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Rage DM v1.1 Preview (Cont.)
Map 4: The Abandoned Factory
An old factory train lies dead on its tracks
Abandoned Factory is one detailed level, and its visual quality is still up to par with even recent releases. Of course, the Abandonded Factory still plays just as well, including the fact that it benefits from additional ammo placement.
This lift is your ticket to the plasma gun
Structural adjustments were few if any, but the dead body that used to sit by the exit door has been removed. Otherwise the level has been mostly left alone, and is perfectly fine the way it is. There's lots of maneuvering room to shake opponents hot on your tail, but the many corners of the map afford chances to ambush unsuspecting foes.
The detail on this map is very thorough
Map 5: Lava Tunnels
Colored lighting, w00p!
Of all the original Rage DM levels, Lava Tunnels seems to have benefitted the most. The level, a massive arena with two colossal lava vats in one end of the map, now sports quite a few adjustments that near-drastically changes the way it plays. On the cosmetic side, the huge vats now have colored lighting, making the lava cast an eerie red glow.
It's a long way down
There were two "insta-lifts" that would take you up to the high ledges of the map. From there you could jump down into the vats and grab some situated on top of the lava. That was before...now, the lifts are considerably slower in travelling up. Also, the lava is deeper, which means that the weapons in the vats are covered up. This has some big implications in new deathmatch, with players making trips into the lava only to find that the weapons have already been taken!
Map 6: Brainless
Eerie, yet familiar...
Now, on to the real meat of Rage DM 1.1 - the new levels! Brainless is the first of two bonus maps included with the series, and is a total fragfest waiting to happen. The design is very much in the Overload/Surge style; a round arena with lots of bullet weapons and no cover. It looks nice, and sports the same light up effect seen in Rage DM map 1 to give dramatic impact. An animated sky also rounds up the atmosphere, but chances are that people will be too involved in gratuitous carnage to notice anything!
