created by TEETMARE, NIBBLES, and ThrowinSomeBows. Presenting: WARHORSE (part 1 of 3 in the TDNT Map Pack.) part 2 of 3: Turnpike part 3 of 3: Harbinger Welcome, one and all, to the first installment of the magical and intimidatingly sexy "Throwin Dem Nib-****" Big Team Battle Map Pack. I know, you are already shuddering in anticipation of the glory to come. And indeed, you will be pleased to no end at the sparkles and glitter that we have poured upon you this day. This map pack started out as just one map, but as we continued to forge and work together, we came up with more and more ideas. There was just too much to fit into one map, so we split the maps up into 3 different maps. Each map has gone through a very large amount of tweaking and testing over the course of the past few weeks. Chances are that if you are an active member here, you may have already seen and helped test on these maps. We thank you greatly for your participation!! Alright thats enough talking, someone take the keyboard away from this guy jeez. Warhorse: Weapon List: 8x DMR 4x Needle Rifle 2x Needler 2x Plasma Pistol 1x Shotgun 1x Grenade Launcher 1x Rockets 1x Snipe 1x Energy Sword 2x Plasma Nades 2x Frag Nades 4x Mongoose 2x Warthog 1x Rocket Hog Warhorse is a semi-symmetrical, oval shaped big team battle map. It features multiple pathways through the middle, and around the outside of the map. Vehicles in the hands of a good driver can be dominant, but a skilled player can easily evade them or take them out by using their head. The map features a neutral Rocket Hog that spawns beneath the bridge on the grass side, 3 minutes into the game. This puts an exciting and fun twist to the gameplay of the map, because having the Rocket Hog neutral causes it to function like a beefed up, temporary power weapon, instead of being overly dominant. Sniper, Shotgun, Rocks, Nader, and Sword are all placed in neutral locations across the middle of the map, and can be used in multiple ways to defend, and assault the enemy's base. This map functions best playing BTB Slayer, as the settings are in Matchmaking. You can go to MM and save the gametype to use it if you have not already done so. The map also supports other staple BTB gametypes, as per the Matchmaking settings, but BTB Slayer shines the brightest. Onward to the pictures!! Some action shots to moisten your panties: Thanks for taking the time to check it out, be sure to check out the other 2 maps in our map pack! Links if you missed them: Download WARHORSE part 2 of 3: Turnpike part 3 of 3: Harbinger TITMAR (portfolio) NIBBLES (profile) ThrowinSomeBows (profile)
I've been sold on maps Bows is involved with since Pavilion so getting this is a no-brainer. I love BTB maps and this just looks awesome. Is this built off the Cliffside area? If so...wow, nice work turning that area into a BTB zone that has plenty of room.
I really enjoyed testing all of these maps with you guys, but this one was my personal favorite. It's not so incredibly open that anyone on foot is a goner nor is it closed off so much that vehicles are of no use. Plus, I was impressed with the sword spawn, simple yet creative. Great job Nibs, Titmar, and Bows =)
thank you to everyone for the positive feedback, and double thank you to everyone who was there testing. there were so many tests done, i couldnt possibly remember everyone who was involved to list them in the post. yes, i agree with you and i wanted to quote that and stress it, since some people had said upon first impression during testing that they felt it was "too open." i had found that to be ridiculous, and im glad others agree that it has just the right balance of openness. OP has been updated to include link to part 2 of the map pack, Turnpike
Testing/playing all your various BTB maps is the most fun I've had in Reach customs. Everything in the actual BTB playlist is either hell on infantry or nut-to-butt tiny. This in particular is what BTB is all about, I think all of your various maps should sub out everything in that playlist right now.
I think I've play tested the maps in this map pack a combined 100 or so times, this one possibly half of that number. While my particular favorite version of it had 2 sniper rifles, one at each base, I understand why it was removed to one in a neutral location. I just miss be able to get the sniper consistently Anyway out of all the play tests I've had on this there was rarely any negative feedback. The map is fun for both vehicles and infantry movement and is just the right amount of open/cover to give breathing room for both strategies.
Horray, it is finally released. After the days of playtesting, people can finally download and play it. Good times will be had by all.
haha, thanks man, although im not sure bungie would agree with my object density or whatever, but im okay with that. when i make a BTB map, i always try to focus primarily on fun as i believe it is the key element of the BTB experience. Its not really always as much about winning as it is about the crazy **** that happens on the way. but i know you already knew that, as evidenced by your latest map! extra thanks to you for all the testing help, you were always the first to accept our invites. and yea, unfortunately the 2 snipers thing just had to go, it completely killed the map. and it was only fun for those of you who were dominating us, we hated it! anyways, thank you both for the positive review. and Yavi, you're great and i love you.
So I just realized that the last action screen was me being murdered and doing a snazzy stretch in the meantime =)
Warhorse Enjoyment Parties of 10 and above are a blast on this map. The common belief among big team battle enthusiasts is, if one is out in the open on foot then they are doomed. This might be true of most big team battle maps, but this is not the case with Warhorse. If people are on foot in the areas devoid of cover while a warthog or ghost is moving about, they may not last long however, the great thing about Warhorse is that locations such as; sniper spawn, sword spawn, shotgun spawn, gravity lift pad, red and blue bases allow for infantry movement without having to worry about vehicles. If a player is caught out in the open, cover is not far away to hide and recover shield. Having said all that, the Rocket Hog is unnecessary for the map. The rockets end up blowing up the Rocket Hog itself and the Rocket Hog is often abandoned. Also, those who favor close quarters combat can find areas that cater to that style; each base, the walkways leading to the three-pronged gravity lift pad, the rocket launcher spawn pit, and the shotgun spawn area all are mid to close quarters combat zones. However, people rarely frequent them, so it is beneficial to be proficient with the DMR as mid to long range combat will be the focus. Balance This is essentially a symmetrical big team battle map with a few aesthetic differences between the two halves. All armor abilities have purpose and can be tactically effective. In an earlier version of Warhorse there were two snipers at each base that, at first glance, seemed to balance out better. In the current version the number has been reduced to one sniper and placed in a neutral position to promote player movement and reduce sniper domination. The sniper rifle is a key power weapon that is fought for quickly and the owner of it quickly dominates. The grenade launcher, though rarely used, was a good counter to vehicles. It could be beneficial to switch the grenade launcher with the rocket launcher. The gravity lift pad area is a more appropriate place for the rocket launcher, as it would encourage player movement to a location that is largely ignored in gameplay. The side areas of both bases leading to the grav lift pad were rarely used and would benefit from a health pack to promote movement in them. The shotgun opposite the sniper spawn is also a bit curious. It is generally accepted that a shotgun should inhabit a close-quarters area but whoever grabs the shotgun from its spawn location is trapped due to unfavorable lines-of-sight due to their being large open paths on either side of the shotgun spawn. The higher locations attainable by jetpack adversely affect balance as no one but jetpack users can get to these locations. Where this map exceeds in balance is in how well the weapon set and map construction encourage teamwork. Areas of long light of sight are countered by other areas of short line of sight depending on the skill of the player. If a player is not good at long light of sight kills with the DMR they can stay in the more close-quarter oriented areas of the map. Durability The jetpack's a pain for most maps in the construction phase, and Warhorse is no exception. It is so hard to adequately cover all the possible areas of a large map with safe zones or kill zones. While there were no game breaking areas, it is possible to get to some places that others might feel offer unfair height advantages. One location was under the playable area. All of these places were only attainable via jetpack. I'm not sure if it was intentional or not but the rocky outcropping hanging toward the rocket hog area has no kill barriers nor does the Bungie-built rock area immediately next to it (there is a kill barrier if you go a bit higher). It is possible to get about half way up the walkway covers by shotgun spawn. The walkway areas by the gravity lift pad by both bases has forge piece sticking under the playable area that can be jetpacked too. The map would occasionally lag, due to possibly network connection or there was some area of the map that had frame rate lag. Other than these few and far between issues, the map had no game breaking elements and was inescapable. Aesthetics The great thing about this map is how the playable areas all have functional aesthetics and the areas outside the map exhibit aesthetic flare. The large platforms moving up from the center structure look great as well as the forge pieces covering the rock walls of the upper coliseum on both sides. The rocket spawn location with the covenant cover was aesthetically pleasing and served an important gameplay purpose, to break up lines of sight. The areas where the aesthetics could be improved are both bases, as they are pretty bland. The bases just don't seem like they have the proper grandeur of the location they are in. Originality This is a smaller, vehicle and infantry friendly, big team battle map. These kind of big team battle maps are uncommon in Reach to date. Few big team maps have a tactical jump for a power weapon, a technique usually reserved for smaller competitive maps. The three-pronged gravity lift area is pretty unique for a big team map as well. In essence, the symmetrical, two bases with a neutral base location, is a classic template for competitive maps and Warhorse does not stray from this. Enjoyment: 9/10 = 27/30 Balance: 8/10 = 24/30 Durability: 7/10 = 10.5/15 Aesthetics: 9/10 = 13.5/15 Originality: 8/10 = 8/10 Average Score: 83/100 (8.3/10) Final Score Understanding Review Hub's ratings Review Hub Revival Play testing this map was a joy. The big team battle maps Titmar, Nibs, and ThrowinSomeBows have put together are all great maps.
i know i already talked to u about this in the lolbox, but i am commenting on it again for the sake of the thread. i had been previously aware of these areas, and they are intentional. im going to address them one by one, and explain why i thought they were okay to keep. 1) the rock outcroppings on both sides of the grassy area, somewhat near the bases, are outcroppings of rock that a player with jetpack would be able to jetpack up to, and camp there for some kills. the rock pieces were originally placed there to break up the LOS from sniper spawn to each base. i was aware that players can get on top of them, and felt that it would not be very damaging to gameplay on the map for the following reasons: any player camping there may be able to snatch a few kills while he is unnoticed, but once the opposing team is aware of him being there, it would not be difficult at all to put shots on him from either side and force him to move. i suppose if a really sneaky, really good sniper got up there, it could pose a problem, but i dont see it becoming a severe issue. however, if it did, i'd be happy to repair the issue, i just dont feel it necessary at this point in time. 2) the 4x4 platforms that are turned on their sides and merged with the large walkways, near the shotgun spawn. yes, you can walk up them, however no cover is available to a player who is there, and i feel like the same thing mentioned above would apply here as well. its really not that advantageous of a spot to camp in, being in pretty much wide open view almost 360 degrees around you. 3) the small holes, in the same area, that you can crouch into and hide. these were intentional, i felt they would be a neat little area that a player could duck into to avoid passing vehicles, or to pull a little sneaky sneaky **** on someone in the shotgun hallway. 4) under the mancannon pad... this i was unaware of. i had already gone under the map and placed softkills on objects that were sticking out of the bottom, and i thought i had gotten them all. still though, i dont see this as a big issue really. i kinda look at it like, well have fun sitting under the map by yourself. it is a difficult spot to get to, and offers no advantage at all. most people dont seem to do the whole "gain the lead and hide" type of **** in BTB games either. anyway, those are my responses to your comments on durability. i am not trying to shoot down your opinions at all, merely offering my own in return. and i thank you greatly for the unofficial review, i was not expecting that at all and am flattered that you took the time to write that much.
updated the unofficial review to an official review, couple more things to say, though I didn't change the core points I made in the unofficial version
Seems like you could make an interesting Invasion map on this! Cool map though, love all the aesthetics built in it, but seems like it could use more of a industrial feel to it after all you did call it a warehouse, but it doesn't feel like one. Great job none the less!
I highly recommend that everyone gets at least one game on the new and improved Warhorse. ITS ****IN AWESOME. It already played well from the beginning and with your dedication it has become even better, and to my understanding, lag free. Also, I edited the link in the OP and changed it to the new version. Hopefully this will forever change what maps get into matchmaking.
So the updated version is finally released. I remember dicking around with titmar in forge on this map and I suggested having a platform so there would be more of a point to use that ledge people could walk from the either base to the middle on. I'll definitely see if it fixed all the issues addressed in the review.
Every change made in this map was definitely for the better and it plays better than it ever has before as a result without all the lag that went with the first. Still wondering why this damn map hasn't been featured yet. Or better yet, put in Match Making.