fileball.whpress.com
1996

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Timeline

Krylark The Demo

First level of a 5-level scenario, Krylark the Fallen. Interesting plot, but the AI can't spell worth a damn. The level is almost too difficult to bother with... lots of tight corridors filled with purple compys and tanks (nowhere to dodge projectiles, or explosions). Nice construction, though... the transparent walls in front of lava might be overdone, but there are some nice tricks. Also comes with a copy of Carnage Island (looks like version 3, but I can't be sure).

Operation: Exaggeration

A tongue-in-cheek 11-level solo effort. Inspired greatly by Douglas Adams, this map is very funny for the first several levels, at which point it suddenly turns downright mean. I stopped laughing at about level 7... and it didn't get nice again until the very end. However, it's very playable (if a bit difficult). Comes with a really fun physics model (that wouldn't make sense in most maps, but works wonderfully here). The only real gripe is the lack of alignment for all comm terms/pattern buffers. Other than that, this scenario is a blast..

A A

Four maps, none of them really playable. They're mostly idea maps... sort of trying out new architectures. A couple would make nice additions to existing maps...

Nothing Special

A big, rambling level that works better as a solo "kill everything" level than a net level. Lots of narrow passageways, and a bit light on the ammo...

Gemini Station

A huge, rambling, fantastically engrossing level that makes up the first of six to eight parts in this scenario. (The Tony Smith model of serial level release might be catching on.) There are a few (minor) bugs, like telepost bugs, and places you shouldn't be able to get to, but on the whole, this is really, really well done. The storyline gets weird at times, but it's quite intricate, and self-consistent. There are even a couple of never-before-seen tricks here... check out the self-destruct timer! Worth every byte...

Bloody Dreams Level 1

The first level of an upcoming scenario. Very nice chapter art... an interesting take on the Marathon universe. As for gameplay: let me give you some advice. DON'T try to kill everything... just do your best to get to where you need to go, as quickly as possible. If you're lucky, you'll survive to see the final term. Some nice dead ends (these would bother me quite a bit if it were a longer level), and a couple of nice visual tricks.

Bob Factory 1.0.1

This is a really nice three-level scenario. (Well, the first and third levels are pretty short, but they're still quite good.) I was running around the last level, doing my best to stay alive long enough to get to the end, and I was trying to figure out what I liked so much about it... I decided it's monster placement. It's great! (Well, a little light at the start, but he makes up for that.) It's really tight on ammo, at least at first, so you need to plan your routes quite a bit. Brought back the best parts of M1 for me...

No Stinking Type Pfhor Errors

A sequel to the DMMC Scenario Preview. This is another impressive effort, with a lot of fun touches (a working sink, video games, judicious use of juggernauts). A bit confusing if not completed in the order intended, and I ran into a bizarre bug with the first uplink chip insertion point, but all in all, an enjoyable scenario.

Reservoir BoBs

The third installment in the Origin of Species series. Definitely up to the standard set by the first two chapters... with very nice term art, and some hellishly good level design, this one should satisfy the Tony Smith cravings induced by previous releases, at least for a little while...

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