The rooftop: at first glance this appears perfect for the sniper, but there are several problems which render hiding in the shadows unfeasable. Firstly, there are three ways to access the roof, leading to no situation where you can successfully hide and cover your back with any degree of confidence. Secondly, the ideal shadows are only available where you either stand too close to a ladder, or at an obtuse angle to the stairwell, leaving you with either a target out of nowhere, or someone side-on and running. The block with the machine gun looks tempting, but leaves you silhouetted against the busy Hong-Kong backdrop. No, what you need here is some kind of strafing weapon - and why, you then ask, did they put the machine-gun up there? If someone uses any other weapon against you when you have the machine-gun, you will almost certainly whack then - the shotgun leaves gaps in its firing pattern and the hand-cannon is just a joke. You can hold your own on the roof with an MP5, but just make sure you watch all entrances.
The Stairwell: here a kill works more on height advantage than any other factor - a player coming round one of the corners to meet a player coming up the stairs at him will have an easier head-shot, whereas the player attacking uphill will only be presented wih legs. However, disregarding where you stand, you want the hand-cannon here - you try and dodge it with only two feet to play with. Only the quickest of unsuspecting players will fire before you if you keep on your toes, and the twists mean you can reload in realtive safety, and if necessary bug out at any floor wihtout being noticed. The only other place you want to use this gun is in the dark warehouse, where only vague impressions of adversaries remove effective use of more precise weapons.
The Corridors/Rooms: The Shotgun owns these areas - tight enough to fir through a door at long range, big enough to kill instantly, fast enough to outpace the hand-cannon and worry the machine-gun. Much of the beauty of the shotgun comes from its compromise status - you can dart out from behind the cover of an open door, let rip in the general direction of someone with a fair chance of a hit, and duck back in a way that cannot be mimicked with any other weapon than the pistol, and that with woefully reduced effectiveness. However, watch for grenades here most of all - doors can be tricky to get through, and do not cover you from the blast. The escape routes here are the best of any area, and the sheer number of areas where the Shotgun is the only weapon and their diversity probably makes this the best weapon on the level.
Outdoors: I don't think I have ever seen a level where the shotgun works at ground level before, but here it is. The long passages, the deep shadows and the multitude of options (given that your positioning is good) leave you almost unbeatable, and if you are discovered, just dip around the right corner, and the accuracy of the pistol will see to the aggressor's doubtless more random weapon. If the though of being on ground level scares you budding snipers thoug, try dropping onto the light fixtures around the roof - no-one thinks to check them as almost all the action takes place indoors, but there is almost always a lone target wandering around outside.
Aside from these pieces of advice, there is little to say apart from the fact that this level is nigh-on perfect. Initial weapon placement is ideal, especially the shotgun - you often have to fight your way out! Ammo is scare but not too much so, and although the bandolier seems to crop up very often, you can usually find what you need if you look hard enough. All in all, an excellent level
Review by Rufus
Although level's name may be strange (or not -- what does it mean? :), the map itself sure isn't. Lock n' Load is set in a "closed warehouse", and the author has made sure it's a thorough one. Starting at the open parking lot, the map branches into narrow alleys surrounding the warehouse itself. These alleys are not the place to be -- you'll definately get some kills in, but extended survival isn't likely. From these outlets there are many entrances to the building, which consists of four storeys (including the roof). The interior (bottom three) floors contain several rooms (offices and the like); all are furnished fairly realistically without inhibiting combat. Connecting all the floors are both an interior stairwell and outdoor ladders. The roof itself has vents and the like, preventing dull flatness.
Now for gameplay. Entity placement is fine -- for most AQ2 maps this isn't really an issue. There isn't too much ammo in the open areas, but there's usually a good supply from fallen victims :) For the desperate, though, the inside rooms all contain either a weapon or a pistol clip (and they always seem to be present =), so a stop by those places is sometimes needed. However, other than ammo there is little reason to go to these rooms, and hanging around them results in few kills. Thus action tends to be concentrated in outside, mainly in the parking lot and alleys, with some spilling into the first floor corridors. The roof also has a decent amount of action, and is a good placec to snipe. Speakingof which, Lock n' Load allows for any type of player to flourish: sneaky close-range kills are possible in most of the alleys, snipers have a few good sites, and of course, runnin' and gunnin' always nets plenty of frags :) Gameplay is best with six to twelve players; fewer is acceptable, more is utter chaos.
Lock n' Load is one of the best maps of those currently available. Unfortunately, many already find it tiresome, as (until recently) most servers were running the two map cycle of it and Coventry Village.
Review by Krazy_Ivan
Although this map has received much praise and admiration, which it deserves for realism and detail, I unfortunatley can not give it all the credit it has been given. Yes it is a good map. My only concern is the fact that this map takes place mainly in the open alleys and rooftop. I rarely see anyone doggin it out in the board rooms or offices. And the only time you do is when they have just freshly respawned there. This level could have been comprised of a building with no inner chambers, a rooftop, and the outside streets and it would have made for the excat same map. The kind of detail that has gone into this map is usually used on single player, and although its nice to see more involving maps I think that designers have to play test their maps on the net before finalizing. We could have saved a few frames by not having the open windows and doorways that noone seems to use. Although some use the crate garage for some nifty dodge and cover. Its a good map dont get me wrong but it isnt one of the best. Although being smaller than Quittin Time does give it a plus for having the same problem. Anyway I just thought I'd toss out some controversy for all of us perfectionists to dwell over.
Peace I'm Out!