And
here we are, at the end of this series.
I'm going to finish it off with a very positive video that will show a lot of you on the server.
But before we begin...
Take a look at Dust2's bombsite A, the pinnacle of human achievement.
How much do you think that you could CHANGE this site before it becomes a different bombsite?
Do you think that if you moved this crate across by 64 units that it would radically
change EVERYTHING you know and hold dear, and would cause an uprising by hundreds of
thousands of players?
Would adding a ladder here make you throw up and never pick the map again?
What if you made it so that players could enter this building here and have a balcony
to contest snipers at long with?
These sorts of changes might make you shudder, but when making a new map you've got to be
open to anything.
de_sparity has changed a LOT since its original release.
It really has.
Some of these changes have been for the better, others...
somewhat less significant.
It's not as if it was a terrible map in its original state but it has certainly evolved
into something quite different.
Is it still de_sparity?
What is the definition of de_sparity?
This could get so deep.
I'm in a very fortunate position with this map since it really took off.
I have received HUNDREDS of suggestions and bug-fixes from all sorts of players and I
feel that this has been crucial for me to improve it as time has gone on.
Most maps are not fortunate enough to get such diverse and in-depth feedback from its
playtesters.
How much influence should others have over your map?
I hold the belief that you should definitely listen to everything and perhaps try it out
if it isn't obviously a bad suggestion, but the final decision has to be yours.
After all, it is your map.
I do find it useful when people post pictures or videos of bugs that they've encountered,
since I will obviously want to look into them and find some sort of fix.
However, the most rewarding feedback comes from observing other people playing and seeing
how they deal with different parts of the map.
You get a feel for certain areas and this feeling is often more reliable than what any
individual can come up, since it's an accumulation of MANY views.
This is where it gets complicated, since many peoples' opinions are based on the same sort
of observations, though very few people will have as much experience with your map as you
will.
One person who I believe does is Leftf00t, who I am extremely grateful for.
Time and time again he would give in-depth feedback about numerous parts of the map.
There are some suggestions that people make that are flat-out wrong and that I simply
had to reject out-right, but his weren't like that.
His showed a very good knowledge of the level and his suggestions made sense.
Having a fresh pair of eyes look at the level revealed things that, with hindsight, were
obvious.
He recommended widening CT spawn to reduce blocking.
He stretched bombsite B and said to add something in the middle of it.
He completely redid A and suggested blocking one side of the bridge.
Both these changes made the bombsite stronger and more focused.
He even suggested blocking off part of middle.
I was wary of making such a big change to a key area of the map that seemed okay as
it was, but it hasn't negatively impacted it at all and since the house developed taller
walls, the interior route has become the favourite path any way.
This had the knock-on change of having to make the T entrance to the house easier.
I replaced the wood pile with a heap of snow.
Leftf00t alone has changed the map more than any other individual and I have been consistently
impressed with his feedback.
A big thank you to him for the suggestions and for investing so much time into my map.
I've been pleased to see people developing cool grenade strategies and for managing to
glitch out of this level in so many original and creative ways.
At one point I joined the server, only to see somebody trolling his team by tossing
the bomb up onto a pipe that I had added, thinking nothing more of it.
In a proper match I'd be angry with this, but from a developer's point of view, these
players are invaluable.
Thanks!
At some points I made changes without knowing how they'd turn out.
One such adjustment was to make a wall in bombsite B, which I thought would give CTs
more cover when entering the site, but at the same time limiting the strength of their
position once they had.
People responded negatively to it, saying that they liked fighting between the graves.
Obviously I quickly changed it back.
It's not as if I was trying to mess the map up with the adjustment- it was simply throwing
an idea out there to see how people reacted and I was surprised, and very pleased to get
such a universal response, even if it was negative.
I did mention it at the end of the previous video, but since it was about 23 minutes long
I'll assume most of you didn't see it- I did add C0tton's suggestion for a second door
at B. At first it was around this way, but then somebody pointed out how overpowered
this position was so I flipped it around.
It also made it easier to access from inside the house.
A real win-win.
I don't know if the new entrance is good for the map yet, if anybody could give feedback
on it then I'd be happy.
I can say that it's more fun for terrorists to rush B since there are so many routes available
but I suspect it of making it too difficult for CT's to defend.
If it does, I've always got the older version to fall back on.
In de_facade, c0tton comments on how nice the windows are for throwing grenades through,
so I flat-out ripped tophattwaffle's map off and included them in de_sparity.
I didn't make them with any particular tactics in mind, but I think it raises the skill ceiling
and allows for both teams to throw some powerful and creative grenades through to disturb the
other team.
I also added a sign in the mid connector to A which also lets players throw creative grenades.
The corner wasn't being used any way.
Once I felt that the large changes to the level had been done, I made a second version
of the map set at night.
This was named de_sparity_infinity and is almost the opposite of the original map.
Literally.
As well as setting it at night, lit with garish and pretty colours, I also mirrored the map.
I love doing this, it makes the map feel new and original.
Even now I struggle finding my way around it.
Perhaps the biggest change was to remove the clipping.
Players could now escape the level and explore the environment around it.
In fact, I actively encouraged it by adding additional lights and objects to help players
with this controversial task.
In most rounds it doesn't change much but I'm pleased that I did it- we all have memories
of accidentally glitching out of a level and finding the broken version more enjoyable
than the original.
It has transformed de_sparity into a real sandbox level where the sky really is the
limit.
I recommend booting it up and exploring it alone, it's a surreal experience.
As well as being a light-hearted and original idea, de_sparity_infinity served to further
publicise the original version and to really squeeze as much out of the map as I could.
It even enjoyed its place at the top of the workshop for a while!
And then there's one more change.
Anomaly, well known for his unboxing videos, showed off one of his knives on my level.
I felt flattered about this, so I returned the favour by making a grave with his name
on, with every type of knife in the game sticking out of it.
Since then he's made another video based on my map.
It's a win-win situation!
And now I can leave de_sparity, and this series, behind.
I feel that I have done all I can with it and look forward to starting new and exciting
projects, though I'll still be patching the map should anything crop up.
Only today somebody found an invisible wall that shouldn't have been there.
Thank you for supporting me on this journey and a massive thanks to everybody who has
helped de_sparity to become what it is!
I'll end this video with footage of the playtesting I did with many
of
you
on the server.