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DM-Cleopatra (UT2003)
Map Author: Julebakst and GoRiLLa
Download Here! (2.37 MB)
Date Reviewed: 4 April 2003
Reviewer: RageMachine
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If you’re a constant jumping, dodge lov’in, twist and fire kinda player who just lives for the fastest maps you can get your hands on; START DOWNLOADING! I’ve seen some people complain that UT2K3 is too slow, that it just lacks the hardcore speed and movement of the Quake3 maps. Well this map is the answer to that with some of the fastest action I’ve experienced yet in UT2K3. Playing it at the highest bot levels or with the most leet players is an experience that will push your movement and aim skills to the limit. Your computer will be stressing as you move and aim faster than it can redraw. In short this is the map a lot of people have been waiting for. It shows that the game can support lightning fast gameplay and flow with the right map design.
First, I feel it is my duty to warn you about the music. There is a custom techno track with the map, and you’re not going to want it playing so just turn the music volume to zero and play something hardcore in winamp instead. Custom music is a tricky thing and authors should be careful not to use something on a whim or as props to a buddy who made it. Remember, tons of people are going to listen to this music and if the map is good, they’d be listening to it a lot. If it’s not something you’d want to listen to looped for half an hour don’t use it. This particular track has certain effects used in it that as a loop make it one of the most annoying things I’ve heard in a long time.
With that out of the way, let’s get down to business. The author calls it a 1 vs. 1 map or possibly 2 vs. 2 teams. While that can be cool if you’re into that I think it’s an under use of the potential speed of the map. I played 4 player regular deathmatch on masterful and the action was fierce. There are 8 player starts so it’s possible to play with a couple more even if you think you can handle it. This is a small and tight z-axis map with flow that keeps you moving all the time. You are wasting the map if you stand still as nearly every part of it is designed to naturally lead you to somewhere else. The ledges are all nicely spaced for double jumps and require precision, but once you get a feel for it you’ll be moving from ledge to ledge like a bat out of hell.
There are a few jump pads in the map and every one is fine tuned to perfection. When you have the map down you’ll be bouncing off them without even thinking about it, and without losing any speed. Like many of the Quake3 platform maps the jump pads are a necessity for the leet player to dodge and escape fire, as well as to do trick moves off of. I believe there are actually only 5 jump pads in the whole map, but you’ll hit them so often it’ll feel like more. One of the strengths of jump pads is that they connect z-axis areas with uber speed. There’s no waiting on an elevator and you still have a lot of control over your entry and exit angles from the pad while making a very fast jump. I’ve been surprised at how little jump pads have been used in UT 2003 to speed map connection up, but apparently these authors were there for that day of class.
The map’s visuals are good with an overall techno-Egyptian theme that might be cooler if it hadn’t been beat to death already. I didn’t notice any real flaws other than that I thought the water and falls could have looked better. There are some custom statics in here, but I didn’t really notice what they were offhand. That being sort of the theme of the map in fact, that you’ll be too busy playing it to really stare at the details. The texturing is fine, and I do want to give kudos to a job well done with the edge track lighting on the ledges. This doesn’t seem like a big deal at first glance, but when a map depends so heavily on z-axis action and making precise jumps between ledges this helps a lot by giving the eye an unconscious marker to gauge distances and edges by. The actual lighting is fine and there are some good torches with colored lighting. It’s done well and gives this map a hint of Mayan or Aztec flavor with the open “temple” type feel, though the statuary and symbols maintain the Egyptian theme. If you look carefully you can even see some trees outside the top.
Weapon placement seems good to me. The map has such fast flow once you learn it that the only way you’re going to be without a decent weapon is if you’re standing still. The flak is in on the “main” ledge, which balances out since you take fire from every direction on that ledge. The rocket launcher is on an upper rear ledge accessed by a jump pad with quick access back to the main room. The same room houses another jump pad leading to another ledge next to the RL one. This is a great setup because it let’s two people each use a different pad and end up a few feet apart for some quick combat or escape, whichever you need at the moment. Each ledge has an exit corridor going to the main room, but from opposite directions. The shock rifle is in an upper area of the main room and readily accessible though you might not notice it at first. The minigun is by one of the player starts and a good freebie for the newly spawned player. There is a super health keg in it’s own room accessed by jump pads, and this is where the water is. I believe it does take a double jump after hitting a pad to make it onto the keg ledge. My only complaint in item placement is the vials and pills on the ramp by the minigun. The ramp is steep and having so many going up it blocks visibility in the tight corridor.
Bot play is good. They are a bit easy to beat on the lower settings but as you increase the difficulty they get noticeably better. At masterful they were moving very fast, rarely missing, and always aware of everyone’s location. Make a mistake and you’re giblets. I had TL on just to see how they used it and was impressed at how much faster that makes the bot play. The bots really scream around the map with the translocator enabled. They get everything except the shock rifle, which I rarely saw one use. They keep the keg down most of the time and will get the shield a lot. Expect to see them with rocket launchers a lot, but more than anything else you’ll be getting flak as they gravitate toward that ledge. At masterful I had a really fast game with the bots that was a lot of fun. I can only imagine how brutal it would be with several leet players instead of bots.
Bottom Line: A wicked fast map with flow and z-axis action. Hardcore action that practically requires a frag-per-second counter!
Score: 8.0
Average User Score: 7.7 (7 scores)
(marking schema)
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SkaarjMaster
Score: 7.5
This is a fun hardcore map worth checking out!
2003-04-12 07:24:18
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Aggressor
Score: 7.0
Huh, fragging frenzy!!11!!1 Anyway, this map is the best example how just putting a bunch of platforms together can make a somewhat solid map, but not nearly an exellent one...
2003-04-09 23:52:57
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NOTINTHEFACE
Score: 8.5
Good,hardcore, UT-ish fun.
2003-04-08 07:47:35
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Storm
Score: 8.5
The screenshots don't look as good as seeing the actual map. Masterful bots for a good challenge.
I did see the bots( custom 3rd party player models/skins with high settings) use the shock rifle a few times.
2003-04-07 08:38:55
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Gui
Score: 5.5
I've already commented on this at Nali City a while back: really a cool map
2003-04-05 16:56:58
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ProjectX
Score: 9.0
5w337
2003-04-05 04:54:46
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TOB1AS
Score: 8.5
A great map!! Everyone should check it out!!
2003-04-05 04:06:42
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