Favorite Final Caps in 5cp

[Doctor Paprika]

This is, admittedly, a selfish question as I'm working on a layout for a 5cp map and am trying to better understand how combat flows around the final capture points, but I'm also just as interested in everyone's preferences regarding aesthetic design.

Combat-wise, I love the final point in cp_badlands. The two ground floor routes to the main room make a full-force push and a quick flank equally viable, and the curvature of the walls and easy frontal access to the upstairs make turtling difficult because the invading team can also get good explosive access to any sentry nest. It's deceptively simple because it's fairly Spartan when it comes to decorations (no giant death laser or war rooms here) but the spot lighting, contrast of the the concrete floors to red stone walls, and the cylindrical construct around the point instinctively draw your attention straight to the point.

The art design in cp_coldfront's spytech base always impresses me because the architecture naturally flows forward yet doesn't seem as if it's been artificially curved towards the entrances. The best parts are all the details that make the spytech base seem like an enormous facility that you only have partial access to: the missile silo you can see from a hallway, the hole in the main lobby ceiling, et cetera.

 

[Jeremy]

Granary has a wide-open final cap which has a tendency to cause absolute mayhem, and, with the large pipe, gives attackers the opportunity to flank the defenders. That's always good fun.

 

[Jack Riguel]

Holy shit. Lots of text incoming, I must be tired. (I blame the glasses of wine as well).

I find the most enjoyable final caps are those that offer a good variety of attacking positions (both from location and hight variation) while still providing a method for the defense to push (if they're defense remains solid).

Most of the fighting in final stages of 5CP occurs in the areas surrounding the point rather then the final point itself. Take a look at this heatmap from badlands.

Most of the fighting itself occurs in the immediate area inside of the team's final complex as they are key locations to hold for both the offensive and defensive teams. In cases the game is concluded once the offensive team can hold this area and push into the final arena.

Because of this, most final arenas are nearly open boxes (Well and Granary being extreme examples of this) as having an open area with next-to-no cover is an easy way to make a map advantageous to a defending team. (think of the strategies used in successful offensive pushes during trench warfare. Attackers will move from cover to cover, avoiding open "no-man's-land" where the stationary defending team has the advantage.)

Coldfront is an interesting example as it's done by a mapper who really loves to test new design, obviously being enough of a success to be made official. The reaction I've gathered from players though is pretty negative when it comes to it's final point however. Stalemates are obviously the major complaint (though what official 5CP map doesn't have them). The more interesting complaints seem to come from the map's layout and detail. Out of the areas leading into the final point, none of them have any significant advantages to an offensive team (while two of the there either provide a hight advantage or cover/window advantage to the defensive push). On top of that, offensive teams are also fairly disappointed as they never get a good look at the final arena before the attack. (Whereas Badlands has it's upper window and extended hallway below, providing amble viewing space to both the CP and the area surrounding).

Personally, out of the official CP maps, I've always loved yukon. While I think it suffers from some proper visual "objective" in it's final stage, it's got some great design theory and it's the only map I can think back on having fun playing both casual and competitive.

 

[gamemaster1996]

I think what's best when looking at the final cap in a 5cp is alot of space surrounded by alot of height variation and a few tighter corridors. This encourages flow towards the 5cp but also causes you to think tactically and makes is so that the defence for the defending team or a quick recapture is neccesary but also makes it fairly balanced due to the height variation.

 

[Jimmy]

Out of my endearing love to 5 CP maps , and my study of them last year when planning my own (which I have yet to make :O) I decided my favourite had to be Badlands. More than enough entrances, height advantage, caps quickly, has it all really.