Shadow Knight's Headquarters

Oookay, the first thing you'll probably notice about this map, aside from the giant lake of lava which just suddenly stops at a certain distance away, is the framerate. Maybe I should explain FPS for those who don't know what it is. Basically it's how well your PC is running the level. Lower numbers mean the level is more laggy and higher numbers mean it runs smoothly. Unfortunately this map has a very low framerate of around-about 20ish when looking in most sections. For some comparison, anything below 30 and you'll notice the slowdown. Now, in a map with absolutely nothing going for it whatsoever, that would be not so bad - however, as this map does have a nice design it's a real shame the author didn't brush up on FPS improving techniques, as the map isn't really playable in some areas. :(

Aside from the square laval lake going into the green Dossun skybox (which just looks plain wierd) the central structure looks pretty cool from above, especially those drill-like pillars. Never seen shiny concrete bricks before though... still, it does look sleek ;) Now, if the inside of the structure had been as nice-looking as the outside, everything would have been great. As it is though, the inner areas are far too dark in places, very devoid of detail and quite boxy. Many doors lack soundsets and buttons go without noises. The rancor doors don't open long enough for the rancors to come out, and the way they open can fudge up, so you can never release it anyway. The author should have both fdoors trigger simultaneously, instead of after one another. :(

The duel room surrounded by lava is my favourite bit. Think that scene from the incredibles where the lava wall opens. It's kinda like that. Aside from this duel room, you can duel on the top of the tower or in some teleporter locations, all of which seem bare and somewhat boring. Missing textures are rife as well, and coupled with the lack of bot support and music for atmosphere, I found myself a little disgruntled. Still, if you like the look of it that's why its been posted here, so have a look :)

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

~Szico VII~