JSP Dark Temple

Description
Clan maps. Most seem to be situated around a forest temple (If you're lightside) or an eerie tomb of a temple (If you're darkside). This map doesn't go astray from those two categories and it is indeed a dark temple. Dark temples please me; especially well built ones that truly feel frightening (To others, of course. I would 'never' feel scared in one.) Let's go on a field trip.

We start off in a large hall flanked by two massive staircases. On either side of the hall are raised platforms where the ceiling is held up by pillars bearing an engraving of some type of ancient sith warlord or something. My only irk in this room would be a few spots where surfaces are glowing with red light that comes from nowhere. I mean, all light should have a source, right? When we head up either of the stairways we come face to face with what I think is the crowning glory of this room: the torch-bearing statues. Now yes yes I know these aren't of HIS making and that they were in the original game's maps, but what the author does with them is quite impressive. He has a red light fade in and out to accompany the flames which gives the statues a MUCH more ominous feel than they would by themselves.

Continue through the massive 2 foot thick stone door in the wall and we enter a long hallway with more torch-bearing statues (Unfortunately these don't have the same lighting effect as the previous ones did. A pity; it would have made this hallway so much creepier). On each side is a small door and at the end of the hallway is another frighteningly large doorway (I wonder how they open... they're so big. o_o) Let's take the door on the right, shall we? We enter through a doorway covered with intimidating spikes (Perfect to shove people into, though they don't do damage sadly.) There's a grate in the middle of the room and a button to open the grate! OH NOES! WE FELL IN! We've fallen into a room filled with mysterious red light. There's a gateway (Oddly covered with technological buttons and gizmos. Might want to remove that and make it just simple stone, or even better... add the spikes that you have on doorways in other places) to a larger chamber housing a circular stone platform surrounding by spikes with one big spike in the center which sports a pair of skeletons! The skeletons are very nicely done and look like they're in sheer agony (Or at least their spirits are). I believe there's supposed to be a rancor in here but it didn't spawn for me. I have trouble spawning things in the first place so don't let that worry you. Now, let's respawn to get out of this nasty pit.

Now that we're back in the hallway let's go into the door on the left. We enter what appears to be a dueling room with a large skylight. Nicely done but my main problem is the bright blue square in the center of the room; I suppose it's supposed to be the glow cast from the night sky but it should be toned down a bit to something more realistic. Let's continue down the long hallway to the other massive door. We enter a courtyard with broken stones and that same annoying bright blue square effect; you really need to tone the blue down. Anyway, there are 3 large doorways. Continue through them and we'll find ourselves in an equally blue-bathed hallway that continues all the way around the courtyard and connects all the doors. Along the hallway we find various doors leading to things such as the bottomless pit room where you jump from pillar to pillar, the 'grassy mossy temple duel room' (Which has that same bright blue square. I thought it was water when I first entered it. >_>) and the 'huge fireplace with lots of statues room'.

Now at one end of the hallway we enter the training area, which is where it really gets fun. The main room is a large place with lots of big blocks hanging off of chains that you can slash at. One section even has 4 blocks that rotate around so you can practice hitting a moving target.

Now this room features 3 doors that lead off into different training areas. The first is a very nicely done laser corridor; touch the lasers and you're dead. You have to hop, crouch, and dive to get through them. The next is a room the author calls the 'Dead Corridor room'. In short it is an obstacle course of blocks and spikes that smash you to pieces if you make a wrong move. I lost quite a few limbs in there. =_= The third is the 'water block room'. This is a room where you hop across the water on the pillars sticking up; as soon as you touch one of the pillars it shoots down into the water so you have to be quick and leap to another pillar as soon as you touch one. This room is the only one out of the three that isn't fatal! Yay! Safe and fun playtime in the water! :D

This map features new music which fits VERY nicely with the atmosphere. It's the theme from the Emperor's Throne Room I believe. There are rather nice shaders, new textures, and there's a secret according to the author (Which I wasn't able to find unfortunately. Hopefully you guys can be luckier than me