Precursor
By Paranoia UK

Introduction

Precursor is a map which has been on my Hard Drive for a long time. So long I cant even remember when I started it. The map was an attempt at something new for me at time. I wanted to utilise the Forge World geometery rather than create everything myself. I wanted to create a map which had a natural and organic feel, a map which took you out of the grey forgeworld pallette and into a green and beautiful environment. The map itself is 90% original geometery which is then highlighted and moulded with strategically placed rock peices.

Map Design & Build

The map had a very simple design process. I decided to use the rocky third of Paradiso Island as it suited the style of map is was going for. I did a simple mock up of a Center Structure in a seperate forge and them reforged it into the map. I wanted the center to be dominant yet not overshadowing. The structure itself is accessible from three different paths and feautres the maps only health packs. Other than that it is a bit of a non player in terms of map flow. It is easily defendable but does not offer much of a strategic advantage. This makes it both fair and balanced to either team.

Other design features of the map include many rock peices. These were placed in order to keep a natural feel. They also provide most of the map boundaries. I decided on rock walls instead of blocks etc at extra cost but due to the style of the map this was easily affordable. I have also used submerged antennae peices as boundary signposts. This allowed me to place some aesthetic touches outside the map to improve the overal aesthetic quality of the map. Again this was at some cost but was easily affordable in the end.

Gameplay, Testing and Feedback

The map is primarily designed and built as a Team Doubles Map. It is set up for larger Slayer Variants also. It is not set up for anything else. Keeping this thought right from the start meant that I did not have to make any sacrifices in play space for game variants.

The map has had extensive testing. The original testing was done by the Testers Guild a very ling time ago. The inital feedback was good with a some recommended minor changes to spawn areas and weapon placement. Since then it has had some games hosted by myself and subsequent changes made to enhance gameplay.

Weapons and Objectives

In terms of objective items it has none. The map is for Slayer only and has the Initials, Spawns and Areas to support this. Weapons are as follows:

6 X DMR
2 x Magnum
2 X Sniper
4 x Needle Rifle
2 x Plasma Pistol
4 x Plasma Rifle
1 x Plasma Launcher
4 x Plasma Grenade
1 x Overshield

The map has a lot of mid range precision weapons for its size. This is due to the aesthetics and landscape making it harder than usual to spot some weapons. I did not want to highlight weapon placement with forged peices so I have simply put more of them on the map.