I've been spending quite a bit of time lately cleaning out my map
collection. I've been also trying to figure out what maps players like, and
what maps they don't. I've had to develop a set of utility programs to
create test server installations, parse log files to see why a map crashes,
examine RES files for missing resources and copy to server if missing. I
also test them to see which WAD files are really needed because most WAD
files that end up in the RES are not required because the textures are
imbedded in the map. I'm down to 2186 maps. I still need to go through and
playtest them to see which ones are actually playable, and see which ones
need more weapons and spawn points. A lot of work, but most of the time is
spent writing the programs so the process is automated.
My next project is to take each map, copy it to a clean server along with
the sound, sprites, and sky files and run the map to see what models and
wads it really needs. Then I'll zip it into a verified file set for each
map. The end result should be a playable map complete with all necessary
resources.
My boss just won 3rd place in Mr. Ironman here in Oregon (body building -
omg, he is one buff dude!). We were talking about why people spend so much
time on something for so little reward. Yeah, he won 3rd place, but he spent
months training just to strut around on stage for 10 minutes, and now all he
has is a 5 inch trophy to show for it. I asked why someone would do
something like that, and he asked why I spend so much time with my HL server
and map collection. Then he asks me what I'm doing right at that moment. It
was 2am in the morning and I was working with some utility program to work
with map files, as mentioned above. He called me a nerd. :-(
----- Original Message -----
From: "Kevin Ottalini" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, May 21, 2006 12:01 AM
Subject: Re: [hlds] Old favorite maps - what are yours?
Ooks,
I would never run mountainhamlet as a part of a regular map cycle. It's
an awesome map but it is also an almost guaranteed server crash.
In fact, any map that uses squads of grunts is problematic in multiplayer
and should be avoided (IMO).
There are so many old favorites for HLDM that the composition of your
mapcycle really resolves to:
1. what maps are the right size for the number of players your server can
support, IE: Merlin is awesome but just plain too huge for the typical 4
or
5 players on HLDM these days (I don't think it supports bots very well
either).
2. lots of old favorite maps are quite painfully shy of
weapons/ammo/health/armor/jumppack ... players end up crawling around with
only a pistol, starving for something to shoot (or one player gets to the
key weapon and totally dominates the map until everyone leaves). Most
older maps need tuneups these days to make them move faster and make play
much more dynamic and fun.
3. a lot of old maps have specific design problems, perhaps too focused on
tau or gluon, perhaps areas that are just plain kill zones that are
inescapable and need a warp or two to give players a way of getting up and
out.
Some great maps like Gotham have so few spawn points that one player can
literally kill everyone round robin before they can move after respawning.
Gotham also has a bad problem with such a severe roomtype setting that
sounds get muted so you're virtually deaf. I also found the low-gravity
on
Gotham combined with the totally black skybox to be quite naughty and
abusive ... yes a favorite map for tau whores that float invisibly up out
of
sight zapping anything that moves ... not favorite for virtually any other
player.
Even incredible maps like Mist have stick points that a well placed warp
can
fix ... I personally dislike falling off the edge of maps and dying all
the
time and would rather provide a set of warp zones instead.
All of these things can be fixed but it takes a great deal of time to do
what is needed to make maps really worth playing.
I literally have 8 or 10 different map cycles that I change on the fly to
suit the selection of players that are currently on. When I choose a fun
selection, they all stay and play for several hours ... If I choose poorly
the server will clear out almost immediately.
New players especially have little patience on a map where they can't find
any weapons or anyone to shoot at.
Your map cycle is equivalent to bait in a competition fishing event ...
the
right bait will give you a collection of "experts" that visit every day
(the
fishermen) and it will bring a regular flow of new players to your server
(the fish) which will hopefully become regulars.
Give one player frags and he will be happy.
Give all players frags and you will have a server.
qUiCkSiLvEr
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ook"
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, May 20, 2006 11:11 PM
Subject: [hlds] Old favorite maps - what are yours?
I'm collecting a list of old favorite maps HLDM and OP4 maps. Would some
kind souls like to post the maps they remember as being old favorites? My
current list looks like this (some of these are my favorites, not
necessarily "old favorites" - but then that is what old favorites are
) ):
q2dm1
3highlakes
aliendm
aztec_sacrifice
badtaste_snowfall
bash
bazooka3
beach3
cameltosis
chapel
cliff
thehill
canyon
dabo
dam
donkeykong2
dontfall
drive_in
farmland2
farmland
killbox
mcdonalds
metal
morgoth
mountain
plateau
mountainhamlet
tomb
vacant_town
voodoo_lounge
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