Fresh new level, fresh new style. This
map mostly uses the orange texture theme
from the classic Efdm9 deathmatch map, combined
with plenty of Quake 2 textures, to create
a uniquely styled grimy, rusty, hi-tech
level. The design is fairly simple one or
two storey rooms, with lots of shallow buttresses,
subtle angles, and plenty of grilles and
lighting details. Texturing is a mixture
of orange and dark grey textures, with a
lot of grille textures too, and this is
carried off well throughout the map, while
having enough variety to stay interesting.
The use of the orange/grey contrast to spice
up the buttress and walls is particularly
good. Even better is the use of angles -
all the walls and many of the floors have
subtle, undulating angles, giving even the
most basic areas plenty of style and appeal.
The simplicity is one of the weak points
- some more complex structures and variety
in room designs would have been better (as
Efdm9 shows, there's a lot you can make
with this style). The other flaws are technical:
some lights and a door that are badly lit,
some scruffy texture uses around ledges,
and the odd texture bug. Nothing that really
detracts from the map's fine style though.
Also, the story behind the map is pretty
cool - you play an war criminal taking advantage
of the Quake war to capture industrial sites
to your own advantage. Nice to see an original
story that still ties in with Quake. For
exploration, you get a few route choices
in places, and a few simple but useful secrets
too. The well connected design - returning
to previous sections via different routes
- gives the map a nice, efficient, feel.
Despite being a hi-tech map, the combat
is firmly focused on medieval monsters,
with lots of Knights, DeathKnights and Ogres
providing the action. Additionally, the
Snakeman custom monster is used - appearing
in a *good* map for the first time ever.
The skin's a bit shabby on this monster,
but it fits into Quake fairly well, and
dishes out plenty of nails - the Snakeman
is used sparingly but effectively in this
map, providing some fun surprises. Some
other monster usages are careless: Enforcers
don't fit with the medieval gang, and diverse
gangs of monsters often lead to infighting.
A couple of other minor issues are doors
that do you damage (pointless), and sometimes
you can get stuck on the walls. Otherwise,
the gameplay is straightforward, good, and
consistent, and all areas have enough monsters
to keep you busy. You start with some weapons,
get plenty of ammo, and most areas are easy
to move in or retreat from, so the map is
fairly easy to blast your way through, perhaps
a bit easy for some players. However, there
are some good combat set-ups and some nicely
lurking monsters, and the arena finale is
well executed and pleasing.
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