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Wednesday, 12 July 2000 -
A Q3 Map Made For 1on1 ? $comment_count ?>
"Cold" | cq3dm1.zip | 1.45MB | 12.07.00 | Duel | site |

Deathmatch Theory - To have a good or great 1on1 map, it needs to be different from free for all or clan style maps. First off, you need it to be a decent size. Too big and matches become long and boring. Too small and it loses any strategy. Then it needs proper weapon placement and good map flow to go along with the overall design. When you add all these up, you normally have a decent 1on1 map. With Body Of DOOM, it has all of these components.

General Design - Body of DOOM has two main levels plus, an upper level. Located on the top level are the Plasma gun, Rocket Launcher and Yellow Armor. In the main courtyard area, there is a Shotgun and Grenade Launcher. On the lower level, you'll find a Lightning gun and the Red Armor. Scattered along the way are lots of 5 point health orbs and armor shards. There won't be any hiding on this level.

Weapons - RL, LG, GL, PG and Shotgun
Armor - 1xRA, 1xYA. 14 Shards
Health - 15x5H, 2x50H
Powerups/Items - None
Miscellaneous - 3 Jump Pads

Map Flow - Each main area has lots of room for battles. Because of the way the weapons are placed and the open areas, the map forces people to fight on all levels of the map but doesn't leave them without an escape route when needed. There are three ways to get to the lower level from the main level and vise-versa. There are also three ways to get from the main level up to the RL level without rocket jumping. The map is designed so that it won't be dominated when two skilled players are dueling. However, a player needs to be smart to avoid a beating at the hands of a talented opponent.

Control - Gameplay focuses on the RL and the LG, due to the architecture. However, the PG, and GL will play a major part in the strategy of the map. With the LG and the RA being on the lower level, you are forced to cover the map if you want to gain complete control. As with all maps, people will try to control certain areas but, this will be difficult to do on this type of map.

Author's Comments - I spoke with Cold after the map was completed and asked a few questions about the map.

What were your original intentions while designing this map?
The layout came from messing with the quake map editor. After the first compile, I liked the gameflow so decided to let some people test it. I fixed some things from their feedback and that's about it.

What suggestions did your playtesters make?
Mostly weapon and item placement as well as jumppad, structural and visual fixes. Most of which I did, made the map even better.

Did you originally set out to make a 1on1 map or did that idea come later?
Well, the gameflow really leaned towards 1v1 after a few lan games with some friends. But, I try to make maps for 1v1 all the time. Most of them end up being too big and become idle on my hdd.

Lots of mappers have tried to make a decent 1on1 map. Upon looking at them, they're only ffa maps. What makes this map different?
The gameflow and weapon placement is meant for 1v1. I first let people test out the map in 1v1 and most ppl liked it and were impressed, even in Q3. After I compiled the 2nd beta and let even more people test it, more people liked it. So, I was then hooked on it being a good 1v1 map.

What pleased you the most about the final version of the map?
All the feedback from people made the map better than the original layout. Adding the jump pad next to the broken stairs really improved the whole map. The final weapon and armor placement was good overall. The only thing I'm disappointed from the map is the drop in frames in the court yard.

Final Thoughts
I am not a mapper so, I haven't commented much on textures, brushes etc. However, I do think Body Of DOOM is a very good Quake3 1on1 map. There are a few bugs in the map with the design and architecture. If you look really close, you'll notice some "sparkle" on the walls. This was left in the final map on purpose as the framerate would be too slow after it was fixed. Also, a few of the testers thought the map was a bit too dark. I didn't find this to be the case on my system but, you may want to turn up your gamma before playing this map.

As I've always said, in Deathmatch games, "Gameplay is everything". This map has what it takes to have some great gameplay. Even a few notable map makers liked the grate by the RL which you can shoot through. This map should cause some very exciting 1on1 matches. If you would like to provide direct feedback to please feel free to do so.

I have added a couple of demos so you can get an idea of what the map and gameplay are like. Enjoy!

Demo 1 - 876k
Demo 2 - 2.7mb