Last map you played

Started by Puritan, 02 December 2011, 08:14:26

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Forge

Quote from: methy on  05 September 2014, 21:23:00
Just checked Final Destination by Shawn Swift (Sunstorm Interactive). Good map with potential but definitly released unfinished. There are hints of things to come in the map though like the room where you find the red keycard looks very similar to the command room in Brown Water from Duke It Out In DC.
yeah. it was looking like it might be pretty good from the outside, but i felt disappointed after getting inside the building.

Take it down to the beach with a hammer and pound sand up your ass

methy

This site just taught me that Mohave was made by Robert Travis too... I had no idea, and again, I loved that map in DM. It plays great.
Once again shows how much I love RT's work.
http://thisshitaintscary.blogspot.com/ - The only Blog solely dedicated to Horror video games

Forge

some of the maps falling under the Sunstorm author listing are Robert's too.

The Maze
On High
6 Spires
Take it down to the beach with a hammer and pound sand up your ass

methy

#573
I've configured the DOS(box) version of the game that comes with Megaton and I've replayed every Roch maps, Daikarin, ADG Episode, and every Metropolitan Mayhem maps in it. It felt really good to play the game in DOS again, the only issue is that midis sound like SHIT in DOSbox (not sure if I can improve that...)

Roch maps are still fucking amazing, and I stand on my opinion that 4 and 6 are the bests. 5 is probably the worst, it's all over the place both in visuals and gameplay.
There is something that really bothered and that applies to many Roch maps though, it's how cramped some areas are.
In some maps, I'm pretty sure Rouaud made Recon pigjets appear only after a while in the map (I don't think you can make them respawn so it must be by another way somehow), which I found pretty interesting. That, or I just missed them until half the map...

I've already said it and I'm going to say it again, Daikarin is fantastic and one of the most criminally underrated DN3D episode.
ADG is great overall but flawed nonetheless. Some rooms have dull lighting, gameplay is way too shotgun oriented, and health-ratio is not only very tight but also very lazy (in some maps it's pretty much "Here have this medipack/atomic health, and make good use of it 'cause you're not getting anything else until the 2nd half of the map".

I wrote small 'reviews' of both Daikarin and ADG on their moddb pages:
http://www.moddb.com/mods/daikarin/reviews
http://www.moddb.com/mods/adg-episode/reviews

Replaying Metropolitain Mayhem in DOS was more of an experiment, I wanted to make sure they could play in DOS 'cause I don't think we ever tried that. Every map (except from Yellow Hellride which doesn't play at all because it goes over the old limit) plays almost flawlessly, the only issue I've found is that some mirrors can be a bit glitchy depending on the angle.
I think it would be a good idea to make a DOS compatible version of the episode, after all it's supposed to be classic and it would also mean Megaton compatibility, we could split the episode into 2 parts (every map plays perfectly in pistol start anyway losing all the gear shouldn't be a problem), and perhaps even replace Yellow Hellride (since it doesn't work...) by a new boss map? (the one I was supposed to make for instance...) This would be a good excuse to do some very minor fixes as well. The only problem would be figuring out when exactly we'd cut the episode in 2.
http://thisshitaintscary.blogspot.com/ - The only Blog solely dedicated to Horror video games

methy

#574
I'm on a one week 'holiday' before another 3 months work contract, so I've kept (re)playing some good old DN3D in DOSbox.

I've played Age Of Evil for the first time which is pretty decent, wrote a small 'review' on its moddb page :
http://www.moddb.com/mods/age-of-evil/reviews

Also replayed The Final Confrontation which is really good. The mapper is great at making levels with a huge scale and well thought layout and progression. Sadly, he's not good at small details so on the contrary some indoors locations look undetailed and bland, though it's always at least decent.
http://www.moddb.com/mods/the-final-confrontation/reviews

I've also replayed Fernando's New York Rebellion which I enjoyed a lot. The sewer level and Lava Reef were the best, very memorable. However I didn't enjoy that one city in the middle of the episode, where it's fully non-linear and you have to find 4 switches, each in a different building. The problem with the map is that while it's supposed to be non-linear, if you go to the cinema first for instance, there is no way you'll have enough ammo which is very frustrating. If you make an unlinear map, always make sure weapons and items can be found on every path...

Also, A1L1, a small but good oldie that took me 7mins :
http://taw.duke4.net/2006/02/duke3d/a1l1/
A small flooded city. Kind of a mix between Flood Zone, Dukeburger and Freeway. Really good overall though it lacks shading a little bit. Good use of the 'collapsed building' texture from Freeway which is one of the most underused texture of the game.
I recommend it to be uploaded on this site.

Edit :
Oh, I also replayed Maarten Pixten's Crucial Conflict, which is hot stuff with cool Build and DN3D effects. Small review here :
http://www.moddb.com/mods/maartens-crucial-conflict/reviews

When you come to think of it, that's a lot of good quality episodes we never hear about.

With all of this I still haven't reached DN3D overdose. Next step: Fernando's Orbital Oblivion.
http://thisshitaintscary.blogspot.com/ - The only Blog solely dedicated to Horror video games

methy

#575
Quote from: methy on  29 September 2014, 22:10:16
Next step: Fernando's Orbital Oblivion.

Finished it. Pheeeewwwww.... That episode is at the same time Fernando's best and worst work. Most levels are really really good. I love how they take concepts from the original game's episode 2 and expand upon them. There are quite a few levels I had never played before (including the 2 secret ones) and it was really worth it. Overall it very much feels classic, while going a little further. There is some level design GEMS in that episode.

Sadly the episode is also ruined by some shitty design decisions. There are maps in which it's way too hard to figure out what to do next or where to go. Doors that don't look like doors, small hidden switches, small hidden cracks, switches that open something on the other side of the map with no screen telling you what it opens, etc Everything you can think of that can ruin a player's progression, it has it. The map Lunar Crossroads was the worst in this case as not only it was very huge, but it also had the most of those in a single map (it took me almost 1 hour to complete it).

Also, I played each map from pistol start and everything worked great; but again gameplay-wise there is also some shitty design choices, such as in your face respawns or in your face explosions. it even has some instances of "trial & error explosions", an explosion occurs and you have to guess where to stand not to get hit...

Overall I have to say that the good stuff overshadows the bad stuff. Like I said there is some level design gem here and there in the episode, I think Fernando's very underrated and really good at making classic style stuff. It was also very refreshing to play a quality episode based on ep2 since that's really rare, and I personally love Lunar Apocalypse. It's just a shame that those bad design choices come ruining the experience way too often...
http://thisshitaintscary.blogspot.com/ - The only Blog solely dedicated to Horror video games

Forge

You want a small episode that defines difficult; try Devastator's Total Infiltration (which i'm in the middle of atm)

He's great for making some incredible environments with his texture combos and spritework, but his puzzle design is almost beyond completely annoying. Half of them can be screwed up and lock the map from further progress, quite a few of them are those find the half-dozen buttons scattered around, almost all of them require the player to re-explore and backtrack the entire map until what ever was opened is found. Throw in the constant hazardous environmental factors (with maybe one set of boots or a scuba tank provided -when three of each are needed), really having to manage the fuel supply for the only jetpack given, and all the insta-kill booby traps.

There's a reason i can only tolerate one of his maps at a time.
Take it down to the beach with a hammer and pound sand up your ass

methy

Heh, I remember enjoying it over a decade ago. I'll put it on my (re)play list. I'm about to start Battle It Out In Birmingham which by the looks of the screenshots seem at least decent.
http://thisshitaintscary.blogspot.com/ - The only Blog solely dedicated to Horror video games

Forge

if you use eduke you might have to extract the grp file and edit the newuser.con file (or just wait until the review gets uploaded - i'm including a modified version of the con with it)

eduke32 isn't very friendly with the way Devastator used back/forward slashes when he renamed the other episodes. The game would lock up on launch so I renamed them back to their original titles. that's the only thing i changed.
Take it down to the beach with a hammer and pound sand up your ass

methy

I've been using DOS Duke whenever I can (for some reasons Orbital Oblivion wouldn't work though, I could have tried to figure out why but I didn't bother and used eduke32).

Btw nvm what I just said about battle it out in birmingham. It sucks, not worth anyone's time.
http://thisshitaintscary.blogspot.com/ - The only Blog solely dedicated to Horror video games

Forge

Quote from: methy on  30 September 2014, 17:40:18
Btw nvm what I just said about battle it out in birmingham. It sucks, not worth anyone's time.
yes. i have the displeasure of already knowing:
http://www.scent-88.com/reviews/B/brum/brum.php
(and i probably over-rated it)

not the greatest looking, but this one's a bit better:
http://www.scent-88.com/reviews/0-9/25/25.php

i was going to check out canadian carnage (again) eventually  and see if it's worth hosting

since eddy let his TC site die you can get it here if you're intersted
http://www.nitro404.com/mods/duke_nukem_3d.php?view=full&filter=fav&group=none&sort=rating

Take it down to the beach with a hammer and pound sand up your ass

methy

Quote from: Forge on  01 October 2014, 02:32:59
yes. i have the displeasure of already knowing:
http://www.scent-88.com/reviews/B/brum/brum.php
(and i probably over-rated it)

You have. Here is how much I rated it with a small 'review' :
http://www.moddb.com/mods/battle-it-out-in-birmingham/reviews
http://thisshitaintscary.blogspot.com/ - The only Blog solely dedicated to Horror video games

Forge

#582
i did manage to finish battle it out in birmingham without cheating. i wasn't easy and i died alot.

those maps did have flashes of nice layouts and architecture, but the skewed alien to supply ratio and the ability to run right to the nuke button in the first four maps just killed the game play. -that's where i over rated it by about 10 points.


edit: and as a follow-up; of course Total Infiltration's last map was full of brutal and difficult fights
Take it down to the beach with a hammer and pound sand up your ass

anvil

The Return by Juan Daniel Alcobre:
http://www.arcades3d.net/mapas/duke3d/return.rar

Very good gameplay and design, 9/10 for me.

Forge

i'll add it to my todo list
Take it down to the beach with a hammer and pound sand up your ass