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Church

Original author: Crowpath
Original release date: 08/20/2007

This map is an exact port of the Custom Edition version using MCC's tagset. Yes, I do realize there's already 3 other uploads, but two of them haven't been updated to support the latest patch, and the other is using pre-release/Xbox tags.

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The layout of the map is deceptively simple; two floors of the main room, a basement and the team flag rooms. But it is the way these areas are linked that can lead to a huge number of gameplay possibilities. The most obvious example of this is the top floor balcony, where the player can leap over the railing and down to the bottom floor at any time. Running around on the open floor there is highly dangerous, but it's where the two most powerful weapons, the pistol and rocket launcher, are placed. Grabbing these weapons will obviously help you immensely, but everyone in the room will know you're doing it. The pews and altar may offer some limited protection, but it is the covered perimeter of the ground floor that is the safest place on the entire map. The only weapons there are extra grenades and the plasma pistol (whose overcharge shot will be excellent for these straight, narrow sections), but it's also the easiest way to sneak across the room. To get back up to the top floor, there are ladders situated at the mid-point of both sides of the room.

The top floor offers protection from ahead and behind by the pillars and wall indentations. The pillars can also protect you from being attacked across the room, though positioning yourself like that will leave you open to the other directions. The assault rifle and plasma rifle can be found up here, a useful combination given the area's sideways confinement. You'll also find the needlers incredibly useful for blasting people braving the open floor below. The flamethrower is placed at the mid-point and will be devastating to anyone on the ladders. It will also be useful in the cramped tunnels, if you're willing to sacrifice another weapon to take it there. It's not possible to cross the main room width-ways along the blue side balcony, but this is balanced by the closer proximity of the rocket launcher. The teleporter to the red base is also a mixed blessing, since anyone can get in and out very quickly, but only on the ground floor, whereas the blue team has four entrances to the main room; two on each level. The final aspect of the main room are the two teleporters next to the ladders. Entering these will take you to the basement.

The basement can be a treacherous place and it takes longer to move through here than it does in the room above. But with some luck and skill it can be the best option to steal the flag or gain lots of kills. The sniper rifle is here, right at the end of the chute from the teleporters above. If you are able to take it to the balcony of the main room where it will be most useful, you can dominate until you need more ammo. This raised area is extremely confined, so be wary you don't get caught in there. From this position you can see what's happening in the rooms below, but you won't be able to do anything about it, since you can't shoot through the tight mesh. Note the coloured signal gems and use them to guide you the correct way. The three lower rooms offer a simple fighting area, with nothing in the way of weapons, except extra grenades. If you're in a tight spot, falling into the pool offers an escape, but pray your luck holds out, because you'll take damage and then land in the most dangerous part of the map. The four tunnels that lead off from the basement take you to special teleporters that eventually lead to the flag rooms. This is the main reason the basement route is so treacherous: you'll have to run through some extremely narrow tunnels to get through and the people coming down will be more appropriately armed for this.

Both bases have shotguns in them. Useless for the wide open main room, but lethal in the close-quarter tunnels. Here the teams differ again. The blue room has one single, wide tunnel that splits off halfway down. The red room has two distinct tunnels, one at each of the rear corners of the room. You'll also find the first aid kits here and a number of grenades. When the flag is stolen, the intricacy of the layout really comes into play through communication and teamwork. While there are a number of routes back, a well informed defense can effectively cut off the flag carrier from multiple points. Scoring on a 16 player CTF game is difficult, so the offense must be equally aware in order to be successful.

There is also full support for Oddball, King Of The Hill and Race. I've put quite a bit of thought into these gametypes and you'll find the layout causes just as much opportunity and conflict as the usual Slayer and CTF games.