FATAL
June 24th, 2007, 11:27 AM
Tanis Base.
by: Rodrigo Acevedo (Multiplayer) and Christopher Emirzian (Single Player)
tbasesp.zip (432kb)
ftp://ftp.fu-berlin.de/pc/msdos/games/idgames/levels/doom2/Ports/s-u/tbasesp.zip
Port: ZDoom.
Single player, Coop.
November 2003.
1 map.
Danimetal using ZDoom v2.0.98.
Score: 3
Tanis Base is an antartic base and you can expect it to look as cold, grey and dark as you imagine. Lots of machinery are stacked on the corners and the functional architecture is everything but welcoming... And, of course, you´re there along with some unwanted guests. This map used to be a multiplayer deathmatch wad by Rodrigo Acevedo but it seems that Christopher Emirzian noticed that it had single player possibilities and got his hands on the original wad to craft a single player experience... I never played the original DM map but I overviewed both layouts and it doesn´t seem like there´s any major difference so I´m inclined to say that the original layout suits good for a multiplayer map but, anyway, even provided a good layout a map can fail.
The biggest and baddest problem with this map is on its playability. Right from the start the player is faced with some monsters in a cramped space. It´s natural to take a few shots in that area but the look and feel of the map really invites to ignore the harsh beginning and keep on playing. Most battles on this map range from acceptable to bearable until you get to the middle: as if two Pain Elementals teleported in your back weren´t enough you´ll start to encounter more of these ZDoom stealth monsters that you would like to... Before that you have encountered a few of them that may give you little trouble but it comes a moment when the map is unbearable: it´s not fun to shoot at the air to check if a monster is there or to dodge a shot just to realize that you can´t move as you´re surrounded by invisible foes. The battles become harder and harder and in the end the player is on his nerves. I tried several difficulty settings and they didn´t seem to change a thing: the same difficulty curve and the same stealth monsters again and again... It wouldn´t have been a problem if there were less of them and it´s not like there are thousands but, believe me, there are more than what is convenient and some of them are more powerful than you wish (if you play this map you will remember the Hell Knights as an example of what mustn´t be done)... Serious, these stealth monsters should have a "Handle me with care" sign or something like that as they alone can ruin this whole map.
And I said ruin: it starts out fun and moody but it ends frustrating and a little nonsensical. To make things worse there´s not enough ammo to keep on playing when you get to the end (you´re likely to spend a lot trying to get a glimpse of the stealth enemies) so a map with a short layout that should be playable in less than 15 minutes becomes a save-load fest trying to memorize where the stealth monsters are while harassed by regular foes. Really, it´s frustrating and when you´ve finished it you don´t feel like trying to play it again but that´s nothing that really matters as the absence of secrets and difficulty settings just lowers the interest on a second playtrough.
But this map has it´s nice things too... For example, the layout is pretty nice consisting mainly of narrow hallways and rooms set in a circle fashion. This layout leads the player through the map from one extreme to the other in a constant backtracking fashion. This is achieved by a clever use of locked doors and keycard placement and the interest is somewhat mantained by refilling the monster reserves in previously visited rooms... This may seem a little stupid when read or even when looking at the map´s layout but effectively works in game and reveals a simple but accurate work on the Single Player experience.
The whole layout (of a small size) shares a similar look, with recolored Doom textures on a grey theme that give the map a dark and moody feel. You may notice a couple of textures that are out of place (like the sky or some railings) and also some misalignments in the Y axis but overall this map has a good texturing work, specially on the selection of textures and colours. Lights are low but bright enough for you to shoot at your enemies (at least those that can be seen) and the architecture looks sober and functional. Sometimes you can think that the architecture is blocky and has little detail (or blocky detail) but it enhances the cold and functional feeling of the base... Still, I think that some more attention to little details could have made this map much more visually remarkable.
The narrow and claustrophobic spaces could suggest a survival-horror kind of environment (and so does the Castlevaniesque music when the map starts) where monsters could fall upon you at any moment but instead of that we´re provided with during the playable part of the map. Those firefights are frequent (a new fight with each new room) but, as mentioned before, it just becomes crazy after a while and all fights lose their charm and sense. In addition to that, ammunition seems more than enough but it starts to fall short when the end is near, unlike health that is just scarce from the very beginning.
As mentioned, this map has also a focus in puzzles but not as much as the author seemed to focus in the battles: as mentioned, the backtracking scheme works and so does the keycard system but there´s little room for guessing or open-ended quests. Most of the map involves walking from a point of the little base to the other so you can get acess to an area on the opposite said. It works in gameplay terms but I think that this map would have worked better with a different focus: the layout is pretty inspiring to put little number of monsters (stealth monsters if wished), intense scripted sequences and more puzzles than featured. Adding some more areas to support these additions would have made this map much more interesting... But well, that´s my opinion anyway.
And there´s still one more point to comment on this map: as mentioned, Tanis Base is originally a Deathmatch map with a layout that doesn´t seem to work for this kind of game and suits better a multiplayer experience. Still, the text file mentions the possibility of playing Cooperative... You may be tempted to think that two players could take on the stealth monster with much ease that just one but I don´t think so. It´s not only that, as the text file says, it´s too cramped to allow more than two players, it also happens that the flow, battles and layout are specially prone to make players block each other in battle. Do you think it´s frustrating to get blocked by an invisible monster while trying to get away?. Try with a friend.
So, what happens in the end with this map?. Nothing good I´m afraid. As much as I liked it when I began playing (and that´s the second wad that has this effect on me for this issue) I ended up being tired of the monster´s placing and battle design. Stealth monsters should really be handled with care and that was not the case with this map. Fortunately, the author enables other mappers to modify the file so, is there anyone out there in for the challenge?. This wad will stick with a 3 in the meantime.
<a href="http://img111.imageshack.us/my.php?image=doom00002jo.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://img111.imageshack.us/img111/7199/doom00002jo.th.png" border="0" alt="Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us" /></a>
This is such a dark base.
<a href="http://img111.imageshack.us/my.php?image=doom00011uc.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://img111.imageshack.us/img111/2174/doom00011uc.th.png" border="0" alt="Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us" /></a>
Locked doors await at the end of narrow hallways.
<a href="http://img59.imageshack.us/my.php?image=doom00025bz.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/3844/doom00025bz.th.png" border="0" alt="Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us" /></a>
Sadly, there could be 5 monsters in this shot and you wouldn´t see them.
by: Rodrigo Acevedo (Multiplayer) and Christopher Emirzian (Single Player)
tbasesp.zip (432kb)
ftp://ftp.fu-berlin.de/pc/msdos/games/idgames/levels/doom2/Ports/s-u/tbasesp.zip
Port: ZDoom.
Single player, Coop.
November 2003.
1 map.
Danimetal using ZDoom v2.0.98.
Score: 3
Tanis Base is an antartic base and you can expect it to look as cold, grey and dark as you imagine. Lots of machinery are stacked on the corners and the functional architecture is everything but welcoming... And, of course, you´re there along with some unwanted guests. This map used to be a multiplayer deathmatch wad by Rodrigo Acevedo but it seems that Christopher Emirzian noticed that it had single player possibilities and got his hands on the original wad to craft a single player experience... I never played the original DM map but I overviewed both layouts and it doesn´t seem like there´s any major difference so I´m inclined to say that the original layout suits good for a multiplayer map but, anyway, even provided a good layout a map can fail.
The biggest and baddest problem with this map is on its playability. Right from the start the player is faced with some monsters in a cramped space. It´s natural to take a few shots in that area but the look and feel of the map really invites to ignore the harsh beginning and keep on playing. Most battles on this map range from acceptable to bearable until you get to the middle: as if two Pain Elementals teleported in your back weren´t enough you´ll start to encounter more of these ZDoom stealth monsters that you would like to... Before that you have encountered a few of them that may give you little trouble but it comes a moment when the map is unbearable: it´s not fun to shoot at the air to check if a monster is there or to dodge a shot just to realize that you can´t move as you´re surrounded by invisible foes. The battles become harder and harder and in the end the player is on his nerves. I tried several difficulty settings and they didn´t seem to change a thing: the same difficulty curve and the same stealth monsters again and again... It wouldn´t have been a problem if there were less of them and it´s not like there are thousands but, believe me, there are more than what is convenient and some of them are more powerful than you wish (if you play this map you will remember the Hell Knights as an example of what mustn´t be done)... Serious, these stealth monsters should have a "Handle me with care" sign or something like that as they alone can ruin this whole map.
And I said ruin: it starts out fun and moody but it ends frustrating and a little nonsensical. To make things worse there´s not enough ammo to keep on playing when you get to the end (you´re likely to spend a lot trying to get a glimpse of the stealth enemies) so a map with a short layout that should be playable in less than 15 minutes becomes a save-load fest trying to memorize where the stealth monsters are while harassed by regular foes. Really, it´s frustrating and when you´ve finished it you don´t feel like trying to play it again but that´s nothing that really matters as the absence of secrets and difficulty settings just lowers the interest on a second playtrough.
But this map has it´s nice things too... For example, the layout is pretty nice consisting mainly of narrow hallways and rooms set in a circle fashion. This layout leads the player through the map from one extreme to the other in a constant backtracking fashion. This is achieved by a clever use of locked doors and keycard placement and the interest is somewhat mantained by refilling the monster reserves in previously visited rooms... This may seem a little stupid when read or even when looking at the map´s layout but effectively works in game and reveals a simple but accurate work on the Single Player experience.
The whole layout (of a small size) shares a similar look, with recolored Doom textures on a grey theme that give the map a dark and moody feel. You may notice a couple of textures that are out of place (like the sky or some railings) and also some misalignments in the Y axis but overall this map has a good texturing work, specially on the selection of textures and colours. Lights are low but bright enough for you to shoot at your enemies (at least those that can be seen) and the architecture looks sober and functional. Sometimes you can think that the architecture is blocky and has little detail (or blocky detail) but it enhances the cold and functional feeling of the base... Still, I think that some more attention to little details could have made this map much more visually remarkable.
The narrow and claustrophobic spaces could suggest a survival-horror kind of environment (and so does the Castlevaniesque music when the map starts) where monsters could fall upon you at any moment but instead of that we´re provided with during the playable part of the map. Those firefights are frequent (a new fight with each new room) but, as mentioned before, it just becomes crazy after a while and all fights lose their charm and sense. In addition to that, ammunition seems more than enough but it starts to fall short when the end is near, unlike health that is just scarce from the very beginning.
As mentioned, this map has also a focus in puzzles but not as much as the author seemed to focus in the battles: as mentioned, the backtracking scheme works and so does the keycard system but there´s little room for guessing or open-ended quests. Most of the map involves walking from a point of the little base to the other so you can get acess to an area on the opposite said. It works in gameplay terms but I think that this map would have worked better with a different focus: the layout is pretty inspiring to put little number of monsters (stealth monsters if wished), intense scripted sequences and more puzzles than featured. Adding some more areas to support these additions would have made this map much more interesting... But well, that´s my opinion anyway.
And there´s still one more point to comment on this map: as mentioned, Tanis Base is originally a Deathmatch map with a layout that doesn´t seem to work for this kind of game and suits better a multiplayer experience. Still, the text file mentions the possibility of playing Cooperative... You may be tempted to think that two players could take on the stealth monster with much ease that just one but I don´t think so. It´s not only that, as the text file says, it´s too cramped to allow more than two players, it also happens that the flow, battles and layout are specially prone to make players block each other in battle. Do you think it´s frustrating to get blocked by an invisible monster while trying to get away?. Try with a friend.
So, what happens in the end with this map?. Nothing good I´m afraid. As much as I liked it when I began playing (and that´s the second wad that has this effect on me for this issue) I ended up being tired of the monster´s placing and battle design. Stealth monsters should really be handled with care and that was not the case with this map. Fortunately, the author enables other mappers to modify the file so, is there anyone out there in for the challenge?. This wad will stick with a 3 in the meantime.
<a href="http://img111.imageshack.us/my.php?image=doom00002jo.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://img111.imageshack.us/img111/7199/doom00002jo.th.png" border="0" alt="Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us" /></a>
This is such a dark base.
<a href="http://img111.imageshack.us/my.php?image=doom00011uc.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://img111.imageshack.us/img111/2174/doom00011uc.th.png" border="0" alt="Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us" /></a>
Locked doors await at the end of narrow hallways.
<a href="http://img59.imageshack.us/my.php?image=doom00025bz.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/3844/doom00025bz.th.png" border="0" alt="Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us" /></a>
Sadly, there could be 5 monsters in this shot and you wouldn´t see them.