Duke Map/Mod of the Month Club - April 2024

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Duke Map/Mod of the Month Club - April 2024 "An Expansion Pack For Duke Nukem 3D"

FistMarine

#1 Posted 01 April 2024 - 06:17 AM

What's this thing?
We play through a set of maps/mods during the month, and use this thread to discuss it as we're still all fresh with our comments/opinions/feelings about the maps.

What's the purpose?
Basically, there are 4 purposes:

Showcasing some of the older mods/maps to wider public - they definitely deserve the attention!
Getting more people to actually enjoy and appreciate the user content - because let's be honest, over the past 28 years this was really what kept Duke alive after all.
...and while we're at it - keeping Duke alive by still enjoying it, as there's no new games in the franchise on the horizon (and let's be honest, they wouldn't be as good as some of this stuff!).
Having a more structured discussion on maps than what's going in "Last map you played" thread - which is great, but it's basically a monologue most of the time.

Can I join?
Sure, as long as you find some spare time during the month to play the stuff that's on the table!

Why a month?
Because people have lives, jobs or other stuff to do (like mapping). For smaller maps, this could be shorter time - it's all up to debate in the future!

What port should I use? Are mods allowed? Where to get the maps?
It's entirely up to you how you play the game, so you can use whatever port or mod allowed - it would be cool to state in your posts what you're using too, as there might be some slight differences between the ports! As for the maps, they should be always linked within the first post.

How should I play the maps or post about them?
Again, it's up to you. You can finish them all in one go or play them one by one whenever you feel like. On Doom forums, there's a rule that you should keep the pace by not posting about a map that has a higher number than the day of the month, so e.g. on 6th you shouldn't post about map 7 etc. I think that might be a good practice if there's a large interest in this, but first let's see how active the thread is for a start - so if there's nothing going on, feel free to post about whatever map you want to.

Previous 2024 Editions

Spoiler

Previous 2023 Editions

Spoiler

Previous 2022 Editions

Spoiler

Previous 2021 Editions

Spoiler

This is not an April Fools joke! For this month, the FM3X trilogy by Fernando Marquez has been chosen!

For those who haven't heard of the FMX series before, it is basically a vanilla compatible mapset for Duke Nukem 3D (all versions supported) that is heavily influenced by the original episodes/levels. Or rather an alternate universe Duke Nukem 3D or Duke3D The Way 3DR Did (first two episodes were released years before DTWID was actually a thing). A new soundtrack is also included in the package to enhance the atmosphere.

FM1X: New York Rebellion was released in 2004 and it was heavily influenced/inspired by the original L.A. Meltdown episode that while playing the levels, you will find many levels or areas very similar to the original E1 & E3 levels but also the cut levels by the Levelord (Sewer and Sweeney).

FM2X: Orbital Oblivion was released in 2009 and it was heavily influenced/inspired by the original Lunar Apocalypse episode that for the most part, you will find some levels resembling the original E2 ones but with some more original ones thrown into the mix that aren't directly inspired by the original ones.

FM3X: Anarchy Village was released in 2015 and this time, instead of being heavily influenced/inspired by the original Shrapnel City episode, you will find many levels being quite unique that don't resemble any of the original E3 levels, as they aren't directly influenced by any particular E3 map, unlike what was found in the previous episodes.

FM4X: The Uprising was released in 2020 and like its predecessor, it is basically Fernando's own take at The Birth inspired episode with some original ideas. However, this episode is NOT included for this month, as there are already enough levels to play through.

FM5X: DukeMatch Bonus is a bonus DM episode that depending on the version, contains a number of levels (8 levels in FM3X and 11 levels in FM4X). The episode cannot be selected in-game in the original DOS version due to the hardcoded episode limit but the maps can be loaded separately as user maps using the launcher. It is basically the fourth episode in FM3X and the fifth episode in FM4X. It is also NOT included for this month.

FM6X: Flashback is currently unreleased. It is planned to be another DM episode of 11 levels (8 levels in FM3X, 11 levels in FM4X) but instead of containing original levels, the episode would contain levels adapted from the SP episodes.

FM7X: Duke-Tag is currently unreleased. It is planned to be a Duke-Tag episode of 7 levels, only available for the Atomic Edition.

Each subsequent release not only includes the new episode but also the previous episode(s) with further bug-fixes. So, all you need is to download the FM4X package to play all episodes. Or if playing in Duke3D 1.3D, FM3X is included instead because FM4X is only designed for Atomic Edition.

For people playing in the original DOS versions of Duke Nukem 3D, you have to keep in mind what each folder means:
FM3XREG -> FM3X for Duke Nukem 3D 1.3D (all three episodes replaced)
FM4XPLUT -> FM4X for Duke Nukem 3D 1.4 (all four episodes replaced)
FM4XATOM -> FM4X for Duke Nukem 3D 1.5 (all four episodes replaced)

Installation: Before starting, check what version of Duke Nukem 3D you have. Then copy your DUKE3D folder and rename it to FM3X or FM4X (depending on version), then paste the contents of the folder mentioned above that matches the version of Duke Nukem 3D you have. If you have more versions of Duke3D, then feel free to install the mod for each version if you prefer to play through each version or just watch the intro demos, as each version includes its own demo loop. Once done, start the launcher, which can be FM3X.EXE or FM4X.EXE (depending on version). The launcher allows more customization. Alternatively, if you don't want to complicate yourself, you can just run the batch file which will start the game directly.

If playing Duke3D 1.3D, the episode names are NOT replaced in-game due to a limitation of the original release which can't change the episode names unless HEX editing the executable. So just select the appropriate episode from the main menu. Atomic Edition doesn't have this limitation and the episode names are properly replaced in-game.

If playing in DOSBox, I found that the file FM4X-FULL.ZIP works the best when installing the mod. If playing in EDuke32, you just need to download FM4X-eduke32.zip file.

Difficulty settings are fully implemented in each level. All four skill levels are exactly what you'd expect from the original Duke Nukem 3D levels but easier settings also exist.

The unused "Skill 0" features NO ENEMIES present at the start of each level besides the occasional respawns and the bosses found at end of each episode. So if you find Piece of Cake too much, you can choose this "Tourist" mode from inside the FM3X/FM4X launcher when playing in DOS.

For more information, be sure to check the included readme file, as there is a lot of useful information you can find.

Demo Loop

Quote

Duke3D v1.3D: FM2X05, FM1X01, FM3X08
Duke3D v1.4: FM1X02, FM4X05, FM2X04, FM4X09, FM3X06
Duke3D v1.5: FM3X05, FM4X11, FM2X07, FM4X03, FM1X06

Each version comes included with its own set of demos. From what I could tell, they are recorded on Let's Rock difficulty.

And here is the FULL map list for the entire package, including all the bonus maps (except FM1X00):

Maps List

Quote

FM1X: New York Rebellion
------------------------
FM1X01: Sweeney Slime Refinery<+>
FM1X02: Dark Palm Hotel
FM1X03: Lonely Street
FM1X04: Sewer Confines
FM1X05: The Lava Reef (Boss level)
FM1X06: Launch Center (Secret level 1)
FM1X07: Damned Space Life (Secret level 2)
FM1X08: User Map (Hidden level!?!)
FM1X09: ClipArt Gallery (Multiplayer DukeMatch exclusive level 1)
FM1X10: Spinning Rooms (Multiplayer DukeMatch exclusive level 2)
FM1X11: Skyscrapers (Multiplayer DukeMatch exclusive level 3)

FM2X: Orbital Oblivion
------------------------
FM2X01: SS Observatory
FM2X02: Intercommunication
FM2X03: GnuStella Network
FM2X04: Optical Demounter
FM2X05: Alpha Core
FM2X06: Lunar Crossroads
FM2X07: Terran Moonshaft
FM2X08: Alien Fusion Tower
FM2X09: Viewport (Boss level)
FM2X10: Cycling Perimeter (Secret level 1)
FM2X11: Asteroid Stronghold (Secret level 2)

FM3X: Anarchy Village
------------------------
FM3X01: Durango Club
FM3X02: Helecopt Road
FM3X03: Boiler Cliff
FM3X04: Summer Beach Condo
FM3X05: Jungle Bay
FM3X06: Ghost House
FM3X07: Crescent Inn
FM3X08: Knock-Out Factory
FM3X09: Coliseum (Boss level)
FM3X10: Loopy Shelter (Secret level 1)
FM3X11: University (Secret level 2)

FM4X: The Uprising<*>
------------------------
FM4X01: Mountain Pass
FM4X02: Nature Valley
FM4X03: Rainforest
FM4X04: Frosty Grotto
FM4X05: Pipe Dreams
FM4X06: Castle In The Winds
FM4X07: Fun Fair
FM4X08: Sanatorium
FM4X09: Temple Manor
FM4X10: Birth Cradle (Boss level)
FM4X11: Ultrapower! (Secret level 1)

FM5X: DukeMatch Bonus</>
------------------------
FM5X01: Thermal Waters
FM5X02: Epsilon Workshop
FM5X03: Hive-N-Sip-N-Kill
FM5X04: Crystal Glacier
FM5X05: Rotomotor
FM5X06: Flickering Lights
FM5X07: Megaton Delirium
FM5X08: Beachwoods
FM5X09: Overlapping Seasons*
FM5X10: Yamato Seabase*
FM5X11: Poisonous Brawl*

<+>Accesible only as a user map or by command line parameters.
<*>Not available on Registered FM3X.
</>Defined as episode 4 with FM4X numbering on Registered FM3X.

Here is the story of this mapset:

Story

Quote

"It's time to abort your whole freakin' species" - Duke's last words spoken to
the alien queen as she gets splattered into liquid pulps of blood and splatter
in her aquatic spot.

It's been exactly one year after. A hero on its own and highly respected, Duke
Nukem is the man the world needed to be safe from any threats the earth should
ever face. The hero himself has been resting this whole year - nothing could
be more perfect than a good old cheap wine, some cigarettes and even R&R in
his beloved home.

Fast forward a few days later - a huge spectrum of colors spark through the
sky of the United States and a huge spaceship boulders down to earth as fast
as a flashlight, ripping apart a huge chunk of earth and trembling down the
whole country.

"They are back! But how?", Duke shrugs while glancing at the wrecked streets
near his place. They are attempting a second try to invade earth, and this
time they are anticipating Duke, so as to not fail again.

Not long after, Duke's telephone rings uncontrollably... "I guess its time to
do another favor to the world...", speaks as he answers the phone, greets the
Colonel and awaits new instructions.

What are you waiting for? Download the latest version of FM3X/FM4X at the following links:

MEGA -> https://mega.nz/fold...Y1YuBRhXNgduNUQ

OneDrive -> https://onedrive.liv...A2A9AB863405F55 (REQUIRES MICROSOFT ACCOUNT TO DOWNLOAD!)

The files appear to be slightly newer on the OneDrive folder. And for historical purposes, I'm including the older versions of FM1X, FM2X and FM3X, as well as the original release topics of FM3X and FM4X.

Old Versions

FM1X -> http://dnr.duke4.net..._Rebellion.html
FM2X -> http://dnr.duke4.net...l_Oblivion.html
FM3X -> https://msdn.duke4.net/revfm3x.php

Release Topics

FM3X -> https://www.scent-88...opic,306.0.html
FM3X -> https://forums.duke4...rnando-marquez/
FM4X -> https://forums.duke4...x-the-uprising/

Alternatively, FM3X is included in the EDuke32 Addon Compilation 3.14: http://www.duke4.org...2_addons314.exe
The latest FM4X version is included in the Addon Compilation 4.00 (Pre-Release) and can be downloaded here: https://mega.nz/fold...U2g35XhJ3AGt0NA
If you are playing in a source port, it is recommended to use the Addon Compilation version, which only requires you to download fm4x.grp and load it in your favorite source port. The rest download links are included for sake of completeness.

Notes:
1) This month only covers FM1X, FM2X and FM3X! Each episode has all 11 maps replaced, which means the first episode also fills the missing spots with some DM maps. If you want, you can try the bonus FM1X maps but they can only be accessed with command line parameters or as user maps. Source ports can easily load the maps as user maps.
2) FM1X00 is the old version of the first level and can only be accessed as an user map.
3) FM1X07 is the "Faces of Death" equivalent and can be accessed as an user map or with command line parameters. The map can be completed and will advance to FM1X08.
4) The bonus maps (FM1X07-FM1X11) can be accessed with command line parameters or as user maps, while FM1X00 can only be accessed as an user map.
5) NYR (New York Rebellion) and FM2X (Orbital Oblivion) were originally designed for source ports, with JFDuke3D being the minimum requirement, although FM2X08 (Alien Fusion Tower) initially required EDuke32 to run, as other source ports crashed upon loading the map. The FM2X version provided at Duke Repository has this fixed and allows the map to be played in JFDuke3D.
6) Starting with FM3X, the episodes are less about remixing original levels and more about having original design and ideas. On top of that, the compatibility has been greatly expanded to not only allow the maps to be playable on a specific Duke3D version but also allow all the maps to be playable in every version of Duke Nukem 3D! Of course, some maps (such as the entire FM4X episode) still require the Atomic Edition to play.
7) The secret levels are found in the exact same level slots you would find the original game's secret levels. Which means, the secret exit is located in the following levels: E1L4, E2L5, E2L8, E3L5, E3L8 and E4L5 (the fourth episode is not included for this month).

Have fun!

This post has been edited by FistMarine: 01 April 2024 - 06:30 AM

Aleks

#2 Posted 01 April 2024 - 08:05 AM

Adding to FistMarine's post, I think it's worth mentioning that some maps might be broken in current EDuke32, as per NightFright:

Quote

Update:
Looks as if some of the later maps broke with more recent EDuke32 snapshots.

"Boiler Cliff"
Shrinker device won't work as intended any more. After blowing up the tree trunk outside near the cliff, the beam doesn't get redirected since it hits the wall without entering the hole. Therefore, the beam never ends up in front of the hole where you need to be to get shrunk. Effectively, it's a showstopper.

"Loopy Shelter"
> Wall crack in first forest area does not open the tree, therefore creating another showstopper.
> Shrinker device has the same issue as in Boiler Cliff, i.e. fails to pass through a hole.

I've tested these both locations under RedNukem and it works fine, so that's what I'll be using for playing FMX.

I've never played these episodes before, although I think Lunar Crossroads and perhaps some other maps were used in some compilations, so I have played at least this one many years ago. Already finished the 2 first levels, here are the little reviews.

Sweeney Slime Refinery
The start here is quite a heavy difficulty spike, with monsters behind every door/corner without much leeway for finding the guns - but once you get a hold of the freezer and/or shotgun, it gets much easier and by the end of the level, you should have pretty much every gun besides the tripmines. This level is heavily inspired by Toxic Dump mostly, to the point of some areas and even secret places being almost 1:1 copies (yeah the red acid tank along the conveyor belt turned into a blue one, but the secret is still in the same spot). The corridors are pretty tight, which isn't too good for movement. The map is made with 3DR style in mind, but I don't think it really succeeds at this - it's rather an "early user map done with 3DR style in mind" style. There are the classic effects like dynamic lights (lightswitches and open door lights), effects like cranes and conveyor belts working in a nice tandem and even some twists like getting back from the upper floor through an exploded box, but there are some "faux" moves. The darkness is a bit bothersome at some places and I'm not a huge fan of shadows that are pitch black, even if the design is clean enough to make them a bit better. The street part is probably the weakest design-wise, with pretty boring facades and everything "cut" down to the point where even the sidewalks are missing and a pedestrian crossing is between two buildings walls. One of the greatest parts about the original city maps was the ability to "close" down the player smart enough as not to make them feel claustrophobic or realise how surreal the street is, here it's pretty much in your face. Nevertheless, it's still a competent map, both design- and gameplay-wise.

Rating: 76/100

Dark Palm Hotel
It's Hotel Hell all over again. I like this map a bit better than SSR, it is charming right from the start with the strong lights/shadows contrast from the windows, although the bars in the windows make this feel a bit like a prison. I already know Quacken is gonna love how pretty much every hotel room accessible is copied/duplicated from the next one, but it is what it is, at least with the numbers it's not as labrenthine as could be. The combat is a walk in the park, I started the map with 200 HP and didn't lose a lot, ended up leaving a bunch of atomic healths just there - but probably having weapons from the previous map helped, especially since I'm not sure you can find every gun in this one, so "pistol starting" might be a bit more challenging. The monsters come in swarms, but they are easy enough to take down with explosives, even when dealing with a few enforcers at once. The biggest and baddest one you'll meet here will be a lone commander. There's also a cute mechanic where from all the 4 trashcans outside, either a pig cop or enforcer will emerge. Similarly to the first level, this being pretty much a 10 minute map, it delivers what you expect from it, but with nothing overly creative. The layout of the hotel is completely different from Hotel Hell and it's kinda cool that you can access plenty of rooms, finding the keycards isn't too difficult and having another connection through vent shafts gives you more strategic options. Besides having enemies thrown in your face in the rooms and (especially) bathrooms, the map feels a bit more open than the previous one, maybe besides the enforcer surprise in the narrow blue-key corridor.

Rating: 78/100

Quacken

#3 Posted 02 April 2024 - 03:12 AM

Hi! What does FMX stand for?

Sweeney Slime Refinery

New month, back to the same old game. Sweeney Slime Refinery is a rather cozy little first map, sporting a curious MIDI and a short runtime. I find it hard to see how eight secrets could possibly fit into this map as there's shockingly little to run around in here. It's choked with pitch black darkness and very cramped, but the monster density is low enough that neither issue is really a bother. I also appreciate map author Fernando Marquez' policy on doors - if there's a door texture that looks vaguely important, odds are is that it's either openable right now or it will be at some point. I can also definitely see the resmblance to Toxic Dump, but I don't mind it all that much. It's just conveyor belts, a claw and some barrels. I do kinda have an issue with two things though - the perpetual conveyor belts in the second floor that lead to total darkness are easy to get disorientated in and are kind of pointless, and the city streets are rather ugly looking. There's a patch of grass over a wall near the map exit that just ends with a sky texture. Sweeney Slime Refinery is a shoe box without a lot of personality, but it's a satisfactory intro map.

6/10.

Forge

Speaker of the Outhouse

#4 Posted 02 April 2024 - 07:11 AM

Aleks, on 01 April 2024 - 08:05 AM, said:

Adding to FistMarine's post, I think it's worth mentioning that some maps might be broken in current EDuke32, as per NightFright:

everything up to FMX 3 was built on a dos machine & is mainly supposed to be dos version compatible.

Quacken, on 02 April 2024 - 03:12 AM, said:

Hi! What does FMX stand for?

Fernando Marquez X (project)

This post has been edited by Forge: 02 April 2024 - 09:04 AM

Quacken

#5 Posted 03 April 2024 - 03:07 AM

Thank you for telling me, I was just curious.

Dark Palm Hotel

Well, I think we've reached the apex of dark hallways. Dark Palm Hotel has some strong visuals, but feels very flimsy with its combat and progression. Battlelords are doled out like candy in this map, and there isn't nearly enough ammo in this map to kill all of them if you don't find either the secret Shrinker or the secret RPG. The start in general is also rather clumsy. All of the monsters are in the rooms and none are in the halls, which I'm thankful is the case, but it's a lot of peeking your head in to kill the same three monsters, and you'll have to rely heavily on the Pistol. I also found a softlock here: If you approach the Night Vision secret too fast and straight on, you can clip under the low ceiling and get stuck on the lip above with a hidden message. The Battlelord clerk duet after getting the Devastator is uncomfortable to manage if you didn't find the Shrinker, but thankfully you can get one of them to backstab the other if your positioning is good enough. The only other fight that is particularly interesting is the Enforcer closet with no Pipe Bombs. All Fernando has for his final fight are four Pig Cops that spawn outside tthe Yellow Key room and four square dancing Enforcers. Dark Palm Hotel is rather sleep inducing and just about average.

6/10.

Aleks

#6 Posted 03 April 2024 - 05:15 AM

Quacken, on 03 April 2024 - 03:07 AM, said:

OK either all the maps I've played so far got completely mixed in my memory, I took care of the Battlelords so easily and automatically that I don't even remember it or we play different versions of the maps, but I'm pretty sure I haven't encountered any battlelords at all until the first secret level... Anyway, continuing on:

Lonely Street
This is a generic - almost procedural - city map that has all the typical locations you'd expect: E1L2-like strip club, E1L1-like cinema, E1L2-like video store and E1L1-like arcade, with very little twists. The whole progression is a rather mundane button hunt, with each location hiding one button and all of them are required to open the final gate. The puzzles in the arcade are the most interesting I guess, as you need to take a close look at the machines and find the ones that are openable and hide some more buttons. Once again, the combat was a walk in the park, which might be partially due to having supplies from the previous levels. In general, it's a bit disappointing how generic and unoriginal these locations look and despite the short running time, the levels feels a bit like a filler.

Rating: 74/100

Sewer Confines
Yeah it's a sewer level, a much-needed map in any 1990s FPS game. Despite being the most original one in the bunch so far, playing it isn't particularly funny due to the boring texturing, overwhelming darkness and pretty weird progression. There are some interesting stuff and effects, but the execution is quite mediocre, not to the point of being frustrating or even annoying, but certainly to the point of being glad when it's over. There's a random ambush at the end where the aliens capture Duke, which has no consequences in the next level as you still start with all your equipment. This level also can lead to the secret level, with the exit being much more convenient and rather easy to find. There are some fine ideas thrown in, like the crushers in the slime, which could be nice puzzles, but ends up somehow broken. The combat is a bit more demanding, but still definitely on the easier side.

Rating: 71/100

Launch Center
This is basically Launch Facility without the cool layout and it's certainly a waste that you still blow up the rocket rather than sending it to space, which could be doable for sure. Even if the base layout seems to make more sense, the interconnections are kinda missing, so it introduces a lot of mundane walking back and forth, without being all that clear. There's one "speed" puzzle which is a bit challenging and thus nice, but other than that the progression feels much like an afterthought, especially with exit being quite counter-intuitive. The combat involves two battlelords placed in spots where they can be easily shrunk and forgotten about and a decent fill of lesser monsters, with the 3 commanders one might encounter in the reactor probably being the highlight. Button hunt is a bit obscure in here. The texturing is pretty much 1:1 taken from Launch Facility, although the alignment and trimming is a bit lazy.

There is also the "secret exit" which would probably lead to the other secret level, but the whole setup of the room seems to be broken and inaccessible in the end, which is too bad. Not sure what was the idea or what happened, but considering the whole FM1X went through some bug-fixing with each subsequent release and this was left out, I assume might just be left on purpose the same way the file dates were forged to 1996 (unless I'm missing something here).

Rating: 73/100

Forge

Speaker of the Outhouse

#7 Posted 03 April 2024 - 06:48 AM

Aleks, on 03 April 2024 - 05:15 AM, said:

Fernando updated FMX 1 & 2 and adjusted balance and some gameplay aspects when he released FMX 3, so if one of you is playing the original & one of you is playing the one from the FMX 3/4 package (or the nightfright cobblation) , it's very possible that you're going to see some slight differences.

I beta tested FMX 3 for him prior to release, then he asked me to go back a test 1 & 2.
(I also tested the first 4 or 5 maps of FMX 4, but Fernando never gave me any beta testing credits in any of the documentation that I've seen & he probably won't remember if you ask him, so you can call me a liar on this & all I can do is shrug my shoulders back at you. If the DN-R archive still exists on this site, you might find some of our discussion in the forum)

There was a good piss-n-vinegar sparring match on either amc or the dn-r forum between fernando & mikko over those fake dates. Fernando claims that it had to do with the windows 95/98 comp he used to make the maps & Mikko claimed he was trying to back date his work so future players would think he was an early innovator & one of the early great mappers.
I gave Fernando the benefit of the doubt at the time, but kinda waffled around on it because I didn't want to piss either one of them off. Fucking pussy.
Good times.

This post has been edited by Forge: 03 April 2024 - 07:29 AM

Aleks

#8 Posted 04 April 2024 - 06:09 AM

Quote

There is also the "secret exit" which would probably lead to the other secret level, but the whole setup of the room seems to be broken and inaccessible in the end, which is too bad. Not sure what was the idea or what happened, but considering the whole FM1X went through some bug-fixing with each subsequent release and this was left out, I assume might just be left on purpose the same way the file dates were forged to 1996 (unless I'm missing something here).

Had to check in Mapster, apparently there's a multiplayer-only switch that opens the first door to this area, there's also a non-functional teleporter inside as the player would get locked in judging from the setup and a nukebutton - but despite the room saying "secret level", the nukebutton apparently still takes you to The Lava Reef.

The Lava Reef
...which is the actual topic of this post and fairly the best level in the first episode. Sure, this is heavily inspired on The Abyss, at least when it comes to the general theme and texture use, but the gameplay is a lot different. I have to say, the impressive impact The Abyss has on the player is certainly lost in the process, as Fernando simplifies the cliffs/nature part in this map a lot, so we don't really get to experience the San Andreas Fault earthquake or the mystic scenes inside the volcano - leaving alone the actual abyss experienced when entering the alien ship and falling down the limbo - but I like the level as it is. The final battle has 3 parts and is a lot more crazy than facing just the simple battlelord boss, housing plenty of commanders and some battlelord sentries before introducing the main guy in a tighter scenario than expected. All 3 keycards make their appearances this time, I particularly liked the yellow key area with stuff such as 3 battlelords slowly emerging on poles or how random some of the encounters ended up (had one of the battlelords that respawn after completing this area wander of only to surprise me a while later, pretty cool). The corridors are impressive for their use of SOS considering this was made in original Build, but then a lot of that mystery is somehow lost. The puzzles are not that remarkable either. Level design is certainly on a higher level here and I like the creativity of the author being rather unleashed. Nice surprise for the end of episode 1!

Rating: 85/100

TheDragonLiner

#9 Posted 06 April 2024 - 12:38 AM

I had fond memories when playing FM3X, and I especially remember extracting some of the MIDI files from it as there are a few good selections here and there.

I'll be playing the Add-on Compilation version as usual. And I must warn that my Ep1 reviews are short and uninspired due to me not finding much to say and realising that my memories were embellished :/

Sweeny Slime Refinery :

.... well I don't have much to say about this level. It's a little too short and contained for me to have any special thought about it.
The factory gives me some "Toxic Dump" vibes from the Main Game, but that's pretty much it :/

As for gameplay, I like having an early access to the FreezeThrower, it makes the early level easier and it's one of favorite weapons anyway.
Music is okay, though a bit too disrete IMO.

But yeah, nothing much to say I'm afraid :\

Dark Palm Hotel :

A more interesting level with some atmosphere. Though it's got very simple design overall. I have memories of this level simply because it showed up in Attrition.

Now truth be told, I prefer this level for theme and ambiance. The music while not my type does serve the level. Also, progression is good IMO, and there are good fights here and there.
Also this is one of the rare levels where TripBombs can be used efficiently even when you don't know the level before-hand. The Stairs near the Entrance are the prime example. And also some neat situations for the Devastator in the final bits.

Not much more to say though ...

Aleks

#10 Posted 06 April 2024 - 01:35 PM

Damned Space Life
This one is rather simple, but at least doesn't seem to be that much copied from anything else. The goal is just to get higher and higher on a quadru-symmetric space station, fighting some troopers, enforcers, sentry drones, commanders and battlelords - in this exact order - twice, then going in for a final battle. The level has to be pistol-started, which might make the start a bit more difficult than you'd expect. Design-wise, it's pretty competent (although I'm not a fan of the final area, which is quite... cramped and "abrupt"), the most impressive thing is how the lights coming from the outside is very consistent (similarly to how it's done in Lunar Apocalypse), this is also (and even more so) evident in the first level of the second episode, where the lighting really starts to shine.

Rating: 75/100

SS Observatory
This one starts rather mundane and seeing the shuttle's cockpit pretty much copied 1:1 from Spaceport, I wasn't expecting much, but the level really picks up down the road. As mentioned, the most impressive thing is how the windows are employed throughout the level and how good and consistent the natural lighting/shading is. The large number of windows also allows the enemy spaceships that are circling the station to be much more dangerous with their rocket attacks. The vertical channel from Spaceport makes a comeback, although in this case this is literally done by a single sector with multiple SOS-exits rather than silent teleporters. The gameplay can get pretty challenging - especially the enforcer ambush near the cargo room with blue keycard (which is pretty difficult to spot because yeah, the room is dark as hell - although considering how this room kinda is the only place to go progression-wise, it is to be expected that something of importance is to be found there) surprised me. Also the reactor room with sentry drones/enforcers might be a bit too much "in your face" with everything just spawning right there. Still, it was a surprisingly funny experience, I especially enjoyed the highest floor where a few "waves" of enemies made for a neat battle. The supplies were also quite plentiful, I think I already have all the guns and even a jetpack by now.

Rating: 80/100

Quacken

#11 Posted 07 April 2024 - 01:33 AM

Double feature, to make up for my distracted self.

Lonely Street

A rather unflattering greatest hits album of E1L1 and E1L2, Lonely Street's four mini sections are all uncomfortable, dark and substitute actually good progression for confusing switch hunts that could have lead to secrets. The book store is uninspiredly textured and much bigger compared to Allen Blum's handiwork, and if you so much as sneeze in here then the entire light fixture shuts off and leads you to shooting in darkness. You also have to solve a completely arbitrary switch sequence to open the locked door in this area, which is stupid and exists for no other reason than to pad the runtime. I could write a book on how much I hate switch sequences... the Battlelord in the movie theatre is extremely near-sighted, so as long as you don't step through the doors or fire a shot at him then you can back out and come to this section last. The theatre itself is lit even worse than the bookstore and features two shamelessly copy-pasted theatres back to back, but I do like that you can jump from the top row of seats straight into where the buttons for this section are. The arcade and the bar play relatively okay, but are made automatically worse by the MIDI, which is a real bumbling dolt of a tune. I'm not sure if Marquez made these himself or if they're taken from other sources, but regardless, it's not a well constructed song. This map is plain and simply just not good.

3/10.

Sewer Confines

Even a groovy MIDI can't save you from this map's misery. If you thought Marquez was going to pick up the slack after Lonely Street, then boy do I have news for you. It's not just the fact that this is a sewer map, everything about this map is designed to annoy you rather than actually entertain. You have highly disruptive low light levels, are forced to hack through Sentry Drones with only a pistol at the start, are presented with several switches that don't do anything obvious and you eventually have to contend with a god awful platforming section in the dark on moving blobs that have a higher than zero chance to instantly kill you. None of the fights are very interesting because most of them you can't even see, and the ones you decide to spend your Night Vision on will usually be on flying foes you have to try and snipe with the Devastator. If it weren't for the MIDI, I would have given this map a 1 in a heartbeat, but fortunately it'll scrape by with a slightly higher rating.

2/10.

Ninety-Six

#12 Posted 07 April 2024 - 04:00 AM

I remember trying on a few occasions to power through and finish FMX (just shortening it to without the number to make life less confusing) but always coming across something that made me throw in the towel.

I have had such mixed opinions. The levels look fantastic and in that regard might be some of the closest we've gotten to a DtWiD-like project. Nailed the strong contrast 3DR loved doing. And some of the later level themes were inventive remixes, like the Ghost House. And even some traditional theming would get a spin like the Crescent Inn. A hotel to be sure, but one that is so bizarre it becomes dreamlike.

And then there's the level design itself. Combat I remember always being just fine. No complaints. But running around having no idea what I'm doing or where I'm supposed to go or what I'm supposed to do when I get there, combined with too much darkness makes for a very...unfun experience. And one that was sadly very common. Of all the times I attempted to complete FMX, I would always end up quitting because of yet another overly obtuse bit of level progression. It's like every level is Smithsonian Terror except about 80% more dark.

If I join in this round I'm not going to be doing it without at least a minimod that enhances the night vision aspect of the NVGs and also makes them last longer. Possibly infinite. That would at least take care of part of the problem.

FMX is a mod I always want to like because there is a lot of legitimately good stuff in there between the visuals, balanced combat and some of the level themes being really inventive. But man the progression does not make it easy to like.

This post has been edited by Ninety-Six: 07 April 2024 - 04:02 AM

Forge

Speaker of the Outhouse

#13 Posted 07 April 2024 - 08:09 AM

Ninety-Six, on 07 April 2024 - 04:00 AM, said:

#25 Posted 18 April 2024 - 03:54 AM

Viewport
This is basically a worse version of Overlord. The level has very similar thematics and style, just without the strange/ominous vibe. Overlord was never super strong level design, but due to its openness and therefore how it builds up the tension, it worked well - you could pretty much just go to the boss straight away, but all the extra/additional rooms made it a lingering experience, with each way you take eventually taking you to the central rotating turbine that leads down to the boss arena. In this case, we get a labyrinthine level and the fact that every corridor looks the same doesn't help with navigation. The progression can be "broken" with jetpack which might help with some obscure switches, which doesn't help at all. I liked the combat and the underwater squishy area with tripmine traps. The final battle was also weaker than in the original game since the boss easily gets stuck behind the pillars, there's a lot of room for cover so you might just kill him before he fires any rocket.

Rating: 73/100

Durango Club
I like the fresh take on the theme - we get some kind of club located inside a forest/canyon, a bit in the vein of early DNF locations. The level is pretty competent, the interior locations might be a bit generic, but they work well in connection with the outside (although I'd say the shadows of the buildings are way too dark compared to the general lighting of the level). There's some fancy connections like the vents leading to the rooftops or potentially accessing the secret cave from the ledge (which got me killed because of sloped sectors when stepping to the little shelf with atomic health). However, the combat feels plainly wrong for the 1st level of an episode - the beginning is basically running around looking for any gun other than pistol or pipebombs and having to deal with commanders, enforcers and pig cops. There's the underwater secret with a dickish explosion triggering right in your face, which was probably the lowpoint of the level. The finish itself also seems a bit generic. There are some completely dark areas with monsters, but they work fine in this case IMO since there's enough room for cover. The ammo distribution I found terrible in particular - you get a lot of chaingun ammo at the beginning, then as soon as you find the gun itself, there's barely any, so you have to backtrack (and with the other guns, chaingun might be your go-to weapon in this one). The next levels will hopefully be better, as the theme looks promising!

Rating: 75/100

slacker1

#26 Posted 18 April 2024 - 08:50 AM

I'm super late to the party this month.

FM1X01: Sweeney Slime Refinery

I had a like/dislike relationship with this map. I'm not really a fan of the original Duke map it copy and pasted some parts from. I'm also not crazy about how super dark it gets in places. Finally, I'm really not a fan of the horseshit secret location it hides the blue key in. Hiding a mandatory key inside of a secret is already a 'no', putting it in a secret that's only accessible via a computer/electrical panel sprite that's never used as a switch in the main game with no indication it is a switch is a 'super no' from me.

Other than those complaints, it wasn't bad. Fighting was fine though a bit tough at first before getting some heavier weapons.

Rating: C

Dark Palm Hotel

I must have some how played this map before as a stand alone a long time ago. Once it started, I remembered parts of it.

I liked the secret at the beginning by turning around and going back in the elevator you're standing in front of. I did not like the night vision goggles secret in the vents where if you crouched to go in, you get soft locked with a message on the vent wall something about being fat.

More copy & paste in this level. Looks like all the hotel rooms are more or less copies of the ones from Hotel Hell. I appreciate the effort put in to make the hotel seem real by having many many rooms in it like a real one as opposed to Hotel Hell where there's two in the whole place. It's a double edged sword though. I went room to room shooting a pig cop on the bed and troopers in the room like I was having a ground hog day experience. 90% of the rooms served no purpose in the level progress nor did they really give me any items that made going in them worth it.

I appreciated the switch with the view screen to tell you what hotel door opened up. After the BS blue key in the previous level, I wasn't expecting any directions to key related things to be given.

Fights were fine... I sort of got the vibe I should have pistol started as I felt like I was able to breeze through most of the encounters thanks to the first level giving me a ton of weapons/ammo.

I'm on the fence with this one. One one hand, I did enjoy playing it... on the other, its length was needlessly padded by empty rooms that take up about 70% of the map. Even though the map would have been reduced to <10min (if that) run time, I think it would have been more enjoyable if the hotel room section of the map was greatly reduced.

Rating: C

LakiSoft

#27 Posted 18 April 2024 - 11:32 PM

Hey long time no see fellows.... It's now my time to jump in.

Sweeney Slime Refinery

I can notice layout based on E1L4 Toxic Dump. Too much annoying with lifts though but in the end pretty good map to start this adventure .

LakiSoft

#28 Posted 19 April 2024 - 01:13 AM

Sorry for topic bump but i finished first episode of Fernando Marquez level and here are my thoughts:

Dark Palm

It looks like Hotel Hell on drugs to be precise. i has trouble tracking keycards but i managed to beat level evrntuaally.

Lonely Street

I appriciate effort and layout Fernando tried to make here but level was ro much confusing IMO. Still nice map though.

Sewer Confines

Level strongly inspirted by levellord's cut level sewers and sweeney. again confusing to navigate.

Lava something, sorry forgot the name

But this level is well designed it;s still confusing as heck. Again i appricaiTE HAard work Fernando tried to achieve here but levels are just confusing in general and most of time i had to use cheats in order to beat this. hope episode 2 will be not that as confusing

TheDragonLiner

#29 Posted 19 April 2024 - 01:13 AM

TheDragonLiner

#30 Posted 19 April 2024 - 11:07 PM

Alien Fusion Tower :

Now that's one good looking level. the amount of detail and design went up a few notches here. Like the idea of climbing towers in FPS. First Floor puts a strain on the eyes due to all the flickering, but it's well designed and I like the small secret area. The Second Floor is a bit too short lived IMO, and less sprawling with detail, though I like the cooling tank of sort as a set-piece.
Third floor is quite challenging not only due to the amount of enemies but also due to there being little time to understand what happens upon discovery, as you can get caught from all directions. Top Floor is a memorable moment for me as it feels like a small boss fight. Though Shrinker negates a good chunk of it ...
As for Bottom Floor, I can't say much since 1_ I didn't know what to do after hitting the Hand Switch, and 2_ I didn't want to risk blocking the Secret Exit.

I like how the strange door we see at the beginning happens to lead onto the Secret Level, if only it was functional. BTW, the beginning of the level with its quiet corridors alongside the music serves as a nice build-up to the revealing of the Tower when destroying the wall.

I would say this is my favorite level so far, topping Lunar Crossroads. I would also say this is FMX at its finest and one of the most memorable levels in the pack.

Asteroid StrongHold :

Level is so long it's hard to remember stuff to say ... Firstly, the Initial Cave area felt good to navigate through without using a JetPack to cheese it all. It sorta feltl ike PuzzlePlatforming to an extent. Then we get a small "Dark Side" vibe.
The next bit I'm afraid has been lost in my memory T__T
Red KeyCard Area however trully was the memorable moment. VERY challenging to me, especially the underwater parts. Felt damn good emptying Chaingun, ShotGun and FreezeThrower ammo in there. Surely Devastator would have been better but more dangerous and not as satisfying IMO.
The Collapsing Descending corridor I didn't like much cause it happens too suddenly IMO and the enemies coupled with the explosions make it harder than it should be, even when doing it in the know. And finally a very well executed Gotcha Moment at the end X__X

While I don't have much to say, I'd say I liked that level. While only the First and Last parts stood out to me, I liked the ambiance with the music, especially in the Cave Area with its darkness and few light posts. And a bunch of challenging enoucnters.
Another level I would rank highly if I were arsed.