22/04/2008 - "Titanian Temple" by EZkeel

[Darkon]

Map Title: Titanian Temple
Author: Simon West-Bulford (EZkeel)
From: Invasion
Filename: Invasion_2.unr
Playthrough: http://www.dailymotion.com/MMAN2/video/8714052



Synopsis: After crash landing in an escape pod on one of Sirius 9c's moons, you awake to find yourself being taken care of by the Nali. The task now is to find a way to get to Sirius 9c without your ship! (taken from invasion1-6.txt) Discuss!

[UB_]

The level's name sounds too funny yet ridicoulous a little.

I clearly remember this map in some way. You're just inside some kind of temple made out of tunnels, then you come out of it to go in this big courtyard with the pyramid in the middle.

The architecture is very mediocre. The courtyard is the best part. Now go and see the underwater part under it to experience large cube-shaped areas with some Slith. Hopefully there's a SCUBA Gear, but you still need to be fast.
The door which contains the boss has some pretty good movers.

Texturing is okay. Didn't find any weird thing, though the sky looks really plain.
Lighting is horrible, while sound... I don't remember about it.

Gameplay is mostly about killing Krall in the ground areas. Most of them give you a lot of problems because they are found in big groups. Fortunately there are a lot of Razor Blades and Rockets.
Although you can use the Razor Blades for those annoying Slith in the underwater tunnels - and I mention it, those tunnels are really annoying, due to their big size and oxygen problems you may run into - and the rockets for the Titan boss.

Titanian temple = Titan boss.
I don't remember how to activate it, but it is supposed to be the gong in the courtyard (see the pic). Now you assist in a StrangeWorld-like scene: the sky changed to an evil version and so the various light actors (a reddish colour if I remember well).
Then we have this big door (see the second pic, is the one on the right). Four bars move, and the central door opens. Titan is inside it. He's not really hard since you have a lot of cover and probably rockets.

I don't remember how the level ends, but I think the exit was inside a pyramid, probably some kind of portal...

Just another one of EzKeel's maps. No ****ing annoying Christian references here.

[Darkon]

I took the shot after the gong is present..
You need to kill the Krall first, then press the buttons on the piramid. Then the rocks explode off the gong I think.. you hit the gong and the door opens to the titan (with squid skin )

The underwater part.. it has a scuba gear somewhere, altho I don't remember if it was right at that part.. but it's cuby, yes.

It's pretty basic.. It has some nice touches, but.. some things just don't make sense .. like the underwater area that's so blocky. Could've been better IMO. I also got lost at some parts, because doors didn't open (behind the book shelves)...

[UB_]

titan (with squid skin )

Damn, I completely forgot about that detail. Now I remember my laughs toward the boss, it looked really weird (yet menacing in a way).

[Hellscrag]

Editor primitives ftw!

[Jethro]

This map is just as I remember most of Xerania's Fall - basic architecture, horrible lighting and strange combat - you're forced to use weapons I usually consider as useless.
On the other hand - well, it's still Unreal! Also, this map having actual storyline is a nice touch too.

Nothing fancy (and most probably nothing I'd like to play again) but still memorable.

[zbreaker]

What Jethro said.........nothing exceptional...at all...but in it's time enjoyable for the sake of having more Unreal to enjoy

[Darkon]

second pic

Editor primitives ftw!

What do you mean? The blockyness? Lack of detail? At least the terrain isn't just flat..

[UB_]

This map is just as I remember most of Xerania's Fall - basic architecture, horrible lighting and strange combat - you're forced to use weapons I usually consider as useless.

How weapons are useless if you need them to finish the map?

[Hellscrag]

second pic

Editor primitives ftw!

What do you mean? The blockyness? Lack of detail? At least the terrain isn't just flat..

What I mean is that, with the exception of the terrain, I can see no brushes in that pic that couldn't have been generated just by typing numbers into UnrealEd's brush builder tools (e.g. cubes, a four-sided cone, cylinders, default steps with no trim, etc.). No vertex manipulation or attempt at detail at all! Truly "n00b standard", redeemed only by a small degree of Conceptual Grandness, and this wasn't even EZkeel's first attempt at mapping.

[Darkon]

second pic

Editor primitives ftw!

What do you mean? The blockyness? Lack of detail? At least the terrain isn't just flat..

What I mean is that, with the exception of the terrain, I can see no brushes in that pic that couldn't have been generated just by typing numbers into UnrealEd's brush builder tools (e.g. cubes, a four-sided cone, cylinders, default steps with no trim, etc.). No vertex manipulation or attempt at detail at all! Truly "n00b standard", redeemed only by a small degree of Conceptual Grandness, and this wasn't even EZkeel's first attempt at mapping.

Can't agree more unfortunately. And that's not just the case with this picture, but with everything in the level actually. Like he wants to get the most out of "n00b standard", which he pretty much did.. but it doesn't add to the enjoyment of playing this map. That and the white lighting is.. unfortunate.

[Jethro]

How weapons are useless if you need them to finish the map?

Sorry, but I don't fully understand your point. I say I usually ignore let's say ripper as I find it pretty useless, but I'm forced to use it here as I don't have too much ammo for my favourite weapons. And let's face it, except of smartdisk, railgun and perhaps frag cannon all weapons in Legacy were simply useless, but still you had to use them in order to get through the maps.

[UB_]

Sure you're not confusing Legacy for Invasion?

Invasion had normal Unreal weapons.


Anyway, there has been never a case in which you were forced to use some weapons, aside the absence of a Dispersion Pistol in your arsenal or just for a small puzzle where you have to kill four snipers with a Sniper Rifle.
The only possible case was in the Drago map of 7B when you pass the EMP field, but you still have a lot of other guns in the inventory.
People say that the weapons in Legacy are useless, but in reality it's not.

[Jethro]

Sure you're not confusing Legacy for Invasion?

Well, I was refering to Xerania's Fall as a whole, so yes, I did confused them a bit.

Invasion had normal Unreal weapons.

Yes, I'm aware of that. Still I think there are weapons in Unreal inventory I never learned to use efficently and thus I consider them as useless and try not to use them, that's all.

Anyway, there has been never a case in which you were forced to use some weapons, aside the absence of a Dispersion Pistol in your arsenal or just for a small puzzle where you have to kill four snipers with a Sniper Rifle.

It all depends on your skills with DP. Is you try to avoid using DP you'll soon run out of ammo in your weapons of choice and thus you'll be forced to use the ones you don't like, and that's the case here. Let's face it - in first map you have to deal with SkaarjWarriors with only DP in hand and that's something I don't really like.
Also, there was somethin about this Titan fight here that made me write it, but now I can't remember what was it....

The only possible case was in the Drago map of 7B when you pass the EMP field, but you still have a lot of other guns in the inventory.

We're talking about Invasion here, aren't we?
Also, I still wonder if I had energy-based weapons there would I use them. Well, PulseGun maybe, but others?

People say that the weapons in Legacy are useless, but in reality it's not.

I think otherwise, but that's just the matter of taste. Well, you must admit that, even if not useless, they're kind of tricky to use as there are two groups of weapons in legacy: weak ones and overkills, and it's hard to use both groups.

[Hellscrag]

Legacy weapons may not be technically "useless" (i.e. you can achieve kills with them), but they are clunky and awful. Deeply unappetising and generating very little fun to use.