Decoder Beta 2 - First public release

[leifhv]

[quote=Ifurita]YOu can even make this so that only the allies see the new symbols.

This would be definitely the best solution. Warning the axis that the real decoder has been found would ruin the gameplay of your map.
You really should follow Ifurita’s advices.
[/quote]

Sorry, it’s just me that is confused…the current cm icons are only visble by the allies anyway so updateing the command map sounds like a good plan! Planned for next release!

I’ve played it with 3 others players yesterday, but as we were discovering the map, I don’t have any comment yet. But it was hard for allies.
During your tests, did anyone tried a MG in the corridor, because we did, and the MG was the highest fragger of the round !

Yes, the MG seem to be a popular choice for axis on this map. A smoke cannister in the corridor or in the ‘courtyard’ seem to be the best counter measure to this? (One of the design goals for this map when I started working on it (fall 2003!) was to make a map where the Covert-Op was actually usefull for something.)

I’ve tried to find something to put into the long corridor that would provide some cover without looking out of place…maybe some kind of vehicle?

One thing I’ve noticed : It is pretty hard to jump out of the fortress/bunker as an axis. When you a near the MGs you must a jump/crouch combination which is not very easy under enemy fire. Have I missed something ? A better way to jump out of the bunker ? (except the door on the ground level)

It should be possible to jump up onto the wall and then down but you’re right, it is a bit cumbersome. Will look into that…I’m considering removing both of the mounted MGs so that should help.

But the size of the map, the pace of the action, the objectives, were good.
We had a round where the axis were protecting well the book, but we managed to destroy the 3 objectives without knowing which one was the good one

I continue to say I like this map.

Thanks for the input to the both of you!

[Uchronic]

I’m considering removing both of the mounted MGs so that should help.

No, no, don’t !!!
They are perfect (useful when someone is in front of them, but useless when allies take care of not being in their angles), maybe you should only raise a bit the roof above the MG, so that axis can jump from there easily.

And btw, yeah, CovOps are useful here. We should have used a sniper on the bridge, he would have been way too far for the MG… but we were only 2v2

It’s nice to see maps where Coverts are useful, like in Marko’s El Kef.
(because they’re not that much useful on mine :D).

[Ifurita]

I’ve had pretty good luck in adding the extra command map icons, since it lets me show completed and failed symbols on the command map in addition to the dyno objectives. Before the objective/constructible is blown, I show the attacking team the dyno and the defending team the object. After it’s blown, I show the failed/completed symbol, or in the case of constructibles, I just let it show the construction crates. That way, you only have to look at the command map to get a sense for what objectives have been completed or not.

[leifhv]

UBC[ McNite]Maybe you can get rid of some lightmaps-files by lowering the height of your skybox? You don’t need a high skybox to get the effect of a “high” sky because you create the effect of a “curved” or a “flat” looking sky in the skyshader.

Ok, I lowered the skybox ceiling as much as possible…and got 2 less lightmap files. So now I’ve only got 77…

Does anyone else have maps that produce so many lightmap files?

Lets see:

Duplex Tower: 4 lightmap files
Caha Tavern: 14 lightmap files
Alpine Assault: 48 lightmap files
Tramfight: 3 lightmap files
vengeance_TE_b3: 14 lightmap files

I’m unable to see any relation to map size or map layout?

[Ifurita]

Well, compare the size of your light map files vs the other maps. Do you have a whole lot of little light maps or are they all really large?

[leifhv]

They’re all 193k…which seems quite normal compared to other maps.

Oh, well…Luckily they compress well so they don’t add that much to the PK3 size. lI’ll just concentrate on the other issues at hand.