(Note: This map originally reviewed on 16/5/01)

One of the signs of a really great map is when you find yourself exploring around in amazement, and saying ?WOW!? a lot. This is one of those kinds of maps, and one of the very best from probably the most well known Half-Life mapping wizard, Gustavo. This is the 33rd HL Deathmatch map from 25 year old Kevin who works professionally as a level/mission designer for the Warthog video company in the UK. It is a conversion of the runner up HL-DM map (Scorched) from the January 2001 Planet Half-Life mapping contest.

I do have to ask one serious question on behalf of all the mappers who entered that contest? how could this map have been a runner up with the custom sky & personal sign texture promoting his website? A rule is a rule, and I wanted to raise the issue. I think he should send the jacket to me to hold in escrow until this is settled (I am size Large, btw! <!-- BBCode Start -->(squeal piggy- Lep.)<!-- BBCode End -->)

Many experienced mappers are in awe of some of the maps that Gustavo has produced, and with good reason. There are so many wonderful things about this map, it?s hard to know where to start. The architecture using curved surfaces, arches, various heights in each scene, and a wonderful tunnel underground network are all magnificent.

The lighting outside and use of ?hot baking in the sun? type of light brick textures that are varied throughout the map is very effective at conveying a base complex in a hot desert climate. You can almost feel the hot sun and the dry dusty grounds blowing in your face. Gustavo freely admits using a sky from ?Mighty Pete,? and textures from the TF2 Wad file, but he uses them so well, I don?t care where they came from.

This is a moderately large map when you include the underground tunnel and sewer areas, but there are enough unique items and locations, that it is easy to learn and know where you are. The weapons and items placement are a bit less than I would like to see for this large of a map, but there are enough doors, and ladders down into the sewer/underground complex, that you can still have a good Gameplay experience.

Gustavo has 2 armored personnel carriers (APCs) with machine guns, and a truck that give an interesting variety in the map. The placement of the Snowman/Penguins in front of a blazing furnace is funny, but again well done. The detail of these brick textures is really amazing compared to the mostly smooth surface textures in typical OP4 maps. The water in the sewer areas has the right depth, color, texture, and sounds.

All of the APCs, truck, fires, and everything else you would expect has perfect environmental sounds used to make scenes more realistic. I had a chance to play this with 4 people recently, and using sound to locate the other players, it was not hard to run into players. The connectivity of this map is superb, as there are many areas that may have 3-5 ways to get in and out.

Technically, the r_speeds were excellent, and the highest I could find were in the low 700?s (w_polys) in an open area, but most of it was under 300, so any equipment will be able to play this map without it hanging up.

Honestly, I could go on and on saying wonderful things about this map, but I think you get the idea. I am really close to giving a perfect 10 to this map, but it?s not quite there from the standpoint of having enough variety, and a bit too big for the average OP4 player. I can?t really think of any other reason, because there is very little to criticize about this map. It?s a really exceptional map from Gustavo, and I REALLY appreciate him spending his time making these maps for all of us.

Design
Looks and sounds horrible. Misaligned textures, basic architecture, blah blah... 1 mark

Gameplay
Ooooh, shall I stay inside or outside? Unexpectedly fun to play, although does get boring quickly.
2 marks

Verdict
Probably the best TFC map conversion, but that doesn't mean much. Nice sniping, but that's about it.

Pros
Sniping

Design
Nnnrgh TFC map & Lazy weapons/ammo placing

(Note: This map originally reviewed on 16/5/01)

One of the signs of a really great map is when you find yourself exploring around in amazement, and saying ?WOW!? a lot. This is one of those kinds of maps, and one of the very best from probably the most well known Half-Life mapping wizard, Gustavo. This is the 33rd HL Deathmatch map from 25 year old Kevin who works professionally as a level/mission designer for the Warthog video company in the UK. It is a conversion of the runner up HL-DM map (Scorched) from the January 2001 Planet Half-Life mapping contest.

I do have to ask one serious question on behalf of all the mappers who entered that contest? how could this map have been a runner up with the custom sky & personal sign texture promoting his website? A rule is a rule, and I wanted to raise the issue. I think he should send the jacket to me to hold in escrow until this is settled (I am size Large, btw! <!-- BBCode Start -->(squeal piggy- Lep.)<!-- BBCode End -->)

Many experienced mappers are in awe of some of the maps that Gustavo has produced, and with good reason. There are so many wonderful things about this map, it?s hard to know where to start. The architecture using curved surfaces, arches, various heights in each scene, and a wonderful tunnel underground network are all magnificent.

The lighting outside and use of ?hot baking in the sun? type of light brick textures that are varied throughout the map is very effective at conveying a base complex in a hot desert climate. You can almost feel the hot sun and the dry dusty grounds blowing in your face. Gustavo freely admits using a sky from ?Mighty Pete,? and textures from the TF2 Wad file, but he uses them so well, I don?t care where they came from.

This is a moderately large map when you include the underground tunnel and sewer areas, but there are enough unique items and locations, that it is easy to learn and know where you are. The weapons and items placement are a bit less than I would like to see for this large of a map, but there are enough doors, and ladders down into the sewer/underground complex, that you can still have a good Gameplay experience.

Gustavo has 2 armored personnel carriers (APCs) with machine guns, and a truck that give an interesting variety in the map. The placement of the Snowman/Penguins in front of a blazing furnace is funny, but again well done. The detail of these brick textures is really amazing compared to the mostly smooth surface textures in typical OP4 maps. The water in the sewer areas has the right depth, color, texture, and sounds.

All of the APCs, truck, fires, and everything else you would expect has perfect environmental sounds used to make scenes more realistic. I had a chance to play this with 4 people recently, and using sound to locate the other players, it was not hard to run into players. The connectivity of this map is superb, as there are many areas that may have 3-5 ways to get in and out.

Technically, the r_speeds were excellent, and the highest I could find were in the low 700?s (w_polys) in an open area, but most of it was under 300, so any equipment will be able to play this map without it hanging up.

Honestly, I could go on and on saying wonderful things about this map, but I think you get the idea. I am really close to giving a perfect 10 to this map, but it?s not quite there from the standpoint of having enough variety, and a bit too big for the average OP4 player. I can?t really think of any other reason, because there is very little to criticize about this map. It?s a really exceptional map from Gustavo, and I REALLY appreciate him spending his time making these maps for all of us.

Verdict

Probably the best TFC map conversion, but that doesn't mean much. Nice sniping, but that's about it.