Ancient Trials

You can't usually expect much from a 2-day build map, and this map shows. However, it wasn't as bad as I had originally thought it would be after looking at the build time, at least not in the fun factor. Technically, it's a different story.

I did have fun on this map, even on my own - and that's not something which happens to me often. The whole map, as per the name 'trials,' is filled with traps, jumps, and a very cool maze. I say maze, but it's really more like a labyrinth as I only found one path to the middle - you just have to run a fair bit to get there ;) Of course, I still believe it's unfair when I fall into a trap which you can't avoid; e.g. just suddenly dying as you run down a corridor, which was marked 'End'. So don't go down that corridor ;)

Technically however, the map does show far too well the timeframe in which it was built. Architecture is blocky, and the textures endlessly repeat in practically every room, there's very little detailing of features or curves and there was a missing texture in one of the duelling rooms. The way the architecture was engineered and used to create the trials was good, but aesthetically, it is not good. :( I especially wanted to smash up that overused duel room which has a closing glass shield around it. I swear, If I see that in another map I'll scream, and you wouldn't want that. ;)

It's also quite buggy in a few rooms. The most prominent bugs you'll find are in the camera 'hub' room. Basically, it's a load of cameras looking at different areas of the map... but it's gone wrong. You can see into the void from half of them, as well as see random lights in the middle of the sky....well, it's just weird. Oh, and some of the images are upside down as well.

The lighting was also very, very boring. Some corridors were not lit at all, only by a discreet ambient light, and everything else was lit by torches, which were vastly overused. At least I didn't find any lighting without a source.

I have to say, I was fairly put-out by this map - simply because it could have been so much more. I can't ever recommend a 2-day build for a map, and this map shows it. By the way, the author didn't need to include the system_new textures in his pk3, they're just taking up space and aren't doing anything.

New Textures: Yes New Sounds: No Bot Support: No

~Szico VII~