DeGroot Keep

DeGroot Keep
Basic Information
Variants:	Sandcastle
Developer(s):	Unknown
Map Info
Environment:	Alpine
Setting:	Daylight, sunny
Hazards:	Castle gate, Pitfall
Map Photos
Map Overview

“

How did the manly men of Team Fortress appear at a tenth century battlement? Simple. The Soldier angered a magician. — Medieval Mode Publicity Blurb

”

DeGroot Keep is a Medieval mode map that was released with the Australian Christmas update on December 17, 2010 Patch. It is currently the only official map designed for this game mode.

The map is a relatively small capture and defend stage. At the beginning of the round, BLU must capture the town (Point A) and cliffside (Point B) located at ground level to the sides of the castle. Because the castle gate is initially closed and impassable, RED must mount a defense from the top of the castle. Defenders can fire projectiles from above or leap off the walls to engage BLU directly.

Once the first two points have been captured, the castle gate will rise and allow access to RED's keep (Point C) located at the end of the castle courtyard. BLU will then have a certain amount of time (60 seconds by default) to capture Point C, indicated by an on-screen timer. The gate will only close once the timer expires and Point C is clear of any capture progress. Once the gate closes, Points A and B will need to be recaptured before another attempt can be made on Point C.

Players can shoot projectiles through the grills of the castle gate or arrow slits in the towers. Braziers and torches located near the team bases can be used to set the Huntsman's arrows on fire for additional damage.

Health pickups inside the keep appear as medieval-style roast meat.

Medieval Mode is (supposedly) set in a 10th Century manor, but there are several hints scattered throughout the map that suggest that the team is merely in some kind of medieval simulation.

Locations

Overview of the map. (Large file)

DeGroot Keep is a small single stage map containing three control points and two bases in a similar fashion to Gravel Pit and Junction.

Battlefield

• BLU camp: The BLU team starts in a small camp surrounded by palisade walls. Behind the camp is an archery range and a path leading into the forest behind it (both inaccessible).
• Battlefield: Between DeGroot Keep and the BLU camp is the battlefield where the majority of combat takes place. The nature of the main area is a hill which peaks in the center. A tree, fence, and large rock at the brow of the hill can be used as cover against projectile weapons (such as the Huntsman, Wrap Assassin, Sandman, or Crusader's Crossbow) or cover for those firing them. Along the hill are two flaming braziers which can be used to light Huntsman arrows on fire. The large rock can also be charged at by Demoman using the Chargin' Targe, Splendid Screen, or Tide Turner to propel them to the top of the keep.

• 

  The fort that serves as BLU's base.

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  The battlefield that lies between the castle and fort.

Outside Capture Points =

• Town (Point A): Point A is located between the castle wall and a few buildings (which cannot be entered by players). It is possible to jump from the castle wall onto this point, making things somewhat easier for defenders.
• Cliffside (Point B): Point B is located between the other castle wall and the cliff-edge of the map. Defenders can also drop down onto this point from the castle wall.

• 

  Point A, The Town.

• 

  Point B, The Cliffside.

DeGroot Keep

• Gate: The main, and only entrance to the castle for most classes, is a large metal gate located right at the center of the castle walls. If the gate closes, any players standing directly beneath the gate will be crushed and consequently die.
• Courtyard (Point C): The courtyard is the main area of the castle located between RED's spawn and the gate entrance. It contains Point C and a set of stairs which lead to the battlements.
• Castle Halls: The halls are located below the battlements but above the courtyard and RED's spawn. They can be accessed through staircases in the courtyard and the spawn room. The hall also contains the only stairs to the battlements.
• Battlements: The top floor of the castle from which it is possible to view the battlefield. From both sides of the castle defenders can drop directly onto the control points. The battlements also has braziers which can be used to light Huntsman arrows on fire. The height advantage makes the battlements an ideal spot for users of projectile weapons to fire from. A Demoman with any shield can access this area by Rampsliding up the big rock outside of the BLU camp.

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  The battlements of the castle.

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  The courtyard of the castle.

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  The interior of the castle that serves as RED's spawn area.

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  The gate guarding the entrance to the castle.

Strategy

Main article: Community DeGroot Keep strategy

Control Point timing

Control Point	Multiplier	Seconds
Control Point A	×1	8 .000
	×2	5 .333
	×3	4 .364
	×4	3 .840
Control Point B	×1	8 .000
	×2	5 .333
	×3	4 .364
	×4	3 .840
Control Point C	×1	10 .000
	×2	6 .667
	×3	5 .455
	×4	4 .800

Update history

December 17, 2010 Patch (Australian Christmas)

• Added DeGroot Keep to the game.

December 22, 2010 Patch

• Improved performance on DeGroot Keep.

January 3, 2011 Patch

• Updated DeGroot Keep to fix a problem with missing models.

January 19, 2011 Patch

• Added a timer to indicate how much time is left before the gate closes in DeGroot Keep.
• [Undocumented] Fixed players being able to clip through the barrels on the shelves above the BLU spawn area in DeGroot Keep.

Bugs

• One of the gates in BLU's spawn area can become stuck and not open at the beginning of the round.
  • It's possible to block gates with the Sandman's ball, as seen here.
• The keep gate may improperly appear open or closed. Players will still interact with it as they should, being unable to pass if it should be closed or passing through if it should be open.
• Players can stand on the ledge behind a tree on the cliffside.
• A Scout can get stuck in the roof of control point C using Double Jump. However, the game will count the Scout as standing on the point, so BLU Scouts will still cap the point and RED Scouts will still defend the point. This is shown here.
• If RED wins, the MVP list says that they captured all the points and displays the names of people who captured the last point for BLU under "Winning capture".

Trivia

The DeGroot family portrait.

• Despite the Demoman's Scottish origins, DeGroot or de Groot is a surname of Dutch origin meaning "the big" or "the great".
• The DeGroot family coat of arms' motto is "Regionem Caecorum", which is Latin for "country of the blind".
• According to the official Australian Christmas event page, the map is supposed to be set during the 10th century. However, a number of anachronisms can be seen, such as various computer terminals hidden across the map as well as an unused ticket booth model within the game files, suggesting that the castle is, in fact, nothing more than a tourist attraction.
• The bagpipe music heard whenever the castle door opens is a reuse of the Day of Defeat anthem, used when a round is won by the British team.
• There is an unused scroll model in the game files. Its intended use is unknown besides that it was to be a pickup.

Gallery

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  The wooden medieval-style resupply locker.

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  The wooden medieval resupply locker, opened.

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  The Health pickup.

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  The unused scroll model.

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  The unused ticket booth model.