Dm6

[e][h]The Dark Zone

Creator:

 Tim Willits

Released:

1996

Gametype:

1on1, 2on2, FFA

Size:

Small

Family:

TB5

Download:

bsp

One of the three ID maps included in the 'big five' for 1on1 play, created by  Tim Willits. It used to be considered large enough for 4on4 play, but not anymore. Itemwise, this map is quite scary, as the most powerful items are in short supply. Of particular note is the fact that there is only one pack of rockets on the map, which means that one must make their shots count if they are to survive.

Items

Powerups					Armor				Weapons
Quad	Ring	Pent	MH		RA	YA	GA		LG	RL	GL	SNG	NG	SSG
0	1	0	1		1	0	1		1	2	1	1	1	1

Gallery

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Popularity

This map is popular the world over, and chances are you'll always be able to find a good match on this map. Although not proportionally more popular than the other countries, Denmark is the home of the DM6 "one-map wonder"  ParadokS. Noteworthy,  dag from Sweden and  def from Canada were also top dm6 strategists.

In recent years many pro players have deemed it a bad map, and stats show that it's played the least in comparison to other maps in the pool, so attempts have been made to replace it with bravado.

Areas

From a bird's eye view, this map is a large figure of eight with two small extremities. At one end is the Red Armor room, with three entrances, and at the other end is the Green Armor staircase with two corridor entrances and a teleporter. There is some Z axis action, however there is a pretty clear split between the two floors on the map, so it's not overly complicated.

The teleporter sequence in this map is also a very important aspect of Dm6's structure and goes like this:

• Lightning+Ring Secret leads to Lower Main Room
• Lower Main Room leads to Green Armor Staircase
• Green Armor staircase leads to Mega/RL Room
• Mega/RL Room leads to Green Armor staircase

Since you emerge from each teleport with the teleporter to the next area right behind you, you can 'dial a location' simply by holding back until you arrive at your desired destination.

Lower Main Room

This room is located in the center of the map, and has the most options for movement. There is one hallway and a teleporter which leads to the Green Armor staircase, two hallways which leads to the Red Armor room, a pipe that leads to the Mega/RL room and a secret door hidden in the floor which leads to the LG/Ring room. This room contains 30 health, two boxes of shells and a Nailgun, but care must be taken not to pick up what you don't need, as someone who is camping the Red Armor room can easily hear you and know exactly where you are. It is possible, although difficult, to Rocket Jump from Lower Main to Upper Main.

Red Armor Room

This room contains the Red Armor, one of the maps Rocket Launchers, easy access to 45 health, and the maps only two boxes of nails. As you can probably tell, it's one of the two main focal points of the map. This room has three entrances, one from Upper Main and two from Lower Main. Of note is the fact that the Upper Main entrance overlaps with one of the Lower Main entrances, and there is a small gap in the wall where one can rocket jump from the Lower Main entrance to the Upper Main entrance, or even to the Red Armor itself.

Upper Main Room

This room is located directly above the Lower Main room. You can either drop through the doughnut hole in the center to Lower Main (and its teleporter), or you can walk to the upper entrances of Red Armor room and Green Armor staircase. This room contains 30 health and a Grenade Launcher, a vital source of rockets if you're down on ammo, but like Lower Main you are within earshot of a Red Armor camper.

Green Armor Staircase

The most distinguishing feature of this room is the gigantic staircase that allows you access to the second floor of the map. With one entrance per floor, a teleporter to the Mega/RL room, the maps only other armor, and the maps only pack of rockets located here, this is a very important room to have control over. Aside from that, there is 30 health, two packs of cells, a Super Nailgun, and a pack of shells.

RL+Mega Room

This room is the other focal point of the map. It's small and only has two viable entrances to the room, either through the teleporter or going up the pipe from Lower Main. Exiting through the pipe contains the possibility of a tricky Rocket Jump that will, if executed correctly, land you on the Upper Main room. The room itself, containing a Rocket Launcher and Mega Health, is considered the other focal point of the map, and due to its size and construction this room plays host to many pitched close quarter battles.

Lightining+Ring Secret

This room is only accessible via shooting a piece of ground in the Lower Main room. The door takes a few seconds to open, and being in the center of the map it is very easy for the unwary to be ambushed waiting for the door to reveal its prize. Once you're in the room itself, you will find the lightning gun, two cell packs and a Ring of Shadows if you're lucky, but now you will be stuck playing chicken via the teleporter back to the main room, since there is a very good chance that there is someone waiting on the other side to blast you into oblivion. However, holding back as soon as you go through the exit teleporter will back you into the Main Room teleporter as soon as you emerge, making your escape a great deal more unpredictable.

How to Play

1on1

Dm6 allows for a variable pace, successful players have been rushers and controllers. It has the scarcest amount of armor of the big five duel maps (one RA, one GA), and this favors a slow pace, but it is also quite small (one big room, two medium rooms) which allows for fast pace rushing.

Map lock is best to teach on this map to beginners because of only two items to control, and the ease of synchronizing Mega spawn time with only one armor. This allows for top Dm6 players to introduce other areas into their control: the LG room and the single RL ammo pack on the map, and also to make map control a much more precise area of their tactic than on other 1on1 maps.