Seriously - if you don't get this map then your orientation skills are simply... lacking...

I mean - cp_science had great directions already but this takes it to a whole new level. The only thing Shmitz might have done to make it easier to get to the next point is glue the players to some kind of conveyor belt.

The problem, in my opinion, is not the layout itself but the fact that the map is like a new gameplay mode without a clear front-line that sways back and forth (ironically very much like ccp_circlejerk - at least when it comes to the central points). No matter how many CPs you capture the enemy can get everywhere pretty quickly.

I ran this map on a special Custom Map Weekend on one of my community's servers and it was rated quite low initially but then players adapted and it got a boost in scores.

Indeed, voice communication helps a lot but if you simply pay attention to the HUGE freakin' arrows you simply CAN'T get lost unless you're retarded (I mean that quite literally).

This map not only looks very good and is original but also is, hands down, the best scripted piece of map-making I've ever seen. Every trick has been used on it: dynamically changing tc_hydro-style arrows, dynamically changing "control point ->" signs, custom CP symbols, dynamically changing spawns and unlocking doors, even a dynamic overview map in the spawn (maybe you should add more of these, Schmitz? ^^)...

You, sir, are my hero and I'll gladly help with testing any new projects since we have a 24/7 Custom Map Server now (with cp_science2 on it, of course).

P.S. In my opinion the "laser effect" looks a bit cheap (with no apparent lighting and stuff), almost as if taken from HL1. I'd really rather if the energy was flowing in a constant stream (a straight line), perhaps with a hint of particle effects... As you can see I have to struggle to find something that could be improved on this map. ;-)

This is a beautiful map. I love how it's really very compact but still has a lot of variety. I've seen some great battles around the middle point.

But... there's a problem...

Like the original version, Science2, works very well when the players know the map. But what I often see on public servers is a core of 3 or 4 regular players who know their way around OK, while the rest of the team run around like headless chickens in the dead areas of the map. So a 12 vs 12 turns into a ragged 4 vs 4 with random interruptions from confused wanderers.

Sad to say, but this great map can actually be a bit of a server emptier if team communication isn't excellent. I think people get lost repeatedly, can't find their way back to the cap point, get killed in a random encounter and just quit in frustration.

I can see the designer has made a great effort to improve this aspect - the directional signs are some of the best I've seen. But for the average pub n00b, it still isn't enough.

Even I still get a bit lost, though I've played this map 30 or 40 times. Something I still find confusing is rushing out the wrong door of the spawn (especially the forward spawn), and instantly finding myself lost and apparently miles from the battle. It's extremely frustrating to lose a point because of this.

I'm posting this because I just quit a science2 map after ten minutes of play for a combination of the above reasons - the server went from 24 players down to about 15 by that time. To be honest, I'd say it's becoming more and more common for me to quit Science2 before the round ends.

Sorry to give such negative feedback on a map that's obviously had such care and attention lavished on it by the designer.