Team Fortress 2 map : cp_neighbor
This is a Team Fortress 2 custom map I made using the Hammer editor. Team Fortress 2 is a 2007 team-based first person shooter by Valve.
In this game mode, BLU team has to capture point A and then B, while RED has to defend both under a time limit.
Beta release is available on TF2maps.net but was left unfinished.
My tasks:
Level design, level art (solo project)
Goals:
This was done for a contest with constraints, here is some of them and how I delt with them:
- City/Town: A city context is full of empty straight lines, so I placed the areas of interest between the streets to keep the layout interesting.
- Asymmetrical: Needs to be balanced without relying on a mirrored layout, so I played with verticality to make the experiences different on each side.
- Objective over a Deathpit: The first point has holes on both sides that lead to a deathpit. Players need to watch their step if they want to back out to heal.
- Cliffside: The second point has an alternative path that leads next to a cliff. It is safer but a surprise attack can push players over the edge
Video following BLU team successfully attacking point A,
then RED team defending point B.
Control point A
The first control point is meant to be easier for BLU to take. It is set between a shipping facility and an apartment building under construction. There are 3 different paths to reach it, making BLU ambushes possible from all directions. However, RED has multiple places for a viable sentry nest and can lock down some of those paths.
- A1: The main street leads to more busy and cramped spaces on the left, or more open but distant spaces on the right.
- A2: The entrance to the factory that takes the entire left side of Point A. It has 3 different entrances but they all lead to to the safe Sentry spot in A3.
- A3: Ideal sentry location for RED team as it has height advantage on both Point A and the staircase on the left.
- A4: BLU Snipers and Soldiers can outrange the RED Sentry in A3 from this position, but it has a blind spot for defenders waiting around A5.
- A5: It has height advantage and is behind the point, making it the ideal location for RED teleporters, Medics, and even a second Sentry. However, attackers will be overwhelming if they manage to take over A3 and A4 simultaneously.
Control point B
The second control point is set in the courtyard of a 1960s style hotel. It is much more cramped and is easier for RED to defend. It is closer to the RED spawn room, and BLU has no path dedicated to taking out the good sentry spots. BLU will need to focus their efforts on aggresive pushes rather than ambushing from all directions.
- B1: The entrance to the hotel is BLU's most direct approach to point B. However, there is a balconey directly above the main door. If BLU manages to control this area, they can have a good view of RED's backlines thanks to the window.
- B2: Once in control of the staircase, BLU can head out and confront RED directly. However this is where most eyes will be looking from the RED side, so a simultaneous attack from the right path is ideal.
- B3: Further away from the point and hidden from RED's sight. This makes it an ideal approach for BLU Scouts, Spies and Pyros. It is next to a deathpit, making it risky for both teams to hang around for too long.
- B4: RED needs to prevent any enemy from coming from the side, otherwise BLU will come in to break their defense from behind.
Map layout iterations
As I playtested the map in a server, I made changes to make it much more narrow, I altered the choke points to make them more viable to Red team, and some line of sights got shortened to make it harder for Snipers. Here are some of the most important revisions:
Key Revision 1
- Both teams spawn in apartment buildings on opposite sides and the fights happen in the buildings that got built between them.
- Both respawn rooms move over once Capture Point A is captured.
- Streets were too wide and too long.
- Too many separate paths made players lose track of the goal.
Key Revision 2
- Broke the linearity of the streets, because verticality wasn't enough to deter snipers from locking down those paths.
- Spaced out the areas around Point A while narrowing down the options to reach it.
- To make Point B a clearer point of interest one path on the right was removed and the surrounding area is larger.
- Combined the respawn rooms because they were both too close to the points.
Key Revision 3
- Completely removed all alternative paths on the right because they were too far to be useful and too disjointed to be instinctive.
- Consolidated the paths close to A and B to create smaller choke points leading to the control points.
- Buildings between A and B and now happening inside to help defensive classes close down Point B.
- Added a 2nd respawn room for BLU to reward their first capture.
Key Revision 4
- Moved RED respawn room to the left to lead players directly to Point B when they head out.
- Reorganised the doorways around Point B to create multiple small opportunities for RED to defend, while also letting BLU take breaks between each choke point they successfully push trough.