BeyondUnreal Reviews: UCMP2
UCMP2: CTF (Page 2/2)
CTF-UCMP2-RottenCity - "This is the Rotten City. A place without love and hope, pain is the only emotion that exists in this land. No matter what happens, don’t expect anything from this place, don’t be enthralled by its innocent look. Killing is hidden everywhere. Your blood will be dry when the time wheel stops turning. Your eyes will become blind when the asphyxiating aroma surrounds you. Your body will lose its figure when you become one of them - a killing machine."
Author: Yuan "Guesscui" Cui
Dark Pulse: This map just doesn't cut the mustard for me. The Upper Path above the flagroom is FAR too wide and devoid of... anything, really. The Center is driven into some narrow clustering, and the whole map rewards offense whilst throwing defense out the window. The Music and theme is hardly one of what I'd expect from a map called "Rotten City" as well. You won't miss too much if you pass this one up - pure and simple. With a fair bit of work, balancing, and tweaking (Why is there an Assault Rifle Pickup right in front of the flag? Why are the weapons that could be potentially useful in stopping the FC located a fair distance away, where by the time I get them the FC is long gone? What the hell is the deal with the pools of nasty red stuff I can fall into near my own flagstand that instantly kill me?) this could have at least been decent, but as it stands now avoid this one like the plague.
3/10
Hal: A wacky theme can't save this one. Despite the cool looking goddess, gear, and robot meshes that adorn this garishly lit level, the fact is that this level is too basic and linear to really have lasting power. The wild colors and seemingly haphazard placement of decoration don't endear. Sorry - didn't like this one.
4/10
Raffi B: I really did not enjoy this map at all while playing it. The layout is, frankly, terrible. The visuals are nice, but I think they just impede the gameplay even more. Z-Axis action is not implemented well at all, and the item place is severely wrong. This, coupled with plenty of areas to get snagged on, leads to poor flow.
4.5/10
CTF-UCMP2-Sublimity
Dark Pulse: See the comments on the BR version. The difference here is I think this map is a little more suited for CTF play, and so it thus earns a higher score.
7/10
Hal: The comments that I made to the Bombing Run version apply to this map. I'll disagree with Dark Pulse though and state my opinion that this works better as a Bombing Run map than a CTF map.
6/10
Raffi B: (No Comment)
CTF-UCMP2-Vadamerca - "Deep in the jungle of Peru, in a temple partially overgrown with vegetation, there is a battle to be fought."
Author: SaKa
Dark Pulse: Vadamerca is an okay map. The architecture, while somewhat plain, is decidedly different - it definitely has a South American feel and flavor. The map is large and wide-open, with your choice of two general routes: Upper or Lower, but with lots of Z-Axis potential between them. However, the map suffers from Line Syndrome - its flags, more or less, are in a direct beeline from one another. Offense on this map might be a little tough, since there IS only two routes and few places to hide, so flag carriers are going to need to rely more on a few good men and the business end of some weaponry, more than their wits, skills at evasion, and outrunning the enemy defenders. Definitely not the worst offering of this section, but the map is decidedly average, with nothing to really make it stand out or unique.
6/10
Hal: This one is growing on me. The route from the flag starts off a little slow, but it quickly yields a number of places to change paths. The general shape of the map is arrow-straight, but it does make for a pretty fun chase. Bonus points for using a relatively underutilized Peruvian theme, but minus one point for the (in my opinion) flat lighting. Great gameplay and a very good look (but drab lighting) makes this a winner.
7.5/10
Raffi B: I like this one. Nice clean visuals, decent layout with plenty of inter-connectivity, and nice item placement to top it off. I think some small, high-contrast lights here and there might have helped to alleviate the uniform looking lighting in some places though. Other than that, a great map.
8/10
CTF Overview: The CTF is pleasantly good. Campgrounds is a pretty nice CTF conversion - a bit wonky in the pillar room, maybe, but it's well balanced and that's all one can ask for, really. Enlightment just plain flat out fucking owns, and if you can muster up anything even close to its recommended player count, you should have a blast on it. Orcus has a little bit of that oldschool UT feel - it's dark, it's dirty, and goddammit, I miss that. Sublimity works better here as a CTF map more than a BR one, and Vadamerca isn't too bad either, if played right. In the end, though, the black sheep - RottenCity - drags the whole average down. It's like the unfortunate case of Scourgem making Anfractuous 2 (One of the finest maps I've ever had the pleasure of playing CTF on) and then making the abomination known as Grizzled. The CTF would have been better if RottenCity were cut or at least seriously refined - or if another CTF map were put in its place. Solid otherwise, but one bad apple spoils the barrel, so to speak...