Back alley can be quite an intimidating map to navigate the first time you set foot on
it but there are only 3 chokepoints where the teams can first clash.
Well, three and a half.
This is less important in a hostage map than in a defuse one since terrorists are free
to hide anywhere, but it's worth knowing them just in case.
The spawn points for both teams are set out like this.
CTs have two BEST spawn points, depending on the route they choose through the level.
Terrorists have one that's better than all the others.
This one here.
It's kind of useful to spawn here when there's just one narrow exit, like in this map and
Inferno.
Looking at the map's radar image, you can see the points of contact.
In just 9 seconds both teams will meet in this hallway, followed closely by this area
here at 10 seconds.
Now this is a bit complicated- although the teams can see each other here, it's an area
where terrorists can choose whether or not to engage.
It takes a further 3 seconds for both teams to reach this area, where CTs finally have
equal footing.
Also at 13 seconds is this contact point here.
The rest of this video discusses these in more depth.
Firstly the TUNNEL.
As I said it's the first place the teams can meet and it seems a fairly level playing field,
though terrorists will be the first to be able to throw grenades off of this wall and
have a spot to hide just in here.
On the other hand, for back-pedalling, the CTs have much wider corridors with more places
to hide while the terrorists are somewhat trapped in narrow indoor areas.
A smoke would help with a retreat here.
Moving across the map, let's go onto the UPSTAIRS.
This is the most difficult to do by far, as both teams must time some awkward ladder jumps
to get a decent time for this route.
If you're agile and love bunnyhopping, this place could favour you.
As CT I'd suggest smoking the corridor to cover your escape out of the vent, though
if you get a good spawn and time then you should be able to get out of it just before
terrorists turn the corner.
As terrorists, it would be worth learning where the vent is so that you can counter
the smoke tactic, or to use it to your advantage.
I expect some awesome 5-man spray-downs decimating the CT side if they decide to rush here.
Unlike the first spot, terrorists can easily back-pedal to securer locations.
And finally, the BACK ALLEY path.
As mentioned previously it's not entirely fair on CTs since terrorists can choose to
engage from a number of windows.
CTs have grenades on their side.
Immediately targeting the furthest open window could be an effective tactic and may delay
terrorists who choose to rush the next area I'll talk about.
Here you can see just how far CTs can get before terrorists reach the windows.
In general, the road is the CT's domain and the indoor places the Terrorist's.
Terrorists can choose when to engage from the windows, but unlike the CTs who have a
lot of room to manoeuvre (as well as a nice sniper spot back near their entrance), it's
easy to set up a shot and to wait for terrorists to run into it.
Jumping out of the windows as the terrorists SHOULD spell inescapable death but if any
of you REALLY wants to defenestrate yourselves, I suggest breaking the window with a smoke
or flash grenade to at least give you a fighting chance once you hit the ground.
Or CT.
While terrorists have the choice of when to peak, it's fairly predictable where they'll
peak from so I guess it balances out somewhat.
CTs certainly have better visibility even though they suffer a height disadvantage.
I'm going to assume that terrorists WON'T jump out of these windows, though if they
do I recommend that flashes and smokes are used to break them in the first place and
to give them a fighting chance in the following seconds.
And finally, BACK ROOM.
The CTs may already have encountered terrorists from the windows, but this is the first time
they'll properly face them in a balanced position.
I suspect that this is the path that favours teamwork the most, as teammates will be able
to lob grenades through the windows to either attack terrorists from behind or to smoke
the escape routes.
Bear in mind that terrorists can do the same back.
Backalley is a map that favours individual plays more than most due to its confined corridors
making 1-on-1 engagements more likely.
CTs have a remarkably rough time at most of these chokepoints and I believe it's dependant
on the luck of the draw where the other team chooses to go and where they're going to be
throwing their grenades.
Like I said before, rushing doesn't hold as much significance in hostage maps as it does
in defuse, though it doesn't hurt to know this information.
It's worth mentioning the WORST spawn positions.
I've been asked before why I went to the effort of opening these maps up in the editor to
see the spawn points and now I finally have a reason other than just 'I didn't know the
console command!'.
Interestingly, it also serves as a good reason to learn maths in school.
By working out their distance to the entrance I calculate that the worst terrorist spawn
is 189 units further away from the exit, making them 0.76 seconds behind the best spawn, or
more if they get blocked, and less if they're speed-hacking.
I haven't forgotten about you, KQLY!
CTs have a bit more variance.
For the backalley route there's a difference of 1.38 seconds between these two spawns.
The other path isn't quite as diverse.
This is the worst spawn point and will put you at a 1 second disadvantage.
What sort of difference does that make?
Well, not enough to justify me running through the level with Welshe again to show the differences,
but I will adjust these contact points to mirror the timing differences.
At TUNNEL, this is if both teams get good spawn points.
Worst-case terrorist spawn looks like this, in which case CTs might be able to lob grenades
off the wall before they do.
Ignore the terrorist running around the corner, that's still showing the best-case spawn for
T's.
And finally, worst-case CT.
Terrorists will be able to reach the mouth of the tunnel before the good guys even turn
the corner.
I know what you're thinking- it doesn't make too much of a difference- only about a second.
You'll still get caught on both sides if you try to rush through the chokepoint so good
spawn points here are best used to prepare for the enemies to rush.
Moving onto the UPSTAIRS area.
This DOES make a difference.
If Terrorists get a bad spawn then CT's most certainly will be able to get out of the vent
in time.
If CT's have a bad spawn, they're going to find it very difficult to escape from vents.
The BACKALLEY path adds more variance for CT's due to the spawn positions.
If CT's get the worst spawn then the first terrorists will be able to jump out of the
window even before CTs turn the corner- although those in the CT sniper spot will be able to
pick them off still.
If Terrorists get a bad spawn, CTs will be able to further push along the alley or to
hide up against the side of the building.
With the back-room, a bad CT spawn makes a hard fight even worse and a bad Terrorist
spawn allows CTs an extra 3 quarters of a second to prepare for the fight in the room.
In conclusion, even in these worst-case scenarios the difference isn't THAT great.
It's good to know the variance between the best and worst spawn points but in practice
it doesn't make a great difference in most situations, especially since the reality will
be somewhere between these two extremes.
It's probably easier to visualise this in your mind than it is in these pictures.
Thanks to Kristis for the idea- better to have tried it than never to have known.
Have 3 klikpoints.
And that's all for this video.
If there's anything else about chokepoints that you think I should include in later videos
then please let me know.
Have fun!