My Quake maps and other (usually) related stuff...

I missed this earlier in the week, but it appears that Moonlight Assault has been selected as this weeks Q1SP Level of the Week. So if you haven't yet (shame on you! =P), go take a look and then grab a copy of the map.

I've been away for a little while, and it seems that Mr. Shambler has taken up the job of selecting a Level of the Week here on planetquake. Make sure you check out his recommendations each week.

Well, I'm a bit late off the mark with this, but I wanted to mention that Fatty has released a new deathmatch map entitled 'Ministry of Love'. I had some fun testing this one, and it comes recommended. You can get from his page.

Thanks to all those people that mailed with their thoughts on Moonlight Assault, it's nice to know that you had fun with it =). There's nothing really worth reporting on my current maps at this time. I'm working on two new single player maps as well as one deathmatch. These will likely progress quite slowly though, since deadlines are fast approaching for many of my uni subjects (*sigh*). Later.

At first it seemed like a case of really bad timing, when Mr Shambler thought he wouldn't be around this at all this weekend to review the 'feast' of single player maps that coincidently all got released at the same time. Well, it turned out that his plans fell through so, if you head over to the TeamShambler website, you'll find reviews of 3 new releases: 'Runners Delight Episode', 'Castle Gothgola' and my very own 'Moonlight Assault' =).

I've decided to take the rest of the week to focus entirely on my course work at Uni, since I have a bit of catching up to do. If I get everything done, I'll be starting this weekend on my map for the Fat Controller's Operation Urth Majik project. This is gonna be a lot of fun =). I'll also be having a look back at the beginning's of a 6th DM map that I laid down a little while ago.

Oh, don't tell anyone, but I've also begun woking on a secret little side project. I'm not going say anything much about it for quite some time, because it will take a long time, and may not actually amount to anything anyway. What I will say is that it is something new for me, and it is mapping related. So why did I mention it now? Well, I wanted to say something, but... ermm... I think I'll just shut my mouth now. =P

Well it's been a long time coming, but it's finally done. So, without further ado, I present to you: 'Moonlight Assault' - my latest Single Player Quake creation. Enjoy.

On a less Quake related note, I'm moving house tommorow. Things have supposedly been set up at the new place for me to have access to the net straight away, but if I disappear for a few days or so, that'll be why.

The second beta test has come and gone, and I've got the map pretty much the way I want now. I'm just going to run the final compile when I upload this update, then I'll probably release the map tommorow.. err, tonight (it's now 12:30am, Friday).

The map will be titled 'Moonlight Assault' and Vigilante was kind enough to write me a background story to include in the text file - but here it is a little early to get you started:

"We are taking a few hours break now. My feet are burning, as we just walked for over eight hours. I'm not sure how Jones can manage though. He's in pretty bad shape, but the lieteunant is pushing us forward. He thinks that even this is a waste of time. He says that we should be nearly at the pickup already, but that's just madness. It would take at least two days for a troop to travel from the valley to the pickup. And yet we have managed to get this far, on foot, in 32 hours. And not only that, but we have had all the wounded to carry. There is a great deal of walking to be done though, until we can reach the hills now seen on the painfully distant horizon. I just hope that our ship hasn't arrived at the pickup already and left us stranded down here. But as I haven't had the time to write anything in nearly a week I might clear some things up. Especially why are we here. I can't beleive it has been five days already, it feels like it happened just few hours ago...

We have had troubles ever since the initial landing. I hear that the commanders didn't have much faith in our side's ability to penetrate the castle to begin with. Our chances of actually finding the rune and escaping alive were even worse. Doomed right from the start. First the pods from Mickey's squad deviated at least 15 klicks from their assigned location, landing the whole squad in a distant swamp. We managed to keep radio contact for only a few hours. Captain Rodgers didn't tell us what had happened, but I think we all knew that it was just as well. The day after that our camp was assaulted by a pack of fiends. They broke through the outer barrier in a matter of seconds, hitting our main encampment. Eventually we managed to drive them away, but with considerable casualties. Many worried wispers made there way though the camp that night, after the attack. The men knew it was unusual for fiends to appear in such a large pack, and to seem so organised in their attack as well.

And still our bad luck continued. Two days after that a large contingent of Quake's troops ambushed us while we were traveling. We had come to a narrow pass between two steep hills. Captain Rodgers sent scouts to the hills, but they never came back. The lieteunant still wished to travel that way though, as it was the fastest way to the castle we were supposed to siege. Our long line was cut in three parts, the last one totally annihilated in a few short moments. I was in the leading squad, and we kept our ground pretty well, until one of the grunts got a lucky shot at Captain Rodgers. After that our lines broke. Then the lieteunant ordered a retreat. A few groups made it back from the 2nd and 3rd ranks, and strengthened our numbers. But most of the force didn't manage to break through The Horde. The lieteunant kept our lines together, and we succesfully escaped the ambush. It was obvious that we couldn't siege the castle with these numbers, although Ensign McKenzie wished to take a few volunteers and still proceed to the objective. I was very surprised when the lieutenant agreed.

Well, we kept radio contact for only a couple of days. Ensign McKenzie's small squad was against vast odds, and it wasn't long before they had been all but obliterated. There were some distorted messages that said one of the men had fought very bravely, keeping the squad alive and planning the attack even after Ensign McKenzie's death. We didn't get his name, but I believe he was their last survivor.

After that we got to a beautiful valley. I'm sorry that we couldn't stay there for long, as it was a welcome change from the seemingly endless wastes, but we had to get to the pickup as fast as we could. The lieteunant kept us going 20 hours each day, giving us only two two-hour breaks. There was more waste to cross, but not anything like the first. Soon enough we had entered another valley where we stayed a while, bandaging our wounded and burying the dead. We had some time to prepare, but the first of the Horde was closing in behind us.

Fortunately they didn't attack in great numbers, seeming disorganised, and they were easily defeated. 32 hours after leaving the valley, crossing another blasted wasteland, our goal was in sight. Somewhere in the hills on the horizon was the pickup point. With over two thirds of our force wiped out, there was no hope for us to regroup and return for the rune. Ensign McKenzie's squad had given us something to hope for while we concentrated on getting the rest of our force back to saftey, but even the strongest of us cannot place that hope on one lone surviver...

It is 5 minutes to departure now. We had just reached the beginnings of the hills when we stopped to rest. The scouts are just returning now, and they've brought bad news. There is a large force directly in our path. By the looks on their faces I am not sure if we can reach the hills in time..."

- John "Cannonball" Velasquez, last journal entry

You will play the part of the lone surviving soldier from Ensign McKenzie's suicide party. It's up to you now to take on the forces guarding the castle and retrieve the rune single handedly... (isn't it always up to you? =). See you soon.