Duke Map/Mod of the Month Club - August 2024

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Duke Map/Mod of the Month Club - August 2024 "You no mess with Lo Wang!"

FistMarine

#1 Posted 01 August 2024 - 02:50 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

For this month, the original Shadow Warrior has been chosen! Shadow Warrior is a BUILD Engine Game, created by 3D Realms. It is considered a spiritual successor to Duke Nukem 3D.

Shadow Warrior was originally released on 13th May 1997 as shareware version 1.0, with shareware version 1.1 being released on 26th May 1997 and both versions 1.2 (shareware & registered) being released on 25th August 1997. Shadow Warrior was later re-released as Shadow Warrior Classic Redux on 8th July 2013. This enhanced version is based off JFSW source port and includes the two expansion packs with further bug fixes.

The original DOS version of the game has been made freeware since back in May 2013 when the current owners of the IP decided to make the game freeware after their promotional codes (for the then upcoming Shadow Warrior reboot) shared on Facebook were hacked. More on that here: https://forums.duke4...-play-on-steam/

Shadow Warrior can be downloaded for free at the following links:

Shadow Warrior Shareware Version 1.2 (Archived 3D Realms Website)

Shadow Warrior Registered Version 1.2 (Archive.org Original CD Image)

Shadow Warrior Classic Complete (GOG Version)

Shadow Warrior Classic (1997) (Steam Version)

Shadow Warrior: Classic and Complete (Zoom Platform)

There are various source ports available for SW. The old ones JFSW and SWP still exist but they aren't recommended to be used to this day. There is an official remaster that is still being sold to this day, it can be bought at the following links for the current price of 10 euros. Here are the links for Classic Redux:

Shadow Warrior Classic Redux (GOG Version)

Shadow Warrior Classic Redux (Steam Version)

If none of these options interest you, then you can use any of the following newer source ports to play the game: VoidSW, Raze and BuildGDX. All you need is the SW.GRP file placed in the source port directory and you are good to go.

If you are a purist and still have the original CD, you can play the game in DOSBox. If you don't have the original CD, I recommend getting the CD image from archive.org and then installing the game in DOSBox X to preserve the original timestamp of files. Or just copy the swinst folder from the CD, rename it to SW, configure the setup and start playing without having to run the installer.

If you are getting the game from one of the above digital stores, then I recommend playing the game with a source port instead of the pre-configured version running in an outdated version of DOSBox.

If you are playing the game for the first time, I recommend playing at a lower difficulty setting until getting familiarized with the game. The game can be quite brutal due to many of the enemies dealing a lot of damage. However, if you are familiar with other Build Games (especially Duke3D), then you can start with Who Wants Wang, which is the default selection at the main menu.

Difficulty Settings

Tiny Grasshopper - Easy Difficulty. Lowest amount of enemies present in the map.
I Have No Fear - Normal Difficulty. Low amount of enemies present in the map.
Who Wants Wang - Hard Difficulty. Moderate amount of enemies present in the map.
No Pain No Gain - Very Hard Difficulty. Highest amount of enemies present in the map.

The only thing affected by difficulty is the amount of enemies encountered. Unlike Duke3D and games based on it, enemies spawned later into the level are also affected by difficulty settings. Sadly, much like most Build Engine Games, the damage dealt and taken between monsters and players remains the same on all skill levels.

Interestingly, during development, SW was meant to have five difficulty settings available but in the final game, only four are available to select. The fifth difficulty was merged with the fourth one, which is why there is a huge spike in enemy count between Who Wants Wang and No Pain No Gain, at least when comes to the shareware episode. Still, some levels do not have such drastic differences in enemy count between the skill levels.

Episode and Map List

Quote

Enter the Wang (Shareware Episode)

Level 1: Seppuku Station

Level 2: Zilla Construction

Level 3: Master Leep's Temple

Level 4: Dark Woods of the Serpent

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Code of Honor (Registered Episode) (Part 1)

Level 5: Rising Son

Level 6: Killing Fields

Level 7: Hara-Kiri Harbor

Level 8: Zilla's Villa

Level 9: Monastery

Level 10: Raider of the Lost Wang

Level 21: Shanghai Shipwreck

Level 11: Sumo Sky Palace

Quote

Code of Honor (Registered Episode) (Part 2)

Level 12: Bath House

Level 13: Unfriendly Skies

Level 22: Auto Maul

Level 14: Crude Oil

Level 15: Coolie Mines

Level 16: Subpen 7

Level 17: The Great Escape

Level 18: Floating Fortress

Level 19: Water Torture

Level 20: Stone Rain

Quote

Multiplayer Maps

Level 23: Heavy Metal (DM Only)

Level 24: Ripper Valley (DM Only)

Level 25: House of Wang (DM Only)

Level 26: Lo Wang Rally (DM Only)

Level 27: Ruins of the Ronin (CTF)

Level 28: Killing Fields (CTF)

Manual is available on the legacy 3D Realms website:
https://legacy.3drea...w%20Warrior.pdf

Walkthrough is available on the legacy 3D Realms website:
https://legacy.3drea...lkthroughs.html

Notes:
1) The two secret exits are found on levels 10 and 13, which is why they are placed like that in the list above.
2) The extra multiplayer maps can be played in Single Player mode with command line parameters. Some of the maps may hold a nasty surprise in them!

Have fun!

This post has been edited by FistMarine: 01 August 2024 - 03:00 AM

Quacken

#2 Posted 01 August 2024 - 03:29 AM

Hi! I'll uhh... get to C3PO's maps later. When I'm not really tired.

Seppuku Station
Randy Pitchford, Stephen Cole

Hi, Randy! Cut down the two dumbasses with the Katana and embark on your quest to kill a billionaire who may or may not be a demon. Seppuku Station is a rather rude awakening if you're fresh off of playing Duke 3D's commercial maps. It throws a good handful of the Episode 1 monsters at you right off the bat and is lacking on health, but fortunately I remember the secrets in this map very well, and all of them are overpowered here. As a matter of fact, even though the secret Grenade Launcher only gives you six grenades to work with, as long as you know the right places to use them you'll be okay until you get past the Silver Door. After the Silver Door is where I start losing interest though. Using your secret Nuke on the train platform seems like a good deal, and while it's the only good place to actually use it on, it's actually not very good. It won't even kill the Shadow Ninja most of the time and will instead just waste the Brown Ninjas.

We're gonna go through all of the map elements slowly so as to prevent these reviews from becoming too padded (but just padded enough). Your three starting weapons are the Katana, the Fists (called the Fists of Fury in the manual I believe) and the Shurikens. You can forget about the Shurikens right away. These little pea shooters don't even one tap Brown Ninjas and are very slow to both come out and travel. What you actually want to use until you get the secret Grenade Launcher is the Katana. The Katana one taps Brown Ninjas and that is all it's good for. It's too slow, weak and janky to hit anything else. Thankfully there's a lot of Brown Ninjas in Episode 1, so it's actually quite fun to use. The Fists hit things reliably but have even worse DPS than the Katana, so it's best used to spawn camp Coolie Ghosts, or if you feel like going boxing with a Ripper. That is until you use a Smoke Bomb, in which case the Fists get a special power-up that does more damage per hit. In that case, the Fists become the best weapon to pair with it. Seppuku Station is a fine introduction to the saga of Lo Wang, but is weighed down by Shadow Warrior's general clunkiness.

6.5/10.

juvenite

#3 Posted 01 August 2024 - 04:52 AM

I can't believe a whole month flew by like this... Damn, I feel bad for unintentionally abandoning last month's thread, but ey, this is Shadow Warrior. I never pass up an opportunity to replay that game. I can go back to July's thread later anyway.

Quacken

#4 Posted 01 August 2024 - 10:17 PM

Going to try different formatting for these reviews.

Zilla Construction
Stephen Cole

Zilla Construction is all things considered a step up from Seppuku Station. Map author Stephen Cole retains most of John Romero's fundamentals, but he definitely feels like a mapper that gets all of the secrets when he playtests, and hardly lets anyone else playtest. The opening fight is fine, but there are mines everywhere on boxes that make it awkward to move around. If you remember to get the secret Nuke before entering the Blue Door, then the subsequent fight after turning the power back on is good fun. If not, then it's exhausting trying to bottleneck the Ninjas that come after you, since the Shadow Ninjas on the sides and the Brown Ninjas at the very back prevent you from moving forward, and the forklift's machine gun attachment is terrible. The nearby crate maze is both entirely optional and also has mines and Coolies in it, with one of the former carpeting the area with Caltrops that take a 1/10th of your health off of you and do negligible damage to the monsters. That's not to say that there's not some good qualities here. Zilla Construction goes heavy on coloured lighting and features Shadow Warrior's first two rideable machines - there's a swiveling turret that can't move and is in an awful spot, and a forklift that you use to get two secrets and a machine gun that is worse than your twin Uzis. I also like the two printing presses. One of them gives you the Gold Key and the other one offers free refills on Uzis. Zilla Construction's superior tech makes it a better offering than Cole's group project.

7.5/10.

Let's talk about Ninjas this time. I've said before I don't really like fighting Pig Cops and Enforcers. Well, I like fighting Ninjas even less so. There are five Ninjas, and they can be differentiated by the colour of their pants. The non-Shadow variant fires an Uzi at you and also does another thing with no wind-up or sound cue. Brown Ninjas can throw Shurikens at you, which is whatever, but the other three fire explosives at you. They are obscenely bulky, but all the variance and luck of one of Tchernobog's one-eyed monks. Using the Uzis against a Red, Orange or Silver Ninja is basically not an option. So is the Katana even though it's good against Brown Ninjas. Even if they are twin Uzis, they are slow, weak and don't actually stun lock them, so you can slowly pepper your target with fly stings and then they can suicide bomb you with their secondary attack. The Riot Gun fairs better, but in order to actually kill one of the Terrible Three, you have to stand right in front of them and unload all four shots of your clip into them. And if you're standing right in front of them, that means you're standing right in front of an explosive, which means sometimes you just die instantly. And then there's Shadow Ninjas. Yeah, take all of what I just said and now they move twice as fast, you can barely see them, they can make your screen go white with flash bombs and their main attack is a huge fuck off pillar of fire that will either just kill you outright or make you lose so much health you'll get picked off by one of the other hitscanners. Yeah, you can one tap them with missiles - good luck with that because you're basically trying to hit a Fast Spectre with a projectile but worse. All in all, terribly designed monsters and Blood's hitscanners are in my opinion still way better designed than Apogee's ones.

NNC

#5 Posted 04 August 2024 - 07:43 AM

Just like in Duke 3D (or Blood or Doom and many other games in the shareware era) the freeware episode is much more polished than the registered one. I especially found the last 2 maps with Master Leep's Temple and Dark Woods to be a really epic journey.

Stephen Cole's maps in the registered episode are mostly garbage by layout (save Harakiri Harbor for it's moody coastal atmosphere). Go to an open room, get the keycard, go the next one with the slot, repeat, repeat, end. OK, these games are mostly key hunting, but maps by Blum, Levelord and even Schuler offer much more interesting layouts than this. SW in general and sadly, somewhat miss the 3D architecture of Duke 3D maps. You just don't see those interesting complex SOS architecture with the genuine 3D feel.

In the registered episode, Bath House, Floating Fortress and Water Torture are the best maps. The last two can be easily envisioned in Duke's environments. Actually I like Stone Rain too.

Quacken

#6 Posted 06 August 2024 - 05:36 AM

Did you know that there's an unused babe in this game? She has red hair and the only sprite of her that exists is one where she plunges a sword into her stomach. She goes unused in the game but is still present on the portrait of Master Leep and the other babes (what the Medkit secret is behind). It was probably cut because the sprite was too explicit (the other babes "cover" themselves, you know what I mean) and Apogee didn't have enough time to change the sprite.

Master Leep's Temple
Keith Schuler

Master Leep's Temple is the first map by Levelord stand-in and husband of one of the voice actresses in this game (Ami Schuler), Keith Schuler. These four shareware maps are big on gimmicks that Apogee use once and then never again, and this map has half of them. They did want to try and convince you to drop your month's worth of pocket money on this instead of Quake 2, after all. Or you could have gotten Blood instead... this map starts mean but mellows out very quickly. Mr. Schuler was taking a lot of lessons from Stephen Cole in this one: In order to beat this map, you have to have already beaten it. The Shadow Ninja rudely plonked at the start will kill you very quickly if you don't use your Gas Bomb wisely. The Ninjas past the Brown Gate can be dispatched with good use of the Shurikens on the explosive barrels (the only thing they're useful for), but unlike Doom, your auto aim doesn't target barrels. So turn your auto aim off for that, then turn it back on once you make it up to the cliffs. After saying hi and bye to Master Leep's corpse, the crusher after the slow moving lava rocks is a dumbass trap. You have to know to walk forward, turn around and then shoot the gear texture with something to open the way forward. The puzzle afterward is thankfully easy to brute force, but it definitely gave the four-man band behind Silver Bullet some bad ideas. This is the first map where two Nukes are available (both in secrets, which seems intentional), and you thankfully get two decent spots to use them. Once at the crop of Ninjas and Hornets on the ledge before Master Leep, and the other one against the Ripper cubby near the end. Master Leep's Temple is creative, but Schuler's eccentricities flatten the curve.

7.5/10.

Back to weapons! We've got the Riot Gun next. It's no Sawed Off, I'll tell you that for free. I've never seen a weapon that gives you 24 for its only ammo pickup be so inefficient at killing things. It might actually be less efficient in both ammo and power than Duke 3D's Shotgun, and certainly worse than Blood's Sawed Off. You can donk a hitscanner in two snail-paced shots with the Duke Shotgun, but literally every monster besides Koi and Brown Ninjas need more than one shell to kill them. Usually it will be three or more, and they need to be meat shots. So you've got a choice: Either you roll the dice multiple times to try and not die to a Red Ninja by hitting them with the least satisfying primary fire of all time, or you use the secondary firing mode (done by pressing the 4 key while you have the gun active, you will see two red pips) and unload the entire barrel of four shots into them. But not only is it still RNG, it is worse RNG than using the primary fire when it comes to a group of multiple targets because you aren't taking cover anymore. Shit is ducked, man. It's good enough for killing most things though so I don't mind it too much.

The Missile Launcher goes flying all over the damn place if you have auto aim on, but it's a fine weapon that is strong enough to one tap Red Ninjas. It has two alternate firing modes (press the 5 key while the gun is active to switch to them): The Heat Seeker Card, which you can't get right now, and the Nuclear Warhead. The Heat Seeker is the Chicken Crossbow situation again, but even worse. The homing missiles just do much less damage on average because you aren't directly hitting your target. The Nuclear Warhead... you know, considering it's a nuclear warhead, the main blast does less damage than you think it would. Instead it's a BFG deal, where it's the after effect that does more damage. In this case, it spawns Gas Bomb trails everywhere after impact that slowly leech away health over time. It's fine. It's more of a boon for single segment players because you have better control over when you can use it, instead of losing it after each map on Katana Start. Also it gets blocked on pretty much every bit of geometry, as long as you can obscure your body behind it. That's an intended mechanic, because the blast hurts you and the way it works is you have to find cover before the detonation, but it just further reduces its damage output in practice. Also, the slight recoil on firing the thing really annoys me.

This post has been edited by Quacken: 06 August 2024 - 05:36 AM

Quacken

#7 Posted 07 August 2024 - 01:28 AM

Avenge my death! Or the death of the C3P0 reviews!

Dark Woods of the Serpent
Pitchford, Schuler

Dark Woods of the Serpent is the brainchild of Randy Pitchford and Keith Schuler. Didn't Allen Blum make maps for this game? I thought this one was one of his... apparently not, according to the wiki. Dark Woods is by far the longest map in Shadow Warrior, but not really the most complicated or technical. It's the only map in the game with over 200 kills, and much like The Great Temple it kinda plays like an SAT test. It schools you on all of the mechanics you've learnt in a variety of fights that range from milquetoast to genuinely pretty tricky, and features the back half of one-time only map gimmicks. We've got a slip and slide to bring you into the map proper, a tank you need to fix with the Repair Kit that is non-negotiable this time around, a portal into lands unknown, a flying carpet and pillars of stone you can drive around. I would say the most impressive of these is the flying carpet. It not only looks very snazzy (not even Ion Fury did anything like this last I checked, the closest thing might be the Revenant aircraft), but it also dumps you into a very tricky but good fight that is one of the few times where using the Heat Seeker Card is a good idea. Hitscanners are all around you on the rocks, but they're mostly Brown Ninjas, so reduced damage missiles are fine if you don't have to aim.

I do have an issue though. If you head into the mine shaft to get the goodies inside, you can potentially miss your ride back on the carpet, and it takes quite a long while before another one spawns. Driving the tank around is good fun. It's big and struggles with turning, but it makes good sounds and spreads explosions everywhere. I wish the section it was in was longer. The last thing to talk about is the cowardly Serpent God. The Serpent God is the "boss" of Episode 1, but it's basically a non-fight as he escapes once he loses half of his health. Not that the fight would be that much more of a challenge even if he died in this map though, because he hardly puts up a fight. The Serpent God has a melee attack that will never hit you, a volley of projectiles that you can run him into a knot with, and a circle of eight Cursed Heads that he doesn't use often enough to be a threat. Not to mention, the game maxes you out on missiles. The Giant Ripper five near the driveable columns is the real boss fight here. Dark Woods of the Serpent is an inspiring adventure map that provides a glimpse into what you're not actually buying if you bought the full game.

9/10.

We're back to monsters. First is the Coolie. This blatant slur for Chinese immigrants who migrated to California during the Gold Rush is a Sentry Drone that is slower, can't fly, can't dodge rockets and overall takes less effort to kill, which makes it better to fight in pretty much every way. At the end of the day though, it's still a suicide bomb monster, so expect a lot of situations where you round a corner or open a door only to get suddenly eat 40 damage. If a Coolie dies or blows up on you and you didn't gib its corpse, it has a chance to spawn a Coolie Ghost in its place. I like fighting these guys actually. They're a mosquito enemy like Lost Souls are, but swap out charging at you for a projectile attack that is just good enough to occasionally get you. They also don't have a lot of health and are vulnerable to being spawn camped by the Fists or Katana, which gives you a lot of options to get rid of them. They frequently turn invisible and thus intangible to attacks, but they have bright colours and are very noisy, so watch out for them.

Then you've got the Ripper and the Giant Ripper. The Ripper is a very standard rushdown enemy that has the added plus of being able to leap at you. One very annoying thing about them and the Coolies is that they move faster as they lose health - to the point where they get major zoomies if they are close to death, which makes them very annoying to get the last tick of damage on them. They are also another monster that requires four meatshots from the Riot Gun to kill. Now, the Giant Ripper: It's like a Ripper, but much bigger and has orange paint on it. It'll take about 12 shells to kill one if you're interested. If you gib either of these monsters, they have a chance of dropping a Ripper Heart. More on that later in its own section...

NNC

#8 Posted 07 August 2024 - 09:14 AM

Quacken, on 06 August 2024 - 05:36 AM, said:

And believe me, as a young kid, I literally spent hours to find her pushing every wall and noclipping everything. Actually I started doing this right after finding the green farting one.

NNC

#9 Posted 07 August 2024 - 09:22 AM

As for the coolie, it might be slower and groundier than the drones, but they can instakill, while drones take much less damage.... and their spirit doesn't live on even.

Quacken

#10 Posted 09 August 2024 - 12:36 AM

Is the "Code of Honor" the receipt you get when you buy the full game?

Rising Son
Keith Schuler

Episode 2 of Shadow Warrior kicks off with Rising Son. This map would be much meaner if it didn't have seven secrets and three really easy ones to find. In fact, I'm confident that Schuler played this map always getting the exact three secrets I did. Get off of the boat and head back to where you were to eventually find a secret cave with a Riot Gun and both explosive Launchers, and now you can properly play this map. If you don't find this secret, good luck locking fisticuffs with the Shadow Ninja in the hut a little later on. Schuler often tries to encourage you to play poorly in this map. There's three Uzi clips in your way near the first Shadow Ninja, and if you raided the water while getting the first secret you'll already be loaded on clips. When you try to inevitably take cover, you'll end up just wasting a lot of ammo. The mounted gun immediately after is a Schuler-certified dumbass trap, where using it will cause you to lose much more health than corner-peeking with the Grenade Launcher. At this point it's in two secrets now, so it's kind of on you if you don't get either of them. Despite what I've said so far, this map was unexpectedly enjoyable. Schuler goes very aggressive on teleport traps in this map, and two of the ambushes even got me to lock in for a little while. Unlike Downtown Hickston, this map also doesn't blow all of its new elements on its episode opener, which is quite refreshing. The final fight is a rematch against the Serpent God. He's much harder to kill this time because there's less room and a damaging floor, and on No Pain No Gain he even gets joined by two Orange Rippers, but also you get handed a Nuke upon entering the room which equalises things very quickly. You are also drowning in Fortune Cookies and Medkits, so you can't really die here. Rising Son is unassuming, but is designed quite sensibly by Schuler's standards.

8/10.

The next weapon on the list is the Grenade Launcher. This is the best weapon in the game. The explosions the Grenade Launcher creates are much bigger than they seem, so make sure to stand far away from the projectiles if you can. Otherwise though, this does good damage and you can do that damage from around a corner where you can't get hurt. It's great for hordes of weak monsters like Hornets, Koi, Brown Ninjas and Coolie Ghosts, and two will usually clear most of the high health Ninjas. The Missile Launcher is probably the second best weapon and is better suited for when you would rather hit your target straight on. Then you've got Sticky Bombs, which are just worse grenades. They have an awful range, are very slow to travel and are even slower to actually explode, and to top it off it takes like three to actually kill something. Also, you have to get in your target's line of sight to make them stick, which is bad. Pipebombs, these are not. They're best used to blow up cracked walls because your other explosive ammo is better spent elsewhere. And because I've got the time, the last element to talk about are two inventory items: The Flash Bomb and the Caltrops! Don't use these. Ever. I don't know what the Flash Bomb is meant to do, but it doesn't do what you think it does. Or if it does do that, it doesn't do it well enough. Caltrops do a pathetic amount of damage for each individual spike and can't even do half of a Coolie's health in damage, if it steps on all nine. They can also hurt you if you step on them, so just don't bother with them.

NNC

#11 Posted 09 August 2024 - 01:32 PM

What's annoying in this game is how hard the enemies are to kill. Orange rippers, fuck those really, they need like shitloads of rockets and they get fast as they are dying (like Quacken said). The riot gun is really a pea shooter, and the uzi is inaccurate compared to the uzis used by the ninjas. Also fuck those ninjas who shoot rockets and grenades from their bellys (they don't own such weapons), and the shadow ninja too.

It's like Duke Nukem 3D having enforcers as the weakest enemy, enforcers with rockets and pipebombs (or something like shrinkers), newbeasts, big ass newbeasts, sentry drones with instakill explosions, commanders with instakill spreading rockets, pigcop tanks, and all bosses in miniboss forms and in large numbers.

This post has been edited by NNC: 09 August 2024 - 01:36 PM

Quacken

#12 Posted 10 August 2024 - 02:15 AM

Fortune say: I believe there are only eight different fortunes.

Killing Fields
Stephen Cole

Stephen Cole begins a hot streak of maps from here until MAP10, and Killing Fields is certainly an uninteresting way to begin. Visually, this map is pretty bland. It has a good grasp on verticality but a lot of its texture choices blend in together, and some of the rooms that do stand out like the lava cave use some pretty ugly textures. I also confuse parts of this map with Raiders of the Lost Wang (that's MAP10) a lot. I don't know why Stephen Cole just had to use the exact same textures on two of his subterranean ruins. The combat is also lacklustre. The only fight that gets me half-awake is the stampede outside the Gold Door building, and that was only because I didn't find the Missile Launcher early enough. Otherwise, once you get the Grenade Launcher it's easy cruising. None of the monsters right now can really answer the Grenade Launcher. The only ones that can are the bosses and their Mini versions when they get introduced, and the first Serpent Lord isn't for another four maps. Killing Fields is an unremarkable entry that wastes one of the standout Shadow Warrior songs.

3/10.

The Hornet and the Koi are two nuisance enemies, and both are really easy to kill with auto aim turned on. Koi would be easy pickings for the Katana if they didn't have a really wonky hitbox that just makes it so you can never melee them, but you can just Riot Gun or Uzi them so it's not an issue. Hornets get melted by the Uzis if you've got auto-aim on so they're not an issue either - unless you play without auto-aim, and in that case, have fun trying to hit a bunch of microscopic targets. Accursed Heads are the final nuisance enemy. They aren't really one in the traditional sense, but they do contribute to the kill count for some reason, so I might as well talk about them. Contributing to the kill count actually becomes an issue for the three Serpent God fights as one of their attacks spawns eight in a ring, and if you kill the Serpent God before the ring is spent then the Heads aren't killed, leading to 100% kills becoming impossible. They are also a trap that appears regularly on levels and I hate all of them. Yeah, I'll stand on this one sector and rather than a monster or four spawning in, let's just spew a bunch of grenades everywhere that kill you instantly unless you figure out the magic route to safety. Awesome. And Apogee knew what bastards they were, because there's several times where they place two in the same area: One to flashbang you and one to spread caltrops or grenades. I don't think I need to explain why obscuring the player's vision and then making them dodge sudden death traps is a terrible idea, right?

The Baby Ripper: It's like a Ripper, but it can cling to walls, throw projectiles and biologically has nothing to do with the "grown-up" Ripper. Later on these guys get their own Orange variant with more health, so I'll call this and their Orange variant Tigers from now on. Tigers are pretty much moderately fast Imps. They don't actually have much health, which makes this another monster the Katana can handle in one swing. Their attacks do a lot of damage and they're fast though, so don't go writing them off just yet. Their added acrobatics compared to the Ripper are usually a non-issue since they can't actually do anything while stuck to a wall, besides leaping off of it. I guess that messes up your auto-aim? They're not usually that much of a threat if you're good at the game.

This post has been edited by Quacken: 10 August 2024 - 02:20 AM

NNC

#13 Posted 10 August 2024 - 05:12 AM

The baby ripper is probably the game's pushover enemy despite it's damage, and unlike in the original game, usermaps use it as the base rightfully instead of the ninjas. The orange version is however just as bad as the orange ripper, probably even worse because of the erratic movements and fast projectiles.

TheDragonLiner

#14 Posted 10 August 2024 - 07:31 AM

No introduction for me except that I'll play using GDX just like before. I think I will say more stuff about the game and my relation to it at the end for conclusion.
Also, I'll struggle to say stuff about the game in later levels not only because I don't like the idea of saying stuff everybody has already said, but also because it's hard to find stuff to say when things are so good in the first place IMO >_>

Sepuku Station :

A pretty rough entry into the game needless to say. It's a harder E1L1 than Duke's and it introduces stuff a lot quicker too. I mean you get 7 out of 10 weapons in the very first level man !

Also, it really does show how much of a step up everything is compared to Duke. Environnements are more lively and credible than ever before. Surely Redneck Ramapge's look more realistic but sometimes the details lack while some other times it's just as detailed as SW. Also, SW introduces more scenario than Duke or RR just with that first voice line.
Gameplay wise, the level is also a bit more complex than you'd anticipate from a first level even though stuff flow nicely in the end. The fact the Silver Key allows you to open more exits than ways in feels kinda strange ... The final stretch in the Subway is quite the challenge for a first level. Many Ninjas, especially 2 Shadow ones, a Turret which you don't know yet if you can destroy it or not, especially since there's no feedback (logically so) and the Wagon filled with Coolies, a good spot for the Gas Grenade BTW.
It's hard for me to pick a favorite part in the level, but I'd say perhaps the Pachinko Area would be my favorite alongside the surroundings of the Station.

Regarding ammo, I'd say this is one of the rare levels to give you enough overall, a compliment I won't make often because the one grief I have against SW is the sometimes ridiculous overrabundance of ammo. In this level I used a bit of everything with the exceptions of 6th and 7th weapon.

I have a hard time finding more to say, and it's too early for me to think of a ranking of sorts ... We'll see later.

TheDragonLiner

#15 Posted 11 August 2024 - 04:49 AM

Later I'll struggle hard to find stuff to say so I'll upload 2 by 2 whenever.

Zilla Construction :

I believe this would be the first real challenge for a first time player give how it's filled to the brim with enemies. I like how this level showcases most the attention to detail with the Ninjas jumping off of crates and them having unique animations when killed in the air.

What I prefer in this level compared to the previous is the fact that the more open scenery makes for more interesting combat situations, even in-doors where it's less cramped, not that the previous was much. Progression is also good, it's less linear than in the previous level but area's layout is more simple and straightforward. This level sees the first use of the Repair Kit and while it's not the best one at that, it's a decent intro and a nice touch that we can use the ForkLift to reach 2 small semi-hidden areas.

It's also the level where I believe we can make the first genuine use out of the Smoke and Flash Bombs. Especially inside the facility. Using the Smoke Bomb in the room where you find the Blue Key (the one with the yellow panel on the right when you enter) was pretty good. The Red and Shadow Ninjas didn't attack me despite being in melee range. And using the Flash before it ran out maintained them in that state.
Turning on the Generator is the moment where we can make actual use of the 7th weapon just like the Trip Mines in Duke3D when you know where the enemies are gonna spawn though it's not too reliable at that. Indeed I saw that the Spawner tends to trigger the mine before the enemy actually appears >_> This is also the first true moment for a Nuke use IMO, though you'd better not have used the Repair Kit before otherwise what's broken is broken for good.

Final Room is a good set-piece with the Driller opening the path to the next level.

I prefer the music in the level, and I like the more hectic and thus stimulating combat. I find we're given a bit too much ammo for 3rd and 4th weapons, but it remains reasonable. While the level isn't as visually appealing as the previous, it compensates with sheer gunplay.

Quacken

#16 Posted 13 August 2024 - 02:19 AM

My eyes went dreary playing this map.

Hara-Kiri Harbour
Stephen Cole

Stephen Cole's second map in the train of averageness is Hara-Kiri Harbour. This map begins with a hot start, which is relatively rare for commercial Build maps. I would like it more if Stephen Cole didn't drop Coolies around corners and the Shadow Ninja near the Ruby Key can snipe you from a football field away with its projectile. Going into the back alley near the Silver Door is also suicide as another Shadow Ninja and his posse is ready to jump you. In order to do this fight without sustaining a crippling migraine, you have to either wait until you get past the Ruby Door to find the non-secret Nuke, or you have to find a secret cave with the other one. Let's not forget that the Missile Launcher is wedged inside an explosive barrel, so you better hope you remember to get that on a Katana Start by destroying the right cluster of barrels. Remember that point I made about Stephen Cole testing his maps while getting all of the secrets? This map also abuses a very frustrating mechanic about the Ninjas that I forgot to mention back in their segment: There is a cover system and the Ninjas can abuse it. They will cover their entire body behind a crate or another obstacle on one frame and then shoot at you with hitscan on the next couple of frames. And they still take six years to kill! Great! The two most sickly gems in this map include a Red Ninja hiding behind a waterfall near the Ruby Key which is damn near impossible to shoot at without going up to where he's camping yourself, and a couple more past the Silver door behind these shoulder-high crates. It's visually very dull also. I like reddish-browns, but this map is as flat as a cutting board and has barely any lighting variation. Throw in linear progression and you have a map author who can't handle a toaster without setting it on fire.

3/10.

Oh good, we're able to talk about the Episode 2 elements now. The Rail Gun has a horrendous firing rate (including a delay on pressing MOUSE1) and does too little damage. I guess being able to have a semi-rare weapon that one taps high health Ninjas was just too much to ask, so Apogee cut the damage in half and it two taps them instead. The downside to this is it makes the gun unusable. Plain and simple, it is better in pretty much all cases to just use the Riot Gun. You just kill things faster with it. The Guardian Head's okay though. This is a weapon that has three different firing modes, and you can press the 9 key to cycle between them (look at Lo Wang's finger to see which one you have selected). You'll want to cycle until you see Lo Wang's ring finger clutching the head. That's the same projectile the Shadow Ninjas use and it's pretty good! It does some good damage and can be spammed, but it costs 10 ammo to use each time and acquiring Guardian Heads is mostly RNG dependent. And the final weapon is the Ripper Heart. Another RNG dependent weapon, this one requires you to gib either of the Rippers (not a Tiger) for a chance to get one. Using a Ripper Heart spawns a clone of you with a Rail Gun that will attack monsters. It's pretty cool, but it fricks up the kill count and the clone can't follow you around, so after you use it to clear a room it just waddles around until it explodes. Also, using it will sometimes give you the legendary "Two Wangs are better than one!" line, so that's good too. I don't really know why a heart belonging to a demon gorilla is doing all of this though.

TheDragonLiner

#17 Posted 13 August 2024 - 10:20 AM

Master Leap's Palace :

Now that's a good looking place. This is where I think SW shines most, making garden-like areas like these, and temples as well. The interior garden area in partical feels nice though it's not the best the game will see, I especially remember the one Twin Dragon level had the best garden area. And another good place for the 7th weapon which, if you're an experiened gamer, you can kinda anticipate on a blind playthrough for once.

The inner temple is okay, it's got interesting situations and our first traps to dodge. And there's that strange Goo enemy which is weird. It's well made and it feels puzzling to see it. I can't tell if it's got an AI or if it just moves randomly :/
The climb towards the Volcano is the biggest set-piece IMO. Alongside the ambiant music which I think fits most here. However the Auto-Aim is kinda wonky in the initial steps, I don't know if it's GDX's problem with having it aim at the farthest enemies or if it's a vanilla thing ... We get our first sights of the Wasps too. I hate them in Real Life and I hate them just as much here <_<

Thank auto aim.

The Puzzle at the end I'm not a fan of. It's not the kind of puzzle I think which fits a fast FPS. And a good gauntlet of Rippers at the end, and a final call back to Sentry Drones in yer face too.

Gameplay in this level is more ballanced compared to the previous levels. A tiny bit less fighting and more exploration. Ammo is once again reasonably laid out, I'd say it's the most ballanced yet. AND it's also got some 2 or 3 Armors I don't remember accurately, which is also good because this is another recurring complaint I'll have, not enough of those given how fast they melt ...

I would like to say more but it's hard to find stuff to say :/ I think this level will compete for my favorite of Ep1. I have fond memories of the next level just as much as this one so it's gonna be close ....

Quacken

#18 Posted 14 August 2024 - 04:03 AM

I always think that Hara-Kiri Harbor is MAP08 for some reason.

Zilla's Villa
Stephen Cole

Sporting a lacking monster count, no new map elements and the most forgettable song in the entire soundtrack, Zilla's Villa is textbook filla. The opening fight is fine, but once you make it out of that, I think even Stephen Cole didn't have many ideas for this one. The ladder up to the roof from the fireplace is cool, but only if you know it's there. Otherwise the ladder borders on being a secret, since it's on the other side of the chimney and you can't see it from the outside. Cole also hands you a free Nuke for the only fight that would have actually been an issue. It's just there. You can just... use it immediately. I swear the Nuke passes through monsters, also... that darned thing just kinda collides with whatever it wants to and then doesn't even kill high health threats most of the time. This is also another map at a sobering darkness level that is neither moody nor brightly lit enough to make grabbing items easier, and it's mostly reds, blacks and pastel colours which makes it really blend together with Monastery (MAP09, not the Wanton Destruction map). Also a Stephen Cole map... Zilla's Villa is done in seven minutes, and then you can go back to never thinking about it again.

2/10.

The Female Ninja... and yes, that is its name, despite the fact that "Kunoichi" is the actual word you use to refer to a female ninja, goes down easy and is thankfully not too difficult to deal with. She can either shoot arrows at you or throw sticky bombs at a snail's pace. The arrows don't really do a lot of damage and the sticky bombs can be destroyed by your Shurikens or Uzis. In practice, she doesn't really get to do much and will usually just eat three shells or one missile and then die. Good on Apogee for the female representation, though. The Guardian is another monster that doesn't do much. Imagine an Imp but it gets stage fright whenever it sees you and has four times the health. That's the Guardian - it can shoot fireballs at you or try to shank you with his sword, but the latter is a melee attack, and he doesn't really do the former very often. As mentioned before, you can gib the Guardian for a chance to drop a Guardian Head.

And now it's time for more inventory items! The Night Vision Goggles are the same thing from Duke 3D. This time it's actually kind of useful though since it will reveal Coolie Ghosts even while their sprite is half visible, and same thing with Shadow Ninjas. What's also the same is the Portable Medkit. Healing to full health is pretty good, I guess. There's no Scuba Gear equivalent though, which is a bit of a miss. One of them at the start of Floating Fortress would have been quite useful as that map has a lot of water you need to swim in. The Smoke Bomb will make you invisible to monsters for about 25 seconds. If you're invisible, that means you're basically invulnerable as long as you don't run into a Coolie. The Smoke Bomb also amplifies your punching damage, which makes it the preferred weapon to use when invisible. This is the best item in my opinion. You can clear out crowded rooms very easily while also saving a bunch of ammo, or you can use it to neutralise duos of Serpent Lords or Sumos.

This post has been edited by Quacken: 14 August 2024 - 04:03 AM

TheDragonLiner

#19 Posted 14 August 2024 - 09:59 AM

Dark Woods of the Serpent :

Which doesn't even fit entirely on screen :/

The beginning can be kinda frustrating because of being hurt by enemies hiding in the shadows but that's what NV Goggles are for, the thing we barely ever use ... Once outside though, the level initiates the part where it shines most. Once again natural environnements is where the game looks best IMO and couple the dark ambiance with the soundtrack and you got the best ambiant in Ep1. I especially like the Village area roughly in the half-way point. I really like the small details like the wind blowing and the trees waving to it, and the small weather vane too.

The Tank Area is a stimulating ambush, but I find the Tank not to be the best option. I personally prefer to use Smoke and Flash Bombs just like in the Second level. The River is decently challenging due to the serious amount of Rippers, but a good bunch of them can be cheesed if you fire rockets through the portal and use a Nuke in the carvern from which the water flows.

Lava Aera is quite the challenge though. I'm too fan of the fact you must be exposed on the Carpet for so long. Super original transportation in Build BTW. Though I suppose you can come off early but that wouldn't be fun would it ? It's also a legit good spot for the Heat Seeker since it helps killing enemies faster. Ambiance is good here too though a bit short lived IMO. Super creative final Puzzle with how you actually control level geometry in Build. Technically the RC cars in First Level already were that but still.

Snake Boss it piss easy and you're given 10 times more than you actually need for him, especially since you need to only down 50% of his health. Though I find it a creative way to end a ShareWare Episode.

Another very strong level with the best atmosphere of the bunch IMO.

Conclusion :

That Sharware episode is a perfect example of what Shareware should be and with quality levels from A to Z. 4 isn't much but they're decently long and pack some serious heat. Ranking levels is kinda hard because they're so good and not numerous :/

I guess I would say _1 Fourth level for ambiance, especially the Forest and Village areas _2 Third level VERY close by for ambiance and visuals _3 I guess First level for the more ballanced experience compared to the Second level and more appealing visuals overall. 4_ Second level. Because it's the """"simplest"""" level of the bunch in design but it feels unfair to say that ...

TheDragonLiner

#20 Posted 15 August 2024 - 02:58 AM

Rising Son :

Irritating singing asside, I like the small scening with the boat sinking in a whirlpool. And a cleverly hidden secret too. Starts strong with severe use of the Uzi and satisfying Turret. The middle part with the Garden you loop around is my favorite both in visuals and in progression. I like how you circle around it and it repopulates with stronger enemies. Another good opportunity for the 7th weapon. The only part I don't like is the Corridor with the FireBall Statue because it's populated with Coolies and you can't afford to either run for them or wait for them :/

As for the ending, we get a much better fight with the Serpet, though this comes more due to the arena being tighter and more dangerous than the enemy itself though it gets more opportunities to attack you. It gives you just enough Missiles to deal with him, got 5 left which I could use easily because it was somehow stuck near the Ladder. However this means I'll start the next level with 50 Grenades which is too much too quickly X__X

Speaking of ammo, a bit heavy on the Uzi ammo but I still found a way to them all so ^^ And decent on Armor too, it's nice they give you a 100 one at the end, which I always save for the next level. Introducing the 8th weapon but not much to use it on though ... place is too cramped for it to work well ...

A strong first level with a good music and nice visuals. Again the middle part was my favorite and there are some cleverly hidden secrets here. Found them all for once. Fighting is a bit heavy but you're given enough ammo and just enough Armor for it. Will placed high in my ranking I can already tell.

NNC

#21 Posted 15 August 2024 - 04:58 AM

It was rather a brave (and somewhat original) move to put a boss fight at the end of the first retail map. It might works as a firm reminder that this won't be a stroll in the park. And it really wasn't. Annoying enemies and unexpected traps vs. the rather flawed weaponry.

Quacken

#22 Posted 16 August 2024 - 03:09 AM

Fortune say: I missed a fortune. There are nine of them.

Monastery
Stephen Cole

Monastery, not to be confused with Monastary, is another round of Stephen Cole going through the motions. The action in this map is relatively sound and the monster count is slightly higher compared to the usual Code of Honor map, but it all just kinda melds into mush. I often just run into keys in this map and I don't know how I even get them. To get started with the Ruby Key you need to go through a pushable wall that could pass as a secret, gun down a Ripper with a single Uzi and then I didn't even realise I had the Ruby Key until about three minutes later. Finding the secret Grenade Launcher at the start trivialises most of the encounters, but it also makes the fight after the Ruby Door not a complete clusterduck, as well as simplifying the Shadow Ninjas. Cole plays with lighting more in this map - the columns and arches in the courtyard have pure black (and admittedly distracting) shadows, and the statues near the exit have shadows on the walls. This map seems suspiciously Doom-like though. Aside from the spinning whatchamacallit at the start, there's barely any room over room, no vehicles of any kind and the one water section is relegated to being an optional area. Come to think of it, that kind of describes a lot of Cole's maps in this set... the last thing I have to say here is that Monastery grinds to a screeching halt as soon as you get the Bronze Key. Nothing teleports in so you just kind of waddle over to the Bronze Door and blow up the Ninjas guarding the exit. It feels like Cole forgot to put in teleporting monsters here.

5/10.

Am I finally out of explaining all of the new elements? Well, not until MAP12, technically. The Gas Bomb is another inventory item. Toss it out and a small space will flood with gas, doing damage over time. The Gas Bomb is pretty good if you can personally afford to wait around and do nothing for 30 seconds, because the gas hurts you too. The damage is also quite subpar, but it's free damage at pretty much zero risk, so you might as well throw it into a small room and then go find something else to do. The Repair Kit is the final inventory item, and it's pretty much a ninth key. Some machines will have smoke spewing out of them and you need to use the Repair Kit to fix them. I say it's a ninth key because a map maker can make using the machine the only way to proceed. You get some funny lines from John Galt out of it though, and the machines are at the very least convenient to use, so I don't mind it.

TheDragonLiner

#23 Posted 16 August 2024 - 10:24 AM

Killing Field :

I'm not much of a fan of this level due to how cramped it is, but it's a decent challenge. The initial area provides with interesting situations and better opportunities to make use of the 8th weapon compared to the previous level. Also, since we exit the previous level with maxed 6th weapon and since it's so cramped, it's a good field for my trade-marked activity >> spamming grenades all willy-nilly around walls and corners. This is actually the best thing to do overal in this level ! You have 50 shots, and a decent amount more in the level, and all the walls aound allow you to dispatch lots of enemies without looking at them. Given how this level only gives 2 Armors for the entire thing, this is almost a necessity IMO.

The main looker areas in this level IMO are the part where you can see the end of the level with the huge gong above. I kinda like it when level show you the exit early, it's not used often I'd say. And then the area with the Lava Pool hiding a Grenade Spammer trap. Needless to say it got a giggle out of me when I escaped it just barely on my first playthrough long ago. I also liked the small Temple bit. The 2 surprise attacks were good and the second one I managed to cheese with the Gas Bomb. Globally I find the level to be aesthetically inconsistent. I mean, there's 2 parts that kinda feel out of place. One being infernal with the red walls and lava, the other being that Cliff side with a mixture or nature and lava. It feels kinda disjointed, almost like that level takes place in 2 connected dimensions, it's weird :/

Gameplay is the strongest aspect with the good combat encounters, varied situations and enemies. Though I'd say it's starting to be kinda heavy on 3rd and 4th weapon ammo. Explosives are more reasonably handed out than usual, I guess they took into acount the previous level. And 2 Armors for such a packed level feels insufficient, like most levels in the game I'd say due to how quickly you'll lose it. That is unless you don't do the previously mentioned trick.

It's a good combat heavy level, where environnements and aesthetics takes a slight back-step despite having its moments, but it provides too little armor for the amount of enemies you face, unless you use the Tactic. I don't know how I would rank that level ... Perhaps in the middle ...

Quacken

#24 Posted 18 August 2024 - 03:23 AM

Just between you and me: The Gas Bomb, the Guardian Head and the Ripper Heart all don't work underwater.

Raider of the Lost Wang
Stephen Cole

Stephen Cole's final map of his streak is Raider of the Lost Wang, and it's a very fitting penultimate map to Episode 2. The kill count enters the 110s as soon as you release a Coolie Ghost into the world, and it's the first map to introduce the Serpent Lord. The Serpent Lord is the small version of the Serpent God and is very much an imitation of the Mini Battlelord. Unlike the Battlelord however, the Serpent Lord is missing an attack compared to its larger counterpart, which is the ring of Accursed Heads it can throw at you. Good! Cole throws two Serpent Lords at you, who do a pretty good job guarding the Bronze Key together with the Ninjas up in the rafters. Ammo is rather tight in this map if you don't find the secret Grenade Launcher, and like MAP07, contains a tricky hot start. Walk into the Uzis up the stairs if you decide to go that way, or if you don't, the next best path is to find the Riot Gun and flail around to the spinning column of death. The monsters will gladly walk into the column and then die, so feel free to stay here for a little while. Then you have to take control of the Missile Launcher by wrangling a Shadow Ninja's entourage, and now you can properly handle the rest of the map. After the double Serpent Lords, not much else can really hurt you. The secret exit is stupid and not very intuitive to find. You have to climb up a vine near the regular exit switch (there have been several of this texture in this map before and none of them have been climbable until now) to press a switch which opens a set of bars behind a painting near the Gold Door, and the painting itself has to be opened by pressing a button in the corner nearby which opens the painting for a limited time. Then again, maybe it's a good reason the secret exit is so hard to find. Raider of the Lost Wang is the best map to come out of Cole's five map run, easily looking the best and having the best use of the Build Engine's features.

8/10.

TheDragonLiner

#25 Posted 18 August 2024 - 09:58 AM

Didn't know about that, never tested it though O_o

Harakiri Harbor :

One of the more memorable levels in the game IMO. Both action packed and visually interesting even though the layout can be kinda basic under certain angles, but the design and progression are good.

The open waters also make for good opportunities to make use of the 3 Nukes in the level. 3 is way too much but at least you can genuinely use them unlike the majority. And also same for the Heat Seeker and the RailGun for which we also get a lot of ammo, though if it were a fresh start, I would be gratefull to be given so much. There are also many opportunities for 7th weapon, Gas Bombs and even the CalTrops do you believe it !? I'm going to make the complain that this levels gives us WAY too much ammo but on the other hand, the situations and the design of the level are so well made here that you basically can tackle it in many different ways which call for the specifics of certain weapons.
I personally prefer long-range due to how rare it can be in the game. If you stick to always using one strategy, then you're given enough for it. It is because I eventually used a combo of Long, Close and Indirect that I found I was given too much. Armor is problematic again, only 2 just like the previous level is way too little for the severemy packed heat here.

Out of order, the more memorable part IMO has to be how you clean the harbor only to have to clean it again after making clever use of a Boat to climb up to the Key. Also I like going into buildings with different gameplays for each even though it's very basic. Cover Fest for 6th weapon, Small Puzzle and Monster Closet. The latter area being basically a good place for using several Gas Bomb with good effectiveness each time but there's a few more areas for it too like the Piles of Crates near the beginning for instance.

I can't say more but this level is one of the better ones of the episode. Visuals are good though not outstanding, but it shines like crazy due to how this levels allows for various playstyles since it gives you the necessary amounts of tools for each. All combined it's way too much ammo IMO, but individually it's ballanced. The level can be swipped clean of enemies in very flexible ways it's trully remarkable !

NNC

#26 Posted 18 August 2024 - 02:47 PM

The entire first half of Code of Honor is just blending together as a big mass of asian gardens and whatever rural style. One level of this theme is okay, you actually got two in the shareware, but this is not Lunar Apocalypse where level design is spectacular enough to compensate the thematic losses as most layouts are flat and boxy. Actually only Harakiri Harbor and Sumo Sky Palace showed themselves to be anything original or memorable. Wondering what Allen Blum could have done with it instead of Cole.

Aleks

#27 Posted 19 August 2024 - 05:10 AM

NNC, on 18 August 2024 - 02:47 PM, said:

Reading the reviews of TheDragonLiner and Quacken, I had the same thoughts - it's been about 3 years since I played Shadow Warrior I think (the one and only time I did play the game) and I can hardly remember what levels they are talking about besides a couple of more iconic ones.

TheDragonLiner

#28 Posted 19 August 2024 - 11:06 AM

When playing SW, the levels I like more or consider to be more memorable I'm always like "Ah yeah this level". Whereas those I don't remember as much and like less I'm either not thinking anything or I'm like "Oh yeah, that level ..."

Zilla's Villa :
----------------

Another good level. Compared to the previous one, this one is more ballanced. It's action packed, but not as much IMO as the previous, and the visuals are back with a vengance.

The villa looks very nice and it almost makes you want to spend a few days there due to how peaceful and cozy it looks. The music definitely adds to that. Progression is good though I always end up kinda lost when needing to use the Bronze Key because I always found the location of the doors to be inconspicuous compared to the others. Also, the fact you can clean the coresponding area before even getting to it, and the fact it doesn't spawn any additional enemies almost make it pointless though there's no way we're removing it.

Very cramped just like Killing Fields but not as practical. This is where the Build Engine's best aspect (realistic locals) plays against you because the furniture is an obstacle you can bump into and thus using the 6th weapon like I explained before doesn't work as well save for a few specific spots. The Gas Bomb is more prudent here. Also the 5th weapon is also kinda suicidal to use, yet this level packs quite the pack of ammo for it ! And the Nukes are almost unuseable. And this is one of the biggest offenders about giving you too much ammo. Since explosives aren't decently useable here, it compensates with more 3rd and 4th weapon ammo, but it ends up being too much. Even my purposefully very wastefull gameplay didn't make me run out. Not that it would be better if ammo were much tighter since this overrabundance of ammo makes the game more enjoyable since you can shoot willy-nilly all the time, it's just that it sometimes feels ridiculous, I feel compeled to using weapons much more than I would normally intend to :/

Regardless, this level is yet another notable one which I will rank high for slightly different reasons than the previous. Here it's just a VERY good combo of packing heat but reasonable due to the very cramped spaces and very good visuals that makes you wish the place actually existed.

TheDragonLiner

#29 Posted 20 August 2024 - 09:48 AM

Monastery :

Yet another ballanced level like the previous one but with more diverse visuals from room to room and a bigger ammo problem. Difficulty wise, I'd say it's easier because it's less cramped and thus using explosives, for which the game is heavily biased, more reliable.

There are some cool tricks here and there too, like the Gong at the beginning, the garden-like area and how you get the 100 Armor for instance. The coolest thing about this level lies in its layout. I like how several areas you access via keys are visible from other such areas, just out of reach yet so close. It also allows for some pre-emptive cleaning thanks to the Tactic. Once again, there is a Door which always passes by my radar, in this case it's the Gold door simply because it's at the beginning of the level, in a corner you either don't necessarily spot or which you inevitably forget by the time you get the key. Speaking of the beginning, the fact you have to use a Secret Wall in order to even begin the level is a thing I'm not a fan of despite how it's clear there's supposed to be something in that little indentation ...

Like I said before, there's a bigger ammo problem here not only due to the amounts of 3rd and 4th weapons you get, but especially for the 5th weapon. I used it A LOT during my playthrough and guess what ? I got a 100% refund in the very last room ! Da heck O_o !? Like I said before, it makes the game more enjoyable being able to shoot willy nilly like that but still, this is kinda ridiculous right here. And Armor situation is exactly the same except that this level doesn't have the courtesy of giving you one at the end.

This level I think I'll rank slightly lower because, while I like the Garden area which also acts as a Dojo which is original, I prefer the more challenging and consistent nature of the previous level which also doesn't have the same ammo issue.