Evil Multipaths Maps for Unreal Tournament

Download EvilMultipaths.zip (13.6 Mb).

Concept:

In all four maps, the enemy base(s) is/are in all directions, no matter which team you are on.   Flag thieves could approach from ahead or behind.   As this is an exploration of the attack-from-all-sides design, there is little attention paid to textures or lighting (except to ensure the clear colour-coding of each base and of the direction to each other base).

NEW (2013 September):
The map “CTF-EvilMultipaths5” has been updated to version 6:

• “CTF-EvilMultipaths6” fixes a bug with the paths that the bots choose to take.   They will now venture up the back passage more often.
• A second bridge has been added to the red flagbase.
• The blue flagbase has been raised up from the floor.

These changes reduce the advantage for the red team and render the path that a flag-carrying bot will take less predictable.

CTF-EvilMultipaths.unr

From each base there are eight choices of routes to the other flag base.

Out the front are exits on three levels.   Out in space between the flag bases the three levels are connected by ramps.   Visible transporters (the blue swirly things, if you’ll excuse the technical language) provide a shortcut from each flag base to the bottom level.   The bots much prefer this route, despite the danger of a fatal fall into open space.

The illusion of a starfield rushing by is obtained by setting the V-pan speed in the Zonelight section of the exterior ZoneInfo from the default value of 1 all the way to 20 and checking the V-pan option of the surface properties on all eight side surfaces of the starfield.

On each side of each flag base, through doors, are side passages on the top and bottom levels.   These routes are only slightly longer than the three obvious front-door routes.   A lower side route from one base connects to an upper side route in the other base.   There is a “back passage” that also, thanks to warp portals, connects the flagbases together.   These five alternate routes are all guarded at each end by the appropriate team’s autocannon.

Team autocannons also guard the spawn chambers fiercely.   More blue swirly things connect the spawn chambers to various points on the three levels of the obvious front route between the flag bases.   This gives defending bots, upon respawning, a sporting chance to catch up to a fleeing flag carrier.   Unfortunately, being part of the shortest route between flags, these well-defended visible transporters are also a great temptation to flag carrying bots. The red team seems to have an advantage, as a flag-bearing blue bot who tries to take a shortcut through a red spawn chamber has almost no chance of survival.   The red flag base is elevated half way up the red building, while the blue flag base is on the floor of the drab blue building.   The bots seldom use the side passages.

As is the case with all four of these maps, there is location information everywhere (which is helpful when the “omniscience” option of MultiCTF is in use).

CTF-EvilMultipaths6.unr

This map is a further development of the concept of CTF-EvilMultipaths.   The team autocannons have been removed, except for the spawn chambers, which no longer have shortcuts to the front pathways.

The shortest route turns out to be the upper right corridor from the red base to the lower right corridor from the blue base, although the bots do occasionally select alternate paths. Through the windows of the side passages one can see much of the megastructure as it flies at great speed through space.
Most of the power-ups are in or on top of one of the three front corridors connecting the two bases.   It is very easy to push a bot off the roof or through a window to its demise outside in space. There are also some goodies on the roof of each flagbase that the bots cannot reach. The main problem with this map is a very high poly count, which can slow play down on older machines horrendously.

CTFM-EvilHex4.unr Only three corridors lead out from each base.   Each one leads directly to another flagbase.   The illusion that each base is surrounded by the other three bases is accomplished with warp portals. Unfortunately, bots cannot see through warp portals and some weapons fire (such as bullets) won't pass through either.   However, the bots will navigate through the portals in order to reach an enemy flag.   The map is not as symmetric as it seems:   there is only ordinary space between the red base and each of the others, but the blue, green and gold bases are connected to each other through the warp portals.   In play between all-bot teams, no one team seems to have a distinct advantage from this hidden asymmetry. There are no super-weapons or powerups (shield belt, keg of health, armour, thigh pads) in this map. If you are defending a flag in four-team play, the action can become quite fast and furious, as you have to keep looking in all three directions for approaching rivals.

CTFM-EvilMultipaths.unr

There are four colour-coded exits from each flag base:   one to each of the two neighbouring bases and two corridors both leading to the base in the opposite corner.   Warp portals allow flag bases on opposite corners (red-green and blue-gold) to be the identical distance apart as all other pairs of flag bases. Peering down any of the four exits, the effect is one of infinitely long corridors, including all four flag bases over and over again!   Doctor Evil does love tortured geometry ... Halfway down the four unique corridors are the dimly-lit entrances to the redeemer chamber.

Contents of the zip file:

Help:       [this html file] Maps:       CTF-EvilMultipaths.unr       CTF-EvilMultipaths6.unr       CTFM-EvilMultipaths.unr       CTFM-EvilHex4.unr Textures:       cf_mansion.utx       CoreTex.utx       CrokxFX.utx       Crusader.utx       FRZ_Iceotope.utx       SLV2Fonts.utx       SLV2Textures.utx

Music:       DarkCity.umx       Scotch.umx System:       QJet.u       SLV2.ini       SLV2.int       SLV2.u       SLV2Models.u       SLV2RTMS.u       SLV2Window.u       SLV201.u

If you have Unreal Tournament installed directly on a computer running Windows XP or earlier, then unzip the file EvilMultipaths.zip (13.6 MB) to your UnrealTournament/ directory.
If you are running UT from Steam in Windows 7, then unzip to
/Program Files (x86)/Steam/steamapps/common/unreal tournament/ .
The files should then unzip into the correct locations.

Note:   Maps that start with the prefix "CTFM-" require the MultiCTF mod in order to enable four-team play, with four flag bases (red, blue, green and gold).   A copy of the CTF4 and MultiCTF mods can be obtained here in two formats:

• MultiCTF umod file   (1.63 Mb), or
• MultiCTF zip file   (1.61 Mb).

Doctor Evil, Stardate 2013244.

Download EvilMultipaths.zip (13.6 Mb).