Pirates beta Four Release

(FireFly) #1

I decided to release the beta4 version of my pirates map to public servers:

This map is part of the last resort mapping contest: The main deadline was supposed to be on june 7th. and the winning map would be hosted at the SAGE LAN event held in Enschede, the Netherlands. However a few days ago this announcement was made at the crossfire forums:

All maps have been submitted now. After speaking with a few players, none agreed the maps were ready for competition yet. After SAGE, the ball will start rolling again. Mappers: feel free to upload your map to public servers to get testing done. I will announce another deadline after SAGE!

WTF? Who are these players? Where can I find their feedback telling me - and the other 4 mappers- how to change or improve my map making it suitable for competition play? We already had three deadlines, adding a 4th deadline doesn’t change anything, it will not make our maps suitable for comp play without any proper feedback… After the first beta release of pirates map I receive a large amount of feedback from comp players. I listened to their feedback and made changes to the map - making it suitable for comp with the beta 3 release that was send to them.

If you create a contest and have a deadline, you stick with that deadline: If you change the deadline just because you don’t like the quality of the maps submitted, give proper feedback, so the mappers know what needs to be changed…

Frustrated and disillusioned are some of the words that pop in my mind after reading the new announcement on the crossfire site.

The ‘bright’ side of this story is that we are now allowed to release our maps to the public to get feedback. But that’s just plain stupit and pointless: How on earth could I get any proper feedback from a public server hosting my map with 32 or more players, while the map was designed for 5vs5 players?

-end of rant- here’s the Pirates beta four map: http://www.wolfplayer.nl/temp/pirates_b4.zip

(shagileo) #2

That’s just BS

Sorry to hear that, but I hope somewhere it can ease the pain by saying you gave the community yet another awesome map, loved by many - played by loads

Thanks for this

(Pegazus) #3

Sorry to hear that the contest ended up with a sudden surprise like that. Hopefully they will keep their promise and make it up eventually for the mappers who have put a lot of effort into this contest.

On another note I like your work. The narrow alleys and corners remind me of my personal favorite stock map Goldrush so it’s nice to see this theme put into such great use in a different style but at the same time in a similar atmosphere. Great work FireFly.

(Diego) #4

This map looks really nice. My friends and I are not comp players but our games are more often 5 vs 5. I’ll set up some games with this map next week. (Still hoping you can release another version of Castle *@%$ sometime)

(daz2007) #5

I love this map, Pirates Beta4 Is now on the Server http://et.trackbase.net/?mod=serverinfo&idx=130

(FireFly) #6

Let’s make a deal: after you released Praetoria Mission 3: Supersonic , I’ll start working on a new castle *@%$ sometime map :slight_smile:

(shagileo) #7

:eek: The stakes are high, my lords

(Pegazus) #8

Those are some great news. :slight_smile:

(.Chris.) #9

Seriously that’s messed up, thing is, most players attending the LAN hadn’t even tried any of the maps properly (I contacted a few) even up the week before the last deadline. (been on small tropical island for past 2 weeks)

Not sure if I’ll be continuing my map for the purposes of the competition and I think eim was feeling the same long ago, good maps for competition (or otherwise) don’t just come out of the ground, if players want good maps they should be prepared to help out with feedback a little otherwise don’t bother asking.

(ailmanki) #10

Maps for competition are very difficult I think.
Most maps which are great for competition are also great for pub.
Is there interest in feedback from a pub server? If so, I shall take the time and give a detailed feedback.

Here short version:
I very much liked each release of Pirates, the map seems graphically the best map I ever saw in ET. Though I still think Minas Tirith has more impressive geometries.
I thought I tested each map which has been released for this competition. Tounine and Pirates had been the only two ready for testing. One map ‘Frozen’ seemed very confusing, I think its in alpha stage - should test it again…
Jungle map had visible errors from lightmap, so I stopped testing, Castle - omg - overlooked that map :confused: testing soon.

Tounine I love already. Very interesting fights at the end of map. The start is a bit - uhm open? - that reflects in players running around having no clue (defend/repair tank).

(Diego) #11

So, that’s how it is. Blackmail. Alright, if it will get Castle *@%$ updated, I’ll get a Beta of Praetoria 3 out there.
We all know Pirates looks good. Here are a few quick observations on Pirates gameplay with 5 vs 5, 4 vs 4 games:

  1. Very easy to pick up the layout and the objectives. Seems like the first half is pretty easy for the allies to cap the flag and breach the entrances. Second half - not so much.

  2. Depending on how advanced the axis are in XP, engineers and medics can dominate that map. You really only have 2 entrances to the Ship Dock, both of them are easily mined. If we had more players, Artillery could do some damage too.

I think the map could use an additional mini-routes to the objective that takes you part way through some buildings. to help avoid mines. I’ll have to look some more, but I think something like this might help:

One extra route that goes from the lower part of the open sewer area, through some buildings, and out the center of the dock area. It could have an Upper Story exit so the Allies can’t go back out that way.

One very small detour route at the side entrance that let’s you go into the building on your left. This route would also have an upper floor exit so you can’t get out that way. But it would have windows in a room overlooking the harbor to give the allies a small chance of establishing covering fire.

On the defensive side, I think the Axis could use another route out of their rear spawn. One that goes toward the main entrance. It does not have to get too close to the main entrance. Just enough to keep spawn camping down.

(FireFly) #12

Thanks for the feedback Diego.

For the past week I’ve been on mcbeth’s server and I came to the same conclusion: First part stage of the map is still too easy for the allied team. It usually takes 1 to 4 minutes to capture the flag and blow both entrances. Second stage is a bit harder, but in every game I played/spectated for the past week the allied team won every single match.

I’m planning to have a final version within the next 2 weeks or so. This Final version will not be a part of the tlr mapping contest, as I doubt that they will announce a new deadline soon; I secretly hope that they will devide the 150 euro and give each mapper 30 euros for their effort. :slight_smile:

(shagileo) #13

It would be a scam if it weren’t so

(.Chris.) #14

The whole competition was a farce from the start, silly rules, lack of feedback from those who were to benefit from the maps and now the recent cancellation.

By the way, airstrikes and explosives can pass through the white cloth things on the map see picture, explosive clip missing I think it would be.

(shagileo) #15

If it comforts in any way - the whole community thanks all mappers who made these maps and put the effort in adding an extra set of awesome (competition) maps for the game.

I for one can’t thank you guys enough - you all did an amazing job