Arbiter Posted November 11, 2021 Which single player FPS maps do you consider the best? Some of my picks: - Not surprisingly, Doom E1M1 - a short and sweet demonstration of engine's capabilities - Doom 3 - Delta Complex - I like the idea of combining elements of Delta levels 1, 2, and 3 into a single map. In general I like the concept of revisiting older locations altered by plot or players actions - it gives a sense of continuity - Duke Nukem 3D - Death Row - I love the idea of escaping from an electric chair, the submarine at the end and references to Doom and Shawshank Redemption - Dark Forces - Robotics Facility - first encounter with a Dark Trooper, great visuals outside and inside, slippery icy surface (a first in FPS history?) 4 Share this post Link to post
Sergeant G Posted November 12, 2021 Here are some of my favorites: DOOM: E1M1 Half Life 2: Root Canal Heretic: Graveyard DOOM 3: Alpha Sector 4 Medal Of Honor Airborne: The Flak Tower 0 Share this post Link to post
joepallai Posted November 12, 2021 Thief: Deadly Shadows - Shalebridge Cradle a masterpiece of horror that makes buying the game worth the cost. Just a ridiculously good horror level. 2 Share this post Link to post
holaareola Posted November 12, 2021 Great topic. I feel like I'm probably scatter-brainedly missing some levels that I would top-rate if they actually came to mind. Only a few of these I'd hold as objectively great. Doom, E1M8 - I would never choose this objectively - it does not stand up now for obvs reasons - but the atmosphere of this level, the MIDI, the walls lowering, the scale and the downer ending made a huge impression on me. Unreal - Vortex Rikers: Another nostalgic choice. But stepping out of the cramped corridors of that spaceship to a huge alien vista in '98. Wow. Dishonored 2 - The Clockwork Mansion: This mindbending level shapeshifts so much, I can't imagine how they planned this out. It's like Monument Valley goes FPS. Thief 2 - Life of the Party: It's got it all. You steal across open rooftops, into to tiny domiciles and back out again, witnessing hilarious NPC dialog and conflicts all the way, finally into a huge industrial tower for the titular party with ballrooms, kitchens and all the rest. And then, after having enjoyed control of a huge stealth sandbox, shit hits the fan. 20+ years later, I don't think stealth game levels ever reached this scale and complexity again. Bioshock - Opening level: A fantastic, mysterious start to a game. The artstyle is a tour de force. Doom Eternal - Mars Core: The firing yourself into the planet thing just summed up the OTTness of the new Doom games for me, loved the scale and tone of this level. Stalker SOC - Yantar. Just so miserable and bleak. I can't even remember what you do there, only how it was such a ridiculously atmospheric level in a game full of them. 4 Share this post Link to post
Mr. Freeze Posted November 12, 2021 Doom: Tower of Babel Doom 2016: VEGA Central Processing Quake: The Elder God Shrine Call of Duty World at War: Heart of the Reich Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2: Of Their Own Accord Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2019: Clean House Half Life: "Forget About Freeman!" Resident Evil 7: Baker House Basement 3 Share this post Link to post
Dusty_Rhodes Posted November 12, 2021 A lot of Doom levels should be up there. Some non - Doom levels include, in no particular order: Questionable Ethics, Half Life Surface Tension, Half Life Halo, Halo Combat Evolved 343 Guilty Spark, Halo Combat Evolved The Maw, Halo Combat Evolved Ravenholm, Half Life 2 Charlie Don't Surf, Call of Duty Modern Warfare (I totally get CoD hate, but this game is fantastic.) Urban Flight, Half Life 2 Episode 1 The Covenant, Halo 3 (honestly a lot of Halo 3 could go on this list) The Ark, Halo 3 Couch Fishing, Marathon The Rose, Marathon Ignue Ferroque, Marathon E1M2, Quake E2M5, Quake Ex Cathedra, Marathon 2 (a lot of levels are fascinatingly complex in this game) These are just off the top of my head, there's some great games I gotta replay soon. 2 Share this post Link to post
Rudolph Posted November 12, 2021 16 hours ago, Arbiter said: - Doom 3 - Delta Complex - I like the idea of combining elements of Delta levels 1, 2, and 3 into a single map. In general I like the concept of revisiting older locations altered by plot or players actions - it gives a sense of continuity I do wish Doom 3 had skipped the whole tedious detour in Alpha Labs and gone straight to the Delta Complex after coming out of Mars City Underground. The opening of Delta Labs 1 is amazing in terms of suspense and atmosphere! 0 Share this post Link to post
holaareola Posted November 12, 2021 (edited) 22 minutes ago, Dusty_Rhodes said: Ravenholm, Half Life 2 Good lord, how did I forgot this one. Nerve-wracking! Drainpipes are not usually stressful objects, but I remember having to take breaks! Lots of Halo mentions there. I've only played the first one, liked the environment design but not the gamefeel. Felt floaty and slow to me. Are the later games any different control-wise or do they feel like the first one? 2 Share this post Link to post
Dusty_Rhodes Posted November 12, 2021 6 minutes ago, holaareola said: Good lord, how did I forgot this one. Nerve-wracking! Drainpipes are not usually stressful objects, but I remember having to take breaks! Lots of Halo mentions there. I've only played the first one, liked the environment design but not the gamefeel. Felt floaty and slow to me. Are the later games any different control-wise or do they feel like the first one? Halo 1 is the slowest and floatiest. Halo 3 has the best movement in my opinion. I think they're an acquired taste, but I love every game Bungie made in the series. 2 Share this post Link to post
ZeMystic Posted November 12, 2021 (edited) 11 hours ago, Dusty_Rhodes said: The Covenant, Halo 3 (honestly a lot of Halo 3 could go on this list) TWO SCARABS, I REPEAT TWO SCARABS! I second that, Halo 3 had some bangers. Halo Reach's spire level was really good too. For my list, without repeating what others said here, I'd probably put: - Titanfall 2: Effect and Cause - Dishonored: Lady Boyle's Party - Black Mesa: Questionable Ethics (the music makes the level). - Half-Life Alyx: Jeff Edited November 13, 2021 by ZeMystic 6 Share this post Link to post
LordEntr0py Posted November 12, 2021 49 minutes ago, Dusty_Rhodes said: 343 Guilty Spark, Halo Combat Evolved I simply can't agree with this. Having just replayed about half of Halo: Combat Evolved in the last couple of weeks, I've found much of the level design to be repetitive and uninspiring, with entire sections that were very clearly cut-and-pasted with a few minor alterations. The level immediately before -- Assault on the Control Room -- was the worst. I just felt like I was playing the same encounter through over and over again with slight variations. "Survive repeated assaults on the control room," said the level description, which is confusing because you're not expected to survive a single assault -- the entire level is about getting there, and then it ends. Unless it's a reference to the fact that the game had me going into what looked like the same room over and over, and the survival was about me not quitting. I'd say the levels, Silent Cartographer and Halo were both pretty good, though. 343 Guilty Spark in particular wasn't quite as bad as Assault on the Control Room, but still had a bunch of cut-and-paste rooms with terrible signposting. I ran in circles for quite a while, avoiding the Flood before stumbling on the exit. I mean, story-wise it's a pretty good twist, so it's got that going for it. 1 Share this post Link to post
LordEntr0py Posted November 12, 2021 12 minutes ago, ZeMystic said: - Half-Life Alyx: Jeff Oh, hell yes. This was fricking brilliant. 1 Share this post Link to post
DuckReconMajor Posted November 12, 2021 ^ also agreeing with Jeff My Call of Duty pick would be "All Ghilled Up"/"One Shot, One Kill" from CoD4 1 Share this post Link to post
LadyMistDragon Posted November 12, 2021 (edited) In no particular order Medal of Honor Allied Assault: Lighting the Torch Shadow Warrior: Seppuku Station Medal of Honor Allied Assault: Diverting the Enemy Halo: The Maw Halo: The Silent Cartographer Halo: The Truth and Reconciliation Duke Nukem 3D: Hollywood Holocaust Duke Nukem 3D: Red Light District Doom: Hangar Doom: Central Processing Doom: Toxin Refinery Quake: The Torture Chambers Doom II: Circle of Death Quake: Beneath Satan's Dark Delight Quake: The Wind Tunnels Marathon 2: Curiouser and Curiouser Half Life: Surface Tension Yeah that's long enough. I don't remember Return to castle wolfenstein too well. Maaaybe a Dark Forces level as well, but probably not. Edited November 12, 2021 by LadyMistDragon 1 Share this post Link to post
Dusty_Rhodes Posted November 12, 2021 1 hour ago, DuckReconMajor said: ^ also agreeing with Jeff My Call of Duty pick would be "All Ghilled Up"/"One Shot, One Kill" from CoD4 I need to play CoD4 again. Lots of great levels. 1 hour ago, LordEntr0py said: I simply can't agree with this. Having just replayed about half of Halo: Combat Evolved in the last couple of weeks, I've found much of the level design to be repetitive and uninspiring, with entire sections that were very clearly cut-and-pasted with a few minor alterations. The level immediately before -- Assault on the Control Room -- was the worst. I just felt like I was playing the same encounter through over and over again with slight variations. "Survive repeated assaults on the control room," said the level description, which is confusing because you're not expected to survive a single assault -- the entire level is about getting there, and then it ends. Unless it's a reference to the fact that the game had me going into what looked like the same room over and over, and the survival was about me not quitting. I'd say the levels, Silent Cartographer and Halo were both pretty good, though. 343 Guilty Spark in particular wasn't quite as bad as Assault on the Control Room, but still had a bunch of cut-and-paste rooms with terrible signposting. I ran in circles for quite a while, avoiding the Flood before stumbling on the exit. I mean, story-wise it's a pretty good twist, so it's got that going for it. The atmosphere, buildup, writing, environmental details are what make it great. I will say, the earlier parts of the level are repetitive, but I blame that on rushed development time. I think it's everything else that's great. The gameplay is decent, but it's not the most important. 2 Share this post Link to post
Sena Posted November 12, 2021 On A Rail (Half Life) Burn 'Em Out (Call of Duty: World At War) The rocket level from Return to Castle Wolfenstein I forgot the name of The tunnel level from Viet Cong I forgot the name of 1 Share this post Link to post
Agent Slacker Posted November 12, 2021 Effect and Cause from Titanfall 2 was one of the most brilliant levels that I can think of in recent memory. 3 Share this post Link to post
Egg Boy Posted November 12, 2021 (edited) Not going to bring up any classic doom levels, since my actual list would consist mostly of classic doom levels. The Beneviento house from Resident Evil 8 is a level I won’t forget for a long time, not even sure if it counts since you don’t even shoot in it, but RE8 is undeniably an FPS. The Foundry from Doom 2016. One of the more non linear levels, wish more of the game was like it. Half life 2, Ravenholm. I don’t even have to justify this one. The Moon from Wolfenstein: the New Order, killing nazis on the moon is pretty fucking rad. As many have stated, Jeff from Half Life: Alyx, really proves what Vr can bring to the table in terms of single player FPS. It’s brilliantly scripted in such a way that you often don’t even realize you’ve fallen for the developers tricks. 1 Share this post Link to post
El Juancho Posted November 12, 2021 The best level in any FPS i ever played is from a quake mod called Arcane Dimensions, the map name is "Tears of the False God". 2 Share this post Link to post
Tetzlaff Posted November 12, 2021 (edited) Quake II - first unit. Includes the levels Outer Base, Installation, Comm Center, and Lost Station connected through Quake II's hub system, so they can be considered one big level. Perfectly sets the mood for the war on an alien cyborg planet setting, excellent non-linear leveldesign with (sometimes hidden) alternative routes and plenty of secrets. Unreal - Bluff Eversmoking. Gorgeous setting with the little fortified village atop a rock in a crater lake, clever non-linear layout. Star Trek Elite Force - Scavenger Base. Unique setting conglomerated from various space stations and ships, including a Terran ship from the Mirror Universe in 1960s style. Doom 3 - Hell. Surreal and intense demonic/gigeresque nightmare. Doom 2016 - Foundry. Complex, atmospheric, non-linear and encouarging exploration. Edited November 13, 2021 by Tetzlaff : reasons 1 Share this post Link to post
Dubbag Posted November 12, 2021 (edited) Doom 1- E1M3 Doom 2- Map 18 Doom 64- Dark Citadel Doom 3- Monorail Skybridge Doom 2016- Kadingir Sanctum Doom Eternal- Arc Complex/Mars Core 0 Share this post Link to post
DynamiteKaitorn Posted November 12, 2021 Half-Life 2 (I know it's not fully an FPS but ehh...) - Anticitizen One. For a game that I personally hate playing, this is the ONLY chapter I'd make an exception for, as it's an absolute blast going through the Urban brawl against the combine with your fellow rebels aiding you along the way. Serious Sam 2 - Freezepad. HOLY NOODLES. Not only is the frosty atmosphere an absolute joy to run through but the dark, droning, wintery music works super well! And the boss theme is an absolute 10! 0 Share this post Link to post
ZeMystic Posted November 13, 2021 4 hours ago, DynamiteKaitorn said: Half-Life 2 (I know it's not fully an FPS but ehh...) Wdym it's not fully an fps? Last time I checked you are in the first person perspective and shoot. 1 Share this post Link to post
Serum Posted November 13, 2021 Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 - No Russian 0 Share this post Link to post
Jello Posted November 13, 2021 Quite a few have been mentioned, but I didn't see this The Facility from GoldenEye. I don't know how many hours of my youth were spent playing that level, both in single player, and again in multiplayer. As as the multiplayer map "Felicity" in Perfect Dark. It was just the perfect level for that game and the technology at the time. Although Surface 1/2 were really good. Bunker 2 was really good. And honestly I loved the train. That was a really good game. 1 Share this post Link to post
TheMagicMushroomMan Posted November 13, 2021 Another good one is Timesplitters 2, where almost every map is memorable and unique. 4 Share this post Link to post
LadyMistDragon Posted November 14, 2021 19 hours ago, Jello said: Quite a few have been mentioned, but I didn't see this The Facility from GoldenEye. I don't know how many hours of my youth were spent playing that level, both in single player, and again in multiplayer. Although Surface 1/2 were really good. Bunker 2 was really good. Buhhbuhhbuhbuhbuhbbuhbuh..buhhbuhhbuhh. i played that one SO much. It almost felt like a real location other than the overall lack of detail. Bunker 2 or the map everyone thought was really hard but could be cheesed if you stood in a doorway and lured everyone not in the control room to your position and shot them as they arrived. Unfortunately, Goldeneye hasn't really aged well for a variety of reasons, though at least it bequeathed us some stirring Graeham Norgate compositions (along with some Grant Kirkhope thrown in for good measure) 0 Share this post Link to post
Mr. Freeze Posted November 14, 2021 People put Facility over Cradle? Whaaa...? 1 Share this post Link to post