ODJ’s Hydro Rant
I’m ODJ and I’m studying the maps.
Learning the maps.
Becoming one with the maps.
Been really diving in deep onto maps.
There’s very little talking about maps. Of course I mean multiplayer maps. I’ve been taking a critical eye to the design of TF2’s maps. The map making process is ‘okay’, I’m starting out but making the map with a friend. The two of us have made maps for some other community stuff I do not want to delve into, and he’s worked with hammer++ before for gmod, we’re both talented mappers but this will be an undertaking for a lot of reasons: map fatigue in TF2 is very real so your first impression has to be VERY good, and the map must be understood off the bat… Lest you make a good map such as Gavle and get a overwhelmingly negative initial reception. On the critical eye thing, I’m actually reviewing all the maps in TF2, because that’s something I’ve always wanted to do! Recording is spooky, B-Roll footage is a bother, and while I want to just YAP YAP YAP about so many small details of even a map like 2fort, I have to be sure to condense things down to a certain degree. I’m setting small, reasonable goals such as “Just cover the initial six” and “Make sure your rating system for the maps is not only easily understood but acceptable without excessive bias. There’s also a significant portion of the vocal TF2 community that actually doesn’t think–and such just plays payload, and learns the maps via osmosis over multiple hours. Meaning that if your map isn’t payload it needs to be exceptionally simple/direct in how it guides the players, and even then that might not be enough.
I’m just nervous, even though this isn’t even intended for a larger audience or anything, I just want ,my multiplayer map content to be out there.
aabicus: It’s Territorial Control, isn’t it?
… Okay so TC actually isn’t complicated AT ALL!
HYDRO IS JUST THE WORST MAP IN THE GAME
First off, my map rating system
- Geometry. (Is there cover? Does the objects provided create unique gameplay scenarios? How does it feel to move on the map? This is an avenue to talk about indoor sections.)
- Objective design. (Primary objective. Secondary objectives being pickups or resupply cabs. Pickup placement being in surplus, odd locations, or lacking. Also lets you talk about the resupply location which does matter! And also a real avenue to talk about spawn rooms in general.)
- Map usage. (How much is the whole map used. Is the entire map just the dustbowl last-or does all of dustbowl see play? This is a way to point out why 2fort is shit, vast majority of the map is not used. This can also point out choke points and be used in discussion like that, as in, sure, you do play on all of the map usually, but if 90% of your time is spent on last…!)
- Variety. (Are all the stages of your payload map ‘push for free till the big choke then spend 5 minutes there? Badlands for example provides a lot of variety!)
- Presentation. (Vibes, aesthetics, themeing, and everything inbetween. Visual appeal, really.)
- Then we we can give at least one award. Awards are +3 or -3.
Now we can rate TC_Hydro.
tc_hydro
Geometry: 3/10
Objective design: 1/10
Map usage: 2/10
Variety: 2/10
Presentation: 1/10
One Sided: -3
6/50 -> 12% score
The presentation of Hydro has a lot of ‘variety’ even if its on the same theme, but it’s also not really… Red or Blu themed, it’s just “TF2 themed… Without a team.” which is okay, on its own. But then it also doesn’t provide much on that front, it does feel like TF2 equivalent of the backrooms, BUT ALSO THEY SLAP GLOWING ARROWS ONTO THE ROCK WALLS TO POINT YOU TO THE SINGLE CHOKE POINT BECAUSE THE MAP DESIGN IS THAT BAD THAT THEY CANT ORGANICALLY POINT YOU WHERE YOU NEED TO GO
It’s also BLU-sided (and thus unbalanced and unfair for RED)
The intention with Hydro is that, well, everything is unique and it’s asymmetrical, which is totally fine and okay! They want to do EDd gets 1 strong point, and 1 weak point, followed by BLU gets 1 strong point, and 1 weak point. However, warehouse, BLU’s strong, is like ten times as strong as RED’s (radar dish) and BLU’s weak point (power plant) is like alright, meanwhile DAM, RED’s weak point, might be one of the worst you could ever get in a game.
I actually have played a lot of Hydro, more than others, due to playing the Orange Box on the Xbox 360 back in the day… not that this weighs into rating… but I realized that in over 10+ years of playing TF2, hundreds thousands of hours… I have never seen BLU’s Final spawn on Hydro, till about a few days ago when I had to do the research for this.
It actually, is more likely, that you run into enough stalemates to end the lobby, than see BLU’s Final Point. AND HERES THE THING–ITS ALSO BETTER THAN REDS. If you full defend, your final point, on Hydro, you are given a point from the 4 you normally fight over and you just go back to playing Hydro.
Actually, let’s just talk about some sections. With pictures.
Dam is so bad I could talk in length about HOW BAD this point is. The stairs only exist on Dam vs Power Plant. That whole back area by it is USELESS. Dam’s only “strength” is that it has a gross sniper spot. Their spawn battlements, and even then it’s EXCEPTIONALLY limited, worse than 2fort on where they’re gonna be.
THE ONLY NICE THING ABOUT DAM is the spawn point. Very cute, multiple doors, interesting, enemy can’t walk in here. Such a rare thing is that it can’t be spawn camped. But you also cap the point in like 5 seconds on Hydro, so like you’re not getting to spawn, let alone get spawn-camped.
ogh and radar dish is also just?????
First you spawn and have to go down stairs, then you’re given a underground route with another resupply! BUT BOTH EXISTS ARE EQUAL DISTANCE AND THEY BOTH COME OUT TO A TERRIBLE SPOT. The actual area around the point looks fun to play when you forget about Snipers for a moment… who forgets snipers lol? But also… the point… is only a defender sided point because you can spam explosives into it. Also Hydro has ammo and health pickups…. on the points?????? Dustbowl also has this for its first point, but this is very abnormal.
Warehouse vs Powerplant is also weird.
The vent path is soooooo weird? Like it looks like there’s a drop down spot into it, but it’s just an invisible ceiling that lets you look outside???
Then there’s this outside spawn area. This is actually the main route, but the spawn for the defenders go right out here straight to this. Through the tollbooth/guardhouse there’s this side flank route that has like no detail work on it at all. Nothing. (Then again, Hydro kinda lacks detail in general). Like it has “added last minute” sorta vibes because otherwise it’s that tunnel entrance OR you go through the vent. You cannot rocket jump over the fence, but you can stand on it and attack people down below though so this creates more problems than it fixes in hindsight!
And I’ve barely gotten started…
Like I’m saying, TC is a fun game mode actually, very well thought out. But any map for it has to be REALLY well tuned.
Now you see the real problem on reviewing Hydro, there’s too much to talk about. I wanna make sure I give it all the attention it should, it’s a master class on a bad map, because it really makes TC seem so bad, kinda like how 2fort or Turbine can make CTF seem like a bad gamemode.
Medic: OK can I make the tc_hydro rant into an article please?
Yes, of course, if you want to do that feel free, totally forced to complete this video now…