Thanks everyone for the replies so far! I appreciate there's some activity, so I might as well contribute to the topic more often compared to past events. Although I meant to post last Friday but ended up playing two more maps and had some real life issues in past week, such as my mother getting hospitalized, though thankfully she should be recovering soon. Oh and my PC speakers also got broken, so I just stick to playing Doom Wads and Duke3D user maps in DOSBox on my laptop. When I get to maps requiring source ports later this month, I hope to buy new speakers in the meantime, otherwise I might move my JFDuke3D/EDuke32 folders to my laptop, as I don't want to miss the sounds/music.
I also need to clarify a few things. Turns out, MaaDM3 was released as part of tod.zip (Temple of Death), which is why I couldn't find it as maadm3.zip at Dukeworld. Although the zip file contains both MAADM3.MAP and TOD.MAP, so it's not the same map released as MaaDM3: Temple of Death, it's either MaaDM: Temple of Death or MaaDM3. Sorry for the confusion earlier, I just learned that recently and it will be an interesting subject to discuss when I will review the Deathmatch maps.
Therefore, the download link for MAADM3 & TOD from Dukeworld is THIS one:
https://dukeworld.co...aps/p-t/tod.zip
I wish I could edit the first post again but unfortunately I can't do.
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It's the exact same map, only the name was changed after some heated discussions on the AMC forums. I'll not go in-depth about it here, the people involved can always chip in if they want to. Anyway this is mostly a MRCK map with a few additions from Maarten, so I wouldn't put this one high on the priority list. It's a pretty cool map though.
I understand now. I initially thought that certain map hosting sites renamed the zip file, from nancsi.zip to The AMC Pleaser.zip to make the map more well known and better represent what the map is about. Since I always found it weird when a map is for example released as "MyMap" instead of having a proper filename based off the map title. Now I understand there was some drama involved, so I will not insist on that and respect people's choice, although my point earlier still stands that Nancsi Pleaser was an earlier version of the map, released two weeks in advance. I played the map last time a few years ago and I think I happened to play the older version. So I will plan to revisit the map, maybe even on DIG skill, although I think I will save this and Roch Island when voting for ck3D's maps in future months. Since he has a lot of maps released over the years and we will eventually have to cover his maps.
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Maarten was working on a 3rd map and had plans for a full episode, but as far as I know this project has been lying dormant for quite some time now. Perhaps he'll return to it at some point, he shared some of his ideas with me and they are pretty cool! But for now you'll have to settle for the 2 released maps.
OK thanks. I will keep this in mind for the future. I'm sure the waiting will be worth it and once Another Attack is released in episode form, I will be sure to nominate both AA and SG episodes for a future Map/Mod event, since they should go well paired together.
Quacken, I just noticed the phrase ends abruptly:
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If you don't turn left and turn right like I did on my first attempt, Maarten doesn't give you enough Pistol ammo to get you through more than 8 Troopers, and he .
I'm sure you meant to write something here? Don't worry, I think it has happened to me before too, to leave a phrase unfinished. But I'm just curious if you meant to write more here and forgot before you posted? Also I wanted to ask what do you think of RR:RA, though Merlijn already did that and from what you mentioned, there's a lot of "jank" in that game, which isn't surprising, considering RA was directly based off RR and they didn't bother fixing many issues present from the main game, let alone the new stuff introduced in the new game, such as some of the new enemies' attacks also lacking damage feedback. That also makes me kinda wish I chose both RR and RR:RA for the past month but I didn't want to overwhelm everyone, as the levels were all fairly lengthy. I think Rides Again can be nominated for sometime this summer, as the desert-themed maps would fit perfectly the summer atmosphere.
Anyway, over the past week, I have played the following maps: MAA2, REDDUKE, RED2, MAADM2, MAADM3, TOD and HELLAW8Z. I was hoping I will play/post things separated by series (e.g. the first five RED maps reviewed in one post, the DM maps in other post, etc) but ended up mixing them up randomly, so it might make the post more interesting to read. Note that RED2 and HELLAW8Z were played last Friday, which is why I didn't post my review last Friday, to have some extra time in weekend to finish my review.
And also note that REDDUKE and RED2 are the ORIGINAL versions of the maps that are DOS compatible! The updated Red1 and Red2 maps will be played in EDuke32 and reviewed later in the month! Let's begin!
The Big City
Maarten's first SP map is a pretty good one. It offers a decent challenge, although it doesn't go too crazy, so you shouldn't have much trouble with handling the encounters, since health should be plentiful (you will also find water fountains at beginning) and the lack of armor isn't that bad early on, though you should get the armor at least halfway through the level to help with some big fights later on. I'm not in the mood of giving a walkthrough but I will try to mention a couple important notes.
You start without weapons in a sewer, so you might want to get out quickly. You will have to kick a few troopers, then you will get the pistol. You should also find a shotgun quickly. The blue card is found on top of a building (said building requires you to find a switch in the bookstore to unlock it), you just need to jump from the nearby apartment. Be careful as this will spawn a couple enemies, so be prepared.
On the football field (unlocked with Blue Card), you will find the Chaingun for the first time, unless you were lucky to get one dropped by an Enforcer. Also the solution to the five switches puzzle is 2-3-5. It will blow up a nearby door that says SEWAGE CONTROL. Inside the sewers, you will eventually find the Red Card.
The building requiring red card is found in the streets near beginning. The yellow card is on a higher floor, guarded by a Commander, acting like the map's boss. There will also be more enemies spawning.
Insert the yellow card in the parking lot to disable the forcefield. Kill the pig cops that spawn behind and then go further in the corridor until you reach the street. Enter the Swimming Pool building to finish the level and get sent to Hollywood Holocaust! Yes really, that's what happens in the original DOS version (and JFDuke3D as well if I remember correctly) if the map ends in a sector. Most source ports will just send you to the main menu upon finishing an user map.
BTW I have a question. When you view the screen in the bookstore, you can see a message written by Leonard. Is it a reference to Leonard from Redneck Rampage? I'm not surprised if that's the case, I just found interesting and wanted to point out.
There are SIX secrets to find:
1) After the beginning, when you find yourself in the street, check one of the windows near the BYTE-NITE poster. Inside the building, you will find a Shotgun, Steroids and Chaingun ammo.
2) Near the traffic cones (DON'T FALL DOWN!), jump on the trash container, then collect the chaingun ammo and NVG on the ledge. Now, jump through one of the windows to find the secret room containing Atomic Health and Boots.
3) Inside the sewers, right where you find a Shotgun, there is a small opening. Jump into slime and go through the small opening. Inside, you will find Chaingun, 2x Pipebombs, Steroids and Armor.
4) Inside the parking lot, near the forcefield that leads to the end of the level, blow up the crack to access the secret containing Steroids, Small Medkit and a box of Pipebombs.
5) Near the house (located near the stadium), blow up a bunch of trees to access a small opening leading to a small cave. Inside you will find a Pipebomb, 2x Small Medkits and Armor.
6) Inside the bookstore, where you find the switch that unlocks a building, press on the right wall to access a small room containing Chaingun, Small Medkit and Armor.
Overall, pretty good map.
The Long Road
Merlijn's first SP is also alright. The map has a few challenging parts but it is generally easier compared to The Big City. Getting an early used armor helped too, although it was dropped on top of the restaurant sign, so I had to jump on the cactus to reach it! It was worth it, since it gave me 75 points and the armor lasted throughout the whole map, so I didn't have to hunt down for a new armor.
No need to write a walkthrough, since it's pretty straightforward. You just need to find a blue card (the only card in the entire level) and insert it to open the big door. Kill the commanders and then walk along the corridor. The exit is ahead and contains a small portion of RED2 as a small tease! Finishing the level will send you to Hollywood Holocaust, as with the previous map, if you are playing in DOSBox.
There are FOUR secrets to find (secrets 1 & 2 and secrets 3 & 4 are located near each other):
1) Near the restaurant "The Rock", jump on the left side to access a small dark cave containing NVGs, Chaingun ammo and Armor.
2) Near the restaurant "The Rock", jump on the right side on the platform to collect a Small Medkit, Large Medkit and Armor.
3) Near the end of the level, blow up the crack on the left side. You will collect NVGs. Go further down the dark cave to collect: Steroids, Small Medkit and Armor.
4) Inside the third secret, go even further by crouching/walking ahead and collect an Atomic Health.
Overall, this was a nice map. I enjoyed revisiting it after these years and I appreciate for what it is. It may not be very detailed, especially compared to the sequels and the remake but I find interesting it was inspired by a typical map from Redneck Rampage, especially from its title! I think the map name would have worked better if it was called REDNUKEM instead. DUKENECK would have also worked but the map name was already taken by Jon Hunt who made a similar Duke3D map (featuring RR textures) back in 1997! Although, at the end of the day, I will say I enjoyed The Big City a bit more than The Long Road. Both were good maps for their time and I'm looking forward for the next maps!
Before moving on to the next map, I noticed a couple interesting things related to both MAA2 and REDDUKE:
-Both maps contain armor pickups mostly hidden inside secret places (the only exception is an armor placed underwater in RedDuke), though if you are lucky, you can get used armor from pig cops or stumble upon a secret area, so you don't spend the map without any armor.
-Both maps contain only the three main hitscan weapons, as well as Pipebombs. No other weapons are used, which makes combat a bit repetitive but it also makes it similar to Duke3D E1 (except the absence of RPG, which was a weapon you would get immediately in a secret area in E1L1) and early maps in RR (which mostly limited you to pistol, shotgun and dynamite).
-Both maps contain mostly the regular enemies (troopers, pig cops, enforcers, drones, octabrains), with Assault Commanders serving as bosses. There aren't any Mini Battlelords (though some maps feature them on Damn I'm Good) or any Atomic monsters being used.
Red 2
The sequel is a big improvement over The Long Road, at least in terms of level design. This one doesn't have a "full" title. It's just called Red 2.
Gameplay wise, it's pretty good and it's also quite challenging, as I found health a bit scarce in the beginning and I even got killed once by a fucking Red Trooper inside the club because I was stuck with 5 HP for a while (maybe got bad luck with getting often hit by enemies near beginning and I got the armor when my health had already dropped to 58, so it didn't help as much as I hoped). Afterwards, I found a very much needed Portable Medkit! And then later on I found if I went in the room near the mine entrance, there was a toilet that you could use to refill health, although it still came handy once or twice later in the level, since there's plenty of challenging fights that will leave you hurt and wanting health badly. Like the entrance of the town hall, there's plenty of enemies waiting to ambush you! Oh and I also like that Mini Battlelord that shows up after you insert the blue card! He is the first encountered so far in the Red Series, unless you played on DIG skill.
Ammo is generally plentiful but in the beginning, you want to find the Chaingun, as you will be getting lots of ammo for it, especially from dead enforcers. I didn't find the Chaingun until I got inside the Town Hall. Then I figured out how to get the one inside the secret area. If only I figured out that secret earlier. Oh yeah and while there are paletted enemies (e.g. colored pig cops) used in the Red maps, this doesn't affect the ammo spent to kill them, as this map is made for the Atomic Edition and the behavior with paletted enemies having twice as much health only applies to original v1.3D release (and some EDuke32 builds from around 2013-2014). Of course, the only exception to this rule are the Assault Captains (aka Red Troopers), who still have twice the health of a trooper. But otherwise, paletted enemies can be used without any side effects in Atomic Edition and source ports.
Interestingly, I noticed there are plenty of armor pickups in this level, which is quite unusual because I usually complain when some maps don't give you any armor at all but in this case it is the other way around, you are given too much armor in contrast to the health pickups that exist in this map, there's like 5-6 armor pickups in the whole level. Not complaining, as I'd rather have a map with too much armor than to have a map without any armor pickups. But again, if you find yourself low on health, don't hesitate to use the toilet to regain your health, you won't regret it.
There are plenty of important notes about this map, such as once entering the mine and collapsing, there is NO WAY BACK, so you are encouraged to explore and find the secrets in advance. See below for the Secrets Guide! I recommend making a backup save slot, in case you missed something earlier. This turned out to be an excellent idea, since well I had an enemy missed, you will see why below.
When you enter the mine, there is a dickish explosion trap that will heavily injure you, even with 150-200 hp and full armor. What you are supposed to do is after triggering the explosion, run and stay in the elevator until the explosions are finished! I remember getting frustrated at this trap years ago, as it would always kill me instantly until I figured out the solution with staying safe in the elevator. This time, I got injured badly and decided to load my saved game, then stayed in the elevator.
Afterwards, go through the opened path, kill a bunch of troopers, then you will get to a room with a few troopers and pig cops. Kill them and then you must do a switch puzzle. The switch combination for unlocking the yellow card is 1-4-5. Upon revealing the card, two Octabrains will spawn behind you. Go back to the elevator you saw earlier and insert the yellow card.
Kill the pig cop, as well as a bunch of Octabrains and even the extra Commander that spawns upon collecting the RPG on top of the box. Go towards the opening filled with transparent water (BTW cool effect!) but make sure to save, as there is another point of no return, so I recommend grabbing EVERYTHING in past rooms before dropping down the water currents. Note that there is a small glitch where if you are standing deep into water surface, you can't jump until you submerge and surface again. At least this is how it acts in Duke3D v1.5 in DOSBox, it might be different in source ports.
Anyway, kill two troopers, use the staircase (I forgot to mention earlier, I really like the staircase effect implemented) and prepare for a nasty ambush involving many enforcers (three of them will spawn ahead of you, behind bars) and a few commanders thrown into the mix, all spawning behind you, when approaching the nuke button, as you will get locked inside! The RPG is a good choice if you don't let the monsters get too close to avoid blowing yourself up, otherwise the Chaingun is the best choice. Luckily, you are given an Atomic Health in advance and if you have full armor and a full medkit in your inventory, you should be able to easily survive this ambush.
Once you are done, drop down into the hole to exit the level and get sent to Hollywood Holocaust (sorry, I couldn't resist). If you missed an enemy or two, chances are either you didn't kill the three enforcers behind the bars or you may have missed a few enemies earlier. I was unfortunate to end up with one enemy missed initially but then after using DNCLIP to just figure out where that last damn enemy was, it turns out it was an invisible red sentry drone that was standing at some distance from the hotel. It was easily seen with NVGs and almost in an unreachable spot. I ended up quitting the game and starting it again to fully reset cheats (I don't like using cheats when playing normally, especially since they persist during saved games) and loaded the saved game before entering the mine. I was able to take out that invisible red sentry drone with a single RPG shot from far away while jumping on top of the car. Then went back, saved and redid the last 10 or so minutes of gameplay. And this time, I got all the kills, thankfully.
I also found a way to glitch to the last part of the level, though it doesn't always work and in some rare cases you may end up squished by the bars. You must jump and run without touching the floor! If you did it well, you will slide and end up behind the bars with the three enforcers spawning! Of course you won't be able to get all the kills because of the other monsters not "finding" you but you can explore that last area without any cheats involved. There is a hidden insult message that made me laugh and reminds me of a similar insult message you can find with noclip in the first level of Redneck Rampage (yes really). Anyway, the nuke button appears to be functional and will finish the level properly.
Oh and if playing the map in DOSBox, be especially careful with the pool table in the club, as I found out a rare corruption glitch where playing pool and scoring the last ball, it will corrupt the level and end up with graphical glitches. I have encountered this glitch before in Dogville map and even in 2000 TC (in latter case, loading the glitched save would instantly freeze DOSBox). At this point, if you get the glitch, just load your saved game and everything goes back to normal. Don't save while the glitch is in effect or else your save is fucked! I have no idea what exactly causes this glitch but it's very rare and only happens with certain pool tables in certain maps when playing the game in DOSBox. So far I can confirm it happens in v1.5, no idea if it happens in other Duke3D versions but I know source ports shouldn't have this bug. I may ask separately in the forums about this glitch, as it hasn't been documented before.
Okay, I looked up quickly and found a mention here on Infosuite:
https://infosuite.du...e=ae_sprites_a3
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Note: The POCKET sprites must be within the same sector as the pool balls, or else the balls cannot be pocketed. The pool balls are not allowed to leave their source sector, or else graphical glitches will occur.
If I remember correctly when playing RED 2, there were indeed a few pool balls on the floor, so this may cause the glitch upon "breaking" the last ball if you choose to play Pool.
Anyway, there are FOUR secrets to find (secrets 1 & 2 are located near each other), which are all found in the first half of the map, so you should find them all BEFORE entering the mine!
1) In the back of the hotel, find a hidden switch. It will open a nearby door containing an elevator leading to the second secret.
2) Inside first secret, use the elevator to go up. Kill two troopers and collect 3x Trip Mines (weapon), box of Pipebombs and RPG ammo.
3) Near the Supermarket, there is a building where you can see Chaingun and ammo. Go near that building and look at the arrows pointing up. There is a hidden elevator you can activate to get up. On the roof, you will find RPG Ammo, Large Medkit and Armor. Drop down to grab Chaingun and ammo. To get out, jump on chair and then you will be able to get out.
4) Near the Town Hall, there are three buildings nearby. The farthest of them contains the secret. Jump on top of it and look at the differently colored wall. Open it to access a room containing a box of Pipebombs, Atomic Health and Armor.
Overall, this is the map that made RED series popular (the first one got mixed responses but the second one was much better received, then the rest is history) and while some people nowadays would probably say to skip the first two original maps and instead play the remakes, I'd say they are all worth checking out, if nothing more than for historical purposes. I'm just wondering why Merlijn hasn't remade Red3-Red5 as well and made a whole episode of the series? I think it would be nice to see a full "Red Series" episode one day and I'm very sure it will be well received by the community, especially if it gets expanded (heh) with a new level or something, to give the entire series a proper conclusion. Yes, I know that the Addon Compilation offers the option to play the RED series as an episode (with the option to play the originals or the remakes) but I just want an official version by Merlijn.
As a bonus, here are reviews about the Deathmatch maps created by Maarten. Some notes about them:
-Most DM maps contain NO EXIT, with the exception of Temple of Death.
-Most DM maps contain monsters in them, so they are "playable" in SP as well, especially Temple of Death which contains an actual exit.
-Some DM maps contain no armor in them.
-There are no secrets to find in any of the DM maps but there are unofficial secret areas you can access.
MaaDM2
A nice short Deathmatch map. I like the design. I was hoping that pressing on that Detonator will detonate the building or something. Even trying to blow up those cracks didn't do anything. Unlike the other DM maps, there aren't any monsters, on CGS skill at least. On DIG, there seems to be a Mini Battlelord present as the only enemy in the map. I think it would have been more interesting if he was the actual Boss variant, so the level can be finished upon killing him. Also weapons 8-0 are absent.
Regardless if you chose to explore the map, fight the Mini Battlelord or fight with the bots, the map is worth checking out. Now I just wonder if MaaDM1 was ever released somewhere? The text file from MaaDM3 mentions that it wasn't released for public and must ask the author to get it.
MaaDM3
A short DM map that contains copious amounts of monsters. Health packs are limited and there are no armor pickups. There are also a couple Mini Battlelords and a few Pig Cop Tanks, on top of the other common enemies encountered. Luckily, ammo is plentiful after the beginning part and you should become a killing machine once you get your hands on the stronger weapons! Even the pipebombs are useful for killing groups of weaker enemies. Though the Shrinker/Expander seems to be completely absent.
I died a bunch of times and while I got a bit frustrated towards the end with the Mini Battlelords killing me quickly or getting surprise killed by a trooper/drone, I had a lot of fun to take on groups of monsters, therefore this felt like a mini slaughter map. In the end, I had 52 HP remaining and exhausted every health pickup (they were carefully used too, like not picking up large medkit until 70 or less health and not picking up a new Portable Medkit until fully using the current one). I also like how the map comes with the music that plays in E1L7: Faces of Death. Not only that but it also contains TOD, which means it's the next one to review!
Temple of Death
As mentioned, this map is included in same package with MaaDM3. Despite being a larger map, it is much easier, as it contains less enemies and also much more health, like multiple Portable Medkits and Atomic Healths. Still no armor pickups but at least health is plentiful that there isn't that much of a problem with the opposition you are facing. Which includes mostly the regular enemies and a single Mini Battlelord. Actually, there's two of them and you will see why.
Initially, when I played the map, I noticed there is a blue card slot but didn't find the blue card until I looked into Mapster the next day. Turns out, the blue card will not only unlock the exit but also another Mini Battlelord spawned outside the window. You can kill the Mini Battlelord if you want. Something tells me it was meant to be a full sized one, to give the player the option between defeating the big bad Battlelord or press the nuke button, like it has been the case with other user maps released over the years. But in this case, nothing stops you to immediately press the nuke button.
Interesting map and worth checking out, as it feels more like an actual SP map than a DM map.
Hell Awaits
Another DM map filled with enemies. This time, the only enemies encountered (at least on CGS) are about 20 Commanders. There are a few extra Commanders, as well as a few Mini Battlelords on DIG skill but for the purpose of this review, I stick to the CGS skill. I may try later on to see if I can "complete" this map on DIG.
Anyway, you are given plenty of stuff to deal with them. All weapons with plenty of ammo, as well as decent health (and even an armor pickup) are provided. I died a few times (mostly caused by a commander's rocket blowing up a crack near me, which did extra damage) but nothing too bad, as I got the hang of this map. Again, much like MAADM2 & MAADM3, there is no exit to be found. Just kill everyone, collect everything, save and move on to the next map.
Overall, it's an interesting map worth checking out.
Next time, I guess I will cover MAADS, TOXICITY, X64-2 and RED3-5, all of them being the remaining vanilla compatible maps. I just hope I won't have a miserable time with X64-2, like Quacken did.
Have a nice day!
EDIT: I forgot to mention that some RED maps are modified and included in Alien Armageddon, if I'm not mistaken. At least I recall playing some modified version of Red 2 (remake?) in it a few years ago. Correct me if I'm wrong.
EDIT 2: Yes I know that RED3-5 were far better received than even RED 2 but what I mean is that RED 2 is what got the series on their feet, while RED 3-5 perfected the formula, especially with their creepy atmosphere. I'm looking forward to revisit them after all these years!
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