DM-Sweet-Death

[advman]

Warm sand under a golden sky, sweet like honey.
On this lonely island death waits in the ancient fortress atop of the hill.
Will you dare to enter?

After a seemingly endless time of construction, modification and reconstruction I have finally released my first deathmatch map for Unreal Tournament, Sweet Death. Download it from one of the following sites:

• Unreal Playground
• Mapraider
• Levels4you
• Filefront
• Nalicity

Sweet Death was intended as a remake of Adam "Senn" Bellefeuil's map Agony & Ecstasy for Quake III. I always fancied this map for its gameplay. A relatively small map with two courtyards symmetrically linked via three pairs of connections, with three height levels vertically connected by two jump pads and a teleporter.

For my first map ever, I thought it would be a good idea to rely on some tried layout and concentrate mainly on learning the editor. In the meantime the map has become quite large as - though I have kept Agony & Ecstasy's core - I have added additional ways, rooms, terrain, etc. In fact, it looks big though it isn't really. From any place of the map you are within seconds at any other place, still, it takes some bunch of players to fill it to its capacity.

• Recommended minimum players: 6
• Recommended maximum players: 16
• Weapon bases: 15
• 1 double damage, 1 shield, 1 keg of health, absolutely no super weapons
• Original static meshes (Maya PLE): 54
• Original skybox created with Terragen
• Original Music "The Plea, Intro" by GERRY COOPER, used with kind permission of the composer
• Bots really like this map
• EDIT: Never ever play this map with translocators or low gravity. It's simply not meant for that. Instagib could work, though. Still, I have not tried.
• EDIT: Always switch the game option "weapons stay" off! Doing not so will hurt gameplay.
• EDIT: If you are the hide-and-seek type of player, then the lower number of 6 players will suffice, maybe even 4 do. Otherwise go for at least 8 or 10

See many more screenshots and read more about this map at my map site.

[Superchaz]

I downloaded either the BETA or this, i forget, but id have to say you did a VERY nice job. Its a huge, winding DM that you can get lost in and have fun in. Its also great for Invasion.

Good job d00d!

[advman]

Originally Posted by superchaz216

I downloaded either the BETA or this, i forget, but id have to say you did a VERY nice job. Its a huge, winding DM that you can get lost in and have fun in. Its also great for Invasion.

Good job d00d!

Thanks. Must have been the beta. This is the first release in 16 months. Invasion. Funny that I have not even thought of that.

Hmm ... a little quiet here today. I've typed my fingers away the whole evening in the Atari forums. Anyway, in the discussion there I've found out about some things I have to clarify, but I'll do that here by editing the original post. So please also have a look at top of the page.

[cUnNiNg_StUnTs]

This is a very beautiful map and indoor game play is very good but it can be very frustrating when you get caught outside, it can take a long time to get back to the action.

I suggest more ways to get back in from outside. Some jump pads up to or over the walls could add some areal fun as well.

[advman]

Originally Posted by cUnNiNg_StUnTs

This is a very beautiful map and indoor game play is very good but it can be very frustrating when you get caught outside, it can take a long time to get back to the action.

I suggest more ways to get back in from outside. Some jump pads up to or over the walls could add some areal fun as well.

Thanks a lot. Well, everybody seems to like its looks, gameplaywise there are some deficits, I know. This is due to my original intents to create an exact remake of an excellent but small Q3 map, that were quite counterfeited by the map's growth over time and my unwillingness to completely abandon the core. Corridors are a tad narrow, large parts of the map are rather decorative and the lighting is determined by aesthetic criteria, which is a bit too dark for competitive gameplay. It may well be not so bad as the guys at NaliCity think, but it takes some time to see the shortest paths on this map.

Basically all player starts, even those on the outside, are placed to give you a short way back into the core. Normally a jump pad is available within some seconds, the only exception are two starts on the sunny side, near a link gun, but from there it is quite near to the keg o'health by the pond, and then via the long jump up into the building.

If you don't spawn outside, then there are not many rewards for going outside into areas that have no fast transports back, so I don't expect you to go there. If you do, then you are either trying to get away or chasing an opponent who does so. Where there are rewards, there is also a fast way back. Let's look at the keg:

From the upper RL platform it takes you about 15 seconds to get down to the keg (jump from the ledge to the rock with adrenaline, one step forward down to another rock, left, down to the sand, a route where you take no damage), another 10 seconds for going up via the jump pad and back to the RL platform. Not too shabby for 100 health, I think

Now to the positions you've marked:

• Upper terrain, sunny side, near the upper pond. I'd jump into the pond, get the minigun, jump down from the pond to the jump pad on the rock and go up into the middle level of the building. From there you have three options: straight on the same floor, then right and up the stairs to the Shock Gun (normally a spot where there is action), straight on the same floor and left (probably the least rewarding way, but there may be action) or down the stairs into the lower part, left through the arc into the big room with the water, jumping down to the shield, jumping over the water and directly into the teleporter.
• Backside of the building. Let's say you are at the Flak. Jump down at a rock with ammo, down to the upper entrance into the lower part, take the link gun, jump down onto the stairs, take the shield, jump over the water and into the teleporter.

In general one could say, that on this map the shortest paths are not always where they seem. The two teleporters play a central role and many times it is easier to get from A to B via the lower part of the building.

I'd suggest you start UT2004, "Instant Action/Deathmatch/Game Rules", specify bot count to zero, join the game, press ESC, click Spectate. Now you have a single bot. Look what it does, what ways it goes. It should cover a large part of the map, though after some time, when it is on full health and adrenaline and has all weapons and ammo, it will get repetitive. Still, this should give you some of the quickest routes around the map. Then reset bot count to "Use map's defaults" and try playing it again. This map is probably not the typical competitive deathmatch for hardcore professionals, but it can be quite fun if you know your ways.

Thanks again.

[SkaarjMaster]

good music and skybox, kinda reminds me of Inferno a little; decent layout, but just doesn’t do it for me; the flow needs work as well as the weapon/item placement; and, yes, the edges of the map need work but the lighting is good in certain areas. It’s still fun to play once and a while though.

http://manessinger.blogspot.com/2005...shed-well.html

http://www.unrealplayground.com/foru...o=file&id=4462

http://ut2004.ut-files.com/index.php...weet-death.zip

http://www.mapraider.com/maps/?fileid=3042

http://www.gamefront.com/files/38541...weet_Death_zip

http://unrealtournament2004.filefron...et_Death;42027

http://games.kanet.ru/download/ut200...weet-Death.rar

[Tux Android]

Great details, atmosphere, visuals, and skybox. I might get confused some many routes outside though, it doesn't matter for me anyhow. I think I need more player spawns, weapons and items on a very large sand area outside with cliffs here. Fit for maximum of 24 players. Bots are clever. And I like the custom music background. Lighting makes moderate contrast; and the only little disadvantages for this map are the layout, jump pads, definitive styles (z-axis, tricks), gameplay (because of large outside area), and weapon/item placement (unless the mutators or invasion gametype will do); but fun also.