Description
Dropdown takes place in snowy Maine, where Red and Blue have decided to test new anti-gravity techonlogy by having a game of CTF where the flag is floating in a long chute.
Dropdown is normal CTF, but with a few twists regarding how to get the flag. In Dropdown, the flag (which is in a long chute that leads to the basement) can only be accessed via an entrance near the spawn room. The doors leading to it are closed, but a security switch can be flipped to briefly open up the doors, allowing anyone to get the flag. Once the flag has been stolen, the flag runner must get out of the enemy's basement and run back to the capture point in his base.
Locations
Respawn
This is the respawn room. It contains six backpacks and two grenade backpacks. Be careful while exiting Respawn; it's very close to the flag, so some attackers might throw a grenade or two between the two exits to take out any potential pursuers.
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| overview of the respawn room.
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| The respawn exit, as viewed from the outside. An elevator is between the doors, giving respawning defenders quick access to the security switch.
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Top Hole
The Top Hole is where you'll end up right after yu come out of Respawn. In the center of it is the door that leads to the flag (and Flag Room), to the right of the flag entrance is the Spiral to Security, on the left and right of the spawn room itself are routes for classes with jumping skills to use to bypass the Yard, and in the very back is a detpackable wall that leads to the Generator Room.
Attackers that have a jumping skill should use the routes leading outside. If they time their jumps right, they can bypass the entire yard and end up right in front of the enemy's Front Door. Those that can't can still jump down from it, shaving off a lot of seconds that would be used going down the Spiral and getting to the Yard via the front door, or they can ask a Sniper to shoot them across the Yard (only if friendly fire is off).
Once inside the enemy's Top Hole, attackers should have their anti-Sentry weapons out. Engineers like to place them here, as it's a small room and it's the only way to access the flag. A fellow attacker should scout out the area and see if there's a Sentry nearby. If he sees it or is killed by one, fellow attackers should be very careful when entering the Top Hole. If they don't have the health, armor or ammo to deal with the Sentries, they should make a beeline towards the opening. It's possible that an attacker or two might slip by and get the flag.
Defenders can place Sentries, HWGuys and Soldiers here, as it's the only room that can access the flag. This area is an ideal choke point; the exit from the Spiral to Secrity is small, and going to the Top Hole is the only place for enemy attackers to get the flag. Beware; a fast attacker can slip by; don't get mad if one does.
Defending Snipers can use the exits on the sides of Respawn as sniping nests. They give a complete view of the Yard, are higher than peoplle in the Yard (making it easy to score headshots), and it has a hiding spot (the side pillars) to avoid enemy Sniper fire. Snipers should also give allies boosts if they need to fly past the Yard, but don't have a special jumping skill.
Generator Room
This often-neglected room can be very useful for attackers, as it opens a new path to the Flag Room in Security. However, the difficulty in getting to it in the first place puts off many attackers. To get to it, a Demoman must get to the Top Room, lay a Detpack in front of a crack that's on the left side of the Room's back, then go in and attack the generator a few times. To many it's risk outweighs it benefits, especially since an Engineer can repair it by hitting it with his Wrench a few times.
Attackers should try to deactivate the generator if the have the resources and time. Having an extra route available is always helpful.
Defenders shouldn't worry about guarding this area. If an attacker manages to damage the generator, a few whacks from an Engineer's Wrench will fix it.
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| overview of the Generator Room.
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| The Generator Room from another angle.
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Spiral to Security
This spiral connects the Top Room with Security. It has a resupply backpack for defenders that need a quick boost.
Attackers should be careful when entering this area; defenders can bounce grenades down the spiral. Try to get out this area using your prefered method of going fast. If an attacking squad has a "heavy" class with it, the "heavy" class should abosrb the damage for the team while the weaker ones run by him once he's absorbed a few hits.
Defenders can place Pipe Trap either at the top or the middle of the spiral. A HWGuy places in the middle can also do some damage because of how tight the spiral is. Defenders can also throw grenades down the spiral to give attackers a surprise.
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| Overview of this Spiral.
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Security
Security is where the switch is housed. If the switch is touched, the door to the flag in the Top Hole opens for 60 seconds. This room has two connections with the Flag Room; the first one is to the left of the switch itself, while the other is past the room with the team-coloured lasers blocking it.
Attackers should only focus on hitting the switch. Once the switch is touched, they should run over to the Top Hole ASAP. If the flag is down the shaft, they should use the entrance to the Flag Room that's to the left of the switch to quickly go into the Flag Room. If the generator is down, they can use the path once-blocked by the lasers.
Defenders should have at least one Soldier and/or HWGuy here at all times. They can usually finish the job that Snipers and defenders at the Front Door started. They should place themselves in front of the switch, so that the attackers have to run into them in order to hit the switch.
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| Overview of Security.
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| This switch deactivates the door that leads to the flag in the Top Room and a door in the Flag Room that leads to the Ramp.
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| The flag can be seen in Security, but can only be accessed via the entrance in the Top Room.
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Spiral to Flag Room
This spiral can be used by attackers to quickly reach the Flag Room if the Ramp has too many enemies. It has a resupply backpack on it's top for defenders that need a quick refresh, but can't go to the respawn room.
Attackers should treat this spiral like the one that leads to the Top Room. They should have their best weaponry out just in case they bump into an enemy while going down.
Defenders should also treat it like the spiral that leads to the Top Room. A HWGuy placed on the bottom can exterminate Scouts and Medics in a matter of moments, and gravly injure anybody else trying to go down it. Soldiers also work well because of the large splash radius their rockets have.
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| Overview of this spiral.
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Flag Room
The flag room is where you will end up after you get the flag. It has a window that allows you to see the Water Path. It has a door on it's left that is only open when security down. This area leads to Security or the Ramp.
Attackers should get out of here ASAP. This is a prime location for defenders to place Sentries, HWGuys and Soldiers (especially above the resupply bag that's around the pit). Hopefully, the security will still be down, so you should go up the stairs and go through the door on the left. If it's down, you'll have to use the path on the right side of the pit. It leads to the ramp or Security, depending on where you want to go. Attackers should throw the flag near the center of the room or on the outer rim if they think they can't make it past the defenders. Having the flag laying in an open area is much easier for fellow attackers to grab it than it lying in a corner with Pipe Grenades and a Sentry right in front of it.
Defenders should focus on getting a sentry, Pipe Trap or HWGuy placed here before the flag is taken. A great location for a Sentry is the floor that's right above the resupply bag that's on the pit's rim. It covers the entire pit and it's difficult to throw grenades at the sentry. A sentry that's in the pit can also make short work of attackers coming through the shaft, but it's easy for attackers to hit it with a grenade or two.
Once the flag is taken, attackers can get out of the Flag Room in a matter of seconds. A Pipe Trap placed right on the bottom of the shaft is a great location for one; it'll always gravly injure or outright kill an attacker. Make sure you have somebody guarding the entrances to Security and the Ramp. Attackers like to sneak through those entrances to surprise defenders. If the attacker group is small, it can be almost impossible for them to grab the flag because of all the firepower that can be put in this room.
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| Overview of the Flag Room
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| This is where you end up after getting the flag.
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| If security is still down, you can go through this door.
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| [[]]
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| Once you reach this spot, you can exit the base via Secuirty or the Ramp.
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Ramp
The Ramp connects the Flag Room with the Front Door. It also hosts the grate that blocks the end of the Water Route.
Attackers should have the grate blown up ASAP. THey need as many routes as they can. They can also use the Ramp as a an alternate path to the Security switch, allowing them to bypass the defenders clustered around the switch.
Once an attacker has the flag, he can use the Ramp as a getaway to get to the Front Door. he should be careful of resistance around the Front Door. If he dies traveling up the Ramp with the flag, a quick ally can grab ther flag from under the defender's noses.
Defenders should place themselves near the bottom and top of the ramp if the flag has been taken. Attackers will use it to get to the Flag Room and gt out of the Flag Room. A Sniper on the top can be very useful against enemies that are running up the Ramp, along with a Demoman shooting Pipe Grendes down the Ramp. Soldiers can also be useful on the bottom.
If the flag has not been taken, a Sniper can defend the Ramp while taking out enemies in the Yard. If somebody gets close to the Ramp, he can take out his Auto Rifle and unload on the enemy. He'll give the attacker a few good wounds, and might even kill him.
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| Overview of the ramp room.
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| This grate can be blown up with a Detpack, allowing attackers to use the Water Route to get to the Flag Room.
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| The grate blown up.
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Front Door
The Front Door can get very hectic, as a vast majority of attackers go through it to get inside the enemy's base. The first line of defense, such as Snipers and a HWGuy or two, should be here. The left side of this room contains the Cap Point. It can be accessed with a nearb ladder or a special jump technique, so flag carriers should be careful when reaching this point. Staying in one position, even in your own base, can allow enemies to take you out at the last second.
Attackers need to get out of this area ASAP. It's tightness makes it easy for a Sniper's Auto Rifle or a HWguy to tear you to pieces. Attackers should just get out of here via an attacker's prefered method of going fast. Staying back and fighting can take off a signficant portion of his health.
Defenders should focus their first line of defense, such as Snipers and a Soldier or HWguy. This is a good location for Snipers (especially Rambo ones), as their Auto Rifle works very well in it's cramped space, the stairs leading to the Ramp can be used to avoid enemy Snipers, and it allows them to get a good shot of incoming defenders. They usually won't get a headshot here, but they can tag enemies, allowing fellow defenders to track where an attacker is going.
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Yard
The snowy Yard connects the two bases. The pond leads to the Water Route, the front of the base leads to the Front Door and the upper part of the base leads to the Top Room.
Attackers only need to worry about other attackers taking potshots at them while they pass. The real chalange is inside the enemy's base. At the start of the match, Demomen should use the Water Route to get to the Detpackable grate that leads to the enemy's Ramp.
Defenders shouldn't bother with this area. It's largeness makes it difficult for HWguys and Sentries to operate efficiently. However, if an attacker takes the flag out here, a Pipe Trap and a Solider can stall the enemy for a minute or two.
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| Overview of the Yard. The small pond leads to the Water Route.
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Water Route
The Water Route is an underused route that leads to the Ramp. It's lack of use is because a Detpack-destructable grate blocks the way to the Ramp, and ally Demomen seem to forget to place a Detpack in front of it. On top of that, the Water Route cannot be accessed via it's exit, so attackers that use it and don't have the grate blown open can't go anywhere.
Attackers should have a Demoman place a Detpack in front of the grate when the match starts. Attackers need all the routes to the Flag Room they can get as soon as possible. Once the grate is down, attackers should start mxing things up by using it to get into the enemy's base and bypass the hectic Front Door.
Defenders in the Flag Room can see who's coming though the Water Route via the windows directly across from where attackers land right after they get the flag. Attackers can't see through the window on their side, so this is a great way to catch attackers off-guard with a Pipe Trap or HWguy right in front of Water Route's exit.
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| The Water Route can get pretty dark, so make sure to bump up your monitor's brightness if it's hard to see things.
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| Defenders can see what's going in the Water Route via a window in the Flag Room.
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| This is where the Water Route ends.
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