Reviews

Ive been looking around some sites such as http://www.counter-strike-dl.com/ & http://www.csbanana.com/ & ive found some excellent maps.

Cs_Xcom

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This hostage rescue map takes you into XCOM, defense contractor corporation. As the Counter-Terrorists, you are either spawned on the roof or in a large room with a skyroof... which a dead body promptly falls through at round start. The Terrorsts start in an office and must cut off the CTs as the attempt to rescue the hostages in either a conference roof or a science lab. The map is mostly very close quarters, with few spaces more than 20 meters shooting distance. This map is interesting, in that it has two different versions in one. The hostages, terrorists and counter-terrorists will spawn in one of two locations. This not only adds more variety but both versions have different strategies, challenging the player in different ways. The map is very well made, with many custom objects, scripted sequences and well crafted atmosphere. It is also a very popular map online, which is always a big factor in the quality of a custom map.

Cs_Jungle

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Deep in the heart of a generic rainforest lies some nasty terrorists, obviously plotting no good and keeping some poor scientists hostage. In this map the counter-terrorists must navigate a linear jungle path and assault the jungle complex of the terrorists. The CTs have the option of going down the dense jungle's left path, which will take them directly into the Terrorist base, or stay on the left path which takes them to the end of the dirt airfield, where they can pick off unsuspecting Terrorists. The problem with attacking from that point however is that the Counter-Terrorists must run down a hill and then across an otherwise empty field to get to the hanger where the first two hostages are kept. The hanger has a few good spots that the terrorists can use to create a nasty surprise for any intruders. The Main building in the camp is no less harder to breach and secure. The CTs must then trek back through the jungle back to their spawn to rescue the hostages, which is a very tricky thing to do as there are very many spots for terrorists who made it past the initial skirmish line to lay in wait. As for the map itself, it is finely done, with custom textures, models edited all by Shiroko. The waterfall at CT spawn is very nicely done. The Terrorist base is open and somewhat plain, the main building is ugly (which was probably the designer's intention) and sharre few variations in textures or lighting. The map is rather linear, with only two ways for the CTs to approach the hostage area, and only those same two ways to exract the hostages back through. Overall it is a great map primarly because it has so much custom material in it, and can play up to 40 people.

Cs_Twilight

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This map has a relativly simple formula. Like most hostage rescue maps, the CTs have to assault the building from multiple points, grab the hosties and not die in the process. There are two ways to enter the building for the CTs, either through the front door or the side door/ladder. Both are very close to the terrorist spawn point, and a slow CT team will be cut off in no time. The counter-terrorists really have to work as a team here to win, since the map has so many narrow staircases and hallways with quick turns. This map isn't the best one around, but it is very popular, so I decided it would be best to review and add it here.

Cs_Courhouse

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On this map, the terrorists plot to bomb a courthouse where one of their men is being tried. The Terrorists can either assault the courthouse and plant the bomb, or rush through a motel and into an alleyway to blow of the attached prison complex. Counter-Terrorists start off in the courthouse, and must defend the area from the terrorists at the key bottlenecks. In the courthouse, there is a break room and lobby where the CTs can hold off their attackers, while a vent system can give the Terrorists a chance to flank around, it is easily defendible by one or two CTs. The other path is just as much as a bottleneck for the Ts, who must jump out of one or two windows on the second story motel. From here they can go through a sewer system, or try to attack the bomb site through a blind corner in an alleyway. Both bomb sites are quite hard to attack, and it takes team coordination and skill on both sides to win. This map is tricky, but I consider this good, because I don't like over-simplified maps one or two obvious routes. This map can support up to 64 people for the ultimate experience in mayhem.

de_dust_pcg

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From the creator of the original dusts comes dust_pcg. This map attempts to mix features of the previous two dusts into one map. Things like the tunnel in the original dust, overhangs from dust2 and similar bomb area layouts. The map can be just as much of a standoff as the original dust, where both sides are too afraid to engage one another, or it can turn into a slaughterfest for either side. I played this map for some time on a 64 man server, and found that the Terrorists have an unfair advantage over the Counter-Terrorists. The bombsite at the end of the tunnel can be reached by the Terrorists quicker than the Counter-Terrorists, and the exposed flanks make any defenders in the site cannon fodder. The main problem with that particular site's layout is that the area where the CTs usually hold to fight off the Ts is too narrow and has poor cover. I became very frustrated at my teammates, who would every round camp this area like fools while the Ts would throw in grenades and kill them all quite quickly. The other bomb site has a blind corner that makes defense easier for the CTs, but it they choose to push past this site they come right into the line of fire of Ts who already have range and accuracy over the rushing CTs, this once again makes it hard for the CTs to try a flank on the other bombsite. All of this really doesn't matter though, as in most cases, the skills of the teams determins who wins. If the Terrorists are inexperienced and don't rush, they will die. If the CT's dont take the highground, they will die. This map is a deciding factor in finding out if a player and his team have any skill or discipline. Because without those traits, you will lose on this map. Note, this is the final version of the map, all bugs fixed

De_Losttemple

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The central element of the map is the temple which can be reached using the crossing route from bombspot A to B. There are 3 ways for the terrorists as well as for the counter-terrorists. Looking from the CT spawn there is the left route to A and through the underpass. The central route leads through the water passing the bridge to the temple. The right route is leading through the hallway and to B (see overview picture).

We tried to create a very balanced map that is fun to play using elements that strongly dominate the gameplay, i.e. the water and the bridge, the hallway and the underpass with the crossing line trough the temple.

Cs_Backalley

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this map is a remake of the counter-strike map cs_backalley & well worth the download.

Cs_Dracula

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The action takes place in a little mansion in transylvania, a bunch of terrorists occupied this place and have taken hostages, and hid them in the basement.

The CT must rush in the mansion and save the hostages, but be careful, this place has many creepy things happening in it, alot of trap doors and spooky things.

de_lochs

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This is one of the most detailed, intricate and enjoyable maps I have ever played on. The premise of the map is that the terrorists are attempting to destroy either A) the river loch system and the area below or B) the controls to the loch system. The rest is self explanitory. As for the layout of the map, it is spectacular. There is so many hallways, rooms, vents and access tunnels that the variety to attack or defend is endless. The map is multi level and has many different settings. From a cafateria, to an office, to an information center to a loch to a pump system to a control center, there are so many different areas that its hard to remember them all. The map is well made, I especially liked the outdoor area around the lochs and ship. Interiors use a variety of wall textures from unfinished drywall to wood paneling. This is a great map, but in my search I could not find a server playing it, which is too bad since it is so well made and has huge potential. Note: This is version 2

de_office (Remake)

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This map offers the Terrorists a chance to return the favor to the Counter-Terrorists after the original cs_office. Both maps share a common theme and sturcture, but are set completly different from each other. The projector room, offices, front enterence and surrounding area are similar, but have been modified to create different tactics. The surrounding area outside of the office is for the most part enterable. The hostages were not so fortunate this time around, you can find their mangled corpses in the office. One of the more unorthodox things about this map is the single bomb site. This makes the Counter-Terrorist's job more easier, and would also seemly make it unfair for the terrorists, but the defense of the extensive office is made more difficult by the limited number of spaces availible for CTs. This map supports 18x18 people for a total of 32, not 64 (32x32), which would be a nightmare for the terrorists.

Cs_DeadCity

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CS_DeadCity is one of my first urban maps designed for the Source engine. Its big, its kinda ugly, and it doesn't have great FPS. That aside, if you're looking for a big map with tons of places to shoot from, try this map out. Every single building in the play area can be entered. Each one has its own features, such as windows and furniture, so each one can provide you with different views of the players around you. Running through the main street is an all around bad idea unless you've got a few players equipped with smoke grenades, so its a good idea to plan out some sort of strategy so you can sprint from building to building without getting blown away by a few guys watching the road through one of the windows. The LOLBot was removed from this map (Cs_DeadTown_B6 still has it) due to me making the map more "official" as players would sometimes just run to the robot and have a field day freaking people out as they were looking out a window only to see some hideous metallic robot thing come flying at them with blades whirring.

Ideal map for 6-64 players.

Note: This map was originally named as Cs_DeadTown, but due to its size and skybox growing considerably during its development, it was later renamed to Cs_DeadCity. You can still find previous versions of the map scattered around the net, but version b6 and b3 should be the most interesting. Cs_DeadTown_B6 has a remote controlled robot (LOLBot; Also making its appearance on Phys_Phun), while Cs_DeadTown_B3 has a fully controllable helicopter. Yes a helicopter

De_slum

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Story

:A powerful terrorist is under indictment for bombing a well known site that holds treasured artifacts.

:The lead prosecutor has become a target of the terrorist organization.

:The terrorists have discovered that important legal files pertinent to the artifact terrorist are being held

:in a storage locker in the city where the prosecutor is trying another case. If these documents are destroyed,

:the case would be delayed indefinitely. This is the terrorists' primary objective.

:A secondary objective for the terrorists is to destroy the prosecutor's vehicle parked at a nearby garage.

:His car contains new documents about the case, that, if destroyed, could delay the trial long enough for the artifact terrorist to flee the country.

:Counter-terrorists have been tipped off to the terrorist plot, and must stop the terrorists from executing their plans at all costs.