DM-_PD_-dataDyne][
Map Info
	File Name dm-_pd_-datadyne][.zip Author GRed (V)èg@ Gametype UT Deathmatch Date Added 03-03-2004 File Version 1.00 File Size 2.7 mb Player Count 4-8 Map Description None Review Rating 5.5 User Rating 8 Overall Rating 6.5
Review
Reviewer Ironblayde Awe Score:  2.0/3 Date 05-27-2004 Build Score:  1.5/3 Review Schema Cast Score:  2.0/3 User Point:  +1 Overall Score:  6.5/10 AWE: 2.0 DM-{PD}-dataDyne][, so named because it was inspired by the dataDyne building in Rare's Perfect Dark, is an interesting-looking map. The first thing that struck me about it are the textures, since as far as I know, they haven't appeared in a UT map before. The author managed to rip them from Perfect Dark somehow, and they fit the map's futuristic-corporate theme like a glove. Many of them are somewhat pixellated, as they've probably been scaled up a bit, but they still look decent. There are just a few that are a little iffy. First, some trim segments are covered with textures that aren't appropriate for use as trim. For instance, on the floor of the room with the large arched ceiling, the author used a large-tiled floor texture for trim. It wouldn't look so bad if the trim segments were axis-aligned, but they aren't, and so the texture looks decidedly out of place. Second, the author did a poor job of texture alignment, which is unfortunate considering that the textures are the main visual appeal of this map. Although the framework architecture – the rooms and corridors that compose the building – are rather boxy, the more detailed work makes up for it. The ceilings are particularly interesting, with lots of angled support structures, nice light fixtures, and lots of windows. The bad thing about the windows is that there's no skybox outside, only a series of backdrops constructed around each individual room. I understand the author's reasons for doing this – the map uses reflective flooring and it wasn't getting along with the skybox – but it could have been faked much better. Also, despite the fact that many places in the map are trimmed nicely, there are also quite a few places where trim is conspicuously absent, and one part of the map gives way to another a little too abruptly. The map's lighting is mediocre. The majority of the lights are pure white, and most of the rest are oversaturated. All the lights are set to very high radii, so all the light sources' areas of effect overlap to such an extent that the lighting really does little to enhance the appearance of the map. The weapon bases glow with ugly green coronas that give off their own light, but thankfully the other lights in the map are so strong that they usually drown out the green tint that would appear on everything otherwise. The nice textures and architecture help to distract one's attention from the substandard lighting too, so overall the map still looks pretty good. BUILD: 1.5 BSP errors are a common sight in this map. The author's brushwork is solid when he's working with basic shapes, but as the brushes become more complex and take on off-axis angles, things could have been handled better. Aside from the fact that many of the more detailed shapes in this map are almost necessarily off the grid at times, the author doesn't use semisolids anywhere except for invisible collision hulls. I think that would have helped cut down on the number of BSP problems. Many of the errors manifest themselves visually as HOM effects and vanishing surfaces, but there are many collision problems as well, of two varieties. First, there are regions that block actors even though there's nothing there. This occurs primarily when trying to jump on top of some angled panels in one area, and when trying to climb the beams in the room with the tall, arched ceiling. Second, there are some places where it looks like the author has placed collision hulls in the editor, but they fail to work in the game. Specifically, this occurs along a number of the windows facing outward from the map. Thus it is possible, in several places, to pass right through a window and get outside the map, into the ersatz skyboxes. As I mentioned earlier, most of the rooms in this map have reflective floors. The effect is carried off pretty well. I wish UnrealEd would allow mappers to specify the level of reflectivity, but it works well enough. It does introduce a possible performance problem though, as reflections obviously significantly increase the number of polygons that must be drawn. Occasionally the poly count tops 600, but usually it's fairly manageable. The map is zoned nicely, and that helps here. The author did make a silly mistake, though: none of his staircases or tessellated brushes have their coplanar faces merged, which means that there are too many polygons in those areas, not to mention that it creates unsightly texture alignment errors and unevenness in lighting. Bots play the map pretty well. The pathing is very efficient and takes the bots everywhere. There are just a few places where an extra node would have helped get ammo pickups that are located in little dead ends. Also, there aren't any paths defined for Anti-Grav Boots or translocator use. They aren't necessary to reach any pickups, but there are several places where such paths would have allowed the bots to traverse the layout more easily. Finally, the bots do walk or jump into the pits in the dataDyne logo room once in awhile, but that doesn't happen too often for it to be a serious problem. Speaking of which, I think the pits could have been built a little better. As they are now, you see stars when you look into them, which isn't what I'd expect to see in the basement of an urban complex, and you disappear and die suddenly about halfway down, only 256 UUs below ground level. I'd rather have the pits either contain a visible hazard, or be considerably deeper with the zone portals towards the very bottom; and use a regular pain zone or a SpecialEvent instead of a CloudZone. Ambient sound is used in many places and adds to the atmosphere nicely, but I have mixed feelings on the music. On one hand, it's a good melody, but on the other, it sounds like it was converted from another format rather than composed in a tracker; the sound samples are of lousy quality, and that made it harder for me to enjoy the music. CAST: 2.0 The author did a nice job on the layout for this map. It's well-connected, has multiple levels (not many, but the map isn't flat either), and feels like a unified whole rather than an assortment of rooms and corridors. All of the standard weapons are included (except the Redeemer), and they're all useful in one place or another. You might find it difficult to snipe, though, given the level's connectivity, which is a good thing if you ask me. Unless, of course, you play dirty and go through one of the windows, picking people off from outside. Also, it seems like those pits by the dataDyne logo can sneak up on you at times. I found myself falling into them a few times before I realized they were there. One thing I don't like here is the item placement. The weapons are placed well, but the author seems to have a penchant for sticking ammo and health pickups in corners and little notches in the wall, which detracts noticeably from the flow of the game. For instance, one hallway with a ninety-degree bend in it has ammo pickups all the way against the wall in three corners. Another area, over by the Shield Belt, has three Health Vials placed against the wall with pillars separating them, so you have to run in and out of the areas between them to get the pickups. In a good, fast deathmatch, you should be able to grab those pickups as you're moving to your destination with minimal need to alter your course, rather than having to lengthen your route to visit dead-end alcoves or opposing corners of a room. It also might have been nice to have the Shield Belt in a more risky and hard-to-reach place, instead of in the dead end where it is now, and maybe connected that dead end to the next room over. Despite those and a few other obstructions to its flow – and possibly a few problems with performance if you've got an older machine – this map makes for a good time. The author shows a good understanding of how a deathmatch should be set up, and you'll likely have plenty of fun games in here. FINAL SCORE: 5.5 I've never played Perfect Dark, so I can't tell you how well this map evokes the feeling of playing the game that inspired it, but it's a decent UT map in its own right, one worth at least taking a look at. Hopefully the author will take a little more care with the technical side of mapping in his future efforts.
Map Comments
XepptizZ 03-03-2004 06:17 PM MST Rating: 8   Genius styl with an even more fitting song. It's not something you'd encounter frequently, thank god, but this one is heaps off fun. The sky-box isn't a real sky-box! it's an in-game envirement. Call it genius or idiotic, I prefer genius, because the effect is dam funny. I,ve always liked extreme themes or new styles so 2 thums up! Shao 03-03-2004 08:39 PM MST Rating: 8   Oh My Fucking GOD!!!!! Great map!!!~ tim***** 03-04-2004 10:53 AM MST Rating: 5   hmm, even after requesting a review i still cant find the download on BU...what gives? another elaborate hoax? hmmm...3rd time,NOT a charm...what gives? [Admin: Requesting a review is suppose to make the download appear? What great logic you have there. Try the Download button. ] Supermano 03-03-2004 10:36 PM MST Rating: 8   Nice map, good looking, Great Song. Relly nice job. i see this map maker took his.her time on makeing this map. and it turned out tight. Give it a shot its great :) Saint 03-04-2004 02:54 AM MST Rating: 8   Excellent map man! Don't stop making these. KosaPL 03-04-2004 03:40 PM MST Rating: 9   Yeah, cool map men, nice mirrored floor like in NeedForSpeedUnderground ;p Arakon 03-05-2004 12:43 AM MST Rating: 9   the download doesn't work in mozilla, chances are it's because of the brackets.. it does work fine with IE. great map with a good PD feeling to it.. nice job. I like the weapon pads.. I'd like to see more pd-style maps, possibly even remakes of the original ones. GRed (V)èg@ 04-10-2004 08:06 AM MDT   Thanx for all your support guys, one of this days i'll upload a map worth a review :-) this map was suppost to be released along with my other map for ut2k3 but got delayed yet again. Yep i'll release more perfect dark maps in the near future thats why i added the {PD} tag in front of the name so u can compare them from the rest of the maps ;-). Edit: i tried using a real sky box but mirror floors and sky boxes hate each other in this map :-(. cybersirius 03-06-2004 12:12 PM MST Rating: 9   Nice Map! Manticore 04-09-2004 12:20 AM MDT Rating: 6   Good flow of gameplay. I really like the sound meshed to the unique looking weapons pads. Nice touch! slaskan 04-09-2004 02:58 AM MDT Rating: 8   nice with those walkramps that look like one of the phbosfloors in 2k3 the only bad thing about the map was that there were verry hard to see what theme u wanted for the map and that u had noskybox 7.5=8 Kyouryuu 04-10-2004 11:48 AM MDT Rating: 8   This level is a trip. It appears to be based on a cross between the Carrington Institute and dataDyne Cental maps in the Nintendo 64 first-person shooter, Perfect Dark. It borrows textures and themes from Perfect Dark and manages to create a neat and very fast layout for 6-8 players. A nice special touch is the reflective floor, a common gimmick in Perfect Dark used to great effect here. Unfortunately, it also makes the polycount rather high and in some scenes, it's pushing between 700-800 polygons. I also noticed a couple BSP holes in the ceiling of the "bridge room," but they didn't detract too much from the overall experience. I have a love-hate relationship with the deadly pits in the room with the dataDyne logo. While it's funny to push others into them, it is a bit unguarded and easy to fall in yourself. There's also no skybox involved here, although it could certainly be used. My guess is that maybe the author - who has shown prowess with skyboxes in his other work - was deliberately going for the cardboard cutout effect of Perfect Dark's "skyboxes." Keep in mind that Perfect Dark was released some years ago on the old Nintendo 64 and maintained a steady 5 fps. ;) EDIT: Hmm, well, you did it rather nicely GRed (V)èg@, making me think it was a stylistic choice over a necessary one. I think mirror floors flake out when you have certain circumstances - skyboxes would probably be one of them. :) Gwelkatz 05-27-2004 11:14 AM MDT   In french PD means homosexual :-) (nice map) turbopumpkin 06-02-2004 07:52 PM MDT   definetly a great map. is authentic to the real thing. it is obvious the author took a great deal of time to make sure that is is right. the pathing is excellent as is weapon placement. definetley a reccommended d/l. zzeta 06-03-2004 10:40 PM MDT Rating: 10   DAMIT ..... I got same idea but this guy ROCKS! Hey dude?! ... put This one in ut2k4 In onslaugt and i will be ur greatest fan EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GTD-Carthage 06-06-2004 06:15 AM MDT Rating: 8   Nice map. The central room seems to slow down a bit though which also proves the present hi-polygons. The textures look good. The backdrop is fine, just fine. Also, the additional architecture in the other rooms like the bending and twisting beams look intruiging.