An old level made in 1997 which
was going to be part of an episode by Tronyn.
It's a pity the episode was never finished,
as back then it could have been quite a success.
Unfortunately, there are some problems which
downgrade the level somewhat. First of all,
it's not playable in GlQuake. The weapons are
completely distorted in GlQuake, so software
is required to view them and their skins properly.
I used WinQuake. Also, although it didn't feel
that terribly slow to me (on a PIII 450 -winmen
48), Tronyn warns that the level can run very
slow and you'll need to run some commands in
the console.
If you can get over these problems,
it's not such a bad level. It uses only Quake
textures in a medieval style. It's obvious why
it runs so slow fairly early on, as you exit
a cave and view a huge well detailed cavern
with a brick castle built into it. The result
looks quite spectacular, especially for something
built in 1997. However, once you get inside
the castle some of the rooms aren't quite as
good. Some can be a bit plain and inconsistent.
The layout is good, as you make your way to
the very top and are forced to backtrack at
times to open extra areas.
There are some changes to the
monsters and weapons which some may complain
about. But I found them a refreshing change,
afterall how can you top the original Quake
weapons? There is a new shotgun in the style
of Doom with a kick reload. It really feels
like your blasting through enemies. But the
monsters aren't positioned in large groups so
much as they were in Coven of Ebony, so the
real Doom-type gameplay isn't explored here.
There's also a hand grenade which replaces the
Grenade Launcher. I didn't particularly like
it because it does take a while to get used
to. Lobbing one into a Fiend in mid-air isn't
quite as successful on first try with it's different
physhics to the GL. There is one new monster
- a dragon that spits lethal fire at you. It
takes quite a few hits, so I don't understand
why it was placed right at the start of the
level, and nothing at the end. The Ogres have
a better aim, and also there is an Ogre with
nails. Some of the Hell Knights have a lightning
attack which I only saw twice. So with those
few modifications, everyone should be happy.
The gameplay is good, being challenging at times.
The only thing lacking was a finale.
.
Overall if you don't mind software
mode and typing in a few extra commands to get
it to run, then this level is worth the download.
The visuals are mostly average with a few nice
looking areas, but with a decent layout and
tough but fun gameplay, Anevil is a good level.
