Imperial Space Dock
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Glenn Edmiston
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...
Level Review
Basics
Reviewer:
Overall Score:
Date Reviewed:
Emambu
76 / 100
Unknown
Design:
Dynamics:
Experience:
74 / 100
73 / 100
85 / 100
First Impressions
Well, if the plot above is enough to make you groan then you're not alone. How many times must Jan be rescued? It seems that Jan and Crix Madine are the two most unlucky and hapless people in the galaxy as they're constantly getting themselves into trouble. Fortunately, there is a briefing and it is much more in depth then what you see above you. As for plot problems, I couldn't find any. Then again, the plot is basically simple when broken down: Get Jan and get out.
Review Screenshot 1
Review Screenshot 2
Design / Visuals
Architecture, unfortunately, was pretty disappointing. It not so much that every room was either a box or a rectangle. That can be excused since we're on a Space Dock. What really killed the design was the apparent lack of detail. If you look at some of the screenshots, you will se that some of them appear to be vacant. That's because they are. Much of the level consisted of running around huge, boring, square rooms. The hallways are long and straight. I understand that this was to connect all three of the hangars, but if the author had taken some more time to add detail to the hallways, it would have made the experience that much more enjoyable. Texturing was better then the architecture, but at times the author used the same textures continuously from room to room. Now, this isn't a problem, but when coupled with dull architecture, it sure doesn't help keep the interest of the player.
Dynamics / Interactivity
The briefing says that Kyle would assault the base during the graveyard shift. With that in mind I think I can honestly say that I do not want to take on the base during its normal shifts. There were so many enemies in this level, even on easy, that it was stifling. The author seriously needs to work on his enemy placement. There were tons of soldiers packed into almost every room. What's more, some of the rooms hold no value or importance. If you're going to make the player fight, then make sure that he does it over a room that is important. The authors explanation for the stormtroopers at the end is understandable, but why are they kept in rooms with only one way in and out. Are we to believe that the Imperials keep dozens of troops in a closed room for hours upon hours? Furthermore, for the amount of enemies I didn't think that there were enough shields and health packs. Ammo was limited to whatever the enemies dropped, but usually I never got to pick up ammo until I had cleared the room of a dozen imperials. Therefore, I sometimes ran out of ammo in critical situations, and the low amounts of shields and health only quickened my death. Authors need to remember that this is DF not Doom. A lot of people play this game because it is different then all of the other first person frag-fests. The enhancements were a nice touch, but they didn't seem to help add to the parts of the level that were lacking. Most of the new features were 3DO's of ships that placed in their own separate hangars. You couldn't reach them unless you cheated. While most of the enhancements were noticeable, they didn't seem to help the level. What was noticeable and appreciated were the other enhancements, including new BM's and WAX's.
Playing Experience / Atmosphere
Overall the author created a realistic atmosphere. At times, the level was dark and moody, and the author add sounds although with some lighting tricks to help accent that mood. The setup of the base was well done. The detention facilities were located in the lower parts of the base and the hangars were in the upper parts. While this may sound like a no-brainer, there are authors out there who seem to get even the simple concepts mixed up. Therefore, a job well done on the setup. Realism was also well done. There were never any times when I felt like I was in something other than an Imperial Space Dock. My only complaint is the conveyor belt trap. Since it dumps you out into space, and the only way to get to it is through a false floor, I can only assume that its purpose is to trap people and kill them. Does this seem right? How many people assault this base? Obviously it must be enough to warrant such an elaborate trap? It also doesn't seem very Imperial. From what we've seen in the movies and in the books Imperials like giant weapons of mass destruction, not elaborate traps. Other then that, I couldn't find any problems realistically. Gameplay is a bit of an issue. You need 16 megs of RAM to successfully run this game. Otherwise, it's framerate drops down to almost nothing. Bugs weren't a problem. The only ones I noticed were ones that the author already pointed out. I applaud his use of Beta Testers. It shows that he was, at the very least, serious about this level.
Review Screenshot 3
Review Screenshot 4
Final Thoughts
This is one of the shortest reviews I've ever written. Mainly, this is due to the fact that it's an average run-of-the-mill level. Parts of it were good, and parts were bad. All in all it's a step up from his previous level. I suggest giving it a go if you have nothing better to do.
Design:
Dynamics:
Experience:
74 / 100
73 / 100
85 / 100
Overall:
76