Optimization/Level Design

For advanced information on optimizing your map please visit [zombies Optimizing-page]

NOTE::: I Am so lost on this page its not FUNNY!, how the heck do I add an article! hehe :) Without further delay, I guess this falls under "Optimization" in some way shape or form. Someone feel free to move this for me to a more appropriate spot, eek, SorrY!

A Competitive Gamers Look on MODing

Hi people, let me first introduce myself, My name is Mark im 20 years old, I currently am doing a Bachelor of MultiMedia at University here in Australia. At the age of 17 I was project lead for a HL1 mod, Mututally Assured Destruction, like most HL mods run by a 17 year old, the project collapsed and was never released to the public, dispite so much work going into the project and many playable inhouse betas.

After the collapse of the mod, I re-started playing Counter-Strike, which I swore to hate for the rest of my life, here I am today, STILL playing CS 1.6 competitively over Source, many reasons which I wont enduldge on my entry post, perhaps at a later day, but the main point is GAMEPLAY. What i'm going to talk about relates to what you as a developer should look to in terms of GAMEPLAY when designing your mod for the Competitive scene.

Firstly, let me talk about the Flashbug, For those that don't know what this is, I will explain it. Many mappers to reduce polys in there map create items such as boxes/trains just one single unit above the map, to reduce polys on the map, HOWEVER, in doing so, they open up one of the most frustrating bugs to ever hit the competitive scene, the flashbug, If a flashbug is thrown under that one unit under the crate, the flash will flash the entire room, no matter what stance you are in, the simple solution is obviously not to throw a flash there, however the most common time this is done is on de_nuke going into ramp room, every match over 100 flashbangs are thrown at that crate, not to try and flashbug it, but to genuinely throw a flash into that room.

Whilst i'm sure that your mod may not have flashbangs so this bug doesnt mean anything to you, it is a perfect example of Gameplay over a map design technique which floods the game with bugs.

I can not stress to you enough game testing, SURE, its great for you and your team, and some of your mates that you love and have begged for your beta for 6 months now to test it, but you need a REAL game testing group, not just a bunch of people that can top score a pub server either. To the competitive scene Public players are the scum of the Earth, they get what they want because there a majority, and there REALLY REALLY bad at the game, most changes that are made for the competitive scene arnt even NOTICED by the pub players, and even if they do, they dont care or understand for its meaning.

My advice to you is to pick 4 dedicated clans from another game on the same engine to test your mod and give you feedback, They will pick up gameflaws that you didnt even imagine were possible, inbalances in the wepaonry which you didnt consider, and bugs that exploit the game so bad that you hadnt even thought of. A great place to try and recruit your gametesters is Http://www.gotfrag.com Which is the heart of competitive gaming in America. Listen to there feedback carefully, as they are the true gamers that you want to be playing your game.

Thank you, depending upon the feedback, I may write more, I have alot in my head about many many topics,