This is my third map on forgehub, and it takes inspiration from both of my previous maps, Sandstorm and Pneumonia. It combines the short-mid range BR fights and prizes in the middle of Sandstorm with the vehicles and structure of Pneumonia, and quite frankly I love it to pieces. Hence, expect a long rant on it. You have been warned.

I'll be running a testing session at 4:00 pm EST on the 7th, so if I'm not full up, send me a friend request.

For those who don't need convincing, the map's best suited to 4v4s, although 3v3s could work, and it supports up to 6v6s (it's too small for 8v8's or the like) You can play a load of gametypes on it: Team Slayer, CTF, Oddball, King Of The Hill and Assault, with more custom variants being developed over the next week. The map is /not/ suitable for ffa. Just a warning. There's already two custom gametypes finished: Wasp Slayer (which is the main attraction of the map, imo) and Exterminators (a KOTH variant with fast moving hills and damage bonuses for those inside) so be sure to have a poke around.

Download Wasp's Nest
Download Wasp Slayer
Download Exterminators

For those who do, onto the map!

Gameplay Overview

First and foremost, Wasp's Nest is a small-medium sized map which is symmetrical down the middle of the central area. The bases themselves are also symmetrical, but the sniper towers and laser spawn each appear on seperate sides 9left and right of the bases) for balance. An overview would be handy.

Full Overview

Nest Overview

Hornet Overview

In all gametypes, each team spawns behind their respective base, which has a lot of cover from the front. Weapons at each base include a pair of Carbines (Carbines will be prevalent over BRs in this map, it's fairer to the Wasp in Wasp Slayer and goes with the Covenant theme more), a pair of plasma grenades, a plasma pistol and a Ghost. This gives each team member a lot of options as they press forwards. After the game starts, teams will often respawn here, facing the top ramps. It's fairly impervious to spawn camping unless someone brings around a Ghost. Here's some screenshots of each base.

Red Base (houses Flag Spawn in CTF and Bomb Arming Site in Assault)

Blue Base (Same)

In front of each base, there's a central porch you can fall straight onto from the ramps, which gives you good access to the points of interest early on. It also houses the Grav Lift for each team, and has a ramp allowing players to get from the ground up onto the porch easily. There's also a few respawn points on each team, but only a few because it's accessible from the sniper towers and from ground level.

Red Porch (Since the following parts are all the same on each team in terms of which places they face, I'll only post the Red versions from now on)

On each side of the base, there's another point of interest. On one side, there's the sniper outpost, which is only accessible via the porch. It houses a Beam Rifle (again, Covies, and seemed like a fairer choice against spawn camping the other team's porch) and an obelisk to provide cover. There's also a Carbine under each tower. The sides of each tower are also covered, meaning a sniper can't be countersniped from the adjacent tower, and making it an easier location to defend. However, the back's exposed to Ghosts, Hornets and the Wasp, so don't get complacent. No respawns, for balancing in the early game.

Red Sniper Tower

On the other side to each team's sniper tower, there's a defensive barricade, which is pretty secure against BR fire. Most of the respawns for each team can be found here, but it's out of the sniper twoer's range and provides some good protection against Ghosts and Hornets. That is, until the former lines up and gets a splatter in. There's also a Carbine for each team, and a good route to the laser and oddball spawn.

Red Barricade

That's as far as each base goes. Now for the central structures.

Slap bang in the middle of the map is a big central strcuture, which is accessible from the ground only. Surprsingly, it doesn't in itself have any weapons. It houses the Regenerator, and also has some nice hiding spots, so it's a good defensive hole from either team. There's also an Active Camo on the top if anyone's crafty enough to get it, and the bomb spawns next to the regenerator in Neutral Assault games. However, there's some fusion coils to prevent excessive camping in Oddball games, and KOTH to an extent.

Bomb Spawn

Camo Spawn (Featuring the escape hatch)

The main attraction at this end of the map is the Hornet Spawn, which is right in front of the Central Base. There's some fins to the sides which provide cover (and also hold the only BRs and Frags on the map) and a panel to the back to help prevent Ghost camping behind the hornet, and other things. Naturally, you'll be rushing to secure this right at the start, so bring a ghost to help support is a good idea. Thankfully, it's not overpowering due to the abundance in cover and the lack of space for it to land/spaltter. At least imo :P

Hornet Spawn

At the opposite end of the map is the rest of the goods. Between the two barricades is the Spartan Laser spawn, which you've also got to try and maintain. In fact, considering it's a counter to both the Ghosts and the Hornet, a team will probably focus most of it's effort here in the early game. Hence, it's between the barricades, which provide plenty of cover to firefighters. You also have to jump to access the laser, meaning control is pretty necessary to secure it. In the passage underneath the wooden bridge, there's the only neutral pair of plasma grenades on the map, and it's a great spot to hide during oddball games. However, there's also some fusion coils here, so don't spend too long there.

Laser Spawn (The other passages will be clearer from other screenshots)

And now for the cherry on the cake, at least in Wasp Slayer. I'll talk about it when we get to that part. Suffice it to say that across the wodden bridge, there's the oddball spawn, which is marked by a neutral purple marker in all games. Underneath the bridge, there's another passage with a pair of carbines and a needler, so there's plenty of stuff for someone who misses out on the oddball.

Oddball Spawn

Haha, I can't believe I forgot the weapons list. Lol, anyways, here it is.

10 Carbines - 30 Second Respawns - 2 Clips: The main weapon on this map, you'll be using these instead of BRs to secure the objectives. A little defamiliarisation never hurt.
2 BRs - 60 Second Respawns - 2 Clips: Found near the hornet, they'll help you secure it once you manage to get close enough.
2 Plasma Pistols - 60 Second Respawns: These are particularly useful for fending off vehicles at close range, or pinning a Wasp to be killed by your team-mates.
2 Beam Rifles - 120 Second Respawns: These are found at the sniper towers, but feel free to move them around. Very useful in defensive work, although a lack of support up front can be risky.
A Needler - 60 Second Respawn - 2 Clips: Found underneath the Oddball spawn, might be more useful against the Wasp if you're out in the open.
A Spartan Laser - 150 Second Respawn: The power weapon of the map, apart from the Oddball. Extremely effective against vehicles and the Wasp provided you can get a shot ready,

2 Ghosts - 90 Second Respawns: A useful utility for each team, use these to help secure weapons, fend of the Wasp or just get a few cheap kills.
A Hornet - 120 Second Respawn: Very useful tactical vehicle, make sure you secure it early on to help maintain map control and fend off the Wasp.

6 Plasma Grenades - 30 Second Respawns: Although each team geyts a pair, they're still very useful for obvious reasons. Stick the Wasp and holler in delight.
4 Frag Grenades - 20 Second Respawns: Very useful during firefights; one of the upshots of trying to secure the hornet.
2 Grav Lifts - 60 Second Respawns: If you aren't the Wasp or in a vehicle, make sure you get these to help your team reach crucial areas.
A Regenerator - 60 Second Respawn: Once you've secured the Hornet, use this to hold up the miuddle whilst you go in for the kill.
Active Camo - 120 Second Respawn: Wasp + Camo = Fuckery. Prevent him from getting it at all costs.

And that's about it for the overview. If you just want this for the default gametypes, you don't have to read any further. Here's the download link for the map. Enjoy! Unfortunately, I haven't been able to fully test this yet, but trust me, it's pretty sweet. In a week's time, there'll be tons of action screenshots.

Download Wasp's Nest

Wasp Slayer?!

Despite the Oddball category, this is pretty much slayer with a unique twist. Weapon and vehicle spawns are the same. There's just one small difference. The Wasp!

The main thing to this gametype is the oddball carrier's abilities. Rather than scoring points through holding the ball, the whole team scores points through killing, just like slayer.

The person who carries the oddball becomes the Wasp; a character inspired by Ninjanaut. He's always got gold armor, so you'll know which one he is, but he doesn't have a waypoint, making stealth possible. He moves 50% faster and jumps 33% higher, but his shields recharge at half the usual rate. Of course, he's got an oddball, so expect him to be extremely dangerous at close range. He's also got a x2 damage multiplier, so he can take out vehicles that try and sideswipe him as well. Generally, if he gets close to you, you're fucked.

Some other interesting facts. He can't pick up weapons, grenades or equipment as the Wasp, and obviously he can't ride vehicles. So don't try and use him to snag power weapons early on. In fact, the only object he can access as the Wasp is the Active Camo. Needless to say, this makes him a whole lot more deadly. So try not to let it get to that stage.

His shields also completely leech damage, so if he stings, he'll get his shields back annoyingly quickly. So expect him to be fast and loose. More than usual.

He can also see players on the motion tracker even when they aren't moving, so stealth isn't an option around him either. The best option is to try and fend him off from range, making yourself obvious so he doesn't go out of your line of sight.

Otherwise, he's the same as a regular player.

Like Team Slayer, it's 50 kills to win. So get cracking!

Download Wasp Slayer

Wasp Slayer Tips and Tricks

> Don't bring vehicles too hear to him. He hates that. Pepper him with plasma fire or machine gun bullets instead. Or alternatively, get your face punched off.
> After the Wasp drops the ball, it resets to the nest /very/ quickly. So either make a run for it whilst you can or make plans to secure the nest again. This prevents him camping with power weapons as well as the ball.
> As the wasp, you can reach the sniper towers from your starting point a in a matter of seconds. So take them out and prevent them from pinning you when you don't expect it.
> The wasp can also jump higher than regular players, meaning he can reach places that regular humans can't. It also opens up new, compelx escape routes, making him even harder to track down.
> Getting the needler and luring the wasp towards you can be surprisingly effective. So long as he doesn't strafe. So if he's a noob, use this to your advantage.

Exterminators?!

As mentioned before, it's KOTH with a slight twist. The three central hills switch around very quickly, whilst players who remain in the hills get a damage bonus. Faster and looser than regular KOTH. There's not a lot to say about this, so DL away.

Download Exterminators

Well, that's it. You should get a cookie for reaching this point in the rant.