Island
| Island | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Booty | |||||||||||
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| Map File | bt_island | ||||||||||
| Author(s) | Gaz | ||||||||||
| Introduction Date | Beta 1.0 | ||||||||||
| Theme | Caribbean | ||||||||||
| Number of chests | 6 | ||||||||||
| Timers | |||||||||||
Pirates |
240 | Vikings |
240 | Knights |
450 | ||||||
| Pickups | |||||||||||
| Health: X9 | Armor: X9 | Ammo: X7 | |||||||||
| Stage Hazards | |||||||||||
| Castle gates, void (secret room, only) | |||||||||||
This sunny caribbean Island is a popular destination that features open outdoor spaces, sheltered caves, and calm waters.
Overview
Island is unique in that all of its chests are initially stored in a single faction's base, specifically, in the Knights' castle's throne room. To balance this monumental advantage, the Knights start with almost double the tickets of the Pirates' and Vikings' timers, although they can tick away rapidly if the Knights successfully defend the castle and all six of the chests.
The Pirates and Vikings have a selection of paths that lead to the castle. Aside from their regular path with the bridge, the Pirates can use a cave at the back of the castle to reach a dungeon. The dungeon has a staircase which gives direct access to the throne room, and many players use that staircase to throw kegs and explosive specials for surprise attacks. There's also a small tunnel under the bridge leading to the same dungeon.
The Vikings can access a cave near the entrance to their base to reach their own staircase, or use an underwater cave near the castle's gates to reach it instead. The structure built on top of and around the entrance can be accessed for a couple of pick-ups, and to enter the Vikings' base from a slightly different angle.
The path that connects the Pirates and Vikings passes (from the Viking's base) over a bridge across a stream of deep salt water, followed by the Hubb Jubb Café's esplanade before finally ending (in the Pirates' base) after a long cave tunnel. There are two alternate paths: an underground path inside the tower of the Vikings' base which leads to the esplanade, and the Hubb Jubb Café that players can enter to by-pass the cramped tunnel, instead stealthily approaching with a clear view of, and direct access to, the Pirates' base.
Throughout the map there are interactive objects scattered around, like the gates and the dungeon's lever, the DJ's table at the Hubb Jubb Café, and a seemingly endless supply of boxes and barrels.
Presentation
The whole level takes place on a deserted island with a medieval castle built in the middle of rocky cliffs, a small Viking harbor/market, and a beach. The map can be divided into three main areas, and a bonus area.
The Knights' Castle
The castle has three floors: from the top to the bottom, the spawn rooms, the throne room (indoors) the terrace (outdoors) and the dungeon and storage; all of these floors can be accessed with the staircases in both of the castle's turrets. The spawn rooms have access to the crenelations, which are helpful for Archers. Outside the stone walls, the paths are uniquely decorated with luxuriant palm trees on the Pirates' path, and rocks and straw targets on the Vikings' path.
The Pirate Bay
The Pirates are safe on their massive pirate ship, but the raft they load the chests onto isn't nearly as secure. The crystalline water hosts schools of fish, and sneaky swimmers preparing to ambush reckless attackers. The rocks can serve both as cover, and as sniping platforms. A small path hidden behind the rocks on the Knights' side contains pick-ups for those who run out of ammo. Across the water and up a small ramp on the Vikings' side, there are more pick-ups, and direct access to the Hubb Jubb Café.
The Viking Town
In a more urban setting, the Vikings make use of their drakkar to stow the gold. The harbor tower and thatched roof on either side of their base are good places to shoot and ambush from. Defenders should beware, thieving Pirates may transport chests through a tunnel below the tower. This one-way trip puts chests dangerously close to the Pirates' base, and defenders stuck in it are significantly less able to respond to new threats.
The Hubb Jubb Café
More than just a shortcut, this shack is a place where enemies can rest after long a long day of looting, stabbing and obliterating. The calm ambiance and nice music make this break worth taking (unless you thirst for gold, rather than water). Not only that, but it also has a secret place; by activating the X somewhere in the shack and jumping to the nearby hammock, a small room located at the World's End can be visited.
History
Island's original release was similar to the GoldSrc mod version in terms of layout, where the Pirates spawned at the shoal, the Knights at the terrace and the Vikings at the drakkar; both the shoal and the drakkar were still used as chest areas. Compared to the PVK1 version, the map itself is much tighter to avoid pacing issues and the shortcuts were created for less linear gameplay. The Pirate ship had yet to exist in this version. The Viking Town had several differences: one could swim in the harbor, use cannons, and get stuck in the lower floor of a flaming hut. The hut was removed in following updates because chests could easily be thrown there.
In the Beta 2.0 update many changes were made: the Pirates' Schooner was introduced, the Knights' spawn rooms became located in the upper floor of the castle, new geometry was implemented for a more polished look, and the Viking Town got major changes, including a new building layout and improved balance, although the vikings respawned outdoors. Their current respawn base would become updated in Beta 2.3.
Despite the map's popularity, Island was highly criticized because of spawn camping on the Knights' side, since they weren't protected by incoming attacks from Vikings or Pirates that went to the upper floor to grab the health pickup, which itself was placed in front of Knight players. Despite the demand, Gaz didn't have the time to fix the problem due to his hard work in Pinegrove, being only able to fix glitches like an invisible block which let Pirate players reach the Vikings' spawn room. The Knights' spawn room was updated in the Beta 3.0 update, fixing most if not all of its issues, as well introducing a new asset: signs, taken from Pinegrove, mostly for decorative purposes.
The Beta 3.1 version brought a more defined path for the underwater cave at the Vikings/Knights path, and thus more options for the Norsemen. The secret room was updated and no longer accepts chests.
In Gaz's dev journal it was announced that in an upcoming update Island would no longer use textures from Half-Life 2, for they will be replaced by newer ones made specifically for the map.[1] The new textures were introduced in the Beta 3.2 update, in June 2015.
On January 2016 a hotfix patch was released to prevent a major exploit in Island, where certain brushes in the map could delete chests, leaving the server unable to end rounds if all chests were "killed off". The same bug was also found in Pinegrove.[2]
With the release of the October Map Update 2017, the Vikings' spawn was improved, introducing an alternate path that leads to the garrison, thus taking less time for them to reach the Knights' castle, as well enhancements to prevent spawn camping, also a common criticism from longtime players.
Trivia
- For some time players believed that palm trees were climbable, however the developers debunked the rumor by "updating" the trees. Despite that statement, a palm tree in the bridge between the Vikings' town and the Hubb Jubb Café can be climbed up by crouch jumping;
Gallery
Loading Screens
Beta 1.0
Beta 2.2
Original Wiki Description
Stranded on an island in the Carribbean lies a small castle. This castle has been holding chests of treasure for many years, but the Knights who control it are in for a huge surprise. Docked nearby are two enemy ships, one bearing Vikings and one bearing Pirates.
At the start of each round, the Knights team controls 6 chests. It is their job to defend the chests with as much honor as possible.
The Pirates and Vikings task is simple, storm the castle and steal the chests. Things may get a little more difficult, though, when it comes time to hold the chests. They'll be fighting with the Knights and each other to hold as many chests as possible.
It must also be noted that all three teams will need a strong will power to avoid hanging out in the Hubb Jubb Cafe drinking all day!
| Official Maps |
|---|
| Booty | Forgotten - Island - Pinegrove - Townsquare |
|---|---|
| Trinket Wars | Desertruin - Fort - Frostbite - Temple - Tortuga |
| Last Team Standing | Arena - Cathedral - Gravedanger - Town |
| Territory | Cara - Sandstorm - Tortuga |
| Deathmatch | Fort |