SkaarjMonuments.com - Map Reviews

DmZahltagOps - January 11, 2008 (Map of the Week)
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Reviewer: Tronovision Map Name: DmZahltagOps Author: Buster (aka Sneaki B) Map Type: Deathmatch Date Released: Unknown Unreal Version: 224 Overall Rating: 9.5/10 [Download DmZahltagOps.zip] - 4,700 Kb Reviewer's Thoughts: Although this map has truly become one of the most popular deathmatch maps to come out of the unreal community, I still think it deserves special attention for how great of a map it is. There have been numerous previous releases of the same map (dmZahltag), each having some kind of improvement or variation on the original. However in this latest release, a number of really great improvements have really put this level over the top and it is in my opinion one of the best all-time maps out there. As you can see from the pictures, dmZahltagOps is a city themed map, which includes a lot of original (or non-standard) textures and sounds, which despite not being S3TC quality, they look pretty good nonetheless. The map is physically huge and allows for up to 16 players to play in the level without things getting too claustrophobic. Despite the hugeness of the map, attention to detail has not been sacrificed, and as a fellow mapper, I know that this took a LOT of patience to work out the small kinks such as making lighting pleasing and well balanced, and aligning even those unsightly textures which almost no one will notice anyway. The geometry of the map has been kept relatively simple, yet elegant and easier on framerates, while having lots of "layers" to the level. The geometry especially shines with the recent addition of the helicopter, (which in itself is an amazing feat to design from scratch) allowing players to get a quick lift to the roofs of buildings where a number of goodies await. Weapons and ammo are also in great abundance and it is rare to encounter an enemy unarmed. Another feature of this version of dmZahltag is the addition of teleporters, which really tighten the flow of the map, allowing the player to track across the map in a second as opposed to walking all the way there (another great improvement). There are very few aspects of this map that I feel warrant improvement, however one could be improving the look of the lifts in the buildings. Although only aesthetic, the lifts seem a bit too simplified for this high-profile map and could maybe feature some observable means in which the platform is actually being lifted. Another issue that I noticed is that the map is not noded, rendering it almost unplayable in offline botmatches. Although for a map this size, pathing would take a lot of work, it would be nice to see another version that users could play offline just for botmatches. In summary, this map has improved greatly over its time and is arguably one of the best maps out there for Unreal. Scoring Breakdown: Ambience: 9.5/10 Geometry: 9.0/10 Texturing: 10/10 Lighting: 9.5/10 Inventory: 9.5/10 Playability: 9.5/10 TOTAL = 57.0/60

Reviewer: Tronovision

Map Name: DmZahltagOps
Author: Buster (aka Sneaki B)
Map Type: Deathmatch
Date Released: Unknown
Unreal Version: 224
Overall Rating: 9.5/10

[Download DmZahltagOps.zip] - 4,700 Kb

Reviewer's Thoughts:

Although this map has truly become one of the most popular deathmatch maps to come out of the unreal community, I still think it deserves special attention for how great of a map it is. There have been numerous previous releases of the same map (dmZahltag), each having some kind of improvement or variation on the original. However in this latest release, a number of really great improvements have really put this level over the top and it is in my opinion one of the best all-time maps out there. As you can see from the pictures, dmZahltagOps is a city themed map, which includes a lot of original (or non-standard) textures and sounds, which despite not being S3TC quality, they look pretty good nonetheless. The map is physically huge and allows for up to 16 players to play in the level without things getting too claustrophobic. Despite the hugeness of the map, attention to detail has not been sacrificed, and as a fellow mapper, I know that this took a LOT of patience to work out the small kinks such as making lighting pleasing and well balanced, and aligning even those unsightly textures which almost no one will notice anyway. The geometry of the map has been kept relatively simple, yet elegant and easier on framerates, while having lots of "layers" to the level. The geometry especially shines with the recent addition of the helicopter, (which in itself is an amazing feat to design from scratch) allowing players to get a quick lift to the roofs of buildings where a number of goodies await. Weapons and ammo are also in great abundance and it is rare to encounter an enemy unarmed. Another feature of this version of dmZahltag is the addition of teleporters, which really tighten the flow of the map, allowing the player to track across the map in a second as opposed to walking all the way there (another great improvement). There are very few aspects of this map that I feel warrant improvement, however one could be improving the look of the lifts in the buildings. Although only aesthetic, the lifts seem a bit too simplified for this high-profile map and could maybe feature some observable means in which the platform is actually being lifted. Another issue that I noticed is that the map is not noded, rendering it almost unplayable in offline botmatches. Although for a map this size, pathing would take a lot of work, it would be nice to see another version that users could play offline just for botmatches. In summary, this map has improved greatly over its time and is arguably one of the best maps out there for Unreal.

Scoring Breakdown:

Ambience: 9.5/10
Geometry: 9.0/10
Texturing: 10/10
Lighting: 9.5/10
Inventory: 9.5/10
Playability: 9.5/10

TOTAL = 57.0/60