UnrealSP.Org 8th Anniversary Speedmapping Contest - Fifth Place

Fifth Place: "Phoenix Rising" by Sarevok

Shivaxi

A very nice piece of work here from a mapper I have never heard of. Phoenix Rising is a nice semi-original map that definitely has some thought put behind it.

The snow theme for the first map was done excellently, even included with snow bunnies! The geometry indoors and out was superb. Architecture was nice, and terrain flowed very smoothly with some impressive custom textures and texture alignment. There were some BSP errors here and there, but nothing that forced the player to ghost or fly. The return map was also well done, with the entire snow theme changed to a summer time theme. However I believe this map's downfall was ultimately its gameplay and shortness of it all.

The gameplay was alright at first, with some average weapons and average monsters, but it simply repeated itself for the next level. And since the second level was the first level in a different time zone, there was no more exploration factor to account for. (However the Nali War Cow joke behind the windmill was hilarious! Props to that one mate.) The boss fight was a bit predictable through translator messages describing the 4 elements who guarded the artifact. However I expected to have to kill the guardians first, THEN destroy the artifact... not the other way around. Isn't that what GUARDIANS are meant for? lol. Despite the backwards scenario and slightly dull game play, I felt this map was quite good overall, and would definitely recommend anyone to give it a go.

7/10

UBerserker

I'd consider Sarevok's work, of two maps, to be unfinished. It has a very nice concept though: you are raised from the dead by a Nali ghost and, from what I understand, you have to go back in time to defeat certain entities and escape the place. No more details are supplied on the story, though, which keeps the player confused. Since you go back in time within the same place, this means you have to beat two similar maps. I've nothing against it: it's cool, but you'll already know the layout.

The build is the weakest part of the maps. Most disappointing is the outdoor section. Terrain is fairly good, but the lighting is steady and repetitive; even worse in the second map which is almost unlit, same for the re-texturing work. Lastly, there's a serious lack of detail. Better are the indoor areas, which blow the hell out of the outdoor ones.

I didn't notice any bugs, but one area at the beginning has a position, with stuff that you need like the Chainsaw, in which you'll get stuck. Sound is mediocre to fairly average; nice use of some dynamic sounds, but Colossus.umx was a bad choice as it didn't fit at all.

The gameplay is hit and miss. You have to use a more careful approach: you have limited armoury and health. Enemies are Skaarj, Mercenaries and Spinners. You have enough ammo to kill them all, otherwise, you're left with the Chainsaw. While it is even more horrible than a Minigun in Single Player, it works against Mercenaries. To get the upper hand against the opposition, you should explore everything and not rush into things.

You fight with an awkward combination of Unreal and never-fitting Unreal Tournament weapons, including a beefed-up Quadshot from the Seven Bullets mod. There are enough items scattered around, but there's a lack of health, and maybe ammo too; you may have to save the ammo for the tough bosses. They are frustrating to many players, but making use of those infinite Jumpboots will save your life - once you work out what to do with them.

The two maps are incredibly short anyway; only the battles take any time. At the ending, you may ask "that's it?". The author didn't have time to polish the two maps. Aside from the nice gameplay, everything is far from finished, and levels lack personality.

Sad, but the time-travelling thing is still a strong and interesting point. I really want to see Phoenix Rising being fixed for the compilation release.

4/10

zbreaker

Ahhh... Sarevok... the author's name stirs interest. Nice Ancient themed work reminding one of the original Unreal... can't wait to play this one! Well...

A lot remains to be desired with this speedmapping entry from an author of such renown.

First of all... the build... it's good, granted, but hardly anything special. It cries out "Sarevok", but a restrained cry at best. Outdoor area terrain is nice, and the switcheroo of time is indeed a nice twist. The gameplay however is not very good at all. Conflicts are sporadic and fairly boring. Progression is puzzling... as I searched for the Translator in vain, only to go back to the beginning and be unable to rejoin the map proper without cheating. Limited scripting provides some spice but not enough to make up for the other rough areas. The ending quite honestly... well stinks.

Overall...one would expect more...much more from the author.

6/10

Hellscrag

A curious entry from Sarevok. The action takes place around a small area of terrain, a distinctive windmill and a couple of temple structures. All of these are nicely designed. Sarevok also had the brainwave of making the player visit the same place in two different time zones, in which the place looks radically different, thereby getting good value out of his six weeks' mappage. However, there are several problems that serve to drag the end result down. Ambient sounds are scarce, leaving a few dubiously chosen music tracks to carry the atmosphere. The player's essential supplies are located in a semi-hidden location at the start of the first map that I'm not even sure it's possible to get back from (I'm told it is possible, but if so it's far from obvious). The weapons provided are often ill-suited to the combat scenarios, notably the Chainsaw used as the sidearm in a map that features Skaarj in large, open outdoor areas. The provision of ammo and armour, meanwhile, doesn't correspond to the locations of the map's key fight scenes, which include large squads of Mercenaries. Custom content is drawn from a huge number of different sources, resulting in 12 supporting packages and a 25MB download for a very short SP experience, to comparatively little gain.

The final fight, while gimmicky, is at least more reasonable from a combat standpoint, as the player is given the opportunity to use the geometry to their advantage.

This release would probably benefit from a lot more testing, which I understand Sarevok had little time left to do. With better-chosen music, more sounds and more balanced combat it could be a nice little release. The final version of this release should also be revised to include Easy and Hard difficulty settings, as the present configuration for Medium or Unreal only doesn't really offer the player adequate choice.

5/10