The big boom!

How many times do you think the attackers have actually gotten there? How many times have YOU gotten there? What would make goldrush easier to win?

I personally have only gotten there 5 times out of a good 30-50 games of goldrush. Besides spawn doors, to make it easier for attackers, Valve should put forward spawn locations after capping. The first one doesnt need it, but the second and the third locations are sooooooo far away from the end... it takes a good 30 seconds of walking for a Soldier to reach the cart if it is most of the way to the end.

Oh, and FIRST THREAD.

If the attacking group do not reach round that corner pretty sharply, then it just becomes a camp fest with added spam. However, a coordinated push with multiple ubers is usually enough to break through. And yes it is annoying with the spawn, which is why one engineer can make such a difference.

One thing about Gold Rush that I don't like and that makes it much harder to win is the many little tunnels you have to take the cart through that are spammed like crazy.  That and the main other thing it needs is forward respawns for the offense.

I totally agree on the forward spawns idea, except I think that they should be a progressive spawn door series, but less rewarding with each checkpoint.  (Right next to the first checkpoint after hitting it, then between the first and second checkpoints after reaching the second).

This would add a slight advantage to attackers early on, but much less so as the approach the end.  The current status of a full run practically REQUIRES Engis / teleporters.

I myself have never seen anyone ever finish a full match.

I've gotten there around 5-10 times. I would go so far as to say that the attackers only make it there 5-10% of the time considering how hard it is to even make it past the FIRST map. Not to mention that evil evil last corner on the third map. That part just begs snipers to cover it, at least 2 engies, and of course your ubers clearing out the forward bases that are for some reason very prone to easily dying. On DustBowl stage 3 at least you have a little bit of elevation and buildings on either side to take cover in. On GoldRush it's either drop out of the right side building into an area where you are extremely vulnerable OR try to push the left building which has a sentry or two plus is wide open and of little tactical value. If you managed to take out the bases in the left building then you probably aren't having trouble winning. The bottom area can easily be covered by a sentry that has a huge height advantage, and even if you manage to set up a base in that building the Defenders should have no problem flushing you out, as they have multiple routes to come in from.

Overall the last area needs more cover, and positions/buildings you can take as forward bases.

I swear to you, if you convert the entire team to high-HP classes and have them throw themselves on the cart while a Medic buffs them before their death march, the cart will get there.

I know that by the time the cart goes around the last bend and is facing the final checkpoint I stop caring around killing the other team and push the goddamn cart.

I agree with Nekped, you need some heavy/soldier martyrs to get there.
I've gotten there a couple of times. I noticed it helps a huge amount to have an engineer to build a teleporter for slower classes.

The tunnels don't really bother me that much, really. There's almost always an alternate route around them.

Edit: I always try to jump into the pit after the explosion. Does anybody else do this?

I've only seen the boom ten or so times out of countless games of Goldrush, and I make an effort to view it every time. Engineers are needed. Period. As a heavy in a 6vs6 game, the run to the last corner is agonising as the clock ticks down to the final minute. Often on Stage 3 I'll switch to engineer, as many teams forget their importance. As for pushing- one time our team was bunkering at the last point and trying to kill the defenders- forgetting the cart no matter how many times I yelled to make the idiots push it (a concept a lot of people seem to forget. Tired of maintaining my mini-base I moved to the right of the cart to push to avoid fire from two sentries to the left. I pushed it from the start of the corner to the very tip before it falls down before I was blown into a million pieces by the defence who suddenly realised the cart was moving. Alas we lost, but not before I berated my team for not helping me push.

As for pit jumping? Whilst everyone else jumps to their deaths, I maintain a cool sensible head and stand at the edge taunting to humiliate our fallen opposition

I think Goldrush is well designed and while it can sometimes become a camp-fest, that's nothing a couple of ubers/spies can fix. Personally I think it's easier to attack...You've got a bomb that gives you health, ammo and cover...and it moves.

And I've never seen the big boom, mostly because I was the only one on the cart 8 out of 9 times I've played and I died every time .

I think that engineers for teleporters and to consolidate ground so you don't have to retake it as well as spies to sneak round the back and kill the ever present horde of demomen and snipers (and sap sentries, and suppress the spawn) are far more important on this branch than people give them credit for. you need a nice balance of core combat classes to support engies and ambushing spies/pyros because a simple uber assisted push around the final corner will often not be enough to clear it, thus replacing casualties and screwing up seemingly safe defensive positions is necessary to maintain any foothold.