#1 2020-07-22 02:34:54

BlindChaos
Member

Maps Like Fort Ratsack

I started playing games in the Quake 3, Serious Sam and Halo CE generation. I have nestalgia towards Jedi Knight JO/JA, Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force and UC2 on the original Xbox. Due to those games I am no stranger to detail, atmosphere, futuristic tech bases and ancient ruins. When I play a Quake map I look for levels with Q3s amount of detail and replayability. One such map is Fort Ratsack by Biff Debris.

It is both detailed and extremely fun to play. Two things that I look forward to when playing a great Quake map. Both of these aspects together give the map a sense of place and enjoyment and gives the level a sense of nestalgia similar to the games that I mentioned above. I don't know why many don't like them as much as an ancient, magical or evil looking map. They're just about as good in my eyes.

I have been playing custom maps for Quake since April of this year and I only found 2 id themed base maps that come close to what Biff created with Fort Ratsack. Clean Cut by MFX had a really cool room towards the end where it had a bunch of pipes leading into a couple of boilers. Dead Memories by Scampie is the closest map that I have found to Fort Ratsack. I really liked the room in the screenshot with it's large vertical shaft with all the large pipes leading into it.

Are there any other great id base maps similar to Fort Ratsack? Unlike other games I don't like overly large maps for Quake. After a while they get old and after 30 minutes or so they begin to overstay their welcome. This comes from someone who likes taking the time to find all the secrets.

#2 2020-07-23 04:45:54

Lane Powell
Member

Re: Maps Like Fort Ratsack

I had not played Fort Ratsack before today, thanks for bringing that great map to my attention.

I'm not exactly sure what you are looking for but I think my favorite idbase maps are by RickyT23, although some of them are large maps.

#3 2020-07-24 00:15:01

JMP
Member

Re: Maps Like Fort Ratsack

You may enjoy "Dawn of the Dead" by thehuge:
https://www.quaddicted.com/reviews/dotd4.html

The visuals are cruder than the visuals in Biff's maps, but it has the same style of constant, in-your-face combat.

#4 2020-07-24 01:58:22

BlindChaos
Member

Re: Maps Like Fort Ratsack

Your welcome Lane Powell. As I mentioned before I just started playing custom Quake maps in April. I have been playing Doom, Heretic, Hexen and Q3 custom maps for over a decade. I have been systematically going through the Quake archive and clicking on every link. Based upon their screenshot and user ratings I watch the first two minutes of their gameplay on YouTube. If I like what I see I download them and play them when I have time. I am glad that I can make these informed choices with the Quake community. Something I can't do with Doom. I would have totally missed this wonderful map if it wasn't for Daz.

I did watch Quarantine by RickyT23 on Daz's channel and might try that one out soon. Quarantine a fitting name for what we are going through with COVID. As for length I think that Mainframe Mayhem by MFX is a little bit too long especially it's Arcane Dimensions equivalent Crucial Error. Also AD's Terra Firma is also overly long. This comes from someone who likes to take their time and explore the levels. For what I've seen Rubicon might be great though.

I am a detail, architecture and atmosphere freak. One of my rules of thumb is, if the level's architecture is under-detailed you can dress it up by putting in plenty of crates, barrels, environmental models or decoration sprites. Dutch Devil one of my favorite Doom authors makes maps that are Doom tech base perfection. This is how I see Fort Ratsack too.

Just to let you know I have been holding off on playing the Xmas jams, Rubicon1/2/RRP and Contact Revoked/TLC/Mapjam9 until I finish up everything else on my list. If there are any great base maps in those packs I will play them eventually.

#5 2020-10-27 19:53:06

BlindChaos
Member

Re: Maps Like Fort Ratsack

I played the above maps suggested by Lane Powell and JMP above but I feel that they don't come close to what Fort Ratsack is, in terms of style and architecture. Fort Ratsack is something unique. I did however enjoy playing Deja Vu by RickyT23 though. It was an interesting take on the vanilla style base maps, but with Quoth monsters in it. The above mentioned maps are good in terms of a vanilla experience in much larger maps with having Quoth monsters in the mix.

I did stumble upon a good map called Blood Colored Rust that reminds me a lot about Fort Ratsack, because of its size, detail, atmosphere and inclusion of Quoth assets. Both maps get very harried on hard too. I'm like Rob Martens I have to play Quake on normal.

As a side note: while playing any number of the above mentioned maps I had to re-install my Quoth directory because it became corrupted. This was not expected.

#6 2020-10-27 21:18:14

Cocerello
Member

Re: Maps Like Fort Ratsack

Maybe not what you are asking for but i can add
https://www.quaddicted.com/reviews/back2forwards.html
and
https://www.quaddicted.com/reviews/digs04.html
for you to try out.

Also https://www.quaddicted.com/reviews/kpcn2014.html is full of atmosphere, but not brushwork detail, as it is unfinsihed. Still worth the time, while not similar to Fort Ratsack.

Last edited by Cocerello (2020-10-27 21:20:35)

#7 2020-10-27 21:29:24

onetruepurple
Banned

#8 2020-11-07 19:58:51

BlindChaos
Member

Re: Maps Like Fort Ratsack

Thanks Cocerello and OTP for your map suggestions.

Forwards Compatible; a good segue into what I am planning to play next week. I finished a few map sets that I wanted to finish for a while. Next week I am going to start the Rubicon, Rubicon 2 and Rubicon Rumble Pack map sets. My favorite thing about this map was the sword base enemy variants. That was very unexpected. I did not like the room with all the fiends in the holding cells. There was just too much of them.

Cartographer's Nightmare; many say that this maps atmosphere was what makes it stand out but I think the scripting is where it shines the most. There is a lot of parts which are unexpected that takes the player to unanticipated areas of the map. I don't think KillPixel will ever finish this map due to his involved work on Wrath.

The Occupied Base; is just that an occupied base. If this map was made in the 90's it would fit right in with the standard Quake maps. The most notable part was the ending because I did not expect that.

The Parallel Worlds; my favorite one suggested, because it is the closest one to Fort Restack in detail. I did not expect it to be like 3 maps in one. When the player steps into the portal they are taken to a different version of the map which has many changes to it. This map has unique and refreshing ideas. It is well worth a second play through.

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