Urban Terror Review: Sands by NRGizeR
Sands by Carl-Magnus “NRGizeR” Björkell
| Carl-Magnus “NRGizeR” Björkell | Score: 3.8 | By Oswald |
A big desert terrain map based on the movie “Three Kings”. The most prominent feature in this map is the moving UH-60 Blackhawk chopper that can easily transport you across the map. This map was mainly made for CTF, so therefore there are two bases in the map, along with two oasis, two tunnel systems, and two bunkers. This is also Silicon Ice’s finial attempt at a terrain generated level for Urban Terror.
Texturing [4.0]
Much of the level consists of a large, vast desert wasteland in some unknown Middle Eastern country, all of which is textured in a light tan, rocky texture. To offset the this non-descript landscape, each base is designed around large, sandstone walls, that fly their respective territorial flags. The bases are similar in appearance, a mix of old, rundown structures, circling a miniture covered water well in the middle of the base. Much of the texturing in sands looks and combines with the minimal use of non-descript colors, such as brown, tan and dull reds to create a very subtle environment. There is a considerable amount of brick and sandstone used in most all of the buildings.
Ambiance: [3.5]
Sands does not really engage the senses in my “tours” of the level. The lighting effects are limited to the deserted mine shafts that connect each base to the middle of the level. Bright lights, dangling on a rotting wire run the length of the shaft to provide gamers a sense of direction. The standout feature, which gives the ambiance a kick in the ass, is the sounds of the UH-60 Blackhawk. When you arrive at the helicopter, it is sitting idling, as Commander BladeKiller [her voice was used to simulate the pilot], waits for gamers to load up and be transported to their destination. Sounds emanate from the Blachhawk as its blades begin to whirl as is slowly goes airborne.
Creative Spark: [4.0]
While many level designers try to recreate another mod’s levels, NRGizeR took the other route and decided to use a movie as his inspiration. The movie, Three Kings helped to inspire this level. With the aid of 40+ screen shots from the movie, NRGizeR set out to create a level that would feature a few desert bases, along with a multitude of structures. The only drawback from this level, is its overall size. The map is HUGE, especially when it comes to games that feature Team Survivor. No fun trying to chase down the final opponent when he is camping on the far side of the level. A bit smaller size with some more variety in terms of layout could provide for a faster game flow. As it is now, the level works, but there are some issues that could be dealt with to improve upon it.
Construction: [4.0]
The level is based on the movie, Three Kings and features two unique bases at opposite ends of the level. Both bases have four routes in, including a flight from the UH-60 Blackhawk, positioned in the middle of level to begin each round. Each base is proportional to the other and includes a mountain pass [to the middle of the level], a deserted and crumbling mine shift and the front entrance, both of which are constructed of heavy, thick sandstone and feature the regions two warring factions’ logos. Much of the level is extreme, flat and barren, which should cater to snipers, sometimes a bit too much. Near the middle of the level, there are two bunkers that are quite dark and provide some good cover when under fire from the mountain pass. Currently, there are memory and FPS issues facing Sands, while this is not solely attributed to the design of the level by NRGizeR. The coding team is looking into the high memory usage and drop in FPS.
Playability: [3.5]
The first thing you notice about Sands is the extremely LARGE scale in which the level is designed. Unlike many of the other Urban Terror levels, Sands will keep both teams quite busy. The map is laid out very well for team oriented game modes, like CTF. Unfortunately without 8 to 10 gamers per side, games can be very long and drawn out, with very infrequent scoring. Deathmatch modes seems to run be “non-team” oriented, as gamers disperse in many different directions. Decrease the size of the level and the flow and playability would increase.
6th Sense: [4.5]
This level is quite well known for its controllable UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter, which is positioned in the middle of the level to begin each round. To control the helicopter, press the ‘USE’ key and you are presented with a list of destinations that you can fly to. Unfortunately, at this writing, there are still some minor issues being sorted out with the movement of the helicopter, which becomes very noticeable when turning. With that side, it is still a very unique addition to Sands. If it were not for memory issues, the level could feature even more “sexiness” near the middle of the level.
Final Score: [3.8]
[Oswald] Thanks to the Team Arena release from id Software, NRGizeR was able to experiment with the use of terrain in Urban Terror. While this is still somewhat new to the mappers, you can see some possible advantages to creating more non-urban settings. Given the fact that Sands is extremely large might detract from the overall enjoyment of the level. Steps were taken to improve the game play, with the addition of the empty mine shafts and the UH-60 Blackhawk. Even with those unique play characteristics, the map does not seem to sustain the interest of the community. It is a great looking map, considering the time and effort to create it, but it comes up just a bit short, especially when the teams are small.
