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02/06/2014 - "ISV-Kran Deck 4" by Mycha the sleddog

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User avatar Jigoku
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Subject: 02/06/2014 - "ISV-Kran Deck 4" by Mycha the sleddog

Post Posted: 02 Jun 2014, 11:04

Map Title: ISV-Kran Deck 4
Author: Mycha the sleddog
From: Unreal
Filename: IsvKran4.unr
Music Files: Newmca9.umx




Video Playthrough:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7LLIy077G0

Synopsis: The player enters a Russian ship called ISV Kran.

Discuss!

User avatar Semfry
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Subject: Re: 02/06/2014 - "ISV-Kran Deck 4" by Mycha the sleddog

Post Posted: 02 Jun 2014, 18:42

Here's my old comments.

Mman wrote:ISV-Kran is probably my least favorite section (after Cellars at Dasa Pass anyway), I think its more because it's right before some of the best parts of the game though, so it's kind of a roadblock to the awesome. The ambushes here are nice, although it's not always obvious that winning will open the way further (especially in the first fight).

I'm not sure which part of Kran I like/dislike the most, but I'd probably put this as the weakest; Kran 3/2 has the non-linearity thing going on, while Kran 1 has the "OH SHIT RUN!". Kran 4 doesn't have much beyond the ambushes.


I'm not so sure I'd say the ambushes are "nice" nowadays though; they're slow encounters where easy enemies come at you one at a time with little indication of progress or when you've won (and, as I said, the results of winning aren't always very intuitive). The last one is at least closed in enough to have some tension, and it has a clear start and end, but the crates are also placed in a way that makes it pretty exploitable.

Edit: Oh yeah this map is the debut of the Razorjack too, which is something I guess.
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Subject: Re: 02/06/2014 - "ISV-Kran Deck 4" by Mycha the sleddog

Post Posted: 02 Jun 2014, 19:53

A good starter map to the ISV-Kran trio I guess. Those ambushing Skaarj gave me a fright the first time I played, and I got my first Razorjack Headshot on the Skaarj that ambushes you in the warehouse :D

You can find the USP Wiki Article here: http://unrealsp.wikia.com/wiki/ISV-Kran_Deck_4

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Subject: Re: 02/06/2014 - "ISV-Kran Deck 4" by Mycha the sleddog

Post Posted: 02 Jun 2014, 20:10

Decent combat map, though now that I have played Unreal in these days again, I think the Shuttle Bay fight in Deck3/2 is harder than anything in Deck4.
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Subject: Re: 02/06/2014 - "ISV-Kran Deck 4" by Mycha the sleddog

Post Posted: 02 Jun 2014, 20:27

If I remember correctly this is the map with the translator log hinting that the Skaarj mothership is mobile and moves around the planet.

I think I was really excited to get into this level on my first playthrough, exiting Vandora and seeing another human starship. As I've said in the past, my perception of time and things accomplished in my first playthrough led me to believe that this was the maybe the end of my travels and that the Kran would yield an escape for me.

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Subject: Re: 02/06/2014 - "ISV-Kran Deck 4" by Mycha the sleddog

Post Posted: 02 Jun 2014, 21:49

Mister_Prophet wrote:If I remember correctly this is the map with the translator log hinting that the Skaarj mothership is mobile and moves around the planet.

There's nothing about the Skaarj Mothership, but there is a log mentioning the Titans and the fact that they are 4 storeys tall.

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Subject: Re: 02/06/2014 - "ISV-Kran Deck 4" by Mycha the sleddog

Post Posted: 03 Jun 2014, 11:23

I can't see those screenshots without hearing the music in my head.

BOM-bom-bom-bom-bom-bom-bom...
BOM-bom-bom-bom-bom-bom-bom...
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Subject: Re: 02/06/2014 - "ISV-Kran Deck 4" by Mycha the sleddog

Post Posted: 03 Jun 2014, 14:04

This ISV-Kran series might just be my favorite series of maps in Unreal and also includes my favorite transition from Deck 1 -> SpireVillage. Myscha is hands down considered by me as the most talented artist on Epic's dev team and the build quality shows here as well as on all other Kran maps. You can tell that he was trying to create a entire separate theme all together throughout these 3 maps for our hero with the primary focus on the SkaarjWarrior as the Kran's main threat (an excellent choice). Playing the map now, the ambushes are more predictable as well as the AI, but there are only so many things you can blame on engine mechanics from 1998. Myscha himself was upset by the limitations set by the environments in Unreal and was a strong advocate in creating environments that stick out separate form each other and show their own themes visually as well as in gameplay. In comparing the visual themes between the Kran and a map like Chizra, one can conclude that this dude was a master of the art.

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Subject: Re: 02/06/2014 - "ISV-Kran Deck 4" by Mycha the sleddog

Post Posted: 03 Jun 2014, 14:47

I always left this map with the impression that the Kran's sole purpose was to carry large crates from one part of the galaxy to the other.
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Subject: Re: 02/06/2014 - "ISV-Kran Deck 4" by Mycha the sleddog

Post Posted: 05 Jun 2014, 22:54

I've never been a huge fan of the ISV-Kran maps in general. I liked the start of this one, as it gave a good impression of what happened to the crew, but after that I can't say it was very enjoyable or interesting for me.
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