Dark Space Map Outtakes

Description
"Dark Space Map Outtakes" is a three-map map pack with a few maps (three, in fact ;P) slated to be in an in-progress mod but were cut for one reason or another. The maps are "Tranquan: Tech Center," "Ark Mion, Rorgon Bay," and "Dalonni: Caverns."

The first map, Tranquan, is probably the best of the three from a construction standpoint alone. It's set in a pretty generic base-type environment, and it's not as "pretty" as the other two, but that's okay, because it's mostly made of custom models and I'm always willing to cut a little slack on maps that go the distance insomuch as modeling's concerned. It works well because it stays fairly close quarters and doesn't try and draw the battle out over too large of a space.

I was concerned by a couple command posts that were really in no more than a cubby-hole, though. It's great to bring a map in tight, but if it's so tight that a single grenade can wipe out anyone and everyone trying to capture a CP - maybe spread it out just a bit?

With the second map, Ark Mion, it's not tough to notice that there was more planned for it than what you see in the map proper. It's too bad to see that, because of the three, this is probably the "prettiest"-looking. It is (as you might guess from the title) a grassy plain near a large body of water, and it mixes custom and stock assets together well to make a large map that doesn't feel [i]too[/i] large - there is a lot of hoofing around to do, but there are a sufficient number of command posts that you're not running for too long. It certainly doesn't hurt that props are placed liberally, ensuring that there's not a lot of dead space. For extra fun, make sure to check out the tunnels in the upper corner of the map, you can see a few remnants of what might have been a campaign setup.

The third map - Dalonni - is the most middle-of-the-road. It's not average as far as most maps are concerned (it is very well-constructed), but it's neither as pretty as Ark Mion nor as tight, gameplay-wise, as Tranquan. However, I think I found it the most enjoyable of the three simply because it's nice to see a balance of the two - good-looking and good-playing. Dalonni is, of course, a map set in caves.

It's worth mentioning that I didn't see any localizations for the maps on the instant action screen. A minor bug but worth a note.

In any case, even though these are considered cut content by the author, they're certainly worth a download to try out and play, because they are still better than the majority of maps uploaded.

-Mav