[TheDragonLiner]

Since Zaxtor''s level seems to be a bust, I'm hoping it's not forgotten >_>
(transitions and puns everywhere !)


BTW, my feedback is almost 100% complete. I have finished treating the final levels. Now I just need to find time for the Debriefing and making a final conclusion. I think I'll step up the pace once I'm done. Know that I made feedback about characters' weapons and about loadout related stuff. It's not over yet pals !!


_Forgotten Tomb : Since we already alked about it as the UserMap, I will only talk about what's different, and since it's a story based mission there will be stuff to say compared to PipeDream. So first thing I can say is that it's REALLY REALLY SUPER DARK ! In the few first bits, there are places where it's picth black for me, while there was still some visibility in the previous version. Good thing there's no enemies. At least it's realistic IMO. The absence of music is kinda unsettling (in a good way). The music, when it shows up, fits the ambiance quite well. It's a better choice than the old one IMO. Now all the Shades (except for 2) have been replaced by those Apparitions, I aprove, not only for the setting but also because they're more fair to fight as Merlijn since they don't deal fire dammage. Also a brand new type of Octabrain though it behaves the same as usual one, however I suspect a graphic glitch when in pain, I'll have to check this out again.


When "???" first speaks, with Merlijn's reply, as a big fan, I understood right away who we were dealing with on my first attempt ^^ Though Merlijn's shout is kinda tame, I suppose it's to prevent mike-saturation. Good thing there are subtitles because in future adresses I kinda have a hard time understanding what "???" is saying. I notice that all areas which are open-air now have a very slight shade of blue which looks really neat for the emphasis on night time ! Nice giving us a clue on the first switch puzzle, spares using the Scanner. Also nice having the Axe since it gives a good occasion to put the Long Axe's alternate strike to REAL use. In the platforming section, the last pillar no longer sinks towards the gound. It's cool because not reacting quickly could get us permanently stuck in the old version ! Spider enemies from Blood, not as tedious to fight as expected (easier than Slimes somehow). New music after the Lava Area. Personally I prefer the first one. Nice giving us another clue for the switches in the water room since we can't use the Scanner underwater.


Now comes the big deal. The brand new room with the Necromancer. Looks mighty fine, its darkness just matches the overall tone and atmosphere of the level. And there's a good sense of scenery to it. The "map", so they call it, at the center kinda reminds me of what we see outside in the Introduction. Maybe the Last Redoubt actually is that place Elysion ? My imagination is stimulated again !. Boss fight is the same as James's in Far Mountain Reach. Obviously it's rendered much harder by playing as Merlijn. Good thing we are given all the stuff. Heavy Shield, Sphere, Magic Sword with both ammos and Super Armor. It's generous but most needed ! Because getting hit from relatively close sure bites like a ***** ! Not even talking about the crazy fire dammage. No cover as well. In overall its a combination of Bullet Hell and Circle Strafer's Test. Things become suddenly bright now. Works well in a way to tell you "That's it, you've gone through the main dish, time for a small dessert". Nothing else changed so I will mention the fact that I am glad that you got rid of the Lost Spirits in the final treasure room and the shaft after it because they were quite tedious to kill in these areas ! And I like the ending scene though Merlijn's speech could use a bit of an increase in volume if I may.


Conclusion : Thanks to the work on lighting and music, the level has grown a really good ambiance ! The music plays the bigger role of the two but still. The changes in enemies are also welcome, the Apparitions being more fair to fight than Shades. And lastly it was well tweaked into the main plot. The level gives a good deal of glory to Merlijn just like "Guerillas in the Mist" gave one to Geoffrey and since these are part of my utmost favorite characters I couldn't ask for more ! I like the level better in this new state. To the point I want to put it on my favorite list but, like with Micky's level, we're going to put everything in the basket if this keeps up ^^

[Solais]

I still wish this level ended with a driving chase scene at the end, because the image of a medieval knight on a motorbike is just so metal for me. :V

It's a neat level as well, actually makes me like playing as Merlijn for once, as otherwise, I feel his gameplay fits the rest of the levels the least.

[Jblade]

that's basically the entire reason why it ends with him on a bike, I just wanted that imagery somewhere in the mod Next episode's theme is gonna be a lot more Merlijn-centric.

[TheDragonLiner]

Solais, on 28 April 2019 - 11:25 PM, said:

I still wish this level ended with a driving chase scene at the end, because the image of a medieval knight on a motorbike is just so metal for me. :V

It's a neat level as well, actually makes me like playing as Merlijn for once, as otherwise, I feel his gameplay fits the rest of the levels the least.

Merlijn's gameplay goes well with "Tower of Linfe" in Ep2 IMO, it's the only level in which I even dare using the Guan Dao.

Basically, Merlijn's gameplay requires either non-hitscan enemies or enclosed areas with very little distance with the enemies >_> In any case, if you rely heavily on his Shield, swift dashes and precise dagger-throws you can conquer the game. Personally I like going through the 3 Hong Kong levels with him, though I call for Supply Drops on each of them for the 7th weapon.

[Solais]

I think the Egypt levels could work with him as well, because you have no hitscan whatsoever.

[TheDragonLiner]

Solais, on 29 April 2019 - 12:21 AM, said:

I think the Egypt levels could work with him as well, because you have no hitscan whatsoever.

I played the Egypt level as him

If you want my advice, try to use the throwing Dagger as much as possible at the beginning until you find other weapons. Save everytime you intend to throw one. Give Merlijn the Crossbow with Silver Bolts and try to keep it for as long as possible, only for too distant enemise.

Rely heavily on Grenades and Shuriken Traps. Try waiting for enemies at the corner of walls. Make swift dashes to them with the Sword. In open spaces stay SUPER MOBILE and close in with diagonals and hit-and-run, no stopping to strike.

Keep as many Compound Bow ammo as possible for you will need them for the Skorpion Ladies. Use them for heavy sniping in the Village area. And take the Bluncerbuss with ALL upgrades, it will lend you very good services, and it works super fine against LeSang.

[Solais]

Once I replay it again, I might try these, thanks for the tips!

I also might replay it with James, I heard that there might be a time portal with nazis on one of Egypt levels. (Is this still true? I heard it in a random Serious Sam Fusion playthrough video that I randomly found on the same channel that had the Ep3 trailer as I was trying to find more trailers of the mod.)

[Jblade]

Yeah, it's in the Catacombs in the outside bit

[John Brown]

^There's also another one,

Spoiler

in the VILLAGE OF WING COMMANDER 1 FRAME RATE, but there are no enemies on the other end that I remember

Which reminds me, one day I absolutely do want to play the Egypt series with Merlijn (so far I've beaten the whole thing with Sang, Rusty, and James; and I loaded the boss level through usermaps to listen to Le Sang's lines to all the team members). I'll try to remember to bring a shovel, too.

[TheDragonLiner]

Neutrality !

Speaking of the Village area I have a theory about the framerate issue. I believe that the severe lag is caused by that hole filled with streams of Scarrabs. Because the level starts lagging as I'm getting close to the place. Also in The Tomb, I start having a bit of constant lag once I triggered the Scarab trap near the Treasure Room. BUT If I deactivate the trap afterwards, then the level runs normally again !



_Neutrino : Similarly to Spokkycut, since we already treasted the level as a Usermap I'll mention how it's different. Good thing you didn't change the music to keep the very calm atmosphere. Though after the briefing I'm feeling that the introduction is kinda redundant >_> The biggest change is the enemies. All the cycloid drones replaced by either regular Drones or Robots. I really like the Robots' voice, it actually feels like it's Snowfall himself who did the voice acting. In any case I like hearing them, they're funny. Also very nice touch that they fall on their chest in half. Also, it took me a long time to notice it but, when on the ground they can self-destruct. This is going to come in real handy for the final levels for ammo preservation. However they're quite threatening, they shoot fast and they're powerfull. And I'm feeling that Snowfall's weapons are kinda weak (apart from the pistol and SG) for his specific maps.

A new zero-atmosphere phase for a room which has been turned into a new secret area. Finding that new rifle that can overheat which I would love to have as an unlockable because I would REALLY want to assign it to him ! This gun will be of value in this level because I would say armor piercing ammo is used alot and we tend to be a bit tight on them sometimes, especially if you don't find certain secrets. Some areas look fine with the new voxels, namely the restauration areas. Still like that scientists' room, and I was pleased to find the "Mission Information" thing though it took me 2 or almost 3 attempts to find it since it's scanning based unlike in Ep2. At least Snowfall talks about it so maybe this was the clue. I'm also spying a new kind of turret that shoot energy like the new Super Enforcers, they look like the turrets from Strife to me.

Too bad there ain't no research project lying arround, and it's also kinda too bad that retrieving the blue-prints for the Neutrino Device doesn't give us any benefit. With time it becomes apparant that Snowfall has something with cofee makers ... When we reach the floor with the Neutrino Device this is where I start lacking in armor, I would say that this level has quite the shortage on armor, one secret and one non-secret. Pushes you to rely heavily on Snowfall's special shield but the Drones' rockets and the Robots' extreme rate of fire sometimes make the shield not enough. Now I gotta fall below the Neutrino Device because I still don't know how the hell you're supposed to get to this secret.

Before the escape sequence start I can confirm that the HE Shells (with Snowfall's 7th gun) now deal some armor dammage unlike in Ep2, since I can kill Robots with it. New music for the escaping sequence. Accompanies the sequence better than using Millhaven's theme of last time and it's also well in tone. It somehow sounds like a good "sequel" to the usual music. And I like the new alarm sound, it's easier on the ears. In overall the sequence has become quite more challenging than before because of those Robots ! Besides they hide in the shadow quite well, just like the big Partol Drones. I actually have a feeling that the 2 big areas half-way through are darker than before somehow. Would have been nice to be given the Night Vision somewhere in the level.



Conclusion : Well not much changed really but it's odd how replacing Cycloid Drones by the Robots is making ALL the difference O_o They're much more threatening and harder to tackle, and their behavior changes the gameplay of the level in quite a big proportion. They make the level way harder than before, but also more interesting to go through since they're less predictible and manipulatable than the old drones. That's what makes me say there's a slight shortage of armor despite the new addition in the secret area.

[Solais]

One thing I noticed about the Robots/Dukinators that they have some screwy AI, sometimes turning towards random objects to shoot them, or just at the wall. It -does- give them a feeling that they are broken down robots that barely work though, and also a good weakness to them as they are quite strong otherwise, so I'm not exactly complaining about this behavior.

[TheDragonLiner]

I've Imagined a World of feeding back ... it was embarrassing x_x


_Imagination World : For some reasons the textures aren't as high res as I remember ... same for the enemies, and they don't shoot lasers usually. And wasn't there an axe before ? and a Pitfiend in the water ? Joke asside, That little thing with James in IW as Micky gets him ready to hear the story just never gets old ^^ And knowing that the level was remade from scratch I'd say it's quite faifthfull to the original apart from one or two nit-picky details. To give you an idea, when I first played it I was constantly like "Oh la référence !". Lastly the "Imagine your world in your own time" makes a good pun to top things up (I'm a specialist in bad puns hence why I like the good ones). I'm afraid there's nothing much I can say ^^


_Micky Begins for real : Right away 1_ I like that siren sound, reminds me of Starship Trooper TC where I first heard it ever and 2_ I aprove of the shortcut to the SMART Suit even though it tends to make an area or two harder since it doesn't despawn enemies you would have killed at that point. I must admit to you that I missed the scientist at the window the first time. He's very easy to miss along with his dialogue. A Purple Cycloid while unarmed ? BAD, first time I played he had spawned almost a dozen of Drones, good thing the patch adds a limit. After finding the Metal Storm I notice we have absolutely no HUD. It's an interesting challenge. Also noticing with, the vent, that Micky really doesn't jump high. While I'm at it with the vent, this is actually a thing that confused me a bit on my first few tries, along with the shortcut teleporter. These areas look similar and I kinda ran arround a bit at first. Training Lab's nice, though kinda hardcore with Pigcops with no protection and then a big ass explosion with the lighters O_o. Is it training to be a good chemist or training to be responsible in case of explosion ? Break Rooms are cool, I like it when it's very spacy like that. Remark that the note on Substance 34 was half-glitched, it took me several attempts to have it taken as evidence.


Green Key area. Ambushed in the back but manageable, good thing these turrets are really effective unlike the allied NPCs. Nice Shrinker Room, though I'd say it's bit too much presentation for what the gun is. Speaking of which the pick-up sprite doesn't do it justice, however I really like the first person sprite. Then time for the Shrinker Program. A big reference to the Portal series. Since I'm not a fan it didn't do me either hot or cold. However it was a nice session, having infinite ammo really helped and it makes a good presentation of all the possibilities the engine boasts for the shrinking mechanic. Though I agree with Micky, there's definitely something wrong about health risks here. BTW mention of Micky's new F7 sprite. Personally I like him better when he's in his white scientist's clothes.


Purple Key area. Long long corridors ... Similarly I needed to read the note more than once for it to be taken as evidence. SMART Suit room, no more music ... Makes it all kinda solemn. Then taking the suit and that music. Right away I knew it was the Trailer's music and I like it, it really gives that "Time to kick-ass" feeling to the situation ! And bunch of gunsies to go with it. This is where I got confused with navigation since areas are blocked off but TabMap kinda helped. Liked the testing ground of sorts for the suit, though the moving blocks ... they don't move you along if you stand onto them, and I even managed to get myself inside one O_o. Virus Lab is well designed, along with a small joke. However I have no idea what all those switches do O_o Finding the Substance ... J'ai déjà vu ça ... And facing those Black Pigcops ! Good thing we got good cover with the blown door because I already mentioned how freaking deadly they are ! Also enemies showing you the way, wasn't that necessary but I'm always gratefull for it spares the use of some grey matter. At last we can kill the executioners at the exit (a Cryomine works quite well) and END.



Conclusion : Well good intro. All the whiteness of the envionement is kinda cliché for the scientific place but we're used to that now. The level was a breath of fresh hair mostly due to its gameplay as Micky without the SMART Suit and that Shrinker Track section. Music of the first part is okay, nothing much to it, then the trailer's music is good, going well with the change of style and pace when taking the suit. Despite the presence of Black Pigcops the level remains of fair difficulty,. I don't have any real complain actually, apart from a slight confusion inducing trick with the 2 places where there are teleporters after going through the first vent the first time but since the place is relatively small it's not that penalizing.

[TheDragonLiner]

TDL ! Get equiped with Feedback Ray ! Shoots tons of paragraphs !


_Above Ground : So right off the bat, the area definitely gives that feeling of it being a university. I can't really explain why but I'm spotting elements of architecture and arangements which really gives that University identity. I'm afraid I'm going to repeat myself quite often in this level. Middle Floor, since this is where we start. Looks as nice as the break room from last time. Well furnished and spacy. We can get glimpses of the outside which already looks promissing. Obviously I really liked the thing with the organic wall. Was like "What ? ... What ? Oh okay ^^". It's also a sort of reminder that this is a story of the past in case we had forgotten already. Lastly it kinda gives us a clue of the objective, going to the roof. I also took the time to look at the diaporamas about searching and everything. In a video game it kinda drags on but it looks cool for the engine. I played in 720 for performance's sake and the pictures looked really good despite the low resolution ! At the end it kinda gives me the same reaction as James', Is there anything they don't do at that place ?


Lower Floor. Well it's a bit just like the previous floor though with a bit darker colors, still like it. Also these computer room look like what you would expect from a Uni, and standardisation FTW ! Though I find it kinda sad that we must break all the windows whenever we must enter ... First time I played I found the trick with the extinguisher to shoot but a bit by chance because an enemy happened to shoot me from there, allowing me to see the trick. Top Floor (to avoid repetition). Well I would say it is my favorite place so far. I still like the free space and that sort of bureau looks cool. Balcony as well. I wonder what is that "Assignment Collection Room" ... Nice to see that Hovercraft picture thing. It's kinda starting to intrigue me as to if that hovercraft project is REAL and if it really is then how it looks like. However out of 4 playthroughs, the camera was present only ONCE O_o It was utter luck that I found this easter egg on my first try, that new "Use Prompt" surely got handy there that time !

Going up to the roof, not as long as I thought. Roof gives us the best possible view of the skybox. It's quite impressive actually ! I don't know how faithfull to the real city it is but it sure looks very realistic to me. I can't clearly read everything due to low resolution but still. MS Corp ? They're everywhere !! I didn't think James talked entirely in foul language, sounds like another inside joke to me. Good to be given a choice for non-linearity though the Left choice is the objectively better one indeed, as Jacque suggests. I actually never took the Right choice first, but can't be arsed yet. Easy taking out those Commanders thanks to distance, unless they sink to the ground. Good thing the patch removed the flames because it was mandatory dammage and I don't like it, despite being given 30 health. END.


Conclusion : So despite the fact I didn't find much to say, I must say I prefer this level, we'll see which are my favs at the end. I like the music, it's well in tone and even though it's kinda repetitive it still blends in well IMO. Apart from the potentially problematic extinguisher trick, navigation is easy. Layout is clear, places give a lot of space, no real obstacle, good color selection, quite realistic atmosphere, good pacing, reasonable fight, fairly easy difficulty, impressive skybox and reasonable variety. I would want to say more but I don't want to keep repeating myself and comment on every single detail like "Got hands ? Wash them !" and such which contribute to the realism of the place BTW. Once again I don't really have any real complain apart from the fact it would have been nice to have one or two more rooms we could enter and explore but really for nit-picking. The level is actually surprisingly short when you know it but kinda like the previous one actually. But in the end it's this level that I prefer for the time being.

[Solais]

I remember being so hopelessly lost on this level the first time... or was that the library... well, I was still hopelessly loss. But the second time, it's much better. I think the quite spacey rooms are a bit overwhelming first when looking for keycards or the way forward, I often missed them. I still love the levels of course, especially the music.

[TheDragonLiner]

Solais, on 02 May 2019 - 12:31 AM, said:

I remember being so hopelessly lost on this level the first time... or was that the library... well, I was still hopelessly loss. But the second time, it's much better. I think the quite spacey rooms are a bit overwhelming first when looking for keycards or the way forward, I often missed them. I still love the levels of course, especially the music.

Personally the only problem I had on my first attempt was in Main Area Assault, I had a hard time finding the Card because I didn't see it on the presentational desk. And then I had a slightly hard time re-finding the entrance to the Library >_> And the difficulty of the road leading to the card, in the huge room which kinda lags as well, even in lower resolution but remains playable.

[Micky C]

When the next big update comes around (probably with episode 4), there’ll be better instructions/guidance as to where to find the keycards.

[TheDragonLiner]

This place is my main area to assault you with my paragraphs !!


_Main Area Assault: Right away we can see our first objective, the Red Key in the lecture room but obviously would be too easy if we could enter right now. We already got some nice looking corridors, and a place that seems like a bunch of appartments for the interns (dunno the word in English). As usual these kind of place and visuals and details keep confirming the very good realism of the place and I'll stop repeating this now. First floor with the Lecture rooms, can already take the card from earlier (easiest one of the bunch). I personally would have liked my college to have this kind of Lecture room, they look nice and comfortable. Though I'm not sure it's a good idea to have the ground made out of grass ... Next floor. Finding a small presentation room with our first Riot Shield. I'll talk about it more in detail in future feedback but needless to say that, on my first try, using the Longslide's alt-fire with the Shield alongside felt good ! Micky isn't necessarily the best character to use the Shield but his Metal Storm and Longslide work well with it in this level. We can already unlock the door but I'll explore the top floor first.

Before that I must say that this first portion of the level is very clear and easy to navigate. Still like those Computer Rooms though they're more spacious than before. For some reason Micky sometimes says "Damn that was annoying" but I got no idea what for O_o Finding the 0th weapon is very good at this point. Only complain I would have with the Computer Rooms is that they tend to mask enemies and prevent bullets from going but allow projectiles like enemy lasers. Cool Quantine area though nothing much to it.


Back at Red Key Door. This is pretty much the start of the hard part. EXTREMELY open space, filled with TONS of computers ! This pretty much the most laggy room of the whole level but in my lowered resolution it seems to go okay. Also saw the Library entrance which gives another indication of the objective. Nice seeing those posters about it, we had similar ones in my college. The only complain I have about this section is that it's just SUPER DUPER WIDE ! There's too much to explore at once ! Even though it's just for ammo it's still too much at once. Good thing there aren't too many enemies because they could assault you from everywhere. Good thing we are given a Zilla Missile Launcher (ZML) and an Atomic Bomb somewhere because of there being more than one of these new beasts I can't find a name for. I don't know what kind of area it is but it's huge and extremly varied in aesthetics and arrangements.

One could complain about the lack of regularity but I find it's better than a huge square. I'm not going to detail too much for length's sake but I made a small detour in order to sneakilly get the 7th gun from a locker, easy to miss BTW, and then came back to face the first new beast because you don't have enough AP ammo at this point apart from the potential Golden Metal Storm and not enough ZML. It's just too hard facing one so close at this point without at least the 7th gun. I face another one a bit more easily since it was blocked by that huge TV. Nice giving DUP Missiles BTW. At this point I can use my Atomic Bomb to get the last new beast far away, too bad it doesn't kill the other enemies as well. It's good that you are given the ZML with its alternate ammo, AK-103 and 2 MAC-10S. These are good choices even though the MAC-10s may feel kinda useless ... Too bad we can't stack them T_T In any case, another complain is that there's actually too much detail. There's so much to see that the action sometimes become hard to read, until you reach the stairs at least.


Next floor. This I would say is the most impressive area of the level, and my personal favorite along with the opening one. It's more open, lets us see the outside, I like the colors, it's not filled to burst with tons of stuff everywhere, and there are some very good architecture here, especially when looking upward. And in difficulty, the great distance makes for a relief after the previous floor. Also finding an R item which can help save time in backtrack, though I always forget to use it >_> And that side-area that allows us to step on the terrace is fancy too. Gives another fine view of the extremely well designed environement. When finding the Yellow key, it's nice giving us a Barret Sniper, though if you saved some DUPs they work fine too. Backtrack and END.

Conclusion : So in overall, it's one of the prettier levels of the bunch. Not sure if I would rank it #1 or #2 because the next one is also a looker ... However in terms of gameplay I kinda prefer the previous one because of that huge section where there's too much to explore at once and 3 of these new beasts. When I first played the level it took me quite long to go through that portion. It's actually the level that took me the longest because of the fights and the load of square-meters to see. Still this level is pretty much the top in terms of difficulty, like the main dish after the previous 2. I forgot to talk about the music. It's good because it fits well the place and action as usual, and it's kinda discrete (I played with 100%) which helps because it's kinda repetitive actually.

My favorite portions were the opening one before using the Red Key and then the top floor. Another complain I would have is armor. Compared to the previous 2 levels, it's quite a potential problem in this level. For this feedback it went okay because I found optimized ways against the new beasts but still. I only found 1 as far as I can remember. Good thing we got the Shield but it doesn't make the difference. The overstuffed environement kinda help at least. So yeah if I were to rank the levels, this one would be in penultimate place because of the difficulty of the middle area. It remains fair though, because we're well supplied in weapons and the Temporary ones we're given are good choices, epsecially with ZML with Atomic Bomb and DUPS they were VERY handy and helped me turned the tide on my first play. As usual there are still the same things to like : Openness, nice visuals, variety on every aspect, reasonable difficulty (almost apart from the middle area, almost) and extremely realistic and credible settings.

[TheDragonLiner]

Call me a Feedback Worm.


_University Library : I can tell you right away > That music is my favorite of the mission ! It may be kinda repetitive but it's CATCHY AS HELL !! And I like the style as well. First area and I like it already. Enemies straight away but we got time to react and the most dangerous one is at the opposite side. As usual, good choices of colors, good furnishing, spacious and easy to navigate, 200 armor ... A very good start. A usual a fair variety of posters that contribute to the realism of the University. Middle floor. Can already see the objective, Brown Key for the exit. I also see that this is where you will "really" start the level if you took the other way in but I won't comment since I never did it for the time being. Since I'll just repeat myslef I will say that this is where I'm starting to have a feeling, it is the famous "Wish you were there" feeling.


Corridor with neat floor, I remember Micky had shown it on a video LOOOOOOOOONG ago when Ep2 was barely out. Next area is cool. It's a library so I can't say much without repeating myself but the gameplay is good because enemies are in reasonable ammount and having the Flamethrower is very handy here, given in a dark room. Blue Keycard. The fact we are given the necessary key before reaching the area we need it in is cool for smooth progression. Key isn't hard to miss IMO, since there isn't a billion square-meter to explore I found it easily. Backtrack to bottom floor. Well I'm going to repeat myself again ^^ Though there ain't no enemy here it's kinda weird O_o As usual it's open and spacious and easy to navigate. And presence of the necessity for the Blue Keycard is clear enough. Although the absence of enemies and variety in these 2 areas make it kinda baren somehow. But this is pretty much the calm before the storm. Fancy pictures BTW, and quite neat looking even in 720 resolution. A squad of Drones is okay, they're fairly far and we got reaction time and space.


So in the end that Jacque guy who has been helping us at the beginning happens to be the bad guy ? Since they only called him by his last name, you can hardly expect him to be the one they were talking about only with the first name (on purpose I'm sure !). Dialogue is good. Even though Jacque is kinda charicatural in his discourse he still isn't 100% like the usual kind of bad guy you find out there and I approve. And the dialogue does raise some good points as well. Fight is kinda anecdotic IMO. Having the 7th gun with both ammo + Missile Launcher + Nailgun, we clearly have enough. And I find these new Powersuits to somehow be less aggressive than in their old Ep2 itteration. I wonder how this thing could be remote controled however. Without cover ? What about the walls ? And the little room in the center ? Oh BTW I've just noticed the cool effect at the ceiling for the smoke after destroying the rows of books, it's a neat detail !

Now I wonder why there's a big safe door here in a library with a connection to the aeration system O_o Convienient at least. Too bad we can't enter the center bit, even though there's nothing (what about a unique Treasure Book ?). Brown Key area. This is basically the money-shot of the level. VERY fancy looking area. Very nice, very fancy, spacious as usual, repeating myself AS USUAL. It's also the little climax of the level IMO because the assault of enemies is kinda progressive, you're not invaded by one big batch in one go which is nice for reaction time's sake. And the room is very well furnished to allow both realistic aesthetics and good playable combat zone. Plasmic Commanders be okay since we got lots of powerfull guns by now and the Flamethrower still works well. A bit long but still well. It's clearly my favorite area of the level, along with the first one (where I began). Also neat detail the lights on the windows and the enemies coming out of them. I wonder who's that guy on the portrait, the founder of the Uni maybe ? END.


Conclusion : Well if I had to rank the levels this one would be #1. It also has #1 music as well. As usual, the very well designed architecture which is shouting realism everywhere (apart from that vault thing) both in terms of layout and furnishing, posters included. Very good and natural pacing, no grey matter needed. Reasonable fights in reasonable ammount, fairly easy difficulty. I don't know if the music is fitting or not ... and it's a bit repetitive but it's so freaking catchy damn it !! As for ressources they're a bit more scarce than usual but at this point we pretty much got everthing so who cares ? It's especially nice to have 200 armor at the beginning + 100 at the boss area.

Speaking of which, as I said it was anecdotic to me, apart from the plot development of course. On my first playthrough I remember that, the previous level got me "When will it end ?" (mostly because of lags before I got the idea to lower resolution) but this level hadn't despite some laggs. Mostly because it's not overabundant in stuff apart from the bookshelves at the beginning which can eat up a bit. In any case, this level has everything for me. The next actually does too but it's doesn't have that freaking catchy music ! Since the next level is short, I will do my little ranking there.

[TheDragonLiner]

I'm doing you guys some Courtly feedback in this wonderful Yard ...
(too much jokes )

BTW my feedback is finally complete (still lacking Micky's final gun though) so I think I'll start stepping up the uploading if you don't mind.



_University Courtyard : Funny dialogue being funny. Second favorite level of the mission. Outside looks as good as ever. I must admit that, the first time I played, my wall-jumping expertise almost got me beyond the final wall right away if I hadn't been curious. I must admit I hadn't understood that this wall was the one Micky was talking about. Long range Pig-Tanks are okay. The new alt-fire for the Rocket Launcher would be actually kinda handy here, though low resolution doesn't help. Also the rocket keeps going above the enemy unless I stand at their level but then it's easier to miss them ... too hard T_T


Music is good and fitting, cool for a final level. It's nice being able to revisit the second level. And everything is in the same state as when we left it. Yet it's a different map file ? What the heck !? Cool security room with all the gunsies ! New beast near the garage is still problematic but 7th gun always wins. And maybe the Auto-Turret for once it's usefull. All the buildings look quite nice from the outside. And it's always a nice feeling seeing all the places you've gone through from a different perspective. The campus looks mighty fine, for the last time I'm just repeating myself about architecture, color selection, atmosphere, realism and all. We're given tons of RL ammo but it's not the best gun arround here, too late I'm afraid.


Garage looks good. We can drive the Hovercraft but not that usefull IMO. Very strong ambush, the Auto-Turret is okay but it doesn't seem to be able to kill those damn new beasts >_> So the Jump Jet Boots are just the same as the Super Sandals from Egypt but less powerfull and without deleting fall dammage. Still cool being able to jump higher than usual. Final encounter with an Ultra Enforcer. Not as hard as I predicted this time thanks to the open space. Also 7th and 8th weapon work mighty fine. Still not anecdotic compared to the powersuit from the previous level. Ending cinematics. For some reason I now have the IW map's music now instead of Micky's usual music O_o In any case, along with some humor, it was cool seeing references to Episode 2's extended ending. And a connection to the current plot of Ep3 as well. END.


Conclusion : Since it was short I'll conclude on the overall. So despite the fact I don't like extreme longness like this, I still enjoy the levels (when it runs smoothly that is ). For the final time, there are varied aesthetics and places, even though some sometimes look alike. I believe it's the sheer realism or credibility of the places we go through that make the levels really special. And the attention to details with the posters, furnishing and all provided the feeling quite well from point A to point Z.

Navigation was easy (apart from the starting Laboratory) and clear. Pacing was good. Difficulty is reasonable, well ballanced. There are only 2 places where I sometimes struggle a bit. I like most of the music apart a bit from the Lab one and the Main Area Assault one. Clearly the Library's and the final place's are my faves. As for ranking the levels I would say #1 Library, #2 Final area, #3 Above Ground, #4 Main area and #5 Laboratory.


Lastly it was nice having another reminiscence level, with Highwire's one of Ep1 being one I quite like. How about Merlijn + Marteen next time ? And maybe a small reminiscence of Zaxtor's Oblivion as well ? These are the 2 reminiscence that would interest me the most ^^ Rusty dismantling cults on Mars would be interesting as well.

[Solais]

Actually, I don't think this is a different map file. It got the same title "Above ground", it's just you are in a previously inaccessible area.

Yeah, while testing the bug with the boss that happens almost every time for me, I did also hear the IW music starting up for half a second at the very end of the level before it transitioned to the map with the final cutscene. (I also found out that this is a place where you can easily farm money, by reloading a save over and over and getting the same money added to your account each time. >.>)

I think it's that "realism" or as you said "credibility" (much better way to describe it, really, I'll so use this word for level design now) is why these sets of maps are great. Like, I feel, I don't really see maps like this in games nowadays. (Then again, Duke3D's level design, both official and fan-made always have this effect on me for some reason. It's just special like that.)

[TheDragonLiner]

Solais, on 05 May 2019 - 12:10 AM, said:

Actually, I don't think this is a different map file. It got the same title "Above ground", it's just you are in a previously inaccessible area.

Yeah, while testing the bug with the boss that happens almost every time for me, I did also hear the IW music starting up for half a second at the very end of the level before it transitioned to the map with the final cutscene. (I also found out that this is a place where you can easily farm money, by reloading a save over and over and getting the same money added to your account each time. >.>)

I think it's that "realism" or as you said "credibility" (much better way to describe it, really, I'll so use this word for level design now) is why these sets of maps are great. Like, I feel, I don't really see maps like this in games nowadays. (Then again, Duke3D's level design, both official and fan-made always have this effect on me for some reason. It's just special like that.)

I have loaded every map from the menu and these ARE 2 different maps, I'm categoric ! I just don't understand how the hell they managed that O_o It must be a sort of Map Cache trickery similar to what they did with Zeta Base >_>

Well let's say that "Realism" is the higher tier version of "Credibility" ^^ Since the former means "Close to reality, or looking real", while the latter means "Being credible, believable, something you can take" without necessarily a realistic setting

[Jblade]

it's not a different map, Solais is right - it uses the same hub map system that the egypt section did, not sure where the confusion is coming from.

[TheDragonLiner]

Jblade, on 05 May 2019 - 02:57 AM, said:

it's not a different map, Solais is right - it uses the same hub map system that the egypt section did, not sure where the confusion is coming from.

I checked and yeah ... I feel silly .... I think it's the name in TabMap that must have confused me. Because I initially thought (with the different music and all) that it was a separate level, with a portion of another level remodeled for the sake of coherence >_> And changing the name in my feedback didn't help I guess ^^

[TheDragonLiner]

After having been silly I must ATTACK !!


_Attack on Xuglop : Ah this intro ... just like Egypt I listened to the left-over VOC files so many times ^^ At least I finally understand what this is all about now. Time to play Splinter Cell Duke style ! Glad to stumble into greenland again. Mercenaries are amongst the hardest enemies personally because they're resistant and they can spam their shots like crazy ! Alarm System works fine. I never tripped it until I did it on purpose just to see. MP5 works quite well. PPK too though I keep it for specific enemies. M4 worked also well but then it was problematic for the boss so I rely only on PPK and MP5 or 9 (exceptionally I used 9 for the feedback despite not liking its suppresed sound). Good thing I never tripped the alarm because it spawns Robots and AP ammo is both scarce and valuable in this level ! Good thing the enemies cannot trigger the alarm themselves otherwise it would have been half-impossible.


First area looks good, a bit simplistic though but it remains efficient. That high tech kinda changes from what we've seen so far. Exploration is rewarded with a valuable 7th gun and a Shield. Shield which is indispensible for my tactic with the PPK. Being able to use it with the MP9 is also cool, I forgot this was possible. Security room looks cool. More detailed and crowded as well. It's the first place where you can get mauled down already. Good thing we have the H item but I always forget about it. Switching to Highwire. Very good view of the skybox. And one hell of an army with us yikes. Good set of weapons given as well. My trusty AS-VAL will be of value especially thanks to the new performances you gave it in this version. Totally different from James' portion. Long-range I like. Enemies on the cliffs are surprising but our soldiers help. They sometimes made me jump because of suddenly firing at will ^^. However I hate being blinded by a flashbang while there are 2 freaking walls and 100 feet of distance >_< Fighting is more intense than with James and ammo can be tight but soldiers help. The Pitfiends have become kinda harsh now because they tend to spam their rockets WAY WAY more than in IW or the Commanders O_o. Good thing we got a fair bunch of 7th gun ammo if we check the place out a bit.


Globally Highwire section was prettier but harder as well. Back to James. Too bad we can't see Highwire waiting at the door's switch ... Close quarter Pitfiend. THE occasion to potentially trigger the alarm but somehow it can't go up the slope. Huge hangar looking just as good, and relatively simplistic (though less) as the starting area. 1 (or 2) Powersuit. First time I played I destroyed it but then I discovered you could one-shoot it by destroying all the pillars, quite neat since Duke players would expect it to be crush-proof like most boss enemies. Nice being given a fair bunch of Missile Launcher, they'll come in handy later. And how the ceiling is falling down on you once you blow the last pillar is quite nice. I thought you could screw yourself over if you blew the pillars opposite of the vent last but in the end it's still doable. It's very tight but doable. Small supply room looks sympathetic (French expression). Like looking at the debris too, I found it was a very nice touch. I don't understand the reference though >_> Nice little dialogue with the boss arround here. Would have been nice to have an animation on the screen where the boss would leave when saying they got intruders. Control room a bit harder than the previous but 7th and 0th guns FTW ! A very good view of the upcomming area too. If one has a good sense of orientation you could plan out your aproach with Highwire (overdoing it maybe ?).


Back to Highwire, good thing James tells you about what to do, even though it would have been findable without it. Obviously no dialogue would have left to be desired. Depending on whether the Pitfiends are glitched or not, this bit can go from challenging but fair to a big pain in the fuselage ! Good thing Highwire's SVD is surprisingly powerfull because rushing to the 5th gun is NOT a good idea, especially if the enemies are glitched. Fortunately it seems the patch kinda fixed them. Turrets are super deadly though, and there's little room for cover from them. Add mercenaries on top of that, and the fact your allies can get mauled down to bits quite easily and you got the challenge of this area in a nutshell. I still like it. I found it frustrating because of glitch but now that it's relatively fixed and I know it, it becomes stimulating to do. When not glitched, the SVD is pretty much the game winner here thanks to distance and the new slow-mo skill. Area looks cool too. It's the best looking area of the whole facility and the skybox adds to it. It's interesting how placing the Battery on the conveyor can trigger the next step on a mapping point of view.


Back to James. Nice canyon area. First Pitfiend can become hard if he hides above the door but then it's okay. I prefer taking the long way arround to the last door instead of going it directly from the first. Exploration outside is rewarded anyway. From now on it's only Robots and Power Armored Mercenaries. Kind of the hard combo here. This place can become quite hard, even with the extra H item, if you don't have the correct guns here. At least there is fair cover at a bunch of places which you can exploit to avoid fire. I'd say this bit and the pre-boss one are James' hardest parts of the level.


Excavator. Looks good, though the wheel kinda thing doesn't look as bladed as the real ones (technical limitations). The best view of the skybox ever. This bit is kinda hard with all the Robots and Armored and Powered Mercenaries. Using the PPK+Shield combot worked well for the whole level but now it runs out but then I got my 5 AP Slugs for 0th gun and 15 Missiles salvaged from the Powersuit's area. Also the walls are good for cover. I remember on my first play that I got hurt quite a bunch in this bit, even lost the shield, hence why boss was hard with no armor. And having the M4 I regretted it because the boss is quite hard.


Speaking of which. I always like the "It's not Baby Blue it's Ultra Marine !!" ^^ I'd say this boss is the hardest one of the episode. Even Zaxtor's boss felt and went easier somehow O_o First his cape is actually armored, took me till the 3rd attempt at the level to understand it. His Mini-gun is just super powerfull, and the H item sometimes doesn't last long enough for it. And I don't even mention the metal panels which break in barely 2 seconds. Then when he goes full Football Madness it's the worst ! I don't know why but he keeps reaching me eventually, he never stops until he gets me ! And if the fight lasts, you'll easily run out of armor and health since the H time barely helps now. Hence why I regretted having the M4 because my weapons were just not strong enough against him. However the new G-36 works like crazy against him (another reason to love it) !

Winning strategy >> Keep 15 Missiles. Activate H item. Spam Missiles. When he switches phase, spam G-36 while circle straffing. Tested and aproved ! (and I'm the self-proclaimed aproval guy here ! (I'm joking)). END.



Conclusion : Well after Geoffrey's mission being my #1 favorite, as far as the second half of the episode goes, this mission is my #2. Firstly, I forgot about it, but I REALLY like the music ! A bit repetitive but CATCHY AS HELL, it's one of my 5 utmost faves of the episode. In any case, I like the aesthetics of the level. Layout is simple but effective. Skybox is very nice, I especially like seeing the power facility in the distance and what's not far from it. Suppressed weapons now have their moment of usefullness and it works quite well. Despite the interesting mechanic I still prefer Highwire's portions, they're more varied and intense. Then I like James's 2 final portions. I find that climbing up an excavator to be quite original, and unique as far as Duke mapping goes (and general gaming too actually). It's also the mission which has the most humor IMO somehow. The mission also gives Highwire a fair share of glory and hearing him both here and in Egypt adds to me liking this episode in particular because EVERYBODY talks at some point. I woud like to say more but I run out ...

[TheDragonLiner]

Getting sleepy ....


BTW Since my Feedback is now complete I'm exceptionally submitting a second entry.


_Triton, Fake VR : Ah so we're gonna know why Snowfall's here after "Popping out of nowhere". "Some place far away" ? You don't freaking say. So right off the bat we got some nice vacation vibe with this nice little beach with the city in the distance, however something's off (on purpose obviously). First the music, the lack of sound and life from the people, the weird image when pressing Escape, and that secret fortune cookie shouting to WAKE THE F*** UP ! On my first playthrough, at this point I expected something was off with all these elements but I was expecting some sort of alien invasion. For instance when walking up the peer to the city I was expecting it to suddenly go BOOM.


But then we start seeing these weird eye-ripping visual glitches and it all makes sense directly. Ain't the same VR as with Mikko and Geoffrey I'm telling ya ! And we start seeing artefacts we usually associate to bad mapping. Who would have thought we would stumble across a map in which such mapping "mistakes" or "negligence" would actually make sense and actually work ? The Restaurant area is actually one of the creepiest already. Because seeing those MJ12 soldier sprites on the walls for one thing (a clue actually ?) and the severely distorted people in the building. And the fact they're all lifeless and just standing here motionless is even more creepy O_o If I were at Snowfall's place I would have taken ages just convincing myself to go forward ! BTW the Restaurant looks very good and well furnished, though a bit too cramped up.


Back on a beach and this is the place where IMO the level really shows off the stuff. I'll say it right now, in overall the level greatly gives you that feeling of the world arround you crumbling down to bits along with the fact it's a virtual world that slowly returns to binary dust. This beach place with all the glitches is the place that gives this impression the most. Platforming is tight but with very good margin. Though the visual glitches tend to parassite our perception of the platforms but in a reasonable way. Green puzzle room. Well I kinda have a hard time understanding the intended way to do it. Personally I press the switch, run fast to the elevating platform, grab the Battery, drop down with it and there you go ! Looks like we're expected to take one of the barrels in order to help jump on the elevating platform but it's "close" enough to be reacheable without >_>.


Next room is kinda enigmatic and the fact everybody except Snowfall look ghostly (special mention to the door's sound) . I won't develop because I think I understood about it. However I think it would have been nice if we could have looked at Snowfall's sprite and the 2 Scientists from every angle instead of forcefully seeing their back. Small room and corridors to suddenly end up in an appartment building. It doesn't make any sense but the world is going ape-shit after all. Apartments are good thanks to being spacious, easy to navigate and credible. Balcony with the town looks cool too. Ain't the best town arround but it's still decently detailed. On my first attempt it actually took me a very small bit to go by the balconnies because I kinda don't like breaking big windows like that, especially when there's a door right next to it. Lastly it's a very nice touch seeing the appartment being ultra stretched as if there were a black hole where there would normally be a door. The deaf fire sound was dispensible though, I think there could be something better to replace it. However when we're thrusted into the exit then that sound getting progressively louder is a nice touch. END.


Conclusion : Well that was weird ... At first I understood it was all VR at some point but it doesn't give us any clue as to why he was inside it in the first place, what was the purpose of it ? Especially when we see how freaking many of these VR pods there are in the next level O_o I forgot to talk about the music. Well as usual it's mighty fitting since it's got that numeric, digital style to it while sometimes sounding a bit glitched. Actually when I first played, the music had the great luck of being fitting at every single place at the right time all the time. Either I played it with the intended pace or the music is just extremely well chosen. In itself it's still that kind of music that I like in-game but don't outgame but I must say I like some parts of it. Namely from 1:10 to 2:30.

As for the map itself, it has the audacity to purposefully use bad mapping in a good way ! When you're facing that kind of paradox then you know the mapper is GOOD at what he's doing. And again, it conveys that feeling of a virtual world crumbling down arround you quite well. As for the story, I'm still puzzled (venturing in next level too early but still). I still have no idea as to what was the point of this VR stuff (especially when we see how dangerous it actually is), and what does Snowfall have to do with it ? I still don't understand >_> Anyway, that was the easy part ... next time it'll be the hard part.

[Solais]

Quote

I don't understand the reference though >_>

Man, we are really getting old.

I dunno why, but the Xuglop levels always feel somewhat charmingly simple. Like as if they were made a long time ago compared to the others. And after playing IW, even though I played that after playing AMC TC, replaying Xuglop Assault now felt strangely nostalgic. (Needs more Sonic 3 music though. )

I LOOOVE how the glitches in the Matrix were made by incorporating actual engine glitches to the level. It's so much better than the "fake glitches" other, more modern games like to use for such sections. The Build engine got its own set of unique bugs and this showcase is something that I feel is unique to this whole. Almost like a time capsule.

[TheDragonLiner]

_Triton, Awakening : So now it would almost feel like Matrix. We come out of a "nice" little beachy world to end up in a dark, ruined facility. I'll get this out of the way to avoid endless repetitions. Snowfall (I believe he's the mapper here) shows his very best skills in architecture. Providing us with a full facility, all sections of which are well connected to each other, and with an arrangement that feels oddly credible. It's just like Zeta Base but even better I would say ! As for ambiance, it works quite well. The starting area sets up the tone right away. The music takes a long time to come in and I would say that the utterly complete silence works mighty fine. Facing Zombies. I'm divised because I prefer the old design which was specific to this level and which looked way more intimidating IMO but on the other end these new zombies are WAY easier to tackle due to being not as swift and resistant as the old ones.


For this early portion I'd say we're quite light on ammo until we find the small armoury near the labs. Especially since enemies take between 6 and a dozen of shots. I'm afraid I can't talk much about the side areas because, as usual they're well furnished and credible, though sometimes too cramped up, such as the dark one with all the computers and Night Vision. We find the Psionic Shield, which seems to be the key item of the level. However missing it isn't punishing since you're given another one in the final level, and there aren't many occasions to use it, especially since it tends to rely on Force Field BEFORE relying on itself, and BTW it doesn't even work with Octabrains >_<. In overall navigation is quite easy, though I don't really like having THAT many areas accessible at once as I sometimes said in earlier levels. On my first play, these levels almost managed to defeat my sense of orientation, ALMOST. However it remains fair since using the good old "Stick to the left/right side" technique works. Also there are always 1 dead end, 1 locked path and 1 legitimate path which keeps things reasonable.


After finding the authorization we can get to the other set of stasis chambers. Kinda scary hearing a Lost Spirit and yet not knowing where it is. This is one of the harder section because of having some 5 or 6 enemies at the bottom, some in the water and some on the grating after retrieving the Tool Kit, it makes the small fight kinda hectic. And that Lost Spirit can jumpscare you when you go back. Before using the Kit I came back to read the note for Snowfall again and I'm wondering ... the Psionic Shield was meant to be directly built into his suit ? Stimulates my imagination. Anyway using the Tool Kit. 2 MJ 12 Soldiers right behind it ? HARSH ! And I am forced to use only 1 pistol since the left one in dual wield doesn't pierce armor and spirits like it normally should. Now that we have the 4th gun and a fair amount of ammo for 2nd and 3rd difficulty is more evened out IMO. However, even though I somehow kept my upgrades for this feedback run, the MJ12 soldiers are really hard to tackle with the 4th gun. I'll say it in the Feedback about Snowfall but the 4th gun feels surprisingly weak against them O_o Either that or the accuracy is messed up (I'll still have to do a checking spree on that).


In any case we're venturing in the best looking places of the level IMO. The central elevator area and the small one with the big yellow pipes. Brighter colors give some life to the environement. Between exploring the ground floor and taking the elevator up, it's kinda easy to get lost but my usual technique works and TabMap remains very readable too, and it's filled with exclamation marks which can help guide ourselves (namely with the special authorization switches earlier). Exploring the big storage room at the back shows something welcome. We're given much more ammo and armor as well, I can already spy 4 or 5 in this area. It's generous but those freaking MJ12 soldiers are so harsh, it's DEFINITELY needed ! Needless to say I took ALL these armors in my Armagedon run. However it's weird, I can hear enemies and gun-shots while there's nobody arround ... I'm guessing we're having some ROR AI weirdness here.


Going up the stairs, because elevator I don't trust (and it's quicker). Navigation become very easy now thanks to restricted choices. I'm noticing things look a bit brighter along with the previous area, maybe a clue to say you're reaching the end of the level ? All those crates kinda help since enemies blow their surprise and they sometimes harm themselves in trying to grenade me through the crates (doesn't work that way pal). Still gonna check the back room for completion's sake. Also because it boasts the 7th gun which I love. It's also the only place where I have a use for the Trip Mines we found but it doesn't work entirely since the enemies keep hugging the walls and back up in the previous room T_T Also 1 and only Robot of the level. I can still hear some distant gun shots for some reasons but can't be arsed. END.



Conclusion : So in overall, what I liked the most in the level is the ambiance. The fact the "music" has relatively low volume helps too. Between bits of utter silence and that metal crackling sound that I like. The first part of the level is kinda tight on ammo since you face quite the ammount of enemies with only the Pistol, unless you find certain places. On my first play I often ran out of ammo for that gun, though it was namely because I hadn't understood the glitch with the left pistol. However once you reach the Tool Box it becomes more fair on the ammo department. Especially for the 2nd and 4th gun, since I use 3rd only for the Zombies and Apparitions (head-shooting MJ12 Soldiers doesn't work that well). As for health and armor I can't complain there ! More health than armor in the first part because the enemies punch through your armor (melee or magic) and more armors than health in the second part because of the MJ12 Soldiers. It sometimes feel too generous, especially when you meticulously explore, but given how hard the level can easily get, especially on a discovery run, it comes in very handy.


Good thing we're given lots of 2nd and 4th ammo because these 2 guns are pretty much the safer ones to use though I still have that feeling that the 4th gun is weak. I'll say it in the Feedback on Snowfall but the 4th guns feels surprisingly weak in these levels O_o On long range I even feel like I don't even hit the MJ12 Soldiers ! Since I often ran out of Pistol ammo for the aforementioned reason, it felt kinda painfull over time. Apart from the good ambiance and the superb architectural skills, I have no particular liking for the level, sorry. It is possible that this is because of my relatively harsh first experience, similarly to Zeta Base. I think it is also linked to the fact we can explore a lot of places at once even though there's always 1 legit path, 1 going-back path and 1 dead-end path. I can't explain it's just that way.

The only complain I will have come from the MJ12 soldiers which are quite harsh in close range and which spam grenades if you're not too far away, and since they don't really follow you accurately you can't even use the Trip Mines properly. Even Snowfall's special forcefield isn't enough sometimes, especially when having 25 points. Very good thing the level is generous on armors in order to remain fair. In short, the only memorable thing I have for this level is the very good ambiance, and the severely good architecture display and detailling of certain areas (many actually). I don't remember if I said it already but I'll say that Snowfall pulled out all the stuff here ! In this level (and the next), his mapping is at its best ! I'll still prefer his other levels over this one (and the next) for different reasons, but in design and visuals, he's at his best here.

[TheDragonLiner]

Oh BTW I want to report a bunch of anomalies ...

1_ An upgrade for Snowfall's assault rifle doesn't show up in-game >>
2_ Our character can punch with his left arm while holding the Shield >>
3_ Behold the invisible pot ! >>
4_ Since the patches, Merlijn's HUD has a problem displaying extra health >>
5_ A problem with the sky in the Time Portal section in the Catacombs >>

Lastly Snowfall's Psionic Shield doesn't block Octabrains' psychic waves. Since they're blocked by Spirit Armor they should be blocked by Snowfall's item as well !

[Zaxtor]

fixing the shield bug by making "whacking someone with the shield would be cool

[TheDragonLiner]

BANANNAS !!
(get the hint ?)

Next time I'll talk about the debriefing and make a final conclusion. Then I'll start talking about weapons, equipments, characters and all ...
(like last time, we all talk about the maps but there's not just maps in this game !)

_Triton, Last Level : Good thing that we're given the Psionic Shield right off the bat in case we managed to miss it in the previous level. And also good thing to give ammo for the 2nd and 4th gun because it's gonna be put to extensive use, and armor as well. I'll get this out of the way, we'll have many occasions to take a look at the outside, and needless to say it looks mighty fine. It gives more body and credibility to the whole facility. I especially like the area with the Starship and the big tower nearby, like a real "airfield" of sort.


On the right. Nice cave area, though easy to fall and I don't like being ambushed by 2 MJ12 Soldiers from behind like that, they're so deadly. I believe these are storage areas ? They look cool, and more colorfull than in the previous level. Fighting is manageable thanks to all these slopes allowing easy shooting. Even the 3 MJ12 Soldiers that blow the side door open. Good thing there's an armor in there, I just lost it. Opening the door and seeing our first MJ12 Assassin. Well these enemies aren't as dickish as I thought. Firstly you hear them jump arround the place, and you can see their shadow as well. However I will admit that, in my first playthrough, I got slashed in the back once or twice, namely in enclosed areas. They also use Flashies but not that often, it doesn't work too often either somehow, maybe I'm just lucky. Good thing they're vulnerable to the Shotgun because it works mighty fine against them, and it save on the more valuable 2nd and 4th ammo. In the end I'm not sure what was the purpose of this area.


Next area, a big restaurant or bar looking area. Looks mighty fine, especially with those voxels like in Zeta Base. However I'd say there are too much vines to block our sight. Good thing there aren't many enemies. I like all those posters as well, makes the place more credible, and it also kinda give some clues as to what Posseidon Facility is, though kinda vage, and doesn't answer the question raised in the previous level. Taking the tram to the Landing Site, after a good Duke 3D reference IMO. The travel gives us the best view of the environements like stated at the beginning. Combat's a bit hard due to close range but many walls help. Area looks fine though, and easy to navigate. Good finding the 0th gun, which will be more handy than the Trip Mines. Also the upgrading station comes in VERY handy ! Somehow I kept my upgrades so it was useless (still don't understand how) but in all my previous plays I needed to use it. Blue Keycard and backtrack. 2 Assassins on the way but they're blocked at the entrance of the tram so they're ultra easy pickings.


After using the key it's the same commentary as earlier, though the place is more littered and harder to navigate. Special mention to the computer room and the small fitness area. I saw an Assassin but he disappeared through a wall O_o. Easy Battery Puzzle. HUGE freaking forest-like area. It looks mighty fine, however it's overly abundant, way too much vegetation ! It creates lags and it hides pretty much everything possible ! The first real black spot on my list I'll say, because it makes everything hard to read and see. Namely enemies, especially when we'll backtrack. However extensive exploration is VERY rewarding for a redeeming factor. Many Amulets, a good bunch of 0th ammo and a good refill of 2nd and 4th ammo which I was starting to lack. And a few armors including a very welcome Super Armor. Also an Imuno Booster which came in handy on my first attempt for the final stretch, I'll say later.


Next area, on the right. Dark areas being the best place for Assassins, totally impossible to spot. I should try using Heat Vision next time to see if it works ... Same commentary as usual though. Residential area has the originality of having a spiral design. It's a nice find but it's also severely cramped up. Good thing the enemies have a very hard time hitting us because it's already kinda tedious to go through, especially since many rooms boast nothing. However it's still a good ressource stash, especially for 7th and 8th ammo which I always save for the final stretches of the level. And it's also the best place to use the 0th gun thanks to short range, especially against the Robots in the rooms. Forgot to mention that, before entering this area we find yet another Psionic Shield, kinda redundant since there's only 1 Apparition in the whole level. I never needed it.


Last area. A FREAKING ARMOURY !! Like I said in Zaxtor's Trequonia > I love armouries ! And laboratories as well. I you want to please me, just throw in armories and laboratories in your maps ! The area looks quite good, like a big data processing and communication center. I'll say it's my favorite area along with the Landing Site. Silence ? Something's gonna happen ... Many times we were told "They are coming", well HERE THEY FREAKING COME !! I must admit to you that, in my first playthrough, I was kinda intimidated because of how much you were told about the Beyonders, and hearing distant screams doesn't help. So what I did on my first play was to TabMap in order to see where to go, Use the Imuno Booster and RUSH up to the place ! (Who said R Items were useless ?) I faced a Beyonder when exiting the tram, I managed to kill it but I rushed further because I feared it would resurect after what Axon said in the cinematic. However now that I'm more ballsy (and better kitted out than on the first attempt) I'm noticing the Beyonders aren't as OP as they make them sound like. Surely they can hit you from pretty much ANY distance, and they're kinda resistant (3 or 4 7th gun's Plasma Bursts), but that's pretty much it. Thanks to the 2 or 3 Spirit Armors (including secret Super Armor) and the one Psionic Shield I held onto this entire time, it's all easy peasy. However, as usual, the Psionic Shield works ONLY AFTER you have ran out of Spirit Armor, which makes for some wasting. I'm making a big deal out of it but this sequence got its good effects on my first try as I explained and therefore it remains good. The music and the distant screams work well along with the anticipation induced by the story arround these enemies. Lastly, they sometimes don't massacre the MJ12s that well. On my first few attempts they owned them but on this feedback attempt I had to defeat some 5 or 6 MJ12s myself. BTW good thing we got lots of 8th ammo for the Beyonders, I use the Plasma Burst most of the time because it's easier to use but I never have enough for the whole run.


Anyway, reaching the end. Hearing a mysterious dialogue. After what James told me about my theories about the boss, I'm kinda understanding what he meant with this muffled dialogue. As for the real dialogue, face-to-face, well there's nothing much that I can say ... Especially since this dialogue already stimulated my imagination and I threw everything at James face a while ago ^^ As for the boss fight, well it was hard on my first attempt because I didn't dare use explosives since he tries to close in on you quite often. Therefore mauling down the forcefield takes time and efforts, and thus HPs as well. However if you dare using explosives, namely the 5th and 7th gun then the fight becomes quite the cakewalk ! IIRC it requires roughly between 8 and 10 7th gun direct hits on the Force Field which is quite fast for a final boss. But since it's a human being it remains "credible" in a way. As for the music, well there's nothing much to it, it's your typical boss-fight music. As for the ending, this is where I understood it was the end of the episode, because it's typically the scene where they find something that's gonna do all the difference and you shall have to wait to see it. I didn't expect these levels to be the end of the episodes until this scene.


Conclusion : Well there was more to say than I anticipated. Globally I prefer this level over the previous one. It's more colorfull, it's as good on an architecture point of view, there aren't as many areas to explore at once, like only 2 at a time, only 1 being a dead end. And the few dead-ends happen to be quite usefull for ressources compared to the previous level. As for the music, I'm afraid it doesn't do me either hot or cold (French expression), I don't find anything to say about it. In terms of difficulty this level is pretty much THE reason why I'm always puzzled about Snowfall's weapons, especially the 4th gun. The MJ12 and Robots make the 4th gun feel very weak ! It's a good thing we got fair ammounts of 2nd and 4th ammo for the first third.I tend to run out but reaching the huge forest like place allows for a total refill just at the right time so I don't mind. I was getting frustrated on my first attempt but this place kinda gave the relief. As for health and armor, for once, just like the previous level, I won't complain. The level is fairly generous in both health and armor, but not in exaggerated proportions, and the ammounts are well adapted to the numbers and styles of enemies we face. On my first attempt I had difficulties more because of weapons, not because of armor or health.


This is the only level in which we get to officially face Beyonders (excluding Zaxtor's level) which helps setting the level as the turning point of the general story since this is our first tackling with THE big enemy even though they felt a bit disappointing in performance (though if you don't have energy weapons you're screwed). It is also the level where we can make the most out of Snowfall's character, namely the H Item which I never manage to use in other levels, and the R Item was usefull on my first attempt (who said it was useless ?) (I sound like bragging but I'll admit I have a hard time finding a use for R Items and yet I REALLY try, trust me !). In the end, since I made a comparisson or two with Zeta Base last time, I can make a sort of ranking I guess. Because these levels have some Zeta Base vibes to them. This level is #1 without a doubt. Previous level is #2 and Zeta #3. If you bring Neutrino to the mix then it takes #1's place.


In overall I had a better time than I thought, I'll admit it took me long to get to these levels for the feedback because, similarly to Zeta Base, I had a frustrating first experience, but this final level redeemed itself at some point. But this feedback run made realize it's not as long and tedious as I had thought. It'll never get in my favorite list because it's already full, but if I ranked all the levels it would be extremely hard to place this one low in the grid (just like many others) >_> ANYWAY, in short. What I liked the most : Design because Snowfall is, once again, at his best, navigation because it's better than in the previous level, a more evened out difficulty and an ending that stimulated my imagination more than everything else. What I disliked : the over-abundance of details in certain areas in the middle of the level that makes everything very hard to read and laggy (though not as violent as in some other level), and the Beyonders which were a bit disappointing in their performance.