Aim Pier - CS2 1v1 map
Engine: Hammer 5/Source 2 - Timeframe: 1 week - Team size: Solo - Link: Steam Workshop
Being a fan of 1v1 servers in CS I wanted to make a 1v1 map that had a bit more angles than peeking out from behind a wall. This map was created while I worked on a wingman map based on waterfront piers, and lead to me doing an art pass to get the ocean dock setting.
I took a look at some of my favorite 1v1 maps to see what they did well, and learned from my previous 1v1 maps to improve aim pier. My goal was to create a map with elevation, and many different angles players could fight from so 1v1s would not get stale quickly.
Research
Dusty Divot
One of my first 1v1 maps that did not play very well.
Too much cover and not enough at the same time due to thin tall pieces of cover, leading to players holding one angle but being seen from the side by the enemy.
Too tight of angles, leading to playes having to shoot very fast and usually missing.
Too short, leading to players being able to rush each other extremely fast.
Only one spawn point for each side so players always knew where the enemy started, which could be good, but removes the element of surprise after playing for a while.
Dusty Divot
Crashz Dust 1v1
An aim map by Crashz with elevated sides and a lower center area that plays well.
Elevated sides open up new angles to peek down, while also giving players cover if they stay below the steps.
Recessed middle area can hide players from the elevated sides, but the car in the middle makes it hard to flank the enemy.
Crashz Dust 1v1
Aim Pier
The final map feels great to play on and achieves the angle variety I wanted to have. With the help of a quick art pass the map really feels like a seaside pier and helps make it more memorable to players.
3 spawn points per side give players more variety each round. Spawning at a different point forces players to peek differently
Elevated center gives players cover in their spawn location and allows them to move around without being seen, but they can still be caught by an aggressive enemy pushing into the center.
Asymmetric edges make both the right and left side of the map play differently.
A simple art pass with textures and props really helps to sell the locations players are in. Since this map was based off of piers on the ocean I made a 3D skybox to get an ocean effect, and used different wood textures to make the geometry feel like a nice boardwalk.
