Sandstorm

Sandstorm is a Territory map, notable for being the first official map to ever be released for the game mode. Five years after his release, Sandstorm received a major makeover, receiving new textures and lightning, giving new life to the map.

Stats

• Map file: te_sandstorm
• Mode: Territory
• Authors: CrazyTalk, Jahhur (original version), Ubermann (updated version)
• Original Release Date: Beta 2.3 (December 2009)
• Updated Version Release Date: Beta 3.0 (October 2014)
• Theme: Ruins (Arabic)
• Capturing Time: 150
• Pick-ups: Food (x4), Armor (x5), and Ammo (x7)
• Stage Hazards: punji sticks and quicksand

Overview

Sandstorm's basic layout can be described as two overlapping triangles. One of the triangles represents the territories, while the other represents the teams' bases. The titular sandstorm occasionally appears on the level, slowing players down and obscuring their vision unless they go inside the buildings, where the sandstorm has no effect.

Food Supply

The Pirates and the Vikings have faster access to this territory. Its entrances are narrow and the interior is equally not-spacious. The upper floors contain pick-ups and present opportunities to evade attacks, but players must stand in the central "pit" to capture the territory. The spike pit near this area is the only one likely to have a player fall into it at some point.

Weapons Cache

All three factions have fast access to this territory, but the Pirates have fewer pick-ups to fall back on. Like its previous incarnation, there's a lower floor with a food pick-up. The Weapons Cache has three exits: one leading to the Oasis, another laden with pick-ups lies between the Knights' and the Vikings' bases, and final one leading to the Food Supply.

Oasis

The Pirates and the Knights have faster access to this territory. The only entrance is not only above the territory, but also obscured from within by hanging banners, making it harder to defend from direct assault, but easier to defend from ranged harassment.

Presentation

In the bright sun of the Middle East, a small town lies abandoned in the wake of three factions bent on territorial conquest. Despite being a ghost town, most of it remains intact with no signs of vandalism. Between the Knights' and the Vikings' base a corridor exhibits Arabian tile art, while on the other side of the Weapons Cache is a market. Intricately woven carpets adorn most of the map.

History

The original version's appearance was very similar to Desertruin, though with vast differences gameplay-wise: the level's layout included team-specific spawn rooms rather than the random battlefield-based spawn of Trinket Wars. Development of the new version started shortly after the release of the Beta 2.5 update with the goal of giving the map gameplay improvements and a unique appearance.

Differences between Versions

Apart from recycling textures and aesthetics from Desertruin, the original version of Sandstorm was different in many ways:

• The global lightning was much darker.
• Apart from some urban buildings there were also massive garrisons surrounding various places in the level.
• The entire map was surrounded by cliffs, as if it took place in a canyon.
• The Food Supply was much less covered and had a second floor.
• Near the Food Supply was a quicksand pit which players could cross with a couple of wooden planks.
• Many of the very few props in the map served as platforms.
• The Weapons Cache was completely covered by a major building, followed by a smaller one.
• The Oasis looked like a generic oasis and was completely overshadowed by rocky cliffs.
• The Pirates' spawn base was vast, occupying at least a third of the area that surrounds all three territories, giving them massive advantage over the Knights and the Vikings.
• The original version had no sandstorm, of all things.

The trailer that announced the Beta 3.0 update showcased an unfinished version of the map, with a paler lighting, an early version of the sandstorm particle and several differences in the level's layout, specially on the entrances to the Weapons Cache.

Trivia

The Gestir and the rubber horses. Art by Pikku.

• During the development of the updated version of Sandstorm there was a bug where a player could capture the Weapons Cache under the actual capture area by jumping through the floor. The bug is shown and explained in a Source Filmmaker video made by member of the PVKII Team Dinah.[1]
• The rubber horse ring in the Oasis is based on those seen in fan-made artwork made by beta tester Pikku;

• Once the Weapon's Cache is captured, faction-specific weapons appear in the various weapon racks and around the territory in general. If the Knights capture it, longswords and crossbows fill the weapon racks, while swords and shields adorn the walls. If the Vikings capture it, the the racks are filled with the team's various axes and a few spears while the Viking swords and shields are mounted on the walls. If the Pirates capture it, various guns, cutlasses, and the Sharpshooter's dagger appear in the racks, while rifles decorate the walls.