Horzine Lab and dig site built next to ancient cave. Map may seem small, but it has three levels (floors) and multiple paths between them. No easy camping stops, no long straight hallways, no dead-ends. Hardcore guaranteed.
#grindhouse
The Dark Zone GH (GrindHouse edition)
KF-DarkZoneGH
Features
- No dead-ends. Each area has multiple exits. For example central area ("OctaRoom") has 5 exits and 7 entrances.
- Hardcore. There are no easy-camping spots. If you find long hallway to shoot on one side, then there certainly be corner or close spawn on the other side of your camping place.
- There are tricks but no exploits. You can use map layout to get temporary benefit over enemy. For example, you can jump over railings to shorten path (I tried to avoid ridiculous blocking volumes aka "invisible walls" as much as possibles). Or you can push raged Scrake over the edge to make him fall down to lower floor and win you some time. But there are no places, where zeds can't reach you.
- ZED shortcut paths. While you can run around the area, zeds behind you can just use a shortcut and face you again.
- Descent visuals. I spent a lot of time to make my map looking like a modern game not just some kind of "Wolfenstein3D-like" maze.
- Original version of the map has been shown at E3'2015.
Differences from the original version (KF-DarkZone)
- Dynamic Torch Lights. Torches now can be extinguished by Siren Scream or explosions. But you can light them up again with fire or bullets. You may ask Husk to "help" you as well. I'm not sure if fired 9mm bullet is hot enough to set torch on fire in real life. But game requires that for balance purposes.
- Enhanced textures and lighting of multiple areas.
- Removed references to other games. All but Dopefish! But I hope that Dopefish reference shouldn't cause any copyright issues.
- Added new cell door on upper floor. Adjusted door health (strength). Cell doors now are weaker, but you can shoot through them. Horzine Lab doors made stronger.
- Dosh bling!
Engine Bugs
There are two minor issues. But those can't be solved by Level Designer and require fixes in KF2 engine.
- Scrakes and Bloats look awkward while going though KFPawnBlockingVolume with bBlockM>. I assume that volume doesn't block monsters themselves, but blocks their cloth or attachments.
- Trader path goes though KFPawnBlockingVolume despite bBlockPlayers=True.
Texturing is alright, it's a bit atmospheric, but I do find it a bit too dark to enjoy this map. Trader arrow points to a corridor I can't go into, it may be a bug but some workaround should be made to avoid this issue. Something about the layout bugs me. With more lighting and a redesign of the layout it would be good.