[Release] Afterglow; Twin Creeks

[Puritan]

Well, here it is.
After more than seven months in development I feel it's time to release this third chapter in the Afterglow series.

This time I think the map is much more linear than the two first levels.
As stated in another thread; This map is a combination of Industrial, small city and wasteland.

Go have some fun! 

CGS Download

[Forge]

completely up to you, but you could post up a thread at duke4. (i personally wouldn't - feedback is minimal for user maps these days anyway)

[Puritan]

Well I don't feel like posting over there.
If a Duker can't find new maps outside that forum I really don't feel sorry for 'em 


Yeah, the feedback is minimal everywhere.
I was aware of that.
My mapping is something I love to do no matter what.
As a matter of fact, I have an idea for a new map already.
With a setting / environment I've almost never seen in a DN3D map before.
Time will tell...

[Gambini]

I gave this map a quick go. I´m not really playing anything these days so consider it an exception

The map starts strange, as your health drops away in the toxic waters, fullbright fences caught my attention as something a little bit ugly. The first playable part, in those offices with the Clinton frame, is moody and very good looking, I liked both the design and combat, but then I had to go to the sewers again where something strange dragged me to another place, with an underwater pal effect. I got stuck in those sewers surrounded by houses. I wandered around a lot, losing health and trying to find a place where to blow those two pipebombs I had...

My conclusion is that It could have been a lot better if it was a lot easier. The majority of locations I managed to visit had a good visual design, but they were downgraded by a somewhat annoying gameplay (being the large amount of toxic waters the only culprit).

[MSandt]

Pretty good map, took me 25 minutes. I assume the red key at the end was purely optional? Didn't have enough ammo against the Battlelords anyway so I went for the nukebutton. Chaingun was given a bit late, a lot later than the map started giving ammo for it.

[Forge]

you're supposed to blow up the grate at the end of the canal with your pipebombs. wasn't really that complicated to figure out.

weapon placement was non-typical with a late shotgun and an even later chaingun, but other weapons with limited ammo were supplied in between that usually accommodated fighting some of the tougher enemies in the near vicinity of their placement (i.e. the freezer placed right before the two commanders in the canal). It was odd to get chaingun ammo well before actually acquiring the weapon, but it was nice to have a full ammo count once it was picked up.

I was fortunate enough to be able to single out one battlelord and avoid taking a beating from the other critters in the area. It can be done, but it's not easy.


edit: the red key was mandatory unless something broke/changed. the switch in the red locked tower that spawns the "brothers" also time-delay unlocks the door to the lift to get to the nuke button.

[zykoveddy]

Played it. This is probably gonna be my favorite map by Puritan. The gameplay is interesting and design has some cool ideas. The countryside is the best part of the map.

Still, here's some annoying moments:

1.Some weird puzzles. For example, the way you have to get into the gas station.
2.Second half of the map lacks medkits.
3.I couldn't find a chaingun, though the ammo were laying everywhere.

[Puritan]

Thanks, man 

2.Second half of the map lacks medkits.

You must be kidding:
10+ = 3
30+ = 3
Atomic=4
100+=2
A total of = 520 health points after you've entered the powerstation 

3.I couldn't find a chaingun, though the ammo were laying everywhere.

You must be kidding II :


Check out image no. 5 in the review (it's on top of those wooden crates) 

[MSandt]

Here's my review: http://msdn.duke4.net/hottwincreeks.php

[zykoveddy]

Still, I think the chaingun and some medkits should be placed in more obvious areas. I've been playing without cheats, and sometimes I was searching for medkit and couldn't find one.
It would be perfect to place the chaingun in the middle of the room, so nobody would miss it.

[Puritan]

It's practically in the middle of the room.

[Puritan]

Thanks for the review, Mikko 
Sounds fair to me.

[Merlijn]

Betatested this one, I'll play the released version ASAP. Anyway, I completely agree with Mikko's review. The bleak atmosphere in this map is great and the custom textures are used to great effect. I especially like the outdoor areas and the power plant itself.

I thought none of the puzzles were really unfair or anything, some took some time to solve but I ended up liking them (even the one with the gas station, although it took me a while to figure out what I had to do). Gameplay seemed fine to me, I had no issues with the health or the ammo. I also liked the linear progression in this one, almost no back tracking.

where something strange dragged me to another place, with an underwater pal effect.

I mentioned this bug to Puritan, was it impossible to fix or something? Anyway, the pal effect disappears when you save and load again.

[Puritan]

Go ahead and give it a try, Merlijn.
I think especially the ending is more of your likings 


The pal effect was hard to get rid of.

I built some of the areas from scratch to see if it helped..
Sometimes the effect don't show up and sometimes it does.



I decided to let it be like it is since the area it appears in is a toxic waste canal after all 

[ck3D]

I am playing this and almost at the end of the level, but how the heck do I spawn the 'brothers' ? I am stuck in that courtyard, walking in circles and trying to figure out what to do. I found that the red arrows near the 'service access' door did something when I pressed them (I can hear a switch toggling and ambient sounds), but I have no clue where it is. Nothing seem to open, even underwater, and I can not make it back to the former area inside the building, unless there is another path I haven't found. What am I missing ?