FATAL
June 24th, 2007, 11:08 AM
Canary Squadron.
Author: Chris Bourke.
Cansquad.wad
266kb.
ftp://ftp.fu-berlin.de/pc/games/idgames/levels/doom2/Ports/a-c/cansquad.zip
Port: Limit Removing Port.
Single Player, Cooperative.
January 11, 2006.
6 maps.
Reviewed by: AlysiumX using Zdoom 2.0.98
Score: 6
This is Canary Squadron by Chris Bourke. This 6 set of levels really starts off slow giving you the idea that the authors skill progressed as this map set started to become very interesting. I wouldn't call Canary Squadron a masterpiece as its far from perfect, but its definitely worth a walk thru to see the nice details and layout ideas in the later levels. Canary Squadron earns a 6 out of 10.
Map01 - Well not much for layout here, pretty simple design, yet this level still has a good concept going for it. Don't expect the uber detail of today's levels. Not too many great light sources either. This level has a very simple play design.
Map02 - Vast design improvements when compared to the first level. This level has nice little bits of details, and the overall layout is much better designed then the previous effort. Sadly, there seems to be an over exertion of monsters running about with seemingly no effort to balance out the ammo or health needed to take them down. Still a little too dark but at least there are better light sources. Get ready to ignite that god mode. Yet, after playing through this level, it may have taken this wad from crap to playable.
Map03 - More improvements on the gameplay aspect ranging from "nice" to the "totally awesome". Ammo and health are starting to get a little more respectable of each other but still not to a point where the playability is in reach of greatness. Darkness seems to be no problem within this level. Lighting has been added to more of the necessity.
Map04 - At the end of level 3 you will find yourself losing all your weapons. In level 4 you will find that you will need to have some good chainsaw skills. I would think of this as a good gameplay tactic if the thing I was trying to kill with the chainsaw wasn't a baron! You do however get a chaingun and some ammo for that but you might want to save that for the most desperate of moments. Yet more effort to make different types of details not found in other wads. More nice gameplay elements added such as a bridge you have to get across by raising two pieces of it. The author finally understand what health is for, but has lost the knowledge for a the use of ammo and weapons.
Map05 - More great visuals, another great layout, this level seems to excise a better monster/survival balance, but is still a bit hard. Details and layouts seem to get more and more interesting as this wad goes on.
Map06 - Ok, lets start this level out with a nice big HOM. Anyways, this level doesn't seem to be very challenging for an ending but does include a very interesting way to end the level after the cyberdemon is killed. This level also starts you off with the plasma gun, rocket launcher, and ssg. I believe this level would have been much more of a challenge with just the ssg and rocket launcher, but either way this level does bring nice closer to Canary Squadron.
Overall Canary Squadron is a very interesting set of levels. This is truly one set you can't really judge by its cover, as the first level was so plain, it rivaled most 1994 levels, but as it continued that great designer was slowly growing and increasing his skills. I believe rather than just be a set of maps, this is more like a story, a story about how one designer went from designing levels that were crap to designing levels that overall had some great details and dished out some great gameplay to back it up. Although I don't think this author really truly got down the right number of monsters that makes the levels beatable, I do believe he got to a point where each level became its own fun experience.
Canary Squadron earns its 6 out of 10.
<a href="http://img205.imageshack.us/my.php?image=cansquad018pk.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/2166/cansquad018pk.th.png" border="0" alt="Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us" /></a>
<a href="http://img57.imageshack.us/my.php?image=cansquad022cs.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://img57.imageshack.us/img57/9260/cansquad022cs.th.png" border="0" alt="Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us" /></a>
<a href="http://img57.imageshack.us/my.php?image=cansquad037bz.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://img57.imageshack.us/img57/6006/cansquad037bz.th.png" border="0" alt="Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us" /></a>
Author: Chris Bourke.
Cansquad.wad
266kb.
ftp://ftp.fu-berlin.de/pc/games/idgames/levels/doom2/Ports/a-c/cansquad.zip
Port: Limit Removing Port.
Single Player, Cooperative.
January 11, 2006.
6 maps.
Reviewed by: AlysiumX using Zdoom 2.0.98
Score: 6
This is Canary Squadron by Chris Bourke. This 6 set of levels really starts off slow giving you the idea that the authors skill progressed as this map set started to become very interesting. I wouldn't call Canary Squadron a masterpiece as its far from perfect, but its definitely worth a walk thru to see the nice details and layout ideas in the later levels. Canary Squadron earns a 6 out of 10.
Map01 - Well not much for layout here, pretty simple design, yet this level still has a good concept going for it. Don't expect the uber detail of today's levels. Not too many great light sources either. This level has a very simple play design.
Map02 - Vast design improvements when compared to the first level. This level has nice little bits of details, and the overall layout is much better designed then the previous effort. Sadly, there seems to be an over exertion of monsters running about with seemingly no effort to balance out the ammo or health needed to take them down. Still a little too dark but at least there are better light sources. Get ready to ignite that god mode. Yet, after playing through this level, it may have taken this wad from crap to playable.
Map03 - More improvements on the gameplay aspect ranging from "nice" to the "totally awesome". Ammo and health are starting to get a little more respectable of each other but still not to a point where the playability is in reach of greatness. Darkness seems to be no problem within this level. Lighting has been added to more of the necessity.
Map04 - At the end of level 3 you will find yourself losing all your weapons. In level 4 you will find that you will need to have some good chainsaw skills. I would think of this as a good gameplay tactic if the thing I was trying to kill with the chainsaw wasn't a baron! You do however get a chaingun and some ammo for that but you might want to save that for the most desperate of moments. Yet more effort to make different types of details not found in other wads. More nice gameplay elements added such as a bridge you have to get across by raising two pieces of it. The author finally understand what health is for, but has lost the knowledge for a the use of ammo and weapons.
Map05 - More great visuals, another great layout, this level seems to excise a better monster/survival balance, but is still a bit hard. Details and layouts seem to get more and more interesting as this wad goes on.
Map06 - Ok, lets start this level out with a nice big HOM. Anyways, this level doesn't seem to be very challenging for an ending but does include a very interesting way to end the level after the cyberdemon is killed. This level also starts you off with the plasma gun, rocket launcher, and ssg. I believe this level would have been much more of a challenge with just the ssg and rocket launcher, but either way this level does bring nice closer to Canary Squadron.
Overall Canary Squadron is a very interesting set of levels. This is truly one set you can't really judge by its cover, as the first level was so plain, it rivaled most 1994 levels, but as it continued that great designer was slowly growing and increasing his skills. I believe rather than just be a set of maps, this is more like a story, a story about how one designer went from designing levels that were crap to designing levels that overall had some great details and dished out some great gameplay to back it up. Although I don't think this author really truly got down the right number of monsters that makes the levels beatable, I do believe he got to a point where each level became its own fun experience.
Canary Squadron earns its 6 out of 10.
<a href="http://img205.imageshack.us/my.php?image=cansquad018pk.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/2166/cansquad018pk.th.png" border="0" alt="Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us" /></a>
<a href="http://img57.imageshack.us/my.php?image=cansquad022cs.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://img57.imageshack.us/img57/9260/cansquad022cs.th.png" border="0" alt="Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us" /></a>
<a href="http://img57.imageshack.us/my.php?image=cansquad037bz.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://img57.imageshack.us/img57/6006/cansquad037bz.th.png" border="0" alt="Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us" /></a>