CTF-Range
Map Info
	File Name ctf-range.zip Author Xiphon Gametype UT2k4 Capture The Flag Date Added 01-23-2005 File Version 1.00 File Size 3.96 mb Player Count 6-12 Map Description This ancient place is actually... not ancient at all. It's a movie set that got handed to the tournaments. It was designed to look ancient, but only the work of modern technology keeps it from collapsing in on itself. Review Rating 5.5 User Rating 7.5 Overall Rating 6.5
Review
Reviewer ArcadiaVincennes Awe Score:  2.0/3 Date 01-28-2005 Build Score:  1.5/3 Review Schema Cast Score:  2.0/3 User Point:  +1 Overall Score:  6.5/10 CTF-Range (UT2004) A curious CTF map on two mountaintops nestled above the clouds. The gameplay contains a nice mechanic that can be challenging and useful at the same time. AWE: 2.0 The texturing inside the bases is fairly good if a little too consistant. No obvious misalignents and well-chosen to work with the overall theme. The outside texturing on the BSP is good as well, although it is missing trim. The terrain texturing, on the other hand is really not so good. Most of the texturing is either stretched, sometimes very badly, or repetitive. I encourage the author to examine the XYZ properties of terrain texture layers in the terraininfo actor. Also, the author limited the terrain layers to a total of 4 and adding in more variation woud really have helped the map visually. The skybox is certainly quite creative. It’s quite eye-catching and really would have benefited from movement. Also, the line where the clouds and mountains meet would have looked better a little blurred. As it is, the mountains look like they’re sliced very cleanly by the clouds. The lighting is a mixed bag. The author placed beautiful emitters in arborea fixtures, however in the blue base they’re casting blue light, but the emitters are blue-green with more green than blue. The effect leads one to see a green light fixture casting blue light. The red base has emitters that are red and orange and cast red light. Although better than the blue, the lighting in the red base should have contained some orange to blend it with the emitter. Outside the bases the lighting is overly bright. I understand that most of the light would be quite bright at this altitude above the clouds, but there are some overbright spots on the terrain and BSP that could have been toned down. The architecture is mostly Gen Mo Kai but assembled curiously. I don’t quite know how to describe it but some of the static mesh/BSP assemblage looks quite nice and creates a nice theme, but there are other places where it looks ‘cobbled together’ as if the pieces don’t quite fit together. Not in the physical placement sense but in the visual theme sense. Overall it gives a fresh coat of Unreal to the Gen Mo Kai theme and is quite creative even if it doesn’t look quite right sometimes. In sum, there are a number of deficiencies with lighting and texturing but the setting, visual theme, and architecture bring the map back up to a fair level. And the skybox doesn’t hurt either. Build: 1.5 The build is satisfactory but not exemplary. The BSP is put together well however, I did see a double-brush application. The BSP is also zoned well but I was able to see things I should not have in rmode 1 when in a few zones. Perhaps the doubled-brush was causing this inconsistency. The author used absolutely no blocking volumes so the collision that comes on the meshes is what you’ll get. The movers worked well and were triggered well and the bots used them surprisingly well. The sounds attached to them were a little contrasting with the theme, however. The sounds were mostly metal-related and although I could see the track being metal, I couldn’t really believe that the platforms were made of metal. The ambient sounds filled every nook and cranny of the map outside but there weren’t many ‘localized’ sounds. They would have filled in the aural sea nicely. Something that was missing in terms of optimization was antiportals. The author could have used them to block off the backside of the mountains by placing them inside the mountains and thus negate entire sections from being rendered. The lack of blocking volumes and antiportals really took down the build on this one. Despite the movers and associated botpathing working well, and the adequate sounds, the potential to streamline the map was not reached. CAST: 2.0 The gameplay here is interesting with the 4 large movers providing transport across the chasm. Sometimes I found myself with the enemy flag waiting for the transports to come back. This doesn’t happen too often but provides an interesting challenge. On the other had, when a bot is waiting for a transport, it stand sin one place and waits – or stands in one place and fires at you if you’re on an approaching transport. This is a little wonky, but unavoidable. A larger problem with gameplay involves the lack of blocking volumes to smooth collision on the meshes. This causes the map to be ‘sticky’ especially inside where dodge-jumping will cause you to bang your head and stop on any of the many lights. The weapon layout is pretty good and the flow works as well – though perhaps not competitively. One downside to the flow is that the author clearly did not take into account the Xloc as it is far to easy to approach a base on a transport and then Xloc to the flag area without leaving the transport. Also, for those worried abut snipers, the author placed the mountains far enough apart that players on the fronts of the mountains will be exposed to sniper fire but they are far enough away that they are quite a small target – yet still large enough to hit. This was very well balanced. Each of the bases has a satisfactory z-axis value to it but on a mountaintop I would have expected z-axis opportunities to be more dramatic - but maybe that’s just me. CTF-Range is quite an interesting map with balanced sniper positions and a creative transport system. Its lighting, collision, FPS, and texturing may not be top notch, but the setting and gameplay make it worth enough to give it a try. CTF fans rejoice – here’s another one for you. Just don’t play it with the Xloc.
Map Comments
Lok 01-23-2005 09:58 PM MST Rating: 7   Damn nice sky , very original ... The game play too ... Nice job after all DarKGamer 01-28-2005 05:24 PM MST Rating: 9   This map is realy awesome! Bots are a little retarded but thats not the authors fault, it's the way the editor tends to path the bots for movers. Blue bots tend to just jump off, it's quite funny to watch. The details are amazing in this map, I couldn't see any major or minor graphic glitches. Xiphon again suprises me with his use of ambient sound, he is just an artist at using that stuff. The custom skybox really adds to the atmosphere as well. I really just love this map! This one definatly deserves you attention. Note: Unlike his previous attempt at movers in CTF-Metro, these ones DON'T dissappear in online play. They work quite well. [EDIT1]Hey guys, alot of you are passing up a REALLY great map! IF you d/l'd it and don't think so, post why and what can be done to fix it. G.Lecter 01-24-2005 12:53 PM MST Rating: 7   - Visuals are very nice. The skybox adds a lot to the theme. Terrain textures look really odd when I look down. - The idea is great, but it could be much better. Gameplay was not very good for me: It's just take the flag, jump on one mover, hide and wait, and taunt finally. The movers could have been more open to offer more battles and the posibility of switching them with the translocator. I feel the bases too cramped, it is very easy to be killed there... - There are not enough ambient sounds, so I miss music here... - Bots can play the map, but they had a little trouble, not the author's problem... Sure this will be funnier online... Xiphon 01-25-2005 01:08 PM MST   Kantham, you are credited for teaching me the technique to making custom skyboxes with bryce, you didn't make the sky yourself. You just told me how and I did the rest. I also tweeked the fog around the bottom a bit (moved the layers closer together). It details everything in the readme. Rouge Agent has also been credited for beta testing. Don't be giving yourselves more credit than what you actually did people. Manticore 10-22-2005 07:30 PM MDT Rating: 8   I'm not sure about the lighting but it's a novel little CTF map. The gameplay is not outsatnidn but I'll rate this just for the novelty and inventiveness that the mapper has shown in coming up with this idea..... ...... good job. Wesley "Boreas" van Dijk 10-22-2005 12:38 PM MDT Rating: 5.5   A few points of attention: - Playercount: -4 to 10. Stupid little error, but it messes up "use map defaults" on bot numbers. - Lighting is rather boring. - Easy captures. Even when you get sniped on the way back home, you can just respawn and wait for the flag to be moved to your base. - The fog on the bottom (really don't like the looks of it) What I did like: - At least you made something original - Pretty skybox - The bases (especially the top) look nice