by TBone » Jul 29, 2001 @ 7:57pm
Impressions: I like it! I like it a lot. One of the very strong points of this map is its memorable moments. This is something I was thinking about today while I was toying with the idea of making my own map. Basically this: games that are great are those that create points in time that leap out of the memory when we recall them. For me, the greatest of these moments I ever had was the point in Half-life where, while I was crawling through a ventilation shaft, a marine opened up a door at the end, took one look at me, and tossed in a detpack. The pack went off and the chamber filled with flames, forcing me back out and under the water, where I watched the inferno rage above. It was one of those points where I felt like I was in an action movie. HL was full of those, and it made for an extremely compelling experience.<br><br>This map does several of the same things. I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but there are at least two or three moments here, like the "leap of faith," the altar, or the elevator, where I had to grin because it created such a narrative in the level. Because of the little scripted events the author has worked in, this level is almost like a little story. Not a very deep or long story, but its own little adventure. It has lots of cool little moments. <br><br>Now, I tested this on WinQuake (I hate downloading to the PPC if I can help it) so I can't say much about the speed of this, but it seems to be designed to run quickly. I know my laptop never had any trouble with it. The level design itself is at times a little claustrophobic and there are too many tunnels just wide enough for the player. All in all it's good, but keep in mind that just because you're designing for a PocketQuake machine doesn't mean you can't have great architecture. <br><br>In short, this is a great little level to waste some time on, with some fantastic ideas. It feels like a first map in some places, but the sheer force of the ideas behind it makes this one of the best "first maps" I've played in a long time.<br><br>I give it four out of five crying penguins. Can't wait to see your next level!
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