Synthetic

Synthetic
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Basic Information
Map type:	King of the Hill
File name:	koth_synthetic_rc6a
Version:	Release Candidate 6
Released:	October 27, 2019
Last updated:	November 25, 2021
Developer(s):	Chrisoph "Gadget" Manschitz Liran "Ducksink" Mac Sleepyhead Matthew "MegapiemanPHD" Simmons Ase "pont" Kirkham Lawrence "hutty" Granroth
Link(s):	TF2maps Gamebanana
Map Info
Environment:	Industrial
Setting:	Day
Map Items
Health Kits:	×2  •   ×6
Ammo Boxes:	×2   •    ×8
Map Overview

“

Runner up in the Meet your Map competition, Synthetic is designed for both competitive and casual play. Inspired by other competitive maps, such as Arctic, Product, and Coalplant, Synthetic offers a variety of gameplay styles with a focus on verticality and flank routes. — Synthetic publicity burb

”

Synthetic is a community-made custom King of the Hill map set outside of a factory. A Halloween variant was added in the Scream Fortress 2021 update.

Locations

• Spawn yard: An open area located right outside the spawn.
• Transitional Building: After the Spawn yard comes the Transitional Building, which is a simple structure with two entrances and two exits leading out to the battlefield.
• Valley: In between the Transitional Building and the House is the Valley, a narrow pathway made of dirt. Medium health and ammo packs can be found here.
• House: Directly across the Control point stands the House, a large, two story structure offering a great view and lots of ammo.
• Flanks: The Flanks are two buildings which are located at both sides of the point, sandwiching the objective in between them. They contain a medium healthpack.
• Tunnels: A set of two underground tunnels connect the Flanks with the House.
• Platform: Opposite the Flanks is an elevated structure overviewing the point.

• 

  The Control Point.

• 

  RED spawn.

• 

  BLU spawn.

• 

  RED tunnel.

• 

  RED flank route.

• 

  BLU flank route.

Changelog

Changelog:

Dec 15, 2017

• attempted to fix lighting for both ldr and hdr

Dec 19, 2017

• fixed version number

Dec 30, 2017

• lowered overall accessible highground
• fixed players being able to cap the point while on the roofs
• changed angled brush with cylinders on it by mid to be a path into that building
• fixed multiple clipping issues and misaligned brushes
• extended stairs in lower flank to fit the width of the hallway instead of leaving a lil nook
• moved player spawn to be more in the middle of the room so both left and right exits are more appealing
• set doors at point to be open
• added health and ammo pickups in building before mid's courtyard
• upgraded small health and ammo pickups in the mid side buildings to medium pickups
• added new path to highground in courtyard before point
• moved right path over to the left a bit to make it less out of the way from spawn
• removed wasted space by spawn
• added some one way windows to building before point courtyard
• widened upper catwalk from building infront of spawn to building infront of point courtyard
• added prop below drop down inside building infront of spawn courtyard
• added stairs to inside of building before mid courtyard to upper areas
• removed overhang roof and doorway on the red's right side of the building before mid courtyard and gave all classes easy access in hopes of giving snipers somewhere to camp
• raised skybox after first transition building
• shortened transition building between spawn and the transition courtyard in order to shorten length between spawn room and point. It's now 3900 some units instead of over 4000 which is still larger than Viaduct's 3100 some units but Synthetic isn't a clone of viaduct so I DON'T GIVE A CRAP YO!!!!

Jan 11, 2018

• shortened first transition building in order to lower walk time to point
• widened point area
• squared off upper platforms by point
• changed height variation by spawn and first transitional building to be more in favor of the spawning team
• remade a lot of the first transitional building to give the spawning team more height advantage in order to stop whoever owns the point from pushing into the spawn area.
• removed second env_light that existed for some reason
• remade skybox brushes
• changed spawn doors to have windows
• some detailing, probably more than I should do at this point but whatever. Ya know how it is.
• raised point owners respawn time from 8 to 12 seconds
• removed roof vents on tall buildings at mid and changed em around to be more interesting as well as give players more options of where to go.
• blocked some new sight lines created by new areas that could be a bit overpowered
• cleaned up some really just awful brushwork. I mean really, what was I thinking when I originally made this map?

Feb 8, 2018

• changed up mid and the spawn area a bit.

Feb 22, 2018

• shortened 2nd transitional building in order to make it quicker from spawn to point
• lowered overall point height and added some mid height variety around point (may reverse this depending on how it plays)
• some detail work
• moved angled wall of side building by point to block extensive sniper sightlines
• edited ramps to point and underground flank to fit the changed space from the angled building
• added signs by point
• other things I don't remember
• changed skybox and env_lighting

Mar 1, 2018

• changed med ammo in tunnels to small ammo
• changed weird wire shed thing by spawn building to just be some concrete walkway area thing
• fixed clipping around map
• added barrels by pipes by tunnel
• Widened sign on 2nd transitional building to block weird lil sightline to first transitional building.
• changed respawn time after point is caped. Attackers now have a 6 sec respawn and defenders have an 8
• removed health pack 'n ammo on left side of 1st trasitional building
• edited stairs out of tunnel to be smaller while replacing the guard wall above them with a shoot throughable handrail
• Moved health n ammo behind left angled wall under catwalk to next to the 2nd transitional building
• moved health and ammo from tunnel to closer to point
• simplified tunnels and changed indoor exit to be easier to cover and more predictable
• changed indoor area on the side of the point to block a weird sniper sightline that no one complained about but probably would eventually since I think people just hadn't found it yet
• detailing?
• changed the layout of spawn rooms to try and make it so players favor the left exit less (psst. Hey...uh... there's a right side to this map. Did you *now that? You can go out the spawn exit on the right and there's a whole side of a map over there. You should try it out some time, it's magical)
• messed around with tonemap's n such with lighting
• some other stuff that I don't remember

Mar 3, 2018

• fixed missing health & ammo on blu side of map
• added small ammo kit at mid

Mar 16, 2018

• pushed back angled stairs by second transitional building
• opened up walls inside 2nd transitional building to make it feel less cluttered and awkward
• changed 1 way windows at 2nd transitional building to see through glass so people can see the med health and ammo in that building from the point area
• changed stairs on the right side of 1st transitional building coming from spawn
• simplified 1st transitional building in hopes of making it feel less cluttered
• simplified left exit of 1st transitional building from spawn to make it less cluttered
• some in depth detailing of spawn areas and 1st transitional building
• removed sign on second transitional building since the sightline it was blocking no longer exists

Mar 17, 2018

• fixed missing ammo and health pickups on red side of the map >__>

Apr 13, 2018

• detailing
• more detailing
• did I mention detailing
• optimization
• lighting pass
• added arrow billboards to upper areas by point to block a nasty sightline from the window up there to 1st transitional building
• changed stair setup for stairs to lower area in buildings next to point so they are less steep
• added soundscapes
• still haven't done a 3D skybox
• other stuff I don't remember

Apr 14, 2018

• fixed unsolid props that should be solid
• changed lighting in red spawn to be more yellow-orangy instead of white
• change some other lighting as well
• added bullet blocks to wooden struts under 2nd transitional building
• did the same for the rounded area coming out of the left side of red's 1st transitional buildings while also adding some wire. This should make it the same as blu side now
• moved window on blu's 1st transitional building's upper left side to be farther away from the angled roof there
• removed collisions on light props in buildings by point

Apr 26, 2018

• detailing
• big thanks to Huddy for the custom silo prop
• added 3D Skybox
• fixed asymmetrical detailing that effected the layout
• got the map all nice n ready for the meet your map copetition
• split spawn room floor so now there are stairs up and stairs down. This is done in hopes of making both spawn exits look just as useful and making players use both instead of favoring one over the other.
• attempts to optimize the map

Apr 27, 2018

• fixed bad clipping on red's 2nd traditional building
• fixed weird skybox transitions by putting parts of the skybox in the main level
• fixed the visable nodraw in one of the buildings by the point
• some optimization attempts

May 24, 2018

• added a sun so it's like the real world.....wooooooooooow man
• changed railing on stairs in the side buildings by the point so they block a dumb sightline n such
• detailing
• skybox detailing
• moved stuff outta da skybox and into da main map to stop odd shadow bugs. Then detailed those areas to look nice n pretty
• removed concrete platform in front of spawn rooms to shorten the map overall by a bit. Maybe it's not so long now?
• uh.....what else did I do
• OH, I removed the color correction and messed around with the lighting a bit
• other things I have forgotten as I've worked on this map off and on and off

Jun 4, 2018

• split first transitional building into 2 areas instead of one long connected area to try and stop enemies for using that area as well as they sometimes do
• solidified all awnings in the map
• added awnings to blu spawn
• added awnings to mid
• removed arrow signs on upper area at mid
• edited clipping around silos so it now fits the shape of the silo instead of being a square
• added things by those silos so the area makes sense
• raised bottom floor of 2nd transitional building
• edited ceiling to fit the previous change
• expanded concrete area at 2nd transitional building with the ladder on it
• edited displacements at that same area and added clips to smooth it out
• moved outside health and ammo by 2nd transitional building to the other side of the path so it's now by a fence
• removed glass railings in side buildings by mid
• detailing
• lighting
• optimization
• updated localization files

Jun 5, 2018

• detailing
• clip fixes
• fixed players being able to stand on some roofs
• optimization
• detailing
• ????
• some detailing
• fixed fade distance on some props

Jun 5, 2018

• optimization
• thickened some walls from 8hu to 16hu
• fixed zfighting at red spawn
• changed some textures
• removed sign on wood plank in 1st transitional building
• other stuff I don't remember

Jun 13, 2018

• fixed custom silo props being full black when using medium texture settings or lower
• thinned roof brushes
• made flank route at mid smaller
• optimization
• detailing
• attempts at optimization
• attempts at detailing

Jun 21, 2018

• fixed lighting bugs
• redid optimization in an attempt to make it not suck
• detailing hither and thither

Jun 25, 2018

• changed grate texture to no longer allow explosions through it
• fixed clipping issues
• some optimization
• detailing in 1st transitional building for blu
• fixed shadow and lighting issues
• removed health from side building by mid
• removed small ammo at mid
• changed health in 2nd transitional building to small and changed health outside the mid side building to a medium
• fixed prop fade issues
• general detailing
• changed wooden planks leading onto upper catwalk between 1st and 2nd transitional building to a metal structure
• closed wall gap by stairs in 2nd transitional building
• fixed sniper sightlines behind large pipes by mid
• fixed props not being non-solid
• changed some textures to be more uniform
• fixed ability to get outside of map

Jun 30, 2018

• added clipping to ceiling of side buildings by the point
• fixed clipping issues throughout the map
• edited lighting values in multiple places
• changed detailing in tunnels to make them more distinct from each other
• changed doorway from inside tunnels to outside so it should be less likely to get stuck on when rocket jumping out of
• fixed sticky bombs explosion going through awnings at mid
• changed detailing of upper blue side building at mid to match upper red side building
• fixed signtline from upper outside roof area at the 2nd transitional building that let snipers see all the way across mid
• moved around health and ammo by point area
• changed detailing in blu's first transitional building right side to better match that area on red side
• added jimi jam
• probably some other things I don't remember
• fixed clipping issues on pipes by mid
• fixed missing texture on chair in red tunnel
• fixed perch on wooden structure at blu spawn
• other small things hither and thither

Jul 8, 2018

• edited detailing of 2nd transitional buildings to make them a more similar to decrease asymmetrical rocket jumping abilities.
• added cover to upper platforms at mid
• lowered point "hill" area a bit
• edited mid point to fit the new height
• edited some textures on side buildings by mid
• changed background detail in first transitional buildings to look more like they are outside the play space
• fixed clipping issues around the map
• changed that sign Defcon doesn't like
• added small path from pipes at upper area by mid around the side of the building
• changed doorway to 2nd transitional building courtyard from upper area by mid to block a sight line
• made in bounds foliage props non-solid
• figured out how to add detail sprites for displacements, so the map has those now
• attempted to make the sign jump at mid more obvious
• changed red 1st transitional building exterior's roofs in order to fix brushes not rendering when they where supposed to

Jul 18, 2018

• changed upper mid area to be smaller so it's less useful to defenders while still being useful to attackers
• detailing
• added ramp to railing in first transitional building in replace of arrow sign that was there a while ago
• pushed back area under railing and ramp in 1st transitonal building (both this and the last update are done in order to restore cover to that area that was lost when the arrow sign was removed while making player routes through that area smoother)
• some other things I don't remember, what am I a computer?
• some displacement work to fit the changed mid area

Jul 25, 2018

• changed that drop down thing in the 1st transitional building again so it's not ugly and dump, should also help with optimization now
• closed window at upper mid area so it can now only be shot through instead of walked through
• added some cover to fix odd sentry spot in buildings by mid point
• closed in bottom path of 2nd transitional building as to get rid of some dead space and funnel players towards health and ammo pack locations, this should also help with optimization
• moved around health and ammo packs to be more focused around the open areas by the 2nd transitional building
• minor detailing
• replaced pipes at mid with more modular models so I can rotate them and make them look more natural
• a bit of optimization
• redid lighting across the map to try and make things less grey and dull
• fixed light bleed by red spawn
• other this and that things
• improved some clipping

Jul 28, 2018

• compiled with clip brushes TURN ON FOR REAL THIS TIME!
• added cover to mid
• changed inside of mid side buildings
• detailing
• optimization attempts
• the dev brushes are on purpose cause idk if I'll keep that area in the 2nd transitional building closed. Will only know with testing

Aug 23, 2018

• changed mid to not be so cramped
• moved around stairs to lower mid flank
• changed side buildings by point in an attempt to change attacker and defender dynamic
• reopened room by mid in 2nd transitional building

Sep 6, 2018

• removed some barrels from mid to try and up it's fps
• edited skybox to remove uneven areas around mid and 2nd transitional buildings
• other optimization
• editing some detailing and sharpened shadows around the map to make it look all nice n pretty n stuff
• changed respawn times for capping mid. The team who is defending mid now has a 10 sec respawn while attackers have a 4 sec respawn. This will hopefully lead to some better back and forth with the point.
• fixed clipping issues throughout the map
• fixed windows to sniper roof on the 2nd traditional buildings not being mirrored correctly
• Big thanks to Beater for hosting a competitive test for the last version
• Fixed long windows on 2nd transitional building on red side being clipped when they where supposed to be open (also thought about combining the windows together but didn't like the result)

Sep 11, 2018

• attempted to make the point a stronger area
• shortened stairs to lower room in order to give the point more visability
• changed jump path to upper areas by point to remove heavy head glitch area
• added grates at point so players can see into the underground tunnels
• moved around walls and doors on side paths at mid to lessen how powerful it is while blocking cheeky sightlines
• removed barrel clusters on the side of the 2nd transitional building to make that area feel less cluttered
• fixed the bug causing a stupidly large file size

Sep 16, 2018

• changed right path out of first transitional building to try to make it more useful
• detailing
• attempts at optimization (though probably didn't work cause I have no idea what I'm doing
• fixed explosions going through grate at mid, checked it too so it's good
• moved health and ammo by 1st transitional building
• changed sun angle and brighten the inside of some buildings to make things easier to see
• it's a small world after all

Sep 19, 2018

• changed upper area by point to stop a wicked nasty sightline
• added occluders to try and optimize the map
• detailing

Oct 1, 2018

• detailing
• optimization
• lighting overpass to try and make things less grey
• changed grates at mid point
• other stuff I don't remember but changed.

Oct 5, 2018

• changed light bulb props on walls on red side
• moved capture point sight at mid to try and create some more cover in that area
• lengthened ramp on pipe at upper mid area

Oct 10, 2018

• on the suggestion of some people, I've changed the ground texture to something that'll make the buildings "pop" a bit more. Not 100% sure about it but we'll see how people like it
• lighting changes to fit new ground texture
• detailing around the map and 3d skybox
• fixed z-fighting issues
• clipping fixes

Oct 12, 2018

• clip fixes
• detailing and detailing fixes

Oct 15, 2018

• clipped some edges and closed off that odd spot on top of the barrels under the big pipes by mid
• changed detailing to use more uniform details on blu side as well as try to make it feel more farm like
• slightly changed lighting to help with shadows
• edited displacements to lower the amount of flower sprites throughout the map so it's not so ridiculous looking

Oct 17, 2018

• detail pass
• lighting pass
• clipping pass

Oct 21, 2018

• clipping fixes
• detail changes
• lighting improvements
• moved signs at mid to help flow while still giving cover
• compiled map with clipping
• fixed some lighting problems
• added mission briefing photos

Mar 8, 2019

• changed geometry around mid to open it up more and give more interesting high ground in an attempt to make the point stronger
• changed indoor mid side areas (nicknamed garage) to be less advantageous in an attempt to make players want to be on point instead of in those areas to hold mid
• minor detail changes
• edited environmental lighting
• changed skybox clouds to use func_rotating now that it's working in game

Mar 16, 2019

• moved doors to garage at mid
• lowered indoor garage area beside the point to make sniping from one garage to the other less powerful
• edited underground flank to fit the new garage layout
• fixed some lighting issues
• fixed some clipping issues
• detailing
• blocked more sniper sightlines that let him cover both exits from the opposing teams 1st transitional building by standing at the top of the stairs from the tunnel flank.
• Switched which window is open and closed for the upper room at mid
• removed barrel props to get up to upper room at mid and replaced it with a more substantial structure
• fixed some block bullet issues
• reopened lower path through 2nd transitional building (may not stay open, we will see

Apr 8, 2019

• detailing
• clipping fixes
• moved silo to create a covered path into garage area
• redid upper hut by mid to change around sight lines
• added opaque windows that change when the point is capped
• added metal panels to block a sight line on the upper bridges by mid

Nov 25, 2019

• detailing changes
• optimization improvements
• Fixed one overlay. Just one. That one! That one right there! You know the one!

Feb 27, 2020

• fixed missing wire brush on red side near mid

Gallery

• 

  Steam Workshop thumbnail for Synthetic.