The Hall Of Fame
Map Name:
Chaocity 3.0
Author: Sulsa
DOWNLOAD
Reviewed by: Vengeance
As I have probably
mentioned at least once before on this site, I prefer big maps to
small ones. I prefer a level that emphasises tactics and
exploration over speed and accuracy. Chaocity 3 is the third and
final map in the Chaocity series and easily the most ambitious.
Sulsa cites his influence for the levels being the beginning
train ride of Half-Life. He says in the readme that he wished to
recreate the breathtaking feel of these levels. When you first
load up the level, the overwhelming scale and atmosphere of the
map easily equal that of its influence.
The sheer size of the level is the main reason I decided to put
the map into the Hall of Fame. Maps of this size are few and far
between. The only ones that come close are Sulaco (by Gustavo),
Merlin (by Peter Manson) and of course, the previous Chaocity
levels. Chaocity 3 isn't exactly the easiest map to learn, but
when you do, the result is much more rewarding. The more you
explore, the bigger the advantage you'll have. This freedom to
explore is greatly helped by some brilliant connectivity,
especially vertical. Also, Chaocity 3 contains two elements that
we don't see enough of these days: turrets and trains. It is
these elements that made some of the original HLDM levels such
fun to play and thankfully, some mappers, such as Sulsa still
realise the positive effect they can have on gameplay.
Many large maps often suffer the side effect of being very bland
visually. Despite is size, Chaocity 3 stills offers some
breathtaking visuals and wonderful ambience. Okay, so the
r_speeds may get a little uncomfortable is places, but most
people who've updated their hardware in the last few years should
have no problem. After all, if we keep to the same limits
forever, we're not going to get any further. The level can get
pretty dark in places, so flashlights are advised. In a map of
this size, under lit areas - in the right spots - can greatly
increase the tension of the level. Chaocity 3 is no exception.
The subtle lighting and large-scale areas create a wonderfully
tense atmosphere where you'll constantly be looking over your
shoulder. Some of the other elements, such as weapon placement
are nothing to write home about, but I certainly have no
complaints with Sulsa's choices.
Chaocity 3 is a welcome return to the large-scale levels that we
seldom see these days due to the constant bombardment of maps
being made for LANs and 1 on 1 matches. It is ambitious in its
scale whilst never failing in other areas such as visuals, but
especially gameplay. This in its self is a huge achievement. The
months of work that must have gone into planning the level and
tweaking shows throughout. Hopefully we'll see more levels like
this in the future.
S.W.