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Today I’m looking at a new map by sklare. The author apparently has other maps to his name, but is not prepared to name them due to their poor quality. If that is the case then the author has clearly learnt from those mistakes as he presents the new work. What do I mean? Let’s see…
Without verbose preamble, this is a small level by pretty much any standard. Composed of four miniscule courtyards, for want of a more accurate term, each linked to the next via very short corridors low down and walkways above. There is no real learning curve for the layout at all in terms of navigation as the geography is self-evident within a few seconds thanks to a reasonably open architecture and limited play area. The small nature of the level is alleviated by both its openness and clever use of external terrain to make the level feel larger than it actually is. This works exceedingly well and stops what is a tiny map from feeling too cramped. The overall construction is quite basic, but judicious use of static mesh detail and the joys of the material magic in the new engine make the level interesting enough to look at without getting cluttered. Set in the middle of a snow storm in an artic wasteland, the author has achieved a solid theme which is well maintained. The first element used is a good emitter which has snowflakes being driven across the entire level at a very fast rate giving the impression of high winds and the numbing sensation of that stinging breeze. This is ably assisted by the pale blue lighting throughout the level, which drops the temperature even further. This is nicely contrasted in many spots with an orange-yellow hot spot from artificial lights or a couple of flaming vents. This breaks up the predominant blue nicely without looking forced or unnatural. I felt that a third colour in the lighting scheme might have helped the level visually, though, if it was applied as part of the overall theme and in a consistent way. The final element is a strong whistling wind which can be heard throughout the level. While this works well enough, the overall soundscape is fairly ordinary. This is in part because the minimalist ethos of the levels design affords little in the way of objects which could be perceived as capable of or likely to be emitting sounds to begin with. To be certain there are spot effects wherever they are plausible, but there just aren’t very many such points. I would have preferred to have heard a wider range of wind sounds as the raging gale whistled through the various corridors and up on the ramparts to create a greater spatialisation. What’s there works, but it could have been better. The stock music track works well enough to set a kind of eerie theme, but it doesn’t quite sit in the theme for me. I can’t actually put my finger on it, but I have a hunch it might have something to do with the game play.
What a convenient segue into discussion on game play! As you could well expect on a level of such diminished dimensions, game play is very fast and frantic. The author recommends a load of two to four players, and this is pretty much spot on. Personally I found four a little on the spammy side, but I know some people quite like this. For me the sweet spot was three players. This is enough to keep the killing tempo up, but minimise the backstabs inherent with the heavier load. The level lacks too much to be a serious duel map, but would be fun enough for two players for a round or two. There is a single berserk powerup, a pair of jump boots which can be used to acquire the berserk and a body armour. The body armour and the jump boots are right next to each other, which seemed a little ill considered, however it didn’t seem to hurt the game play too much, so I wasn’t overly bothered. The author has also chosen to omit both the bio rifle and the sniper rifle from the roster of available weapons, and this works well. The level might even have benefited from a further omission, although I’m undecided. If another weapon were omiited it would most likely be the stinger. The short but narrow corridors favour weapons with significant punch and/or splash damage and it’s little surprise that many of your deaths will be on the receiving end of either the rocket launcher or flak cannon. The plasma performs well here too, but the shock is undoubtedly the weapon of choice for this level. With both the hitscan advantage in the open areas and the punch of the combo in the corridors, it’s versatility in this level cannot be overstated. I was less enthralled by the weapon placement with both the shock and flak raising my eyebrows. I’m big on flak high, shock low but that’s just me. The rest works. There is sufficient health to keep you going, but the better stuff is up high. The level has plenty of z-axis which is a very good thing, and you need to be very alert to stay alive for any length of time. Too much focus on one opponent will lead to your death at the hands of another.
The rapid game play and limited space on this board may not be to everyone’s taste, and I did find that I couldn’t play an excessive amount of consecutive games on this level. That doesn’t mean it isn’t entertaining, and as part of a rotation it would work well on servers supporting smaller maps and lighter player loads. It isn’t a map I go back to again and again, but it certainly isn’t facing uninstallation either. For a burst of adrenaline this map works well. Planet Unreal has added this one to their list of essential UT3 maps which is a big call. I think it’s a solid example of a map of this type and certainly there are very few levels this small that get away with it. The level is well executed and themed and does what it sets out to do. Ultimately that was never very much, though, but perhaps that’s enough. I’ll be interested to see if the author has something else up his sleeve for UT3.
Bottom Line: A great little map for a few rounds of speedkill. Expect nothing else and you'll find some fun matches here.
Score: 7.5
Average User Score: 7.3 (4 scores)
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SkaarjMaster
Score: 8.0
Where do I start with this one? Great outdoor hitscan action, good z-axis, and good tight action make this an enjoyable map for all. Great AVA with wind, snow, fire and semi-darkness for a general scary theme.
2008-06-01 21:42:27
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Manticore
Score: 7.0
Looks good, plays well. Flow is pretty good. Definitely playable....
2008-03-10 07:36:09
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sklare
Many thanks for this review Thunderstrike! =)
2008-03-09 14:05:16
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Virgo47
Score: 7.0
It's like mixing Trite with Rough and take few things from... Sulfur (that was that ugly map I presume). Build is solid. Shock is really on a way too rewarding position while vest+boots are way too risky. What is not nice is that average bot (no I don't play with them unless I forget to change setting from stupid always-default) tends to stuck in a corner of two staircases near the "vest" end of the map. Always when you go there it gets stuck. Don't know how better bots deal with it.
Nice little yet open map indeed.
2008-03-09 04:18:22
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T2A`
Score: 7.5
Fun map with a fairly nice flow to it. The outside environment was grandiose and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I didn't like the shock rifle location either, and while I applaud the risky placement of the armor and boots, mappers should realize that the armored vest is NOT comparable to the vest in UT or the 100a in UT2004. Thus, I don't feel the reward given all the risk in going for them here is justified. In UT3, belt == vest + pads + helmet. Keep that in mind.
Couple of points on the review, through.
One, the shock rifle is that effective in *every* map. Shock has always been better than every other weapon in the UT series due to its versatility, and in UT3 it's no different. While its primary has been nerfed compared to UT2004, its combo helps make up for it by being much more effective. Maybe not on a UT level but effective nonetheless.
Second, I suspect PU put this one on their essential maps list because, well, most of the stuff being released is very average and in no way sticks out as unique. I've seen more than my fair share of "test" maps made for learning purposes turned into static mesh festivals. This map, however, does stand out, and it's even quite good, so it's certainly on a different level than most things being released right now.
2008-03-09 03:16:51
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