Cortex

By Squally DaBeanz

"This facility is used to convert ocean water into freshwater for the nearby hot springs, which are used by local agriculture operations."​

Note: This map received minimal playtesting.

Cortex is a small asymmetrical arena map themed after a water treatment plant embedded into a cliffside cave system. This map came about purely as an experiment I wanted to try. I had no real plan going in, aside from the skeleton of the first room I built. My strategy was to just build whatever cool designs came to mind, keep that momentum going and then stop building as soon as I became stumped again, only coming back when a new idea came to me.

The map ended up being full of various winding paths through unique combat bubbles. There are two similar but different vats with structures in them for players to walk on, a junction room between the vats, a large open cave area, a garage-like loading area, the outer landing pad connected to the garage, and various hallways and ledges and bridges connecting everything.

The cave section has two opposing ledges that have power over the rocks below and sightlines on each other. Vat One has a small elbow bridge going through a small cylinder in the center. Vat Two has a sloping catwalk connecting two levels and wrapping around the central cylinder. The junction room has an upper catwalk leading to either vat or to the cave, as well as a a bridge leading out to the exterior landing pad. The landing pad itself has direct access to both Vat One and the loading zone garage, with one of the doors to the garage being able to be closed from the inside.