First Tracks Written by: That Scorch Guy First Tracks is an invasion map nestled into the coastline area of Forge World designed to support standard six-a-side invasion. The Spartans struggle to climb the slopes of First Tracks to claim the core doubling as a prized snowboard from the top, then bringing it back to the base of the slopes. The map plays as an extended uphill struggle with the defenders always holding the higher ground. While games on First Tracks are often hectic and fast-paced, the attacking team often spends half the game respawning as they are constantly thrown into the meat grinder during phase one and to a lesser degree in later phases. The attackers must capture one of two territories in the first phase, both of which are small and easily grenade spammed. The attackers’ job simply becomes reaching these points then attempting to live as long as possible as they are subject to the mercy of the defenders’ grenade count. The struggle to climb the slope is often an entertaining battle where coordination can assist victory but when it comes time for the attackers to capture the objective the death toll is simply overwhelming and can make for repetitive gameplay for the attackers. Phase two involves an assault phase; attackers must climb further up the slopes to bomb a structure. The advancing Spartans are given a Sniper and a decent view of the main defender spawn, while the defenders are granted control over a Focus Rifle and Concussion Rifle. The Sniper can prove to be quite an annoyance to the defenders if not properly countered due to the great sniping position but otherwise the gameplay of this phase is more engaging and entertaining than the first. The battle for the bomb plant leaves both sides with ample chance at tactics and victory and can provide for interesting gameplay yet the constant death of the attackers is still somewhat evident. Phase three puts the Spartans in charge of capturing the core resting at the top of the slopes, and bringing it back down to the bottom. Removing the core from its table can be a very costly struggle for the attackers but the fight gets easier and more enjoyable after it has been moved. As the bottom of the hills and the various locations in the surrounding areas are attacker spawns, this battle is often won when the core reaches the lower hills. The gameplay during this phase is at least matching what one would expect from a hectic capture the flag phase in invasion. While the attackers are thrown in the occasionally frustrating meat grinder during several parts of the game, the majority of the time battles on First Tracks are hectic fun one would expect from an invasion map. Written by: Sgt Surchin Despite the fact that the defensive team is given the uphill advantage, there are numerous paths for the offensive team to take in order to get a slight upper hand on the opposing team. One of which include the side path that plays a role in the first phase to allow players to attack their enemy from the rear of the objective. Sadly, these luxuries of fast transport are not apparent in phase two, where the offensive controls the objective with little effort due to the defensive team spawning further away. In the third phase there is a small amount of struggle getting the core, with it's easily campable and heavily defended housing structure. Once removed and transported a fair distance away, the offensive team can easily descend from the hill shaped map with little opposition from the defense. With an ample amount of cover for the majority of the map, players can traverse the battlefield without being killed at random from a distance and the overall size of the map is quite easily suited to larger parties but does not cater to parties less than ten players very well. Taking skill out of the equation, the map is very balanced and does not lean in favor of one team. Written by: Psychoduck In-game, players never find a way to escape the map, nor do they ever take advantage of unfair areas in the map. After testing the maps kill barriers, it has become clear that First Tracks has very few problems in this regard. The biggest issue with kill boundaries is a hard kill zone that is not well defined. If a player falls into the chimney on top of the building the core spawns in, they will die instantly. This is hardly an issue as players rarely venture onto the roof in the first place. However, it is not immediately obvious that the chimney has a hard kill zone in it because the rest of the roof is covered in a soft kill zone. This is really the only durability issue First Tracks has in this category. The other durability category, spawning, is mainly devoid of issues on First Tracks as well. Spawn points are placed in areas that make sense and allow players to spawn into the game without risk of being spawn killed most of the time. Players always spawn either within a building, or in a safe backfield location. However one issue with the spawning on First Tracks is apparent. In Phase II, the Elite defenders have the option of spawning in an area roughly above and behind one of the attacking Spartans’ spawn points. This allows Elites to jump down, land behind the Spartan spawn point, and shoot the attackers in the back as they spawn. This exploit is rarely acted upon, but when it is, it becomes very frustrating as a Spartan. Luckily, the attackers have other spawn points they can use, but that does not mean that one of their spawn points has the excuse to be so easily camped. Unfortunately due to First Tracks’ switchback-based design, this issue would be very difficult to avoid altogether. However, if the Elite spawn point in question was not placed so close to the cliff overlooking the Spartan spawn, the issue would be negated to a much greater extent. In conclusion, only the riskiest and craftiest players would find themselves hurting or being hurt by the durability of First Tracks. Written by: Organite At first sight, First Tracks resembles something out of Middle Earth. Then upon a closer look the map resembles a sort of modern, mountainside home. But finally, the map's true theme, a ski resort, is realized. Although the theme is not immediately recognized, this is more thanks to Forge World's tepidness, rather than the author's inability to place the pieces correctly. One must ask why, with all the outdoors themes that could have been settled on, the least fitting one was chosen. There is also a degree of disorganization behind the forging on First Tracks. Nothing lends itself to being a ski slope other than the alternating degrading slopes that are made of walls. None of the key aesthetics that would be seen on an actual ski lodge make their appearance, such as a lodge or a believable gondola lift. Not to mention there are several aesthetic pieces that further dissociate the map with the theme like coastal waters and alien looking structures with antennas and circular shapes. None of these instances paint the picture of the map and the lack of consistency between them makes the map feel cluttered and disorganized. Written by: Psychoduck As an Invasion map, First Tracks finds itself among a small group of maps. Even within this small group though, First Tracks manages to remain original. The ski slope aesthetic was a unique idea, even if it wasn’t executed particularly well due to Forge World’s lack of snow and ice. Still, the map certainly does not find itself being confused with other maps. Unfortunately, First Tracks still feels like it takes place within Forge world, and not on a slope amidst snowcapped mountains. Again, this is largely unavoidable due to forge World’s natural terrain, but it begs the question of whether the ski slope aesthetic was really the best idea to pursue within Forge World in the first place. First Tracks’ originality doesn’t end with its unique aesthetic however. The creator has had a vision for a terrain based map that does not specifically use any of the natural terrain provided by Forge World. Instead of passing off the idea as impossible however, the creator has done his best to create his own terrain by using a combination of natural terrain and forge pieces. It may not be the most elegant solution as far as aesthetics go, but the fact that the author was able to create his own “natural terrain” is impressive. Beyond these two areas, First Tracks does nothing to be particularly original: the map’s structures feel fairly generic. However, the unique aesthetic would certainly appear to be enough to separate First Tracks from other maps, even in the Invasion category. Rating Multipliers [floatleft]Enjoyment: Balance: Durability: Aesthetic : Originality:[/floatleft]7 x 3.0 = 21 out of 30 7 x 3.0 = 21 out of 30 8 x 1.5 = 12 out of 15 4 x 1.5 = 6 out of 15 8 x 1.0 = 8 out of 10 Final Score Understanding the Review Hub's Ratings Have a question about your review? Review Hub Community Feedback Find this review helpful? Try editing it into the map's Original Post.