<div width="20%" align="right" style="float: left; padding: 1px">Map:
Author:
Gametype:
Players:
<a href="http://forums.tf2maps.net/downloads.php?do=file&id=247">Download</a> | </div><div width="28%" align="left" style="float: left; padding: 1px"><strong>cp_roswell
Shmitz
Control Point (3 CPs, Gravelpit style map)
24</strong>
Servers</div><div width="48%" align="center"><img src="http://forums.tf2maps.net/reviewimages/cp_roswell/score_cp_roswell.gif">
<font size="-2">All scores are out of 5.0</font></div>
Roswell is a grand, yet small, map set on a Mexican farm where the government is runing some kind of operation. The Blu team must fight though the grounds of the farm starting with points A and B and then moving on to point C, inside the weather balloon at the foot of the nearby plateu. The map offers a great mix of nice visuals and classic teamplay.
<p><img src="http://forums.tf2maps.net/reviewimages/review_design.gif"></p><a href="http://forums.tf2maps.net/reviewimages/cp_roswell/cp_roswell_design.jpg"><img align="right" hspace="3" src="http://forums.tf2maps.net/reviewimages/cp_roswell/cp_roswell_design_th.jpg"></a>The map balances out quite well I've played many games on it and have not yet noticed one team wining significantly more than the other and the statistics I have back me up on that, its 51% to 49% (more even than any of the official maps to date) Each and every class has its uses although I've seen snipers holding off until they reach cap point C due to both A and B being relatively tight spaces. The map is small yet has quite a few alternative ways to reach each capture point making the player constantly make choices based on how quickly they want to get into the action or how safely they want to travel.
It seems that point A is definitely supposed to be captured before B even though both start unlocked since the distance from Blu spawn to point B is about twice that to A. The travel time between each point is different from each key location on the map but it doesn't seem to matter at all.
I've never had problems navigating this map and have never seen anyone else complaining about being lost.
I've found this map great fun to play on and it promotes teamplay well as only a few defending players at each point will stop an uncoordinated attack then when the weather balloon is under attack it really takes a full team effort to either defend until time or cap the point before time. The map is small but that keeps everyone together, you rarely have to run far before you find someone to attack. And of course since the map is a Gravel pit style map the battlefront is constantly shifting, you get three focal points within the game.
<p><img src="http://forums.tf2maps.net/reviewimages/review_style.gif"></p><a href="http://forums.tf2maps.net/reviewimages/cp_roswell/cp_roswell_style.jpg"><img align="right" hspace="3" src="http://forums.tf2maps.net/reviewimages/cp_roswell/cp_roswell_style_th.jpg"></a>Roswell fits in well as a high quality map made to near valve standards, however I can't say it fits in as a TF2 style map because it is lacking the cartoony kick that official maps have. I suspect the fact that the map feels very desaturated has something to do with the lack of cartoony feel. All the custom models and textures included fit in with the TF2 art style on their own however when combined into the map as a whole it feels like it would always be the odd one out if included with the game itself. The architecture does little to reinforce the team-specific styles valve have set up.
As a stand alone map this one shines out grandness, all the elements in it fit perfectly together and nothing sticks out as out of place. All of the gameplay elements that valve have already established are adhered to leaving players understanding what is going on very quickly.
The creativity in this map is obvious, the inspiration is quite clear yet it isn't a copy of anything. The setting and environment sets up a coherent theme complimented by the custom models and textures used. The weather balloon leaves a lasting impression on the player but surprisingly this map is majorly underplayed, as with a lot of great custom maps (finding a server to play maps for reviewing is the most depressing task ever)
<p><img src="http://forums.tf2maps.net/reviewimages/review_craft.gif"></p><a href="http://forums.tf2maps.net/reviewimages/cp_roswell/cp_roswell_craft.jpg"><img align="right" hspace="3" src="http://forums.tf2maps.net/reviewimages/cp_roswell/cp_roswell_craft_th.jpg"></a>Shmitz is definitely a skilled mapper and this comes though in his work, Roswell is a well constructed map with fine details where needed and plain areas to compliment them. There is good use of non standard textures all over Roswell, with floor tiles, roof slates and even the weather balloon at cap C. The weather balloon itself is quite impressive and well made, it fits in and doesn't cause any problems with path finding like you suspect that it might. There are a few props and details that aren't quite clipped off as well as they should leaving anyone hugging the walls a bit of hassle and around the perimeter of the weather balloon is a nightmare to navigate in the heat of battle as the displacement floor around it has a fair few places to get caught in and some unsightly sharp edges.
The environment it is set in feels very consistent and no single part of it feels out of place, not even the weather balloon. The new models included compliment the style chosen and the map feels like a very complete experience. The skybox in concept is very nice however in reality leaves a little bit left to be desired, it’s quite plain and I feel that the fog value is closer than the fog value for the real world. All of the choices Shmitz has made about texture usage, the soundscapes and props work together to make Roswell a reasonable piece to look at.
Sitting at just over 40MB the filesize is quite reasonable for the map it contains, especially when you consider that it has several new models each with their own textures. The map is quite small and being quite enclosed means your PC is never rendering too much at once so framerates stay consistently good, much similar to those of the official maps (at least for my spec)</p>
<b>Summary</b>
Overall I feel that Roswell is one of the better maps to come out of the community, its not styled quite as close to the stock maps as some customs but it feels right. There are opertunities for all sorts of players playing all sorts of classes making the map good fun to play for everyone. The weather balloon provides an interesting final capture point to fight over making the map different from others and a memorable one.
Author:
Gametype:
Players:
<a href="http://forums.tf2maps.net/downloads.php?do=file&id=247">Download</a> | </div><div width="28%" align="left" style="float: left; padding: 1px"><strong>cp_roswell
Shmitz
Control Point (3 CPs, Gravelpit style map)
24</strong>
Servers</div><div width="48%" align="center"><img src="http://forums.tf2maps.net/reviewimages/cp_roswell/score_cp_roswell.gif">
<font size="-2">All scores are out of 5.0</font></div>
Roswell is a grand, yet small, map set on a Mexican farm where the government is runing some kind of operation. The Blu team must fight though the grounds of the farm starting with points A and B and then moving on to point C, inside the weather balloon at the foot of the nearby plateu. The map offers a great mix of nice visuals and classic teamplay.
<p><img src="http://forums.tf2maps.net/reviewimages/review_design.gif"></p><a href="http://forums.tf2maps.net/reviewimages/cp_roswell/cp_roswell_design.jpg"><img align="right" hspace="3" src="http://forums.tf2maps.net/reviewimages/cp_roswell/cp_roswell_design_th.jpg"></a>The map balances out quite well I've played many games on it and have not yet noticed one team wining significantly more than the other and the statistics I have back me up on that, its 51% to 49% (more even than any of the official maps to date) Each and every class has its uses although I've seen snipers holding off until they reach cap point C due to both A and B being relatively tight spaces. The map is small yet has quite a few alternative ways to reach each capture point making the player constantly make choices based on how quickly they want to get into the action or how safely they want to travel.
It seems that point A is definitely supposed to be captured before B even though both start unlocked since the distance from Blu spawn to point B is about twice that to A. The travel time between each point is different from each key location on the map but it doesn't seem to matter at all.
I've never had problems navigating this map and have never seen anyone else complaining about being lost.
I've found this map great fun to play on and it promotes teamplay well as only a few defending players at each point will stop an uncoordinated attack then when the weather balloon is under attack it really takes a full team effort to either defend until time or cap the point before time. The map is small but that keeps everyone together, you rarely have to run far before you find someone to attack. And of course since the map is a Gravel pit style map the battlefront is constantly shifting, you get three focal points within the game.
<p><img src="http://forums.tf2maps.net/reviewimages/review_style.gif"></p><a href="http://forums.tf2maps.net/reviewimages/cp_roswell/cp_roswell_style.jpg"><img align="right" hspace="3" src="http://forums.tf2maps.net/reviewimages/cp_roswell/cp_roswell_style_th.jpg"></a>Roswell fits in well as a high quality map made to near valve standards, however I can't say it fits in as a TF2 style map because it is lacking the cartoony kick that official maps have. I suspect the fact that the map feels very desaturated has something to do with the lack of cartoony feel. All the custom models and textures included fit in with the TF2 art style on their own however when combined into the map as a whole it feels like it would always be the odd one out if included with the game itself. The architecture does little to reinforce the team-specific styles valve have set up.
As a stand alone map this one shines out grandness, all the elements in it fit perfectly together and nothing sticks out as out of place. All of the gameplay elements that valve have already established are adhered to leaving players understanding what is going on very quickly.
The creativity in this map is obvious, the inspiration is quite clear yet it isn't a copy of anything. The setting and environment sets up a coherent theme complimented by the custom models and textures used. The weather balloon leaves a lasting impression on the player but surprisingly this map is majorly underplayed, as with a lot of great custom maps (finding a server to play maps for reviewing is the most depressing task ever)
<p><img src="http://forums.tf2maps.net/reviewimages/review_craft.gif"></p><a href="http://forums.tf2maps.net/reviewimages/cp_roswell/cp_roswell_craft.jpg"><img align="right" hspace="3" src="http://forums.tf2maps.net/reviewimages/cp_roswell/cp_roswell_craft_th.jpg"></a>Shmitz is definitely a skilled mapper and this comes though in his work, Roswell is a well constructed map with fine details where needed and plain areas to compliment them. There is good use of non standard textures all over Roswell, with floor tiles, roof slates and even the weather balloon at cap C. The weather balloon itself is quite impressive and well made, it fits in and doesn't cause any problems with path finding like you suspect that it might. There are a few props and details that aren't quite clipped off as well as they should leaving anyone hugging the walls a bit of hassle and around the perimeter of the weather balloon is a nightmare to navigate in the heat of battle as the displacement floor around it has a fair few places to get caught in and some unsightly sharp edges.
The environment it is set in feels very consistent and no single part of it feels out of place, not even the weather balloon. The new models included compliment the style chosen and the map feels like a very complete experience. The skybox in concept is very nice however in reality leaves a little bit left to be desired, it’s quite plain and I feel that the fog value is closer than the fog value for the real world. All of the choices Shmitz has made about texture usage, the soundscapes and props work together to make Roswell a reasonable piece to look at.
Sitting at just over 40MB the filesize is quite reasonable for the map it contains, especially when you consider that it has several new models each with their own textures. The map is quite small and being quite enclosed means your PC is never rendering too much at once so framerates stay consistently good, much similar to those of the official maps (at least for my spec)</p>
<b>Summary</b>
Overall I feel that Roswell is one of the better maps to come out of the community, its not styled quite as close to the stock maps as some customs but it feels right. There are opertunities for all sorts of players playing all sorts of classes making the map good fun to play for everyone. The weather balloon provides an interesting final capture point to fight over making the map different from others and a memorable one.
