De_fenestration is better than I expected. And I expected it to be awesome.
It is a map that I’ve wanted to make for years. I didn’t know exactly what it would
be like, but I knew it needed to be that name. So that was a start, at least. I worked on
it a few years ago and had a full map layout and everything, but probably because I called
the filename something stupid, I couldn’t find it again. So the other day I hastily
threw together a central arena with as few external bits as possible and hoped for the
best. It’s one thing to test it with bots, but watching real people on it has been a
lot more enjoyable. Thank you to everybody who has been playing
on it these last few days, I’ve had a lot of fun playing with you and watching as you
plummet to your deaths over and over again. And I now feel I know this map well enough
to talk about it and the unique gameplay opportunities this new gamemode enables. The rounds are
too fast and FUN to be a proper gamemode like hostage or defuse, but I think it would make
a great casual gamemode, to be put alongside the likes of flying scoutsman or arms race.
Why not replace those completely. I’m amazed by the variety of outcomes this simple arena
layout can generate! For those who haven’t played it, the map
is all about the RUSHING. If you don’t rush, as a terrorist you soon find yourself out
of safe options, and as a CT, you’ll quickly get shot by a rushing terrorist. I was a bit
worried that players might get fed up of AFK terrorists stood at their spawn, but since
either the CTs get defeated, or they rescue a hostage, it hasn’t been a problem. And
I’m happy to say that I am yet to see somebody bother to head back to terrorist spawn later
in the round. That bit of the map serves its intended purpose and nothing else. Mission
accomplished. I kept the corridors to a minimum, and they
all connect up with the central court-yard which was where I wanted the action to take
place. And it has done. I have loved watching the frantic battles the teams have had across
it and the many silly ways they usually end. Normally with people plummeting to their deaths.
But the fun doesn’t stop when you reach this courtyard. As a Terrorist, a fearless
rush to the hostage room or a courageous charge to the ladder will both take CT’s by surprise
and the outcome of that encounter will dictate the entire round.
This ladder in particular is an important spot to hold. Climbing it as a terrorist grants
you a great spot to take out sniping CTs from, and dropping down it as a CT will let you
flank the terrorists. It’s overpowered, but for which team it’s overpowered for
depends on who’s using it. I’m all for map balance but it’s the inequalities
with this one that -at least for now- make it more exciting to watch. Players are encouraged
to do silly, dangerous stunts. And none is sillier than a CT plummeting to their deaths
to rescue a hostage to win their team the round. Let’s go through the map versions.
This first version is actually still quite recognisable as being de_fenestration, only
it isn’t textured and there’s a clear sight-line from T-spawn straight through to
where CT’s will be attacking from, which is a bad, bad idea and was soon blocked off.
There is no earlier version of the map than this. This is the one I got working, and then
iterated on until the bots could make a decent attempt at navigating it. I tricked them by
actually making this 2 different maps- one is rendered for bots, with ramps everywhere
which are then removed and swapped out for the one for proper players and the bots continue
to behave as though it’s the old layout. It’s a bit mean of me because where there
used to be ramps are now large drops which they’ll mindlessly jump off. And they think
this bit here is a nice, relaxing ramp to the top, but it’s actually a boost! Maybe
that’s why they behave so confused once they reach the top.
The second version of this map was all about the graphical facelift. I based the visual
design on my pb_crystal map (which was made for the paintball gamemode). Looking back
it’s obvious why I thought this was suitable, since that also had windows everywhere. I
borrowed the gradient textures and dark design. I’ve got to say, I wasn’t too fond of
it in this second version- it seemed a bit dark and monochrome compared with most of
my maps. If I made it any brighter though then the HDR did weird things depending on
whether you were staring at the black, or at the level. So I kind of had to keep things
drab. But saying that, the style has grown on me with later versions. I love a grand
sense of scale so have a large drop at T-spawn, and in the skybox are impossibly tall structures
fading out into the darkness beyond. In the opposite corner, there’s an infinite desert
stretching off into the distance. THIS is the version I showcased in my April
Fools video and that many of you played on. It was CT-sided. But was it really CT sided?
Yes it was. But it’s hard to tell with a new map because it might just be that the
players haven’t figured it out just yet. I felt like the terrorists got their act together
and managed to win a few rounds as the playtesting matured. Maybe people naturally don’t want
to rush into the enemy spawn, or to leg it through an open area to reach somewhere better.
But I’m proud of how, within hours, you guys were playing like suicidal lemmings.
The next update made 2 major changes. With this, all windows would now smash automatically
as you ran into them. The map is called de_fenestration, after all. You can still shoot to break them
but it does mean that you can focus on the fighting without having to clear your way,
which even I found annoying. The other thing I did was to balance the level.
People were saying that it was too easy for CT’s to plummet off the top with a hostage
to win the round. And some were sneakily running back the way they came to achieve the same.
I nerfed both of these tactics by widening the courtyard. If CT’s want to jump from
the top, they must first reach the end of this gangplank. It’s a risky strategy, as
surely every terrorist on the map will be watching for this. It brilliantly enables
this smoke and it’s exhilarating to rush through it as bullets whiz past you in all
directions. I also love how many times the CT’s have misjudged the drop and have jumped
too early. This gangplank adds something to the map that I never knew it needed.
Also, you can see I began decorating the cover in the same style as the rest of the map,
keeping the black to highlight the edges. This version of the map seemed a lot more
balanced and I think it’s safe to say that people enjoyed it.
And then I added another thing I didn’t know the map needed… a PIT OF DESPAIR! Right
below the gangplank. This is a bottomless pit, its only constraint being Source. It
hasn’t been used as often as I expected so I might have to make it more brutal for
future versions. I love seeing hostages plummet down it.
I stole the clouds from Mirage and coloured them red and am really happy with the result.
Makes it look more like a place. But doesn’t make any more sense.
I also opened the skybox so you could get a better look at the map as a spectator. It
was a bit too enclosed before. I also shifted the map up as far as it could go to make the
drops bigger. And these things broke the map in several ways which I later fixed.
Opening the skybox is cool, but I forgot to clip it off again so people started escaping
over the sides. And shifting the whole map up to make more space for bottomless pits
ended up breaking the radar tool, so I’ve got to render ANOTHER version of the map at
its original height to get that back again. That’s 3 renders per map!
In its latest version, I’ve extended the pit of despair and have made windows smash
AND shatter, so people have the best of both worlds. Join the servers if you haven’t
done so already- I’ve got a European one and an American one. Up to 20 people at one
time, and if there are fewer… don’t worry, the bots will do their best.
And if you think this style of map has potential, make your own and submit it on my subreddit
post, linked in this video’s description. There you’ll also find an editable version
of this map’s VMF file, should you need some help, or something to base yours on.
If custom maps are submitted, then I might even host them all on the servers for people
to play on. Have fun.