Thanks everyone for the comments!
Quote
I do this on purpose because squirming around the tanks is a bigger hassle than just shooting them with rockets. It's easy.
Ah, I see. But in maps with tight ammo, this isn't a good idea, as it's very frustrating when you are completely out of ammo in Duke3D, the mighty boot just sucks against most enemies. Which is funny because one of the maps reviewed in this post is actually about making it through the map without any weapons (except for one moment).
Quote
I record my playthroughs via somewhat of a "checkpoint" system. After a couple minutes, I quick save and stop the recording, then resume from that point. This helps me to save on editing time and video quality, because instead of editing and re-encoding the videos together, I can simply remux them as one file at the save points. I do often resume from previous saves if I don't like the way I play a section, but I left that in because I considered it a unique and organic moment that exposed a potential collision bug in the map that makes the playthrough interesting. This is at 2:54 for anyone who cares to see.
I understand. I rarely experienced a softlock like this when playing user maps/mods and when it happened, I just loaded my saved game or suicide with explosives and then load the saved game. I don't like the idea of cheating during regular gameplay, even if it's just temporary noclip to get unstuck.
Quote
I completely ignore kill count. The counter is inaccurate.
True but I still prefer to get all the kills whenever possible (this also applies to already hatched eggs, monsters spawned from killing the babes, etc). The only time I make exceptions is in user maps where it is absolutely impossible to get all the kills by design, like Anarchy City X, which is actually reviewed below.
Quote
I still do hope I'll be able to play & "review" some of the older MRCK maps (the ones I haven't played yet/the ones I played 20 years ago) this month, but it might be difficult due to playing his opus magnum, Blast Radius. Nevertheless, I'll be still coming back to this thread for some write-ups when I do play them.
No worries Aleks. First, congrats on obtaining your PhD degree in structural mechanics and releasing your new map. Second, this was indeed a busy month that I can understand if some people couldn't participate, I even have trouble writing the reviews in time and that's without taking into account skipping the old maps, as there was no point redoing them (I don't replay stuff finished from 2020-present with a few exceptions), so for this month I only (re)played Happy Hangover and newer maps, as many of them I only played once a decade ago or so. I only made an exception for a map mentioned below, seeing as I had done it last year already but then decided to replay it to refresh my memory.
Quote
Anyway, for the next month I'd like to suggest playing an old and classic TC that kinda went completely off the radar (no pun) and which I've never played myself: Murder: The EDF Conspiracy. It's dating back to 1998, has new enemies and different gun models, as well as new music, logo, some items etc. I've just tried it under Rednukem and it seems to work well!
Nice suggestion, although I would save it for another time for the following two reasons:
-It should be paired with another TC to meet up the minimum amount of maps per month. I would suggest to pair Murder with Merc and Merc 2 TCs, seeing as I haven't played any of these, thus it would be cool to check them all at once, though I'm not sure how many maps have Merc and Merc 2 included, as their readme included only mentions they have two episodes each. If the number of maps exceed 25-30, I think I will pair Murder with something else, maybe Pray Your Prayers or some other TC.
-I already have a surprise Duke TC coming up. I haven't forgotten about your suggestions earlier this year, which includes mappers like Kevin Cools and they will be nominated next month. For November, I have something else prepared.
Quote
Today I played through Rural Nightmare. Not sure how I missed this one back in the day but I did.
Thanks for joining in, slacker1. It was great to read all that. About the broken link at MSDN, thanks for the report. I noticed a similar error with Anorak City but that one's download link I have solved when I put the link in the OP. For those wondering how I fixed it:
https://msdn.duke4.net/ANORAKCITY.zip
Should be:
https://msdn.duke4.net/anorakcity.zip
And then it let me download the map from MSDN. I couldn't figure out what was wrong with Rural Nightmare's download link, though. But that isn't much of an issue, considering the map is downloadable from Dukeworld linked in the OP.
BTW, I'd like to add a note to Rural Nightmare and some of the other dark maps by ck3D that were reviewed, as I realized something recently. The reason why they were so dark in first place is because back then in the early days (around 2003-2004 or so), JFDuke3D had very bright sectors when ran in OpenGL mode, as can be seen from the gameplay screenshots provided at Mikko's website. Rural Nightmare doesn't seem that dark if played in Polymost mode in JFDuke3D. But when you play the map in plain vanilla Duke3D in DOSBox or JFDuke3D software mode or in newer EDuke32 builds, then the map is very dark. I've recently watched a playthrough of Rural Nightmare on YouTube by the person named "Yeah, Pizza Cake!" and the map was incredibly dark in their video, though that person played in Polymer mode, so the weapons' muzzle flashes helped to light up some areas. I really wonder if ck3D intended for the map to be so dark or not, thus I'd like his response. But for now, the only explanation I have is that these maps were mostly tested in JFDuke3D in Polymost mode.
Anyway, here are some reviews of a couple more maps. Much like with DNF BTTG, all the following maps were played using EDuke32 r5498, which is the latest 2015 build and works pretty well with these maps, if you don't mind dealing with the slower Chaingun firing bug and Viewscreen bug (sprites temporary glitching upon using a viewscreen) that were fixed in 2016 builds. Maps reviewed for today: ANORAKCITY, WideAwake, Bummed Out ! Anarchy City X, Hibernal Solstice, siebenpolis. Note that this review is quite long, so grab the popcorn and enjoy!
Anorak City
Played the MSDN version released on 04/02/2011. The original topic can be found here:
https://forums.duke4...se-anorak-city/
The original map download link is dead unfortunately, though the map is available at MSDN if you use the fixed link in the OP instead of the broken download link on Mikko's review page. Anyway, when you start the map, remember to grab the Armor and Shotgun shells behind you, they will be very useful!
I remember playing this map back in 2011 when it came out and was browsing through Duke Repository. I was getting stuck at some point near the end, even noclipping to the exit because I couldn't find some well hidden switch or card or something. I think I replayed the map a few years later (don't remember if I got stuck or not) but now it's time to replay it once more and give it the proper conclusion!
Just like with the earlier
DNF BTTG map, this is another great map from our friend ck3D. The design is very impressive and the map is very challenging without being unfair. There are some tricky battles towards the end, like the part where no less than FIVE Mini Battlelords will get spawned (alongside a bunch of Assault Troopers) upon getting a yellow card in the library. Luckily, we are given plenty of health, including portable medkits and water fountains, as well as armor and ammo to conquer this map. In fact, all the weapons are available and there's plenty of monsters to kill. The only downside is that difficulty settings aren't implemented but the map is not difficult to complete on CGS skill, so don't worry.
Unfortunately, the progression can get quite cryptic at times, since you need to find some well hidden buttons and it is also easy to miss a few rooms at the beginning side of the map, mostly talking about the room containing the Blue Card and the Blue Card slot in the nearby building, which will give access to one of the THREE Yellow Cards required for reaching the end of the map. Since the map is dark, the card slot can be difficult to spot and I'm not surprised if I missed this back in the day because I surely spent at least 15 minutes running around the map not knowing what to do next after already finding TWO Yellow Cards and not knowing where to insert the Blue Card to get the last Yellow Card. Funny because reading through the original topic recently, many people missed the blue card slot.
It was tempting to take a look in Mapster to find the solution but I ended up figuring out the progression by myself this time around and succeeded. Though I still looked a little at the secrets and finding out the very last enemy, the latter by using DNDEBUG cheat code in front of the exit (don't worry, I didn't save with cheat enabled, I quit the game after using the cheat) which was a helpful suggestion from a few years ago by Aleks, which causes the map's current state to be saved separately in the game's folder as debug.map. Take note that this is an EDuke32 feature, the DNDEBUG cheat in original DOS versions of the game only prints the coordinates or other stats on screen but in EDuke32 it also saves the map's state when the cheat is used. Unfortunately, it wasn't very helpful because when I looked at the debug.map in mapster, all the killed enemies were shown as alive, so it took a while to find an unexplored room, then start up the game, load the save, go find that room and then finish the map with everything done.
The only advice I can give for progression is to carefully look for the hidden switches at various points in the map and press them or shoot them, depending on how far they are from you. Be sure to also check the viewscreens in case you get stuck. The combat is mostly straightforward and there isn't much to advice other than being well stocked on health and armor, so you don't die quickly to the Mini Battlelords or something. And of course explore everything.
Secrets:
1) At the very beginning, there is an Atomic Health on top of one of the roofs.
2) In the same room containing the Blue Card, there is a vent you can access, which leads to some Chaingun ammo.
3) Inside one of the buildings, there is a Blue Canister and a Fire Extinguisher near a cracked wall. Destroy the wall to access Armor and Portable Medkit.
4) Look where a Commander is standing at a balcony. Reach the balcony to collect an Atomic Health.
5) Inside the burning building, quickly run through fire to grab the Freezethrower and ammo.
6) Jump on the burning barrel and you will reach a small garden. Open the windows to access a room containing 3x Expander ammo.
First two secrets are found in the first part of the map, while the rest are found in the second part of the map. The last three secrets are found near each other.
Unofficial secret: In the building that contains a bathroom with an usable toilet and a switch you must press after killing Octabrains, there is a very tiny crack that you can blow up and access a garage containing a MINI BATTLELORD guarding a Devastator with ammo. This was the last enemy I had to kill in the map, so if you are looking for missing kills, then please check this one. Spawned monsters also have a habit of getting stuck sometimes, so be sure to double check.
Overall, I liked the map but I wasn't a big fan of the confusing progression, which dragged the map's quality a little bit. And the Protector Drone at the very end waiting you when taking the elevator, which is something that often happened on Stephano Lessa's maps as well, meaning you are guaranteed to lose about half of your health if you don't have the right weapon selected.
Wide Awake!
Funnily enough, I actually revisited this map last year, after playing it for first time a decade ago or so and I know that because a couple years ago I had a Duke related dream of one section of this map. I decided to play it once more, this time using the MSDN version instead of the release topic version to refresh my memory and to give it a proper conclusion. The only difference between the two playthroughs I've done is that previously I had three extra kills (236 vs 233), though this is irrelevant due to the amount of slimer eggs found in this map, which guarantees 100% kills anyway.
The original topic can be found here:
https://forums.duke4...ase-wide-awake/
Both versions hosted on Duke4.net forums and MSDN are dated 17/10/2012.
Wide Awake is an interesting map taking place during the night. The aliens interrupt Duke's sleep and he now has to make them pay for disturbing his wonderful sleep. Gameplay wise, on the previous playthrough, I found it challenging and not too difficult, at least not until getting to the boss fight. This time, I was really struggling at start due to tight ammo and running low on health and armor while hearing Duke screaming in pain many times, which got on my nerves and died quite a couple of times because once the pistol/shotgun ammo runs out, you have a few pipebombs and ten tripmines to kill a few more damn pig cops/enforcers that are usually outside of your melee range. Aside from hitscan, most of my deaths were from the Cycloid and one time Duke got squished while getting through the destroyed sector underwater (in the swimming pool area).
The boss is really fucking annoying and replaying the map alongside watching Radar's video to see how he did it. I haven't changed my opinion about the boss. In past playthrough, I had no idea how to turn off the shields to hurt the Cycloid Emperor and even remember running out of ammo while trying to fight him (I found the solution shortly after) but this time I knew in advance you can't turn off the forcefield and remembered the solution after a while, you just need to aim through that hole, which is a problem if the autoaim is enabled and you are sitting on the crates, so you just need to get closer to the boss and aim from the balcony. All it takes is about 30 rockets from your RPG to kill him, so you have more than enough ammo to take him, as long as all your shots connect. Be careful to dodge the rockets to not get one shot killed, though sometimes you can survive direct hits at 150 health but I wouldn't count on it.
Secrets:
1) At the beginning, when dropping out of hotel, go left side and break the vent. Jump inside the dark vent to collect NVGs and Small Medkit.
2) At the beginning, when dropping out of hotel, go right side and break the vent. Jump inside the dark vent to collect Steroids and Armor.
3) Inside the Shop-N-Bag, press on the Cola vending machine to reveal a small vent, containing Shotgun shells.
4) Near the Innocent sign, use the jetpack to fly at a window. Inside the apartment, you can collect a Small Medkit, a box of Pipebombs and a Jetpack.
5) Near the Innocent sign, use the Red Card to unlock the building. Inside the room filled with eggs, look for a hidden RPG inside a box.
Overall, as frustrating as this map was, I recommend to check it at least once but be warned that this is one of ck3D's most frustrating maps, mostly because the boss fight at end is quite bullshit. In the end, I found it a bit of a mixed bag in terms of gameplay (only the beginning and end were annoying, the former because of weaponless start, the latter because of boss but the rest was good) but even if gameplay was annoying, the map's design was great at least and the map is not too dark, nor too confusing.
Bummed Out! Anarchy City X
NOTE: I played both versions of the map included in the rar archive from the thread link posted by ck3D:
https://forums.duke4...anarchy-city-x/
The maps in question are called:
Bummed Out ! Anarchy City X Preupdate and
Bummed Out ! Anarchy City X Updated.
The MSDN version linked in the OP includes the INITIAL RELEASE from 06/08/2013, not the UPDATED RELEASE from 12/11/2013! I am sorry for not noticing this earlier!
And speaking of the Cycloid Emperor, how about a map with FIVE of them? As if it wasn't enough, this map has no difficulty settings implemented, so you know you are in some deep shit when playing this map.
Anyway, from what I can tell, this map tries to be a sequel/finale to the Anarchy City series, with the annoying Cycloid Emperor setup inspired by Wide Awake, except they can't be hurt directly at all. I remember playing this map back when it came out and finding it annoying, since you are supposed to avoid the monsters while collecting SIX blue cards hidden inside piles of money scattered around the map.
I think I cheated back then to finish this map, either with DNKEYS cheat multiple times or by standing in one safe spot, so that one of the Cycloids blew themselves up and the map finishing early.
This time, I tried to do it properly, with the help of Mapster and Radar's video because I couldn't do any good progress by myself. Here are the hints I can give:
-Don't bother killing the monsters because you have no weapons (except a single pipebomb to blow up a crack and a Devastator with 75 ammo towards the end), though the monsters can hit each other and they can be hurt/killed by the Emperors' rockets if you are lucky. And if you are incredibly lucky, you can kick the Mini Battlelords to death if your foot reaches them while not being exposed to their fire. Because of that, if aiming for all kills, just get every monster dead other than the Cycloids, so you can have a bit of a peace.
-Running is your best defense.
-Save often and use multiple save slots in case you have the misfortune of saving moments before you die.
-There are no secrets to find.
-There is an atomic health hidden inside the Dukemeal box located inside the Duke Burger restaurant. With 150 health, you can sometimes survive a direct hit from a Cycloid rocket.
-There is a safe spot you can stand to have one Cycloid kill himself and finish the map early but where's the fun with that? Though I did that once in this playthrough too because it feels satisfying to take out one of these bastards!
-There are safe places where you can use the toilet to refill your health if you are in desperate need of health. Though there are also FOUR Portable Medkits and TWO Armor Pickups available in the map.
Big thanks goes to Radar for his quick walkthrough video to complete this map. I actually took my time to kick the monsters to death (those who weren't killed already by others) and ended up with 24/29 kills at the end, which is the maximum possible kills, 25/29 if you let one Cycloid kill himself with rockets (it's the one closest to the blue card slots). First playthrough of the map took me nearly 40 minutes, while second playthrough took me nearly 30 minutes. I did a lot of saving/loading to finish this map.
Overall, while I didn't find this map fun, especially due to dying shitloads of times, this was a creative and interesting puzzle themed map.
Hibernal Solstice
Played the version dated 06/12/2013 included in the original topic:
https://forums.duke4...ernal-solstice/
The MSDN version linked in the OP is also dated 06/12/2013.
This is an interesting map with a time traveling concept. The map is divided in four different areas that look similar but with a twist. Duke has to time travel throughout different timelines to stop the alien bastards from destroying the city.
Both secrets are found in the same location at the different time intervals. Read carefully to not miss them, since there is a point of no return when you use the fourth teleporter! Although you can backtrack at any time in the first three areas, the fourth teleporter is one time only, so make sure to grab everything before you step into that teleporter!
Gameplay wise, it is quite challenging, since you will be fighting against a few Mini Battlelords that are strategically placed, as well as small groups of various aliens. It's not very difficult but I recommend saving once in a while just in case, especially at the final battle. At least the health, armor and ammo pickups are provided in good amounts and there are even a few fire hydrants (and one toilet) to help with health, just in case. Oh and there are a few Jetpacks as well, which will greatly help with the exploration, though also required for progression in at least one case.
At the end, in the burning city area, you fight the Cycloid Emperor, as seems to be the case with most maps by ck3D. He isn't difficult to defeat but getting the last secret can be tricky, as you may get shot from behind by the Emperor while you try to open the damn windows. You can defeat him with the RPG but if you want to get the secrets (including the Devastator), you will have to put some extra effort.
Secrets:
1) In the snowy city/winter timeline, jump on top of the crates, then jump through the window and press on the EXOTICA poster to access a Shotgun.
2) In the burning city/summer timeline, near the Cycloid Emperor, jump on top of the crates, then press on one of the windows to access a room containing an Atomic Health, a Jetpack, as well as a Devastator with 2x ammo.
Not really a secret but in the second area, inside the apartment, there is a tiny Dukemeal box that when broken, spawns an Atomic Health. This is best saved before entering the last area, since a Mini Battlelord will be waiting for you after you open the door. Overall, this map was interesting and pretty fun. Worth checking out.
Siebenpolis
Played the version dated 27/10/2014 found at the Duke4.net forums here:
https://forums.duke4...se-siebenpolis/
The MSDN version linked in the OP is also dated 27/10/2014.
This is another interesting map from ck3D. Siebenpolis features the palette 7 throughout the whole map, inspired by Taivo's Seven DM user map.
Sieben means
Seven in German for those who didn't know. Anyway, I played this map once back when it came out and replayed it last week. Initially, it may seem like a joke map but if you take your time to play the map, you will realize it's pretty cool!
And then there is the twist with the Jetpack refill, where you often come back to "refill" your jetpack but in reality there are 50 spare jetpacks (not counting the one you are already given shortly in advance) that are placed inside a window. If you collect them carefully, you shouldn't need more than five or six (or seven
) to complete this map. But you also need to plan in advance, so you don't end up in an unfortunate moment of running out of jetpack fuel in mid-air. The jetpack is not only required for progression but also for secret hunting.
Gameplay wise, it can be quite tricky at times, as you don't get the shotgun right away (the Pal 7 Shotgun near dead pig cop does NOT appear in Single Player mode), so early on you will run low on ammo and you are largely dependent on the ammo drops from enemies, especially pistol ammo that comes very handy to snipe enemies from far away. And there's plenty of them you have to kill early on until you have a moment to breathe.
Health and armor are provided in adequate amounts but due to how much damage you will take, you will probably consume most of the health pickups in this map. On the bright side, there are many water fountains available, so if you find yourself low on health, you can always retreat to a safe place and slowly recover your health.
The only cards used in this map are the Yellow cards, as you may have expected and you have to find EIGHT buttons scattered around to open the big gate leading to the exit. After clearing the monsters, collect the supplies and press on the nuke button to spawn the OVERLORD, who is approaching you from behind! Use the Jetpack to avoid getting stomped and use your strongest weapons to quickly defeat him.
Secrets:
1) Near the beginning, just next to the Jetpack building, use the Jetpack to fly to a window where a trooper is standing, then you will reach the bathroom containing a toilet, a large Medkit and NVGs.
2) At the end of the road, where you find a Yellow Card inside the crashed bus and fight Protector Drones, there is a vent in a corner. Break the vent to access the RPG.
3) Inside the office reachable by flying with the Jetpack, there is a whiteboard (FIRE JACK CAUGHT PLAYING DUKE AGAIN! BOBBY) just next to a Yellow Card slot. Press on the whiteboard to access the Devastator.
4) After using the Yellow card to enter the burning building, jump on the vending machine to break the vent and collect an Armor.
Secrets #3 and #4 are located at short distance from each other.
In the end, I have to say it's an interesting map concept, as not often you come across paletted maps. Sure, you see the blue (pal 2) being used for Xmas themed maps but you don't often see the gold (pal 7) being used and I think this is a clever idea and something I would like to see more often for future maps. In the end, I have to say I liked this map, despite its annoyances caused by the button hunting or sudden enemy spawns.
As today is the 25th, here are the nominations for November:
Duke It's Zero Hour + Redneck Rampage: Suckin' Grits on Route 66 +
Back in Business + The Conundrum + Maps by Aleks Pistol (aka Ledsbourne)
There is a big reason why I nominated those two works as the first option. They were both released in November 1997. One is a Duke Nukem 3D TC that was meant to be released commercially back then but ended up being released for free. The other is an official commercial expansion for Redneck Rampage. Felt quite fitting to pair them up together while celebrating their 26th anniversary.
However, if you don't want any commercial stuff, you can instead vote for Aleks' maps/mods. The only reason I didn't vote for Aleks' stuff is because I was waiting for one more release and I feel like Aleks deserves a bigger spotlight in a less busy month.
To vote, highlight the choice in bold and add a + next to it. I voted for the first option, as you can see.
I hope to get the rest of the stuff done until next week. Still have the 2015-present maps to (re)play and get them reviewed.
Help
Duke4.net
DNF #1
Duke 3D #1
