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DM-1on1-Elysium (UT)
MapAuthor: L.J.Paranoid
Date Reviewed: 25 June 2003
Reviewer: Homeslice




Just because it's raining, it doesn't mean playtime is over!

Our pal, L.J. Paranoid, pumps out another cool, old-school-UT-style arena, good for some duels and packed with some good atmosphere.

The theme appears to be that of an abandoned industry that seems to be decaying. There are still plenty of lights around, but it's gotten dark, the windows, walls, and ceilings are cracked, and rain is pouring in through them. Some dirt has seeped in, giving way to plant life. These visuals are nice and realistic. The lighting is nicely done. The corona use is good, with the right sizes and colors for the theme. They light their areas perfectly enough. There are many shadows in this map, especially coming from the overhead windows, and that is really good, but the map can be a tad dark in some areas. Sounds are plentiful in this place. You'll hear crickets chirping outside, and the sounds of the rain falling. Lift sounds aren't overlooked here either; they're nicely done. Botpck10 was the selected track for the map, and it fit the atmosphere pretty nicely, especially with the rain and texturing. Speaking of the texturing, it consists mainly of steel and concrete, as well as that terrain I mentioned. I liked the rain puddle effects on some parts of the floors, as they give some good realistic effects. No clashing of the textures was really visible. This map might have some trouble flowing for the slow machines if it can't handle rain. Otherwise, it should hardly be any problem.

The architecture is decent. Some good ramps lie about, and some good curves on the walls exist too, not to mention the terrain use lying around. I liked the item placement also. Some good crooked placement of the health and armor on the hilly terrain, as well as health vials up on the ramps and against some walls, give a good feel to it. The skybox was excellently done, in terms of fitting the map. I liked the usage of the moon, looking a bit blurry beneath the blue clouds. I didn't, however, quite like the fact that the clouds didn't move at all. To be fair it fit the theme. As I mentioned already, this map can suit duels nicely, as it is made for 2-4 players. Some 2-on-2's can also work here. Online servers should try this one out. The bots didn't do too badly either. They were tough, grabbed their weapons, and used the lifts frequently. And I could describe map strategy here, but I did so many times for DM maps like these. Ah, what the hell....basically, keep yourself well-armed (with plenty of health) and get some good weapons.

Bottom Line: UT isn't getting any younger, but this map should make the game feel like it's young. Good gameplay and graphics - all this should call for a download.

Score: 7.5
Average User Score: 8.2 (6 scores)