Yet another Quake2 conversion into Doom, Cybdm02 is another neat deathmatch creation from its author, Cyb. Even if it does seem that the community has been getting a rash of these conversions recently, they might actually be a good sign of Doom's impending rebirth. What makes Cybdm02 such a smooth little map is that it makes very thorough use of a new innovation made possible by Zdoom, and is what makes the whole conversion work. The design is unique among Doom deathmatch maps, since it sports an extremely vertical aspect to its construction. If we were only to take layout into account, then the map would be very boring indeed - the whole thing is literally a big box. This is where that vertical construction comes in. On two opposite sides of the map are ladders which take players up to a ledge. Each ledge has access to two bridges that run accross to the middle of the map. A rocket launcher sits right smack in the middle, waiting for any brave players to come and take it. It's a precarious run to the weapon though, since a misstep will have you tumbling into the lava pit waiting below. What makes the bridges so neat is that they allow players to walk over and under each other at the same exact time, a feature that can be attributed to Zdoom's enhanced Z-height checking. Legacy allows this as well, but due to the way Legacy handles the setting of Z coordinates, this bridge effect is a practical reality only for Zdoom. So as a result, this map really has two planes that players can traverse through, an impossibility with the original Doom engine.File name: cybdm02.wad Author: Cyb Map Size: Small Map Summary: It's a pretty direct conversion of my most recent Q2 DM map of the same name. (Excerpted from cybdm02.txt)
A nice view from up above.
As for the look of the map, it's actually pretty plain. It takes place outdoors, so shading is practically nil. Some shadows would have been nice, but considering the amount of lines in view any extra detailing might have slowed down the map quite a bit. It does use a new brick texture not native to Doom, so it manages to make the area look fresh if a little on the bland side. The 3d areas look spiffy though; there are bars that not only demarcate the lava pit, but also act as another kind of bridge for players running around on the second floor. Cool.
Getting the rocket launcher can be bad for your health.
We can't forget about the gameplay of course. With two floors for players to run around on and wide open lines of fire, surviving in this map is very difficult indeed. Finding other opponents is very simple. Can't see them on the ground floor? Make your way to a ladder and scout out the battlefield from the second level. When you're up against opponents who make use of every inch of space in this map, the fighting gets extremely tough. You're constantly in a mad state of mind, swiveling your view up and down to make sure an opponent won't swoop at you from an unexpected angle. Pellet munchers will reign supreme in this map, due to the nature of the 3d bridges. They'll stop projectiles such as plasma and rockets with the solidity of a wall, but bullets will fly right through unimpeded. What results is that a sort of balance seems to form out of this; players on the high ground will be able to use projectile weapons to deadly effect, while those on the low ground can harass opponents up above with instant hit weapons. How does this work? Being on the top floor affords a much better field of view than being on the bottom floor. Since the intervening space between the second floor and the first is far shorter than shooting across the map horizontally, projectile weapons like plasma and especially the rocket launcher can spread their shots to any part of the map with deadly effect. Those on the ground may be at a disadvantage in the open, but have complete control when standing directly under the bridge areas. This allows them to shower opponents above with a deadly hail of buckshot, while getting complete protection from any dreaded projectiles. Anyone above can return fire with bullet weapons as well, but looking down through the bridge is a lot tougher than looking up.
These bars break up lines of fire across the map.
As you can see, there's lots of potential for strategy in this level, even if the layout is quite simplistic in nature. While the plasma gun is out in the open yet again, for once I don't see it as so much of a problem in this map. If someone is chasing you with it on the ground floor, just make a run for the high ground and return fire there. Want to get the jump on an opponent? Stay on a different floor than he does, and stick to the inner walls. When you get your chance, let loose a barrage of flying lead. With some luck you might even get him to fall in the lava! The kinds of tactics possible with this map make it worth playing just for this reason alone. If there is any faults with the 3d bridges though, it would be that its pretty tough to stay on top of them sometimes. The bridges themselves are very narrow, which is a recipe for disaster when you're in a hurry to get away from your lunatic plasma gun-wielding friends. The bridges besides the ledges are also a little slippery, but who says that this new map feature has been perfected yet? What else can I say about Cybdm02? The pace is frantic, the frags high, and the action red hot. It's not pretty, but you'll probably be too busy busting your ass trying to nail the other guy with a well-placed shot. Chances are that by the time you're done playing, you'll need a neck brace after keeping up with all the action on-screen.
Review by Razorback
The Doom DM Resource Recommends:Get Cybdm02 from Cyb's Page.2-4 Players Use exclusively with Zdoom Play over Doomserv A neck brace for all the mlooking you'll be doing =)