Courtyard (TF2 Arena Map)
Developed with Jamie Fox-Canning
Courtyard is a Team Fortress 2 arena map that allows players a variety of play styles, but keeps all the action within a relatively confined space. Shoot from above, retreat below ground, chase through the castle walls, or charge straight for the central bridge.
On the design side...
Jamie designed the original layout without having actually played TF2, simply taking into account what elements would let each class shine—windows to snipe from, high points to rocket jump to, corners for spies to hide in, etc. When I received his design, though, I found it already worked very well with relatively little tweaking. At the time, (mid 2009), most official TF2 maps had desert or industrial themes, so the start of Courtyard's design was being something different. I worked to create a version of the castle idea that worked with TF2's Pixar-esque visual style.
