Archive P-R

Level Archive P-R

Another new name to me on the editing scene, Matt Fox has produced a great map with a very strong theme and storyline for his first Quake II level. Payback centres around a Strogg ore refinery and its surrounding defences. Your objective (as always!) is to destroy the refinery (one of these days your objective will be to turn a run down refinery into a viable business proposition... but I digress).

As I've said, this level revolves around a strong plot. As you progress from the exterior of the refinery into the main building, Matt uses the F1 computer well to update your objectives and establish your goals, which range from shutting down alarm systems and obtaining a power cube to restore power to a broken elevator to finding and moving ore into a large smelting vat (pictured). Quite how this helps to destroy the refinery I don't know, but I'll allow a little artistic licence here :) Each area of the map is very nicely built and lit, with much of the architecture sticking pretty closely to the id rulebook (not a bad thing imho), while still managing to be original and interesting. I particularly like the way Matt has paid a lot of attention to the 'broken' parts of the refinery - crumbling rocks, collapsed lift shafts, etc. One thing that sets this map apart from a lot of others is that it's a lot of fun to play, as well as being a good challenge. A couple of texture misalignments and a touch of HOM are in eveidence, but nothing that detracts from the quality of the map.

In conclusion, a very promising start from a new author. Look forward to playing more of Matt's work...

Please Note: The Relay Station is an extremely cpu intensive map and features very high r_speeds throughout. Unless you've got at least a P200, I wouldn't recommend you download the map as you'll experience very slow framerates.

I had trouble with this one! On the one hand, I really enjoyed playing the The Relay Station - on the other, even my PII 266 chugged badly in places. I've decided to include it here with the above warning (which is not to be taken lightly - I noticed on another site that reviewed this map that the reviewer said he only experienced 1 slowdown area - he must be running an SGI Onyx Reality Engine :) Anyway...

TRS is an *extremely* large map, both in terms of physical size and the time taken to complete it, and the scale of the architecture. Set in a large space station, the sheer size of the fighting areas is impressive, with some very nice architecture. Your mission is to permanently disable the Strogg's 20 gigawatt KU Relay Transmitter (oh yea, I've got one of them...). Working your way through some intense battles with Gunners, Iron Maidens and Gladiators, you'll move through large storage areas piled high with crates to underground water-filled labyrinths piled high with... Strogg! As is usual in these situations, once you've managed to locate and disable the transmitter, the station begins to crumble around your ears. Rick has also kindly provided you with lots of extra company on your way back through the map to the exit, just so you don't get lonely :)

If you've got a PC powerful enough to do this map justice, take it for a spin - you won't be disappointed.

Another of Quake II's profilic map designers, Doug Magee hits us with yet another well crafted, all action level, Retribution. This time you're out to avenge the death of your co-pilot who has met with an untimely death within a Strogg processing plant.

It's outside the plant that you begin this level, which although small, has you traversing back and forth through mini-stages of the map, making the game experience relatively non-linear and interesting. The overall look and feel of the processing plant is very convincing, with some great 'mincing' machinery very reminiscent of the corresponding levels in the id maps. Your comrades are split with lasers, crushed, ground to a pulp, and generally made to feel not exactly welcome, while Doug has used plenty of ambient sounds to good effect to heighten the atmosphere. The thing I liked most about this map was that the action was almost non-stop - a bit of a rollercoaster ride. In one section, you're pushed into a river of acid and without giving you time to think, Doug places you on a conveyor belt fitted with lasers and crushers before you meet a gaggle of Enforcers at the end of the belt. The final battle pits you against about a dozen Brains who drop in from glass fronted vantage points, paving the way for a Tank Commander and his big brother :)

If you like fast-paced, cramped maps with very little time to plan your next move, you'll love this level. Well constructed and lit (which is becoming a bit of a tiresome statement these days), Retribution is highly recommended.