MAP RELEASE #14: kz_ladderjumps by Phinx
Greetings, friends!
Today you're in for something special - something that doesn't happen very often in the KZ world: a brand-new official longjump map! Specifically, a dedicated ladderjumps map - kz_ladderjumps by Phinx! He thoughtfully reimagined the classic kz_longjumps2 style and blended it with lots of colorful graffiti and unique new textures, creating a completely fresh look:
You may be wondering: what's so special about this map if we already have a ladderjump section on kz_longjumps3 (and, in case you didn't know, the old kz_longjumps2 has one too - it's hidden in a secret room!)? The answer: while kz_lj2 and kz_lj3 have only a single kind of ladderjump (Regular LDJs), Phinx's kz_ladderjumps completely revolutionizes the field of LDJ-oriented longjumping, introducing four types - the classic Regular LDJs plus three entirely new ones!
To put it in perspective, ladderjumps come in a vast variety of shapes and forms when playing actual KZ maps, but only the Regular LDJ ever got featured in an official LJ map. That's why Phinx put a great amount of effort into shining a light on the other three main types of ladderjumps.
Let's briefly go through them and explain their differences:
(If you don't want to go in-depth and read all the details, just read the first introductory line about each type and glance at their respective pictures. Then, skip ahead after the detailed descriptions to the "Difficulty comparison" part.)
Short introduction: executing a ladderjump can be divided into three parts - the prestrafe (W+A or W+D), the transition (when you take off and leave the ladder), and the strafing phase (where the first strafe is the most important).
Regular LDJ
The classic and most conventional one - most of the ladderjumps you'll encounter in KZ belong to this type. To perform it, the player needs to hold W+D or W+A, release W as soon as they take off, and then begin strafing - the first strafe key being the same one they held on the ladder (D for W+D, A for W+A). The main pitfall here is failing to release the W key in time, causing overlaps (holding W for too long).
Reverse LDJ
A bit rarer, but still fairly common throughout KZ maps. It's mostly the same as the first type, with one key exception - the first strafe key is reversed (hence the name): A for W+D and D for W+A. Despite the small difference, this type is significantly more challenging because of the transition moment from ladder to air.
Example:
If you're doing an LDJ with W+A:
• For a Regular LDJ: release W, keep holding A, then start the first strafe with A.
• For a Reverse LDJ: release both W and A, then press D to start the first strafe.
So, for the Reverse type you have to release one extra key and press another. That's harder finger-coordination-wise and adds more room for overlaps (holding W or A too long, or pressing D too early). Needless to say, this is a clear step up in difficulty.
Side LDJ
Probably a little rarer than the previous type, but you'll still encounter it here and there. This one is tricky. The takeoff part stays the same as in the Regular LDJ - release W and keep holding A or D for the first strafe. However, the trajectory is drastically different from the previous types. Since you jump from the ladder and instantly head toward the block, the first strafe's airtime and gain are smaller compared to Regular and Reverse LDJs, where you initially move 90° to the side and your first strafe generates large speed gains as you turn toward the block.
Diagonal LDJ
Now that's a special treat from Phinx, who has already made a couple of diagonal longjump maps for Cosy-Climbing (e.g. ph_edgemaxing). You're extremely unlikely to see such jumps in most maps. I like to think of this type as a beautiful merge between the Regular and Side LDJs: takeoff-wise, you still just release the W key (same as in the first type), but your first strafe involves a ~55° turn - a medium value between the Regular LDJ's 90° and the Side LDJ's ~30° turns. This makes it a hybrid of both styles.
But here's the twist: Diagonal LDJs (like all diagonal longjumps) demand sharper control and awareness of your flight path. You're not just heading straight to the block's edge - you're aiming to land the corner of your player model exactly on the corner of the block. That makes it very easy to miss the block entirely!
In other words, you're moving along two coordinates (X and Y) simultaneously, so you could say it requires twice the precision of the previous types. And that's not even mentioning ladder takeoff quirks, like ladder joff, which are even trickier here. Exciting, isn't it? Diagonal LDJs truly stand out from all the rest.
Difficulty comparison (easiest -> hardest)
Regular LDJ < Reverse LDJ < Side LDJ < Diagonal LDJ - same order as they were introduced above.
As you can see, there's still a lot left to explore in longjumping - practically an uncharted territory when it comes to the LDJs!
It's important to note, though, that these three new LJ types are NOT going to become official jump categories - they're made purely for fun and practice. Test how fluent you are with the ladders and challenge your friends over who jumps the farthest! Practice makes perfect, and perfect is what this map is for practice! It took Phinx a lot of time and effort to create this, and the mapcheckers spent plenty of time ensuring everything was perfect. So, we hope you'll give it a try, and maybe share your results with everybody else in #jumpstats channel in our discord server! See you all there!
With love,
The Mapchecking Team