The docks has been in the works for a while and was recently renamed Floodgate. Originally started by Kanggo Sucka, the map has had alot of input from all sorts of sources and has just recently entered a new phase of its development under the wing of several wheelmen.

latest map version: (updated 3/6/2012)
http://www.bungie.net/Stats/Reach/FileD ... ey%20HiDef

Here is an overview of the latest version:

Tier I


Tier II / III


A video of an attacker's perspective. Note: this is not necessarily the most balanced of games and it doesn't show the entire map. This is mainly to help people who haven't played on it yet to visualize the layout better.

I liked playing on this map. I thought it flowed pretty well. It was tough to get the core out at the end but I think with some good teamwork and planning it wont be too difficult.

Map Name:
Spawn (Bravo, Mid, Alpha):
Bravo AND Alpha

Tier 1
Describe the pathing you used on the map to advance and/or defend to the territory or territories.
Alpha: (Attacking Elites) Up the mountain to fight with Alpha Spartans before we even had access to the territory. This was essential because we could not simply run straight to the hill as the spartans would simply rain fire from above and at our flank.

(Defending Spartans) Similar tactic, meet the elites head on in the mountain to prevent them from getting hill time and supporting the middle team with a NeRf. Once the Elites took the mountain spartans had to clear the hill and clear the mountain but not necessarily in that order.

Bravo: (Attacking Elites) Dismount from the dropship and grab the NeRf... there was little room for Cross map shooting on the Spartans which sucked. The Spartans over at Alpha were well hidden by rock structures but killing the spartans off the Bravo building itself was fairly easy enough, however, pushing beyond the structure into the hill is VERY tough.

(Defending Spartans) Solid attackers were tough to fend off but the attacking middle team were a very powerful flank. So much so that I think if the Bravo Elites were to hold the building with a NeRf they could support the middle team in taking bravo. BUT As long as the Bravo building was held by spartans then the bravo elites were not a problem.

Which territory did you find most vulnerable and why?
Alpha was most vulnerable but they were VERY close. This was because Bravo was very open and it was hard to take and hold the bravo structure while keeping the alpha mtn, which PROVIDED cover to alpha itself, was fairly easy so long as you can keep the Alpha spartans spawn killed (which wasn't too hard to do really)

If your spawn had a DMR/Needle Rifle, how did you use it?
As a counter to the Spartans DMRs, the NeRf was used to clean up the one shot spartans and put pressure from a safe distance onto the those aggressive spartans that were trying to spawn kill.

Describe the setup used, if any, to take/defend the territory or territories.
Holding the Alpha Mtn and/or the Bravo structure are ESSENTIAL to taking T1.

Tier 2
Which power weapon (if any) spawned near you? How did you use it?
The 2nd playthrough was a mutual skunk ( I believe) but during the 1st playthough I spawned with the sniper. I took the sniper back into the base and put shots into the banshee and made a few elites one shot before I was taken down by an aggressive attacker who was then cleaned up by my battle buddy.

Which territory did you feel more inclined to attack and why?
As A and B I knew which territory was mine to attack but I did try several time to go to mid to help take pressure off of THEM so they could go to the other side of the map, thus shifting all the attackers to the left OR the right.

Describe the power positions, if any, you noticed for the defenders.
The mountain on Alpha and the Structure in front of Bravo... the middle team didn't seem to have a position of power.

Describe the vehicle gameplay you noticed for tier 2.
Revenant and warthog met rarely as the warthog was usually countered by PP, Stickies, and blueberries and the revie was taken out by team fire and sniper but the revenant did a good job of suppressing the spartans while the elites got some hill time.

Tier 3
Did any new power weapons spawn near you? How did you use them?
I help a laser at one point but did nothing with it, the Sniper was still useful as anti-everything.

Did you find the core easy to attack/defend? If so, why?
I found that most of the action occurred outside of the core building and that once the core was pulled it was very hard to defend. Because most of the action took place away from the core itself it seemed as though no one was in position to stop the pull.

Describe the setups used to attack/defend the core.
Scorpion was essential to not only slay but also distract the elites and take down the banshee.
The Elites should use the Focus Rifle to clean up the sniper and keep the Spartans distracted by using their beam. As usual, concussion rifles are a good counter to AL Shotgun.

Describe the vehicle gameplay for tier 3.
Scorpion beats banshee but the scorpion was taken out by plasma launcher, PP, stickies fairly easily. The Revenant stayed alive by keeping near the core cap and out of way of the scorpion. The ghost was a constant bother but it was mostly a distraction just like the warthog.

Miscellaneous

Did you enjoy the map? Explain why or why not.
Yes, once the game moved past the the first phase which was very "Fast Paced" by which I mean everyone died a lot and got frustrated by said death. The later phases were more strategic and offered more map/cover.

Did you notice a theme/location to the map? If so, what did you think it was/
There was water as the name "Docks" alludes to but the map overall didn't seem much like a real Dock... not that I know what a UNSC dock would look like in the year 2500 but I digress.

Provide any addition feedback you may have here.
The 1st Tier is going to be tough to alter but I don't think its perfect just yet. The Elites have very little opportunity to cross map shoot which isn't not required but is something that would help.

I hate that I'm forced to "Double Post" but its late you need some feedback!

Okay, I thought the way the first phase played was a lot better with the DMRs moved however I could not say why. I saw that cruckeyee had one back behind the territories watching the Alpha mountain path... I'm not sure what the other middle guy was doing but things seemed to work well without being overpowered.

The 2nd and 3rd phases on this map are solid but not perfect. A lot of it is the location of the map and the weapons and vehicle spawns. This is something that I will know more after more playtests.

For the 3rd phase I noticed that the spartans sniper has some LoS on the core cap but you've wisely blocked most of it off. This isn't a bad idea but I do think that you should give the sniper an alternitive to sitting back. Boneyard sniper could, for instance get onto conveyor to get a better LoS on the elites or the core. Spire sniper could head to BFG trail and keep elites from putting bubbles on the freshly dropped core. Basically the idea is you can sit back safely in your spawn with the weapon but by pushing forward, towards the elites, you get better sightlines and more kills. The risk is getting SO close that you are exposed and the elites kill YOU instead.

I think that IF there is a problem with gameplay you could extend the brace large overlooking T2 Alpha, add a LITTLE cover and if thats too powerful add a ramp for elites to contest the area. I hadn't thought of extending the platform when Kanggo and I were in Forge but it hit me later. These are all suggestions ONLY if you notice a problem. The map has played well enough without it for a while so I'll leave it in your capable hands.

Invader Bravo:
T1: BK was carrying us - in that context: We struggled to get past Sarge/Yozi to the underpass as they had the structure locked up pretty good at first. I had decent cover until they pushed us back further. Though I was able to get past them, I did not effectively make use of the rock on my way to the objective, but would rush toward the objective. A couple of times with BK distracting them, I went around through the middle and rushed Bravo. Bravo feels too open for me, both with defenders at the overpass and back toward their spawn.
T3: I was able to use the banshee somewhat effectively and take cover behind the structure. But when the scorpion came out I tried to deal with it and failed. Next time I think I will stay on the other side to cover the core walk. My second flight was immediately lasered.
Defender Bravo:
T1: I think someone from Middle Team helped us and I tended to stay back a bit.
T3: Tried to move the scorpion to the core side, but the structure and the pipes in front were so close that I could not readily shoot and drive at the same time.

I've been enjoying the way Tier 1 plays now with the DMR shift, the added NR, and the fixed run time maxes. However, I'm not pleased with the way the water pumps work for cover at Tier 3. For tier 2, the subtle raise has helped tremendously, but at Tier 3, Elites fall quickly to getting shot from the right and left at the water pumps. Might need to extend some additional cover out of them.

Overall, having a good time, but I think Luv Gunn may be right about the lack of Tier 3 mobility for the sniper and the Spartans after the core gets out.

I noticed that one of the spartan initial spawns was pointing right at a rock, which is VERY disorienting. Is this what you guys want? It is as bad as Bravo Spartan on boneyard.

Yeah we can probably do something about the spawn Mr. Green mentioned. I havent really noticed the issue but im sure for someone who hasnt played on the map since its inception it can in fact be hard to find one's bearings initially. What we may do is raise the spawn point marker so that when you are respawning you get a birds eye view of the area but when you actually come to life you are in cover behind the rock.

Also about what sarge was saying. I went ahead and added some slight cover attached to the large platform pieces perpendicular to the pipeline in front of the base. I used the same piece that Luv Gunn had added for access to the sniper area. That way it both allows for easier access of the platform and provide added cover from a flank attack

A short list of things that you might consider adding for the next update:

Fix the wall at sniper spawn.

Consider moving the T1 DMR's further apart and MAYBE to the TOP of the Platform XLs to allow for elites to find in the later tiers... OR move one of them closer to the elites' initial spawn and leave one DMR where it currently sits.

Consider moving the Banshee to the T1 Elite Alpha spawns so that its more difficult for Spartans to steal AND it takes longer for elites to bring the banshee to the battlefield. I think that Boneyard's pathing for the banshee has pros and cons that effect gameplay while Floodgate simply has a wide open sky between T1 and T3. Breakpoint has something SIMILAR but not identical and as a counter the spartans were given not only a Falcon but a Rocket Hog in addition to the usual methods of taking down a banshee. Thoughts about relocating the banshee?

Elite Weapon tweaks may be needed but I'm going to leave it open ended until we can see more MM feedback and get some playtests on the "New" and updated version.