The Cage Match

Description
This map, by Dann_Boeing, is his fourth(?) iteration of his popular map, "The Cage Match."

I gave this map a try shortly after he released it at Gametoast, hoping perhaps to get an improved perspective on the genre of "crazy maps" that I seem to usually dismiss offhand.

I'm kinda half-and-half, here.

First impressions are really important, and I'm disappointed to say mine wasn't that great. Almost immediately, I noticed that there were [i]object misplacements[/i]. I found floors floating slightly off of nearby stairs, and I must say, I was baffled. I don't understand how a map can get to version 4.0 and there still be simple errors like this. That seemed totally uncalled for.

That being said, there are some truly nice aspects to this, too. As usual, Dann does a fantastic job on his textures, which, if unrealistic, are highly creative and high-quality. I especially like the level of detail in his jettrooper textures. Also, from what I understand, Dann doesn't use particle editor, and in light of that he's done a nice job with the particle effects, too.

He also does a nice job of being creative with his "world." I'm not a fan of how tacky some parts look, like the sheer terrain wall, which just looks bad. But the job he's done with his floating fortresses (etc.) is a very nice one and looks appropriate for the setting. And I must say that the stick figures with the giant mallets was hilarious. Don't know why, but it just made me giggle.

Unfortunately, the thing that gets me every time I play a map like this is how plain (and I know it might seem counter-intuitive that I use this word) the gameplay is. I remember specifically taking a unit to the enemy's command post in one of the modes and just holding down the fire button for about 5 minutes. I don't even think I really even had to watch the computer screen. Maybe I was just lucky that instance, but still, that's not terribly exciting gameplay for me. Likewise, I feel like every time I played it was just stand and shoot, no real strategy to it. Just shoot and hope you're not shot, because there's no dodging giant bombs that blow everything up.

In summary, there are some really well-done aspects to this map and some disappointing ones. Dann's shown that he's very proficient at making maps like this, and I know by seeing this that he's got a fine grasp of mapmaking skills. I'd love to see what he could do on a more realistic map.

-Mav