It’s been so long since I’ve reviewed a CTF level. This will be fun. I don’t even know if anyone minds if I review this, so here’s my review.
GAMEPLAY:
For a CTF level it would be bad, but as a JTF level it’s much worse. It’s way too linear for me to ever enjoy it. You basically just run back and forth. The players shooting seekers out of the turrets could be a challenge; however, this alone cannot make the level less dull and unplayable. The classes in this aren’t too good. The Warrior/Brute class is the only class where you can capture the flag; too bad it has no powerups. You are forced to only use RFs poorly placed throughout the level. The Archer/Bowman class keeps you (or at least tries to keep you) stuck in a turret. I rather dislike that. The Wizard/Dark Mage class gives you a weak ability to hide in the ground along with some ice (ICE?) and electro blasters to, by a slight chance, shoot incoming enemies who run over your area. This class is probably the worst of the three, and you would be quite foolish to use this one. This level seems to be the perfect example as to why EvilMike thinks there shouldn’t be classes in JTF that keeps you from capturing the flag. And I must agree; what would happen if everyone chose the turret class? And I have to mention this about the turrets: easy to get stuck in and then unstuck in. In other words, I can go through one side of the turret then come out on the other. This could be useful to get the seeker powerup when in the Warior/Brute, but I truly doubt this was the author’s intention. And the one tile wide border may still allow for a flag bug, and the area above the castle seems only easily accesible to spaz. I should also mention it’s annoying to see hook tiles without hook or vine events on them.
EYE CANDY:
The eye candy is right in between average and below average. It uses most of the tiles as they should be used, but it doesn’t use enough tiles to make the eye candy nearly as good as in Disguise’s example level (which is where Disg set the standard). Not to mention some tiling errors here and there.
CARROT AND AMMO PLACEMENT:
Perhaps some of the worst carrot placement I’ve ever seen. When I said add carrots, I didn’t mean put a semi-fast regenerating full energy carrot right on top of each base. The +1 carrot, only suppose to be available if you choose the turret class, is almost useful. Too bad it’s really is just something to keep you in that horrible class even longer. The weapon placement also isn’t great (as I started to mention earlier in this review). The seekers and the RF missiles were placed lazily. They were just large clumps of ammo barely placed strategically.
HOST THIS OFTEN?
That’s a trick question, no (to put it harshly). Don’t make your 2nd CTF level a JTF level. Work harder next time. A 6.
PS: You forgot to include the music, which would be fire.s3m.