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Saturday 11th August 2001:

N3sp03: "At The Gates Of Midian"
(Size: 2.2 meg. No Alternative downloads.)


A rather unusual level (one large level plus an arena level) with a Doomy atmosphere and theme - Doom style textures are combined with Quake medieval and metal textures, and some of the cruder designs are reminiscent of Doom. Unfortunately while there is a theme of sorts, architecturally the map is very inconsistent - too many unconnected styles and designs make it rather confusing. There are some good designs in this - including an impressive doorway surrounded by heavy curving beams, and a really stylish curving bridge, but equally there are several mediocre sections, such as simple rooms or unadorned corridors. The overall impression is of several good ideas that could have been refined into a really good map, but are spread too thin. Lighting is good throughout with well sourced lighting, build quality may be good (apart from the odd, obvious error), but the varying theme makes it hard to tell. The final arena does have 2000+ r_speeds, so it could run very slow for some players.

There's no real exploration in the map, and a linear route is followed. There are 6 secrets, as inconsistent as the theme, as some are interestingly placed, some aren't, some are rather powerful, some aren't. Gameplay, however, is the map's biggest virtue, and the real reason to give it a try. It's not refined, nor always balanced, but it's interesting and often entertaining. Again, a Doomy approach is taken, with plenty of monsters, often ambushing or appearing in large hordes. Some of these are clearly over the top, and being able to continually fire 200 nails into a swarm of Scrags and Knights, or 150 cells into a large gang of Shamblers, can be most amusing. Some of the gang attacks can be quite tricky, and an aggressive approach is not always best, tactics can be useful. Modified Shamblers and Fiends are also present, with subtly different behaviour adding some interest, and their skins are actually quite acceptable for a change. Items are in good supply in the first map, but players may run out of ammo in the final arena. Skill settings are slightly effective.

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