ChurchSkittles

Overview

Church Skittles is a map that was based on the original church map, Church Siege Final (by Maddog), that was developed by the user Skittles (originally). The Skittles iterations of the map had many iterations spawned off of it as well, in particular, zpo_church_skittles_v4f, made by Red_Rose, which was used as the base for the _sfr version of the map. The latest version based off of this map is zpo_church_skittles_sfr, which is updated version for ZPS 3.0+

History

Church Skittles is a map that was created by the user Skittles based on Maddog's Church Siege Final map. Skittles created the version zpo_church_skittles_b2 version of the map, which was the last known version of his map. While there is no known download link to Skittles version of the map, it is believed that the map was created sometime in 2009. Other users would go on to use zpo_church_skittles_b2 as the base for their version of the church map, of which several links of authors still exist, which includes the version that the _sfr version was based upon, zpo_church_skittles_v4f, which was created by Red_Rose. While no known download of zpo_church_skittles_v4f exists, it is believed to have been created sometime in 2010-2011.

Mr. Silence began development of an updated version of zpo_church_skittles_v4f sometime in late 2014 which resulted in the zpo_church_skittles_svfr iteration of the map which introduced necessary fixes and updates to the map itself. Eventually, development of this version would be handed off to the user Kana sometime in 2015 who would go on to create the zpo_church_skittles_vg iteration of this map. It would not be until sometime in mid-late 2016 when development of the map would be handed back to Mr. Silence which resulted in the final iteration set of the Skittles map known as zpo_church_skittles_sfr, which would be the last name change to this series of the maps.

The zpo_church_skittles_sfr iterations would have more updates made to them over time on top of the fixes that were introduced in earlier iterations. The following were some of the changes found in the latest version of the map when compared to the original:

• Removed the box around the world and properly sealed up the map to prevent players (particularly survivors) from "pushing" themselves out of the map with props. This would allow them to get into the outside of the map were zombies could not reach them, making it an instant win for the survivors and was generally a bannable offense on most servers.
• Changed environmental lighting to be a bit brighter outside.
• Removed the helicopter that would fly in from outside the map, but left in the chopper sound effects to signal that the map was close to ending.
• Added a mausoleum area that acts as a covered zombie spawn between 2-story and crypt.
• Revamped the 2-story house to the 3-story house which now offers more props for barricading, more weapons/ammo, better accessibility, and is easier to move around in.
• Added funeral tents (with coffins) to the graveyard area that serve as a spawn location for zombies.
• Added a skybox to the map to add more detail to it.
• Added playerclips around various areas of the map that survivors/zombies should not be able to get into.
• Changed to the spawn room into a crypt-like area for thematic purposes.
• Updated/Changed the thunder effects and adding lightning effects to the map.
• Added a rain effect to the map.
• Made all of the doors toggleable (ie: you can open and close the doors that were attached to buttons in the map) and made it so that survivors could not break them (zombies still can break them though).
• Added survivor-only buttons for most of the doors in the map to prevent survivors from griefing or if a survivor accidentally closed the door to an area too early. Areas include: Crypt, Church tower, Church basement, Tunnels safe room, Tunnels entrance, and Generator.
• Added more spectator cameras to the map.
• Changed/Updated both zombie and survivors spawns.
• Updated some of the house lighting to be a bit brighter.
• Addition of more props and barricade supplies to make barricading more tolerable.
• QoL changes (such as reduction of some ammo, addition of newer weapons, removal of obsolete entities, etc.)
• Detail/brush/texture clean up and optimization.

Gameplay

Objectives

• Zombies must kill all survivors before the 10 minute time limit.
• Survivors must survive for 10 minutes.

House Difficulty

Houses ranking in general difficulty to break into/barricade (Hardest to easiest):

• Tunnels - The Tunnels underneath the map connects the Church to the Crypt and has 3 access points: Outhouse, Church Basement, and Crypt. The Outhouse entrance will lead to a set of rooms in the Tunnels with a good collection of guns/ammo that survivors can use when defending the Tunnels before it connects with the intersection in the Tunnels between Church basement and Crypt. The Tunnels intersection point is where all three entrances lead to which has a safe room area that can be barricaded and has a door that can be opened/closed by survivors. Most survivors will barricade/defend this area as it is one of the better places on the map to barricade, primarily due to the fact that the zombies have to break into many of the locations in order to get to them. If survivors are coordinated enough, some of the areas such as Crypt and Church Basement are somewhat barricaded to slow down the zombies while a number of props are used from Crypt to barricade various parts of the Tunnels, as well as the safehouse itself, to make it even more difficult for zombies to get to the survivors in this area. It does take a bit of teamwork and time, but it can prove to be worth it as it will offer a much higher chance at survivors winning the round.
• Church - This area has three areas in it which are Main floor, Tower, Basement:
  1. Main floor - The main floor connects to both Tower and Basement areas and is generally an area survivors attempt to get out of due to how easy it is for zombies to break into the area, even when being defended. Because the Church is generally the first area attacked when the map begins, most survivors will do well to either hide in tower or hide in the basement after getting whatever guns and ammo they could find since zombies will enter this area first. Some will defend the area for a time, but ultimately, everyone will leave as it generally ends up being broken into and it becomes impossible to defend as the area cannot be barricaded.
  2. Tower - This area can be defended using the door (which can be broken by zombies) and the few props in the area to slow down/stop the zombies as the survivors defend the area. The props can be used to block the stairs while allowing survivors the ability to shoot the zombies as they attempt to break through. The windows in this house can be broken down by survivors, which could be use as an last ditch effort to escape the area and run if the tower gets overrun by zombies. The ceiling at the top of the tower can be broken to reveal a number of props/items that survivors can use to defend the area with (this does not break the roof of the building however so survivors can still sit on top of the tower). This tower also has a balcony that also has a ladder that connects to the roof of the building that can be camped by survivors. Beware that there is a ladder at the side of the house with a breakable panel that zombies can break to get to the top of the tower as well, so survivors who wish to defend the tower area will need to be aware of this and defend it from the zombies. It should also be noted that survivors can access the church roof from the tower and even surf on it (zombies can also do this).
  3. Basement - The basement has two doors that can be used to get into the area which can be closed by survivors and broken into by zombies. Unlike the other parts of the house, the basement has a large number of props that can be utilized to block the door ways and keep the zombies out while survivors defend the area and the barricades. This area is the most ideal place to barricade, but the only downside is that there is only one way out of the basement, meaning that if the zombies break through, the survivors are dead as there is no means of escape unless they successfully dodge every zombie coming in and get out of the church. Basement also offers an entrance into the Tunnels as well.
• Generator (house) - This house can be defended provided that the ammo is used sparingly and the zombies are killed before they get to either the front or side windows/entrances, it will keep them from breaking it down faster. Survivors have to keep in mind that there are several entrances into the house from each side of the house (except the back) so if survivors intend to defend this area, they should either barricade each of the side and front entrances or pile as many of the props into the ladder room as possible to keep the zombies from getting in as easily and getting to the 2nd floor/balcony. The real strategy is simply defending this house rather than barricading it since keeping the zombies away until the timer runs out is the best strategy here.
• Crypt - This area has a door that can be toggled open/closed and also has a button that can drop a lot of explosive barrels, which can possible help either zombies or survivors (or both) in killing each other or simply themselves. The crypt can be barricaded with the props made available in the area in any of the rooms, but the most effective rooms are the small room at the very end of the crypt and the larger room with all the props in it. Barricading the entrance into crypt is not a good idea as the explosive barrels can blow the barricade/props away pretty easily. Once barricaded, it is simply a matter of defending and keeping the barricade from being broken through, which can prove difficult at times. If the zombie break through at any time, its basically over for any survivors in the crypt. This area also connects to the Tunnels via a door in the large room, which can be opened/closed by survivors. Survivors may also wish to move the props from Crypt into the tunnels to help barricade the Tunnels/Safehouse area which increases the chances of survivors living and winning the round.
• 3-story - The 1st floor of the building has three entrances two of which are windows with boards and one being a door. there are several props as well as guns and ammo on this floor, though most survivors generally do not barricade this area (though it can be done). The 2nd floor is where most survivors will barricade, particularly the room next to the ladder room which leads to the 3rd floor as most of the props on the 2nd floor can be moved into that room and the house can be better barricaded against window dropping zombies and zombies assaulting the entrance to that room. The 3rd floor does not have any props and leads to a balcony that has a ladder in which zombies can climb up and being either window dropping (to break windows) or breaking the doorway leading into the 3rd floor room which has a breakable trap door leading into the 2nd floor. Overall, this house can be defended if using the room on the 2nd floor, but for the most part, players may want to consider escaping the area, if possible.
• Outhouse - This simply connects to an entrance to the tunnels, nothing extraordinary about this house and no survivors spawn here.

Zombies Tactics

Here is just some general strategies for the map for zombies:

• Going after Church first - This is pretty much the standard strategy for all church-based maps that utilize the same layout/map structure as this one. While in other maps the strategy might have been to go after more difficult houses first, doing so is actually detrimental as it can waste precious time. Focusing on one house, particularly one with a good number of survivors, is the best strategy for these maps. The church itself is both vulnerable and difficult to get into, but it generally offers the best chance at nabbing a couple of survivors and turning them into zombies, which will help with getting the other survivors in the church as well as in the other more difficult areas of the map that require more than two-three zombies to assault. It also prevents the survivors in Church from fortifying too well and making it much more difficult to deal with them.
• Going after other houses first - Unlike other church maps, going after other houses in the map first isn't a bad strategy and isn't as difficult either. Going for 3-story or generator isn't a bad idea since its easier for zombies to go after these houses due to the variety of ways to get into them. Going after Crypt will probably be more difficult and might end up being a waste of time considering that you'll have to break through the doors and most survivors will head straight for the tunnels from this area, assuming they didn't spend time barricading it first to slow down the zombies. Still, the idea here is that you want to go after houses that have survivors in them that you can turn into zombies to assault other areas with, particularly the tunnels safehouse area since that is the hardest place in the map to deal with most of the time.
• Going after stragglers/runners - In general, most survivors will not be running around, especially in the early game, so this is only possible during mid-late game when houses have been broken into and survivors are trying escape. If is running around the map early game, it might be wise to get them as soon as possible since it will be easier to get them, provided its not a group or other survivors, particularly from the generator house, aren't assisting them via magnum/pistol sniping.

Survivor Tactics

Survivors will generally fall into four different lines of tactics when attempting to survive:

• Barricading - Barricading in this map can usually mean the difference between dying quickly or slowing the zombies down to win the round. There are several areas to barricade: Church Tower, Church Basement, 3-story, Crypt, and Tunnels Safe house. Each room mentioned has rooms in it that are better for barricading than others and it will be up to survivors to barricade their area well enough to slow down the zombies to defend the area. In Church, both tower and basement are the areas that can be barricaded, with basement being the best area to barricade and tower being the best to escape from if survivors attempt to run from the Tower if its defenses fall. 3-story is only good for barricading on the 2nd floor of the house if all props on the 2nd floor are utilized in the same area, otherwise, fleeing is a better option. Generator is better to barricade only the ladder room with all the props in the house in order to keep the zombies out of the 2nd floor, otherwise, it is better to run from this house if that cannot be done or to stand your ground on the 2nd floor balcony/roof. Crypt can be barricaded in any of the rooms, but the best rooms are the large room and the small room furthest from the entrance. Barricading the crypt's entrance can be dangerous, especially if the explosive barrels were released as they can blow the props away and possibly kill the survivors with prop physics damage. The tunnels are a good place to hold up and barricade and it is generally a good idea to take props from the Crypt area and move them into the Tunnels for use barricading/slowing down zombies since its much easier to do keep them out and defend the area. In general, the best use for barricades in this map is simply to keep the zombies away from you long enough to shoot them and/or to buy time until the map timer runs out as most of the rooms cannot be perfectly barricaded.
• Moving to a different house - This tactic is difficult, but not impossible in this map. Survivors running from a house can normally open up the Crypt from outside with a survivor-only button next to the entrance and let themselves into the area without assistance. Generator has doors that can be opened/closed by survivors from inside the house which can make it easier to accept survivors running from zombies without worrying that they are bringing them inside the house with them. Outside of that, survivors will not find other areas as easy to get into.
• Run and Gun - Run and gun is possible to do on the map, but it is also pretty easy to get surrounded and generally this is just as dangerous as Moving to a different house. The only difference being that survivors will be more worried about surviving/escaping the zombies rather looking for a new house to get into. It is better to barricade/defend an area than to run and gun. This should be done as a last resort since you are more likely to die this way than any other way.
• Camping - There are several areas that can be used to camp which include Church Tower (its roof and balcony are great places for this), Generator's 2nd floor and roof areas, and the balcony on the 3rd floor for 3-story (which is easy to access for both zombies and survivors). Of all of them, Church Tower is easily the best place to camp as it is possible to have a view over most of the map and can be easy to defend if enough survivors are keeping an eye on things.

Links

• Church Siege Final (related) - https://github.com/Silenci0/ZPSMapRepo/wiki/ChurchSiegeFinal