Scout-kun is a lie... right?

16/02/2015 - "Temple of Gazra" by Eater

Each week a single map is discussed here in detail.

Moderators: Semfry, Sat42, Jigoku, UB_

User avatar Semfry
Trustee Member Trustee Member
Posts: 2068
Joined: 12 Nov 2007, 02:43
Location: UK
Contact:

Subject: 16/02/2015 - "Temple of Gazra" by Eater

Post Posted: 16 Feb 2015, 13:44

Map Title: Temple of Gazra
Author: Sergey 'Eater' Levin
From: Nali Chronicles
Filename: nclevel020.unr




Video Playthrough:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aUTkvU-cwU

Synopsis: You end up back at the Temple of Gazra from the start of your adventure. It is now a hideout for the Nali resistance, and the Skaarj are on their way...

Discuss!
Formerly Mman

User avatar SteadZ
Skaarj Warlord Skaarj Warlord
Posts: 883
Joined: 04 Mar 2012, 10:52
Location: An error occurred. Please try again later.
Contact:

Subject: Re: 16/02/2015 - "Temple of Gazra" by Eater

Post Posted: 16 Feb 2015, 15:38

Always thought it was really cool how you come full circle in Nali Chronicles and how it turns out that Nyleve's Falls were just around the corner from your Village.

It would have been nice though if people you'd met on your journey were there though, from all the villages you'd passed through, some friendly faces to wish you well on your way into the final stretch.

There's something very special about Nali Chronicles that no other Single Player Campaign has managed to capture for me - and that's what truly makes it unique :)

.......
SZ
.......
Image

User avatar Jigoku
Skaarj Warlord Skaarj Warlord
Posts: 959
Joined: 03 Dec 2010, 00:51
Location: The Backrooms
Contact:

Subject: Re: 16/02/2015 - "Temple of Gazra" by Eater

Post Posted: 16 Feb 2015, 23:44

I still need to play Nali Chronicles yet...
Trying to get back into the swing of things.

User avatar Semfry
Trustee Member Trustee Member
Posts: 2068
Joined: 12 Nov 2007, 02:43
Location: UK
Contact:

Subject: Re: 16/02/2015 - "Temple of Gazra" by Eater

Post Posted: 17 Feb 2015, 18:01

I had to use god mode because if you're not levelled up into death incarnate at this point, like you normally are, it's basically luck how ridiculous the odds of the final fight here gets, and I got unlucky.

I like the idea of bringing things around to the start again, but I feel a little more could have been done with the structure, like bringing back some earlier characters and extending the level so you open up some sort of safety for the Nali here before beginning your final attack rather than just leaving them. The amount of Skaarj also feels slightly much given it starts to harm performance (the performance of this level seems oddly low in general, but I guess the amount of models somewhat explains it), even if annihilating a whole corridor of them in a few spells is pretty funny, if seemingly going outside the narrative that you're outmatched.
Formerly Mman

User avatar Mister_Prophet
Red Nemesis Leader Red Nemesis Leader
Posts: 3098
Joined: 11 Nov 2007, 23:30
Location: Lost in Oraghar

Subject: Re: 16/02/2015 - "Temple of Gazra" by Eater

Post Posted: 17 Feb 2015, 18:34

I was always torn with this one.

On one hand it's an exemplary narrative level and probably one of, of not the best, in terms of presenting Nali as revolutionaries. The base here with the appropriated Skaarj/alien tech, the active training grounds, and the interesting custom skins for some of the Nali was always really cool to me. The design of the place is a bit cramped but many details were used to enrich the physical space these Nali actually live in.

On the other hand, the map suffers from some of Nali Chronicles more awkward combat scenarios. As said, the place is cramped, and there are a few essential lifts that can even be hard to stand on and ride without error due to close proximity to things. The way the Skaarj just flow into the room is just strange, also given how you have to fire through them in such a claustrophobic way turns what should have been an epic raid into Unreal AI glitch hackery.

It's a thing about NC that isn't limited to just this map and I'd very much like to pick a team member's brain about it if there were any active ones still on the forum. I just see it a lot in NC...too much of NC. I think of battles in this campaign and I think of a series of doorway and tight hallway skirmishes where the Unreal AI is reduced to spam bottle-necking and the very agile Unreal player is denied at nearly every opportunity to let loose with cool magic spells with the mother game's mobility intact. Instead, we have to fire off these spells whilst running backward for the only unfilled corner of every nook the battles take place in and hope we kill them all quickly with the first or second blast. In most cases it turns strategy and skill into chance. And it's entirely a level design choice.

Also, yeah the slowdown. MMAN, I think this happens more because of the Nali and not the Skaarj, though together this is probably more likely why. You have a bunch of Skaarj entering a room where a bunch of (bots) are shooting infinite arrows that are usually missing and leaving mesh forests on ledges.

User avatar Sat42
Skaarj Warlord Skaarj Warlord
Posts: 865
Joined: 14 Jul 2013, 16:42
Contact:

Subject: Re: 16/02/2015 - "Temple of Gazra" by Eater

Post Posted: 21 Feb 2015, 11:36

Still a great level. As already stated, an exemplary narrative level and I still remember how the Elder's last words touched me... even though I wasn't yet sure of exactly what they meant. I agree it stands out more as a story map than a gameplay one, but even with all your powers available I actually had to reload once, since the cramped nature of the fighting meant I got cornered all of a sudden (after that, I just used the Shadow spell all the time). Average in difficulty because of that, but short and yet memorable, as the level sets in motion the last movement of Nali Chronicles.
Nali: Magic or Telekinesis
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.

UB_
Nali Priest Nali Priest
Posts: 7960
Joined: 11 Nov 2007, 21:00

Subject: Re: 16/02/2015 - "Temple of Gazra" by Eater

Post Posted: 22 Feb 2015, 21:05

The Skaarj battle turns into one huge cramped clusterfuck but by that point you're practically invincible. Music is amazing, though.
ImageImage


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 25 guests

Copyright © 2001-2024 UnrealSP.org

Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Limited