deus ex wasabi - mike 'prower' reid

Filename: prwrdxws.zip

File size: 66.1K

Author: Mike 'Prower' Reid

Homepage: prower.frad.org

Other work: independent levels, one HR2 map, see textfile

Nomonsters LMP here (01:43, 1018 bytes)
note: this LMP requires MBF

Mike 'Prower' Reid's Deus Ex Wasabi is a fun and functional map, with lots
of huge open spaces and high-rise buildings, the one advantage the Doom
engine still has over more modern engines like the Quake2/Unreal engine.
The map largely employs a lava-theme which I like a great deal, but that
excellent theme in the outdoor areas is offset by a lot of dreadful,
near-identical indoor rooms that look like they were ripped out of Requiem's
map27 (Cursed Kingdom by Iikka Keränen, his worst map in my opinion)
and the most dreadful misalignments you have ever seen (lower picture)
Prower said, 'don't get pissed [off] when you see misalignments' but
I really can't help bitching about it. I mean, look! You'd think it
wouldn't be that hard to Y-align the one staircase on the whole map.



The gameplay is quite good on this map, but the quality of it is tampered
with by a general lack of ammo on UV, which is not very cool. Lots of open
spaces means that even a Cyberdemon is not hard when you can just move out
of the way of his rockets. I love pumping loads of rockets at long distance
into monsters whilst moving towards them, then as they're following you, they
get hit by those rockets I fired earlier... does anyone else do this? I'd
love to find out if they did. :-) You certainly have to do a lot of running
around on the level. The ammo shortage has knocked off two or three points
on the gameplay front, but that's it. It's not at all hard once you've learned
your route....



As with the other maps I have reviewed so far, there are no bugs anywhere.
Very good, I think, considering the map's size. If Prower had stuck with the
original DOOM2.EXE while making this, I can just imagine that he'd have run
into some dreadful HOMs and VPOs and stuff in the outdoor areas.

Aesthetically, this map might not be to everyone's taste; I know a number of
LMP-making players don't like lava-themes (Andy Olivera in particular) but
others do, very much so (like me ;-). I certainly liked it -- Prower
was very considerate in that the lava on this map doesn't hurt at all. That's
a damn good thing, considering lava is the dominating fluid on the map. :-)
Very well done (in my opinion). Some textures are a bit misplaced, but
that's the only really bad thing. Umm... the 7.5 I gave it was because lava-
themes are not to everyone's taste -- in case you missed it before. :-)



Er... the thing placement, I think, is the weakest aspect of the map. Because
there are loads of wide open spaces, there are also wide open expanses where
not a single thing resides. I had to hunt around for ammo and health for AGES
and AGES here, and some of the indoor rooms are really underdone with just a
few monsters in them and nothing else. Sorry I'm bitching about this, Prower,
but it's all in a reviewer's job description. :-)

verdict