Map Idea: Escape from Colditz Castle

(M8DNephelim) #1

This is an idea I just had and since I never tried mapping nor have the time to try it I´ll post the scenery here:

Colditz Castle was possibly the most famous of all Prisoner of War camps during the Second World War. During this period, its high grey granite walls, barred windows, steep roofs, ancient towers, archways and moat set the scene for the greatest chapter in escape history.

Objective thought here is for the Allies to Break into the Axis Castle and get documents that can proof the P.O.W camp, alternative the Allies will have to escape the Castle with the documents.


The main road into the small town of Colditz first crosses the river Mulde, and from this bridge arises the first real opportunity to appreciate the dominance which the castle holds over the streets below.


From the market square in the centre of the town, small cobbled streets lead up to the entrance to the castle. The castle is approached from the south, and entered via the first gate (surprisingly enough). From here, a small bridge crosses the dry moat, with the outer walls of the castle looming overhead.

Since this Castle is so well documented I wont spam this thread about it but I´ll post the link instead:

http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/Bunker/8963/index.html

…would be cool if someone would do the map of Colditz Castle…

gl hf!

(carnage) #2

good concept, but to actualy get it to the stage where i would consider making a map ide ask you to i ther find a map of the area whitch shows clearly the buildings and sizes of them or actualy make a top down plan in paint or something similar, just showing basic detail the moat walls etc

from that a level desiger could take the key aspects and arange/modify the actual layout into something suitable for gameflow and r speeds

if you are realy serious about this map being made do that and then i will look further into it

(M8DNephelim) #3

did u check the link i posted?

u have both a tour of the castle and a basic version of a interactive map.

personally I dont have the time to set paintings and surrounding sketches.
I did find this concept interesting and thats why I posted about it, to shear it with u guys and see if perhaps someone finds it good enough to do a map. :wink:

(Loffy) #4

I swear I saw the word “colditz” yestarday, as I was sitting there working with radiant. Cannot remember where I saw it. Was it a texture?
The main idea for Nephelim’s map above is plain and simple: Escape! (Or break in.) I like that. Maps should have easy to understand goals.
Watched “tango & cash” the other day. There’s something special about prison-break-out-films.
Nephelim, u and Tazz should stop smoking/drinking beer and start learning how to map.
Over and out.
// L

(M8DNephelim) #5

Escape from Colditz Castle: The French Tunnel

Work on the tunnel began in June 1941, and continued for a further eight months.

They began to dig towards the chapel, hoping that they would find a crypt. However, after 4m in this direction with no signs of a crypt, they began to dig upwards towards the floor of the chapel.

From here the tunnel continued underneath the wooden floor of the chapel for a distance of 13.5m. For this to be achieved, seven heavy oak timbers in the floor, measuring 40cm square, had to be cut through. Home-made saws, assembled out of German table knives, were employed for this task. With this completed, the tunnel dropped vertically from the far corner of the chapel a further 5.2m.

From here, the tunnel proceeded out towards the proposed exit, with two further descents, separated by horizontal shafts in the tough stone foundations of the castle. The tunnel now ran a horizontal distance of 44m, reaching a final depth of 8.6m below the ground.

[i]The tunnel itself was a major engineering achievement. It was fully installed with electric lighting along its whole length. The prisoners had wired their circuits to the chapel’s electricity supply. Not only did this allow the tunnellers to see what they were doing, it could also be used as a system with which to signal to them the arrival of any sentries nearby. The entrance to the tunnel was concealed by a hinged stone door which left little trace of any hole. Debris was transported from the working face by means of several sacks moving on sleds, and then hoisted up the clock tower and disposed of in the castle’s attics.

So, tunnelling continued well into 1942. By this time, the Germans knew that the French were digging somewhere in the castle. The security forces were tormented by the sheer arrogance of the French who, working in the dead of night, were aware that the reverberating noise of their tunnelling could be heard by the Germans, but their confidence in its undetectable entrance was total.
However, on 15th January the Germans eventually searched the clock tower which they had sealed off over one year ago. Noises were heard from down below, and after lowering a small boy down the shaft, three French prisoners were found. After searching the cellar thoroughly, the entrance to the tunnel was eventually discovered.
Upon its discovery, the tunnel was only 30 feet short of completion. The earth at this point was soft and easy to work. The Germans had discovered the tunnel just in time.
[/i]

omg this is sexy!

The Drainage System Escape Attempt

The sewers under the castle were accessible from various locations. An early British tunnel, the entrance to which was from a manhole cover in the canteen, had made use of these sewers. In June 1944, this tunnel had long been discovered by the Germans. However, the British continued to evaluate the potential usefulness which this network of sewers presented. On 16th June, the guard standing at the archway between the Kommandantur and the approach to the guardhouse heard a noise beneath him. At this spot there was a manhole cover.

He alerted the security officer, who gave the order to lift all three of the manhole covers on the small, cobbled path. Three prisoners, Dick Lorraine, Bos’n Crisp, and Dominic Bruce were consequently pulled out of the sewers underneath. An attempt was made by other prisoners to salvage as much of the tunnel as possible. Three men entered the drains underneath the canteen using a vertical shaft from the old Polish quarters. Unfortunately the German guards beat them to it, and caught them at the bottom of this shaft.

all info about Colditz Castle @ http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/Bunker/8963/index.html

(FireFly) #6

I swear I saw the word “colditz” yestarday, as I was sitting there working with radiant. Cannot remember where I saw it. Was it a texture?

I found it in textures/skies_sd/colditz_mask.tga
Perhaps a leftover from one of the maps they (SD) never finished?

(carnage) #7

yeah prisoner breakouts are very cool, its sort of getting one over on the nazis when they have got all the advantages

however it is defiatly not apliable to an ET map objective, or to any MP game i know, for three main reasons.

you cant dig as sutch in ET you could use pilars to remove wall surfaces ultimatly making a tunnel but that loses all the interesting bit about actualy making the tunnel yourself

MP axis dont wait till the allies are escaping they just shoot, and they dont just walk around for 8 months doing nothing

and allies spawn with guns grenades and battle knifes. dont know where the prisoners would of gooten thoes from particualy american weapons

so you would have to look for more pratical objectives, but then you lose the sort of magic that goes with the escape storeies. however it would make a briliant SP mini game for rtcw. like a 5-10 level story. basicaly would have to be you doing stealthy ops around the castle at night and you can’t kill anyone so no weapons

and for the icing on the cake the final level where you can kill stealthily with ur kife till you get a sten from a store room and work you way up to the tallest tower to disble the castle comunication then you and a few comrades let all hell lose ginving your men a good distreaction to get away and finaly ither get away or get captured at the end

is there anyone out there actualy interested in getting a SP rtcw map pack like this off the ground?

(M8DNephelim) #8

about mp part: the allies breakes in via different routes, get the documents that proof the existence of the P.O.W camp and escapes.
sounds like a reasonable objective to me.

also spawning somewhere in the complex and picking lock, building ramps (theres even a glider in the escape history of the castle) and escaping out is interesting in my book.

plot example 1: allied forces have managed to revolt and equipped themself in an allied ammoshead with guns and gadgets. skills and firepower can help them force or find their way out.

plot example 2: allied forces have landed in the village. with the help of a engineer and/or pure firepower they will force their way in, retrieve the proof of the existence of the camp and escape back.

u cant dig in ET, true. but tunnels can be almost finished and a dyna can be enough to blow their last way out.
i cant see why not the objectives is practical ^^

and finally, yes - i would love to see sp and/or mp part with this historical accuracy in rtcw2! :drink:

(carnage) #9

i mean the actualy diging out of a compleat tunnel would be impratical but yes a almost finished tunnel could work well

and clever use of the func_constructabel an a padlock could actualy be used pick the lock rather than construct a object and have the door stay open till an axis player closes it so an engineer can open it again, when the stock ET maps were made thay had to use a different use of the func_constructive in every map and that is a a good onw that doesnt seem to have been explored

still i would prefer the sp to the mp i think

(Loffy) #10

FireFly. you’re right.
// L.

(nUllSkillZ) #11

I’ve just found an old thread.
Haven’t re-read but I’ve seen that Colditz has been mentioned.
Actually I’ve searched for something completely different.
http://www.splashdamage.com/index.php?name=pnPHPbb2&file=viewtopic&t=1663

You should try to search the forums for Colditz.
Not sure if you find another one.

(M8DNephelim) #12

really inspiring thread nUllSkillZ :slight_smile: …just wish I had the time to start a project like this though I doubt this is something for someone making his first map…

I truly hope a brave soldier will see this challenge and take it. this could verywell be the coolest map so far for pubbing - and with a tourney edition it might aswell be the same in comp play! :drink: