At first, I found this map to be vexatious. Why? Because it's not a straightforward map, it's a bit complicated. So I went into god mode and flew around the map to learn what to do. After educating myself, the extra challenge built into the map became fun. It's one of those maps that offers more the more you play it.

The bots demonstrated to me that there are more ways than one to return the flag. They will use alternate paths if being chased, they'll seek out the hidden grotto for the kegger, but I never saw them going for the redeemer or the thigh pads. They might have been too busy doing other things.

A long bridge joins the bases, which gets a little hairy running back with the flag. I loved the missiles flying past my head while I was zigzagging across the bridge. If you prefer, you can leap down and run the length of a crescent, make your way up through a building, then emerge for the last leg of your journey back for a point. Underwater is also an option. There is scuba gear to assist you, and you'll probably want to use it since the swim is rather long. I didn't try the underwater route, but the bridge, and the crescent route is harsh.

The visuals are pretty good as well. You have lots of custom textures, plus some scripting for the flags which bangs home the theme with an exclamation point. Custom music and many sounds are incorporated into the symmetrical layout. Lots of ambient sounds with their radii attended to nicely, triggered sounds, lift and mover sounds, just the way I like it. The skybox looks a little funny if you're up high in the nuke tower looking down, but I was usually too busy guiding my nuke to notice it. You face away from the enemy base in the nuke tower, so you sail a missile out the window, then loop it around and head it toward the enemy base looking for doomed red dots.

The shieldbelt is in the middle of the long bridge; good luck getting it if you're playing with a bunch of bots. Other goodies are all spread out, and there is just enough ammo to make the charge for the flag, so don't get trigger-happy. The lifts are rather slick: There are sliding bars covering some lift openings, and they will spread apart so you can access the ride. The z-axis is there as well, so snipers should have fun.

I'd say the greatest appeal of the map is it's different. The long haul over the bridge is a no-brainer, yet treacherous, but the haul around the perimeter, and underwater adds a nice twist. It's a bit like Face with the long haul outdoors and the sniping/z-axis stuff, but there are far more things to do and see. Play it with at least 8.