CTF-FNB-Spacepods
Map Info
	File Name ctf-fnb-spacepods.zip Author FraGnBraG Gametype UT Capture the Flag Date Added 04-14-2004 File Version 1.00 File Size 8.33 mb Player Count 8-16 Map Description FraGnBraG Space-based missile station CTF arena. Fast-paced map good for up to 16 (well, really 20) players. Started off as my answer to the very fun CTF-433 (a l33t *gameplay* map popular amoungst players at UP) of course this map is nothing like that one :P If you want a challenge, set the bots on godlike and use teams of 8-10. (oh and get ready to xloc like hell ;)While this map will run on a P3 with some lagging in the middle, it was designed to the 400p/800n rule so you need at least a PENTIUM-4 class computer to run it fast and smooth. I use a 1.8G-P4+GF3 and game FR averages between 55-70fps at 1024x768 D3D with full-up UT settings (.25 bright on the slider), and the GForce set to High-Performance. Thats with 20 bots on godlike with relics. There you go (so no whining about LAG on old machines :P ENJOY THE MAP AND GOOD LUCK WITH THE CAPS!! Review Rating 6 User Rating 6 Overall Rating 6
Review
Reviewer Ironblayde Awe Score:  2.0/3 Date 04-25-2004 Build Score:  1.5/3 Review Schema Cast Score:  2.5/3 User Point:  0 Overall Score:  6/10 AWE: 2.0 This is a pretty damned good-looking map. The architecture is excellent, extremely detailed and believable. It doesn't give the impression that the author added as much as he could to fill empty space; rather, it's immediately recognizable as the work of someone who's been around and done this enough times that he knows how to make a map look good. The missiles outside are an especially nice touch. Most of the textures are imported from UT2003, so they look great, and are used very well. They give the map a nice, refreshing feel to it. There's a fair amount of UTtech2 hiding in here, but it's used judiciously, certainly not enough to make it look old. SGTech1 is also used, so note that you'll need Bonus Pack 4 installed to play this map. My complaints in the aesthetics department are minor, but numerous: - There are a few missed alignments, but not so many that they'll be distracting. - Many of the lights would look better were they not so saturated. - There are some rather garish particle effects textures used, one on a light fixture towards the center of the map, and one behind a team symbol in each flag room. - A few of the LightBox meshes look too hard because the author neglected to turn down the ScaleGlow. - There are mirrors in front of each flag, and a couple of places elsewhere in the map. I'm of the opinion that mirrors are good for nothing except disorienting the player. The surfaces actually have both the Mirror and Translucent flags set, so it seems like they were supposed to be only partially reflective, but they appear fully reflective in the game. - Some of the team symbol textures are simply the symbol on a perfectly black background. Ugly. - The skybox is for the most part very cool, but the starry sky texture doesn't tile well. It has faint lines around the edges, and they are easily visible in the game. This map would have a 2.5 in this department, but for all these little things that were missed. Most of these problems are easy to address, so perhaps we'll get an updated version that's a little more polished. BUILD: 1.5 The build is about average. Zoning is pretty good (though the largest is a bit too large in my opinion), everything works like it's supposed to, and the bots manage to find their way around this relatively complex map. But again I have some complaints. First, I would have sped up the movers a bit. There are numerous sets of doors connecting the inside and outside areas of the map, and they take a full second to slide open. Thus as you're running through the doorway, if you're not aiming right at its center, it's easy to get caught on the doors as they're retracting. This is rather annoying when you're trying to escape with the flag. Second, the map is plagued with BSP errors. They are all minor ones, but I found no fewer than twenty instances of surfaces that occasionally disappear or turn into nasty HOM effects. This may not affect gameplay since the errors are not huge ones, but they detract significantly from the map's visual appeal. The fall off the side of the map is poorly done. It uses a VacuumZone, which is supposed to distort your view like you're getting killed by the vacuum of space, but there are no distortion effects applied, and the bottom of the map is not far below the bottom level of the ship. So if you actually fall over the side, what happens is that you land on an invisible surface just below the ship (which doesn't hurt enough to kill you), and you suddenly die half a second later. Plus the zone is not flagged as a PainZone, which means that if you drop the flag over the side, it doesn't get returned right away; it sits out in space for a minute or so first. This is pretty sloppy. The bots sometimes get stuck in corners, or try to use their translocators and fail. They do make good use of their translocators in many cases though, which is a definite plus. CAST: 2.5 Despite the map's many errors, the bottom line is that it's a lot of fun to play. Please be aware, however, that this is a not a map you can play well on your first time through, just by heading in the right general direction. The layout is complicated, and it takes time to learn it. If you're one of those people who only played CTF-Darji16 once and decided it sucked, you almost certainly won't like this map. I, on the other hand, am a big fan of big CTF maps that lend themselves well to strategic play, and this map certainly is that. I had to play several games before I really found myself enjoying it, but give it time and it'll grow on you. Item placement is decent, if a little excessive at times (Ten sniper rifles!?) and stocking up on implements of destruction doesn't obstruct the flow at all. Speaking of which, it's been said by some (including by me the first time I played the map) that the map doesn't flow well because there are too many places to get stuck, especially while returning the flag. For me at least, that impression has significantly lessened over time as I've played the map more. It's not that the layout is bad; it just has a bit of a learning curve to it. If I were to complain about anything here I'd only say that some of the ramps are too steep, but that's a minor concern. FINAL SCORE: 6.0 Bottom line: if you're willing to spend some time learning the layout, this is a very fun map and should give you a lot of good games. If not for the lack of polish in several areas, especially as concerns the build of the map, I would certainly have given it a higher score. Even as it is though, it's worth downloading, and worth keeping.
Map Comments
KingDuctTape 04-14-2004 08:31 PM MDT Rating: 6   Big map, well done IMO, but if your computer is not that great your framerate will slide down faster than butter off a bald monkey. Manticore 04-15-2004 12:55 AM MDT Rating: 6   Incredibly complex layout in which it is easy to get lost. No performance issues on my rig... John DiFool 04-15-2004 10:58 AM MDT Rating: 3   Visuals-good, but this map is unplayable, for me at least, because it has the worst flow of any map I have ever downloaded. Tiny convoluted passageways abound everywhere, and I'm always getting snagged on something (be it one of those BSP errors or just a corner which sticks out too much). Sure learning the layout could help...a little, but I don't think I'm going to bother. FraGnBraG 04-27-2004 07:48 PM MDT   :D Thank you for your comments dudes. *new edits* FNB = an anomaly, somewhat described here: http://members.rogers.com/fragnbrag :) Good review Blayde, well written/organized. good points all, well taken too :) imo, pretty fun ctf (bit left of center) i do deserve a slap for being laaazy :P so, an SE is in my queue. ps - if i knew you were revieweing it i'd have sent you the editable map :) that said, i'll round u up dl links for bsp versions of my published maps, should any seem worthy of review... cheers *edit* hey cool Mango, thanks! /me=lol@me :P i do owe u that AS map! heh, maybe u can fix the bugger for me? cheers The Brazilian Novice 04-26-2004 10:01 PM MDT   Dumb question: What is FNB? Duh... It stands for his nick. kingmango 04-26-2004 02:24 PM MDT Rating: 8   Probabaly my favorite map from you Frag. Looking forward to the AS with the SS2 textures... Soon right? :p how's it go? "Another two weeks." lol :p at Mark... I don't know where the convoluted passageways comment comes from, there's plenty of room to manuever in this map. Looks impressive, plenty of routes, lots of z, and good item placement... what more could you really want from a map IMHO... It is a must download. If you don't like this map then you will be in the minority of peeps. Ironblayde 04-26-2004 05:07 PM MDT Rating: 6   It's cool Frag; I didn't know I was going to be reviewing it either, heh. Your map was one of the three I chose for my reviewer application, and it appears they liked it, so here it is. Anyway, if there are any maps of yours in particular you want to see reviews for, just let me know. (jfarrell [at] death-star.com) The BSP would certainly be appreciated in the future, though in this case I felt I knew the map well enough to do without it. I don't hold it against you since you already explained your reasons for not including it. :) bubbathefool 04-26-2004 10:54 PM MDT Rating: 6   It's refreshing to see a reviewer give the same rating in his follow up postings (unlike other reviewers who give a "this" for their formal review and a "that" for the postings.) Haven't played the map yet so I'll go with the flow for now. EvilSwanky 04-28-2004 04:35 AM MDT Rating: 5   It takes forever to get the idea of main paths, the map needs some more Z-Axis, and its huge... and relativly dark.