Treatment - CS2 PVP Wingman Map in Playable Blockout State
Engine: Hammer 5/Source 2 - Timeframe: 1.5 Months - Team size: Solo - Link: Steam Workshop
Goal: Community wingman maps are currently missing in the CS2 map pool (2v2 maps), sparking me to try making a wingman map with a more traditional layout and good flow while learning how to create open play spaces and fun angles, and balance a pvp map.
Treatment is build to give players options in how they want to attack or defend a site, and allows for quick rotations. The map is based on a sewage treatment facility, with CTs starting inside the facility and Ts attacking from the outside. Players will have close quarters fights on site, or can look for long range fights in the water area outside.
Pre Production
Planning
To start this project I based the map off of a bomb site rough blockout I made in engine when I was trying to understand how to design a site. This ‘sketch’ had silos making up the main cover, and some paths showing the routes in and out of site. I liked how open it felt so I decided to make the wingman map with this site as a starting point.
I made a simple writeup of the map idea and some basic layout sketches to get me started fast so I could really see if my ideas would work in practice. From previous experience I know my sketches will change very fast once I build in engine, so I do not try to spend a lot of time getting all the details in the sketch, just a general idea of where routes will go and where objectives are places.
Writeup of the map after site was created and layout sketches
Production
Below you will find each section of the map and a breakdown of changes made and why I made them through each iteration. The map went through 5 major versions, version 1 being the site blockout I started with and version 5 being the current “final” version. Versions 3, 4, and 5 were playtested with others to check if the map was working while also getting feedback and observing play. Each video starts with V1 and progresses to V5.
Overall Layout
Let’s start with a general overview of each version of the map. The T spawn is at the bottom of each picture, and CT spawn is at the top. Refer to the top down map to understand where map locations are.
V1: Ts would enter through the higher elevation hut (left), and CTs would enter from the hut down the hill behind site (right). The site is placed between the T entrance and the connector to another part of the map to allow for Ts to choose either route in. The silos provide cover to play around and change position easily, but they are too close together making the site feel too tight.
V2: V2 is my first try at the full map. V1 site remains unchanged. Ts have 2 main paths to site, one through Water (the long area) and the other through a Sewer (bottom right), which then splits left and right for 2 exits to site. Sewer requires climbing down a ladder, then climbing back up one or peeking forward up a ramp, both do not feel good to peek from. CTs have a ramp down to hut to get them into site, and a little hallway into Water. The connector from Water to Site is very open and does not feel comfortable to push due to all the angels.
V3: For V3 I fixed a lot of the problems from V2, completely changing the Sewer path to be on the same elevation as T spawn and making it much simpler. Ts also have a connector in Electric that allows them to either move into Water or Heaven, a elevated area looking into site Ts can drop down from. Taking the Heaven route feels more close range than the Park route, providing variety in engagements. Site has been opened up to be less crowded, but still giving CTs multiple places to hold from. Door (Water to Site connector) has been greatly improved with a small door choke point and angled wall behind it to remove long sightlines into Site. Lastly a new CT path is added that lets CTs enter site by Door, giving them another way to push or retreat.
V4: V4 makes a lot of changes based on V3 playtesting feedback and observations. Main changes are removing ladders when there can be an easier way to move up, adding in ramps to areas where players should be able to silently walk around, and cleaning up angles to force players to push in more if they want to see more of an area. The overall layout stays mostly the same, but the entrances are moved to provide more interesting angles (players peeking each other on the same X and Y plane is boring!), and complex areas are simplified (Water especially).
V5: To get to V5 I made a V4.5 where I rebuilt the whole map in one skybox because I could not manage all they skyboxes I was working with before using inverted boxes. This allowed me to clean up the skyline and make sure players could throw grenades where I wanted them to. I was able to add more setting features, like the Large Treatment Facility CTs spawn in, and the tall silos providing grenade lineups. Site was changed most to have Garage where CTs rotate in from and give them fun spots to play from. V4.5 was playtested and I made some small final changes to CT and T timings so the map was more balanced.
Door
The Connector between Site and Water. Door is a maintenance entrance into the Water sewage area.
V1: Basic idea of a connecting path into site.
V2: Too open to Water, allowing for very long angles looking into site. The raised geo was too exposed for players to play on and the short pillars were difficult to jump on top of.
V3: Closed off the long sightline with angled wall and removed the short pillars. Added rotation connector from CT spawn into Water Con area
V4: Pushed the CT con door behind the angled wall to remove a sightline from T heaven into CT con, to allow for CTs to rotate more safely.
V5: Added a silo to the end of the angled wall to seperate the site and water con more.
Garage
CTs entrance into site from CT spawn. Garage is the loading dock for the Facility.
V1: Covered entrance with 2 exits for CTs to take different engagements from when moving onto site.
V2: Removing the covered entrance and making 1 path into site with boxes to play around and a nook in the left wall. This was too open for CTs to rotate into and the fight from T Park to Garage was very boring since the angle was straight and unobscured.
V4: Opening up garage so CTs can more easily rotate into it and play from inside, however the fight is still too long ranged and Ts in Park can easily see CTs move out of garage.
V5: Removing the outside section with the nook and box to push Garage forward and shorted the engagement. Added a ramp and elevated geo on the sides to give multiple ways to play Garage. The Truck added outside of Garage also helps to block line of sight, and makes the engagements more close range while also giving both Ts and CTs a fun piece of cover to peek from and hide behind. The open ceiling window looks nice and allows CTs to throw grenades out of.
CT Spawn
Where CTs start the round. Paths to Garage, Site, and Water. CT spawn is an open lobby in the Treatment Facility.
V1: Simple ramp down into the hut entrance to start with and short hallway into Water.
V2: Adding connectors to Garage and Site/Door area. The ramp does not feel good to move down, and fighting from it is awkward. Water hallway unchanged.
V3: Changing the connectors so there are no deep sightlines into them, which helps CTs rotate and forces Ts to push deeper if they want info. Making the ramp area much bigger so movement feels smooth.
V4: Editing the connectors a bit again after the rebuild. Opening up CT spawn to seamlessly flow into the ramp area while blocking long sightlines with elevation change and a small railing. Added a window to throw grenades into site. Water hallway opened up and lets players exit to the right instead of straight out which was awkward to peek into.
V5: Small tweaks to make window look like a window and a box to drop down to from CT spawn to get out to Site faster. Also pushing up CT Lobby for faster CT timings off spawn.
Site/Heaven
The general bombsite area. Ts push from Heaven and CTs hold on site. The site is a loading area and Heaven is the scaffolding around a building being constructed.
V1: No heaven yet, just the covered nook players can hid it. Multiple silos around site to play from.
V2: Site is unchanged. It feels too small and only allows for plants in the open.
V3: Adding Heaven as a high elevation path into site. Site is opened up more for players to move easily. A pit is added in the left corner of site to give Ts a safe plant, and CTs another angle to play from, but a central box also allows for safer T plants. Players can do a skill jump from the site box to the box by the right wall to get into Heaven, risky movement for good positioning.
V4: Unchanged
V5: Bomb plant area is moved into the left corner so Ts have to push in more to plant if they come from Park or Heaven, but gives them a quicker plant coming from Water. Making the pit much less deep since the elevation change was too great and the fights were awkward. Adding a silo to the Door wall to break up the two areas more and stop CTs from quickly repositioning to the other side of the wall. Adding geo outside of Heaven for players to easily bounce grenades off of. Closed off the deep corner between Park and Heaven because Ts had trouble clearing CTs hiding there and the pathing did not feel good when players had to hard clear a very deep corner.
T Spawn
Where Ts start the round from. Paths to Water, Electric, and Park. T spawn is in the Park area outside of the Treatment Facility.
V2: Started with an open area for T spawn. Very fast path into Water means Ts would be able to stop CTs from coming out of their entrance into Water. Small entrance into Sewer where players would take a ladder down. This was too exposed and was hard to navigate.
V3: Changed the Sewer path entirely and added Electric room connector to give Ts another path into Water, and a new path to Heaven. Pushed T spawn points back more so the Water fight was even with CTs exiting.
V4: Changed the paths sightlines a bit but T spawn is still the same as V3. If CTs pushed into Park they had too much info for little risk. Similarly with Heaven CTs could look into T spawn from far away.
V5: Rebuild of the map made me change Electric to be its own building. This helped to remove the long angles into Heaven, and give CTs less info if they pushed deep into Park. To make T timings longer off of spawn I built a pit for them to spawn in and one ramp out, making their timings to Heaven and Park longer while keeping the Water timing the same.
Electric
A T side connector area from T spawn into Water or Heaven. Electric is a maintenance building that houses wiring and controls.
V3: Electric was added in V3 to give Ts more routing choices. They could move down into Water or up into Heaven from this room. A Ladder was used for movement into Heaven, but the placement was too open and did not provide a safe way to peek if a player was pushed into Heaven and holding. CTs could see too deep into Electric from Water with little risk.
V4: The ladder was replaced with a ramp to Heaven for smoother movement, but the Heaven line of sight into T spawn is still too deep. The door to Water has been made thicker so there is no deep angle into Electric anymore.
V5: Electric has been split into two distinct levels with a ramp on the left wall to move down to Water. The doorway to Heaven has been tightened so no deep angles between Electric and Heaven are present. Electric’s T spawn doorway is moved to the left wall (on the same wall as the Water door) so CTs have to push deeper to get info on Ts moving to Park. The doorway was also lowered so CTs on Walkway would not be able to see Ts feet in Electric.
Park
Path from T spawn to Site. Park is a nice outdoor Public Park that neighbors the Treatment Facility.
V2: Started with 2 paths up out of the Sewer. Ts took a ladder on one side and had little room to prepare their peek, and on the other side a straight ramp leads them into site. Peeking forward up a ramp is very awkward in CS2 (usually players want to be moving laterally into the angle they are peeking so they can counter strafe) so this ramp did not feel good.
V3: Full rework of the Sewer lead to a path on similar elevation as T spawn and a simple curved path to the site with a staging area for grenades and peeking.
V4: Removed the large pillar right outside the exit since it made the site feel cluttered. Added some geo on the back wall of Park so players could have some choice in the peek they took.
V5: Opened up the back area of Park to make it less tight, but still kept sightlines that required player to push deeper in to get info.
Two images per version
Water + Walkway
Long area with two distinct elevations for CTs and Ts to fight over.
V2: Started with a long area for CT and T to take long range fights. CTs are closer to the Door connector to site, while Ts have to push into Water’s lower section to reach Door, or they can fully wrap by staying up on Walkway and getting into CT spawn, creating an interesting map flip. CTs had an exposed ladder to move them between Water and Walkway but it was hard to move on.
V3: Put more cover on the CT ladder, but still not smooth to use. Added a pillar in the middle of Walkway for cover but it was not used for fights.
V4: Simplified the CT side of Water. Changed CT entrance to Water so they had more cover when entering and could peek laterally. Removed the open ladder area under Walkway. Added a box to the middle of walkway for both CTs and Ts to push up to. Added large boxes under Walkway for a path up and down. Made the boxes on T side of water into a ramp so player could walk silently. Removed the angled geo on walkway to give players more room to move.
V5: Added a small piece of cover to the lower area of Water for a CT hiding spot. Added windows to CT spawn exit to Water for them to easily throw grenades out of. Removed some of the geo on the lip of Walkway to show players where the box ‘stairs’ were.
Four images per version
Gameplay and Walkthrough
Watch a match being played on the final version of Treatment, and hear some of my thoughts on the final map.
Walkthrough
Gameplay
Post Mortem
After finishing Treatment I took time to write a post mortem to reflect on my work. I will focus on my strengths and improve my weaknesses for the next project.
Final thoughts
Making an enjoyable PVP map takes time, playtesting, and lots of iteration. I am happy with the work I did to make Treatment an enjoyable wingman map for players. I was able to learn a ton about blockouts, angles/sightlines, timings, and theming for PVP spaces. This project has shown me I am able to create solid PVP maps with the proper process, and that I want to keep building PVP spaces right away.
Thanks for reading this exhaustive breakdown of Treatment! I was not sure how to best show my process over lots of iterations but I think breaking down each section into its changes for each version worked well enough. If you have any feedback, want to play a couple matches on Treatment, or want to discuss level design reach out to me on X or LinkedIn!
