TribalBob's new map Semois 2

TribalBob: Not a problem! Hard to say... nostalgia, perhaps? I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that I've been away from the multiplayer mapping 'scene' for so long that I've been sort of refreshed as it were. I ended up burning myself out around the time of Dawn of War II when I pitched in for a few maps. It wasn't until recently that I looked at the WB again and thought "Yeah, maybe I can give that another shot." Definitely the plethora of talent from the community and all the great maps that have been created helped, too! It's hard to look at the stuff everyone is pumping out and not get inspired!

TribalBob: Well, the main reason is that I work on this stuff at home, during my spare time. The CoH2 World Builder isn't available outside Relic offices, even to me! So it makes it difficult to map for that project. The instant feedback is another reason - I can get the map out, you guys can play it and provide critique then I can iterate and the cycle starts anew - plus, it's a map you can play right now, rather than waiting for another project to release. Thirdly, it's something I'm familiar with in that I've built far more maps for CoH1 than I have for CoH2 - so I can sort of dust off the cobwebs and get back into my groove.

TribalBob: Streaming the map was purely sort of a last-minute idea I had; I wanted to stream something more CoH-related, and since I tend to get my butt kicked in automatch, this is a bit more friendly and low pressure thing to do.

TribalBob: Well, first off, I would like to clarify that I did not mean there would be a patch; if I gave that impression, I apologize. I wanted to be clear on that so I don't end up with those 'higher-ups' breathing down my neck . That said, getting the map into the automatch rotation IF it proves to be welcome by the competitive community is something I would like to work towards. We may or may not do it, it'll depend ultimately on the powers that be; but at the very least it can be available as a custom map anyone can download. However, getting it put into automatch rotation does not necessarily mean there would be a patch to accompany it beyond putting the map on everyone's hard drive, of course.

TribalBob: I know, that would be my fourth reason for making a CoH1 map!

TribalBob: Haha, if you can plan a whole event around one map, that would be impressive!

TribalBob: I had no idea, though it doesn't surprise me - Beaux Lowlands is a unique map, definitely a bit different from the other 1v1 maps.

TribalBob: Well, there were a few things. First off, and this was the biggest thing, I wanted it to feel like Semois - sort of like how de_dust2 feels like de_dust (people who play Counter-Strike will get the reference), but still offers some new gameplay. Semois was a labor of love - it was the very first map I built at Relic, and it was really the catalyst that got me pushed from QA to Designer. I actually built Semois 2 in a very similar fashion that I did to Semois - which is sort of counter to how I build most maps. It was important to retain the feel, so I used a lot of assets that were used in Semois - there's also a lot of features that made the move: the graveyard, the cafe with outdoor seating, the market and of course the River Semois itself.

Secondly, I wanted to 'fix' some things that I felt were sort of nagging little loose ends. The Semois pin was one of the major issues; and I went into this with the intention of eliminating it completely. However, as the map grew and evolved I started to realize that the pin had sort of become part of the map's signature. Removing it would almost make the map less like its parent; so instead I opted to reduce it. It's still possible to pin units that come down the main road, but they also have the ability to flank (via the hedgerows) and get around it. I also wanted to allow for some more crossing points into the central area; hence the additional bridges.

Thirdly, I wanted the map to be something that would be competitive; which is ironically the hardest thing for me. I like to build maps to be aesthetic, but sometimes looks have to make way for game play; so I wanted to challenge myself to be flexible in that regard and ensure that first and foremost the map could be something that would provide as balanced an experience as possible. Overall, I think of Semois 2 as a love letter to the community for their commitment and support to CoH over the years.

TribalBob: The second album is always the hardest!

TribalBob: Well, we'll see

TribalBob: I will go on record as saying Imperial Dane is in the right, and I stand corrected. The map now uses the same Church model; I actually was not aware we kept that asset (shows how much I rotate the camera about during a game). Pardon, as well as Stephenn and Barton. All three were right.

TribalBob: Well, the church in Semois was pretty strong - a sniper in the bell tower could cover almost all approaches, and it always seemed be the central point of contention over the VP. Churches in general in CoH can be tough nuts to crack, so I wanted to provide some more ways to assault it while not making it utterly useless. It was actually the very first object I placed on the map (after the VPs) and I built up heavy cover walls on either side to offer attackers good approaches - the graveyard also offers a few more spots of heavy cover, so the church can now effectively be assaulted from almost all sides. At the same time, there's not a lot of shot blocking objects close by, so you still have some good sigh-lines for garrisoned units.

TribalBob: It's hard to say; I like to think that new strategies can emerge from gameplay given time. It's like peons harvesting resources vs strategic point resource systems. For years and years, RTS games always involved building a little guy, sending him to a mine, or some ore or what have you, then waiting for him to return. Smart players could target those peons and kill them; thus crippling the other player's economy. I seem to recall some uncertainty when Dawn of War 1 released that it was going to move to a capture point system (I remember, because I was one of the nay-sayers at the time!) But it proved that you could still cripple economy by decapping points; and we didn't even have territory in that game! The gameplay guys are aware of the concerns and we'll always keep an open mind when it comes to what the community thinks; but I do ask to give it some more time during beta and see

Truth be told, we had no idea what the territory system was when we put it in CoH1 - we sort of had to stumble around in the dark before we finally realized how we could properly utilize it to produce the gameplay that exists today.

TribalBob: The Alt version features two additional crossings - one to the far north and to the far south. Rather than connecting the two sides to the central island, it connects the two sides to each other. A lot of games I watched seemed to show that one side (usually Americans) would take the central island and hold it fairly easily while the other side sort of hit their head against the wall again and again. The purpose of the additional crossings were to open up some more flanking - and hopefully let the other player get around behind the island. In addition, I reduced the crossings to the center island to three a side.

Other than that, everything else is the same - though the +16 and +10 munition points connect via the new crossings.

TribalBob: I've worked with a Brit for 8 years and all I've learned is 'bullocks' and an odd way of pronouncing Cider (Sigh-derr). Gameplay-wise, I'm very happy with the territory layout; I think it hits similar gameplay to its' predecessor. Dare I say I may also have built a map with bridges that the competitive crowd likes? On the Aesthetics side, I'm loving pretty much everything! The Graveyard is my favourite part of the map, and I'm quite pleased with the 'rainy sunset' atmosphere (though I'll likely make a clear day version for those with less than stellar PCs). This was actually the first map I've arted (maps at Relic are beautified by our talented art team) and I'm quite proud of my work!

TribalBob: Yes, my comfy, comfy bed which I'll be retiring to, now. But also all the folks in the community helping with testing; HelpingHans, Complexity, 12azor, CrackBarbie, DevM, Stephenn, Rogers, OnkelSam. But also the mappers out there making maps for the game like WhiteFlash, DrunkinGambit, Spanky... there's probably more but my brain is dead right now so I apologize if I missed anyone.

TribalBob: Haha - if I see him (and can catch him)! Thanks, Ami!