Posts Tagged ‘DM’
DM-Nano by stevelois
Posted by: foultzy in Uncategorized on November 14th, 2009
Reviewed by foultzy.
The fabled map by stevelois finally finished after over a half a year of work.
Gameplay 22/30
Needless to say, I was excited to get this one in. Play it for about a minute and you'll see his ambition through the project. It takes some good common ideas and less conventional approaches including the old platform jumping idea (put to good use though and not overused). Nice to see them evenly spaced and big enough to jump to without falling, though I would've recommended adding some extra element of danger if you did happen to fall which would also increase the risk vs. reward element.
Still, for the most part its general floorplan is a lot of fun, including a variety of room shapes including big rooms and long corridors. It's got some Z and it does well with what it's got. The pickup placement was alright and put in appropriate spots as well.
Being the hardened critic I am though, I've got my gripes too. Largely a bunch of minor issues, though worth mentioning. First is the Invulnerability and Invisibility. Invisibility isn't horrible considering his choice of weapons (you can clearly see them when they fire) and I always thought the Invulnerability was really cheap, and besides that, this isn't the best map for it anyways.
I'm also a jumping kind of guy being from the UT2003 generation, and it really bothered me with the number of instances around the map where it looked like I could make the jump, though I'd just miss it. There's quite a lot of these points, though also several you can make, so I wasn't feeling too good about that either. Even the center section, you can make it from some directions though not others. Bots did okay I thought--even getting the platform jumping down, though occasionally got stuck or couldn't always make it from a jumppad.
Overall, it's a really cool layout marred by several, in my opinion, kinda nasty flaws that unfortunately aren't even major fixes. If you can accept that though, you're in for a treat.
Construction and Performance 27/30 (Hardware)
To grade this on sheer performance is simply not right, because it's actually very good considering the outstanding map construction. (The sub-heading is a permanent change by the way) It's not one to make you look for it's construction quality, it just comes right out and shows you, and at that the performance is more than appropriate.
Eye Candy 20/25
This is no slouch in the visual department. Pretty much stock assets though with an alternative style, combining the tech and Necris sets and subtle lighting to create a unique looking and memorable map. It's bold and it goes all out. It generally looks fairly convincing--some areas not as much, though others are fantastic and everything is way above average.
It doesn't tend mix it up a whole lot (from the same general look). Most areas have similar mesh arrangements and also similar lighting, and while it's still easy to make your way around the map, I personally could've gone for a bit more visual variety too. Maybe not even changed from what it is now, just adding more dynamic elements like fluids (as in like water flowing in from somewhere or in adding the risk to the platform jumping). It doesn't look bad at all, it really looks great, I just think either more dynamic elements or variety could've helped it go even farther or made it feel more alive. Still, much more care and details has gone into these visuals than most other UT3 maps out there and it pays off.
The Details 15/15
I would have been highly surprised if he wouldn't have gotten the 15 here...
Final Score 84/100
A monster build of a map that almost reaches its full potential though still has some flaws left to iron out. Still, it's as downloadable of a map as you figured it would be, and it's incredible construction is the kind of stuff that inspires other mappers.
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(UT3) DM-Nano Review
Yes, stevelois's long-awaited Nano. It's got irks to it though it's still that extremely well constructed map you had expected it to be.
Sorry for taking so long to put this out! Hit a rough patch though I hope to get the next couple reviews up much sooner. All your map submissions will get their reviews! (promise!)
DM-Gretsch by Drummer.unr
Posted by: foultzy in Uncategorized on November 3rd, 2009
Reviewed by foultzy.
Fight it out in the Aztec temple of Gretsch.
Gameplay 24/30
At first it didn't really click with me, though after playing it some more and understanding how it all worked, I discovered the fun under the design and I had a fun time with it. There's odder design choices and familiar ones. There's even a green pool of hazardous liquid that you have to walk alongside (as in Deck16). It's weird if you think about it, yet very comprehensible and enjoyable and that's what really matters. I was thoroughly impressed with the gameplay techniques and the floorplan as well.
The bots know how to run the map and they can make a nasty opposition on the upper levels. Though they tend to bunch up in certain spots and don't pursue the double damage, I had a good time with them. It's a great, fun map, with perhaps a few minor oversights. The biggest involves the partially open gates coming down from the ceiling, which have large enough gaps between the bars to translocate (in some cases, jump) inbetween and camp there. Still, a few little flaws won't bring it down much.
Performance 23/30 (Hardware)
Unfortunately, not up to the expectations of most HOLP maps, and it'd drop at points into the low 80's without any firefights and the lower 60's during one. Of course, that's still smooth on mine, though older systems might not play it as well as most maps from the HOLP packs themselves.
Eye Candy 19/25
It's certainly HOLP-style, though it makes nice use of it. It kind of reminds me of the original Unreal's single-player levels in the way it looks, with the ancient look modernized with common HOLP visual traits like intense sunlight streaming in from open parts of the ceiling. Some will think the bloom is a little strong, though I still think it's a good use of post-processing, which most maps styled in this manner tend to shy away from.
It's nice-looking, even with a slight fantasy edge to it given the decorative objects dotted around the map. It mixes up the visuals in certain spots though the wall textures are fairly repetitive especially which always tends to itch at a guy like me. The colors are consistent throughout though I would've experimented with some more colored lighting, again, to break up the repetition.
The Details 13/15
All here technically--I think he really could've made a much deeper backstory for it though (which it still hardly has one at all), especially with the flexible thematic material.
Final Score 79/100
A pretty nice map with a successful unconventional style. It's got some rather noticeable flaws, though they really don't truly keep it from being the fun map that it is.
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(UT3) DM-Gretsch Review
A map with some issues that still ends up being a lot of fun though.
DM-Gretsch by Drummer.unr (79/100)
And yes, the new game submissions are already open in case you were waiting for an announcement, hehe.
DM-PerfectDarkTemple by jefe
Posted by: foultzy in Uncategorized on October 30th, 2009
Reviewed by foultzy.
A conversion of a map from the classic Nintendo 64 game, you guessed it, Perfect Dark!
Gameplay 25/30
I did play both GoldenEye and Perfect Dark, and even though I only ever played single-player, I can still see the Rareware-style design through it all. Not to mention it was about as fun as you'd expect conversions from those classics to be. It feels larger than it is with more open space than many UT2004 maps out there, though it isn't terribly big and confusing and I found my way around easily.
It's definitely a pretty smart design for its time. Yeah, it likes to flaunt its incredibly dated looking design ideas quite a bit (like using ladders to go through holes in the wall to another room), yet it still has that feel of a great map. (Pillar-filled rooms anybody?) And heck, when was the last time you even used a ladder in a UT2004 map? Sometimes it had me thinking about switching some of the pickup locations, though it's not like there's anything really wrong there, and there are even wildcard bases. The Redeemer's isolated location is a very smart move and the wide open environment also allows its poor victims some chance of escape.
If there's a low point here, it'd be the bots. While they seem mostly competent, they'll completely ignore many of the tougher paths, like the route to the Redeemer and using the ladders. Still, it's a classic that holds the games' legacy well.
Performance 28/30 (Hardware)
Rather unsurprisingly, this map performs excellently, with exceedingly high frame rates even at my monitor's max 2048x1536 resolution. If you can the stock maps just fine, I wouldn't expect any issues on your end either.
Eye Candy 22/25
Certainly feel the early N64 era nostalgia flowing through this map. Simple architecture, repetitive yet uncomplicated textures, and simple slopes all make it feel like a modernized FPS level from back in the day. The Egyptian theme is implemented as well as you'd think, and it looks good despite practically being barren. It's got a consistent color scheme, it's not an eye sore, and the sandy terrain is well built with chucks of rock sticking out.
Something so simple is hard to comment on, considering that there's, intentionally, not much to comment on. I did like the effective lighting and shadowing use though, with open areas in the ceiling allowing certain parts to be nicely illuminated. The skybox is positively great too, with a realistic looking blue sky and in the lower section, a clever illusion giving the impression that the game is rendering much more terrain than it actually is.
The Details 15/15
No backstory, though I expect that he's just keeping to the original map. Otherwise it's got it all, including two different music files from both GoldenEye and Perfect Dark!
Final Score 90/100
Can't put it down just because it plays it down. Truth is, this is a genuinely fun map that melds very well with the UT style, and I highly recommend the download.
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