[Supertanker]

Cherenkov Station: a space station!

Continuing my second-to-last map, FOS Station, Duke Nukem must
travel through an abandoned, alien-infested Russian space station,
activating the slumbering nuclear reactor deep in the bowels of the station and fighting his way to
a showdown in the docking bay!

I put a lot of effort into making this less of a generic E2 map and more of a conceptually grand,
mechanical, gritty space station with more emphasis on atmosphere and (later on) nonlinearity...but see for yourself!

Screenshots:














Download: http://muse.thegover...t/cherenkov.zip

(Reviewers: please upload your own copies of the screenshots and map download!)

Requires Atomic Edition. Will work with classic and polymost. Will work with Polymer. Will work with HRP.

But the last two will probably make your computer slag in the catwalk room. Sorry--I couldn't test it much with Poylmer because my system won't handle it very well. I got mixed responses on performance in the catwalk room due to various users' systems.

Note that Micky C and I have been working on our maps and decided to release them at the same time as some of the first maps of 2012! Keep an eye out for his excellent city level, Parkade: http://forums.duke4....rkade-released/

And now I will probably disappear until Spring Break and then start dropping mysterious clues about my next project, which follows right after Cherenkov Station.

[Green]

Just finished it, awesome map!
Took me 12 minutes and 9 seconds to play through it on Let's Rock.

[LeoD]

Straight action without being too linear. Good work man!
Like you intended it doesn't resemble E2 (good, because I don't like that episode anyway). I like the ambience but it doesn't feel that much like a space station because quite some textures look like concrete which I wouldn't expect in space. Maybe the overall level is just a bit too bright.
Catwalk runs fine with Polymost HRP btw.
edit: Hm, I'd like to improve my style.

[Supertanker]

LeoD, on 05 January 2012 - 08:24 AM, said:

Straight action without being too linear. Good work man!
Like you intended it doesn't resemble E2 (good, because I don't like that episode anyway). I like the ambience but it doesn't feel that much like a space station because quite some textures look like concrete which I wouldn't expect in space. Maybe the overall level is just a bit too bright.
Catwalk runs fine with Polymost HRP btw.
edit: Hm, I'd like to improve my style.

Awesome, glad to hear the HRP works fine!

Heh, I could imagine concrete being used as a building material. It's a better insulator than steel and is much cheaper too (maybe lighter, but I'm not sure if the additional volume would take a toll on getting it into orbit). The only problem would be integrity, but if it's poured around airtight steel walls and floor then I see no reason why not. Would make a decent shield for the station's nuclear reactor as well if they didn't want to invest in several tons of lead. Hmmm...I wonder...*starts thinking about a concrete space station*

Thanks for playing!

[Mikko]

Furries suck but this map is good! Now it's about time for you to break free from hi-tech maps and start working on a city map

[Supertanker]

I dunno, I have a lot of competition to go up against with the city maps I'm no Roch mapper, but I'll give it my best! Thanks for reviewing the map. :>

Edit: I'm glad the song suits the level. Wish I could've easily changed it midway through to something a bit more upbeat (when you power on the reactor) but I didn't want to do any coding.

[Jinroh]

Looks great! I'll have to give it a download when I get home. ^^

[LeoD]

Mikko_Sandt, on 05 January 2012 - 09:12 AM, said:

Furries suck but this map is good! Now it's about time for you to break free from hi-tech maps and start working on a city map

My vote for a desert/mine map.

[Supertanker]

LeoD, on 05 January 2012 - 10:37 AM, said:

My vote for a desert/mine map.

http://msdn.duke4.net/hotarea27.shtml *whistles innocently* (just in case that wasn't actually a joke)

[Blue Lightning]

As I said before, great map with fun gameplay and lots of atmosphere. It makes it to my hard drive which is a rare thing. That makes 12 sp maps that made it, total.

As I said I check every square inch. The only exploits (I should of mentioned them before but forgot) is

Spoiler

in the beggining at the broken elevator. When you drop down onto the eleveator, if your crouching, you'll go through the elevator ceiling instead of having to shoot the vent in the elevator ceiling. But that is kind of cool really Oh yeah, the second secret place the ventalation system, when you go up and grab the med kit. When you drop back down the vent and are ready to exit the vent, you can see lettering on the wall THROUGH the vent. But those are such nit picks, I didnt think it would matter.

[LeoD]

Supertanker, on 05 January 2012 - 10:40 AM, said:

http://msdn.duke4.net/hotarea27.shtml *whistles innocently* (just in case that wasn't actually a joke)

Wasn't bad indeed, but why not make another one? More desert, more mineshafts, more lovely brownish textures...

[Supertanker]

LeoD, on 05 January 2012 - 11:04 AM, said:

Wasn't bad indeed, but why not make another one? More desert, more mineshafts, more lovely brownish textures...

Okay, so I'll make a desert city map with a giant mineshaft and subway system! Thanks for the idea.

(Actually, I've never tried a subway before...hmmmm...)

[Blue Lightning]

You know, I never have played a map that is exclusivly subway systems. Now that would be something!

[TerminX]

You've never played Rabid Transit?

[Blue Lightning]

I stand corrected

Another thing about this map...nice touch with the wind noise near the windows in the beggining. I also like the "ocean wind" sound at the central area where the fountains are. Those kind of details are noticable.

[Mike Norvak]

Blue Lightning, on 05 January 2012 - 10:41 AM, said:

in the beggining at the broken elevator. When you drop down onto the eleveator, if your crouching, you'll go through the elevator ceiling instead of having to shoot the vent in the elevator ceilingr

That's an old bug wich has nothing to do with the map, every time you fall in a floor oriented sprite while crouching you'll pass through.

[Danukem]

Just played the map, first time playing Duke in several months, I think. Anyway, it's a very good map, and I have nothing to complain about. Your last map (Area 27) seemed a bit more creative in terms of design, but this one is very solid release with great lighting and action.

[CruX]

Played it earlier this morning. Took me about 18 minutes altogether and I loved every second of it. This has probably been the most inspirational map I've played since Desert Storm. The design was great and well-complimented by the texturing, the map had probably the best flow of any other usermap I've played in some time, and the enemy/item placement was done exceedingly well. I recall someone (It might've actually been you) saying here or in another thread for this map that the design was somewhat vanilla, but I honestly fail to see how. Cherenkov Station pretty much blows any and all of DN3D's original maps out of the freakin' water. There's nothing critical I can offer that won't sound like a bunch of pedantic nitpicking, but I'll throw some stuff out there anyway;

Spoiler

There's some wallpaper texturing on the columns in these screens that's a bit of an eyesore. Maybe they should be adjusted (the former'll probably a bit tougher than the latter, what with that window up towards the top)

Spoiler

This screen was taken in mapster, hence I had to lighten the ceiling a bit. These lighting fixtures are the same height as the ceiling, and it looks a little odd. IMO it'd be a lot better if they were brought down by a unit or two, but that's just me. Was this a deliberate design choice?

[Supertanker]

Thanks for the kind words

I think that the texture on those columns is probably the only time it appears on the map. Probably should've been a hint that I might've needed to do something about that!

If anything, I just didn't notice the light fixture. Lights on this map tend to be recessed in to the ceiling by a few units, so that's what I would've done if I'd taken the time to adjust it.

[NY00123]

Haven't yet started; I've actually got the mood to try this out.

A bug or, well, a typo, has already been spotted: "New Music : No"

EDIT: Alright, I've just completed a playthrough on... apparently, "Lets Rock" (according to "skill" console command/value). Wonders how haven't I set it to "Come Get Some"...

Very good job! Liked the architecture: From the central area (with access cards required), to the outside views and the rest. Making such a map does take time, indeed.
The music fits with the atmosphere, and the difficulty does appear to fit "Let's rock". I should retry with "Come Get Some" (originally wanted to go for that...).

Again, good work!

EDIT 2: OK, I've had a playthrough on "Come Get Some". Truly, it's been a quicker one, now knowing the map.
Haven't been sure what has changed, although the total monster counts reveal: There's an addition of 3 monster (in comparison to "Let's Rock"). A save game comparison reveals: A few more fat commander at the end.

What I've written before is still relevant. Thanks for constructing the map!

[Blue Lightning]

I don't know if anybody has beaten it yet on "Damn Im Good", but I just did. It took me 24:11 to do it, and what a ride it was! The true test of a map in my opinion, is how it plays on that hardest setting. That is where super-weapon and ammo placment, plus enemy placement REALLY comes into play. And in this, Cherenkov station does not dissapoint!

The routing here is intesresting. It starts off linear as if to tell the story: "your in a powered down space station". But when it gets to the central area it opens up nicley. You can choose which way to go and get the keys in any order...players choice. That kind of non-linear routing that gives the map a lot of after life.

Truley, it ranks up there with such lunar greats as (edited) Polaris Outpost and Hell Station, as one of the best lunar maps...mabye the best of all.

[Supertanker]

NY00123, on 07 January 2012 - 08:37 AM, said:

Haven't yet started; I've actually got the mood to try this out.

A bug or, well, a typo, has already been spotted: "New Music : No"

EDIT: Alright, I've just completed a playthrough on... apparently, "Lets Rock" (according to "skill" console command/value). Wonders how haven't I set it to "Come Get Some"...

Very good job! Liked the architecture: From the central area (with access cards required), to the outside views and the rest. Making such a map does take time, indeed.
The music fits with the atmosphere, and the difficulty does appear to fit "Let's rock". I should retry with "Come Get Some" (originally wanted to go for that...).

Again, good work!

EDIT 2: OK, I've had a playthrough on "Come Get Some". Truly, it's been a quicker one, now knowing the map.
Haven't been sure what has changed, although the total monster counts reveal: There's an addition of 3 monster (in comparison to "Let's Rock"). A save game comparison reveals: A few more fat commander at the end.

What I've written before is still relevant. Thanks for constructing the map!

Thank you for the kind comments!
I wasn't originally planning on including new music. The song you hear in the map is an original composition I threw together in a day when I got oddly inspired, and I forgot to update the readme.

Next time I'll make the differences in difficulties a little more pronounced (but only a little). I tend to have "Easy" and "Hard" and that's about it.

Blue Lightning, on 08 January 2012 - 11:21 AM, said:

I don't know if anybody has beaten it yet on "Damn Im Good", but I just did. It took me 24:11 to do it, and what a ride it was! The true test of a map in my opinion, is how it plays on that hardest setting. That is where super-weapon and ammo placment, plus enemy placement REALLY comes into play. And in this, Cherenkov station does not dissapoint!

The routing here is intesresting. It starts off linear as if to tell the story: "your in a powered down space station". But when it gets to the central area it opens up nicley. You can choose which way to go and get the keys in any order...players choice. That kind of non-linear routing that gives the map a lot of after life.

Truley, it ranks up there with such lunar greats as O-Polaris and Hell Station, as one of the best lunar maps...mabye the best of all.

Thanks! I'm glad everyone likes the gameplay. Tbh, I spent much more time on the design and very little time on the actual monster/item/health placement... :>

[Blue Lightning]

Man, you aint gonna believe this...

Just now in Central area where the fountains are, I switced from 8 bit to 32 bit mode. my framerates INCREASED from 20 FPS to about 80 FPS! There was an ocational hangup I admit, but how the hell does my FPS increase when I switch to 32 bit mode? I dont understand that one!

Xp 32
Pentium D - 3.00 ghz
ATi X 1950 xtx 512 mb
3 GB system Ram

HRP - original 2005 version
Eduke - last years update

[Mikko]

Blue Lightning, on 08 January 2012 - 01:06 PM, said:

Man, you aint gonna believe this...

Just now in Central area where the fountains are, I switced from 8 bit to 32 bit mode. my framerates INCREASED from 20 FPS to about 80 FPS! There was an ocational hangup I admit, but how the hell does my FPS increase when I switch to 32 bit mode? I dont understand that one!

Uh, because Polymost is of course faster than the Software mode which does not utilize your GPU whileas the Polymost mode does.

[Blue Lightning]

Mikko_Sandt, on 08 January 2012 - 01:07 PM, said:

Uh, because Polymost is of course faster than the Software mode which does not utilize your GPU whileas the Polymost mode does.

Ahh, that makes sense. I guess back in '96, the game was CPU intensive, as the GPU back then was a little VGA thingy.

[Supertanker]

Heh, I played DN3D first on an early Pentium 89.99999999998. Those were the days. (This was sometime after I'd taken apart my 386 and 486 boxes for the heck of it). One of my older machines I had to set the resolution down to 320x240 to play without stuttering because the CPU was so underpowered. Those were the days I was playing multiplayer with my pa. He died. A lot.

I think my record stands at 127 to -1. My favor. :>

[Paul B]

Hi,

Supertanker all I have to say is you are truely amazing! First off I have a tough time getting into the mood for any type of space map. I was never a fan of Episode 2 in Duke because of the space theme. But I love the way you started this map it was an awesome intro into the new spacestation it totally set the creepy "am I alone?" mood. I played the map on Let's rock. I died I think twice and it took me about 18 1/2 minutes to play through it. However, I was having a difficult time focusing on killing enemies because the entire space station was flawless in texturing and design. What a solid map! Not only do you have a fantastic imagination for building these type of maps but there are some really cool automated delayed sequences in there. The size of the map was perfect too, it kept my attention the entire time. It was nice the keycard hunt was really straight forward and not a hassle as I didn't find myself going in circles. Really like how you tied it in with the first map. Very well thought out I'm totally blown away by this Map absolutely amazing and thanks for sharing! I give this map a two thumbs up! 10/10!!! Wow that was fun!

[Helixhorned]

Blue Lightning, on 08 January 2012 - 11:21 AM, said:

Truley, it ranks up there with such lunar greats as O-Polaris and Hell Station, as one of the best lunar maps...mabye the best of all. (emphasis mine)

Hell yes! It's certainly in the same league, especially starting with the catwalk room. Very balanced enemy/weapon ratio and looks sweet with Polymer/HRP. Great work!

[Jimmy]

From the screenshots this looks kinda like a map by Salacious Crumb, which is a good thing indeed. I hate space maps in general, but I cannot resist anything by Salacious Crumb.

[Supertanker]

Thank you for the kind words :> Hell Station is one of my favorite levels, but I haven't played it in ages and ages. I specifically tried not to draw from any particular map for inspiration (besides E1, actually).