surf_byzantine

[horsefeathers]

Hello
I started a new map over the past week or so and its going pretty well. But I need some help testing it. Its probably a t3/t4 and linear; it stretches my abilities right now.

Its about half complete, with the other half just a skeleton. I did my best to direct the surfer but it may still be confusing after a certain point.

heres a link to the bsp: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/17419604/surf_byznatine_alpha.bsp

and heres some pictures: http://imgur.com/a/VLM4k#0

[joseph]

pro tip: nobody will be able to nominate a map with such a name, i didn't even know that this word existed,
scenario 1: you want to play the new map and you don't know the name because you forgot it (even after typing !rr) because it's too byzantine => you will start to hate the map

i see you still have $ 16000 in your budget left, i would change the name to something easier or more catchy
but very good map, you're gunna rise to the top in no time

[evolv]

Looks really dark

[Masog]

It looks really dark, which is not bad I guess, but personally I hate dark maps. I haven't surfed the map yet so can't tell more :)

[horsefeathers]

I chose the name because the textures I based the style on looked sort of Mediterranean, so i thought of name like turkish or ottoman and settled on byzantine because it sounded interesting.

Its not terribly dark, but the lighting isn't final so it can be brightened. I took care to highlight important things like the spines of ramps. I haven't needed nvgs to test it.

Edit: it looks a lot darker in the screenshots than it does in game.

Also, there is a part near the end (third to last ramp) that I can't get past; I dont know if its because its impossible or because i'm just bad. If anyone can get past that to the end let me know. The end height is still to be decided since I don't know how much height you can get after the other parts.

[Rainbowwwww]

Here is a better one, since Byzantium was the second seat of the Roman Empire why not call it something like 'surf_rome2', now all you need is one in Rome(Italy) and one in Moscow to make 1,2,3.. Also dark maps are not bad but having different feels are nice like (surf_calamity2) i think is the name, which combine both Deep Dark, Medium Dark and bright day light.

Historical significance.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rome

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantinople

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Rome

[horsefeathers]

I'm happy with the name surf_roman. surf_rome2 i think would be too confusing since its not a sequel to anything.

I'm pretty much done with the map at this point. Right now I'm trying to take a demo and figure out how to get a video up; I've never done demoing before. Hopefully I will figure it out today.

[horsefeathers]

Hello all.
I am happy with the state of the map finally and have released it to http://css.gamebanana.com/maps/183326. I fiddled with the video for a while because whenever I upload it to youtube it gets washed out, I couldnt figure out the problem so I just said fuck it. Heres the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQ0ZSOeqwqQ&list=UUOPP5K8T-54uAGw1O-VqsjQ
Give it a try and tell me what you think.

[Krazy]

Overall: 6.5/10
I actually liked this map. Sure, there were some difficult and frustrating flicks, but putting those aside, it's a fun and good-looking map.

Surf: 7/10
The surf ramps themselves were nicely done, however the part where you do a 180 and go back up another set of ramps feels awkward.

Aesthetics: 8/10
The map does look nice, and I like the detail in certain places. It fits well with the roman theme. The bonus also has appealing visuals.

Flow: 3/10
This is where the map's weak spot is. There are too many obstacles that rely on you memorizing exactly where you need to flick. You should give surfers at least one or two seconds to observe the next obstacle, and know where to flick. However, on that one ramp after that flat jump (0:28 - 0:30 in the video), you don't even have half a second to see the next jump and know where to go. If that isn't enough, it's difficult to get into the right position to clear that jump.

Fun: 8/10
Once you've spent quite a bit of time practicing some of those harder flicks, this map is actually quite fun.

I do have a question, though; was this inspired by the stonework series? There are quite a few similarities in the scenery and some of the surf obstacles.

[horsefeathers]

Great input! Thank you. I understand the part about flow, that is something that started to realize when making this map. I usually focus too much on the challenges and not so much of the ramps in between. That is something I will work on. I'm glad that you had fun on the map.

The stonework series is and inspiration to me, but the bigger influence I think was eternal.

Thanks for playing!