3D Computer Game Engines - Peer Review Cycle 3; TDM-Millv08

Through peer review cycle 3, in addition to my CTF map, I converted the map, at it's core to a TDM build, taking the same map and seeing how it would cope in a straight shooter environment with no objective to fulfil other than killing the enemy to score points.

I again prepared questions to be answered;

Q1. Jump straight in and get playing, add in 15 bots and progress, when the game is five minutes in, access to the environmental hazard will become available.

Do you think this is an acceptable timing for access to the environmental hazard? As I feel leaving it til 7:30 in would be too late to have any real effect on the flow.

Q2. Do you feel the map, when played in TDM flows any differently to how it flows in CTF mode? If yes, do you feel this is this a positive or negative difference?

Q3. As with the CTF mode, do you think the health deducted by the environmental hazard is appropriate? Should it be increased or decreased and why?

Q4. Do you find yourself using the upper pathways more or less in this mode than you did in Capture the Flag?

Q5. With the objective simply being to kill opponents and gain points, do you feel the amount of weapons available is still enough to always have a reasonable amount of ammo ?

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Peer 1:

1.   Alright so you’re basically planting the switch in under halfway by a couple of minutes. Honestly I’m not too sure, having tested this substantially at my end I feel that this works absolutely fine – on a more competitive level this may have more bearing but it seems fine, just don’t take my word for it on the timing here.

2.   Despite the obvious of no flag carrier to ‘hunt down’ not particularly. Your map is small, compact and flows well with it’s layout so TDM doesn’t really change anything up here as with CTF you’d either stumble into the flag carrier or you wouldn’t – whereas this just removes that but still has the general idea at hand. I think it works well.
3.   I’ll literally copy and paste my answer from the other document here:

‘The idea and role of the hazard will be absolutely fine end game but I tested this over several games and it currently feels redundant in the sense that you can practically ignore this and be at no real disadvantage. To test this, I stood in the lava and strafed up and down the length and got about 5 kills before the lava eventually finished me off.

·         The lava needs to be ramped up in terms of damage. This will work because the pouring serves as a warning that the lava will surface and thus people have plenty of time to position. Also you can pretty much avoid the damage from this entirely by jumping – arguably you’d take an incremental tick of damage which you won’t even notice anyway amidst the fast paced game type.

I feel that the lava should still be a per second damage type but perhaps triple. I’m not sure double would do it justice (but this could be your next rule of the loop testing here, double it and see how it balances). I feel like it should have more of a decision on the outcome of whether you live or die if you take ticks from this and it doesn’t feel like that currently.’

4.   If anything less due to instinctive nature of going up top allows you to see past the walls so you can spot the flag carrier easier. This is at no fault of your map and honestly it still works well because your upper pathways are connected well; offering freedom of routes.

Probably. The only thing I’d really test for this TDM iteration going forward is this – maybe carefully place a few more mid / lower range weapons as you see fit and test it as I think this ‘might’ be beneficial.

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Peer 2:

1.   Because this is Team Deathmatch, the gaming is focus on mostly the combat. In my own opinion it would be better that have the hazard appear earlier, because the player will be mostly focusing on each other.
2.   I don’t see any change when the map is played in TDM. Because of the game mode the players are focusing on each other and thus it is the same experience as CTF.
3.   The environmental hazard dos not need to be changed at all in this game mode. But what you do need to add is another switch for the other team. Because there is only one of them and it is place at an opposing team are.

4.   When playing this map I did indeed use the upper pathways less. This is because the fact that most of the bots are playing on the ground. In order to find out if they get used or not it is best to test this on a LAN network.

5.   I would say that you have a good amount of weapons in the map and the amount of ammo is ok.  I have noticed that you have some weapons place close together. What you could do to get the top area used more often is to place some of the weapons on the upper level as well. This could get the bots to use that top area.

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Peer 3:

1.   I think the timing for the hazard is acceptable and dosent need to be altered in the sense of timing, however I don’t think it has as much impact on the game as it potentially can in a ctf game. This could change if the damge was higher than that in ctf.

2.   I think it flows the same but as the objective is different I think more cover needs to be added as it is to open for the tdm mode as I can see the enemy team pretty much straight away and I am always fighting multiplayers on my own which can sometimes get annoying in a death match mode.

3. I didn't find myself using them at all but I thing that is partly down to all the bots being on the ground as well and them not going up there either.

4. In my opinion there need to be less or they need to be relocated as things like health and armour are too easy to access and need to be more scarce as this is vital on keeping players moving in a death match mode.

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From these answers, it is quite clear my map isn't quite ready for the transition into a straight TDM map yet, mainly as there are cover issues with too many open spaces and the pickups are placed in an ineffective manner.
There will also be changes made mirroring the CTF mode changes, making the environmental hazard appear more often, for bursts at a time.
I will be looking into making these changes, but they will take second place to the changes made for my primary game mode, Capture the Flag.

These changes will be detailed in a changelog following experimentation.