Nice base map. The gameplay is decent with plenty of horde combat and a few surprise attacks. The secrets are what really make this stand out, though--they're well-placed and helpful, but they aren't the kind of strategically-placed powerups that would let you blow through lots of enemies and make the map radically easier. They're also somewhat challenging to find but not totally obscure.

This is the second and apparently final map in the Colony series, so make sure to play the previous one first. Architecture and texturing are still very much classic id style, including a strongly Doom-flavored bit. Contrary to Mark Turner's Colony, The Culling Station has more ammo so you don't have to be as mindful of what you shoot, especially if you got the LG from the previous map with all these enforcers dropping cells all over the place. It's odd returning to a full base after having spent 3/4 of Colony in a dungeon. I would have reversed the playing order, if only because all this cell ammo would have felt less wasted against the stronger enemies found in the dungeon part. Secrets are easier to find except for one that still eludes me, even after noclipping through the entire map. Combat-wise, this is standard base style so it's very easy and quite dull, even on hard.

@JMP Did you find all 4 secrets? I found [SPOILERS] the green armor on the ledge outside, the nails on top of the room with the flickering yellow light and the yellow armor in the water, but I can't find the last one. While noclipping, I did find a dark and apparently empty room in the middle of the tech/computer section and what seems to be its secret door [END SPOILERS] but I can't find a way to open it and I don't even know if it's the actual secret, since noclipping through it does nothing. Help? Also, if you found the access to the one I can't open in the first map, I'd like to know.

@bgf666 - I only found the three you found. Even after playing it again, I have no idea where the last secret is. Looks like I was wrong about it being "not totally obscure"!

[SPOILER] In the original Colony map, the stained glass window is opened by standing in the darkened corner to the right of the window.[/SPOILER]

"Looks like I was wrong about it being "not totally obscure"!" Heh... either that or we suck at finding secrets! ;) Thanks anyway.

A pleasantly relaxing base map. I found the quad, by shooting the area that conceals it by accident, and without ever understanding why there was a secret there. But it was extremely jolly to hurtle through the rest of the map one-shotting grunts and enforcers into kibble.

Mike, it seems this is the missing secret I was looking for. Can you please share?

Hmm. It's just a panel of the wall. Hang on, I'll replay it (just for you) ...

OK, just after the "Holding bars removed" message. You go throug h the passage that was barred, and almost immediately turn left. There's a dog there, which you kill. The wall panel directly behind the dog is shootable, and opens to reveal the quad. I have no idea why.

BTW., I think the grenade launcher should be marked as a secret.

(The nails secret is very obscure. I would never have found it if you'd not mentioned it.)

Thanks! The nails one was quite easy to me: I usually tend to overlook blinking lights because they're actually used much more as ambience than as hints to secrets, but this one stood out to me. I think it might be the only blinking light in the entire map. And that space up top wouldn't have been built for nothing...

Very good classic Base map, especially for '97. I actually prefer to play it solo (without Colony), because limiting the weaponry at the start makes it more challenging (and the map provides other weapons later). Plus, you really don't need an LG for grunts & enforcers. This map seems less cramped and a bit more polished than Colony, which is also good. Too bad Mark never made a third map, in runic theme, that he wanted to do!