what was your favourite / most inspiring map

CS:Office from Counterstrike (1.6/source/go) as a casual 20 man experience

What I think this map does really well- and it may of been the first CS map to do this well- is tell a story just from its layout:

• Starting as a CT you have to breach the office and save the hostages that the terrorists are protecting from a fortified position
• The difference in texturing forms a kind of 'mental barrier' between the inside and outside of the map.
• Details like the toppled vending machine showing the conflict but also adding to the design.
• Design allows for both CQ and long range plays.

The source version blew me away when I first saw it, details like exploding fire extinguishers and great texturing, but in retrospect was probably the weakest version of this map- too much prop_physics that caused clutter and even blocked doorways. I think GO has hit the sweetspot between props, looks and playability.

DE_Dust2 has it beat on the scalability/competitive edge but CS_Office is always great fun.

Quote from clankill3r

I want to make a school map for cs and I think office is good inspiration

I dont know in what country you live, but I recommend not doing school maps.

change to an office. No one cares about office workers

This has me thinking through...Imagine office but with a strongly defined middle. Middle being the 'main entrance' to the office and two more stealthy entrances (roofs or windows etc). Could work better for 5 vs 5? on the current office you only need to hold the two paths to the hostages.

Quote from clankill3r

I want to make a school map for cs and I think office is good inspiration

Definitely don't do that.

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Still the best Quake 3 stock map ever!

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Quote from Minos

I don't recall it, mind link/name? :$

office and avalanche FOR LIFE !

Oh my. This is hard.
I think I agree about the previous maps but lately I've been pouring over every inch of retail HL2 maps. And wow. I think d1_trainstation maps make an excellent compilation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91uWeqArrok#t=257

ZTN's Q2 maps made me want to be a great mapper.

Maps like as_crazytank for sure. Those maps took the seriousness out of the game and added fun for me;

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Not going into detail about layout etc. but these are some of the most memorable maps to me. Often a little gimmicky but it's the maps we've had the most fun in back in the day.

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Quake 2's Tokay's Tower:

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Maybe it was because I was a kid, maybe because I was entirely new to the game, but the first level of MDK 1 is just a shit ton of suprises and new mechanics. Pretty much every zone you go through brings something new.

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Quote from clankill3r

haha

What if I make an abandoned school overgrown with plants? I love in the Netherlands, no shooting at schools so far.

Just don't do it.

For me it was probable de_overpass:

The map is still quite buggy and not 100% perfect yet because its so new, but IMO its one of the most fun maps in CS:GO. The vertical layout is so unique and I really enjoy all the boostspots.

Yeah, Facing Worlds was a real eye opener, probably the single most important map for me. For CS there are simply too many that where all inspiring - many of them were made by people in this community, great times.

I loved

cs_bikini and that jungle one Mike made? For making new interesting locations with custom art, he also added a lot of life to the maps back then.

cs_morningstar? PhilipK's hotel map, this was awesome, clean, nice layout and pretty as hell. I remember making podbot waypoint for this map

de_aztec, a very cool setting, interesting unbalanced layout and the tension at those double doors in clan games will never be topped for me.

de_laguna, de_volare, cs_shogun, de_rock, de_karachi, cs_industrywest, cs_infiltration? by Nay ... and that sandy temple one from Mazy. Uhhh too many to mention, each one was so influential and ahead of their time.

It's quite funny, no matter what I build these days, if it's a related theme these old cs maps are the first thing that come to my mind.