[map] AS Seafort

This is a a discussion topic for the map "AS Seafort" by unknown which can be found here

Map description:

Map screenshots:

Campers rejoice. As_seafort is, as you can see, an assassination map set in a warehouse in the middle of the sea. Assassination maps generally lend themselves to camping on the part of the terrorists, and as_seafort lends itself to camping more than normal. Seafort is basically a three story figure-eight shape with the holes in the 8 being open courtyards. The CTs start at the bottom by a boat (which is a nicely done func_pendulum) at the bottom, and the Ts start at the top by the escape helicopter. The only way for the CTs to get from the first floor to the second, and from the second to third, is by ladders, which makes it very easy for the Ts to camp. In both cases there are two ladders a few feet apart along one wall, which would probably be almost impossible to get up if guarded by even one or two moderately skilled terrorists.

That was basically a complete summary of the map, but I will talk about stuff like ambience, texturing, and errors if you really care. There isn?t much to the map so the rest is hardly important in this case. As for the game play, this is an ?AS? map and Nathan gets free brownie points for that because there aren?t enough of these around. There are, however, some major errors that make the author loose more of those brownie points than he gains. Not the least of these errors is a critical angle. If you don?t know what a critical angle is, it is a place in the map where a player can get themselves wedged in and not be able to get out (Like a V shape you can jump into). If you are playing as a CT, DO NOT jump in the water where the rudder of the boat is because you will get stuck and be forced to sit the round out. VERY few things bother me as much as a critical angle. Also, there is a leak in this map. If you go to one of the balconies on the third floor (a prime sniping spot), you will see it of to your left on the roof. Some of the glass at the top of the ladders on the second floor is invisible, which I found very odd.

The ambience and lighting effects in this map are fairly good. The custom sky map (which is very pretty) shows the sun coming in at a low angle, and the whole thing has an orange-ish glow as if it was evening. The map reflects this by having the environment light coming at the same angle and direction as the sun, and being the correct orange-ish color. The lights inside are appropriate fluorescent lights, with some burned out, and most lit ones have the light beams showing up out of them (ala the projector in cs_office, and the street lights in cs_estate). The light above the boat in the CT spawn area has what looks like was supposed to be a glow, but it doesn?t scale as the player moves away. This makes it look like a glowing ball of light just floating in the air. Nathan also remember to put in some appropriate sounds- There is really no place in the map where the roaring of the helicopter can?t be heard, and the crate hanging in one courtyard makes a squeaking noise. There is also an airplane sort of noise whenever a round starts. The squeaking and the helicopter noises never stop and are quite loud for ambience effects. They tended to get on my nerves after playing for a while so you might want to turn down the sound while playing this map. The texturing was well done and apropriate except for some small errors. Mr. Goulden adjusted all the girder-boarder textures to match the sloping surface. There were some spots, especially inside, where the textures did not align, however. The large brick texture used for the walls often did not line up with the floor and ceiling, and was also used for a platform for some monitors to sit on.

This map is very simple, and they layout can be learned in about two minutes. As such, you will probably never get lost, and will have very little trouble finding anyone else. I never wound up going in circles, as there is in all but one minor case only one way to go to get anywhere. The only time this isn?t true is in one case where you have a choice of going left or right on identical paths to get to the helicopter. There are two balconies, one in each courtyard, on the third floor that overlook their respective courtyards. These are good sniping roosts, but due to some odd clip brushing you can?t jump out of them onto the roofs. This was a major bummer because there would be some good fun to be had running around on the roofs (but I guess this wouldn?t be good for overall game-play). The helicopter/escape point is up a rope to a hovering helicopter, which is a nice touch.

This map could have been very good, but it didn't seem finished. If Nathan had spent just a little more time fixing small bugs (The critical angle, the weird glowy light above the boat, the leak, perhaps added an elevator or something somewhere, made some slight texture fixes, etc.), this map could have been an 8 or 9.

Verdict

If you like AS maps, you can?t be too choosy. A few minor tweaks here and there would have helped...

Campers rejoice. As_seafort is, as you can see, an assassination map set in a warehouse in the middle of the sea. Assassination maps generally lend themselves to camping on the part of the terrorists, and as_seafort lends itself to camping more than normal. Seafort is basically a three story figure-eight shape with the holes in the 8 being open courtyards. The CTs start at the bottom by a boat (which is a nicely done func_pendulum) at the bottom, and the Ts start at the top by the escape helicopter. The only way for the CTs to get from the first floor to the second, and from the second to third, is by ladders, which makes it very easy for the Ts to camp. In both cases there are two ladders a few feet apart along one wall, which would probably be almost impossible to get up if guarded by even one or two moderately skilled terrorists.

That was basically a complete summary of the map, but I will talk about stuff like ambience, texturing, and errors if you really care. There isn?t much to the map so the rest is hardly important in this case. As for the game play, this is an ?AS? map and Nathan gets free brownie points for that because there aren?t enough of these around. There are, however, some major errors that make the author loose more of those brownie points than he gains. Not the least of these errors is a critical angle. If you don?t know what a critical angle is, it is a place in the map where a player can get themselves wedged in and not be able to get out (Like a V shape you can jump into). If you are playing as a CT, DO NOT jump in the water where the rudder of the boat is because you will get stuck and be forced to sit the round out. VERY few things bother me as much as a critical angle. Also, there is a leak in this map. If you go to one of the balconies on the third floor (a prime sniping spot), you will see it of to your left on the roof. Some of the glass at the top of the ladders on the second floor is invisible, which I found very odd.

The ambience and lighting effects in this map are fairly good. The custom sky map (which is very pretty) shows the sun coming in at a low angle, and the whole thing has an orange-ish glow as if it was evening. The map reflects this by having the environment light coming at the same angle and direction as the sun, and being the correct orange-ish color. The lights inside are appropriate fluorescent lights, with some burned out, and most lit ones have the light beams showing up out of them (ala the projector in cs_office, and the street lights in cs_estate). The light above the boat in the CT spawn area has what looks like was supposed to be a glow, but it doesn?t scale as the player moves away. This makes it look like a glowing ball of light just floating in the air. Nathan also remember to put in some appropriate sounds- There is really no place in the map where the roaring of the helicopter can?t be heard, and the crate hanging in one courtyard makes a squeaking noise. There is also an airplane sort of noise whenever a round starts. The squeaking and the helicopter noises never stop and are quite loud for ambience effects. They tended to get on my nerves after playing for a while so you might want to turn down the sound while playing this map. The texturing was well done and apropriate except for some small errors. Mr. Goulden adjusted all the girder-boarder textures to match the sloping surface. There were some spots, especially inside, where the textures did not align, however. The large brick texture used for the walls often did not line up with the floor and ceiling, and was also used for a platform for some monitors to sit on.

This map is very simple, and they layout can be learned in about two minutes. As such, you will probably never get lost, and will have very little trouble finding anyone else. I never wound up going in circles, as there is in all but one minor case only one way to go to get anywhere. The only time this isn?t true is in one case where you have a choice of going left or right on identical paths to get to the helicopter. There are two balconies, one in each courtyard, on the third floor that overlook their respective courtyards. These are good sniping roosts, but due to some odd clip brushing you can?t jump out of them onto the roofs. This was a major bummer because there would be some good fun to be had running around on the roofs (but I guess this wouldn?t be good for overall game-play). The helicopter/escape point is up a rope to a hovering helicopter, which is a nice touch.

This map could have been very good, but it didn't seem finished. If Nathan had spent just a little more time fixing small bugs (The critical angle, the weird glowy light above the boat, the leak, perhaps added an elevator or something somewhere, made some slight texture fixes, etc.), this map could have been an 8 or 9.

Design
Better than a 6- although a few problems here and there.

Gameplay
The ladders are not enough to let the CTs, let alone a defenseless VIP up to the helicopter.

Verdict
If you like AS maps, you can?t be too choosy. A few minor tweaks here and there would have helped...

Pros
Great design & ambience

Design
Too difficult for the CT forces