It's not easy to step into the competitive scene of a game that's been out for almost five years, so I wanted to make some basic ESEA map knowledge more accessible to newer or aspiring comp players that will be joining us next season.

Since most maps are symmetric I will usually not differentiate red and blu except on some mids where I feel it makes the presentation clearer. I tried to take the screenshots used from useful perspectives, but any comments or suggestions are welcome if I'm missing anything important.

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cp_badlands

mid
yard
upper lobby
last

cp_process_b9

mid
choke/yard
2nd/battlements
last

My team follows a clockwise naming scheme for process last, so other teams may have numbered it differently.

cp_gravelpit

Point A
Point B
Point C

These are labelled from the defensive perspective.

Similar to process, my team follows a clockwise naming scheme for five doors at C. These door names also carry over to B to keep it simple. I've heard them called left, top-left, main/center, top-right, and bottom-right/lower as well.

cp_snakewater

mid
yard
lobby/warehouse
last

When someone refers to "saw room" they are most likely also referring to "window room", but I have also heard teams call the two as separate to be more specific.

cp_gullywash_final1

mid
yard/2nd
last #1
last #2

koth_pro_viaduct_rc3

mid
stairs
behind house

Thanks to mausy for help with some of the viaduct locations.

cp_granary

mid
yard
dropdown/yard
stairs room/spiral/lunchbox
medpack room/lunchbox
last

cp_granary has a very simple naming scheme except for the rooms that contain stairs. I like to call the room below the med pack with the door that opens "stairs room" and the one containing the med pack "stairs medpack". Since these rooms take on a variety of names, make sure your team agrees on a name and sticks by it.

cp_ashville_b6

mid
right mid
warehouse/factory
2nd point
2nd sneaky
lobby/lunchbox
last

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See svfrey's videos (thanks preston) for detailed runs through the maps:

svfrey wrote:

badlands: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QLp6ngGSko
granary: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRCg7D-OUVg
snakewater: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-HDgdj1-ag
gullywash: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_3T1c6rJ4s
warmfront: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qKaWtiV_oo
gravelpit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VigfYpfLDDQ
pro_viaduct: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXB7U-9jtR8

Other useful naming conventions:

Platinum wrote:

The easiest way to come up with names for areas on maps is to designate three generic terms for each point. You can apply this to any new map by labeling the travel routes this way, and if there are more than 3 ways to attack it's probably a shit map anyway. My teams over the past couple seasons have generically called one way to go "choke" another "flank" and the third less used route "sneaky" or if it's really annoying (like the hiding spot at gully last), "gay". Decide what works for your team and apply labels and you'll get used to calling the same things on every map.

- Many times using "left", "main/center", "right", "top/upper", or "bottom/lower" conventions and their combinations are better to use since they are quickly grasped. I'll label them if needed.

- At mid it is important to specify which side - "theirs" or "ours" - you are referring to when comming a point of interest. Say "scout in our house" not "scout in house".

- Several names listed in the labels contain too many syllables to be said quickly and easily. Notice that "battlements" is usually called "batts", "resupply" = "resup", "maintenance" = "maint". I have listed their full names to show the reasoning behind their short form.

Although not essential for this type of thing, the wooden part that leads from house to yard is commonly known as "Haunter" in EU (named after a player, it's quicker than saying "wooden stairs").

At first glance it might not seem like there's a need to have a name for it, but it's actually a really useful call these days.

diag

wtf is a hoodoos

ritalin wrote:

Although not essential for this type of thing, the wooden part that leads from house to yard is commonly known as "Haunter" in EU (named after a player, it's quicker than saying "wooden stairs").

At first glance it might not seem like there's a need to have a name for it, but it's actually a really useful call these days.

i call hoodoos minispires

the hoodoos are totally called oplaid because of the oplaid jump

My favourite thing to comm in badlands is "[class] trash".

we renamed trash "Blueberry Villain" because we all agree he is a trashcan.

Alternate names: pride rock = cliff, I've heard cliff being used more often, not sure where the name pride rock comes from, doesn't look like anything from the lion king or from Canada to me.

the bridges have different names, mostly in Europe, where instead of diag and gray they are called wood(en) and cement/stone respectively, and resupply can be called forward (spawn).

The area where the stairs end going up to house from yard is called balcony, that one is pretty important too.

Get to the blueberry team. we're contesting spire.

NeoRussia wrote:

The area where the stairs end going up to house from yard is called balcony, that one is pretty important too.

Rage wrote:

NeoRussia wrote:

The area where the stairs end going up to house from yard is called balcony, that one is pretty important too.

Ive always heard people call that patio or porch. Balcony is the part of house with the window

I call it Haunter, not sure where I picked that up from. Alternatively patio or porch.

I've been calling it balcony

Wait til we get to granary and argue over what "garage" is (most annoying thing when people are talking about ramp room from 2nd to mid, left entrance to second, or sometimes right flank 2nd).

In all honesty it depends on the team.

You missed ledges.

I call tube "HE'S ON TOP OF THE FUCKING POINT KILL HIM FUCK"

Do snakewater next

I've only been on one team, so I'm sure some stuff will sound weird. Let me know if there's a glaring mistake.

I've updated the yard badlands image with some of the suggestions, thanks. I'm going to skip a lot of the euro names in an attempt to make it less confusing.

cp_process_b9 will be next. Since it's new there will be some controversy I'm sure. I'm leaving granary for last since it seems everyone has different names for some places (i'm thinking the garages and the spiral staircase with the medpack on 2nd in particular).

TechDude wrote:

You missed ledges.

Haven't heard this one. Where at?

svfrey posted a series of map overviews a while back to the newbie mix thread

http://natf2.com/posts/86025

The easiest way to come up with names for areas on maps is to designate three generic terms for each point. You can apply this to any new map by labeling the travel routes this way, and if there are more than 3 ways to attack it's probably a shit map anyway. My teams over the past couple seasons have generically called one way to go "choke" another "flank" and the third less used route "sneaky" or if it's really annoying (like the hiding spot at gully last), "gay". Decide what works for your team and apply labels and you'll get used to calling the same things on every map.

Shwan wrote:

wtf is a hoodoos

round here we call them nipples

Ive always called the tube "vagina"

A hoodoo (also called a tent rock, fairy chimney, and earth pyramid) is a tall, thin spire of rock that protrudes from the bottom of an arid drainage basin or badland. Hoodoos consist of relatively soft rock topped by harder, less easily eroded stone that protects each column from the elements. They typically form within sedimentary rock and volcanic rock formations.

Petition to begin calling all hoodoos in TF2 "fairy chimneys"

prestonlol wrote:

svfrey posted a series of map overviews a while back to the newbie mix thread

http://natf2.com/posts/86025

These are great. Adding to the OP along with cp_process_b9. With the availability of these vids I might just leave it at that until we know what map is going to be added to the pool.

viaduct
SPOILER

the reason that spot is named China is so then people react to it, it stands out because its usually an important call