And the nominations too, I didn't see these. Well, here's my vote:
JJ Duke Nukem 3D
Mikko Sandt's Maps + Duke Tournament + MSSP Episode + The Brave New World
The Birth + Alien World Order +
WGRealms + WGSpace Episode
None of the other map sets interest me, so I'll vote for The Birth and AWO. It'll be my first time playing the latter, so I'm quite interested to give it a shot. I'll also throw in my own personal Shadow Warrior tips too seeing as how FistMarine gave some of his advice:
1. The splash damage on grenades is comically large. When you're firing the Grenade Launcher, keep a good distance from your target(s) so you don't hurt yourself, as a face grenade stings quite a lot. When you see a Grey Ninja shoot a grenade, run for the hills.
2. The Grenade Launcher is a bad weapon to use in one on one fights, especially when fighting Shadow Ninjas. Direct hits and the splash damage don't do enough to even consistently kill a Ripper in two grenades. The Missile Launcher or the Riot Gun are much safer at medium to close range, don't have an arc, and have a higher DPS from my own experience. One direct hit from the Missile Launcher has a chance to instantly one tap a Shadow Ninja, and the Riot Gun is good at extremely close range. Unload four shells on the Shadow, then get out of there before he unloads atomic fire into your face.
3. The Katana can instantly kill Brown Ninjas and Mini Rippers. Take advantage of this when you can to save ammo. Bear in mind though that trying to melee Fish is really inconsistent, and often you'll risk being bitten by them while you go for it. It's safer to click on them once with the Riot Gun or shoot them with one Uzi.
4. For the Rail Gun, the hit detection is pretty wonky. I've had the most success aiming for the feet of your target, but sometimes even this doesn't really work.
5. To elaborate on FistMarine's comment about weapons having alternate firing modes, the Guardian Head is another one that has three firing modes! You have the standard flamethrower which is the default when you pick up the Guardian Head for the first time, the Rise of the Triad-esque Fire Bomb attack the Shadow Ninjas love to use, and finally a useless fire shield. Just like with switching between one and two Uzis, you can cycle between the alternate fires for your weapon (if they have any) by pressing that weapon's slot number while you're holding it (e.g. press the 9 key while the Guardian Head is active to switch between the firing modes, or the 5 key for the Missile Launcher).
6. Don't use the Caltrops, they do pitiful damage and you can hurt yourself with them. The Night Vision Goggles are good for seeing exactly Shadow Ninjas and Coolie Ghosts.
When we do Blood, I'll be sure to have bountiful tips for you all... I didn't suffer through a Pitchfork start run of Extra Crispy for nothing. Well, I kind of did, but that's besides the point.
