XMP-Aftermath-fb
Map Info
	File Name xmp-aftermath-fb.zip Author fireball Gametype U2 eXpanded MultiPlayer Date Added 04-03-2004 File Version 1.00 File Size 2.23 mb Player Count Unknown Map Description None Review Rating 4 User Rating -- Overall Rating 4	No level screenshot available.
Review
Reviewer Twrecks Awe Score:  1.0/3 Date 07-13-2004 Build Score:  1.0/3 Review Schema Cast Score:  2.0/3 User Point:  Overall Score:  4/10 Terrain, meshes and water describes this map fairly well. You get right down to it, that describes many XMP maps. Though, in addition, Aftermath is assymetrical and resembles a junkyark pocked by small round building meshes, a central hill with ponds to one side and a rather nasty sink hole to the other. On items: Two of the Generators are on the middle "Camelback" ridge, along with the only resupply station for you turret farmers. The other two Generators are pit side, one deep in the hole. The water in the pit can be frustrating to get out of, while the shallow ponds to the opposite side of the hill provide cover for vehicle traffic. "Fireball", who gives the map the "fb" tag, added a few features to the original; like two more Deploy Points and some Health and Shield stations to compliment each base, plus location tags so when you ask for help, you might get it. Unfortunately he was not able to add a radar for us, not that the map is complex enough to warrant one. One of the strangest features of this map is the manned turrets, the gunner pods are wide open and don't geographically relate well to the actual guns. The control pod next to the pit controls the manned turret overlooking the Blue base (and a close by Deploy Point), giving red a tactical advantage in the offense, and blue a hard to maintain defensive outpost, unless you are willing to give up another team mate to watch your back. It is important for Blue to take posession of the pit area and this pod, which then leaves the lake side of the map open to vehicular assaults. Red, on the otherhand, has quick access to the turret pod on the near side of the hill, which gives them a turret covering the most of the pit. All-in-all, it sucks to be Blue in this map. The construction of this map is not overly complicated. The original author used a few layers to paint his pointy terrain and took the time to make a skybox. No natural paths exist between Nodes and the over-abundant use of the small round building cheapens the mesh and doesn't add anything for a map already lacking a theme. Another annoying aspect is the water, a BSP brush was used rather than a fluid surface, true a physics volume gives it water-like properties, but without the undulating exterior it is flat and un-interesting. Perhaps the most distrurbing aspect of the water is lack of volume fog or contrast lighting, one feels they have simply passed through a texture sheet and not entered water. Lighting on a whole is over-bright and over-saturated. Sure it makes it sniper-friendly, this is a map for Scouts no questions asked, just make mine Red. In closing, not one of the better user-made XMP maps out there. Fireball's additions gave it better gameplay, but the open spaces, lack of balance or optimization reduces its playability. It's early appearance on the scene made it semi-popular for a time, yet XMP needs a better caliber of maps to attract any new players to a vastly unsupported game. Hopefully the next requested XMP review will be a better ambassador of the game.
Map Comments
fireball 07-14-2004 08:39 PM MDT   I did attempt to optimise this map, but I couldn't find anywhere besides the main ridge to hide an antiportal that actually helped framerates. I considered moving the turret pods, but I decided that I would leave that be as that was more of the "original" map and not a gameplay feature as much. I do have an (almost complete) version with the one antiportal, plus radar and generator meshes that change color, which I will upload when I can.