oc_holdthefort is a teamplay map designed for Obsidian Conflict in which players fight on the team of either rebels or combine soldiers. The rebels and combine have different strengths/weaknesses as well as different unlockable features. The main feature of this map is the unlocking of team specific abilities which aid in capturing/defending.
Teaser Video (Watch it in High Definition)
Backstory:
The rebels held this particular base, an old Soviet-era military installation, as a major strategic location in protecting the rebels and scientists at White forest from combine assault. However, after failing to keep control, they must regroup and assault the now combine fortified base. Fortunately, a small group of rebels managed to blow the nearby tunnel shut as well as a mountainpass just south of it. The combine have nowhere to go and must defend the base at all costs. (See 'Additional' for chronological information.)
Gameplay:
- 10 points are awarded for every 10 seconds of successfully holding the base.
- The first team to defend the base for 2500 seconds wins.
- Each player is allotted 1 life. Once the entire team is dead, they respawn back at their base with another life.
- The attacking team must capture the base by infiltrating the outer walls and underground interior to "hack" the control console.
- Various security systems make entry into the base very difficult, however a smart strategy is to disable the security through the separate "surface security console" which is more vulnerable and must be closely guarded.
- Combine thumpers keep the antlions at bay and can be disabled to bombard the soldiers manning the wall turrets with a stream of antlions. However, care must be taken, as the antlions will attack the closest enemy first.
Team Rebel Features:
- A rebel merchant will sell you weapons and supplies for kills you contribute to the rebel cause.
- Rebels start with no armor but it can be purchased through the merchant or found throughout the map.
- Purchase of the physcannon or "Gravity Gun" will allow you to unlock alternate passages to the base.
- Purchase of the vehicle will allow quick movement and advancement past enemy defenses, also enabling the driver to plow through various combine obstacles and hardpoints.
- Purchase of C4 plastic explosive will allow you the option of blowing your way to an alternate route and also unlock some hidden areas within the base.
- Purchase of the radio allows the rebels to call in a friendly helicopter to reek havoc from the sky.
- After capturing the base, rebels can use the Gravity Gun (if they purchased it previously) to interact with various "base-building" gameplay mechanics.
Team Combine Features:
- Combine soldiers start with rechargeable armor making them twice as hard to kill as unarmored rebels.
- Combine have great defensive positions and fortifications.
- Combine can purchase NPC re-enforcement to man bunkers/turrets.
- Combine can call in dual gunships to hunt down rebels hiding in the treeline.
- A designated player can remain in the control room to operate the interactive holographic map which displays base breaches and can direct canister bombardments.
- Combines recapturing the base can choose to trade their weapons for a cloaking device and a pistol instead.
Base Defender Features: (Rebel or Combine)
- The base defenders can direct mortar fire using the binoculars on the observation level of the base. However, they are very susceptible to sniper fire.
- Various mounted guns can be placed at the players choosing for a more customizable base defense layout.
- 4 hard-point bunkers are located around the outer walls which are protected by an energy field. However, an infiltrator disabling the defense system will disable these bunker shields.
- A small bunker toward the coast protects the southern route while a small bunker built into a hill protects the main road passage to the base.
Additionally:
- Until a proper system is coded in, my map will change your player model to match the combine vs. rebel teams. I'm not happy about this, but I don't have any other options.
- I spent a good amount of time creating a dropship that would drop players off but due to a few code issues I have to scrap this concept until a later time.
- There are a handful of other abilities/areas that can be unlocked but those are for the players to figure out themselves.
- Both teams have an unlockable room at the beginning of the map which quickly explains some of the mentioned features for new players.
- The level design for oc_holdthefort will be featured in a much larger co-op map series I have been working on for the past 2 years. In the "HL2-shiftey universe" timeline, oc_holdthefort is toward the end. oc_escape_c17 -> oc_undersiege -> oc_holdthefort
Screenshots (Alpha):
