Ranks 37-31 | Ranks 30-21 | Ranks 20-11 | Ranks 10-1

20. Obsessive Brick Disorder (ad_obd) by Sock

This level offers a unique blend of the "red brick medieval" theme of The Palace of Hate blended with the "runic metal" theme of The Wind Tunnels. Both of these themes have distinct elements and their hybrid presentation is interesting here, although the scale does seem slightly off (a little too small). It is where the layout approaches the "edge" of the complex and fog leads to the void that the design seems best in proportion, so more of this and perhaps darker and more uneven lighting could improve the ominous sense of this environment. Still, a solid map and more maps using wind tunnels are always welcome.

19. Mae'hu Maechrimma (xmasjam_tens) by ItEndsWithTens

This map offers an adventure somewhere high up in a mountain canyon, where a colourful temple has been built. Perhaps the lighting could be more atmospheric and the architecture more detailed, but it’s an unusual version of the temple theme (with a major influence from Hexen II) which offers a fun boss fight.

18. Slipgate Conundrum (ad_s1m1) by Sock

This is a compact remake of the very first map in Quake, The Slipgate Complex. It's kind of eerie thinking about the first time I played that map, and how the first episode, The Dimension of the Doomed introduced players to basic mechanics that were still groundbreaking at the time. The ramp area is probably the design highlight of this version (the forty-five degree braces are a nice touch), and the map certainly has an epic satellite dish, but it doesn’t really bring much new to a map that has often been remade. Still, it’s nice to have an Arcane Dimensions version, and I like the use of rocks (more outdoor or cavern areas would be nice).

17. Nyarlathotep’s Sand Castle (ad_scastle) by Sock

This is a fun little map that takes a page from Curse of Osiris from Rogue's Dissolution of Eternity. The Egyptian architecture full of secret panels and traps makes navigation interesting. Medieval enemies fit but it does seem like the chance to use lesser-used Egyptian or "temple" monsters (scorpions, wraths, etc.) could have been exploited more. The waterfall chamber with the pyramid is a cool design setpiece and while I would like to see a larger more fully developed take on this theme, this is certainly an enjoyable blast through an ancient temple.

16. Pale Signs of Doom (xmasjam_breezeep) by Breezeep

This is an eastern-style temple with an elegant architecture style. However the layout doesn't seem to be as fully developed as it could be (not that the route doesn't work I would just like it to be expanded), and there is room for improvement in the lighting as well. There are some great designs here, with fun combat as well so this is already a good map, but I'd like to see an expanded and finalized version with more secrets and exploration.

15. Journey Into Firetop Mountain (ad_mountain) by Sock

This map sees a return to the "lava cavern" theme of Dissolution of Eternity, with perhaps an echo of fantasy shooters like Oblivion and Dark Messiah, as can also be seen in Altar of Storms. As usual, Sock's indoor designs show creative use of angles and arches, creating the impression of caverns slowly changing form over time. The tomb motif is nicely executed and the final appearance of Chthon provides a suitable end challenge although the close quarters combat and ambushes can be a bit much at times.

14. The Crucial Error (ad_cruical) by mfx

This impressive idbase map is an updated version of mfx's earlier Quoth map Mainframe Mayhem. Although the layout seems much the same, I enjoyed the map more this time through, and I suspect this has to do with tweaked route, visuals, and Arcane Dimensions features. The layout remains a sequence of routes that is probably linear in practice but seems strikingly nonlinear and gives the sense of wandering through a base wreaking havoc quite effectively. I don't recall this much lava in the original and as the screenshots show it makes for great lighting.

13. Hanger 16 (ad_e1m1) by Scampie

This is a suitably slimy remake of The Hangar, which was first included in the shareware version of Doom (1993), takes an entirely different approach to the more literalistic Quake conversion of the same map (complete with monsters) by Madfox (there is also an unlikely "medieval" version). This version takes the approach of converting the Doom UAC base style to Quake base ala the original base maps, perhaps with a touch of Scourge of Armagon. It works well; although it loses a bit of the bleakness (misty mountains in the distance etc.) of the original, it also demonstrates an effectively executed and consistent take on the original elements.

12. The Drowning a City Fell Victim To (xmasjam_mukor) by Mukor

This is an architecturally interesting and well-executed map which makes particularly good use of space in an atrium design. The setting is an ancient/medieval "city" which has been flooded, so the route involves a fair amount of swimming, climbing, and jumping. Parts of the map were a tad difficult and some might find the very end annoying, but this is a really cool theme and I can’t actually think of anything quite similar in Quake, at least off the top of my head.

11. Paradise Sickness by Redfield

If the movie Stargate was a level, it would be very close to this. This map consists of a small desert area complete with a pyramid and sphinx, as well as a hi-tech base and other infrastructure which represents an archaeological dig and ultimately connects to a series of vast underground caverns, chambers, and tombs. The Egyptian theme is an excellent one which has appeared in numerous Quake maps since Rogue’s Curse of Osiris, but is otherwise only available in Arcane Dimensions in Sock's Nyarlathotep's Sand Castle. The mixture of Egyptian with tech themes, on the other hand, is quite rare (I can only think of a certain map in Operation: Urth Majik which tries this, though there may be others). This map is a great example of the use of a story/concept to plan and design areas, and there are numerous cool secrets which reflect that as well. If I were to criticize anything, I do think the scale and sophistication of the architecture leave room for improvement, but this is an impressive piece from a mapper who only started mapping in 2017, and an intriguing and atmospheric adventure.

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