DM-Neandertalus
Map Info
	File Name dm-neandertalus.zip Author Nathillien Gametype UT2k3 Deathmatch Date Added 02-22-2003 File Version 1.00 File Size 2.74 mb Player Count 0-9 Map Description None Review Rating 6.5 User Rating 7 Overall Rating 6.5
Review
Reviewer Qualthwar Awe Score:  2.0/3 Date 03-10-2003 Build Score:  2.5/3 Review Schema Cast Score:  2.0/3 User Point:  0 Overall Score:  6.5/10 If you enjoy battling it out in Tokara Forest, then you might like this map. It’s similar to Tokara in that you have all the catwalks and similar terrain, however, there seems to be a difference in gameplay. I don’t know about you, but I find myself gravitating to the forest floor in Tokara in search of game. The killin’ gets good there and I don’t hang around the walkways much. In this map, there seems to be no sweet spot. I played for a half hour and won by 2 points, then tried again for another half hour and won by 4 points. This map really seems to be more challenging than Tokara, which equals more fun. If you play with the recommended player count of 7-9, you’ll find yourself a little bored with chasing down people to kill in this big-ass place. The solution was to place 15 bots on the map with me, and even with 15 bots, I had time to breathe while I found a little hideaway here or there. If you have an older system, your framerates may suffer. I play with all the goodies checked and it ran smooth for me, but you might want to check your system specs against mine in my Reviews Profile. With 15 bots the gameplay got a lot better. I would be dead half the time before I figured out who all and where all they were shooting from. There really is that much stuff everywhere that you can become disoriented. By default, there is no low gravity on this map like there is on Tokara Forest. This added an element of danger on the catwalks. A fall could be fatal, and health seems to be in short supply quite often. There is a nuke, which I found flying around the map. You have to be strong and brave to go for it, for you’ll surely pay a toll. It’s up towards one of the sky openings where you’ll see the glowing bush.
Map Comments
Burner 02-22-2003 07:39 PM MST Rating: 8   Neandertalus is a map on a similar scale and style to tokara forest, with a few of the walkways cunningly borrowed from it. You can't help but notice a lot of time and effort has been put into this map, and has to the most part payed off. I wouldn't have minded a few more ways to get to the higher levels on this map, though. I found myself frequently on the ground looking for a jump pad, none of which take you very high. Overall an excellant map, we've all seen maps that cannot compete with this in terms of design and (more importantly) playability win ownage before. Definately worthy of your attention. 1/2LuNaTiC 02-22-2003 09:42 PM MST Rating: 6   I can tell lots of time has been put into this map but its playability is just boring. Its so huge its like the Zaxis you either have to snipe or knock someone around with the shock rifle which gets boring after a while. Basicly this map is huge. And too easy to get lost in since everything looks very similar. To make transportation easier and gameplay better this map should have been made into lowgravity since normal gravity just doesnt work well here. Now lighting is pretty boring too. White light syndrome :(. Tons of normal white lights makes everything look plain considering most of it looks the same. Final Note ========== This map just isnt "great." 0wnage it definately is not (neither are the majority of the maps that have made it so far) In the end you find your self running around in circles trying to figure out how to get somewhere and where the person is who is shooting you in the back. Ok map [morpheus] 02-23-2003 06:52 AM MST Rating: 6   The complexity itself is simply astonishing, magnificent, breath-taking. This has to be the most complex map I've ever seen. The mesh work is quite good, the openings in the cave ceiling are, again, breath-taking. However, the map is too large, too complex, making it hard to even find someone-the snipers and ASMD owners are in an advantage here(instagib could play nicely here though). The other things: except for those upper parts, the lights are white, white, white. Anyhow, the map leaves you with very mixed feelings. But it certainly is worth the download. 5.5 Morphias 02-23-2003 12:02 PM MST Rating: 6   A bit confused, but as I played more and found where I was, it was ok to play. Default bot count is a bit low for such a big map. The redeemer was tricky, and the hurting i took to get it was not funny. I will have to say, it' an odd looking map. Without my xFactor Mutator, the map was a bit boring thou. Gargorias 03-10-2003 07:47 PM MST Rating: 6   Taking ramp action to the extreme, way too many of them for my liking, too cluttered. The atmosphere is great though but it does lose the cave feeling once you have started playing. The map looks FANTASTIC but gameplay was way below par for me. I would have rated higher if it wasn't for all those ramps. Q: Why do some maps get reviewed way before others that are way ahead of them on the review request? Algus 03-10-2003 10:43 PM MST Rating: 6   Gameplay isn't bad, Though the layout confuses. Worth the download, though. storm 03-20-2003 12:56 AM MST Rating: 7   this map takes me back to ghost recon i like it jmbwi 03-26-2003 06:07 PM MST Rating: 6   This map leaves me with mixed feelings. I like maps with lots of z-axis which this map has. The theme of being in a cave is nicely excuted. On the downside, the map is very cluttered, which tends to overshadow the cave-like theme and inhibits some of the z-axis play. For all that DM-Neandertalus resembles DM-TokaraForest, I find the later to be more satisfying. SJAndrew 06-07-2003 01:21 AM MDT Rating: 8   What a gorgeous map! And, it plays very well. It's also the biggest map I've ever played. This can be good and bad. Good: - many places to run and hide - not much of a risk for suicide by getting caught in a small hallway Bad: - You had better have at least 15 players or a timer. The first time I played this, it was against 3 other players without a timer. The game ended in 1 hour 18 minutes! This is because of suicides from long falls and too little targets A simply gorgeous map with a great environment. I suggest three things: - play with the translocator enabled - play with at least 10 ooponents (or bots) - enable the timer with this map!!!!