Map Spawn Points, Layouts and Progressing/Capping


(spookify) #1

This thread is to open a dialog with the community and SD as to why certain maps layouts, side objectives and fixed spawn points are not being used?

When people were first popping on the game the thought of echo was very exciting. Shaped by Gamers! You can see in this early video that SD is moving spawn placements around… I think instead of moving spawns the map and map paths should be looked at. How did map designers do this back in the early days of RTCW?

The main reason why I started this thread is to address and find out why Attacking and Defending teams Spawn in what is seemingly a RANDOM spot!

There are a few reason why I bring this up:

[ol]
[li]RTCW and Wolf:ET seemingly had a max number of Attacking and enemy spawns. That number was (2)… You basically attack a map in 1 of 2 directions and once captured the Defense then spawns in their final spawn. [/li]
[li]Enemy Spawn Pass through. Many many old school maps also have a path for attackers to pass through the enemy spawn making an easier but very risky path. We do not see this in DB. [/li]
[li] Progression on both sides… There is only one map in DB where progression is semi fixed and that is Terminal. You have to blow the wall! Yeah I sort of like that! All other progression is random and odd to say the least. [/li]
[li]Establishment of spawns. There are no flags to cap to establish a spawn. I have heard SD say that they didnt want to do this… Fine… But do it with your own twist! Example: Instead of a Flag make it a Group Teleportation pad that a merc from either side can change to “polarity” to their teams frequency and color. The Flag cap in ET and RTCW was instant. But in DB I think instead of Instant it should take engys 2 seconds and large mercs 4 seconds to cap aka change the polarity…[/li][/ol]

#4 is my Fav!

I would also like to bring in this Thread

[QUOTE=prophett;524035]
It’s lacking a lot of features that made ET great;

  • flag spawns
  • forward spawns
  • proper doc runs (steal from enemy base and secure mid map)
  • touch steal/return/secure objectives (doc runs and spawn flags)
  • select-able spawns
  • meaningful side objectives (excludes MG builds)
  • command posts

And the more simple things like;

  • ability to pick up weapons
  • uni steals
  • team doors
  • helmets
  • player boosts
  • sprint while reloading

The single biggest let down for me is the maps. They are mostly linear and bland that really restrict tactics which makes for boring gameplay.

There are no memorable fighting areas such as the war room on beach, radar cp, upper supply depot hold (last obj.), the goldrush courtyard/bank D, salvage or sewer interior D, etc… due to poor design and absence of some the features mentioned above. I doubt I will remember any parts of the tube on Underground, or the long street you are forced along on Whitechapel (the games best map).

The map design is so restrictive that we can’t even choose to fall back in certain instances because the map won’t let us - terminal wall, fall back to 2nd trainyard objective to properly set up, etc…

It is nice to see some choice being incorporated into maps like Dome, but even those objectives which are a result of months & months of feedback and revisions still need a lot of work. I don’t see that map or any other current map reaching it’s full potential. It’s too bad.

The game will be fun but I can’t see it coming close to many of the games I have really enjoyed over the past years.[/QUOTE]

I know SD doesnt want to remake ET but SD did take a Game Mode “SW” from these games and took out the heart of what made this mode great!!! I am not asking SD to copy these old maps and game modes but learn what made them great and possible add a new SD/DB twist to some of the old side objectives like my #4 list idea about capping a spawn by quickly building aka changing the frequency of the polarization of a teleport spawn platform.

If we use this spawn platform as an example there might be some epic recaps!!

I can also put all of these thing that I just state in an example of a map!
Lets use a versions of Dome that I would like to see:

Stage 1:

  • Defense Spawn at the Teleportation Pad and has to guard the two un-blown gates and two un-blown walls. Gates can be remade however walls can not.
  • Offense has to Blow the walls and Gates and cap the tele pad.

Stage 2:

  • Defense needs to protect both Radars from being destroyed. Last fall back is Home Defensive Base
  • Attackers need to blow up both Radars. Note: Attackers do not need to Cap the tele Pad! They can by pass this and try and go for the plant!! That is was makes SW maps great!

There is no stage 3!!! Stage two should give a slight advantage to the defenders with the map layout… Possible one way doors from Defense home base into one or both radars. Totally scrap the last stage of Dome please!

In my example above both teams only have 2 total spawns. There is a pass through for the offense if they decide to take it. But if they fail it is a long run back. Progression and side objectives! Check!


Can we now please look at SD weird obsession to take things from allied spawn into the enemy spawn? WC last stage we have to delivery a EMP milk jug into a building with an airport security front down right next to where the enemy spawns with basically only one exit? Did I get that right?

This may should crazy but here is what my WC re-work would look like:

First Flip the Attacking and Defending!!! Yep Crazy I know!

Stage 1:

  • Defense Spawn at where the offense used to attack. Defense defends the EV
  • Offense Spawns at or in the Church

Stage 2:

  • Defense needs to
  • Attackers need to

I am done with work… Maybe the community can fill in the blanks!?! Remember try to keep it to two spawn ONLY! I have already used 1! Where would you put the second one? I would also like to see a grab and run like ET Frostbite where the attacking team needs to steal and transmit the doc or air lift the goods.
We sort of have this on DB train but why o why would you airlift a data core right outside the enemy spawn!!! Grrrr…


(LiNkzr) #2

In underground we managed to do the first objective while planting, me and a teammate managed to plant at last objective and after we died we got respawned next to the first objective? I have no idea what triggers next spawn on some maps, I know in chapel you need to push EV past certain points for example.


(Szakalot) #3

first spawn after blowing up first obj on underground is always next to the obj. Just like 2nd obj on trainyard completion will spawn you next to the secondary there, rather than at the blown train.

supposed to make the game flow, but its just silly imo


(LiNkzr) #4

[QUOTE=Szakalot;524999]first spawn after blowing up first obj on underground is always next to the obj. Just like 2nd obj on trainyard completion will spawn you next to the secondary there, rather than at the blown train.

supposed to make the game flow, but its just silly imo[/QUOTE]

I understand how you get the second spawn, but there’s a one spawn at elevators for attacking team. And I have no idea how that triggers. Sorry if you tried to explain this but I misunderstood, I know how other map spawns work pretty much, but I don’t know how underground last spawn for attacking team work.


(spookify) #5

This is one of my main points :slight_smile:

Why is knowing where people spawn so hard.


(Glottis-3D) #6

the so called self-moving spawns realy break the map flow. you can not have a plan for this spawn location trigger, you cannot influence the trigger. You are just a dummy, that is put from point A to point B.

Re-introducing the capturable spawns will make the map flow a more solid experience. Teams will have to fight for the spawn, ET/ETQW had some intense stuff on the spawns. And in the same time there will be no questions ‘why the hell did i spawn here? and not there??’
Right now we already have some good places to fight after some OBJ-finished. and defence teams usually start their fights to stop the rush on next object. But then game suddenly says: ‘No guys, you will not defend this point anymore, ill put attackers spawn here, and you’re all dead. Bye bye.’

  1. Trainyard second stage spawnpoint at the train wreck
  2. Underground - spawn at the end of the U-turn
  3. Terminal Gates-entrance

self-moving spawn system needs to go.


(Humbugsen) #7

Just registered to say how much i agree on everything said in op.
I easily played 5000 hours of enemy territory, almost exclusively the standard maps and it never got boring
I have 150 hours in DB now and I’m already bored to death by this maps, especially the delivering mechanics.

Also this ECHO video: Why is it good if fights happen everywhere on the map in a TEAMBASED shooter???
it seems like the maps are made for Deathmatch, but not for objective teamplay. It also takes way too short to get back into fight. Deaths mean nothing.

the post by prophett is also pure gold in my opinion.
Command posts for example were so great. They prevent spawnkilling, because people fought for the command post instead of spawnkilling.
If there is no time to make new maps i suggest remaking the ET maps. Those were really well done and allowed for tactics and teamplay.

For me the game currently feels more like TF2 mixed with Quake and Cod, I really expected more ET feeling.

And also forget that MOBA “balance” thing you won’t get players from dota, lol, overwatch, hots etc…
This needs to stay an old-school shooter if you ask me.


(Szakalot) #8

[QUOTE=Glottis-3D;525026]the so called self-moving spawns realy break the map flow. you can not have a plan for this spawn location trigger, you cannot influence the trigger. You are just a dummy, that is put from point A to point B.

Re-introducing the capturable spawns will make the map flow a more solid experience. Teams will have to fight for the spawn, ET/ETQW had some intense stuff on the spawns. And in the same time there will be no questions ‘why the hell did i spawn here? and not there??’
Right now we already have some good places to fight after some OBJ-finished. and defence teams usually start their fights to stop the rush on next object. But then game suddenly says: ‘No guys, you will not defend this point anymore, ill put attackers spawn here, and you’re all dead. Bye bye.’

  1. Trainyard second stage spawnpoint at the train wreck
  2. Underground - spawn at the end of the U-turn
  3. Terminal Gates-entrance

self-moving spawn system needs to go.[/QUOTE]

was going to repost this from the nexon forums in this thread, happy you posted it here!

my response there

Just a simple: forward spawn, main spawn, leapfrogging each time a new spawn is conquered.

Once you cap the new forward spawn, the previous forward spawn remains fixed. (uncappable). There are so many locations in the game that are great arenas, but there is no point in going there cause its too far from obj, to close to the enemy spawn.

I’ve heard from multiple people that the really like the forward spawn on terminal, and it is also my favorite phase, due to the crossfirey layout and the amount of angles of approach. Breaks down a little if the generator is blown, but typically the attacker team is already weaker (to let that happen)

Lets look at some examples that would benefit from a simple forward spawn capture, like in terminal:

  • Undeground between the escalators, next to the elevator. Imagine the epic sneak-in via the elevator to recap the attacker’s spawn!
  • Trainyard near the trainwreck: double forward spawn (if capped by offense, it forces defense back behind the helicopter- otherwise they could spawn at the ship next to the dry-dock gates, or sth
  • Bridge: building left of the barricade (opposite of the generator)
  • Chapel: multiple spawns along the EV route, e.g. at the chapel.

I understand that SD wants to get away from the command post whine they got in Brink, but imo the complaints there were because

a) the narrator would keep spamming you about the command post
b) some command posts didnt give forward spawns, just a refill station (afair)

Moving the spawn for your team is always the most exciting objective in the game. I cannot see how it would dilute the experience, or break map flow. Also, atm. the maps are little too focused on single chokes, and could use some spreading out.


(Ethaw) #9

Hello, it’s my first post with this fresly created account, just to show my support to everything that has been said here. I used to play ET a lot, and there are indeed so many things that this game had, that DB doesn’t have (yet?).

I agree with all the points that have been made (map design, spawnpoints, picking up weapons) and the fact that DB looks like a deathmatch game rather than an objective oriented one. Dev are probably overinfluenced by this echo thingy (if that thing existed in ET, I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t show homogeneously distributed death locations, and yet most of the maps were awesome).

I’m worried that in the current state of the game, it won’t have the success expected and the game won’t last long (cf. the already decreasing player base from the steam statistics since the release of the merc pack) along with the horrible card system (but many people have already shown their concerns about that and possible solutions… that’s another story anyway).