De_Victorian

Unpredicable, new and VERY enjoyable.
Well done Dimbreak!

5/5 from me, as I can't do nil. =3

This is neat!

Overall it's a very strong map. There are a few issues that are a bit of a shame, but your talent continues to shine through and the progress you make with each map you release is inspiring.

I love bombsite A, it's very reminiscent of Piranesi, one of the most underrated CS:S maps. B has a really nice design feature with the defensively positioned windows as well - a lot of fun emergent gameplay from those.

The biggest flaw with this map is theming. Big contrasts in theme can work SO WELL. It's one of my absolute favourite devices for creating a unique setting, but it feels slightly mis-judged here.

Like Urby posted in the top 5 thread recently - a great philosophy when mapping is that everything from the most important bomb target to the least significant decorative prop should have a story. Almost nothing here seems connected to the world it finds itself in. Even starting with the name - 'Victorian' - nothing in this map seems connected to the connotations that are brought forward with that word. Bustling 19th Century cities, great industry and a fantastic clash of Gothic and modern architecture. I can sort of see where you were trying to achieve a sense of that, but the exterior is most likened to Cobble or the aforementioned Piranesi - both hugely Medieval in tone and central European in architecture.

Then you have the interiors - beautifully mapped in some places, and you've absolutely NAILED lighting when it comes to your loading bays. It doesn't scream industry and progress, though. It simply whimpers shipping and handling or something of that ilk, and therefore the intended clash of themes actually ends up being more confusing than cool. I'm in a medieval castle, why the hell is there a ramp leading down to a loading bay? Either make your theme realistic, or commit fully to the contrast. Make it a supervillain's lair under the castle or something.

Aside from that - a few nitpicks include a fair few props getting in the way, with specific mention to a generator that blocks a good portion of a doorway. It kills the flow of that area.

Also, a lot of your static props seem to be incorrectly lit in the interiors. I don't know if you accidentally moved their lighting origin, but it's pretty blatant. Doors, trims and ceiling pipes shouldn't glow!

The exterior is far too straight-edged. You've gotten good at detailing with props, but your brushwork still feels a little unnatural and that is unfortunately emphasised with the large exterior sections.

Finally, it could use a radar image!

Great work, dude. Another week on this and it'd be an easy 5-star effort.

Thanks for the review, Arch!

And you're totally right on the theme thing. Literally, the factory half of the map was the last part I did, it was a decision I made near the end of development because I didn't want the whole thing to feel samey.