Superiority

At long last I am ready to post my second map on Forge Hub, and my first competitive map. This took an extremely long time to make (don't believe the timestamp on the map, I worked offline most of the time) and even longer to post (because I'm a big procrastinator :/ ). So, here it is:


Superiority
Click to Download


Map Overview
Superiority is a sort-of symmetrical map that takes up half of Foundry's big square. Bases, balanced to work for both symmetrical and asymmetrical games, are at either end of the rectangle. The center of the map is dominated by a structure that houses an automated elevator that takes players to the 3rd floor. Catwalks extend outward from the elevator and make for tactical superiority (hence the name) and sneaky entrances into the 1st floor bases.

Supported Gametypes: All

Recommended Gametypes: Neutral Bomb, 1-Flag, SWAT, Team Slayer.

Recommended Player Count: 4-8

Map of Map (Haha?)


Weapon List
All Weapons, Grenades, and Equipment are placed at start.

(#) Weapon (Respawn Rate, Spare Clips)
(x2) Assault Rifle (30, 2)
(x2) Battle Rifle (30, 2)
(x2) Carbine (30, 2)
(x1) Spiker (30, 2)
(x2) SMG (30, 2)
(x1) Plasma Rifle (30, N/A)
(x1) Magnum (30, 2)
(x1) Needler (60, 2)
(x1) Shotgun (90, 0)
(x1) Machine Gun Turret (180, N/A)
(x1) Spartan Laser (120, N/A)

(# / RT Max) Grenade/Equipment (Respawn Rate)
(x6 / x10) Fragmentation Grenade (10)
(x4 / x6) Spike Grenade (20 or 10)
(x1 / x1) Power Drain (60)
(x1 / x1) Deployable Cover (30)

Pictures and Description

This is the central structure. The turret (which has been blown up here) is above the grating on the floor of Foundry and facing the "Danger" sign. While mounted it can shoot the main entrances to either base and overall is truly devastating. The Splaser, the biggest power weapon for the map, spawns on the 3rd floor and can be seen resting against the barrier.


The central hallway. In a little alcove on the left is a pair of spike grenades and a plasma rifle. Immediately upon spawning players can grab their BR/Carbine and bum rush the other base, which results in a scene like this.


The better route, perhaps, is take the side exits of the bases (not visible) and head for the lobby (beneath those walls), which houses the last power weapon of the map, a shotgun, as well as the entrance to the elevator.


Once inside the lobby, players can grab the shotgun (behind the camera), have a nice fight (almost always), and wait for the elevator, which is seen here in its down position. Or, for the impatient, two hallways extend to the left and right of the shotgun, leading to more weapons, and sometimes a hill or territory.


Once the elevator comes down, simply stand inside, hoping no one barges in with a shotgun. If you're smart, YOU'RE the one with the shotgun. Don't worry, you don't have to wait for long: the elevator goes up and down every ten seconds.


The elevator closes, its occupants safely delivered to the third floor. If you're stuck down here in the lobby, don't worry! In just ten more seconds you'll hear some explosions and the elevator will drop back down. Is it worth the wait? That is up to you to decide, Mr. Tactical.


The enclosed hallway runs from the lobby to the side exits of both bases. Players can make a difficult jump from the 1st floor to the 2nd floor, but in general it is easier and better to go into the lobby via the ramps/stairs and then towards the bases through the hallway. Likewise, players must first go to the lobby to reach the 3rd floor. Thus, the lobby becomes the mosh pit of the map, even though it is not the most direct route between the bases.


The Outside of Red (Defense) Base. The beautiful "T" Catwalk is a great place for holding off the attackers or staging an assault on the defenders. Plus, it has not only a Deployable Cover (which is like the Jelly for the Peanut Butter of the Splaser) but also a Needler, which is excellent for raining destruction on those below.


The inside of red base. There's a carbine for the newly spawned and some extra frags and ammo for those needing to resupply. Above all those crumbled barriers is a window made of even more barriers. Defenders beware: even if attackers can't jump through the window, it's a magnet for spammy grenades.


Outside blue (attack) base. The catwalk perched above the base holds the power drain. In symmetrical games attackers must be wary of the giant blue orb falling into their midst, and in asymmetrical games it's often worth the trip backwards just to grab this powerful piece of equipment.


The inside of blue base is effectively the same as defense base. It has a battle rifle instead of a carbine. The important difference between the bases is in their exits: red base has the fastest path to the turret, while blue base has a slight edge in getting to the lobby.

Some Closing Thoughts (and then Action Shots Hooray!)
In every game except Neutral Assault the use of the elevator is completely optional. However, players are naturally drawn to the lobby for the shotgun, splaser, and tactical advantage offered by the third floor. In this map, I wanted to force people to constantly be making tactical decisions. Do I wait for the elevator or rush the enemy? Do I go straight for the flag or go through the lobby and get the good stuff? My playtests seem to indicate that I've succeeded, but I won't make that claim until you all try it. So, have fun, and please tell me what you think.


Crotch stick! It's tough to get people off the third floor, but definitely not impossible.


Fear the pink mist.


Lobby Fight! That's me getting stuck :[


I am very screwed here.



Shazam!


Kachow!


Waboom! Don't forget: lasers, needles, and bullets go through fences, even if people don't!


Thanks for reading! Click here to download if you missed it up top.

 

Thanks for all the great comments guys! A lot of you asked how the elevator works, so here's a better explanation.

At the bottom of the chute is a grav lift set to 10 second respawn, place at start: yes. The two boxes, when the grav lift is alive, are held at the top of the elevator. You'll notice that the one double box on which the splaser spawns is slightly taller than the rest. The space underneath this box is empty. Merged underneath the turret box are two man cannons with their gravity pointed towards the elevator. Two fusion coils (respawn time: 20, place at start: yes) spawn in the small area underneath the splaser box. They are propelled by the mancannons into a window panel merged with the chute that causes them to explode before getting caught in the grav lift's stream (it also prevents the debris from the coils from cluttering up the elevator). Their combined explosion is powerful enough to destroy the lift, and the boxes fall down to the bottom of the chute. From there, it's just a simple matter of the respawn timers counting down. 10 seconds after being destroyed the grav lift respawns, and the elevator goes up. The fusion coils still have 10 seconds left before they respawn. 10 seconds after the crates go up, the fusion coils respawn and blow up the grav lift again, and the process repeats itself ad infinitum.

It's worth pointing out that since the elevator starts in the down position, both teams have ten seconds to get to it before it goes up. Even though the attackers get there first, that's still plenty of time for the defenders to rip the turret and kill the guy who grabs the shotgun. Neither team has a significant advantage in reaching the top.

Again, thanks for all the feedback, I really appreciate it.