DM-Keep3
Map Info
	File Name dm-keep3.zip Author Twrecks Gametype UT Deathmatch Date Added 07-12-2000 File Version 1.00 File Size 1.38 mb Player Count Unknown Map Description None Review Rating 7 User Rating 5 Overall Rating 7	NC2 map imported without screenshot.
Review
Reviewer Kain Overall Score:  7/10 Date NC2 08-23-2000 The trouble is with some maps is that I have no decent point with which to start a review. Oh well don't expect a dramatic opening sentence here. :-) DM-Keep3 is a very basic concept - a tradional square-stone keep as learnt about in history lessons way back in school (ah, the days) - surronded with a moat and a small open area. Simple, but I don't really know why this is the first map of it's type that I have seen. The castle has many cool features, such as a raising drawbridge, a working catapult and seige equipment. The castle is well-realised, with four solid towers, loopholes, huge battlements and cool little green roof-parts. From the outside, the castle does look seriously strong and realistic. The outdoor area surrounding the castle is much less effective, though. It is not good-looking and still quite poly-intensive, and using skybox mountain textures as walls just doesn't work. I know it can be difficult to make convicing outdoor areas but it seems that Trecks used variations of the cylinder brush for most of it. The terrain tool in UnrealEd 2.0 is good - use it. The lighting of the outdoor area and outside of the keep is realistic but flat - one of the drawbacks with setting a map in daylight. But then again people bitch about so many maps being set at night. Damn people. Inside the castle architecture and lighting are both good, and in keeping (oh the pun :-) ) true to the theme, corridors are very tight, with very little room to dodge. Basically if you meet someone with a flak cannon in one of the corridors you are mush. I have a small gripe with the doors - some open when shot, some open when you get near and there is no clear way to distinguish the two types. This can result in a waste of ammo or if your using rebounding weapons your own death. Bots cope well with the multitude of triggers, although because of the complexity they do get hung up occasionally. The trap for the shieldbelt is good, but on the whole weapons are very hard to find. Most windows around the castle are simple sheets which do not block players, although I'm sure I heard the shattering of glass in a proper window at least once. I think they would look better if made translucent although knowing the Unreal engine it would probably lower frame rate quite a bit. The catapult and drawbridge are quite complex movers, and are fun to use. (BTW the catapult fires people, not rocks, so you can relive all your fantasies from that Robin Hood film). I never saw bots use the catapult but I'm sure this is because they rarely go outside - liftcentres, etc seem to be set up properly. There are weird sounds going off throughout the level, such as screams, squelches (remember those shiny blobs from Unreal?) and the chanting of a monk, which is surreal but nice (hehe). The music is quite unfitting (the same one as on Fetid Sewers), then again I don't know what track would be right. DM-Keep3 is a good rendition of a medieval castle (better lighting and the removal of those stupid tarydium barrels would get this a 9 or 10 for theme) but a less effective deathmatch level.
Map Comments
Twrecks   If I knew then what I know now, maybe I wouldn't have combined all the brushes that make up the keep into one brush (lag induction). "Have fun stormin' the castle!" Lustmord Rating: 7   Good fun. Shock6822 Rating: 4   No flow....no gameplay..fun catapults :p Nahand 08-06-2003 07:33 PM MDT Rating: 6   A nice gimmick map, that i visit now and then... Mxtrmntr 08-21-2003 07:15 AM MDT Rating: 4   What Shock said. Some nice ideas, but it looks pretty basic in places and lacks a nicely playable layout, unfortunately.