I will lay out some design principles I like to keep in mind first, then a section for each map: I will try to provide
a characteristic image or screenshot of the map, the BZ version it was built for, its date, and a .zip file with the
map file itself (a .bzw file) and the configuration file (.conf file) that it was run with. (Please note that "Version 1" maps allowed just simple boxes and pyramids, with fixed textures and colors. Version 2 maps have some predefined shapes, but also allow arbitrary meshes and texturing.)
Some of these will run 'out of the box'; others, mainly those designed for early version 2 servers, may have
trouble acquiring the textures needed to run. As I say at a higher-level webpage, I explicit put
these maps in the public domain - please feel free to use them, or parts of them, as you like. Credit
would be nice but isn't required.
The dates are approximate - I didn't keep track of them, so they are mainly the file dates - meaning some may
have been written earlier, and then copied across machines, giving them a new file date.
In general for each flag in BZFlag that grants some advantage, there is another flag that
acts as a counter to it - for instance a tank with GM (Guided Missile) can't easily touch a tank
with ST (Stealth). It's important to keep this idea of balance in mind when designing maps - it
wouldn't be too hard to great impregnable positions, but maps with those wouldn't be any fun to play.
I've played on a variety of maps, many of which are excellent; one of my
favorites has been a modified form of original MadCity map. I believe that
the original MadCity was by someone known as Grape of Wrath; this
was then modified and ran on the Turkey.Moongroup server and Hashmark, among
others. From it and other maps I've distilled a few principles I like to see in
maps - here are just a few:
This is an attempt, in a capture-the-flag playstyle, to recreate
a bit of a World War One battlefield. It's currently not ready to play, as some
textures have disappeared. I expect to repair and run it in the near future. It looks
like just one or two tree types are missing.
There is barbed wire, the bright little green pyramids are "mines" which will kill you
if you hit them. There are shell craters to hide in, and trench systems on either side. Here's a view near one base,
with its trench system, and white panels for missing tree textures:
This overhead view shows the two team bases and the "no man's land" in the center, which
has the barbed wire and mines:
A CTF map for three teams, each with a castle. Symmetric. It tends to have an interesting
play style, as the castles create both offensive and defensive unique opportunities.
A CTF map written for a friend ("Bene Gesserit"). It has rectangular areas above the sea,
which can be a challenge (OO flags, for instance, aren't a good idea). The different rectangular
areas offer different play opportunities, and one of course may shoot across between them.
I violated one of my design principles about having "secret spaces", as one may jump through
the roofs (rooves?) of a few of the buildings, and shoot out. It's not obvious at first, my apologies,
but it does allow for a few protected spaces - it seemed necessary with many players, as life was
otherwise short.
This was my first map using the new features available in version 2. It has several novel
features: Gaussian hills, Highways, and a Greek temple. I named it
Ionian Pathways because I really focused on various routes through the map,
rather than on creating particular neighborhoods (though those are certainly
there). It is quite open, which would be great for Laser.
The highways in this map let you move quickly from one part of the map to
the other; each highway has two lanes, going in opposite directions, which
move you quite rapidly if you get up on them.
The Gaussian hills are mainly for eye appeal and laser ricochet; they are
pretty easy to go down, almost impossible to go up.
This map didn't do as well in the contest, but I think it has one novel
central idea that makes it worthwhile. I wrote about this some time ago
on this page, speculating as follows:
Although I don't play much Capture the Flag, I've thought of an idea I'd
like to try for a map. The map would have different isolated playing
areas (either on the surface, or on platforms up in the air). These
areas (probably 10 to 15 or so) would be connected in a simple topology: a
team base at either end of this web of areas, the web providing pathways for
reaching the opposite team's flag (two pathways are shown in the diagram
)
Note that this is a logical layout, not a physical one. The
physical implementation might look very much like an ordinary map, but certain
areas would be reachable only via particular pathways. The number of
pathways probably has to depend on the number of players; but three would
allow some strategic thinking (e.g. "Let's fake a strong assault up the left
side, and when the other team commits forces, we'll strike on the
right".) More intricate topologies would be possible to allow supporting
tanks to move in, but this would require larger teams.
Each node would be a battleground: for a team to move to the opposite
team's area, it would have to conquer each of the intervening nodes along at
least one path. These should be well-defined battles, perhaps with each
area having a distinct flavor. The two bluish nodes in the diagram above
are intended as augmented defensive positions, possibly platforms above the
team and close-in nodes to allow last-ditch defensive support.
So now here is such a map below. There are three "pathways": the central diagonal, and
the two routes outside of the central diagonal on either side of it. The walls of the
diagonal prevented any tank from changing from one route to another - this was before the
Wings flag.
Here is my description from the contest submission:
This is my second (and therefore last) map for this contest, a Capture-The-Flag map for two teams. The key idea in this map is something that I don't believe I've ever seen in a CTF map before.
This one main idea is key to understanding and playing the map; I will start by describing it in a basic form, then explain how a more interesting variant is presented here. The larger goal of the concept is to encourage more team cooperation and communication - these are necessary here to win.
This map has the bases in opposite corners, and three main and separate paths to get from one base to the other: centrally along the diagonal, up across the top of the map, or down across the bottom of the map. In its simplest form (without teleporters) once you choose one of these paths, which start close to the bases, you can't change - the paths only intersect near the bases. Teams must choose on which paths they will
concentrate strength, and then commit to those decisions (the only alternative being a local defense of their base, which is no way to win). Once the tanks are out on one of the paths, the only way to get to another path is either to go back to their base or on to the enemy's base.
What this means is that one team can locally overwhelm the other team on one of the three routes - which results in a controlling a route to capture the enemy's flag and get home. The remaining two routes need some form of minimal defense, but a small, well-organized team may quite readily beat a bigger team. It is a matter of planning and communication; certainly luck (say with spawn locations) will play a part, but assessing the enemy's intentions and coordinating an offense will give a team a substantial advantage. As a side note, this also changes the importance of certain flags - Stealth for instance can give you a strategic as well as tactical advantage, as your team may move to dominate a path without tipping its hand.
The three paths have different playing styles - the bottom one is more open, the top has some vertical options, and the center one is more like street fighting; a team could pick its favorite. In the top and bottom routes there are good defensive positions near the chokepoints at each base, while the central path is designed for a good fight over the central teleporters. All of this is probably clearer if you view the map in BZEdit or Observer mode in BZFlag, and get up high.
I wanted to allow a little more fluidity in play than 3 isolated routes would provide, so I did provide some interconnection. In the center of the map (in the middle route) are teleporters to the top and bottom routes (and one can get in to the center from those other paths as well). Topologically, it's as if you took the symbol for infinity and drew a horizontal line through the middle - three routes to the left from the center to the purple base, and three routes to the right leading to the blue base (in fact this map started as such a network diagram). This makes the center of significant strategic and tactical value - a team controlling it can shift strength to the flanks as needed. It's like controlling the center of a chessboard - you can set the agenda, and keep the opponent on the defensive. This also means that the top and bottom paths have a
midpoint worthy of control - the teleporter location, out near the non-base corners - an area sometimes of little interest in diagonal maps.
The map is completely symmetric - both sides see the same effective half-map leading to the center, so it is completely fair. As there are three separate main paths, it would be particularly good for a large number of players (say, 9 or more on a team). If the tanks are too sparse (e.g. 3 on a team) the strategic logic may be blurred by the tactical exigencies that arise, and the value of the map will be less clear. There are 75 boxes, 39 pyramids, and 4 teleporters, for a total of 118 objects which need rendering - lag should not be an issue even for a lot of users.
As I use the name "The Purple Panzer", I wanted one of the teams to be purple; the other is blue, simply because I don't see it all that much on servers. (As the documentation seemed to be contradictory, the bzfs qualifier I use is "-mp 0,0,0,4,4,4", setting 4 blue, 4 purple, and 4 observers, 4 just for my testing purposes - higher is better.)
My name for the map is "BZ Pharoah", as if you view the map with BZEdit, rotate it a little and put it at a distance, the map seems to be a sort of stylized Pharonic face. Most of this pattern emerged naturally from the design constraints - it was only when it was nearly complete that the image become apparent.
Collaboration 1
| Name |
ZIP file |
Type |
BZFlag Version |
Date |
| Collaboration 1 |
collaborator1.zip |
Version 1 |
1.10.2 |
2004 |
(Note that oddly this file has a .map extension; that may have been the original BZFlag extension, or perhaps
it was the way we provided pieces to be put together into the overall map).
You can read about the Collaborator Project at Shellshock;
I was one of the four designers for the first project.
Here's an overview of what the map looks like:
My First Map: Two Fortresses
| Name |
ZIP file |
Type |
BZFlag Version |
Date |
| Two Fortresses |
firstmap.zip |
Version 1 |
1.9? |
2003 |
For my first map, I created two fortresses in opposite corners, with
different aesthetics.
One fortress has crenellated towers, and looks vaguely like Windsor
Castle, with a large round tower. In the very corner of the map is a
building with a teleporter, which will take you to a floating platform above
one flank of the fortress.To enter this fortress, you must either leap
the walls between crenels, or drive through a large arched entrance (or leap
from a siege tower positioned outside the walls).
The second fort is a bit simpler, but has connections out to outlying
towers.Aesthetically it is much less ornate.&Its main entrance is
easily defended by firing shots through a one-way teleporter, and its walls
are too high to leap upon from the ground. Teleporters allowing access
to the inside of the fort are vulnerabilities; inside, the main structure is a
parliamentary building.
In the middle map is a town/village, set in a stream of pyramids, which
loosely partition the map into two halves. In the corners opposite the
fortresses are relatively open spaces with a few structures (including a sort
of modernized Roman fort, partially roofed to provide protection from Guided
Missile attacks.
I think that this map provides a variety of playing challenges, and
generally fits the principles above. It is simple enough to be
understood quickly, but some of the platform height and distance combinations
are a bit subtle.
I think this map was the first to use crenelations on walls, though I have no way of knowing.
It could easily, and probably should be, modified to be a capture-the-flag map. Also, with the
V2 improvements, the central forest and overall aesthetics could be very much improved.
My Second Map: Borg Cube
| Name |
ZIP file |
Type |
BZFlag Version |
Date |
| Borg Cube |
borgmap.zip |
Version 1 |
1.9 |
2003 |
The idea for this hit me in an instant, and it took a fairly short time to
create it. The central theme is that players fight inside a 3D cube
suspended in space, modeled very loosely on craft of the "Star Trek: The Next
Generation" enemy known as the Borg.
You start out ("spawn") on the ground, in one of a small number of
squares with teleporters in them; each of these teleporters is connected to a
teleporter inside the cube. This means that you really can't fight very
much on the ground at all, which is the idea.
Inside the cube are a number (25, I think) of levels (or floors); each only
partially covers that slice through the cube, so it is relatively easy to jump
up to the next level or fall through to a lower level. Vertical walls
and pyramids interrupt each floor, so that you may well have to move in three
dimensions to get from one place to another. When driving, it is almost
as easy to go up and down as it is to move on the horizontal.
Teleporters inside the cube let you move around from point to point fairly
quickly.
Outside of the cube there are several NCC 1701 class starships, which are
useful to jump to.
Tactically, this is a very different sort of map - you have to think and
move in the full three dimensions, and the radar isn't particularly good for
estimating vertical distances. It changes the flag/weapon utilities too:
Shockwave is excellent, Guided Missile quite limited, and Oscillation
Overthruster just drops you a long way down.
Later, I did a Version 2 map with textures relevant to the Borg. You may grab it here:
newborg.bzw. One note: it used to be, when BZFlag Version 2 arrived,
that textures could be hosted virtually anywhere - when I glanced at this .bzw file I found
references to some sites other than the "one" current bzflag texture directory, images.bzflag.org.
Essentially all textures must be there, unless one modifies the DownloadAccess.txt file.
It would certainly be possible to move the textures to that directory using the BZFlag Image
Submitter, assuming there are no copyright issues. (I point this out as this map may not run
correctly "out of the box").
Valley of the Dammed
| Name |
ZIP file |
Type |
BZFlag Version |
Date |
| Valley of the Dammed |
valley.zip |
Version 1 |
1.10.2 |
2003 |
(The odd name is of course a pun on the dam in the map.)
This was a simple idea to start with; it grew a bit, until I decided to try
to keep to a strict blockcount limit (back before Version 2 this was a big issue).
This one is sort of a combination
of the underlying concepts of the above two maps: it is very playable and
relatively simple, but with a lot of vertical play.
The hill on the right side is hollow; players may get in via teleporter or
"caves" in the cliff faces (think of Qumran). I put a number of
pyramids inside that cavern to prevent spawning there - sort of a waste, but
there really wasn't any other way to do it back then.
If you get into the "water" behind the dam, it can get a little
disorienting - I tried to make it so. Some fighting may take place
entirely underwater.
MadCity Extended
| Name |
ZIP file |
Type |
BZFlag Version |
Date |
| MadCity Extended |
bigmadcity.zip |
Version 1 |
1.9 |
2004 |
I created a 600 x 600 version of MadCity, with the central 400x400 being
the unchanged original (modified) map. I first extended the roads,
etc. in obvious directions, then tried to add new neighborhoods in the spirit
of the map. There are only 427 blocks pyramids in it, which is a
good thing given the size (600x600=360,000 in area, vs. 400x400=160,000, that
is, this new map has more than twice the area of the original).
MadCity Reflected
| Name |
ZIP file |
Type |
BZFlag Version |
Date |
| MadCity Reflected |
MirrorMadCity.zip |
Version 1 |
1.9 |
2004 |
I've played a lot on the MadCity map, and at times it seems just too
familiar. So I created a mirror image of it, which of course has all
of the same tactical opportunities as the original, but is sufficiently
different that it's refreshing.
It is quite fun to play on if you're used to MadCity, as everything is familiar,
but in an inverse sort of way - kind of like something out of a dream. It reminded me
very much of when I first played on MadCity, and didn't know it so well - some of my
memories of first perceptions came back to me.
MiniMap
| Name |
ZIP file |
Type |
BZFlag Version |
Date |
| MiniMap |
MiniMap.zip |
Version 1 |
1.10.2 |
2004 |
This was an exercise in working with a substantial constraint.
With version 1.10, it has been possible to change the world size.
I used this to create the larger MadCity map above, with for each coordinate
runs from -600 to 600, instead of the standard -400 to 400. I thought
I'd try to create a smaller one. This map has X and Y coordinates which range from -150 to 150, so it is
significantly smaller than most standard maps.
I've added three playing
levels above the base field, so it isn't quite as tiny as it might seem,
although it is still small compared to standard maps.
On each level are teleporters to take you to the other levels. A
convention is used: the taller the teleporter, the higher the level it takes
you to; this sizing convention is the same on all levels, and the teleporters
always appear in the same relative positions (in a line). So you can
tell without much thought where you'll end up. The only oddity is the
teleporter which takes you to the level you're already on - this is rigged as
a mirror, so that it might be tactically useful when firing and jumping.
You may also climb to several of the levels without using the teleporters,
so if you have Stealth you can sneak up on someone at another level.
And, as a final note: the world does look interesting from the tallest towers
on the top level.
Minas Tirith
| Name |
ZIP file |
Type |
BZFlag Version |
Date |
| MinasTirith |
minastirith.zip |
Version 1 |
1.10.2 |
2004 |
The idea for this map was to represent the valley between the 7-layered
city of Minas Tirith and Minas Ithil (Minas Morgul) from The Lord of the
Rings. It was a bit of a challenge to do this with Version 1 objects.
In the center, running diagonally, is the river Anduin, and the small town
of Osgiliath. In one corner is Minas Tirith, with the seven circles of walls,
and the tree at the top. In the other corner is the large Black Gate and a
fairly stylized representation of Minas Morgul. Off to one side (not strictly
correct in Middle Earth) is the spire of Orthanc at Isengard; a teleporter
links it to Mordor. There is something like an evil eye in the sky over Mordor,
which you can get to if you find the right teleporter.
Wild West Map
| Name |
ZIP file |
Type |
BZFlag Version |
Date |
| Wild West Map (HugeMap) |
HugeMap.map, textured V2: HugeMap.bzw |
Version 1 and 2 |
1.10.2 |
2004 |
This is a very large map, an experiment in using wide-open spaces, really just
an experimental idea.
The inspiration for this was that people seemed to like to jump around servers
every 15 minutes or so, to play on different maps. The idea was to have several maps,
only loosely connected, on one server, so that players could have that experience without
having to change servers.
The best way to think about it is that there are several towns scattered about
a large plain. In the center of each town is a teleporter, which will
take you to the next (or previous) town - this is the way to move about
quickly if you need to cover a lot of space.
My hope was that each town could become a battleground by itself, and that
moving between towns would almost feel like moving between servers.
This picture only shows two of the six towns, but you get an
idea of the amount of space present. While I've enjoyed playing on it,
scattering a few more teleporters around in a way to allow quick intuitive
guessing of where they might take you would help the play a bit. It
really does have a different feel right now though, soothing in a way.
Two Towers
| Name |
ZIP file |
Type |
BZFlag Version |
Date |
| Two Towers |
TwoTowers.map |
Version 1 |
1.10.2 |
2004 |
This is another experiment in very vertical fighting; think of it as two
skyscrapers, with fighting going on between them (sort of like the opening to
Monty Python's Meaning of Life Chartered Accountants.
Each tower is make up of three-floor cells. Within a cell you move
between floors by jumping; between cells you use teleporters. The taller
teleporter will take you up, the shorter one down.
UnitBlocks
| Name |
ZIP file |
Type |
BZFlag Version |
Date |
| UnitBlocks |
UnitBlocks.map |
Version 1 |
1.10.2 |
2004 |
As BZFlag sometimes reminds me of the blocks and toy tanks that kids play
with, I thought it'd be interesting to build a map using the unit blocks idea,
where each block dimension is an integral multiple of some basic size.
This Unit Blocks map is the result. (I likely would have given them a wooden
texture, as unit blocks have, had Version 1 allowed it).
I didn't stick with this idea entirely, first because it obviously isn't
the most efficient way to build a structure - when my son builds with blocks,
he can use may of them to make up what would be single larger one in
BZflag. Beyond that, I wanted to toss in some additional elements,
notably a representation of Stonehenge as it looks now.
This map is really pretty simple and small, but has a lot of play
opportunities.
Arena
| Name |
ZIP file |
Type |
BZFlag Version |
Date |
| Arena |
(missing) |
Version 1 |
1.10.2 |
2004 |
This map was done at a server owner's request ("Jules the Jackal"). He
wanted something very simple for a one-on-one fight (that is, the server would
only allow two players), loosely patterned after the old Star Trek episode in
which Captain Kirk battles the Gorn commander (a lizard-like creature).
Note the U.S.S. Enterprise floating above the battlefield, which one could
reach via teleporter.
Winter Map
| Name |
ZIP file |
Type |
BZFlag Version |
Date |
| Winter Map |
GoodWinter.bzw |
Version 2 |
2.0 |
2009 |
This was an experimental map, trying to create a world where players might virtually
"smell the winter pine trees". The rooftop snow, iirc, was "drivethrough", so one's tank
might be knee deep. The atmosphere worked, great to run around Christmastime
The big downside was that the messagebox at the bottom of the screen, which often showed
messages in white text, was effectively unreadable. This version has off-white snow, a little
bluer and a little grayer than the original white, so it is playable.
There are several maps I've just lost - some played quite well at the time. If I can
find them I'll add them to this list. Most of the missing ones were hand-designed Version
One maps, done iteratively based on play experience. Some early Verion 2 maps used textures
that may never have made it to images.bzflag.org, so even if I find them I'll have to replace
those with currently-valid textures
"Iterative design" used to be the thing to do, as one could see how players interacted
with a map - especially when there were lots of different players. Simple things became
clear, like "put in more pyramids as otherwise Laser is nuts". I'd wished that servers would
keep stats: where people were killed with each weapon (flag), and, additionally, where killers
with each weapon were. (Not to burden the developers, but this could just be a log file, allowing
others to write visualization tools - I'd do that, make them available). This, for instance, would
show camping areas that were more powerful than intended, as well as vulnerable regions of the map that
might benefit from some obstacles.
Another idea: I've thought about using registration points to help make crazy
ricochet shots possible. Each registration point might be a small box up
in the air which you could see on radar; you drive under it, and line up
(possibly the box points, or there is a second box or pyramid further along,
sort of like a gunsite). When you fire, the bullet may do quite a few
ricochets before hitting a pre-determined place (perhaps a doorway,
teleporter, or camper site).
The way to put these in is to work backwards, shooting from the target spot
and seeing where the bullet goes. I expect it'll be something of an
iterative process to get things just right, even if I compute the math beforehand,
but it might add a lot of fun to the game. Particularly, I could imagine a map where using such
registration points is virtually the only way to hit the enemy.
