Hi everyone. Thank you for your reviews so far. A few of my comments before the actual review:
Although Quacken's ratings/reviews can be harsh at times, I must say I really appreciate how honest he is. Makes me think some of these maps may not have aged well but from my recent experience, after not playing them since a decade or so, I think some of these maps still hold up pretty nicely. It's the "Base" themed maps that are a bit rough around the edges but the experience should still be enjoyable in the end for those who intend to (re)play the maps.
Thanks Aleks, glad to hear you enjoy these maps. Funnily enough, I also played Jason's maps and most Kevin's maps (except Kut World and the three "optional" maps from Scent 88) back in 2010-2011, so I have fond memories of them, especially Kevin's maps which were very interesting, though this time I'm playing them in DOSBox for the authentic experience.
The only weird thing is I don't recall ever playing any of Turpuli's maps before, they just don't sound familiar at all, maybe with exception of some areas being reused for the old CBPs. At least I managed to find his archived site with downloads, thanks to Wayback Machine and decided to share them all here.
I also think I forgot about Turpuli's Christmas map/mod that was split into two parts, I got it confused with Christmas 2001 and 2002, as the zips had the exact same names (funnily enough) and I only realized after the topic was up! That's what happens after spending a bunch of hours to research the maps and writing the post. I will provide a download link at a later time when I get around playing/reviewing his maps.
And maybe I should have put Eye-Witness and WSYC Remix in the main categories but I thought there are already plenty of maps to play for this month and these maps were already covered before (in August 2021 and January 2022), so I made them "optional". Feel free to check them if you want to revisit them again and/or have the time this month.
Anyway, I played the individual maps (as user maps) in Duke3D v1.5 on CGS skill, keyboard only controls, all kills and secrets, using DOSBox 0.74-3. There was no custom MIDI included with any of these maps, so I just heard Dethtoll when playing each map.
Note that I'm not reviewing The Secret Base now because I'm saving Kevin Cools' maps for another time when I review his maps. I will just focus on about 4-5 maps reviewed per post. Maps reviewed for today: ballroom, MissBase, snowbase, WATERBAS, JET.
A few more notes before I begin:
1) I meant to post this review a few days ago but wasn't fully finished and had quite a busy month so far (the next week especially is very busy for me), hopefully I can make it in time with the reviews for this month.
2) Some maps have no difficulty settings implemented, so the first three skill levels are identical. Jason's maps without difficulty settings are MissBase and WATERBAS.
3) Monday was the 27th anniversary of
Duke Nukem 3D v1.5 - Atomic Edition and today is the 26th anniversary of
Duke: Nuclear Winter. So happy birthday to both of them!
Ballroom
The first map of the failed
DUKE IS 007 TC is pretty well designed and is quite challenging at times, especially the Pig Cop ambush at the end that almost got me killed (even worse that the armor was already in very poor condition) but luckily the Portable Medkit saved my life when it got used during the ambush. This is probably why you can find another Medkit on the table towards the end, hinting at something dangerous.
The beginning is not too difficult, as I found the Pistol ammo abundant and the Shotgun is quickly given in the reception room, located near the door requiring red card. Then you should get lucky with the monster drops and the rest of the map is not that difficult, even if the Chaingun is only found in one corner of the bathrooms (quite easy to miss IMO), though I eventually got one from an Enforcer but didn't get the 50 ammo on pickup because I already had 200 ammo collected. The rest weapons (except the RPG) are also available in the map, including the Expander ammo.
There is also a water fountain right at beginning, on top of generous amount of health packs and even a few toilets you can use later in the level, so the health is almost never a problem. The armor appears in two locations later but can be easily missed if you don't keep an eye, for instance the armor pickup inside the Bathroom where you get the Shrinker is easily missable, as you need to close the door to see it hidden in a corner.
The enemy variety is also pretty good, as you will face the common low-mid tier enemies with an occasional Assault Commander and Protector Drone appearing in some rooms. I don't think there was any Mini Battlelord or Pig Cop Tank appearing, so the map will not go too rough on you with the exception of the final ambush mentioned earlier which spawns around FIVE or SIX pig cops, some behind and some in front of you. I used the Chaingun to kill them but I think spamming the Shrinker would work the best in this situation. Or if you know what to expect in advance, setting up traps (pipebombs or tripmines) can also work.
The only issues I have with the map is indeed there is a bit of darkness in some places, which was seen earlier in some JJDuke3D maps (for those who have played the TC anyway), though at least this time I'm playing at Brightness Level 4, so things aren't so dark anymore like they were in JJDuke3D.
And the other issue I experienced is a place with some HOMs that are showing up even in DOS version, though it shouldn't impact the gameplay and the HOMs disappear when you get closer to those bathrooms. It only seems to occur when looking from a distance. Not exactly sure what causes that but I will take there is either a Sector Over Sector issue or one of those mirrors glitching or both.
Not really an issue but I initially had an enemy missing and backtracking at end revealed a Pig Cop standing hidden in a corner in that room mentioned above, probably at the exact same location where the Lady used to be (the Lady was no longer there because she suffered an accident). So in situations where you are missing one or more enemies, backtracking will usually reveal them. Oh and taking the helicopter will send you to HOLLYWOOD HOLOCAUST! Yeah, I know, it happens because of the way the ending sector is coded in vanilla. This shouldn't happen in source ports like EDuke32.
There is only ONE secret to find: Just shortly before you enter the room to get the Red card, there is a stove with a gate you can blow up. There is a pipebomb nearby in case you don't have any explosives. Blow up the gate and enter the stove, then quickly jump to collect an Atomic Health. It is impossible to avoid the fire damage but in best case scenario you will end up with 149 health, so this will be very useful for some fights that await later in the map.
Overall, this is a pretty decent starting map. I had fun revisiting this map after all these years and looking forward to whatever Bredhauer brings us next.
Russian Missile Base
A decent base-themed map that provides quite a good challenge. Early on the ammo for the first few weapons will be tight, depending on what Pig Cops will drop for you and if they actually drop anything at all. Though you are given the RPG and Devastator early, so you can rely on these weapons if you run out of ammo for the hitscan weapons. Explosives aren't very practical for the weaker enemies but in desperate moments, you have no other choice.
Eventually, once you arrive in the next rooms and take out the bad guys, you will come across various goodies, mostly placed on top of the crates. Don't forget to look for the Yellow Card as well, as it can be easy to miss, since the early rooms can be a bit dark.
Interestingly, I didn't have to use the Shrinker in this map, the RPG was useful in taking down the Commanders. And although the Mini Battlelords are not encountered, the Pig Cop Tanks appear occasionally, so there are some good fights in this map, especially towards the end. You just need to stock on supplies early on because the rest fights will be a lot easier. Though I admit getting an early Used Armor and the early Shotgun was also very much needed. If you don't get these helpful supplies, you can get into trouble easily.
Oh and if you haven't noticed from the previous map, turrets really like to be placed in corners and ready to ambush you upon entering a room. It is recommended to conserve the pistol ammo for taking them out quickly thanks to the generous autoaim. The pistol's autoaim will rarely fail you when fighting the turrets.
There are NO secrets to find! Though you should find a bunch of hidden goodies on top of the crates if you take your time exploring, as I mentioned above. So even though they aren't marked as secrets, you may find some "hidden" stuff that will save your life.
The only nitpicks I found is that there are two "missing" textures, as Aleks pointed out earlier (I spotted the brick texture appearing twice in one corner) and the map ended a bit abruptly. You jump into the back of the truck (or even on top of it) and the map ends. And then you get sent to E1L1 of course!
Overall, this was another decent map. Looking forward to the next "Base" map!
Russian Observatory Snow Base
Another interesting "Base" themed map. Design wise, it can be seen as a step down because the outdoors look a bit bland/empty. And there are some annoying bugs with some misplaced art tiles, as Aleks has pointed out once again. The TC most likely was meant to use custom art and what you see placed in some areas are the default brick texture tile and the
DUKE NUKEM 3D USER ART tile. They can be a bit distracting but they don't prevent progression or anything like that.
However I did have one time somehow got stuck behind an invisible wall in those outside snowy areas. Unlike how Quacken cheated with DNCLIP, I chose to simply load my last saved game. I don't like having to noclip in situations like these, unless the map is broken by default and cheating is required for progression. So I just loaded my saved game and pretend nothing happened. Since I save game often on multiple slots, situations like these can be easily avoided and it's nothing more than a minor inconvenience.
Gameplay is again pretty challenging, as you need to make sure to count your shots and pray that you often get drops, plus you get attacked by TWO pig cops at start. Oh yeah and there is no armor at all in this map for some reason but considering how many pig cops are in this map, you should be able to get at least two used armor drops and if you are lucky, one of those drops might be 75 armor, enough to last a decent amount of time because there are many enemies ambushing you in some places where the damage is unavoidable.
Thankfully, I didn't take much damage at beginning and the pig cops dropped shotguns that provided very little ammo. Then shortly I found a hidden Chaingun and the ammo situation was decent, even if there were parts the monsters didn't drop much stuff. I can imagine how you can get frustrated at lack of ammo/health but if things go well, then there isn't much to complain. I do think that some of the enemies feel a bit "spongy" at times but then you get your hands on the more powerful weapons and you will not have too many problems with ammo in the rest of the map. It's also important to grab the supplies carefully instead of grabbing them when near full.
The Pig Cop ambush with the lights at end (where you find the Blue Card inside a barrel) was definitely one of the highlights of this map. Though I'm not sure why there is another ambush right at the very end in front of exit sector. I initially thought I missed three enemies, so I loaded the save and spent a couple minutes wandering the level trying to find those three enemies until I realized what's going on. What happens is two pig cops and one pig cop tank will spawn nearby when the player will then step into the exit sector. And there is also a Portable Medkit right near the ending sector too. Why? It's not going to be any use when you are at the end, unless you are playing this map as part of the "intended" episode/progression (e.g. in the Addon Compilation) but on a pistol start, that medkit should have been given earlier to be any use.
And as you guessed, completing this map also takes you back to E1L1! Overall, I found the map a bit bland at times but it's not that bad and there are some interesting design choices, although the map is a bit luck based (early shotgun and used armor are a must) and has a bunch of annoyances that drag the map's quality down, including but not limited to those misplaced art tiles, the softlock glitch with the invisible wall in the outdoors and the lack of difficulty settings, the last only being an issue for casual players who normally play on easier skills.
Underwater Sub Base
The last of the "Base" themed maps, as well as the hardest and most interesting one so far. It can also be quite confusing and make you run in circles, not knowing what you unlocked or where is the door you need to go next.
It's important to note that the beginning can be quite difficult due to scarce resources, which depend a lot on what enemies drop for you, if they decide to drop something, similar to the previous map. After you reach the locker with the two Armor Pickups, the barracks with a Portable Medkit guarded by Pig Cops and the bathroom infested with Assault Troopers, the map will be much easier, with your only worries being the ammo and the upcoming infamous underwater part.
Speaking of which, there is the long dark underwater section where you must find and activate a bunch of switches while dealing with Sharks and Octabrains. You have to come very well equipped in this section because if you stay too long, you will drown and there is no place to resurface, with the exception of a sector glitch involving swimming past a pipe that will act like you are at the surface, allowing you to "breathe" again.
Therefore, the Scuba Gear is absolutely essential for your survival here, so don't miss it in the armory room accessed from the vents in the same room you activate the SERVICE ACCESS switch. That room contains lots of goodies that should NOT be missed!
I also recommend arriving with 150 health (from the secret place mentioned below) and a full Portable Medkit at your disposal, they will save your life if your Scuba Gear runs out and you drown while desperately trying to find the tunnel where you came from. Don't forget to use your Night Vision Goggles when navigating underwater to spot the enemies and find various hidden goodies, such as the Shrinker!
Once you make it through this whole section, go back to the warehouse and drop down to opened hatch. If you have found the Jetpack, you can use it to backtrack to the earlier parts of the map. Afterwards, deal with a few more monsters and the map is over after the Nuke button is reached.
There are TWO secrets to find and they both require the Jetpack, which is located in the warehouse unlocked with the Yellow card. The Jetpack is found inside one of those barrels. Once you have it, go back to the earlier parts of the maps to find the secrets:
1) At the very beginning of the map (right where you start), fly with the Jetpack inside the vent and collect an Atomic Health and Expander Ammo.
2) After you arrive inside the mines (before the door requiring Blue Card), break the vent and fly with the Jetpack to the top to collect a Devastator.
Overall, this map was much better designed than both previous "Base" maps and didn't have any missing textures (or misplaced art tiles) but it was also much more annoying and confusing at times, having me run in circles or even look up in Mapster at one point. On top of that, it suffers from lack of difficulty settings implemented, so casual players may have a hard time to complete this map due to how tough it can be. Not an issue for CGS players because they are getting the intended challenge but the less experienced players have no other easier choice.
Passenger Jet
The last map of the failed
DUKE IS 007 TC and probably the best map so far, it's much shorter and more compact. Gameplay is again only moderately challenging but not very difficult. And there is a toilet right at start, so if you ever find yourself needing health, you can always use the toilet to regain your lost health. There are also two Atomic Healths in the kitchen (one of them is only present on CGS and DIG) and the Armor can be found in the next section after dropping down, so then you are more than well equipped to deal with whatever awaits you next. I chose to do the hard way and picked up the Atomic Healths when I finished the map.
Interestingly, I got stuck for a while (and consulted Mapster this time) at the puzzle hinted in the cockpit because I was trying to figure out where the Red Card is. Turns out, you must press on some TV magazine to reveal the Red Card, which is pretty clever, although you are given the hint in that room earlier if you look at the monitor but this can be easily missed if you don't understand what it's referring to. And then once you deal with whatever awaits you next, you then come back to the cockpit to find the exit has been revealed. You need to crouch to press on the Nuke Button and might take you a few tries to activate the exit but eventually it should work.
There is only one official secret to find: At the very beginning, there is a locked door right ahead of you. After clearing the rooms of enemies, look for a hidden switch near one of the seats. It will unlock that door, which will access a bathroom containing a toilet, Portable Medkit, Devastator and Chaingun ammo.
Unofficial secret: In the compartment with the TV (located closest to the cockpit), you can press on the DVD player, which will reveal an Armor pickup on the right side (inside the MOVIES compartment).
Overall, this was a pretty fun level. Although it suffers a bit from being cramped and that bit with the Red Card can get you stuck for a while if you don't understand the hint you are given. But the rest of the map is great, I liked it.
I have already done all of Kevin Cools' main maps earlier this week, so I should have them reviewed by the next week, hopefully. Then I will try to focus on playing and reviewing some maps by Juha/Turpuli. Have a nice weekend everyone!
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