cp_standin

cp_standin is a three control point "domination" map. A team wins a round by capturing all three points at once, while preventing the enemy team from capturing points they have already secured. All three points start neutral and are equidistant from both teams' spawns, with multiple exits allowing players to approach them from either side. The map is quite hectic, and involves a great deal of tactical engagement and strategy in order to properly coordinate players across the map.

The map was originally conceived following a forum post regarding what competitive players wanted in a map. The pocket soldier TLR made a comment about the map cp_fallout (THE PUNS!), to the affect that though the map was inherently asymmetrical and featured a variety of problems that made it unsuitable for competitive play, the game mode itself was quite interesting and if it could be adjusted, might make for a very fast paced competitive map.

Standin addresses one of the primary problems of traditional 5cp maps. Though the layout of these maps is quite strong and works well within the framework of competitive play, the location of the choke points and the ability for teams to hold on either side of them often leads to teams stalemating at certain points, waiting for the other team to make a move. Because the chokes are built to block line of sight, players who try to approach a choke are punished, while players that hold back are kept safe. Further, because the only points which are active are generally located behind both teams, the objective of the map is locked out by the chokes as well. This is good in that it forces players to contend with the other team in order to progress, but bad in the sense that it can be difficult to break the stalemate and accomplish the map's objective in this scenario.

With Standin's layout, holding a choke is still a successful strategy. However, one of the key features of the map is that a team always has some additional options available when it comes to objectives. A team holding B and A is likely to be defending B and waiting to push C to win the round. The enemy team can use this to their advantage, sneaking a scout behind the enemy team and starting to capture A. Teams can also start the match by splitting and capturing both A and C, leaving B for last, or push into A, and then to B. The amount of options available is significant and leads to players making many decisions on the fly about when to push a point, when to retreat, when to block a capture, or when to stack a point and hope to outrace the enemy team.

Standin is certainly an anomaly among competitive maps. It allows a whole host of available options, plays very aggressively and often comes down to the wire. It can be quite stressful for a player in a competitive scenario, as it has very few precedents to draw upon, and some of the oddities of neutral control points and long cap times can lead to some very "innovative" ways to abuse capture times.

In terms of its general reception, I think its fair to say that Standin is one of the most controversial maps in competitive TF2. Some of the best North American players value it for its blistering gameplay, incredible reliance upon tactics, and its need for coordination and teamwork. Other players see it as an abomination, bending the gameplay of a 5cp map on its back and adding unnecessary complexity to a perfect formula.

Standin was played in ESEA Season 10, UGC Highlander Summer Season 7, and the OZfortress League. It is unlikely to be played again in ESEA, but UGC admins seem fairly receptive to it, and it may see some additional play in Highlander (it was scheduled to be played in UGC season 9, but was replaced at the last minute).

cp_standin was purchased by Valve Software in July of 2013. It is now an official community map available with any download of Team Fortress 2.