Date: August 2015
Roles: Level Designer
Tools: Hammer World Editor, Source Engine
Born of my frustration with the Capture the Flag gamemode in Team Fortress 2, Underpass was created in under 72 hours for the TF2maps.net Summer 2015 Mapping Contest. Of the 67 entries, Underpass placed third.Underpass is a unique take on capture the flag in TF2. The bases and flags are much closer than usual, but there are doors sealing off the center of the map from the flag rooms. As soon as the flag is taken, these doors open, providing an easy escape from the base. This decision came from what I perceive as a flaw that most CTF maps contain; not only do you have to fight your way to the flag, but then you have to fight your way back out, as the enemy spawns are often between the spawn rooms of a CTF map and the enter of the map.
With underpass, I decided to create an interesting fight into the flag room, and provide a quick escape after the flag is taken to combat this issue. This greatly increases the pace of a match of CTF in Team Fortress 2. The opening and closing of the doors also adds a layer of strategy to the map, as the doors remain open until a team successfully captures, meaning that taking an enemy's flag can help them return a flag they have captured from you!
