IGL wipes the competition and then pushes straight to last! :)

They posted at or near the same time, and that's Gamesurge's browser-based client, not the server. The server is irc.gamesurge.net.

could never figure out where alfunkso's from

I have no problems with the colors. I think they may be calibrating them differently now.

Thanks for that bug report. I have fixed those as well as a few other things.

A4A is now out.

Downloads:
BSP: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/31103105/Maps/cp_highlands_a4a.bsp
BZ2: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/31103105/Maps/cp_highlands_a4a.bsp.bz2

Changelog:
-The trigger_teleport in forward spawn is now only enabled while A is capped and B isn't. Before this, both teams would spawn in RED's C spawnroom.
-Reduced sniper sightline behind point. Now a sniper has to drop down to the area instead of hanging out in the connector.
-Added an extra clip on the house between BLU spawn and A, and also bulletblocked the clips there.
-Bulletblocked the 2 stairs at B. Hopefully I'm done with this.

If this is done, the door should probably be moved. It would seem weird to exit one direction and then ultimately go in another. Although, I guess that could be part of the balance.

As someone who doesn't really know you, I'm really sorry to hear about this. Hope your sister recovers well.

Yikes. I underestimated how bad A was. After playing this map with bots, I realized that A capped excruciatingly slow. Also, as a BLU scout, I got to A before any bots on RED (of course, they're bots, but still...). So I have updated the map a little.

A4 is now out.

Downloads:
BSP: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/31103105/Maps/cp_highlands_a4.bsp
BZ2: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/31103105/Maps/cp_highlands_a4.bsp.bz2

Changelog:
-Made the BLU forward spawn also RED's initial spawn. RED's spawn switches after A is capped.
-A and B now cap faster: A is down to 24 seconds from 40, and B is 12 seconds from 20.
-Setup time has been extended to 30 seconds. Hopefully this allows RED to build a defense but not too strong of one.
-The A/B connector behind A is now always unlocked. BLU players can get up here using crates as an alternate route to B.
-Oops! I missed some stairs! 3 additional stairs are now blockbulleted.
-Gates at BLU initial spawn now open faster.
-Added an additional route to the A/B connector behind A. This should allow RED players to get up that way easier.
-Also blockbulleted the ladders on the RED shipping crate near A.

Also to the post above: I think this update will help.

Edit: Someone on TF2Maps pointed out that I said the setup time was 30 minutes instead of seconds. This is fixed. Now to kill myself at the thought of a 30 minute setup time

http://static-cdn.jtvnw.net/jtv_user_pictures/chansub-TeamFortressTV-emoticon-586c7140be7f915d-30x30.png

d3d9ex is not DX9, it's basically extensions of DX9 only available on Vista and up. That launch command disables them. DX8 is a different launch option entirely.

I will probably do that. Mountain Lab was already halfway there. The reason you probably haven't seen many maps with RED being more rustic is probably for balance. It's easier to balance a map when your textures and models are all the same style. On an A/D map, however, this is irrelevant.

Test it to see how it plays.

Yeah, I think in the next beta I'll decrease the cap time for A, and either increase the setup time or give RED another spawn.

You mean put a hole through that large wall? That could work, but it might change the balance of the map in a bad way. I'd prefer to wait to try this.

If it is, you can blame Valve for that. I'd fix it, however, since I can do that here.

Would really like to hear some feedback from pugs. :)

We can toggle viewmodels on and off, even in the middle of a fight. I don't think Valve would have an issue with transparent viewmodels. OpenPlugin was banned because it bypasses -insecure, but I'm pretty sure Valve wants FOV to be restricted to the current range anyway, so there's no chance the plugin would ever be certified.

No, but if it's really that horrible in playtesting, I'll change it for the next version.

The faster setup time may help with this.

Welcome to Highlands, a linear A/D 3CP map!

This map uses artpass_valvebase (from a TF2Maps contest which resulted in Mountain Lab and Mann Manor) as its base. Some people on this forum were talking about how Mountain Lab might work better for 6s with a Blu forward spawn, so I decided that I'd actually take the original WIP map by Valve and turn it into a 6s-oriented A/D map.

Changes to the map include a forward spawn, faster setup timer, and a slight redesign of C. More changes are to come as testing is done on the map.

Hope this works out well. I'd love to see an A/D map that people like in 6s. Maybe it isn't possible, maybe it is. Doesn't hurt to try, right?

Last version is Alpha 4. Downloads and changelog are in this post.

-------------------------------------------

Changelog from valvebase to A3:
-Added a BLU forward spawn next to B; it is inside the shack (which was rotated). I may make this RED's first spawn before A is capped.
-Removed the ladder at B. Just felt like it.
-C is redesigned. The deathpit has been removed, and the point is slightly raised.
-Setup timer is now 15 seconds instead of 75 seconds. If this doesn't work out, I'll probably change this to 60 or 45 seconds.
-All stairs are now blockbulleted, including ones that weren't playerclipped before (quality valve mapmaking). Also blockbulleted the prop ramp near A.

Screenshots (as of a6a):

http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/921274718364017511/A494F820BDA21A3E514B36FC3151F2BA4E4584CE/

http://cloud-2.steampowered.com/ugc/921274718364019724/4F40F96325393AFEBDDE4957F0050B4B4DBF0FBE/

http://cloud-2.steampowered.com/ugc/921274718364021361/C135A2FC84033539747FCF427733B0A72F88335F/

http://cloud-2.steampowered.com/ugc/921274718364022987/10AC945120F9481474A9D6F2E2950BEA46AB15C3/

http://cloud-2.steampowered.com/ugc/921274718364024616/C384B7CD5E7856AC1EBE959400136BD3BB76DA7E/

http://cloud-2.steampowered.com/ugc/921274718364026114/1F60C155EF8C3B56AA6E78408BE300844FF78330/

http://cloud-2.steampowered.com/ugc/921274718364028068/6884328305A91B92249B6C6325539B9D4CA1BF84/

Downloads:
BSP: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/31103105/Maps/cp_highlands_a6a.bsp
BZ2: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/31103105/Maps/cp_highlands_a6a.bsp.bz2

NOTE: There was a map made back in 2011 with the same name. It was a 5CP map. Since it never made it past Alpha 2B, I have decided to use this name. To avoid any potential conflicts, I am starting my map at Alpha 3. Here's the map I'm talking about: http://forums.tf2maps.net/showthread.php?t=16546

You could, you know, use the search function. It's at the top of the forum index.

Also, people like Metalworks, I'd say it's about as well liked as Gully now. Personally, I like it better, but I know a lot of people still don't like it.