Kona is one of Q1SP's most prolific authors,
a quick look at his website is definitely recommended
if you have not already been there, you will
find over 10 very good Q1SP maps and episodes
to play, the best of which is probably Rapture.
Getting back to Fearcraft, this is 3 maps of
intense fighting packed into levels that feel
bigger than they are due to lots of tough custom
monsters. The architecture and layout of maps
1 and 3 tends to mainly follow kona's trademarked
style; 2 level mazes with winding corridors
leading to small open rooms and areas is how
i describe it for now. You often tend to find
you playing through the bottom of one area,
climb up stairs to the second, higher level
and then backtrack through the same areas but
just at the higher level.
I like the textures used in this pack, it kind
of stone, moss and wooden gates everywhere with
a blue/green theme. The architecture is not
spectacular, but it does the job and is atmospheric.
In the second map the architectural style is
different. Its a smaller map, but basically
is set in a series of rocky outcrops and canyons,
there are no real "rooms" to speak
of, its an interesting style and means dodging
behind rocks and shooting at monsters across
wide open abysses and ravines.
In common with other Kona maps, custom monsters
are used extensively and mixed in with the regular
quake enemies to increase the challenge and
provide some variety to the gameplay experience.
These include: Axemen (originally from Coven
of Ebony), Gremlins, tougher Knights, rocket-launching
Ogres (these are Cool) and also modified Nehahra
Barons. Further there are some green skinned
Hellknights which are pretty tough as they have
a fireball attack and also take a lot more damage
before you can kill them.
alk12: Ravenous
Is the first map, right from the start the fighting
is intense, with a Baron and Ogres ambushing
you, outside the entrance to the main area.
There is a tiny flaw here at the start that
allows you to take a shortcut if you go up on
the rocks and miss most of the map but just
ignore it and go through the main entrance.
Once inside, fighting continues in a similar
vein, typically killing 2 enemies causes more
to be spawned in and ambush you straight away.
The other type of ambush is when stone walls
open up to reveal other monsters lurking in
the shadows. Fighting gets pretty difficult
around the blue key area, which is also probably
my favorite part of this level, with lots of
Scrags, Ogres, Vores and HellKinghts spawning
in.
alk12b:
Reverie This is the "rocky outcrops"
level, its smaller (34 monsters on Hard skill),
but is a lot of fun, primarily due to the rocky
layout already mentioned above. Its different
style also provides a nice variation from the
two more typical map on either side of it. There
are also some tricky little fights, mainly due
to the fact you don't have much room to maneuver
on the small rocks and boulders. Kona's experience
in level design enables him to pull this different
style off successfully.
alk12c:
Requiem This is the final level, and is quite
tough, fighting escalates through the map, with
a number of tricky encounters and ambushes (total
of 52 monsters on hard). The final arena consists
of multiple vores and shamblers and the final
end boss (modified Baron).
This level does not provide as much challenge
as it might though, mainly due to an over-abundance
of rocket ammo, (particularly if you have saved
them from earlier maps, you may have as many
as 60 rockets saved), its makes the gameplay
significantly easier. I don't wish to be too
harsh however, if it really bothers the player
you can always choose not to use the RL, i did
this the first time i played this map =). Also
at the final battle Kona often "locks you
in" to the final arena so you can not simply
backtrack and escape, but here that doesn't
happen and this makes it a bit easier. I always
like maps that bar your retreat to increase
the difficulty. =).
In summary, this is an excellent map pack,
which packs a hefty wallop and considerable
challenge, especially on hard/nightmare, the
only real way to play Q1SP (evil grin). If you
haven't already downloaded it, you should straight
away.
Overall Verdict - An excellent 3 map episode,
using many tough custom monsters.
