Docking and Veil5

ScatterScatter Join Date: 2012-09-02 Member: 157341Members, Squad Five Blue
Docking is a map that I not only refuse to play competitively, but also despise playing in pubs. Several attempts were made by dux to remedy this and I commend him for his work as much was improved, but still the map is unplayable. This is primarily because a) locker is far too close to court yard, b) courtyard is an unfavourable area for aliens, and c) terminal is far too close to courtyard allowing marines to instantly access courtyard.

The question is whether any further attempts are being made to rectify this or if the map has been abandoned? Several ideas were floating around but seemingly nothing has come of it so far.

The other issue is the five tech point version of veil that has been floating around forever but never released. Can we get this released as a non-official map if UWE are unwilling to release it as an official ?



Comments

  • Ghosthree3Ghosthree3 Join Date: 2010-02-13 Member: 70557Members, Reinforced - Supporter
    edited November 2013
    Honestly, this version is the least balanced. Under no circumstances should marines ever lose if both teams are equally skilled. No matter the alien spawn you can pinch them in under a minute to end the game. Release and 240 were the best versions. At least it was closer to 50/50.
  • IeptBarakatIeptBarakat The most difficult name to speak ingame. Join Date: 2009-07-10 Member: 68107Members, Constellation, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue, NS2 Map Tester, Reinforced - Diamond, Reinforced - Shadow
    I wouldn't mind if they released Veil5, under a different name of course. More map variation is always great.

    I'm just slightly worried if the community that can't handle a map that doesn't play like summit would like Veil5 more than actual Veil.
  • xen32xen32 Join Date: 2012-10-18 Member: 162676Members, Reinforced - Supporter
    228 Docking could be the best with cafe bar and gen (OR dep) fixed (I mean ARCs). And some of the newer version vents and central access to cafe would be great. East wing was awesome, room in between cafe and bar was awesome, courtyard was awesome, maintenance was awesome, stability was awesome.
  • UncleCrunchUncleCrunch Mayonnaise land Join Date: 2005-02-16 Member: 41365Members, Reinforced - Onos
    Give it a try

    *Make Courtyard a tech point. So it becomes a "Center tech point". Reduce the area a little to be able to create more alleys around. A warehouse style would do fine as it won't be a total change.

    *Remove locker's tech point. reduce size of this room.

    *Move cafeteria tech point to Bar
    -Make bar bigger


    That would remove the cafet/reception Tech point combo for marine (and direct access to bar and locker).
    It would make Cafeteria a single RT that separates Bar tech point and Reception.

    Looks like this:
    abd4a895757598a63dc15de8b57695.jpg
  • Ghosthree3Ghosthree3 Join Date: 2010-02-13 Member: 70557Members, Reinforced - Supporter
    Reception/Courtyard so close compared to every other hive.
  • UncleCrunchUncleCrunch Mayonnaise land Join Date: 2005-02-16 Member: 41365Members, Reinforced - Onos
    I forgot to say :
    Don't take care of distances. it's just a layout.
    Blue = Room with RT
    Yelow = TP+RT
    Green = alleys connecting rooms

    Alleys can be extended at will more than rooms. From east wing is stay somehow ok. Mapper will decide.

  • Blarney_StoneBlarney_Stone Join Date: 2013-03-08 Member: 183808Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    Most of the problem stems from courtyard. It's too easy for marines to get there from any of their spawns and it's too easy for them to fight once in there. Any competent marine team will shut down aliens right away by just denying stability and stopping expansion
  • JektJekt Join Date: 2012-02-05 Member: 143714Members, Squad Five Blue, Reinforced - Shadow
    I think the map could work as a sort of upside down veil. Where caf and terminal tech points are removed and pushed further back (away from courtyard) and has the same distance away from the 3 north spawns and their natural expansions.

    It could even work as it is now, if close spawns weren't possible. So no terminal - departures, no caf - lockers. But courtyard needs to become very alien friendly.
  • SamusDroidSamusDroid Colorado Join Date: 2013-05-13 Member: 185219Members, Forum Moderators, NS2 Developer, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Gold, Subnautica Playtester, NS2 Community Developer, Pistachionauts
    AFAIK Docking will have no changes done to it either than some bugs, unless a community member were to do a professional looking job.
  • Omega_K2Omega_K2 Join Date: 2011-12-25 Member: 139013Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    edited November 2013
    Ghosthree3 wrote: »
    Honestly, this version is the least balanced. Under no circumstances should marines ever lose if both teams are equally skilled. No matter the alien spawn you can pinch them in under a minute to end the game. Release and 240 were the best versions. At least it was closer to 50/50.

    58% Aliens
    http://ns2stats.com/map/map/3

    Though it could really need some improvements, maint/stab are a bit easily harrased imho, and it resolves too much about locker = win (or actually, hold locker/dep as alien )
  • cooliticcoolitic Right behind you Join Date: 2013-04-02 Member: 184609Members
    Ghosthree3 wrote: »
    Honestly, this version is the least balanced. Under no circumstances should marines ever lose if both teams are equally skilled. No matter the alien spawn you can pinch them in under a minute to end the game. Release and 240 were the best versions. At least it was closer to 50/50.

    I agree. Though anything within 40-60 is good and 45-55 is perfect.
  • cooliticcoolitic Right behind you Join Date: 2013-04-02 Member: 184609Members
    Ghosthree3 wrote: »
    I don't care what the stats say, look at the map layout, it's just asking marines to choke aliens no matter where they spawn without effort. Just because marines in pub play are too stupid to do it doesn't make the map balanced.

    So it's fact vs opinion?
  • WakeWake Join Date: 2003-03-05 Member: 14351Members, Constellation
    Maybe courtyard access from reception should be closed depending on a weldable device in generator ?
  • BensonBenson Join Date: 2012-03-07 Member: 148303Members, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Shadow
    for Docking, I once saw a version where Cafe and Terminal were merged into 1 large TP room. I felt like this was a good solution as it would allow the surrounding areas to be lengthed/shortened for balance.

    Also, I'm not a fan of landing pad being a very large and empty area under any circumstances. Without an RT, its just a huge room that lets aliens walk on the sky and camp underneath.
  • ezekelezekel Join Date: 2012-11-29 Member: 173589Members, NS2 Map Tester
    I never liked docking because of the color scheme...... but I'm weird :P
  • male_fatalitiesmale_fatalities ausns2.org Join Date: 2004-03-06 Member: 27185Members, Constellation
    I have run around on the 5 techpoint version of veil, would be nice to see it released as its own map. Similar to dust vs dust2
  • ritualsacrificeritualsacrifice Join Date: 2012-11-14 Member: 171148Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    The version of docking with the landing pad start was always pretty interesting to me, but no one ever wants to play it so i can't really comment on how balanced it is. Docking was a lot of fun at release but I've liked it less and less with each change.

    A 5 techpoint veil sounds really boring to me, though. Veil is one of my favorite maps and it's almost entirely because of the 4 techpoint + double layout.
  • BestProfileNameBestProfileName Join Date: 2013-01-03 Member: 177320Members
    edited November 2013
    coolitic wrote: »
    Ghosthree3 wrote: »
    I don't care what the stats say, look at the map layout, it's just asking marines to choke aliens no matter where they spawn without effort. Just because marines in pub play are too stupid to do it doesn't make the map balanced.

    So it's fact vs opinion?

    Statistics mean nothing when incorrectly interpreted. For example, if we take your logic, black people are less intelligent than white people because they score lower in IQ tests, in general. However, if you control for socioeconomic status black people do equally as well. Of course it's not until you analyse the statistic of the general finding that you can surmise other reasons for the discrepancy.

    Well I'd like to see the stats when two teams of advanced skill competing - I find the marines usually win and I'd expect that conjecture to be confirmed if tested.
  • d0ped0gd0ped0g Join Date: 2003-05-25 Member: 16679Members
    ezekel wrote: »
    I never liked docking because of the color scheme...... but I'm weird :P

    That's one of the only reasons I do like docking. I can actually see the aliens cause there's some contrast for once. They aren't camouflaged in complicated textures with muddy colours. Instead there's a nice blue wall behind them so tracking skulks doesn't become a game of Where's Wally. Although I think a lot less of the map is like this now - I dunno.

    Re: veil5. I think if it were to be released, they should retexture it with a new colour scheme. Just to make it look different, yet familiar, so it doesn't feel like playing the same ol' Veil all over again. Maybe this has already been done - I haven't played it.
  • KanehKaneh Join Date: 2012-12-11 Member: 174783Members, Squad Five Blue, Reinforced - Shadow
    small maps are alien favored in pubs because of random base hits (random 2 skulks in marine base can do a ton of damage, if not outright win the game) and lower economy (2-3 rt aliens vs 2-3 rt marines is heavily alien favored)

    small maps are marine favored in comp play purely because basic marines > basic skulks. (evidence is the scrims done on turtle - aside from base rushes, marines dominate that map.)
  • meatmachinemeatmachine South England Join Date: 2013-01-06 Member: 177858Members, NS2 Playtester, NS2 Map Tester, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Supporter
    Landing pad- biggest room on the map, used for nothing (very occasionally when aliens have the rest of the map they might put a crag or two here).
  • OtsOts Join Date: 2003-07-30 Member: 18577Members, Constellation
    edited November 2013
    I started playing when no one was playing docking in competitive anymore, and its been increasingly difficult to see any server voting it either on pubs. I guess it needs quite a lot of changes before people want to try to play it anymore. :/

    Oh and, yes i'm voting for having both versions of veil!
  • mushookeesmushookees Join Date: 2008-03-26 Member: 63967Members
    coolitic wrote: »
    Ghosthree3 wrote: »
    I don't care what the stats say, look at the map layout, it's just asking marines to choke aliens no matter where they spawn without effort. Just because marines in pub play are too stupid to do it doesn't make the map balanced.

    So it's fact vs opinion?

    You mean Facts in the form of statistics which are easily misinterpreted to form even worse opinions than opinions derived from deep knowledge and experience of the game ?

    There is alot of noise within those Statistics, such as noob comms, alien gorge/lerk rushes , marine rushes, poor meta, green players, afkers, trolls, stacked teams, wtf skilled players, voicecomm vs no voicecomm, teamwork vs no teamwork, comm leadership vs silent comm, etc. etc. etc. In other words, there are alot of games where marines are winning hands down, which are then taken away due to poor teamwork and communication ... and bilebomb.

    On most servers you will see marines try to lock down lockers (or departures) and push east wing (or stability/bar/locker), this leaves aliens comfortable on 3-4 RT

    Yet on servers where there is a higher level of play, we see what Ghosthree3 describes, which is where marines abuse the layout of docking in order to 'choke' aliens on 1 RT.

    If aliens are in locker and marines are in terminal, pressure and/or phase in ball court and bar/cafe. (marines often arc from ball court)
    If aliens are in gen and marines are in terminal, pressure and/or phase in stability and maint.
    If aliens are in departures and marines are in cafe, pressure and/or phase in stability and terminal (relocate to terminal works)
    (mines are a marines best friend when doing this hyper aggressive play)

    I play on American and Australian servers, and i see this choking meta alot on the Australian servers, which is probably why they hate the map so much, as marines often dominate.





  • ScatterScatter Join Date: 2012-09-02 Member: 157341Members, Squad Five Blue
    edited December 2013
    For those who are interested in testing I made a modifications of docking to see how it plays.

    Forced Cafe start for marines, removal of central access corridor from cafe to courtyard, and removal of terminal TP.

    Map

    Haven't had a chance to play it yet, however. Also, read the description to avoid confusion.
  • shriikeshriike Join Date: 2013-03-27 Member: 184461Members
    Scatter wrote: »
    For those who are interested in testing I made a modifications of docking to see how it plays.

    Forced Cafe start for marines, removal of central access corridor from cafe to courtyard, and removal of terminal TP.

    Map

    Haven't had a chance to play it yet, however.
    This looks like it takes too long to get out of base as marines.
  • MoFoMoFo Join Date: 2013-09-09 Member: 188047Members
    Scatter wrote: »
    For those who are interested in testing I made a modifications of docking to see how it plays.

    Forced Cafe start for marines, removal of central access corridor from cafe to courtyard, and removal of terminal TP.

    Map

    Haven't had a chance to play it yet, however. Also, read the description to avoid confusion.

    Certainly looks interesting, but I'd suggest adding a resource point for Marines in Landing pad...

    As Shriike said, looks like it would take too long for Marines to reach Terminal, and if Aliens get there first it can be really easy for them to defend the door from Landing pad.

    Or you could try putting Central access back in and removing the doorway that connects to coutryard. (giving Marines two ways to push for Terminal) - Personally I think just adding another RT in Landing pad would do the trick.

    Does look like it would be very interesting to try. Hopefully one of the servers I frequent will add this map to the rotation. :)

  • TheriusTherius Join Date: 2009-03-06 Member: 66642Members, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Supporter
    @Scatter

    This, on the other hand, is a nightmare for the marines. The aliens just need to defend a few chokepoints (doorways from bar to locker and from terminal to courtyard) at the beginning of the game and comfortably cap everything behind their lines without the marines being able to push anywhere.
  • MouseMouse The Lighter Side of Pessimism Join Date: 2002-03-02 Member: 263Members, NS1 Playtester, Forum Moderators, Squad Five Blue, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Shadow
    Scatter wrote: »
    For those who are interested in testing I made a modifications of docking to see how it plays.

    Forced Cafe start for marines, removal of central access corridor from cafe to courtyard, and removal of terminal TP.

    Map

    Haven't had a chance to play it yet, however.

    That layout is almost Veil. But without a node at Skylights (Landing Pad), with tech points at East and West Junction (Locker Room & Terminal) and without any nodes at Nano (Courtyard).
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