Inferno

Description
Dayum. Daaaaayyyy-um. There's nothing like post-apocalyptic industrial complexes to get me going in the morning, especially if they're well done! Let me tell you that this map is well done; it's very bloody well done. The map's name, Inferno, I'm assuming comes from the gigantic raging pit of fire in the center of the map.

The map is big, I'll just say this for starters. It's not huge, and it's not BIG, but it's fairly large sized. Its actual size, however, is completely dwarfed by what the map [i]feels[/i] like. The distant buildings, the skybox, the smoke, and the misty clouds and black smoke passing overhead all make this map seem like it's just a small part of a behemoth industrial complex; in a way the gigantic structures and the ominous setting make it feel like the Citadel from Half-Life 2. I love it. My only complaint is that you couldn't go in any doors; it really was kind of a let down. This map would be twice as valuable to roleplayers as well as clans if there were just some rooms and hallways to go around in, plus it would make the map feel even bigger than it already feels.

The graphics and visuals that this map employs to get its point across are stunning and are just about unrivaled in any other map. I have never seen a map with fire or smoke that looked this good, and all the architecture is superb; the textures and shapes all blend together seamlessly. The visual theme is that of grit and darkness and every texture shows that through little effects such as dirt, scratches, or burn marks. From rubble to pipes to distant towers, it just looks amazing, and this quality is just amplified by the lighting.

I can say that quite a few maps which would have been very nice maps have been ruined due to crappy lighting, and also that a few maps that would have been mediocre at best have been made surprisingly nice by the use of proper lighting effects. This map takes what I've seen done with lighting in the past and blows it out of the water. The massive, roaring flames give off a perfect and frightening reddish glow that echos around the entire area while the sky, black with breaking clouds of mist and smoke, illuminates the majority of the ground aided by some extremely well done spot lights that remind me of the ones from Republic Commando. There are other little lights scattered around the map as well. Seriously, I love the lighting in here. The author says that there are some "weird lighting issues" but I didn't see a single one. It all looked fantastic.

The sound components of the map are supplied completely through the music track, which consists of howling wind and other ambient effects which finish up the icing on the cake. There are a few problems with this, however. One is that the track doesn't loop perfectly and so there is a very noticeable gap between the loops which kind of makes me wince every time it happens. The other is that the massive inferno itself doesn't have any sound effects, so if you run up to it with music off the flames are completely silent. I would think that the fire should have [i]some[/i] sort of sound effects, considering that massive flames generally ROAARRRRRRRRR. The author has said that this is a bug, and he can't figure it out. Kind of sucks, since it takes away from the atmosphere.

The author talks about TONS of bugs in the map, most of which I didn't even notice; I guess the creator knows his creation better than the observer, eh? At any rate, this is one of the coolest maps I have ever had the privilege to review on Jedi Knight 3 files. Good job, Jedi_Mediator, and I really hope you make a version two and add... maybe some more areas and expand it some, as well as try a bit more to fix some of those sound bugs. I think this map deserves it.

~Laam'inui