CTF Maps

Depends on what audience you intend to map for. The competitive players (UnrealNA, Clanbase) are a pickier bunch than the 'general' gaming crowd. Doesn't mean both don't like the same maps, but still.
Vertebrae, even though it's 'different' from your run of the mill levels, it's not really appreciated much because it doesn't directly offer the same kind of flow as your average competitive map. My retail favourite's a tie between Reflection and Strident.

I prefer Strident and Coret, Hydrosis is to large and the bots are too annoying to be of any help.

I really wish the stats included this too.... I havent had the chance to look so didn't know it didn't include maps in the stats till now.....

OmicronDawn and Vertebrae.

The first is just ****ing cool. Nice music and layout. Vertebrae is finally something original that CTF really needed.

everymap has pros cons: IMHO, odviosly everyone likes diferent maps

for me

Strident:
PROs: good theme, good layout
CONs: bots wait foolishly at the elivator when they have the flag (Odviosly they die).
Coret:
PROs: good layout
CONs: Lightling very bland
Hydrosis:
PROs: Great layout and theme
CONs: no health in the center area axept 4 viles, centre building has like nothing in it making it no use in entering
OmicronDawn:
PROs: Looks great
CONs: bots only use one path and never use back path
Reflection:
PROs: havent played it that much
CONs: Theme is bouring (for me)
Vertebrae
PROs: looks good(ish)
CONs: layouts crap, the tenticle meshes are unfishished all over the place as wold stop in mid air

Personally I do like vertibrae, its got a unique style all its own. It's not my favorite, but I think it achieves what it set out to do.

The retail CTF maps are certainly better than the DM ones, but nothing's really grabbed my attention with any of them.

None of them seem to have that X factor for me, whatever that factor is. Coret and Hydro are probably the best, but I never really liked those layouts too much in the past, so they don't do much for me in UT3. Strident and Reflection seem alright, but again, something about them leaves me thinking, "Meh." Omicron and Vertebrae are the lowest two for me, generally for the "Where's the flow?" feeling I get whilst playing.

In UT2004 I liked Pistola, Betrayal, Anfractuous, Campers/SpiderCrossing(s), Grendel, Maul, and Orbital. Nothing in UT3 really grabs me like those did. I dunno, I guess it's like with UT3 Epic was trying too hard, so the maps generally feel too chokepointy and confusing for their own good.

I enjoy all of them pretty much.

Hydrosis: I'd say the middle is a bit barren for useful items. Theme is a bit uniform, could have brought some vegetation in to make it look really nice.

Coret: If there's anything that bugs me about this level, it's the supports on the walls that get in the way of my wall dodging. It also does seem a bit cramped.

Reflection: My biggest gripe with this map is the optimization. I don't really know what it is, my guess is that high-poly bush mesh, but with my old graphics card this level would lag my computer more noticeably than any of the other CTF maps.

OmicronDawn: Kind of confusing, and cramped. The "life barrier" thing kind of bugs me (also in Vertebrae) because I can't throw my trans through it, but everything else goes through. I find myself running out of ammo a lot on this map. I think this my probably my least favorite of the bunch.

Vertebrae: I really love the different playstyle this map offers. My only complaints are that there's only really one way into the "base" area (the lifts), and when you drop down to the lowest level, instead of going forward you're forced to turn around, which to me is an unnatural break in the flow.

Strident: Two interesting gimmicks with the health regeneration and the moving flag. Neither make that much of a difference, which is probably good from the perspective of meeting people's expectations. Moving flags certainly opens up possibilities. Only gripe I really have with this level is that I feel like there's insufficient upward movement options (guess that's what the trans is for, eh?).

The ctf maps are one of the hugest disappointments for me with UT3.

People had pretty much quit playing both Hydro and Coret by the end of '01 because by that time they had both proven to be snoozefest all D maps. Did Epic really think we wanted those 2 to make up 33% of the maps for the new game? LOL, what a disaster.

And while I can see having a little fun goofing around on Vertebrae and Omicron Dawn, they're both more or less useless competitely (well, Vertebrae is totally useless from that standpoint), or even for pugs.

That leaves really only 2 true/playable ctf maps that are new. Reflection is okay, but very simple and boring. Strident is better, but I agree that the flow is kinda funky and I really hate the elevating/descending flag stand with no control over what it's doing.

And when you realize those are the only 2 new/decent maps that shipped with the ctf game type, no wonder it's so freakin' dead. Whenever I log on I can't even pub ctf if I want to (unless I'm willing to play insta). I have to play FFA DM... So sad.

I REALLY like Vertabrae the most out of the factory maps! The z-axis play is fresh and hopefully will push some map makers a bit further in their thinking.

OmicronDawn is my second fav.

I do like a good bunch of maps. Hydrosis and Coret are still tried-and-true, and OmicronDawn is nice once you figure out the paths.

Strident and Reflection are fairly similar to me... I like them when they're played within the playercounts, but all too often they're voted in at FragBU well above those and that pisses me off.

Vertebrae is... interesting. It's okay, but not a particular favorite... it's a very offensive-friendly map, and as a primarily defensive player, once the flag carrier gets away, it's fairly hard to grab him again. It's still fairly good though.

The other maps I forgot to mention all suck. You know, cuz they don't exist

I like them all.

Strident is an insane level that usually finds most of its fights in the flag room, which has a good amount of zee axis fun and the oh-so-f'ed-up moving flag.

Vertebrae is great for all the reasons said above (the positive things said about the map that is).

Omicron Dawn is simple yet fun layout. Despite the ****ing fall of death

Coret works better in UT3 than it does in UT IMO, the amount of potential for ambushes and surprise attacks are extraordinary in this map.

Reflection is well balanced map with lots of room for flag carriers. With the base so hard to defend fights tend to end up being flag-carrier chases, which actually works okay in a map that is open enough to see where most-everyone is yet closed-in enough so you can't snipe everything in sight.

And Hydrosis, well then, this is a map with a lot of middle ground that makes for intense flag chases and is one of the few maps where hitscan works well. Fun map.

Vertebrae and Coret are my favorite two maps, with Strident following close.

In vertebrae I like using the tentacles as mini slides, especially the one on the far end of the flagroom.