Talk:Trainsawlaser

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Should Trainsawlaser be Updated?

Though technically the new version of this map seems to be a completed version of this map, the new version is altered in enough ways where I would consider them distinct. The original Trainsawlaser embraces its Dev Texture style as it maintained into its release candidacy with its crass nature throughout its dozens of voice lines, random map text, and its stain of 2010s throughout (stepping into the acid pits on top of roofs for example plays the "Nope" engineer voice line). The modern Trainsawlaser takes on a completely new actual TF2 style with a proper artpass and removing many gimmicks of the original map including the laser disco ball, the locking of the point mid-match to have the frontier train drive around and shout incoherent nonsense, the flying sawblade cluster spitting out mini sawblades, the mini-train rain with tiny crocket versions of the rain, and a lot more I assume as I have only played this map for 2 rounds. The new version feels sanded down in so many ways that I feel a wiki-goer looking for information of the original would not recognize as the same map. Perhaps there could be a page for both the classic version of Trainsawlaser and the new version? User Fisherboy800 Fisherboy.gifUser Fisherboy800 User Talk Page.gifUser Fisherboy800 Contributions.gif 05:54, 27 December 2025 (UTC)

These arguments are good and all, but I fear that dedicating an entire new map article for a different version of the same map is something that is without precedent on the wiki; and as such unlikely to happen. Many official maps, both valve and community made ones, go through different iterations throughout development, with some being unrecognizable from their starting roots. And yet, we don't have a separate page detailing how their earlier versions looked like, regardless of the level of difference between the final product and some earlier version. (This is also why the changelog is useful).
However, I can see an exception possibly being made for this map. Namely, the old "Dev Texture" and the new "sanded-down" version have separate pages on the TF2Maps site and are in fact separate maps, implying that UEAK himself considers them distinct enough to not be associated together except for their name. And since maps with the same name can be split into multiple articles (Foundry ctf/Foundry 5cp) if they are distinct enough, there could be a justification for trainsawlaser to receive the same treatment.
Overall, while I am open to the proposal, I think that maybe a Dustbowl-style documentation, in which the map's earlier "beta" versions are shown of in the gallery and trivia rather then on a separate article, could be a better solution. Lolimsogreat21 (talk) 11:28, 27 December 2025 (UTC)Lolimsogreat21
We either keep the current meme version as an archived version of why the map got popular, or we replace it entirely with the new map. My vote would be the former, as the new version of the map really isn't what made the map like it is in the first place. Not sure if the new one still has the old gimmicks, but that's really why the map got popular and likely why it was covered here. Every reference to this map outside of navs or custom map-related articles is also too the gimmicks featured on the map (i.e., train god). A lot of UEAKCrash's maps refer to train god, so updating this article to essentially become a regular map that's not notable in any form is (imo) not something we should cover. Similarly to if trade plaza or cp_orange became its own real map, the old map was famous for a specific reason and not because of its genius level design, thus updating cp_orange or trade_plaza to become a real control point or payload map (for example) would essentially be the opposite of why we covered it in the first place.
BLU Wiki Cap.png | s | GrampaSwood Praise the Sun! (talk) (contribs) 12:41, 27 December 2025 (UTC)
In that case I also support keeping the meme version. However, this begs a question. Hypothetically, what would we do if the new version got added as an official map? Would we overwrite this one or create a separate article for the new one, while renaming the existing one to Trainsawlaser (costume map)? Lolimsogreat21 (talk) 15:40, 27 December 2025 (UTC)Lolimsogreat21
We'll see what happens when we get there, I have my doubts the map would ever get in but if it did then we'd just treat it like any other map article. This one gets moved and overridden, we'll have to adjust the existing links to no longer link to here.
BLU Wiki Cap.png | s | GrampaSwood Praise the Sun! (talk) (contribs) 16:02, 27 December 2025 (UTC)
Per the assessment project, this map is considered "Historic", hence its current coverage.
Since the developer considers the new version a different map (or different enough to warrant separate entries), the other map must be assessed separately and on its own merits. — Tark 22:33, 27 December 2025 (UTC)
How would this separate article be covered, out of curiosity? What title would it have?BLU Wiki Cap.png | s | GrampaSwood Praise the Sun! (talk) (contribs) 22:39, 27 December 2025 (UTC)