Just trying to brainstorm ways to make Pavlov's House feel more epic, either through changes to the existing map, or perhaps through creating a new, similar map... Pavlov's House feels great, and I enjoy it, but I just feel that it doesn't quite evoke the epic defensive stand of historical fame.
These changes could be done by either a modder or by Tripwire, but it's worth mentioning that seeing as the map is already built, it would be a somewhat less formidable project. Feel free to chime in!
I'm also aware that Pavlov's House was one of the harder maps to optimize, and I try to take this into account.
1.
First, I think the weather could use a change. Smoke should already be filling the sky at this point of the battle. A moody, overcast sky would look excellent.
Not sure what the implications would be for performance as a result of substituting a new skybox and dimmer lighting...
2.
Attack-defend is essential. As much as I like aspects of how the current map plays, I think we'd all love to see a defensive action at Pavlov's House. The Germans will feel the thrill of imminent victory as they attempt to push through to the Volga, and the Russians will fight with the strength of desperating, knowing that only a few hundred yards separate them from defeat...
The capzones could be:
--Voyentenburg Ruins (1st German Objective, non-recapturable)
--9th January Square (2nd German Objective, capturable at the same time as the Voyentenburg, recapturable by Soviets). Germans initially spawn in furthest back spawns in the current A-D format, with another spawn available across from Pavlov's House over the 9 Jan Square.
Upon both being captured, the following capzones open up, and the 9th of January Square becomes permanantly German. A new German spawn becomes available in the Voyentenburg.
The last capzones could be:
--Zab's House (recapturable by Soviets)
--Lower Pavlov's House (Basement and 1st floor, recapturable)
--Upper Pavlov's House (2nd, 3rd Floors)
Sure, it might be a difficult map for the Germans, but I'm sure the Sixth Army would agree that that was the case in 1942 as well. Soviet tanks could be limited to a single T34, maybe a T-70 once it makes it into the game.
3.
The 9th of January Square could use more terrain deformation. More shell craters, debris, ruined vehicles, etc... would make it viable to place a German spawn directly across from Pavlov's House, letting the Germans push across the square by using cover, smoke, and supporting artillery fire. Currently, capturing the square all comes down to who can sneak into the capzone. More cover would allow for some real firefights over the open ground. :IS2:
The above change would probably result in the largest hit to performance. The portion of the map on the German right, though, could be sacrificed somewhat to alleviate this.
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A couple suggestions for Grain Elevator while I'm at it:
1. Smoke and fire from the upper windows and grain storage towers. It was in the beta and looked great. Might be a performance choice, but perhaps it could be re-introduced?
2. This would take much more work, but it's odd that the Gatehouse buildings are so undamaged given the destroyed buildings all over the German spawn area. Maybe some shell scarring or damage?
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Anyway, I'd been thinking about these changes for a long time now. Maps like Fallen Fighters, Station, Grain Elevator, and Red October really channel the Stalingrad feel. Apartments feels fairly ruthless, and Commissar's House has good atmosphere too, but I've always felt that Pavlov's House could live up just a tad more to it's potential...
Hope this helps, and feel free to chime in!
These changes could be done by either a modder or by Tripwire, but it's worth mentioning that seeing as the map is already built, it would be a somewhat less formidable project. Feel free to chime in!
I'm also aware that Pavlov's House was one of the harder maps to optimize, and I try to take this into account.
1.
First, I think the weather could use a change. Smoke should already be filling the sky at this point of the battle. A moody, overcast sky would look excellent.
Not sure what the implications would be for performance as a result of substituting a new skybox and dimmer lighting...
2.
Attack-defend is essential. As much as I like aspects of how the current map plays, I think we'd all love to see a defensive action at Pavlov's House. The Germans will feel the thrill of imminent victory as they attempt to push through to the Volga, and the Russians will fight with the strength of desperating, knowing that only a few hundred yards separate them from defeat...
The capzones could be:
--Voyentenburg Ruins (1st German Objective, non-recapturable)
--9th January Square (2nd German Objective, capturable at the same time as the Voyentenburg, recapturable by Soviets). Germans initially spawn in furthest back spawns in the current A-D format, with another spawn available across from Pavlov's House over the 9 Jan Square.
Upon both being captured, the following capzones open up, and the 9th of January Square becomes permanantly German. A new German spawn becomes available in the Voyentenburg.
The last capzones could be:
--Zab's House (recapturable by Soviets)
--Lower Pavlov's House (Basement and 1st floor, recapturable)
--Upper Pavlov's House (2nd, 3rd Floors)
Sure, it might be a difficult map for the Germans, but I'm sure the Sixth Army would agree that that was the case in 1942 as well. Soviet tanks could be limited to a single T34, maybe a T-70 once it makes it into the game.
3.
The 9th of January Square could use more terrain deformation. More shell craters, debris, ruined vehicles, etc... would make it viable to place a German spawn directly across from Pavlov's House, letting the Germans push across the square by using cover, smoke, and supporting artillery fire. Currently, capturing the square all comes down to who can sneak into the capzone. More cover would allow for some real firefights over the open ground. :IS2:
The above change would probably result in the largest hit to performance. The portion of the map on the German right, though, could be sacrificed somewhat to alleviate this.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A couple suggestions for Grain Elevator while I'm at it:
1. Smoke and fire from the upper windows and grain storage towers. It was in the beta and looked great. Might be a performance choice, but perhaps it could be re-introduced?
2. This would take much more work, but it's odd that the Gatehouse buildings are so undamaged given the destroyed buildings all over the German spawn area. Maybe some shell scarring or damage?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Anyway, I'd been thinking about these changes for a long time now. Maps like Fallen Fighters, Station, Grain Elevator, and Red October really channel the Stalingrad feel. Apartments feels fairly ruthless, and Commissar's House has good atmosphere too, but I've always felt that Pavlov's House could live up just a tad more to it's potential...
Hope this helps, and feel free to chime in!
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