Last map you played/Map Reviews

[Nancsi]

The thing is that great visuals can make you forgive shortcomings in the gameplay department but great gameplay cannot save a map with crappy design.

I agree with MetHunter for an extent, but this is also true. That's why I mostly dislike episode 3 (Shrapnel City) from the original game. Despite the terrific gameplay Levelord put in those maps, the leveldesign is substandard and repetitive for most parts, and therefore the whole episode feels like a very good user map collection instead of professional work. In contrast, some of the AHB levels have some bland gameplay, but the better leveldesign ranks them in the professional quality.

If we use an analogy for the usermade levels, Ale made some terrific looking levels with no memorable gameplay, yet, you still play them ahead of levels with great gameplay but terrible leveldesign.

[Puritan]

If we use an analogy for the usermade levels, Ale made some terrific looking levels with no memorable gameplay, yet, you still play them ahead of levels with great gameplay but terrible leveldesign.

No I don't.
I rather play Billy Boy maps than complacently made eye candy.

[MetHy]

heh, I love most of EP3's level design though...

But yeah, the most important point to remember is that mappers who are already able to make eye candy stuff shouldn't forget about making interesting gameplay, and this includes making interesting level layouts.

[Nancsi]

If we use an analogy for the usermade levels, Ale made some terrific looking levels with no memorable gameplay, yet, you still play them ahead of levels with great gameplay but terrible leveldesign.

No I don't.
I rather play Billy Boy maps than complacently made eye candy.

Billy Boy and gameplay? His maps are more infamous by those notorious puzzles, and sheer frustration.

[Puritan]

In my dictionary gameplay includes puzzles.

Besides that, Billys maps is progressive. In other words; You follow a story that folds out as you pass obstacles and puzzles.

And yes, his maps is frustrating here and there, but that is also part of the gameplay.

One of my greatest moments of playing Duke maps was when I finally stood at the top of the lighthouse. 

[Mikko_Sandt]

Played Jelenic's Dark Alley: http://dukerepository.com/maps/Dark_Alley

Not bad. There are plenty of locations where you don't need to go so it's a matter of luck how much time you end up spending on wandering around but the layout is pretty clear and nothing essential has been hidden. Good item/monster balance.

[Nancsi]

Played the good ol' Aqua series. I think these maps weren't legendary in their days without a reason. Even today, despite being aged somewhat, these levels are impressive. What is actually impressive in them, how the managed to capture the original Duke feel. Not many maps can do that, and in 1996, I think the Aqua series were far the best in the business.

Fixing some flaws, most notably re-scaling the cramped corridors, correcting the enemy balance, adding some minor touches here and there, and they could well fit into the style of 3dRealms. George W Bernard definately played these levels, he obviously got some ideas, like the underwater mine. I think George's LRWB is the improved version of the Aqua series.

[MetHy]

Escape From An Unknown Street

http://dukerepository.com/maps/Escape_From_An_Unknown_Street

Released exactly 13years ago. Not bad, took me 7 mins, the freedom you have wasn't handled well because you can find yourself with little weaponry if you start by going on the "wrong" way, but design wasn't bad.

[ck3D]

http://msdn.duke4.net/hotanar.shtml this wonderful experience of a map

simple yet wonderful old-school design, incredibly immersive, the kind of conceptual grandness (as Mikko puts it) I wish I could attain in my own maps. Some areas look a bit sketchy but never to the point where it takes away from the gaming experience, the layout is incredible, the gameplay is perfect even though I got lost a few times in the beginning because I suck at finding my way sometimes, really enjoyable firefights and weapon / ammo / monster ratio. Worth trying if you haven't yet

[Forge]

I played Anarxiticalcity a week or two ago. It was alright considering it abided by the 1024 rule. I found two blue keys, but somehow only ended up using one. The end stats said I only killed around 200 aliens; far short of Mikko's 600+. I figure I must have skipped a huge part of the map somehow; probably when I jumped over some big door that had messed up textures on the back, and then walked right through a gate that had a blue key by it. I don't think was supposed to be passable since it had a switch on the far side that opened it, but it let me walk through it, so I kept going.

[ck3D]

I had a killcount of 550+ after my playthrough, although I probably skipped a part of the map as well, it took me ages to locate the first blue key (I had explored and cleaned up the whole city in the meantime) and I got it by using the steroids I had found in the metro to jump off a high ledge and make it to that section with the huge sprite staircase. When I got to the sector where the blue key was I noticed the cave in front of me crumbling down with enemies and items inside and realized that I might have been supposed to reach the area from there instead. I didn't mind much though, I think it's actually pretty cool when a map is so unlinear that the player is given the choice to navigate through it the way he wants even if it implies to skip whole chunks of it, if he manages to find a way to, more power to him, I guess

[Puritan]

.... I didn't mind much though, I think it's actually pretty cool when a map is so unlinear that the player is given the choice to navigate through it the way he wants even if it implies to skip whole chunks of it, if he manages to find a way to, more power to him, I guess

Agree  
I actually implement that possibility in some of my maps as well.
Kinda reward for explorers.( not for "square-heads" )

[ck3D]

Suburbs, and Mikey C's new Library map, both quite good plays with an interesting design in some areas

[ck3D]

http://dukerepository.com/maps/Drafted a two-year old map named Drafted, that I had never played before. I didn't like it one bit and had to stop playing halfway through because it was so frustrating. What kind of gameplay is that when a map is just throwing monsters at you constantly, in the meanest way possible, ducked Pigcops in every corner and behind every door, Commanders in narrow hallways, Battlelords and turrets that respawn right behind your back. Hated the design too, it looked like the author was going for a Military Madness rip-off (especially visible in some outdoor areas) but the shading was weak and the texturing an oddity. It's rare that I don't enjoy a map enough to stop playing it halfway through, but it happened with this one. Shame because it looked like the author had the basics down in terms of architecture

[Dan G]

I played that map when it was released and I didn't like it.  Then I played it again a few weeks ago using my War of Attrition mod and it seemed pretty decent, but then again that mod is designed to make mindless action more interesting.


A map that I played and enjoyed recently was Cavern by Tim Lowndes:  http://dukerepository.com/maps/Cavern

Captain Awesome wrote an accurate and mostly fair review, but I think he was too hard on the map for having a non-spectacular ending.  The map got an 80, but I would have given it a 90 to be more in sync with the rest of the scoring on this site.  The map really doesn't have any flaws, but it's not very ambitious either.