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Battlefield Survey: Crossing in the Woods

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The map "Crossing in the Woods" by OnkelSam has a long history, originating in 2008 on the original Company of Heroes as "Bois du Chatelet", when Call of Duty was only on its 4th, not 23rd game, and flip phones were considered super-high tech.

Bois du Chatelet was transformed to suit a Chinese environment in 2012 for the Modern Combat mod, and was rebuilt again when the World Builder was released for COH2. The most recent patch, "Aftermath", added Crossing in the Woods to the official map roster, making it the first community made map on the line up. We've been playing with the new girl and caught up with its creator, COH2.ORG's very own OnkelSam, and asked him a few questions about it and the COH2 mapping scene in general.


Interview with OnkelSam, creator of Crossing in the Woods


COH2.ORG: First of all, thank you very much for agreeing to this interview! Would you mind telling us the history behind the map?

OnkelSam: Hello, COH2.ORG! Before I answer your first question, I would like to say thank you for this opportunity! It's a pleasure to see my work being honoured by adding it to the official map pool. So, thanks Relic for recognizing my work and thanks to you, COH2.ORG, for thinking that it's important enough to write a feature about it :)

The roots of (2 - 4) Crossing in the Woods go back to 2008, when I built the first version of the map for COH1. Back then, it was running under the name Bois du Chatelet (2). I submitted it for a map competition in 2010, but my other map, Duclair (2), was picked above it, so it wasn't considered for anything at that time.

The map underwent its first transformation in 2012, when I redesigned some elements of it, so that it would suit a Chinese environment. It was featured under the name Senlin Lukou (2) in the famous Modern Combat mod for COH1, which I was in charge of at the time, back in March 2012.


Finals of the Modern Combat Tournament between DevM and Sandland, presented by The Frontline Network


OnkelSam: At the end of the same year, the organizers of Sunday Night Fights decided to feature custom maps in Season 4 of SNF. Bois du Chatelet (2) was one of the maps they picked for the show, another great honour.

Now with the release of World Builder for COH2, I decided to revisit and revitalize it. I was under the impression that most summer maps were in a somewhat yellowish autumn setting and it would be a cool change to have a spring map with a fresh green atmosphere. Bois du Chatelet (2) was a good basis for such a map.

I think everyone who knows the original will recognize it when playing (2 - 4) Crossing in the Woods. However, I didn't want to create a straight copy. So, if you look closely, you will notice that quite a few design elements are different and open up new ways to approach the map. I hope it works out :)


DevM versus Symbiosis on Bois du Chatelet in SNF S04E04


COH2.ORG: When you first released it, did you ever think that it would be included in the offical map rotation?

OnkelSam: In fact, I had hoped to get Bois du Chatelet (2) into COH1 when I entered the map competition in 2010, but of course I didn't think it would be in COH2, six years after I created it.


COH2.ORG: Do you think there are a lot of great mappers out there and Relic, like Tripwire Interactive with Rising Storm, should hold a competition for mappers to enter and win cash prizes, as well as being released in official patches, like yours?

OnkelSam: I don't want to name individuals, because I might forget someone who deserves to be mentioned. There is certainly some great talent out there!

The fact that the COH2 World Builder is quite similar to the COH1 World Builder made the transition easy for veterans. But we here on COH2.ORG do our best to provide newcomers with help and easy access to map making, by creating all kind of World Builder tutorials! If you want to learn how to create maps for COH2, COH2.ORG is the right place for it!

In this regard, what's better to motivate people to put efforts into work than a competition with the potential to be featured in the core game? So, to answer your question: YES, it's totally a good idea to run a map making competition. The bigger the variety of maps in the game, the longer it will be interesting to play!

Relic did a good job by implementing Steam Workshop into the game. Sharing your map with the community is now easier than ever! You don't need any third party software any more and people can access any map in the workshop from within the game and install it with the press of a button! This is essential for effective play-testing and receiving feedback to improve your map. No excuses for play testers any more ;)

If quality maps result from such competitions, I am sure Relic will add them to the core game, just like they did with (2 4) Crossing in the Woods. I am just lucky to be the first one to receive this honour.


COH2.ORG: When, and how, were you first contacted by Relic?

OnkelSam: Due to my history and reputation as a COH1 mapmaker, I am in contact with Relic developers and have been for a long time. For COH2, my buddy WhiteFlash and I were given the opportunity to assist Relic to play-test and polish some of their COH2 maps and help bug test the World Builder. Especially Eagleheart21 is a great member of Relics dev-team, who has always been very responsive and open for discussion.

(2 - 4) Crossing in the Woods is more or less a result of World Builder Beta-testing, so this might be a reason that Relic became aware of it so early.


COH2.ORG: Did Relic pay you anything for the use of your map, or is the fact that it is now on the official rotation and being enjoyed by many others payment enough?

OnkelSam: Everything I did, and do, for COH2 was and is done out of passion for the game. I never earned a dollar from it and also didn't ask for any payment.


COH2.ORG: Do you think that, following your example, Relic will continue to add more fan made maps to the official roster?

OnkelSam: Like I said earlier, I'm sure that quality maps will be recognized. Now, with Steam Workshop, it is easier for everyone than ever before. Relic would be dumb to ignore this opportunity and I am sure they won't!



Correspondent at the Front's Report on "Crossing"


Editor's Note: Before the interview, the author, IrishHugo, engaged in deadly close combat on Crossing in the Woods' sylvan battlefield as research and to gather impressions. This is his story.




My first game was with a friend against 2 A.I., and sadly my friend didn't exactly put a huge amount of effort into the match. He spent the whole game hoarding resources to build a Katuysha, which got destroyed before it fired a shot, by a Stug no less. While we were being slaughtered at our base, I took some time to reflect on the map.

Firstly, it was set in a woods and there was indeed a crossing. I was now happy that it had satisfied everything it promised it would be. Sadly, that wasn't accepted as a detailed expert opinion, so I was sent to probe its darkest valleys and deepest crevices.

The first thing I noticed is that the map itself is very visually appealing. The vibrant greens make a nice change from the stark white or dusty browns of the other maps. There map is populated with little details that add to its attractiveness: little farmers' cottages with woodpiles and sheds outside, the quaint stone bridge now turned into a war zone by both sides, the peaceful river that once was occupied by playing children and pleasant water, now filled with blood and bodies. Very idyllic indeed.

The resource points are positioned in quite a linear fashion, and mirrored. They seem to be laid out in a straight line, with the opposing side having much the same layout. As I played more games, I saw that this actually added to the tactics of the map; if an enemy unit sneaks past your front lines, you can find you've lost a lot of your resources in a short time.

During the game where I frequently had to retreat my outnumbered units because my partner's 3 sniper squads were playing a fascinating game of chess on the other side of the map. During these moments, waiting for my men to rally around the HQ, I had time to reflect and I found the map was quite open and it was very hard to pin a team down. Unlike Summer Semoisky, if you block the main roads, troops can still sneak through the forests to attack your rear. The river is also a great tactic changer; troops and vehicles can cross anywhere along it, but are slower and more vulnerable while doing so.

Because of the mixture of closely packed resource points and many flanking routes, games on the map tend to be action packed and never idle. Now that you've heard us blather on about it, get out there and play if for yourself. We're sure you'll agree, it is a top quality map, deserving of its spot on the roster.


Share Your Thoughts


COH2.ORG would like to thank OnkelSam for taking time out of his day to answer our questions. How are you enjoying the new map? Have you come across it in public rotation? Do you think Relic should continue adding maps to the game? Let us know in the comments!
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