I think people just enjoy trying to hold that piece of territory around yellow lift. I have to admit, I personally enjoy it and I don't exactly know why. It's not brain surgery but you do have to watch the lift, the area across high bridge (above shotgun) and the bridge itself (especially for jetpackers), the ramp coming up from the second level, and imaginative sorts who jetpack or use the big floor lift to get into the glass-enclosed area or that little gray tunnel that dead-ends into a doorway. Sword Base games basically start out with a mad rush for weapons and position, so lots of interesting combat happens all over the place as a result; then one team gets set up around yellow lift and the other team has to figure out whether they want to attack (and how), or if they want to just hold the area above shotgun and play standoff. This shouldn't be fun to me, but it totally is. In the chaotic games I usually end up playing with randoms, it usually goes in waves - you hold yellow lift until they take it away from you, then you come back and take it over again, and it will rotate like that a few times until the game ends. If you're lucky or better at holding territory, you end up winning.
i'm going to give a few for different situations. FFA- powerhouse. maybe just because i know its layout so well from the beta, but i love FFA on this map. 4v4- countdown. I'd say sword base, but since everyone turns the whole game into holding that lift room 75% of the time (especially in swat), I can't say that. I really don't understand why they do that, the map used to play beautifully.... not quite sure why that room seems so important. some find it fun, I don't. also, i miss the sword base from the beta that had no damage. the one that looked like a mall big team team- probably highlands. it may just be because its new, but i've had nothing but fun on it. or countdown again.
My theory is that it's because yellow lift is so easy to camp with any close range weapon, and because the surrounding areas are high ground compared to most of the map. Once you get a guy set up in the lift room, the natural tendency is to hang around in the hallway and the room adjacent - shoot people coming up the ramp, watch the bridge, and look for anybody down a level or two that you can pop while they're in the open. It's just a naturally good place for map control. And once people started seeing how effective it was when other teams did it, they started wanting to do it too. It's nearly as easy and effective to hold the area above shotgun too, but most teams don't do that. The primary difference is that the area is smaller and therefore grenades are more dangerous. It's a very effective place to hold in doubles though, and I've seen several two-man teams do so.
Gotta say Aztec from Counter-Strike or Lockout from Halo 2. Oh, in Reach? I guess I'd have to say Asylum since it's the only map I can stand playing Objective on. It is pretty competitive compared to the large majority of the maps offered in Reach, and the sniper doesn't dominate the map all the time, which is good considering the openness of the map. I am not completely satisfied with any of the maps in Reach, but I'm sure that will be improved. If not, I better hope the Classic Playlist gets remakes, cause if not, I don't have many options left.
Me and my friend found a fantastic strat for Sword Base doubles, one which no one expects or quite knows how to combat. You know the large room next to the bottom of yellow lift? The one with the little desk things at one end, a DMR against the window and that ground floor door opposite bottom red lift, next to the GL spawn. It absolutely owns as a dubs hold spot, you get a DMR and a Needle Rifle meaning that both players get a precision weapon, frag spawns, you have an easy run on GL which is a great asset in holding the door through to bottom to yellow lift, and if you can get Shotty in there off start then you're literally golden. Best part is that even without Shotty you're still fine, neither of the 2 doors in to that room are possible to creep up on, and neither is easy to get a got Shotty shot through if you're pushing. One guy holds the bottom door out towards GL, preferably with Shotty but a PP can work just as well, the other uses GL to cover the corridor through to bottom yellow lift. Both of these two entrances have windows making a sneak attack impossible, and if you're patient then there's next to nothing any opponent can do without a significant skill gap. I've literally never lost a game of dubs on Sword Base using this strat, the best part is that most people get so frustrated that they just start rushing the bottom door increasing your lead further. Try it, seriously.
Wow man, that is sleazy. I love it. Are you on my friends list already? If not, it sounds like you should be...
My favorite map has to be Countdown, preferably with MLG settings. The Sword and Shotgun can do awful things to the map, but with those out of the equation it's the best competitive map to me. I'm also a sucker for perfectly straight walls and surfaces which are ideal to bounce grenades off. Swords base would've been a great map if the yellow lift ended in the hall next to the small room in which it exits now. That way, you couldn't camp as easily and it wouldn't turn every match or so in a campfest.
either breakpoint, for being awesome for invasion AND btb, spire for how mutch awesome **** can happen with the banshees and the lift and anchor nine for the zero G, worst maps hemorage because its pure sniper campfest. out of halo reach sandbox, chill out and avalanche
As with most people, Countdown is the most consistently enjoyable map for me. However, I'm really loving Crown of Flies in the community playlist. Honestly the one reason I play it (and Affinity's pretty fun).
Agreed and same in every way. <3 Sancuary, Mac's or Bungie's, is better because the LoS from sniper tower to sniper tower is blocked. Imo, of course.
Deffinetly Powerhouse its got my favorite weopon (grenade launcher) and it used to have the sniper which i miss! i dont know why they swapped it with the focus rifle. However that map just feels right to me when i play its got an excellent flow and lots of diversity
Asylum + Zealot + Paridiso Asylum and Zealot cuz they have great flow, great spawning and are just awesome, and Paridiso because I somehow always pwn on it!
Powerhouse never had a Sniper on default spawns, the Focus Rifle is just substituted for Sniper on Pro gametypes.
Thanks, cause I thought I was losing my mind. I played that map a billion times on the beta, and I always remembered the focus rifle.
I think you're right, it was Sword Base that had a sniper in the Beta. And a Plasma Launcher. Good times.
My favorite would have to be Paradiso because so many different ways of acting and countering and with coordination you completely dominate and you can do weird things your not forced to just run down a hall 1v1 strafing DMR duel you can hide and find good angles etc just a complex map that I enjoy. Gametype? Any gametype really, I like BTB and BTB SWAT was heaps fun IMO and elite slayer if fun because Banshee is pretty much invincible which makes you afraid of it but you can avoid it making it a unique game. I even don't mind snipers on Paradiso.
If you could restore it to its former, un-busted-up aesthetic glory then I'd be about as happy as possible with that map. Gotta say though, I'd probably prefer it with a GL over a Plas Launcher, but I'd like to see it have a Sniper again.