While NARR might be a cryptic name for a wad pack, author HavoC promises in his text file a set of levels that will play fast and furiously over deathmatch. Setting aside such innuendo, at first glance this seemed to be your run of the mill level set. It's obviously not nearly as gigantic as any of Team TNT's deathmatch megawads, but the small number of levels hopefully meant that each one would exhibit focus and quality all the way to the end. In truth this set reminded me in some ways of Brad Carney's Doomserv Deathmatch 1, since both sport the same number of levels and intended goals. NARR nearly lives up to some good potential, but in the end lacked a little something that will be expanded upon in the rest of this review.File name: narr.wad Author: Geof "HavoC" Good Map Size: Small/Medium Map Summary: 5 fast paced DM levels. Not for [the] faint of heart. (Excerpted from narr.txt)
An expansive view of map 1.
Of all the levels in NARR, map 1 was by far my personal favorite. If you look at the screenshot above you can see many of the elements that make up this map. A series of pillars provide cover in an outdoor area, which leads off into two other main areas. One leads to a lava area with a rocket launcher, the other to a BFG. Thankfully the BFG is sealed behind a delayed gate, which means that the weapon is ripe pickings for anyone brave enough to venture down and fight it out. The flow is really nice all throughout, and the weapon (consisting mostly of super shotguns) choice neatly complements the level's run and gun nature. Only one thing in this map kept me from totally enjoying it though - the stairs down to the BFG are so confined, running players will be snagged in between. This is extremely annoying in the middle of a fierce firefight, but my guess is that the author intended the stairs to work in that manner. What better way to punish would-be scrubs from trying to get the BFG all the time? On a minor note there is also an illogical construction error that made its way into the map. A chaingun sits behind some iron bars, which looks as if it is unobtainable. Lo and behold, it turns out you can walk through the bar texture to get to the gun. Huh!?
Nice architecture, but some texture alignment would be nice.
Map 3 would follow as a close second when it comes to overall gameplay in NARR. The design is somewhat patterned after a temple atrium, which leads into a separate room housing the all-powerful blue combat armor. A soulsphere sits on top of a fountain, and is obtainable by making a running jump from the top of the surrounding platform. This also happens to be a very fun level, with many fights being balanced out by the presence of that soulsphere in one end and the blue armor in the other. What results are some pretty intensive duels where a single super-shotgun blast isn't quite enough to drop your opponent. Unfortunately there are some problems with illogical construction yet again, as well as some texture mis-alignments. Getting to the blue armor normally requires using the doors around the sides to gain access, but it's also possible to jump right "through" the bars in the surrounding windows to get inside. Again, the reason for this eludes me.
Want that megasphere? You'll need Zdoom to make it possible.
The other neat level in this map is the last one in the series. It also happens to pack some nice gameplay, but not nearly to the extent that maps 1 and 3 do. It's aptly named "tribute to map 7", and the construction shows. The box-like design and placement seems to resemble the original Doom 2 map 7 in many respects, but on the other hand plays quite differently. In the original map 7, it was possible to use misdirection against your opponent to force him to make a mistake, thanks to the outer walls which concealed player movement. In NARR map 5, the only objects that obsucre vision are a series of thin pillars, which means it's a simple matter to spot your opponent instantly every time. The result is that most fights are face to face affairs, with no real opportunity for ambush or strategy. If there is something that really seems to hurt the rest of the level pack however is the remaining two maps in NARR's reportoire, map 2 and 4. Map 2 is a slipshod affair, and the design is bland and uninspiring. The layout is such that most fights degenerate into mindless slugfests, and soon becomes repetitive beyond belief. Map 4 isn't any better, seeing how it's really two wide arenas in one. I've got to hand it to the author though, the concept of using a hockey arena as a deathmatch level is truly original. However, the nature of the map is such that it's too simple to spot your opponent, grab a weapon, then spend your time trying to hit each other from long distances without any cover at all to make things interesting. The concept is so utterly contrived, and makes Doom DM almost feel like some dull Quake2 matches I've suffered through before. Overall, NARR provides an eclectic mix of deathmatch maps that will help spice up any Doom DM session. The series drags due to the poorer levels in the pack, but the maps that do shine still deserve a spin over Doomserv or your friendly neighborhood LAN.
Review by Razorback
The Doom DM Resource Recommends:Get NARR, mirrored on our ftp site.2-4 Players Matches on maps 1 and 3 Play over Doomserv Use with Zdoom/Legacy