Big Steve's Big Grapple Knife Map

[Big Steve]

What is this?
This is my map donation for Sanctus Rem's AoKE Grapple Knife. I've posted this elsewhere, but I figured I would receive more feedback if I posted it on here, too. I have not officially sent the map to Sanctus yet because I want to hear from more people on how it looks and what I can do to improve it.

Pictures

Description
It's large, but for good reason. This map will teach players how to grapple around more efficiently, since movement around the map is essential to start racking up some kills. The map teaches classic knifing skills as well. If you look at the platforms, there are many areas that would work well on classic. I'm hoping that players can learn to blend skills from each game type into their knifing strategy through this map.

Take note that the spawns are 32x32, rather than the traditional 16x16. This is done for a few reasons. 16x16 platforms are far too easy for people to camp and wait for their opponents to jump at them. With the 32x32s, players have more breathing room. They have more choices of attack, as well as more choices of escape. With the 32x32s, players can face off with each other more frequently, rather than being on separate platforms most of the time. I'm not trying to say the 32x32 spawns are better, they're just a nice change up from more traditional maps.

Opinions of Players
I've hosted this map as a "sudden death" (unlimited lives) Grapple Knife TDM a few times, asking people to critique it as they played. Most people loved it, Dante humped it for a good 10 minutes, but a couple people said they didn't like the fact that the map was much bigger than they were used to. They said it took too long for them to get across the map to another player. At the time, there weren't very many people on the server. On Sanctus's, I'm guessing there is an average of about 12 knifers, at least, playing. In this case, the distance between players shouldn't me much of a problem. Keep in mind that you can get across the map in five seconds with the grapple, anyways.

I hope you all like it! Please reply with some feedback, including suggestions. If you don't like it, tell me why. If you do like it, thanks!
I do not want you to rate this x/10.

The gallery was probably a bad place to put this. I was hoping the map would be judged based on the positions of platforms and how they would affect gameplay rather than the design and pattern of the platforms. I probably should've expected this.

The design of the map, not the design of the individual platforms, is what I want to be critiqued. Keep in mind that I want this to be traditional looking, and not themed.

[Ad Bot]

[The Resonte!]

inb4"unoriginal"

[Brickitect]

looks very flat
try to take a lot of time and put A LOT more effort into it

[PurpleMetro]

looks very flat
try to take a lot of time and put A LOT more effort into it

this.
i feel like all grapple knife maps are just plain patterns nowadays :I

[Big Steve]

looks very flat
try to take a lot of time and put A LOT more effort into it

Take a lot of time and effort to make it not flat? Throw some ramps on it? Make some platforms much higher? No. The map is supposed to be simple and fairly easy to navigate. As you can see from the design, it's supposed to be similar to the typical maps you usually see, but bigger. It's not revolutionary, nor is it meant to be. If I wanted it to be a map that wasn't "flat looking" I wouldn't have made it this way.

Thanks for the suggestion, but telling me to change the entire map won't change a thing.

In the future, I might design a map that is themed, different, and not flat. But for now, this is my more traditional looking creation.

[Brickitect]

Take a lot of time and effort to make it not flat? Throw some ramps on it? Make some platforms much higher? No. The map is supposed to be simple and fairly easy to navigate. As you can see from the design, it's supposed to be similar to the typical maps you usually see, but bigger. It's not revolutionary, nor is it meant to be. If I wanted it to be a map that wasn't "flat looking" I wouldn't have made it this way.

Thanks for the suggestion, but telling me to change the entire map won't change a thing.

In the future, I might design a map that is themed, different, and not flat. But for now, this is my more traditional looking creation.

no, i meant put tons of detail and time.
but, ok.

[Big Steve]

no, i meant put tons of detail and time.
but, ok.

It needs tons of detail? Be specific. I can't improve whatsoever unless you are. Clearly a lot is missing in your eyes.

[Block1zilla]

its
not good.
it's just a duplicated pattern and it just gets flipped
just like every grapple knife

[Big Steve]

The gallery was probably a bad place to put this. I was hoping the map would be judged based on the positions of platforms and how they would affect gameplay rather than the design and pattern of the platforms. I probably should've expected this.

The design of the map, not the design of the individual platforms, is what I want to be critiqued. Keep in mind that I want this to be traditional looking, and not themed.

[Flamecannon]

Please reply with some feedback, including suggestions. If you don't like it, tell me why. If you do like it, thanks!

The design of the map, not the design of the individual platforms, is what I want to be critiqued. Keep in mind that I want this to be traditional looking, and not themed.

Listen, even though you don't want it you better accept it. I know you are determined to defend your build but what everyone has been posting is feedback, and you'd get the same commentary if you were to post it anywhere else. Opinions here are more honest than the ones you're bound to get in game. It's bland. It's the same neon coloration that has been used several times. The platforms have no variety in its formation, and you can obviously tell it's duped. The height differences are arguably minor and unimportant to effect the gameplay. It's probably as interesting as any other grapple knife tdm with neon plates. Please realize that as of now, no one has been extremely negative, with such remarks as "Stop loving trying to hammer in how stuff your build is" which is what many of us would probably be thinking. I don't want you to feel discouraged but please come back with a better looking and more avante garde grapple knife tdm.

[Big Steve]

I don't want to seem aggressive responding to this. I agree with many of your points, but not all of them. I understand that people have been giving me feedback, I was only frustrated because of what the negative feedback was about. What I mean is, I was getting more feedback on the map's aesthetics than the map itself. My mistake was posting this to a building community and expecting a knifing community's feedback. I wasn't trying to force my own opinion onto anyone, I was only trying to change the type of feedback that I was getting. But yes, it was my mistake to expect that from a building community.

I don't want you to feel discouraged but please come back with a better looking and more avante garde grapple knife tdm.

The map is supposed to be duplicated and bland, with the all-too-common look that all maps seem to have. The typical neon looking plates just seems to be the norm for knifing maps, and that's the reason why I chose it. The design of it all is not what I am showing off.

The height differences are arguably minor and unimportant to effect the gameplay. It's probably as interesting as any other grapple knife tdm with neon plates.

You did say arguably, but I'd like to share my viewpoint anyways. The height differences probably seem minor, but while knifing, that's pretty much all that matters. And I agree, it isn't much more interesting than any other grapple knife. It's only bigger, and a different layout. But the map works, and it works well.

Opinions here are more honest than the ones you're bound to get in game.

I understand what you're saying, and I do not doubt the honest opinions on here. However, the in game opinions are more valuable to me since they're coming from the knifing community, who would be using the map. They would also be giving me more feedback on how it plays, rather than how it looks in pictures.

As I said a couple times now, I made a mistake. I might as well lock this, since it would be no more than an annoyance to have this constantly bumped. If you still want to reply, just PM me.

Sorry.