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Randomized Maps in Team Fortress 2 Explained
Given the amount of time that gamers have been playing the original Team Fortress, it's no wonder that Valve has designed the upcoming Team Fortress 2 with longevity in mind. One aspect of that design process is map layout: a randomization algorithm will reconfigure the map every time a game is launched. The result will be a multiplayer game requiring much more than simple map memorization and sniper rifle spawn camping. The post on Computer and Videogames offers a video featuring project lead Robin Walker describing the complicated process of making every random map work well. "As for how the dynamic maps work in practice, that was hard to judge. The match we played on Hydro, the first map to use this special game mode, was enormous fun. But as extensive as our playtest was, they didn't let us play on the map for three years, and that's the kind of heavy use under which this system should flourish. What we did notice is that this is not just a Battlefield type system with some control points 'locked'. When a point is not in play, routes to that section of the map are physically blocked off, so the physical shape of the map is different for every combination of points. That forces you to revise your mental picture of the map, and see it as fresh again."
That's been a long time in coming. Halo 3 multi-player developers take note...
Deja Moo: The distinct feeling that you've heard this bull before.
I never understood why they had specific places where the player respawned. While you'd want to ensure that you didn't respawn someone right above a hole, it makes more sense to just respawn the player in a random location. Except in CTF where the player should always be spawned at their base.
Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
Imagine that, playing a game for fun instead of as a "sport". What is the world coming to?
exactly! Too many people see changes to their beloved FPS games as something bad for competition. They are so used to play 1 way that they don't want to try a new way. I wonder if those people are even having fun anymore.. Every time they get kill they need to break something because of the frustration. (Like a mouse or a keyboard)
Dynamic maps make the game smarter. You can no longer play a map endlessly till you have it so memorized you can do it in your sleep.
This adds another aspect to playing the game. You know what you have to do, but now you also need to explore the map and find the weapons, find the best choke points all while the other team is doing the same thing. And you have to do this every single time.
Team communication is going to be even more important now. Your team will have to be dynamic and adaptable to not only the enemy, but to the terrain as well.
As far as I'm concerned, eliminating the blind rush to see who can get the super weapon/power up first is a good thing. Making players think more is not making the game dumber. People who don't like to think, who don't like new challenges every time they enter the game, won't like it.
I stopped playing FPS' because I was bored with the maps. People played the same maps over and over and over and over. It was always a mad rush to the same known locations. While that can be fun too, after a while I need some variety.
"The avalanch has already started, it is too late for the pebbles to vote." -Kosh
Map randomization helps reduce multiplayer FPS from a legitimate competitive sport to just another amusement.
I disagree: It adds a new feature to "map control", and that's "reconnaissance." If you don't know what the map looks like up front, you have to determine what it looks like, and then you can attempt control just like in any other map.
A randomized map still has chokepoints, item spawns, and enemy spawns. Figure them out before the other guy does.
-F
Playing a dynamic and possibly unpredictable map takes far more skill than playing de_dust for seven years non-stop.
Console FPS games are designed for consoles.
They're added because the games are played with gamepads, which are not as good as mice. It's not a sinister conspiracy againts pro-players.
You make it sound so amazing and difficult, when in fact it's completely mundane. It doesn't take long to memorize a map from top to bottom, and visualizing it is not an issue when you've played it for several years.
Your argument seems to boil down to the fact that you want your FPS games to be rigid, predictable systems where everything can be calculated and measured for optimal efficiency and nothing unexpected ever occurs. God forbid that the game could place you in a situation where you are not exactly sure what will happen next. Can't have that.
Honestly, I don't give a fuck about your e-penis e-"sports." I, like most people, play FPS games for my own amusement.