reviewed by b-nutz
I can
remember my first release way back when. A couple
of buildings, some decently placed weapons, some
swimming pools. It took me 6 hours to figure out
how to make something rotate! I'm happy to say
that the good guys over at Radium (RIP) gave me a
15/100. I was damned proud, too!
Obsolete by Duncan Blair happens to fit into an
entirely different category than the typical
first release. There's few to no mistakes, while
retaining it's simplicity. In fact, it's quite a
good attempt.
The level itself is small and rectangular with
some vertical elements. It's a fairly plain
looking arena with very few textures and almost
has a generic Half-Life/Quake 2 feel. A few more
textures would have been welcome, as well as a
bit more light. The structures are pretty solid
and it resembles your typical "neo-industrial"
setting. It is somewhat boring, to be honest, and
there's a couple of doors scattered about that I
really wish you could enter. They are very
inviting, but alas, no entry.
Well, with the negativity out of the way, I must
again say that this is a great attempt at a first
level. The author seems to have a good handle on
entities so far, as there are random sound
effects and a couple of simple, yet functional
jump-pads. The lighting is done nicely, albeit a
bit dark, using a couple of appropriate light
textures and he managed to avoid any major brush
errors. The flow of the level is quite nice, too.
There are some very nice curved platforms and you
can race around the lower level without getting
stuck on a corner. Once the tau cannon has been
found via one of the jump-pads, access to the
upper levels and jump-pack is quite simple.
The r_speeds were ok, jumping a little high in
some spots, but that shouldn't be a problem if no
more than 6 people are playing. Actually this map
would be a hoot with about 8 people floating
around, a bloodbath in fact, which is good.
I'm going to have to give this guy a well-deserved
"C" for an awesome performance on his
first release. Keep 'em
comin'!
SCORE:
C
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