I found Steel a couple months ago but it’s only recently I’ve been able to really play it with a large group, and it’s quickly become one of my favorites. You don’t see it on many servers, probably because it’s considerably more complicated than most maps, there’s a bit of a learning curve, and to get the most out of it you really need some teamwork.

First off, it’s a five point attack-defend CP map. The points are labeled A-E.

Point E can be captured at any point during the match. Points A-D are supplemental points that don’t strictly need to be captured, though doing so will make things easier for the attackers by altering the map in their favor. If the attackers do decide to capture some or all of the supplemental points, they’ll need to capture them in order, and once capped, the points will lock. Again, they don’t need to capture them all — E can be taken at any point during the game, whether the attackers have one, or some, or none of the supplemental points.

If the attackers do decide to take the first four points, each will aid them in some way towards capturing the last. Capping point A will open up new pathways to points D and E. Capping B will push back the defender’s spawn and open up big steel doors to allow the attackers faster access to point C. Upon capturing point C, three bridges will extend to point E, which was previously free-standing over a pit and only accessible to scouts who could double-jump the gap, and soldiers and demomen who could rocket/sticky jump the distance. Capping point D cuts off the defenders quickest route to point E as well as raising safety railings along the bridges to the final point.

So, attackers can concentrate on the supplemental points in order or head straight for E. Or, a little of both. Defenders will have to cover whichever of points A-D are currently being contested, all while keeping a constant eye on point E to make sure there’s no sneak-win while they’re off fighting in other areas.

There’s a very well made Valve-style intro video here that explains it much better than I just did, plus you can take a peek at the layout.

Of course, understanding how the map works and how the points function is all well and good, but now you’ve actually gotta navigate the damn thing, and that takes some doing. It’s not a terrifically large map when you really look at it, but most of it is indoors and comprised of short corridors and sharp turns and small rooms. Not to mention, there are multiple routes to all the points and between all the points, and those routes change when points are capped.

There’s help getting around if you look for it — signs telling you which way each point is, colored arrows for each team, a big chalkboard in the spawn room that updates to show the current point-control situation, and large, blinking dynamic arrows pointing each team to the current point under contention. Your HUD will also display the current status of all the points, including their names and letters.

Still, it’s not hard to get lost or turned around, especially if you’re not headed straight from the spawn to one of the points. I tend to get a little lost between points on defense, say, if I’m defending C and I notice someone is capping E, and I have to hustle over there. Otherwise, I’ve gotten pretty good at finding my way around. It just takes time to learn the layout.

I think all the classes are pretty well represented on Steel. I’ve had good luck sniping on points A, B, and E, scouts are great for racing right to to the last point and keeping the defenders busy or taking longer routes to flank their opponents, a single demo or engie can hold down E on their own due to some nice protected perches, and medics will have plenty to do on both sides by keeping their teammates alive in the maze of corridors and busting up sentry farms. Pyros, as always, rule the hallways, and heavies will do well clearing control points of opponents and sticky bombs. I haven’t played as a spy but with lots of hiding places, empty corridors, and the fact that it’s not unusual to see players on both teams running in pretty much every direction at any given time, they’d seem to thrive. About the only thing I’ve never seen is an engie on offense, since the points stay locked upon capture.

I think Steel is weighed a bit in favor of the attackers, and most matches I’ve played have ended with the attackers winning, but I’ve seen some successful defenses including one complete shut-down, with the attackers unable to even take point A. I’ve also seen attackers win by taking all the supplemental points as well as just a couple before winning. Time will tell, but it really seems to be pretty well-balanced map.

As far as the supplemental points go, C is clearly the critical one. E takes a while to cap, so even if you get a couple scouts on it before the other points are taken, defenders will have time to pull back and clear off E with a few rockets or bombs. Once those bridges are extended, though, anyone can get on the point, so I’d suggest both defense and offense forget D and just fight for E. In fact, taking point D could actually hurt the attackers a bit: sticky bombs won’t stick to three bridges that extend to point E; they’ll roll right off the edge, but once the railings are up the defender’s sticky bombs will stay on the bridge quite easily. I don’t know if that’s what the mapmaker intended or not, but it definitely helps the defenders in that regard. Of course, D also extends the clock, so it still might be worth defending it if the attackers aren’t pressing heavily on E.

If the attackers find themselves unable to take a point, it’s not a bad idea for them to send some scouts over to E. As soon as the defenders see E getting capped, they’re likely to pull some of their forces away from the other point they’re capturing. Scouts can rush E, stand on it for a few moments, then jump back off and race over to the real point they’re after or just disappear into the maze of corridors and return a few moments later.

That’s about all I’ve got in terms of strategy so far, because when all is said and done I’ve only played a total of maybe ten real rounds on it. It’ll be fun to see new strategies develop, however, if and when the map starts getting more play. I personally think it’d be a great timed tournament map. One team attacks, and if they win, the sides switch and the other team has to beat their time. If they’re behind, they might have to drop everything and just rush E no matter how many of the supplemental points they’ve gotten.

So, a very busy, twisty, dynamic map with multiple objectives, changing routes, and more than one point able to be capped at a time? Yeah, it’s not a surprise you don’t see it on a lot of pubbies. That’s the only downside I can really think of for Steel: to really get a lot out of it, you need a large group of people who know how the map works, or are willing to take the time to learn.

From a design standpoint, I think it’s really a remarkable achievement: an extremely ambitious map with a lot of exciting elements and some well-balanced gameplay. I haven’t seen anything else like it. Get this on your server and make everyone learn it, and I guarantee it’ll be worth the time.

Gameplay 9/10
Class Balance 8/10
Originality 9/10
Appearance 7/10
Creative As Hell Modifier: +1

Score: 9.25/10

EDIT:  If you’d like to get your Steel on, my Steam friend noclip has launched a 24/7 steel server, which is, frankly, an awesome idea.  The IP is 71.126.150.164.  Get on and get cappin’!