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Authors:
Bryant (Gunrock) and Kevin (Solution) Robinson
Dates: December 03, 2005
Updated on Dec 25, 2006
Version: 1.2 (Gold Edition)
Mode: SP
Game: Doom2 (map01 - 07)
Requires: ZDOOM port
(I used
GZDOOM)
Reviewer:
Jive
Download the file :
Screenshots
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From the author: Dissolution is a 7 map side story to Project Slipgate.
*New version with no misaligned textures*
The Story:
There
is no written story.
My Review:
Here is what I wrote for the previous version. "Bryant
and Kevin (The Solution) Robinson are definitely very good mappers!!! I
like each of their works, and this one is damn impressive, even if the
difficulty is made for newbies. 4/5 - Jive"
But here is the Gold Edition:
-
Map01 is an introduction, not playable, and totally scripted. The
camera lets you see and understand what is happening. It's very well
done, and the choices made for the sequence are fine. You are
travelling throught a castle, discovering a very dark environment, with
an "Unreal" style.
- Map02 lets you discover weapons coming from
Doom64, and a darkish structure, with monsters very easy to defeat.
Until the very latest corridor, I didn't have to use any of the
numerous boxes generously given to let you recover a full life. Ammos
are numerous too. About the secrets: a message, given nearly the end,
explain something about them... What you must do is to find those
secrets, because they are really important. One of them can be missed
because the walls of the corridors are high...
- Map03: what I
dislike in the maps made by the bro's is the fact that there is no
progression in term of difficulty. The previous map was far too much
easy, and suddenly becomes the very hard difficulty. Rocketters and
spiders are hard to kill, very tedious, and their shots are quite
mortal. What can you do when 2 rocketters and 2 spiders are one behind
the other?!? One more time, the balance is badly done in term of
difficulty, not progressive, and it got my nerves!!!
What I dislike
too is the very darkish lightings. Ok, it was done to give an
atmosphere... I dislike to ruin my eyes, and to be unable to
distinguish details of the architecture.
I finally understood
that, for the first time in the bro's works, the sky is made thanks to
a skybox, using the transparent texture MTNWALL (not correctly tilled,
and quite hugly), with a second part made of a scrolling ceiling, with
the flat "CLOUDS", far too much dark, so dark that you can't see its
details. I'm sorry, but it would have been good to make an effort to
produce a good sky, with such a method, instead of this hideous
thing... So, I had to align the texture "MNTWALL" on all of the
skyboxes of the 7 maps, and I applied a correction of 1.2 for the gamma
of the flat CLOUDS. Now, it's better, but not that good... Anyway, I
don't want to change what was done, but to rectify a problem. I hope to
have reached my goal.
- Map04: 1 invisible archvile facing you
suddenly? And what about the second archvile, also invisible? And I
won't talk of the cyberdemon appearing in a small space... Ok, I
bypassed it on god mod !!! I dislike to become nervous because of a
game.
After 4 maps, the result is that I don't agree with the level
of difficulty... It was far too much easy, and now it's far too much
hard.
- Map05 and 06 are quite well done, even if there is this
problem of difficulty. Keeps your ammos if possible. The chainsaw is a
great friend of yours!!!
- Map07 is surprising. Superb map, with a
fantastic architecture, made only for the pleasure of the eyes, and a
great final battle, as usually with the bro's maps. I won't reveal
anything about it.
I had to reformat the end text displayed when the battle has ended, cutted on the screen.
Notes:
- Architecture : 10/10
- Use of the Zdoom features: 9/10
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Gameplay
: 10/10 for very good players
4/10 for the average ones.
- Balance ammos/monsters : 9/10
- Balance life/monsters : 8/10
Global note:
9.4/10 for good players
8/10 for normal players.
Conclusion: one of the hardest pwad of the bro's series. For good players only.
Jive, Manaus (Amazonia), Feb 10, 2007 |
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