The Flesh Refinery by Chris “Musashi” Walker
02-19-01: The Flesh Refinery by Chris “Musashi” Walker
It never ceases to amaze me that there are still level designers out there dedicated to turning out more Quake 2 maps. While the game engine is relatively old in terms of what it offers, these are still some of the best looking and feeling maps to date. This week’s selection holds true to both those statements. What adds to the excitement this week, is this level, The Flesh Refinery was released by Chris “Musashi” Walker on February 13, 2001. In these days of Quake 2, new, high quality levels are becoming more difficult to find. But thanks to mappers like Musashi, they are keeping Quake 2 alive and kicking.
From the first spawn to the final frag, this level, The Flesh Refinery is all about layout and game flow! The design is centered around two outdoor arenas, “combining long fire-corridors with frantic close-quarters combat” in this Stroggos refinery. Through the use of lifts and a well placed teleporter, the action and flow of the level is quite frantic. Those combatants who have superior rocket and ramp jumping skills will truly have an advantage on this layout. The layout is quite intricate, but always leaves you with an alternate route when fighting becomes your second option to survival. It amazes me to see the new and exciting creations using default Quake 2 texturing. Excellent use of textures and well placed lighting helps to accentuate the architecture of this desolate and battered Stroggos facility.
There is quite a high concentration of weapons and ammunition scattered through this multi level facility. The main weapons of destruction are the rail gun and rocket launcher, each of which are located at opposite ends of the level. The rail gun is positioned in the middle of a long, curved corridor overlooking the smaller of the two arenas, while the rocket launcher sits on a small, ledge area above the floor of the facility. Ammunition is plentiful and you are never too far away to load up with either a new weapon or more ammo. Stimpaks and medkits are also quite common. For a level of this size, there are seventeen health items, which might be a few too many, making the battle that much bloodier and longer.
The action was down and dirty as soon as I spawned, no sooner did I set out in search of a weapon and I was gunned down. The level was tested with a total of four gamers, making the map play a bit tight. Even with all the weapons and ammo, it became ever so difficult to find a weapon at times. This level is ideal for a 1 v 1 battle to settle a score, but the mass fragging and gibs of four were enough to keep this level highly entertaining.
This is what deathmatch is all about! The Flesh Refinery combines the best in layout and game play to bring a dead Stroggos facility back to life. This level comes highly recommended, as it does seem to rise above the rest in all the important areas which makes a Quake 2 level successful. It is “the ideal place to settle personal differences…Quake style.”
– Download: millennium.zip
– Author: Chris “Musashi” Walker
– Author’s Website: Musashi’s Maps
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