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Custom Map Reviews |
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USP-06, "Catacombs of Shia'dorle" by Jaunie and ZyntheticStoryWhat?...where? Just follow the path and find the exit to the next level. You start of in a deserted Nali catacomb, which is now inhabited by foes. You will find a way out of the catacombs, and travel through beautiful landscape, before encountering a Giant Gasbag that has to be defeated before you can move on.
Creatures and ItemsWeapons acquired: Automag, Stinger, ASMD. ArchitectureThe catacombs are made up of hallways and halls with basic, but effective design. Primarily subtracted cubes with additions that were added or most likely done in the 2d editor. A good example would be the wall mounted torch holders that fit the theme perfectly. Jaunie has added several touches that make her map stand out. For instance the stairway in the catacombs, and the door that marks the exit of the catacombs. Little “landmarks” that make you remember the map. The map naturally bears a striking resemblance to Usp-05, and what was said about terrain in that review would also be fitting here. In case you haven’t read it: why make it difficult for yourself when the easy way works just as well! TexturingThis map is not easy to get a grip on. First of all, it has beautiful texturing in the catacombs, with textures from ForsakenT.utx, WOTdetail.utx and others. All perfectly aligned and scaled, and oozing atmosphere from every pixel. LightingGood use of variation in “natural colours”. By that I mean blue light coming from the crack in the roof, green(ish) light near water and mountain sides etc. The use of lightning that appeared to be coming from different angles and direction did wonders for the atmosphere and had me just standing and staring for quite a while. All in all the authors have succeeded in creating the illusion of a rainy, cloudy evening. I’m a bit puzzled why they didn’t change the skybox like they did in Usp-05 since the two are so clearly connected, but hey, why change it if it works.
SoundLike her previous map, this one comes to life through the use of ambient and dynamic ambient sounds. The Author(s) seem to be talented with sound, and knows what to have where in order to raise the level one notch above ordinary. Using a dynamic ambient sound actors combined with random lightning and thunder effects adds to the player’s experience. 74 sound actors in a medium sized map should give you an idea. Technical ExecutionAn average map. Good job using dynamic ambient sounds and the combination of rain/lightning/thunder effects help lift the map. Unfortunately there are some minor and a couple of major flaws. The major ones are mentioned before, and the minor ones consist of some sloppy build factors. Originally there was not much in this map that was actually on grid, which must have been hell when trying to correct build errors, but this won’t be noticeable for the average player. GameplayNo hard fights or real challenges, but the Giant Gasbag near the exit while have you sweating for a while if you are not prepared. Not much to do besides throwing a switch to get the elevator moving, but I strongly suspect that Jaunie’s original intent was to make a map where atmosphere and interesting locations should be more important than puzzle solving and insane fighting. This approach would seem fitting considering that there are still 10 more maps to play in the pack. Overall EffectMore of a looker than a player would probably sum things up. All in all a very enjoyable experience if you are not in a gung-ho sort of mood.
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