After a while, Quake2 maps can start look the
same. Let’s face it, how many base levels
can you stand to play before you finally just
throw in the towel. Thankfully, we have inventive
mappers out there who understand this need of
change, and with maps that usually raise the
bar on style and gameplay, [Kona] is one of
these mappers.
Worlds Between the Margin fits right in with
it’s older brothers when it comes to level
design. The main part of the map is a small,
open area which is surrounded by two levels
of hallways, balconies, and a large bridge up
on the third level. Every area is easily accesible
by staircase, elevator, teleporter, or just
jumping down to a lower level. There are also
a good amount of camping spots so be sure to
keep an aware out for attacks from above.
The map gave off a sort of castle theme and
is beautifully textured using a texture set
by lundoom. Players can be hard to spot due
to the dark textures! There were a few instances
where I found an outside ledge, crouched down,
and wasn’t seen for quite awhile.
The levels main weapon tends to be the rocket
launcher but it also supports the railgun, chaingun,
supershotgun, machinegun, grenades, and the
grenade launcher. Health and armor powerups
are easily found throughout the level. The mega
health, usually located in more difficult to
reach locations, can be easily found in the
open area.
Though I have concentrated on the good parts
of this level, alkdm15 isn’t without its
troubles. The mega health, being easily accessible,
can turn the tides in a fierce match to quickly
and, as I stated earlier, it can become frustrating
loosing sight of your enemy due to the dark
texturing. Small complaints aside, this was
a fun deathmatch level, and if you’re
a fan of [Kona]’s earlier works, you won’t
be disappointed.
