*UPDATE* RC7 available: ================================================= http://rapidshare.com/files/131694151/emp_vehicletraining_rc7.rar Final changelog (compared to RC5) - Added an info_player_start entity - Altered hammer mapsize (slightly smaller) to have 1024 spare units at the edges - Raised # of tickets from 80 to 100 - Added a billboard (hanging on the bridge) - Bigger cap areas - Now looks (much) better for people who don't use HDR (had no clue it looked so bad without HDR due to those blocky shadows) - Slight optimization: Shortened draw distance + increased lightmap scale for the middle rock - Put the first flag of either team behind cover - Changed all trees to dynamic props and moved them up closer to the surface ==> trees cast shadows now - Vehicles die immediately when touching the enemy shield instead of after several seconds - Overall improvements to textures and displacements - Added repair stations - Updated the minimap - The base shields act as walls for both friendly and hostile shells and missiles - Adjusted resource income Before: BE/NF flags 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 1 flag: 8 3 flags: 24 5 flags: 40 7 flags: 56 (max) Now: BE/NF 32 1 24 2 16 3 8 4 4 8 3 16 2 24 1 32 1 flag: 32 (x4) 3 flags: 72 (x3) 5 flags: 84 (x2+) 7 flags: 89 (max) ================================================= *UPDATE* After a break of several months i decided to get back to hammer and do something creative, but to warm up i decided to fix some problems with the vehicletraining map that most people complained about. RC6 would have been ready, if it wasn't for this one stupid ?bug? that magically appeared. So, what's the problem: In previous versions there were 8 flags, and each flag gave 8 res to the team who captured it. Now i changed it so that the first flags (for each team) gives a lot more, and the last flags a lot less ==> 32 1 24 2 16 3 8 4 4 8 3 16 2 24 1 32 You start with the first 2 flags captured, so you should get +56, after capturing the 3rd flag you should have an income of +72 Now when i tested the map with BE i got +32 at start instead of +56, and when i captured the 3rd flag i got +40 (so only an extra 8 - where the hell does that number come from) When i did the same on the NF side i got +32 instead of +56 and +48 after capturing the 3rd flag (so unlike the BE side which has the same settings). I checked the settings in hammer like 10 times, they are correct and they are the same, yet ingame the income is wrong, and different for both teams. I changed it so that teams start with only 1 flag (so +32). After manually capping the 2nd flag it was still +32, and after capping the 3rd flag as BE it was +40 again, just like the last time. However this time when i did it as NF i got +40 also, instead of +48 like the last time or +56 as it should be. What the hell is this all about? Are the cap points buggy, or does that income number work totally different than i assumed? Could it be because i use the client version as a local server instead of a real server? Maybe it's like the starting money, which is also different when i test a map myself compared to putting it on a real server
*KLUDGE ALERT* If each flag is giving 1/2 the desired res, then double the res settings for each flag? You could also just make the first flag worth +56 and just ignore the second flag. Not ideal, but would approximate what you want.
Yeah i added those Here's my to do/done list so far: *UPDATED* ===================================================== To do: - Check if buildings can get destroyed - Check if trigger hurts are functioning * People and vehicles destroyed immediately in enemy base, and after a few seconds at the bottom of the canyons - Check if weaponsfire (shells, missiles, ...) get dissolved when shooting in and out of any base - Check if capping all flags ends the map Done: - Added an info_player_start entity (apparantly necessary to use maps with gmod) - Altered hammer mapsize (map is now slightly smaller) to have 1024 spare units at the edges to prevent problems with the size - Raised # of tickets from 80 to 100 - Added a billboard (hanging on the bridge) - Bigger cap areas - Now looks (much) better for people who don't use HDR (had no clue it looked so bad without HDR due to those blocky shadows) - Slight optimization: Shortened draw distance + lowered lightmap scale for the middle rock - Put the first flag of either team behind cover - Changed all trees to dynamic props and moved them up closer to the surface ==> trees cast shadows now - Vehicles die immediately when touching the enemy shield instead of after several seconds - Overall improvements to textures and displacements (entire map) - Added repair stations - Updated the minimap - The base shields dissolves enemy fire from BOTH TEAMS (no more spawnkilling and no armies of arties sitting safely in base targeting the flags with HE) - The base shields dissolves enemy vehicles (no more blocking vf's with detroyed vehicles) - Adjusted resource income Before: BE/NF flags 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 1 flag: 8 3 flags: 24 5 flags: 40 7 flags: 56 (max) Now: BE/NF 32 1 24 2 16 3 8 4 4 8 3 16 2 24 1 32 1 flag: 32 (x4) 3 flags: 72 (x3) 5 flags: 84 (x2+) 7 flags: 89 (max) ===================================================== Only testing remains
I'm not sure if this is a problem with the map, but I do know several servers (MAD, training, etc) were having problems when a nuke would hit the sides of the map. Either the server would crash or lots of people would time out. Have you looked into that at all?
oh and arid_rc3 is crashing people and kicking them off the server ( i know diff. map but too lazy to find thread) i dont know the error message cause its never happened to me but i had to take it out of the cycle.
I think it works fine on nachos, will have to test some time wonder how interesting the next version of VT will be
It happened only with nukes? Also, do you know if this happend on all sides or just a few? I knew it crashed sometimes, but never knew why. The only thing i could think of was to make the map smaller (in hammer size), cause i've read something about leaving 1024 units of free space on the edges, and the vehicle map didn't do this (which could perhaps mean that the edges really are more susceptible to crashes). I hope that was the problem and that this fixed it, but i'm not too optimistic about it. The only other thing i noticed about the map crashing was that it seemed as if it always happened at the split second a vehicle was created, so when you switch from infantry to vehicle view. It just doesn't crash enough to find the cause easily. I consider this a much bigger problem, cause as far as i know nothing in arid should cause a crash. If this map crashes, every map i ever made and will make might be in danger cause it's just standard stuff. Does frost crash? It has pretty much exactly the same entities as arid (very few exceptions) and exactly the same mapsize. Aargh, we need a maptest server, where people know there's a risk of getting kicked from the server or the game crashing. Real servers can't keep crashing maps in, but without a map on a public server it's impossible to fix problems like that. In VT RC4 i crashed once (when building a vehicle) after like 20-30 hours of playtime, i never had a problem with any other map of mine. It's not really possible to find out what's wrong this way. Practically the same, but with more money and a repair pad.
none of your maps have ever crashed my server, now if this might help we played VT and it had kicked everyone from the server except like 2 of us (long ass lag spike) thought it was the server but possible map? none of my server crashes have happened on any custom maps only default maps.
If that happens again, try asking the people who rejoined if one of them bought a tank at the exact same moment.
The problem is gone. Apparantly it's just the counter which seems to skip flags sometimes (once it only took into account the even number of flags for example). The actual income on the other hand is correct.
This map needs more work :\ I just played a game where BE raped NF tanks and then capped all the flags except the last one and just started to rape infantry.. They had arty killing 5-6 people at a time.. No way for NF to afford a tank or fight back in anyway.. Just die over and over agian.. Merc had a good suggestion to make the spawn in a safe spot.. A place where they can't get gunned down or blown to bits.. Also maybe if they cap all but the last flag make the tickets bleed.. Who wants to cap the flag to win when they can just rape infantry for an hour..
Well tell me what you think about the changes i made to RC6, which i'll upload this evening: Changelist: ======================================================= - Added an info_player_start entity - Altered hammer mapsize (slightly smaller) to have 1024 spare units at the edges - Raised # of tickets from 80 to 100 - Added a billboard (hanging on the bridge) - Bigger cap areas - Now looks (much) better for people who don't use HDR (had no clue it looked so bad without HDR due to those blocky shadows) - Slight optimization: Shortened draw distance + lowered lightmap scale for the middle rock - Put the first flag of either team behind cover - Changed all trees to dynamic props and moved them up closer to the surface ==> trees cast shadows now - Vehicles die immediately when touching the enemy shield instead of after several seconds - Overall improvements to textures and displacements - Added repair stations - Updated the minimap - The base shields dissolve enemy fire from BOTH TEAMS (no more spawnkilling and no armies of arties sitting safely in base targeting the flags with HE) - The base shields dissolve enemy vehicles (no more blocking vf's with detroyed vehicles) - Adjusted resource income Before: BE/NF flags 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 1 flag: 8 3 flags: 24 5 flags: 40 7 flags: 56 (max) Now: BE/NF 32 1 24 2 16 3 8 4 4 8 3 16 2 24 1 32 1 flag: 32 (x4) 3 flags: 72 (x3) 5 flags: 84 (x2+) 7 flags: 89 (max) ======================================================= I could use someone who knows RC5 to help me test RC6 today before i make the link public this evening. To test: - Check if buildings can get destroyed (should not be the case) - Check if weaponsfire (shells, missiles, ...) get dissolved when shooting in and out of any base (try different weapons) - Check if capping all flags ends the map (need 2 people for this) - Check if all textures are present (middle rock, billboard, minimap)
Can you make a standart empires version of it ove: I mean replace the flags with resnodes give each side a barracks and a cv and remove the death-fences think it could play fine as a standart map too
The map favours BE. A LOT. For NF to have a shot it needs to be much more enclosed, a better vehicle training map would be in a city with a park etc. Because in a city NF nukes stand a chance.
People keep saying BE own NF with vehicles, but i've always been able to kill their finest tank with my NF heavy eventhough i'm not that good with vehicles. If you want to counter dual Rail heavies, grab an NF heavy with absorbant + twin UML + Ranged + Coolant. Then consider your UML's as primary weapons (awesome damage + no overheating) and use the ranged cannon as backup (everytime your heat bar is green - never go into red goes you'll take more damage then) or when you want to kill someone from a distance. With this tank you should just rush an enemy tank and fire all your weapons at him, and many times he'll be destroyed after your first rush while you have like 1 or 2 plates down on one side of the 4 or 5 you have on all sides. BUT!! You might be able to take 2 dual rail heavies down when you are lucky, but don't attack 3 heavies with it, cause they will take you down easily. Though you can defeat 3 heavies in a row if they arrive with like 30 seconds in between them. Just be aware that ?reflective? armor will lower the damage done by your UML's significantly. So dual rails with reflective might still be a problem. But let's say BE does own NF, then i think this map just shows a balancing flaw of empires. Mayama: I'm afraid it might be too open for a standard map though. You can easily rocketsnipe the other side of the map, even with nukes or whatever weapons you've got researched (i assume you mean putting all research off). Maybe if i would add some ... ruins or something big enough to cover buildings ... that might work. If a lot of people would want me to put time in this i might give it a shot, but i feel like finishing this up as quickly as possible. You get tired of a map after working on it for several hundred hours. ... And that estimate isn't even exagerated. I work very slow. On the other hand adding some ruins might not take that long actually ...
Balance with the BE heavy is skewed, but in general most of the balance issues arrise with faster research, faster res, or full techtrees from spawn 1. Don't get me wrong, that NF tank is a heavy killer, but they can just as easily grab a few bio tanks and eat your absorbant like nothing else.
I need help to fix one last problem. After 2 days i found a way to have weaponsfire (nades, shells and missiles) to be dissolved by the forcefields by using a trigger_remove brush based entity. I can't find another way that seems to work well. BUT this entity literally removes them (which was the intention) instead of blowing them up, so the sound of the missiles etc doesn't stop. It just stays there forever. So i need either a way to have the sounds stop as well, or another way to remove that bullets that also ends the sound. I don't want them to explode btw, cause the shields will stop weaponsfire from both teams (not shooting in or out of the base). So if they would explode, vehicles inside the shield would damage themselves if they would shoot from within the shield while being close the shields. - I tried the bulletstop texture (which is just a huge wall for everything, even players can't get through it - I tried func_brush, not solid, with the bulletstop texture, which lets players and vehicles through and stopt bullets, but by having them explode on impact - I tried the func_bulletshield thing, but this is just a massive wall for everything as well, and is displayed as a red error in console when loading the map Any ideas?
Copy paste: Stopsound is a console command that does exactly what it says - stopping all current playing sounds. In Source it was made into a cheat command. Doesn't seem to do the trick
