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>>>>>> Eightball Canyon <<<<<<<

>>> By Werner W. Martinmaas <<<
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-------- Flavor Text ----------

Hidden deep within the remote Atairu Desert on the planet of Na Pali, Eightball Canyon was 
claimed long ago by Nali who worshiped the divine origins of the Staff of Eight Fires - a 
mythic artifact that came to them with the invasion of the sky demons.  Their secret 
retreat was discovered by the demons, however, and the ruins of the temple complex they 
erected there are all that remains.  Perhaps, had they decided to turn the Staff upon the 
demons, you would not be here now to spill yet more blood upon this sacred soil...


----------- About -------------

CTF-Eightball is a large, deceptively complex capture-the-flag map for up to 16+ players,
though it works best with about ten.  Strategy is key - it is highly recommended that 
larger teams use communication to their advantage.

Gameplay occurs as much vertically as it does horizontally; a series of mesas, towers, 
and passages make sneak attacks and feints possible, while sinuous deviations in terrain 
altitude provide a measure of cover from direct fire.  Even at distances, however, splash 
weapons are brutally effective - and, of course, what would a map named "Eightball" be
without rocket launchers right next to each base?

Spiraling ramps inside the towers connect the various levels of the map together and 
provide access to the sniper nests.  Weapons with linear fire patterns are placed high, 
while splash weapons are located at the low points of the sandy ledges running around the 
perimeter of the map. Spider mines are placed in the lowermost section for defensive 
purposes. A Redeemer occupies the center of the map, with a super health in the passages 
beneath it.


------- Instructions ----------

To install, simply move the files to the following directories in your UT2004 folder:

CTF-Eightball.ut2 ---> maps
Eightball_meshes.usx ---> staticmeshes
Nali_tex.utx ---> textures


------- Known Issues ----------

Again, Eightball Canyon runs best when set up with ten to sixteen players - beyond that
number, even my high-end system started to lag a little.  Also, there are a few pathing
issues that need to be taken into account - bots aren't generally smart enough to camp in
the sniper towers, getting out of the flag base can prove difficult if they all decide
to rush the entrance at once, and they don't seem to be able to figure out how to
translocate across the gap between the lower towers and the central plateau.  Finally,
zoning is non-existant; lighting errors made it impossible to separate this thing out
without making everything look really funky; this seems to have little effect on gameplay,
but some users may find it slightly annoying not to know where allies are calling from.


----------- Legal -------------

You may freely distribute this map and all associated materials so long as you do not alter
them and provide this readme as well.  Unreal Tournament and other copyrighted materials
are the properties of their respective owners.


------- Special Thanks --------

Special thanks goes to the makers of Unreal Gold (for the textures and general inspiration)
Tek and my brothers (for playtesting), and the fine men and women of the gaming community 
at unrealtournament2004.filefront.com (for hosting, support, and further inspiration).  

UT2004 is made great not only for it's gameplay and adaptability, but by the community of 
developers that have sprung up around it.  Questions, comments, and information on how
issues can be fixed are always appreciated - just drop me a line at dyswn@hotmail.com.