DOM-Lavazone
Map Info
	File Name dom-lavazone.zip Author Pika2_42 Gametype UT2k3 Double Domination Date Added 11-27-2002 File Version 1.00 File Size 4.87 mb Player Count Unknown Map Description None Review Rating -- User Rating 5 Overall Rating --
Review
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Map Comments
Magaera 12-05-2002 01:27 AM MST Rating: 5   Can we please do something about the bogus screenshots here on Nali City? The preview shots for this map are BLUE, and the map itself is anything but. This one has some interesting features, although unfortunately it doesn't play well in practice. The lava motif that so many maps dabble with (usually ineffectually) is treated as the central theme, and it works visually. You really feel like you're in the bowl of a seething volcano. The map is gargantuan; it takes minutes to run from one end to the other. Here's where the relentless orange lava theme becomes a hindrance: there's little in the way of visual cues from which to draw one's bearings. Adding to the geographic confusion is the design of the domination points: they're in small, sheltered areas hidden from the main body of the map. At each of these two points, there are a half-dozen teleporters -- again, color-coordinated with the orange lava theme -- which ease travel between the domination point and all the various far-flung reaches of the map. It's an interesting approach, but doesn't wind up playing well in practice. One problem is that the teleporter destinations in the main map are so far from one another. Even with translocator games, getting from an "A" teleporter to a "B" teleporter takes a fair amount of time. Another problem is that "A" and "B" teleporters in the main map area are not easily distinguished from a distance, and there are so MANY of each that it's hard to remember exactly which ones go where. See above, where I mentioned that it's hard to keep your bearings when everything looks alike. It's an intriguing exercise in trying to provide new opportunities for team coordination. The thought of trying to defend a domination point when suddenly an enemy appears in EACH incoming teleporter sends me into a cold sweat. But I think the approach would work better in a CTF map, where the goal is to move a resource from one point to the other, rather than in DD where the goal is to retain a commanding presence at both domination points. The excellent coordination required to set up and execute a simultaneous attack via several teleporters will, in DD, be simply a waste of time: while you and your teammates are roaming the vast lava area of the map, dispersing to the various teleporters you'll use in that attack, your opposition will simply make a beeline for each domination point and score. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate this map, and think it's worth taking a look at -- especially by mappers, to stretch the mind and brainstorm about play-dynamic possibilities. I just don't think it plays well.