This was a generally good level, with new features such as cutscenes to add to the playing enjoyment. Read on to find out more...

One thing I really look for in a level is a plot. It's really tough to pull off a good level without some kind of story to bring the player up to date on the events. This level had a story that immediately got me interested: with pirates, a supposed "diplomacy mission", and a new character, this level had me off to a good note. For the most part, it didn't let me down. Architecture was solid, in that everything fit nicely. The pirate base, which you run into immediately, has some outdoor areas, which really look amazing. Everything is spacious and set up properly. Inside, however, rooms tend to follow the art of "cubism". Fortunately, The author was smart enough to add slopes and other accessories (computers, chairs, droids, etc) to keep each room unique. I really like the swim into the base. The author managed to incorporate a lot of architectural detail that is easy to miss the first time through. Texturing was also well balanced. The forest areas were well done. In certain places the canopy was incredibly thick, and at other times it thinned out and gave a great view of the night sky. Texture layout was also done beautifully. Everything meshed well, giving a sense of realism rather then a slapstick job of wallpapering. And, there were no stitching problems...another plus. Lighting was one of the few aspects of the level, that came apart. Although colored lighting was used, it was used sparingly and in some parts, not enough. I expected a little bit more around terminals, and the hangar bay. Also, the setting is night. However, by the force field, it is incredibly bright. And, it stays incredibly bright for quite some distance (that must be a powerful force field). Also, in the base, lighting was the same intensity and consistency throughout. It's not a great annoyance, but a little variety would have been nice.

This is where the level shines. There are tons of new cut-scenes, and all of them are very intense. I can only imagine how difficult it was to pull off something like what the author managed to do. Not one of them was a simple rotation, and all of them had some type of action. I can't give any away, but I can recommend that you download the level so you can see them. Enemy placement was a little light. I expected a lot more of a challenge (especially near the forcefield) from the pirates. There didn't seem to be any other way into the base, unless you're a powerful swimmer. So, if I was attacking the front, I would have thought the pirates would have stationed a few more guards, maybe a couple turrets too. Item placement was also scarce. Ammo was limited to what enemies dropped. I found myself switching from gun to saber constantly towards the end. However, this really helped make up for the lack of enemies, as it added tension. COGs were standard for the most part: doors, elevators, etc. There were, however, some interesting puzzles that featured the use of COGs. My favorite one (which happened to be the one that stumped me for a bit) was trying to open the large doors next to the Hangar Bay. One of the greatest features of this level was the new character Lamnin Fresca. Complete with a well done skin, Lamnin adds a great twist to the level, allowing it to be set almost anywhere along the SW timeline. Other then the main character, the only other new skin was a modification of Takara's (levels 5-8) lieutenant. The only thing I really wished for from the main character, was a new voice. Most of the time she sounded like Mara Jade, however, occasionally she sounded like Kyle!

The level starts to slip a little here. Although detail was great and the mood was tense throughout the level, (I never really knew why I had to rendezvous with the governor-sequel anyone?) realism was lacking in certain areas. For example, the only way into the base is through an underground river. Since I never found a way to turn off the forcefield, I have to assume that this is the only way into the base. Does this seem right? Also, the Hangar bay area is a mess! I realize that they're pirates, but there doesn't appear to be any way for these ships to move so they can get out those blast doors (well, not without a lot of time and patience so they can move the ships around). All in all, it seems an inefficient way to Hangar Bay. The color palette problem with non-3D accelerated machines is gone! I personally tested this updated version without my 3D card and everything works fine, except for some choppiness around the force fields. Also gone is the bug that caused Lamin to have weird muscle spams, and the bug which crashed my computer when I tried to enter one of the non-essential doors. The sound still clicks off occasionally, but I think this is my computer having problems, rather then a glitch in the level. All in all, it's very heartning to see author's taking time and effort to fix their mistakes.

When I talked about how the author should have had beta testers in his level, I was aware that there was one person who helped with the level. However, one person is not going to catch every little problem about the level, hence the word beta testers. You need at least three people (and the author of the level doesn't count) to successfully test a level. I hope that future levels learn from this author's mistakes. However, I also hope that future authors learn from this author's qualities that helped his level (ala cut-scenes).