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| DM-Retaliate | | | Map Info |
| | | | File Name | dm-retaliate.zip | | Author | Walm | | Gametype | UT Deathmatch | | Date Added | 12-22-2004 | | File Version | 1.00 | | File Size | 2.51 mb | | Player Count | 2 - 6 | | Map Description | None | | Review Rating | 6 | | User Rating | 7 | | Overall Rating | 7.0 |
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|  | | | | Review |
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DM-Retaliate (UT)
An odd little DM map the has some very good z-axis. There seems to be a mélange of visual design that is a tad confusing to understand overall. But maybe you won’t notice that as you travel up and down the map.
AWE:1.5
The map is a mix of several different designs that don’t really go together the way the author put them together. There seems to be a mix of 3 major themes – a Quakeish theme, a natural theme, and an industrial theme with some custom textures.
The texturing here is a mixed bag but really only in terms of theme. They’re all pretty much aligned well and well-applied but they contrast each other too much so that it ends up looking like bits of other maps all thrown together. There are Quake-like skulls and techno-organic textures scattered about somewhat haphazardly. I can’t really figure out any pattern or consistency to their placement. There is an outdoor theme as well with a ‘terrain’ ground and a few plants. Also, the base portion of some of the ramps is dirt and they acscend up to other portions of the map. Finally, there’s an industrial theme of rusted metal and concrete walls along with some tenement windows? and a lot of billboards on the upper story. Coupled with both the natural and Quakeish textures, they just don’t fit together. The author also used some brilliant blue fog-like rings around the super pickups that just was too blue to really fit with the theme. Finally, the skybox was satisfactory, but it would have been nicer if it had moved.
The lighting shares a similar problem. There are green, yellow/orange, red, blue, and white lights. They are scattered through the map and the only consistency amoung them is that the colors tend to be grouped together. But overall they really don’t draw the map together.
I must say, however, that the coronas the author used are very well implemented. Not too big, not too small, they’re just right for this size map. Also the various steam plumes were nicely placed and implemented.
The architecture was also somewhat haphazard, but less so. At some points, there were walkways around the edges of the more ‘tenement’-like areas and they seemed to fit well there. But them some of the ramps from the ground up had dirt as their main area and reached all the way up to the top which didn’t seem right. Other ramps at the top were entirely metal. Also, the various beams and supports had different shapes, some were cylindrical, some more rectangular. This can work but with the total variation present almost everywhere in the map, they did nothing to tie the theme together. Finally, one end of the map has only ramps to use to go up. The other side has ramps and two jumppads. It would have been better to balance the jumppads through the map better.
Everything in the map, from lighting to textures, to architecture, are all too varied for their own good. The three themes could work well together I think but only in pairs: Quake & Natural, or Natural & Industrial, or Quake and Industrial. The triumvirate just doesn’t work however.
BUILD: 2.5
On the other hand it is a very well-constructed map. The BSP work is solid and almost everything matches up well. There was only one place at the top where a ramp meets a catwalk/walkway and at the point where they join, the ramp is elevated above the edge of the walkway.
The lifts work fine, the bots use them, and there’s a nice sound attached to them.
As for other ambient sounds, there isn’t much. There’s a fan sound near the fans and there are crickets in a few of the bottom ‘natural’ portions. Other than that there really wasn’t much other sound. The key to ambient sound is not only populating specific areas likes fans, but also to give the rest of the map an aural influence. Almost any place you go will have some kind of sound.
Overall it’s assembled very competently with the only real lacking aspect being sound usage.
CAST: 2.0
The gameplay brings out the best in this map. There’s plenty of z-axis for all involved and it’s a pleasure to drop down on unsuspecting bots and there’s plenty of opportunity for this. However, it did seem as if I was always jumping down on them. Due to the placement of the shield belt and flak cannon, the bots loved the central bottom area. They really only went upstairs to grab the damage amp, escape from a fight using a lift, or to grab the rocket launcher. Otherwise there was a flak pit of death down in the bottom. The shield belt placement is curious. Either the author placed it badly, as it’s easily accessible with no danger, or he tried to make the location dangerous by placing the flak cannon next to it. I’m not sure which. One oher problem with the shield belt placement was that the bots considered the chain-link wall closing off one side of the shield belt ‘room’ to be a valid path to it. I often caught a bot humping the fence trying to run through it to the shield belt.
The damage amp was placed nowhere special. There really should be a risk/reward for these kinds of pickups.
The rest of the pickup/weapon layout was decent enough and the flow between them was good.
One bad place, is that there’s a fenced-off section of the bottom portion that contains two trees. I was able to jump down into this from above. But there’s no way out that I could find. I had to suicide to get out.
Another problem was with the jumpads. It’s a nice tough to automatically pick up the thighpads when you use them but there was no clear destination for them. If you just let them propel you, you end up going up and down. They don’t project you onto any higher geometry. You have to steer yourself onto something. In the middle of a firefight, it’s difficult to remember to do this.
Overall the z-axis is really nice but some questionable superpickup placement and some bot issues bring it back down.
To sums things up, everything is mis-matched throughout the map. The textures conflict with each other, the lighting has every shade except purple, and the architecture/layout is wonky too. The z-axis gameplay is what makes this map fun, but you’l be left wondering what the heck kind of place this was meant to be. Download it for the z-axis but not for the visuals.
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| | | | Map Comments |
| ]OfC[Saint
12-22-2004 07:34 PM MST | Rating: 7.5 | | Very nice Dm, but the game flow is only so-so. The jump pads are cool and the textures felt a little quakish (which i like). Keep up the good work.
| Deathbliss
12-24-2004 01:00 AM MST | Rating: 7 | | This map has the worst skybox in the history of the Unreal series. Well at least as far as I can recall. Besides that it's unamimated - Bad Walm Bad! But the map is interesting, has some decent architecure, and the bots work. Lighting's not half bad either, but yes, flow is a bit clunky.
- Deathbliss
| Mister_Prophet
12-27-2004 02:15 AM MST | | "This map has the worst skybox in the history of the Unreal series. "
Nah I've made worse. Alot worse.
I downloaded this one along with a few others I haven't played yet. I'll get around to it:)
| Vertigo
12-31-2004 05:09 AM MST | | worst skybox ever? mmmmm it doesnt look so from the sshots. i'll take a look when i finish formating and reinstalling of my comp.
| Derdak2rot
01-01-2005 06:37 PM MST | Rating: 6.5 | | Well , nice map with good lighning and theme but in my opinion , archi is average , the author can do better when i see his others works . the skybox have been strangely worked ( strange brush ) , with no movements and bizarre textures . For me , the bad point is the grass texture ( could be better with a earth texture ). But in term of gameplay , this map is good , bothpathing have some little issues but its a good work . nice map in gereral !!
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