FabledVillain

I agree completely. Tranzit has really grown on me as time has gone on. One of the things that I really like about it is that there is a ton of versatility in terms of how one chooses to get set up in the early rounds. You can employ several different successful early round strategies that translate well into high round games (all without using the bank or fridge - two things I never use). This is in contrast to a map like Mob of the Dead in which you are pretty much forced to have a lot of the same goals in the early rounds, no matter where your long term camp spot and/or train spot will be. In other words, I find the play on Tranzit to be far less linear than several of the newer, more popular maps like MOTD and Origins. I think this adds tremendously to its "replay-ability"

Obviously, personal taste is just that . . . personal. So, things one person may love about a particular map, another person will openly detest. And so it goes.

The thing is, there are only two buildables actually related to gameplay on Die Rise, and building the Trample Steam honestly isn't even necessary. All of the parts for the Sliquifier are confined to the bottom two floors of the tower with the power switch and it can all be done in round 1. I would argue that collecting all of the parts across MOTD and Origins (two enormous maps with multiple buildables in each one) is FAR more tedious than building the Sliquifier and/or trample steam. The fact that both Origins and MOTD allow you to carry all of the parts for a given buildable at the same time is awesome, but I don't see how the busy work on Die Rise is anywhere near as tedious as the busy work on either of those two maps, overall. It's more about the idea in general of how buildables are done in the Zombie team created maps. Yes, Mob of the Dead and Origins are huge maps, but as you mentioned yourself, you can pick up all the parts in one go, and it saves you from running all the way back to the next part's location, and then back to the table, once again. I must say though, I thought there were more than two buildables on the map, but I guess that happens when you don't play a map for a long time. The third buildable is the Nav Card table. I definitely agree that the buildables were executed better in MOTD and Origins than they were in either Die Rise (or especially) Tranzit. But, the sheer amount of busy work in those two maps has always been a glaring negative, in my eyes. One reason I really love Die Rise is because it's a very good balance between a standard survival map that progresses fairly quickly and a map that affords players the opportunity to build some invaluable tools. Die Rise simply rewards zombie slayers with a significantly quicker, inordinately less tedious playthrough than does a map like Origins. I personally feel that MOTD, and especially origins, went a bit overboard with the busy work. (I love both maps, but neither is in my top 5 mainly because of this flaw)

The thing is, there are only two buildables actually related to gameplay on Die Rise, and building the Trample Steam honestly isn't even necessary. All of the parts for the Sliquifier are confined to the bottom two floors of the tower with the power switch and it can all be done in round 1. I would argue that collecting all of the parts across MOTD and Origins (two enormous maps with multiple buildables in each one) is FAR more tedious than building the Sliquifier and/or trample steam. The fact that both Origins and MOTD allow you to carry all of the parts for a given buildable at the same time is awesome, but I don't see how the busy work on Die Rise is anywhere near as tedious as the busy work on either of those two maps, overall.

I'm totally fine with a remastered Der Riese that has the exact same layout, but has all of the standard new features of Black ops 3 Zombies. (Which, is precisely what I think we are going to get) BTW, I am amazed at how many people don't like Nuketown. Nuketown is badass.

My personal top ten of all-time: 1) Verruckt - The map that taught me how to play zombies at a high level. The map that got me hooked for life. A creepy insane asylum with tight spaces, narrow corridors, no where to run and no where to hide. The quintessential zombies experience, in my eyes. 2) Nuketown - The coolest looking, most aesthetically pleasing map in zombies history. Eerie, creepy, mysterious, intense, challenging. Everything in the map is a struggle. You have limited space, limited (and greatly restricted/unreliable) access to perks, and no true OP wonder weapon. Nuketown feels like a zombie map should feel. I love everything about it. (Btw, LSAT for FTW) 3) Five - The most underrated map in zombies history. A lot of people hated it, largely, in my view, because of how challenging it was in comparison to its predecessor - Kino, but that is precisely why I loved it so much. Also, I always had a special affinity for the Winters Howl because I think Ice Powers are badass. 4) Der Riese - Everyone loves Der Riese. Introduced Pack-a-Punch and the first truly great easter egg. To this day, this map affords zombie slayers the best overall balance of objectives, weapons, perks, and playing space of all-time. It's not too tedious and it's not too simple. Der Riese is seemingly the most popular zombie map of all-time . . . and for good reason. 5) Die Rise - An significantly easier version of verruckt (an indoor map with tight spaces and close quarters combat) with my personal favorite wonder weapon of all-time. Also, one of the greatest collections of wall-weapons ever assembled. 6) Tranzit - The second most underrated map in Zombies history. Its innovations were revolutionary for the zombies franchise, but were not perfected until later maps. Still, Tranzit perfectly embodies the theme of a zombie apocalypse and the infamous combination of the bus and denizen-filled fog afford players a zombie experience entirely unlike any other map in Zombies history. For better or worse, Tranzit stands out from the crowd and it will always hold a special place in my heart. 7) Shi No Numa - Arguably, one of the most brilliantly designed maps, purely from a tactical point of view. Love the scenery, love the WunderWaffe, love the swamp. 8) Ascension - Awesome map. Awesome Easter Egg. Awesome weapons. So much room. So much fun. The monkeys were annoying, but still amusing. 9) Kino Der Toten - Classic introduction to Black ops 1 Zombies. Thunder Gun >>>>>>>. 10) Mob of the Dead - Wonderful map. It would be higher on my list if the first 15 rounds or so weren't so tedious and linear. I should add that I basically love and appreciate every single zombies map with the exception of Buried (which I think is both hideously cheesy and preposterously easy) and Moon (which I just could never get into, for reasons that still escape me to this day)

I always loved the Winter's Howl because I have always thought Ice powers were particularly badass. The Winter's Howl is far from useless and it fits FIVE very well (It's very effective for getting out of jams in tight spaces and for totally owning the Pentagon Thief)

Tranzit isn't my favorite map, but I do think it holds a unique and special place in Zombies history, as it masterfully encapsulates the zombie apocalypse theme. It was ambitious and groundbreaking, it's just that its groundbreaking additions to the call of duty zombie franchise weren't perfected until later maps - maps which consequently took all of the glory for innovations that were first introduced in Tranzit. To me, the biggest thing holding tranzit back is the mediocrity of the buildables. The electric trap, turret,and turbine range anywhere from frustrating to embarrassingly useless. It's pretty obvious that Tranzit wasn't adequately tested. We know this because it is abundantly clear to anyone who has gotten past round 7 how woefully inadequate the turret and trap are and how preposterously annoying it is to pack-a-punch a weapon. (I still don't understand why Treyarch never released a patch buffing the buildables) I never really had an issue with either the denizen-filled fog or the bus. I think both are interesting idiosyncrasies that help make the Tranzit experience a particularly unique and memorable one. (To me, standing out from the crowd is a very positive thing when it comes to zombie maps) Overall, I very much appreciate tranzit for the ambitious, innovative effort that it was while also recognizing that some of its innovations were ultimately not perfected until later maps.

I would absolutely love it if there was something more to Tranzit. I really would. But after all of the data-mining and all of the exploration, I really don't think there is. I hope I'm wrong.

Nuketown is easily my favorite Black Ops 2 Zombies map. IMO, it's STILL the coolest looking map in the history of Zombies.

FIVE is probably my second or third favorite Zombie map, ever. So, I can't disagree. But, Die Rise is probably my second favorite BO2 map.

Why I love Die Rise: 1) The Sliquifier is my favorite wonder weapon of all-time. 2) I very much enjoy camping strategies (I find it extremely fun and rewarding to hold down/defend a single position for as long as you possibly can) and Die Rise has several viable, high-round camping spots. Yes, Die Rise has two incredibly easy training spots, but it also affords us with some of the most viable camping in Zombies history (along with MOTD). 3) I love the concept of the dizzying, urban, commercial towers in the middle of a major city. 4) The AN-94 and PDW are two of the greatest wall weapons of all-time and Die Rise introduced both of them. 5) I love the map's overall scenery and visuals. 6) In general, I tend to prefer indoor maps with plenty of tight spaces, sharp turns, and narrow corridors. For this reason, two of my favorite maps of all time are Verruckt and Five. Die Rise tends to remind me of both (although, it is considerably easier than either one). Die Rise would come close to cracking my personal top 5 favorite zombies maps of all time.