CTF-Civilwar
Map Info
	File Name ctf-civilwar.zip Author BONE Gametype UT Capture the Flag Date Added 05-28-2000 File Version 1.00 File Size 478 kb Player Count 8-16 Map Description None Review Rating 5 User Rating 5.5 Overall Rating 5	NC2 map imported without screenshot.
Review
Reviewer THE ]V[ATTerminator Overall Score:  5/10 Date NC2 07-26-2000 Level Size: Medium / Outdoor Recommended Player Load: 6 Players Per Team When the author of this level requested by email that I review his level, he pointed out that the level is "As good as any of the other 9 or 9.5 rated maps I've played". "I'll be the judge of that" I said smugly to myself in my best Judge Dread voice. This level is a big outdoor level, with bases at either end of of a rectangular playing field. Numerous hills, ponds, and outposts litter the battlefield. Each base has a pair of towers, which fire flak shells periodically. Generally speaking, the layout is good, but could have been further developed with the inlcusion of an underground route. The architecture here isn't really that good, in comparison to other outdoor levels. The hills look too simplistic, and show sharp corners. Although correcting this could have slowed the game down, I don't think it would make much difference in this instance. The battlefield itself is too flat. It would have looked much better if it was more rugged, and natural. The bases themselves are also simplistic. Each base comprises of two towers, with a flag building in between them. These are then surrounded by a defensive wall. The flag building is basically a hollowed out cube, with a smal walkway inside. The towers and walls are also simplistic. Texturuing isn't bad in the bases. Both bases use the Koos Galleon wood texture, which works very well. The battlefield and hills are all covered by the same texture. Although the choosen texture is good, it's missaligned where the hills meet the flat battlefield. The lighting on the whole is poor. In the bases especially. The flag rooms are almost pitch-black. This is extremely annoying as the ramp up to the flag is very small, not to mention that this is all going on while your being shot at from all sides. The lighting on the battlefield is also poor. A lot of the level looks like the author has opted for most of the surfaces in UnrealED to be "unlit". Having said that though, the battlefield gets darker at the edges. This means that the transition between level and skybox is more pronounced. Have a look at the left screenshot to see what I mean. The shadow of the outpost looks good, but really the rest of the level should have shadows pointing the same way. There are no ambient sounds, appart from the sounds of the cannons in the towers going off. A good music track has been chosen, which fits in well with the overall mood of the level. The bot AI is very good. The bots use all defensive towers, and outposts well. They also make full use of all items and powerups around the map. Item placement is good and tempts players and bots alike away from the central attack routes. The only problem is the amount of ammo. Especially in games with lots of teammates. It's hard to find enough ammo to be able to mount some kind of serious attack. I kept running out of ammo in the battlefield, and being forced to use the enforcer. Gameplay here is fairly good, but could have been further improved. Personally, I like outdoor levels like this. It means that your constantly diving for cover during your journey from base to base. I know for a fact that some players don't like having to constantly avoid sniper fire. This isn't the main problem though. The main problem is the amount of ammo, as I've already mentioned. There's not enough ammo in the bases to be able to arm up properly. There is ammo out in the battlefield, but not really enough, as it's collected by both sides. Another thing that I like about this genre of level is the fact that you need backup to be able to retrieve the flag. This means that "lone-ranger missions" are impossible. This is a good thing as the while point of CTF is to work as a team. As I've already pointed out, each base has a pair of flak emplacements, similar to the one in AS-Overlord. The right screenshot shows this. The problem is that they do more harm than good. The bots get themselves killed by them. Even by the ones in thier own base. As they are unpredictable, they can easily kill a player who's returning with the flag, about to score a capture. Another problem is sniping. When I played it, both teams fell into a kind of stalemate quite a lot. Neither team could attack because of over-sniping. In conclusion, this level isn't that good in terms of looks, but is a bit better for gameplay. The main limiting factor for the gameplay is how both flag buildings have been made. The darkness, as well as the small size of the ramps mean that a clean flag steal is almost impossible.The entrance to the flag building is also too small, acting as a bottleneck for gameflow. CTF CivilWar is; Outdoor Prone to over-sniping Flat CTF CivilWar isn't; Much fun As good as it could have been Structured well Teaching points for author: Levels of this nature are extremely hard to make well. For yor next level, try an indoor setting. They are much easier to make, and look equaly as good. Have a look at levels like CTF-Terra, CTF-Niven, and CTF-Gauntlet for ideas. When making levels like this, try to give at least one sheltered route. Ie, an underground route. This will avoid the stalemate situations that I've mentioned.
Map Comments
piazon79 Rating: 6   I think this map is fairly decent...like the reveiwer said though it could have been done alot better. I like the idea of having a large battlefeild where it is kill or be killed...that makes it more exciting. Its a pretty simple map though and to capture the flag and return to base is somewhat near impossible with the large open battlefeild and the large amount of players that it is intended for. Teamwork is essential and when teamed up makes it exciting to return the flag wether you are defending the flag carrier or carrying the flag yourself because it shows who is the boss in the open...DL it if you like large open battles xan1234 Rating: 8   Wow it's cool map!!! Try this: U4E Mutator & Teddy Bear & QSG at center. Mr._Jackhammer Rating: 3   This map sucks, just about everything on it is cheesily made, the ground is all one crappy texture, the hills have flat sides, there is NO detail whatsoever outside, and everything is surrounded by a big invisible wall? what is this crap? This map is an emberassment to UT. RoboGfunk Rating: 7   Great map. The mineing tunnels are a nice touch. Only compliant is no plasma rifle. Why do most of the good levels leave it out? also, the auther could have put like wagons and stuff all over the level to make it look better Chris_Snow Rating: 8   This map IS fun. What are you talking about?! You must look past little small glitches and grasp the map for what it is...A kick ass snipe map for capture the flag; and who here doesn't like to snipe??? NoBoDyNoPrOoF Rating: 10   this level is as good as any other level with the same rating...in fact better than some that are rated 9 Astaldo711 Rating: 7   While it IS a large map and prone to a lot of running willy-nilly(?), it's still fun. Trust me, there's nothing scarier than looking up at those hills and seeing swarms of enemies come tearing headlong into you. Conversely, it's also fun charging the enemy base with a bunch of you teammates. The stairs to the flag are my biggest complaint. It's a little difficult getting up there the way it's positioned. Croz Rating: 10   Although I didn't play CTF-CivilWar , I played the N64 Civil War (that's the name) map and found it to be pretty good, although a little sluggish for me. I have to agree with all who said it, the sniping oppertunities are perfect here. Download if you are a fan of sniping, or classic war type maps/games. J. Kyle 12-18-2002 12:36 AM MST Rating: 6   I don't see what the big deal with this map is. Everyone else seems to love it, though. In my opinion, it's way too big, and there's not much to it...just a few hills and walls. It can be pretty fun to boost players across the map when playing with low grav and instagib, though. I'll give it an extra point or two for that. DarkGriffin 03-14-2003 10:44 PM MST Rating: 3   This is a fairly good map. It is great for sneaking around but, I find the map to be too large... I love the shooting cannons and the 2 bases. This map is a must download for any new player. New comment: As I am fully understanding map building, I found this map to be... sluggish... The map is WAY to large, the bots are WAY to predictable. All the bots do is go down the middle, far left, or far right... The only fun is sniping. Although, I like to throw on low gravity, jumpmatch, and rocket launcher arena and rain hell down on the idiot bots :). All in all though, not such a great map... C-Bass 03-02-2003 05:27 PM MST Rating: 5   This map has become somewhat of a classic today but seriously it is not that good of a map for gameplay and asthetics. Download it because it is a classic and you will find it on some servers but I can't imagine playing more that once in a blue moon. Louise 03-02-2003 10:48 PM MST Rating: 8   Yes it is a classic. A very good map super fun to play. Great job BONE. Bootycall 03-03-2003 02:09 AM MST Rating: 8   wow.. another dug up oldie! Good map, lotsa options. Good reg CTF map, great Mod CTF map. Ugly as hell but playability stomps on the head of looks. Mxtrmntr 08-20-2003 08:20 AM MDT Rating: 2   Looks very empty and boring, and the gameplay...hmm, it's not exactly good either. Shao 08-20-2003 01:26 PM MDT Rating: 0   haha. Mister_Prophet 08-20-2003 04:32 PM MDT Rating: 2   Oh go screw yourselves, all of you.... This map sucks. ThaKillaTwinz 10-11-2004 02:32 PM MDT Rating: 3.5   One of the ugliest maps i've ever had the misfortune of playing. The biggest eyesore of 'em all is the edge of the map that i believe has already been touched on, where the terrain all of a sudden becomes the skybox. Obviously some work has gone into this map so i won't give it a zero. Altimartin 08-06-2005 05:45 PM MDT Rating: 4   as the reviewer said...these maps are hard to do... nonetheless it could be really better. Verdict : Not Keep. security 05-21-2006 01:21 PM MDT Rating: 4.5   its too big and the architechture isn't that great Evilmrfrank 05-22-2006 12:32 AM MDT Rating: 3.5   The map lacks any game play what so ever. It has the same game play as CTF-Andaction which is nothing... Its just a large open box with some crap put into it. The hills give the player some cover but thats about all it has to offer. xterminator 05-22-2006 02:29 AM MDT Rating: 2   you gotta be kiddin' me