Review of Quake Levels JAN 9, 1997 (C) 1997 Mark C. Gatson. All Rights Reserved. Quake is a trademark of Id Software, Inc. Levels are usually copyrighted by their author. Respect the copyright. Write me at: mark_gatson@hotmail.com I will try to respond to everyone as quickly as possible. Who’s the New Guy?? ------------------------- Unfortunately about three months ago Michael Wise (the original reviewer) had to quit doing these reviews. I figure everyone should be able to find out what levels are hot and what levels suck, before downloading them. What’s Your Background?? ------------------------------ I am 16 years old and a sophomore at Orchard Farm High School in St. Charles, MO. I play home made level all of the time so I pretty much know what’s good and what’s not. I am also a very good level builder, so expect to see some kick ass maps from me. ---------------- I will attempt to review EVERY Single Player and Deathmatch level on ftp.cdrom.com. Are you Crazy?? ------------------- Yes. Do you have a life?? ---------------------- Yes just not right now. How I rate them: ---------------- I rate the levels in 6 different categories(see below). These ratings will be anywhere between 1-100% 1 being crap 100 being awesome (duh). Also with each release of reviews I will give my “official” “This level kicks ass” award and I will also give a “This level isn’t worth crap” award to the worst level (please don’t flame me if you get one, I can’t help you suck). *** 1.0- The Categories *** --- Overall is simply the average of the below 4 categories. --- (1) Smooth-o-meter. This checks how smoothly the level performed on a P100 with 16 megs of RAM. This computer has onboard graphics, which perform above VESA video cards. (Quake was played in DOS) This is a valid premise because I have seen some REALLY poorly designed levels, resulting in low speed. --- (2) Fun. Was this level FUN to play? Did I fall asleep? Did I quit because there were 30 shamblers in one room? Was the level well balanced and varied? Was there a chance to beat the level? --- (3) Graphics and Sound. This checks to see if they chose appropriate graphics for their level. It also checks if they made good use of Quake's lighting and true 3D. I also check for graphics' glitches. I checked for appropriate ambient sounds and sound effects. --- (4) Creativity. This checks to see if the level was very unique and intriguing, or if it was a dime-a-dozen. Perhaps it introduced some sort of new playing style or architecture. I DO NOT CALCULATE CHALLENGE. THIS IS FOR >YOU< TO DECIDE! 5) Deathmatch Performance. Even if your level was made for single player mode if it has deathmatch starts it will be tested in this category. Did it suck for deathmatch? Was there enough ammo and health? Was there good hiding, camping, sniping spots?(WARNING: Since my ISP won’t work with Quake I will be testing it with the Zeus bot 2.04, which results in no lag. Just look at the smooth-o-meter to get an idea of how much lag there will be) --- Other: (E) Number of enemies. This isn't used in calculation. The levels are ranked from highest to lowest, respectively, with Overall being the determining factor in placement. My reviews should start soon, so keep looking for them. This is just a note to tell everyone what’s up and to introduce myself. My Thank You Section -------------------------- 1) Thank you to id for making a kick ass game like Quake and letting us hack the crap out of it. 2) Thank you to Michael Wise for starting this and allowing me to continue his reviews. 3) Thank you to the guys who run ftp.cdrom.com for letting all of the crazy Quakers to download all of this stuff.