A Wookiee's Fate
Mission Type:
Author:
Post Date:
Download:
HothRebel
September 15, 1998
Level Review
Basics
Reviewer:
Overall Score:
Date Reviewed:
Ryan
66 / 100
September 8, 1998
Design:
Dynamics:
Experience:
70 / 100
50 / 100
70 / 100
First Impressions
Here's a new level where you have to resuce Chewie from the enemy. Overall, this was an average level, but read on to get all the details...
Review Screenshot 1
Review Screenshot 2
Design / Visuals
Level design in A Wookiee's Fate was relatively good. Architecture was not highly detailed, but it wasn't bland either. It is probably a bit better than your average single player level. Texture selection was well done also. In some places, stitching was not perfect, and there were a few surfaces that displayed the "smearing" effect when viewed from certain angles. Lighting was pretty basic. Most areas were uniformly lit, with only a handful of darker areas. Overall, variation of level architecture, as well as textures, made this mission appealing to the eye.
Dynamics / Interactivity
Enemy placement/selection in this level was not as good as I had hoped for. I could be mistaken, but it appeared that most enemies, from stormtroopers to Bossk, had been given more hit points than normal. This made the level substantially more difficult. Of course, this was offset by the abundance of revives throughout the level. Unfortunately, this drew away from the feel of the level. It seems illogical for revives to be the standard power-ups. A larger number of simple medkits or shields scattered about would have been more realistic. Since there were only a few areas with "loose" ammo laying around, killing enemies was your only source of ammunition. The friendly Wookiees were a nice touch, although the one with the rail detonator was a little too free with his shots (he accidentally killed ME one time). COGs were average: doors, elevators, some dialogue here and there added to the experience.
Playing Experience / Atmosphere
Since when does Han Solo have a lightsaber? This, in addition to the enemy/item placement/selection, is one of the aspects that took away from realism in A Wookiee's Fate. Even though architecture as a whole was varied and interesting, detail (beams, flickering controls, steps, etc.) was almost non existent. Lack of detail, and plain lighting prevented the development of the mood in this level. Happily, there were a few small puzzles to solve which made the level more rewarding. The level did show a good balance between architecture/objects and framerate. I didn't experience any errors with the level, and it ran without any problems. However, the end is a little abrupt, without any cutscenes to complete the story. Additionally, there are no in-level objectives or secret areas. These "little things" really add to the experience of a level and make it more professional.
Review Screenshot 3
Review Screenshot 4
Final Thoughts
Playing as Han Solo with Wookiee allies was a new experience which really made the level stand out. For the most part I enjoyed this level. It was not perfect, but was a good production for an author's first level. A tad hard and irritating at places, but overall a pretty worthwhile download in my opinion. It is relatively short and simple, but a solid base to an evolving editing career.
Design:
Dynamics:
Experience:
70 / 100
50 / 100
70 / 100
Overall:
66