FATAL
June 24th, 2007, 11:10 AM
Fort 4
Author: Martin Mirejovsky alias Duke
fort4.wad (613 KB)
ftp://ftp.fu-berlin.de/pc/games/idgames/levels/doom2/d-f/fort4.zip
Port: Doom2.exe
Singleplayer
9 Maps.
Reviewer: Fatal using Jdoom.
Score: 6,5
Phew, luckily the quality has risen dramatically since fort3.wad, as I thought I had to play poor maps with these fort wad buggers. That certainly wasn't the case here. I enjoyed playing this wad from the start to finish, and I have this feeling that I'm not the only one. This wad brings 9 levels, greatly differing from each others. The episode continuity has been done very well, as the next map always continues where the last map left off. It could've been some train-like transport vehicle or an elevator leading to the next level.
The level design has also taken a huge leap. The main bonus is that the levels are no longer totally linear, and sometimes a tiny bit of searching is involved. This really boosted up the fun rating and drove the player to explore the beautiful levels even more. I don't like walking in a tube and always knowing where to go next, as it ruins the idea of exploring unknown areas. At no point I got lost, though, as there weren't any well hidden doors or switches causing annoying situations. Also a bonus added to this is that the areas the player has once cleared may have enemies the next time the player gets there, so guard mustn't be let down at any moment.
The level variety is definitely well accomplished, and I never felt like "I've seen this place before", really making playing much more enjoyable. The author certainly had plenty of ideas when he started mapping, and possibly generated even more while doing it. All of the maps are unique, and finding similarities wasn't such an easy task. It all starts out in some tech base, slowly advancing to different places and finally getting to spaceship and escaping with it. The levels all have different feeling to them. One may be a large area around a reactor with loads of open space, the other serving as a transportation complex with control rooms and other appropriate areas, third being a horrible cramped space shuttle only equipped with basic life support systems and such.
None of these levels were annoying, and even the most cramped level was made nicely by having only easy enemies around. The level lengths ranged from tiny to large, giving nice variation. The larger levels really took quite a bit time to finish, while the shortest ones were completed in a jiffy. The levels were all otherwise basic levels, except for one boss level, and even that was in the middle of the episode.
The difficulty has raised some from the last fort wads, but is still quite easy. This, however, encourages playing the levels in a row, meaning that you save at the beginning of each level and that's it, no more saves. I played that way, and found the wad to be quite enjoyable despite its easiness. Ultra hardcore players will no doubt find this boring, but the average players and novices will most likely find this wad to be quite a nice experience difficulty wise.
Ammunition placement is exceptionally good. The reckless player may have troubles surviving, and the sniper Joe will have little troubles with ammunition. The ammunition and armour are given in convenient places and in good amounts. For example, it's much more probable to find shotgun shells and bullets in a storage room than lying around the hallways. Although not all of the ammunition was laid this way, some were, and it was a nice addition. Weapons are also given sparingly, and luckily the BFG doesn't make an appearance in any of the levels. There was just the right amount of health pickups for a fast sweep through the levels, and they were spread properly all around the levels.
Visually this wad is really shiny. From the first level to the last, there are always stuff to look at, and on top of that, it is clear that those details weren't put in just for the sake of detailing, rather than giving the player an indication on where he currently is. There are cargo wagons, transport control rooms, dormitories, waste disposal areas and so on. Everything seemed to have a reason to be there, and only a few areas in the whole wad seemed to be out of place. I really enjoyed looking around the level for shiny details and trying to figure out what is its purpose. Needless to say, most of the time I came up with an idea, and then continued happily to the next areas. However, as in the earlier fort wads, this one also lacks any kind of texture aligning. It didn't really point to the eye, though, as the author seems to have avoided occurrences where it would shine.
The lighting was made, and lamps actually produced light and weren't just for the show. Although there weren't any really dark areas, the lighting variation raised the looks of this map dramatically. It didn't have top of the line accuracy or realism, but it was there, and sometimes that's just enough. I was hoping for some more dramatic contrasts, I think I can settle for this.
If you're looking for a quick, good and easy Sunday wad, then this is just for you. It doesn't break any new ground, but does what it does fairly well. Only its easiness and missing texture alignment degrade its overall quality. If you don't care about those, go for it. This wad is really fun.
Cool:
- Good variety between the levels
- Many places in the levels were recognisable
- The levels weren't tubes
- Smart item placement
- Neat visuals
Not:
- A bit too easy
- All textures are unaligned
<a href="http://img64.imageshack.us/my.php?image=fort4a3pu.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/2725/fort4a3pu.th.jpg" border="0" alt="Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us" /></a>
This cargo wagon became this fellow's coffin.
<a href="http://img64.imageshack.us/my.php?image=fort4b5hu.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/9419/fort4b5hu.th.jpg" border="0" alt="Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us" /></a>
This time the reactor area is really cool.
<a href="http://img64.imageshack.us/my.php?image=fort4c4bf.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/9079/fort4c4bf.th.jpg" border="0" alt="Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us" /></a>
Do I dare to follow the creature that has gone through here?
<a href="http://img64.imageshack.us/my.php?image=fort4d4ve.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/6711/fort4d4ve.th.jpg" border="0" alt="Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us" /></a>
No, Timmy! It's one of ours, don't shoot it!
Author: Martin Mirejovsky alias Duke
fort4.wad (613 KB)
ftp://ftp.fu-berlin.de/pc/games/idgames/levels/doom2/d-f/fort4.zip
Port: Doom2.exe
Singleplayer
9 Maps.
Reviewer: Fatal using Jdoom.
Score: 6,5
Phew, luckily the quality has risen dramatically since fort3.wad, as I thought I had to play poor maps with these fort wad buggers. That certainly wasn't the case here. I enjoyed playing this wad from the start to finish, and I have this feeling that I'm not the only one. This wad brings 9 levels, greatly differing from each others. The episode continuity has been done very well, as the next map always continues where the last map left off. It could've been some train-like transport vehicle or an elevator leading to the next level.
The level design has also taken a huge leap. The main bonus is that the levels are no longer totally linear, and sometimes a tiny bit of searching is involved. This really boosted up the fun rating and drove the player to explore the beautiful levels even more. I don't like walking in a tube and always knowing where to go next, as it ruins the idea of exploring unknown areas. At no point I got lost, though, as there weren't any well hidden doors or switches causing annoying situations. Also a bonus added to this is that the areas the player has once cleared may have enemies the next time the player gets there, so guard mustn't be let down at any moment.
The level variety is definitely well accomplished, and I never felt like "I've seen this place before", really making playing much more enjoyable. The author certainly had plenty of ideas when he started mapping, and possibly generated even more while doing it. All of the maps are unique, and finding similarities wasn't such an easy task. It all starts out in some tech base, slowly advancing to different places and finally getting to spaceship and escaping with it. The levels all have different feeling to them. One may be a large area around a reactor with loads of open space, the other serving as a transportation complex with control rooms and other appropriate areas, third being a horrible cramped space shuttle only equipped with basic life support systems and such.
None of these levels were annoying, and even the most cramped level was made nicely by having only easy enemies around. The level lengths ranged from tiny to large, giving nice variation. The larger levels really took quite a bit time to finish, while the shortest ones were completed in a jiffy. The levels were all otherwise basic levels, except for one boss level, and even that was in the middle of the episode.
The difficulty has raised some from the last fort wads, but is still quite easy. This, however, encourages playing the levels in a row, meaning that you save at the beginning of each level and that's it, no more saves. I played that way, and found the wad to be quite enjoyable despite its easiness. Ultra hardcore players will no doubt find this boring, but the average players and novices will most likely find this wad to be quite a nice experience difficulty wise.
Ammunition placement is exceptionally good. The reckless player may have troubles surviving, and the sniper Joe will have little troubles with ammunition. The ammunition and armour are given in convenient places and in good amounts. For example, it's much more probable to find shotgun shells and bullets in a storage room than lying around the hallways. Although not all of the ammunition was laid this way, some were, and it was a nice addition. Weapons are also given sparingly, and luckily the BFG doesn't make an appearance in any of the levels. There was just the right amount of health pickups for a fast sweep through the levels, and they were spread properly all around the levels.
Visually this wad is really shiny. From the first level to the last, there are always stuff to look at, and on top of that, it is clear that those details weren't put in just for the sake of detailing, rather than giving the player an indication on where he currently is. There are cargo wagons, transport control rooms, dormitories, waste disposal areas and so on. Everything seemed to have a reason to be there, and only a few areas in the whole wad seemed to be out of place. I really enjoyed looking around the level for shiny details and trying to figure out what is its purpose. Needless to say, most of the time I came up with an idea, and then continued happily to the next areas. However, as in the earlier fort wads, this one also lacks any kind of texture aligning. It didn't really point to the eye, though, as the author seems to have avoided occurrences where it would shine.
The lighting was made, and lamps actually produced light and weren't just for the show. Although there weren't any really dark areas, the lighting variation raised the looks of this map dramatically. It didn't have top of the line accuracy or realism, but it was there, and sometimes that's just enough. I was hoping for some more dramatic contrasts, I think I can settle for this.
If you're looking for a quick, good and easy Sunday wad, then this is just for you. It doesn't break any new ground, but does what it does fairly well. Only its easiness and missing texture alignment degrade its overall quality. If you don't care about those, go for it. This wad is really fun.
Cool:
- Good variety between the levels
- Many places in the levels were recognisable
- The levels weren't tubes
- Smart item placement
- Neat visuals
Not:
- A bit too easy
- All textures are unaligned
<a href="http://img64.imageshack.us/my.php?image=fort4a3pu.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/2725/fort4a3pu.th.jpg" border="0" alt="Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us" /></a>
This cargo wagon became this fellow's coffin.
<a href="http://img64.imageshack.us/my.php?image=fort4b5hu.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/9419/fort4b5hu.th.jpg" border="0" alt="Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us" /></a>
This time the reactor area is really cool.
<a href="http://img64.imageshack.us/my.php?image=fort4c4bf.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/9079/fort4c4bf.th.jpg" border="0" alt="Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us" /></a>
Do I dare to follow the creature that has gone through here?
<a href="http://img64.imageshack.us/my.php?image=fort4d4ve.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/6711/fort4d4ve.th.jpg" border="0" alt="Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us" /></a>
No, Timmy! It's one of ours, don't shoot it!