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The release of a new game usually brings with it a bunch of new mappers. Maybe they're not new to level design, though many are, but perhaps they are new to the Unreal series. Thus, soon after the release of the game, the community is also flooded with a veritable ton of new maps. Given that the game hasn't yet been out for awhile, and also taking into consideration that there's a lot of new tech to get used to with the new engine, many so-called "test" maps are sure to make their ways to the forums for critique and release. Such maps are generally small and have simple layouts and were built mostly for getting into the new game/editor, and I'm guessing this is one of those kinds of maps.
"Located deep in the Asgard mountain range lies this training complex. Its small size gives new recruits a taste of what the tournament is all about." Such a description gives a very accurate overview of what this level will bring to the player. Set at the bottom of a large mountain and surrounded on all sides by hills and trees, you'll find a very gray (with hints of green in the walls) and curvy facility. While some of these meshes are getting overused already even though UT3's only a few months old -- especially that damn thing people use as walkways and ramps everywhere -- the mix of industrial and nature, while also fairly cliché, is still great for the atmosphere. UT3 allows a more intricate and detailed coupling of the two themes compared to past games, which helps things along nicely. The curves throughout the level add a bit of smooth contrast to the cold, biting nature of the meshes and textures themselves. While mesh usage isn't overly heavy, there are enough here to bring home the industrial complex idea quite well. To break things up a bit, there are small sections that venture outside, allowing you to get a clearer view of the surrounding area. You'll probably notice the trees are all strikingly similar and that the terrain is unnaturally flat as it goes off into the distance between the two jutting rock walls. Maybe flatness is a trend here, because the lighting struck me is very flat as well. Even though it's technically a very light shade of blue, the main portion of the lights herein are so close to white they may as well be white. Since everything is lit so evenly and so brightly, the level almost gives me the impression it's lit via ambient lighting only. Almost. There are a few instances where the lighting gets marginally interesting -- a few hotspots can be found (mostly caused by the pickup lights the editor creates for you) and there is a little color in the lower section. The complete absence of shadows, true hotspots, and post-processing effects gives this level a very clean, though boring, look overall. A little sunlight, some spotlights, fog, and lights that don't shine so uniformly would probably fix this right up.
At first glance I thought I was going to be very disappointed with this map as far as gameplay goes. It's quite easy to see that the level is symmetrical, and as far as I'm concerned, doubling a part of your deathmatch map halves the potential gameplay. Luckily, this map isn't symmetrical in a way that truly hurts it -- it's really kind of like one big room containing various ramps and platforms and separated in the middle. Still, it's pretty obvious that it is symmetrical (or would be if the side passages were more fleshed out) given that pretty much every weapon and pickup is centered down the long axis. Again, I don't feel it actually hurts it here, and the nice thing about this map is its item placement. Things are laid out pretty much how I would have had them -- good things are in risky areas and there's nothing to grab that doesn't involve some manner of risk. You'll find the two best weapons on opposite ends of the map and the flak centered in the closest thing this map's got to a tight corridor save for the damage amp area. Speaking of which, the damage amp is naturally in the longest and tightest hallway possible, and getting fragged while going for it is often inevitable unless you can get the frag first. Just what I like to see! I also thought the shield belt placement was rather perfect. It lies at the far end of the big curve over the rocket launcher, signifying a long walk in the open. If that weren't enough, the sniper sitting overhead on the highest platform prevents camping in the area once you've got the belt. The sniper area feels like it might be kind of pro-camping given the two health packs and helmet right next to it, but if you want the big power-ups and good weapons you've got to come down, so I don't think that's too much of an issue. Flow is fairly nice -- movement between these small areas feels mostly natural and there's little to get hung up on. The jump pads by the link and stinger like to throw you into the edge of the door and make you miss, but beyond that I didn't find much to worry about. Maybe the map could use some more health given that the weapons do insane damage in this game, but by and large I think this map is about as good as it can be in the gameplay department with its small, simple, and symmetrical layout.
Bottom Line: Symmetry, grayness, and flat lighting. If you can get over those things it's fairly fun and has good item placement.
Score: 6.0
Average User Score: (0 scores)
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