DM-Nystic
Map Info
	File Name dm-nystic.zip Author CaSCaDe Gametype UT2k3 Deathmatch Date Added 05-11-2003 File Version 1.00 File Size 6.93 mb Player Count 2-4 Map Description None Review Rating 6.5 User Rating 6 Overall Rating 6.5
Review
Reviewer ArcadiaVincennes Awe Score:  2.0/3 Date 11-02-2004 Build Score:  2.5/3 Review Schema Cast Score:  2.0/3 User Point:  0 Overall Score:  6.5/10 DM-Nystic (UT2003) A very small map composed of interesting contradictions surrounded by some cold industrial ambiance. It's well-constructed, the flow is good with plenty of z-axis, and even comes with custom meshes and sound. But the lighting is a little bizarre and the size is somewhat claustrophobic. AWE: 2.0 As snow falls through the broken window at the top, it descends onto the neon green industrial complex with a giant TV screen. Snow has accumulated on the main center platform and shards of glass lay scattered among the various levels. The visuals and theme all mesh quite well but still there's something rotten in snowy Denmark. The textures contribute nicely to the theme with grey shiny metallic walls. Everything looks pretty well aligned and in appropriate places except for 1 texture. There are a few lifts surrounding the outside walls where the texture that is on the vertical face of the floor sections is different from all the others. All the textures in the map are grays, metallics, and glowing purple circuitry. Then the author placed a brownish metal texture on the inside elevator shafts. Minor, but a little off-putting. The second flaw, which is pretty major, is that the custom meshes use a texture that has white circuits on a purple background. These are the primary sources of light in the map besides the skybox light. The problem here is that these purple and white circuits glow green. It just doesn't make sense. The green looks good, and the place overall is well-lit. It's just a bad choice of color to match the color of the texture. The final problem is that there are green lights surrounding the lowest weapon 'pit' with no discernable light source, at least I wasn't sure where they were coming from. BUILD - 2.5 Everything is very well put together. The custom meshes fit into the theme and the level well. The TV screen projects the images well, and everything seems tight. There's a nice wind sound present in the upper floors that goes with the broken window, and a nice machinery hum lower down once you get out of the wind. The movers have expected sounds and, um, that's about it. But that's about all there needs to be. The author added blocking volumes around the customs around the custom meshes so smooth game play and collision detection. Altogether, this is a well-made level. My only complaint is that the botpathing seems to lead all the bots down, and they never seem to get back up. But this may be a result of the author's player number defaults rather than the bot pathing. CAST - 2.0 The map is small. Really small. Really Really Small. Yes, there are numerous levels with a nice amount of z-axis, and yes you'll get a good fight out of the bots. But it's just too darn small. And this leads me to my first complaint. In the read-me, the author states that it's designed to be a 'hardcore 1 on 1 map'. Yet he set the player count as 2 - 4 and 2 - 4 is too many. There were so many bots in such a small space that I never lived completely through an adrenaline rush. The map really is too small - even for a 1 on 1. My second complaint is the weapons. A green level begs for the Bio-Rifle - but the Bio Rifle and Lightning Gun are both missing. I certainly don't blame him for keeping the Lightning Gun out - there really is no reason to have it in here. But to leave out the Bio-Rifle with the setting in question is just unnecessary. Lastly, the z-axis area is nicely shaped and varied but too cramped. Most of the time you aim down and try to sneak a shot past the next level down to get to the level underneath, it's so tight it's hard to get the shot through. I think a slightly more open z-axis space would have been mush better. Overall, good game play in too small a space. To sum it all up, this author knows how to make maps and make them well. But a lighting choice that contradicts the source, and the size of the map drag the score down too much. Other than these two big complaints, the rest are perfunctory. A well-designed, well built, level that's really just too small for repeatable fun.
Map Comments
Nilash 05-12-2003 11:08 AM MDT Rating: 7   Very good for a 1V1 map. Fuzzy Logic 05-12-2003 07:36 PM MDT Rating: 7   Nice map this. Small and fast. Four is way too many though, best as a 1 on 1. Homeslice 01-22-2004 11:40 AM MST Rating: 0   I can't say it was good at all until there is a way I can run it. It crashed the game on me. Too bad, it looks awesome. Trynant 11-03-2004 03:15 PM MST Rating: 10   I don't think this map deserves a zero until its played first. Looks cool tho. I'll change my comments when I play the map. Fordy 11-05-2004 03:43 AM MST   Trynant, using that argument it can be said the map doesn't deserve a 10 either until it has been played. Please dont give maps high rating because somone before you gave it a low one. Rate fairly! Soh_Ghost : Yeah why dont we all give maps a 10 till we have played them, can't get much fairer than that can we? Why dont we just not rate them till we have played them? SoH_Ghost3021 11-04-2004 04:52 PM MST Rating: 5   Fordy, if Trynant wants to give the level a 10 until hes played it, its his choice. he will update it when he has played. i give it a five cause it crashed on me as well, i'll try to tweak some stuff in my ini to try to fix it...i'll fix my rating when i get the level to run. Manticore 11-05-2004 04:27 PM MST Rating: 4.5   In my opinion, and after having played this map; it's worth this much. I just don't think it's very good. At all....... cUnNiNg_StUnTs 11-07-2004 11:30 AM MST Rating: 5.5   Some very cluttered elements and poor flow. This map may be too vertical for it's own good and has way to much going on to make it playable. Jez 11-13-2004 11:34 AM MST   Why are people still making maps for UT2K3 instead of UT2K4? Are UT2K3 maps compatible with UT2K4? UT2K4 is really UT2K3-Enhanced. I can't think of any reason why anyone would want to keep last years version. [EDIT] I know *this* map was released last year, but the review was recent. I meant to leave the above comment in one that was realesed this year, as there are still UT2K3 maps being made. fruntkin 12-11-2004 07:53 AM MST Rating: 7   Good map for a fast and sweaty 1 on 1 run around. BTW Jez, I travel a lot (currently in Nigeria) and UT2K4 doesn't run on my laptop :( so I'm always happy to find a new UT2K3 map.