Well, this is a reoccuring topic which comes up over and over again. And I think, we mostly know most of the arguments. So I just wanted to make a quick poll to check how forum population sees it (as it was a question the developers asked in the Engineer Stream).
Since I tend to mix terms I will refer to the styles they used in the two different DLCs. Ubersreik style refers to the remaster (?) which leaves the maps mostly intact. Drachenfels style refers to the rework (?) which takes inspiration from old maps and also “copies” parts of them but for the majority are completely new maps. I will also add each option twice: Once for those who played Vermintide 1 and once for those who didnt. With this said, here have a poll:
What would your preferred scenario concerning Vermintide 1 maps be?
Include more of them - Ubersreik Style (played V1)
Include more of them - Drachenfels Style (played V1)
Don’t include them - want completely original maps (played V1)
Include more of them - Ubersreik Style (did not play V1)
Include more of them - Drachenfels Style (did not play V1)
Don’t include them - want completely original maps (did not play V1)
0voters
So, with the poll out of the way just some personal opinion. I don’t think that all V1 maps are suitable for Vermintide 2. This includes obviously the short maps like “Man the Ramparts” (because of loot farming and other issues) but also other maps like Wizard’s Tower. While this is one of the most iconic maps for the game, the tower has a lot of very narrow passages which don’t mesh well with Vermintide 2. So this had to be reworked and couldnt be just copied. This is visible with the choice for the Ubersreik DLC which mainly fell on maps which have larger areas.
On another note, if they include more V1 maps, especially if Ubersreik style, I think it would be an interesting option to include them in the existing DLC and slightly increase the price for each map added. This is something they could also do with other DLCs and could work as a test run.
If i want to play VT1 maps, I play VT1. Simple. As you point out, a lot of those maps were short and one dimensional. Back to Ubersreik was a huge disappointment exactly because I had already played those maps and hardly anything of significance changed. No novelty == boring.
My favourite maps in both vermintide games are from the Karak Azgaraz DLC, but I don’t want them in VT2. Give me something new. Having said that, the atmosphere of the Stromdorf, Karak Azgaraz and Death on the Reik maps was much better than anything in VT2. I’d like the feel of those maps in completely original content. I was really hoping that we’d get some beastmen maps that had the creepy, oppressive atmosphere of The Reikwald Forest map. And I’ve always been a sucka for exploring the ruins of dwarf strongholds.
Homages to the feel of old content are fine, but in general I’d like to stop revisiting areas from the first game. My understanding from developer comments is that porting maps from V1 to V2 involves about as much work as creating new maps from scratch, so why not use that time and effort to make something new instead?
I vote for the Drachenfels ports. Even if I did like the Ubersreik selection, I guess ALL maps won’t play AS well.
But let’s be honest, we want dwarf maps and Wizard’s Tower, that’s kinda all =p
I personally did not like what they did to Castle Drachenfels. All of the interiors ended up looking the exact same and still to this day if I get turned around, I get lost. I have never gotten lost on Castle Drach maps in V1… There’s just so much blandness with those maps now and I felt like the V1 versions were better designed.
This just my opinion though.
I want Karak Azgaraz to come to V2 but I don’t want the actual maps changed. Fatshark can change the events to something different but not the actual layout of the maps.
Honestly, I don’t think Karak Azgaraz needs to be changed. Those maps are already so majestically beautiful and no amount of change would make it better as they are already perfect.