Bespin: Escape

Description
For someone's first map, this is excellent.

Bespin: Escape is an urban map set in Cloud City. The layout of the map is similar to the shipped Cloud City map except this is a lot more expansive. The focal point of the map is a large community square, or whatever you would call it. It looks like a place where crowds of citizens might gather to see Lando Calrissian deliver an Obama-esque speech. Anyway, surrounding the square is a series of buildings and walkways, much like the shipped map. The objects are well-laid out and I didn't notice any apparent disconnections when playing the map. The AI seem to navigate the walkways without any problems, which is tricky to do since the platforms are elevated above ground level where the plans have to be laid. I did notice a few AI walking into the edges of a hallway opening so the planning paths might be just a tad too wide, but this isn't a huge problem -- no one actually got stuck. There's a fair amount of detail that's been put into the map. Most notably there are inaccessible towers where inoperable cloud cars are perched, which really makes it feel like you're in Cloud City. In addition to this there are apparently some Easter Eggs hidden in the map. I may have spotted one, but I didn't know there were any until after I'd tested the map. Rest assured that I'll be looking for them the next time I play.

I really don't have any complaints about the map. The central square is a little empty, but I guess that's what makes it a square. I might add a small building or two, or some props just to fill it in, but that's just me. It's not like it's a glaring flaw in the map or anything. However I would probably recommend recoloring the ground texture just so that it blends in more with the buildings. As of now it sort of sticks out.

Overall this is a nicely done map, especially when you consider the fact that this is the author's first release. I'll definitely be looking forward to more of his work. Give it a download!

~Era