EmeraldTiger's entry for the Summer 2011 Maverick Mapping Competition is a nice, small CTF map compatible with all modes from Team Arena - nice work! Right from the beginning you can see that quality is the most prominent feature of this map.

There is more than one access route from base to base. From the middle ground, these routes cross over to form two clear paths - one above and one below. The easiest way, the one below, has a flame coming out of a wall, over an oil slick on the floor. The player can either run straight through the flame for a small amount of damage, or can try to slide under the flame on the oil using the seldom used crouch feature. Some shortcuts can be found when playing with the CPMA mod or with a slight increase of speed from strafe-jumping, which is always nice to see.

My main concern with the map is that there may be too many weapons available. Playing with the maximum suggested player load of 12 also leads to a cramped environment. 4 vs 4 games are a little tight but fine. Teams of 3 (humans) are a lot more fun.

Visually, the texture choice is good (custom textures by EvilLair, Lunaran and the author). I should warn you that there are some ad banners in this map, but that is to be expected since this map was for a mapping contest. The only visual drawback is the use of the original teleporter from ID. That one should not be used anymore, but it's a personal taste, not a bad point in itself.

Bots play very well and use all available routes. They behave just like they should.

Definitively a download and a keeper if you are into CTF or Team Arena.

Reviewed by DGhost

Note: This map can be played online at FragLove.