Personal Project · Work in Progress
de_Shed
A slow-burn Counter-Strike 2 hostage map built around preparation, misdirection and a coordinated warehouse assault.
Project Overview
Back to classic
de_Shed is a solo Counter-Strike 2 hostage map inspired by the original spirit of cs_assault. The map is built around a massive railway freight warehouse controlled by the Terrorists, while the Counter-Terrorists must prepare and coordinate an assault to rescue the hostages.
Rather than targeting strict competitive balance, the project focuses on readable teamplay, memorable scripted interactions and the slower, more playful rhythm associated with early Counter-Strike maps.
Round Structure
Building toward the assault
The Counter-Terrorists begin at a distance from the warehouse and can choose their approach from the beginning of the round. Exterior routes lead toward three large hangar doors, while a rooftop route provides access to a ventilation shaft.
The intended rhythm is deliberately slow. Tension builds as the CTs gather information, prepare utility and create diversions before committing to the final breach that often decides the round.
Multiple exterior routes let the CTs split early and hide their final point of entry.
Three main hangar doors create readable assault fronts and opportunities for false pushes.
The roof and ventilation route provide a vertical alternative to the main entrances.
Scripted Interactions
Tools for the CT's
The warehouse doors are controlled by physical buttons located outside the building. Opening them is intentionally slow and the mechanism can occasionally jam, creating uncertainty and giving the Terrorists time to react.
The current scripted systems—including the doors and CCTV—are controlled by the Counter-Terrorists. These tools help offset the naturally favorable defensive position held by the Terrorists and encourage coordinated attacks, diversions and fake assaults.
Hostage Defense
Controled the Player
Camping directly around the hostages remains a viable strategy for the Terrorists, but the layout is intentionally designed to make it difficult to sustain. While these positions provide immediate control over the objective, they offer limited control over the rest of the warehouse and make it harder to contest the different entry points available to the Counter-Terrorists.
This creates a deliberate trade-off for the defending team. The more players commit to protecting the hostage area, the more space they give up elsewhere in the building, allowing the CTs to enter the warehouse, establish stronger positions and prepare the rescue with less resistance.
Rather than preventing hostage camping through artificial restrictions or scripted rules, I wanted the layout itself to discourage it. Players are still free to choose this strategy, but through play they gradually understand its weaknesses and are encouraged to spread their defense across the warehouse instead. This preserves player freedom while creating a more dynamic relationship between defending the objective and controlling the building.
Visual Direction
Railway freight district
The current map is still in blockout. Its intended visual identity draws from old railway freight yards, industrial brick architecture and buildings integrated directly with rail infrastructure.
The references below are used to guide the future environment pass and are not images from the map itself.
Current State
Playable blockout
The map is currently fully playable and remains in active blockout development. Playtests are used to refine the layout, evaluate the pace of each approach and test how the scripted mechanics affect round flow.
The next steps are to continue iterating on the routes and interactions before moving toward the visual pass, radar production, optimization and broader playtesting.