DM-Bloodchurn
Map Info
	File Name dm-bloodchurn.zip Author xenkronos Gametype UT2k4 Deathmatch Date Added 01-04-2005 File Version 1.00 File Size 2.07 mb Player Count 2 - 6 Map Description None Review Rating 4.5 User Rating 5.5 Overall Rating 5.5
Review
Reviewer Ironblayde Awe Score:  1.0/3 Date 03-21-2006 Build Score:  1.5/3 Review Schema Cast Score:  2.0/3 User Point:  +1 Overall Score:  5.5/10 AWE: 1.0 If this map had been released for the original UT, its visuals would have been decent, if unremarkable. By the standards of UT2004 it's extremely dated, constructed almost entirely out of BSP geometry with few static meshes to be seen. Even the bit of decorative terrain is BSP-based! Still, what's here isn't bad at all. The author has done a fair amount of trimming (with some conspicuous exceptions) and some decorative work; the architecture does go beyond pure utilitarianism, it just doesn't go nearly as far as we've all come to expect. For textures the author has stuck almost exclusively to the X_cp_Evil packs for that dirty tech look, so there is a consistent theme here, which is a point in its favor. I wish the author had paid more attention to alignment, but aside from that (and the occasional ugly texture), it's decent for a BSP-based level. The lighting's very bland, and the way the light fixtures are constructed is typically not very attractive. Taking a texture that represents a light source and just sticking it on a wall, on the ceiling, or especially on the floor looks pretty bad. Having lights mounted on extremely thin squares supported by improbably narrow beams doesn't work either. As for the lighting itself, it's mostly white, and most of the lights are low-brightness, high-radius actors so they all merge together until you can't tell what's coming from where. The lighting adds nothing to the map's visual appeal; it merely exists so you can see where you're going. At least it doesn't detract from the visuals, but that's the best I can say about it. BUILD: 1.5 Given the map's simplicity there's not a whole lot to see here, but the brushwork is excellent, very efficient and perfectly aligned. Zoning, too, works just like it should. The movers work correctly and don't stay open too long, which I was glad to see since I'm always complaining about that. The only oversight here, really, is the lack of BlockingVolumes. Within the main area of the map they're really not needed, as the geometry is so simple that there's rarely anything sticking out to get stuck on. But at the very least, the author should have blocked off those parts of the map that are exposed to the sky. There are quite a few places where an unscrupulous bastard like me can shield-jump outside the intended playable area of the map, sniping at other players or messing up a game of Last Man Standing. It's a minor detail, though. The author's bot pathing is competent, though perhaps a bit on the simple side. There are quite a few places where a double jump will save you a little time or get you some powerups, but the author hasn't pathed the jumps so the bots can't use them. Though the author did include a nice lift-jump for the Shield Pack, which was a good thought. And even without the rest of those jump paths, the bots do quite well and will put up a good fight for you offline players. CAST: 2.0 The readme.txt file distributed with this map says that the map "concentrated purely on gameplay and not visuals." I've read the same comment in countless other readmes, and almost invariably, what it really means is, "I'm a complete idiot who thinks that a map's gameplay value is directly proportional to the number of Redeemers it contains." So I was fully expecting this map to suck. But amazingly, it doesn't. Xenkronos seems to be that rarity, a mapper who actually knows what he's doing but just didn't care about filling in the visual details. DM-Bloodchurn is a relatively small, well-connected, multi-tiered deathmatch arena. The author did a really nice job on the layout. It wraps around and feeds into itself everywhere and feels completely natural as it does so. It's the kind of floor plan that's easy to take for granted, since it facilitates smooth gameplay and never gets in the way, but is pretty hard to get right. Item placement is about average, I'd say. It works, but there are a number of things I would have changed. The more powerful weapons should have been spread out more. In particular, if you grab the Shock Rifle and turn to one side, the Flak Cannon and Super Shield Pack are both right below you. There are quite a few instances of ammo packs sitting on dead-end ledges or other places just far enough outside a player's usual path through the map to make collecting them a slight annoyance. The only ammo for the Bio-Rifle is a kind of awkward spot, atop a stack of crates that's a fair distance away from the gun, where the bots can't reach it. And I'm not crazy about the placement of the Super Shield Pack and the Double Damage, either. They're on opposite ends of the map, which is good, but I think they're a little too easy to grab. Maybe it's just me. One last thing I'll point out is that the map's five PlayerStarts don't always point you in the direction of the nearest weapon, so make sure you fly around the map a bit and figure out where everything is first, otherwise when you start playing it may seem like there are fewer weapons available than there really are. I was getting my butt kicked when I first started testing this map, but got better quickly once I realized that goodies were often closer at hand than I thought. FINAL SCORE: 4.5 Don't be too put off by the modest score; the gameplay is above average, but the score is dragged down by the map's underwhelming appearance and simple construction. DM-Bloodchurn is worth a look if you want a solid deathmatch and don't care too much about all the graphical trappings. The author doesn't have any other maps listed here at NC, but a lot of things I noticed while reviewing this make me wonder if he doesn't have mapping experience from the heyday of UT99, and just didn't want to learn all the extra stuff that the newer engine can do. It would be interesting to see what he'd come up with if he put more effort into the presentation instead of focusing exclusively on gameplay.
Map Comments
Kantham 01-04-2005 05:29 PM MST   why i was thinking about Bloodgulch ? Slainchild 01-04-2005 07:37 PM MST Rating: 7   I was thinking bloodrun... Edit: Ok, played it and here is what I think: Very cool, for starters, it has a definate Quake3 feel to it. Could be because of the good flow and smooth, correctly aligned texturing throughout. However, there are hardly any static-meshes and nearly all the detail is made from CSG. Which is not a totally bad thing, it shows a good understanding of how the editor works and how to build a good base for a map(anyone can fill a few cubes with meshes). Although this does work for the most part, the map does look a tad boring in places and it would have been nice to see a few statics here and there. Other minor things: One of the staircases (the one near the 100A) leads up into a ledge, and not an open floor section. That may annoy some people trying to dodge away from the top of the stairs to find cover. The sounds used for the lifts are fairly nails-down-a-blackboard in sound, which stands out; good if you want to be able to know where the enemy is, but not very well executed because they all sound the same...leading to more confusion as there are so many. Some parts were a bit tighter than others e.g the lift shafts, meaning less room to manouver. Other than those few notes, i'd say its a very good map overall, with a good flow, good theme and fun gameplay. I would have given it 8 or maybe 8.5, but there are hardly any meshes and thats a big factor when making a succesfull UT2004 map. xenkronos 01-05-2005 01:53 PM MST   cheers for the comment, much appreciated mrgroovy 01-28-2005 03:47 PM MST Rating: 6.5   Nice map :) i like the layout, much layers its cool and plays great T0mbr41d3r 02-02-2005 11:08 AM MST Rating: 3.5   YAWN.....oldschool Manticore 03-22-2006 03:20 AM MST Rating: 5.5   I agree that it has a Quake 3 tech feel. As far as the construction goes the lighting is underdone and the lifts, although they work well, don't look fantastic. On the upside: distances between ledges are good for jumpin' around and the z-axis play is o.k. An average map which shows promise.... Turns2Ashes 03-22-2006 04:38 AM MST Rating: 5.5   Yup, I got the Q3 vibe as well. Decent map with pretty good cramped gameplay. Wish you couldn't just hop out the top of the map with your shield gun though.