DOM-Arcturo
Map Info
	File Name dom-arcturo.zip Author Pagan Gametype UT Domination Date Added 06-15-2000 File Version 1.00 File Size 476 kb Player Count 4-12 Map Description None Review Rating 7.5 User Rating 8 Overall Rating 7.5	NC2 map imported without screenshot.
Review
Reviewer Twrecks Overall Score:  7.5/10 Date NC2 08-09-2000 I am pleased to bring you this "space Station" domination map. Made by none other than Pagan Pete of UT Underground fame. This tidy little map was apparently some kind of waybase and now serves as a post for the popular team sport. That's Pagan's story and I'm sticking to it. First impressions are good, the outside has a low gravity effect appropriate for outer space, and the small interior serves as a quick junction to access the higher Control Point and close by goodies. The Control Points: Port Out on one of the round landing pads. Starboard The opposite landing pad. Crows Nest This would be up top on the cicular ring. The Breaks: FUN Over on the play me again side. I found myself playing this map several times before realizing I needed to take a screenshot. For those who enjoy DM-Phobus and DM-Morpheus this map will fit your line up. PLAYABILITY This is Frames Per Second and Polycount stuff, this map scores very well, most likely to its small size and simple layout. BOTs Not too terribly intellegent, they miss the better items, like the Super Health and Invisibility. However, the BOTs do get the CP's and are able to find paths to exicute any commands given to them. FLOW Suffering from the "third point out" syndrome. The two lower, Port and Starboard, CPs are close enough that a game of pickle can be played, catching opposing team members in between and creating a good defense. The "third point out" ,Crows Nest, requires more effort and dexterity to attain, but is the easiest to defend. It would be interesting if domination was based on the ability to hold all CPs to score, this would help force flow to the lesser trafficed CPs and increase the overall challenge. ITEMS Good Weapon spacing and ammo variety placed stategically about the entire map. What was refreshing is the Health Packs close at hand on the landing pads where it's needed. The Super Health is snagged by getting a boost from the central lift by jumping as it reaches the apex. The Invisibility, suffice to say you'll have to go out on a limb. The Shield Belt and a few Health Vials are located in the windows, the BOTs pick these off quickly and then set up camp for would be claim jumpers. The Tigh Pads, I think, would have been better used as bait for the central lift to encourage verticle flow, or even situated on the tier below the top CP ring, as this tends to be a dead spot for BOTs. THEME A space station. I expect a spinning sky box, like Phobus. This would have looked excellent if the center of rotation appeared to be the waybase and the two landing pads cicling about like plates on the outstretched arms of a dizzy waitress. Other than this blatent ommision IMO, Arcturo fits the gib, right down to its name which is almost "Arcturus" one of the brighter night-time stars viewed from Earth. ARCHITECTURE I understand low polys make for a fast map, however smooth circular brushes need more facets, this most visible in the upper ring where the reduced number of sides detracts from the levels otherwise good looks. Structurally, Arcturo is very convincing space buoy, not intended for habitation it supports frag hungry occupants well. LIGHTING Good coverage and intensities make this map playable. The base ring has a red glow and could benifit by some more defined source. The interior is nicely done and colored lights are used effectively without being overbarring. TEXTURES Selection and alignment are above par. The transparent grid that comprises the catwalks to the two landing pad CPs is great. A few more textures could have been used to reinforce the theme, such as monitors or other electronic gizmos. Textures can greatly add to the "eye candy" of a map where polys are low and the architecture simple. SOUND Not much can be done with so little, the lifts sound good and there's a music track, that's it. Rounding off the review, let me say round needs to be round (don't need to be a rocket scientist to figure that one out). This map needs a dose of eyecandy and animation (sky-box) to get things spinning. Dom-Arcturo is in a higher orbit than most user made maps and is on the verge of being truely stellar. I feel , that fuelled with the right stuff, this map will buzz with new life and energy. So my recommendation is to pull this map into star-dock and outfit it for combat. Ground control out...
Map Comments
VindicatorEX 07-28-2004 02:58 AM MDT Rating: 8   Nice, you can zip around the map by dodging.