VCTF-Sandstorm

The nomadic peoples of the Acidus Desert used to consider these lands an oasis. After the Great Awakening, Necris moved into the region and began to convert the area and its people. It now sits abandoned, the landscape forever changed.

Screenshot of Sandstorm

Map Description

Sandstorm is an axially symmetrical map with a large wall structure that seams to be a part of the ruin of an aqueduct that separates the two main areas. There are two ways through it, of which only the northern passage is accessible by any vehicles and on foot. The southern passage is a higher platform and only accessible via Jump Boots, with the Scavenger, Darkwalker and from the red side with the help of a rock. Since the blue side doesn't have such a rock, the red team has a disadvantage when it comes to stopping the other team's flag carrier.

In the middle of the map there are a few terraces which can be climbed by the Darkwalker, Scavenger, Viper or with the Jump Boots to reach the top of the aqueduct. Other ways to the top are the two smaller and one larger lifts in the northern passage way. Although only activated by players on foot, the larger lift is big enough to transport a vehicle. A Scavenger can also climb up the larger lift's shaft.

The map also has several towers and connected walkways. The northern two towers and those south of the Fury "airfields" contain the Sniper Rifle and the AVRiL.

Like the name suggests, a sand storm regularly sweeps over the map, greatly impairing vision.

Item List

Weapons

There are Weapon Lockers near the player spawn areas, containing the Link Gun, Stinger Minigun and Rocket Launcher.

• 2x Shock Rifle (8x ammo) - 1 near each Darkwalker spawn
• 3x Stinger Minigun (2x ammo) - 1 in the northern passage way, 1 on the upper walkway in each base
• 2x Flak Cannon (6x ammo) - 1 in a building in the center of each side
• 2x ammo for Rocket Launcher - on the red team's Fury "airfield"
• 4x Sniper Rifle (8x ammo) - 1 on the ground floors of the four Sniper/AVRiL towers
• 4x AVRiL - 1 in the upper floor of the four Sniper/AVRiL towers
• 1x Redeemer - in an alcove in the southern passage way, which is also reachable through a hole from the top of the separating wall
• 1x Spidermine Trap - in the northern passage way

Power-ups

• 16x Health Vial
• 8x Health Pack
• 1x Big Keg O' Health - in the middle of the northern passage way
• 2x Thigh Pads - 1 north of each northern Sniper/AVRiL tower
• 2x Armor Vest - 1 north of each Fury "airfield"
• 2x Jump Boots - 1 in front of each of the central buildings with the Flak Cannon
• 2x Berserk - 1 on each of the northern Sniper Rifle/AVRiL towers

Vehicles

• 2x Viper - south of each flag base
• 2x Scavenger - near the outer-most southern spawn area on each side
• 2x Nemesis - between the Darkwalker ruin and the Flak Cannon building
• 2x Darkwalker - in the ruins on the east and west sides
• 2x Fury - on an open area between the flag building, the southern sniper/AVRiL tower and the inner-most of the southern buildings

Tips and Tricks

• Right before the sandstorm hits, you can see it coming from the south. Also, you can hear the wind getting louder. This is the perfect time for grabbing the enemy flag, taking advantage of the enemy's limited vision.
• There's a Berserk power-up on each of the northern sniper/AVRiL towers. Use the Jump Boots to reach it via a lift jump or just land on the tower with the Fury.
• The blue team's flag carrier can escape through the southern passage way if he or she has Jump Boots, which is a big advantage. The red team can follow with the Viper or Scavenger, though. Red team's defenders should be equipped with Jump Boots so they can follow a flag carrier on that route without requiring a vehicle.
• The large lift in the northern passage way can be used to bring a Nemesis to the top of the aqueduct. All other ground vehicles should use the side terraces, though.

Campaign Info

Mission Objectives

• Use the cover provided by sandstorms to mask your attempts at FLaG recovery.

Team Chat

(first sandstorm incoming)

• Bishop: "And there came a storm of sand..."