[Release] - Area 27

[Supertanker]

Area 27











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Duke must battle his way through this mysterious desert installation and escape via the docks at the reactor complex!

Please note: this map requires Eduke32 or some other limit-breaking port. This map also requires Atomic Edition. No gameplay mods are required. This map will play in any renderer--I suggest Classic.

Download: http://supertanker.mercenariesguild.net/area27.zip

Download DNR

Thanks to Spiker, TerminX, pmw, and Mikko for beta-testing!

[MikeNorvak]

Nice Shots!!!!

Playin´ right now!

[ck3D]

Right as I was looking for an excuse to unreasonably stay up a little longer. Will play this right now and comment when I'm done. Cool to see a new release from you

[Dan G]

Here are my comments from the thread at duke4.net:

WARNING: SPOILERS!

Just played it, and it is is a very solid release. It looks good, having a hi-tech 3DR style with some flourishes here and there (I especially liked being able to look outside from the tunnel windows). The flow is good; the map is nonlinear but there's nothing that I would call a puzzle. I did get confused a few times in the complicated part of the map with the vents and force fields, but the overhead map was sufficient to get me out of it. The gameplay and item to monster ratio was pretty good throughout, but I have a few minor complaints about it. The beginning is tough sledding, because there is no health for a while. I'm guessing you did this because you wanted the player weak, so he won't be tempted to walk on the lava without boots. I really liked the way you made boots useful there; it was a nice touch. My only other complaint is that most of the map after that point seemed a little too easy, especially the ending. I'm not saying it needed a battlelord ending, but it could have been more challenging towards the end. In a high tech map such as this, it would have made sense to place some turrets (in the reactor room for example). But these are minor complaints and overall it is a very fine map.

Does this map have Polymer lights?  If so, I'll play it again with Polymer.

[Supertanker]

No, unfortunately the map does not have Polymer lights--I haven't experimented with any of the newer features Eduke32 has to offer at all. I'll see about that for my next map though.

Glad you liked it! I can't believe I forgot turrets completely though.

[Dan G]

Glad you liked it! I can't believe I forgot turrets completely though.

I would have mentioned it if I had been a beta tester.  It's not too late to make a few gameplay adjustments; the map hasn't been reviewed or uploaded to servers yet.

[Forge]

I'm somewhat the "unofficial" reviewer for this site. All reviews are welcome, but I tend to do the larger portion of them.

I haven't played your map yet. If you'd like to make some adjustments and re-upload it, I'll hold off. If your fine with this version just give me the go and I'll knock it out within the next couple of days. I'm currently working on my project for my hydraulics class, but I still have time for a few breaks and can get it done in a reasonable amount of time.

[Supertanker]

Edit: Forge, I know that if I go back to make all the changes I want to, I'll never finish this by the time the Summer semester ends. I'll await your criticism as a chance to improve with my next map. Go ahead and review it if you have the time! (And good luck with your Hydraulics course!)

[Henri K]

Just played the map until I got stuck into the area where is that camera screen to look for Cell 1, Cell 2 anc Cell 3. I don´t know what to do next. Wandering around the level without any kind of clue, what to do. Is there keycard somewhere or some kind of switch? I don´t know...

Anyway, map felt pretty linear and generic so far. There is not much effects to be seen and it feel monotous, in need of variety at times with occasionally missing lighting, but level is still great. I hope I´m been able to finish the map without cheats, if I get some help.

[MetHy]

The map was good but there was something very frustrating about it: you created all that beautiful water/cavern based scenery but instead of using it for gameplay elements, you decided to only have that as beautiful unreachable places and restrain the player to narrow straightforward corridors for the most part.

The map could have rocked if in between the high-tech parts we could have gone underwater, visit the caverns a bit, etc. Instead it's "only" a good map.

The map was also basically a bunch of high tech rooms and corridors put one after the other without thinking of creating a level design that felt "genuine".

But then again, it wasn't bad, I enjoyed it.

[ck3D]

I actually really enjoyed this map, it was very simple and classic but it looked good and clean and played well. I thought it would end earlier than it did, but it didn't drag for too long either. I liked the way you used the enemies, gradually introducing the stronger ones, in strategic positions, and it was cool not to have to face a dumb battlelord anywhere again, those guys are getting so generic that they're turning into gameplay killers in my book (then again I love fighting them), even though I was sort of expecting one at the end. I agree that it would have been cool to be able to explore the ourdoor sections (would have made for some added conceptual grandness) but it didn't frustrate me that I couldn't, I guess it made the gameplay more linear so it flowed better than it would have otherwise. Perfect ammo / monster ratio imo, and those newbeasts in the dark scared me haha.

[Dan G]

The map was good but there was something very frustrating about it: you created all that beautiful water/cavern based scenery but instead of using it for gameplay elements, you decided to only have that as beautiful unreachable places and restrain the player to narrow straightforward corridors for the most part.

The map could have rocked if in between the high-tech parts we could have gone underwater, visit the caverns a bit, etc. Instead it's "only" a good map.

I think you are overstating it, but it reminds me of something I felt when playing.  I got a slight Metroid vibe from the map in places.  Getting the boots to go in the lava part reminded me of gettting the Varia suit before entering hot areas.  And then seeing the beautiful outdoor scenes from the windowed tubelike hallways.  Yes, it would have been cool if there were a part where you could blow up the glass and get outside, and maybe enter a cave and do a jumping puzzle to find a switch or a keycard.  But that would be a bonus, I wouldn't criticize the map for not having it.

[Supertanker]

*makes lots of notes*

Razor: Try switching off the force fields right next to you. :>

I'm not sure that I have the experience to make good *playable* outdoor areas--if you'll notice (go into Mapster) a lot of the rocks and such are rather more like props, and don't look all that great up close imo. I also have no idea how the game would flow in such an area. (But that's what beta-testers are for, right?)

Underwater would be fun for my next planet-based map! It's an effect I don't use near often enough.

Also, thank Mikko for talking me out of a Battlelord ending. I was awful tempted...

EDIT: There was no plan for the layout, either. The map grew, like most of my maps do, with little planning. It also didn't help that I had built certain areas about a year ago and then forgot about them...

[Zykov Eddy]

looks nice, gonna check it out!

[Merlijn]

Very good map, I enjoyed playing it. I share Methy's criticism on the layout - especially the first half seemed to only consist out of corridors leading to more corridors leading to.. you get the idea. Try adding some variation in your locations - labs, crew quarters, a cantina, a sick-bay, offices.. stuff that's different but fits within the theme. 
On the plus-side the unreachable scenery made up a bit for the above (and the corridors themselves were also well designed). Also, I really like the lightning in your map, it added a lot of depth to some of the locations (the room were you get the red keycard is a fine example of how to use strong light and shadow).
Last point: too bad we didn't get to blow up that nice looking reactor.