Colosseum

[Blind Pilot]

EDIT: Update based on feedback received here. Thank you all very much for that.
- moved Poseidon/Neptune statue and altered Athena statue.
- Fixed the power up for Whales feeding.
- Added new paths in the top structures.
- Fixed a bad hull

The screen shot for the ball map has changes which are also made of the tbd version, although I didn't upload a new tbd screen.

TBD Screen


UPDATED Version: tbd_colosseum

BALL VERSION: ball_colosseum

BALL Pic...


The old version was an important map for me. It's the first time I put game play first, over graphics.
RIP

[nesnl]

First thing I noticed is that there is a lot of layers. It would be easy to consolidate it down to 3 or maybe 4 which I think would help it operate more smoothly. Another thing is you background image is huge and could be cut down so that the file only contains the visible area. I will take a closer look tomorrow and see if I can't give more advice, otherwise looks good.

[Curious]

this looks so nice. the concept is engrossing.
its very cool that people are making such appealing maps

[DryBone]

How about the turrets more close up to the base? and one neutral bomb at the top? and...well its good otherwise.
My complaints aren't that good, u know

[Blind Pilot]

Originally Posted by nesnl

First thing I noticed is that there is a lot of layers. It would be easy to consolidate it down to 3 or maybe 4 which I think would help it operate more smoothly. Another thing is you background image is huge and could be cut down so that the file only contains the visible area. I will take a closer look tomorrow and see if I can't give more advice, otherwise looks good.

Thank you, nesnl, Curious, and Drybone for the input.

I know what you mean, nesl, if you take it apart in the editor, it's messy. I've created a folder with the entire inventory of images I use and I keep pulling from it, rather than recreating everything from scratch for every map. I'm trying to save myself time; I'm spending more time in the editor than I am playing.

From a playing perspective, it's the first map I've made where I feel it's sized correctly, which means games won't be too long or too short.

[Vi*]

You can play this map on New England TBD and Lobstar Cove.

I really like the layout and play style.
The art is confusing and jarring, as to what's background/foreground.

I would really love to see this map have the artwork tweaked. It's a fun map to play.

[mikesol]

I agree with Vi, this map is very confusing as to what you can run into and what you can't.

I also dislike how the top of the map will kill you if you run into it.

Furthermore, I don't like how you start off in one of 3 spawn locations. I feel everyone should start off in the same place (or roughly).

[Blind Pilot]

Originally Posted by Vi*

You can play this map on New England TBD and Lobstar Cove.

I really like the layout and play style.

Thank you for that.

Originally Posted by Vi*

The art is confusing and jarring, as to what's background/foreground.

I would really love to see this map have the artwork tweaked. It's a fun map to play.

Thanks for this too. I imagine you're talking about the pillars and part of the colosseum that you can fly through. I made everything outlined in black collide-able, and I thought it was obvious- But if it confuses you then it's bad map design by me.

Back to GIMP!

[Blind Pilot]

Originally Posted by mikesol

I agree with Vi, this map is very confusing as to what you can run into and what you can't.

I also dislike how the top of the map will kill you if you run into it.

Furthermore, I don't like how you start off in one of 3 spawn locations. I feel everyone should start off in the same place (or roughly).

Thank you for the input. I do like to put non-damaging, non-visible skylike at the top of most of my maps. I forgot!

I'll group the spawns better too.

Back to the editor!

[pig_bomb]

hey blind, the whole colour scheme is too jarring, the background is just too bright, you want either cool colours or a low saturation in order to give the illusion that it's far away, also the orange sky and orange planes isn't very good. For some reason the foreground elements seemed to shake slightly when i played it, not sure why. I would try to get more of a variation in colours on these objects and again try to make the un-collidable elements darker to set them back in space, this will help with showing people what they cant fly into.

[Curious]

what ever happened to this one. i wanted to try it.

[Esoteric]

I remember it playing pretty well. Did it ever get updated?

[Blind Pilot]

Thanks again to all. The first post has been updated with new screenshot and map download file.

I tried to incorporate most of the advice given here. I don't like the new blue sky as much as the old orange one, but other graphics look better with it.

[djdigga]

Good work Blind. Keep at it.

[evilarsenal]

love the new version!

[djdigga]

Originally Posted by evilarsenal

love the new version!

weird... me and evil ACTUALLY agree on something. MAJOR improvement from the old version.

[Blind Pilot]

Updated for 2010! The first post has new screen-shot & link.

Comments are welcome and appreciated.

[Mandrad]

Used to hate this one!
Man this looks soooo good!!! Very, very nice artwork!

Layout; the leveling adjustments make all the diference.
Only cons i see are the short attack angle from top, and the fact that is assymetrical because statues are diferent. Please fix that (move one of them a few pixels).
I also think that should be possible to hit base from below.

Greta map

[mlopes]

It would be so cool and epic if the status were huge, starting from the ground and ending where they have the head now!
The only problem would be to find a way to have a passage on the middle of the statue!

[silent skies]

This is pretty nifty, and (as always) I enjoy your new art style.

Only art critique is that the background 'Colosseum pieces' don't fit well with the map concept. The real Colosseum may be in ruins but those ruins are contiguous, not spread out over various mountains D: I'd keep the hills and lose all but the closest pieces.

[Esoteric]

Got nothing on the aesthetics, it's a smooth-looking map, so I'm here with gameplay critique. This is just from looking at the map construction and testing out some bomb routes, but are things that probably should be addressed.

The big thing: the bottom route is about 5x more viable than the top due to their relative proximities to the spawn locations. Opening up the top some, lowering the spawns so they can't immediately fire at the highest two bomb-routes (and are closer to the bottom route)...lots of possibilities, obviously, go with whatever feels right to you.

The bottom arches on either side, where the turrets on the ground are under: both favor planes going from left to right (while going from high to low.) and the one on the blue-side leaves you open to the turret longer as well.

Though the statues are slightly uneven in favor of blue, allowing blue players an easier time shooting at the second-highest attack route and offering slightly more protection against bombs...honestly, they're pretty close and minor differentiation is worth the aesthetic. If you feel nervous about it, move Poseidon towards the middle a few pixels or, better yet, lower the angle of Athena's spear to match that of Poseidon's trident. Not a huge deal though.

Your turrets don't show their health. You can fix this by having them be in a higher layer than the geoms they are on. Right now the geoms and the turrets are both in layer 9, so you'd need to lower the geoms to...anything but 9. On the off-chance that this is an (information obstructive) stylistic choice of yours, alter the geom around the downward-facing green turret so that the health bar isn't partially visible.

The only concern I have besides those is that the bottom route could be too good in general, rather than just comparatively to the top. Gameplay testing is really needed for that though. Let us know when it gets on a server!

[krawz]

Blind Pilot,

Is it alright if I add this map to my Bomb Dojo server? If so, please send me a PM to let me know!

[NastyManatee]

The classic civ nerd in me cries out for Areas instead of Posiedon, but I guess tridents are pretty cool too = P

Haven't had a chance to play it out yet, but it looks great.

[Kuja900]

Would is be possible to move that top center power up down slightly so an explodet would not have to stall to grab it?

[Mandrad]

Originally Posted by silent skies

The real Colosseum may be in ruins but those ruins are contiguous, not spread out over various mountains D: I'd keep the hills and lose all but the closest pieces.

There are several "Real Colosseums" and one can easily take those as ruins. from temples or whatever. Collumns making the levels would had to be aligned... who cares... looks good

[Blind Pilot]

Updated 1st post... with a ball version, etc. The screen shot for the ball map has changes which are also made of the tbd version, although I didn't upload a new tbd screen.

[krawz]

Blind Pilot,

The map looks promising to me and I put it on the Ball Dojos for further testing. However, on the right side of the map, above the goal area there is an invisible collidable object. Could you take a look and correct it?

Thanks!

[Blind Pilot]

Originally Posted by krawz

Blind Pilot,

The map looks promising to me and I put it on the Ball Dojos for further testing. However, on the right side of the map, above the goal area there is an invisible collidable object. Could you take a look and correct it?

Thanks!

Krawz, thank you for that. One of my hulls was bad. I fixed it on both versions. New links are in the original post.

[SPeciaL]

your map is on my server for my clan, =AIR= Ball Server. if you want me to remove it please let me know. thanks

[pig_bomb]

Nice.67891