Map Testing Hot Takes ️

Spoiler: b0squet edition

Hello you filthy, vile, uneducated peasants.

In my absence, the wretched lot of you have spawned a variety of block-based abominations masquerading as CTF Maps. They currently exist in a putrid, unplayable state, and only the divine power of constructive criticism (alongside other forms of feedback) will even begin to ameliorate their many flaws. Instead of trying to mask the problem by buying a month's worth of old map boosters, the esteemed b0squet and I have started reviewing these things you call 'maps' and looking for any possible fixes that might reduce our pain.

Though our opinions are obviously superior to yours, I would strongly encourage you rodents to look upon the filth you have created and attempt to emulate our process - that is, to provide constructive criticism for the map builders in order to help them improve their submissions - so that you might be less of a drain on this server that you seem to have infested. Additionally, providing some suggested fixes for the problems that you identify would help make your feedback more tolerable; no one wants to suffer your braindead whining over a map's issues if you can't even begin to provide a solution. Lastly, don't even think about critiquing any of my maps, as they alone are more valuable than all of you wretched beings combined.

All the best and happy capping!

Helo ctf fam.

I was excited to see a new wave of maps being tested, but between what I've seen in rotation and the feedback I've read in-game it's going a bit... rough.

These maps can't improve without feedback, so instead of taking the coward's way out and spamming old map boosters, b0s and I have started going through the test maps to find ways to improve them.

I'd highly encourage everyone else to take a bit of time and leave some feedback about the maps being tested. Try to pair any criticism with a suggested fix for the issue; it helps the map builders & makes you seem like less of an ass. Oh, and if you just feel like roasting some Xelasi maps, go for it!

- Xelasi

Spoiler: HotTakesV1 - Wave XVI Feedback

426458 - Shroom Hill - by @cat_soop1997
Current status: Highly problematic, likely unplayable
Suggested fixes:
Floating mushroom islands: remove or put somewhere away from to not affect gameplay, with better ways up. They are currently camping spaces, ninja op, difficult sponge to take onto, difficult to recover.
Map has little to no "flow" as far as paths back and forth from spawns and flagrooms.
Practice running back and forth from spawn to flagrooms and flagroom to flagroom; if something is in the middle of a path, remove it. If a player has to squeeze through a 2-block wide section fix it.
Tunnel system needs to be wider and shortened to about half its current distance. Right now it goes all the way from mid to flag and spawn. I would get rid of some of the tunnel, add an entrance outside of the flag building (instead of inside it), and let it surface just before mid.
Some of the above-ground sponges are overpowered for distance; try to remove some of the map’s sponge reliance.
Also, I'm pretty sure people can pearl onto the barriers on top of the mushroom.
Better color coding would be helpful since the wood and clay blend into terrain colors.

3902 - Monument - by @Bassoon
Current status: A bit experimental, looks playable, needs layout clarification
Suggested fixes:
I was confused about the locations of things, it's easy for underground maps to become a maze. Mark flagrooms very visibly; I'd color the outside of each with more blue and red, maybe pick something that isn't gray to go with it.
Doorways need to be at least 3 wide 3 tall, some openings too small.
Spawn is very close to flagroom; respawns might become annoying. I'd move it back a bit from the flagroom.
Everything is a bit too gray and blends together; I'd like to have the tunnel entrances be more visible.

428081 - Winds of Change - by @ItalianPenguin
Current status: Looks playable but difficult for recovery
Suggested fixes:
The map is pretty long; travel time from spawn to opposite flag room is nearly 30 sec when using both sponges. I personally prefer shorter travel distance and would either shorten the map or move the spawn/flagroom forward, but that's more my preference. Terrain on either end is higher/rougher than I think it needs to be; the extra height is harder to PVP on.
I do think recovery on this map will be difficult against any mobility class because of the trees between the flag & mid - having more ways up or spreading the trees out could help.

428123 - Lighthouse Cove - by ItalianPenguin
Current status: Looks playable
Suggested fixes:
Check your lighthouse barriers.
Midfield block placement of colors and rocks is visually confusing; I assume that there was some thought put into placement, but from overhead and floor view it looks random; maybe make some "paths" from flagroom to flagroom by adjusting boulder positions on the water.
Archers near spawn and on the flag building will be strong, and the tunnels don’t help too much - adjusting cover to provide some paths that are safe from archers would help.

426807 - Netherlands - by @ExtremeEvoboost
Current status: A bit experimental, could be playable
Suggested fixes:
Color code red and blue sides a bit more obviously, gets confusing on an all-red map.
Some of the upper netherbrick paths are pretty dark and could use more lighting.
Flag room looks like a lava danger zone but could be fun.
Favors mobility classes heavily, could add more ways to get from high ground to low ground.

427676 - Crusade - by @PV__nRT, @arkham2012
Current status: Playable
Suggested fixes:
Fix spawn sign to face a direction that isn't straight off the back of the map.
Back end of tunnel near flagroom might end up being a camping space for flagholders (not a super important fix, worth more testing).
Archers on the castles might get annoying with the limited cover on mid (although the tunnels & sponges up the walls help reduce that) - a touch more cover on the sides to make reaching the tunnels safer could help.
Aesthetically I think the high-contrast grass/sand mixture is distracting to the map design, but I'm not sure what I'd replace it with.

428125 - Chess: Remastered - by ItalianPenguin
Current status: Experimental; looks unplayable.
Current issues:
Aesthetically it's a cool concept but I'm struggling with seeing this for gameplay.
Can pearl into building from spawn; pathing across mid isn’t easy to understand for new players; the many chess pieces around mid that don’t have sponges up them make mobility classes extremely strong.
Suggested fixes:
Moving spawn is the most important change - it can’t be that close to the flag while also being between the flag and mid if you want offense to have a change. Making your main paths more obvious & adding some sponges / other mobility options to the pieces that don’t have them would also be a positive. I'll come back to this later if I have time.

428121 - Temple Ruins - by @GlazeWarrior, @Forleb
Current status: Playable
Tunnels difficult for recovery because they cross the whole map. Maybe make them surface at mid to give recovery a slight chance? The lack of entrances (only 1 that’s easy to get to from spawn for recovery) & number of branching paths underneath also contribute to the problem.

380235 - Plateau - by @Rejeqted, @YungKay, @Ducksfan101
Current status: Seems playable but I’m having trouble seeing anything; aesthetics are negatively affecting gameplay
Suggested fixes:
The high contrast block mixes are distracting from the actual map design to the point that it makes it hard for me to see what's going on. I would swap the diorite and white glass with something less bright. I use default texture pack when building to avoid these issues, not sure if this was a factor.
If anyone wants a lesson on using //brush sphere with //mask to repaint the map dm me on here and I'll try to schedule a time.
The flagroom could become a bit of an issue (read: defense OP), since a defender (i.e. pyro) can easily see all of the flagroom entrances from the post - and they all face back towards the defense’s spawn. If this becomes an issue, maybe experiment with other entrances or compensate for offense w/ changes to mid.

428248 - Mustafar - by @915
Current status: Looks playable, some directional issues make it confusing
Suggested fixes:
Get arrow head blocks for direction, use signs, maybe make colored paths; figuring out how to get from one side to the other is difficult (think metro) and it's easy to get confused inside the map. Use /hdb to get to the head database on build. There’s one doorway in particular where it’s very easy to walk off & fall into lava - maybe add some caution signs in front of it (or something).

331767 - Oasis University - by @Shawn_
Current status: Looks playable, some travel time issues
Suggested fixes:
Underground path might be overpowered; it runs from flag to flag with only one entrance in mid to allow recov to cut it off. You could adjust the sponge in the middle hole to make it easier to get up and add soulsand/carpet at the bottom to make it easier to jump down. Also, I’m pretty sure that sponge gives enough height for players to pearl into the spawnbox.
Spawn to defense flagroom is almost the same distance as flagroom to flagroom. I would move the flag about 3 seconds closer to spawn.
b0s’ note - Changing the flag locations, though not super faithful to the original map in Overwatch, is extremely important. The original map is balanced (to the limited extent that Team 4 actually put thought into OW’s CTF maps) for a 6v6 mode where players can capture while the other team has the flag. Given how small mid is & how far it is from spawn, recovery is going to be nigh-on impossible if a player on offense gets out with the flag, so one of those two variables will have to change (could also use a sponge from spawn to shorten the effective distance if you don’t mind that sort of crutch). Definitely appreciate how faithful the remake is though


w0w those few took some time, WIP

Spoiler: Still need to look at

236464 - Office Crisis (resub) - by Shawn_
430055 - Theed - by Shawn_
265760 - Argonne - by Dokkeboi
431154 - Roundabout - by ItalianPenguin
431016 - CTFort - by gamer988, cat_soop1997
432194 - Rivendell - by TheFatalBest, Ringwrather, NorthernIreland, OldSeed
432394 - Mansions - by Islendingur
432683 - Destination - by Forleb
430294 - Separated by Ringwrather, HappyHappyHailey
433353 - Clockworks by Recovs
383441 - Glaciation Resort by allahman
434115 - Meteor by simcb
393985 - Rundown by Ducksfan101, Aussi
280688 - Elvish Grove by snowfoxD, rullekamp, ikemulti
318936 - Metia by simcb
434619 - Crystal Sands by SilverRalph
68451 - Himalayan Temper by ikemulti
432353 - Amy's Station by DeepBluee, ikemulti
88912 - Big fish by Fawely, ikemulti
392882 - Sandy Pines by ikemulti
403896 - Turbine by _Pai
416227 - Chan Chan by Cego
433925 - Classic Castles (resub) by Forleb
433352 - Woodland by Ringwrather
331769 - Carrier (resub) by Shawn_, THECOMMANDERS5643
424870 - Fortress Siege by Ninsanity
429988 - Vanguard by Ubau, Smolfina, Shawn_
89124 - Shogun Heights by ikemulti
429874 - The Tropics by Daveeeeeeeee
426576 - Giant Furnaces I by Bath_Maintenance, ItalianPenguin, Ducksfan101
413375 - Adrenaline (Rush III) by Northernlreland, Foodcourt, _Peppe
393986 - Pagodas III by Ducksfan101
427321 - Dragon Valley VI by Ducksfan101
427677 - Waterfalls by arkham2012, PV__nRT, Ducksfan101, Paddy__M, Bath_Maintenance
427314 - Woodcastle Arena II by LeUniCow, Larh, redslime
332205 - Castle Cavern VI by Ducksfan101, Bath_Maintenance, ItalianPenguin
428724 - Shattered Rift VIII by Ducksfan101
378813 - Forest of Rivals III by Rejeqted, Kayrex
432913 - Moria VI by Bath_Maintenance, Shawn_, arkham2012, Ducksfan101
431088 - American Fort I by ItalianPenguin
401547 - Citadel V by _Pai
433586 - Woodland I by Larh, LeUniCow, Bath_Maintenance, tri
433413 - Aquarium I by Bath_Maintenance, Daveeeeeeee
414763 - Villaggio Chiesa I by obikenobi21, Lugia_
433644 - Blackout V by Forleb
337990 - Xieroth Station I by Sayan
197921 - Skyworlds VI by Sayan
434428 - Chunez I by Snowbreak
234999 - Skyworlds VII by Dragoarg, Snowbreak
426986 - Fluorescent I by _Pai
427620 - Slate I by puhdgy
365101 - Pavo's Academy Reskin by woolctf, tri
407973 - Parklife I by Xelasi
434429 - Medieval Strike by puhdgy, woolctf, tri
432609 - Opposites Collide VIII by puhdgy, lauten

We will post more as we work through them.

============================
Wave XVI Testing+Voting Thread
Map Submissions (Forum)
CTF Map List

 

Round 2 boogaloo (2/12/20)

*spends 2 hours on 6 maps* hnnnnnng
if anyone wants to jump in and posting feedback please do

A lot of these looked really cool, I need to remember to compliment y'all later on the good stuff.

Spoiler: HotTakesV2 - WHEEEEEEEEE

236464 - Office Crisis (resub) - by @Shawn_
Current status: Playable, deceptively large map
Suggested fixes:
The map is quite large when considering each side wing has 3 different vertical levels. I think the size of those levels can be reduced a bit; each side wing could lose about a third of its width in order to make the map’s spawl more manageable.
The lower level bits with obstacles (storage rooms?) might get a bit campy/closed off, if keeping those areas I would make them more accessible with a couple more doorways to the main hall / foyer / middle section of the building / whatever you want to call it.
Flag room looks hard to get out of, I’d widen the front entrance (the staircase in).


430055 - Theed - by @Shawn_
Current status: Playable, traffic flow issues
Suggested fixes:
Navigating from spawn to where I needed to go initially was confusing. Could use better visual cues.
That first sponge near spawn that launches everyone to mid is fun but will cause some nasty clustering at mid. Took me a while to find the sponges pointed down the side paths; it does take a significant amount of time to get from spawn over to the opposite flag room without them. I think the position of spawn could be adjusted to a better location. Maybe make the small brick-roofed buildings the spawns instead? It would fix some traffic flow and travel time issues on the map, as well as give the player a nice view of the front of the flag building.


265760 - Argonne - by @Dokkeboi
Current status: Playable
Suggested fixes:
Please remove the ruins (at least 75% of them) in front of spawn; they’re very disorienting for players exiting spawn and block your view of the main paths.
I walked past the flagroom building several times without realizing what it was; I would make the entryways more obvious with a different color.
The entrances on the front of the flag building (facing mid) can be 3-wide so you’re less likely to get trapped on the edges while entering/exiting (assuming someone is attacking you).


431154 - Roundabout - by @ItalianPenguin
Current status: Looks playable, traffic flow issues, color coding
Suggested fixes:
Not enough color cohesiveness on each side and it’s hard to tell which side I’m on. Could use more color coding or matching; the reason clocktower works without as much color coding is because it has the giant tower in the middle and straight paths to help keep players oriented; the twists and turns on this map can make players get disoriented more easily.
Pathing can be clarified more; there are obstacles in the way of main routes, and the aesthetic roads on the map don’t align with the best routes across. Clear obstacles; remove some cars or move them if necessary. Getting rid of the shrubs directly blocking the flagroom doorways would also help simplify pathing.
Travel time from spawn to defense is really short, but flagroom to flagroom is nearly 30 seconds if going straight across the middle of the map; very defense-friendly. I’m not a fan of adding sponges to gain distance across the map, but I think making the paths across more clear/obvious will help with the travel time. Also, the pathing from spawn to the middle of the map is considerably more straightforward than the pathing from the flagroom to mid (thanks in part to the sponge on the truck near spawn). By making the pathing from flag to mid more straightfoward (and specifically removing some of the obstacles there), you’d make it easier for players on offense to make it to mid and therefore make the map less OP for recovery.
I think the center circle (inside roundabout) can be lowered to 1-block high (and maybe remove the dips in the middle). Since it is the fastest way across the map, I can see players running straight through the circle on mid frequently.


431016 - CTFort - by @gamer988, @cat_soop1997
Current status: Some directional issues, playable with fixes
Suggested fixes:
Add two more small bridges across water, widen side caves and punch out any blocks that make it difficult for players to just run right through the cave.
Trim the terrain, punch out any blocks that block or slow down the main paths across the map.
Simplify pathing inside the castle; the route from spawn to the flagroom feels like a maze. Make at least one directional sign easily visible for players in spawn (i.e. facing them), indicate the main path through the castle with something like carpets, generally reduce the amount of winding routes and streamline the paths that go to the flagroom.
A good portion of the castle is made up of blocked off or mostly aesthetic sections; I think the map would be better off if more of those features were conducive to objective-based gameplay.
Make a wide doorway to that forward-launching sponge on the front of the castle to make it more accessible to players coming from spawn; move that sponge that takes players to the top of the front tower somewhere else. Getting players to take that forward path out the front of the castle can do a lot of good for gameplay.
Trees going across the map can cause recovery problems, can be OP for soldier or similar classes. Add a few sponges to get up faster on some and/or remove a couple trees in strategic spots to make soldiers touch ground.


432194 - Rivendell - by @TheFatalBest, @Ringwrather, @NorthernIreland, @OldSeed
Current status: almost playable, difficulty reaching flagroom as offense
Suggested fixes:
Getting into the flagroom as offense is going to be one of the biggest problems. Two of the three ways up to the flag (for classes other than soldier/elf/ninja/etc.) force players on offense to walk directly in front of the enemy spawn. The one sponge on the back side of the island that could allow offense to avoid walking in front of spawn is too out of the way for most players to find it. On top of that, it only launches them up to the staircase, not the actual island. I would make a more obvious, more useful island sponge on the back side, or add any number of other ways up.
Regarding the mountains: maybe add a sponge on the top of the mountain pointing toward the opposite side’s flagroom to reward anyone who actually climbs to the top.
Considering mid has very little cover & there are no quick ways to get up the mountain, the map looks to be extremely archer OP. Adding ways to get to players camping on the mountain or generally adding more cover could help with that issue.
(I think the waterfall on the mountain has some missed potential for a route. Maybe connect an opening under the waterfall to the mountain tunnel for an additional path.)
Route going from spawn down the left side to the opposite flagroom (across the stream) can be cleaned up a bit. The tree roots in particular block the path a bit. Would be helpful to make the actual path less cluttered while still leaving some cover to protect the players using that path.
Midfield has high clusterfck potential due to the nature of diagonal maps. This map is very similar to Standoff in layout, except most of the extra area players had to avoid mid was removed. Consider giving alternative routes more attention.

Spoiler: not reviewed yet

432394 - Mansions - by Islendingur
432683 - Destination - by Forleb
430294 - Separated by Ringwrather, HappyHappyHailey
433353 - Clockworks by Recovs
383441 - Glaciation Resort by allahman
434115 - Meteor by simcb
393985 - Rundown by Ducksfan101, Aussi
280688 - Elvish Grove by snowfoxD, rullekamp, ikemulti
318936 - Metia by simcb
434619 - Crystal Sands by SilverRalph
68451 - Himalayan Temper by ikemulti
432353 - Amy's Station by DeepBluee, ikemulti
88912 - Big fish by Fawely, ikemulti
392882 - Sandy Pines by ikemulti
403896 - Turbine by _Pai
416227 - Chan Chan by Cego
433925 - Classic Castles (resub) by Forleb
433352 - Woodland by Ringwrather
331769 - Carrier (resub) by Shawn_, THECOMMANDERS5643
424870 - Fortress Siege by Ninsanity
429988 - Vanguard by Ubau, Smolfina, Shawn_
89124 - Shogun Heights by ikemulti
429874 - The Tropics by Daveeeeeeeee
426576 - Giant Furnaces I by Bath_Maintenance, ItalianPenguin, Ducksfan101
413375 - Adrenaline (Rush III) by Northernlreland, Foodcourt, _Peppe
393986 - Pagodas III by Ducksfan101
427321 - Dragon Valley VI by Ducksfan101
427677 - Waterfalls by arkham2012, PV__nRT, Ducksfan101, Paddy__M, Bath_Maintenance
427314 - Woodcastle Arena II by LeUniCow, Larh, redslime
332205 - Castle Cavern VI by Ducksfan101, Bath_Maintenance, ItalianPenguin
428724 - Shattered Rift VIII by Ducksfan101
378813 - Forest of Rivals III by Rejeqted, Kayrex
432913 - Moria VI by Bath_Maintenance, Shawn_, arkham2012, Ducksfan101
431088 - American Fort I by ItalianPenguin
401547 - Citadel V by _Pai
433586 - Woodland I by Larh, LeUniCow, Bath_Maintenance, tri
433413 - Aquarium I by Bath_Maintenance, Daveeeeeeee
414763 - Villaggio Chiesa I by obikenobi21, Lugia_
433644 - Blackout V by Forleb
337990 - Xieroth Station I by Sayan
197921 - Skyworlds VI by Sayan
434428 - Chunez I by Snowbreak
234999 - Skyworlds VII by Dragoarg, Snowbreak
426986 - Fluorescent I by _Pai
427620 - Slate I by puhdgy
365101 - Pavo's Academy Reskin by woolctf, tri
407973 - Parklife I by Xelasi
434429 - Medieval Strike by puhdgy, woolctf, tri
432609 - Opposites Collide VIII by puhdgy, lauten

ROUND 3 (2/13/20)
sry if my rambling is incoherent, it's like 6am

Spoiler: HottakesV3

432394 - Mansions - by @Islendingur
Current status: Playable but cluttered and campable
Suggested fixes:
There’s a glowstone diving board into the void behind blue spawn.
The floating glowstone things (lamps?) on the roof are potential camping spots for soldiers and ninjas, I would recommend getting rid of (or replacing) them.
There’s a lot of seemingly unnecessary clutter, especially on the ground floor of the main ‘mansion,’ that will get in the way of pvp and movement. I’d clean up some of that, especially the bits that act as immediate obstacles for players trying to reach the flag.
Sponges in the middle of the fountains in the mansion are kind of hard to use between being surrounded by water and having a 1x1 hole you have to get through at the top. Removing some of the water or widening the bit at the top might make them more viable.
I do get caught on the building when taking the sponges up the front of the mansion about half of the time.
The section of the tunnel system that goes to spawn isn’t really useful as a means of getting players (on either team) from point A to point B, but could be needlessly strong for camping with a flagholder; with that in mind, I’d get rid of that section. The bit of tunnel that runs from mid to the flagroom acts as a nice alternative route into the building, so no need to change that portion.


432683 - Destination - by @Forleb
Current status: Looks unplayable in current state due to openness, choke points, length
Suggested fixes:
Generally, spawns are too close to the flag for a map this long and difficult to get across. Reducing the map length might help with this.
Cover the soul sand with carpets to keep it from slowing players down.
The lack of cover around the spawn and routes near the area necessitate a fix; maybe add some glass walls for cover (any cover would be an improvement).
Flagholder (i.e. soldier/elf) camping on top of the spawn building could be a major problem, since most classes don’t have a way up.
The skinny paths currently end up as choke points and any class with a projectile or throwable items is going to knock people off the map constantly. I would widen them some more since it is so open.
The parkour pads need to go; it’s easy to hop when you aren’t pressured at all, but all it takes is someone attacking you or a ranged class shooting at you to make those routes way too risky to use. If you like the floating pad aesthetic, try blue glass between them.
It’s fine that the flagroom is extremely open right now; players will likely have so much difficulty getting across the map that an enclosed flagroom would kill any chance of capping altogether. However, if you do end up shortening the map & making the side routes safer, it may be wise to add a roof or larger walls to balance out gameplay a bit.


430294 - Separated by @Ringwrather, @HappyHappyHailey
Current status: Playable
Suggested fixes:
There’s a floating lamp post around mid to fix.
Are the wells supposed to drop players into the void? Lol... Actually, leave it like that, I like it.
Aesthetically I’m not a fan of the hard block mix of grass and podzol and find it distracting to the map design. I’d recommend starting with a base of grass and using //repl 3:2 and right clicking to manually add podzol spots to select locations that would make sense visually (whether that is around buildings, trees, around pathways, entryways, etc) instead of having it evenly mixed with the grass. I do like the gravel paths that have been added and think those are a positive.


433353 - Clockworks by @Recovs
Current status: Playable
Suggested fixes:
(No major complaints, will update if I see an issue in-game.)


383441 - Glaciation Resort by @allahman
Current status: playable, could use more direction
Suggested fixes:
Could use a little more color coding (adding red/blue to structures) around mid.
Mark the major launch sponges more clearly, as they currently aren’t very visible and new players are likely to miss them. Given how reliant the map is on sponges for quick travel, this is possibly the most important thing to fix. If necessary, you can get ahold of arrow heads for to help indicate directions with “/hdb search arrow”.
I think there are actually too many ways into the flagroom considering how open the room itself is; maybe wall off the entrance behind the post to give defense a reasonable chance of stopping/slowing down a flagholder.
The block mixes inside of the flagroom are pretty high contrast; I think simplifying the floor design some might help declutter the overall visual. Maybe red/blue carpet in the round middle part?
The current gravel pathing that is marked on the map doesn’t even come close to lining up with the actual paths people are taking to get across the map quickly. I would reconfigure the aesthetics to align with gameplay; this will also direct the flow of traffic on the map a little better if players aren’t being forced to ignore the paths right off the bat. In other words, make sure there’s some form of pathing around where the main sponges drop you off.
Remove the “ski lift closed” sign blocking the path through the building to the sponge that launches onto that trapdoor on the roof of flagroom. It blocks flow.
Overall, the map feels open and directionless when actually being played. The pathing adjustments, some midfield color coding, and marking sponges with wool should help.


434115 - Meteor by @simcb
Current status: playable, traffic out of spawn issues
Suggested fixes:
Sponges from spawn take players way too far and become an overpowered recovery problem for offensive players. On top of that, those sponges drop players off extremely close to where the other team’s spawn sponges put them, potentially creating a mess of fighting players at both landing spots. The mirrored map design makes it difficult to just remove one of the sponges without creating a complete clusterfck on one side, and I wish this map could be altered to work with a 180 degree flip for balance. If that isn’t an option, I’d advise cutting the launch distance of both sponges in half; doing so should make recovery less overpowered & prevent opposing players from funneling onto the same platforms right out of spawn.
Because of where the spawn sponges are right now and how narrow the other path out of spawn is, they will end up being the default route that players take to get to mid. Maybe widen the way out of spawn/knock down that wall to encourage players to take alternative routes? Alternatively, you could make ledges to the left and right of spawn (still clearly visible from spawn, but a little ways out) for the sponges to sit on for similar results.
(*Aesthetic note - the block selections of the flag building, though similar in shade, look random around the areas where the stonebrick/diorite/stone slab/cobble walls are mixed in; could me made more cohesive in design; not a major gameplay issue at this point.)
Overall, the map feels like a mixture of Desert Strike/Beaver Creek/Valley of Ruin, should be interesting to see how it plays out in comparison.


393985 - Rundown by @Ducksfan101, @Aussi
Current status: possibly playable;
Suggested fixes:
Gameplay might be good (b0s doesn’t seem to think so) but...
[insert xelasi anti-hard-block-mix triggering]
The aesthetic looks kind of neat from way above the map, but at surface level… it doesn’t hold up as well. Try using //repl as a tool for hand-painting select areas instead of the block mixes sometime; giving it a little less uniformity will actually make mixes look more natural.
Right now, it looks like the white noise of a TV set, except brown. At least the hard block mixes on the buildings are color coded. Please put some solid paths in, beacons are the only clue in this block mix hellscape. Otherwise, the terraforming is pretty decent and I’m glad the water has water in it.
B0s says there are tunnels but I couldn’t find them; all of the dark spots ended up being decorative mud and not openings to tunnels. The tunnels themselves are pretty nice, and they don’t impede player mobility much at all. However, b0s says that in order to make the tunnels more useful, you’ll need to have a better way to reach them from the flagroom. That can be done by making a significantly wider bridge across the creek next to the flag building.
Make some more open space around the map; the exact location doesn’t matter too much as long as it breaks up the endless series of buildings. Doing so will give more overall direction/visibility to players trying to navigate across the map, provides a bit of space for pvp, and also gives mid-ranged classes a little more viability on the map.


280688 - Elvish Grove by @snowfoxD, @rullekamp, @ikemulti
Current status: private map


318936 - Metia by @simcb
Current status: Playable, long travel time across map
Suggested fixes:
Although there is a good capping route after getting ahold of the flag, spawn is so close to the flagroom that anyone respawning to recover the flag will almost instantly be back in front of the flagholder. With that in mind, you could help offense on the map by shortening its length a bit (it’s a very long map overall) and adding sponges to make it easier to get up the ladders to the flagroom. I personally wouldn’t add sponges for distance across the map, though. Select sections of a side of the map and use //move to move it inward toward mid.


434619 - Crystal Sands by @SilverRalph
Current status: probably unplayable but the bugs are hilarious enough to make it an MLG map
Suggested fixes:
Please fix the ladders/sponge on the sides of the flag building, they don’t actually go anywhere.
The sponge heading across water from left (facing mid) side of flagroom actually launches players over the thing designed to block it and drops them into water. Add some barriers to the top maybe?
Because you did a mirrored map flip, using the first sponge going from the spawn island to mid leads to a funnel spot (where two sponges meant for use by players of opposite teams drop players off at the same location). Considering that the spot where they’re funneling to is a small platform, you’re going to end up with a complete mess on it & a whole lot of players getting knocked into the water unless the sponges get changed. As an aside, that same set of sponges means that I could respawn and theoretically get to the the enemy’s spawn only 13 seconds later - as a heavy.
Some of the sponge launchers - specifically the ones where you have stair steps on top of sponge blocks - cause players to be launched upwards (and do a silly bounce) before getting to the intended sponge. That issue applies to the launchers going from flag to the middle island, as well as the ones on top of the middle island. It can be fixed by replacing the stair step blocks that are on top of the sponges with regular wood blocks.
Nice snow on the beach.
The underground tunnel looks alright & is a nice alternative route, but there isn’t anything to reduce fall damage when you drop down; you could try placing soul sand (2 blocks deep) with carpet on top of it around the sponges - on CTF servers, that would eliminate fall damage on those blocks without slowing players.


68451 - Himalayan Temper by ikemulti
Current status: Playable
Suggested fixes:
I can tell that the block mix was placed with thought, even if it’s a bit too mixed for my personal taste. I think that some of the areas away from the buildings/main walkways can have grass blocks re-added (areas like the raised terrain around the water, a few less gray blocks at the mountain walkway at the top/ends of the map - areas that would naturally be more lush if the ruins were being grown over by nature), and maybe add a little more gray to where pathways would have been and inside buildings.
The elevated areas surrounding the river could definitely make it difficult to dodge archers when crossing said river to get to the flag; an alternative path (such as a tunnel under it) could help alleviate that issue if needed.
Sometimes players using the launch sponges going from the flagroom buildings towards the midfield building (and vice versa) will get caught on the vines; for instance, if I jump onto some of those sponges (instead of waIking onto them) I can get stuck in a loop of being launched straight up. It’s a minor issue, as holding the forward key after the first bounce will let me progress, but it could still make the difference between a flagholder getting out or being caught by recovery (for instance).
Although the sponges at mid do help a bit on this front, the distance on foot from spawn to the opposite flag is a couple seconds on the long side.
The travel timing on the map is interesting; it takes less time for me to go from spawn to my team’s flag building to midfield to offense flagbuilding (using the series of sponges along mid) than it does for me to take the direct route (including the sponge near spawn) to the opposite flag building.
I tried going from the forward sponge path from spawn to the midfield building but was blocked off by the river/terrain/tree. I’d like a path or little diagonal bridge over that river and a smoother spot of terrain there, unless blocking off the route from spawn sponges to midfield building is intentional. That would be a fun and slightly faster way to get across (given that it still might not immediately be super obvious to people spawning).


432353 - Amy's Station by @DeepBluee, @ikemulti
Current status: Playable
Suggested fixes:
Those are some strong sponges. Not sure if they should be fixed, but as a result I can get from spawn to opposite flag in 15 seconds (without using mobility classes). Some of the sponges that launch players across the map aren’t particularly visible but seem to be very important for fast gameplay. I’d recommend finding a way to make them more noticeable, even if that does just mean outlining them with differently colored carpets.
The strength of the spawn sponges will also make recovery pretty easy; a player taking the sponge from spawn will almost instantly be in front of an opposing flagholder, especially since the soul sand around the railroad tracks means that you can jump down from the top (to cut off said flagholder) without taking fall damage. As such, adjusting the spawn sponges (or replacing them with something else) might be necessary if recovery does prove too OP.

Spoiler: to-do

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