"Ladies and gentlemen, 2v2, Red versus Blue, Live and Uncensored for your viewing pleasure!"

Welcome to to Ultiduo_Champions
A stadium-themed 90-degree map with a Power-Up™!
You can find the TF2 maps link here!

Screenshots:
Opening Shot
Mid Point Layout
Blue Side
From Red Spawn
Inside Blu Spawn
Top-Down

(I created a new thread for Champions because it is an entirely new map after its latest re-work)
Champions is a 90-degree mirrored map that comes with an item that when picked up, gives the user 4 seconds of crits.
"But wait that's just a gimmick!"
Now hold on, we've actually done our best to make this balanced.
The Power-Up™ can only be picked up by the team that does not have the capture point, and respawns in 35 seconds. Capping again will reset the spawn timer for the Power-Up™ and switch the team that can pick it up.

Here's how the Kritz Power-Up™ works:

• The match begins - the Power-Up™ is disabled for both teams
  
• One team captures the point (We'll say it was Red for example)
  
• Red caps, the doors to the Power-Up™ raise open
  
• From the time Red caps, the Power-Up™ will spawn in 35 seconds, and only Blue can collect it.
  
• Blue collects the Power-Up™, they get 4 seconds of CRITS
  
• The Power-Up™ respawns again in 35 seconds, unless Blue caps.
  
• Repeat until someone wins.

The Power-Up™ spawns slow enough that there's a good amount of time for a vanilla fight - it's only when the point has been held for at least 30 seconds that the equalizer comes out. Once it spawns, the defending team not only has to defend the point, but also defend the Power-Up™ at the same time.

Playtesting has been a blast! For one the Power-Up™ spawns just a little ahead of the typical time for an ubercharge, so the defending team just needs to keep the other team from the Power-Up™ just long enough to build a charge, after which countering the crits is super easy. But the crits also offers an easier way to force the ubercharge so the other team doesn't sit on it for two minutes! And what's great too is that the medic can pick up the Power-Up™ too, and there have been some insane moments with crit ubersaw hits so that maybe that would make playing medic on this map a bit more exciting.
The crits are also not totally unavoidable too; even if the other team picks it up there's still plenty of opportunities to dodge the crits around the mid-point-nipple. Also worth mentioning is that there is not place on this map accessible to the soldier and not the medic - in other words wherever one goes the other may follow (With some precise jumping of course)

So if you're up for Ultiduo with a bit of a spin, give this a try! It's super fun I promise!

Ultiduo Champions had at last a few rounds of testing, so I felt confident enough to just make a few adjustments. They are as follows:

Cap point corners:
The capture point had corners on either side and because of the way it was on a slope, it was really easy to just walk up to the point and avoid a lot of splash damage - it made people walking up to the point very hard to hit. I made the point circular and lowered it, while also adding a small railing to push players away from hugging the base.

The big wall things:
initially there was a big diagonal wall in front of spawn. I removed about half of that wall and lowered it so you can just straight from spawn to the point. Verdict's still out if this was a good idea at all but I suppose we'll see.

Cap time:
Decreased from 12 seconds to ten.

Health and ammo:
Added a bit of high ground near the back to balance out he center point and the pillars on either side, plus kept the small ammo pack on it. I moved the health a bit more forward and put it on the platform closer to the point, so the medic as they are running away can grab it if things go south.

Minor bug changes and fixes

https://tf2maps.net/downloads/champions.7607/updates
Here's an image!

2v2, Red versus Blue, Live and Uncensored for your viewing pleasure

So the last ultiduo project I worked on was Ultiduo_lookout, and after UGC seemed to enjoy it, it inspired me to continue working on a map I've had floating on my hard drive for a good few years.

Welcome to Ultiduo_Champions
A stadium-themed 90-degree Mirrored 2v2 map.
TF2Maps link you'll find Right Here

Here are some screenshots, just in case
Overview(BLU)
Mid
Top-down

Champions is supposed to feel like a tournament, so I kind of wanted a lot of it to feel like a stage of some sort with spotlights, crowds cheering in the distance, winner's podium, etc. Obviously that's all detail for later. The focus for now is gameplay.

I wanted a lot of tall structures so soldiers could get creative with their movement. I also wanted the point to feel a bit like a spire, complete with Ammo Pit™. I also thought it would be fun for a sort of "Tallahassee Shuffle" around the two pillars near the back so the medic has cover and something to play around.

So far as I'm looking at it now there are a few things that might be an issue, the first is scale. I'm still not that familiar with how big ultiduo maps should be, it seems to be really dependent on how easy it is to actually get to mid, but since scale is more felt than it is calculated, I'm afraid that's only something testing will solve. The other issue is the cap time - previous iterations have called it too slow, then after that it was too fast, I still have yet to find a sweet spot.

What do you think? Any and all feedback is unbelievably appreciated.

Love you all
- Twinmill

Thank You! Fixed!

Ultiduo_Champions
An experimental 90-degree mirrored ultiduo map

TF2 Maps Thread and Download

Screenshots!

A2
Ya'll ready for this?!?
Hey there, your old pal Twinmill here with a new ultiduo map. Since my last one was a moderate success I decided to make another, and I had an idea to kinda make it a bit different than your typical layout.

For one, this map is mirrored symmetry, which I've only seen one other map do, and since it was played in the recent playoffs I figured that kind of layout wasn't totally off the table. What's more this map is mirrored at a 90 degree angle. Is that going to work? I don't really know for sure but I guess we'll see.

This map is A2 because I recently got it tested by my man V!s to point out a lot of the game-breaking parts. According to him the test went pretty well, and now that the glaringly obvious are fixed, I feel better about posting it here.

Let me know your thoughts!

I guess you won't know for sure until you test it out, huh?

Koth_Shrinkray
Download!
Screenshots for you!

"Sir! We have successfully built a working shrinkray! Problem is, it's HUGE."
"Damn. I don't suppose you eggheads know how to shrink a shrink ray?"

Welcome to king of the hill shrinkray!
Well the alpha at least. Shrinkray is a small-ish map based in a facility designed to operate a singular over-complicated machine. Rotational symmetry, bright lighting, 24 player compatible (though more spawns will be added in next updated version), and good ol' fashioned lethal doses of radiation.
This is my first actual map, my previous project being Ultiduo_lookout. I wanted to try and make something more than four people could play, so here I am.
If anyone feels up to it, I would love feedback!

Mirrored symmetry in ultiduo? Wouldn't one soldier have a bit of a wall-jumping advantage?

Yea I was pretty worried about that, so I got kinda "block brush" happy. Almost anything that can mess with splash has it.

Updates! Map made sexy!
So I have made some major progress on ultiduo_lookout, and it's really starting to take shape.

Download!

Some Screenshots For You!

ultiduo_lookout_a7:
- Finished texturing inside, added varying surfaces. Dev textures are nowhere to be found.
- Added slightly darker texture around point to indicate capture zone for those who can't see the overlays
- optimized no-draw boundaries for better performance
- Added TFCL billboards/posters (I'll explain that in a second)
- Removed elevator doors, replaced with worker lifts
- Replaced ammo on point with ammo packs on either end
- Fixed point eating damage
- Fixed spawn doors blocking arrows from spawn
- Added skybox setting and detail
- Updated sky and light_environment
- Learned to pack properly, so no more errors from the custom content (hopefully!)

So as always, here are some notes. It's not necessary to read these, they are just here to document the process for myself and anyone interested:
I'm starting to get this weird feeling in my chest about this map... could this be that pride thing I've been hearing so much about? I've said before, this is my first map. Everything before this has sputtered and died before even getting past basic brushes. It's come a long way and I'm not ashamed to say I'm proud of it. For someone with no experience, I don't think it's all that bad. there are still a couple things to work on though.
For one the lighting is a little dark. Preferably I'd want to add in some lights into spawn and maybe under the point too. Meanwhile there's the unfinished building off to the side that is disturbingly over exposed. Probably going to play with those buildings more later anyway, so I'll get to that another time.
Rest in peace elevators though (August 2017-November 2017). I still wanted a means for the players to be up there in the first place, so I ended up going with some temporary construction elevators instead. Now the med can buff right out of the gate, and it's much less confusing. I knew they didn't work very well, but dammit I had a mediocre idea and I was gonna stick with it. So hopefully this is a good compromise.
Another thing is the TFCL ads. The head-cheese of TFCL, Sidular, who was the one that originally gave the suggestion of an ultiduo map, offered to include it in the next season rotation (YEAH!), and asked for a couple of TFCL splashes here and there. I tried to make it so people with common configs wouldn't see them as much, they are more for the veiwing audience.

Please please please test out this map. I promise it's only half as bad as it looks, and if you ever feel in the mood send me a demo! so far people seem pretty happy with the gameplay, but I'd like to fine tune it as much as I can.

Thanks so much guys! Stay hydrated!

Really appreciate the input, guys!
Ultiduo_Lookout has been updated!
Thanks to some very in-depth feedback and playtesting (again, really appreciate the help V!s), I've severely modified Lookout:
- Updated spawn times. 2 second wave time with an uncapped point, 4 when you have it.
- Removed some on the girders and pillars near and around the point.
- Removed center pillar so you couldn't hide around it as easily
- Added a small ammo pack on the point
- Added small health kits on launchpads
- Updated the window to be opened for as long as you are in the spawning elevators and a very short period after you exit
- Added spectator cameras
- Adapted traditional naming convention, map is now "Ultiduo_Lookout_A2"

Updated Screenshots!

Download Available Here... Again

Some more notes:
I'm very well aware of the elevator problem. People say they're not exactly optimal, so I'll try to find a way to maybe just make them a decal or something. I'm pretty sad to see them go... I guess there's no room for vanity in the competitive scene.
I'm also trying to make it look better. For some reason everything looks kind of bleached and chalk-y, but despite combing through the TF2 texture library forever I still haven't found anything I particularly like. If anyone has ideas on fixing the bleakness, PLEASE let me know.

I really appreciate all the feedback, like I said, this is my first map, and I could really use the critical perspectives. I would love for more people to try the new version.
Thanks!

------Nov 13th, Update------
Updates! Map made sexy!
So I have made some major progress on ultiduo_lookout, and it's really starting to take shape.

Download!

Some Screenshots For You!

ultiduo_lookout_a7:
- Finished texturing inside, added varying surfaces. Dev textures are nowhere to be found.
- Added slightly darker texture around point to indicate capture zone for those who can't see the overlays
- optimized no-draw boundaries for better performance
- Added TFCL billboards/posters (I'll explain that in a second)
- Removed elevator doors, replaced with worker lifts
- Replaced ammo on point with ammo packs on either end
- Fixed point eating damage
- Fixed spawn doors blocking arrows from spawn
- Added skybox setting and detail
- Updated sky and light_environment
- Learned to pack properly, so no more errors from the custom content (hopefully!)

Please please please test out this map. I promise it's only half as bad as it looks, and if you ever feel in the mood send me a demo! so far people seem pretty happy with the gameplay, but I'd like to fine tune it as much as I can.

So as always, here are some notes. It's not necessary to read these, they are just here to document the process for myself and anyone interested:
I'm starting to get this weird feeling in my chest about this map... could this be that pride thing I've been hearing so much about? I've said before, this is my first map. Everything before this has sputtered and died before even getting past basic brushes. It's come a long way and I'm not ashamed to say I'm proud of it. For someone with no experience, I don't think it's all that bad. there are still a couple things to work on though.
For one the lighting is a little dark. Preferably I'd want to add in some lights into spawn and maybe under the point too. Meanwhile there's the unfinished building off to the side that is disturbingly over exposed. Probably going to play with those buildings more later anyway, so I'll get to that another time.
Rest in peace elevators though (August 2017-November 2017). I still wanted a means for the players to be up there in the first place, so I ended up going with some temporary construction elevators instead. Now the med can buff right out of the gate, and it's much less confusing. I knew they didn't work very well, but dammit I had a mediocre idea and I was gonna stick with it. So hopefully this is a good compromise.
Another thing is the TFCL ads. The head-cheese of TFCL, Sidular, who was the one that originally gave the suggestion of an ultiduo map, offered to include it in the next season rotation (YEAH!), and asked for a couple of TFCL splashes here and there. I tried to make it so people with common configs wouldn't see them as much, they are more for the veiwing audience.

Thanks so much guys! Stay hydrated!

------Oct 1st, Update-------
Ultiduo_Lookout has been updated!
Updated Screenshots!

Download Available Here... Again

Thanks to some very in-depth feedback and playtesting (again, really appreciate the help V!s), I've severely modified Lookout:
- Updated spawn times. 2 second wave time with an uncapped point, 4 when you have it.
- Removed some on the girders and pillars near and around the point.
- Removed center pillar so you couldn't hide around it as easily
- Added a small ammo pack on the point
- Added small health kits on launchpads
- Updated the window to be opened for as long as you are in the spawning elevators and a very short period after you exit
- Added spectator cameras
- Adapted traditional naming convention, map is now "Ultiduo_Lookout_A2"

Some more notes:
I'm very well aware of the elevator problem. People say they're not exactly optimal, so I'll try to find a way to maybe just make them a decal or something. I'm pretty sad to see them go... I guess there's no room for vanity in the competitive scene.
I'm also trying to make it look better. For some reason everything looks kind of bleached and chalk-y, but despite combing through the TF2 texture library forever I still haven't found anything I particularly like. If anyone has ideas on fixing the bleakness, PLEASE let me know.

I really appreciate all the feedback, like I said, this is my first map, and I could really use the critical perspectives. I would love for more people to try the new version.
Thanks!

------Posted on Sept 28th, 2017---------
Hey gang!
My name's TwinMill and I'm kinda new to the mapping scene, and I wanted to get some feedback on my first real project that is in the meat of the alpha phase:
Ult_Lookout
A rooftop-themed map exclusively for ultiduo.
Download Available Here

Screenshots

A friend of mine, Sidular, said there was a bit of a shortage in ultiduo maps, so I decided to try my hand. I've tweaked it as much as I can to make the map as playable as possible. All the right parts are here, I just need mass playtesting to really weed out what the issues are. The dev textures will obviously be gone once it's been run through the ringer.
The most important thing that I would like to know, is whether or not it's fun, or at least as fun as an ultiduo map can be.
Please let me know what you think! And if anyone wants to take it for a test drive, please do so!

I'm pretty new to the map development process, so there are a few thoughts and background on Ult_Lookout's progress I'd like to share to see what you all think. The following is not important information on the map whatsoever, and your life will easily be the same if you don't read this.
I'm roughly a silver medic main; a pretty average player but I like to think I can hold my own. The problem building something like this was that I didn't necessarily have the soldier's perspective. He is, after all, my LEAST played class (lower than heavy in fact) so I really didn't have much of an idea on what fits a soldier's playstyle. The first iteration I had favored medics severely: lots of corners with plenty of hiding spots, which I noticed severely slowed gameplay. So I drastically simplified taking some notes from maps such as Koth_Ultiduo and the infamous Koth_Baloo, particularly the window that you can open to see outside and the raised point, although I didn't quite want it to be another "hold the nipple" sort of experience.
The difference I wanted to make was to give my map a bit more of an interesting setting, making it a bit more exciting to play on, hence it being atop an unfinished skyscraper. My first attempt at an ultiduo map, Koth_Dishwater had a ton of design choices that were more for fashion over function that I really wasn't happy with, so I decided to choose a setting I had a bit more freedom with. After a few more prototypes that didn't serve the gamemode too well, I came out with a rough cut of Ult_Lookout; back then being titled Koth_Belfry. I changed the name, because "Belfry" seemed to confuse people a bit, so I decided to use a more common word. It will always be Belfry in my heart though. <3
I was and still am really concerned with how it plays, because I know how picky the competitive community can be. I want it to be fun, and I want it to be something that can be used in a tournament without everyone rolling their eyes.
That's not too much to ask, is it?