Hangout

Description
Before I start with the review, it is worth mentioning that you may need to download the following maps for all the textures in this map to work:

JedisHome JL II
Sith Council v2
Mos Eisley Trap
Mos Eisley Backstreets
The Academy v3

This map contains some textures from the above maps, however the author has not included them in the .pk3, so you will see a fair few missing textures if you don’t have them! I know that is somewhat of an inconvenience, and maps which use textures from other maps should always have them included in their own pk3's. However, lets not start on a downer, this does have the silver lining of encouraging you to download the above maps and give them a test as well! ;)

First off I will let the author explain a little about the map in his own words and then we can take a look at the map itself:

[quote]I created this map because it has been a life long dream of mine to become a level designer. As of the way the business is looking I would either want to design for Lucasarts, OR Bioware not just because of ToR but because of all the futuristic stuff they have done, including KotOR, and Mass Effect.

I'm not sure if Nozy remembers me, but I used to go under a different alias, I had him added on MSN, and I chatted with him about the map he was working on (Mos Eisley Backstreets - I believe). He once showed me a picture of the map editor, and I was shocked that all of that ''blob'' of lines is what creates the 3d map. (I was 12). I then asked if he could teach me to map. He ended up sending me a long file saying the basics. I gave it a once over, and decided I wasn’t able to do it. Then I joined a clan called CoL, they have disbanded but they had a mapper who inspired me to re-open Nozy's file and focus on learning mapping. So with all the trial and error maps I have made I feel it is time to get my name at least out the door.

I am one of those people who listens to what the players have to say. Since I have no other maps released, I turned to my clan < {DJE} > to help me out with ideas and other various things. So you could say this is a clan map with a good number of clan signs throughout the map, but don’t let that constrict the use of this map to only our clan. If you think it looks good then by all means give it a download.

Now FINALLY onto the map.

< {DJE} > stands for Dark Jedi Empire. So with that being said, you will notice much of the iconic themes of the star wars universe. Sith v.s. Jedi. But I tried to join them together as best I can and make them co-exist. Some areas are dark, with blue lighting, mixed with some red lighting. Giving you a feeling of a mixed society. In the hotel each floor is mixed with a light and dark side of the force. Floor 3 consists of Architecture from Yavin, and Architecture from Korriban. I decided to feature the map on Tatooine, as a sort of hidden academy for fallen Jedi. Tatooine is a perfect example of a place that is filled with back stabbers, and criminals. Most of the people on this planet are doing bad things. even though they feel it is for a good cause. So there is a lot of meaning behind the map. But don’t let that distract from the fun. There is a number of secrets to plunder, and a few fun things to do such as, dog fight over the beach, go down the water slide, diving boards, explore the yacht, a number of bars, tiki bar, RPG sections such as the Mandalorian hideout, and my re-creation of the EP 4 cantina (with a twist). And with that being said. Enjoy my first released map :) [/quote]

I have to say, as a clan map, this features some great areas to chill out in, one that immediately springs to mind is the yacht and beach. One thing I would improve here is to add some hills around the outside of the lake, rather than just a wall, to make the area more natural, though I have to say I am quite impressed with the yacht itself. Yachts and beaches are always fun places to hang out! (If you are rich you might just be able to do this in real life!)

There is also a Tatooine town themed area with its own cantina and even a garden surrounded by a very nice colonnade. There are plenty of other enterable buildings here too, perfect for RP'ing. Then there is the Yavin themed area, which contains the Academy elements you would expect in a clan map, including a nicely built grand hall, though this are was rather dark and I feel it could do with some lights, or fire stands.

There are many more areas besides these, as well as a nice council room in space and I think that this is a good clan map overall. However the fact that certain custom textures from other maps were not included in the .pk3 is a disappointment. Otherwise, this is a solid start to your mapping career Polterninja, yes I do remember you, and I am glad to see you have started mapping and I hope to see more maps from you in the future! :)

[b]Bot Support:[/b] No
[b]New Textures:[/b] Yes
[b]New Sounds:[/b] No
[b]New Music:[/b] Yes
[b]Game Types:[/b] FFA, TFFA

~Nozyspy~