Moderators: Semfry, Sat42, Jigoku, UB_
It's sometimes bizarre going from the EXU2 versions of Unreal levels to the original ones.editor Dave wrote:The G59 version of this map got stuck in my head rather than the original one, because youll remember every corner if you fight through the masses of monsters which are positioned in every possible way.
Sat42 wrote:Bounds of Foundry is, in my humble opinion, one of the best maps from RTNP. Yeah, it is this:
and this:Mister_Prophet wrote: Definitely more of a nostalgic 90s shooter level.
and I agree with both Semfry and MMU about having Bounds of Foundry as a personal favourite industrial level in Unreal/RTNP.Semfry wrote:It's more of a pure gameplay map than a story/immersion one but I think it's one of those that does it very well.
I'm not even that much interested about gameplay flow usually. Immersive worlds and good storylines are typically what keeps me hooked.
But here the level is just cool and fun - and in fact, though the story gets thrown out of the window (but yes, that is a recurrent problem in the second half of RTNP), I find the map itself to be immersive as an environment. And that is helped by the awesome music. I think Mister_Prophet mostly said it all:
I actually found this map to be quite hard back then (I died a few times and had to think a couple of times about how to proceed), and it also managed to give me a few frights (in particular, the build-up to the miniboss and the miniboss itself were scary). The level was also a long play the first time round (over an hour). Last time I played it, the level still managed to provide a jump scare with those Pupae ambushing you, and the atmosphere remained great but it was otherwise easy and short (half an hour without rushing). The previous map is harder.Mister_Prophet wrote: What I like about the level are the Skaarj battles and placements and the openess of the layout. A lot of rooms and high points peer into other locations and backtracking is interestingly employed. A lot of seemingly normal rooms are made awe inspiring by how they are constructed for gameplay, with platforms that hide pupae beneath them, Skaarj on top, and in large part how architecture is not just placed but used and touched by the player. A good compliment of enemies can be encountered. There's a lot to do and nothing is wasted. The use of the Toxin Suit allows for some hazardous exploration that Unreal seems to do sparingly. There's also the gameplay benefit of using the suit with the provided Bio Rifle for some more aggressive sludge slinging.
Lastly, the interactivity is high in this map. Windows that can be shot out, either on purpose or (as seen in the video) in the course of shootouts lend to a more dynamic experience. Also, using movers to destroy pieces of the environment was really cool at the time.
The map may seem a bit "normal" and taken for granted after first getting through all the other great official Unreal releases, but it prolongs the fun in a most serviceable way.
EDIT: and about the influence of CliffyB's style on custom maps, I'd add as a specific example that what strikes me most is DavidM's map The Warlock With The Gilded Claw V2.0, the second level of Peril on Mars. Play that and you won't even need to have played Bounds of Foundry more than once to recognise the CliffyB touch!
Waffnuffly wrote: It's tarydium-doped smoothies. Drunk by the player, I mean. The player is tripping balls. The whole game actually takes place in a large city and the player thinks he's on an alien world.
Agreed - and I'll add that such a design approach fits the game's engine and the specs of the time very well: not that you can't do things differently (Myscha...) but it helped to have well-defined, enclosed 3D spaces to make the experience run smoothly. Where DavidM most clearly broke that "maxim" might be in his Strange World: Part 6 map (he even acknowledges that in a not-so-subtle-way).Semfry wrote:In general I'd say that CliffyB's influence is quite noticeable in DavidM's maps; the pseudo-linear industrial style with a focus on gameplay set-pieces and a - for lack of a better word - "clean" design is one of the main themes throughout DavidM's releases.
Waffnuffly wrote: It's tarydium-doped smoothies. Drunk by the player, I mean. The player is tripping balls. The whole game actually takes place in a large city and the player thinks he's on an alien world.
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