Coven of Ebony

Content - Quake - Quake Conversions - Quake Partial Conversions

Author: Tronyn & Fat Controller | Rating: 8.38 | Download: coe.zip / coe_p.zip

Here we have an interesting episode, done in a variety of themes that all revolve around the color blue. A start map, three full maps, boss map and exit demo map are here. The story is well written and sets the stage well, I suggest reading it. This episode is actually a joint venture, with Dustin Greeraert doing maps and Robert Cruckshank doing skins and coding.

This episode brings some new things to the table. Included are new demos, a few cutscenes, but most important of all, new monsters. Here they are :

• Ebon Footsoldier - Reskinned knight with 50% more health. The skin is pretty good, a worthy addition.
• Hell Lord - Death Knight with red striping, about 150% more health than a normal death knight, and the ability to throw very damaging exploding fireballs. Very good.
• Axeman - Looks a bit like the Hell Soldier, but is tougher, runs VERY fast and wields an ax. Again, of high quality.
• Apocalye of Ebony - Wizard looking bloke, has high quality skin, and shoots you with scrag spit
• Ebon Sorcerer - Harder wizard, shoots tracking fireball
• Warlock of Ebony - Very hard wizard, shoots red bolts
• The Ebon Master - Final boss, very hard

You start out in a very nice looking start map, done up in blue medieval textures mixed with the scourge of armagon white church texture. It looks very good, with curving doorways, and arched teleporters. Nice ceiling detail also. This start map also does something very unique, for each skill, you must fight one monster.
And then you are onto…

Ebon Church: 141 monsters, 2 secrets
Using the theme of blue medieval textures, and the white church textures, this map looks like the start map, only having the theme spread out over a huge level. Everything looks good, twisting staircases, nice ceiling details, and great texture usage. Layout in very good, it twists around itself, revisiting old areas frequently. As for game play, insane, but in a good way. Each room throws hordes of monsters at you, with enough space to deal with them, and enough ammo and health to get you by. Very fun, with the new monsters adding interest, but the end is easier than the rest of the map.

The Twisting Caverns: 135 monsters, 2 secrets
This map also is done in blue theme, but using the blue Dissolution of Eternity rock texture, and wooden and metal supports. Visual interest is achieved via subtle angles to rocks, most of the rocks having support beams running everywhere, bookcases and curving corners. This look is visually appealing at first, but gets old rather quickly. Game play is even more frantic this time around, some parts too much so, in particular the beginning. Ammo and health are as always spot on. The ending is pure pandemonium, using the wizard creatures, a worthy climax.

Double Barbican: 157 monsters, 1 secret
Another map done in blue, but this time just using id medieval textures. This map also looks pretty good, using impressive building fronts, customary curves, and good texturing. This map has the most complex layout yet, seeing as it’s the largest. This is also the first map that water features prominently in, and even sometimes makes things tricky. As for game play, well, believe it or not, it’s even crazier. Hordes of very tough monsters are thrown at you, with almost no breaks in between. Some areas are too tough, requiring many retries, but that’s not too much of a hindrance. The wizards are out in full force this time around, and make life very, very difficult.

Dark Avatar’s Haunt: 27 monsters, 0 secrets
This level is only 2 rooms, the first an actual congregation. An introductory cutscene shows you the pandemonium you are about to face, one room filled with many hard enemies. And what a fight it is! If you survive it, you earn the right to face the leader of the Coven, which is a fun fight. After you defeat him, you are taken to a small exit map, and then it is over.

With such great game play, and good looking levels, there is no reason to pass this one by.

- Edgecrusher