Duel of the Fates
Created by Shock Theta & Insane54

Welcome to the recreation of Duel of the Fates, the lightsaber bettle between Qui-Gon Jin, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Maul from Star Wars Episode I, designed and created by Shock Theta and Insane54. Here's what they had to say.

"Through testing we have created a map and gametype that not only do we feel is an enjoyable and quote-filled Star Wars extravaganza, but our testers also seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves too. We hope you can get together a small group to play a game - the 3 man party size is perfect for those times when you're waiting for a larger party to get together. There's no need to choose teams, just load up the gametype and map and players will be randomly selected as either the Jedi or Maul and duel through multiple rounds. Enjoy!

Duel of the Fates Re-enactment by Penguinish
(Actual gameplay is more tactical!)

In our attempt to simulate the battle within the Royal Palace of Theed, we decided on several key points we needed to adhere to:

The map must be honour rule free
There must be areas of instant death that mimic the platforms and pit area of the original battle
The laser doors through which Qui-Gon was separated from Obi-Wan in the film should be recreated so that the same situation is possible in a play through of the map.

The first port of call was eliminating honour rules in our design. To do this we realised that we would have to cut areas of the battle. Deciding we would focus on the platforms leading up to the laser doors, the doors themselves and the pit area where Qui-Gon meets his demise, we axed the opening scene of the fight in the hangar area. Another issue was the reduced gravity we were to use to simulate force jumps and this would require additional sealing of the map. After money glitching the map we were able to prevent gameplay interruptions and eliminate honour rules by building up to the boundary at the top of Foundry.

The laser doors were created by placing man cannons upside down above their corridor. The placement was such that you can walk or run underneath without incident, but a jump results in you instantly being caught in the man cannons path and being thrown backwards without seeming to rise off the ground. Coupled with a single-spawn portable grav lift which Maul spawns standing on, picking it up, the corridor can be sealed off by deploying the grav lift inside, separating the Jedi players or allowing Maul to mock both of them. There are differences with the film however: the players can lunge through if the opponent gets too close, and we reversed a man cannon at the pit end of the corridor so that you can also seal people inside that area.

The pit area of the map is a large circular chamber surrounding a two storey drop. At its base are small slopes around the outside and man cannons pushing towards death teleporters. In order to balance the play and the reduced gravity, the pit is large, to scale with the film, but this strained the available teleporter channels slightly. It is possible to avoid death in very small and specific areas, but this is not something which will take place during actual play due to player speed and fall distances.
There are also small ledges around the edge to simulate the hand holds utilised by Obi-Wan in the film.[1]

Players have damage resistance and a very slight shield leech and the settings between Jedi and Sith are balanced so that play is rewarding to those who play tactically, be that bold aggression, tricky play to lead them into dangerous areas or careful sword blocking. Maul is slightly faster to prevent easy double team assassinations although they are still a legitimate choice for close-knit Jedi teams. He also deals more damage to represent his focus on lightsaber use and fearsome ability in close combat.[2]

If a Jedi is slain the remaining Jedi's traits alter to give him increased damage and speed to represent the anger he might feel and be tempted by after his friend had been killed. He also slowly loses his shields to encourage rushing in his angered state and the increased vulnerability his aggression creates.[3] This attribute change is also carefully balanced into the play through extensive playtesting to ensure a rewarding and fair game rather than random slashing.

The initial spawn for the Jedi is on the higher platforms shown below. Maul spawns just inside the laser doors. There are lower platforms you can utilise to try to lead the opponent astray and out-jump him to a better position, and the lower floor contains custom powerups that effectively strand you to wait for your inevitable death. If you tempt fate, you might find yourself in trouble, but otherwise this area is not dangerous if you are aware of your surroundings as a force user should be. Naturally, you have a radar to represent your force sense.[4]

Overall we had great fun putting together this recreation of a famous Star Wars moment and taking it from concept to completion. Hopefully those of you who love the films too - or just savour some small, tactical and bite-sized fun - will ignite your lightsabers and have fun playing too!"

PS. A mini game is included too - Retrieve the Darth Mauler!

Download Duel of the Fates
Download 2v1 Saber Duel

View the original Forge Hub thread for more info