The Hall Of Fame
Map Name:
Merlin
Author: Peter Manson
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Reviewed by: Vengeance
Hopefully, nobody
reading this needs an introduction to who Peter Manson is. Peter
released his first map, Ender's Game in 1999 (I think) and has
been churning them out ever since (this being his 18th map!).
During this time, he has developed a unique style and many
trademarks (such as the teleporters, jump pads etc). Peter
describes Merlin as "a cross between Fling, and Eden, but
has turned out quite different to my original ideas." This
description is pretty much dead on. It combines the fast, dynamic
gameplay of levels such as Twin and Fling with the realistic
settings of Eden and Plateau.
Merlin contains all of the normal elements required for it to be
considered a good level. It contains some brilliant realistic
terrain and very imaginative architecture. There are a great
variety of lighting effects, and the various areas are lit
appropriately. The r_speeds are mostly kept to a reasonable
level, they tend to shoot up a bit in places (but not much
considering the size of the areas), but the map should still run
smoothly on most machines. Texturing is very good and helps to
create a reasonably consistent theme (although I'm not sure how
to describe the theme). Also, there's some very nice ambient
sounds (I especially like the heart-beat sound when you use the
Xen-style health charger). Finally, weapons are placed around
generously and appropriately. Thankfully, the Hornetgun has been
emitted.
The level's main achievement is it's pace. For such a large map,
Merlin plays at a very fast pace. This is thanks to some of the
Peter Manson trademarks such as jump-pads and teleporters. When
you first load up the level, it can seem very daunting to
navigate around. But once you learn where the teleporters are,
you can get round amazingly quick. One of the ways Peter has
achieved this is through use of 'The Rustmill Effect (TM)'.
Anyone unfamiliar with Rustmill should go here
and download it immediately. The things that set Merlin (and many
of Peter's other maps) apart from the rest of the bunch is his
use of entities. Unlike many mappers, Peter utilizes a large
amount of the effects Half-Life has to offer. Many levels these
days seem very static and lifeless. Peter's levels succeed due to
their great sense of motion, not to mention another element
lacking from many levels. Character. It's often little touches
that really bring a level to life. Finally, Merlin makes good use
of the concept of vertical connectivity. More level authors
should realise that mapping takes place it three dimensions and
not two. Take a look at this level if you want a good example.
Overall, Merlin is a great example of what Half-Life has to offer
if you take the time to experiment. It really stands out from the
crowd because Peter hasn't gone for what other people want it a
map. He made something he enjoyed making (he even stated this in
his readme). Ask a lot of the people who've been mapping longest.
Make something that YOU want to see made and the results will be
much better. Hopefully, one day there will be more mappers like
Peter Manson and we'll have a much richer variety of levels to
play.
S.W.