Airfield Assault First Playable test released.

[_DaRk_CrAzY-NuTTeR]

Sweet, nice blimp thingy, yet another map to add to my ownage strike.

Ok now im just jealouse

[adec]

I was able to download the map on the second attempt, but it still does not show in the map list when I click host game in the menu. Any other way to load the map. I would like to walk through it before playing live.

[MadMaximus]

I was able to download the map on the second attempt, but it still does not show in the map list when I click host game in the menu. Any other way to load the map. I would like to walk through it before playing live.

yeah, you can just type
/g_gametype 2
/map airassfp1 or
/devmap airassfp1
in the console.

but it should be lin your list… i had so many pk3’s in my et i missed it a few times when i checke for it. it should be called ‘Airfield Assault First Playable Test’ when you try to host.

[Loffy]

hi!
Maybe a tunnel, that goes all the way, so allies can sneak in behind the enemy lines?
And a final flag for allies to capture, closer to the trucks?
Just some thoughts.
// Loffy

PS. great map!

[MadMaximus]

hi!
Maybe a tunnel, that goes all the way, so allies can sneak in behind the enemy lines?
And a final flag for allies to capture, closer to the trucks?
Just some thoughts.
// Loffy

PS. great map!

yeah loffy. ive been getting a lotta requests for that… i’m thinking of something that may work.

[Fenris]

Hi again, we did some playing 3v3 and 4v4 last night and we noticed there’s quite some running from allied spawn to the trucks with that many (few) players, since teams quickly get disorganized and you have to start over on the attack. I’m not sure whether this is just a “fueldumpish” thing (I mean that map also plays bad with lots of runing when there are few people) and the map would work better with 6v6 or more but we were only 6-8 on last night, anyway one idea would be to place a forward spawn flag somewhere around where axis have their second spawn at the moment, and if allies get the flag they spawn there instead of axis, and axis spawn in one of the hangars near the obj, and if axis retake the flag they spawn at the flag and allies back in the caves again. Just an idea though, unsure how it would affect gameplay, but I do think it would ease up on the running

Otherwise an excellent map. Please do keep the blimp in the final version death from above…

Btw, was that you (Maximus) trying to log on to the server ? Saw a few people who didn’t get online, looked like download problems from the webserver, if so I’ll need to check that.

[MadMaximus]

yeah fenris, ive been getting a lot of feedback on the distance ppl have to travel, plus that panzer bug is holding the allies back, i was mapping the last few days and repaired the blimp considerably, no more missing textures and also added a forward capturable spawn in the bunker/building with the overhead door, which only appears after the main entrance is blown, then both sides have to be quick and capture it. the reason for not having it present before the entrance is blown is obvious, that if an allied covert sneaks through and the flagpole is there, he could capture it and negate his team having to blow the entrance at all. so the flagpole base is there but no flagpole until the entrance gate is blown. added some temporary tree’s for cover and a few other things i noticed, not hacks but things ppl are able to do to get the objectives done quicker and not the proper way, like trick jumps… stopped those with some clips. also repaired the panzer bug, it’s just a script repair. i can send u the patch when i pack it, as for the next version with the improved blimp and forward spawn, it wont be done for a bit…

and yeah, last nite i saw your server running, and i was going to stop by, but i was tired… so that maximus wasn’t me, i go by the name of ShusterDogburt in the game. but i may drop by today if i get some free time. =)

thanks again for running the map, i appreciate it. so far the comments on gameplay and the map as a whole have been good.

EDIT:

Btw, was that you (Maximus) trying to log on to the server ? Saw a few people who didn’t get online, looked like download problems from the webserver, if so I’ll need to check that.

i noticed that d/l problem on etpro2 servers… if someone doesnt have etpro, well, in my case, et just closes and a browser window opens to the files needed to be downloaded by the server… if they have a page for that… http…

i had to manually download and put in my et what files were needed before i could join.

[Chruker]

Pheew a long thread you got going there MadMax

The sewers are not really that complex once you get used to them, and i had a seperate cm map for them, but the multi layers/cm maps doesnt appear to work at all, so i will try to have the sewers path’s on the top map somehow… staggered path lines maybe.

Ifurita got it working in Byzentine, where the cisterns are on a seperate map.

Another thing about the sewers are. I find the signs with east and south gate, cause on the command map they appear to be like east and west.

On map start there is a setstate error in the console. I don’t know what entity is causing it.

Some small comments about other replies:

• The map shows up on my map list when I try to host.
• Those trucks are german trucks, Blitz (I think it was Opel who manufactered them)

Comments for which I don’t have a screenshot (sorry ;-)):

• The levelshot seems to be missing the alpha channel (isn’t that how they get clipped to fit inside?)
• Hmm, I had some more notes in a document but I can’t find that one now

Well here comes some screenshots I took:

• After the ‘subway station’, in the bend of the railway tunnel the brushes of the wall and roof isn’t following each other.

• I think its these doors that somebody else mentioned. They appear bright ingame, and almost illuminating.
• Also if this is such a public place the bunker texture on the wall doesn’t really match.

• Some of the terrain in the background (above the cross-hair) is being clipped.

• I think you should add a door here.
• The snow texture on the roof, should be a better match to the terrain texture.

• Again I don’t think the snowtexture on the ground matches the really white snow texture at the bottom of the slopes. But thats not the biggest iffy.
• You really need some track decals here.
• And need something that fades from the asphalt in the tunnels to the snow outside.

• I think the axis have been served some bad food
• And unless somebody is blowing dynamite in the sewers the water wouldn’t move that much.

• I think many of your bunker walls are way too thin. In non-open areas they should be twice as thick as here.
• Actually I have a clip from a documentary where they state that bunker wall were about 4-5 meters thick! It was a clip about Hitlers bunker in Berlin.

• Again wall thickness.

• The texture on the trim are rotated. This problem exist on almost all the bunker buildings where you have that trim.
• BTW nice idea about turning of power to the powerlines, however if you don’t touch the ground at the same time then you wont get electricuted.
• You could just have the hurt fields where the powerlines are close to a grounded object. And then increase the damage amount.

• Your textures tiles a lot. Look at the snow texture on the roof, and the grey on the ground.
• Also as I have said earlier you need to use a texture on the ground that has some snow on it. Right now it looks like the ground is heated and have melted the snow.

• The texture alignment is way off. You also check the other corners where you have used this brushwork.
• Regarding the brushwork, I don’t think that concrete walls would trim inwards (?), but thats a minor thing.

• A lot of your building are empty, empty, empty.
• This is at the main entrance. You might want to add two MG to protect the tunnel entrances.

• The brush you have under the truck doesn’t clip the spectator, so you can fly underneath and see the hall-of-mirrors effect.
• Also you’re not using the same texture as on the terrain.

• There is a version of this roof texture which has snow on it. I really recommend using that one here instead.

• You need some decals on the runway. Since it doesn’t look like a runway.
• And you need to close of the other end of the runway.
• Perhaps make the runway short, and add a fence.

• I think this is by the light bulb. Add snow texture to the top of the wall.
• Also consider changing the light bulb on the commandmap with a lightning strike, like the one under the chargebar in the HUD.

• You can’t see it on the picture. But there is z-fighting in the window where it meets the window frame. Just use the common/nodraw texture there, since the player never sees it without the frame.

• Wrong texture alignment by the cross-hair.
• Again a very empty room.
• I think this is the building with the constructible allied MG on the roof.

• I think you should increase this MG’s turning ability so it can cover the entire FOV. On the picture its turned max. left.

• Texture mismatch.
• Also the roof texture seems very stretched.

• It looks wrong that concrete is used to hold this.
• Tonight I noticed that on Goldrush they are using wood for this.

• Here I am at D10, almost falling off the map.
• You have mentioned earlier that you wanted to expand the min-max coords, so just make sure they get big enough.

• Same place as previous
• Also note that the compas clips more than the folded out version.
• This is by the glowing doors. The window frame also seem very bright.

• You have mentioned that the railway tunnel will get bend but you could also just add a black fog, to give the illusion of very long tunnel.

• By the ‘railway station’ that tunnel is really snowed shut!
• Also those two railway tunnels aren’t pretty. Sorry I think its the texture. Perhaps if you make them appear to be constructed of stone?
• The wheels of the railway cars are not near round enough.
• Finally you may consider having snow on all the outer logs on the cart.

• Hmm, this was apparently where I planned to say that thing about the power lines.
• But now I can see you need a snowy texture on top of the tunnel in the lower right of the picture.
• And I think you should make the track decal on the ground more ‘erradic’ - look at fueldump, there isn’t any long stright paths.
• Also snow on top of the eletric poles.

• The big gate shouldn’t be so symmetrical when destroyed.
• Also again decals for the tracks.

• Of all the wood that destructible these aren’t.
• However they are a nice touch in the map.

• Or is it these that aren’t destructible. Can’t remember.
• But looking at this picture, I’m reminded that many of the building don’t have window panes (glas).

• Another place where the textures were locked when you rotated
• This is inside one of the buildings by the hydroswitch? Why is it called that BTW?

• Part of the ladder is fused into the tube. Just follow the ladder up from the cross-hair.

• Because I climbed into the sewers from the axis side, I could place the dynamite on the wrong side of the grate. Making my dynamite seem like it has been imploding.

• Nice touch with the hole in the ground.
• But perhaps you should add some wrechage. Like som tires.
• But you definately add some more smoke.

• Great idea about the airship. I have the axis escaping in one, on one of the maps I have on the drawing board.
• Everything I had to say about the gondola, has been covered.
• However I think you could increase the altitude of it. Just move it up, so that the gondola brush is below the top clip.

• After being blasted with dynamite the side entrance is suprisingly clean.
• Add debris and some damage to the wall.

• All the tunnels and here the bridge in the city, need some kind of transition between the ‘pavement’ and the snowy areas.

[Chruker]

One general issue:

• At a distance you’re textures tile a lot.

I must say I can’t wait to play your map online. I think you have done a great job. Its really nice that such a big map has some nice FPS figures, so thumbs up on the clipping

[Fusen]

you like doing such detailed look-arounds dont ya =D

---

Honda sl70

[Chruker]

Yeah!!!

Well its not like I have a long list of possible pitfalls when mapping. But an eye for detail helps a lot

[_AE_HawkeyE]

This map looks familiar, oh ya it’s on my clan’s server :). I finally got around to your advice to going to the splash damage chat and I just found the site tonight after one of the guys in the chat I’d get more help here :). I need plenty of it to! heh By the way, if you wanted to join our clan I don’t think you’d even have to try out because we want a mapper for some reason, I’m just not good enough :’(.

GREAT JOB on the map! We’ve gotten our server to around some 24 people playing this map and that was enough to have quite a bit of fun, it gets kind of a pain to play with lower numbers of people though. Usually getting through that main gate isn’t too bad but one time the axis decided to defend e got through eventually :). The only problem I had with the map was the lengthy distance from the allied forward spawn (the former axis spawn) to the airfield, you spend so much time getting there and then you’re dead :), another FDA sounds kinda nifty, maybe in that graveyard possibily area you were thinking about in the tunnels, eh? heh Great job again! And wow that was one detailed walk through Chruker, shows how much you care about other mappers and keeping the integrity of the maps they worked so hard on, even though after playing that map numerous times I think have noticed maybe one thing on your checklist :D, nice job! I don’t want to make a map now, I’d put you through way too much :-p

[_AE_HawkeyE]

oh ya, our server IP is 66.98.130.45:27960

The map isn’t constantly on but our entire clan enjoys it and if you voted to change it, it would probably win :), if this map wasn’t already running that is.

[MadMaximus]

well, i read your post last nite Chruker and it seem’s pretty thorough although there are a few places that you missed such as the train tracks bleeding into the ground at the turns and so forth… =)

i meant a proper replie last night, however i had some ppl over and food and drink were a plenty and i was in to sloshy of a mood to do anything proper let alone type out a long reply… but today im off, and have a good cup of coffee and can give your observations the proper reply.

just let me get a smoke… =)

ok, here we go… ( in no particular order )

Ifurita got it working in Byzentine, where the cisterns are on a seperate map.
Another thing about the sewers are. I find the signs with east and south gate, cause on the command map they appear to be like east and west.

well, the problem is not getting more command maps in, i have no problem with that, and they work as you move from level to level, it’s getting the command map icons to appear on the proper level that doesnt seem to work, so i scapped the idea after running a pile of tests and decided on the one ( crude ) command map i have, and it is scheduled to be replaced by one made by Schaffer who does excellent cm’s.

when u travel in the sewers, there is the entrances at the south side, east/west… and 4 gates… east, west, north, south… at the northern part are 3 of them, west/north/east, the reason they may look a bit odd is that the north gate to the north sewers is impassable… so how far north it runs is a lot more north that where the east/west end… see what i mean? and i keep it blocked off because… er… i dropped 10 bucks there and i don’t want someone else to find it before i get the chance =) actually… it’s just to give the impression of a larger sewer system than your allowed to see, the north/south head more on that your allowed to go because of the locked gates, but as to how farther they go it’s up to ppl’s imaginations, at least that was my intent.

On map start there is a setstate error in the console. I don’t know what entity is causing it.

yeah, im not shure also… i have to track down all the problems with textures/models/scripts but that’s why i put this out now to find these so ui can fix them for a beta down the road… an intresting thing i have noticed is that on an etpro server that ive been to, everything showed up fine, all the textures and models… but on shrub/shrubet/etpro2 they seem to go missing… i’ll have to figure that all out before the beta. thanks for noticing that.

( i’ll omit the screenshots fomr here on end as you have em listed already )

[quote=]Well here comes some screenshots I took:

• After the ‘subway station’, in the bend of the railway tunnel the brushes of the wall and roof isn’t following each other.

• I think its these doors that somebody else mentioned. They appear bright ingame, and almost illuminating.

• Also if this is such a public place the bunker texture on the wall doesn’t really match.

[/quote]

the tunnel roof is a patch, and the walls are just brushwork, i tried to keep that little glitch hidden where i could, but i needed to keep the wall’s brushwork for certain reasons,
under normal playing you will never notice it, and it’s only through spectating can you see those odd things here and there.

I have heard comments on the door textures, but i kind of like the look of them, they stand out as a different type of building to me, and i do have to keep some artistic freedom. And it was meant to be more of a military controlled station so i like those bunker textures…

• Some of the terrain in the background (above the cross-hair) is being clipped.
• I think you should add a door here.
• The snow texture on the roof, should be a better match to the terrain texture.
• Again I don’t think the snowtexture on the ground matches the really white snow texture at the bottom of the slopes. But thats not the biggest iffy.
• You really need some track decals here.
• And need something that fades from the asphalt in the tunnels to the snow outside.

again with normal playing you will never see this, only with spectating can you see this, same with Oasis, you can spec up high and see where there is no mountains after the mountains end, under normal playing you never notice.

yeah, that texture should be more snow. i’ll ajust that =)

well, the snow texture on the ground is a grass based one and really add’s a nice contrast, if i made it just snow like at the bottom of the mountains, then i would not have liked it at all. 4 different textures used to paint those mountains, and i think that snow/grass one on the ground is nice, so it won’t be changed.

track decals were there in earlier maps and will be there in the beta, i pulled them out for the test as i didnt want to start ajusting the ground/terrain to make them fit yet.

snow fading into streets/tunnels was planned from the start, not implemented yet.

• I think the axis have been served some bad food
• And unless somebody is blowing dynamite in the sewers the water wouldn’t move that much.

there were 3 parms that were in the toilet waterwhen i was testing, wavy like that, rotating and another… i quickly edited out 2 and didnt notice that was the one i left in, it will be more subtle by the beta.

• I think many of your bunker walls are way too thin. In non-open areas they should be twice as thick as here.
• Actually I have a clip from a documentary where they state that bunker wall were about 4-5 meters thick! It was a clip about Hitlers bunker in Berlin.
• Again wall thickness.

some things to consider for thick walls is the angle people have to fire out when they stand next to them, so i made them that thick and that won’t change.

i like the way those wall’s look with that rusty frame, again this won’t change.

• The texture on the trim are rotated. This problem exist on almost all the bunker buildings where you have that trim.
• BTW nice idea about turning of power to the powerlines, however if you don’t touch the ground at the same time then you wont get electricuted.
• You could just have the hurt fields where the powerlines are close to a grounded object. And then increase the damage amount.

yes, the textures are not aligned, i redid a pile of brushwork there and quickly slapped on textures for this fp test, and i mentioned in the readme you will find those textures not aligned but will be for the beta.

well, if you were to walk across real powerlines without touching the ground you’d be smoking real quick… unless of course a few of them were turned off… if ones live then you won’t feel a thing… as to which ones i intended to be live and not by the switch turning off/on… i wont say… it’s just enough to know that turn the switch off and u can walk there…

• Your textures tiles a lot. Look at the snow texture on the roof, and the grey on the ground.
• Also as I have said earlier you need to use a texture on the ground that has some snow on it. Right now it looks like the ground is heated and have melted the snow.
• The texture alignment is way off. You also check the other corners where you have used this brushwork.
• Regarding the brushwork, I don’t think that concrete walls would trim inwards (?), but thats a minor thing.

yeah, those on the roof were a quick thing for the test so i can put it out. and i mentioned before in an eariler post that the street/sidewalks will have a snow look to them for the beta. and as for trimming inwards, shure… why not? it’s a nice structural look and it’s used in fueldump also where i got the look of the buildings from. once the textures are properly aligned for the beta, it will look real nice.

• A lot of your building are empty, empty, empty.
• This is at the main entrance. You might want to add two MG to protect the tunnel entrances.

i mentioned in the readme i think about doing all the details such as more stuff for the beta, i did some in the other buildings, but didnt add anymore when i decided to do this test. remember, the map is not done yet.

• The brush you have under the truck doesn’t clip the spectator, so you can fly underneath and see the hall-of-mirrors effect.
• Also you’re not using the same texture as on the terrain.
• There is a version of this roof texture which has snow on it. I really recommend using that one here instead.
• You need some decals on the runway. Since it doesn’t look like a runway.
• And you need to close of the other end of the runway.
• Perhaps make the runway short, and add a fence.

yeah, that crater was a last minute thing i added for the test, same with the smoke ect… the ground doesnt match since i quickly brushed it up, it’s meant to be redone for the beta.

• i’ll check for that roof texture, good idea =)
  i am still thinking of doing something with the end of the runway, but for this test i clipped it for obvious reasons.

• I think this is by the light bulb. Add snow texture to the top of the wall.
• Also consider changing the light bulb on the commandmap with a lightning strike, like the one under the chargebar in the HUD.
• You can’t see it on the picture. But there is z-fighting in the window where it meets the window frame. Just use the common/nodraw texture there, since the player never sees it without the frame.
• I think you should increase this MG’s turning ability so it can cover the entire FOV. On the picture its turned max. left.

maybe some snow would look nice… but on building egdes where the sun has been down on them all day, the snow melts and can’t be seen… so i probably wont change that.

i like that bulb, probably wont change. it’s either on/off, lit or not.

that window is from an earlier version of that building where i noticed that a while back, the later versions of that building have that repaired. i pieced in the wrong one when i put the test together, thanks for noticing… i probably would have forgot to redo it =)

that mg turns enough to cover the decrepid building exit and most of the overpass, i dont think i’ll ajust it more.

• It looks wrong that concrete is used to hold this.
• Tonight I noticed that on Goldrush they are using wood for this.
• Here I am at D10, almost falling off the map.
• You have mentioned earlier that you wanted to expand the min-max coords, so just make sure they get big enough.
• Also note that the compas clips more than the folded out version.
• This is by the glowing doors. The window frame also seem very bright.
• You have mentioned that the railway tunnel will get bend but you could also just add a black fog, to give the illusion of very long tunnel.

there’s brickwork for the outcropping and concrete trim at the bottom, but that is wood coming out to support it, and u can see it’s thick wood and has the wood texture on it. Ive been in construction and also a shipper/reciever years ago and if three 2x4’s with thin planks across them can support 4 barrels weighing 2.5 tons, then those big wood peices coming out from the building can support those windows/outcroppings with little or no effort at all.

yeah, the map size needs to be ajusted, initially the town never went that far south, but as i expanded it to the limits of my max coords, i just didnt ajust the coords to allow for it. i mentioned that will be done for the beta.

im stiill intending for the train tunnels to extend further away from where your allowed to go, the clip will remain but a way to show you that your not allowed past will be put in.

• By the ‘railway station’ that tunnel is really snowed shut!
• Also those two railway tunnels aren’t pretty. Sorry I think its the texture. Perhaps if you make them appear to be constructed of stone?
• The wheels of the railway cars are not near round enough.
• And I think you should make the track decal on the ground more ‘erradic’ - look at fueldump, there isn’t any long stright paths.
• Also snow on top of the eletric poles.

i didnt remove the snow at the tunnel end yet since there’s no tunnel yet beyond, and the tunnel work will be changed for the beta, more work is to be done in that whole train area, but was not needed for this test.

the wheels are patch cylinders, and probably wont be changed.

the tracks are turned from the exit and do wave a bit to the truck pen, maybe in fueldump the axis drink more and shouldn’t be driving at all =)

yeah, some snow on those wires would be a nice touch, i’ll look into that, thanks =)

• The big gate shouldn’t be so symmetrical when destroyed.
• Of all the wood that destructible these aren’t.
• But looking at this picture, I’m reminded that many of the building don’t have window panes (glass).
• Part of the ladder is fused into the tube. Just follow the ladder up from the cross-hair.

a lot of the brushwork was done quick to put out this test, that gate is to be replaced by a better one, trust me, im a fan of propely done debris =)

no, no window panes, none planned, and none will be put in.

those ladders were meant to be that way… i decided on that a while back, can’t remember why though…

( in reference to the blimp )

• However I think you could increase the altitude of it. Just move it up, so that the gondola brush is below the top clip.

it’s high enough that if someone fell out they get gibbed, and probably the hight wont change on this.

• Because I climbed into the sewers from the axis side, I could place the dynamite on the wrong side of the grate. Making my dynamite seem like it has been imploding.

i made a tutorial on static debris where i showed these gates getting built, and even though i didnt add that debris for this test, i did mention about the possibilty of having the dynamite planted on the wrong side and the wreckage blowing inward, that wouldn’t just look proper… but as i mentioned in that tutorial and i’ll mention it here…
it’s just a game =)

i do appreciate all the comments and suggestions but for a lot of the stuff i have to keep some stuff the same while others get lost or changed. the map has a long way to go yet, the biggest thing is the littlest things such as details to make it look more fuller… lots have been planned, just not implented yet.

well, coffee is cold now… better get another =)

[Garfo]

well done madmax,

so far this map is very cool

[Chruker]

Wow, I didn’t expect such a comprehensive reply

My long posts are intented as a reminder that you can look at later to see if there were something you forgot. Of cause I don’t expect you to change everything - they are only meant as suggestions

A lot of those comments are personal preferences and they vary from person to person, cause they are … err… personal

The roof snowtexture that I would suggest for the hangars is this one:
textures\snow_sd\mroof_snow.tga

I suggested snow on top of the electric pole. Then you suggest also adding snow to the wires. But actually that would melt due to the wires giving of heat - thats why birds sit on them in the winter

[S.S.Heirpie]

Hey there when is the next version comming out??

[MadMaximus]

soon i hope. just recovering from a minor hard drive crash, but i had the map stuff burned to a cd, actually just got back my password to these forums a few days ago since i forgot it.
lot of changes have been made due to players comments, chopping terrain, adding more cover, fixing the texture alignments, making some new textures, capturable forward spawn added, new blimp design… it’s improved a lot, plus a lot of gameplay fixes i have seen while spectating like players able to jump into the truck pens off the concrete outcroppings in front of the hangers, ect.

also am making an airplane for the runway since i can’t find a model for it. also adding a new route to the airfield via a air control tower. lots to do, hopefully will be able to put out the beta soon.

[S.S.Heirpie]

thats good you saved that!!!, its a very nice map!!, the guys were asking me, like I had control over it…:)…
Did you figure out that panzer bug??, the players exploit that…, i had to place a limit on panzers…
just glad to see your still working on it!!!

PIE

[MadMaximus]

yes, i fixed the panzer bug, which created a new one… so i can’t do a simple patch unfortunately. i have to change some entities to repair it all proper which im doing. i managed to use up all the available toi’s also… so i cant add anymore side objectives or another health ammo cabinet in the town that ppl requested, however i may just move the 2 existing ones around. the capturable forward spawn will hep reduce the time needed to get to the objectives, but honestly i dont think its needed. if you look at fueldump you see the distance ppl have to go to get there is about the same if not longer, but i will add one anyways. tree’s, bushes, large rocks and other cover should help the allies a bit more.