[CS:GO] Caligula (Classic 5v5)

Hi all,

I recently started working on Caligula, a classic 5v5 map for CS:GO.

Caligula is set on the island of Malta in the 1960's. For this project I'm going for bright colors and great visibility. So far I worked on the main layout. I then slapped some textures on it, to define a mood and see how I can set this map apart from other maps with the usual "mediterranean" setting. I'm also playing around with my own dev textures this early, to spot any problems with visibility early on. The layout has not been playtested yet, so any feedback is greatly appreciated.

This friday I'm doing a first playtest, so I expect the layout to change a lot after that.

Workshop link: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/fi…/?id=2412138868

Thank you for showing an interest in my project and I look forward to any feedback!

Latest screenshot:

Original OP:

An overview shot of T spawn. T's spawn on that little bridge over there.

The way up to A, towards the church in the distance. Bombsite A is right behind the church.

Bombsite A features some old Greek ruin.

To get to bombsite B from T spawn you have to go through this little fish shop. The official callout for this place is simply "fish".

The area where T's can set up to enter B.

Bombsite B, featuring an old statue, currently a boilerplate prop.

A view into bombsite B.

Hi guys,

As I wait for a first play test to happen, I make progress on the more "artistic" side of the mapmaking. This is very important to me, to explore what kind of atmosphere I want the map to have. While I've never been to Malta and I certainly wasn't around in the 60's, I daydream about life in Caligula, my fictitious place on the island. This doesn't involve any progress to the mapfile itself, I'm basically just shaping this place in my head. What was believable there, how was everyday life like? Even: what are the people like and what did they do? I try to use my imagination and walk around the place in my head, I meet people, look at the buildings. What does it smell like? And so on...

Reference material is essential to this, to make the place feel alive and believable. So today I would like to share some of those moods I've been throwing together, so you guys can get a feel for where this is going.

I also wanted to share this amazing video with you guys, 36 minutes of Malta in the sixties. This has just been an amazing resource for me:

In the sixties Malta was an architectural mixture of "newer" and old greek influenced buildings. While not all these photos are from Malta, they give me a sense of atmosphere...

Color is going to play a pivotal role in making Caligula feel alive, while also providing the map with a great flow, great understanding for new players and unique look. I'm mostly exploring bright yellow / white tints, with elements in various shades of lively blue and the occasional color accent of red / purple / pink.

Signage on Malta in the sixties was clean! Many typography examples I find from the island are just straight modern looking. This is perfect, it fits directly into a map that's going for a "clean" look, while still being believable. The last thing I want to do is make the map feel "too much" or over-detailed. Visibility is a huge factor and these clean typographic signs feel just right!

I'm developing some standout areas in my head. Ancient greek ruins on A bombsite, a more modern statue on bombsite B, a fish market, a flower stand, maybe a fruit stand, a costume maker with these typical 60's men suits, maybe a chocolatier. Since the map has some height difference, especially nearing bombsite A, I also want a beautiful view on the sea. Important to making these places feel living and breathing, will be to provide a fitting soundscape: the occasional bird, the scream of a seagull in the distance, a mediterranean wind, cracking wood, flowers at the flower stand in the wind, etc

Thank you so much for reading my nonsense, I hope you like where this is going! Feedback is highly appreciated as usual!

Friday evening we had a first play test. The game ended with a 15-15 score and overall good vibes. People said they had fun and liked the map, which was more then I could ever expect.

Of course I also received feedback. One of the main problems with the map was that once T's took a site, it was very hard for CT's to retake. The cover on the sites wasn't really valuable, making T's push out the sites as soon as they planted the bomb. Since rotation was also a bit slow on this map, this caused firefights in unexpected spots and CT's feeling like they didn't stand a chance to retake (even though they did succesfully a good few times).

I thought players adapted to that fairly quickly, but I still felt like this made the gameplay a little bit too "random".

My newest update hopes to fix all that.

Gameplay altering updates in this version: - B now has more the feeling of a bombsite: more cover to plant the bomb, more cover for afterplant scenarios, closed the OP lines of sights into CT spawn and connector, making it a riskier move for T's to push out. - A has better cover, windows from appartments are opened up and more useful for CT as well as T. OP line of sight into mid was fixed. - The one-way from B-site to CT spawn is now opened up from the CT spawn to allow for faster rotates. - The one-way on mid from yard now works both ways. - Connector is now S-shaped and takes a bit longer to traverse. CT's rushing around from B long can't get there as fast as previous, making connector less of a meat grinder, allowing for more tactics instead of brainless rushing.

@esspho Thank you very much for checking it out and for your feedback. A new update I've been working on for a few days now will address all your issues. Hopefully I'll get the update online this coming week.

Hello there,

I finally found the time to push this map a bit further. I took a little break from it and came back with fresh perspectives. I reworked lots of areas, but the most important ones are A site, A long and A main.

My gripes with the map were that it was all a bit too corridor-y, so I tried to make it more of a map that has spaces connecting instead of small and tight hallways. You can clearly see that on the new radar

If you want to check it out in game, here's the workshop link: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/fi…/?id=2412138868 I've also got a Caligula 24/7 server running, feel free to check it out on the server:

Just some quick screenshots to keep you guys posted on the progress. Layout-wise the biggest changes were made to mid-connector to B and B long.

The route to A long has been shortened. There's also a nice view now.

The theme of A bombsite has been fleshed out more. The layout has been slightly simplified.

Entrance to mid from T has been widened and a new one-way window was added for players to rotate faster from B long. (playtesting needed)

A view from outside the playable area looking into CT spawn. The theme of the map is slowly but surely developing.

Quote from Byron

On 9/13/2021 at 6:51 AM, Byron said: Loving the theme and the layout looks interesting. The map is quite large though and it feels like there is space that can be removed or used better. I think the alternate CT route to B is too out of the way and can be connected to the other route. I also think the T route to B is too convoluted, with the two paths taking roughly equal time and serving almost identical purposes, as they connect very frequently. I think if you just combine them it will improve readability and flow a lot. A site looks very unique, it's interesting that mid control isn't entirely necessary for any of the paths to A, but I think it will play well. Excited to see more

Thank you so much for your detailed feedback. I'm seriously considering your feedback for the next update.

Sooo...it's been two years since I've started my CSGO mapping journey with this map. I didn't have a whole lot of time to work on it, so there's months of no progress. But I'm dedicated to finish it and I'm working on it again. Here's a couple of screenshots of the progress. Also, I'm looking for a talented 3d artist to create some custom props, if you're interested, drop me a message!