Post by Maric on Jan 15, 2005 18:04:57 GMT -5
My argument...
I expect to get slammed/flamed/misinterpreted and basically whined at for offering opinions/comments/compliments/criticisms on these maps.
That said, I have opinions and I am gonna share them, they are opinions and therefore not right, wrong, more or less than anyone elses... they are just my own. Most of what I have to say here is what I'd have said in the beta testing of any of these maps. The very nature of a contest creates tension (one of the reasons I do not participate) and I do not intend to add to it, but I do like the back-n-forth in regards to the Q2 mapping subject/scene.
End of the argumemt... Now, on to my 2 cents...
Homichlophobia by Le Ray
Pros
-Very nice use of sound.
-Good looking, cohesive texture set.
-Consistant theme throughout creates a very "there" atmosphere.
-Some areas with very nice lighting.
-Some decent architectural touches, some of the halls,
the window and door trims look nice.
Cons
-Too many areas that are completely dark.
-The texture used for some of the walls is over used. The tiling is
very obvious and detracts from the overall appearence.
-The layout is flat and poorly connected. Too many areas are remote,
takes too long to find action.The fighting is incidental. This map would have benefited by having a smaller
footprint and then a focus on more z-axis construction.
-The items/weapons are very oddly placed. The MH and BFG sit right next to each other and are easily obtained
while the RG requires a switch to be shot, a long hallway to be navigated, a very campable teleport room to be
ventured... This hurts gameplay way too much.
Final thoughts
Some very nice bits that are hurt by very bad decisions
(lighting, layout, item placement). Leray shows some
advancement in areas that are weaknesses in some of his past maps. The online play was interesting though boring after about 10 minutes. As mentioned in the "cons" it (the fighting) was incidental... Spawn, find a
weapon, run around until you accidentally bump into someone, fight until one is finished, rinse, repeat.
Satanic Arena by DOA_DEATH_JUMP
Pros
-Great Doom-ish atmosphere.
-Nice color/texture uses.
-Some very cool "sparkles and flashes" meaning the special effects and
gizmos and gadgets.
-Very nice curves.
-The "fools"-fog is nicely implemented, it is the best looking fog
effect sans a new game engine I have seen
in a Q2 map.
Cons
-Performance is a serious issue. The R_speeds are well within the reasonable
range BUT the Epolies soar over 2000 all over the map. This killed online play. My semi-beasti-game-machine
was hammered by this map and I was
seeing fps that fell below 25 way too often. Technically this kills this map.
-The layout is "layer-cake-ish", play from layer to layer is stilted and slow.
-It is very easy to confuse your location, not a lot of variance in architecture.
The curves are nice but there seem to be a few too many.
Final thoughts
Very slow gamelay, very "cool" looking bits and bobs that don't add much to
the overall fun. Sadly online performance is horrible, everyone experienced the same problems and those with
"lesser" machines were seeing a slide-show.
User Friendly by Sherm
Pros
-Great layout, very nice z-axis gameplay.
-Solid architecture and visuals.
-A great sense of "place".
-By far the best brushwork in any of the contest maps, near technical perfection.
Cons
-The weak spot visually is the over-use of the brown texture on the top of the level.
-A couple of the spawn pads are oddly located and place you in jeopardy upon spawning.
Final thoughts
I am sure I am risking a load of scorn here with this statement... but this
map is leagues above the others when taken as a whole. It is a shame that
it has suffered in scoring and opinion due to similarites to other maps. Sherm has created with this map here, what so many of US q2 mappers have failed to do with so many of OUR maps... This one has almost perfect gameplay,
it lost none of the shine no matter how long we played in
it. There are no "extras" there are no sparkles and shiny
things that make ya go WOAH! This is just solid design and an almost flawless execution.
Return to Space_Base By Flash
Pros
-Suprisingly fun gameplay.
-Completely new style for Q2 design (new for me at least).
-Great performance from a HUGE and open map.
-Oddly appealing atmosphere.
Cons
-Some bad lighting decisions, too many un-sourced lighting blooms.
-BAH! Names in maps make me grouchy <--- Just opinion, please to ignore.
-The sky env did not work well visually with everything else.
-Item placement made many spawn locations "no win" situations.
-Needed a lot more "finishing" details.
Final thoughts
Visually this map is odd, very ODD and the red trim is a very "interesting"
choice that contributes to the oddity. I was suprised, VERY pleasently suprised
at just how much fun this map is to play. It was never dull
and offered so many different "kinds" of gameplay options and opportunities. I think of it as a gem in the rough, when flash combines this sense of
layout + gameplay with more detailed architecture a technically sound design... Just look out.
Spamalicious by FunkenGrooven
Pros
-Nice usage of the old standard textures.
-This would make a great insta map IF some of the cons were addressed.
-Items are placed in a way that keeps gameplay faster than it should be.
Cons
-Suffers from some inconsistant lighting. Light coming from odd places and not
coming from logical places...
-Symmetrical layouts hurt regular DM.
-Access from level to level is too inconsistant.
-The atmosphere is bland and has no sense of "place".
-The glass doors kill gameplay, access to the outer walkway would have helped this map a load.
-The scale is too big, makes this a RG only map.
Final thoughts
This one shows a lot of potential, it is tough to take the old Q2 standard look and
have it turn out this nice looking (I am refering to the parimeter of the map)
FunkenGrooven shows that all the talent is there to turn
out some qaulity stuff. A focus on non-symmetrical design,
smaller scale and consistancy in lighing and connectivity. I hope to see more from this dude soon.
Eshertowers By Retract
Pros
-The top are of the map is very different and very interesting gameplay wise.
-Item placement worked very well, the RG are was very camp-able and very fun to hold.
-Anyone that even tries to tackle Escher-ish stylings has guts. I tip my (pretend)
hat for making the attempt.
Cons
-ALL spawn pads were at the lowest level. Without a hook gameplay was/is severely hampered.
-Lighting is odd.
-This map looks and feels unfinished, more trim and detailing would have helped to
eliminate the blandness.
-The tall wall near the RG looks way too thin and way too out of place.
Final thoughts
We had a lot of fun playing this map with the hook, for me trying to camp the
RG was very fun. I like the strange layout at the top and appreciate the z-axis opportunities. At the same time better bottom to top connectivity would be great and go far to encourage more play and flow through the entire map. I think that Retract has some great maps in him when/if he gets a feel for non-ActionQ2 Dm.
Q2 Cafe' by Recon
Pros
-Very fast, crazy, over the top fun.
-Nice attempt at buying off the judges and contest sponsor with the map's name =)
Cons
-Some really bad texturing.
-Unsourced lighing.
-Simple one room construction.
Final thoughts
This was fun to play, we ran this along with the other 6 in our Awaken2 server.
I laughed so hard, I needed to take a break, it was that or take a hit or two from
my inhaler. Recon needs to focus on basic map construction and take a look at "finished/accomplished" maps. Lighing and texturing are two very important elements that can make or break any map.
I expect to get slammed/flamed/misinterpreted and basically whined at for offering opinions/comments/compliments/criticisms on these maps.
That said, I have opinions and I am gonna share them, they are opinions and therefore not right, wrong, more or less than anyone elses... they are just my own. Most of what I have to say here is what I'd have said in the beta testing of any of these maps. The very nature of a contest creates tension (one of the reasons I do not participate) and I do not intend to add to it, but I do like the back-n-forth in regards to the Q2 mapping subject/scene.
End of the argumemt... Now, on to my 2 cents...
Homichlophobia by Le Ray
Pros
-Very nice use of sound.
-Good looking, cohesive texture set.
-Consistant theme throughout creates a very "there" atmosphere.
-Some areas with very nice lighting.
-Some decent architectural touches, some of the halls,
the window and door trims look nice.
Cons
-Too many areas that are completely dark.
-The texture used for some of the walls is over used. The tiling is
very obvious and detracts from the overall appearence.
-The layout is flat and poorly connected. Too many areas are remote,
takes too long to find action.The fighting is incidental. This map would have benefited by having a smaller
footprint and then a focus on more z-axis construction.
-The items/weapons are very oddly placed. The MH and BFG sit right next to each other and are easily obtained
while the RG requires a switch to be shot, a long hallway to be navigated, a very campable teleport room to be
ventured... This hurts gameplay way too much.
Final thoughts
Some very nice bits that are hurt by very bad decisions
(lighting, layout, item placement). Leray shows some
advancement in areas that are weaknesses in some of his past maps. The online play was interesting though boring after about 10 minutes. As mentioned in the "cons" it (the fighting) was incidental... Spawn, find a
weapon, run around until you accidentally bump into someone, fight until one is finished, rinse, repeat.
Satanic Arena by DOA_DEATH_JUMP
Pros
-Great Doom-ish atmosphere.
-Nice color/texture uses.
-Some very cool "sparkles and flashes" meaning the special effects and
gizmos and gadgets.
-Very nice curves.
-The "fools"-fog is nicely implemented, it is the best looking fog
effect sans a new game engine I have seen
in a Q2 map.
Cons
-Performance is a serious issue. The R_speeds are well within the reasonable
range BUT the Epolies soar over 2000 all over the map. This killed online play. My semi-beasti-game-machine
was hammered by this map and I was
seeing fps that fell below 25 way too often. Technically this kills this map.
-The layout is "layer-cake-ish", play from layer to layer is stilted and slow.
-It is very easy to confuse your location, not a lot of variance in architecture.
The curves are nice but there seem to be a few too many.
Final thoughts
Very slow gamelay, very "cool" looking bits and bobs that don't add much to
the overall fun. Sadly online performance is horrible, everyone experienced the same problems and those with
"lesser" machines were seeing a slide-show.
User Friendly by Sherm
Pros
-Great layout, very nice z-axis gameplay.
-Solid architecture and visuals.
-A great sense of "place".
-By far the best brushwork in any of the contest maps, near technical perfection.
Cons
-The weak spot visually is the over-use of the brown texture on the top of the level.
-A couple of the spawn pads are oddly located and place you in jeopardy upon spawning.
Final thoughts
I am sure I am risking a load of scorn here with this statement... but this
map is leagues above the others when taken as a whole. It is a shame that
it has suffered in scoring and opinion due to similarites to other maps. Sherm has created with this map here, what so many of US q2 mappers have failed to do with so many of OUR maps... This one has almost perfect gameplay,
it lost none of the shine no matter how long we played in
it. There are no "extras" there are no sparkles and shiny
things that make ya go WOAH! This is just solid design and an almost flawless execution.
Return to Space_Base By Flash
Pros
-Suprisingly fun gameplay.
-Completely new style for Q2 design (new for me at least).
-Great performance from a HUGE and open map.
-Oddly appealing atmosphere.
Cons
-Some bad lighting decisions, too many un-sourced lighting blooms.
-BAH! Names in maps make me grouchy <--- Just opinion, please to ignore.
-The sky env did not work well visually with everything else.
-Item placement made many spawn locations "no win" situations.
-Needed a lot more "finishing" details.
Final thoughts
Visually this map is odd, very ODD and the red trim is a very "interesting"
choice that contributes to the oddity. I was suprised, VERY pleasently suprised
at just how much fun this map is to play. It was never dull
and offered so many different "kinds" of gameplay options and opportunities. I think of it as a gem in the rough, when flash combines this sense of
layout + gameplay with more detailed architecture a technically sound design... Just look out.
Spamalicious by FunkenGrooven
Pros
-Nice usage of the old standard textures.
-This would make a great insta map IF some of the cons were addressed.
-Items are placed in a way that keeps gameplay faster than it should be.
Cons
-Suffers from some inconsistant lighting. Light coming from odd places and not
coming from logical places...
-Symmetrical layouts hurt regular DM.
-Access from level to level is too inconsistant.
-The atmosphere is bland and has no sense of "place".
-The glass doors kill gameplay, access to the outer walkway would have helped this map a load.
-The scale is too big, makes this a RG only map.
Final thoughts
This one shows a lot of potential, it is tough to take the old Q2 standard look and
have it turn out this nice looking (I am refering to the parimeter of the map)
FunkenGrooven shows that all the talent is there to turn
out some qaulity stuff. A focus on non-symmetrical design,
smaller scale and consistancy in lighing and connectivity. I hope to see more from this dude soon.
Eshertowers By Retract
Pros
-The top are of the map is very different and very interesting gameplay wise.
-Item placement worked very well, the RG are was very camp-able and very fun to hold.
-Anyone that even tries to tackle Escher-ish stylings has guts. I tip my (pretend)
hat for making the attempt.
Cons
-ALL spawn pads were at the lowest level. Without a hook gameplay was/is severely hampered.
-Lighting is odd.
-This map looks and feels unfinished, more trim and detailing would have helped to
eliminate the blandness.
-The tall wall near the RG looks way too thin and way too out of place.
Final thoughts
We had a lot of fun playing this map with the hook, for me trying to camp the
RG was very fun. I like the strange layout at the top and appreciate the z-axis opportunities. At the same time better bottom to top connectivity would be great and go far to encourage more play and flow through the entire map. I think that Retract has some great maps in him when/if he gets a feel for non-ActionQ2 Dm.
Q2 Cafe' by Recon
Pros
-Very fast, crazy, over the top fun.
-Nice attempt at buying off the judges and contest sponsor with the map's name =)
Cons
-Some really bad texturing.
-Unsourced lighing.
-Simple one room construction.
Final thoughts
This was fun to play, we ran this along with the other 6 in our Awaken2 server.
I laughed so hard, I needed to take a break, it was that or take a hit or two from
my inhaler. Recon needs to focus on basic map construction and take a look at "finished/accomplished" maps. Lighing and texturing are two very important elements that can make or break any map.
![Le Ray [Q2C] Avatar](http://storage.proboards.com/1011712/avatar/F0Xwj0AuyfrXb6iV5Ztb.jpg)
