Date: 10-07-99 Teams: 2 File: shutdown.zip Players: 12+ Game: TFC Size: Large Briefing: Excellent!

Shutdown

It's Well!...uhhh...

Ramps!

The Control Room

The Flagroom.

Author: The Cheese | Reviewer: Borg

Objective:

Deactivate the enemy's security at  their control center.

Once deactivated, grab their flag, and run it back to your capture point.

Security will re-activate after 60 seconds.

Scoring:

10 points to the player & team for capturing the flag.

Evaluation:

Another excellent piece of work from The Cheese! I know that you've probably seen reviews of this map everywhere, and I'm pretty sure we all agree on one thing, it rocks! As complex as the map's design is, it conveys this feeling of simplicity, and you never realize it isn't. We had a blast playtesting this map, and during the entire game, it was a continuous struggle to gain or defend any ground! This is a map that exploits teamwork to it's utmost, hoo-rah!

Construction is solid on this one. Everything on this map has a logical function, there's no machine-choking r_speeds, and there's enough signs to point the way to important areas. I would have preferred a few signs in the underwater section, but that's a minor gripe. The author has really given you all the tools you need to accomplish your objective, so it's all up to you, and your team. The theme is pretty consistent, but it doesn't serve anymore than a passing association with the map. If the author had emphasized this aspect a bit more, this would definitely be a contender to blow NML2 out of the water!

Layout is excellent on this mutha, and you'll be hard pressed to lose track of where you are. You'll notice a definite influence from Valve's The Well, but that is pretty much limited to the areas between the 2 bases. Once you're inside, things change drastically. This map blends quite a few of the best elements from many maps, along with the authors own sense of style and flow. Connectivity is good, and with a patch he recently added to the map to fix a door problem, you won't get caught by anything, except a well placed sentry gun! With the r_speeds in the very low zone, you'll never be slowed down by the environment, and even with heavy spamming going on during team rushes, things still seemed to plug along pretty good. Respawn areas are fairly well placed out, and are accessible enough to keep things afloat. Having a few more grenade packs might have been nice, but balance in that area is always tough, no matter what map you're on.

Teamwork and strategy are what will determine your success or failure on this map. We had excellent teams and teamwork on our playtest, and as such, the score was pretty much locked for much of the duration of play. This just goes to show the strength of this map's design, and how much attention the author has paid to team play. Defensive placements, offensive pathways, and objectives all seemed to be balanced very well, and this map will support 32 players with no problems I'm sure. All classes have a purpose here, and I witnessed all of them being utilized to their utmost. You'll never have the same game twice on this one, and that's the kind of fresh approach we need to these maps. I definitely recommend this one for large server rotations, and for any kind of clan match-up. This author definitely excels with large maps, as I fondly remember my days of racking up frags on Site B!

Verdict:

Get this map! With it's excellent blend of teamplay, connectivity, and solid construction, this map is a sure-fire winner! You'll definitely need a strong team to win, as well as defend on this playing field, and you'll have tons of fun doing it. I like this map! Give me more!

Delta Bravo Final Score: 
- 39/50 -