Silent Duel

Description
Firstly, before I begin the review, I would just like to note that the author did indeed submit screenshots. However, they were all attached to the email seperately, so I opted not to use them and take my own rather than spend a ridiculous amount of time downloading large JPG files one-by-one from an incredibly slow mailserver. Just thought I should point that out, since the author seems to have a case of OCD in regards to screenshots.

Anyway, this map is pretty basic, and has a few positives with just as many negatives.

I\'ll start with the good aspects.

It\'s quite spacious, providing adequate room for a guns battle. The map\'s design is generally simple, and more gameplay-oriented than style-oriented. Gameplay without the fuss, one might say. There\'s a good amount of open space for battle, but at the same time the map packs in some closed areas and plenty of cover too.

The author has displayed a good control over Radiant, using several techniques to make the map look the part of an abandoned factory room. There are several burning consoles, as well as a blown-out window, which I think is a nice touch.

Now, a quick summary of the negatives, and my suggestions on dealing with them.

- Texture control - there is none. Textures have just been applied and left as-is. In Q3 engine games, that\'s a big mistake to make, since its basic texture application processes are essentially terrible.
- Entity lighting has been used exclusively, and it gives the map a uniform brightness (as well as being plain obvious anyway). This detracts heavily from the visual appeal.
- The architecture on many things is just plain weak - mostly on the \"control panels\" on the walls. Take a look - you\'ll see what I mean. It\'s one thing to be able to clip a brush, it\'s another thing entirely to be able to make it look good.
- Too many dead ends. There\'s only one way into a room, and only one way out. This screws the map over as far as gameplay is concerned, because there\'s no gameflow. Always, *always* leave the player with somewhere to go. I\'d suggest playing Q3A or UT99 and gaining a few ideas about how to maintain gameflow in DM/FFA gametypes.

Not a bad map, but the author needs to get more practice in with Radiant and really learn about the different aspects of mapping - both technical, design and theoretical - in order to improve.

~ Kouen

[b]Bot Routes:[/b] Yes
[b]Custom Sounds:[/b] No
[b]Custom Textures:[/b] Yes
[b]Custom Models:[/b] No