The Katagean Redoubt for Quake1

***New***

Level name: The Katagean Redoubt

Author: Chris 'Simulacrum' Houston

Release date: 04 March 2008

Size: 1 465 ko

Number of maps: 1

website: None


download:
from quaddicated

Story

YOU BIG SHOOTY MAN GOOD GOOD SHOOT NOW NO DIE FAILURE NOT OPTIONAL OP3N D00Rz L0lz

Review :
The author who did several attempt back in the early 2000 wanted to get a little expereince in order to apply to some gaming industry job, He so decided to get back into design and especially for Quake 1 regarding the success of his release he wanted to extend this map to a small episode but nothing shines since then
Design: The architecture is a mix between e1m3 and e1m4 brigging some Castle base design full of those green bricks and wood floor, It can easilly be consider as 'old school' regarding the inspiration comming from the original level.  The layout is neat and impressive featuring a well interconnected castle full of nasty surprise and secrets places (8). A lot of attention has been put into this one to create some wonderfull places to visit and this with an up and down view regarding the way you progress...Action even if perfectly balance nearly doesn't take place outdoor and doesn't really provides a lot of mechanism and trigger effects (both would have certainly increase the skill of the author and the way we can judge his skill). But this is only a personnal point of view and only minor aspect regarding the whole unit.

Gameplay is a good mix beween fight and progression in a quite linear way at first and after (regrading the central room and the access through keys) more unlinear. Weapons give is progressive sothat you need to really take care to enemies and the ways you use each weapons...This time I had not that much problems finding the secrets places which is also from the 'old school' approach. The fights where pretty well balance and most of the time easy to predict when they should be more challenging but even in this way the last battle was a real nightmere....The way the gameplay was balanced was perfectly fitting to my way of playing and it was therefore a pure playtime delight
In conclusion: this release should really encourage everybody to try to handle some mapping experience, the author come back after 7 year and a short immersing time  to produce a enjoyable challenging experience in a well crafted environment it's certainly not perfect but in the way the author used his skill he did it in a remarkzble manner.


 Statistics on normal skill:   playtime 33' 03''    secrets 6/8     kills 133/136 

Playtime: 40 minutes

Rating: A B C D E (88%)

Breakfast at twilight for Quake 1

***New***

Name: Breafast at Twilight

Author: Peter 'Hrimfaxi' Sörensen

Release date: 12 September 2007

Size: 4 856 ko

Number of maps: 1+ 1start map

website: None


download:
from quaddicated

Additionnal pack required :
quoth is necessary to play correctly this one...and a bunch of recent releases

Story

Not really - just shoot anything!
Review :

Design:  In one word : Wonderfull !!! and shine directly through the statring map where you can choose your skill.
The Place is quite huge and will provide a large area that need to be discover by accessing key protected area, the fact that you sometime can seen trough windows balcony and other view what is awaiting you is well crafted.

The outdoor and indoor scene are well put together to make you admire the places you are going to travel through, architecture and use of textures really creation some intense visual moment, lightning is also well provided. The skybox is perfectly fitting the theme and name of the map...Visually everything looks really great some more sound or background atmosphere would even add a more immersive feeling but this would only be a tiny touch.

Gameplay: like the design it's solid, with over 160 monsters on normal setting the battle to survive and progress will be quite hard the use of new monsters and there placement was also well done lot's of secret zone are there to provide you with some addition qwest if you are able to find them (witch wasn't my case), the surprise is just behind every corner and this will only reinforce your desire to finish the map. Battle are sometimes surprising, sometime tough, through the difficluty to move and fight back but it was the aim wasn't it? to be able to play this type of release you should be prepare through the challenge and difficult to deserve whats next

In conclusion: after several play through Peter's release I'm now a total fan of is mapping skill  that remind me from another great mapper Shaun 'Kona' Ross this one is without no doubt a must play and extremely invite you to reinstall Quake 1 for the amount of great release that still need to be revisited or/and review

 Statistics on Normal skill:   playtime 48' 40''    secrets 2/11     kills 166/166 

Playtime: 1 hour 20 minutes



Rating: A B C D E (94%)

Star scream for Quake 1

***New***

Level name: Star scream

Author: Dustin 'Ttronyn' Geeraert

Release date: 07 Mai 2003

Size: 329 ko

Number of maps: 1

website: None anymore


download:
from quaddicated

Story

None...a map oriented to be playing with all support so perfectly design for SP Coop and MP

Review :

Design: It's a short map with mostly a linear gameplay from the top to the bottom of a kind of 'space castle' Architecture is well put together and reminds me of some UT deathmatch maps, it creates a immersive highlight Castle, indoor is limited but outdoor, especially regarding the small size, is well interconnected. Lightning is put were it should be and if the use of texture is limited it give perfectly the ambiance we like.

Gameplay is wellbalanced with a design from the bottom to the top. You will need to get rid of enemies that are most of the time attacking you from above, additionnally it's quite easy if you move too much to fall down into space and die, this add a bit of challenge. It's still quite an easy map in normal mod with limited amount of enemies. All freatures are put where they needed to provide a good single play experience

In conclusion: short and enjoyable what else do we need if we want a break.


 Statistics on normal skill:   playtime 5' 27''    secrets 0/1     kills 35/35 

Playtime: 10 minutes



Rating: A B C D E (70%)

Biotoxin for Quake1

***New***

Level name: Biotoxin

Author: Christian 'CZG' Grawert

Release date: 03 April 2001

Size: 550 ko

Number of maps: 1

website: None anymore


download:
from quaddicated

Author's Note

My entry for 100 brush V2.00 contest:

Biotoxin - Where toxic waste comes to die, and to be pumped out into earths ecosystem.

Review :

Design: It's an hundred brush competition so it may look quite limited but Christian is a master so everything is well put together in a limited base a lot influenced by Quake2 (the author even use some Q2 textures) everything is well oriented to make you travel through, enjoy the lightning and even some little effects with on text messag. Enemies placements, weapons and ammo/health is put were they should to create some challenge but not too much...

Gameplay is perfectly balance increasing while you progress puzzle are only there to make you travel from up to down, it's really enjoyable and never frustrating with in some spot a nasty surprise what elese should we expect from a limited competition enjoyable well eyes looking and not frustrating.

In conclusion: I'm really a fan of those base map for Quake 1 and this one, build by one of my favorite quake author, even if quite short isn't an exception. Short, fun and sweet the ideal break for the people, like me , that don't have a lot of playtime.


 Statistics:   playtime 10' 30''    secrets 0/0     kills 54/54 

Playtime: 20 minutes



Rating: A B C D E (91%)

hrim_sp4 - For Love of Evil for Quake1

***New***

Level name: hrim_sp4 - For Love of Evil

Author: Peter 'Hrimfaxi' Sørensen

Release date: 01/01/2010

Size: 5 645 ko

Number of maps: 3 + 1start level

website: here


download: here



Author's Note

this collection of maps were build over 5 years... and have been finally put together in this pack

For Love of Evil: The main map a large map mostly ID metal textures but also some textures by Kell and others.

Voidscape: A turtle map made in two days in 2004. Se the included Readme file below.

Brownie: A map intented for the sm128 session bur it wasn't finished at the time andabout half a year later I made it into a turtlemap (build it within a week)

Start: This map was made for this release within a weeks time.

These maps are totally unrelated and wil not follow each other when you play.
They all play independently.

Separated Review :

Start short and sweet it's from here you will enter the skill selection that for myself I let on the normal challenge.


Brownie is the first one I played, I will consider this one as a classic map through it's gameplay featuring a castle full of those evily surprise that can provide Quake 1.
Design is oriented arround a well crafted castle made of custome texture. Several place of view really give a nice touch, the general layout even if limited through the contest it was firstly build for, creates a nice atmosphere that could perhaps been a little enhanced by a more gloomy skybox.
Gameplay is for me quite classic but its what I like, never too hard but well balanced, the challenge will increase with your progression, the weapons you find and the keys to acces new places. the final battle may look too easy in the way you approach the fight but ones more this way is the one i prefer in comparaison with an open area where you only possibility to survive is a mix between run and shoot.

Statistics:    playtime 13'40''   secrets 0/1   kills 52/52

For love of Evil like the author's tell this is the larger and the main one. Eveything has been put in this one, base on a metal atmosphere, the author has put a lot of effort to created an enjoyable but not repetitive gameplay through fights and traps that need to be solved with a minimum of thinking.
Design even if the texture theme used may limit the interest was really well put toghether to show some wonderfull place to visit with some nice architecture in several place that really increase the atmosphere though their size,especially in height, lightning is good but some effect could have been put there to create one'smore a better gloomy feeling (but it wasn't perhaps suppose too).
Key, button and secret hunting will also face some challenging and unexpected event, but the fluidity through all those events was perhaps a little too expected.
For the gameplay this one like the previous really put the gameplay I like not unbeatable with some good challenge and some break and here and there some triggered event that need some small thinking, only those secret seems for me too difficult to find, but too be honest I really didn't look for them...ammo and health were perfectly available where we really needed them

Statistics:     playtime 35'02''   secrets 1/9    kills 130/133

VoidScape the last and the shortest and an original layout in space it was tiny to quite clostrophobic in some place but perftcly challenging and put together.
Designed like a passage lost in a mountain just put somewhere on a tiny flotting planet Peter was able to create something unique played fully outdoor with some jumping puzzle and havy fight in restricted area...with a totally different approach he was able to catch our attention for and quite enjoyable experience even if it was short and hard in someplace thorugh well placed ammo and health.

Statistics:      playtime  10' 48''  secret 0/1    kills 32/32

In conclusion: An enjoyable expeirence played arround different theme put together in  a single pack...It helped me at least rediscover Quake1,  with some fun an pleasure it's well worth if you are fan to test this one

Playtime: 1h 30 minutes



Rating: A B C D E (86%)


Note: thanks to Quakis

I finally could handle to have the mouse look...I know it may sound stupid but this was the most reason i didn't touch Quake1 anymore...just try it without mouse look...for the one who don't know how just open the console and type +mlook