Review [Issue 58] Exploring the Unknown: Gubakha

[Quarks 2,255]

 

We are spoiled, spoiled people. We have around 70 maps to choose from, yet we always seem to play the same few maps: Polygon, Rio, Island, Serpuhov, Sandbox, and Kungur to name a few. Don’t get me wrong, these maps are fun to play - but underneath these are the maps collecting dust and cobwebs, the unknown maps. The maps you might have heard about and might have been lucky enough to play, but that are never really seen as commonplace on the servers.

 

For the first edition of this series, I will be taking a look at the map Gubakha.

 

 

It is currently unknown, at least by the Wiki editors, as to who brought Gubakha to life and when it was added to the game. It is almost never seen on any server - though you might, MIGHT, find it in RU1 as it can host quite enjoyable XP/BP battles. 

 

Unlocking late at Warrant Officer 1, it is not likely that you have played it, as you have already experienced many other common maps that you enjoy. You might try it out a couple times to see if you like it, but soon it falls into forgottenness. In a way far back corner of your mind, that weirdly spelled map with a lot of walls. Not much to remember except the mults trying to climb said walls, and the inescapable pit that everyone falls into on their first time.

 

Bry = Pathetic Nug

 

The Curse of the Ricochet

 

Ricochets have consistently peeved everyone unfortunate enough to encounter them in Gubakha. They appear at the worst time and seem to bounce impossible shots that always find their way to you. Yet the reason behind that is quite strange, multy, and until now, unknown:

 

It all started on September 14th in EN12. A Mid-ranked battle was taking place between two friends. Both were ricochet users, they could mostly turn their turrets, and Hornet was their hull of choice. They could almost bounce their shots off more than one wall. They went to Gubakha to practice these shots so that they could smite all who stood in their way.

 

An open battle ensued, the two friends against each other. For two minutes it was fine, no one played this map, who would join? But then a Smoky user joined the red team.

 

“Leve plz, nt ur betle”, typed one.

 

“Get our noob, we don’t want you here”, wrote the other. The Smoky never responded, then came a notification. Someone else had joined. Then another, then another. A 3 v 3 TDM had ensued. The two Ricochets decided they had to save the battle for themselves. They began to attack their teammates to force them to leave. They pushed them into the inescapable pit, flipping them off ramps. They were out of control, they refused to stop, they had to keep their battle 1v1.

 

This continued for the rest of the battle. Even at the start of a new battle, everyone stayed. They were angry, very angry. One typed “brb” and disappeared for 3 minutes. He had to get a recording of them. He recorded and recorded. He would make these mults pay for this. After 7:27 minutes of recording, he had enough.

 

“Jajajaja, time to report you mults”, he typed in ecstasy, revenge is so sweet.

 

The two friends looked to each other, it was all over. They promised that no matter what, even if banned forever, that Ricochets would become the scourge of the map.

 

Needless to say, they were banned, no one knows how long, or if they even still play. And yet their promise is still in effect, whether they planned it or not. Ricochets gravitate to the wall filled center. They dominate everyone they come across. So the next time you are aggravated by a Ricochet pwning everyone on Gubakha, remember those Ricochets’ curse, and remember that it was coming to you, it was a matter of time before this happened.

 

 

Map Design

 

 

 

Moving on from the lore of Gubakha,you will quickly notice that Gubakha has one of the most complicated designs in the plethora of maps. A medium sized map filled with narrow, winding, passages, walls everywhere, ramps, pits, heightened corners, and just about everything else you could ever think to throw it all in a map. Stick it all in a blender, push “mix”, wait 45 seconds, and voila, you have Gubakha.

 

Possibly one of the hardest maps to learn, Gubakha is filled with different routes to get from hypothetical point A to hypothetical point B; the different routes you could take will lead you through points D, F, X, and Y just by their complicated nature. Very asymmetrical in its design, it is easy to get lost in “which turn goes where again”, and “how did I even get here in the first place”. The constant search for your way around that usually ends when you find someone who actually knows their way around, surprises you and completely obliterates you, causing you to respawn and begin you wanderings all over again.

 

However, Gubakha has some key characteristics making it easier to find your way around, thus more fun and worth the effort to create a new battle.

 

1. The Mosh Pit: The empty box like center with walls surrounding it filled to the brim with pesky Firebirds and Ricochets causing havoc to whoever enters their domain.

Also, a key area to have when midfielding, as it gives easy access to the entire map. Mono y Mono fights happen here most often; that is until everyone decides to throw themselves into it, hence the name “Mosh Pit”. The CP there isn’t doing it any favors either.

 

2. The Killer Corners: One of the most defensible positions, with only one or two entrances, it makes an ideal camper hideout. Well protected with walls, with enough mines, and plenty of Double Damages, these corners can be the bane of anyone moshing. These require a small army to remove. With a good view of the whole map, these nugs can be the scourge of your team. While a problem, they aren’t often utilized, leaving them open most of the time, so if you are a camper, take advantage of this fact.

 

3. Side Bases: The spawn points and possibly the most well-known part of Gubakha, the bases. The stronghold of your team and some of the best cover and it is a good place to regroup. People also have a tendency to flip going off ledges. Watch out for mults here, they will be “parkouring” around, hanging out in the pit, and just being total nugs.

 

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Game Modes

 

Though Gubakha is rarely seen it still holds the possibility for memorable battles. If you can get the full 20 players on the map it will be quite crowded with opposing tanks at every turn and corner. Each game mode has its own element of fun that should be a reason for this map to be seen more.

 

DM:

Earlier, I mentioned the Mosh Pit in the center of the map, because that is what the entire map turns into in this game mode. With minimal visibility due to the uncountable amount walls, you will constantly run into other tanks two seconds after seeing them. Battles are constantly going on, but they tend to be singular in nature. There aren’t many ways to grab a kill steal, and sometimes it can be hard just to find people when the map isn’t crowded. However, it is a great way to practice your skills and can prove invaluable in other maps.

 

The main problem with DM is the camping Thunders using the plethora of walls to create splash damage kill steals. Also, the Railgun shot out of nowhere is also aggravating to both people pseudo-dueling. Ricochets are also a problem as they can bounce shots off of almost everything. Basically, they can kill you from a mile away.

 

TDM:

Admittedly I’m not a big TDM fan. Don’t get me wrong, it is fun, but it is just a slightly less intense DM. There is one really nice thing about TDM; you have the campers on your side. Having those Thunders not taking potshots at you is quite a nice feeling and they will easily give your team a solid lead. You can also corner others quite easy in Gubakha with the narrow passages. By doing this you can secure easy kills.

 

CTF:

If you are ever to see a Gubakha battle, however, unlikely as it is, will probably be a CTF battle. By far the hardest battle mode for this map, it is also the most fun. Since the map has a hard to remember, asymmetrical landscape, and the flags are quite a distance from each other.

 

One must go all the way across the map (edge to edge) to get to the flag. Usually, there is a Mammoth camped up there with mines. Presuming you manage to get the flag (big IF right here), you need to all the way across the map avoiding those pesky Thunders, Railguns, and Ricochets I mentioned. All while the other team does the same thing.

 

This mode takes actually strategy and teamwork to pull off a win. This is a hard mode, but incredibly rewarding. You need a small army simply to get past the initial obstacles to get the flag, a healer on the way back, and some mine fodder. You have to be able to work together. That is what makes this so much fun. Everything needs to fall into place, be on the top of your game to go all the way. If you are ever able to enjoy a full Gubakha CTF, you will not be disappointed, I promise.

 

Hopefully, I can find my way back

 

CP:

I have literally only seen one battle in this game mode. When my friend D4T asked for help on writing the wiki guide for this map, I was selected to do CP portion of it. I legitimately had to make a battle of it just to get used to the map and see the location of the points, as they were completely foreign to me.

 

From my observations of the map and structure, and single time actually playing it, it is a fun mode. Plenty of points to battle over and have fun with. Maybe not quite as good as CTF, but still recommended if you can fill the map. If you have actually played a Gubakha CP, let me know about your experiences in the comments below.

 

 

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As far as underplayed maps go, this one has to be one of the least seen. Hard to spell and pronounce, many people (including me) have a tendency to discard it as a map that probably isn’t worth playing since it is never seen.

 

I would beg to differ with that idea. Gubakha has provided some amazing battles for me and it a map that I like to look for on the servers. Rarely found on the servers, but if you manage to find an even battle, I would highly recommend joining it. Help bring this underrated map back from the dead, or it could end up like Deck-9 - removed permanently from the game.

[DragonOfStorms 2,706]

I've played on this map twice. The first time was a Gubakha CTF, way back at or something, and I hated it. I couldn't figure it out.

 

However, more recently I played on it with a couple of my minions clan members and had a great time. It's a fun map, to be sure.

[MiZ0o0 1,863]

i played this map only in TOF DT with my previous clan , it's very fun but hard to win in it specially in CTF mode
because both red and blue base are in very small area so its hard to get flags and more harder if there is titan or mammoth standing on the flag
but it was very funny :) 
 

[Quarks 2,255]

I've played on this map twice. The first time was a Gubakha CTF, way back at or something, and I hated it. I couldn't figure it out.

 

However, more recently I played on it with a couple of my minions clan members and had a great time. It's a fun map, to be sure.

And yet no one plays it. Quite a paradox ain't it?

[TTK_229 1,080]

Seems to be in the style of SonOfChrysalis3's map guides. Great article, nug. *actually starts reading the article*

[Quarks 2,255]

Seems to be in the style of SonOfChrysalis3's map guides. Great article, nug. *actually starts reading the article*

I honestly took no inspiration from those to do this. I looked more at Hog's old ones :p

[Ninja 10,468]

How is it pronounced? Gub-haa-kaa. I think.

[marc.jp_44 20,837]

I've noticed very evident structuring and formatting in your articles. Needless to say, your articles are more visually attractive. My only criticism is that your photos aren't very captivating tbh. I'm sure you'll improve over time. Btw, you beat me (you got Reportership before me)! I enjoy reading the TO Newspaper but I've lost my passion of writing these articles. GL Bry, though. ;)

[RetaIiation 3]

Posted 08 Nov 2016 - 18:43

http://en.tankiforum...howtopic=339668

^

not at all alike... eh?... i find it a bit of a coincidence that i use this to apply to be a reporter, then an official article is released a couple of weeks later explaining underrated maps, and evidently looking to make a series based on the same idea. hmm.... very fishy in deed.... i dont want to be a reporter anymore:

a ) probably wouldnt be good enough for it anyway and

b ) if this is reporting (pirating ideas, written by amateurs and extrapolating it into a series as so, and from aspiring official reporters as well, coupled with the fact that (surprisingly), i was in the middle of writing this EXACT SAME ARTICLE to apply to be a reporter with again [as my 2nd test]) you can take reporting and __________ .....

Edited by Rebel_51, 08 Nov 2016 - 18:44.

​

​YES I KNOW... THEY TOOK UR IDEA... I feel sorry for u rebel -sigh-

Edited November 13, 2016 by Hexed
Please avoid using sharp-looking fonts for big walls of text.

[Flexoo 6,980]

Deceptive accusation. If you would ever check the starting date, you would notice that this article was written a good month ahead of yours. Just because someone made an article with similar theme doesn't make him a plagiarist. 

[Quarks 2,255]

wait. 

 

 

 

 

 

halloween decor.... which means that the article was written (or at least completed) either during last Saturday's halloween celebrations, or the weekend before's, which was long after i submitted my application.... hmm.... i will apologize for lack of evidence, but i still stand by it being fishy. 

1.) The reason the picture is using Halloween is because I renamed the article, so eragon redesigned the picture header for the updated title.

2.) I originally drafted the article in mid-September for my reporter application. It wasn't in last months Issue because there were already enough articles. I, in fact, didn't even remember your application nor did I use any other articles in the writing of this.

[rli247 0]

Wait

What is the curse of the ricochet?

Do the bullets move abnormally?

[rommel91644 5]

Agree with most of this but I've seen this map quite a bit actually in pretty much all game modes. From about WO5 to major general I think I was seeing this map almost every day. To me the problem it has is, while it seems complex at first it's actually sort of monotonous once you learn it. Anyway, I like the map and agree I'd like to see it more.

[canadian_tank 226]

Love it but nobody likes it so I don't have a opportunity

[Initiate 1,306]

Just read the article, a went to tanki and saw a ctf on this map... ha ha