Aerodock 1 - GrandmasterJ

 

    Aerodock has an interesting visual aesthetic, relying heavily on Xen textures. The map is supposedly set in space, in some sort of aerodock, but the inclusion of mundane furniture and features muddies the concept. To the best of my knowledge there is no Aerodock 2.

SCMapDB page

Author: tsy_4

Date of final release: 2005

Maps in package: 1

Map review of Aerodock 1

(originally posted on SCMapDB)

by GrandmasterJ | February 19, 2022 | 4389 characters

    The screenshots for this map looked very intriguing and I started this map with high hopes. The map was decent, it had good combat, decent supply, and some very confusing visuals that blended together.

    Players spawn in what appears to be a hangar of some sort. I started this map knowing it was supposed to be some sort of aero dock which is the only reason I thought that room was supposed to be a hangar. The level geometry is simple and strange. Most rooms have one texture for walls, floor, and ceiling, making them look flat. There was some good lighting but the light did very little to liven up the same texture on all surfaces. Details in the level geometry blended together and made even the most busy scenes look flat. There were signs giving directions but they meant very little and the level was confusing to navigate. Some rooms were the opposite, clashing textures on floor, walls, and ceiling. Overall, the map didn't appeal to the eyes.

    The gameplay loop is walking down in one direction, I think we picked up keys at one point but I don't remember ever seeing the first two keys, and then backtracking to a room to destroy a computer behind a door of that key color. Destroying the computer will turn off doors throughout the level. The flat textured rooms, the scattered nature of new paths, and recognizing new paths without the colored door all make navigation of this map quite painful. Needless to say there are no shortcuts or updating spawn points, this is less of an issue than the confusing level design and layout. There is a message announcing objectives and when certain objectives are met, this is a huge help in figuring out what to do.

    Players start off with a revolver and mp5, which can kill the enemies strewn throughout the level easily. Right when I was really missing the shotgun we entered a room with shotgun, sniper rifle, and some grenades. There is also HEV here. This room is quite a ways away from spawn, and when respawning I don't think I managed to navigate back there even once, it is a real waste to lose all those weapons on death But I would rather push forward than waste time getting lost.

    The enemies are deadly, placed in strategic areas, and are generally fun to fight. The major exception to the fun combat is the first enemy encounter. Robo grunts appear directly outside fo the spawn area and can run into spawn very easily. My teammate and I died many times trying to fight our way out of spawn. There may be a moderate amount of enemies, but be careful, they can and will spawn in directly in front of you. There is very little ammo in the level besides in the room with the shotgun, a lot of times I would run out of ammo and then die. Dying is the best resupply until you reach that room.

    At the end of the map there is a teleporter taking players to a gargantua arena. Killing the garg opens up a door to the last key, players pick the key up, go destroy the computer thus unlocking the door color coded to that key, and then players enter a room with more teleporters. The map says "aerodock2 not found" and then ends.

    I don't think this map was supposed to feel like a maze, but near the end I was getting mazy vibes off of it. The lack of different textures for different surfaces in the rooms squandered what could have been some really cool visuals. The lighting was great but couldn't shine with the bad texturing. The map opening up the way it did with players being forced to backtrack numerous times made me feel like a rat in a maze. The combat was fine and was the best part of the map, it could have been improved with more ammo.

Pros:

• Good combat
• Objectives get announced to all players
• Fun lighting
• the map has HEV and health stations, HEV in Sven maps is always appreciated

Cons:

• Bad use of textures
• confusing layout made worse by confusing textures
• constant backtracking to destroy a computer to open a door after getting the door key
• respawning players will face massive inconvenience to pick up new weapons
• lack of ammo, especially in the early game
• robo grunts invading spawn was a bad start

Score: 5 / 10