Red Aerial

Red Aerial​

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It's a three-player minigame! Rejoice!



This is RED AERIAL
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So this tiny map has a long backstory behind it... But you really don't care. All that matters to you is whether this map is playable and fun. I'm here to tell you that it is. Red Aerial is set up for all gametypes, but the most fun one by far is an infection gametype made specifically for this map - Sniper Zombies. Somewhere between a minigame and noscope training, Sniper Zombies will test your nerves and your reflexes as killer zombies rain down from the sky. And allow you to screenpeek to your heart's content.

Side Hallway
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My two halo-playing friends and I have become obsessed with this game. It just never gets old, no matter how many times you play it. A simple idea - humans defend against zombies with nothing but sniper rifles - transformed into a totally addicting minigame. The one-hit-kill rule for both teams turned a frustrating game of instant death into one of pure skill. To counterbalance that, the idea that zombies are the ones who can use equipment allows for trip mine frisbee throws (remember, no shields) and deployable cover defenses.

The Most Important Weapon
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Allowing for zombie weapon pickup had another effect - it allowed Alphas only to steal the sniper rifle of anyone they kill. Which means once the infection starts, it spreads fast. And that's why in a three-player match you never want to abandon your buddy. By the way, that tunnel corner right there is a great place for a human, and there's another one on the other side.

Back Tunnels
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Moving through various areas on top of the map is asking for trouble - zombies usually spawn upstairs. In the case of that last pic, the tunnel that drops down back there leads straight to the trip mine seen in the pic before.

Action Inside
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Just underneath that zombie is a great place to hang on for a sec, with cover from anybody in the human's position. It also has a teleporter to the top for quick escapes. In addition to the inside- and over-the-map ways to move from left to right, you can jump around the outside of the map, where that grav lift is, though you definitely have to line your first jump up right. By the way, Red Aerial works fine for other gametypes, too, especially FFA slayer with a limited number of people.

Trip Mine Jump



Now how did I do that?
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So, to sum it all up: two or three player infection with one-hit-kill sniper rifles on a tiny map with lots of corners. Very addicting.

Just make sure not to play it with somebody who knows the map until you do. And note that there is no shame whatsoever in screenpeeking.

History, if anyone cares.

Spoiler

So this was originally called Aerial, and was in the process of being created for a two-ship CTF game. But it failed, because that sort of a map really doesn't work. Somehow, though, I got the great idea of turning the one interesting ship into a tiny map of its own. So I did, I put in all new weapons, spawnpoints, and generally set it up for all gametypes. I was running out of budget, so I stripped the other two bases of weapons and any scenery that you can't see from Red Aerial (if you forge you can fly over there and check it and the middle-ground base out). It worked OK as a combat map, and still does. It really came into its own when I started thinking about how overpowered the shotgun would be in a zombies map like this. That's when the idea hit me to turn it into a sniper map.

Current Blue Aerial

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So that was a very interesting revelation. The next time my friends came over I played a three-man game of it, and we were all immediately hooked. Even now, about five months after that first game, we use it as a warm-up every time before jumping into Matchmaking. I was so amazed that I had actually made a map and custom gametype that worked for three people, because before that it was always like, hey guys, check this out! Wouldn't this be sweet with like 16 people? So you have no idea how happy I was.
And now they've said they'll help me forge a second map for it - Blue Aerial. The plan is to make it work with the same gametype, but be a totally different map. And then to line the two maps up so that when you're playing on one, you can see the other, minus the items. It'll be a while before it's done, though.

All of Aerial
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Download Red Aerial
Download Sniper Zombies