Neo Dark Ages - Version A3.16

Description
***Please note that due to the size of this file, we could not upload it to JKFiles directly. Please download it from here! The main download link at the bottom of the page contains a dummy file with the download link only!***

Well, what a treat we have for you today! The long awaited Neo Dark Ages mod is here and it looks fantastic! As you can probably guess from the title of the mod and a cursory glance at the screenshots below, this is a dark ages/middle ages themed mod with the ever present fantasy twist.

[b]Maps[/b]

There are only two maps included here, a small mountain/canyon type map and a much larger medieval village type map. The mapping work on both is very good, though it is in some aspects a little blocky and some of the textures a little lower resolution that they probably should be, but it isn�"�t anything major and they are both very good. The village map is most certainly my favourite as it captures the fantasy/medieval village theme perfectly. Plenty of old wooden buildings placed on multiple levels with rocky outcrops and huge walls. The gate in the middle wall even has a dragon (!!) blocking the path. I did attack the dragon, but for some reason it did not cause me any damage, so I do not know whether that is a bug.

That brings me on to the next major feature, probably my favourite part of the whole mod...

[b]Weapons[/b]

The weapons are, in a word, amazing. Some of the best weapon modelling, texturing, effects, and sounds I have ever seen. Not only is there a huge variety to choose from such as; axes, warhammers, swords, shields, pikes, banners and an assortment of more fantasy themed things like mystic looking tree branches and daggers. There are many more variations of each of these weapons to choose from as well. And that's only the melee weapons! For ranged weapons there is a crossbow which fires flaming arrows, a tree branch type thing that shoots mystical green energy balls, a dragon which sits on your back and breathes fire, and angelic wing that sits on your back and shoots angelic energy and a staff that shoots lightning bolts.

Wait, I haven�"�t finished yet!

Then there is a strange mechanical looking device which shoots balls of cosmic energy accompanied by effects that look like exploding galaxies when they hit and even a cross which shoots cross shaped bolts of energy. Yes I do mean a crucifix. A strange weapon to replace the Bryar Pistol, but it was kind of fun! The visual effects for these weapons are all new and custom made and the sound effects compliment the weapons wonderfully and sound amazing.

I have to say I had quite a lot of fun firing the crossbow at the bullseye targets lined up in the village map. Though I think the arrows disappear too quickly afterwards, I do not know if it is possible to make the 'arrow stuck in target' effect to last longer, but I think it would be good if this was possible, as the arrows had a habit of disappearing before I could run to the target to check my aim! I can imagine this could be a very fun game itself for people to play on servers using this mod!

[b]Skins[/b]

There are a massive amount of skins to choose from. Knights in armour, animal skin clad barbarians, wizardy looking fellows and assassins. Not to mention the fact that you can also customise your own character using a variety of parts from the customisation menu. As with the weapons, all of the skinning here is top notch work, high resolution and packed with detail.

[b]Everything Else[/b]

There are many other smaller parts of the mod, which nevertheless are just as important as the large parts like skins and weapons. The main menu in particular is worthy of special note. It still has the same layout as the base JKA menu but is almost completely unrecognisable. It looks very much like an astrolabe and the moving 'cogs' in the center circle look really unique and I loved the overall feel of the menus.
As for music, that two has its own unique feel that fits very well with the theme of the mod, though personally I would have preferred something a little more cinematic, Lord of the Rings perhaps? That�"�s just me though!

Of course, no medieval setting would be complete without a trusty steed for the Knight, and yes, this mod does have ridable horses! The animation and modelling is great, but I would like to see a more open map that has plenty of space to ride the horses in, or maybe even a jousting arena? ;)


[b]Conclusion[/b]

This is a very unique mod and definitely worth a download. It has been in production for a long, long time; I remember looking in on the NDA website a couple of years ago out of curiosity so its great to see it come to fruition! That said this is still only an Alpha version and it has great potential to be expanded. There are quite a few features, like demo recording, a speedometer (!) and a zombie siege type mode (!!) among others! Be sure to check out the readme file for the full low down!

The main thing I would probably suggest for the next version is to add a couple more maps as two isn�"�t very many compared to the amount of weapons and skins. Overall though I think this is very well polished for a mod that is still in alpha!

Keep up the excellent work guys, you have something pretty special here, it just needs to be expanded upon! :D

~Nozyspy~

***Please note that due to the size of this file, we could not upload it to JKFiles directly. Please download it from here! The main download link at the bottom of the page contains a dummy file with the download link only!***