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25/08/2008 - "The Great Abyss" by EddX

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User avatar Hellscrag
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Subject: 25/08/2008 - "The Great Abyss" by EddX

Post Posted: 25 Aug 2008, 14:14

Map Title: The Great Abyss
Author: Edward "EddX" McRobbie
From: The Sky Shard
Filename: temple2.unr
Video Playthrough: http://www.dailymotion.com/MMAN2/video/11029528

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Synopsis: The player emerges from the temple ruins into a great subterranean abyss, which he must traverse in order to gain access to the Skaarj ship.
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User avatar Hellscrag
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Post Posted: 25 Aug 2008, 14:15

This was the first time that I'd played this, but it was pretty cool, actually. The build is very basic, with misaligned geometry and silent movers, but there's a very cool concept at work here (if implemented by a more experienced mapper, this could easily have rivalled the most impressive moments from 7 Bullets).
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Post Posted: 25 Aug 2008, 15:21

As I said in my review, this is the strongest part of the map pack. I never saw something such big in Unreal, years ago when I played Sky Shard for the first time.

Yeah, now it's low-poly, but the abyss is freaking enormous. Heh, I laughed at the whole "Slith World". You swim and then you realize that the door to it is closed. Happy drowning.
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User avatar Hellscrag
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Post Posted: 25 Aug 2008, 15:35

UBerserker wrote:Heh, I laughed at the whole "Slith World". You swim and then you realize that the door to it is closed. Happy drowning.


I saw that mentioned in the readme, so I didn't bother to swim. :P
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User avatar kea
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Post Posted: 26 Aug 2008, 10:40

I agree with Scrag, it has conceptual grandness but lacks a quality in it's implementation.

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Post Posted: 27 Aug 2008, 17:33

Definitely one of the most grand early Unreal maps in concept (perhaps even now). It is perhaps a bit too shrouded in darkness though, and, while it fits the concept to have it like that I think a few tarydium crystals or something could have bought out a little more of the structure rather than just being pure darkness for half the area, I think the Slith city entry was a cool way to make the world feel bigger. The lack of music helps exacerbate the lack of ambient sounds (which could have really helped with the feel of being in the abyss). The lifts could have also done with being a bit faster (as it is they disrupt the gameflow). Side areas like that "generator" cave could have done with an item or some messages to make it more than just staring at the cool movers.

Considering it's the central part of the storyline I think the Sky Shard could have done with much more than just a visit in the first level and a view in the ending; for instance, maybe its bottom could have been built over the abyss so it illuminates some of the top and can be seen from most of the level to remind you it's there.

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Post Posted: 27 Aug 2008, 18:32

thanks for the vid, MMAN! It brought back some memories..
Nice start I think.. nice atmosphere, and it's HUGE.. but.. I remember getting lost several times and being in the dark litteraly and figuratively is kinda annoying... I think I flew/ghosted to some parts in this level... :/
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Post Posted: 27 Aug 2008, 19:48

It's non-linear, almost. It's not easy to figure out the layout for first-timers, honestly.
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User avatar jackrabbit
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Post Posted: 27 Aug 2008, 21:03

Thanks for the Review!!! I've been looking for this one for quite some time now. I first played it once in zora's server, but then never saw it again. I now find a link to oldunreal.com that has the mappack and I just got finished playing it full offline.

This mappack is a very refreshing unrealsp experience. The map structure is very very cool and I love how 2 different rooms are intertwined into the same room (and you wouldn't even know it!)

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