Making my first CTF map

Story: I thought about finally making a serious map. After several failed attempts of making nothing in general, I found about Zone Builder.
And there I went, with my portable toaster and Windows paint, and made a really rough drawing out of circles and the pencil tool.

Long story short, I made a "proof of concept" map based on that image

More images:
I'm posting this here to get feedback, because something feels missing here.
I thought about changing the theme of the map to something Arid Canyon related to place a few ropes around.

So far, the map only contains a player spawn, the two flags, and blue springs in the water area.
I don't know how tall can the walls be before it is deemed "textures are everywhere, too repetitive", and you shouldn't be able to climb to the top of the walls. If you manage to run at a high speed towards one of the bases and jump at the right moment, you can make it at the top of the map, thing that made me consider on making a ceiling where the bases are.

While in the meanwhile I'll replace the textures to something else and add more stuff around, am I doing the map thing right?

Looks pretty cool. I mainly make match map but i had a crack at making my own CTF map.

Based on my experience it looks cool and has a nice variation with the slopes. Maybe mix up some slopes so they go down rather than up all the time, just a thought.

From the 2nd Screenshot the actual map, the slope looks pretty steap for slower characters to reach up to but it looks cool.

The main concept of the whole map is neat. I would add some more deco around the map to make it seem more like a map.

Keep up with the work!

I changed some stuff in the map.

I've added a block that rises when you spindash on top of it. I might use it for stuff I guess?
The map also features a gimmick involving water and throwing the player to a side.
I've changed the design of the bases for now.

I made a video, showing a new gimmick:
The entire gimmick loops every 10 seconds:
After 5 tics, a quake starts (for 2 seconds or so).
Then water rises extremely quickly and a script resets the player momentum, then sets the Z momentum to 6 and Y to -12, as to push everyone to a side. Players lose control for 2 seconds.
After that time is over, the water dissapears.
And 6 seconds later the cycle loops, starting again.

This is the video I'm talking about (YouTube).

Also, I learned how to use Upper Unpegged for timed linedef executors. It wasn't that complicated like I originally thought!


And more images!

If I find a new theme for the map that fits for the gimmick, I could use it as an excuse to extend the walls to the ceiling.


That's pretty much it for now.

Since you get pushed to the south, might as well make the push more dangerous.
When the water rises and you get pushed, that's it, you just lose speed and control and you're pushed, but you don't lose anything.

So... This needs a hazard.

I'm planning to make the map more Techno Hill like, but I cannot find a way to make the map look nice. Adding the textures directly makes the map seem too flat and uninteresting.
Might as well add some details, be it things or more sectors with some other texture to act as decoration.

I changed something!

I've added a 3D skybox; I've changed the colormap of the water; I've added a thing that ejects you from the level (and kills you) if the water throws you behind the big slope; I forgot to change the ceiling flat; I changed all the textures, mixing some THZ and ERZ; and I made possible going up. that is, instead of running in the floor you can now go up levels, instead of making giant walls to the ceiling.
Oh, and the rising water throws you farther, so if you aren't in a safe place (there's plenty of places around), you will most likely die.

I did something with an image editor and corrupted all the other screenshots.
But I have these two:

Overview:


A tunnel that sends you outside the level: