Fox's Island - Dunkelschwamm

  

    Relax on white sand texture, take a swim in the ichthyosaur infested waters, explore the bungalows, sacrifice yourself or a friend to the volcano. Fox's Island is a chill hang-out map with some fun features to explore and a very nice view.

SCMapDB page

Author: The Fox

Date of final release: 2021

Maps in package: 1

Map review of Fox's Island

(originally posted on SCMapDB)

by dunkelschwamm | June 12, 2022 | 3792 characters

    Fox's Island is a chill relax map by The fox. Sit in the hot springs of the island, explore the Maldives-style overwater bungalow huts- some which feature monitors for viewing the resort's stage, and one of which features a working mirror. Ride water slides, jam out to a boombox, or swim over to mysterious rock formations surrounded by dangerous ichthyosaurs.

    The brushwork of the island itself is a bit blocky and rigid for a naturalistic structure, failing to convey any of the eroding forces of the ocean, but still is a treat for the eyes. The bright lighting and textures from the funny ending scene from Swiss Cheese Halloween make for a great environment. The overwater bungalows are a treat, and their simple interior decoration I'd say elegantly fits their purposes. A bar with pool chairs outside it, the stage, the water slides, and the hot spring are all executed simply, effectively, and with personality. Any of these places are worthwhile to spend time in, and I can imagine hanging out with lots of friends here could be a lot of fun.

    The dangerous element is intriguing to me. There are some barnacles hanging beneath the bungalow walkways, which pose little risk of capturing a player but could potentially cause fun dramatic moments in the middle of a peaceful relaxation server requiring other players to help with their very-limited-ammo handguns.

    This limited ammo is perhaps to the map's benefit, as the ichthyosaurs feel intended to be constant guardians of the map's outer waters. By successfully slaying all of them, one ultra-strong ichthyosaur appears. Felling that one, the map simply prompts a vote to change the map- almost like admitting defeat in the face of players who engage the only route the map gives to combat, when the map so clearly wants to represent chill hangout energy. Still, it feels like the map brought us to this place when making all of the water slides dump us directly into ichthyosaur-infested waters. Thankfully, you can navigate these waters completely unsafely from the confines of a drivable dingy. It's adorable.

    The map's features are all nice to look at initially, but mostly shallow. The one of the waterlogged rock structures houses a secret that isn't much to write home about, and the other is just a lava structure which the player can accidentally promote their own death within. In the middle of the map, a skeleton sits with a treasure chest. By shattering the top of the chest, the player can reveal that the chest is full of- nothing. I don't really expect anything terribly grand for exploring, especially in a chill map, but it does feel like the map encourages a play style that it then doesn't really bother to reward. In the end, it's the journey that counts, I guess.

    If you run a chill server, give this a whirl. I'm sure it wouldn't hold much attention on its own, but with enough people hanging out players should be able to make their own fun within its confines, and that's really what it's all about.

Pros:

• Good hangout spots and quite a few secrets
• Fun features, like monitors which actively view a stage in the map, or a working mirror.
• Though it's incredibly painstaking to kill the ichthyosaurs, the game does account for your ability to do so
• It looks pretty good, creating a great environment
• It's fun that, despite this being a chill hangout map, there is some danger present
• There's a cute drivable dingy

Cons:

• Some of the natural environment brushes are a bit blocky
• Secrets are mostly a bit of a letdown
• Not many actual functional activities are included

Score: 7.9 / 10