DeGroot Keep

DeGroot Keep
Basic Information
Variants:	Sandcastle
Developer(s):	Unknown
Map Info
Environment:	Alpine
Setting:	Daylight, sunny
Hazards:	Castle gate, Pit
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. Health pickups inside the keep appear as medieval-style roast meat.

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.

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, 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 or Splendid Screen to propel them to the top of the keep.[1][2]
• 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.

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  The battlefield that lies between the castle and fort.

• 

  Point A, The Town.

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  Point B, The Cliffside.

• 

  The fort that serves as BLU's base.

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.

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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

See 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

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.
• If players fall far enough over the cliff edge, they will clip through the rocks surrounding the waterfall.
• Thunder ambience noise can occasionally be heard despite there being no thunder clouds visible in the skybox.
• A Demoman equipped with the Chargin' Targe or the Splendid Screen can use the charge on the rock in front of the BLU camp to reach the battlements of the castle, seen 'here'.
• Using the Atomizer, a Scout can get stuck in the roof of control point C. 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 BLU captures point A or point B during Overtime, sometimes the round will end instantly in a loss for BLU.

Trivia

The DeGroot family portrait.

• DeGroot or de Groot is a surname of Dutch origin meaning "the big" or "the great". It is also the Demoman's surname.
• 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:
  • The portrait of the DeGroot family that appears inside the castle is actually a portrait of the Demoman and his mother and father as seen in the WAR! Update comic.
  • When entering the keep, a computer terminal can be seen hidden behind a wooden door to the left.
  • A second computer terminal can be seen through the sewer grate in the keep's courtyard.
  • A third computer is hidden behind a wooden door in RED's spawn area.
  • Despite the filter in chat, the signs blocking an exit in the BLU and RED spawn area are in modern English.
  • When a round begins, sirens wail, like any other map in the game.
  • There is an unused ticket booth model within the game files, suggesting that the castle is, in fact, nothing more than a tourist attraction. The modern signs and hidden computer terminals seem to support this theory.
  • There are modern-day control points on the map.
  • The ammo pickups, which are identical to those found in other maps, have an icon of three bullets on the lid. Bullets with this appearance did not exist in the 10th century.
• Bagpipes play in the background whenever the castle door opens; that is, when points A and B are captured, and when the castle is successfully defended.
  • The bagpipe music is a reuse of the Template:W 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.
• Despite having capture progress when the map's timer runs out, Overtime will only occur if the keep gate is open, and the round will remain in Overtime until the gate closes.
• The magician that the Soldier angered was later revealed to be Merasmus the Magician, the Soldier's roommate.

Misc. images

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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.