[WIP] Elements (second beta version)

[NerdKoopa]

The second beta version of Elements is here! When I was thinking how to improve the visuals of the level, this came to my mind: "Wait a minute...  No one has been maintaining these buildings for over a thousand years and they're still in perfect condition! That's not good." And so, I added some decay. Vegetation is slowly invading the water temple, walls are crumbling and pieces of trim, ceiling and supports have fallen. This should add a lot more to the atmosphere of the level. Also, I changed the "ceiling crushers" segment so that you can no longer skip it.
The level's premise is this: During his journeys, Duke accidentally found the remains of an ancient advanced civilisation. When he enters the depths of the temples in hope for finding something valuable, he finds out that the aliens got there first. Is he just gonna sit there and let those bastards take the gold? Of course not!
Please note that this is only the second beta version. Improvements WILL be made according to community feedback. Have fun!
PS: The enemies are missing from the screenshots.

[Zykov Eddy]

Kinda reminds me old classic maps. downloading.

[Zykov Eddy]

Played it, Got the treasure. Love the classic style.
I also wanna mention some nice ideas, like underwater lever (reminds me levers from half life). Bad side - lack of shading.

[The Commander]

This was a pretty good short played map. 

[Loke]

Really cool map. It's different from the majority of other maps with its fairly unique design and gameplay. It's short but I had a very enjoyable experience throughout. What could enhance the map would be custom made enemies fitting into the corresponding themes like, for an example, the fire element area could have an enemy with some sort of fire elemental attack. Of course this isn't something major that needs to be added as the map is definitely very good as it stands now but definitely consider it as custom content is always a huge plus.

Be sure to add some slopes to the mountains in the fire elemental area with the sentry drones so it doesn't look so flat. Also don't be afraid to shade the walls so they look more realistic; I noticed a few areas that could need some work in this department. Lastly, although this is mostly a personal opinion, you could lower the sector visibility in the underwater areas so it feels more natural with the limited view.

[Puritan]

Congrats with your first release.
Downloading.

[NerdKoopa]

Really cool map. It's different from the majority of other maps with its fairly unique design and gameplay. It's short but I had a very enjoyable experience throughout. What could enhance the map would be custom made enemies fitting into the corresponding themes like, for an example, the fire element area could have an enemy with some sort of fire elemental attack. Of course this isn't something major that needs to be added as the map is definitely very good as it stands now but definitely consider it as custom content is always a huge plus.

Be sure to add some slopes to the mountains in the fire elemental area with the sentry drones so it doesn't look so flat. Also don't be afraid to shade the walls so they look more realistic; I noticed a few areas that could need some work in this department. Lastly, although this is mostly a personal opinion, you could lower the sector visibility in the underwater areas so it feels more natural with the limited view.

This is exactly the kind of constructive critisism I was hoping for. Thank you! 

[Nexus]

What a terrifically fun map.

I loved the lava whirlpool, brilliant idea.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet, the puzzle with the crushing ceiling is very very easy to pass if you want to be sneaky. I don't know if that's deliberate or not.

[NerdKoopa]

What a terrifically fun map.

I loved the lava whirlpool, brilliant idea.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet, the puzzle with the crushing ceiling is very very easy to pass if you want to be sneaky. I don't know if that's deliberate or not.

Yeah, I noticed it during early playtesting, but decided to leave it there for speedrunners.

[Forge]

Brother left to go home so I had some time to check this out.

Game play is fun and the alien/ammo/health ratio is good
creative layout and design
design wise though, you should fix two things about the ceiling crushing area:
   even though you want to leave it as is for speed running, you should change it so it can't be passed so easily, lower the ceiling so the jump can
   only be made by strafe-jumping, also give the player a way to get out of the lava pit if they fall in
another design fix: the lava whirlpool was pretty cool, but you should smooth out the sector work so it isn't so choppy
texturing is good and fits, improve the shading, add some detailing and trim work to give the map more depth and a more immersible feel, as it is
  now, it feels kind of generic
Overall it's a pretty solid map, especially for a first release 

[ck3D]

Played it, took me about 10 minutes, I liked it, the design was basic but solid, it reminded me a lot of the kind of maps that were around in the late 90's but in a cleaned-up form, which I liked good for nostalgia, the gameplay itself was cool as well I liked the way you made the player encounter enemies behind timed doors like you did, not that it hasn't been done before but it's always good to see alternatives to the classic in-your-face type of gameplay. I was expecting a boss fight at the end because of how the map built up, but again boss fights are generic and ruin maps more often than not. A pretty cool map

the only thing I could say your map needs more would be wall shading, but I think that's been said before, and maybe some minor polishing here and there, but for a first map, that's a good start

[NerdKoopa]

Ahoy! The second beta is here! Read the first post for more information. Feedback is welcome (and hoped for).

[Henri K]

Nice map. I finally played this map and it was satisfying experience. Gameplay was great, didn´t offer anything dull or disappointing, I liked to do little jumping and platforming without forgetting to slaughter some enemies out of the way. The level was like perfect beginner´s map - bugfree and not much extra details, gameplay on the precedence! Sadly it was too short, I completed it under 10 minutes on the first run, I hope you make your next map longer.

*SPOILER!*
Still I was hoping to face some Battlelords in the end (like guarding the treasure). Tough ending battle would have put final touch into the map´s gameplay. I´m looking forward to see your next map.

[Dan G]

It's a fun map but too short.  Some maps don't need a big battle at the end, but in my opinion this one does.  I suggest having an arena as the last area instead of that little room with the treasure.  You used timed doors to good effect so I would go with that again but on a larger scale, with big timed doors releasing waves of enemies.  But that's just my opinion.

[Henri K]

Good idea. I believe he has bright mapping future, if he just pushes on.