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If you've managed to remain unspoilt all this time and have a blind playthrough of HL2, then you'll be in for a treat. I replayed through the whole series a few years ago taking my time and really digging into the narrative and details. HL2 still holds up better than a lot of newer games.
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Also, Half-Life 2 and the Episodes are really good and you should play them. My computer is about as powerful as sewer slime and yet it can still run HL2 and the other Source games at max settings flawlessly, that's how good the Source Engine is.
Thanks guys. I watched a couple YT videos many years ago about various Source Engine games but I think most of the experience will be fresh when I get around playing the games. I will definitely pick up HL2 soon (and maybe other Source games), after I am done with the other games/mods in progress and when I go back to revisiting original HL (including OP4 and BS) to refresh my memory on it.
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While I was browsing Scent88, saw these two: Aquarium & Easykill. Their map templates list the author as Ashage, not Aashage, but the email address remains the same.
Interesting. Looks like I missed these two maps when I made the topic. Looking at the screenshots and the reviews, I guess we aren't missing much and I feel like there was enough content for this month. As for C3PO's rant, not sure which maps he was referring to but didn't Leaving L.A. also have an instant death trap right at the end of the level where you had to choose the right teleporter to teleport to the exit or else you died? More on that next time when reviewing C3PO's maps.
Anyway, I forgot to add in my previous review, from what I noticed by playing both versions of Jailbird last week, not only there were the changes already mentioned but I also noticed slightly more ammo added in the second version of the map, at least I noticed one extra box of Shotgun shells that wasn't there before.
Here is a review of all five maps by Daniel Aashage. I actually played NeLiEx first and then the rest four last Friday but for review purposes, I am reviewing them in chronological order. As before, I played Duke3D v1.5 on CGS in DOSBox with all kills and secrets.
Notes:
1) I installed the maps in two different folders (copies of the ATOMIC folder), NeLiEx in one and all the others in another. I haven't noticed a single conflict while playing those four maps together but I sure could have used a different song in the background rather than hearing Dethtoll over and over again. Yes I know you can change music in-game but my point still stands.
2) I played GOTHAM and POSEIDON a couple times back in late 2000s/early 2010s, so I am nostalgic for revisiting them, especially the former, which I liked a lot at that time and this time I'm doing in DOSBox for the classic experience. Let's see how the maps hold up in 2024.
One To Zero
Daniel's first proper contribution, this is a warehouse themed map that could have been good but it is dragged down by various annoyances, such as confusing progression, excessive lightning strikes, some annoying traps and some game breaking bugs which are listed below. Oh and there is a mini maze with slimers in a vent, which I consider the lowest point of the map.
When playing the map, you will have to find a way to deactivate the forcefield, so the crane can pick up and drop things off at the other side. You also have to deal with a couple buttons puzzles that require you to only press/shoot two of them. They are spread out that this makes guessing annoying but from what I can tell, only two of them are correct, in the case of the ones in the large room with Devastator and ambushes, the correct ones are the two in diagonals, you just have to guess which side is it.
Then there is a crack you have to blow up in the entrance of the warehouse, the crack is difficult to spot and you are only given explosives after a while, specifically TWO Pipebombs but only one is needed to destroy the crack to collect the Jetpack (required for progression), so don't use both of them as you might need that second one later in the map. The problem is the destroyed wall is so narrow that Duke will get stuck inside with no way out.
I refused to DNCLIP (I don't like using cheats unless required for progression, such as in certain EDuke32 maps/mods that broke over time, which should be the rare exceptions), so I just tried to get unstuck for a few minutes but didn't work and then ran towards the wall to commit suicide and Duke got squished. That's why I recommend saving often and I'm glad I did, in case shit like this happens that can ruin your progress.
Oh and there is a part where you will come across two switches, one is already pressed. If you look up, you will notice two more switches. What you have to do is to turn off the already pressed switch and press/shoot the rest three switches. This will unlock a door required for progression later in the map.
But outside of that, I didn't have trouble with the level until once more at the very last ambush which spawns THREE Commanders in a narrow space, though you have the Shrinker at that point but the weird thing is that when I tried to crouch in a corner and shrink them, DUKE3D.EXE decided to quit with the error
Too many sprites spawned or something similar. It happened a few times but other times I was able to shrink and get rid of the commanders quickly or even get killed in the process by eating two rockets in the face. Oh and behind the exit, there is a mirror (one of the couple ones present in the map), so you can shrink yourself for fun and finish the level while tiny (though using the Jetpack is required in that case). And finally, finishing the map will cause it to restart, due to the paletted Nuke Button.
Secrets:
1) At the very beginning, break the vent, kill a slimer and jump inside to collect an Atomic Health.
2) In the room with the crane, press on the transparent switch located on the pillar to lower the ground and reveal a Portable Medkit.
3) Inside the
We Store Your Crap warehouse, go near the red box in the corner and press on the hidden transparent switch to reveal a teleporter, which sends you to a crate room containing NVGs, Shotgun ammo and RPG ammo.
4) Near the Armory that requires Yellow Card, there is a hallway that leads to a bathroom (requires you to complete a switch puzzle to unlock the bathroom door). There are two panels, one on each side. Left is marked by
TIBERIUS STATION sign, Right is marked by
POLARIS OUTPOST sign. Press the panel on the right side to temporary reveal the panel on the left side. You need to be quick and jump inside to register the secret, which contains Freezethrower + 2x ammo.
Note: To unlock the bathroom, you need to go the crate room where you found Blue Card and look for the four switches placed on the crates. Crouch and press 2 switches, the correct ones are two in a row. Be careful of the lightning strikes!
Overall, this map could have been better thought out, as it is needlessly confusing. Still okay for a first playthrough. Maybe the next one will be better?
Near Life Experience
Note: Once you load the mod, you have to start a new game, select the first episode which is now called
EXPERIENCES and select your skill level. This map replaces
E1L1: Hollywood Holocaust and as expected, finishing it will send you to
E1L2: Red Light District, so it is pointless to play further, there is only one new map in this package.
A nice Half Life inspired map with nice HL textures being utilized, that I would have appreciated more if this map was less confusing. Much like with the previous one, I had to peek in Mapster a few times to solve the puzzles and figure out the progression, because I got stuck occasionally running around not knowing what to do next.
Ammo is a bit tight early on, so is health and the armor until later in the map, though I managed to get used armor from a pig cop in the Red Card room, which helped a lot with the further ambushes, plus the Portable Medkit was very much appreciated as I was low on health at that point. Afterwards, the map becomes far more enjoyable, as long as you can figure out the progression and not end up running in circles.
At the beginning, you have to blow up the gate in the control room, so you can find a switch that lowers the bars in the vent with Blue Card, so you can then get it. And then later in the map, there's a few more parts that aren't the best explained but you have to guess what that switch did, usually it tells you what opens if you read the text placed above the switch and hopefully you will figure out your way.
At the end, there is a very cool sequence with the portal and various ambushes, you have to make your way to the exit before the place blows up while dealing with many tough spawned enemies, although that didn't seem to happen because I was able to wander around the whole map when looking for a missed secret and taking care of the spawned enemies without worrying about the time limit and place blowing up. The only part that closes after a while is the room with the portal, so be sure to not get trapped inside while this happens.
The only thing I dislike is the Mini Battlelord spawned directly behind you at the very end of the map, when Duke gets captured. I just find it unecessary and can kill you quickly even if you have lots of health & armor. I managed to survive his chaingun but I wasn't impressed with this dirty trick pulled off. Oh and it also prevents backtracking, so be sure to get everything in advance.
Be very careful when getting one of the secrets, as if you break a certain object, you get softlocked! I recommend saving often and using at least 2-3 save slots when playing this map, just in case, as this happened to me once but I just loaded last save and kept that in mind when getting the secret again. More on that below in the secret guide.
Although I appreciate hearing a different song than Dethtoll when playing this map, I'm not sure if Stalker was the best choice for this map. I wish NeLiEx came with its own song included to add more to the atmosphere.
Secrets:
1) Inside the warehouse, there is a container you can get inside, which contains NVGs. Be careful to NOT break that bottle or else Duke is unable to get out of the container and will be softlocked with no way out. That bottle is needed for Duke to just barely jump out of the container. Jetpack doesn't exist in this map if you are wondering.
2) When reaching a corridor with some aliens and crates, there is a locked door that can't be opened from this side. Go further to take up the elevator and find yourself on a corridor with three doors leading to three small rooms. Each room contains a few enemies and items.
3) Inside the warehouse, drop off the balcony to get the outside area. Kill the two pig cops and two troopers, then pick up the Pipebomb and use it to blow up a crack to reveal a path to return to previous room. Now use the teleporter to get teleported in the small room you have seen at very beginning, which contains a Portable Medkit and Atomic Health.
4) Inside the freezer, shoot the switch through the window to unlock the door. Inside, you can find a Slimer and various goodies: HoloDuke, NVGs, Large Medkit, Shotgun Ammo, RPG Ammo, a box of Pipebombs.
5) At the beginning of the level, go upstairs where the vent is located (which leads to the Blue Card). There is a wall you can open which reveals a small room containing Shotgun ammo.
Unofficial: When going for Secret #2, look up, break the vent, collect the Armor (if you need it), kill some Slimers and eventually you will drop down in the room you couldn't access earlier. Inside, you can find Atomic Health, as well as Freezer + ammo.
Overall, this map was quite interesting with really good design but some confusing parts dragged down the action. And I also don't like the Mini Battlelord spawned directly behind you at the very end, it feels really cheap.
We Store Your Crap!
Duke starts without weapons this time on a damaged crate and has to find the pistol and the Blue Card to get out of the building. The problem is that this map has a few confusing puzzles and even getting out of the first room is a challenge because the Blue Card doesn't exist...yet!
You have to shoot with pistol through glass to hit 3/4 of those switches at far away and once you complete the sequence, the Blue Card spawns nearby and allows you to progress. I had to look in Mapster to see what to do because I just couldn't figure this out, though I had a feeling you had to shoot those switches far away through the glass. At least I liked the way you get the Red Card later in the map, by shooting up a vent and have it fall down.
I never had an issue with getting stuck with no way out. The glass room with the Chaingun that Quacken mentioned, doesn't require cheats to progress, at least not in the DOS version. I suspect it's the newer EDuke32 builds that have clipping changes and cause side effects when playing old maps like these.
In the outside area, you have to blow up a hard to see crack on one of the ledges. You get the box of Pipebombs (and later the Devastator) behind the fence by jumping nearby, Duke will grab the item through it. I guess that's what the UP sign is hinting at. If you can't see the crack or can't figure out the explosives, you can use the secret Jetpack to progress.
Upon entering the building, a full sized Battlelord will spawn outside, as well as various other enemies. The Battlelord doesn't pose much threat this time, as he seems to be spawned outside the playable field but can be hit with the RPG in the head. After 20-30 or so RPG shots, he will go down. I recommend first clearing the field from the aliens, stocking on supplies and finding missed secrets, before fighting the boss and finishing this map. When you beat the map, you can enjoy the original cutscene with Duke executing the Battlelord.
Secrets:
1) In the outside area, there are two ledges you can reach which contain various goodies. The one reachable normally (by jumping on the truck, collecting the Freezer and jumping further) contains a Jetpack and counts as a secret. The other one reachable with Jetpack contains RPG ammo and an Atomic Health.
2) In the outside area, on one of the sides of the central building, there are windows you can jump through, where an Enforcer will appear. Once you jump inside the room, you will find NVGs, as well as a door leading to a bathroom with Portable Medkit and a Toilet. Shotgun ammo and RPG ammo will also spawn outside on the ledge.
3) In the room where you find the Red Card, there are a few pictures you have to press, as they contain hidden switches. The pictures you have to press are marked by * symbol, while the others that don't need pressed are marked by # symbol. This will unlock a nearby secret room containing Shotgun + 2x ammo, as well as an Armor.
4) In one of the control rooms which contains two of the switches (they are the key to unlock the doors leading to outside area), you have to shoot 2/3 switches to unlock a nearby secret room with three more switches. Once again, 2/3 switches are correct and will unlock the real secret room at the opposite side, which contains Shrinker + ammo and an Atomic Health.
Overall, much like One2zerO, this map could have been good but got dragged down by various annoyances, such as hidden switches and overall confusing progression.
Streets of Gotham City
Ah, I have plenty of fond memories of this map. It even includes a gameplay demo that you can watch. I can't tell on what skill is being played but what I can tell is the player gets eventually killed by a Pig Cop Tank.
Anyway, the map provides really good gameplay, as health and armor are plentiful if you know where to look for (Armor is given right at the beginning too), ammo is only tight in the beginning until bigger guns are acquired and there are plenty of alien bastards to kill in the map, with some challenging parts and an amazing final battle against THREE Commanders and THREE Mini Battlelords! Though two Mini Battlelords have a tendency to run in other directions, so you may have to track them down if looking for all kills. Daniel also started using the Atomic monsters more often, so you get to fight a couple Protectors and Tanks in some places to add to the enemy variety.
As mentioned above, gameplay is somewhat challenging at times and if you are running short on health, you can always retreat to the hotel and drink water from a toilet or from one of the broken hydrants on the street (though you are exposed from multiple sides if you do the latter) and resume fighting.
Puzzles are this time around much more logical, with the only puzzles being the switches you have to look for inside the various places to unlock the next place. The problem is that an enemy corpse can block the view of the switches, as Aleks mentioned. So look carefully for switches to progress or blow up the enemy corpses if they start blocking the view of the switches.
Oh and there are a few cracks you have to blow up (usually reserved for secrets but the one inside the pool at end is required to reach the exit) but otherwise, the progression in this map is a lot more logical. Some secrets are also easy to find, while others can pose a challenge, as this time there are TEN secrets to find in total! Though some are located close to another, so you can find multiple secrets in one location if you know where to look.
Secrets:
1) At the beginning, before leaving the hotel, press on the bloody handprint to reveal a nearby compartment containing Armor. Jump inside to register the secret.
2) When entering the cinema, press on the telephone to reveal a nearby poster. Jump inside to enter the secret arcade room containing an Assault Trooper, a Pig Cop, a dancing babe, as well as RPG + ammo.
3) Inside Secret #2, press on the DUKE NUKEM II machine to reveal a nearby compartment containing Portable Medkit.
4) When entering the cinema, go forward where it says SNACKS & MAGAZINE. Smash the windows and kill the troopers. Now go to TICKETS, kill the pig cop and press on the computer. It will lower the COLA MACHINE in the nearby room, allowing you to collect an Atomic Health.
5) When entering the cinema, go inside the bathroom, kill the various aliens and go to the left, where you have four hand dryers (two in one side and two in the other). I recommend saving here in case you screw up the combination. You must press on two of the hand dryers (the second and third or the second in left and first in right) to lower the sink in the middle, which will reveal the Shotgun ammo. Problem is if you screw up, you will not be able to tell which dryer is pressed and which isn't, as the switches are invisible.
6) In front of the hotel, go on top of the ledge (can be reached with Jetpack or by dropping down from the building at the end of the level) and look for a switch. Press it to reveal a nearby apartment, containing a Protector Drone, as well as Armor, Shotgun ammo and RPG ammo.
7) At the next street, close to the market (requires Blue Card to enter), go to the burning trash container and an Enforcer will be spawned. Go through the windows in the left side to enter the apartment, which contains another Enforcer, as well as an Atomic Health and a box of Pipebombs.
8) Inside the supermarket (requires Red Card to enter), kill the aliens inside, collect the Devastator and then press on the cash register to reveal a compartment containing a Portable Medkit.
9) Inside the cinema, blow up the crack and then climb on top to reach a platform with various goodies: Devastator ammo, RPG ammo, Shotgun ammo. You will also find 2x Atomic Health. This secret can also be reached with Jetpack and if doing without jetpack, Secret #10 will also be registered.
10) Inside the cinema, jump on the right speaker to collect an Atomic Health. This and the above secret can be gotten at same time.
Fun fact: I believe this only applies to EDuke32 (a cool feature added in late 2000s or so, which lets user maps play the song that is named after their filename) but despite the map not having a MIDI supplied, due to the map being named GOTHAM, it will use the MIDI from E3L6 as the selection for this map. I remember that from when I played the map last time in EDuke32 a decade ago (previously, I remember playing the map in JFDuke3D). Otherwise, if the map is played in DOS, you just get to hear Dethtoll.
Note: If playing the map in DOS, DO NOT play pool (located inside secret #2), as once all balls enter into pockets, a glitch happens which causes memory corruption and the map becomes unplayable. At this point, it is recommended to restart the game, load your last save and continue playing, so the glitch is no longer in effect. Loading the save without restarting the game might also work but the safest working method is mentioned previously. Just make sure to NOT save with the glitch active or your save is fucked!
Overall, I highly enjoyed my time revisiting this map. Even with some flaws, it is a damn good city styled map. Just make sure you have some free time if you plan to get all the secrets in this map, it's gonna take a while. Bonus points for including a gameplay demo.
The Adventures of Poseidon
Another map I enjoyed revisiting and I really like the water theme this map offers, as you could tell from the title.
Like with WareHous, Duke starts without weapons but the Pistol is given right in the next room. In the meantime, you are given three Trip Bombs but I am not sure if it's worth using them against troopers, you are better off kicking them to death.
Health is provided in decent amounts, with two Portable Medkits available in the map, occasional health pickup and even two toilets when unlocking the bathroom at a later point in the map. Ammo is only scarce at beginning and even at later parts, you have to be resourceful and pick the right gun for the battle.
Unfortunately, the Armor has been neglected, much like in Page's SEWAGE map but at least this time I was able to get two Used Armors dropped by Pig Cops, each giving me 75 armor, so this turned things in my favor and made the map flow much better.
Once again, the bugs and glitches strike again. At a later time in the map, when blowing up a crack to reveal a switch and some shotgun shells, I went to grab the shells and Duke died instantly due to squish glitch. This happened twice and found it really annoying, as I could have beaten the map without dying (same case as with One2zerO) but at least I am glad I have saved the game often and used multiple save slots, so shit like this doesn't ruin the enjoyment of the map. Load game and get back into action.
There are a couple tricky parts when dealing with stronger monsters (especially with some heavy spawns towards the end of the map) but nothing too difficult, even with ammo running a bit tight at times, I still had just enough to deal with everyone. I even killed all the Sharks present in the aquariums, you can do that by throwing a pipebomb near the window at the right time while the sharks are near the glass, they will be affected by the blast radius. This will inflate your kill count but it's worth doing it if you truly want everyone dead in this map. Oh and finishing this map will cause it to restart, due to the paletted Nuke Button, so don't worry if the map suddenly restarts.
Secrets:
1) At the beginning, once you go to the second room, collect the pistol and kill the troopers, there is a vent you have to jump inside and press a switch. Go outside to see a compartment with NVGs is now revealed.
2) When you enter a room with the EDF logo (EARTH DEFENSE FORCES), there is a crack on the logo. Blow it up to reveal a secret room containing Portable Medkit, a box of Pipebombs, as well as Devastator + 2x ammo.
3) In the room containing a Pig Cop Tank and the Yellow Card, there is a hidden switch on the panel with the target, which will reveal a nearby compartment containing an Atomic Health.
Hint: It is possible to press the self-destruct button on a Pig Cop Tank through the windows. This can be done here with the one guarding the Yellow Card, which is in a rather cramped place. This trick will get rid of him without even taking damage from the explosion.
Overall, despite some flaws present, this map was pretty good. I had fun revisiting this one.
In the end, most of Aashage's maps don't hold up that well nowadays but I think his last two offerings are still good enough to check out, as they aren't overly confusing and they are pretty well designed while offering a good challenge at same time. If checking out the first couple maps, especially for the first time, caution is advised because of the cryptic progression that will discourage most people from further playing.
I also feel like those maps would have been better without those obtuse puzzles. It's not fun to get stuck and not know what to do for 10+ minutes. At least that's my opinion on them, other people enjoy exploring and looking for hidden switches.
Oh and I find funny how even in most of Daniel's maps, you will encounter paletted Pig Cops, usually the Red variant. I always liked adding a bit more variety to the existing enemies, even if it doesn't change the gameplay in Atomic Edition, unless you play in Duke3D 1.3D, in which case good luck dealing with paletted enemies with double health. At least this rule applies to user maps compatible with 1.3D, I don't recommend trying to play Atomic maps in Duke3D 1.3D executable, they will probably not even run.
In short, if you plan to play through Daniel's best offerings, then please play
Streets of Gotham City and
The Adventures of Poseidon. If choosing only one of them, I recommend GOTHAM because it is more memorable in my opinion. But even POSEIDON has a couple cool things going for it, so you decide which one to play.
Not voting just yet, I will do that next time when it's time for reviewing C3PO's maps. I am still waiting for Aleks to vote.
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