Cologne

*Cologne* is a map themed on WWII Germany—more specifically the Battle of Cologne.

The map features the APC Lvl-2 and the Tank Lvl-2, though their uses are limited in the confines of the map's streets.

## Layout

The map is separated in two halves by a ruined bridge that runs down the middle of the map, and a complete bridge off to the side. There are wrecked city streets on either end of the bridges. These streets are adorned with rubble from buildings, wrecked vehicles, and wrecked houses on all sides. The map is surrounded by a series of danger signs that mark a mine field. *Cologne* is the second map to feature mines (the first being The Somme).

Players may take the streets below, or make their way around via the rooftops. This freedom to explore from above or below makes the map feel very open but enclosed at the same time, allowing for a variety of strategies and playstyles.

The APC Lvl-2 and Tank Lvl-2 have limited use in the confines of the streets, but see a lot of action in the middle bridge and are by no means unviable.

The river below the bridges is filled with rubble that provides cover to players trying to sneak by to the other side without taking the open bridges. This rubble continues out of the river and down around the back of the map (South). Sparse trees and low-poly farmland can be seen in the outreaches of the map.

## Strategies

You can use guerilla warfare tactics (like ambushes, hit-and-run, et.c) to take out enemies. It is advised that you use weapons that damages vehicles (so don't use a Sub-Machine Gun). You also may want to use a RPG to take out APCs or Tanks that go near you. A Grenade Launcher is ideal for corners. If you like sniping, consider using a .50 cal instead of the Sniper Rifle as it does more damage to both vehicles and players alike.

## Trivia

* *Cologne* went up for testing on July 22, 2022. It was referred to as *WWII* rather than *Cologne*.
* *WWII* had invisible walls that blocked the rooftops of most buildings and a kill zone behind the exterior ones to catch players that found gaps.
* *WWII* only had the one ruined bridge down the center.
* There is a downed P-51 Mustang near the center.

### History

Joja15, the head developer, initially showed desires to make a map based on the Normandy invasion (D-Day). One of his frustrations with the design of the map was how to balance to two sides (the town versus the coast sides). Remnants of that design can be seen in the old map that was available in the testing server on July 26, 2022; under the name *WWII*. The South end of the map has clear remnants of a beach space that comes up to the town.

The map only contained the one bridge in the middle and ruined. Invisible walls heavily restricted rooftop travel, preventing players from exploring beyond the standard boundaries of the map; beyond which is a kill zone. This meant that a sizeable portion of the map's explorable space was indoors. Players often spawned on the top floors of these buildings and would have to wind down the staircase to make their way out into the map.

Because of the kill zone, the mine field was only seen along the sides of the map from the bridge.

Collapsed buildings in the streetsThe surrounding mine fieldStreet from the large side bridgeOther side of the large side bridgeLooking out at the middle, ruined bridge from the large, side oneSome coast-facing buildingsAnti-tank obstacles set up in the streetsAnother street view with a collapsed houseSome of the rubble that forms ramps to the rooftopsA mostly ruined house by one of the spawnsInterior of a mostly ruined houseStreets of one spawnLarge estateInterior of the estateInterior of one a house—note the tight spaceThe central bridge, ruined with makeshift repairsRooftop view of the mapSome of the low-detail farmland seen outside the mapA peaceful corner accessed from the streetsThe crashed P-51 Mustang Fighter JetView from above