Shieldgun Map Pack
Map Info
	File Name shieldpack.zip Author Slainchild & Catdaemon Gametype UT2k4 Other Date Added 03-04-2005 File Version 1.00 File Size 4.13 mb Player Count 2-8 Map Description A unique collection of 4 small maps Punji Roflchopter Spaceduel Windtunnel All of the maps include code that gives you a shieldgun that deals no damage to your opponents or yourself. To get points, you must push your opponent into the (rather obvious) trap. I have no idea where the idea came from, but the maps are pretty good fun if you like your shieldgun and/or your opponents being introduced to big nasty traps! Review Rating 4 User Rating 7.5 Overall Rating 5.0
Review
Reviewer Ice-Dancer Awe Score:  1.5/3 Date 03-20-2005 Build Score:  0.5/3 Review Schema Cast Score:  2.0/3 User Point:  +1 Overall Score:  5.0/10 Shieldgun Map Pack by Slainchild & Catdaemon Well, let me say before I get any further into this review, this is the type of thing that you either of love or hate. The concept is really cool, however, the maps for it, aren’t that brilliant. Here we go! Basically, in these 4 maps, you and your opponents are equipped with nothing but a shield gun. This shield gun, does no damage to yourself or to your opponents, just the normal push. The idea of it all, is to push your opponents into the various traps or off the map in the case of the space one. Lets Get It Started Already! DM-SG-Punji This one is the map that looks the coolest, architecturally speaking, its pretty basic, cubes mostly, and static meshes, oh yes, lots of static meshes, if you have a slow computer, this is going to probably play awful. If you got the goods however, it’s not a bad map out of the pack. There are spikes all over the walls, and the idea is to push your opponents off 1 of the 5 pillars, and into the walls or floor where they will be spiked. Lighting in this map is average, a bit of fog, a light source (the sky). Textures convey the theme well, with the theme being “some pit in the desert with waaay too many spikes in itâ€�, its not much of a challenge for the textures to show the theme. My first impression was that it was a nice looking map. However, once I began to play it, the gameplay was, as with most of these maps, repetitive. One of my main complaints in this map is that you can be knocked flying into the spikes by a bot before you have even respawned as the bots are jumping from pillar to pillar (actually, they normally only manage 2 pillars, but I will come to that later) they knock you off before you have a chance to move. You have to be good with your movements for this map, jumping from pillar to pillar can easily leave you on the floor, impaled by one of the however many spikes. The bots, are another place where this map falls down. The bots in this map will either sit on the pillar they spawned on. Throw themselves into whatever spike takes their fancy, or jump from one pillar to another, and then back again. Obviously the whole of this mappack would play a lot better online, than with bots, but that’s not what its being rated on here. This is one of the better looking maps in the pack, and has a nicer concept, but it has very little playability offline, as the bots just seem to refuse to come near you, or kill you before you have had a chance to move from where you spawned. DM-SG-Roflchopter ROFLCHOPTER!!!111!!one!111 No. Seriously, I have no idea what this maps about, but anyways…You are in some kindof hellish room, the usual evil style theme, you fight on a silver circular platform (which on my PC gives off some weird visual effects) and attempt to knock your opponent(s) off the circular disc into the really wtf-tacular spinning choppering things below. Well, architecture is basic here again, square room. Texturing is nothing special, lighting is well..umm…red? Theme is Hell or whatever. Bots…well…they work Playability on this one is average, its one of the more playable maps, but visually and conceptually, well, it’s not the coldest snowflake in the air! DM-SG-Spaceduel This map is my favourite in the pack, visuals are basic, but the skybox is beautiful, especially as you get to see so much of it. You are in space. On a square platform, with some kindof afterburner thing happening underneath the platform (you see this part when you get knocked off). There are 2 hovering things floating up and down on either side of the platform, with some blue fire/particles coming out of them, which sometimes have a gap in the blue flame or whatever it is, but really, you won’t see that unless you are taking your eyes of your opponents too much. Playability wise, this map is best. No BS, just plain simple push your opponent off the edge into space where he/she/it dies. Bots do well enough on this map, the map is set to 3 players default, so you normally get 2 of them chasing after you, annoyingly, they forget about each other and go after you sometimes. If you want visuals, this map is cool, only the skybox, as I mentioned earlier, is worth a look at, but as that is pretty much the only thing to look at... If you are looking for uber architecture, knock knock, sorry, none home. But in a map like this where the idea is simply to push your opponent off the edge, architecture would probably only get in the way or distract you. DM-SG-Windtunnel This map has a cool idea, you have to push yourself along to get to your opponents as well as to push them either up or down to the fans at the bottom which will slice them up. There’s just one problem with this map. It sucks. The bots will not move at all, even after you have pushed them. They just sit where they spawned, or float. Also, there is hardly anything to push yourself off, especially as most of the time you want to go up or down. Architecturally and visually, there’s nothing to see here, move along. Gameplay is non existent because of the problems stated above. This map could have been cool, and was an interesting take on the idea the rest of the pack contains, unfortunately it didn’t come off right. The Ice Cold Truth Well, this mappack has a brilliant idea contained inside it, unfortunately the maps are not good. Some of them are ok, but not great, it would be really nice to see a version 2 of this idea, using the same shieldgun, but with different maps. This is cool enough to be a whole new gametype, but not with the state these maps are currently in. If I where to rate this mappack on coolness of idea, it would get a high score, but I’m rating it on the maps. Also, as I said in one of the map reviews, if I was reviewing how playable it was online, it would also get a high score, but it is being rated here as to how it plays with bots. Well, I said you will either love it or hate it, go and find out :) Final Scores – AWE - 1.5 BUILD – 0.5 CAST – 2.0
Map Comments
Nautilus Echoes 03-22-2005 10:09 PM MST Rating: 10   Note:There is a bug where the bots will jump off into space or in roflchopter into the blades when you fall off. Note: In the punji level the bots can sometimes get stuck jumping around. Note:In the windtunnel level the bots just sit around. Note:This Map pack kicks @$$!!!! Note: I would love to join your mapping team. Note: It's 2005 baby!! Note: Note: Means that it is a different topic/ comment **edit**-> I forgot to mention that the windtunnel level rocks offline!! it is so much fun... the reviewer doesn't understand it's all about balance!! go to the wall and point your sheild gun at a certain angle to move around, then push the bots into the blades when you reach them, sometimes i even accidentally knocked myself into them, the reviewer didn't play it for 2 or 3 hours like i did :P YOU HAVE TO THINK AND BE PATIENT!! EDIT AGAIN:::::::::::I REQUESTED THIS REVIEW BECAUSE THESE ARE GREAT MAPS, EVEN THOUGH SOME PEOPLE DISAGREE, I KNOW THEY'RE NOT PRETTY AND THEY ARE MOSTLY BORING BUT THEY CAN BE GREAT FUN IF YOU PONDER HOW THE THOUGHTS HAVE GONE GREATLY INTO THIS!! Slainchild 03-20-2005 05:19 PM MST   Omg, who requested a review for this? :P Lol, thanks anyway! Kantham 03-20-2005 05:25 PM MST Rating: 7   that's a good idea , but forget the bots in the no grav on No damage shield gun = OMG HAX! souldividersjosz 03-21-2005 05:44 AM MST Rating: 5.5   Would IceDancer review if I said I was working on a second volume of this madness? :) I liked the concept more than the maps, very true, so that's why I am making some maps to support the concept. Ice-Dancer 03-21-2005 12:07 PM MST   souldividersjosz, indeed i would! i really enjoyed reviewing these, i just find it a pity that in the end i had to score it low because of the maps, while the overall gametype is cool, but i would love to see some decent maps following the same gamestyle...so yes Please! :) SirTahngarth 03-21-2005 08:30 PM MST   I think it would be better just to release a mutator that does what these maps do. I remember a gametype for Star Trek Voyager Elite Force called "Pinball" and basically all weapon damage was turned off, but you would push people around with the weapons (all weapons not just your starting weapon) and could only score by pushing them into a bottomless pit, hazard, or make them crater. It worked well with the many outer space maps in the game. Catdaemon 03-23-2005 04:32 AM MST   Thanks for the comments guys. Incase you didnt notice, the .u file contains a mutator. it will come in your list as "loolz" or some BS like that :p We simply embedded the mutator into our maps, as can be seen in ONS-Tricky with the stunt vehicles mut. You must add this mutator to your editpackages to be able to do this. Feel free to use my mutator in your maps, just give credit.