As a season comes and goes, the never ending debate and discussions about the mappool seem to arise every single time, and to no avail it seems to always end without an agreement or permanent solution, every person has a different opinion and a different perspective to every map. The majority of the community will agree that ET needs a decent map to add to the mappool, maybe even two for that matter. In this column I will try to conclude, using facts and my opinion, what makes a map legendary, and what makes a map good, obviously this can never be fully objective, but I will try to be as objective as possible throughout the column.
Be it 6on6 or 5on5, ET has always had the tree famous maps, supply, goldrush and radar which are undoubtedly the bedrock of every mappool and almost every single player will agree that his favourite map might be one of these. But what makes these maps legendary? To try and find an answer to this dilemma, we must first rip every map stage by stage. Let's take one of the most played maps in ET for the past six years, Supply, and let's talk about it's first stage.
[img=right]http://image.www.gametracker.com/images/maps/160x120/et/supply.jpg[/img]Only a short time needed to attack the axis. It only takes the allies 5 seconds when passing through main, 4 seconds if going from up and 8 seconds when passing through cave to attack the window and/or the forward bunker gate. This meaning that the allies have 12 to 15 seconds to break the axis' defenses before they respawn. It takes the axis 3-4 seconds to set up their defense, giving this first stage a perfect combination of on-going action and the allies can attack the axis defense for more than 10 seconds, lowering the possibility of the allies team ending up on full before damaging the defense. These 3 pathways to attack the axis defense seem to be a standard thing to have in any decent map, having 4 entrances would be too much in 5on5 and even 6on6, as this would mean the axis defense would have to defend with one guy per entrace and another being an allrounder, launch a 5 man attack on one entrace, and you can kiss the stage good bye.
Having only 2 entrances will make it much easier for the axis, they can afford a minimum of 2 people per entrance and an allrounder free roaming, or 3 in one entrace and 2 on the other, making it pretty difficult for the allies side to break through the axis defenses, unless the axis defenses play stupidly, i.e are static and grouped next to eachother (and get gibbed by a rifle grenade/panzer) it will almost be impossible for the allies to break through, or else one will see a boring 5 minute fullhold. It is also important that these entrances are next to eachother, ET is teamplay based and thus it is important that the (three) entrances are situated next to eachother, so both allies can try regroup and revive eachother while the axis can try to set up a crossfire, balance is always important when creating a map/stage, and the layout is also a very important factor (i.e: it is much easier to frag someone who is on a lower ground than you, in this case the axis benefit from having a higher ground than the allies.
What makes this first stage legendary? What is the climax of this first stage, if any? A flag cap in the last second before spawning or defusing a dynamite in the last seconds before blasting, i'll rush through the second supply stage, there's nothing really exciting about getting the CP, but having to build a CP as an objective is always important in a map, gaining a forward spawn and a faster charge is in interest of the Allies, but I think many will agree with me that there is nothing exciting by constructing a command post, and the only highlight of this stage might be planting the depot gate and getting a 3 man kill by a panzer in the final seconds or in the case of axis, getting a defuse in the final seconds, such as Night vs Rockit in the CIC7 Grand Final, but how often do you see these close defuses, and how exciting are they actually?
[img=right]http://image.www.gametracker.com/images/maps/160x120/et/radar.jpg[/img]This is where i'm trying to get, we've seen many new maps, and most of them get the objective placement all wrong, having a final objective of the map being a <planting x> is just wrong and plain boring, can anyone remind me of any exciting braundorf map? Sure you might be able to mention one or two, but compare it to how many exciting docruns you can mention in radar, frostbite, adlernest (and goldrush third stage). For all the new and old map makers, leave the exciting docruns for the last stage and the non-so-exciting objectives, such as flag caps, dynamites and truck/tank escortings for the introductory and middle stages.
This even applies to every day situations, leave the best for last, you are most likely to remember a good song if it is played in the end of the competition, you are most likely going to like a football match if it contains a huge amount of drama and excitement in the final 5 minutes of the match, you are most likely going to write a good composition if you leave the climax for the end and close it up with a great conclusion, so a point to remember, always leave the best for last, even if you have a boring and bad first stage such as frostbite or adlernest, it's final stage is a docrun and this is what everyone waits for and looks forward to, you may never be so sure who is going to win until the final few seconds of the match, and this is more likely to happen than having to dynamite an objective or escorting a truck, the probability of having an exciting supply final stage is much lower than a radar last stage, so I think that this is one of the many things that make a map legendary.
[img=right]http://image.www.gametracker.com/images/maps/160x120/et/sw_goldrush_te.jpg[/img]Keep all the things mentioned above in mind and try to create your legendary map now, try to make it as balanced as possible and dynamic, make sure you get your objectives right and pathways right, having to run a whole 20 seconds to attack the axis (such as oasis) will lead into boring fulls and fullhold maps and your map will 'fail', anyway, i think you get the point, tell me what you think, almost all these 3 maps have the standard number of entrances, short pathways, exciting objectives, open area to frag, crossfires, spam, etc so it's always important to have the majority of your map played outside, and not inside, having a whole stage being situated inside will kill one of the biggest factors of ET, spam and the field ops class, it is was seperated and distinguishes ET from other games.
Almost everyday there is a new map on splatterladder and yes, we all know these are public maps, but don't tell me none of these might be suitable for competition play with the appropriate touches here and there, the probability is like saying there is no other human life in the whole universe, but that's not the point, mapping is pretty hard and requires hours of dedication and sky-high motivation and skill, which I believe the ET mappers in our community do have, the only problem is that a map is created, it is forced by ESL/CB in its cup for a season, and next season everybody forgets about it, so what might be lacking is this "how to make a map legendary" and successful, I might not have the answer to this, and maybe not even the high skilled players might be 100% correct let alone myself, and this is where I end my column, we'll be setting up a mapping competition in the near future, and it will be nice to see the community's input which in your opinion, makes a great map!
Be it 6on6 or 5on5, ET has always had the tree famous maps, supply, goldrush and radar which are undoubtedly the bedrock of every mappool and almost every single player will agree that his favourite map might be one of these. But what makes these maps legendary? To try and find an answer to this dilemma, we must first rip every map stage by stage. Let's take one of the most played maps in ET for the past six years, Supply, and let's talk about it's first stage.
[img=right]http://image.www.gametracker.com/images/maps/160x120/et/supply.jpg[/img]Only a short time needed to attack the axis. It only takes the allies 5 seconds when passing through main, 4 seconds if going from up and 8 seconds when passing through cave to attack the window and/or the forward bunker gate. This meaning that the allies have 12 to 15 seconds to break the axis' defenses before they respawn. It takes the axis 3-4 seconds to set up their defense, giving this first stage a perfect combination of on-going action and the allies can attack the axis defense for more than 10 seconds, lowering the possibility of the allies team ending up on full before damaging the defense. These 3 pathways to attack the axis defense seem to be a standard thing to have in any decent map, having 4 entrances would be too much in 5on5 and even 6on6, as this would mean the axis defense would have to defend with one guy per entrace and another being an allrounder, launch a 5 man attack on one entrace, and you can kiss the stage good bye.
Having only 2 entrances will make it much easier for the axis, they can afford a minimum of 2 people per entrance and an allrounder free roaming, or 3 in one entrace and 2 on the other, making it pretty difficult for the allies side to break through the axis defenses, unless the axis defenses play stupidly, i.e are static and grouped next to eachother (and get gibbed by a rifle grenade/panzer) it will almost be impossible for the allies to break through, or else one will see a boring 5 minute fullhold. It is also important that these entrances are next to eachother, ET is teamplay based and thus it is important that the (three) entrances are situated next to eachother, so both allies can try regroup and revive eachother while the axis can try to set up a crossfire, balance is always important when creating a map/stage, and the layout is also a very important factor (i.e: it is much easier to frag someone who is on a lower ground than you, in this case the axis benefit from having a higher ground than the allies.
What makes this first stage legendary? What is the climax of this first stage, if any? A flag cap in the last second before spawning or defusing a dynamite in the last seconds before blasting, i'll rush through the second supply stage, there's nothing really exciting about getting the CP, but having to build a CP as an objective is always important in a map, gaining a forward spawn and a faster charge is in interest of the Allies, but I think many will agree with me that there is nothing exciting by constructing a command post, and the only highlight of this stage might be planting the depot gate and getting a 3 man kill by a panzer in the final seconds or in the case of axis, getting a defuse in the final seconds, such as Night vs Rockit in the CIC7 Grand Final, but how often do you see these close defuses, and how exciting are they actually?
[img=right]http://image.www.gametracker.com/images/maps/160x120/et/radar.jpg[/img]This is where i'm trying to get, we've seen many new maps, and most of them get the objective placement all wrong, having a final objective of the map being a <planting x> is just wrong and plain boring, can anyone remind me of any exciting braundorf map? Sure you might be able to mention one or two, but compare it to how many exciting docruns you can mention in radar, frostbite, adlernest (and goldrush third stage). For all the new and old map makers, leave the exciting docruns for the last stage and the non-so-exciting objectives, such as flag caps, dynamites and truck/tank escortings for the introductory and middle stages.
This even applies to every day situations, leave the best for last, you are most likely to remember a good song if it is played in the end of the competition, you are most likely going to like a football match if it contains a huge amount of drama and excitement in the final 5 minutes of the match, you are most likely going to write a good composition if you leave the climax for the end and close it up with a great conclusion, so a point to remember, always leave the best for last, even if you have a boring and bad first stage such as frostbite or adlernest, it's final stage is a docrun and this is what everyone waits for and looks forward to, you may never be so sure who is going to win until the final few seconds of the match, and this is more likely to happen than having to dynamite an objective or escorting a truck, the probability of having an exciting supply final stage is much lower than a radar last stage, so I think that this is one of the many things that make a map legendary.
[img=right]http://image.www.gametracker.com/images/maps/160x120/et/sw_goldrush_te.jpg[/img]Keep all the things mentioned above in mind and try to create your legendary map now, try to make it as balanced as possible and dynamic, make sure you get your objectives right and pathways right, having to run a whole 20 seconds to attack the axis (such as oasis) will lead into boring fulls and fullhold maps and your map will 'fail', anyway, i think you get the point, tell me what you think, almost all these 3 maps have the standard number of entrances, short pathways, exciting objectives, open area to frag, crossfires, spam, etc so it's always important to have the majority of your map played outside, and not inside, having a whole stage being situated inside will kill one of the biggest factors of ET, spam and the field ops class, it is was seperated and distinguishes ET from other games.
Almost everyday there is a new map on splatterladder and yes, we all know these are public maps, but don't tell me none of these might be suitable for competition play with the appropriate touches here and there, the probability is like saying there is no other human life in the whole universe, but that's not the point, mapping is pretty hard and requires hours of dedication and sky-high motivation and skill, which I believe the ET mappers in our community do have, the only problem is that a map is created, it is forced by ESL/CB in its cup for a season, and next season everybody forgets about it, so what might be lacking is this "how to make a map legendary" and successful, I might not have the answer to this, and maybe not even the high skilled players might be 100% correct let alone myself, and this is where I end my column, we'll be setting up a mapping competition in the near future, and it will be nice to see the community's input which in your opinion, makes a great map!
i think we should follow a similar layout to the likes of goldrush first stage (multiple attack routes with space for aggression), bremen second stage (crossfire element key to both defence and attack) and either radar (dual doc run, co-ordination, adaption and aim required) or supply (spam/crossfire combination) final stage.
it's also important that we stray away from the likes of flat floors, narrow corridors and excessive cover, to avoid the rifle becoming overpowered and prevent people consistently camping around corners
tried & tested > *
+9001
please no
anyway just play main 4 (+adler) + change 5th time to time doesnt really matter
instawin
and what's anymore? it was played @ EC and stuff
so it does have 3 entrances just only 2 are really shown
The only thing that, in my opinion, differentiates both entrances is the proximity of the left door to the left escalator (While you have to cover bigger distance when going to the right stairs from the main gate).
what a fucking sentence
Better?
I don't think you should even bother having such a competition, you will just get a bunch of "non-acceptable" maps. If you want new, good maps, the competition should be more like an event, where the mappers, for example, "report" how are they doing. It's better if you have other mappers and players commenting the progress, not just whining when the map is done.
Why don't people practice mapping as much as they do movies?
and they are all whining about delivery cause they got pwned in a map which they dont have played 24/7 cause they prefer to play the old " standart" maps ...
nga pls how often there were some fine competition maps but every fucking time the " old " et scene destroyed it with only hating / ignoring the new maps and playing supply/grush the whole fucking day :)
then constructing and managing to take the 2 obj + open the doors by pushing with 2-3 medics main up ..
this need´s alot of teamplay and aim 2 ...
when u dont see this ur an idiot :)
:D
:D
Then it's just 3 or 4 medics mopping up the button room with m_pitch 0 and the rifle shooting some ricochet nades into the said room and one guy camping downstairs for the others to open the doors.
All this while axis merely need to m_pitch 0 and lean around in the switch room or office or prone in one of the many gay buggy places where you can prone.
Allies are first at the planting position and axis have to be really lucky to deny it even once. 1-2 snipers and grenade spam in the bunker and it's gg. Boring snoozefest.
:DDDDDDDDDDD WHAT A FUCKING MORON, SPAWNPOINT 2 AS ALLIES AND U ARE THERE 4 SECS BEFORE AXIS. DICKHEAD
>implying the rifle grenade gibs the engineer
>implying the medic won't revive
>implying the sniper will not kill the rifler
>implying allies won't nade
2 covers, a rifle, an engi, a medic, +sprint
btw: reactor is a nice map aswell !
Obviously need to rework the final stage & the first stage is a tad clunky but it's a decent enough flow to it / reasonable travel times (barring the last stage) - then there's always sos but again long travel times / fairly linear. (also probably move the part objective back slightly further up the road away from axis spawn) - hmm on second thoughs maybe it wouldn't work :v
ET maps need to be big yet compact & complex...
I always figured best maps are those that come with 3 defensive or attacking routes that come together in a (partially) open space with enough room to move around and take cover.
And just like you said, multiple stages are really important (definitely in 5on5) so you can still redeem yourself if you get unlucky and mess up a stage. Indeed doc runs last, but they should give the defending team the opportunity to reclaim that obj, not like on bremen.
Also agreed with Nellie that missile was a great map. I also think dubrovnik has potential if the roof running was removed and those shitty textures get replaced by something more clean.
looking forward to the mapping contest (maybe there will be even multiple maps for competition) and I kinda agree with your opinion on great maps
3 last lines
+ adler and bremen are often played
i have been always wondering why reactor isnt played cuz its best :ss
and if team pracs hard for example bremen it can give nice situation to win ARE map
waaaaay too huge
Poland disagrees. Poland says delivery.
Of course the top teams don't cheat, but it feels like there's at least one cheater in almost every "random" polish team :|. Same goes for France, it seems.
wat? we got enough of those shit lotto docrun maps ala adler frost etc.
i don't see why it is "so exciting"? maybe for spectators cos a shit team can also win on it but for most players its rather annoying to play imo. we rather need maps like supply. they 'can' contain a docrun phase (just like with stealing the gold on grush) but it shouldn't be the most essential part of the map.
Reactor
Cathedral
require teamplay and tactics, not just nobraining aimers.
koffiepauze is over farm, terug het land op !
see you then!
my gf studies there
a lot of trees there :)
who needs the et.committee when you can add more trees? the stage is now fixed thanks to trees :)
pic
:d:d:d
i'm surprised missile didn't last, the couple times i've actually played it in scrims it's been loads of fun.
When maps are on the mind :)
still best map !
Where there are three entrances, they need to be close together, so that people in one position can defend two of them, depending on where the attack is coming from. This is perfectly demonstrated by supply depot stage (outer defense), or goldrush tank stage. In situations with two entrances, they need to be a significant distance apart, so that the enemy is always defending a chokepoint with 2 or 3 against a 5-man attack unless they move people around. Again, perfectly demonstrated by radar CP stage.
Ideally with three entrances close together, they should be surrounding the defending team, in such a way that if the attack were to breach all these entrances at once the defending team get caught in a lethal crossfire.
Other important factors:
I have a better plan than the original map though, I think. It's a pretty cool concept map, just have to make it!
This seasons SummerCup Caen is the best choice for the maps. Now that it has been little modify it is very much fun to play. Thought I think it would work even better in 6on6.
Reactor is good map too. I dont understand why it was removed. That is very good idea to make sw_railgun. Map has fun elements. Only think to modify would be the last stage. Instead of plant need to be done something else. Maybe even a "inside" part.
Maps that have failed.. atleast in my point of few are ufo and escape... whats up with all the 20sec run b4 getting in action?