Dustbowl - Design Theme
Introduction
This article will go through the design theme used in Team Fortress 2 maps such as cp_dustbowl and pl_goldrush.
Environment
Location
This theme is mostly only an exterior theme. Buildings tend to be open rather than being full interior. The setting used are often run down or abandoned mining facilities located in the middle of the desert. This theme is best used for attack/defend styled maps, as it's more biased towards RED and have a slight sense of progress as you move the objective from the abandoned parts of the facility to the more used and active ones. The sun is often reddish with dark-purple shadows giving the environmental lights a strong RED presence.
Textures
The textures often reflect the sense of progress in attack/defense styled maps. The first parts often use broken and old looking textures, such as wood/wood_wall002b and roofs made of metal/wall025. Buildings often rest on a concrete foundation textured with brick/wall029. The interior walls of playable wooden buildings usually have the texture wood/wood_wall001 with wooden beams using wood/wood_beam03, and the floor is often a natural floor textured with nature/rockground002 or directly built onto the concrete foundation using the texture nature/ground_04. BLU forward spawns and RED spawns use the brick/wall028 texture for exteriors, and a clean concrete texture for interiors like concrete/concretewall008. Natural mining hallways have a wooden wood/wall020 texture most of the times, and uses rock and dirt textures for floors and ceilings, like nature/dirtground001.
The second stage in 3-stage maps, or a later control point is usually in better condition. Wood buildings have the same interior textures as earlier stages most of the time, but the outside have a less broken texture, like wood/wood_wall002. Roofs on the buildings are now an intact metal/wall026 texture. Smaller metal buildings can be found in this area, and uses the same roof texture as the wood ones, but the exterior wall texture is usually metal/wall011 and it's variations. Interior walls in smaller sheds tends to be wall/wood_wall001 and ceilings wood/wall020b.
In the last stages, the setting is much more industrial. Concrete and brick textures are commonly found on most buildings. The inside of these buildings usually uses the concrete/concretewall011 texture and it's variations. Industrial signage can be found here, and beams and supports are metal instead of wood. The final stretch often features mainly metal buildings using a reddish metal texture, most noticeably metal/wall011b.
Architecture
Siderooms
Siderooms in this theme tends to be mostly mining and storage rooms. They are however not limited to a horizontal plane and can sometimes be above the head of the player. They may also be practical and provide light for other parts where having a light wouldn't make sense.
Blocked off tunnel in BLU's first spawn.
Out of reach storage room at the second control point.
Overhead storage at the second control point.
Wall and ceiling supports
Beams are common as structural supports in the first stages of a dustbowl map, but becomes redundant in later stages where the buildings are made of stronger concrete, bricks and metal.
In the earlier stages, beams are made out of wood and covers walls and ceilings. In later areas, beams are uncommon, but are use under overhangs to support them and are made of metal.
Models
Common models in this theme are found under the props_farm and props_mining folder and includes haybales, buckets, barrels, crates, minecarts, wooden boards and wire coils.
Gallery
Control point 1, Stage 1, Dustbowl
Control point 2, Stage 1, Dustbowl
Control point 1, Stage 2, Dustbowl
Control point 2, Stage 2, Dustbowl
Control point 1, Stage 3, Dustbowl
Control point 2, Stage 3, Dustbowl
Checkpoint A, Stage 1, Gold Rush
Checkpoint B, Stage 1, Gold Rush
Checkpoint A, Stage 2, Gold Rush
Checkpoint B, Stage 2, Gold Rush
Checkpoint A, Stage 3, Gold Rush
Checkpoint B, Stage 3, Gold Rush
Checkpoint C, Stage 3, Gold Rush
