Dragons End BETA - and now the Finished Version!
RR: 8.5
Not very large, but nicely put together, generally, by Crossfire (Curt), the "BETA" version was used at the post-Thanksgiving on-NAB get-together, back in '01. Curt had shown me an unfinished version a while before (so unfinished I had to put it through NerfEd myself before it was ready to run), and it had come on nicely - and the finished version is really pretty darn good.
I had a few reservations with the BETA: the flames were fine, but, as in at least one of SLAM's maps, they were so noisy that they seemed to dominate most of the map. And there was something a little strange in the sky above the racing grey clouds, though the skybox was generally pretty good. Oh, and the solid grey stone used in some of the corridors was a bit boring...
The Quake III Arena textures look fine generally, and item placement is good. There is a ladder that works well, and a megapower placed where only a frantic run though the map with the megajump can reach it. The flames still roar over half the map, the boring grey bits are still as drab as before, the skybox looks unchanged...hmmm...
What is cool, however, is the hidden area in the finished map. Close to the pulsator, there is, in shadow, an area of wall that, if hit by a rocket, opens briefly - step through, and you are soon in a fine room with a large rotating wheel, not to mention the whomper! All clever stuff...
In some ways this is more of a clever map than a smooth-gameplay one, but it is certainly worth your attention. With the right companions, a lot of fun could be had here.
