Map Name - urban3 / Author - Gerbil! / Map Filename - urban3.zip

Reviewed by Oswald - February 06, 1999

 

Layout - Score 8

This is the third version of urban and it still feels and plays like a fresh map. If you have played the previous versions, you will notice the same basic street layout, resembling a 'U'. The placement of some building and objects, such as ladders and fences which stay consistent through each 'new and improved' version. For example, the wooden fence and the A framed roof at the end of the street. There is much more roof access then before, so be ready to climb many ladders and jump onto many ledges. The flow of the games does stay consistent, like most maps of this kind it can be challenging to achieve that final kill. For obvious reasons, this is a sniper paradise. Many high roofs and areas of cover when drawing fire. The MP4 and machinegun are also choice weapons when it comes to weapon selection.

Textures & Sky - Score 6

Don't those same old building textures get old? Why yes they do, especially on this map. Your basic red brick and white/gray concrete make up 90% of the buildings. The only exception, a non-accessible, white pane building, tallest on the map. Gerbil!, we need some more variety in your textures for your upcoming maps. The sky, when viewed from ground level is clean. Another rendition of blue skies with white, wispy clouds. Yawn. There does seem to be a problem when viewing buildings from across the entire map. The build become intermittent, as pieces disappear. Possibly the map is too big? I don't know, I don't map. I does seem to be only in a few areas, on a few buildings.

Prefabs - Score 5

Not much in the way of prefabs a few pieces, such as a small table in some of the accessible rooms. There are boxes, resembling air conditioning units placed on most of the roofs. It does fit this city theme, even though they are over used by most. Nothing new and original in urban3 to set it apart from the other two.

Sounds - Score

N/A

Lighting - Score 5

Not much, since it is daytime. Although in the building pictured below, there is nice shadow cast by the light shinning down through the hole in the roof. But that is the extent of lighting effects.

Playability - Score 5

This meap is the worst of the series when it comes to overall r_speeds. When you find yourself on the rooftops, you face two problems, extremely high r_speeds and bad clipping. The action on the rooftops averages 1000 in most areas. Some were even recorded high, while the r_speeds peaked at 1750. While on the ground level, expect better speed, averaging 200-800. All files are zipped correctly in lowercase.

Teamplay - Score 9

I am not sure what it is about his maps, but I enjoy teamplay on the urban series. As we know the city theme is old and reused, but it makes for good, solid game of team Action. Another in which snipers thoroughly enjoy. The map is extremely large and makes it difficult for a player to see the far reaches of the other side, giving the advantage to the sniper. There is a spot where a team spawns in a small room on the roof (pictured above). This has caused members to become stuck and easy targets for the other team. Also if you do not get off this roof, chances are you will be killed by a snipers bullet. Why? Because the other team spawn on building directly across from this spot making it difficult to descend off the roof if caught up there. Teamplay flows well on urban3

DM - Score

N/A

Originality - Score 6

What can you say? This is the third urban map in the series? The concept is old, but the map plays well, I guess there is where it makes up for being so unoriginal. Do these city maps ever get old? Yes they do, if they are done incorrectly (blood). This map, in my opinion is done right to give you a "new" feeling to an old theme.

General Feel - Score 6

If you enjoyed playing the other two maps in the trilogy, then take the time to download this one. There is nothing new he has added. You will get the same feeling you had on the previous maps. Some of the buildings have been reworked, as have the ladders. I guess I have something for city maps, I like playing here, even though the score does not reflect the playability of the map. Take it or leave it, nothing special about the new urban3

Final Rating - Score 6.3 (50/8)