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Map review: 4mwdm20
on Monday, October 26, 2009 :: by soh-lokirulez @ 3:04 PM
1486 Views :: 1 Comments ::

This is a map review by SolidFake. Learn about the rating system and rules for map reviews before you read!

4mwdm20

Details

author: amraam
website: http://www.warsow-arena.de/forum/
name: 4mwdm20
filesize: 6,35 Mb
wsw version: 0.5
gametypes: dm, duel, ffa, headhunt
players: -
size: mid
includes items: yes
includes custom textures: no
includes custom sounds: no
includes custom models: no

Screenshots

Download

Mirror 1: 4mwdm20
Mirror 2: 4mwdm20

Servers

none know

Description

We are back with a new map from amraam, this is now the second map of him I'm reviewing, c'mon guys release more final maps ;)

The citadel is a map in form of a big room filled with a groundplatform and many small and big pipes and some promotion screens at the edges.
To come to the highes point you have to jump over many small pipes and cables or use two elevators. It will happen pretty often that you won't succeed and fall down, but nearly at the bottom is a teleporter which brings you back up. This makes the gameplay pretty chaotic, as you have to fear to fall down more than to be shot by an enemy. There are many strange ways to go upwards, jumppads at quite strange places. The 4 jumppads in the edges are pretty bad, as the author didn't place the signs directly at the wall, which makes it possible to stand on them or to bang your head against them.
There are alot places where you can hide and camp, also when you fall you can get simply stuck in the wall.
The items are placed difficult for sure and you will need some time to find them. The teleporter is pretty senseless imo. People at the top of the map will have quite an advantage, as you can reach the best items from there and you have an overview of the battle under you. Many weapons are quite useless at this map, as you will probably won't be able to come close enough, also it seems that the riot gun is missing (or I just didn't found it). The rl ammo e.g. is pretty senseless, as you need to jump down on a big pipe and the up again through many small platforms which costs simply too much time for a ammo which is pretty useless in such an open map.
The performance is good for such a big map, just got some fps drops when falling down or at the highest points.

The design of the map is pretty unique and makes the map look like a part of a city (dunno if that was the intention of the author). There is a lot of very nice brushwork and really many cables and pipes everywhere. The pipes at the top are looking like some sort or railway, would have been cool to see a tram or something there too ;)
There is a lot of good brushwork, but somehow it seems that everything is just thrown together without any further intention. Even more strange is that this gives the map it's own style, it looks like a slum like technologic parts have spread everywhere, pretty cyberpunk'ish. The cables everywhere are a nice detail but the small steps at the sides look very strange and also pretty ugly.
The walls are not just plain, they consist out of long vertical brushes which looks better than plain, but could still take some more diversity. The brushwork contains many good basic approaches and ideas but throwing everything into a single room won't work too :/
The texture are aligned really good and they work good with the brushwork. The lava texture doesn't fit with the rest and it would have been better to choose more dark textures than those brown ones which stand in a conflict with the dark style of the map. Also there are probably all promotion signs of Warsow which makes it look a bit overloaded. There are also a lot of nice detailed textures like the buttons of the elevators.
The lighting is quite good, just the blue blinking lights from the jumppads are quite annoying even if they bring a bit diversity in it. I like it a lot how the map gets a darker or another color as you change the stage, like at the top, where you will meet more dark red lighting. Except of that things the map lives through the lights which the banners emit. This accents the banners quite a lot which may cause eyecancer for some people ;)

Results

Beeing more a funmap as a competitive one, dm, duel and ffa a won't fit that well on it, especially as noobs will fall down constantly and as it contains just too boring and chaotic item placement and brushwork. But I can imagine that headhunt is quite some fun on it because the map requires good movement skills!
The design is quite surfeited but it contains a lot of nice ideas and good texture choices. Just sad that it's only a big box, why not a city? :P
A better gameplay next time and a less oversaturated design, still have hope in amraam. :)
Bots are also possible but as you can think, totally dumb and useless in this map. Sure, it's not the fault of the author that the bots are too dumb to reach higher places, but I have to rate how good they act in this map, and they play like they want just to die as fast as possible and jump down.