Archive V-Z

Level Archive V-Z

Well, what a mouthful! This is one level where the title fully describes the map - 'versicolored' (having a variety of colours) and 'vermination' (infestation by parasitic vermin) is a true reflection of the content of this debut Quake II level by me 'ole mate Roger Staines, author of such Quake I favourites as Quake Combat School and The Ancient Aqueduct.

Vermination... is a very hard map to describe. Roger has used combinations of textures from most of the different Quake II themes and has managed to pull it off without the map looking fragmented. In fact, the textures add a really original flavour to what can only be described as classic 'Ace' architecture - solid and monolithic. Anyone familiar with Roger's other work will instantly connect with his use of huge panoramic settings, such as the lava valley pictured (which, btw, features a mean secret and an ingenious escape method!), and nice detail touches such as the broken brickwork of the walls. The map has no real story to speak of, other than to get to the end alive, which in some places, like when you find the first key, can be very tricky. Action is fast and furious but a lot of fun and ammo and health balance has been executed well. I especially liked the secrets in the map, which were well marked, but fun to discover.

The one thing that I wasn't totally convinced about was, surprisingly, the lighting. To my eye, the use of very stark contrasts of colour next to each other was a bit jarring, with some areas showing no obvious reason why, for example, a green room should be green (I know, I know, I didn't explain that very well, did I? :) This doesn't spoil the fun of what is a very enjoyable and highly playable map. Like myself, Roger fights for spare time from Real Life to build maps - I'll always look forward to his stuff.

Vostok Rising Pic 1 Vostok Rising Pic 2

Vostok Rising is the new level by prolific QII author (i.e. 2 levels so far!) Ed Cope. An impressive storyline in the readme tells of miners Jeb, Cooter and Skeet (er, right...) who find a mysterious blaster weapon in their mineworkings and decide to investigate - this is where the level begins, with a TNT explosion revealing a Strogg rocket installation within the mountainside.

The bulk of the level is centered around the rocket launch site (pictured). After a bit of backtracking, you will eventually start the ascent from the lowest level up to higher and higher walkways, eventually reaching the nosecone of the rocket - your means of escape. As usual with Ed's work, built quality is great, lighting is subtle but very effective (the red gloomy corridors are particularly nice) and the map does have a real sense of place. New Quake II effects and features aren't really evident in the map, so much so that without the coloured lighting it could be a Quake 1 map, but this doesn't spoil the fun one bit. However... I have a couple of niggles :)

Firstly, the beta testers missed a 'noclip' sticking point in the mine area. I jumped into the machinery and got stuck fast - only way out was to noclip. I tried it about 4 times to be sure. Maybe I shouldn't have been so nosey :) Secondly, it's too short - I really did get a surprise when the level ended, just as I prepared to do battle with a couple more of me old Strogg mates. And thirdly, it's too easy. I am the world's worst player (heh!) and I breezed through it. None of these points spoil an otherwise very enjoyable map, but I can't help thinking a few more hours tinkering would have helped.

Water Works Pic 1 Water Works Pic 2

Water Works is the second single player map from Doug Magee, creator of Strogg Particle Laser reviewed elsewhere on this site. As with his first level, Doug injects his work with a very strong theme - in Water Works, your task is to take out (that's destroy, rather than wine and dine :) a huge dam of the Hoover variety which is serving as a coolant plant for the Strogg Big Gun. Of course, before you are able to do this, you first have to negotiate the dam pumping station, crawling through murky sewers, activating water pumps, installing a power cube and generally making a nuisance of yourself! There is a nice goal and reward feeling to the level and you always feel like you're making progress in what is essentially a linear map - nothing wrong with that (says the king of linear maps :)

The action is split between two separate levels, with the latter level, the dam itself, by far the better of the two, although both levels offer plenty of firefights, most notibly with our friend the Gunner. As you can see from the screenshot above, Doug has carried off the construction of the dam flawlessly and coupled with the water current flowing down its sides, the effect is very convincing. Also nicely done is the area below the dam, with its rotating fan blades and strong water current making progress difficult while dodging pot shots from the resident soldiers.

I wouldn't be honest if I didn't mention a couple of things that spoilt the map slightly for me. Some of the texture choices were, to my eyes, odd and alignment was off here and there. Also, several brush seams were evident. As I always say (wish I didn't have to), if I hadn't enjoyed the level, it wouldn't be here, but little niggles like the ones mentioned above, as Myscha would say, spoil that suspension of disbelief that is essential in a level. Still, a great theme, fun to play, go git it!

Oh dear, this is going to be difficult... Having effectively shot my bolt with the review of Alex Richardson's Crater's Edge, along comes another mindblowing level and I've gone and used up all my superlatives! Stop here if you like and fire up your ftp app. From here on in it's sickly gushing praise time again :)

Simply put, What the End is For is a veritable tour de force (to coin a phrase :) A huge level of stunning architecture and gameplay set pieces. Your task is to assassinate the Strogg Warlord and capture his ship, an objective that sees you locating and activating the cargo systems and finding the security CD which gives access to the control deck, the penthouse apartment of Mr Warlord. To get that far you must play through what has to be said are some of the most beautiful architectural areas you will find in a QII map, id's included. The scale of the level is immense, with striking coloured lighting used to give each sector of the map a unique identity. Gameplay is non-stop, with monsters, in particular squadrons of Technicians, appearing in large packs, and is incredibly satisfying. Although being basically linear, Carson has managed to create the illusion of interconnectivity by sealing off areas with lasers, which later expose further areas and supplies. Some ingenious interactive elements have also been included, such as stairways that slide away to reveal further aggressors and a cargo system you can use as a barrier to protect you from seemingly impassible laser defences. One thing I didn't like, however, was the inclusion of a number of 'sudden death' traps, which, thanks to my continual saving, didn't hinder my progress too much.

It has to be said that this map may give lesser machines a bit of a problem, as r_speeds are high, but more importantly, my poor old Voodoo 1 card thrashed like hell at the continuous use of differing textures. Don't let that stop you from getting hold of this map, though. Truly 'tis a work of art :)