Magnusblitz
Junior Member
Posts: 162
Registered: 12-12 |
MAP03: FLOODED CAVERNS
Definitely dials down the difficulty by a large amount, as the only substantial fight is the cacos that spawn after the blue key, and even that battle is in a large, empty room. Still, I’m digging a lot of the design cues, such as the “put the reward where people can see it” secret design. While maybe not quite a “Doom the Way Id Did” level, it certain feels like one in some spots (the hallway to the blue door especially). The Invuln sphere seems almost a little silly since the level is so easy, but on the other hand, that makes it a good reward (rather than necessary for a ridiculous fight).
MAP04: MEDICAL CENTER
Not much to say about this one I didn’t say about MAP03. Very similar feel – lots of bits feel like an old id level. The texture/lighting/room design is all used well to make the different parts of the map feel different but still part of a cohesive whole. Nothing challenging here, and the map is pretty short. I think having the teleporter at the end be one-way was an oversight, though (and from a design point, kinda strange teleporting to a hallway that points back to the rest of the level). This one feels a little unfinished at the end.
Taking the first four maps as a whole (since they're similarly designed and by the same author) I'd have to say I liked #2 the most, with #1 close behind, #3 a little bit less, and #4 the least. I, at least, enjoyed the difficulty of the first two more than the easiness of the latter two.
MAP05: RAIL TERMINAL 38
I liked the interconnected-ness of it all, though the placement of the red key and the red key door/exit makes it easy to miss large parts of the level. (I did a second playthrough and burnt through the level in 1:47 with over 100/100, the SSG and a RL). Personally, I didn’t, because I completely missed the red key at the start, cleared the rest of the level, then wandered around trying to find it. Which actually coincided with the large pause in the music, making it doubly empty… I definitely was glad to find the SSG at the start, since there’s an uptick in the number of Hell Knights and Revenants to make it a lot more wanted than the last few maps. Aesthetic-wise, it’s a little bit bland, as it feels as though only three wall textures got used, all in chunks (the METAL2 area, the PIPEWALL area, and the CEMENT area). There’s a one-way staircase by the soulsphere at the north end of the map, which is a big no-no (not that big of a deal since you can easily jump off the ledge and go back around, but still).
Last edited by Magnusblitz on 02-03-13 at 22:07
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02-02-13 22:05 
