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 (x_), Armor (x_), and Ammo (x_)
• Stage Hazards: punji sticks and quicksand

Overview

As the prime example of a Territory map, Sandstorm's basic layout can be described as two triangles tangled with each other. One of the triangles represents the territories while the other represents the team's bases. The sandstorm occasionally appears on the level, slowing players down 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. It's entrances are quite narrow and inside the building there's enough space for close quarter combats. Upper floors give players access to pickups as well ways to evade enemy attacks such as jumping to the crates. It is the only area in the map with a stage hazard, most precisely the ditches with spikes. The Food Supply has two entrances, each for both teams with easy access.

Weapons Cache

All three classes have fast access to this territory. Much like it's early counterpart, there's a bottom floor, which can be used to regain the player's health with the pickups placed there, or preparing strategies. The Weapons Cache has three exits: one that leads to the Oasis, other between the Knights and the Vikings' bases and another one at the exit of the Food Supply.

Oasis

The Pirates and the Knights have faster access to this territory. Capture area is covered by an altar, making it the hardest territory to defend from enemies. There's only one entrance to the Oasis.

Presentation

In the bright sun of the Middle East lies a small town abandoned by it's native people for the sake of running away from three clans who find enjoyment from murdering people. Despite being a ghost town, most if not all of it's architecture remains intact with no signs of vandalism. Between the Knights and the Vikings' base a corridor exhibits the arabian tile art while on the other side of the Weapons Cache a market is located. The town is located near the ocean and the Oasis is protected by the rising of the sea level thanks to a gate, nevertheless a small pond of water is formed around the altar.

History

The original version was very similar to Desertruin in terms of visuals, though with vast differences gameplay-wise: the level's layout included team-specific spawn rooms rather than spawning at various places, like in Trinket Wars. Development of the new version of Sandstorm started shortly after the release of the Beta 2.5 update, with the main goal of giving the map it's own look and new gameplay improvements.

Differences between Versions

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

• the global lightning was much darker;
• appart 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 it had a second floor;
• near the Food Supply there was a quicksand pit which players could walk above it through two 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 it was completely overshadowed by the 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 prop seen in the Oasis is based on those seen in fan-made artwork made by beta tester Pikku;

-Once the Weapon's Chache is captured, team-themed arms appear in the walls. If the Knights capture it, two arms which use the Heavy Knights' sword and shield combo appear. If the Vikings capture it, the arms now use the sword and shield combo for the Huscarl. If the Pirates capture it, two Sharpshooter rifles represent one of the two arms;