Super bball (aka rocket-quidditch)

[pants]

Ok this is something I've kicked around in different forms for a while including recently failing miserably to adapt the passtime game-mode (if anyone figures out how to rj with the ball that would be swell). The basic premise is to take bball, then make it more 'jumpy', with same broad gameplay goal to take a briefcase to a target 'goal'.

What this does is use the add_attributes system to modifier soldiers so you have:

• Reduced HP: Currently at 100 (this may still be tweaked)

• No self rocket damage: Like rocket jumper, but you can still damage enemies

• No fall damage

• Passive ammo regeneration: This is done via a rapid reload speed buff, increased ammo reserves and a passive ammo restoration buff (as you cant use func_regen)

The goal of these attributes is to encourage mobility as available on jump maps. And to offset the no damage from jumping, the player is made EXTREMELY vulnerable.


The map itself is roughly designed as a freestyle arena using AFL (australian quidditch) inspired goals, with 'easy' goals being worth 1 point and 'hard' goals worth 6 points. An easy goal is currently reachable via a good rj, whereas the hard goal requires either a poor triple sync, or some good wallshots; of which the end aim is to make quite difficult.

The map can be tweaked with both a timelimit and/or a scorelimit. This version has a scorelimit of 999 and an 8 minute time limit. Scoring is done via a custom trigger system and scoreboard display which will calculate on the round end whether there is a team win or draw.

Additionally, I'm experimenting with a trigger system so that the flag carrier is marked for death (you loose it on dropping the flag or capping). This is designed to make the flag dude super-extremely vulnerable as it is VERY hard to hit fast players.

- Suitable for probably ~6-12 players. I have no idea without any proper testing yet

Current version a2
- Reworked map to smaller size. Introduces more height discrepancy with risky lowground areas being the ball spawn and underneath the goal areas. Additionally drastically reduced the prevalence of jurfs to instead try to encourage wallshots
-2 Goals per side now, same points system. (May look at including future features such as opening a door to access the 6 pt goal by shooting buttons near door or something; also might include pumpkin bomb stuff near door)
- Defending side has access to a boost platform to reach the goals, goals themselves are only shootable inside the ring, defenders are pushed off goals if you stand on the very top of them. Allowing defenders to sit inside the rings is a buff to defense, but the attacking jumper can easily spam rockets onto the inside surface of the goal to splash them down.
- Added vaccinator bullet resistance mapwide. This was done to slightly nerf shotguns
- Shotguns replenish ammo slower

https://www.dropbox.com/s/k948akbl54d2ku8/rq_test_a2.zip?dl=0

Possible Gameplay Tweaks

Still need catchy name

Future potential to investigate plugins, but would restrict this to rq_ only servers. Unless said plugins can be made to work for only those prefix maps.

I'll also try to remember to put together a vmf with the core triggers and whatnot

[Exile]

i cant see shotgun not being overpowered in this which is great

[Dr. Heinz]

I have no clue wtf this is, but I'll try it out

[Larry]

made eu server for gamers to test map: 94.250.219.165:27015
hit me up on steam if something breaks 

[generic]

shotty would be interesting.... This sounds like a cool concept though. I am completely down to play it.

edit: wtf, its fucking huge, good call on the 50 hp and marked for death.

[879m]

I think there needs to be more things to jump off of, there's too much flat ground. Ideally you should be able to be anywhere and get moving quickly in just one jump.

The number of ways to score seems too small, from my quick look it seems like you will always want to jurf along the sides and then get height to get a point or sync to get to the higher goal.

I'm not much of a bballer so this might be wrong, but I think rockets aren't going to be super useful since the map is so big, and a few chip shots with the shotty will be too easy to land and have too great an effect. Maybe lower shotgun damage but keep the same knockback? Possibly limit bullet ammo per life so you only have 6-12 shots before you run out, meaning you have to man up and go for airshots, shovel hits (which will always oneshot the ball carrier which I like) or blocks.

[pants]

I'm really thinking of just overhauling the map itself to make it smaller as is I think its far to large as is, which makes things like the big jurfs way to strong a tactic and theres little proximity for rocket shots except around a new ball spawn. Overall the current design was just done in an hour or two to get some proper testing on the various trigger systems.

What I'm thinking is something in the order of ~2x3 times the size of a normal bball court and like you said introducing more verticality by having say ~3 main height levels which will allow for small wall segments you can wallshot off. This could also allow for say the ball spawn to be on the lowground making it a risky move to take.

I'd still want the same idea that the hard goal requires a sync of some kind because you need the ball carrier to take a predictable risk if they want the extra points.

I'll look into adjusting the shotgun if that's possible though. Im not sure if I can limit its ammo however, as that would require removing the passive ammo regeneration for the launcher; then i'd need ammo packs which would also refill shotty. But that could be an option if I gave the launcher tons of reserve ammo and put ammo packs in vulnerable spots.

[scotch]

As I said yesterday, it may be easier and more productive to use plugins if you want to pursue such a differing game mode. I can definitely understand the appeal of just having the bsp though, up to you.

I agree it should be smaller, but perhaps you could have it become smaller the higher you go, so the 6 point goal is 1/3 of the court size, which would negate jurfs/wallshots being so powerful.

[False_]

This is really cool, I think this could actually become a really neat gamemode that catches on, I can imagine some pretty great maps for it.

Just played it through 1v1, we found that shotty is really... lame, since all you do is chip shot from across the map which isn't hard at all, especially with minicrits. With more players like you mentioned, 6 people on a team just standing around chip shotting the carrier to death seems pretty lame and not jump-like at all. Chasing people and getting them with a rocket seems more rewarding.

There should be more ways to gain and maintain momentum, I feel like the best method is to just speedpogo/speedshot on the ground or use the side jurfs as an easy way to get to the rings. Some walls to wallshot and gain speed off of, some areas to chain walljumps and sync off of would be nice.

Respawns should be instant imo, there's a lot of downtime between spawning and getting to the carrier already, especially since everyone is so squishy you'll be dying a lot. Oh, and maybe make it more obvious which side of the map you get spawned on (or put the same team on the same sides) so you know which way is blue goal and which way is red right when you get launched.

Pretty fun and very different, I'd love to see where this goes in the future. Also, would you mind making a resource pack of all the unique settings and that scoreboard thing so other people can make some maps for this gametype :3

[generic]

I agree with the momentum thing false. As much as I love ss I don't think it's consistent enough for a way to gain speed, and there isn't that many clear wallshot routes to jurf besides the side. It would be nice if there where more speedramps maybe? nothing nutty, but enough to give it an interesting boost. Unless I'm missing something, and feel free to call me out on it. I didn't get an opportunity to play with people online though, so there might be a good reason for this.

[pants]

Sure I can release vmf with the main trigger systems as it is currently; the scoreboard system itself could be adapted to other things. Might need a small write up to explain some things.

I might also look into using water (floatable heights) in small areas as another way to conserve speed. The new smaller map is more going to focus on wallshots, syncs, ss and small ramps/jurfs rather than the more freeflowing freestyle design on _a1. Smaller ring for the hardgoal sound nice too. I also agree on instant respawn, I was trying a system where if you get scored against your team gains instant respawn; but I could do the opposite so its default instant spawn, then if you score your team gets a slight delay.

I am idiot with scripting and coding languages so plugins are unlikely to happen. Unless someone else decides to adapt the fundamentals I'm testing here into something else.

[Larry]

made eu server for gamers to test map: 94.250.219.165:27015
hit me up on steam if something breaks 

server password is "pants" cos randoms keep joining as scout

[plep]

Thanks to Larry I tested the map online and it works so well, I can't wait to see it detailed

[pants]

Updated with version a2. Map geometry was remade with a smaller layout, everyone gets bullet resistance to slightly nerf shotguns.

[200]

eu server, for guys willing to test this online

connect tf2ru.cfg.tf:27115; password dad