Alleyway (cs_backalley) is a hostage rescue map featured in Counter-Strike and reintroduced in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive through Operation Vanguard.
Overview
The map is set in an urban area, in and between plenty of apartment blocks.
Due to its cramped fighting areas, hard-to-memorize pathways, and relatively poor map design, it is one of the less popular hostage rescue maps.
Official Description
Counter-Terrorists: Infiltrate Terrorist stronghold and escort the hostages to the rescue zone. Take out the Terrorists without jeopardizing the hostages.
Terrorists: Eliminate the Counter-Terrorist force before they rescue any hostages.
Background: There are 4 hostages in the mission.
Journal Description
Urban back alleys and loading docks host the close-quarters combat of a daring hostage rescue.
Development
Counter-Strike
The map was designed by Jamie "TYR" Mactaggart of Barking Dog Studios during the development of beta 5.0. It was updated once, for beta 6.5.
Operation Vanguard
The map was remade for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive by H.Grunt and was featured as a part of Operation Vanguard.
The Terrorist faction is the Professionals and the Counter-Terrorist faction is the FBI.
On the October 13, 2016 Update, the map was removed from the game files, making Backalley inaccessible via console.
Tactics
- Due to its relatively small size, using shotguns and the Desert Eagle work very well, especially in the tunnels and the alley where there are little to no spaces available to escape.
- When playing as a CT operative, beware of the doors in the alley as it is easy to ambush a team from both doors by using the hostages as human shields.
- Be alert of the end of the alley and the balcony. These areas are the most favorable for snipers, skilled AK-47 users, and M249 users providing suppressive fire.
- Throwing a smoke grenade in the alley can easily force enemies to back away from the smoke and will most likely fall back rather than charging towards the enemy team. Note some aggressive enemies with powerful automatic weapons, like the M249, may spray bullets into the smoke. Enemy shotgun wielders may also decide to go into the smoke and surprise their opponents.
- Flashbangs can come in handy to clear out enemies in cramped rooms.
- Although risky, HE grenades can flush campers out but this tactic should not be implemented when there are hostages nearby.
- If you play with bots, at the point where some of the hostages are located, they can clearly see enemies behind doors. This gives bots an advantage to fight against human players so always crouch when you want to pass through doors (before entering) without being seen. However, during pistol rounds, bots will shoot at players but the bullets won't go through the door thus human players can wait until bots need to reload. This is the best time to rush and eliminate bots.
Trivia
- Bots often have navigation problems in this map, most notably CT bots. At the ladder of the second rescue zone, bots often attempt to climb the ladder at the opposite side, thus getting themselves to be stuck. Another point they have trouble is at the window near the ladder, close to the location of the hostages. Bots will often try to traverse through the wall between two of the windows.
- Terrorist bots might struggle to get out of their spawn area and may become stuck at the ladder leading to the CT spawn zone. On the other hand, CT bots may have navigation problem in the buildings.
- Dogs and cats can be heard in this map; dogs can be often heard barking at the area close to the primary rescue zone while cats can be heard around the area close to the hostage room. This could be an allusion to how cats and dogs are famously believed to be rivals of each other, akin to the Terrorists and the Counter-Terrorists.
- One of the billboards has the Barking Dog logo, which is a reference to the now defunct Barking Dog Studios.
Update History
- November 11, 2014
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- Six community maps added to the Operation Vanguard map group, available for free to ALL CS:GO players.
- November 12, 2014
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- Minor bug fixes
Template:Cs maps
