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USP-12, "Triskaden Station" by HellscragStoryAnother entirely new map for Deja Vu 2.0. There were high hopes and expectations for this map. It was announced earlier this year (2004) and screenshots/ideas were leaked to get the crowds going. Does it live up to the hype? You find yourself inside a fully operational Skaarj base, which is partially sealed off in fear of a Mercenary attack. Finding a way out might not be a bad idea.
Creatures and ItemsWeapons acquired: Automag, Stinger, ASMD, Eightball Gun, Flak Cannon, Razorjack, GES Biorifle. ArchitectureHellscrag has gone high poly this time…really high poly! Running “stat fps” we discovered two areas exceeding 1400 polys, and noted a map record at over 1600 polys during normal gameplay (yes we have screens). What this means in plain English, is that NASA wouldn’t have been able to run this map back in 1998. Well, thank Somana we’ve come along way since then, and these days most people should be able to run it just fine. If you are one of those that are still using a below 1 ghz processor, with a shortage of ram and an old graphics card, well, all we can say is: your loss! You will not be able to run this smoothly.
The architecture is fantastically detailed and whenever you actually do run into something that resembles a cube, you just have to stop and stare because it just doesn’t fit into the map! We have noticed that some mappers have a tendency to forget the areas that are not in plain view for the player, or areas that are unreachable without cheating. Well in this map all areas have been taken care off. Ghosting trough the map gives you a clue of the detail put into the Triskaden station. TexturingThe map primarily uses the Skaarj texture set, with GenEarth for terrain. Like Entry to Triskaden, this to feels very familiar for the average Unreal Player. No big surprises, but great care has been taken when texturing the base, and the result looks convincing. The map has undergone a frantic search for unaligned textures, but so far we’ve only been able to spot a couple of small ones. The most noticeable being the ceiling in the small corridor just before you enter the glass hallway. Some of the textures look their age, and we can’t help wondering how Triskaden would have really come to life with more up to date textures. LightingThis is probably where the map “outshines” the other indoor maps. Lighting is brilliantly done, and Hellscrag is not afraid to experiment with colours for fresh and jaw dropping results. Light radius and proper sourcing seem to be two particular strong points and you can cut the atmosphere with a knife. There is not much else to say really. Thumbs up! Way up!
Sound123 ambient sound actors set the standard for this map. In terms of sound usage it is not a loud map where everything is happening at once, but ambient sounds are spread out and gives you time to reflect more on what it is that you are actually hearing. The combination of sounds when you trigger a panel is quite effective in the sense that it makes you run for cover thinking all hell just broke loose. Technical ExecutionWell, what is one to expect from a man who gathers technical information, and level design tips, and adds it on his website? Studying the Triskaden station in the editor has been a time consuming job. From what we can see (and experience) the technical execution of the map is at a high level. GameplayA highly memorable playing experience that was needed in the Deja Vu 2.0 project. Basically it’s a “find a switch to open a door” map, and like all the maps in DV2.0, the goal of the map is to find a route from a to b, so that you can progress to the next level. It is among the tougher maps in the pack, and will have you staring at floor if you are not ready for it. In some areas Hellscrag has used Skaarj Berserkers when playing on hard or Unreal, and Scouts when playing on easy or medium. Small touches like these gives the map a high replay value. We would also dare to say that this is Hellscrag’s best map to date. Yes, we have played The Landing, Tashara’s cove and so on... Overall EffectThis one sticks out as a contender for the best map award, and is definitely among the top 5 maps of the pack. Due to the way it’s built it does rely on the player having a reasonable computer, but that should not be held against it. In two years time we’re probably all using 6 ghz pc’s anyways.
Our guess would be that this map will stay in your memory for quite sometime, regardless of what style of maps you are usually inclined to play.
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