@xzamplez Skilled is qualitative. Players have "skills" with different weapons (Maybe I'm good with a plasma pistol noob combo and you're good with the GL). The question that you're asking is not one that can be answered without significant doubts.
In my experience against shadow, who is on roughly the same level as me, it wasn't an issue. Once we learned the map, it was fairly easy to cut off opponents in basically any area.
Okay. Hopefully the same could be said for those who compete on Updraft in the future. [br][/br]Edited by merge: I was referring to overall skill: Aim, movement, reaction time, etc.
Haha, thanks for all the, hands, guys. The way I see it, there's no way a single map can cater to every member's "ideal" feature map, so I figured there's no point in getting too worked up over some of these comments. Plus it's not an attack against me or anything, so whatever. I may have said this earlier, but the map's at a point where I feel I've listened to all the feedback and improved it as much as I could in terms of the intended map design, and I'm genuinely pleased with how it's turned out. And that's good enough for me Also, I got a thread for this up in the competitive maps section, so any discussion about how the map plays can be discussed in there. And audience, I'd love to. I think we're already friends on XBL, right?
@Dax You made yourself look great in my eyes right there, man. There are so many people who get defensive at the first instant, but you understood... that's just really great.
Aye, that first paragraph is sooooooo true. Can't please 'em all, ya know. There's a great story about a man, his wife, and a camel walking through the desert that beautifully sums this up. I wasn't a fan of the map in it's first rendition, and I did unjustly attack it in my initial disappointment with the map selections, but I really appreciate you being mature about everything and taking it all in turn. Good on you man.
I think we are already, but I havent looked in so long I can't say for sure. Though I thank we are. I like how you think, I was in the same mindset for Mojo. I'm exited to talk with you on xbox when we can.
As if the general issues with the map are unimportant. yeah, most arguments/excuses are 2-way streets nowadays. Like saying no-radar is only good on paper.
...life isn't real and we are just the imaginations of ourselves. Dunno why, that comment just reminded me of Bill Hicks. By the way, I haven't actually played this map. I'm a bad staff member. But it comes highly reccomended, which probably means its good. I mean, yeah, there is like a huge staff bias and stuff because we are unbelievably corrupt, but thats not the point. The point is, best of luck to everyone in the tournament. You'll need it!
I think you guys should keep featuring these, while still featuring everything else. Maps that made Reach fun should be featured, no matter what type of game it is or how old it may be. If there are too many maps that need to be featured, then get more journalists. That being said, this map looks amazing even though I don't play much 1v1/2v2. I hope it gets up on THFE sometime soon.
Having played this now I can see where people might be able to escape battles if they so chose, but doing that for most of the game would require a skill gap large enough that it would be better to just fight. While some people might not like that I found it was a fresh break from the normal 1v1 style because planning your encounter made a big difference. I think it definitely deserves the feature. I just hope any other maps that are featured do too and that the normal features continue (by normal I mean as frequent as 1v1 maps, which would be more frequent than its been recently).
This. So many times I knew my opponent was in the next area but I had to realize that he knew where I was too and had to approach the situation with that mentality. It really forced me to think differently in a competitive spectrum and I adopted a few new tactics that I hope will be of use to me in the tourney.
I'm back to say I really have to give it to you on this one, Dax. Updraft was a high-quality first round map that fit the gametype perfectly. The map played really well, and although difficult to counter a player who is controlling the map, there were some great starts in games showing a variety of tactics to get that first strike. Well done.
What's the point of opening any other way than grabbing the GL and blasting the opponent out of his room? There's no incentive to move anywhere else than to the GL in the beginning, and once there you automatically have a line of fire into the oppont's room, or a direct line of sight once you've climbed the ramp. It is also broken in may other aspects. For example, the radar causes every single occation when there's one player on the top platform and the other is in the GL room, to be a complete stalemate. If the upper player has a GL the lower one is completely trapped, and in all cases any aggression is disencouraged by the fact that your opponent can constantly see your every move within that room, either towards the ramp leading upwards, or the back room with the plasma nade, which can be countered easily by the upper player by trapping.
There's multiple scenarios that can happen within the first 10 seconds, which is why I liked the map. For example, you pick up the Grenade Launcher, and proceed up the ramp to the Sniper Rifle, and as you rightly stated "It's the only possible scenario" so... If I do the same, I'll fire my grenade launcher shot across the map, blind, killing you before you can even see me - Scenario 1. Scenario 2: You wise up to the arching fact and that I'm not a complete spaz, and fire your grenade launcher shot blind up the ramp to the middle first this time... On this occasion though, because of your narrow minded tactics, I've ignored the grenade launcher and gone straight forward and round to YOUR ramp and bounced a grenade in your doorway. You're now one shot, I get the kill and proceed to pick up all Power weapons on the map. Scenario 3: We both enter the top with the Grenade Launchers and in the hope I can pull the trigger first after I've confirmed that you are in fact, at the opposite side of the map. Three possibilities giving a Rock, Paper, Scissor effect. You make your call and commit to it to give you the edge of hopefully your enemy walking straight into your grenade / grenade launcher shot. Alternatively, you can go for a more 'passive' approach by collecting the Grenade Launcher and leaving the area, passed the Plasma/DMR spawn. Edit: The Radar also provided a new spin on 1v1 gameplay. As the sightlines on the map were very restrictive, it helped a lot to actually locate your enemy and get the game to reach the score limit within the time limit. If you had no radar set on this map, it would play a lot slower and wouldn't be as enjoyable. The map and gametype combo worked well.
I always went for GL and rushed snipe bridge, when the opponent doesn't, I had the best position. Its a little campy though when players circle the map with plasma, GL and spiker and not enter the middle until Custom spawns.