsistency
- speaking of inconsistency, you have a lot of destructable props e.g. the monitors, but a few of them don't create an explosion effect when shot.
-
this double door opens into opposite directions
- the elevator should be either malfunction completely or work. Right now i can call it to the floor I'm on but not use it to get to another floor.
overall map design:
- the map has a bad flow with many closed doors, strange room layout, one way routes and other choking points like the stairs.
I know it's based on another map (which was designed for 4 players, not up to 16) but there's so much room for improvement.
You could easily improve the flow just by adding a second staircase, make the secret room that is two floors high an official route from one floor to the other, create a working elevator for all floors, make an accessable vent that connects two floors and make the skylight passable for the player from the roof.
- item placement could also be improved upon, but that would be a task when the flow is optimized.
- some doors cannot be opened directly but have to be shot/destroyed to get into some kind of "secret room"
Nothing gives a hint to the player that the door has to be destroyed or that there is a room behind it at all.
I had to use mat_wireframe to find out that there's a room behind that door on the 3rd floor next to the elevator.
visuals could be improved a lot:
- e.g. by adjusting the lighting, which is much to plain and indistinctable all over the map.
some things like the
wall lights just look bad lighting wise and not make sense in terms of placement.
Office spaces like that will have their lights mounted in the cover of the ceiling.
- lighting differences on stacked props like these
file cabinets also look odd.
Make sure that they are lit evenly e.g. by using a info_target as lighting origin for the whole stack.
- placing a bookshelf in front of a window
like this would also never be done.
I'd rather connect these rooms by doors or make the windows passable by the players to improve flow.
- the overall texturing of the rooms is much to similar and the combination old fashioned and new age office stuff isn't very convincing.
I don't say these cannot be combined at all, but I'd rather see a contrast between modernized office spaces, conference rooms and back rooms, storage rooms, emergency exit stairs etc. that are still old style.
- the skybox is boring, please add some enviroment
in terms of optimizing:
- you have a high prop density in your map, so a good optimizing will be necessary if you don't want to have half of the props from the other floors rendered all the time, even though the player can't see them.
This will be the hardest part because of how the map is set up, but clearly a matter to address once more important issues like the flow are resolved.
EDIT:
Oh, i just noticed an important thing i forgot to add:
Please, don't add modified gun sounds to your map.
This completly destroys the consistence of the Look & Feel of the mod without the user beeing able to choose if they would like to have these sounds or not.
Rather provide a seperate download for everyone that is interrested.
Preferable don't share them on here if they are ripped sound assets from other games.
Same for the Music. I can even tell that you got the tracks from Youtube.
