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DM-1on1-Nano (UT)
MapAuthor: Swanky
Date Reviewed: 18 September 2004
Reviewer: Thunderstrike



Now I’m taking a look at another level by Swanky. You may recall a recent(ish) review I did of his CTF-Swavo][, which received a very solid (coming from me) 7.0. What we have this time around is a 1on1; a form of level which has really developed into a major staple. Perhaps it’s the desire to test your skills against another, sans distractions and complications prevalent in FFA matches. The thing to remember here is that the bot AI in UT is geared towards FFA rather than 1on1, and as a result I frequently find it necessary to bump the skill level of a bot up around two notches to get a good test. How does Swanky’s effort sit amongst the sea of duellers?

Most likely the strongest element to immediately hit you when first spawning in this level is the unwavering theme. It is also a theme which has been sadly too often relegated to the days of yore; the high tech theme. I’m not talking about the abundant rusty tech/industrial themes which are overused. I’m not talking about your SGTech and RichRig textured levels. I’m talking about the shiny newness of brand spanking new future tech. This look is beautifully achieved through extensive use of the Spacetor texture set from ShockSystems (included in the download). The zip file contains two levels. The only major visual difference between the two maps is that the abundant red throughout Nano is replaced by abundant blue in Nano][. According to the author this was due to multiple requests to produce a blue version for those with an aversion to red. I didn’t mind the red, but I guess I do favour the blue of 2. The blue look is courtesy of the same Spacetor textures, but given a blue hue in lieu for two. I just loved coming up with that line! These “converted” textures are packaged into the imaginatively entitled Nanoblue texture package which is also included in the zip. There is one other difference between the two levels. Nano has the odd few BSP issues. Perhaps the biggest is on a large rooftop area reached by utilising a lift jump. I’m not sure if the author intended players to get to here, however, once purchase is gained, a few steps away from the edge payers fall through the BSP into a large, open area and must suicide to respawn within the intended playing area. Strangely, this doesn’t occur in Nano][ and yet the author made no mention of it. If Nano][ is merely a retextured version of Nano, then why doesn’t the problem not exist in Nano][? Peculiar… Still, the theme is well maintained in both levels. Supposedly set in “a futuristic Shopping Mall”, there are several large windows with groups of Krall and Mercenaries casually observing play, presumably for some amusement. It should be noted that people with their UT preferences set to NoMonsters=true will not see these pawns, and will instead find empty rooms staring back at them. There is a custom script which allows level authors to override this setting for a particular map, and in this case where the pawn inclusion is to aid ambience, it might have been a good idea to use the script.

The level is surprisingly open for a dueller, but the layout is such that there is just enough obstruction to allow limited cover. This naturally makes for a pretty intense duel. I actually found my default bot skill of Adept gave a better than normal game, and a bump up to Masterful gave me a fair amount to think about. I didn’t feel it necessary to raise the skill to Godlike, which is rare in duellers. Quite often I need this kind of skill level to produce a tight and intense match, and this really is a compliment to the author in terms of layout and bot pathing that a Masterful bot can give a decent game. I did find that the key, as is often the case, is achieving the high ground. At the highest point in the level (within what I believe is the intended playing area), sits a shock rifle, two ammo packs and nearby a semi-circle of health vials. Within view of this post is the small alcove wherein resides the thigh pads; the only form of protection in the arena, so naturally quite a sought after article. This makes for interesting strategy, as control of the shock nest means you can easily observe a player going for the pads. The alcove is reasonably protected from fire, but entry and exit is not. This strategy was generally what won me my matches, although I will say I was surprised by how accurate and damaging bots managed to make the pulse gun from a distance. I had several amusing moments where I vaulted onto the rooftops in an attempt to surprise a bot. Then there would be silence… no sound of running, pickups or anything. Finally, a peak over the edge drew fire from directly underneath me. For some strange reason, I found this quite entertaining as a diversion, and these standoffs often lasted five minutes or longer as I endeavoured to out manoeuvre the bot and gain a clear shot.

Lighting works quite well, with some nice shadows and spot effects, although I felt the shadows could have been a little stronger and a few more and stronger hot spots wouldn’t have gone astray. Ambient sounds are well handled with over fifty present, which adds a nice complexity, especially for a small duel map. Unfortunately, only a stock tune is used for the levels, and given the extra effort of the author in developing a strong and reasonably original theme, it seems a shame that the individuality wasn’t further stamped by use of a custom tune to aid in development of the theme. Perhaps the author could even have had a little fun with the whole “shopping mall” theme and had a muzak track playing, along with the occasional announcement by a young secretary over the p.a. saying, “Could Mr. Jones please come to the front office.” Maybe a little silly, but little touches like that help distance a level from its peers. As for weapon placement, I suppose that’s rather open to personal preference. Still, seeing as how this is my review, I will say that I thought the rocket launcher down the bottom wasn’t a great choice, and should have gone where the bio rifle was, with the bio rifle moved to where the shock is and the shock moved to where the rocket launcher is. On the plus side, I liked the pulse gun placement, and the inclusion of just the thigh pads means that players only get a slight edge when claiming the item, and not an unbalancing keg, body armor or, worse, UDamage.

This level played really well, despite plenty of nice detail and trim work, and I would think the vast majority of PCs could handle this level without complaint. It’s a lot of fun and should provide those interested in a fresh and fast paced duelling level with some fresh meat for the grinder. Another slick level by Swanky, which goes into that keepers folder of mine which now has a pretty healthy collection of levels by this author. Perhaps not the single most visually stunning level ever created, but more than worth the download, both in terms of visuals and game play.

Bottom Line: Fun, polished and most of the things I would imagine keen duelists are looking for.

Score: 6.5
Average User Score: 6.6 (3 scores)