Urban Terror Review: Swim by NRGizeR

ut_swim by Carl-Magnus “NRGizeR” Björkell
| Carl-Magnus “NRGizeR” Björkell | Score: 4.2 | By Oswald |

Loosely based on a recreation center in a small Finnish town, Swim – The Bath is the most civilian map in Urban Terror. NRGizeR designed this map to provide rich sniping and intense close range combat. If you take that sniper rifle, be sure you keep your sidearm close at hand when moving through the hallways. If you take a swim in the Olympic sized diving pool or the recreation pool with the inflatable toy, be sure to dry off well before you go outside as Swim – The Bath takes advantage of Urban Terror’s environmental effects depositing volumetric snow outside. Though you might feel clean coming out of the showers, stay sharp or you might end up taking a dirt nap.

Texturing [3.5]
Being one of the most consistent level designers of SID, Swim is one of the original levels, in terms of release date, Carl-Magnus has his second successful map with, The Bath. The textures in no way reflect with his first map, Streets2 had. All new texturing, most provided by Freak Storm has made The Bath a very popular map with the Urban Terrorists. With a multitude of unique signs, including, “Have you bathed in the last three days” and “The 6th Floor” along with a cute, green pool toy, The Bath is brought to life, thanks in part to the realistic feel of the textures. The buildings are fashioned with snow laden bricks, along with ice covered roofs. The trampled down, muddy dirty trails show evidence of high traffic areas. The interiors carry quite a variety of color, style and their own characteristics. There are warm earthen tones in the locker room, while the shower is fashioned in a two-tone blue, turquoise and white motif. The office building is done with wooden floors, white textured walls and a collection of colored wall coverings.

Ambiance: [3.5]
Much like his previous map, Streets2, the sky is an overcast gray, but it is accentuated by the steady snow fall. This alone, gives you the sensation of actually standing outside in the cold winter months, trying to catch a snowflake on your tongue. Excellent work to create a unique environment. Many of the interior rooms and hallways are well lit, offset by the dark and metal walkway high above the surface of the pool. The cafeteria uses a combination of spot lighting, from hanging lamps and the undefined lighting to create a warm and friendly ambiance. There are also numerous florescent lights, which give off a ghastly, white glow in some areas.

Creative Spark: [5.0]
Being from the United States, we sometimes overlook the uniqueness of a simple idea. The Bath is just that a simple idea, taken to the next level. What makes this map stand out above the rest is the attention to detail. I have already mentioned the shader which generates falling snow. Very creative and quite original. Located high above the pool is a clock. What makes this item creative is the hands actually move. A small touch, but works quite well. One of the saunas actually uses the fog to simulate steam. Located in the kiddie pool and in the showers are two green, rubber pool toys. Sorry, they don’t pop if you shoot them. All in all, many minor features which together, help bring The Bath to life.

Construction: [4.0]
The bath itself contains a cafeteria with a small, cubicle of a room where you buy your tickets, along with many chairs and tables in a small recessed area, and a small pantry area where food is stored behind an L-shaped counter. From this room you have access to two areas of the bath, including access outdoors into the falling show. There is a staircase leading down to the changing rooms, saunas, showers, and ultimately to the pool area. On the far side of the cafeteria there is a door leading to the bleachers [also in the pool area] which viewing the pool area is permitted from allowing access to the pool storage room. You can walk through the storage room [which is authorized personnel only, get out of there!] to get to the emergency exit. Once outside, you are able to take cover behind pine trees or make a dash to the two story office building. From this building, you can access the roof, to gain a tactical advantage and watch for snipers climbing onto the roof of the swimming hall.

Playability: [4.0]
The Bath can be separated into three distinct section. The first and most popular place for the action to take place is in the building where the pool is located. These areas give a new meaning to the term, “blood bath.” The serenity of the calm, warm waters can turn into a flurry of gunfire in an instant. The dark, metal rafters and the multi-level diving platform give snipers a decided advantage, as they are able to see the entire pool area below. The second area would be outside, in a the calm of the falling snow. Those who stop to watch the snow fall usually end up in a pool of blood. The final area of the map is the building adjacent to the pool. This two story building also allows players a single route of access onto the roof and provides excellent cover when under fire. Overall, The Bath should be considered a very fast playing map. There are many long hallways and corridors, with ample cover for all types of players.

6th Sense: [5.0]
The will most likely be one of the mo=re uniquely designed maps for Urban Terror. Carl-Magnus has provided the Urban Terror gamers with an excellent looking and well playing map. As was mentioned, most of the attention is focused around the pool area. I believe this has something to do with the rubber, green pool toy which was masterfully skinned by Meaty. The snow adds another dimension to a map that was never seen before. Previously, a shader was created to simulate falling snow. Now, the snow is controlled by the code. Just an outstanding effort on the part of Carl-Magnus, I am sure we all look forward to his next map.

Final Score: [4.2]
[Oswald] This is definitely one of my favorite levels to play. The level seems to have something for everyone. I feel quite comfortable with a G36 and a SPAS12, as I run through the hallways and into the large pool area. This must be one of the prettiest maps to date. Carl-Magnus has done a great job on the design and layout of his map, The Bath. While there may be a few predominate areas which cater to camping, I don’t think anyone will be discouraged by the flow or speed of the game play. The map looks and feels quite authentic. With the introduction of the falling snow and you have the making of an instant classic.