Map Name - Lava Tube / Author - The Gimp / Map Filename - lavatube.zip

Reviewed by Oswald - July 14, 1999

 

 

Layout - Score 9

The Gimp has created a very unique map. Nothing which has been released previously can really compare to lava tube. As the author describes, " The lava tube was inspired by a canyoning weekend I had in the Blue Mountains, Sydney, Australia. Particular features that inspired me were the lighting effects of natural sunlight bouncing down in to canyon." This layout is very complex, similar to an elongated, oval with random twists and turns through cavernous, rocky areas. This is quite a large map also, but at times it is difficult to get your bearings, without distinct features. A few areas, such as the lake underground lake with the waterfall, the wooded area outside the caves which are quite recognizable. The maps is played mainly on one level, but there are a few areas which provide you with a height advantage, allowing for ambush tactics. Weapon placement in DM was few and far between, making locating one vital to your survival. Throughout most of the round, players used the M4 and MP5/10 as their weapon selections. Ammo was a bit more plentiful, but without the correct weapon became useless. The lines of fire were not straight forward, due to the fact there were few opportunities to get a firm and level footing to take a shot. You always had options and escape routes when you came under fire.

Textures & Sky - Score 9

These are some of the most incredible and realistic looking textures to date. No stone was left unturned when he created the textures used here. Textures in the snb_tex directory are the property of Skull'n Bones, which have been seen before. You almost forget you are looking at a game when running through the maps, the texture blend so well. There area variety of textures depending on which area of the map you are on. The trees are what caught my eye initially, they resemble nothing which has been successfully accomplished previously. Trees usually cause high r_speeds, but these trees are manageable. All the textures mesh with the layout out the map to create a gorgeous cavernous area.

Prefabs - Score 8

There are bit and prefabs that were added to accentuate this maps, such as the trees, which are beautifully designed and textures. Numerous outcroppings of rock dot the caves and dirt trails. There is also a striped down, old tree which you can climb to a higher level. The introduction of anything else would have just hindered the overall game play.

Sounds - Score 9

Lava tube comes alive with sound depending on where you are situated on the map. The most prominent sound inside the caverns being the flowing of water near the lake. There are other sounds you will notice such as the dripping of water, the sound of crickets chirping and numerous different birds when you are outside near the wooded area. These sounds really help to bring out the finer points on the map. All of the sounds used fit the theme and none seem out of place. This is one way to let teammates know where you are, by the surrounding sounds.

Lighting - Score 10

This, along with the textures create all the ambience on the map. As the Gimp mentioned earlier, "lighting effects of natural sunlight bouncing down in to canyon" helped inspire him to create this map. These lightning details are amazing. As you roam the caverns, rays of light shine down onto the cavern. The map does hold its dark areas, but they seemed to be kept to a minimum, as the maps is adequately lit. There is one minor bug which The Gimp notes, "currently a tree has a small sliver of light that can be seen through it." If you can find it, more power to you. Overall, this is the one area in particular which enhances the game play and makes you feel a part of the map.

Playability - Score 9

I will let the author describe this section. "Due to the nature of this map's construction only hefty machines of the 300mhz class or 3D accelerated machines are likely to run this map well. If an average of the map were take it would likely reveal an r_speed average of about 400 however 3 area's in particular have higher averages of about 700 and a map peak of about 1200. So in short this map is not well suited to software mode. That said, I have to admit that level is particularly ugly in software mode and running it at 640x480 still yielded a playable speed, not that I can see how anyone can play in that pixilation blizzard :-)." Two of those areas I mentioned earlier, the lake/waterfall area and the wooded section on the outside of the cave. All the files were lowercase and unzipped correctly into their designated directories.

Teamplay - Score 6

After spending quite a bit of time in DM, we switched and played this map in TP. Most were impressed with the looks of the map, but the game play lacked, partly due to the overall size of the map. Teams were 7 a side, even that made for long rounds, when teams were down to their final member. There were some players who were walking around and unable to find anyone to shoot for a few minutes. This discouraged some and wanted to move on to a new map. Aside from that, most of the action seemed to come was close proximity, usually seeing your opponent at the last second. This partially due to the up and down layout of the map. As I mentioned before most favored the semi-automatic weapons, but it the the hand cannon and shutgun which really excel on this map!

DM - Score 9

This is a first, a map which plays better at a deathmatch map then a teamplay map. Why? Because you will happen to stumble upon some more often, who you can shoot, unlike teamplay, where that number is decreased fifty percent. Most of the rounds were spent with pistols as we learned were the special use weapons were. Once you had a special weapon you could really begin to inflict some pain. There was much

Originality - Score 9

Nothing like this map compares. This is the most unique map I have played and reviewed. Sure there are other maps which are set outdoors, but this map actually transports you to those cave down in Australia. All the small parts, lighting, sound, textures and layout work so well together that this map just raised the bar for future releases.

General Feel - Score 9

Wow! I am still in awe over the beauty of this map. From its layout to design, there does not seem to be anything which was taken for granted. All the parts were taken into consideration and nothing was left for granted. As I stated before this map does play better for DM then it does for TP. Your results may vary. Also, for the CTB fans, there are respawn spot included in the map. I figure this would make a great map for CTB, partially due to its overall size. We beware, this is a hefty 3.54MB download, but it is more then worth it to check this one out.

Final Rating - Score 8.7 (87/10)

 

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