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 an official Medieval Mode Attack/Defend Control Point map that was released with the Australian Christmas update as a part of the December 17, 2010 Patch. It is currently the only official map designed for this game mode.

DeGroot Keep is a fairly small Attack/Defend map, featuring DeGroot Keep, the namesake of the map. The buildings and fortifications on the map are medieval-style, and Health pickups inside the keep appear as medieval-style roast meat. DeGroot Keep is supposedly a 10th-century European manor set among forested hills, but there are several hints scattered throughout the map that suggest that the team is merely in some kind of medieval simulation.

DeGroot Keep has three Control Points. Point A and Point B are located outside of the keep, while Point C is located in the courtyard of the keep. The only entrance into the keep is the castle gate, initially closed and impassible until BLU captures Points A and B. This forces RED to mount a defense from the top of the castle. RED can fire projectiles from above or leap off the walls to engage BLU directly.

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

After BLU captures Points A and B, the castle gate rises and allows access to Point C. BLU is given 60 seconds to capture Point C. After the 60 seconds expires and capture progress is entirely reverted, the gate closes again. BLU then needs to recapture Points A and B before another attempt can be made on Point C. This repeats until the round ends.

The actual environment of DeGroot Keep is an Alpine cliffside, with several mountains and forests scattered in the distance.

Locations

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

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 Camp serves as their spawn, and features their resupply closet. It is 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. There are two exits, or entrances in which one leads to the left side of the keep, and the other leads to the main battlefields.
• Battlefield: Between DeGroot Keep and the BLU camp is the battlefield where the majority of combat takes place. The battlefield is a large hill, with Degroot Keep and the BLU camp both on lower ground. A tree, fence, and a large rock at the brow of the hill can be used as cover against fired projectile weapons from RED players or cover for BLU players firing them.
• Braziers: Along the hill are two flaming braziers which can be used to light Sniper arrows on fire.
• Rock: A large rock at the top of the hill can be charged at by Demomen using the Chargin' Targe, Splendid Screen, or Tide Turner to propel them to the top of Degroot Keep, bypassing the gate. Behind the rock, a health kit can be found.

• 

  The fort that serves as BLU's base.

• 

  The battlefield that lies between the castle and fort.

Outside Capture Points

• Town (Point A): Point A is located to the left of DeGroot Keep, between the keep wall and a few ornamental buildings. A hole in the castle wall allows RED to jump onto the point or attack from atop the keep. It is possible for BLU players to enter DeGroot Keep from here.
• Cliffside (Point B): Point B is located to the right of the keep, between the keep wall and the cliff-edge of the map. RED can also drop down to this point from the castle wall. There is also a small rock pathway to the cliffside next to the normal entrance and is useful for ambushing.

• 

  Point A, The Town.

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  Point B, The Cliffside.

DeGroot Keep

• Courtyard (Point C): The courtyard is the main area of the castle located between RED's spawn and the gate entrance, and is accessed after entering the castle through the gate. The Control Point is located in an enclosed area at the back of the courtyard. There are a set of stairs that lead to the castle halls. To right of the courtyard near the stairs, a health kit can be found.
• Gate: The gate is the main entrance, and the only entrance to the castle for most players. It is a large metal gate located at the center of the castle walls. The gate will open after Point A and B are captured, where it will proceed to close after 60 seconds. When the gate closes, any players standing directly beneath the gate will be crushed.
• Castle Halls: The halls are located below the battlements and above the courtyard, where they can be entered to the right of 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, as well as the walls of the keep.
• Battlements: The top floor and walls of the castle. Players standing here have a clear view of the battlefield. On both sides of the walls, a break in the walls allows castle defenders to drop directly onto Control Points A and B. The battlements also have braziers that can be used to light 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 on the top of the battlefield.
• The Keep: The keep serves as RED's spawn for the map. It can be found and accessed behind the courtyard. Inside, it features RED's resupply closet, as well as a dark, poorly lit room.

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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.

Helpful overview

1.Rock
2.Main battlefield
3.Battlements
4.Castle Halls

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 using the Sandman's ball
  • It is possible to temporarily block the gates with the Sandman's ball or the Flying Guillotine.
• 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 under a tree on the cliffside.
• A Scout can get stuck in the roof of control point C using Double Jump. However, the game counts the Scout as standing on the point, so BLU can cap the point and the RED Scout is still able to defend the point, preventing a capture until the RED Scout dies.
• If RED wins, the MVP list says that they have captured all of the points and displays the names of people who captured the last point for BLU under "Winning capture".
• It is possible to get outside the hurtbox of the cliff and back using Demoman by using explosive jumps (such as the Ullapool Caber) or a mobility item (such as the B.A.S.E. Jumper or one of the Demoman's shields).

Trivia

• Despite the Demoman's Scottish origins, DeGroot or de Groot is a surname of Dutch origin literally translating to "the big", or "the great" (being a cognate of the English word).
• 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 (such as in a corridor with the door closed near the gate), tire tracks leading up to BLU camp 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 or simulation of some kind.
• 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.
• This map's design was inspired by the Team Fortress map Storm1 by John Cook and Robin Walker.

Gallery

• 

  The wooden medieval-style resupply locker.

• 

  The wooden medieval resupply locker, opened.

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  The Health pickup, a generic mutton-like cartoon meat.

• 

  The unused scroll model.

• 

  The unused ticket booth model.