Multiplayer Map Guide

This guide provides details, descriptions, and strategies for this game's multiplayer deathmatch maps.

Introduction

This guide provides details and descriptions for each standard deathmatch map in Aliens versus Predator Classic 2000 as well as strategies for each species in them. The maps are assessed for deathmatches only, no other gameplay modes, because that is the most frequently played competitive mode. They are purely based on my experience and playstyle. More experienced players will have different assessments and everyone has a different style of play.

The information collected here is based on looking at the map data files themselves, so you can be sure I didn't miss any weapon, item, or spawnpoint.

How to navigate: I highly recommend using the sidebar to switch from map to map rather than reading the whole guide from top to bottom.

Compound

Version: Gold Edition
Map:
Medkits: 5
Armor Pickups: 6
Orbs: 3

Pulse Rifles: 8
Smartguns: 4
Flamethrowers: 2
Napalm: 1
SADARs: 2
Grenade Launchers: 2
Miniguns: 2
Skeeters: 2
Pistols: 9

Description: This is a large map with lots of circuitous, dimly lit tunnels connecting various rooms of different proportions. Two of these rooms are rather small, while one is large and contains an upper section. There is also a rather large-ish armory for marines who wish to do a bit of climbing.

We start off with a rather odd one, which doesn't gain a lot of favor with veteran players because of its size and rather haphazard construction. Compound combines dark circular tunnels with grey rooms, but the paths are somewhat confusing and not easily memorable. One trick is to always hug the right wall and eventually you'll always end up in the largest room, the map's arena section, which is incidentally its best section for combat. The large room has two floors and two staircases, a minigun, a skeeter, and an orb. The smaller rooms favour the predator and marine because it's just cramped enough to not give the alien enough room to bounce around, and there are two obstructions on either side of the room that make wall-bouncing difficulty. The upper section of the large room has a dark blue hive area with lots of columns, which ironically disadvantages the alien. On the surface, there seem to be a lot of navigational options for the alien but in reality the alien will end up dropping down into the dark circular tunnels sections, so there isn't much point in using them. Note the one jet of fire in the tunnels can ignite any species.

Basic Strategy: This map, like most, favors the predator, especially a cloaked one, because of the long dark hallways and the mid-sized rooms. There is an orb in the middle of such a dark hallway so other species should keep it destroyed. The marine, even a minigunner, is at a disadvantage in the hallways because of the constant threat of back attacks. Aliens fare very well against marines in the corridors because they can always see their opponents' auras, but as always should be especially careful against predators, since hallways are a prime locale for shoulder cannon death.

Alien Strategy: There are lots of dark areas to hide here, especially in the upper hive section. Navigating the upper areas is oddly challenging and basically pointless because you have to drop down to attack anyway. Marines are as good as dead if you track them in the hallways from behind, but if they take up certain camping positions, such as by the skeeter or in a corner of the upper section of the arena they can be annoying to deal with. Since the alien needs the most breathing room, the only section that's really at all good for the alien is the largest room, the arena, which allows for sufficient wall-bouncing and slingshotting. This is actually a great room for the main combat to stay because it contains two floors, an orb, and marine supplies. Otherwise you'll likely just be chasing players, marines, aliens, and predators, through the tunnels and tailing them in the back. Predators will rule the corridors with their shoulder cannon so don't go for a frontal assault. This is a dumb map for AvA because of the cramped corridors.

Marine Strategy: This is a dark map so it's not advantageous to go running around through the tunnels for very long. The motion tracker is more helpful here than in other places because of the lack of lighting. A minigunner should stay in the arena or one of the smaller rooms and back up against a wall; in the arena, it's a good idea to mix it up between staying in the lower level and upper level. Just make sure you have enough room to dodge a shoulder cannon shot. Pulse marines will, as usual, be more flexible and may challenge themselves by taking on aliens in the tunnels. Flare-blinding is useful here. The upper corridor in one of the rooms that leads to a skeeter is great for camping but don't expect to be able to dodge much if you're just crouching in a corner. The hive section is decent for dodging aliens, I guess, but don't go too far out of your way for supplies if you're being chased. The hardest part will be taking down predators, so give yourself ample space and grab the minigun in the arena, destroy the orb, and run and gun. Unless you're a standard marine and want to use the really terrible weapons for some stupid reason, the armory section is frankly a titanic waste of your time. It is possible to do some camping behind the tractor, though.

Predator Strategy: The predator's basic corridor advantage applies to the tunnel sections in full force. You can outrun marines and even some aliens, so keep that shoulder cannon charged up and fire once you get close to something. Predators are damn near untouchable here as long as they stay cloaked and don't run in straight lines. There are three orbs, which should be more than sufficient. It's very easy to lose pursuing aliens in the corridors when healing, as long as you mix up your path. You'll find even the mid-sized rooms good for jumping and dodging, as long as you're careful around perched minigunners. This is a decent map for wristblading, too. The speargun should only really be used in either of the two long straightaway tunnels, but if you're using it, your back will be exposed.

Summary: This is a map that has some good areas but ultimately is too dark and has too many wandering sections for the marine to be a challenge to other players. The predator as always shines in the tunnel sections and can be a real menace. Due to its size, it's almost never seen in tournaments. Marine players will likely love the "horror" thrill of being chased by aliens and predators in the pitch black sections, but they'll be outperformed. I think it was meant for groups of marines in an LMS, PTAG, or ATAG, but it's too same-looking and the spawnpoints are too far away to coordinate anything when someone dies. Only the flat section with the hive up above can adequately serve as an arena, but it's too dim and low to properly fight as an alien, which leaves just marines and predators. Overall it's just too dark and not interesting enough for most combat. An LMS with 6 or more inexperienced players is what it seems built for.

Elevator

Version: Gold Edition
Map:
Medkits: 4
Armor Pickups: 1
Orbs: 3

Pulse Rifles: 4
Smartguns: 3
Flamethrowers: 2
SADARs: 1
Grenade Launchers: 2
Miniguns: 2
Skeeters: 2
Pistols: 6

Alien Spawnpoints: 4
Marine Spawnpoints: 5
Predator Spawnpoints: 6

Description: This map is a series of circular sections winding around an elevator shaft with a stuck elevator on floor 2. There are lots of small side-rooms housing marine weapons. Overall the corridors themselves have a good width for all species, but the sides are made out of diagonal corners. The side-rooms are either dimly lit or very dark, making it a risky move for the marine to enter them. Overall the map is much too big and getting from floor to floor takes too long for it to be a decent map. Note that there is a very extensive vent system.

This is another one that rarely sees play because of its massive size and odd architecture. In terms of length, it takes way too long to get from one corner of this map to another, and the lack of accessibility between levels means a lot of players will be isolated from the action for quite a while. This map consists almost entirely of hallways, with few sections that are larger. While each hallway is itself decently sized, the walls are cut to prevent the alien from easily crawling on them. This severely limits the alien's mobility. The alien is probably supposed to use the vent system for stealth here, but the vent system is ultimately too long and complex for its own good. While the rooms are supposed to incentivize the marine to explore each one, the small size of most of them and the terrible weapons that are in some destroy that incentive.

Basic Strategy: A lot of the combat here ranges from very close to quite distant, thanks to the length of some of the corridors. Based on the design, though, it's too easy to avoid long-distance shots from certain weapons. A lot of people try hiding in the rooms, which gives you precisely one suprise shot to get off before a counter-attack. The rooms are armory depots, each providing the marine with one type of weapon. Unfortunately they're spaced out so that it's difficult to get to them all without encountering someone. Combat here is a weird mix, making it somewhat tough for predator players to predict what should be used. People sometimes gravitate towards the very bottom room underneath the elevator because it's the biggest arena area, even though it's still quite small.

Alien Strategy: Aliens need to especially use the cover of darkness here, which is easy to do because many of the side-rooms have breakable lights. Running straight ahead in the corridors, even on the ceiling, is a death sentence, which is unfortunate because that's where a lot of the action congregates. I think you're supposed to use the vent systems to drop down, but given that it's impossible to know who's in what room, and given that the vents are so complex, it's very hard to know where to go. Keep in mind that using the ceiling to wall-bounce will give you some added momentum. The stairs are a big sticking point for when you're wall-crawling. This is quite a bad map for bugs for those logistical reasons.

Marine Strategy: This map was probably built for standard marines (not specialists) in mind, for them to pick up new weapons in each room. Unfortunately that's not a realistic way to win in AvP, so you're probably better off choosing a pulse or minigun marine and using the hallways to pick off enemies from mid- to long-range. As stated above, some people like to hide in the rooms, but then you're relying on others to come and find you instead of going out and finding them. The best idea is probably finding a good end of a corridor to stay perched at and mow down enemies with the minigun. I don't see this happening a lot because the circular architecture seems to draw you to want to move. The minigun is probably the best weapon for this entire map, and for some reason it's very easy to take down enemies here with it. Keep in mind that the main corridors can't have all their lights destroyed, making it all the easier to see. A lot of other marine players like to stay camped at one end or a room (the pistol room probably most frequently) and cover the only entrance. This is a sure-fire way to get people to avoid that room and wait for you to get bored and come out, or for smart aliens to drop down on top of you.

Predator Strategy: This is a really weird one. Obviously you'll need to pick the best weapon for the best circumstance; wristblade for close-range, shoulder cannon for mid-range, speargun for long range. Unfortunately because everyone's usually running around (the architecture forces this), combat will likely be switching between all three very quickly. The shoulder cannon is most reliable of the three. Keep in mind that only one orb is directly in the main path, the other two are in side passages. Otherwise, staying at top speed and wristblading enemies is probably the way to go. The pistol (against alien) and disc (against marine or pred) are incredibly overpowered here, due to the lack of room to outmaneuver them.

Summary: This map is too big yet restricted for good deathmatches. There are no good places for large fights and it takes too long to move from floor to floor. Long narrow corridors favor minigun marines but fast predator players will easily come up close and personal, and they can do massive damage while tanking damage. The vent system is too complex for aliens to realistically navigate and the armory depots are useless for anyone but a standard marine. That being said, going as a standard marine is probably the most fun due to the weapon variety and is a good challenge in this map. As with Compound, this is probably a better map for ATAG or LMS, or even PTAG.

Hadley's Hope

Version: Gold Edition
Map:
Medkits: 2
Armor Pickups: 2
Orbs: 2

Pulse Rifles: 3
Smartguns: 1
Flamethrowers: 1
SADARs: 0
Grenade Launchers: 1
Miniguns: 1
Skeeters: 1
Pistols: 2

Alien Spawnpoints: 2
Marine Spawnpoints: 3
Predator Spawnpoints: 3

Description: This is a square-ish map with two main perimeter corridors connecting mid-sized rooms with lots of objects inside. Most corridors are narrow. There are two acid holes that lead down to a basement floor, with a fan to send players back up. There is also a short but effective vent system above the main floor.

This is actually a pretty great map. In addition to including a slew of references to Aliens, this is a very combat-driven map. Most action takes place in narrow hallways or small rooms, so there's a lot of close-range combat. The marine is most successful here, but good predators and even aliens can eke out a win. There is sufficient architectural variety between open and closed spaces for players with different playstyles to be satisfied. While it may be slightly confusing at first, the main points of reference are the two outer hallways, to which the rooms adjoin.

Basic Strategy: The resource layout makes for a very interesting map, because there really aren't that many supplies for the marine. However, they're placed in prime locations. Marines will naturally use one of many camping spots to do some serious damage with pulse grenades or the minigun. Aliens will easily take down marines who stupidly run in a single direction without looking around, but in almost every other context, they must be very careful. There isn't a lot of room for them to maneuver so they're frequently stuck running around on the floor like a marine. The shoulder cannon, as usual, fares best out of the pred's legit weapons, since opponents tend to run in straight lines in the main corridor sections, and space to move around is limited in the mid-sized rooms. The largest room on the main floor has an orb, medkit, and armor pickup, and is where aliens and preds fare best, and consequently where marines die most. Note too that with the lights destroyed, it's much more difficult for marines to see what's coming. A lot of kills are made by surprise attacks here. By far the best place for duels is the basement, which provides ample space. The only downside is the close proximity to the fan, allowing for an easy escape.

Alien Strategy: The alien sort of gets the shaft with spawnpoints here, there's only two and they both appear in the vent section. This is bad because they're predictable for enemies, but they provide you with the ability to choose where you want to drop down. Many vent sections can be destroyed and marines and predators can even enter the vent section, so it's not immune to attack. There's little room on the main floor for mobility, so what often ends up happening is aliens end up basically being fast little wristblade-using predators. It's very easy to die here because of the small space (one pulse grenade or minigun burst will end you) but with the lights destroyed you can give yourself a fighting chance. Whatever you do, don't go after marines in the raised section in the facehugger room (next to the windows); they have a height advantage and the architecture is weird there, allowing them to easily see you coming and put a grenade in your head. It's difficult to wall-glide in the corridors here and predators are incredibly annoying in the hallways if they use the pistol or disc. Since back attacks deal double damage, you want to be sure to always try to climb around a predator in this area. The best place to take on a fight is in the basement because it has the most space, although you should never do a frontal assault. Aliens are the weakest species in this map due to the cramped spaces, but it's very easy to win against newbie marines.

Marine Strategy: This map favors marines above the other species but that doesn't necessarily mean it's easy for a marine to win. A lot of the rooms will get their lights destroyed, making them pitch black. While there are supplies thrown in good locations, there are very few of them. You'll want to always take possession of the health and armor kits, and leave the orb in the central room destroyed. Camping works wonders here, especially in the main perimeter corridors, because the lights can't be fully destroyed there. Minigunners tend to like to camp just behind the acid hole, which is probably the best spot for DPS, although it's not impervious to attacks. Pulse grenades are effective in the room with the hamster wheel, as well as in the corridors. The minigun is in a good location for standard marines, however, the basement level is typically a death sentence for all marines because of its dim lighting and the ability for aliens to wall-glide. There's no useful resource in the basement anyway (except a grenade launcher and skeeter), so there's really not much point in going down there unless a weak pred drops down to heal. Basically the main strategy should be to put yourself in a corner of the main room (with the control panel) or on one end of one of the perimeter corridors.

Predator Strategy: The predator does fairly well in here with standard weapons, and won't be hindered in the least by lack of lighting. Cloaking in the darkness is a must against marines. The shoulder cannon works pretty well in most cases here. The two biggest problems are running out of energy and dealing with camping minigunners. There is an orb in the basement as well as the main room, and preds should drop down to grab the lower orb if they need to heal. The straight hallways makes the speargun a viable option but trying to take out bum-rushing, claw-spamming aliens with it can be a real pain. Wristblades work well against marines in most areas, and it works decently against aliens in the basement. The basement presents an interesting challenge because the marine and predator are equally favored down there. Good predators will outrun newbie aliens in the outer hallway section of the basement. Given the compact size of most rooms, shoulder cannon splash damage is reliable against aliens; camping marines should give a predator little trouble.

Summary: This is a fun map that presents an advantage to the marine, who doesn't really get many chances to shine. It's easily traversed by aliens, and predators who don't instantly die to camping marines will fare well in the small rooms with the shoulder cannon. The marines will dominate the corridors and even some good camping spots in the small rooms with the minigun or pulse grenades. This is a good map for any-sized DM and SDM. It's weak for LMS, ATAG, and PTAG.

Hive

Version: AvP99
Map:


Medkits: 2
Armor Pickups: 3
Orbs: 2

Pulse Rifles: 2
Smartguns: 1
Flamethrowers: 1
SADARs: 0
Grenade Launchers: 1
Miniguns: 1
Skeeters: 1
Pistols: 2

Alien Spawnpoints: 2
Marine Spawnpoints: 3
Predator Spawnpoints: 3

Notes: All three marine and predator spawnpoints are identical.

Description: This is a two-story, rectangular, industrial map. The lower section consists of a single hallway with an entrance into a very dark hive section that contains some marine pickups and an orb. Two sets of stairs on either end of the hallway lead to the upper section, which is a bright room with an open central section but with walls shielding much of the perimeter. Oddly shaped columns intrude into what could have been a more open section. An acid hole leads down into the hive area.

This is the first of the original six AvP99 maps that we come to, and it's by far the smallest official AvP map. The spawnpoints are extremely limited, and the alien's very predictable spawnpoint contributes to its extreme disadvantage here. Most combat takes place in the upper section, as it's the largest and most well-stocked. Given the small size of the map, many deaths are at close range, however, some mid-range combat is possible in the lower hallway. Since Hive is a very small map, it is also one of the most chaotic and, in this player's opinion, annoying.

Basic Strategy: The way that the map allows for cover while providing an open view of space, as well as the bright and straight hallways, make this an ideal map for minigunners. Pulse marines will also have a pretty easy time. Items are located by walls, allowing marines to stand on them without taking damage from alien tails. If defense isn't taken over an item, cover can be taken by one or two good players who set themselves up in a corner. Otherwise, many times everyone is simply running around the perimeter and firing when they see another player. Predators may be able to run around the perimeter, but they'll have to really put their mobility skills to the test as they won't have much space to move around. As such, they'll have to flee down the stairs or drop down the acid hole, with some frequency to heal. Unfortunately, there are two orbs when there really should've been only one. This puts the predator on a similar playing field with the marine, leaving the alien behind in the dust. This is one of the worst maps for an alien, given the inability to make sufficient use of speed, darkness, and jumping distance.

Alien Strategy: As stated above, this is probably the worst map for which to be an alien because of the tight spaces, bright lighting, large supply of items, narrow hallways, annoying columns, and only two spawnpoints. While you can still move quickly around the perimeter of the upper section, creative jumping is severely inhibited thanks to some incredibly annoying poles or columns in the way. The few spawnpoints present a very serious problem: I've been in a situation where I've died over and over and over at the respawn point by marines who know where it is, because it's a very easy target. You'll have to use every tool in your arsenal to get around opponents in this map. Fortunately, other aliens are at the same disadvantages as you. Marines are most vulnerable in this map when running, so your top priority should be to get behind them. However, camping minigunners will almost always win. Top priority, when not killing a marine, should be in destroying the items, most importantly the medkit and armor. Good predators are nearly impossible to take down, given their vast health boost. As with fighting the marine, you want to limit their advantages, so keep the orbs destroyed (top one is more important to destroy than the bottom, but try to keep both eliminated), but make sure you don't light yourself on fire when destroying the top orb. The shoulder cannon will make you mince meat if you attack from the front in nearly any context here, however, you shouldn't have too much of a problem with countering the speargun or wristblades as long as you use the perimeter hallways to wall-bounce. Note that you can increase your speed by wall-bouncing against the ceiling. The only place where you have any significant cover is the hive section, which is of course the section that hardly anyone goes to (in practice, only the pred when looking to refill energy). Keep the items destroyed, keep your speed up, wall-bounce along the perimeter, and try to only attack from behind to maximize your score.

Marine Strategy: I feel like not even needing to write this section because Hive gives such an obvious advantage to marines. The bright upper section is where you should hang out, obviously, unless you can get a convenient kill from a passing player on the bottom hallway. There's no need to go into the hive section unless you need the healthkit under the stairs, in which case you'll just be passing through quickly. Be careful when dropping down the hole if falling damage is turned on, though, as you'll take damage. Most minigunners camp against the wall that has the healthkit, armor pickup, and minigun, or by the flamethrower and orb, however, it's also possible to be a successful camper by the staircases, especially in a corner if you're fast enough. Aliens should be easily shredded here thanks to the architectural advantages and bright lights. You must be quick on the draw against skilled marines. Pulse marines are formidable against minigunners and that probably presents the most interesting challenge here. Otherwise, you must look out for predators using the shoulder cannon, although the lights should make the outline of a cloaked pred fairly visible. A fast predator using a hit-and-fade technique of the shoulder cannon has the highest probability of hitting you, but if you keep moving, especially around the corners around the perimeter of the upper section, you can easily dodge them. It may not be realistic to expect to be able to keep the lower orb destroyed if you're a minigunner. The marine is weak when going up the stairs, which is where many aliens finally succeed in getting kills. Lastly, it should be pointed out that it is possible for a minigunner to access the upper upper section where the alien spawns, but only by performing an extraordinarily difficult minigun jump.

Predator Strategy: The predator isn't impacted as much by the lack of room to move as is the alien, but the minigunner is usually an effective killing machine against you. The cloak won't work as well, but it's still recommended. Both the shoulder cannon and wristblades are effective in this map, so don't discredit the blades simply because of their difficulty in use. As usual, if you use the shoulder cannon, you'll want to rely on thermal mode to get direct shots on marines (usually a hit-and-fade technique works best), and direct hits are possible with aliens in some of the tighter areas, or if not, it should be easy to do enough splash damage to kill them. The second orb helps a lot, and you're also aided by the natural lighting. You might even prefer the manual aim of the shoulder cannon by using normal vision mode, since the lighting allows for easy visibility in the upper section.

Summary: This is a classic, small, marine-favored map that usually results in chaos in mass DMs. Alien is at an extreme disadvantage, and the predator can do serious damage too without marines to keep him in check. Good map for any-sized DM and PTAG. Not a great map for SDM, but quite bad for ATAG and LMS.

Jockey

Version: AvP99
Map:
Medkits: 9
Armor Pickups: 4
Orbs: 11

Pulse Rifles: 3
Smartguns: 4
Flamethrowers: 3
SADARs: 2
Grenade Launchers: 4
Miniguns: 2
Skeeters: 1
Pistols: 2

Alien Spawnpoints: 3
Marine Spawnpoints: 3
Predator Spawnpoints: 3

Description: This is a very large and somewhat confusing map that connects medium-sized areas with mid-sized corridors. Ultimately the room with the Space Jockey is in the center, with many paths leading out of it, like spokes on a wheel. The outer sections (the wheel) alternate between rooms of various sizes and corridors. To make it even more confusing, there are multiple levels, too.

Another one of the original AvP99 maps, this one gets played less often, and for a few good reasons. First of all, it's simply too big. While the Space Jockey room serves as a good arena, it takes too long to find other players, especially if they're moving in the same direction as you. Secondly, there are way too many field charge orbs in this map. At eleven, it's literally impossible to ensure they're all destroyed, which basically gives a mobile predator infinite ammo. Thirdly, the layout is itself confusing, and there are few memorable spots. Lastly, the areas themselves don't really make much sense in a deathmatch, meaning it's hard to pick a strategy for a given room you're in.

Basic Strategy: The predator obviously has the advantage in this map. The eleven orbs ensures that the predator will always be able to heal and use the shoulder cannon. However, the alien isn't that far behind, and in a one-on-one fight in the Space Jockey arena, without players leaving the room, it is quite possible for an alien to win in a straight up fight. The alien can pick up some good momentum in the corridors, and many spaces allow for long jumps. The marine is at a big disadvantage in many spots in this map, save for the corridor sections, which are set up perfectly for a pulse grenade shot. Good marine vs. marine fights can take place on the upper section of the Space Jockey arena, but marines will find the dark areas and the stairs a place of vulnerability. Only a couple places are good for camping. The top-most room of the map (containing three pulse rifles, a medkit, and a SADAR) is a great room for marines to fight aliens, as it's a perfect balance of large space (for the alien) and small space (the corridor, for the marine).

Alien Strategy: There isn't a vent system to use to travel here, so you'll have to go along the same path others take. I haven't seen many aliens use the wall-crawling to their advantage in this map because there are a lot of architectural protrusions along the walls, making transitioning difficult. Fortunately, there are plenty of good places to wall-glide or take long leaps. The dark areas (outside the three holes and in the short hive section) are where the alien shines most, but aliens can wall-bounce creatively in the top-most room for interesting matches, as long as they keep the medkit destroyed. Incidentally, that area is a very well-balanced section for aliens to fight marines. Verticality is an often important factor in this map. Predators may have a difficult time hitting you since the ceiling is often very high. The shoulder cannon as usual is the thing to watch out for, but luckily there are many spots you can use your speed and wall-bouncing ability to mess up the targeting system. For this reason, the speargun is a strong weapon against an alien here. Against other aliens, it will be a matter of simply dodging and speed. Note that the Space Jockey room is excellent for fighting other aliens, especially because of the ability to wall-glide along the top walls.

Marine Strategy: Given the increased room for maneuverability for the alien and predator in this map, the marine is at a disadvantage here. Typically rooms have enough cover or corners for aliens and predators to avoid attacks, and no room except for the central one is exceptionally long. The only places you can rely on for long distance attacks are one or two corridors. The Space Jockey room is decently supplied, but a marine is at a disadvantage against an alien or predator there. Aliens aren't invincible, however, and a good place to have a match is in the room with the SADAR, medkit, and three pulse rifles. Minigunners fare just okay against aliens in this map. Note that the hive corridors leading away from the jockey room sometimes have tight corners, which you can use to your advantage as camping spots. The predator is at a very distinct advantage in this map, and there unfortunately isn't much you can do about it. Although the shoulder cannon misses frequently at long range, there aren't many long-range spots in this map. There are a couple of decent camping spots but you'll have to move between them so as to not be predictable. One of them (in a corner behind a random block in an industrial section on the bottom floor near some sliding doors) is excellent. It should also be noted that this is a fantastic map to play as a standard marine against another standard marine because the size of the map allows for a greater amount of time between encounters, and therefore more variety in pickups.

Predator Strategy: The huge supply of orbs should keep predators constantly charged, so cloaking is obvious. The predator fares well in mid-sized rooms, especially with the shoulder cannon, although it's easy for shots to miss against aliens in certain areas like the hive section. Marines usually wither under shoulder cannon attacks. The speargun can be a good choice against aliens in certain sections because wall-bouncing will throw off the shoulder cannon's aim. Predators are mostly unstoppable against marines unless they're caught in the wrong vision mode by a well-placed minigunner. I can't imagine seriously facing another predator in a one-on-one here because the huge stock of orbs will basically mean that someone will always be able to run and flee.

Summary: This is a huge map with some odd design choices. The Space Jockey room is probably the best place for one-on-one matches, while the other good area for combat is the room with the SADAR, medkit, and three pulse rifles. Predators are given the highest advantage with the high orb concentration. Aliens can easily tear marines apart if they're mobile and use verticality and wall-bouncing to their advantage. Marines are overall at a disadvantage here. Given the size, this map is terrible for any game mode fewer than 4 people (unless, in a duel, people agree to limit the fighting to only the jockey arena). However, given enough players (6-8) this map can be great for any game mode.

Lab 14

Version: Gold Edition
Map:


Medkits: 2
Armor Pickups: 2
Orbs: 1

Pulse Rifles: 2
Smartguns: 2
Flamethrowers: 1
SADARs: 1
Grenade Launchers: 1
Miniguns: 1
Skeeters: 1
Pistols: 3

Alien Spawnpoints: 6
Marine Spawnpoints: 5
Predator Spawnpoints: 6

Description: A rectangular map with its length much longer than its width. A long series of mid-sized rooms are connected, yet many protruding walls prevent the ability to see very far down. The ceiling is low in most areas, and there are low-hanging catwalks accessible to the alien and predator for slightly faster traversal. Basic map structure is simple but many objects like railings and chairs obstruct the path.

This is another map that, while fairly small and simple, sees very little play because of a number of reasons. First of all, stupid design decisions prevent the ability for players to run clearly through the map. A lot of unnecessary objects are in the way and artificially restricts players' movement. Secondly, most of the wooden sections all look the same, and there aren't enough unique points of reference in the map. Thirdly, there's no section that seems really tailored for combat; every room has a downside and no room functions as an arena. Lastly, it's small and bland, and without posing anything interesting, the map quickly becomes boring and monotonous. But while this map is boring, it can become somewhat interesting with enough players, especially if a good predator is thrown into the mix. As with Hive, with a lot of players (especially marines), the whole match can quickly become a clusterf*ck.

Basic Strategy: By natural design, this map favors the predator, but interestingly there's only one orb, which could possibly pose an interesting challenge if players are smart enough to keep the orb destroyed. The semi-open design could have made it difficult for the pred to lose players while running to heal, but as it stands, there is sufficient cover for a pred to use. There are few marine weapons and they're thrown about haphazardly; due to close proximity, the explosive ones have devastating potential here. The alien will likely be crawling all over the floor to take down marines, but they'll often find marines to be a better match than they expected. The catwalks are pretty much useless. A lot of combat takes place at a medium range, meaning shoulder cannon, pulse rifle, and speargun are the most effective weapons, but it's a better map than most to try out the more ineffective weapons (smartgun, flamethrower, SADAR, skeeter, etc.).

Alien Strategy: This map features combat mostly at medium range, except for a few close-range places (the locker room and one of the office rooms). The best strategy for this (I think) is using the crouch-jump to quickly leap to your target. A lot of indestructible objects lie in your way, so you'll have to navigate underneath railings and around unnecessary walls to maintain speed. Marines who use pulse grenades and other explosives will be able to get off the first shot at you before you can attack, and you can't use darkness to your advantage here. If they're good shots and/or if you only run in a straight line towards them, you can't expect to win. Marines will also be effective if they put themselves next to cover, most notably the section with several vertical wooden walls close together, as well as the wall with the minigun. For these it's best to leap to the wall behind them and attack from above. Some high ceilings may prove useful. Predators, as usual, will be difficult targets but they'll also be hindered by the objects in their way. Usually a relentless tail assault and constantly trying to attack their backside can take a predator down. Against aliens is difficult to say because most rooms are too small for aliens to take advantage of.

Marine Strategy: Marines fare about as well as the alien here, with the advantage of being able to see them coming relatively soon before they attack. It gives you enough time for a single attack, so your aim better be good. Jumping and dodging around the objects can lead to some funny interactions as aliens miss consistently. Although this map is longer and more open than Hive, there are some good camping spots as well. The two most notable ones are the short wooden vertical walls and the spot with the minigun. Staying between the vertical walls makes it difficult to be spotted and also lets you get off a shot and passersby. The spot with the minigun is great as long as you stay with your back against the wall and decimate every player passing through; you'll need the minigun for this. This also has the advantage of overlooking the longest straight passage in the map. The predator has the advantage in this map so keep the only orb destroyed, although it's located in a place that sees little action. As stated above, all explosive weapons (pulse grenades, SADAR, grenade launcher, and skeeter) are effective here because of the ability to see enemies a fair distance (but not too far) away. Since the map is on the small side and there's only one floor, the explosive weapons are also easily available to the marine. The smartgun is suprisingly effective at disposing of unwary predators here. Fighting other marines usually means pulse grenade wars. Marine chaos tends to conglomerate around the locker rooms.

Predator Strategy: Given the map's proclivity for mid-sized rooms, the predator has the basic advantage here, but some things inhibit it. First, the rooms are fairly bright, so cloaking is minimally effective. Second, there's only one orb. Third, there are some good camping spots for the marine. Last, the map's obstructive objects are easy to get hung up on. Luckily the rooms are designed in such a way as to easily lose players when needing to run and heal. Predators can access the upper catwalks but shouldn't need to. The basic tactic to take here is run and shoot the shoulder cannon whenever possible. The speargun is also quite effective here, although the wristblade is less effective here than in other maps. Aliens can be killed quite easily with shoulder cannon splash damage. Motion is the name of the game here, and there are a couple dead ends that are easy to be caught in. Make sure to keep running and jumping through the perimeter and players will have a difficult time catching you. Fighting another pred almost assuredly entails using the speargun and keeping the field charge unit for yourself.

Summary: While this map has an interesting premise with combining mid-sized rooms, it's overall ugly, has many obstacles, and is relatively poor compared to some better choices. It favors the predator, with the marine and alien being about equally matched against one another. One can be excused for using grenades and other explosives (including the skeeter) here because it's fun to see the mayhem of explosives play out here, and the map is just big enough to be able to escape such blasts. Good for a mass DM and SDM, not very good for PTAG (unless you have some really good players who can take a pred down), bad for ATAG and LMS.

Leadworks

Version: Gold Edition
Map:


Medkits: 1
Armor Pickups: 1
Orbs: 2

Pulse Rifles: 2
Smartguns: 1
Flamethrowers: 1
SADARs: 0
Grenade Launchers: 1
Miniguns: 1
Skeeters: 0
Pistols: 4

Alien Spawnpoints: 2
Marine Spawnpoints: 2
Predator Spawnpoints: 2

Notes: No spawnpoints are shared.

Description: Taking inspiration from Alien3, this map consists of three rooms interconnected by corridors on either side. The outer rooms are large-ish while the central one is between small and medium-sized, although it's very tall. There are two levels on the ground floor, one slightly above the other. There is also a very straightforward vent system with several spots to drop down.

This is one of my favorite maps. Each of the three biggest rooms are quite tall and provide enough space for the alien to jump around. The corridor sections allow the alien to easily wall-glide, but as usual, the shoulder cannon dominates these types of corridors. Minigunners will do well to stay under cover (such as under the catwalks in the central and medkit rooms). This map, interestingly, features no SADAR or skeeter pickup, and aside from the four pistols, has sparse marine pickups in general (only one medkit and armor pickup). With the lights destroyed, this mid-sized map becomes even more chaotic, and marines may try to avoid the medkit room for as long as they can maintain their health. Unfortunately, the two orbs ensure that the predator will maintain its advantage as long as it avoids hiding minigunners. This map is not without problems, however. The serious restrictions on spawnpoints ensures that it's possible to always know where a species has spawned.

Basic Strategy: This is a quite well-balanced map that prominently features a vertical element. The three main rooms and a couple of the corridors are quite tall. The corridors are also easily traversed on all sides by wall-crawling. The alien will have a fun time wall-gliding through the corridors, giving marines certain death, unless marines see it coming. Corridors are good spots for pulse grenade shots. The rooms will pose a trickier time for marines, however, the central room is where every path intersects, even though there may be multiple levels. Aside from aliens (or predators) using the upper vents, it's impossible to move from one end of the map to the other without passing through the central area, which is conveniently where the minigun is located. The lack of marine supplies for the marine will be a hindrance to the standard marine, although this shouldn't be an excuse to proxy mine the vents or the map's various pinch points, as this simply restricts everyone's movement for a while. The predator will do very well by abusing the shoulder cannon in corridors. By moving correctly, it's possible for the predator to outrun aliens in the corridor sections. The speargun works well against marines and aliens, and the wristblade can work decently against marines. The alien will find its strength in the tall rooms, the predator will find its strength in corridors, and the marine will find his strength underneath cover in camping positions.

Alien Strategy: The alien has only two spawnpoints, both in the upper vent areas. This upper section is usually immune to attack from all but grenades and other aliens, although with a tricky speargun leap, predators can enter this area too. The tall rooms provide ample space for wall-bouncing, momentum-boosting, and creative jumping. The medkit room can also be turned nearly pitch black with the lights out, helping you to attack from the shadows. There is also a marine spawnpoint in this room. The corridors are great for wall-gliding. One logistical problem is the placement of the pistols; since in the default game you can't jump over them, they can stop your movement. Those two in conjunction make traversing this map that much easier. Marines will meet certain doom in corridors, but you must be cautious about the camping minigunners, especially around the minigun pickup in the central room. Luckily, that room is tall, providing you with space to wall-jump to leap towards the minigunner. The marine only has one medkit, so make sure that's always destroyed. The predator, on the other hand, has two orbs, and those must always be destroyed to keep preds in check. The shoulder cannon is highly accurate in the hallways, and much less so in the three rooms. Always try to keep combat as vertical as possible to throw off the aim. Battles with other aliens here are typically fun, although not as fun as they could be because although there's some space to bounce around, it's not as much as in, say, the Space Jockey room of Jockey or the streets of Subway. The alien typically gets hung up on the architecture in the flamethrower room, so be careful.

Marine Strategy: As with the alien, the marine has two spawnpoints and this will royally f*ck a marine. It's very easy to tell where a respawned marine is and this will cause smart opponents to immediately plan to come to you. Fortunately you have a few paths to choose from, and there should be some spawn invulnerability time to get you going. Marines are vulnerable to shoulder cannon shots and tail attacks unless they're extremely precise with pulse grenades or the minigun. It's possible for the alien to get hung up on walls in the flamethrower room, so when combat gravitates there, you should have an easier time if you're perched against a corner. Any spot below the catwalk in the central room (such as right on top of the minigun) is good for camping, and as stated above, that's the room where all paths (except the vent) intersect. Keep the orbs destroyed and stay with your back against the wall in the central room or at the end of a hallway and you'll have an easier time.

Predator Strategy: As with the alien and marine, the predator also has two spawnpoints, but this shouldn't be a problem because of the predator's boosted health. The shoulder cannon is very effective in the corridors, and the two orbs should provide you with plenty of energy. The cloak isn't very effective in this map, as the areas tend to be either extremely dark or fairly well-lit. This is a great map for mobility, and unless you're healing, you should be constantly running throughout the hallways, dominating them with the shoulder cannon, speargun, or wristblade. Minigunners only pose a serious threat when over the orb by the medkit room or another camping position you're not expecting. Aliens are more or less easily disposed of one at a time in the hallways. Fighting other predators here is an interesting challenge because of the ease of losing one another with the extra mobility; the two orbs make matters worse. All three of the predator's legit weapons are good choices here.

Summary: This is yet another map that favors the pred but gives the alien some advantages, too. The marine gets the shaft the hardest, but a few camping spots can be taken advantage of to claim dominance of a room or corridor. The mobility afforded in this map makes movement all the more important, and vertical combat in the main rooms makes the map all the more interesting. Great map for DM and ATAG, possibly okay for PTAG and SDM, but it's too small for a good LMS.

Massacre

Version: AvP99
Map:
Medkits: 6
Armor Pickups: 1
Orbs: 1

Pulse Rifles: 1
Smartguns: 1
Smartgun Ammo: 1
Flamethrowers: 1
Napalm: 2
SADARs: 1
Grenade Launchers: 1
Miniguns: 1
Skeeters: 1
Pistols: 2

Alien Spawnpoints: 9
Marine Spawnpoints: 8
Predator Spawnpoints: 9

Notes: Aside from the unique alien spawnpoint in the hive and the unique predator spawnpoint in an upper room, all species share the same spawnpoints.

Description: This map is a three-story mixture of staircases, hallways, and small rooms. Several branching paths lead away from a dark, open central section. These paths branch off in circular directions away from and around this central section. The central section leads to a set of stairs that go up to the map's largest room. This overlooks a darkened room with the map's only armor kit. The darkened room has two paths leading out, one toward a fan room and the other leading to a room with a pulse rifle, adjacent to the central section. A staircase nearby the central section leads to the second floor, which consists of a circular hallway with one path leading to a room with a minigun and the map's only orb. The third floor is a short semi-circle hallway. An alien hive, a room with a sliding door, and a room with a fan all correspond to an alien, predator, and marine "upper" section

This was probably the first multiplayer map designed for AvP99, as it was featured in their 1998 E3 demo. Massacre is a completely bewildering maze with bizarre transitions between smallish rooms and long hallways. The biggest room is technically the room with the grenade launcher and skeeter but because of its odd location, it rarely sees combat. Combat centers around the darkened room with the only armor pickup and the lower level adjacent to it (with the map's only pulse rifle). Marines are successful in this semi-open section, predators are very strong when picking off individual foes in the corridors. Aliens are generally unfavored unless wall-gliding in the corridors. All species will have to play the hell out of this map to know where each pathway goes. Despite its darkness, this is actually a very underrated map because of its high skill ceiling to navigate and use effectively, which is in fact possible.

Basic Strategy: This is perhaps the most convoluted map that Rebellion designed, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. This actually brings out some of the best elements in each species, such as marines and predators managing hallway combat and aliens wall-gliding and making high jumps. This map is surprisingly well-balanced, but ultimately DPS goes to the minigunner in the armor kit room. Pulse marines can succeed against aliens even in the pitch black room adjoining it, but aliens dominate the hallways against marines. The predator's shoulder cannon is mostly accurate only at close-range combat in hallways. The speargun is all around good in this map. Ultimately, every species has a strong and weak spot in this map.

Alien Strategy: The alien is strong against marines in hallways. It's easy to close the gap in these places because of the ease of wall-gliding. Despite the darkness, the alien must be careful in the room with the pulse rifle, as it leads to a room where the marine has a significant advantage. This is where much of the action conglomerates, and it usually entails a pulse marine dominating these rooms briefly or a minigunner camping at a corner. The alien's ease of navigation of the tunnels, as well as the ability to climb on the ceiling, should encourage the player to stay away from the more open sections, or at least to only enter when there's one opponent there. The predator is no-nonsense in hallways, as it's very close quarters and will only take one shoulder cannon blast to incinerate you. On the other hand, the predator fares more poorly in the more open sections, where the shoulder cannon is more likely to miss. Be careful of speargun users here because that weapon really shines in Massacre. Fighting other aliens in Massacre is very interesting due to the hanging catwalks and occasional vertical elements in the map. Combat will be all over the place, although the most frequently used arena section is most likely still the armor pickup room. Wall-bouncing is essential for dodging aliens here.

Marine Strategy: The marine is at an obvious disadvantage because of the lack of lighting, but his abilities will shine through in his dominance of the armor pickup room. The height gives marines a distinct advantage against anyone coming from below, although one must be exceptionally careful of opponents coming from the hallway leading from the fan room. Hardly anyone comes from the grenade launcher room, although that could be a great place from which to jump in. There are a couple of camping positions in the darkness (one on top of the armor, the other in a corner from the fan room corridor), and neither the image intensifier nor flares are terrible here. The marine is also strong on top of the medkit in the central room on top of the healthkit at one end. The marine is weakest when running around on the second or third floors. The marine should take a very offensive position against aliens and other marines in the armor pickup room; that's where combat naturally goes, so the idea is to hold that position until necessary to find a healthkit, then return. Predators, as usual, are tougher than marines or aliens, but there's only one orb here, which is semi-conveniently located near the armor pickup room. The best strategy against a predator is a minigun in one of the hallways or in one of the darkened rooms.

Predator Strategy: The shoulder cannon works best in the hallways, although smarter marines won't stay there for long. There are several locations where catwalks overlook rooms below, which is great for when you're cloaked and using the shoulder cannon. The shoulder cannon works decently most of the time, while the speargun is great in almost all areas. Even the wristblade, though risky, can pay off. The predator is weakest in the larger rooms and also in hallways going around corners. Camping minigunners and aliens are only the map's real problem if you're not using the shoulder cannon. The map's single orb is essential to claim, because if other players are taking it or destroying it, you'll be significantly disadvantaged. This map's first-floor rooms seem perfectly made for the pistol, which as we all know is overpowered. Against other preds this map can be hellish but interesting because of the single orb and extensive pathways.

Summary: Massacre is a very complex and underrated map that brings out the best in players who must use the complex map elements to their advantage. There is no clear winner from the outset, although in mass DM's the minigunner will usually win simply by virtue of being DPS. Each species has strengths and weaknesses in different areas of the map and players should use all their knowledge of the map and combat to tip the scales in their favor. Due to the high skill ceiling, this map is best played on DM. SDM works just okay, but the other gameplay modes probably won't work very well, since the complex layout limits coordinated attacks.

Meat Factory

Version: Gold Edition
Map:
Medkits: 7
Armor Pickups: 2
Orbs: 3

Pulse Rifles: 6
Smartguns: 1
Flamethrowers: 1
SADARs: 0
Grenade Launchers: 1
Miniguns: 1
Skeeters: 1
Pistols: 3

Alien Spawnpoints: 3
Marine Spawnpoints: 3
Predator Spawnpoints: 3

Notes: All spawnpoints are unique.

Description: This map consists of three large, dark rooms, a long red truck hallway, and a bright upper office level with three small rooms overlooking each of the three dark rooms. A vent system forms a path between two of the large, dark rooms and the hallway of the office section. The three main rooms are the truck room (where the front of the truck is located), the forklift room, and the meathook room, all of which contain orbs. Catwalks provide a second level for the truck and meathook rooms. There are diagonal open doors between certain areas.

This map is loosely based on the meat factory scene from Predator 2. While the rooms are extremely varied in look, the basic outline of the map is essentially that of large rooms connected by short, narrow paths, which can serve as pinch points. While combat mostly conglomerates in the truck room (as it provides the most open space), a lot of deaths happen in the rooms behind the diagonal doors between the truck room and meathook room. The predator absolutely shreds at this map with the three orbs, the ability to see in total darkness, and the ability to move quickly throughout the map and make long jumps. The architectural design here is somewhat primitively geometrical. Most areas are blocky and basic. The open space in the truck room is impeded by the catwalk, the brief section interconnecting corridor section (with the medkit) has jutting diagonal doors, the meathook section has another catwalk, hanging lights, and a blocky section holding meat, and the forklift room has yet another catwalk with a staircase and forklift. The rooms are mid-sized but feel cramped and annoying.

Basic Strategy: The geometry presents problems for aliens looking for space to move around. This map suffers from a similar problem as Lab 14 and Office, although here the problem comes in the form of vertical limitation. There are too many vertical space limitations that keep the alien from using the space to its advantage. At some point, all species are forced into narrow hallways. This too forces aliens to perform less like aliens and more like traditional marines. The pulse or minigun marine easily dominates the truck room, usually by taking a moving position on the catwalk or staying on the ground by the hangar wall underneath the office window. However, the predator is all-around the best species because of the mobility afforded it by the mid-sized spaces, the three orbs, the ability to see in darkness, and the shoulder cannon's dominance in this map's inevitable hallways.

Alien Strategy: There really isn't a great strategy here. The alien will perform best in the truck room and meathook room, but even those are limited because of the aforementioned architectural problems. The truck room is the perfect size for a marine to take control over. Nevertheless, killing marines here isn't impossible, it just takes a lot of creative thinking. A direct attack is an exceptionally bad option in any of the big rooms, so you'll need to jump around a lot instead. Keep the medkit by the flamethrower destroyed if at all possible. Never try an attack on a marine in any of the small rooms in the office section as those are perfect camping spots. Marines are also stron in the truck hallway where even a well-timed wall-glide can still mean your death. The ideal situation is to track a marine running in the section with the diagonal doors trying to get the health kit, and attacking from behind. The predator is extraordinarily difficult to take down in this map, and really the only feasible way to do it is to drain them of energy (good luck with that, by the way), to attack them while they're running and healing, or to jump and attack like a madman in the truck room. Matches with other aliens usually end up with combat taking place in the truck room, as it provides the most space; the strategy is, as usual, jump creatively and parry, or to trick them into the room with the diagonal doors connecting the truck room with the meathook room.

Marine Strategy: There are a lot of good pickups in prime locations in this map. The marine is weakest on staircases, on the catwalk in the meathook room, and the forklift room. The small, dark rooms connecting the forklift room and meathook room are not ideal. The marine is also weak at the end of office hallway (by the armor). Taking control of the catwalk in the truck room is probably the ideal decision, since it provides a height advantage and is close to two medkits. Claiming control of this room's floor is also possible. The meathook room is dark and aside from a medkit on the catwalk, mostly useless, and the flashing lights will only serve to make your life difficult. The small, narrow hallways, small ground floor room sections, and any room in the office section make for great camping spots. The marine can't use his mobility or make the same types of jumps as can the predator, which is why the marine should take a more static position. Because of the architecture, aliens tend to resort to running like marines in this map (e.g., running up stairs, crawling on the ground), and camping makes them especially easy targets. They shouldn't be too difficult to take out except when bouncing in the truck room. As with all species, they're forced into small hallways in certain points of the map. The predator is strongest with the shoulder cannon, which can sometimes be avoided in the truck room if you keep moving. The minigun is of course the best option against a predator. Fighting other marines is often very fun; camping in the office area and using height advantage in the truck room are both decent strategies.

Predator Strategy: Overall strategy should be to constantly run and jump from one orb to the next without stopping, killing everything in the way.This map gives the predator three orbs, which is definitely too many. The idea here is to be Speedy Gonzales, using a hit-and-fade-technique against marines in hallways and on the ground floor. Cloaking is quite effective in this map because of the dark and semi-dark rooms. The speargun is helpful in the truck hallway but otherwise not really of much use. Its recoil will also limit your mobility and this is a map you want to constantly run through. You should be able to destroy most marines and aliens with the shoulder cannon using the hit-and-fade technique, unless a minigunner is perched at one end of the office section holding down the trigger. That hallway is just as bad for the predator as it is for the marine because of its bright lights. The small office rooms can be avoided if there are camping marines in there, but the windows can be jumped out of or into. A great technique to practice is jumping from the catwalk of the truck room into the office window overlooking it. Aliens may be able to dodge shoulder cannon attacks in the truck room, but if you miss once, don't worry about it. Going against another pred is a grueling war of attrition, as both players will be running and dodging and trying to claim the orbs for themselves.

Summary: This is one of the predator's strongest maps, making a good pred player nearly untouchable. The odd architecture limits the alien's mobility, while the marine has some good camping positions to take out large groups and even an occaional predator. DM and PTAG work great here. SDM and ATAG work just okay, while LMS as usual is garbage.

Nostromo

Version: Gold Edition
Map:
Medkits: 4
Armor Pickups: 2
Orbs: 1

Pulse Rifles: 2
Smartguns: 0
Flamethrowers: 1
Napalm: 1
SADARs: 1
Grenade Launchers: 1
Miniguns: 1
Skeeters: 1
Pistols: 2

Alien Spawnpoints: 4
Marine Spawnpoints: 4
Predator Spawnpoints: 4

Notes: All spawnpoints are exactly the same for all species.

Description: Four very large rooms are connected via mid-sized, narrow passages; one room has a precipice upon which is the map's only orb, one room is blue and has a tractor, one room is red and has a flamethrower, and the other room is grey and is divided by a wall that doesn't quite reach the ceiling. There is a staircase path leading up from a passage up to a minigun and up even further to the orb. The map has a very tall ceiling throughout. Three legs of the Nostromo ship touch down in the middle of certain rooms. Two long, straight vents connect the orb room with the grey room.

I think this map is supposed to represent a small area on LV-426 where the Nostromo ship has touched down. Architecturally it's very big and open, and it probably contains the tallest and widest areas to play in among Rebellion's official maps. The map is almost too big, although combat invariably conglomerates in either the orb room, the tractor room, or the flamethrower room.

Basic Strategy: This map presents a unique element, that of wide open areas. Aliens own this map, as they should. Predators will find they cannot rely as heavily on the shoulder cannon here, especially against aliens, considering the extremely limited field charge supply and large space for the aliens to use. There are, however, certain narrow hallways that aliens can be fooled into entering, which can lead to their demise. Marines probably fare worst of all, but minigunners can perform excellently in the narrow section leading between the orb room and the tractor room, and minigunners and pulse marines can do very well if they set themselves up correctly in the tractor room and force combat into more compact areas.

Alien Strategy: The alien rules this map for good reason. Since there is a lot of open space, there are lots of ways to be creative with jumping, and vertical attacks are strong against marines and predators. The trick will be in limiting the amount of time spent in the narrow passages that connect the larger rooms. The very simplistic vent system can be used for escape and traversal from the grey room to the orb room, but otherwise it's not very useful. Attacks against marines should almost univerally employ some element of verticality and jumping, unless you're simply cautious in following a marine from behind. Aliens are very weak in the section leading between the orb room and the tractor room for a couple of reasons. Marines can hide behind the natural blocks, and the tail gravitates toward the light fixtures on the walls. Some areas on the ceiling of the tractor room, as well as the red room, can be great to hide in wait for unsuspecting marines, but you'll have to be on your toes for passing aliens and predators. Predators aren't too difficult to take down here as long as you keep up your momentum, crouch-jump a lot, and attack the back. The shoulder cannon can be easily thrown off by wall-bouncing, and since there's one orb, the predator has a very finite resource supply. Always try to keep the orb destroyed. Fights with other aliens are very fun here, as both species will likely be wall-bouncing, gliding, dodging, and maintaining their high speed.

Marine Strategy: The marine is weakest in the open areas, so your top priority should be in finding cover and putting your back against the wall. There are some very good areas for this in the tractor room, such as the bright corner under the hanging light fixture. Flares can augment this already bright section, nearly blinding aliens. Otherwise, the space under the tractor and various corners of the room and passages leading away from the room provide excellent protection. The marine is weak in the orb room but can fare decently well in a couple corners of the red room and in the passage leading out of the grey room. A great spot to wait is in the staircase passage leading up to the minigun. You can jump from the orb spot to a SADAR and medkit, which is a good spot to pick off aliens who only wall-crawl. Predators will need to be taken down viciously with a minigun, and this typically works best in the tractor room or the passage with the blockades leading away from it into the orb room. Against other marines, pulse grenades work fantastically because of the map's large room to move; the SADAR is a decent choice. The minigun requires a very quick aim against marines here.

Predator Strategy: The single orb limits the predator's power, and the large vertical walls can easily throw off a predator's aim. The shoulder cannon is only reliable against minigunners; for everything else, the speargun and wristblades are more useful. Cloaking is somewhat useful here against marines. The shoulder cannon also works well against all species around the tractor in the tractor room. The speargun is exceptionally good against aliens here. As with Meat Factory, you'll want to maintain momentum because you're an easy target for wall-bouncing aliens. The strategy should be something like grabbing the orb, try to get a quick kill if possible from the height advantage, drop down and to the right, run through the perimeter of the map, then run through the tractor room and grey room again, then run up the staircase to grab the orb again. Most players will want to stand and fight in this map but as with Leadworks, it's easy to lose aliens who can't keep up. Note too that you can make some good speargun leaps in this map, one of which can actually access the orb.

Summary: This is one of the few maps that gives the alien the upper-hand, while the predator should maintain his speed to get drive-by kills. The marine will have to find cover or lead combat to more compact areas where aliens are unaware of the marine's location and advantage. This is a perfect map for a large DM and SDM, and is great for ATAG and LMS. It's simply okay for PTAG. It's a bad map for just 2-3 players.

Office

Version: Gold Edition
Map:



Medkits: 3
Armor Pickups: 3
Orbs: 1

Pulse Rifles: 3
Smartguns: 1
Flamethrowers: 1
SADARs: 1
Grenade Launchers: 1
Miniguns: 1
Skeeters: 1
Pistols: 2

Alien Spawnpoints: 7
Marine Spawnpoints: 7
Predator Spawnpoints: 7

Notes: All spawnpoints are exactly the same for each species.

Description: A flat, two-story office with computers, desks, tables, and chairs sits above a two-level basement area with a furnace. The first floor of the office is mostly open with two rooms on the left and two bathrooms on the right, while the upper area is cut in half with a series of small rooms. An outdoor area has two staircases, one leading up to the second level and the other leading down into the basement level. Another staircase is in the middle of the map. The office section is bright and has no destructible lighting; the basement area is somewhat darker but alst has no destructible lighting.

Because of the compact, flat nature of this map, it is perfect for explosions. It's wider and longer than it is tall, meaning the alien won't be able to use verticality as much, although the walls are all very good for transitioning. The major crime of this map is no so much that there are so many destructible objects as much as it is that the tables and desks (indestructible objects) will cause the alien's tail to target them. This gives a marine a huge advantage. This map favors the minigunner over all other species because of the wide view afforded by a couple locations. The pulse marine will be able to get a few kills, while the standard marine will get on everybody's nerves, as they tend to spam the grenade launcher, SADAR, and skeeter. While the predator's shoulder cannon is very strong on the first and second floors of the office, the single orb prevents overuse. The alien will have to rely on back attacks against marines and carefully coordinated movement against predators.

Alien Strategy: The alien is at a huge disadvantage here because of the number of objects in the way, the number of objects that the alien tail targets, and the limited vertical space. These three elements together force the alien to crawl on the ground and crawl up and down staircases, simply following or searching for unsuspecting marines or aliens. There is limited room for parrying here. Minigunners will likely get a single free kill every time they choose another camping spot because of the wide view afforded them and also because of the map's brightness. There is no way to effectively use darkness because there are no dark areas. The best areas for the alien are probably the outdoor section or the open part of the office by the door leading towards the outside. Neither are ideal, and a minigunner has camping spots to destroy you at both. A pulse marine is also quite effective here, and a marine who spams the grenade launcher will surely get many kills. But since the map often becomes a clusterf*ck and since the predator specializes at individual kills, not group kills, a predator can be taken down quickly in this area. One-on-one, an alien comes up short against both a marine and predator, but with sufficient distractions in a large DM, an alien can take advantage of a player's temporary obliviousness to their whereabouts and attack them. I've found that while it can be fun if you don't mind dying excessively, this is frankly a terrible map for the alien with one exception, and that is against another alien. Because of the tight quarters and limited room to move, it can be quite exhilarating to fight another alien in the office section because it relies on pure skill to navigate the obstacles and maintain the upperhand in the main office "arena" section. Lastly, it should be noted that almost every floor can be clipped through if the crouch-jump is performed from the ceiling.

Marine Strategy: The marine fares best here, with the minigunner being top gun. The best camping spots are against the far wall by the soda machine, the upper level outside overlooking the entrances/exits to the office, the room with the minigun looking out the window, either corner by the first floor exit, on top of the sink on the first floor, and between the sink and table. Since the alien tail targets the tables and desks, this can be used as an exploit to kill any would-be alien attackers. The marine, as usual, is weakest on staircases and when running through hallways, especially the one on the second floor. The first floor offers a wide area of view, which should be taken advantage of. Aliens often wither in the first floor room; they have a better chance in the basement, which is not where you want to be anyway, unless you spawn there. Predators are also easily taken down with the minigun with the same strategy as against aliens, but you may need to anticipate the need to dodge a shoulder cannon blast. Realistically, the shoulder cannon is the best option for a pred in this map. The office is also great for pulse marines, and as with Hive, is an ideal map for the rare Pulse vs. Pulse fight. It's also great for standard marines, and the compact and floor-by-floor nature of the map lends itself to grenade launcher use. It's a great map for explosions and marine vs. marine matches.

Predator Strategy: The predator should always be cloaked here. I don't know why, but it always seems to help in throwing off marine aim here. Again, the shoulder cannon is the weapon to use, but the single orb again may make it difficult to maintain energy. The speargun is simply okay in this map, neither great nor terrible, while the wristblade is a poor choice. The hit-and-fade tactic doesn't work as well because that will likely get you shredded by a minigunner set up in one corner of the map. A better idea is to peek out from cover and fire when possible. The predator can do moderately well picking off one player at a time in the larger outdoor section, but anything with more than two players is often too much to tolerate in the office section. You should still be running around, but can't expect to dominate as much as a camping minigunner. Since aliens suck here, they're quickly disposed of with a splash damage shoulder cannon shot or with the speargun. Against other preds this map is probably really dumb, as shoulder cannon shots are likely to connect very easily. The speargun is good for long-distance combat against preds (from one side of the first floor room to the other), while if you're both runners, the wristblade might be a good choice instead.

Summary: Office is a frequently played map that heavily favors the marine. The predator does okay, while the alien performs poorly. It is a camping minigunner's paradise and has a lot of aspects that make it unbalanced. It's only good for DMs (the bigger, the more chaotic) and maybe decent for PTAG. Every other gameplay mode here is garbage.

Sewer

Version: AvP99
Map:
Medkits: 5
Armor Pickups: 2
Orbs: 3

Pulse Rifles: 1
Smartguns: 1
Flamethrowers: 1
SADARs: 1
Grenade Launchers: 1
Grenade Ammo: 1
Miniguns: 0
Skeeters: 1
Pistols: 2

Alien Spawnpoints: 6
Marine Spawnpoints: 6
Predator Spawnpoints: 6

Notes: All spawnpoints are exactly the same for each species.

Description: A dark set of dimly lit corridors, illuminated by a hazard light strip, encircle a central multi-story room; at its center is a lone flamethrower. Staircases lead from the ground floor to a second and third story, with weapons strewn around. There are no exterior rooms, only circular pathways and staircases.

Sewer is almost entire curved, with round hallways that are decently sized. It is a notoriously dark map and with the lights destroyed is almost entirely pitch black. While this most obviously gives the alien the best cover, it won't affect the pred as much, given the vision mode possibilities. The fact that this map mostly consists of round corridors heavily favors the pred, with the alien performing moderately okay, while the marine comes up shortest unless going as a minigunner in a mass DM. It has a less confusing design than Massacre or Jockey it still needs to be played multiple times for players to get a sense of the layout.

Basic Strategy: With three orbs, the ability to see the map in alternate vision modes, and a layout easily traversed, the predator is without a doubt the strongest species in Sewer. The predator corridor tactic applies here in full force, which is what other species should be prepared for. Aliens fare second best, but only really have the advantage of darkness against marines. Only a couple sections employ verticality, which forces the alien to go the same path traversed as the other species. The marine is, as usual, weakest when running down a hallway or on some stairs, so smart marines will stay in one spot and, with the lights turned out, use image intensifier. Since there is about a second delay between seeing an enemy and the shoulder cannon lock-on, it is quite possible for a minigunner to lay waste to passing predators. Some marines spam the grenade launcher from the highest floor, which annoys most other players.

Alien Strategy: Aliens can of course cover the map area most quickly, and it will need its speed to close the gap against marines who bunker down. Destroying the lights both is and isn't helpful: it's helpful in that it forces marines to use their flares or image intensifier, but unhelpful because it forces you to either go through the darkness or switch to navigation mode, which has limited usefulness. Smart minigunners can still outperform aliens. Although there are few places where verticality can be used, it can be somewhat useful to climb on the ceilings, especially climbing on top of campers who have put their backs against the wall. Again, the best idea against marines is to close the gap as quickly as possible, so use the crouch-jump and wall-glide in hallways. The corridors are a very well-balanced size, but the alien tends to get hung up on objects in the way. The predator can easily destroy an alien who tries a frontal assault, so the best strategy is to try and get behind one and use the tail attack then. There is one jump right by an orb that people will inevitably miss; this is the best opportunity to take them down, but be careful in the small room below, for it only takes a second to recover from it. The central section with the flamethrower gives you an advantage over marines as long as they don't take the catwalk. The alien and predator are on an even playing field in this room. Fighting other aliens in this map comes down mostly to wall gliding in the corridors, as there aren't many good places to fight.

Marine Strategy: The darkness can make this map difficult to work around. You'll have to place flares in good spots and learn how to see through the grain of the image intensifier. This map is deceptive in that it tries to force you to be mobile, given the circular layout and even distribution of weapons and items on the ground. Keeping motion on the second floor as a pulse marine isn't a terrible strategy, however, as a minigunner you'll actually want to put yourself in a good corner that views down two corridors. This will give you a solid defense and a good opportunity to get many kills. Standard marines usually don't fare very well because there aren't many good opportunities for the random weapon assortment to come in handy. The highest level gives a marine the best vantage point for grenade spamming, but it's not unavoidable, and many alien and predator species will lose patience with such players and kill them quickly or leave the server. Fighting on the ground floor by the flamethrower is usually a bad idea; the staircase leading up above the armor is a better place to stay.

Predator Strategy: The predator is given the greatest advantage in this map. The three orbs are more than enough to stay fully charged and cloaked all the time, and to heal whenever necessary. As with most corridor sections, the shoulder cannon is the ideal weapon in the majority of the map. The wristblade is also a great weapon, given the width of the corridors. However, they're just wide enough to bring the speargun down a tad against aliens, although although against marines and other predators it's a sufficient challenge. The biggest problem will probably be minigunners who catch you unawares, but you should be moving quickly enough to escape pursuit. Aliens don't provide much of a challenge, since you can abuse the shoulder cannon splash damage or even get a few wristblade kills on them. Make sure you never run backwards away from them while facing them, trying to charge the shoulder cannon. In this case, they'll spam the claw attack and get a headbite on you. Otherwise you should be able to lose them simply by strafe-running and varying your path. There are three orbs, two of which are located on the same level; just be sure not to get them too quickly together unless you're trying to drain another predator of energy. With three orbs, this map is a war of attrition to play on against another pred.

Summary: Sewer is the darkest map by far, consisting of enclosed round hallways twisting and winding around. It favors the pred but a minigunner will most likely win in a mass DM. The alien perhaps does slightly above average. This is a good map for DM, PTAG, and ATAG (but only with the lights off). It's bad for SDM and LMS.

Statue

Version: AvP99
Map:
Medkits: 6
Armor Pickups: 5
Orbs: 2

Pulse Rifles: 2
Pulse Grenades: 1
Smartguns: 3
Smartgun Ammo: 1
Flamethrowers: 1
Napalm: 1
SADARs: 1
Grenade Launchers: 1
Miniguns: 2
Skeeters: 1
Pistols: 2

Alien Spawnpoints: 9
Marine Spawnpoints: 8
Predator Spawnpoints: 8

Notes: Aside from the one alien spawnpoint in the upper tunnel, the spawnpoints are the exact same for all species.

Description: A giant xenomorph statue, embedded in a wall, overlooks a tall, vertical arena with several narrow platforms on either side. Across from the statue is a path that leads to a red room with a staircase leading to a higher level, and higher still to the highest. Underneath the statue is a staircase leading up to a platform. Across from this is a ledge with a medkit, armor pickup, and orb. Continuing from the initial platform are more stairs that lead to a central two-story room, which, among other items, contains the second orb and a minigun. A staircase leads up and out of this room to the top level of the map. A single path carved into the stone is used for the alien to move between the highest level of the ceiling and the path underneath the alien statue.

This is an incredibly complex map that balances a great arena section in the center with narrow hallways and mid-sized rooms in between. The open space and verticality of the arena is matched with the corridors and red room's vertical space. The platforms are mostly horizontal, being wider than they are long, while the main central room is taller than it is long or wide. The distribution of resources (e.g., the two orbs) and the location of platforms alongside the central arena make for very complex combat at higher levels. Most players will limit the combat to the central floor, which is where players tend to center their attention. However, just as many deaths can occur in the hallways and other rooms. I'm by no means equipped to say all there is to say about this map, mastery of which goes far above my skill level. I will, however, say what I can about it.

Alien Strategy: As stated above, this is a complex but very well-balanced map. The openness of the center floor is contrasted by narrow corridors and tight spaces in other locations. The center floor is where the alien will dominate, by wall-bouncing, slingshotting, crouch-jumping, and even plain wall-crawling. The medkit on the ground is a source of serious aggravation, so keep it destroyed. Marines in the center field here will be at a disadvantage and should be easy targets. Camping in either hallway presents a challenge. The best idea might actually be to avoid campers in there, otherwise, it's possible to slingshot into either. Predators are absolute beasts in Statue, and it is easy for a good predator to lose an alien in a corridor. Following a predator into the red room is very risky because they can take a position on the stairs to get you quickly. Chasing a predator in this map is extremely challenging and frustruating and will more often lead to your death. Above anything else, keep the orbs destroyed. If you see a predator fleeing into the red room, it might be better to destroy the orb on the platform above that entrance, wall-bounce to the top level, and take the path on the left to destroy the second orb. Against other aliens is yet another phenomenal challenge that is altogether different. Both players will be moving quickly, provoking attacks, slingshotting, and jumping creatively. Lastly, it should be pointed out that certain floors can be clipped through by crouch-jumping from a ceiling. You can get out of the central room (with the minigun) this way.

Marine Strategy: Marines who win in Statue tend to be minigunners who set themselves up in camping positions. There are good ones in the main arena, behind the left alien leg, at the end of either ground floor tunnel, in a narrow staircase, or in a corner on one of the lower platforms. Since aliens will be moving extremely fast, you must be extremely precise. There's also a great strategy for killing aliens written by BROOD-SkorpioN here. The predator is an odd one to go up against because of its speed, cloak, and tendency to one-shot kill while jumping from ledge to ledge. Killing a good pred is not an easy task, nor is it easy to ensure that both orbs are destroyed. The motion tracker comes in very handy in this map because it has no vertical limit. You can't hope to catch up to a fast pred. You can either keep your eye on the motion tracker and lie in wait at an unsuspecting location, or go out and try to find him yourself. Note that as usual, the predator is weaker in a group fight, so if you see one fighting more than one enemy, you should focus your attention on him, too. Against other marines, matches usually become pulse grenade wars. Falling damage should be off in this case, as it's one of the rare maps where the marine can seriously use verticality to its advantage.

Predator Strategy: The strategy here is much the same as in others. Keep cloaked, constantly run throughout the map, use the shoulder cannon, and always take possession of the orbs. The wristblade is effective against marines in the main arena, while you should use the shoulder cannon when jumping from platform to platform. Be careful of avoiding the shoulder cannon's splash damage, especially in areas like the winding staircase, as players tend to suicide on it a lot. The speargun is much less useful here in the open sections than in the narrow ones. It's somewhat easy to lose inexperienced aliens along the staircases and corridors if you need to run and heal. Against predators this is very challenging. As usual you'll want to keep possession of the orbs for yourself, and the shoulder cannon is probably the best choice of weapon since the speargun breaks your momentum.

Summary: Statue is probably the most well-balanced map in AvP, but it is very complex and difficult to master. Given an equally high skill level, the predator should win, but that's always the case. This is an old fan favorite and is great for DMs and SDMs. It's okay for ATAG and PTAG, and bad for LMS.

Subway

Version: Gold Edition
Map:

Medkits: 6
Armor: 5
Orbs: 2

Pulse Rifles: 14
Smartguns: 4
Flamethrowers: 0
SADARs: 3
Grenade Launchers: 2
Miniguns: 1
Skeeters: 1
Pistols: 3

Alien Spawnpoints: 7
Marine Spawnpoints: 6
Predator Spawnpoints: 7

Note: There is a disabled spawnpoint in the map file to be shared by the alien and predator. It is on a ledge on the side of the EASTERN building almost directly above the staircase entrance.

Description: A building with a clocktower reading EASTERN lies in an outdoor street inside a rectangular perimeter of varying heights. Staircases on either end of the street lead into a subway section, with ticket booths on one end, with a parked train on a rail track. Along each track is a floor fan that pushes players up through a vent and outside along one edge of the map.

This is the fan favorite from Gold Edition and one of the most frequently played maps, if not THE most frequently played, and it's easy to see why. It has a ton of vertical space for the alien, sufficient cover with the building and corridors for the marine, and plenty of sniping spots for the predator. It's well-lit but not too bright, and it becomes dark, but not too dark, with the lights destroyed. There is ample supply of resources, but again it's not excessive. This is also one of my favorite maps, for obvious reasons. Additionally, there is a hidden room near where the player ends up by the short vent.

Basic Strategy: Most of the mayhem is centered in the outside area, which forms a great arena. This is perhaps the best alien level (the other good one being Nostromo) because of the space afforded it. Aliens should absolutely NOT simply walk or bunny-hop on the ground because that's stupid. Good alien players will bounce from wall to wall, slingshot, and wall-glide throughout the main area. Marines have an advantage of distance here, being able to clearly see from one end of the street to the other. The minigun works a little too good here, although they're susceptible to back attacks. The predator can play sniper here or jump into the street to do combat with multiple combatants at a time.

Alien Strategy: Subway is where all the skill of moving as an alien gets put to the test. The alien is a fantastic species here in the right hands, and can take down any other species without any problem if done correctly. However, this comes with a very serious caveat: the lower area is dismal for an alien. This wouldn't be a problem, except there's an orb down there. This makes the dynamic very interesting, as it forces an alien player to put himself in a vulnerable position at the reward of depriving a predator of that field charge. There's also an orb in the street area, but that's easily destroyed. Most marines are cannon fodder in the street area, but similarly they are a pain in the station section. There are a few camping spots where they're nearly untouchable in the train and station area. If it can be helped, these players are best avoided. Marines are easily taken down by "winged flight" (death from above). Predators who use the shoulder cannon require tricking the auto-aim into missing, then attacking once they've fired. Wall-crawling and jumping between the EASTERN building and the wall holding the minigun is a good place for predator fights. Combat with other aliens is usually extremely fun and challenging, as it puts both players to the test in terms of mobility and timing.

Marine Strategy: The marine fares best in the station area but aliens are loathe to go down there. There is no shortage of pulse rifles so standards and pulse specialists have no reason to not stock up. The minigunner is very effective at all ranges here, the only obvious vulnerability being that he's unable to dodge attacks. Pulse grenades are effective against marines and aliens alike, but combat will likely be kept at a distance here. Predators are much more difficult to take down, but are often shredded just as easily as an alien on the ground floor. To really be a menace, you can take a camping position in the lower level, as there are several spawnpoints for all species down there. Be sure to set up flares in key positions along the buildings. Proxy-mining is highly frowned upon in this map. The smartgun is able to locate hiding, stationary aliens, but is useless against moving aliens. The SADAR is only a tad bit more effective than the pulse grenade, except the reload time is longer, it has less ammo, and it blocks more of the screen. The grenade launcher's standard and fragmentation grenades are fair game, if a bit annoying. The skeeter, located in a side passage underneath the train, is easily avoided.

Predator Strategy: The predator will have to mix up weapons a bit on this map. While the shoulder cannon works well against minigunners, it's ineffective against moving marines at long range and even ineffective against aliens at mid-range. The speargun is a good weapon here and should probably be the default weapon used on this map. The wristblade, as usual, works well against marines. Aliens can be extraordinarily difficult to hit in this map, especially with the speargun. The shoulder cannon's splash damage can carry you but you'll need to be careful to not run out of field charge. It is very easy to die from highly experienced aliens. The main strategy here is to run through the building, jump off to where the minigun is, collect the orb, fight for a few seconds, run into the station, grab the orb under the train, and run back up. Some predators prefer to snipe, and this can work at a couple of the spawnpoints, but only against briefly. The predator has the greatest advantage by the orb underneath the train. Against other predators this is an extremely difficult match, but as always the task is to keep the energy for yourself as you whittle down the enemy's HP. Under no circumstance should the vanilla game's disc be used (uMod's nerfed disc is okay, and in fact, preferable).

Summary: This is one of the game's best maps for its balance of advantages afforded to each species. As with Statue, in a match with opponents of equal skill, the predator will still win, but only because the predator is unbalanced. This is one of the most fun maps and is great for every gameplay mode except LMS.

Lockdown4

Version: Gold Edition
Map:

Medkits: 6
Armor Pickups: 2
Orbs: 3

Pulse Rifles: 3
Pulse Ammo (Bullets Only): 2
Smartguns: 2
Flamethrowers: 2
SADARs: 2
Grenade Launchers: 3
Miniguns: 4
Minigun Ammo: 1
Skeeters: 0
Pistols: 0

Alien Spawnpoints: 4
Marine Spawnpoints: 5
Predator Spawnpoints: 3

Notes: Jetpack and grappling hook are enabled. In the map file, there is a ton of disabled spawnpoints throughout the map.

Description: Mid-sized rooms with various weapon pickups are connected by hallways barred by various breakable walls. In the center and raised a bit is a largish control room. Several vents in certain locations lead up to the map's largest room, a sort of arena.

This is a hidden map in your game files. It is totally playable, the file just needs to be moved in order to be played on. To play it, locate your Aliens versus Predator Classic folder (right-click the game in Steam, go to Properties, click the Local Files tab, then click Browse Local Files). Open the avp_rifs folder. Create a new folder called "custom" (without the quotes). Find the file called Lockdown4.rif. Copy it and move it to the custom folder. Now in-game you'll be able to play it.

This map was created by Rebellion but never "officially" added into the game. It seems like an incomplete or scrapped level that was accidentally left in the Gold Edition CD, although everything technically works. Aesthetically it looks like Vaults but the paths feel random and the corridors connecting various rooms are too small. The addition of the jetpack and grappling hook add to the bewildering nature of this map. Overall the predator and minigunner are the strongest species here, given their advantage in the corridors. The minigunner is able to hold down a room, however, while the predator will have to constantly run and/or use the grappling hook to escape. The alien doesn't have much room to maneuver except maybe in a couple rooms and the top room.

Maps and Gameplay Mode Types

This is a chart that I believe adequately shows the effectiveness of various maps with the different gameplay mode types.

✓✓ = Good
✓ = Okay
0 = Bad

Map Name	DM	SDM	ATAG	PTAG	LMS
Compound	0	0	✓	✓	✓✓
Elevator	✓	0	✓✓	✓	✓✓
Hadley's Hope	✓✓	✓✓	0	0	0
Hive	✓✓	0	0	✓✓	0
Jockey (<4 players)	0	0	0	0	0
Lab 14	✓✓	✓✓	0	0	0
Leadworks	✓✓	✓	✓	✓✓	0
Massacre	✓✓	✓	0	✓✓	0
Meat Factory	✓✓	✓	✓	✓✓	0
Nostromo (<4 players)	0	0	0	0	0
Office	✓✓	0	0	✓	0
Sewer	✓✓	0	✓✓	✓	0
Statue	✓✓	0	✓	✓	0
Subway	✓✓	✓✓	✓✓	✓	0

Legal

This guide was written solely by me (Olde). You can (and should!) use this guide and share it with others. However, you should not distribute it while giving authorial credit to either yourself, someone else, or to nobody at all. You may quote from it at length but please do not post the entirety as a guide on any other forum or site without my express permission. I also reserve the right to remove or modify this guide at any time and/or make it unavailable, with or without providing a reason.

I hope you enjoyed this guide! I value your input so please leave a comment below! Thanks for reading!

[barbazul]

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