Steel

Steel
Basic Information
Developer(s):	Unknown
Map Info
Environment:	Industrial
Setting:	Daylight, sunny
Hazards:	Pit, Rocket exhaust path
Map Photos
Map Overview

“

Defend here! Click to listen — The Heavy

”

Steel is a community-made Attack/Defend Control Point map added in the Heavy Update. Steel is one of many community maps added to the game by Valve as honorary official maps due to their high quality.

Unlike most Control Point maps, capturing a control point modifies the layout of the map, opening, and closing routes for each team. As a result, the offensive team has a wide variety of tactical choices to influence how they play, including:

• Capturing A opens additional paths to B and E.
• Capturing B moves RED's spawnroom and also opens an additional route to C.
• Capturing C extends bridges to E.
• Capturing D blocks RED from easily reaching E, and extends guardrails on the bridges.

Unlike normal linear Control Point maps, Steel allows the attacking team, BLU, to capture the final point, no matter how many other points have been captured. However, the more points BLU captures, the more ways they can access the final capture point, as well as pushing back the RED team's spawn and closing off their routes. One point and 3 minutes of time are awarded for each point captured. If E is captured, then the BLU team scores 5 points overall for the round, regardless of how many of the preceding points were captured.

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.

Spawn areas

• BLU Spawn: A train station just north of RED's Initial Spawn. The base has three exits, two to Control Point A (one providing a straightforward route to the point and the other a ledge to drop down onto RED from behind), and one to Control Point B. From spawn orientation, Point A is to the right and point B is to the left.
• RED Initial Spawn: A small room with exits leading to A, B, and E. From spawn orientation, A is to the left, B is to the right and E is forward.
• RED Second Spawn: After BLU captures point B, RED is forced to spawn between points C and D. From spawn orientation, C is to the left, D is to the right and E is forward. After BLU captures point D, the exit to E is closed off.

• 

  BLU's staging area

• 

  RED's first spawn room

• 

  RED's second spawn

Control Point A

• Shipping Dock: Point A is a shipping dock located directly to the left of RED's initial spawn. BLU is required to climb up a short hill to get to the point at the top, while a couple of walls surrounding the point prevent RED from directly firing at the point. The higher exit from BLU's base leads to the top of a wall. Capturing point A immediately opens a door to the right of the point leading to B, as well as a slow-opening door directly on the point that leads to D and E. When captured, RED's spawn door to A becomes sealed.

• 

  Control point A

Control Point B

• Truck Yard: Point B is located to the right of RED's initial spawn and is partially protected by a small wall facing the RED spawn. There is only one path leading to B before A is captured while capturing A opens up another. RED's entrance to point B leads into a small 2-story building with a window at the top that can shoot out onto the whole B area except for the closest half of point B. BLU's spawn exit has a passageway off the side which leads to a small overlook and a shack that Snipers may use in attacking B. To the left of point B and just off of the building in front of RED's spawn is a passageway that leads to point E and then a ledge in the C area. Capturing point B causes a door to slowly open to point C and also moves RED's spawn to the opposite side of point E.

• 

  Control point B

Control Point C

• Canyon: Point C is located on an elevated platform north of point B. The hill leading up from B spikes down into a canyon. Several large rocks provide cover from incoming fire on the B side. There are two sets of stairs to get onto C, one on the outside with no cover, and one on to the right which is a small tunnel. RED has a choice of 2 doorways to defend from, one of which includes a small wall on the B side. Capturing C causes three bridges to extend to point E very slowly.

• 

  Control point C

Control Point D

• Storehouse: Point D is located directly next to RED's second spawn, on the opposite side of C. A narrow hallway with a small ledge connects C and D, but one must travel in front of RED's back spawn. RED can also see anyone moving through this hallway by way of a window above their exit to point E, but the window is closed off when the exit is. Capturing D raises guardrails on the bridges and also seals off RED spawn's closest exit to E.

• 

  Control point D

Control Point E

• Launch Pad: Point E is located in the center of the base, on a small platform above a deep pit. At first, only Scouts, Soldiers, Demoman, and Pyros using the Detonator, Scorch Shot, or Thermal Thruster can easily reach it, but once C is captured, bridges appear and allow all classes to get to the point. Point E is available from the start of the round, but capturing all the other points makes E quicker to capture. If RED successfully defends E to the end of the round, the rocket above the point starts to blast off, pulling in and killing anyone caught in its exhaust path.

• 

  Control point E

Helpful overview

1.Hill
2.Cliffs
3.Shipping Dock
4.Storehouse
5.Canyon
6.Rocks
7.Truck Yard
8.Narrow Building
9.Wooden Building
10.Launch Room

Strategy

Main article: Community Steel strategy

Control Point timing

Control Point	Multiplier	Seconds
Control Point A	×1	32 .000
	×2	21 .333
	×3	17 .455
	×4	15 .360
	×5	14 .015
Control Point B	×1	32 .000
	×2	21 .333
	×3	17 .455
	×4	15 .360
	×5	14 .015
Control Point C	×1	36 .000
	×2	24 .000
	×3	19 .636
	×4	17 .280
	×5	15 .766
Control Point D	×1	36 .000
	×2	24 .000
	×3	19 .636
	×4	17 .280
	×5	15 .766
Control Point E	×1	70 .000
	×2	46 .667
	×3	38 .182
	×4	33 .600
	×5	30 .657

Update history

August 19, 2008 Patch (A Heavy Update)

• Added Steel to the game.

December 21, 2010 Patch

• Fixed Steel not loading properly, as it would return the user to the Main Menu instead.

January 26, 2012 Patch

• Localized the team goal strings

July 10, 2013 Patch

• Fixed players blocking Blu's spawn exit door leading to capture point B
• Fixed collision on ledge near capture point B
• Players can no longer build inside Red spawn room.
• Blu spawn point over grate removed.

July 12, 2023 Patch #1 (Summer 2023 Update)

• Prop collision cleanup and improved player clipping
• Explosive splash bug collisions on stairs, props, etc., around the map
• Spawn point issues (collision, prop blocking, clipping, etc.)
• Fix Pyro door exploit on A
• Fix choke and spam issues into Blu & Red spawns
• Fix Pixel walk collision issues
• Fixing ceiling clipping and stuck spots including exploits
• Clean up geometry in spawns, the spawn locations and their exits
• Fix roof readability issues, with sticky and rocket jumping
• Fix rare double death bug when falling into pit
• Fix Cliff stuck spots and ledges in E pit
• Removed head glitch tele spawn on A-B connector
• Fix rare Overtime cap bug
• Fix Red team getting stuck in spawn door to A

July 20, 2023 Patch #1

• More blockbullet /clipbrush^(sic) swaps where needed
• Fixed some stairs/ramp brushes needed to be extended to the bottom of the ramp
• Fixed more small unnecessary prop collision/clip removals
• Fixed blatant texture misalignment
• Addressed perch spot outside Red spawn on wood beam
• Closed some accidental holes in geometry
• Additional fixes to a sticky/shooting exploit through and under Red's E platform area
• Increased pit damage to kill some certain class loadouts in a single trigger
• Moved Blu spawns forward a little to previous distance
• Extended projectile blocker brush along the top side of the Blu spawn building's roof
• Fixed Sniper sightline into Red's first spawn points from E

July 25, 2023 Patch

• Fixed missing glass from bullet blocked windows
• Removed some more ceiling light collisions
• Improved clipping around B -> C building
• Small safety improvement to Blu flank balcony to B
• Some extra block bullets around B floor

Bugs

• If an Engineer builds a Dispenser in front of the supply locker in BLU spawn, and any class switches their loadouts with completely different weapons, the player goes into Civilian mode. This also can be done on Frontier.
  • Additionally, if a Heavy changes his melee weapon while standing inside the Dispenser while equipping the Buffalo Steak Sandvich, they are left with no melee weapon. If the Steak Sandvich is eaten, the mini-crits are granted to the Heavy's Minigun instead. This can also be done on Frontier.
• If a player attempts to go on the Launch Pad while one of the bridges is extending, they may be caught between the bridge and the control point, resulting in them being pushed inside the point. Being inside the control point counts as defending it on RED team, and counts as capturing it on BLU.

Trivia

• The initials of Jamie "Fishbus" Manson, the map's designer, can be found in one of the upper rooms overlooking point E. It can only be reached with the noclip command.

Gallery

• 

  The map designer's initials above point E.