ball_hex

[Aki1024]

Hex has been updated on the test server. It is now slightly smaller then version 2. Enjoy.
Walls are now white to easily tell them from flyable regions. Enemy's smoke is now grey. I didn't mess with the background for the altered walls, so they will look bad in this version. Before a final version, I'll mess with the walls again. This map may get renamed to ball_hexunderground shortly enough.

Download


Made with Sketchup 8, PS, and the Altitude editor.
This map uses a pattern made by sed-rah-stock, Hexa Pattern 4.0. Used with permission.

Version History:
1 - Original version
2 - Hex has been on the test server for a while, and I've gotten a healthy amount of feedback. I don't recall who it was, but the map could be summed up as a "turn and shoot." I set out to correct it, and now version two is on the test server.
3 - Map size slightly reduced.
4 - Missed a powerup
5 - Walls are now white instead of black. Image above doesn't show this, but test server does.
6 - Spawn changed to help defense.

[Blue]

Wow. Everything flows perfectly. the textures and graphics are spot on, and the background is so awesome. Teach me how to do that

[XX1]

The map is quite large and has three main sections. Top (spawns), Middle (neutral ball spawn/wrap around), and bottom (goals).
By the way the layout is set with the goals in an unorthodox location I can see games taking awhile to finish...

As far as the map goes, the spawns are extremely far from the goal. Defending will not be easy at ALL, especially clearing the ball out of the goal. Planes lose momentum going up, and passing isn't something everyone does in ball/ does well at. . . I recommend you make the goal area less of a cave system, and less vertical to get out of easier.

I don't know what to say about the wrap around and neither does the community because we have yet to get an official wrap around Ball_map but I do feel the wrap around will be easier to get to your enemies side than crossing the middle of the map.

No power ups?

[Aki1024]

Originally Posted by Blue

Wow. Everything flows perfectly. the textures and graphics are spot on, and the background is so awesome. Teach me how to do that

Given your name, you might be biased. :P As far as how I did what I did, once I get the export script from sketchup finalized, I'll post more on how I got this done. (I feel like a cheater with how little work is needed on the PS layer)

Originally Posted by XX1

The map is quite large and has three main sections. Top (spawns), Middle (neutral ball spawn/wrap around), and bottom (goals).
By the way the layout is set with the goals in an unorthodox location I can see games taking awhile to finish...
[...] I recommend you make the goal area less of a cave system, and less vertical to get out of easier.

I'm highly interested in how this plays out in a 6v6. I got to see Version 1 go around 5v5 for a few games and the ease of access to the goal from above was problematic, which is why this one got a cave attachment.

Originally Posted by XX1

I don't know what to say about the wrap around and neither does the community because we have yet to get an official wrap around Ball_map but I do feel the wrap around will be easier to get to your enemies side than crossing the middle of the map.

In Version 1, having an underground theme meant that I'm more or less stuck with a single route up top. This is why the wrap was provided. Before I added it, I measured the shortest distance to navigate between the goals. Currently, that is 329' for over the top, and 337' for wrap around. If balance says that it is easier to defend the center, so everyone goes wrap side, the 337' side can be increased more.

Originally Posted by XX1

No power ups?

Oh ****. Blast it. I had spots picked out for them but. Blast it.

[Aki1024]

Power ups added, map size slightly reduced.

[saturday]

I really like it, Puts a new idea on the route we take in ball......

You are a made genius

[Aki1024]

It was noted by someone on the test server that the dive spots are able to be a choke point for teams. I had hoped the two exits and two incoming would be enough to allow two routes, but understand where the suggester is coming from.

If I altered the map to have an extra exit to that, the width of the map would need to be increased as the distance in the wrap around would be likely shorter with any added outside exit.

Any input on this subject appreciated.

[RedLight]

Yeah hey, that was me.

This is the spot I was talking about, for everyone's clarification:


If you widened that point, it would be too easy for the opposing team to sneak through, due to the fact that the spawn point is quite a ways upward from that point.

The only idea that comes to me now would be to remove the "nub" on the corner opposite the wall, and change the spawn point to be closer to the goal, and pointing slightly downwards. That's just my opinion, though.

[XX1]

I played a bit on the map....

For Parallax False players, the smoke on planes don't show up because the background is black and the planes smoke is black. You can just switch the smoke to grey in the editor.

For our weak-eyed players, the black outline around the objects isn't an extremely well color to contrast the dark blue background.

Some of the walls well a lot of the walls are thin so things like emp/ explodet splash damage will pass through partly

[sukosevato]

A notion to the makers of the game.

Bots get absolutely confused on a map like this. Maybe there is a way to improve on this? Like setting a pre-determined path of flight for bots. So they at least fly in the right direction. Like a pre-determined path of flight that only applies when they are holding the ball. So that when they have the ball they at least don't fly in the wrong direction?

Its a fun map though ^^

[Aki1024]

Originally Posted by sukosevato

Bots get absolutely confused on a map like this. Maybe there is a way to improve on this?

I'm causing a unique situation on this map, and someone commenting on the map suggested a way that would likely fix the bots. Split the map down the middle and throw the outsides together. This would make the goals wide from each other and the bots would be much more likely to navigate this map.

Having the AI consider a path farther then 3 plane lengths would be nice, but I understand the difficulty in making such an AI. Adding extra markers to the map may not get much use outside of special maps like this, but I'm sure Co-op would put them to use.

@All: My next step on this map is to alter the walls for contrast. I plan on splitting the map into four visual sections to give multiple ideas a try at the same time to gain quicker feedback on a preferred style. I'm unsure when I'll next work on the map though.

[Aki1024]

A new version of ball_Hex is up with white walls and grey smoke. The test server has been down for a while though. Will it be coming back? Are there any other test server host willing to take on my map?

[Aki1024]

[edit]These two concepts are not on the test server[/edit]

Also, if the ball map is ladder worthy, it would take ball_hex's name and I'd move this thread's ball_hex to ball_hexunderground.

[tgleaf]

I like the TBD map a bit better than the BALL map, but I think either could work fine.

The only real problem with the TBD map is that it might play a lot like tbd_hills.

The center and bottom corners of the BALL map are death traps and will likely just frustrate people. I like that you have no direct routes to the goal, no easy long shots, and it seems like you have to really think where you're going when you spawn rather than just holding down the up arrow.

[Aki1024]

I'm not sure I mind the middle being a death trap. At least, it feels like a lot of ball maps are like that for where the ball sits. This concept is trying to reduce the balls sit time in the corners. A different concept on per side. Concept after input from Leaf.
[edit]These two concepts are now on the test server.