Ascension: A look into the world of KZ (Part 1)

xc_powerblock, a popular CSGO KZ map

From mountains to buildings, man has always had a fascination with climbing things. There is a certain satisfaction in reaching the peak, some have the mindset of conquest, others just appreciate a nice view at the end. But instead of the often cold, repetitive, and even dangerous treks we’re accustomed to in real life, virtual reality has enabled map developers to create some wild courses that almost anyone can enjoy.

It all started in 2003, in the 1.6 era, when a young Canadian computer engineer/aspiring map designer Patrick “Kreedz” Wright created the map “kz_hauntedhouse”. This was a rather simple map by today’s standards, but innovative for its time. Kreedz proceeded to make more maps and eventually made the famous “kz_giantbean”, a map many people took to. And like a pair of inventors with a similar family name, the concept took flight.

Other map developers also created their own maps with their own unique ideas on the concept, vast new worlds for people to enjoy. Notable 1.6 maps include kz_megabhop by inSane, an extremely popular bunny hop course, as well as kz_sandblock by Moxx, the most difficult map for its time.

A climber attempts a record time on kz_giantbean

As more and more players were drawn to KZ, many communities started appearing on the internet. Kreedz.com was the original source for KZ, you could download all the released maps by the creators as well as talk on a basic forum, but the site in general was fairly limited. kzmaps.co.uk became the main English community site accross the world, but due to server problems in June of 2005, the website collapsed. That, combined with a desire for a more centralized community, prompted the two sites to merge with xtremejumps.eu, originally a site based in Germany. This created the ultimate hub for everything KZ, map downloads, forums, and news content were very active. Even now you can still hop on and find people active in the site.

When Counter-Strike: Source came in 2004, there were attempts to create KZ, but the movement differences in the game engine did not allow the freedom of movement that was so apparent in 1.6. Therefore the majority remained in the 1.6 version. An attempt to create a completely dedicated source client called “KZ Mod” was made by a designer named "SoUlFaThEr", releasing in December of 2012. However, it didn’t gain enough traction and ultimately failed to gain a dedicated following. But now with the introduction of Counter-Strike Global Offensive and its own climb community we see a resurgence in the popularity of this map concept. Sites such as House of Climb have appeared to meet the demand of CSGO KZ and are slowly growing in popularity. We have yet to see what direction both communities will take. Can we see a complete shift to CSGO? Could KZ MOD somehow make a comeback? Or will the climb community stay divided?

kz_sandblock: one of the most challenging maps for its time.

Kreedz interview

With the help of Moxx, we actually had the opportunity to send Kreedz himself a few questions on the actual making of the concept and his thoughts on today’s scene.

What was your inspiration to make such a map in the first place? Did you ever think that a whole community would arise from that concept?

I liked jumping and climbing from when I was very young, I remember my mother yelling at me to climb off the trees we had in the backyard. Then I went to the forest where she couldn't see me. When I grew older this translated into hiking and rock climbing. I was also a gamer and I wanted to see if we could get that kind of vertigo feeling inside a game, which did work pretty well!

At first those maps were made just to have some fun with friends, I don't even know how it ended up being played in other countries and I was pretty surprised about it but this encouraged me to make a lot more maps and start building up the KZ world.

What do you think about the development of the CSGO KZ community? Do you think that there should be more interaction between the CSGO and 1.6 KZ communities, or are they that much different?

I cannot say I've been much aware of how it went in the past years with new versions of counter-strike being out but I think besides the graphics quality the experience should remain the same. What is sad about CS 1.6 is that it is getting pretty old and that it is harder to get new people in. I think all KZ communities should try to move to the most recent version of the game.

What do you think about the state of KZ as it is today?

I'm always impressed about how active the xtreme-jumps.eu website is. Lots of new maps, tournaments and even hardware/money prizes for the winners. What is a bit sad is KZ being stuck inside another game, Soulfather did a great job with the KZ MOD but it didn't get popular enough to have the majority of the community move over to it.

What prompted your departure from the KZ scene? Do you think you’ll ever make a return?

Most of all it was a matter of not having enough free time. I was spending a lot of hours per week on mapping/managing all this and at some point I felt the community was big enough to go on by itself. There was a lot of great mappers out there that were doing an awesome job, I didn't feel I was that much needed anymore. I'm not sure about a return but if I do, it will be to either try to go on with the KZ MOD or make an iOS/Android KZ game but that's purely hypothetical for now.