Archive J-L

Level Archive J-L

Where do these guys come from? :) Kurt Kowitz is yet another debut author to appear on the Quake II scene and its great to see all the new names coming through. With KSP70 (a rather uninspiring title, it has to be said!), Kurt has produced a very large, base style map that should keep you busy for quite some time.

The first thing that strikes you about KSP70 is the clean build lines of the large fighting areas, constructed in the Tim Willits layered texture style. Most areas use the textures well to keep framerates up while still making each area look interesting. Your mission is to locate and disable the computer control system, obtain a data cd from the research facility and generally make a nuisance of yourself. Completing the map isn't as straightforward as it seems - the various mission goals keep you tracking back through the map to solve mini-puzzles before you're allowed to move on. Your progress is also hampered by squads of Guards who, when they attack in numbers like this, can be as deadly as a Tank. Kurt has made good use of elevators and corridors which help to give a sense of scale and complexity to the building (although I experienced a few monster hang-ups under the lifts once or twice), F1 computer messages that warn you of impending danger, and ambient sounds which really help to add atmosphere to the level.

It could be said that Kurt may have slightly spoilt the map towards the end by spawning in hordes of monsters (3 Guards, a Gunner, an Iron Maiden, and Enforcer AND a Tank in one area with no cover to hide behind!!!), however you could argue that this just gives the map greater lastability. At no time did I feel frustrated enough to give up on the map and I really enjoyed playing it. Good stuff!