I am salivating over the screens files here. You could actually increase them a smidgen with incurring anyones wrath. The clarity is even shocking this old man and I am one of the pioneers of the perfect image size.

/me bows to a master.

I really need to download this thing but, I only want to do so twice. Once for a critique perhaps and once for a completed version. Downloading sucks owl s**t these days.

Lemme know when this thing is ready for my attentions.

Thats not an elite comment, its a self aware "hey I'm on 56k" kind.

I'm only partway through the article myself, and I agree with the author about gameplay trumping visuals.

My favorite mp map is ofc_beach5, but I read some reviews that the textures looked off and that it was a rush job etc., with no consideration to how much fun it is. When you're running around a corner who cares if if a rock was used several times. Plus, the plethora of secret areas in the map always keeps you guessing.

I don't care what chinese food looks like as long as it tastes good. Same with mapping. A map can look brilliant, but its not fun to play, who cares. I think there are 2 camps of critics, those that judge whether the visuals and theme really look nice, and those that are concerned with gameplay (and some of both I'm sure). Personally, I prefer the latter. I do have a lot of admiration for those that make maps look so professional though.

1st off, the maps progression is phenomenal. You advancement from your earlier works is obvious.

That said, I am getting the distinct impression that you are centering your concerns on vista's again. Your earlier works did this. You seem overly concerned with long lines of sight. I think/feel that you should concentrate a tad bit more on your inside, short line areas more. The outside looks so good that I would (just looking at the images) say its on par with many of the big gaming title releases. However, the inside areas look as if they were added begrudgingly. I realize that that sounds a bit harsh, but as I said, I can only judge by the screens.

Look at all the screens that are less grand in distance seen. They are all bland, or nearly bland in comparison to "The Fifth Element" scenes of the outside section. The outside has architecture to spare. The inside has... boxes. The outside has colors and moving/animated scenes, the inside has boxes.

At the very least, add some color inside and many of the animated scenes, possibly via televisions or monitors. It has been my experience that movies and maps of this theme that are successful have inside areas full of advertisements with flashy bits and bobs.

I feel that this map will fall short of the expectations if all of its areas are not equally addressed. A picture may have launched a thousand ships, but many more pictures have sunk to the depths of obscurity because of short sightedness.

/2 cents