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tankermottind
tankermottind @ Nein!

Played through this yesterday, though a simple file doesn't allow a rating, I think it gets a 7--competent, but not excellent, with a point extra because this appears to be the author's first release set and it lacks many of the technical problems common to newbie sets.

First, the high points. The author clearly has a decent command of texturing and their levels' textures are well-coordinated and largely free of problems like "wallpapering" of dissimilar textures. The levels are fairly extensive and well decorated, though not to excess, and the intensity escalates smoothly and gradually from map to map making for a satisfying climax in levels 8 and 9.

Now, for the problems. First and foremost, the layouts here are very simplistic--mostly rooms and corridors of regular shapes (usually simple rectangles) connected by doors. There is no integration of larger segments of the map into setpieces, no sightlines that pass through multiple areas, no memorable bits of architecture. Since the maps don't use "loops" to bring key areas back into the main flow of the level, there is a great deal of backtracking through already cleared areas, which gets especially tedious when most of the areas of these maps look more or less alike due to their simplicity. In general these maps seem to have put together piecemeal, one area at a time, instead of striving for larger-scale concepts to knit the rooms together into a sense of place.

These problems compound and are compounded by problems with the combat. Enemy counts are high, but most of the encounters are very blunt, with droves of Nazis pouring through one or two chokepoints where they can be easily mown down. Often rooms connected to the same hub all have different floor codes, leading to repetitive room-clearing with no surprises and no dynamism. The increased ammo limit mostly serves to eliminate almost all ammo pressure and any incentive to use the machine gun over the chaingun. Thus even in level 8 with over 200 guards present, the gameplay never gets very difficult unless you intentionally make it harder for yourself by rushing.

Overall I think this is a decent newbie set that does very little badly, but also doesn't really do anything all that well. It is a good start at Wolfenstein mapping, and the author clearly has talent, but this talent has not really been developed yet. I would recommend playing great mapsets of the past like Gary Ragland's Countdown to Disaster, ack's Acktung!, ArEyeP's Spear Resurrection series, Barry Christian's Atomprojekt, and Thomas Weiling's various sets to get some ideas for how to improve from here.

Good karma+1 vote
tankermottind
tankermottind @ Second Encounter: Deluxe Edition (incl. Third Encounter and Halten Sie!)

You would use the WDC defs included to create your own WDC project. WDC's help system should help you get started.

Good karma+1 vote
tankermottind
tankermottind @ Quake2 SuperPack 2

No. Quake II game logic is written in C and must be built for a specific engine/platform.

Good karma+1 vote
tankermottind
tankermottind @ The Ulysses Project

Not great, not terrible. This is a pretty typical late '90s map set that bears all the traces of a first project. The architecture is serviceable but crude, with mostly simple rectilinear rooms and hallways, and little in the way of verticality or complex area design. Sometimes areas can be quite cramped and awkward to fight in.

The first couple of maps are pretty poor, with all the flaws mentioned above to their greatest extent and a serious ammo famine to boot. You can clearly see the author gaining experience as the set progressed, with "Palace of Torment" being the best map, though none rise to the level of the original campaign.

On the other hand, neither are these maps outright poor like a lot of their contemporaries. The texturing is pretty well-done without many egregious misalignments or texture clashes, and the lighting is surprisingly good, and the only part of these maps that is truly on point.

Overall, I wasn't impressed by The Ulysses Project but neither did I regret playing it. It was fine. Considering how scarce single-player Quake II maps are, "fine" makes it worth playing if you want more Quake II, if only just.

Good karma+2 votes
tankermottind
tankermottind @ The Great War VI - Change Log

What are the options regarding German and Austrian revolutions? Will it be possible to play as a communist Germany?

Good karma+1 vote
tankermottind
tankermottind @ Coffee Break Episodes 1 & 2

The latest version of ECWolf works, but eventually an ECWolf update will likely break something in the future. Several major components of the engine are still unfinished, and certain systems in now are placeholders designed to stand in for future systems.

(but that's what the ZDoom devs said about DECORATE, heh)

Good karma+1 vote
tankermottind
tankermottind @ Knee Deep in ZDoom

Do not play with 20 mods. This game is not Skyrim. Especially do not play ZDoom map sets like this with gameplay mods, that is asking for trouble.

Good karma0 votes
tankermottind
tankermottind @ Wolfenstein Missions

Glad you're liking this, but I feel obliged to insist that Coffee Break does what it does for a reason. The storytelling is deliberately minimized to put more emphasis on the levels and enemy encounters themselves. The levels don't have to tell a story in Coffee Break or fit within a thematic progression, which gives me room to create interesting gameplay or architecture or do experimental levels without worrying about making it make sense.

Good karma+1 vote
tankermottind
tankermottind @ Operation Serpent

I was gauging interest at first, but now that I have received said interest, I will probably upload something this weekend.

P.S. I'd be interested in a more in-depth review at some point because I'm always eager to hear critique from another level designer, especially one as talented as you.

Good karma+2 votes
tankermottind
tankermottind @ Immersive HD v1.11 for Doom3 BFG Hi Def

Can I simply delete the explosive barrel model to prevent this issue from ever happening? What is its location and filename in the pk4?

Good karma+1 vote
tankermottind
tankermottind @ Coffee Break Episodes 1 & 2

Use the development build from the downloads page, that fixes the problem.

Good karma+1 vote
tankermottind
tankermottind @ Operation Serpent

ECWolf has a built-in automap feature.

Good karma+1 vote
tankermottind
tankermottind @ Coffee Break Episodes 1 & 2

The pistol and SMG were made by Id Software while the rifle and HMG were not. All my other options looked even more like actual WWII weapons so those were actually the most cartoonish sprites available.

Good karma+1 vote