Everyone here will no doubt have sampled a RTCW map at some point in the past, be it through in Wolf itself, or by playing one of the many map conversions to ET. Such were the popularity of maps such as mp_base and mp_beach, that the ET versions were also played in competition, in some cases extensively. While these maps continue to be played in competitions as recent as the 2005 CB Wolf Opencup, the question remains: how much longer are their lives in ET?
There have been many RTCW-to-ET map conversions, but not all have made the transition to competition. Village was made but left unused, as was the rather buggy assault, itself never progressing past beta stage. Escape2 also fell out of favour. However, a number did succeed of course. But how long do the following have left to live?
[img|left]http://www.hope-cove.co.uk/et/beach.jpg[/img]Beach inspired much protest when it was set to be included in the upcoming Fall Opencup, a sad realisation for a map which has been doing the rounds in many different formats, such as 3o3 and 6o6. In the former, the lack of spam available to the players freed up gameplay and left for some quite enthralling games such as the beach decider between valens and TWK in last season’s 3v3 Summercup.
However with the large impetus of ET remaining playing 6o6, the map has to be analysed from that angle. In this format spam becomes much more of an issue, and was surely in the driving seat behind the (fairly) recent discussions regarding the state of artillery. It’s such issues that affect beach heavily, especially when you include the ‘lotto’ aspects such as the beach mines; a feature than no-one can help but complain about it when it happens to them. It’s final stage has the ability to enthral, but the defence bias is starkly evident, as are the spawn times that beach has traditionally been played under. It is also full of corridors inside, which is hugely limiting on tactics, and often creates what I call medic spam, with endless bullets flying into invulnerability protection. The blow it was dealt by the opposition to it’s inclusion in the Fall Opencup cannot be emphasized enough. With such a defiant display from the community, all the signs are pointing to a near death for the map that became synonymous with RTCW. Having said that, there are a hardcore minority who still stick by it, and there is definitely scope for it to be included in many specialist cups and competitions in the future.
[img|left]http://www.hope-cove.co.uk/et/base.jpg[/img]Base is a bit marmite: you either love it or hate it. It’s electric pace and unpredictability can be met with full-holds however, with many a choke-point and narrow corridor proving to be the tomb of many a failed attack. Another issue that has been raised is the long distance from Allied spawn to the closest objective, resulting in a map which can be at times boring not only to watch, but play. And such is the delicate balance which Base employs, that even the slightest mistake can cause a win for either side.
Although not an official map in CB these days, a number of leagues continue to use it, most notably the
frog ladder, but they don’t really count :O>, I suppose the main argument against Base is the fact that the winner might not necessarily be the deserved victor, and many would agree that were a big match decided on a dodgy round of Base, the whine level would clear the stratosphere. In addition, there are only 3 main attack routes, all of which give early indication that they are being used. This gives an air of predicability for the Axis, and lack of variation for the Allies, meaning good teams can be full-held on attack by a weaker team defending.
It’s a map that has probably had its chips, as it offers virtually nothing new in 3o3. The only way I can see Base digging itself back is an answer to spam critics, as there are very few areas in which field op spam is effective (although ironically, these few places are right next to objectives).
[img|left]http://www.hope-cove.co.uk/et/ice2.jpg[/img]Currently looking to be the strongest contender of all competitively played RTCW-to-ET maps, Ice is enjoying something of a revival of late, having been played a lot at both 6o6 & 3o3 level. It’s radar style flag-grab then doc run is a style favoured by many, presented in a more accessible way than Beach due to its layout and setting. In my opinion, Ice isn’t a strain to play, seamlessly mixing narrow corridors and indoor rooms with expansive area masses just begging for a load of crossfire to happen in it. It presents a variety of attacking options, plus solid defensive ones too, leading to a fairly even match-up.
Having said this, Ice has attracted it’s fair share of criticism also. This ranges from the obvious: putting the objective on the highest, most fortified position requiring great Axis teamplay to conquer, to the other issues, such as the long objective run and chokepoints at every turn. Because not every map is perfect, and the fact Ice has more positive points going for it than negative, it seems most likely that Ice will live the longest of all the RTCW map conversions.
Of course, the future is hardly defined, and anything could happen, even though I strongly doubt Chocojump will ever be placed into competition :O<. As for the future of these maps, well, I suppose that lies in the hands of the community.
And just because I made the image by mistake, here’s a thumb for Frostbite :O»
[img|left]http://www.hope-cove.co.uk/et/frostbite.jpg[/img]
There have been many RTCW-to-ET map conversions, but not all have made the transition to competition. Village was made but left unused, as was the rather buggy assault, itself never progressing past beta stage. Escape2 also fell out of favour. However, a number did succeed of course. But how long do the following have left to live?
[img|left]http://www.hope-cove.co.uk/et/beach.jpg[/img]Beach inspired much protest when it was set to be included in the upcoming Fall Opencup, a sad realisation for a map which has been doing the rounds in many different formats, such as 3o3 and 6o6. In the former, the lack of spam available to the players freed up gameplay and left for some quite enthralling games such as the beach decider between valens and TWK in last season’s 3v3 Summercup.
However with the large impetus of ET remaining playing 6o6, the map has to be analysed from that angle. In this format spam becomes much more of an issue, and was surely in the driving seat behind the (fairly) recent discussions regarding the state of artillery. It’s such issues that affect beach heavily, especially when you include the ‘lotto’ aspects such as the beach mines; a feature than no-one can help but complain about it when it happens to them. It’s final stage has the ability to enthral, but the defence bias is starkly evident, as are the spawn times that beach has traditionally been played under. It is also full of corridors inside, which is hugely limiting on tactics, and often creates what I call medic spam, with endless bullets flying into invulnerability protection. The blow it was dealt by the opposition to it’s inclusion in the Fall Opencup cannot be emphasized enough. With such a defiant display from the community, all the signs are pointing to a near death for the map that became synonymous with RTCW. Having said that, there are a hardcore minority who still stick by it, and there is definitely scope for it to be included in many specialist cups and competitions in the future.
[img|left]http://www.hope-cove.co.uk/et/base.jpg[/img]Base is a bit marmite: you either love it or hate it. It’s electric pace and unpredictability can be met with full-holds however, with many a choke-point and narrow corridor proving to be the tomb of many a failed attack. Another issue that has been raised is the long distance from Allied spawn to the closest objective, resulting in a map which can be at times boring not only to watch, but play. And such is the delicate balance which Base employs, that even the slightest mistake can cause a win for either side.
Although not an official map in CB these days, a number of leagues continue to use it, most notably the
frog ladder, but they don’t really count :O>, I suppose the main argument against Base is the fact that the winner might not necessarily be the deserved victor, and many would agree that were a big match decided on a dodgy round of Base, the whine level would clear the stratosphere. In addition, there are only 3 main attack routes, all of which give early indication that they are being used. This gives an air of predicability for the Axis, and lack of variation for the Allies, meaning good teams can be full-held on attack by a weaker team defending. It’s a map that has probably had its chips, as it offers virtually nothing new in 3o3. The only way I can see Base digging itself back is an answer to spam critics, as there are very few areas in which field op spam is effective (although ironically, these few places are right next to objectives).
[img|left]http://www.hope-cove.co.uk/et/ice2.jpg[/img]Currently looking to be the strongest contender of all competitively played RTCW-to-ET maps, Ice is enjoying something of a revival of late, having been played a lot at both 6o6 & 3o3 level. It’s radar style flag-grab then doc run is a style favoured by many, presented in a more accessible way than Beach due to its layout and setting. In my opinion, Ice isn’t a strain to play, seamlessly mixing narrow corridors and indoor rooms with expansive area masses just begging for a load of crossfire to happen in it. It presents a variety of attacking options, plus solid defensive ones too, leading to a fairly even match-up.
Having said this, Ice has attracted it’s fair share of criticism also. This ranges from the obvious: putting the objective on the highest, most fortified position requiring great Axis teamplay to conquer, to the other issues, such as the long objective run and chokepoints at every turn. Because not every map is perfect, and the fact Ice has more positive points going for it than negative, it seems most likely that Ice will live the longest of all the RTCW map conversions.
Of course, the future is hardly defined, and anything could happen, even though I strongly doubt Chocojump will ever be placed into competition :O<. As for the future of these maps, well, I suppose that lies in the hands of the community.
And just because I made the image by mistake, here’s a thumb for Frostbite :O»
[img|left]http://www.hope-cove.co.uk/et/frostbite.jpg[/img]
