Poolarea - Dunkelschwamm

  

    Welcome to the surreal pool. This map has some trippy dimensions and overall weird construction, giving the map a surreal and liminal feel to it. 

SCMapDB page

Author: Robootto

Date of final release: 2001

Maps in package: 1

Map review of Poolarea

(originally posted on SCMapDB)

by dunkelschwamm | May 30, 2022 | 3725 characters

    Poolarea is a very interesting map by notorious mapper robootto. The map features a large pool area liberally seasoned with aliens, grunts, assassins, and a gargantua. The fun doesn't stop there, as secrets unveil more battles in side areas and more weapons to take the map with.

    I guess Poolarea is meant as a hangout map where the secrets and objectives of taking out the enemies are tertiary to the main RP-style hangout spot Gldsrc tourism aspect. I get that. As a matter of fact, I'd say it's one of robootto's more successful accomplishments in that realm. The diving boards are all there, all reachable, and I think it's a nice touch that the middle board has a longjump. I like the breakable glass stuff all over the map, and the secrets signposted by noisy NPC chatter. I like that at the top of the slides there's a place to tau jump out of the level and run around in the noob box which contains it, around which xen birds swarm around creating a sense of ambiance and mood which is hard to explain. Overall, I think this map has a lot of positives going for it in those departments. I even like the pits early in which rapidly sap player health with cold damage, and the shower area that's full of zombies and bullsquids.

    Robootto's mapping skills aren't exemplified to any new heights here. It's still a lot of the rote, inconsistently lit, chunkily brushed, and flatly textured stuff we're used to from robootto for the most part. However, there's a shocking amount of functionality at play, and I think a lot of the location makes sense. There's even working slides into the pool and a sauna with coals which burn the player. There's some weird bits, like a staircase which dips in in a really funny way, which I think makes this really charming. The chambers full of inconsistent enemy pairings is all made bearable by the weaponry given to obliterate the rooms' denizens in satisfying ways. I can't tell if this is lightning in a bottle, or if we're seeing what happens when robootto really gives a shit and decides to make a map in service of the player having a fun and interesting experience. I like it.

    That said, it's really kind of a short and confusing experience for what it is. I think the pool area itself is very memorable, especially with the purplish hues by the diving boards evoking a moody 80's mall aesthetic, and the secrets keep you guessing and add playability, but overall it's a map that doesn't hold my attention for all that long. I think with a lot of players I could have some fun, and I can imagine RPing on this map would be a lot of fun too.

    Bottom line: If you're looking for a weird pool map to hang out with your friends on and occasionally find secrets and fight aliens as part of that, poolarea's a pretty good map for that.

Pros:

• If you're gonna have a noob box house the entire map, might as well put it to good use
• The eponymous pool area itself is pretty nice
• The combat is lax and chill thanks to good player equipment and lots of easily felled foes
• The secrets are actually kinda fun
• There's a longjump module

Cons:

• The map does feel a bit pointless and runs out of tricks pretty quickly
• The map's shape is a bit inefficient for navigation, putting places of interest on either side of a long pool with thin walkways on either side.
• The way things are sometimes breakable or sometimes useable is confusing
• There's a button at the top of the diving boards that we still don't know what it does and it's driving me fucking crazy

Score: 6 / 10