It's become apparant that the best tactic for this map has become to secure the cliff tops and shell from above. Nothing wrong with that per se but most of the time, the entire middle section of the map goes almost completely ignored. This is, of course, due to the incapability to effectively defend against anything a top the surrounding cliffs. What I would suggest is to create a sort of 'slaughtered' formation for the middle. Not as profound or as plentiful as the hills in slaughtered but enough to at least give the refineries and general area some cover.
Love IT! Also, If Your Willing to Change it Can you add forests?! Just to make sheepe happy? EDIT: Also Emp_Isle Doesnt look like a island There Arent to many sandbars with HILLS on them Create like caves with water in them, Rocks out in the ocean, Mountains that lead out into the sea
I think that we need more ramps to the hill level. New ramps can be directed to the center. Center is practically ignored because connections between it and top level are too easy to secure. (Until someone researches artillery.) I don't really like slaughtered (map layout). It's too easy to block NF team on slaughtered.
Well guys, i hate to burst your bubble but isle has maxed out the source engine. I used to have a volcano in the middle, but it wasn't possible with the demands on the server and client comps. I could add a very simple structure in the middle for some cover if u would like. It wouldnt look very detailed, but it would give teams some cover. Ill also increase the res output to 3 per/sec. I still need to fix those bridges too.
humm, I guess placing a greater importance for the centre would help but most of the time, the few nodes on top often prove enough to fund the teams. Not sure if you'd be willing to remove a couple res nodes from the cliffs though (I was thinking the nodes just up the ramp on the first cliffs) Would it also be possible to move some miscellaneous rock formations to shield the two opposing nodes in the middle "bowl" and maybe make the middle the "super-node" thingy? humm, Not saying to make these exact changes but to hopefully make myself more clear. Basically just move random hill bits that aren't really used much anyway as some cover from the lower areas. If you remove the two crossed nodes, these nodes on the lower bits might become more appealing and may encourage people to fight on the lower lands aswell. Although, I wouldn't be too fussed if those nodes stayed or went. --- Also, if you're going for the super node thingy, would it be possible to make the smoke a different colour to indicate it?
Can you make the ramp look like sand busted from the side? Like a land slide? Now it looks like concrete...
How is the map maxed out on the source engine? Is it the amount of entities rendered at one point or something like that? You could raise the center displacements to have some larger terrain, just make sure to add nodraw brushes under the displacements.
But you could edit the displacement (add a ramp to center). ATM center is *almost* infantry only area. That's not good if center takes 50% of the map.
With large maps like this, creating visblocks is very difficult. So yes, nearly the entire map is being rendered from one point. There's not really much one can do about it, other than increase texture sizes, increase lightmap sizes and reduce the number of props (or lower power displacements). All of these things make the map look not very good.
The number of displacements is maxed out solo, i can change how the current ones look, but adding more won't work. I will add some more cover for the middle, and im also making the base area a little better. I have been throwing around the idea of doing a total overhaul of this map and switching out much of the raised land with concrete structures. I wanted to do this for a number of reasons. It would make the raised areas more of a inf / close combate area, and would make it easier to vis block the diff parts of the level. Controling the top wouldnt dominate the entire map either, and that seems to be a big problem. Any thoughts on this??
Humm, would depend how different it would be. Isle is one of my favourite maps at the moment and only thing I really don't like is how little the middle is ever used (as a result of the sheer advantage of having the high ground is) =o I'd still like it to look like a somewhat untouched island but I wouldn't say no to trying it another way base areas could do with a little easier protection though I guess
Please, No Concrete structures!1 Isnt the map supposed to be 2 teams fighing over contral over a deserted island?! Not One team invadeing another teams island...
Well i wouldn't have it be one sided (one attacking the other) but it would be more like a shipping dock, or some kind of abandoned storage station. I would still have some grass areas, but most of the level would be concrete on a low tide beach.
If Both sides had a dock and both there bases were on stilts over water that would be cool And that would be easy to integrate boats in the map... If there were boats
I don't want concrete buildings, as I think that will ruin the map's atmosphere. What I would do to the map if I was you: - fill the middle with slight hills and add thick foliage between them, this will offer a safer pass for infantry, and encourage people to go through the middle - add clip brushes (or solid toolsblack-textured brushes, this would work wonders for FPS) inside the cliff displacements, to prevent people getting through the walls and building inside the cliffs - change daytime to evening or night, with a slightly dark blue lighting and cricket ambience sounds, would be a lot more atmospheric IMO
I've been saying it for ages, TREES! we needs trees on Isle! Hopefully that would help, giving some decent cover while not being overly restrictive, maybe even allowing a fog to be in the center to reduce stuff drawn... -Sheepe
