Guild Wars 2

Random Weird Guy.3528:

By far the biggest problem is the breakable panels that make the map a CC contest, I’m personally happy to have them around if they don’t kill the player but instead require the player to jump back up (like the hole by point.

This.

Cynz.9437:

Make a thief, try to use sb 5, steal or shadowstep anywhere on map. 90% of the time it fails due to NO VALID PATH bug. The map is real garbage, whoever made it didn’t keep in mind classes that rely on teleport spells.

And this. And honestly, I hadn’t heard the suggestion for making the panels all drop you to a lower level where you can jump back up, costing time. I think that would be way better. Then, the glass panels at A & C can stay. With those changes, along with the others you last posted I would keep Skyhammer in unranked.

Lastly, but unrelated, a lot of us loved courtyard, please bring it back as a separate mode (with both ranked and unranked) Felt very different from Stronghold and Conquest, and was totally worth playing from time to time.

Cronos.6532:

Sykper.6583:

Make Skyhammer a special channel like Temple, where you can only access the platform while it is active at say 13 minutes, 8 minutes, and 3 minutes.

If you complete the channel, it will fire a shot on all three points that deals the normal damage / knockdown to enemies if it hits and neutralizes the point if the enemy has it, or flips it to your team if it were neutral before.

…That’s my idea for Skyhammer anyways, I rather it not be like a treb on that map.

sounds fun but I think it shouldn’t capture neutral points

Mmm, maybe. It could be a balance decision, the thing about capturing neutral points is that it can turn the fight at mid completely around if it were neutral.

But it could just neutralize enemy points and that would be worth the trip and commitment.

forum bug

15 chararacters

Most of skyhammer is pretty well done, I would say one or two small problems cause most of the issues with the map.

First Make the breaking panels destroyable instead of touch sensitive. Each one acts like the ground except with a healthbar that when depleted breaks the planel then respawns after about 20-30secs. Panels should have about 10k hp and about 1500 armor(might need adjusting)

second skyhammer should be more than a deathcannon. Reduce damage to current skyhammer attack(by 25%, It shouldnt one hit berserkers). Then add a few more skills; A small area launch skill, a healing skill, a line of warding type skill that channels(you cant use other skills while using it) and is a sphere.

There’s a few smaller things, but these are the big two.

I enjoy the terrain of the entire center of the map, it has some really interesting levels. The problems are the tiny side nodes with glass panels. Hammer isn’t too bad, just needs damage toned down slightly or longer recharge.

Make the skyhammer do less damage.

Honestly, leave Skyhammer as it is. It’s a fun joke map, but has no potential for serious pvp anyway due to it’s design.

Re-use old assests and re-create Capricorn 2.0 with no underwater etc. – that would be my wish.

People that ask for the map to be removed or the basic mechanics to be changed should just not play this map. Its a cool map with nice mechanics…
The idea is a CC heavy map with tactical options to the standard just doing dmg to kill opponents.
People are just frustrated with the map because metabattle doesn’t show them builds to run in it…

• Remove/adjust the breakable panels at A and C point or Add second layer under the hole so players dont die, but still lose time for falling into them

Don’t remove the panels, they are fine.
One thing that could be done is that death from fall dmg is taken differently:
– doesn’t reward points
– incur no respawn timer (instant respawn)
Also, make sure that people die when they fall from map… waiting down there to the worms to kill you is a bit annoying

• Glass Panels only break from cannon fire

No. Pushing people to glass panels and immobilizing them is a strategy to the map. People should be aware of it and bring counters.

• Enlarge the Skyhammer Platform, Add line of sight props

The size is good, its ok to feel tiny and keep the risk of falling off.
LoS props are a good idea.

Hugh Norfolk.2798:

• Add multiple portals to get to and from the skyhammer platform
  • Does this have to be in both places: in center of map and skyhammer platform or just the skyhammer platform?

both

Hugh Norfolk.2798:

• Adjust the jump pads

No, those are fine. Just make sure they work.

Hugh Norfolk.2798:

• Take away the ability to die from falling damage
  • Do we want to completely remove the ability to die from falling damage or make it only in very specific places?

No. Death from fall dmg is the whole point of this map. Just make it so it doesnt award points OR makes respawn instant (although this might become exploitable)

• Adjust middle point high ground
  • Do we want to completely remove this because of gameplay/camera problems or adjust it as it creates good gameplay but messes with camera

Adjust it so it doesnt messes with camera… Also, high ground on points could make a good safe area for the hammer lazer (if aimed at ground lvl)

• Secondary Mechanic Adjustment
  • Reduce Damage
  • Increase Cooldown
  • Reduce the turn speed

Maybe give it 2 or 3 attacks: dmg, knock-back, stability pulse

I just got struck by this idea:

Why not just putting a pool of water under the play zone? That way the crystal gapes act more as a security exit rather than an insta kill. Of course that would make it harder to get back to action.

Hmm actually, nevermind. The problem’s still conquest.

There was one game where a Dragonhunter camped the cannon the ENTIRE game. Nobody could get to him because he would always win since you had to walk into his traps, and the room was too tight to do any ranged attacks without getting pulled in. There was also no point to send the whole team after him since we were already losing on points due to the constant cannon spams and he would be back after respawning anyways.

Just get rid of the cannon room and make the cannon randomly hit every player in the vicinity.

Hugh Norfolk.2798:

Awesome thread so far everyone! I really appreciate everyone taking the time to write up their feedback and keep it constructive. Let’s do a quick recap:

• Remove/adjust the breakable panels at A and C point or Add second layer under the hole so players dont die, but still lose time for falling into them
  • Which do you like better?
• Glass Panels only break from cannon fire
  • What do we think about this suggestion?
• Enlarge the Skyhammer Platform, Add line of sight props
• Add multiple portals to get to and from the skyhammer platform
  • Does this have to be in both places: in center of map and skyhammer platform or just the skyhammer platform?
• Adjust the jump pads
• Take away the ability to die from falling damage
  • Do we want to completely remove the ability to die from falling damage or make it only in very specific places?
• Adjust middle point high ground
  • Do we want to completely remove this because of gameplay/camera problems or adjust it as it creates good gameplay but messes with camera
• Secondary Mechanic Adjustment
  • Reduce Damage
  • Increase Cooldown
  • Reduce the turn speed
• Remove Skyhammer from Unranked
  • Do we think the map simply can’t be altered to stay in Unranked?

Just to clarify, this is just a discussion and we are not specifically committing to any or all of the suggestions, but it does help us to understand how you (the pvp community) sees the map and determine what can be improved.

Biggest pet peeve is the instant death on sides. Nothing like doing good, playing well, only to get instant deathed by a stealthed thief/engi/guardian pull or push effects.

• Add a second layer on sides like you suggest. Fall damages being 20% or less.

Glass panels

• The middle glass panel should stay as it normally is. The side panels should be a darker color (optional) and invulnerable to players. Only the lazor can break side panel glass.

*Lazor Cannon damages and aoe effects

• Reduce skyhammer lazor to treb damages and radius effect. The center point radius is a knockdown+normal damages while 301 to 600 radius deals 30% damages and 1/2 stun effect. Skyhammer lazor can break all glass.

*Lazor can be reached at certain times, similar to Temple of the Silent Storm
Make the lazor portal first available at 11:30. Entrance spot is normal, near middle point as usual. Second entrance opens at 8:30 but portal door is now at bottom center of map. Then, both doors will open at 5:30. Lazor will be available for about as long as Stillness’s Double Points effect lasts (the buff on Temple of the Silent Storm).

I think these changes alone will make Skyhammer more enjoyable. Mostly the removal of instant push/pull death effects. That was the biggest issue with skyhammer that really pushed a lot of players away.

I think too many are just venting frustration by wanting to remove everything.

If it has instakill , then it just aint a cash tournament map. But with the voting system, id even be fine with playing it 4% of time in ranked (iirc) , and i akitten it a ton in soloq.
There really isnt much cheese left in map, stealth pulls gone, panel takes longer, skyhamer = 4v5 loss for good players…. Even marks/traps can be dodged but i guess the average ones arent thinking that ahead…
My fixes are

CAMERA ANGLES and CLAUSTROPHOBIA

_side points have walls too close to node
_Side points have almost no manuever area towards walls, so you always walk OVER OR CLOSE A PANEL, when moving off node.
_Sides and cannon ARE TOO SMALL, Even when i played no pull no skyham teams, the cleave is stacked like a dungeon

Kill = 30s if not bleed out
Maybe if,
Pull = 10s timeout,
It would be balanced, a decap and fullcap if repeated, or temporary +1 compared to current OHKO.

I’ve grown to enjoy skyhammer in unranked, but I’d love to see it reworked to make it useable in ranked.

I do think skyhammer was overdesigned with too many gimmicks. Deaths on the map tend to feel cheap, which I think is the overall problem. ex: You win a 1v1 then get knocked off the map by the guardian’s down ability. It doesn’t feel good.

Take some notes from the design of Temple of the silent storm. It has areas u can be knocked down to, but they aren’t near points. You can’t die just from falling. The floor doesn’t suddenly disappear. There are items that can give you an advantage.

I think skyhammer can work, but give it more entrances. I think falling can work, but don’t make it automatically death. I think jump pads can work if they feel a bit more responsive. The design of the points could work if the points were a bit further apart.

Remove the hammer, glass windows, and don’t let me fall off the edge.

Without the above 3, I really love Skyhammer. The ability to jump around is cool. But if I fall off the edge because an engineer pulled me off the glass edge is when I hate skyhammer.

Zodryn.4216:

Since it’s already kind of an odd map, why not enable gliding? Suddenly getting knocked off the hammer isn’t as horrible, and you could glide from mid to A or C.

Additionally, Skyhammer damage could be reduced, and you could add a platform under the holes at A and C so you’re still punished for falling through (lost time), but you can ran back up to the point from there.

Yes! I suggested that years ago. A basement. Then falling is not always instant death.

The cannon could be actually a secondary objective that can be captured at key-moments into the match. 12 min, 9 min, 6 min left…

It would give control of the skyhammer for a duration causing debilitating effects on point B. Such as; radiation fields; randomly generated small stun fields around the B area… Crippling area, chilling area, healing area… et cetera.

I think Skyhammer could be competitive with some work.

• Improve A and C nodes The area is too tight, which heavily favors close combat builds and it’s too easy to knock players into the holes or even fear them off the edge. Make the general area larger, which includes pushing the side panels further from the node. Remove the odd half-panel.
• False bottom below B node You can AoE the bottom of node B from below it. That needs to be fixed.
• Control Room Falling from this should not be instant death if you’re over half HP. If it dropped you onto the plateau below, it would be a lot better. It’s also a bit too small and fighting turret or minion builds in there is frustrating.
• Skyhammer Animation/Audio Out of Synch This is just as annoying as not getting the callout for the Khylo treb. What’s the use of it being dodgeable if you dodge based on the animation, but it still hits you?
• Jump Pads at Node B to get to the upper catwalk These get in the way a lot, and I sometimes hit them when trying to stomp or res. Not sure where to move them, though.
• Split in walkway on the path from spawn to B Attacks which follow the ground fail when they try to cross this gap. Suggest removing the small gap.
• Remove some of the sloped terrain The area right in front of the skyhammer portal, between A/C and B nodes where the lower level slopes up to meet the eastern side. There are quite a few attacks which don’t work well on sloped terrain.
• Idea: Skyhammer no longer dodgeable Increase cooldown between attacks and reduce turn speed. This gives it powerful area control, but now easier to out-rotate.

Hugh Norfolk.2798:

Awesome thread so far everyone! I really appreciate everyone taking the time to write up their feedback and keep it constructive. Let’s do a quick recap:

1 * Remove/adjust the breakable panels at A and C point or Add second layer under the hole so players dont die, but still lose time for falling into them

• Which do you like better?
  2 * Glass Panels only break from cannon fire
• What do we think about this suggestion?
  3 * Enlarge the Skyhammer Platform, Add line of sight props
  4 * Add multiple portals to get to and from the skyhammer platform
• Does this have to be in both places: in center of map and skyhammer platform or just the skyhammer platform?
  5 * Adjust the jump pads
  6 * Take away the ability to die from falling damage
• Do we want to completely remove the ability to die from falling damage or make it only in very specific places?
  7 * Adjust middle point high ground
• Do we want to completely remove this because of gameplay/camera problems or adjust it as it creates good gameplay but messes with camera
  8 * Secondary Mechanic Adjustment
• Reduce Damage
• Increase Cooldown
• Reduce the turn speed
  9 * Remove Skyhammer from Unranked
• Do we think the map simply can’t be altered to stay in Unranked?

Just to clarify, this is just a discussion and we are not specifically committing to any or all of the suggestions, but it does help us to understand how you (the pvp community) sees the map and determine what can be improved.

Answers:
1 - Since only skyhammer break the glasses, may be not necessary create second layer. But not problem with this.

2 - Would be better.

3 - Enlarge

4 - 4 portals on each room edge, and 4 portals on center on map.

5 - …

6 - Make no more possible from platform.

7 - I’d like those high places… Not problem with camera, we just turn or approach.

8 -
Reduce Damage – Yes!
Increase Cooldown – Yes!
Reduce the turn speed – Not!

9 - The sPvP needs more maps, bad ideia just remove. And there is always a solution – To every thing excepts to death!

Skyhammer is the best pvp map, period. If you want a suggestion on how to fix it, here it is:

Delete Spirit Watch.

Been meaning to throw in this suggestion, hope it’s not to late.

Maybe instead of making the skyhammer a “random” (yes i know it’s not actually random) issue make it a bit more consistent

My idea keep it as is but it will pelt down misery on any/all points that are contested (i.e. not controlled by anyone) If you maintain control of a point it won’t hurt you, with one exception.

When a player activates the skyhammer (by channeling at a panel of some sort obviously) it will perform a huge nuke on points not controlled by their team essentially serving as a bunker buster.

This will make the skyhammer more integral to strategy rather than “control it so you don’t get nuked”

Xthnru.2079:

Skyhammer is the best pvp map, period. If you want a suggestion on how to fix it, here it is:

Delete Spirit Watch.

I think they should combine Spirit Watch and Skyhammer into Spirit Hammer.

If the other team has the orb its ok you just blast them with the cannon

1 overall change to Skyhammer to increase players liking it, put up “guard rails” on anywhere where another player can pull / push an enemy off the edge and fall to his death. Any mechanic that can insta-kill another player should not be encouraged, especially in PVP (This could includes Skyhammer platform).

Pushing / pulling off a ledge to take “normal” falling damage is still ok.

1. Add second layer under hole, a “sub basement”. Sub basement could have “navmesh” disconnection from the main capture point floor (E.g. Jump pads) so teleport users cannot quick travel back up, or that might be a valid tactic.

2. If there is a “sub basement”, anything breaking the panels is still a valid strategy and tactic.

3. With sub basements, alternate portal entrances from these basements can be an alternative (Players can also use these to fast travel to the Skyhammer then use another portal to travel somewhere else, making the Skyhammer a weapon, as well as a quick transition point)

Hugh Norfolk.2798:

Awesome thread so far everyone! I really appreciate everyone taking the time to write up their feedback and keep it constructive. Let’s do a quick recap:

• Remove/adjust the breakable panels at A and C point or Add second layer under the hole so players dont die, but still lose time for falling into them
  • Which do you like better?
• Glass Panels only break from cannon fire
  • What do we think about this suggestion?
• Enlarge the Skyhammer Platform, Add line of sight props
• Add multiple portals to get to and from the skyhammer platform
  • Does this have to be in both places: in center of map and skyhammer platform or just the skyhammer platform?
• Adjust the jump pads
• Take away the ability to die from falling damage
  • Do we want to completely remove the ability to die from falling damage or make it only in very specific places?
• Adjust middle point high ground
  • Do we want to completely remove this because of gameplay/camera problems or adjust it as it creates good gameplay but messes with camera
• Secondary Mechanic Adjustment
  • Reduce Damage
  • Increase Cooldown
  • Reduce the turn speed
• Remove Skyhammer from Unranked
  • Do we think the map simply can’t be altered to stay in Unranked?

Just to clarify, this is just a discussion and we are not specifically committing to any or all of the suggestions, but it does help us to understand how you (the pvp community) sees the map and determine what can be improved.

My biggest complaint with this map is how unfriendly it is to melees. Charge skills etc are a nightmare in this map. Very frustrating.

Whats wrong with hammer right now
-Jump pads screwup your movement You cant use skill when airborne not even stunbreak . Make jump pads activate when running from certain direction and when facing it. and make it land on curtain spot.

-Sky Hammer is too strong make it DMG overtime and knock down after getting stacks of debuff from the hammer

- Falling through the floor should considered instant dead. Teleport them to danger zone which later port you back to spawn.

1. Please don’t remove map from Unranked – We need map variety. Adjust it to make it more fair and add it to ranked as well after its adjusted/modified.

2. Eliminate the ability to fall down ONLY from map border (second platform sounds interesting as well) .

3. Reduce Skyhammer dmg by 50%.

4. Crystal platforms can only be broken by the Skyhammer – But their timing of recovery is increased by 200% .

Prettu much agree with everything that has been said here.
The most frustrating part for me really is the jump pads, missing your landing and then having to try the jump again is not very fun for me. I personally don’t find the breakable plates that bad around A & C, but sometimes they don’t flash visibly enough to be able to actually see if they are breaking or not.

One other thing I would like to get fixed if skills that can react to to those breaking plates. Necro/Repear can attack with dagger to fill their lifefoce or summon additional minions with shout rise. I think there are skills from other professions too.

• Open up the nodes a bit more and give the players some kiting room off-point, make the platforms all around the side points accessible similar to Clocktower on Khylo. That way if the point is being nuked repeatedly by Skyhammer, players can get off point and range onto the point forcing those on it to move off.

• The channel time and the AoE of Skyhammer needs to be adjusted for how easy it is to aim, the ability to see the whole map unobstructed, and how claustrophobic the (current) points are. Compare it to the treb on Kyhlo, the treb is much more difficult to aim and land, it’s pretty hard to see what you’re hitting in some places, and time between hits is pretty lengthy. The points on Kyhlo are also much more open and space around them are larger.

• Glass plates and unobstructed edges need to be removed completely. One-shot kills from stealth aren’t fun.

• Jump pads need to revamped, they’re somewhat difficult to use and are annoy to use. They don’t get you to where you want to be most of the time.

• The underground portions between mid-point and side-point serve no purpose other than to annoy players traveling between said points. Either remove them or give an incentive to use them such as a secondary (but longer) path between all the points but hides the player from being seen by those on the ground level.

• I’d be okay with enabling gliders only for this map.

Leave Skyhammer as it is ! And add it to ranked. This by far the funnest map. I can’t believe all those people complaining “omg I was doing SO well and then he kicked into the hole and I died QQ” – you were NOT playing well if you positioned yourself so you can be pushed off. I mean cmon it doesn’t take a genius to watch out for 1 environmental factor when you PvP and watch where you stand , I don’t wanna come off negative but l2p…

Please just make more competitive conquest maps.

Skyhammer is the only arena where I am playing the map more than I am playing the other team. Winning a fight is less about stats and skills than it is about whose teammate can come up from behind and perform a stealth/immob/pull on an enemy that’s already used its escape, or how you can chain cc someone to the edge and execute a knockback.

First priorities ought to be fixing the bugs (such as jump pads or when you survive a fall through the bottom or the million No Valid Path spots).

I’ve never really noticed an issue with the hammer damage, because it’s the biggest tell in all of pvp, but reducing it could shift the focus away from the vE and toward the vP.

A lower level that requires a long runback to a single egress could work — essentially, you are punished and removed from the action for falling through the hole, but you’re not instantly killed. I’d be ambivalent about edge knockoffs if it weren’t for the zillion new cc skills in HoT. Even so, I’d think the concern is less about falling to your death and more about the map playing even smaller because you avoid the edges.

Fix the hammer platform so that it’s a) not a trapfest choke-point, b) better for a fight (the control panel is consistent LoS instead of sometimes obstructing and sometimes not, say), and perhaps c) repositioned so as to be directly over the map, and when one is knocked off the platform, one floats down to the regular playing surface — again, a penalty in that people can shoot you and you’re just drifting like an idiot for a few seconds, but not instant death.

I mean, lots of funny moments happen on Skyhammer, but that makes it somewhat out of place.

I would like Skyhammer to be removed completely. Also, please bring back Courtyard map but as its own PvP game mode, Death Match (and maybe add a couple new different Death Match maps). So you’d have a choice of playing that, Conquest or Stronghold. I really liked Courtyard and don’t know why it was removed. It was the purest form of PvP…no lords, no gates, no skyhammers, no nodes, no nothing…just players killing players and whichever team killed the most players won.

Make the cannon active only for the side that control 1 or less point.

Hi

While i don´t like the cannon, the map itself is nice. I don´t agree that falling is bad.
This is a main diffrence and makes the map fun. Beeing able to pull/kick/throw someone off. Its a diffrent tactics/play.
I would only alter the skyhammer. Maybe not as a gun. Some kind of control panel that can port teammates (like you can port all temmates from a point you control to another position) or alter barriers on the map. A funny tactical map. Don´t focus on classic point fighting. We have enough maps for this.

Hi Hugh!

Did you consider adding gliding and updrafts to get back on the map if you have fallen through the glass? This would basically be a way to make insta deaths less punishing but still reward the player pulling of the knockback through glass/from map because it takes time to get back.

The gliding would obviously be enabled just on this map and be mastery independent (so also non hot owner could glide on skyhammer).

This would be a great way to implement this mechanic into pvp. There is no other map it would make more sense on. I am sure the implementation would not be easy and there is a lot of stuff to consider (Can gliding players still be attacked? Where are the updrafts placed?) but it would be rally worth it. Atleast worth testing.

Good idea to add gliding :-)

Just thinikg:
Make the map bigger, I mean make it with 2 more capture points, one on skyhammer ( and make this place bigger), and the second in opositebto middle with new map fragment and another portal to skyhammer.

Also maybe put portal under the glass wholes that will bring U instantly to home point, so it could be use to run away or take out an oponent for a moment.

Sorel.4870:

First of all, the map needs to stay. We don’t want another Capricorn.

That being said, I would like to see, by order of importance:

1) A fix to the jump pads: it’s a fun idea, but right now they are unreliable. Make them like jumping and gliding: executed by the client and not the server. Also, you could change them so that they try to propel you on top of the platform when you stand still, while still being able to correct your jump mid-air somehow (to allow fake-jumping and other kiting technique).

2) The platform around the cannon is too small, and has no LoS spots. Dueling up there lacks the flavor combat has in the rest of the game

3) Frankly, gliding would be a super cool addition. The map is meant for fun anyway, and getting pushed off the Skyhammer would you send you back into the brawl. Epic. The only problem I see would be the mid-air immob bug.

^ THIS

1) Very important. They need to work. Maybe make them bigger? Jump higher?

2) Yes, make it bigger.

3) NOPE, as F2P have no gliding.

Addition: Second platform where you have to run up again instead of instakill would be a real improvement I guess.

Also I think gliding would be a great addition, and personally I don’t think making gliding unrestricted and thus available to everyone exclusively in the map (maybe WvW too) is a bad idea , quite the opposite – I think it would be great, and have many good consequences – perhaps even getting a few more HoT sales for those who try it, like it and will want to have it for open world.

Logged in just to say that I like skyhammer as it is. That being said, there is something to be improved.

I see the problem others have with this map being the fact that falling into holoplatform pits means instant death, that jumppads are a bit unreliable, and that this map’s gimmick, the skyhammer cannon, isn’t very helpfull, compared to other maps’ objectives. If there is a possibility for a good change, then the cannon should be contestable in certain periods of the match and the impact it does should be greater.

Use those resources to create a new map based off of skyhammer’s assets which will be viable for competitive play. Out of bounds falls was never a great idea. (see Edge of the Mists map also)

I love this thread, as Skyhammer is one of my favourite maps, it obviously has flaws.

-Replace the cannon by a treb so it takes atl some skill to hit something.
-Remove the glass panels around A and C
-Remove the door to the cannon room, it’s too easy to trap/mark
-Replace the jumpers by teleporters, atm they’re an annoying random element

KEEP possibilities to punt people over the edge, in my experience smart players use positioning to their advantage. This adds an interesting element.

Haven’t read every post, so it might have been suggested before, but what about adding a floor underneath the points? So if you get knocked off the platform at C, you don’t die but instead find yourself underneath, and have a ~10 second run back to the point. Keeps the skyhammer spirit but limits the effectiveness of troll knockback/pull builds

Personally I like Skyhammer for the CC fun. And I liked the water in Raid on the Capricorn.

We have maps for people who want pure PvP. Why not leave more varied maps for the rest of us? They don’t have to be in ranked queue.

There’s a reason the SMASH series isn’t just no items/Final Destination out of the box.

How about, making glass panels shatter only from blast finishers and the cannon? Or only by jumping on them from high places?

i don’t like how it feels to fight on points. on all other maps you can make use of some tricks, kiting on some fences or rocks etc, but here it doesn’t work. you have the jump pads but most of the time they don’t give you anything.

another thing that really bugs me is how the points feel… they’re small and “not open” but have those annoying pillars around them that make the point feel “constricting”. that goes for all 3 points on skyhammer.

Hugh Norfolk.2798:

Hey all,

We’ve been discussing potential improvements to existing PvP maps, and we wanted to get your thoughts on some ways that Skyhammer could be updated to be a less of a frustrating gameplay experience.

So, what would you change? What would you keep the same?

first of all, the map is so much different (the fall off the map mechanic) from all the other maps that it needs to have its own q. since it is likely that it would not be popular enough to justify having its own q (on the other hand, i think that courtyard would become popular if it had its own q, like stronghold does), the only option you have is to remove the fall off the map mechanic completely. the map requires you to run a bunch of stability and launch/knockback so you would need to change your build every time you play it and that is just crap, it is best to remove the fall mechanic. 2nd thing is PLEASE REMOVE THE kitten ED JUMP PADS!!!!! i mean what is wrong with stairs?? they dont work properly (making jumps in combat often makes you fail the jump), they interrupt skills and are just overall annoying and make the map feel as it was designed for unreal tournament.

Skyhammer is not so bad. The idea of the glass panels only breaking from cannon fire is fine.

Adding gliding ability to it would be cool too.

Random Skyhammer feedback:

-Adjust Skyhammer’s damage, CD, or whatever else. It hits so hard and often that if one team is consistently controlling it, it can feel a little oppressive.
-A lot of jump pads to nowhere. Make them lead more meaningful places, maybe? Mini versions of the jump pads near Tequatl could be fun.
-Keep the trap floors, they’re hilarious.

First off, I’ll say that I don’t consider myself a bit pvp’er – however, Skyhammer is one of my favorite maps, so I definitely do not want to see it removed from unranked – I’d rather see it added to ranked, be it with tweaks or not.

But then again, I’ve never really seen why so many hate Skyhammer. If anything, it’s the most strategizing-based map in PvP due to all the ‘environmental traps’ (which, apparently, is where most of the hate comes from – apparently people don’t like tactics in PvP?).

Hugh Norfolk.2798:

• Remove/adjust the breakable panels at A and C point or Add second layer under the hole so players dont die, but still lose time for falling into them
  • Which do you like better?
• Glass Panels only break from cannon fire
  • What do we think about this suggestion?

What if you have two types of glass panels – one that can be broken by walking over them, and one, larger and very visably different, which can only be broken by the Skyhammer?

I would suggest:

• Make current glass panels immune to Skyhammer.
• Reduce the number of current glass panels by ~half, removing those around points A and C.
• Reduce the distance to the ledge around points A and C by about one current glass panel’s size worth.
• Add, throughout the middle, new and larger panels which only break by Skyhammer fire.
• Skyhammer cannon no longer deals damage – just knocks down and breaks new glass panels – and has an increased recharge time. Reduce radius slightly (should be no bigger than a cap point, but I would suggest about half the size of a cap point).
• Replace the solid ground at point B with the new glass panels, so that a well aimed panel hit can prevent progress of capping B by all players (this means hitting B with the Skyhammer is a hindrance to both sides if it’s uncapped, while just the team who doesn’t have it capped if it is capped). If you’re on point b when it hits, you’re simply falling to the glass panels beneath; if you’re quick, you can escape death, if not you die – giving them a proper role in the match.

Hugh Norfolk.2798:

• Enlarge the Skyhammer Platform, Add line of sight props
• Add multiple portals to get to and from the skyhammer platform
  • Does this have to be in both places: in center of map and skyhammer platform or just the skyhammer platform?

I actually like how you need to ensure your placement or bring stability when you’re at the Skyhammer platform, so I wouldn’t change that. I would just remove the two glass panels up there.

I also don’t see much need for the multiple portals, personally. Making a chokepoint getting to/from the Skyhammer allows strategizing for it.

Hugh Norfolk.2798:

• Adjust the jump pads
• Take away the ability to die from falling damage
  • Do we want to completely remove the ability to die from falling damage or make it only in very specific places?

The current jump pads use the Aetherblade/Dragon Arena jump pads which are very wonky (not always working for whatever reason). Replace these with a new jump pad which is mechanically the same as bouncing mushrooms but faster animation and without mastery gating (which should be a given) – bouncing mushrooms do bug occasionally but not nearly as much.

All the raised platforms are tall enough to cause some amount of falling damage, so I would say ‘across the main arena’ (e.g., not under Skyhammer platform). Which mechanically might make it easier to just go with ‘completely remove it’.

Hugh Norfolk.2798:

• Adjust middle point high ground
  • Do we want to completely remove this because of gameplay/camera problems or adjust it as it creates good gameplay but messes with camera

Adjust if you go with something along the lines of my suggestion, remove if you keep the design of it as is – the high ground currently holds no purpose, but if you turn it into a layers of death set-up it can hold purpose.