MSUC Phase 1 Reviews: VCTF

Now that all the entries are officially in, thought I’d start a thread to discuss them whilst we await the final judging. Specifically, I wanted to focus on the VCTF category to start off with given that it has the fewest entries (and also happens to be my favourite gametype in UT3 ).

I’m very shocked that VCTF had the fewest entries (only 7) given it’s rather large popularity. I was suspecting that Warfare would have the fewest (given how complex they are to do and how little time the phase 1 deadline provided) which is why I entered into Warfare for phase 1 (8 entries in total). Though I guess if I entered into VCTF then there’d be 8 entries in VCTF and only 7 in Warfare .

Anyways, starting in Alphabetical order, I thought I’d discuss VCTF-Asunder first. I believe the contest description mentioned that they were looking at visuals, gameplay, and performance.

VCTF-Asunder

Visuals:
The visuals are simply stunning in this map. Actually, overall, I’d say this is probably the best looking VCTF map of the bunch. In fact, I can see this map probably earning top 5 in the “best looking map” category. That’s not to say it isn’t without its visual bugs here and there, and there’s nothing you haven’t seen before (it’s not some super-bizarre alien planet) but even still, there’s just good visual flow and balance all around.


(looking out from this walkway, it seems beyond the tree to the left lies the Great Checker-Board Plains... whoops! )

Gameplay: While the gameplay is generally good, this is where the map starts to hint that it’s really only in the Beta phase... Right from the VCTF menu, you’ll notice that the map is missing a preview image and a description. Upon loading and starting the game, you’ll see that the mini map image is missing and utterly devoid of anything except the two flag icons .

Starting the game, the first thing I did was check out the flag location and jump over the railing into the water to take a trip down the waterfall. Unfortunately, while the water at the bottom of the falls is A-okay , the innocent-looking stream at the top is apparently insta-kill lava in disguise


(I see no reason why the stream at the top of the falls should be insta-kill; it’s well within the map boundaries).

Despite rocky initial impressions, the gameplay is not too bad, and the mapper clearly decided to be bold and go with an asymmetrical map design. While I’m glad to see such a bold move, unfortunately, I feel as though the map is rather heavily stacked against blue who’s flag is surrounded by crates and other cover, and is generally very easy to grab and disappear whereas the red flag is wide out in the open and very hard to get to without getting sniped off, let along escaping with it . The map is also marred with serious collision bugs. There are meshes with no collision that should have it (i.e. railings) and other meshes that have collision but shouldn’t (i.e. thin foliage, chain-link fences that bounce-back flak at you if you try to shoot through them) and some meshes with collision that’s totally off (i.e. those rocks in the middle near the church on the red side of the map, you’re either hovering above them at one moment or walking through parts of them the next moment. Bots also get themselves caught on geometry often, but yeah, that's UT3 bots for you .


(You can walk past these logs and get to the bridge, but the bridge has no collision so you’ll fall through and land in the water below which, of course, insta-kills you ).

Also, in general, the map looks and feels very much like a CTF map to me and with no roads or obvious vehicle paths, I thought the vehicles seem kinda outta place. Also, there are only two vehicles per side: a Goliath and Manta. I feel that if these two vehicles were gone, we’d have a perfectly good CTF map .

Performance: Unfortunately, those beautiful visuals come at quite a cost. Whereas I can get a solid 40 to 45fps average on Suspense and other VCTF maps, I average well below 30 most of the time here. In fact, near the red flag, during a battle I average 15-20 fps. During play, most players with mid-range GPUs (like me) are going to have to turn down their settings while playing this map and then put them back afterwards .

Creativity: While not mentioned as a judging factor, I think it’s important to keep in mind so that we don’t simply get a series of VCTF-Suspense-Necris_vs_Axon spinoffs or CTF-Face243 .

The layout for the map is pretty unique and the asymmetrical design is very creative and bold. However, the gameplay will probably remind you of regular CTF, just with hoverboards and getting run over with mantas from behind and being gibbed by goliaths-from-nowhere camping the flags .

Overall: It’s a map of stunning beauty and creativity with great care and professionalism put into it, but unfortunately marred by a number of glaring gameplay bugs. However, it’s nothing a little bit of polish and sufficient testing can’t fix. Overall, I enjoyed this map more than several of the stock UT3 VCTF maps, and it’s definitely in the right place here at MSU .

I have a feeling we’ll see a shiny new polished VCTF-Asunder (or perhaps CTF-Asunder) in phase 2 and it will be a force to be reckoned with!

VCTF-CanalWarfare

Next on the list is Canal Warfare, which, despite its misleading name, is actually a VCTF map. I have to say, at first glance I didn’t have high hopes as it looked like another small, dreary VCTF map, but my views were quickly changed upon playing .

Visuals: At first glance, the visuals appeared slightly... off to me. I couldn’t pin down at first; the map had post processing, and bloom (both within the realm of reasonable). And it had pretty good use of UT3 materials and meshes... However, looking at certain areas, it becomes clear that the issue is lighting. It’s an overcast map and all, but even so, the lighting feels very “ambient” and there’s little change in it throughout the map both in terms of color and brightness. Also, objects outdoors lack shadows. Now, this is not uncommon on an overcast day, but certain areas, like the underside of the huge crane structures should definitely be in shadow.

Looking at the map in the editor, I found that the issue was not that the static meshes weren’t casting shadows, it’s that the terrain’s light-map resolution was left at the default level of 2 when it should probably be up around 16.


(you can see the low light-map resolution on the terrain is making for some poor shadows)

In spite of the lighting issue, the map has a ton of details that really help you forget about the lighting. The grass waves in the wind, active machinery sends out puffs of smoke and the bloom is neither blinding, nor the DOF making things excessively blurry . Some areas, though, (like near the bridge in the centre of the map) have rather obvious tiling textures that probably should have been scaled a little larger .

Gameplay: Very Good! When I started playing this map, that’s when I truly started to like it. The gameplay is very unique, and the intricate design of the buildings in the centre make for some very interesting flag-carrier manoeuvring. For example, the flag carrier can either go to the left side of the canal bridge, the house on the left, over even take a swim in the river and dive under the boats for cover. As a huge VCTF fan, I can see this map will make for some truly unique VCTF gameplay!

The thought put into the level design in the centre of the map is reminiscent of counter-strike (In fact, the visuals are too). I’m not sure if this was intentional, but nonetheless, it works!

Also the map is very well polished and thoroughly tested. I played 3 full games, explored the whole map and came across not a single bug. The mini-map works both Zoomed and non-zoomed, the bots use vehicles intelligently... all in all, very well tested and debugged! Perhaps the most spotless VCTF map of the bunch in terms of being bug-free .

Performance: Excellent! I was stunned to find a map that actually out-performs the stock maps in terms of performance. The whole game, it never dipped below 30 fps for me, and was, on average, about 5 fps better than the stock maps! Very nice!

Creativity: The map also shows good creativity. Perhaps not visually (it’s certainly not the first (nor last) gloomy overcast outdoors map you’ve seen) but in terms of layout, it’s unlike any UT3 map I’ve played. Given its size, I would have perhaps not added fliers and just kept it to ground combat, but I suppose it gives players that last chance to nab the enemy flag carrier...

Overall, I was very impressed with the layout and design of this map. I was worried that everyone was going to “play it safe” with their map designs and be very conservative, but I’m glad to see this isn’t the case and that mappers are not afraid to try out unique, innovative designs .

Its visuals will no doubt hold it back a bit, but I can easily see this map winning at least 4th or 5th in the VCTF category . I look forward to playing it on the VCTF servers soon!

VCTF-CBP3-The Dig

Next on the list is a map that I really dig! (pun absolutely intended! ).

Visuals: Pretty Good. It’s another grim-looking map, but the addition of bright sunlight keeps it from being too dull. Also, the visual concept of digging-out nano-black infection tubes is pretty darn cool too. The only major visual bug I noticed is the brick-like pixilation that surrounds all bright surfaces. At first I wondered if this was from a super-low resolution Specular or normal map, but now I see that it issue is that the bloom scale has been set far too high. A value of 0.2 to 0.3 is reasonable, but it looks to be at least 3 times that amount.


(Cranes tearing out Necris infection tubes, very nice!)

Gameplay: The map is essentially a gigantic capital U (like Sandstorm and Kargo) so it’s not exactly the most innovative design, but the upper catwalks help to add some alternate flag carrier paths into the mix. Again, not too many vehicles, including no fliers or goliaths, (neither of which will be missed though... ).

Performance: Very good. Pretty much spot-on with the performance of the stock maps!

Creativity: It’s both visually and structurally, the map is different from the stock maps, yet somewhat conservative in its layout.

Overall, not too much to say actually... Very solid and well conceived map. It doesn’t try anything too crazy, but doesn’t need to either. With its solid visuals, gameplay and performance, I can see it easily placing 2nd or 3rd place in the VCTF category overall .

vctf-forlorn

Upon going to the download link for this map, I got the slight suspicion that I was in for trouble when I saw that the link was for a direct download of the map and not a zipped archive. Upon downloading and installing it in the appropriate directory, my suspicions were further raised when I loaded up UT3 and realised that it had no ini or localization file (definitely no preview screenshot or course) . My suspicions were even further heightened when I discovered that trying to load the map causes UT3 to crash to the desktop. My suspicions were confirmed when I was finally able to open the map using the UT3 editor. For those who also are unable to load the map from UT3, here are some shots of what you’re missing out on:





Well, I guess the shots pretty much say it all, but here goes...

Visuals: Well, yeah... the lighting is ambient... objects don’t cast any shadows, some meshes are only one-sided (like some stair meshes) but the reverse side is exposed so that users can see through them. The skybox is only just large enough to surround the gigantic terrain sheet so you can see it get closer as you get closer to the edge of the map. But what really gets me is the weird stuff. There’s trees floating well off the ground, several objects (like the link gun in the 3rd picture, and also a jump pad) are all stretched out and other stuff like wall meshes used as floor meshes .

Gameplay: Wow, okay... what can I say? The map is so enormous that it literally took me 2 full minutes to hoverboard across it from one end to the other. Of course that was without bots to deal with. With bots, you get sniped from a mile away (probably literally a mile) or zapped by a darkwalker. Yeah, there’s pretty much no cover on your way to the flag. As if that was enough, then there’s the weird stuff: like a jump pad that you would think gets you on top of the building at your base but instead just throws you straight up in the air after which you die on impact with the ground .

Also, you’ll find your vehicles scattered around your base, but some are quite far from it. Well, I guess they’re not technically “your” vehicles as all of them (even the ones next to your flag) are actually “neutral” vehicles that can be stolen by your enemies . There’s no mini map (as you probably suspected), but I guess it probably wouldn't be much help anyways...

Performance: Well, with so little detail, no shadows, and fancy graphics, it should run like a dream, right? Wrong! Somehow, this map actually does slightly worse for performance than the stock maps! I think part of the issue is that the map was never “cooked” and as such, not optimized for loading/gameplay. Also, the terrain sheet is enormous, and the heavy terrain polygon count weighs down on the system. None of the static meshes are distance-culled, and the sparseness of which they are laid out means that none of them occlude anything either.

Overall: Well, what can you say? This was clearly made by a very very new mapper (quite possibly also extremely young). I don’t want to discourage anyone from mapping because I think there’s too many people who have great ideas, but lack only the follow-through to share them with the masses. Still, I guess this is a good example of why, for your first map, you should avoid overly ambitious designs until you’re more comfortable with the basics .

VCTF-Luracia

I recall this map being released well before MSU was even announced. It really shows that the mapper was simply making the map for the good of the community and expected nothing in return. A pure, full-blooded mapper through-and-through . I have a feeling that even after MSU is over he’ll still be mapping (as I plan to be too).

Visuals: The outdoor visuals in this map are very nice. One of the issues with a snow map is that there’s not typically a lot of color or contrast in a cold frozen landscape. However, this map avoided that issue by setting the time to sunset thus creating very warm lighting to contrast the cooler colors of the snow fields. Very nice!


(while it's not uncommon to see maps with sunsets, but this one is particularly spectacular!)

The only issue I noticed with the visuals was the darker indoor areas. I know that darker areas are tricky to gauge because everyone has different monitors with different brightness and gamma settings, but I’m pretty sure these interior areas are on the “too dark” side for most players (the blue Necris base in particular). Also, there’s this strange maroon haze that covers the dark areas. This is a result of using post-processing effects (Scene_Shadows to be exact) to try to brighten dark areas. However, the issue is that, when used too much, this scene effect removes contrast and looks odd to players. Also, different players have their post-processing set anywhere from “Muted” to “Intense” so it’s not very reliable to count on post-processing to fix areas that are too dark; brighter lighting is the safer bet .



(shots of the Necris base interior)

Gameplay: The gameplay is interesting in that it’s sort of like an outdoor area that plays like an indoor map. The main “field” of the map is a series of narrow corridors weaving between giant chunks of ice and rock. Also, it’s an extremely small map (smaller than any of the stock maps, for example) so expect very fast-paced gameplay. In spite of its size, each team has an enormous vehicle rollout.

There are a few small oddities in the map though. For one, there’s a necris base and an Axon base, yet both bases have the exact same vehicle rollout which is a mix of Necris and Axon vehicles. Also, while the vehicles available to each team are the same, they’re in different locations (like the manta and scavenger are in swapped locations at the red base compared to the blue base). While this isn’t a major issue, it may confuse players who could’ve sworn that the viper was next to the left ramp, not the scorpion... The Redeemer is also much closer to the red base than the blue base; a potential area for gripe amongst blue team members.

The Minimap doesn’t pan correctly whilst zoomed-in so you’ll need to switch to the unzoomed mini-map while playing (F3). This isn’t that big an issue though, as many maps have this bug (VCTF-The Dig has the exact same problem for example) and most players probably don’t play with the minimap set to zoomed-in anyways (at least not any serious players). The map is also missing a map description when you open the menu in-game. All it says is “VCTF-Ice” which I’m guessing was its working name . Given how early this map was completed, I’m somewhat surprised that these issues weren’t caught and fixed ages ago. Perhaps this is a good example of why thorough testing is an important part of the development cycle of any map.

Performance: Like the rain in WAR-Downtown, the snowfall takes its toll performance, but in spite of this, the conservative use of meshes (i.e. avoiding clutter) and some cullDistance helps keep the performance strong. Not quite as fast as the stock maps (on average) but still very close .

Creativity: The layout isn’t quite like any stock map, but may remind you a bit of VCTF-Corruption (without the wide open centre area) in the sense that it has paths weaving around enormous chunks of rock.

Overall, it’s still a very strong map, but I worry that the large number of vehicles combined the very small size of the map might lead to “spammy” gameplay (especially if there are more than 6 players per side). Nonetheless, I still look forward to seeing how it plays online. It's still very different from any other VCTF map .

$hagratH said:

well
i think vctf was very populated a cple of weeks ago,,like a month and half or so
then i didnt play for 1.5 week,,when i returned to start doing UT3 again,,the bloody servers very empty
i tried several times the following 3 days,,but it was the same..
have u noticed anything special??
like ppl are dropping off,,,or is it something else??
hope it will change

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Yeah, I've noticed this too. I know that people can only really handle so much of the same 6 maps over and over again before they become a little disenchanted, but now that there's all these great VCTF custom maps out, there should be tons of new fun to be had on the servers. I haven't found any servers hosting this new content yet though... I wonder what's going on... It's almost like they're all waiting for someone else to do it first .

twigsby said:

The map name/description wasn't caught until after i'd released the final.

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Lol, yeah, I ran into the exact same situation with my Warfare map. I submitted to MSU and then found several bugs the very next day . Like that radar image not working when zoomed-in... (not really a big deal though, I've seen like a dozen maps with that bug). Apparently for the radar, you need to set the "View->World Properties->WorldInfo->MyMapInfo->Minimap->MapTextureYaw" to 90 and keep the MapYaw at 0. The Preview shot's gotta be oriented (when you create it) so that it matches the view orientation of your top viewport. Really weird, but that's the only way I got it to work .

Despite the little things, I'm positive you made the top five for MSU VCTF . You gonna try for Warfare next (i.e. Phase 2)?

VCTF-Megastructure_SE



This is a map that once again, didn’t impress me too much from the screenshots, but changed my opinion immediately upon playing. So much so, that I believe this map is quite possibly going to be the first-place finisher for the VCTF category .

Visuals: Well, at first glance, it seems like another gloomy, dark, industrial setting that is perhaps the most common theme in the UT series, but in spite of the somewhat conservative choice of colours, it’s structure is definitely massive (as the name implies ). It’s definitely got the whole gigantic underground structure feel down. Everything feels in place and there’s many clever little details to note for those who take a look around at this massive complex they’re inside. Very polished too; didn’t find any noticeable visual artefacts at all.

Gameplay: In terms of layout, this map is quite unlike any stock VCTF map or any other maps submitted. The map is very narrow, and stretched-out lengthwise from flag to flag making flag grabs a true battle as players will have a very long way to go. This puts emphasis on controlling the middle area so that you can assist your flag carrier as he tries to escape the enemy half of the map, and also enables you to intercept enemy flag carriers that are trying to make an escape with your flag.

However, far from a simple narrow corridor, the map is a maze of interconnecting platforms at all sorts of heights giving flag carriers many routes to choose from, and allows for several ways to give flag defenders the slip.

The only bug I noticed was that the mini map doesn’t pan correctly when zoomed, but as I’ve said, that’s hardly an uncommon bug and is actually a really quick fix.

Performance: Ample use of distance culling results in very nice performance in game. It's better than the stock maps in fact despite the massive scale and sheer number of static meshes. Very nice!

Creativity: Like I said, very creative design for a VCTF map. I like how it focuses gameplay into the centre of the map and away from the flag areas.

Overall, solid visuals combined with truly intricate map design make this an impressive entry that I’m certain will become a big favorite on servers (as soon as they decide to start adding custom content to their map lists already).

twigsby said:

Warfare and a UT3 version of 2Fort CTF... if I have enough time.

Click to expand...

Nice! I'm aiming for a vehicle CTF map in phase 2, but after seeing all these tremendous VCTF entries in phase 1, I'm going to have to seriously step up my skills just to stand a chance!

VCTF-OffTheRails

Finally, last but not least is VCTF-OffTheRails.

Visuals: The map certainly has a lot of visual detail and for the most part, they’re very strong. I like the custom ad signs in the underground train station and ever the little picture of Merl the Cat in the houses . The map has a great deal of care put into the details and it really shows. Even the map preview shot is intense and action-packed rather than the usual scenic view.

However, the map is not without it’s visual oddities. There house interiors feel a little odd with the whole metal brace corridors, and there are crates and barrels on the streets the size of Hellbenders. The only major visual quam I had is the dark brown-green post-processing filter applied to the entire map which sucks out contrast and makes it feel somewhat bland. My guess is that the mapper was aiming for a grungy-dirty urban feel, and I suppose that effect was achieved.


(A grim urban area. The road material may perhaps be a little too dark though, in comparison with the brightness of the meshes surrounding it)

Gameplay: However, these small issues are quickly forgotten when you start playing the map. It’s mix of indoor and outdoor areas and myriad of interconnecting corridors and pathways literally leads to dozens of possible paths for a flag carrier to take. The design is intricate, and yet still has clearly key areas that, with proper teamwork, can be used to cut off enemies. Also, I believe this map may be the only VCTF map with a non-decorative, non-lift mover in it. Every minute or so, a train blocks access through the upper centre area of the map. At first, I was questioning how much strategy this could really offer. Then, as I was making a getaway with the enemy flag with 3 bots hot on my trail when the train showed up. I leapt over the incoming train with jump boots whilst all my pursuers were trapped on the other side and thus made a clean get away. At that point I was sold! I really wish more maps would make use of clever scripting and interactive events such as this as it adds a tremendous amount of new gameplay strategies and experiences. It’s definitely something I’m going to try to do more in the future !

Performance: On average, it’s a little lower than the stock maps, but only slightly. Still definitely playable at all times .

Creativity: An intricate, totally unique layout combined with clever use of an dynamic mesh makes for an amazing, creative game experience.

Overall, I suspect the map’s visual style may not be well-liked by some, but the gameplay more than makes up for this and will almost certainly make it a popular online choice. Once again, I feel this map will clearly make the top 5 for the VCTF category.

Whew, that's all of them. Comments? Discussion? Predictions for the winners?

I hope others will also do some in-depth map reviews for the other categories. I only play VCTF and Warfare online, so I can't really speculate on gameplay design decisions for those maps. Also, having submitted a Warfare map for phase 1, reviewing the Warfare category would probably be a conflict of interest to say the least .

hal said:

Thanks for the reviews - keep 'em coming!

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Thanks for the encouragement there. After around 200 views and zero replies I was getting a little worried that everyone thought I was totally out-to-lunch or something !