Antioch

Description
No holy hand grenade here, sorry. Although Monty Python was probably speaking of the very same Antioch depicted here!

For those of you not up on your history be sure to check out the read-me for a brief synopsis of how this map relates to the Christian Crusades in Europe. If you\'re not religious or a history enthusiast don\'t fear, however. From what I\'ve heard this map was heavily inspired by the new hit game [b]Assassin\'s Creed[/b]. See, there\'s something for everyone!

I liked this map before I ever saw it, back when Ayala came to me asking to borrow some of my work for use in it which I was happy to allow her to do. You see I like any map which is unique, and typically a middle-eastern flavored map set during a very unhappy time in history is not every mapper\'s first idea for a new map. Especially since a lot of mappers aren\'t [i]familiar[/i] with a lot of history. No no, not your fault. Blame modern education... I love history, though, and so I appreciate the story hidden behind the stone walls of this map.

But I know that\'s not really what you care about, so let\'s move on to the details, which are what I think really gives this map its strength. It is a walled city, made of grey stone, and it features a lot of details that would otherwise make a somewhat empty, barren, and bland map a real jewel. Anybody can make buildings, but it\'s the rugs, the merchant stalls, the props, and even the NPCs that gives this map the great aura and ambiance that it has. Green tiled roofs, tropical trees, and brightly-colored ornate rugs hanging from the building walls break up the monotonous stone to give the map a bit of color and livelihood.

Truth be told, my favorite bits of the map are the hanging rugs. They\'re small and trivial, I know, but these are the kinds of things any normal mapper probably would not consider (and might perhaps consider to be more effort than they\'re worth) but I really find they add a whole new dimension to the map. Also if you\'re looking for a more role-playish atmosphere there is a button near the entry doors that will spawn some NPCs to keep you company (non-aggressive by default, it seems). If you would rather not have the NPCs then simply don\'t spawn them.

Overall a great map, and something new style-wise to add to our collection. Make sure to check it out if you\'re looking for a new map to try out, and check out those swaying trees... if I changed the music to something a little more tropical -- Jimmy Buffet maybe? -- it\'d be a great summer getaway.

[b]Bot Support[/b]: Yes
[b]New Models[/b]: Yes
[b]New Textures[/b]: Yes
[b]New Music[/b]: Yes
[b]Game Modes[/b]: ffa, duel

~Inyri