Probed

Probed
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Basic Information
Map type:	King of the Hill
File name:	koth_probed
Released:	October 6, 2015 Patch (Invasion Community Update)
Developer(s):	Harlen "UEAKCrash" Linke FissionMetroid101 Miguel "BANG!" Melara Kevin "Ravidge" Brook The Ronin
Map Info
Environment:	Farmland/Alien Spaceship
Setting:	Night
Hazards:	Alien Walkers, Alien air
Deep Water:	No
Bot support:	Yes
Map Items
Health Kits:	×3  •   ×5
Ammo Boxes:	×5   •    ×3   •    ×1
Map Overview
Map Stamp
Supporters Leaderboard

“

No one expected our last stand in the invasion to be at a quiet farm house, especially Them. — Invasion Update

”

Probed is a community-made King of the Hill map created for and won the 2014 TF2Maps.net Major Mapping Contest #11, "Mercs vs. Aliens". The map was featured in the Invasion Community Update Campaign (October 6, 2015 to November 5, 2015). The map was soon after added to the to the regular quickplay lists.

Storyline: Aliens have nearly completed their invasion of Earth; Humanity's last hope is the lasers that RED and BLU have each hidden near the same farmhouse. Naturally, each team is ordered to prevent the other team from using their competing laser. While the teams contest the point, the Aliens teleport in their own combatants, which then begin firing on the concealed lasers. Meanwhile, other Saucers collect cows. As either team threatens to complete their capture of the point, the Mothership begins to approach. Once it has arrived over the map, the Mothership begins to charge its main weapon as the capping team's laser begins to deploy ....

Probed was contributed to the Steam Workshop.

Alien UFO

Probed features an overworld gameplay space. Periodically, varying about every 50 to 70 seconds, a saucer flies over the Control Point, stops, and activates its tractor beam. This beam abducts any players near the Point, pulling them up and inside the spacecraft. The saucer's interior is circular with abductee probing stations in the center. Sets of fur team-colored teleport exit cabenets face opposite each other along the outer wall. Abducted players spawn in front of the enemy's teleporter exits and must fight through the ship to reach their own teleporter exits. Abducted players receive a full heal on arrival and their Speed is increased inside the craft; however, all players begin taking damage due to the alien craft's toxic atmosphere. Players killed within the saucer simply return to their spawn with normal respawn delay. On the other hand, players that succeed on reaching their teleporter exits are instantly placed facing the Point, receiving very brief invulnerability, then overheal and a few seconds of Mini-Crits.

Alien Walkers

After the first capture of the Control Point, the Aliens begin to teleport small, seemingly mechanical, "Alien Walkers" onto the map:

• Those that drop outside of playable areas periodically shoot at the team's buildings. This action as no effect on the game, but players can shoot them to pieces.
• Those that drop into playable areas do not fire; however, they do function very similar to the Pumpkin bomb hazard.

Locations

This map is a 90 degree symmetrical King of the Hill, with identical team paths from rollout to the central Control Point:

Note: If you are having trouble with finding the locations listed here, see the Helpful overview section to see their exact position marked on the map.

• Barn Spawns: Outside the spawns are three pathways to choose from. All three lead to the same pathway to the Control Point.
• Rural Pathways: Over the dual pathways to the Control Point is a catwalk for height advantage.
• Grain Silo Control Point: At the Control Point is a second floor structure for Sniper advantage. The grain silo in front of the Point is open on both pathways.
• Farmhouse Flanks: Opposite from the Spawns and Silo, are connected buildings that flank and command the point.
  • Porch Roof: Below the upper windows of the Farmhouse, players can fight from the Porch Roof. Players can be abducted from Porch Roof, but are "safe" from abduction underneath the Porch Roof.

• 

  Inside of spaceship

• 

  BLU's base

• 

  RED's base

• 

  The Control Point

Helpful overview

1.Spawn Yard
2.Transition building
3.Sheds
4.Grain Silo

Strategy

Main article: Community Probed strategy

Control point timing

Control Point	Multiplier	Seconds
Control Point	×1	10 .000
	×2	6 .667
	×3	5 .455
	×4	4 .800

Update history

October 6, 2015 Patch (Invasion Community Update)

• [Undocumented] Added Probed to the game.

October 8, 2015 Patch

• Fixed generic bomb entities (in the Invasion maps) damaging teammates when shot with an arrow

October 28, 2015 Patch (Scream Fortress 2015)

• Improved optimization of map (especially on mid)
• Fixed clipping issues (thanks Muselk!)
• Fixed Engineer imbalance on mid (thanks Uncle Dane!)
• Added in missing explosion sound effect on aliens
• Fixed a few prop/ material issues
• Reduced prop usage

November 13, 2015 Patch

• [Undocumented] Added the Invasion Community Update maps to regular quickplay lists.

December 2, 2021 Patch (Smissmas 2021)

• Updated koth_probed to fix an error model.

July 18, 2024 Patch #1 (Summer 2024 Update)

• Moved koth_probed out of the Misc matchmaking category and into KOTH.

Changelog

This is the changelog of the map before it was added to the game.

Changelog:

Beta 9

4-24-15

• Overhauled alien explosion damage filtering to fix exploit where players could kill teammates
• Doubled alien explosion damage
• Reduced capture time slightly
• Reduced capture zone back to original placement
• UFO now hovers for 3 seconds before starting tractor beam over point. Stil stops 8 seconds after arriving. (this gives you a chance to run away/ hide from it)
• Nerfed buff coming out of ship significantly. Uber half as short (still there to help disorientation coming out of tele), now gives you mini crits for 6 seconds.
• Changed speed boost type on board ship (no longer infinite jumps variety)
• Fixed missing pre-teleport in particles for on-map alien spawns (warning of telefrag)
• Adjusted some health/ ammo placement (experimenting a bit here)
• Lighting tweaks
• Detailing adjustments here and there

Beta 8

3-19-15

• (Experiment) Extended the capture zone to under the mid building roofs
• Widened/ optimized new structures created last update
• Removed wall dividing ramp rooms up to the building behind mid
• Broke up huge line of sight towards mid
• Streamlined a few routes
• Lowered tractor-beam UFO timer slightly (so it comes out more often)
• Moved a little cover around
• Changed some material usage to make the map more cohesive
• Tweaked some lighting

Beta 7

3-13-15

• Remade mid-field structures to be a lot more interesting and direct combat flow differently
• Removed large ramp going into the building behind the capture zone and replaced it with a drop down, this should help direct combat more towards the center and reduce players upstairs at the start of the match
• Reduced alien's health to 5hp, they should now all explode in one hit
• You can now hide from the UFO tractor beam by standing under the roof, this no longer sucks you into the ceiling
• Refined the cuts on the tractor beam triggers to avoid any interior areas
• Added speed boost/ infinite air jumps condition to players inside ship
• Adjusted some of the health and ammo
• Blocked all exploitable openings on spawn buildings
• Adjusted some material usage/ detailing
• Tweaked lighting/ prop lighting

Beta 6

11-17-2014

• Fixed the health pack in the center of the ship occasionally getting blocked by func_door moving the parts above it
• Fixed missing point_spotlight on middle

Beta 5

11-17-2014

• Added new route from lower area behind capture point to upper area above it
• Okay finale is definitely insane now
• Removed tractor beam pulls from inside the silo at mid
• Lowered middle structure on ship and minimalized extra brushwork
• Got rid of a bunch of in-the-way details on ship
• Added clipping boxes that catch you as you teleport onto ship, killing off momentum
• Cleaned up a few routes
• Did I mention particles yet? Because Particles
• Did a lot more clipping
• Started optimizing lightmaps
• Adjusted lighting

Beta 4

11-14-2014

• Added aliens that spawn into the map over time and can be destroyed by the player
• These aliens are trying to take out the mercs defense system before their mothership arrives
• Near-finalized finale events timings, particle effects, and audio
• Implemented a whole lot more of FissionMetroid's particles
• Streamlined the crate jumps next to middle into mostly a ramp
• Big optimization pass
• Did more detailing
• Adjusted lighting
• Some other stuff, I forget...

Beta 3

11-10-2014

• Finished finale event actions, audio still WIP
• Made the UFO ship event happen slightly less often (Random between 50 and 90 seconds before, now 65 and 95 seconds)
• UFO ship now also stays for a shorter time (10 seconds before, now 8 seconds)
• Reduced capture time by 2 seconds (10 seconds before, now 8 seconds at x1)
• Reduced damage per tick inside of ship (9 before, now 7)
• Gave those entering ship a very slight overheal on top of getting healed up to full
• Moved alien ship Teleporters to opposites sides of where each team spawns.
• Added health packs to ship
• Added ramps facing Teleporters on ship
• Lowered to almost ground level locations where players teleport back in from ship
• Remade 3d skybox
• Fixed some visleaf issues
• Adjusted lighting all over

Beta 2

11-07-2014

• Remade alien ship entirely
• Massive detail pass
• Preliminary lighting pass
• Added new route behind capture point with health/ ammo pack
• 3d skybox added (it sucks, I'm going to remake it)
• Tweaked UFO buffs, added crit boost
• Started finale event animation stuff, no finished though
• Redid how the tractor beams work using the new impulse entity
• Removed a buggy UFO ship
• Added more MvA custom props
• Added more custom particle effects (thanks, metroid!)

Beta 1

• Private test build
• Detailed a bunch
• Reduced UFO buff uber length from 10 seconds to 3
• Added 6 second Quick-Fix type overheal effect to UFO buff
• Made tractor beams more reliable
• Alien ship now does damage over time to anyone inside of it (9 damage per tick, same as underworld on viaduct_event)
• Added 3 more non-interactive UFO's
• Added new particle effects
• Added a few of the new MvA custom props
• Fixed some clipping issues (always)
• Made a bunch of visible nodraw faces and forgot them before compile lol
• Cows

Bugs

• As spawning inside the UFO counts as being freshly respawned, any dropped weapons picked up by the player instantly become discarded once the player enters the UFO.

Trivia

• To the right of the BLU Base in the background, there is a scarecrow wearing An Extraordinary Abundance of Tinge painted Ghastly Gibus.
• On the roof of the structure in front of the RED Base, there is a small train. This is a reference to the map Trainsawlaser, which was another map made by UEAKCrash.
• There is a hidden room that can be found with a link to UEAKCrash's YouTube channel as well as a poster referencing his name and a Teddy Roosebelt with a bed near the Control point. Sometimes the Teddy Roosebelt moves slightly.
  • There is also a Map Maker's Medallion and a Spycrab seen in the room as well as a saw blade and tiny train underneath a bed. The train and saw blade are another reference to Trainsawlaser.
    • There is a circular portrait on the wall of FissionMetroid101's avatar, who made particle effects for Probed, Watergate, and Trainsawlaser.
• In each team's spawn, there are shattered Alien parts in a side room that cannot be entered by the player.

Gallery

• 

  Mothership, before charging main weapon.

• 

  Saucer abducting a cow.

• 

  Alien's teleport into the map, exploding when attacked.

• 

  The hidden signature drawn using clip brushes.

• 

  Gibus-wearing scarecrow near BLU spawn outside fence.

• 

  The tiny train near RED spawn.

• 

  The center point.

• 

  Silo holding the secret Silo Room upstairs.

• 

  UEAKCrash's signature sign, appearing on the map.

• 

  Silo Room, showing the bed, the Teddy Roosebelt, poster, and other items.

• 

  The tiny train and sawblade in the Silo Room.

• 

  Silo Room, a JimiJam, FissionMetroid101's avatar, and a Spycrab.

• 

  The Teddy Roosebelt and Map Maker's Medallion.

• 

  Steam Workshop thumbnail for Probed.

See also

• Trainsawlaser
• Wubwubwub
• Saucers

External links

• Mapping contest results