Tiddles, author of a great
many Q1SPs in his distinctive Industrial style,
brings us his latest. If you were to play some
of his first work in this style and then to
check out this map, you would note that this
style has progressed. The evolution was subtle,
but this map really emphasizes it, however subtle
it may be.
The theme is accomplished with
using blend of id/Rogue textures and complementary
custom textures. This is nothing new. What's
changed since this series started is the architecture.
The maps started out a bit blocky and plain,
but in this map you are going to be treated
to curves of all sorts as well as crate-filled
rooms and impressive skylights and ceiling architecture.
The lighting is all good, though using spotlights
or having smaller-than-default attenuations
would have brought out the many placed source-lights
that much better.
As far as gameplay goes, this
is a nice switch from maps that have been using
lots of stronger monsters, because Jackboot
Hero throws at the player *lots* (not just 'lots')
of base enemies with a complement of Ogres and
Wizards, and the odd Shambler. Mowing down huge
amounts of grunts and rottweilers with the nailgun
is really quite fun. The use of the dogs was
a good choice. Supplies are fair, and the map
though with lots of enemies, isn't all that
hard. However I did die once, after a spectacular
underwater fight with Fiends (I as well as they
fell in a pond), coming out of that with little
health, I walked around a corner and promptly
had my head sawed off by an Ogre I was completely
oblivious to. Most people would have put a knight
or rottweiler in that little corner hideaway,
but things like an Ogre there or an ambush of
many rottweilers other spots in the map keep
you on your toes. As well there are several
good combats involoving hidden rooms where waves
of baddies are revealed from behind moving walls
- rather doomish - as well as having grunts
and enforcers in 'bunkers' - something seen
in other Tiddles maps. However the bunker at
the end was very annoying, those bastard enforcers,
grr - I'm sure there was a 'smart' way of killing
them, but I just resorted to grenade-jumping
to their ledge and obliterating them. bastards.
All in all, another good map
from Tiddles, that shows a continual evolution
of his maps. It does stand out some, but it
would be nice to see something that stood out
yet more - something more revolutionary into
this theme.
