Or rather, I'm keeping tabs on the frontline maps, waiting for more of them to be finished or waiting to see some changed and improved.

Sup guys, I happen to run a few of the frontline maps from Workshop on my Custom Weapons Data server.

If you're interested in trying them out, you can !nominate them for map votes.

https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/groups/tf2data

If you would like me to host your map, please contact me ;p

But keep these guidelines in mind: (I copy pasted them from TF2Maps.net ;p)

* The map must be playable. This means fully functional objective system, proper spawns, not fullbright, etc.

* Filename must be all lowercase. (ctf_example_a1.bsp, not CTF_Example_A1.bsp)
My Linux servers don't work with uppercase names. Even if your map is on workshop. I've had this glitch before.

* I'm not promising to host your map, I am very picky and have to like it. I do post a lot of suggestions to map makers but won't host things if they cause FPS drops, the file size is too huge, have too many broken cubemaps, or that I don't think would work for good gameplay (too small / too large / too restricting / etc).

^ For example, BVCKSCRATCH makes wonderful maps considering the aesthetic and gameplay design, but I can't run most of them on my server because a lot of them cause client crashes or FPS lag when staring at the center of the map, even with no players on. (fix your maps :c)

* I won't run any maps that require the pack to be specially downloaded. It's standard for you to be compiling those into the map. Random players aren't gonna be downloading mapper resources on their own, and custom particles won't work if they aren't part of the map.


The only frontline maps in my map rotation right now are these three:

workshop/koth_trenchfoot.ugc731436616
workshop/koth_avalanche.ugc747296123
workshop/koth_kemptown.ugc767410655

The number at the end is part of the map's workshop link. (.ugc#########)
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=#########

You can check out the page for any of the maps with that ;p

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And here is the comment section of my mapcyclefile, where I give brief feedback on the maps in the collection.

This doesn't include frontline maps that aren't in the collection yet. I'll look at them later or when I'm not busy, because I want to be running as many fully-fledged ready-for-in-game-release frontline maps that I can :3

All maps are loaded from the steam workshop, as I assume that is what Valve would actually look at in consideration of adding the map as an official TF2 map in its final finished state.

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//List of maps that needs external downloads to function! Not suitable for production server!

https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=738015336
Too many resources require the pack for me to test this on a live server.

//workshop/ctf_coldbase.ugc738015336

https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=732379555
Will revisit this whenever I decide to test things with the pack installed.

//workshop/ctf_bombtown.ugc732379555

https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=736586537
My impression of this map is that it's small/crowded, not sure if I'd want to run it.

//workshop/cp_carthage.ugc736586537

https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=734775368
Unfinished map. Dev textures, etc.
This map seems very long yet also very bland. Makes me wish I could find whatever Muselk was playing.

//workshop/pl_hinden.ugc734775368

https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=734482483
Promising map, but also unfinished.

//workshop/koth_oakvale.ugc734482483

https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=734693636
One of the way more promising maps out there, though I think for actual gameplay the layout might be awkward. Hmm.

//workshop/koth_zebunker.ugc734693636

https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=728349282
I don't think this map suits koth at all after looking at the layout, but I'd probably like to run it as a VSH map.
The big empty rooms kinda detract from it, but I like koth with an open middle area.

//workshop/koth_wartorn_canyon.ugc728349282

https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=729800400
Overall seems like a normal map, which is a good thing. Not as flashy as trenchfoot or avalanche though.

//workshop/ctf_battlecamp.ugc729800400

https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=730208174
Empty, small, doesn't feel like a real map that Valve would release.

//workshop/ctf_towers.ugc730208174

https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=730319986
I hope this map gets finished ... too unfinished to judge.
It's possible to get stuck inside the tank. I love that tank model, but that's gamebreaking.
Announcer says stuff like "Stop that bomb", I hope Valve will make a voiceline for "Stop that tank". ;p

//workshop/pl_avanti.ugc730319986

https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=731174591
I guess this is supposed to be a reskin of 2fort to fit the frontline theme, but whatever it is, it looks too barren, even for a reskin, just from the screenshots. Ingame I can't test it due to needing the frontline pack. The level design is different from 2fort... so I can only imagine people thinking of it as a 2fort ripoff instead of a reskin.

//workshop/ctf_2base.ugc731174591

https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=731710938
This brings up a small note about game design: It's possible to stand on the tank in front of its gun while pushing it through a small doorway where your head will hit the door and your feet hit the top of the tank. Normally this scenario would kill you with crushing. I think the doorways for the tank need to be bigger to compensate.
Map is mostly unfinished, not much else to say.
I love the tank shooting a wall to break through. This needs to be done more. In like every PL map using the tank. But the whole ought to be more "organic" than a perfect rectangle.
I sure as heck want to see a tank payload just barrage something with missiles at the end of one of these maps... ;o

//workshop/pl_driller.ugc731710938

https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=733950177
Very hard to look at without the pack installed, but despite that, I had a good impression. Will have to revisit this later.

//workshop/ctf_collision_route.ugc733950177

https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=731323948
I think the capture area needs to be a bigger area than just the circle, like most existing tf2 maps do.
Can't say much about this map because everything is broken/invisible without the pack.

//workshop/koth_conquest.ugc731323948

https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=731413263
One of the maps I wanna try with the pack installed. Not sure how I'd judge it though. I like the setting and layout, the only thing I don't like is that I think there are too many walls directly around the cap. I like koth_trenchfoot/avalanche/harvest because they have enclosed caps but with just as open entrances. Maybe for sniper sightlines, it would be cool if there were some buildings snipers could go into to snipe from windows.

//workshop/koth_churchtown.ugc731413263

https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=731560565
Awesome map, I played it when the spawns were still dev textures and didn't run it on my server for that reason.

Back then it was also kind of "too small / everywhere is too visible" feeling, but the latest version seems good now with that new center building. This is something I'd expect to appear in the frontline update if Valve does it and makes me wanna consider throwing the frontline pack into my server downloads - even though I'm wary of doing that due to it being a custom weapons server with already so many downloads.

//workshop/plr_valentine.ugc731560565

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Overall, having those assets not packed into the map and download separately is barring me from running a lot of this stuff on my live server.

But for an official TF2 update, it'd of course be more optimal for Valve to use them as asset packs to avoid duplicates of all the same props for every map that is added, at least if they are willing to coordinate that way. I'm not sure how the whole "map acception" process works. I would encourage map makers not to worry about packing them into the maps just because of what I'm saying, unless you'd like to make a version of your map with the assets packed in and one with them kept external ;p

I think having a good number of high quality maps fitting the theme will be crucial to seeing Valve release Frontline, as there are already a plethora of wonderful miscs. I feel like the community has put the most effort into this project so far.

As for weapons... whether Valve will even add new weapons or not is hit or miss, aside from Pyro.

And uh, I do run custom weapons on my server, but don't expect me to use anyone's weapon models just because they're there. I have to think of actual custom weapon stats to go with them. It's quite a process.

I was a lot more skeptical of the whole thing because it felt like the few maps out there were very unfinished because they were from a 72hr contest, but looking at them again today refreshes me and now I think it could become a real thing. A few months ago I was thinking to myself, "eh... most of these people aren't serious enough".

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List of major game design problems or quirks:

* I've seen some implementations of landmines and noticed some of them are done a little bit differently between maps.

If anyone can identify the map from this video, I'd like to try it out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8BtKgrv2KE

I think that's one of the maps that did the landmines in the best way and that if landmines will be a thing, they need to be done in a consistent manner between maps.

* As seen in his video, you can get stuck in the tank payload. That shouldn't be possible.

As mentioned in my comments for pl_driller:

It's possible to stand on the tank in front of its gun while pushing it through a small doorway where your head will hit the door and your feet hit the top of the tank. Normally this scenario would kill you with crushing. I think the doorways for the tank need to be bigger to compensate.