The Crow's Nest

REVIEW: Terminate Boba Fett

Geoff Elliott — Sat, 11 Sep 2021 00:00:00 GMT

You come at the king, you best not miss.

We've seen Boba Fett included in so many missions it's practically a subgenre of the DF mod community. At this point the first two things I look for in a briefing are Dark Trooper and Boba Fett references, and my expectations get adjusted downward should I find them. A mission needs to earn their inclusion through depth of story, strength of design, and offering something unique.

Terminate Boba Fett swings big with elaborate mazes, new community-built assets, and swapped enemy logics. The key and switch hunts take you all over a sprawling labyrinth of a level, but the work of deciphering it all overwhelms what fun there is to find. Additions like a lightsaber patch and references to beloved starfighters don't add much.

The author, Richard Gold, definitely has a penchant for complicated caverns stocked with jumping puzzles. There's a sense of deja vu playing Escape from Hoth and this so near each other as both devote a sizable portion of their geometry to underground locales. In the case of Escape from Hoth it made narrative and gameplay sense: meeting the Imperial war machine face-to-face is a losing proposition, so sneaking through ice caverns to traverse the map and accomplish your objectives is good tactics. But with Terminate Boba Fett you'd be hard-pressed to explain why keys to the base are dropped in the middle of Mario-esque madness, except as a design crutch to keep the player busy.

They might not make much sense but the natural settings are at least interesting. Each section has a contrasting look and focus to its challenges, and the geometry of each is distinctive. In comparison the central base is underwhelming. It feels more like the early block out from a rough draft than a finished product. The interior acts as a central hub to let the player navigate to the other areas, and it doesn't have much more to do than that. Each of the four spokes is pretty much the same, which means boxy and generic. It's quite easy to forget which side of the base you're on and which door correlates to which of the keys you just recovered.

The fractal maze layout of the map is coupled with some poor choices with the way objectives are tied to one another. It's very easy to grab the obvious key you need from an area while missing the nearby nook that holds an important encounter. Without looking carefully at the map to be sure you've explored every last square foot you may spend a lot of time retreading your steps. Some more work put into adding affordances and signposting objectives would have helped not only the flow of the mission but improved the overall visual interest as well.

You might be asking what any of this has to do with Boba Fett. Not enough, and yet too much. I'll explain: one of the call-outs in the briefing is the existence of prototype "Assault Droids". The technical implementation is a probe droid WAX with the Boba Fett enemy logic. I wish there was some new art to distinguish the droid, but in isolation this is a fun change of pace. The problem arises from the overuse of this logic. You'll battle a few of these droids during your adventure which means by the time you finally stare down the famous bounty hunter himself the encounter feels too familiar. The author tried to construct a unique playing field for the fight, but it isn't enough. For a mission in which the primary objective is to terminate Boba Fett this is the biggest disappointment of all.

Overall

In retrospect it's obvious how the author was evolving their mission designs alongside the rest of the community, beginning with manipulating object placement, then using existing levels as a starting point, and finally graduating to craft an entire mission from scratch. The work done here in sculpting the caverns deserves praise, but the maze-like construction of the mission as a whole betrays the inexperience of the author and shows there's still more evolution necessary to produce the kind of level you want return to again and again.

Revisiting 'SECBASE Revisited'

Geoff Elliott — Fri, 30 Jul 2021 00:00:00 GMT

Inevitably a couple items would be overlooked when I rebuilt the Nest. Manually overhauling old HTML files into a more modern system naturally lends itself to mistakes. And so it is that while writing a new review for SECBASE Revisited I discovered that I'd already written one back in the 90's.

This was initially a conundrum: I didn't want to obscure my original thoughts, but I'd also put in the time to write up something that reflects my current opinion of the mission and didn't want to cast it aside.

So I decided to use both, and begin a new series of features wherein I'll revisit old missions I've already reviewed to give them a second glance. The purpose of each will be to explore how opinions can change over time with exposure to new experiences, to re-examine some of the design decisions authors made, or to highlight particular elements of missions that were new or exceptionally well-crafted.

Having written the new review and re-read my original critique I am pleased that many of my original thoughts hold up. I feel a bit better equipped nowadays to articulate my criticisms and recognize some of the technical aspects of the mission, but my overall impression is remarkably consistent.

Below you'll find my new review, and I hope you'll check out the original and enjoy comparing the two.

New Review of 'SECBASE Revisited'

How to even approach reviewing a mission created (in part) by one of the pillars of the Dark Forces editing community?

Upon seeing the name Yves Borckmans in the author list of this mission my expectations rose, and immediately so did my blood pressure. What would be the point of me, who never released a mission, penning a critique of this map? But down that road leads madness (and probably another blog post)

Once you get into the thick of things you'll discover that despite the pedigree this is just another mission, albeit a well constructed one. The layout of the facility is excellent. It gives you the impression of an elaborate base without falling into the trap of recreating the reality of such locations, parallel hallways replete with rectangular rooms. No space ever feels square or like repetitive filler. While the mission is designed in some respect as a puzzle maze each area is distinctive and captivating, often allowing you to see portions of the facility you have already visited or have yet to reach. Understanding the connections between all the pieces is part of the fun.

I mentioned Yves at the beginning, but it's important to call out that the text file credits Serge Debroeyer with the bulk of the work. Given that Yves was the author of DFUSE and Serge the primary tester they obviously know how to make the engine sing, and there are a few areas that highlight the vertical possibilities of Dark Forces. The central sewage room has multiple levels of action, crisscrossing routes, and different surface types to give you a dynamic hub for a lot of the level traversal. It's the sort of space you don't see very often even in the original missions, far more intricate than the normal single level rooms or even stair-stepped areas, and with verticality that is usable by the player and not just serving as an epic viewpoint.

Texturing is well aligned, everything feels so solid that it almost seems silly to mention it. Door colors correspond to the key needed to open them which makes some of the looping back a bit easier to keep in your mind. Lighting and texturing are coordinated in subtle ways to draw your attention to important elements, especially doors. But one big hangup for me is the constant use of yellow caution stripes and other dingy surfaces. It gives the base a very industrial feel that clashes with the big city setting and Imperial decor that we're used to. Granted, as an entry point the waste and cargo area is styled appropriately. But I was hoping for more variation as we got closer and closer to the plans, and didn't find it.

The sewage running through the entire base makes for a excellent raison d'etre for how you navigate the different sections of the base and allows the authors to progressively expand the areas available to you without it feeling like yet another locked door. But like the yellow stripes, the central presence of the sewage in this environment feels out of balance.

I'd love to know the reasoning behind the choice to grunge up the environment, because it is clearly a choice and not just laziness with texture selection. Everything coordinates too well to be accidental. If this were a different mission, not the theft of the Death Star plans, none of this would be bothering me. But...

There are only a few hints at true nature of the base scattered around the facility, and when you do finally uncover the hidden location of the plans it feels a bit underwhelming. Instead of a high-tech operation concealed within the bowels of a sewage plant (which would have been wonderful, akin to the slow roll-up reveal of the plans in the original mission) you discover a couple more rooms that feel more or less the same as the rest of the map. For all the evident sophistication in the construction of the mission, the marriage of story and gameplay falls short.

Overall

I've mentioned the technical accomplishments of this mission several times; especially for the era this mission stands out. It's a showcase for DFUSE and what can be accomplished with it. Even more impressive is that each of the set pieces feels like a natural part of the environment and not just an excuse to demonstrate the editors' capabilities. The construction won't overcome the narrative disconnects throughout the mission and the emotional letdown at the end, but unless you're really sick of retrieving the Death Star plans I think you'll still find a lot to enjoy here.

REVIEW: Danuta

Geoff Elliott — Wed, 30 Jun 2021 00:00:00 GMT

I was not expecting to have this much fun when I loaded this mission.

At first glance there isn't much to recommend it. Like other early community missions, this one modifies an existing level, Secret Base in this instance. But unlike others the core gameplay is mostly untouched, leaving an excellent level in place and just adding a few sprinkles on top. And, dare I say, improving upon the original in a couple situations?

The most impactful alteration to the mission is right up front: you now begin on the rooftop and need to drop down the shaft in order to enter the base. I love this change. Those of us who have played Dark Forces dozens of times know that's how Kyle entered the base, but if you're relatively new to the game this may come as a surprise. There's no need in the original mission to duck into that corner of the rooftop, especially if it's your first playthrough.

There's also something about making the choice to plunge into action that changes the entire tenor of the opening hallway. I found myself running the mission more like I would Doom or something else similarly action-driven. Dark Forces combat to me has always been a combination of ducking in-and-out of cover, long-distance sniping, and barrelling into chaos, depending upon the situation. After running away from stormtrooper fire on the roof and jumping down the shaft chaos seemed the only appropriate choice. Out of the frying pan, into the fire.

Starting on the roof is the kind of perfect alternate reality that add-on missions can offer. The original opening with the player placed in the hallway makes much more sense as the first experience with a new game: it gives the player a very clear objective and on the easier difficulty settings they also have a bit of time to move before they encounter the most harmless adversary in the game. The hallway teaches a new player how to play while a rooftop start throws the experienced player into the thick of it immediately. I love both for what they offer each situation.

I've spent a couple hundred words talking about this single change, but it's not the only thing new in this mission. The lighting outside has been darkened a bit (just the kind of simple change I've been advocating for from other level modifications), a few assets have been swapped, and there are minor new additions. Along with a guarantee of no Dark Troopers (the promise is broken in the best of ways) the author supplied a list of changes in the accompanying text file, which for some might be a thing to avoid in order to be surprised. I took a different tack.

As I often do before reviewing a misison I read the entire text file, and so had a list of things to hunt down. Engrossed in the search for each item I found myself rediscovering parts of the level that the decades had erased from memory. The playthrough became a treasure hunt, guided by a combination of the new hints dropped into the level (stormtroopers on the walls!) and the percentage of secrets left to be found. Your mileage may vary depending on how recently and thoroughly you've played Secret Base, but I had a lot of fun.

Why did I enjoy this mission so much more than Rescue on Endor? The story isn't any different from the original nor do the asset swaps make sense if you stop to ponder them. There are no new technically-inspiring set pieces and the customization is only rudimentary. But the small changes struck me as meaningful and considered, and in the same vein as showcases like Imperial Residence and 3D Mad the attitude seemed to be to share some joy with the world. I appreciate that.

Overall

I wish we knew who this author was in order to thank them for the opportunity to look at Secret Base with fresh eyes. It may never be mentioned in the same breath as the Editors' Choice custom-built missions, but when you consider those few early missions that only modified the LucasArts levels, Danuta ranks at the top.

REVIEW: Authoritative Conflict

Geoff Elliott — Mon, 28 Jun 2021 00:00:00 GMT

This is another of the early custom missions, a modification of the object placement in an original LucasArts level without geometry, lighting, or texture changes, just like Jabba's Ship Revenge and Rescue on Endor. This time the mission under the knife is Ramses Hed, which while not a community favorite is not devoid of charms. Sadly this modded level does nothing to improve the situation.

The major focus of the changes is to replace any non-Imperial enemies throughout the mission. Where once you would be ducking for cover from thermal detonators being thrown from above, now you'll dodging blaster fire from dozens of stormtroopers. Most of the time these kinds of mods try to up the difficulty level, but here I would say that the challenge has been sharply lowered.

That's because of more than just the different enemies. Scattered across the floors of the cargo ship you'll find lots of Shield Supercharges. I suppose one could make a speedrun challenge of sprinting from powerup to powerup, maintaining invincibility just long enough to reach the next. Personally I don't see the appeal.

In addition to picking up supercharges, you'll also find that the newly distributed officers bring an abundance of keys with them. If you remember the original Ramses Hed, you'll may remember that it has a bit of key-hunting built in, and a fair amount of backtracking involved if you take a wrong turn. With officers dropping keys every 10 seconds you'll find yourself with a complete collection well before you might actually need any of them. Large swaths of the level are now unecessary because you can waltz through it in a couple minutes if you know the route.

Honestly, I've debated whether to even review these early object mod missions at all. Firing up one of these doesn't bring nearly the same anticipation as a brand new mission I've never seen before. But I do think that there could be something interesting to come out of an object replacement-only type of mission. Different strategies or challenges of the variety that communities sometimes create for themselves when running the same map becomes unfulfilling. But Authoritative Conflict doesn't seem to have been built with that in mind, so the experience, brief as it is, is a letdown.

Overall

If you've read my other reviews of this type of mission you probably already know what I'm going to close with. This is a mission that may be of interest to those with historical curiosity or a completionist streak. That's about it.

REVIEW: Rescue On Endor

Geoff Elliott — Mon, 28 Jun 2021 00:00:00 GMT

I'm trying to remain positive and remember that this was an early mission released when people were experimenting with modifying Dark Forces. But it's hard.

If you've played the original missions you'll find nothing challenging here, despite the author's claim that the harder difficulty levels provide stout opposition. A couple Phase 1 Dark Troopers and a Reeyees will get steamrolled by experienced players, especially when provided with the extra powerups the mission adds.

Many an add-on author re-used and over-used the plot of retrieving the Death Star plans, so at least give the author credit for dropping the ewok easter egg in their place. But unlike Jabba's Ship Revenge, another modification of an existing mission, the swapped and added content doesn't even provide a small distraction from the memories of the original level. I have the same criticism about the lack of even texture changes to indicate the passing of time, but the real killer is that none of the changes alter the experience, even at the micro level, nor more than superficially tie into the story.

Speaking of story, that's the one thing an author has complete control over when it comes to a modified level like this, and here it falls flat. It seems as though they hit upon the idea of replacing the plans and worked backward from there. With Jabba's Ship Revenge I grafted my own story onto the reoccurring Boba Fett enemy. Here there's just an ewok.

Overall

Frankly, if you compare this with what other authors were doing at the time you'll find only disappointment. But I remind myself of that first rush of joy when publishing something new on the internet, being able to say "I made this" and not caring too much about whether it was any good, or not. Sadly, this one doesn't make a return trip to the secret base worth your while.

REVIEW: Jabba's Ship Revenge

Geoff Elliott — Mon, 21 Jun 2021 00:00:00 GMT

In the very early days of Dark Forces editing it was common to release missions that re-used the existing geometry and objectives of the LucasArts levels with new enemies and objects scattered throughout. These were distributed as .O files instead of the .GOB files that you might be familiar with if you've run most of the other available missions. It was an easier way of providing something new, but it limited what kind of experience the author could really offer.

Jabba's Ship Revenge is one such mission, in which you run through Dark Forces level 10 again, but this time with Boba Fett and Dark Troopers standing in your way, and lots more weapons to use.

In principle I'm not opposed to re-use of geometry from other missions, provided that there's a good story reason for revisiting the environment. But it would certainly be better to modify the mission in some way to differentiate it. I'm thinking of the way that original locations on Zebes were re-worked in Super Metroid to hint at the passage of time and continued expansion by the space pirates. Even some lighting or texture changes would go a long way to convincing us that something had changed since last we visited the ship. Sadly, no such modifications are present.

Addition of new enemies notwithstanding Jabba's Ship is still pretty much the same, with the same drawbacks. That means mines. Lots of nonsensical mines. You can feel the hand of the designer when hidden mines detonate and health packs are immediately revealed to compensate for the damage. It's the author basically saying "Ha! Got you! No hard feelings, right?" and I hate it.

For all my criticism, Revenge is not without its charms. An escaped dianoga that can "swim" on solid ground and leap about is amusing at least. Adding multiple higher-difficulty enemies to custom missions is a trope, but in this case you fight Boba Fett several times. At first it seemed lazy to need to kill him over and over; by the end I had the impression of a man who simply would not stay down when beaten and continued his pursuit throughout the ship. Respect.

Overall

Such a low rating may seem harsh for an early community mission, but the truth is that you've played this mission before and the changes aren't any more entertaining than the descriptions of them you just read. These reviews are intended to help you, the reader, decide which missions you want to spend your valuable resources on. In the 90's those resources were dial-up time and disk space; in the 21st century the limitation is time. Unless you're a completionist when it comes to Dark Forces it's fair to say you can skip this one.

REVIEW: Operation Just Cause

Geoff Elliott — Sat, 12 Jun 2021 00:00:00 GMT

Operation Just Cause is a very representative mission from the early Dark Forces community, mixing old and new, for better and for worse. As I start writing reviews again and work to adjust my perspective of what one of these missions should be, I believe it would be hard to find one that is a better example of the gameplay and quality of the era.

Like many other missions of the time this one takes place on a space station, and requires you to collect information and plant explosive charges to destroy the facility on your way out. You’ll confront Dark Troopers, Boba Fett, Imperial toilets, and find yourself scouring the station for an officer’s code card and colored keys in order to make your way from one area to another and eventually complete the tasks at hand.

Hearing this description you would be forgiven for assuming the mission is uninspiring. But fortunately the author has combined these elements in a satisfactory fashion along with some new twists to keep the time you spend on the station from becoming rote.

There are Dark Troopers to be sure, but while you might roll your eyes at their inclusion they show up in appropriate places and help the difficulty ramp up as you near the finish. The officers' lounge and toilets are a bit better than normal for the inclusion of the jawas and graffiti, and how they act as a critical stop as you pursue the mission objectives instead of a wayside curiosity. And the neutering of Boba Fett made me literally laugh out loud as my expectations were turned upside down.

After playing dozens of these missions over the years I've come to appreciate the small touches that distinguish some efforts from everything else, and it feels like the author in this case is trying to craft something different. New 3DOs for starfighters and their accompanying VUEs keep the environment from feeling static, and new droids will keep you on your toes deciphering whether they pose a threat. The story is basic but the author has gone to the effort of re-purposing existing cutscenes and dialogue to keep things moving along, and I'll note that even though colored keys impose an order on events the station layout isn't strictly linear.

But sometimes the author's reach exceeds their grasp. It's nice to look around the exterior of the station and see your landing pad in the distance, but the starfield isn't properly configured as an exterior environment so it looks more like a sad planetarium. Hallways are way longer than they need to be so the backtracking offered by the non-linear design is cumbersome, and while the geometry and texture selection are functional that's about all I can say for them.

The biggest hurdle the mission never quite clears is that it is mired in the design patterns of mid-90's shooters: backtracking to locked doors once you recover the right key, lobbing thermal detonators trying to find the secret path forward, random mines and turrets to ambush the unwary player. There's a fine line between secrets/surprises and frustration, and I feel this mission tips over into the latter a bit too often.

Perhaps that's due to the passage of time and the different user experience and affordances provided by designers nowadays. After 20 years away I definitely struggled at points, and even asked others to confirm the mission wasn't bugged (it isn't). But when you look at the original LucasArts missions they are very clear when describing their objectives, often including pictures in the briefing of the exact item you need to acquire or interact with. Playtesting can go a long way toward uncovering where you've made too many assumptions as a creator, and I get the feeling this author didn't go that extra step.

Overall

In the end, the positives for this mission outweigh the annoyances. The author has crafted a story that intertwines with the mission objectives, provided plenty of tactical obstacles for you to overcome, and sprinkled new elements throughout that make this more than a rehash of Dark Forces. The mission never quite breaks free of the patterns of its time, but if you're looking for a classic community mission you could definitely do worse.

Just be sure to give Boba Fett a solid handshake when you see him.

DF FOMO

Geoff Elliott — Fri, 04 Jun 2021 00:00:00 GMT

When I first started to seriously consider reviving The Crow's Nest in 2019 the goal was to improve some skills and pick back up a project I felt I had abandoned. As the COVID-19 pandemic spread it increased my desire to build and create to counteract newfound anxieties. With the Dark Forces community seemingly in hibernation the focus of the work was on personal fulfillment. More than anything I really wanted to build the site the right way, poring over every detail to make the best version of the Nest that I was capable of.

But as the work dragged on, I became aware of more and more Dark Forces content in an active, if small, community. A new engine was being built, complete with voxel support for a wonderful blend of old and new visuals. Modern mouse controls were added to the game via the DeHacker utility. Livestreams and VODs were being done breaking down the original DF missions and classic community-built content. The Dark Troopers made a canon appearance in The Mandalorian! There actually seemed to be an audience hungry for more Dark Forces.

Then the unthinkable happened. Before I was ready to reveal my updated site, a new mission was released complete with a big hullaballo on DF-21 and YouTube playthroughs. A new Dark Forces mission, in 2021, after 13 years of silence! And the old ego of 1990's Geoff emerged with a red-hot fury to share what it thought of my original notion of building The Crow's Nest at my own pace.

"You need to review this mission immediately! That's what you do, stay current and lead the conversation about new content! If you don't get the site out the door nobody will care what you think!"

Oof.

I thought that bit of my brain had been snuffed out. Normally as an introvert I don't suffer much from FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out); I'm just fine over here by myself, thank you. But Dark Forces and the Nest reviews seem to be a part of my past I've really attached to. Every time a new retrospective was posted, a new Force Engine preview was released, or somebody rebuilt SECBASE in Unreal Engine and I wasn't there to write something about it a little tickle in the back of my mind whispered that I was being left behind and becoming irrelevant.

The truth is that in the context of Dark Forces I'm already irrelevant. I've missed out on so much of the DF story after years of being away, and it wasn't because people decided to leave me; I left the community.

I'm okay with that. No regrets over the time spent in a dorm room building the Nest and interacting with people around the globe for the first time. And no regrets over spending more time with humans in my immediate vicinity and letting the Nest and Academy stagnate. Each one of those choices meant missing out on something, but each one was the right one at the time, for me.

There's a wonderful NPR story about The Sad, Beautiful Fact That We're All Going To Miss Almost Everything, that everything we do involves trade-offs. You'll never be able to do it all, so what's important is to be present and mindful with whatever you choose to do, and keep focus on the goals you've established for yourself.

In terms of The Crow's Nest, if I try to chase down every new Dark Forces development I won't be able to make the site what I really want. The plan is not to be the go-to site for the latest news and goings-on in the Dark Forces community. The time I have to dedicate to this work requires that it be much more methodical. Besides, I don't think that kind of real-time news or community cheer-leading is where my strengths lie. I'm a storyteller, and what I hope to build here will be much more of a personal retrospective on Dark Forces and the community around it.

Eventually I will get around to reviewing Among The Shadows II... and Among The Shadows I, and Condition Red, and Dark Tide I-IV, and the dozens of other missions that I missed when they were released. I promise not every update will be filled with navel-gazing. But to do those mission and authors justice I need to have the right mindset and the right expectations for what a mission could be at the time they were telling those stories, and that's going to take a little catching up and resetting.

Don't you worry, there's lots of time left for me to do it right. Just so long as I can ignore the FOMO and keep my focus.

Punch It!

Geoff Elliott — Tue, 25 May 2021 00:00:00 GMT

A little movie called Star Wars opened on this day 44 years ago. While May the 4th has become the defacto date to celebrate the universe we love, May 25th has always been my personal Star Wars day. So it seemed right that it should be the day I formally announced that The Crow's Nest is once again operational.

There's not much new here aside from the look of things, yet. More reviews will come in time (I'm still trying to recalibrate my expectations for what a vintage Dark Forces mission could be) and the Storage area will hopefully continue to fill up. I still want to get full resolution screen captures of the custom missions to replace the old scaled and cropped versions, improve the layout of a few sections that feel slapdash, and try some fancier elements throughout the site.

But at some point you just have to start. You can't wait for perfection because it'll never come. The reviews and downloads are working, the foundation is ready for expansion, and feedback from visitors can only help point me to the things they'd really like to see me work on.

My plan is to start reviewing missions chronologically. It's never going to quite be fair to compare a mission built just after the release of DFUSE to what I expect out of a game in 2021, or even just the missions that still occupy my head like Mt. Kurek. I hope that by enmeshing myself in the type of mission that was being created at the time I can have a more balanced viewpoint. But we'll see. Maybe I'll bounce around just to sample what I've missed. What's really exciting to me is that I've still got so much Dark Forces that I never played, and now I get to.

Many filmmakers (including George Lucas) have uttered a variance on the phrase "A film is never finished, only released." I've found it to be the same with software, theatre, and any other creative effort; you can keep tinkering but at some point you just have to put it out there. So in that spirit, it's time to pull the levers back and hold on.

Punch it!

May Not Look Like Much, But She's Got It Where It Counts

Geoff Elliott — Sat, 17 Apr 2021 00:00:00 GMT

Why would I revive a website that hasn't seen real changes in almost 25 years, for a community that, while not dead, is not the vibrant, active group that it used to be? In the middle of a global pandemic, no less? Well, it's personal.

When people ask me to describe what I do, there are a couple tropes that I lean on: I'm a storyteller, and I make things. My brain is happiest when it is engaged with a narrative and constructing the things used in the telling of that story.

Doesn't matter whether it's my work or my hobbies. For a job I design and build web applications, learning about the users' needs and then crafting a user-friendly experience. Outside of work I co-founded a local Shakespeare company where I act, design posters and programs, and construct sets for the shows. All of these activities involve building things for the purpose of telling stories, a conflation of the creative and the logical that lets me drop into "flow" while the world around me disappears.

COVID-19 has made flow a rare and precious commodity. The recklessness of performing for a crowd of people in 2021 means that live theatre is out of the question. And work... even when it's rewarding the process still involves explaining choices to dozens of people and being beholden to competing interests.

To scratch those creative itches and forget about the stress of everyday life I've found myself gravitating to personal projects. Yes, I baked bread. I worked on the house and the yard. I took to miniature building and painting. But most of all I found myself drawn back to a time that I was building something just for me, to learn and to have fun.

When I started The Crow's Nest as a college freshman the web was still pretty new. In the span of a year and change I rewrote the site a few times, trying out new techniques and styles, constantly making it better. Over the years I've toyed with the idea of resurrecting the Nest, if only to pull some of these historical records from the Internet Archive's shelves and shake off the cobwebs. None of those attempts went much further than Photoshop experimentation, until the anxiety accompanying a pandemic set my brain afire.

===

Once it became clear I was really going to do this, I set out a few goals for myself.

The Nest should be current, technologically, and allow me to experiment with some web tech that I don't use at my day job. Part of this is curiosity, and part of it is professional security. I want to be sure I'm knowledgable about new-ish things just in case I need to go job hunting some day.

The early foundations of the site were plain HTML with a sprinkling of Javascript, all of it written by hand and each page done individually. This was in the days before CSS, so lots of font tags and layout tables were used. I think it was pretty good for the day.

But not good enough for now. I'm very comfortable with React and SASS, so learning more about Gatsby and the whole JAMstack, static website thing seemed like a good combination. Plus, the kind of content I'm going to be featuring here isn't high on interactivity. Being able to keep all the writing as Markdown files and have the site build and deploy automatically based on a Git push will make everything easy to maintain.

Accessibility, in all its meanings, is important to me, so I want to take the time to make the site work for everybody, on any kind of device. Doing that right is a lot of work that sometimes gets short shrift in the crush of deadlines. But here the only boss is me, so I get the time to build the site the best way I know how.

If you're curious about how I've put the site together the code is available at Github.
I want to brush up my writing skills. I used to write almost every day, both for school assignments and for fun. Level reviews and the ancillary creative bits for the Nest and the Academy gave me regular opportunity to stretch those muscles, and without that kind of outlet those skills have lost their edge. I do more speaking in public than I do writing nowadays, and while that's definitely an enjoyable form of storytelling I'm feeling the pull to get my chops back. Writing this one post I can feel myself struggling to organize my thoughts, form a cohesive through-line for the content, flow from one idea to the next.

Just as with the programming end of things, the prose in my reviews from long ago leaves something to be desired when I read it now. There's a challenge waiting for me in finding new and interesting ways to rephrase the same critiques over and over again, and these blog posts that lack an obvious focus like a mission review are going to be an entirely different beast to tackle. But those are the kinds of hurdles I'm looking foward to clearing (or, more likely, stumbling over, picking myself up, and then trying to do better on the next one).
I want to preserve a bit of history. The Dark Forces online community from 1995-97 was really special and I find it sad that like a lot of old websites so much of it has disappeared. It's clear from many of the retrospectives that have been written in recent years that lots of people have fond memories of Dark Forces and its sequels, though I'm saddened to see barely a mention of the mission authors that extended that narrative before Kyle Katarn ever picked up a lightsaber. These missions were fan fiction writ out in 2.5 dimensions and I loved it.

Instead of leaving the Nest as a hidden relic in the Internet Archive or a mirror site on DF-21 I want to rebuild my piece of that community, celebrate the parts that were important to me. I've got over a hundred new-to-me missions to play and reviews to write. My completionist streak won't let me leave it that way.

===

This endeavor is clearly an anxiety-fueled attempt to reclaim a part of my past when things were a little clearer, and I had control over a project that felt at least a little bit important to myself and others. No illusions there. But if I can channel that anxiety into something creative and constructive that teaches me some stuff leaves a little corner of the web better than it was, that's a win.

Moving to swgamers.com

Geoff Elliott — Tue, 30 Sep 1997 00:00:00 GMT

There are a couple items I need to address here:

First, swgamers.com FTP is down, and will be down for a while. That means that most of the files are inaccesible from here, though a few levels are still stored locally. Bryant tells me he's looking at various hosting services. I don't know when the FTP will come back up, so in the meantime I can only apologize for the inconvenience.

Second, the Nest will be moving to swgamers.com as it's permanent home. I don't know how often it will be updated, but probably not too often. Jedi Knight and my JK page, the Academy, are now the objects of my web/game work. A few people have offered to take over the Nest and update it. But I have to say no for various reasons I won't go into. Suffice to say that the Nest will stick around and provide the same stuff it's always provided, just without being current anymore.

New Levels for Download

Geoff Elliott — Wed, 17 Sep 1997 00:00:00 GMT

I fixed the link to Fortress Dantooine that I screwed up yesterday, sorry to those who tried to download that. And I also added about 10-12 levels I found while looking through swgamers.com. If the date in Storage says Aug/97 or later, then you can probably bet it's new. From what I was noticing they appear to be mostly Mac levels, so it's possible you've never tried them before. Check them out if you want.

I got my first message from someone using Internet Explorer 3.x today, commenting on the new design. All the pages use the Javascript Image descriptor, which Microsoft JScript doesn't support. I'm told that IE4 will work fine, but in the meantime, does anyone know of a way to make browsers that don't support a tag not use it? I don't want people getting an error message when the come just because of the browser they use. All comments and suggestions on that are welcome.

Got any levels that you think should be reviewed next? Or news on forthcoming levels? I almost always enjoy hearing from people, so mail me your opinions/ideas/comments/files.

Archangel Part III Still In Development

Geoff Elliott — Tue, 16 Sep 1997 00:00:00 GMT

First, that news I mentioned yesterday. Lionel Fouillen contacted me with news about his Archangel Part III. He says that he found time and creativity enough to work on it more and it will be available in October. Apparently there's been some concern that the series was never to be finished; Lionel asked me to help clear that up. So never fear! Also, hopefully there will be a new level out this weekend; it looks promising to me.

I don't think I mentioned it, and it might be old news, but Peter Klassen made some cutscenes for Assassinate Darth Vader. I've tried them and they're very cool. Grab them from the review or in Storage.

Today I added a new review of Castle Wolfenstein and linked it and Fortress Dantooine, a level from David Lovejoy, for download in Storage. You should check them out if you get a chance!

REVIEW: Castle Wolfenstein

Geoff Elliott — Tue, 16 Sep 1997 00:00:00 GMT

Are you seriously expecting anything out of this level? Don't. This is a rehash of the original Wolfenstein level, which translates into 90 degree architecture, boring texturing(nods to those who hate it when I gripe about that :-) ), identical lighting schemes, minimal difficulty and a really short level with dubious objectives. Kill everything in sight and get out in under 1 minute is the goal that I place for you.

This might have been somewhat interesting if the author had decided to take advantage of the new engine provided him and do a Wolfenstein level the way it could have been. But instead this level only serves to bring up old memories, not necessarily pleasant ones at that.

Overall

It's not necessarily the author's fault that this level is bad. It's from a game which by current industry standards is archaic. I didn't much care for the original game, and am much happier working my way through one of the more recent levels. I think you would be too.

Darkness Falls Issue 2 Is Out

Geoff Elliott — Mon, 15 Sep 1997 00:00:00 GMT

The Nest received another award while I was on vacation. It's been given the Bein's World Award for being a cool site. I'm going to need to set up an extra section for these!

The second issue of Darkness Falls is out! For those who don't yet know, Darkness Falls is a monthly online magazine devoted to Dark Forces and Jedi Knight. It features interviews, level info and inside news. You can find it at Bespin - The Cloud City.

News from the Nest - there are two new reviews, again from Steve Noall and myself. This time we've reviewed A Jedi Night.

I also fixed some links to levels, thank you to those who mailed me concerning them.

REVIEW: A Jedi Night

Geoff Elliott — Mon, 15 Sep 1997 00:00:00 GMT

Well, the story that the author has written is confusing but still interesting. Up to now all the levels have focused upon the present or the recent past. This mission takes us back to a distant time; one could say 'A long time ago...'

But the author seems to have concentrated too much on his story and not nearly enough on his level. The absolute minimum necessary for a level to be called new exists here. What's he's done is take the Imperial City level from Dark Forces, remove some of the Dark Troopers, replace others with Darth Vaders(possible Sith lords) and Boba Fett with an Officer. The Stormtroopers are also now Mandolorian Warriors, the Commandos Cloud Car Pilots and the Officers wear black. That's about it. It's all pretty ridiculous, watching Boba Fetts slide along the ground and shoot lasers from their foreheads and running through a level where you know every twist and turn before hand.

The author has also included about a half dozen VOCs and some new FMEs whose main purpose is to balloon the size of the zip. The droids are a welcome addition, but the VOCs are only confusing and annoying; just lines from the films repeated over and over. How many times must Vader tell us our destiny lies with him? Blah, blah, blah, you're fifty odd years in the future, give it a rest.

Overall

Bottom line: if you're going to try and tell a great story, do it right. You can write all you want, but without a decent mission a story is worthless. Maybe I love a good plot, but if all I want is to read a story I'll get a book, not suffer through a terrible level to get it.

REVIEW: A Jedi Night

Steve Noall — Mon, 15 Sep 1997 00:00:00 GMT

The idea of playing the role of a Jedi Knight during the Clone Wars was fun, but the level itself is a big letdown. The level is basically just the level Imperial City with one new WAX. The new WAX is a just Boba Fett with stormtrooper logic. I have to say that the WAX does fit perfectly into the level, since the Clone Wars were fought between Jedi Knights and Mandalorian Warriors. I'm just grateful the author had sense enough to use stormtrooper logic for the Mandalorians, rather than Boba Fett logic.

Another letdown in the level is that the author didn't even try to improve Imperial City by adding new puzzles or something, he just added new enemies. Without spoiling the level, let me just tell you to be ready for a big surprise at the end of the level.

Overall

If you liked the level Imperial City, then you'll absolutely love this level. On the other hand, if you didn't like that level, I suggest you stay clear of this one. I still can't get over the fact that the author didn't at least try to improve Imperial City with new puzzles or something, instead of just adding new enemies.

Energy Mine on Parux and Mt. Kurek Receive Editor's Choice Awards

Geoff Elliott — Sun, 14 Sep 1997 00:00:00 GMT

As promised, some new updates today. First I have awarded Energy Mine on Parux and Mt. Kurek Editor's Choice Awards, meaning that they are among the best Dark Forces Add-On missions you can find. If you haven't yet, I suggest you read their reviews and then download them.

Also there are two new reviews of a fairly new mission, The Rock - Gandolo IV, the first of a series if I remember correctly. The level is also set up for you to download from either Storage or from the review page.

Lastly, past updates and new are now found on the History page. Everything new is still here at the front, but now there's a page you can look through if you missed something. You'll always be able to find a link to it in either the Database or at the bottom of this page.

REVIEW: The Rock: Episode 1-Gandolo IV

Geoff Elliott — Sun, 14 Sep 1997 00:00:00 GMT

My initial reaction to the title of the level was that the authors had enjoyed last summer's "The Rock" movie so much that they wanted to name their mission after it. Unfotunately it appears that the authors have gone far beyond just using the name: they've appropriated the entire plot.

To be fair, the story is modified for Star Wars use, pulling in elements from Timothy Zahn's novels(however much destroyed and rewritten; a major discretion in my opinion) and it's not a complete ripoff. But there are so many elements in here that are derived directly from the movie that it borders on disgusting: the way you enter the base, the missile system C'Baoth has, and several other happenings in there level are pulled from "The Rock and dropped in here.

There are times in this mission when your heart begins to race and you wonder if you'll ever manage to make your way out again. But that's mostly due to the authors' use of the story, rather than their own work. The texturing is borderline, in places looking very nice and in others rather slipshop; to the level's detriment the entire area is made up of boring gray with low lighting, nothing that particularly excites you. The architecture isn't completely made up of 90 degree angles but it still fails to provoke any real interest. The city that surrounds the Imperial installation is bustling, with civilians, beggars, landspeeders crowding the streets, but I gathered the feeling that it was all for show, inserted to add something that people could talk about after the level was finished. It played no pivotal role in the mission and I quickly found myself tiring of it.

The water sequence at the beginning seems to have been built off the similar area in Archangel II, but here it isn't nearly as interesting. The lighting is all the same and you merely run through straight corridors where it's obvious what's been done. There's nothing to catch your attention!

Overall

This certainly isn't a poor level. Despite the author's misguided decision to pattern the level after existing material, it supplies you with a fairly satisfying experience. But lacking the creativity we've seen put into other missions this one tastes flat.

REVIEW: The Rock: Episode 1-Gandolo IV

Steve Noall — Sun, 14 Sep 1997 00:00:00 GMT

This was an excellent level. Right after I played this level, I was just so excited that I had to play it again and again. Not many people can successfully create an imperial city, but this author did a spectacular job of it in this level.

When I entered the city in this level, it felt different from other cities in other levels. It actually felt like I was in a city. This was by far the best city I've ever seen in a Dark Forces level. I really hate it when authors just give you all the weapons in the very beginning of a level, without any effort at all. In one part of the city you enter a local weapon shop where you can just steal all the guy's weapons. I think that this is an excellent way for the author to give you some weapons to live on, and have it still make sense. The owner of the store even gets mad when you take his guns.

Another highlight of the city is that you can actually enter people's homes, and there's even some landspeeders cruising through the streets. The texturing was good, and there's a good deal of enemies to keep you company. There weren't any new cutscenes, but the new briefing makes up for it. The level wasn't very difficult, although I wasn't able to play it on HARD because it crashed. Also, Windows users beware, you must run this under DOS, or there's a good chance it will crash on you in the middle of gameplay.

Overall

Don't waste time deciding on whether or not to download this, and just click the download link. After playing this level you'll have a smile on your face for the rest of the day, so don't pass this one by.

Full Speed Again

Geoff Elliott — Sat, 13 Sep 1997 00:00:00 GMT

The Nest is up to full speed again, after a month of revamps. Jedi Knight is fast approaching and the Academy will be picking up again soon, so I need to return to my goal of completing the Review List and finishing up the Database before JK eats up all my free time.

First off, all the new stuff will be posted here(which is now the very front page) to eliminate the need to jump to a different area just to see what's updated. So to begin in that new fashion, I'll announce the other big changes here. First, the Nest has an entirely new look! I attempted to use a new style that binds it together a bit better and also work in a few 'cool' things to liven it up. Also, the Components section has been renamed as Storage, which will coincide with a new site that I'm working on to hold some add-on missions for alternate downloading. There are only a couple new files today(what give it all to you at once?); but I do have more new Reviews, Missions and files ready to link, so return in the coming days to find what's still going on in the Dark Forces community!

Every page at the Nest has now been checked to ensure accuracy, quality and all that jazz. As always, if you find anything wrong or missing, want to contribute to the Nest, or have a question, please mail me.

REVIEW: Kyle On Spice

Geoff Elliott — Mon, 08 Sep 1997 00:00:00 GMT

The entire world swirls with nifty colors and you have trouble staying on your feet. Motion is difficult and it seems like everything is moving in different directions. You're attacked by floating green men who seem to be there and not there at the same time. And for some reason Jan isn't her usual cheerful self.

Yep, it's definitely Kyle on spice. The texturing is atrocious, the enemy placement is really awful, and there isn't a semblance of reality throughout the entire level. It's absolutely perfect.

Overall

This level is fun to grab for a quick spin. There isn't a whole lot of replay value in it; once you try it it's not quite the same the second time. Some people might argue that it serves to humorize drug use, but thankfully the authors were sharp-minded enough to add their own warning about that. You should grab this just to check it out.

REVIEW: SECBASE Revisited

Geoff Elliott — Mon, 08 Sep 1997 00:00:00 GMT

The authors here have taken it upon themselves to do a remake of the first level of Dark Forces, hence the title. And in many ways they succeed in improving on the original. In others the level fails, but on a whole it's a good one to play with lots of interesting things to do and look at. The level really succeeds with it's architecture and texturing. The setup of the base is great; staying away from the usual square rooms connected by hallways you'll find unusual elevators, bridges, sewers, hallways with large windows looking out over the city, ledges sitting on the edge of a precipice and more. The texturing is all well placed, but I found myself wishing for something else besides the dark greys and yellow/black stripes. It all stays together to help you believe you're in the same facility, but some more variety would be nice.

The puzzles you need to go through to complete the level are another bonus. Even as you suspect you're on the correct trail, something can pop up and send you reeling for what feels like hours before you figure it out. One of the nicest things is that for the most part the puzzles aren't obvious but woven into the rest of the level so that they feel natural. Finding a way to remove a barrier feels much more realistic than trying to find the right switch to move sections of a wall to match up so that an elevator works (see the Arc Hammer).

The level does have faults. I thought that the positioning of the Death Star plans, while clever and just the sort of thing that Imperials might do, was also so well hidden that most people would probably miss it altogether; I almost did. I already mentioned a texture problem, another is that the base doesn't have the Imperial look and feel that we've found in other levels and in the movies. I also have a argument with the setting: this is supposed to be a secret base. So why is it in the middle of a city? And more importantly why is it so open and obvious? The first SECBASE was secluded, with an almost underground feel to it. It had the feeling of something hidden. This level gives me the impression of being in the middle of Coruscant. A great accomplishment, but not the right place for a secret base.

Overall

Even with the few problems this level is still a fun play. It's something that will keep you interested and busy and provide a challenge at the same time. Not necessarily on par with the major levels of today, but as one of the first it also has a distinct appeal. I suggest that anyone trying to pick a level to download check this one out.

REVIEW: Sensation

Geoff Elliott — Mon, 08 Sep 1997 00:00:00 GMT

There seem to be more levels coming out that don't really have a plot but just like to showcase something that the author managed to figure out. Previously it was just some loopholes in the Dark Forces engine that were featured in the levels. This time the author shows you something that might be useful in future levels.

The idea is to hitch a ride on a crane hanging above a chasm. That's really all there is to it. It was a little difficult for me to figure out how to get on the crane at first, but practice makes perfect and soon it was pretty easy. There are a couple flaws with the current setup: you can't move or turn while on the crane, and if you try the movements are translated to you after you're dropped from the crane. But the idea is good and the execution is decent. You'd probably be a sitting duck for any Imperials around at the time, but I think it would be pretty cool to need to use the crane to get across some large hole at a factory or something. Maybe next time the crane could do more than just go back and forth.

Peter Klassen(the author) has told me that this GOB was an experiment in controlling the player object with a VUE. He explained to me some things about why it reacts the way it does:

If the player object is currently controlled by a VUE, he doesn't react on arrows or jumps. However he can sit down or look up/down. The rotations the player had during the VUE control get visible only after end of it.
The Yaw of the Player is always 0 when being translated by a VUE, i.e. I set up the level extra so that the player faces the far end. You can check it out if you turn back and hook on.
If the VUE'd player crosses a border between 2 sectors which would be deadly if the player jumped down, the player dies (you hear a cry, though there's no visible appearence of it)
There is also other thing. It seems that if a VUE'd object is shot at, the WAKEUP event is activated and therefore the player restarts the VUE trajectory. That makes it impossible to place enemies in these sectors.

So perhaps the idea could be used, but it would need to be used rather carefully. :-)

Overall

I didn't find the level as interesting as some of the others like it that came before. It's a lot shorter for certain and there are no goals to accomplish. But hopefully somebody will pick up the idea and use it in a level at a future time. It shouldn't go to waste.

REVIEW: Kyle's Nightmare

Geoff Elliott — Sun, 07 Sep 1997 00:00:00 GMT

To my knowledge this was the first level to utilize multiple logic enemies. And going by this assumption I can therefore say that it was this level which started what has become a serious scouge in add-on levels. The use of multiple logics is a way for people to create what can be referred to as new logics. Seeing that nobody has to this point created a brand new logic for a character, or for that matter figured out a feasible way to do so, the discovery of multiple logics has provided a way to increase difficulty for levels by making enemies fire faster, move faster, and be able to use several weapons at once. For instance a stormtrooper could be given stormtrooper logic combined with gran logic so that the trooper would fire a rifle and throw thermal detonators. There are lots of combinations that let an author go beyond just switching logics between characters.

In Kyle's Nightmare the idea works wonderfully. The level is set up as an arena and you're provided with your weapons and some protection before the assaults begin. The enemies you face are set up with numerous logics that make them move at pretty incredible speeds and fire their weapons at an unbelievable rate. These guys are tough and the author's claim that if you can beat the level on hard then you are a true Jedi is founded on solid ground. With one slash a Phase I Dark Trooper can drop you like a stone and Phase II's can blow you so high that even if you survive the explosion you won't survive the fall back down. The whole level has a very dreamlike quality; it embodies that feeling that nightmares always have, where your fears are multiplied and expanded upon until they seem unconquerable.

But this quality doesn't apply to other levels. The wonderfulness of multiple logics has been greatly overstated. When characters can shoot or throw TDs at you and the image doesn't respond in accord(the WAX doesn't use that frame that's set for weapon discharge) there's something wrong. Well, technically the game is responding just the way it should in this case, but it ruins any firefight you're in at the moment. Also enemies with multiple logics can continue to fight and run around for some time after they've actually been killed. And when they finally drop to the ground they might fly across the room as if blown away by a mine. Or they might just collapse and then give off as many powerups as there were logics combined in that character. To be given a concussion rifle, a string of thermal detonators and several stormtrooper rifles seems a bit silly, don't you think?

Overall

I'm sure everyone can tell my opinion about multiple logics. They're not bad, but they're not the incredible tool that some people like to make them out to be. They should be used with care and in certain situations. Otherwise they end up making the mission look foolish. For this level they work great, and if you haven't already you'll want to download it for a few minutes of fun/frustration.

REVIEW: Perplexion

Geoff Elliott — Sun, 07 Sep 1997 00:00:00 GMT

per-plex(per pleks'e te) n. | 1 to make (a person) uncertain, doubtful, or hesitant; confuse; puzzle 2 to make intricate or complicated; make confusing or hard to understand

There's no such word as perplexion, but the definition of perplex certainly fits this level. And regardless of vocabularly the nonsense title just starts this impossible level off on the right foot. This is another one of those levels that doesn't fit the usual mold. You're supposed to find the Death Star plans, but the level doesn't really revolve around that. Mostly it's a showcase for all the weird things you can do with the Dark Forces engine.

Impossibilities abound in this level, from corridors that really don't exist to an elevator that moves but doesn't really go anywhere. MC Escher probably would have really enjoyed seeing some of his ideas come to life. And I'm pretty sure that's where the author got his ideas. My personal favorite? The massive jump that the author has somehow managed to pull off at the end. I don't get tired of doing that one over and over.

There's no text file included with the level so if you don't already know how to run levels check the Database for more info.

Overall

It's a really cool level that you should check out for a few minutes of fun. Level authors might enjoy tearing it apart to see how some of the things were done. Personally, I'm expecting a level where the Imperials have somehow managed to warp space and you need to set it right before the galaxy collapses to come out sometime soon. :-)

REVIEW: Imperial Residence

Geoff Elliott — Thu, 04 Sep 1997 00:00:00 GMT

Using only regular sectors, the author has taken the time to create some new and interesting features in this level.

This is probably one of the more imaginative levels out there. Rather than stick to regular plots and get bogged down by running the player through the same old stuff, the author jumps outside the boundaries and lets his imagination run wild. I find the plot particularly liberating, because since this doesn't take place in the Star Wars universe, but rather in the computer, the author can do whatever he wants, put whoever he wants in, and just basically let loose.

The level takes place in a house, and the author has recreated several of the standard things we might find in a regular house. Of course houses don't usually have secret passageways (there are a LOT of secrets in this level) but we can assume that's the Jedi Engine in effect. The Engine seems to enjoy mutating aspects of our everyday life into things from Dark Forces. The dog is an interesting interpretation; I wonder what Boba Fett used to be! One of the more enjoyable things about this level is that the author has managed to create some very interesting things, like trees, a computer, and more using only the Jedi Engine. There are no new 3DOs, or FMEs. The tree in the picture is a good example of what can be accomplished. I enjoyed trying to figure out what different parts of the residence used to be.

The best thing to do with this level is just to walk around and see what you can find. There are lots of interesting things in here. I won't spoil it by describing all of them; you can download the level to see for yourself.

REVIEW: 3D Mad

Geoff Elliott — Sun, 31 Aug 1997 00:00:00 GMT

Due to the extraordinary nature of the level, this review will differ in format from the rest. There is no plot, and there are no goals to be accomplished. The only difficulty stems from a squad of stormtroopers, and in being able to figure out what exactly is going on.

In true M.C. Escher style, the author has created some impossible but very interesting rooms. Each of the rooms is similar in size but they all have different textures on the walls. The author claims it to be a joke between DFUSE users, and I'll elaborate on it thanks to some kind people(I'm sorry I've forgotten your names. Mail me again please.) who explained the technical side to me. Obviously each of the rooms can't exist the way they appear; in the 3D world it's impossible. Which reveals one problem with the Dark Forces engine, it isn't true 3D. Therefore you can overlap rooms one on top of another and hook them up so that you can pass from one to the next while never actually leaving the same area in space. There is a more detailed explanation available in the Database.

There's no way to rate the level. Mostly because there's nothing else to compare it to. So all I can really say is that if you're interested, it's kind of fun, it won't take up much disk space, and it's a quick download. So you might want to grab it just to see if you can figure it out.

REVIEW: Asteroid

Jeff Walters — Wed, 25 Jun 1997 00:00:00 GMT

Yet another brilliant level from Eric Pauker that seemed to come out of nowhere. Hot on the heels of his first really successful level 'Energy Mine on Parux', this level lives up to and exceeds the standard set by it's predecessor.

The texturing and architectural design is beautiful and each room not only has a different feel to the previous one, but seems to have a purpose....a very realistic design. The author shows a knack for finding new ways to use textures and the new space texture works exceptionally well, and including a planet in the texture was a brilliant idea.

The use of light shading with the rock textures is so effective in simulating caves within an asteroid that I almost got claustrophobic! :) In fact the lighting throughout the level is flawless. The author has spent a lot of time gauging where light sources are and how they would effect upon the design.

There are some neat special effects, like the fuel explosion near the end which is well done and sounds great as well, though you would have to be very slow to be caught in the blast. Squads of troopers appear post-explosion as you'd expect, but there are a few too many of these re-generating troops appearing out of thin air, though it does quicken the pace nicely. Two other effects of note are the power coupling disabling sequence and the cargo ship disappearing once you disembark it.......they add to the already great atmosphere of the level.

A TIE fighter flying around the canyons of the asteroid and under you as stroll across a walkway is a terrific idea and works very well, but the fighter's movements probably could be more fluid. A few more TIE fighters flying patrol around the asteroid when you look out of the windows would have been great as well. One terrific idea the author uses is textured 3D objects so that there is a sloped control panel.....very nice effect.

The amount of enemies, and ammo in the game is just the right mix, though a few more health and shields would have been nice. I played it on HARD, and it was challenging, but not frustratingly impossible......though the lack of health power-ups means you can't just dive into a gun battle too often.

There was one thing that really annoyed me......most of the rooms you visit are straight off elevators, so when the door opens you're immediately in a gun battle, which is fine, BUT the door to the elevator usually shuts before you can fight your way out.....and the only way to open it again is to ride the elevator to it's other stop and then go back again....gets frustrating after a couple of times.

Overall

In a nutshell, this is a brilliant level....and yet another step up in quality over his last level (which was damn good itself). The only problems I could find were very minor. One of the best levels of '97.

REVIEW: Mt. Kurek

Geoff Elliott — Sat, 21 Jun 1997 00:00:00 GMT

I was a fairly extensive Beta tester for this level, so I don't feel right in doing a proper review. But I have a few comments to make that hopefully won't spoil it for you. This level has some very incredible new items in it. The INF work that went in is unbelievable(can the DF engine go much further?) and the story, while perhaps a bit strained is still interesting and fresh. The added bit of the volcano will provide plenty of interesting surprises. And I'll warn you now that the ending is so climatic that you'll be sweating. I personally let out a big "YEAH!" after playing this the first time, such was the rush. I've never done that before on any level; so I can recommend you check this out, because you won't be disappointed.

I have to mention a couple things that no one else has noted yet. The first is the music. With all the special attention paid to detail in the level, the music seems to have been overlooked. The author used the music from the Sewers, level 3 in the original game and easily the worst music you'll find in there. When you're looking for an ominous sounding beginning and later some good action music you only get some medium happy sounding stuff. It ruins the mood whenever you have the chance to stop and listen. Thankfully that isn't often. My second thing to mention is the incredible storm that takes place throughout the level. Everyone seems so overcome by the ending that they fail to notice the contribution to the atmosphere made by the thunder and lightning. Subtle, but very effective.

REVIEW: Mt. Kurek

Eric Pauker — Fri, 20 Jun 1997 00:00:00 GMT

When I first heard about this level a month or two ago I thought to myself, "How could anyone create a realistic volcano using the Dark Forces engine?". Well, I guess the answer is "Lots of INF programming". Which is what this level has. From the moment of the opening scene on a cliff in a thunder storm to the incredible ending I was amazed at what the author has done. The volcano itself is not the only incredible thing in this level. The timed explosive charges are also very well done. There are also a lot of puzzles to keep you on your toes. You won't just be running around blasting your way through storm troopers and officers to get to the end of the level. There are so many other great effects in this level, but I don't want to give it all away. I will say that the last part of the level is something I will never forget.

I have played the level three times so far and have yet to find anything that bugs me about it. No HOMing, no bad choices for textures, no bad stitching. If anyone can find a problem please let me know. There are just enough enemies to keep you alert but not so many that you will never be able to get through the level without cheating. The architecture is very well done, there is an incredible amount of detail put into everything.

Overall

I have never seen such an impressive level created for Dark Forces before, not even the original 14 levels are as good as this one. All the rest of the level authors including myself have a new standard to live up to. I hope that everyone will be putting as much detail into their levels as the author has put into this one. All I have left to say is, play this level now! Don't wait, drop everything you are doing, download the level, and play it. You won't be sorry.

REVIEW: Operation Quiet Storm

Geoff Elliott — Fri, 06 Jun 1997 00:00:00 GMT

Where should I begin? The obvious holes in the plot(since when would the Empire sell one of it's SSDs, much less GIVE it away) or the problems with the level? Because just like the plot this level has quite a few holes in it all of which combine to condemn this level to the middle of the stack where it likely be forgotten soon.

The very first thing you'll notice is the new VUE. Not bad, but not great, especially when you discover you can see the ship sitting in space from the hangar door. Then imagine my surprise when I fall a few feet and find myself standing out in space. Without any life seeping away either! You can walk out in space just as is if it were a normal setting in this mission. Not the most auspicious start I've seen for a level.

The mission gets better from there until you reach another place where you can jump out the windows, again with no repercussions. But this time the windows don't even empty into the same area. As a whole the areas open to space only serve to reveal the authors don't really know how to work with exterior architecture when it comes to space. That's really too bad since the open areas looking out to space are the only really good looking parts of the level.

The rest is filled with blocky architecture and some pretty predictable occurances. There aren't any real outstanding puzzles since you just find the keys and run around the place setting charges. You get to shoot a lot of enemies including some Dark Troopers that have to reason to be in the level. Thankfully there's no Boba Fett which the authors could have pawned off as being involved in the war. At least they had that much sense.

One thing I think they really screwed up on involves the architecture. The claim in the text file is that the level is a new level from scratch. WRONG! There's one section that's clearly taken out of the Executor with just one texture changed and heights lowered somewhat. I have nothing against using pieces out of levels since often times it's just what you have in mind to make. And one could expect the Empire to have the same designs in places. But don't try to call it your own.

Overall

This level has a lot of holes in it that an experienced Dark Forces player can pick out pretty easily. Perhaps we've just come to expect the best from levels nowadays, but this mission doesn't have anything special or new. It's an average level and as such will provide an average gaming experience. You get to decide if you want to try it out.

REVIEW: Imperial Recreation Center

Geoff Elliott — Fri, 16 May 1997 00:00:00 GMT

The plot is an interesting premise, and the level does a satifactory job of executing it. But there's a real problem with this level and that's that it doesn't reach out, grab you and make you say wow at any point during the mission. It's a pretty regular level.

There are plenty of ideas to go around in here, and several are done with some creativity. The walkway that lets you look out over different platforms is pretty good, though the windows are really too high to let you see much without jumping. There are also signs throughout the facility to let you know where you are. The ballroom, the kitchen, a dining room, a theater; the area is fairly well laid out with the different areas you'd expect in a recreation facility. Another nice touch is the use of chairs with each table, creating a desk where someone could sit, rather than just a block that somebody would stand next to. It's a subtle touch, but it adds something not immediately detectable to the level and shows some attention to detail.

Other parts of the level suffer from the common errors. The whole place is blocky in design even though texturing is pretty well done. The placement of enemies and generators sometimes leaves you wondering whether the mission is supposed to be a trap. But you never get definitive evidence either way. I'm also curious as to why bounty hunters are running around an Imperial recreation center, especially with the sensitive material that's easily accessible in the facility. That's an oversight a lot of authors fall prey to, and this one is no different.

Overall

The lack of anything to set it apart from other missions regulates this level to mediocrity. Not bad by any stretch of the imagination, but certainly not in the upper tiers when it comes to rankings. So give it a spin when there's nothing else to do. But don't worry if you don't download it right away.

REVIEW: Ice World

Geoff Elliott — Sat, 10 May 1997 00:00:00 GMT

This level looks good. I mean that literally; the author has spent time going over the place to make sure textures fit and 3DOs are positioned correctly. And the choice of textures is pretty good too. There are a few new ones in addition to the dozens that have been modified to give the base the cold blue look you generally associate with ice. It makes the base feel icy, and it almost makes a shiver run up your spine.

There are also several large open places where there is a lot of detail and a lot going on. And in most of these places I couldn't detect any HOMing at all, and only small bits of slowdown. In their anxiousness to fill the level with all kinds of things and set up cool looking architecture many authors don't take into account what the level will play like and when we get it there could be HOMs galore or slowdown enough to bring any action to a standstill. But here the author has provided elaborate areas with out sacrificing any gameplay.

That said, there are lots of problems with the concept of the level that should be addressed. The idea of needing to take out the shield for an attack is great. No more hitting a self-destruct switch or bringing the base crashing to the ground by yourself; this time you get to do it in a more feasible manner. Unfortunately the level doesn't carry the story over much. I would have liked to see some radio updates to keep you appraised of the attacking fleet's progress toward their goal. But you carry out your mission in silence, without any sense of anticipation of the attack or the need to get your mission done quickly so the bombardment can begin.

There's really no way you could get the job done in a reasonable amount of time anyway. This level is large and the author has managed to make the whole experience even longer than it should be. If you know exactly where you're going and what you're doing I'm sure the level would go by fairly quickly; this is undoubtedly what the author went through as he tested it. But if you don't know what you're doing you can find yourself traveling all over the place, running through areas time and time again in your efforts to find the next piece to the puzzle. I don't remember the last time I was so frustrated by a level, not because it was difficult to figure out but because I needed to cover the same ground time and time again to find what I was looking for.

The architecture in places leaves something to be desired as well. In order to make everything fit on a map the author has designed long, drawn out and winding corridors for you to run through. The problem is that no Imperial base would be constructed like this. There's no sense of order to the layout and you get the feeling the hallways are laid out just to give you something to do. It's completely unnecessary.

Overall

I could go on about other parts of the level that annoyed me, but it would be pointless. The real point I'm trying to make is that lots of areas feel set up, made up, and they didn't provide me with a really enjoyable time. Parts of the level are really cool, it looks good, plays allright for the most part. But the middle is so dragged out you might feel better stopping than finishing. Overall it's a so-so level, but nothing to rush out to grab.

REVIEW: Triton Spaceport

Jeff Walters — Sat, 26 Apr 1997 00:00:00 GMT

Sound interesting?......well, the level for the most part is very interesting.

This level is pretty well made, with the author showing a good knack for design and texturing, even if it is some what inconsistently shown. Some rooms look boring because of repeated use of the same texture, while other rooms use textures beautifully to enhance the design. The bar/disco room looks very good, with perfectly timed lighting effects used to simulate a disco beat. The rest of the level is also lighted well which adds to the atmosphere. There is not much repetition of room design which is good; every location has it's own feel and design features.

The level appears not to have been edited too well as it suffers from some errors that could be easily fixed. Firstly there is one area looking out into space where the sky textures aren't the space texture, but normal floor and ceilings texture......well, you'll know it when you see it. A lot of textures, particularly above doors, are not stitched properly, but this is not a big problem. One thing that you'll notice right from the start, due to the start location, is that the author does not how to make walls become horizons, meaning that if you look out into space the stars look like solid walls. Certain elevators also have errors that have the wall textures scroll when they should remain stationary. Also, like a lot of levels the author didn't make 3D objects solid.....In this case it was the Crow and being able to walk straight through it is not overly realistic. This, like the 'solid star walls' problem, could easily be fixed.

The freighter bit is very well done and really looks like a ship in a docking bay. The area leading up to the showdown with Boba Fett is very well done involving some very nice architecture and some fairly simple 'find the switch' problems. The problem here is that the Boba Fett showdown is completely unrelated to the plot and out of place.

Triton Spaceport is not an overly hard level.....until Boba Fett shows his ugly mug at least. Enemies, ammo, and power-ups are well placed with a few new enemies thrown in to spice things up.

Overall

A pretty good level that could have looked a lot better with just some minor work..... By the story, it looked like a sequel could have been a possibility, but no.....anyway it's definitely worth a look.

REVIEW: Star Base

David Arandle — Tue, 22 Apr 1997 00:00:00 GMT

The plot to this one is a good start; sure it's not really new but at least an attempt has been made to put a slightly different spin on it. Unfortunately the author seems to have left the storyline behind in creating the level.

The author states this is his first level and it has deliberately been made simple (and even apologizes for how easy it is to play). If you're a seasoned DF player then this level is at best ten minutes target practice with most of that time spent waiting for it load.

That said, as a first-timer the designer has shown great restraint in not trying to fill this level with every enemy in the DF universe. The texturing too is very simple but well applied without over doing things. Sure most of the sectors use one texture over all of the walls but fortunately most sectors are quite small so you don't get the usual boredom of constantly looking at the same texture. There are a few questionable texture placements but these look to be more by design than accident; even so they don't really detract from the overall design.

What lets this level down (easiness aside) is that the author hasn't really matched the level to his plot. This is supposed to be a run down Imperial Prison in which Kyle is being held. Why then does Kyle start in a room in the middle of the facility that looks nothing like a prison cell? And why do only one or two sectors look run down? - DF has plenty of existing textures with the old, weathered look. In fact this level doesn't even have any prison cells in it. It is really just the barest of essentials in terms of sectors needed to make a level and a very loose attempt at combining it with the plot.

Overall

This level shows that the author has (had? - this is a rather old level) the potential to design good levels. However the simpleness of this one makes it hardly worth the download.

REVIEW: Zaarin's Platform

David Arandle — Tue, 22 Apr 1997 00:00:00 GMT

This is a fairly competent attempt at recreating a space station of sorts. There are a few nice touches such as the landing platforms extending out into space and the overall texturing which while simple gives the really cold atmosphere of an Imperial facility.

There are no rooms in this level which feel out of place. However this level does suffer from deja vu. Walking around you get the feeling you've seen it all before; the reason being - you have. There are numerous rooms in this level that are all identical and many that are similar with only slight variation. While they all fit in with the overall concept they don't really do anything for the level other than make it a little tedious. (This level probably holds the record for number of troop sleeping quarters ever placed in a level).

There are also a few obvious texture stitching problems (mostly above doors) and a few spots in really long corridors that suffer from bad HOM effects.

Play wise, this isn't too bad at all. There is nothing here too difficult to fight but a few well placed gun turrets and the odd surprise mine will keep you on your toes. (Although the mine placing is questionable at times - I've heard of trying to keep people out of your bedroom but that's a little extreme!)

Overall

This is a reasonable level. There isn't too much thinking involved but it isn't over done as a shoot em up either. At times it can be tedious - there are a lot of rooms with nothing to collect in them - but these rooms aren't out of place within the context of the level. A good one to try if you don't want to spend hours playing a level.

REVIEW: Return of the Jawa

Allen Newman — Fri, 18 Apr 1997 00:00:00 GMT

This is the second level from the author of "For Leia's Honor", a small level with the dubious premise that Kyle had to recover Han Solo's private snapshots of the Princess' drunken indiscretions. Since that first project, the author worked for more than a year to bring us "Return of the Jawa". I only wish the wait had been more worthwhile.

This is a large level that takes time to complete. In the most basic sense, it's a decent level design. Unfortunately, the author doesn't seem to feel that he has to provide more than the basics. The play experience is dull because the level suffers from artistic neglect. Familiar funk from the realm of schlock levels is here, such as a sky texture that doesn't fill the sky properly and Kell Dragons turned blue from being from being without their native color palette. Most of the base is on a single floor, and very little has been done to make this seem like more than a maze. Textures go together pretty well within each area but there is a wide variety of non-Imperial color schemes throughout the base. Some design work has gone into to the three objective areas (where you have to shut down a weapons array, a hangar bay, and a shield generator) but it's just adequate; generally I found too many switches attached to too little machinery. It's the areas in between the objectives that are truly lame: endless "ventilation" tunnels that don't add up to a "ventilation system", many doors indicated by nothing but texture, and rooms like boxfuls of enemies. It's hard to see a correlation between form and function because there is little of either. We don't even get to see the landing site of Kyle's ship, before or afterward.

There are many Imperial enemies, and of course the title characters, Jawas. The story explains why Jawas are here (assuming you buy the idea), but using nothing but regular stormtroopers would make more sense in an Imperial-base mission. It seems the author wanted to use the Jawa sprite and wrote his story accordingly, never mind that we're not on Tatooine. There are also numerous Gamorrean Guards and Grans lurking about, with no explanation why. To keep things "interesting" there are multiple-logic troopers, swarms of remotes, groupings of gun turrets, and Dark Troopers aplenty.

There are a couple areas where the author has designed the corridors to form words and shapes on the map. These don't contribute to the mission; they're just Easter eggs. I wish the time spent creating map doodles had gone into enriching the 3D environment.

Amid all this criticism, I must praise one truly excellent design feature that too few authors use: multiple routes of entry. The opening forces you to choose among one-way paths that lead into different parts of the base. This feature allows you to encounter elements in a different order when you play the mission again. Non-linear design is a hallmark of truly great levels. In this case, however, the lack of atmosphere leaves me with little desire to experience the alternate paths. This level will fill some playtime and give you plenty to shoot at, but it's not as satisfying as a level that delivers action and a rich exploration adventure.

Overall

It doesn't suck. It's an adequate obstacle course and time killer, but there's not much more to it. The text file features some dialogue between Kyle and Jan that is amusing, though it establishes immediately that the author isn't going to give us a fully dressed Star Wars experience. I wish he hadn't mentioned that he spent over a year making this, because that knowledge only intensifies my disappointment over how two-dimensional the product is -- a point of wonder that is, tellingly, the most memorable thing about this mission.

REVIEW: Rancor Base

Geoff Elliott — Mon, 14 Apr 1997 00:00:00 GMT

You will need all the ammo you can get, but the base won't be that hard to get through. The level consists of not much more than a short approach to the base and a very small outpost. The level doesn't look bad texture or architecture wise, it's just pretty small. And it's also really simple.

There aren't any puzzles for you to figure out. And it's not that tough to shoot your way through when almost every weapon is given to you right off the bat. With that much firepower you can just keep your finger on the trigger and practically walk through. For a challenge I tried to make it through without getting hit but discovered that wasn't all that difficult either. The worst thing is that some Dark Troopers have been thrown in with multiple logic enemies to make the level tougher. My own opinions about multiple logics aside, it just doesn't do anything for the level, not making it any tougher and really just making the enemies look pretty ridiculous.

Overall

The level is nothing more than regular shoot-em-up. And not a very good shoot-em-up at that. I wouldn't suggest this level for much more than a stress relief, though there are better ones out there to pick from.

REVIEW: The Emperor's Gambit

Geoff Elliott — Mon, 14 Apr 1997 00:00:00 GMT

gambit(gam'bit) n. || 1 Chess an opening in which a pawn or other piece is sacrificed to get an advantage in position 2 an opening maneuver, action, or remark intended to gain an advantage

Why am I giving the definition? It could be because I'm starting a new trend in the way I open my reviews, but really I just think everyone should understand the basic premise behind the level; and plus I think it's cool. We all know how the Emperor allowed the plans for the second Death Star to fall into Rebel hands: now we get to play the part.

The story is changed from what we know. The Bothan spies here have failed to do their part and thus Kyle is brought to the forefront. This could be just a way to let the author put you in this position, or it could also be explained that in ROTJ Mon Mothma was reluctant to admit to having hired Katarn again(I seem to remember hearing someone at LA say she had gone behind Leia's back on the previous mission) with his checkered background and refusal to commit to the Rebellion. Either way the story works and lets us have a good time.

The level is technically very well done. I didn't see any problems with texture choice or fitting that made for a glaring oversight. Most of the level is done in characteristic Imperial style, with a couple areas that look pretty cool. Most of the level centers around a specific area which branches out to other parts. You run through those parts to find what you need. The real problem with this idea is that each of the branches tends to form something of a maze. I can't imagine any base being set up like this, nor can I believe that it was something specifically set up for your arrival. You're supposed to be able to get the plans out; it shouldn't be too tough.

After running through maze after maze the level was still running pretty good. There were one or two Dark Troopers but they didn't hamper the mission too much. Then I got to the end. The hangar bay just blows the level all to pieces. By itself the hangar is more difficult than the rest of the level combined. A Phase III and other toys just don't make any sense. The Emperor knows you're coming so he could have prepared. But he wants the entire fleet, not one paltry commando. Here there's a REALLY cool scene that I shouldn't spoil too much, but it also tends to ruin the whole effect. I would have enjoyed the Imperials putting on a good show but getting to the end and having Kyle say "This was too easy..." to foreshadow the approaching battle. This is supposed to be the Emperor's ploy to catch the entire fleet, not an attempt to catch a single commando. Vader going behind the Emperor's back? Perhaps. But if so it feels like an idea that couldn't be pulled off. By exercising just a little more creativity and by following along the path he'd begun, the author could have changed this from a decent level into a spectacular one.

Overall

A pretty good level. The setup gets a little boring after a while and the Dark Troopers are a bit of a pain to deal with years after they were supposed to be leveled. But even with the ending, I found this to be a fairly enjoyable level. If nothing else the author shows off what he is technically capable of; not one to grab right away, but maybe when you have nothing better to do.

REVIEW: Mines

Geoff Elliott — Sat, 12 Apr 1997 00:00:00 GMT

Two rooms connected by one large door. Four enemies. The Crow sitting on the ground with a holographic Death Star imbedded in it. Horrendous texturing on the walls, floor and ceiling. A few items lined up along one wall.

You've just received a complete and accurate description of what the author seems to think is a level. It looks to me much more like what came out of improperly following a WDFUSE tutorial. I've seen some levels that I thought were really bad. And there were some that didn't consist of much more than a bunch of square rooms connected by hallways. Maybe there was the occasional landing platform outside, filled with Dark Troopers. But this level takes the cake. I'd have to say that the only thing that could make it worse would be to have the plans sitting in the same room. Oops, guess I just gave away the big secret didn't I.

Overall

I'm not going to waste time on this level. It just isn't worth it. Suffice to say that it's about the worst level you'll find sitting out there as of this date. Please save yourselves and stay away from it.

REVIEW: Energy Mine on Parux

Geoff Elliott — Thu, 10 Apr 1997 00:00:00 GMT

I think that we'll have to ignore the obvious misinterpretation of energy. After all, this is Star Wars, so physics and reality don't play as big of roles here as they might in the real world. And the level does just fine without all the accuracy in the world being shoved inside.

The first thing anyone will probably notice about the level is how great it looks. The architecture is really fantastic, and each and every texture is lined up just perfectly. I can't find fault with any of the display choices; everything fits just like it should and looks just like what you'd expect. The construction of the mine is also top notch. Massive areas of machinery and equipment and high tech devices to harness the energy flow are always present. And the author has also managed to make the place feel like a single unit. You won't find yourself thinking "here's the hangar part, and here's the tap part, and here's the outside..." All the parts have simlar architecture, starting with doors that all look about the same, and the author has also constructed a ventilation system that runs the span of the mine, not just the few areas you need to gain access to. And the new things the author has made fit in with the old material. You won't be struck or dazzled by anything new, but at the same time it will make an effect on the level that would be conspicuously absent if the items were removed.

You'll also find one of the finest examples of location construction in this level. Exterior shots look wonderful, and the sounds and other elements combine to make you feel as if you're looking out at a canyon, or standing at the edge of a cliff over the ocean, the sound of the waves breaking all around. It's really great stuff that I wish more authors would take the time to do.

But you shouldn't expect that because the author has put so much time into the look and feel that he's forgotten the action. There will be lots to keep you on your toes. Stormtroopers by the hundreds are guarding the facility and when you are discovered it only gets worse. You get just enough weapons and shields to make it fun and help you stay alive, but you don't have the toosl available to overpower the opposition. This ensures that you don't fall asleep at the keyboard.

If there was one thing that could have been improved about this level, I would suggest that a little more creativity could have been involved. The author takes cues from various other levels that we've seen, improving on each item and adapting it for his own level. You will be able to recognize certain things, and that tends to stop the pace for a little bit. The plot is certainly different, but it really boils down to just another facility to destroy. I would have liked to see a story moving along with the level, perhaps some alternative use for the facility is discovered, something like that. It could have added a different aspect to the usual method and given the level it's own distinctive quality.

Overall

You'll have a difficult time trying to find a serious problem with this mission. I won't give everything away because there's lots to discover for yourself, but you can expect lots of new things, good puzzles for you to figure out, a reasonable level of diffocilty to overcome, and on top of it all a level that looks, sounds and feels absolutely fantastic. Try this one out right away.

REVIEW: Energy Mine on Parux

Jeff Walters — Thu, 10 Apr 1997 00:00:00 GMT

You know how sometimes you get a level that's been hyped up and you're sure will be great, but turns out to be ordinary.........well this level is the oppostie.

I'd played this author's previous two levels a couple of times and while they had the odd interesting part they were fairly ordinary. Bearing this in mind, I wasn't getting my hopes up when I downloaded this level, especially because the name - Energy Mine on Parux - is hardly an innovative attention grabber.

I'm very pleased to say I was totally wrong, this level is excellent. The design is for the larger part very good and texturing mistakes are rare, as are clipping problems with only one I could find. The level has a unique atmosphere that is very electric. The new rock and sky textures are beautifully done and enhance the level's setting. The level's puzzles aren't too frustrating, but the level does require some thinking to finish.

This level doesn't have a lot of VUEs, but there wasn't too much call for them in a level like this. The level has been given a pretty good storyline and it has been integrated into the level design well, so that the mine's design doesn't feel like room after room without a purpose, but rather a well designed facility. A lot of scenes really worked well, like when you come to a cliff and are able to see a part of the mine you haven't been yet matched with a cool sound effect that provides a daunting feeling of what's to come.

The architecture of the level is fresh and the author has managed to take ordinary things like elevators and make new interesting designs. There isn't too much repettion of design, and each location has it's own design features that seperate it from other areas of the level.

Overall

This level really surprised me, the jump in quality from it's predecessors is dramatic, and I recommend you play it as soon as possible. It's just a step or two down from the really top-notch levels. The author of this level shows a lot of talent and creativity, definitely someone to label 'Watch this spot'.

REVIEW: Imperial Destroyer

Geoff Elliott — Wed, 09 Apr 1997 00:00:00 GMT

It sounds simple enough. Just break into a Star Destroyer and steal the Death Star plans. Piece of cake right?

Wrong. The level is pretty simple to figure out, and you shouldn't have any trouble with the troopers in here. But the Star Destroyer is nowhere in sight.

I can hear what you're asking: "Did I hear that right? No Star Destroyer? But I played it and it was on a Star Destroyer. And the text file says..." Well the author seems to be under the same impression you are, that this level takes place on an Imperial Star Destroyer.

But if that's so then this is the oddest Imperial Star Destroyer I've ever seen. With complete disregard for anything Imperial we've seen before, the author charges ahead with his plans. While walking through you won't find anything that even remotely resembles what is generally accepted and is in print. You might also wander over the entire area looking for the same type of coloring or texturing that we saw in the movies. But that won't be here either. Instead the ship has been replaced with white-walled rooms from a Corvette, black corridors streaked with yellow, nice red lit floors, and a very interesting grey and orange exterior. You might also note the lack of a realistic hangar bay(the closest thing seems to be the size of a large hallway), the abscence of the regular uniform architecture we associate with Star Destroyers, the apparent oversight that left the ship without any turbolifts, the addition of a new landing pad on TOP of the ship, and the interesting closets that seem to pose as rooms now. This monstrosity that the author has wrought is not, I repeat is NOT, an Imperial Star Destroyer.

That aside, even if this level took place somewhere else it would still fail. The architecture is small and constricting. While that might make sense for a ship, Star Destroyers are built on a very grand scale and even if this ship was a submarine I'd still expect room enough to walk around all the time. The plot alone practically dooms this level to mediocrity, but the setup doesn't help. Enemies are confined in small rooms and you spend most of you time moving up and down elevators placed in the most obscure places. Basically you run a maze, and I'd expect any type of base or ship to be a bit more orderly.

Overall

There is no doubt that the level is pretty much a failure. Had the author tried a more interesting plot and combined it with some more accurate and involved architecture it could have gone somewhere. But as it is this level just tends to sit and flounder; it certainly isn't much fun.

REVIEW: Operation: Nar Shaddaa Water Treatment Plant

John Dagen — Wed, 09 Apr 1997 00:00:00 GMT

Right up front I had a problem with the story: I, too, don't like Dark Troopers being in a level without a good reason. On the other hand, if this level took place DURING the Dark Trooper crisis, it's been argued, this could make perfect sense. The problem with that is I'd kind of half expect them to be in the Arc Hammer. So it's hard to tell whether there are plot flaws or not...

This is a fairly good level, and can spice up a lifeless afternoon. There are no texture matching problems, and it has a few really cool parts. One of these is where you need to get across a chasm filled with water to get to a door. Shoot a button, and the water plants' floodgates open, and you can continue, see picture. Also cool is a part where TIE fighters fly over you, and you can hear their engines roaring. You lose contact with Jan just as she says, "Oh no! Kyle, you'd better look out I just saw ckkghghkghkhgkhkghkgh..." Strangely enough, you never find out for certain what she saw... maybe it was one of the Dark Troopers.

This level ain't flawless though. Nar Shaddaa seems unusually light and pleasent, unlike the dark and forbidding atmosphere it had earlier. Also there is one part of the level that I could NOT figure out without using a cheat code. It isn't a puzzle, it's a little hole that is impossible to find. It was much too easy to overlook. I'd show you a picture, but then I'd be spoiling the level... you'll know where it is if you play the level. I also detest facing two Phase Two Dark Troopers at a time. This isn't a bug, though, it's just something that took quite a few lives out of my collection. ;)

Overall

This is what I'd call an above-average mission. It's not phenomenal, but it's not horrendous either. There are very few problems(I was being very nit-picky in the one paragraph), it's a pretty fun level, and is a good time-killer.

REVIEW: OutBase

Geoff Elliott — Wed, 09 Apr 1997 00:00:00 GMT

Shall we make this as quick and painless as possible?

You're there to find the Death Star plans, and as you go through you'll find lots of square or rectangular rooms filled to the bursting point with Imperial troops and droids, lots of uninteresting architecture with monotonous dark grey texturing, doors about 7 feet thick and 3 feet wide with crummy texturing on the faces, lots of switches to pull with no indication what they do, and the Crow sitting out on a platform in the middle of space. And all of this will be accomplished in just under 10 minutes.

There, that wasn't so bad, was it?

Overall

Do I really need to say more? It's one of the older ones that failed to take advantage of the engine provided and certainly failed to make any type of positive impact on this reviewer.

REVIEW: Ravager Outpost

Geoff Elliott — Wed, 09 Apr 1997 00:00:00 GMT

The story sounds great. It makes sense and is a good area for some new action to take place. All we ever get to hear is that Kyle delivered the plans. But why does it have to be so easy for him? I think that some kind of intervention there is a great idea. But unfortunately this level doesn't quite make good on the story.

Which isn't to say that it doesn't try. There are a lot of good ideas in here. In many places the architecture is very nice, and texturing overall matches like it should. What really hurts this mission is that ever present factor of monotony. The textures on the walls, however fitting, are almost always the same muted greys and blacks interspersed with little bits of color here and there. That gets real dull after a while, especially when most of the level is just running from corridor to corridor, trying to find your way around. It can be confusing and frustrating at times. Some other flaws are present in large open areas, where the same texture runs over and over again. Even large textures don't quite flesh this place out.

The puzzles aren't that challenging either. Once you find your way around the base it's just a matter of locating the keys and getting out. The opening sequence of your execution is really nice and tense with you needing to scramble for weapons and space to move with Kell Dragons on your tail and Imps up above. But after you actually get into the base the stimulation and challenge disappears.

There are several nice factors to this level though. I particularly enjoy the author's use of large areas. He's run a nice river through the base and it makes for some good scenery and variation as you move along. And after running through a base that's largely contained and cramped it's nice to find a bit of contrast. You won't find any HOMing in the large areas either, something that plagued most of these early levels.

Another nice bit is that the enemies aren't contained in rooms. The connected architecture of the level allows them to roam the halls so you're never sure what you'll run into. And you aren't given all the weapons to use either. For most of the level you'll have to content yourself with a rifle and some detonators. For the most part the troopers won't give you any trouble. But I wish that the Dark Troopers had been left out. This is before the Dark Trooper incident, so there shouldn't be any Phase II's running around, and possibly only one or two Phase I's. If the author had coordinated finding the plans with also running into some of the Rebellion's first evidence of the Dark Trooper project it would have made the level a lot more interesting.

Overall

Back when it was made I'm pretty sure that this was one of the best levels to be found. A lot has passed since then and some might say that I should judge it taking into account the date it was released. But I like to keep everything on a standard level. So when you look at it that way Ravager Outpost comes out rather average. But still worth a run if you have some free time.

REVIEW: Frogman Modified

Geoff Elliott — Sun, 06 Apr 1997 00:00:00 GMT

This is a modification of the original level. The author has taken the story and parts of the level and integrated them with his own new ideas. I have to say that the final outcome is less than exceptional.

The only thing the author has really done to this level is increase the filesize to gigantic proportions. His additions to the level while possibly interesting are also unbelieveably unnecessary, serving only to make the level longer, more difficult and rather nauseating. There are hundreds of people for you to mow down and almost all of them utilize multiple logics. My own personal opinion on multiple logics is that it's good if used properly. That certainly doesn't happen here. You also never understand exactly what's going on. You're so busy shooting and running that you don't have time to take a look at the base or the setup. Which may have been the author's intention because when I took a longer look the second time through the architecture and texturing left much to be desired. You also might notice that the author has managed to squeeze in just about every new texture, droid and 3DO he thought he might be able to get away with. As it is, 2 AT-STs, 2 skyhoppers and 2 landspeeders in a large hanger make the computer come to a near complete stop.

Overall

What it all really boils down to is that the new author has managed to make this level run from just small and lousy to huge, slow, and even worse than the original. The first one was an interesting look at chutes and not much else. This one goes way beyond reason; if you're going to rework a level, make it better, not worse.

REVIEW: Jundland

Geoff Elliott — Sun, 06 Apr 1997 00:00:00 GMT

"The Jundland wastes are not to be traveled lightly." - Obi-Wan Kenobi

No truer does that ring true than in this level. There's no city where you can meet people, no ship to pull you out if things get bad. It's just you and your platoon(some dewbacks, but they don't count) against the Jundland wastes. And that includes all of the inhabitants as well. The author has done a very nice job of recreating those few scenes we saw in ANH, and uses the stuff he's been supplied with in junction with his story and new materials.

One of the nicest things about the level is the opening portion. You open onto a scene of the rest of your platoon atop dewbacks searching the desert, and you get the order to move out. After some searching the information comes over the radio that other troopers have located the crashed A-wing in the other direction. And so you rush off to join the others. This is an incredible example of a very simple but effective way to pull the user into the level. It takes what could have been a very frustrating and confusing search into what feels like a team coordinated action. A possible step towards the multiplayer team stuff we could see in Jedi Knight.

The level after that tapers down a bit. You get to search through what seem like endless corridors and canyons, lots of small caverns for the plans, eventually coming upon a Jawa sandcrawler. The crawler is really well done, small and cramped on the inside like it should be, with some nice exterior views as well. But it feels kind of lifeless and uneventfull. Once you get over the initial excitement of fighting for the Empire and that nice team bit, the level doesn't have an incredible amount of other stuff to offer. What it all boils down to is a search through the sandcrawler and the terribly confusing wastes for the plans, and there's nothing else to grab your attention. The jawas keep coming and coming, there's no end to the little guys so there's not a question of not having things to shoot. But it isn't tough to get through, just rather annoying.

One of the things that contributes to the problem is the setting; you're working in the Jundland wastes, and that means there won't be a lot out there. It's a lot of rock, sand and grit that's all very similarly colored; by the time you get through you're sick of the color brown. But I don't think the author could do much about that. It's due to the nature of the surroundings, and the way it's presented is just how it should be. In that the author succeeds, but it doesn't help make the level interesting.

Overall

The Jundland wastes are a very boring place to be, and the Jawas certainly aren't the most interesting or toughest opponents in the world. That's the way this level is and that's the way it should be. So give the author points for accurately depicting it; it still doesn't come off great. But you have to admit it's certainly different and that's a nice change.

REVIEW: Jundland

Lionel Fouillen — Sun, 06 Apr 1997 00:00:00 GMT

This is the second mission from the Hammer's Fist, a group of add-on levels creators who decided to make you play the role of a stormtrooper instead of Kyle Katarn. This alone deserves to be encouraged, for it shows one way among others to set farther the limits of the game, and to challenge the player on unexploited gaming territories. The briefing is personalized, with typical colors, Imperial insigna and mission reference code. Once you're in the game, you can appreciate to see that Kyle's hands were replaced with stormtrooper ones, which demonstrates that the author paid attention to the every single detail.

The opening sequence of the mission is impressive, featuring full-scale FME dewbacks and a stormtrooper platoon awaiting nearby. The author created new sky and background textures to simulate the boundless extent of the Jundland Wastes. Light and shadings were calculated to render a realistic atmosphere of troopers having to endure the anvil of the sun. Then it's up to the player to explore all surrounding canyons to try and recover the A-Wing. A good point here is that there is no hint that could lead you straight to the goal. Often, you may then wonder what you're going to find out after each corner. The canyons are the best I've ever seen in a DF level. Their architecture is most realistic and features a hazardous configuration that makes them even more true-to-life. Appropriate wall lighting and shading plus a new excellent rock texture add to the overall scenery, and you will appreciate the cool of the deepest parts of the canyons. They could be a nice place to rest if you weren't suddenly attacked by their hostile inhabitants. Tusken raiders and Jawas abound, staking out both in concealed caves and on terraces. The two distinct Tusken WAXes are very poor but the level author can't be blamed for that because they're simply not his.

After finding the abandoned A-Wing, you'll come across a sandcrawler, the best sandcrawler ever created in a DF level. Although you're not supposed to expect a sandcrawler (but you know about it just because you've read this review !!!), it adds to the unpredictability of the level, and breaks the monotony of the Jundland canyons. The vehicle exterior has beautiful textures and is well structured, although it looks a bit small compared to what was shown in the Star Wars (TM) motion picture. The author's interpretation of the interior is very believable, but there, more could have been done by recreating parts of it that were shown in the film. The interior here mainly consists of small corridors with adequate texturing and appropriate atmosphere, but without the variety of room configuration that can be expected in such a huge vehicle. Also, the use of JABSHIP.PAL for color palette damages some textures, but only specialists will notice. The mission ends in a quiet sudden way, after the player almost got thrashed by a nasty boss.

Overall

In a few words, I would say that negative aspects of the level consist of some technical stuff that was clumsily used (such as the NO WALL - HORIZON flag to simulate endless sectors, and the unadequate color palette). Also, the sandcrawler quickly runs short of interesting rooms to visit. Hopefully, positive aspects of this level are in higher quantity: a good script with nice development, realistic new textures, impressive architecture, and a Jundland Wastes level that turns out to be the best Jawa sandcrawler mission. This level is a must play for those of you who're willing to meet again the extraordinary world of Tatooine, all with the excitment and personalization a DF level can offer. Even if it isn't perfect, you will enjoy it and store it on your hard disk as a classic.

REVIEW: Mission: Freebird

Christopher Elliott — Sun, 06 Apr 1997 00:00:00 GMT

The plot sounded good as soon as I read it. Unfortunately, the level had few tie-ins to the plot in it. You start in a sewer filled with tons of dianogas. Even on easy there are enough to drive you nuts. It's not hard to find a way into the complex and the rest of the level is simple. There are no real puzzles, except for one door that takes a key to open it. It's worth mentioning that you don't even need this door to complete the level.

The author mentions that this level is very difficult on the medium and hard levels. This is kind of true as there tons of enemies in some rooms. On medium and hard there is a Phase I Dark Trooper. This doesn't really make it difficult, though. It would have been nice if on the higher difficulty levels the author would have put enemies in hallways or other areas that didn't already have them instead of just cramming more into the same rooms.

The architecture is very simple, but it does what is needed for this level. There are no areas that are very impressive, but there also aren't any areas that are poorly done. There are no new textures (which isn't surprising since this is one of the first DF levels made), but the textures that are used blend together well and are very unobtrusive. It isn't hard to believe you are in an Imperial base.

Overall

This was a good level. It isn't very impressive, but there also isn't very much you can complain about. If you're looking for a short, fairly simple level this one might be worth your time.

REVIEW: Hydra

Geoff Elliott — Wed, 02 Apr 1997 00:00:00 GMT

This is a level that should have succeeded. There's a cool story behind it that would make for some great action and fun in the right hands. But this level fails to execute, making some pretty obvious mistakes and also not taking advantage of several opportunities.

The first problem stems from the architecture and the texturing. The base consists of 6 levels all roughly vertically stacked with lots of 90 angle rooms set together in what appears to be a random fashion. This by itself is enough to make most players cringe; there's no variety in the level. This is furthered by the boring and slipshod use of textures. Textures go wherever the author seems to feel like putting them, regardless of the function of the room(most don't seem to have one, they're just acting as a place for the player to move through) or whether it works with the other textures around it. Sometimes the texturing is absolutely hideous. In a problem combining the faults of architecture and texturing, there is rarely any interruption of the straight walls, just texture flowing from end to end. Very quickly you stop looking at what's around you and let your mind fill in the blanks; you just concentrate on getting out.

Some things that I think were missing in the level: a bit of creativity would have been nice. The base is set inside an asteroid, so why not let us see some of it? Some rock protruding from the walls, or perhaps a control tower above the surface where you can look out at the cratered landscape would have been nice touches to let you remember where you were. As it is you can see into space sometimes, and other times you see much more space than you should: as in the asteroid and the base are missing completely. Another nice touch would have been to add something other than the switches to let the player know the bomb was set in the wall. Perhaps a small alcove covered by glass which you could look through to see the bomb you were disarming. The switch on the wall destroys any hope of concealing the bombs existence, so why not make it cool while you're at it?

This level still manages to provide a run for your money though. There are enemies everywhere thanks to numerous generators. You get every weapon in the book to deal with them so it's not a question of whether you will survive, but rather how long it will take you to get there. Boba Fett and some Dark Troopers are included for no reason at all, along with lots of Bounty Hunters that really have no place in an Imperial base; my view is that the author made a desperate attempt to add some interest to the level. It really doesn't help much, especially when there's no need to confront them; if it becomes too tough you can run away.

The corridors you have to run through are very confusing, connecting here and there until you need to take a good look at the map to regain your bearings. I view that as a detractor for the level, since a base is usually orderly and organized. Others might enjoy the mazelike quality.

Overall

There isn't much else that can be said. The level is very boring in most parts and in others it's just confusing. The story could be recycled into something interesting, but I don't see there being much that can be done for this mission.

REVIEW: Octagone 8

Geoff Elliott — Wed, 02 Apr 1997 00:00:00 GMT

Does this level answer the question? Well one could say that if there were Dark Troopers around when the Alliance was trying to get the plans for the Death Star then the base where they were kept would be filled with them, and Rebel commandos would have a much more difficult time getting to the plans. While this level is considerably more difficult then SECBASE, I much prefer the original to this. Here's why:

SECBASE was small, and so is this level. But SECBASE consisted of more than several similar rooms connected to one another and packed to the gills with enemies. There was some moderation and variation to it, which gave it a sense of realism. Do you expect to find one room with a dozen stormtroopers, another with commandos, another with Kell Dragons and yet more with different types of Dark Troopers? No. There's no reason a base would be set up like that. And there's no reason a base would have this style of architecture either. SECBASE had a setup that suggested an Imperial base. This place is rooms slapped together in what somebody somewhere might call an orderly fashion. I call it a poor attempt at designing a base. For a moment at the beginning I was excited, thinking that perhaps the Imperials had hidden themselves deep within what would appear as a normal cargo area. But my hopes were dashed upon moving further.

There is also no logic to the order in which the base is presented. You run everywhere finding the keys to open doors and move elevators, but it's all strewn around, resembling nothing of the Imperial base we are rather familiar with. Why are dozens of troopers standing on what would be a five foot high platform in the middle of a room, with no stairs leading up to it? And why are they all facing one way in rapt attention? There is a flaw in the way this author positions his people, not only logically for reality, but to provide a real challenge to the player. Set them up so that at least one of them will notice the player before the thermal detonator flys them all across the room, huh?

There are new things here. But they don't add anything to the mission. The addition of Boba Fett is not much more than a desperate ploy to increase the interest of the player in the level, perhaps move those diehard fans of Boba Fett to enjoy the level. But I wouldn't want to see the famed Bounty Hunter gunned down in such a fashion; his appearance here is beneath him in my opinion. Nothing more than a sidebar? I think that he deserves better. And the flush VOC? We've all seen the bathroom thing before, so it hardly even catches your attention.

Overall

I would say that I'm disappointed, but I never expected much in the first place. Overall I'd say the author cheats both the Empire and the characters in here by not putting enough effort into producing a decent level. We all deserve more than this.

REVIEW: Operation Archangel Episode 2 - Dungeons of Gamorra

David Arandle — Tue, 18 Mar 1997 00:00:00 GMT

This level is a worthy successor to Episode 1: Mos Eisley - The Maze. It continues on with the strong story line which although not entirely original plays a strong part in the success of both levels. The introduction of the new character, Riia Goltend, helps to add interest and a new mission goal to what could have easily been the well worn story of get the new weapon and get out. Not that rescuing the girl is that unique either but the combination of goals plus the added personality of the character works really well. Although Riia only appears as static FME image she makes her presence felt with some well placed dialogue provided by the voice of Muriel Ost. This girl has all the attitude of Princess Leia - and even one of her lines.

Being set in a castle like fortress the texturing reminds me of some of the early Doom or Quake levels but you soon get back to the traditional DF look in the areas of the fortress which have been converted by the Imperial forces. It's a nice contrast of technology with traditional building methods which I felt made for a believable location in the DF universe.

What really sets this level apart and makes it a must play is the under water section. You should look at this level just for that alone. It's an idea that is so easy to do yet it's surprising no one has really attempted it until now. What's more in this level the concept is done so well it is entirely believable. With added sound effects you really do feel like you are underwater.

However the water section while impressive is not the only great aspect of this level. The new weapon is truly that - a completely new weapon. Designed by Vincent Hubin I would have to place it as the best weapon ever designed for DF. I could easily see Kyle replacing his Bryar with a Black Whirlwind. While it is said to have been designed for Dark Trooper use, having experienced the weapon it 'feels' like it would be very light weight and easy to carry. That said it packs all the punch of much heavier weapons and is very effective in a tight situation - unlike Bosk's concussion rifle. A joy to use against any of your favorite opponents.

One other area that really stood out for me was the location of the Black Whirlwind. It's a well designed area which I felt achieved something that is really lacking in many custom levels - unpredictability. That is all I will say about it otherwise the location will become expected and predictable.

There are so many details in this level and none of the work has been unnecessary. The flaming torches lighting the corridors, the well placed candelabra above a table which looks great. There is also the Gamorrean Guard arms and shield texture which really helps to define the fortress as being originally owned by the Gamorrean race. Plus Allen Newman, who created quite a few textures for this level, has also put his sound mixing skills into practice with a few new lines of dialogue for Kyle and Jan.

Overall

Overall this level plays really well. It's not too easy nor overly hard. Technically there is very little I can fault with this level. Most of what I find to be questionable is really my personal opinion on whether something fits in with the level story line or not. For that reason I won't waste words on these questionable points. There is enough reason here for you to try this level and the good points really are worth experiencing. If you want to see a well designed level then this will not let you down. It builds on the first episode and is shaping up as one of the best multi-level projects on the web.

REVIEW: Operation Archangel Episode 2 - Dungeons of Gamorra

Geoff Elliott — Tue, 18 Mar 1997 00:00:00 GMT

This has been, for me, one of the most anticipated levels for a long time. I loved the first and was anxious to devour the next offering. And this level doesn't disappoint.

Without the security of having a Star Wars setting to use as a basis for the level architecture I was curious as to how the author would do this time out. But I shouldn't have been worried; the castle is a great blend of ancient masonry and flickering torches combined with the familiar sterile settings of the Empire. This castle avoids the pitfall of monotony similar levels didn't by alternating the two styles and using different textures for the castle aside from the regular stone blocks. There are also lots of new items that keep the area alive and vibrant and set the mood for an ancient dungeon.

You'll find to accompany the nice texture choices the textures are also placed with extreme care. BMs on the walls aren't just slapped around, and stairs are made to exacting standards where every stone tile fits precisely.

New puzzles and ideas pop up all over the castle as well. The most obvious is a new underwater section, but a stepping stone area straight from Indiana Jones is a cool new touch. You'll need to think to make your way through the level rather than just use your blaster.

And speaking of weapons, there is no debating that it's the new rifle that steals the show. The creator has obviously put a lot of thought into what works and what doesn't, and the outcome is remarkable. I've already used the patch to modify my own Dark Forces playing. The Black Whirlwind is something you just have to try.

One thing that most people will probably overlook is the great use of sounds in this level. From the new ones for the Black Whirlwind to the thunder, the creaking doors and the new dialogue, it's something that adds new dimension to the mission. Would it be quite the same if Riia Goltend were to have her lines displayed at the top of the screen rather than speak them? Of course not. The new sounds are great, but like I said you probably won't notice unless you specifically look for them, which makes them even better; well done and useful, but not overpowering.

Some things bug me though. The story isn't very clear: why is Trem Goltend suddenly allied with the Rebels after having tried so hard to escape them in the last level? It gives me the feeling that this genius is also a bit mentally unstable; which might not be a bad idea at that. I also would have liked to find a bit more to shoot at here. The Phase I DTs aren't tough anymore and once you've gotten the Black Whirlwind the level is a piece of cake. Normally I hate it when people emphasize mayhem over puzzles, but I have to admit the level felt a little vacant.

Overall

There's something here for everybody to take a look at. Level designers can admire the architecture and texturing along with the ideas, weapons enthusiasts can drool over the Black Whirlwind and those into more subtle aspects can enjoy the other items around. Any way you put it, this is a level you have to play.

You can also read the review of Operation Archangel Episode I - Mos Eisley: The Maze.

REVIEW: Mission Impossible: Operation Suicide

Geoff Elliott — Fri, 07 Mar 1997 00:00:00 GMT

This level sounds pretty average, and that's really all it turns out to be. While the story COULD have provided some really neat sites if used properly, perhaps, say a really cool computer core or maybe a well thought out construction facility where we get to see the various stages of DT construction(something we never saw in Dark Forces), instead the author squanders his opportunity. He focuses on infesting the level with lots of traps designed to kill the player. It feels a lot like he's decided to make it the most difficult level anyone has ever played. He's partially succeeded, since I didn't make it through the first time, but after one time through it isn't tough. What he's really done is forgotten one of the objectives when creating a level: to make the experience enjoyable for somebody else.

The entire area is not poorly designed, but there are a lot of problems besides the author's intentions. Textures may be lined up pretty well, but I found that in many areas the same texture continues without interruption for a long time. This gets boring real fast, and doesn't look good, especially in large open places that could use some variety. Often smaller textures are used to fill up huge walls that should be using larger textures, which doesn't make it look accurate structurally.

The author also seems to have decided to put in just about every WAX, FME and 3DO he can get his hands on. This doesn't make much sense, and really only serves to balloon the file size to gigantic proportions. If he'd used them nicely, or bothered to replace some of the VOCs for the enemies, I might be able to say otherwise, but most of the FMEs seem to be sitting below the floor. This doesn't make them invisible, but they sure do look weird. Same thing for the X-Wing at the beginning. I also am not a huge fan of blowing away about a half dozen Grand Admirals while I'm running through the level. If I'm correct there were only 13 counting Thrawn, right? Looks like Kyle has just wiped out half of the strategic masterminds of the old Empire. A little hard to believe.

The only thing that saves this level from becoming just another wasteful shoot-em-up is the difficulty of it. It is tough to make it through all the traps laid out for you, and while it may not be much fun while trying to play the level, there is something to be said for testing your skills on this mission.

Overall

69%This level might have a few good points, but for the most part it's just a large waste of time. Perhaps somebody will pick up the story and make a decent level out of it. But I wouldn't waste a substantial amount of download time on a level of this poor quality.

REVIEW: Operation Stealth

Geoff Elliott — Fri, 07 Mar 1997 00:00:00 GMT

There have been lots of reworks on the idea of stealing the Death Star plans, so it's somewhat refreshing to see that somebody has tried to retool Tak Base. It's always been one of my favorite levels, largely due to its dark mood, and that it's one level where you don't have to blast your way through it. So when I saw the name "stealth", I was excited.

The level failed to live up to my expectations. I was hoping to find another level with lots of small buildings and corridors to duck in and out of and pick off the Imps one at a time. But this level doesn't work by the name. It's not a bad level; on the contrary, I really enjoyed it. The puzzles are difficult, almost too tough, and there are lots of bad guys to deal with, thanks to several generators. There's also a lot of new things and ideas incorporated here. But it doesn't have the same feel to it.

I was also a little disappointed with the author's interpretation of the level. By which I mean the way he constructed it. In the original version, there were buildings blown apart, dead corpses lying everywhere, and the base had the feel that it had just been subjected to an Imperial attack. This level has a few corpses, but everything works and there are no gaping holes, or craters. There aren't any blast marks around. It makes the level feel a little sterile. A few new or revitalized old textures in the right places would have added a lot. It's possible that because the Imperials have been around a week that they've managed to repair it all, but in the abscence of the Constructor Droids of Coruscant and considering the amount of damage that taking a Rebel base would require(note Hoth), it seems a little far-fetched.

Overall

Don't misunderstand me: I really enjoyed this level. It made me think a lot, and stumped me in several places. Even if you were to resort to cheating I don't think the level would prove easy. But it lacks any distinguishing qualities, and I think it fails to take advantage of several opportunites the story has provided it. But it's still fun, and that's what really matters.

REVIEW: Stars End - The Cloak

Geoff Elliott — Fri, 07 Mar 1997 00:00:00 GMT

I will warn you right away that I beta-tested this level and one or two of my suggestions were actually deemed worthy to be used in it. So there may be a bit of bias in my review. I'll try to stay legitimate however.

I don't think that many will be able to argue when I say that this is one of the better levels to be built for Dark Forces. An eveloping plot pulls you in right from the start, and the level takes over from there. I can't tell too much without giving a lot away, but here are a few points you'll enjoy.

First, the new WAXes for the cloaked troopers look great. Very nicely done and the way they work with the logic makes them top-notch. If you thought stormtroopers were a pain before, now they're twice as tough. And that isn't the only thing that's new: several new VUEs are in here that look absolutely incredible. Dare I say better than those put out by LucasArts? In the case of the first Crow flight, very much so. Smooth and realistic looking, they really add to the place.

Lots of new textures, designs and ideas abound in this level, some of which are best left for you to discover. They look great and really I wish more authors would put in the time to do these kind of things. The architecture is also very nice, combining lots of new stuff with bits and pieces from the original Dark Trooper construction facility on the Arc Hammer to ensure a sense of deja vu but without making it feel too stale.

Parts of the level do feel recycled though. You'll know what I mean when you get there. A few new additions make it exciting enough that you really won't mind, but I wish that there could have been more to make the place original.

The climax of the level is totally original though, absolutely staggering in its effect and it really looks, sounds, feels, moves great. But I got the feeling that it was also done mostly for show. I would have preferred an option, a choose your own adventure style where the player can take either way out. I still would have chosen the dramatic one, but the option would make a lot of difference.

Overall

Option or not, and regardless of my testing, this level is still one of the best. A challenge to play, a treat to look at and experience, I can guarantee that you'll enjoy this one. Download immediately.

REVIEW: The Mountains of Relion

Geoff Elliott — Fri, 07 Mar 1997 00:00:00 GMT

Save me from an endless supply of Death Star plans levels! PLEASE!

Well, I really can't gripe. It's been a long time since I've even run through SECBASE, so the Death Star plan idea while still stale and unimaginative is not quite as loathed as it might otherwise be. Especially considering that the level is really well constructed.

Quite easily the best thing about the mission is the mountain range itself. The author has created a very impressive setting for you to work in and splendidly depicts the massive surroundings complete with waterfalls, lakes, rivers, caverns and lots of other things to see. I think that this is the first time I've fallen out a window looking at the scenery. Which brings me to another point: the architecture is also very nice with lots of open windows to view the mountain range, although not quite as widespaced as I might like. You can't look out over the horizon which would have been nice, but the closed in feeling doesn't detract at all from the level.

A nice idea that keeps this level away from monotony is that there is more than one way into the Imperial center. Numerous caverns wind their way through the mountains so while the overall feeling might be one of enclosure, you also can tell that there's a lot more to the place than you might have the chance to explore.

The author has done a good job in the usual category of texture placement and has included enough enemies and weapons to keep you shooting throughout the mission. There are a few shortcomings involving these scattered across the facility, but it isn't a major problem.

What is a problem is the lack of direction for this level. With a pretty dry plot to start with, the level also fails to really go anywhere. There are lots of nice places to look at and the gameplay is pretty good, but several areas feel more like a place to demonstrate the author's abilities rather than to serve a purpose. Granted, they're cool, but what's the point? Having a better objective in mind and perhaps unveiling some hidden agendas or twists to a plot would have helped give the level a little more direction.

Overall

It's a very technically impressive level, and it's also lots of fun. It certainly has room for improvement, and to see something new added would definitely have been nice, but I think you'll want to try it out and I think you'll enjoy it too.

REVIEW: The Bounty Hunt

Geoff Elliott — Tue, 04 Mar 1997 00:00:00 GMT

Leia: "I though you had decided to stay..." Han: "Yeah, well that bounty hunter we ran into on Ord Mantell changed my mind."

Not many people notice this short exchange between Han and Leia in ESB, and even less understand what it means. Somewhere along the way to Hoth Solo ran into a bounty hunter from Jabba the Hutt, who convinced him he needed to pay up soon. Now we finally get to hear(and interact with) the story of that incident.

Without giving too much away, I can safely say that you get to go up against just about every bounty hunter in the book in this level, each one of them competing for the same prize. Not only does the story the author has crafted fit well with what we know from Star Wars, it also gives us a nice idea of what happened to Kyle later on. And the story gets deeper and more complex (read: interesting) as you progress through the level.

But enough of that. This level has a lot of stuff you'll want to check out. Lots of really nice architecture is employed around the station. The whole level is constructed to fit the design of the station, which keeps the level from feeling random. And contrary to lots of other levels where the design is fixed, you can see different parts from windows, look back to where you've been, and it all continues without giving you a sense of monotony. That's a flaw most levels can't seem to overcome, but the author here does a good job.

There are lots of other nice touches that keep you from getting bored. My personal favorite is an elevator stretching from the main section to a tower. One side is open to the outside and you can watch the lower half of the station fall away as you rise. It's rather reminiscient of the Space Needle here in Seattle, or other towers where you reach the top via elevator. It's a pretty impressive piece of work that looks great in motion, not to mention the Imperial Star Destroyer hovering just outside.

Another nice bit is a grate that you can walk across over some sewage. Other authors might have been content to make it a platform, but here you can look down and see the sludge below. It's a small touch that pays off big.

And you needn't worry about not having enough to shoot at. As I mentioned earlier, all the bounty hunters you can think of are here, and you face off with them all. All of the WAXes are nicely done, especially the Boba Fett WAX. It's the first time I've seen the walking Fett in action, and it really looks great. Of course I can't forget to include the station personnel out to stop the hunt, or the Imperials in pursuit of the Rebel fleet; you need to get by them as well. There're also a lot of civilians to populate the station to make it feel full. This was something I thought was missing in LucasArts rendition of a space station, and I'm glad the author corrected it.

The puzzles aren't terribly complex, but the author more than made up for it with a challenging force thrown against you. And with everything that's going on around the station, I didn't really have time to notice when I was playing.

This level does have a couple problems. The VUEs are pretty jerky sometimes, something that could be fixed pretty easily. It isn't quite the same when the ship comes to a sudden halt or changes course rapidly while in flight. It breaks the spell the level has put over you. And the biggest problem is that the level will only run on Easy right now. Something seems to be missing in one of the more difficult levels, and of course that makes the thing crash. If the author would kindly remedy this, I would be hard pressed to find anything else wrong.

Overall

This is a great level, with some really nice architecture, cool effects throughout the station, and a great story to tell. Top that off with the professional looking cutscenes he's pieced together and you've got a real winner.

REVIEW: The Bounty Hunt

Jeff Walters — Tue, 04 Mar 1997 00:00:00 GMT

In the Bounty Hunt, the author has strived to create a completely original piece of work, with an involving storyline and intricately detaild design. He has, for the most part, been successful. The storyline and the way it has been integrated into the level is extremely good. Unlike most levels, you don't know the whole story before starting the game, and therefore as the story changes so does your mission, which adds a great degree of mystery.

One of the main highlights of this level is the beautiful cutscenes, they are without doubt the best made for any add-on level. The cutscenes are also consistent with the design of the level. For example the design of the space station you see in the cutscene is the same as the layout you see if you look out the windows of the space station in the game. Another nice thing is that the author has managed to integrate Star Wars characters (in this case Chewie, Han and a wide collection of SW bounty hunters) effectively into the level.

This level does have it's faults though, including one major fault. The texturing, for a good part of the level, is not very good at all. The textures of adjacent walls don't flow which results in a 'patch-work' appearence to rooms and corridors which are real eye sores. While other parts of the level use too much of the same texture.

Some of the VUEs in the level are often jerky, but for the most-part effective enough. The VUE of the A-Wing landing while well done technically, is just completely out of place and disturbs the tense atmosphere ot the level. But some of the other VUEs were pretty good, but also consider he used a BETA version of VUECAD.

This level does have some terrific scenes in it though. The part where you can look outside and see TIE fighters attacking the station, with subsequent explosions is brilliantly done. As is the end sequence where you're flying away in the Crow with a TIE fighter chasing you.

Overall

All in all, this was a very good level with a movie-like storyline and terrific suspense, the only thing in my mind that prevents this from being rated with the best ever add-on levels is the texturing, which just really lets the rest of this otherwise excellent level down.

REVIEW: Imperial Fortress

Geoff Elliott — Tue, 04 Mar 1997 00:00:00 GMT

I raced down the canyon, data tapes in hand and Madine struggling to keep up. Behind me I could hear the shrill scream of the trandoshans and the equally shrill shriek of their concussion rifles. The walls of the canyon were exploding all around and I was wondering if the corridor of stone would ever end, when suddenly the Crow came into view ahead just beyond a ledge. With a final burst of speed we reached the ledge, and jumped aboard the ship, escaping just ahead of the Imperials and their bounty hunter hires...

Allright, it didn't happen exactly like that, but it could have. Perhaps it was because the soundtrack in the stereo was reaching it's climax, or maybe just because I'd had a good day, but the ending of this level was incredibly intense for me, and was a great way to cap off the level.

To start off, the author gets a C- for creativity with regards to the story. This is something that we've done time and time again, and I can't think of a level that has been able to top the LA version. This one doesn't. But despite the story, the level comes off pretty good. There's a nice mix of enemies thrown around, a couple Phase 1s to keep you on your toes too. You also get a tremendous amount of ammo to use, but the author doesn't make it conspicuous, and I actually found myself needing a lot of it. You'll also find a lot of nice areas in this level with good attention to texture placement. And I have to make sure to say that there are several unique ideas here that keep the level from getting boring. I especially liked how the author made the water under the hovering shuttle move to show evidence of the repulsors. Little details like that combined with other features keep your attention off the ammo and make this level more than just another shoot-em-up.

The level ultimately dies out when it comes to architecture. There are a lot of problems with design. Outside the fortress the rock ledges are very obviously placed as stepping stones to allow you access to certain areas, and other ledges are set apart from the cliff or doorway by a small fraction. I don't know if this was intentional, but it gives the level the appearance of being slapped together. Once inside the base there are a few problems with textures when it comes to crates and consoles, but the real problem is again the design. Almost everything is very blocky, with lots of 90 degree angles. This makes it easier to line things up, but also makes for a very monotonous level, epsecially when there isn't much new to keep the players attention.

Switches are also a problem because it feels like everything in the base is controlled by switches that you have to locate and throw. This makes for a realistic level but not for real fun gameplaying. After a while it gets boring.

Overall

Aside from the general blockiness of the architecture, this level comes off pretty good. Lots of things to shoot, some puzzles to figure out, and some surprises that should keep you interested. I still think that having to run around the cargobay blowing off the side of crate after crate looking for... something... is a lot of fun and makes for good tension. I would suggest trying this one out.

REVIEW: Gulag 5

Geoff Elliott — Sun, 09 Feb 1997 00:00:00 GMT

If the plot above is enough to make you yawn, you're not the only one. The first blow to this level is the incredible mundane premise behind it. You can imagine the conversation:

"What should we make the level about?"

"I don't know. Hey, why don't we rescue Jan and find captured data tapes! We've only done that about 5 billion times before!"

"Yeah! And just to make it interesting we can have Kyle abandon the Crow in favor of a slower, ligther armed, and much less cool looking Imperial Shuttle!"

"This is going to be great! We can also fill the entire level with blocky rooms, poor texture placement, and lots of multiple logic enemies you can wipe out with all the weapons we make available........"

Unfortunately, as weird as this conversation might seem, it's really all that can be expected.

This level really hits rock bottom. Weapons are around every corner, so are the enemies, and while the plot might have been pulled off with interesting architecture and decent puzzles, alas, they aren't to be found here. I can't believe any decent architect would ever put something together like this, with Imperial standards being mixed in with Jabba's own personal preferences, and the Emperor's own designs. The worst is that it's all random. "Let's do this room in the Tatooine rugged design..." The place doesn't even begin to resemble an Imperial prison, with the doors little more than different textures in line with the wall. While it's always a good idea to stray a bit from the norm and introduce new ideas, I have to say that some designs might be better left untouched.

The texture placement is some of the most horrid I've seen for a level. Anything will work for a door, and everything else gets slapped in as a wall at some point in time. Why an entire wall should be devoted to code symbols, I have no idea, especially when they don't work and serve no useful purpose. I could insert another pseudo-conversation here, but I think you get the point.

Overall

Is there something positive to say about this level? It doesn't make your computer crash.... oh wait, yes it does. Every time but the last it crapped out on me, the last only because I ran through fast to avoid the torture much longer. Avoid this level like the Admiralcy on the Executor.

REVIEW: Faust

Geoff Elliott — Sat, 15 Feb 1997 00:00:00 GMT

The plot for this level is not terribly imaginative. The author mentions there are some bugs in textures he couldn't fix. And this is his first level. I don't think there can be a much worse combination.

But apparently my preconceptions don't have any bearing on a level's quality. This is a great mission, with splendid architecture, near perfect texturing, and plenty of good puzzles to keep you busy thinking.

The author seems to have made a detailed study of what works and what doesn't in a level. As he says in the accompanying text file, there's a lot of Nar Shadda in this city, with grimy walls, small dark rooms, and bounty hunters crawling all over the depths of the city. In contrast, the Imperial section of the city is nice and clean, with lots of Imperial insignia hanging everywhere, and tributes to the Emperor around every corner. The level takes you on an extensive tour of the area as you make your way to the base and then search for the tapes inside. There's lots of space to explore, plus numerous secrets to be found thoughout the city. The puzzles are also nice; though most are variations on previous ideas, they still add a dimension to the level normally absent.

But aside from all the plusses this level might have, there are some drawbacks. Rather than succumb to the usual rookie mistake of planting enemies everywhere in the level, this author doesn't quite put enough in for my taste. Though the city streets could certainly be somewhat vacant in the late evening, especially with the reputation this city seems to have, I would expect the Imperial base to be more heavily guarded. Even with the difficulty set to Hard, I still found myself breezing through the level. The couple of Dark Troopers strengthened the forces somewhat, but it still wasn't enough.

I also found it difficult to accept that the landing pad where Jan meets you at the end is so nearby your location. I think the level could have been much more interesting, and quite possibly more difficult, if you were forced to find your way back through the city to the Crow. Even if you took the same route, generators could have been used to supply you with more target practice. It not only would have increased the depth of the level and made it more interesting, it would have taken care of my previous complaint about the difficulty as well.

Overall

Still, this is a very admirable first attempt. The city is detailed, the textures are well done, and it isn't just a shoot-em-up fest. If you enjoyed Nar Shadda, and want a little Imperial touch thrown in on the side, this level will suit your tastes nicely.

REVIEW: Jawa Sandcrawler

Geoff Elliott — Sat, 15 Feb 1997 00:00:00 GMT

The plot has been done before, but the change of setting adds a new perspective to the idea. The sandcrawler is quite well done, even down to the low ceilings one would expect the jawas to use. The textures all suit the setting, mostly being the same ones you can find in Jabba's Ship, but varying to other parts like control rooms, elevator shafts, machinery, etc. You'll also find a good number of droids in this level, as would be expected.

But I found myself not enjoying the level that much, for a number of reasons. The first is the difficulty. It's nothing. A bunch of small jawas running around with blasters, how tough can that be? It might have been more interesting if the author had forced you to crawl through some mashers, or furnaces to get to where you wanted to go, but you won't find that in here. The architecture is pretty cramped and mostly consists of sharp angles. This is necessary to stay within the confines of a sandcrawler, but it really makes for a boring level.

Mind you, the author does try to add some interest. You can look out the front and see the desert stretch on for miles. Or you can wander down lower in the crawler, where the lights are lower. It makes it a little more difficult when you can't see where you're going. But the headlight fixes all that pretty easy and there's not much risk of your batteries dying. The puzzles in this level aren't anything to really brag about either. Nothing beyond getting some doors open, and that's not too difficult.

There also isn't anything new to look at if you've been playing Dark Forces levels for quite some time. The WAXes have been used before, along with the VOCs that accompany them. And Slave I is certainly nothing new, although the idea of throwing it in without Boba Fett to accompany is definitely unheard of. Some news ideas, or things to look at might have helped to spice up the level a little bit.

Overall

Aside from getting to run around in a setting from Star Wars, this level doesn't have a whole lot to offer. It's pretty average in all respects, but the author did seem to pay good attention while working. What's in here is done well, it's just not that interesting to look at or stomp around in.

REVIEW: Boba Fett's Revenge

Geoff Elliott — Sat, 08 Feb 1997 00:00:00 GMT

I have often thought that the DF engine would allow for all kinds of cool things to be done with lighting, and lots of other interesting architecture bits. I've also noticed that lots of people don't spend the time to take full advantage of these properties. At last, here is a level whose author made the time, and it shows.

While deep underneath this level is just a variant of the "escape from detention center" bit, the author had the good sense to modify the story and have Boba Fett steer away from the Imperials. Setting the level in a Hutt's palace gives the level the ability to run in new directions, with new designs in architecture and puzzles.

I also applaud the authors use of the story to build the level. I don't enjoy seeing Boba Fett pop up in every level because there's no basis for it, but here we get a new idea that picks up off the original DF plot line. Boba Fett diehards might be a little disturbed that the legendary bounty hunter gets his reputation damaged further, but I think the author did a great job of presenting Boba Fett in a realistic and positive light. The final confrontation at the end of the level feels really good, and puts a great cap to the experience.

The best thing about this level is the way it looks. Textures all line up, and are set to make the buildings look constructed, not created. And there is a difference. And the architecture throughout the palace is wonderful. Lots of new ideas you'll want to stop and look at. Shading has also been put to excellent use all over, and combined with the various lighting effects the author uses, it takes the palace lightyears beyond most other levels.

You'll also notice that the level is difficult, without being impossible. The puzzles aren't too tough, but provide enough challenge to keep you interested. You'll have lots to shoot at too, including some new characters using new WAXes and VOCs that look and sound really good.

Overall

I have yet to find the perfect DF level, where a great story, good architecture, reasonable difficulty and new ideas and objects just pull you in and when you get done you want to reload and do it all over. This level comes the closest I've seen for a single level, and while it isn't perfect, you'll definitely want to add it to your collection.

REVIEW: Kyle Meets Kaled

Geoff Elliott — Sat, 08 Feb 1997 00:00:00 GMT

The failure to find a story is a serious detractor when playing anything. However, I don't think that the best story in the world could have saved this level.

You begin in a detention center for some reason, use the standard methods to escape and then need to make your way through a maze. For the most part, it consists of running through dark, narrow corridors, flipping switches to allow yourself access to other areas. This might be interesting if all you're looking for is a maze to find your way through, but when you have all the tools of the Star Wars universe at your fingertips, I would expect a little more from the author.

Apart from being monotonous in geometry, the level suffers because you never really find anything new and exciting. The textures are all the same, the whole place is dark, and most of the ideas are recycled. What's the point?

One of the things that I find the most disturbing is that the author readily admits that this level has several flaws. The WAXes are incomplete(and not of incredible quality either), waterfalls don't scroll, sounds jump around, and some elevators don't work. To top it all off, it crashes immediately after you finish, no matter whether you complete the level, die, or quit voluntarily. You've been warned. Personally, I don't see how anyone would be willing to release something with those kind of problems, things that should be easy to fix. If he couldn't do it himself, there are people willing to offer assisstance, and with the message boards and newsgroup available, there really is no excuse for letting those things get by.

There are some nice things in here, but they might be classified as unusual. One area becomes incredibly bizarre at a point. The rooms might be more understandable if there was a story to go along, which brings me to a point I want to make. Does it really take that much more time to type up the story in the text file? I find it very frustrating when I can't find out what's happening in a level, either because the author didn't do a good job of explaining it, or something fails to work. A good summary in the text file would fix a tremendous amount of problems, and make the experience that much more enjoyable.

Overall

Other than being curious about some of the more bizarre areas of this level, I can't find a good reason to download it. The geometry is boring, the textures are repeated over and over, and while there is new stuff, it isn't engaging or of exceptional quality. But the link is below if you want it anyway.

REVIEW: The Hunt for the Arc Hammer

Geoff Elliott — Thu, 06 Feb 1997 00:00:00 GMT

I really enjoy it when an author decides to make a level because they have an interesting story to tell(at least when they do a good job with it). Anyone who has read any of my reviews knows how much stock I put in the story beind a level. Here is some of the proof. The author has started out with a continuation of the Dark Forces story, using the various aspects LucasArts provided for us and taking them to new and exciting levels.

In here you'll get the chance to revisit the wreckage of the Arc Hammer, and the author has done a fantastic job of setting up the mood for you. Darkened rooms abound in here, with collapsed stairways, fallen doors, and depressurized areas. The corpses littering the halls and the dim flickering of the lights are the only remaining testimonials of what once was a powerful ship. You get to search through all types of areas to complete your goals, with the perfect mix of new and familiar to keep you interested for the duration of the level. Another great thing is that the level is very interactive, allowing you to choose your adversaries in sections, and how much of the storyline you uncover depends upon your actions during the mission. A variety of new sounds and ideas makes this a really enjoyable level.

But this level, like every other one, has drawbacks. Here there is a lack of attention to textures in some places. In elevators the textures don't always match correctly, and in one part of the Arc Hammer you only get a monotone white for the walls, and grey for the floor. I would expect some interruption of this at some point in a hallway, other than a door. A window to the out side, or a control panel. Something other than just the same texture running up and down the lengthy corridors. It's too bad, because each of these problems could have been fixed with just a little manipulation.

Overall

I'm very sure you'll enjoy this level a lot. There are many surprises, puzzles to challenge, and a story that really should be told. It will require all of your skills to uncover the secrets behind the Arc Hammer, so gear up, and download this right away.

REVIEW: Dark Prelude - The Early Missions of Kyle Katarn

Anonymous — Tue, 04 Feb 1997 00:00:00 GMT

The first level does a great job, the plot being that Kyle must infiltrate the base where Jan is being held, find the detention block, and rescue her. The idea of doing a prequel is, in true George Lucas style, a great idea, and the plot is excellent to match. Everything is so thoughtfully planned out, with Kyle discreetly sneaking onto the planet, unarmed, and then buying a secondhand Bryar pistol on the black market, the weapon that will become his trusty standby. Another brilliant and realistic twist on the plan of the level is the way Kyle infiltrates the base. Knowing that attacking from the heavily fortified gate's front door is a bad idea (something which other levels seem to forget) Kyle, upon studying a blueprint of the base, notices a sewage treatment center that the base operates near a large mountainous ravine, and this is how you must enter the base.

Reading the walkthrough provided with the levels, you can see how well thought out the levels are. After traversing through the cliffs, going over waterfalls, crawling through caves, (all the while dodging the probe droids that would, of course, be stationed in these remote areas around the base as a precaution) you finally enter the base through the sewage area, after first getting across to the drainage sluice that lies on a very impressive looking cliff, with a waterfall on the other side.

To some extent, the rest of the level, taking place in various parts of the base, such as the sewage treatment center, outside areas guarded by turret guns, command centers, elevators, and of course the detention block, isn't quite as good, it still is very well put together and very entertaining.

Unfortunately, I didn't like the next level nearly as much, although I do have to give it credit for being well planned out. The whole level would have been great, except it was dragged out for too long. You see, this level suffers from repeated use of the same textures and types of rooms.

The object of this level is to steal and program an "IFF" device that will allow you to leave the planet in a hijacked shuttle. As befits the mission objectives, the level takes place in a docking bay, and it starts out fairly well in a very large crate area. This is an unoriginal idea but is still fun. There are other creative touches throughout the level; elevators, trams that run on tracks, a cargo ship you can enter, a bar, etc. However, there is a extremely large area of the level that consists of interlocking halls at 90 degree angles, filled to the gills with imperials, and even more appear if you set off an invisible "intruder alert" in several halls, which really makes you outnumbered and susceptible to death, although the walkthrough does warn you. However, you can finally get through the level with a sense of accomplishment, and despite frustrations, will know that the level was really worth it.

REVIEW: The Hoerby Trilogy: Imperial Outpost D-42

Anonymous — Tue, 14 Jan 1997 00:00:00 GMT

This is a set of three levels, and probably one of the best things it has going for it is the continuity between the levels. I'll review them all at the same time, but each of the levels is very different. This is an excellent continuing mission and just about everyone will want to download it.

In the beginning of the levels, there is a new scrolling text, and a new cutscene, which is always a nice touch. There are also new briefings. The first level starts with you in a prison cell in the detention center of Outpost D-42. To escape, you have to crawl out through a grate in the back of the cells and crawl through an intricate set of sewer canals. I don't particularly like having to deal with sewage and dianogas, but this area of the level is very good looking, with a well-planned circular layout. After you find some explosives and bust through one of the cell walls, you wind up in a circular room with doors all around it to lead to crate storage rooms and other detention blocks. This is probably the main drawback of all three levels, though: repetitiveness. While they are still good levels, they often have several virtually identical areas, and this gets tiresome. Case in point, as elevators take you to several other circular rooms with similar layouts. Finally, though, the monotony is broken as you finally make your way through some barrack and control room areas, plant a sequencer charge in the base, and escape in a TIE bomber, after first taking care of some difficult competition. All in all, a pretty good level.

But your mission isn't over yet. You still have to make it into the outpost's TIE fighter hangar base to recover the Crow. With this in mind, the next level starts with Kyle landing (and abandoning) the bomber amid the cliffs on the planet surface, which is a pretty creative way to start a level, in my opinion. Like the first level, this one is huge, and, unfortunately, a little repetitive, but not too much. There is a good use of a gray cobblestone texture to form a main troop road that you find after trekking through the mountains for a little while. Following the streetlight-illuminated road, you must then make your way into various checkpoint bases to gain parts of a code that will let you gain access to other areas. There is a neat looking bridge over a deep chasm, and a nice texture that gives the windows little streaks on them, to give the look of light reflecting off them, and also to let you know that they are, indeed, solid glass. After all these trials and tribulations, the level ends at the entrance to the TIE base, and a very nice-looking entrance it is; the author's talented design has shown through again. Once more, the level ends with a bang with a fight between some enemies (including, like the first level, some Phase 1 Dark Troopers). The author had every right to put some Dark Troopers in here, and they go well in this area, not to mention ending the level nicely.

The third, and probably the best level begins where the second level ends. Kyle stands in front of the base, the bodies of his enemies around him. The author cleverly sets up invisible walls to prevent you from going back to the areas of the second level, which of course would have made the level far too big. Unfortunately, the many doors at the entrance of the base are locked, and Kyle must blast his way through several layers of solid rock in order to enter a ventilation shaft (another great, original idea!). From there, this excellent level has many interesting areas and enemies in it, and a plethora of new WAXes and 3DOs, such as an ATAT walker, various TIE spaceships, Speeder bikes, and Scouts, ATAT drivers, and TIE pilots. And this leads to the big thing that makes this level great: detail. The fact that this base has all these components is exactly what you'd expect in a large, fortified base. The ATAT and the TIE fighters have platforms or elevators to take the pilots into the cockpit. I think this is the first time that such attention to detail has ever been in a level. The largest entrance door of the base is for the ATAT walker, and next to the walker is the garage where the speeders, and the scouts, are waiting to scramble at a moment's notice. There are, of course, large barracks areas where the new WAXes can be found, and crate storage areas. The repetition of architecture is now down to near nil, with many fresh and original ideas now dominating the level. There are many floors to the base, and many different elevators-freight elevators and normal elevators-to take you to the many floors.

After planting a charge in the base, shutting down three tractor beams that are holding the Crow in the large, very neat-looking hangar bay, and surviving the many enemies, Kyle finally heroically escapes in a great finale. There is also an end cutscene with the author doing a voiceover, which is nice.

Overall

All in all, this is a wonderful, clear-cut storyline, and three wonderful levels that will provide a lot of enjoyment.

REVIEW: The Hoerby Trilogy: Imperial Outpost D-42

Geoff Elliott — Tue, 14 Jan 1997 00:00:00 GMT

The story picks up right where Dark Forces left off, and the quality of the levels does a pretty good job of picking up there too. The three levels in this set tell the story of Kyle's escape from prison, the destruction of the base and the recovery of his ship.

The author has spread out the different story points in a logical fashion, so the whole experience doesn't come to a halt when one level gets over. Another he's done to keep the levels flowing is to use certain familiarities between levels to increase continuity. He uses the same style of architecture in the buildings to make it seem as if the whole area was built at the same time, and he is also sure that two things look the same from one level to the next. If you stop in front of one entrance, the entrance at the beginning of the next level is the same.

His attention to details seems to vary from place to place however. There are lots of spaces where I thought a sound was missing, mostly occuring in elevators. For instance, I would expect that when a large freight elevator is moving in front of me that it would make a sound like and elevator. In here it was noticeably silent. I also thought that some new sounds could have used some work; while interesting efforts, they lacked somewhat in quality. It was very obvious that they were new, and it jolted the game off it's tracks for a while, rather than add to the experience.

In other places the author has done a great job. I noticed that I couldn't walk right through the speederbikes as you can walk through other things in some levels. The hangars have several nice touches added to them, that even though they haven't been seen before, feel natural in such a setting. The forcefields also had a nice bit that occurs logically, but is noticeably lacking in other levels.

The real problem that keeps these levels from suceeding is the architecture. The first level is not much more than the same design repeated over and over with slight variations. The second level was better, but even then I felt like I'd been through places before. I can understand that the author might have wanted to make sure that a certain style of area got associated with a certain action, like shutting off a force field, but after a while it gets a bit repetitive and I start to pay less attention to what's going on. In order ensure the player is always entranced in a level, authors should try to always keep something new happening.

Overall

Not the best, not the worst. Some things could certainly be better, but that can be said for everything. I think you'll enjoy this three level set.

REVIEW: Future Present Part I

Geoff Elliott — Sat, 11 Jan 1997 00:00:00 GMT

After having gone through so many levels where the story seems to be tacked on as an excuse to build a level, or as an afterthought, it's with a very pleasant feeling that I can review this level. The author has a talent for a good storyline, and an excellent feel for drama. I can't say too much without giving away surprises of this story(of which there are several), but suffice to say that you will be held in suspense throughout the level.

But even with a wonderful storyline and nice dramatic effects, a level is worth nothing unless the architecture is sound, attention is paid to the texture placement, and the author offers up plenty of action and puzzles to keep you on your toes. Well, never fear, you won't be disappointed. The temple itself starts out in classic Indiana Jones style with traps, and as you descend into the depths of the mines, you can feel the change in mood from an ancient temple to what seems like a tomb. The textures convey the different styles of the level, from ancient architecture, to carved out caverns, to Imperialistic sterility. The way the areas are constructed is also very nice. Large waterfalls, control rooms, worshipping areas in the temples.... you won't have to look far to find something in particular you like.

And for those who just want to go shoot something, there's lots of sport to be found. This level is by no means easy, with enemies patrolling corridors, monsters lurking in the caverns, and even the supernatural realm seemingly pitted against you. You'll need all your skills in order to complete this level; not only a quick trigger finger, but your wits and instincts as well.

New items make this a better level than others as well. New characters, new textures, and new FMEs are all artfully done. The new WAXs are also well done, and they'll give you a surprise if you aren't ready. Arachnophobes, beware.

Overall

This is a great start to a trilogy that I hope will come to completion. The story seems well thought out, and should provide for lots of great gaming if the author can maintain what he's begun with this level. As I mentioned above, this is a trilogy, and Part III is in the works. If you haven't played part one, do so before reading the review for Future Present Part II, since the big surprises in Part I are given away.

REVIEW: Future Present Part II

Geoff Elliott — Sat, 11 Jan 1997 00:00:00 GMT

As Part II in a trilogy, this level had something to live up to. In true sequel fashion, it doesn't quite match it's predecessor.

Coruscant has been done before. So in order to keep everything consistant, the author follows the examples of the levels that came before him. Lots of the textures are the same, and so is most of the design: large, close packed buildings that all look alike. That's Coruscant. There are some new areas that add a little life. The bar is nice, with people sitting around rather than trying to kill you. The band is also a nice touch, flashing lights and everything. But it's a bar, and we've seen that before too. The same textures are there, and while the music is new, the idea is old. Basically it all looks the same on the outside.

Besides the lack of original ideas, there are a number of logical problems that persist. I fail to understand how an area which has had its power cut(the lights went out) still can move an elevator and open doors. I also don't see the point of locking a door only to have the key to it sitting in an adjacent room. It's just a little annoyance, not a challenge or a puzzle.

What the author excels at, in this level and his last, is storytelling. He allows characters in the level to tell the story as it goes along, and you don't know everything when you go in; you need to pick it up as you go along. The author also does good stuff on the little things. Nice elevators, alternate escape routes, and great skyline views are all good examples of things the author has put work into. They all add a new dimension to the level and the story, keeping it from bogging down. Another thing to keep the level moving is the good population around the city. Lots of troopers scour the streets, as you'd expect. The Dark Troopers are understandable(this is Coruscant after all) and the author uses them in good fashion. I'm also glad he had the sense to stay away from the Phase 3s.

Overall

This is a good level, and it's fun too. It continues the story started in Part I, and does a fine job with it. The reason it suffers is that most of the stuff isn't incredibly original. But you should try it anyway.

REVIEW: Galleria

Geoff Elliott — Thu, 09 Jan 1997 00:00:00 GMT

This author has accomplished something I never thought was possible. It had never occured to me that somebody would go to this much effort just to advertise. The author has populated his level with logos, slogans and other images in an effort to promote his favorite skateboarding companies. This entire level is a joke, and I don't regulate that to just the "art" on the walls.

There are some real problems here. The largest is the utter lack of goals to accomplish in the level. You can guess for yourself what you should be doing, but once you get a quit message (of which there are two, in different parts of the game) the game isn't over. It would seem that the author didn't manage to properly set the goals for his level. I also noticed several areas in the crawlspaces where the walls flickered, revealing false rooms or textures. I don't know what the cause of this was, but it stopped me for several minutes while I tried to figure it out. No level should interrupt gameplay because of a flaw. And if that wasn't enough, Boba Fett and a Phase 3 DT make appearances, for no apparent reason. Since the author failed to supply a story, I can find no justification for their being in the level.

I always try to find something positive about a level when I review it, and (this may be a shock) I didn't have to look far in this level. The author has made good use of VOCs to add some character to the level, and there is a nice view overlooking a landing platform with Slave I sitting outside. I get the feeling the author might have done a good job if he'd made an effort to build a real level, and not just a showcase for skateboard advertisements.

Overall

This level isn't worth your time to download, much less to actually try to play. If you want interesting examples of new textures or ideas, yes, you can find them in Galleria. But you can find better ones in other levels too, plus one other item you won't find here: decent gameplay.

REVIEW: Operation Archangel Episode I - Mos Eisley: The Maze

Geoff Elliott — Thu, 09 Jan 1997 00:00:00 GMT

I'll add my own comments in here. The author has done an absolutely fantastic job on this level. The textures he's come up with are great, and the subtle shading used in areas is really incredible. I can't imagine how much time this must have taken. If you want an example of how to give your level an added sense of realism, this is where to look.

The link for download now points to a newer version of the level. Some of the textures and FMEs have been modified. Thanks go to Lionel for pointing me toward the updated version.

Also, the second part of the set is available, has been reviewed and is linked for download. Check out Operation Archangel Episode II - Dungeons of Gamorra.

REVIEW: Operation Archangel Episode I - Mos Eisley: The Maze

Anonymous — Wed, 08 Jan 1997 00:00:00 GMT

From the beginning of the level, you know it's going to be good. It has its own text crawl (always a good sign), and the level begins with you standing next to the Crow in a landing area just like the one the Millenium Falcon was in at the beginning of "Star Wars." There are some new fuel canister-type FMEs lying around, plus doors that lead to a small bathroom and storage room. Then, you climb a set of stairs, walk through a room of crates, and the excitement begins. This level lives up to its name of "The Maze", as you wander through the archways and streets of Mos Eisley, the way George Lucas would have made it look in the movies, if he had had the money and resources. There are nice looking new arches and stone textures, and many small domed houses you can walk into. It's easy to get lost sometimes, but you probably won't mind as you take in the sights and sounds of this level. The opposition consists entirely of smugglers and the like (Trandoshans, Grans, and a lot of Jawas with VOCs from the movies), and it's really fun to stealthily walk through the alleys, where danger lurks around every corner (how poetic!).

You also get to jump across the rooftops, and see a pretty good facsimile of the type of house Luke lives in at the beginning of Star Wars (of course, that was in the middle of the desert, but then, this could be anybody's house.) From there, be prepared for some surprises about Jawas (you'll see!), the notorious Cantina, and a visit from an old enemy.

Overall

All in all, this is a really fun, exciting level. It's definitely one of the best to represent a place from the movies, and maybe the best Tatooine level (Although level four of DF96 and "The Great Tatooine Water Hunt" are also excellent ones). You'll really have fun completing this mission.

REVIEW: The Great Escape

Anonymous — Wed, 08 Jan 1997 00:00:00 GMT

This is an excellent level that really makes you feel that you're in the game, and that also incorporates many interesting new ideas. This level, as is indicated by the title, puts Kyle Katarn in an imperial prison complex that hovers, in the atmosphere, above a planet. As the level starts, you have to get out of your prison cell and make your way through the huge prison area of the level. This is really neat in that it gives the feeling of a big, well run prison facility. After that, there are many interesting places in the prison area, such as an arena for prisoners awaiting execution, and a very large, very thoughtfully planned out cafeteria for the guards. This area takes up a very large part of the level, and it has several well thought out additions, such as balconies overlooking the clear blue sky, and large troughs of unappetizing military food. From here Kyle ends up walking on ledges to get to spaceship-accessed crate storage areas, admiring the new tree FMEs that sit in planter boxes on the balconies, and walking into TIE hangars, not to mention the briefing rooms and control rooms that you'd expect in such an amazingly detailed level, where almost everything is there that you'd expect in the Star Wars universe.

Another great thing about this level (or a bad thing, if you have an out-of-date computer like mine) is the fact that this level is really two levels. This is because, with the use of teleporter chutes, Kyle is able to steal a prototype jetpack and fly down from a balcony to the planet below. This part of the level is just as fun as the first part, as you traverse the grassy, tree-covered cliffs of the planet, making your way to the large entrance of a smuggler and bounty hunter base that cooperates with the Empire's facility in the sky. From there, you have to steal the plans that you were carrying before you were captured, in the process, making your way through some neat looking hangars. Then you return to a marked landing place in the cliffs, where Jan returns in the shuttle, which looks very neat.

Overall

All in all, this level is almost flawless, except for one thing: a Captain Picard WAX in the prison complex, which really doesn't fit. However, this is a really fun mission, and one you'll want to play as soon as possible.

REVIEW: The Fall of Thrawn

Geoff Elliott — Sat, 07 Dec 1996 00:00:00 GMT

I am a huge fan of Timothy Zahn's Star Wars books. Actually, that's a very large understatement. Personally I believe them to be the only works to capture the same spirit of the original trilogy. So I have to say I was both excited and disturbed when I downloaded this set to review. I could find one of two things: I could find a great series of levels in which the author does a fantastic job of telling the story, or I could find some levels which squandered a big opportunity.

Much to my dismay, I found the latter. These levels suffer from a number of problems, and all of them originate from a failure to adequately make use of and pay attention to the story provided the author. The story does seem to stem from the premise of the novels; you need to stop Thrawn from massing his fleet. However the first problem is that these levels negate everything that occured in the books, because they begin and end before activities in the books even start. Thrawn is taken out of the picture without any mention of C'Baoth, the clones, the Katana Fleet...... there could have been so much done here.

Aside from major story conflicts, there are other discrepancies. The first is an absolute lack of attention on the authors part to the levels he was creating. The Hoth level seems to have a large, deep blue river running through it. Now maybe this looks nice, but LucasArts even set up specific textures so that rivers on ice worlds would appear cold and icy, not warm and inviting. I also have a feeling that any water on the surface of Hoth would have been frozen a long time before Katarn could ever reach the place.

Other examples of this are present in the remaining two levels of the set as well. Endor probably suffers more from this than the others. When you set down you immediately hear all kinds of noises, and notice lots of new detailing. This is nice except all the new things seem to be set up for a swamp! There are chirping noises, burping and squelching noises, and the trees look like they've come straight out of Dagobah. You can even find dark swampy looking water running all over. Nowhere is there a hint of the massive trees and shrubs that were so obvious in Return of the Jedi. And there was also not a single Ewok in the place. A biker scout and speeder bike does not the forest moon make.

The Chimaera also has similar problems. The major one being that aside from the bridge, there is no hint at all that you are on board a Star Destroyer. The architecture is random, just a bunch of boxes linked together. I would have expected a little more, noting the many other Star Destroyer levels around which took clear advantage of the architecture. I also noted a distinct lack of any ysalamiri on the bridge....

My final big gripe is the ending of the levels. In case you couldn't figure it out, you're sent to kill Thrawn in the last level. You reach the bridge, and bang, one blast strikes a white-clothed figure dead center. He crumples, and the entire purpose of the level is over. It's a total let down. You would think that he might at least have some armor, or you might need to go through some Noghri first. It's an example of the ease of these levels, a major flaw. Puzzles aren't difficult or inventive, and there is no real opposition for you to face. At least he managed to keep the Dark Troopers out of it.

There is a lot of new stuff here, as is readily apparent from the specs below. Some is good, some is bad, and some I probably didn't notice. The new stuff is great, but it can't save these levels. You can't add a whole bunch of new stuff and instantly expect that people will love the levels for what's new.

Overall

If these were levels with any other story, they might have done alright. They come across as pretty average, and with major conflicts between the story and levels, not to mention the numerous possibilities the author overlooked, they just don't show you anything. If the name Thrawn is just there to get people to try the levels, the author probably succeeded in his goals. But I really wouldn't bother with these if you haven't already.

REVIEW: Fest Revisited

Geoff Elliott — Thu, 05 Dec 1996 00:00:00 GMT

I usually don't like levels where the author takes one of the originals and modifies it. Even if extensive work has been done, I find myself looking at it and thinking to myself, "Here's where this used to be, this is where this happened," etc. It spoils the fun to not be treated to a new idea. So you can imagine my initial reaction upon looking at the title.

Hopefully you can also imagine my delight as I worked my way deeper and deeper into this level. The author has left the original base, for the most part, just the way it was before. What he has done with it is exactly what was described in the text file. The entire base is empty, abandoned, and you get the feeling the whole place has been closed down for a number of years. About the only thing that could have made it better would be to add a layer of dust over the floor, and have it kick up as you walked.

The second part of the level is not quite as fun, since it doesn't really do anything new. The author has taken a lot of old ideas, mixed them up, thrown them around, and has succeeded in making a fairly decent environment. There are several nice things; for instance I enjoyed the lighting that turned on as you entered the room. I got the feeling that the Imperials had been lying low with power down to avoid detection, which might very well be the case if you read the story the author has included.

Easily the best thing about this level is the way that he's added the new area to work with the old base. It doesn't feel artificial, but more like the Imps figured out it would be a waste to let this whole place just sit and fall apart. The architecture is also pretty nice, with lots of areas to explore, and things to do.

I also really liked the story the author has come up with. It's a good segueway from the end of Dark Forces into his own level, and he sets up the information in a way that makes it fun, and doesn't feel like just another briefing.

Overall

You'll want to snag this level and try it out. If you like to wander through places with a lot of atmosphere you'll enjoy this. If you just want to blast away, there isn't much to keep you busy here, but it's still good enough to warrant your attention.

REVIEW: Frogman

Geoff Elliott — Thu, 05 Dec 1996 00:00:00 GMT

This level has an interesting premise. The author has apprently gotten sick of being Kyle all the time and introduced his brother, Ken. That's fun, and it allows him to write a decent story. However, because he doesn't carry through with the same amount of detail in the level as he puts into the story, the whole thing is pretty much a bust.

For one thing, the level is incredibly short. And there's not even a single puzzle for you to deal with. Your path is set, you follow the route, grab the hostages, and in about 60 seconds you're all done. Not what I'd call a good use of my time.

The author describes this as his attempt to see if the teleporter chutes could be used in a realistic manner. He suceeds in finding some interesting ways to use them, but it's very obvious when they're applied, so it spoils any realism he might have otherwise established.

Overall

Aside from the interesting use of the teleporter chutes, this level really isn't worth your time. If you're a author looking for some ideas on the use of the chutes, you might take a look. Otherwise don't bother.

REVIEW: Lahara Hotel

Anonymous — Tue, 03 Dec 1996 00:00:00 GMT

This is, in my opinion, one of the best homemade Dark Forces levels ever made. Many new WAXes and other components are woven into the level, but with nothing in excess. The plot involves Kyle's attempt to rescue four diplomats (jokingly labeled figures already seen in the original game, such as Moff Rebus' and Crix Madine's relatives) who are sympathetic to the rebellion. The empire has captured them and is holding them in the Lahara Hotel, a deluxe highrise building known throughout the galaxy.

The layout, for a start, is brilliant. Everything is there for a reason, and circumstances at points call for Kyle to crawl along narrow ledges far above the city streets, or to crawl through ventilation shafts to get to other floors, or to shut down the power in the main generator (very neat), or to jump from one suite's balcony to get to another suite, the door of which is locked. There are four floors to the hotel, and each one can be accessed by a main elevator. The diplomats are being held captive in various parts of the building, and it's a real adventure trying to find them.

Another thing that makes this level great are the new, creative additions, that make the level fit into the "Star Wars" universe but that also have footholds in our world, making the level seem more tangible. These little additions and attentions to detail will have you sitting back and admiring the genius of the designer. I've attempted to list these features below:

The level starts on a landing pad type rooftop, with a blinking "HOTEL" sign prominently displayed over the entrance into the building.
A large cocktail lounge replete with a bar and dining tables.
A rooftop swimming pool (sans dianogas, thank goodness!)
Hotel rooms with closets, light switches that work, beds, TVs, and balconies overlooking the skyline.
A service elevator that takes you down to a very realistic looking parking garage with large locking doors (WOW!).
A covered walk way over the city streets (neat!).
Various homemade posters, and
An impressive AT-ST walker looming over the hotel entrance.

In addition, the level also includes a short but professionally done cutscene at the beginning, a new briefing, and a very nice-looking loading screen. Also, there is completely new music for the level, a sort of jazzy, big-city theme that also has elements of "Star Wars" type music when it changes into the intense fight-scene music. I don't know where the author got this music, perhaps he wrote it himself, but it greatly enhances an already excellent level. In my opinion, a well-thought out and well executed level is the most important thing, but almost important is the addition of new things to stop people who have played the original levels over and over from being disinterested. A think levels like this one, with new WAXes and briefings, and especially new cutscenes and music, are among the best ones out there.

You probably thought I'd never get to this part, but there are some drawbacks to this level, just like any other. For example, in the field of enemies, this level is not very difficult at all, with no enemies other than imperial soldiers and the rare droid or bounty hunter. Nevertheless, there are plenty of puzzles to figure out, and the level is very nonlinear in that you can tackle any of a number of puzzles first, so you will still find this level challenging. Also, for a big,upbeat hotel, the walls and lighting were pretty dark and confining. It would have been nice to have gotten a little variety and brightness. Finally, part of the level involves walking through the city streets. This is really bland due to the lack of anything like street lights or vehicles parked on the road to hold your interest.

Overall

All in all, though, these are minor problems compared to the many times you will want to play this level, because there are so many ways you can go about beating it. This one is definitely a must see.

REVIEW: Lahara Hotel

Geoff Elliott — Tue, 03 Dec 1996 00:00:00 GMT

This is one of the better levels I've played as of yet, and for several reasons. The first is the plot. While it really boils down to another recuse the prisoner idea, the author has replaced the prisoner with hostages, and that is somewhat unique. When combined with his setting, this idea takes on a whole new perspective as we are placed in a situation that can be all too real for us in our world.

The second is undoubtedly the great new ideas that the author has added. There are several original things combined with lots of adaptations of old ideas. One of the best things about all this stuff is that the author has included it to serve a purpose, not just be around for the player to see. Examples are the Sam and Max tune he's converted, plus textures, 3DOs, and lots more.

The author also does a great job with the layout of the hotel. There are rooms, banquet halls, and everything you might find in a hotel. And he's also included it as part of a city that you can run around to your hearts' content, and even get lost in if you're not careful. The one gripe I really have about the level is that the textures he's chosen for certain areas don't make me think of a hotel, but more of a prison. It's undoubtedly a hold-over from the previous storyline of rescue the prisoner, but it does punch a hole in the level.

Overall

I think that this is a great level, starting with the opening cutscene and finishing with the great puzzles throughout the level. You'll want to check this out to get a fresh taste of Dark Forces.

REVIEW: Dark Trooper Search

Geoff Elliott — Mon, 25 Nov 1996 00:00:00 GMT

I have no idea what this group of levels is really called, but the GOB is dtsearch, and so I named it Dark Trooper Search. The title is fitting, and the story to fit it is great. I love the idea of hunting down the remaining Dark Troopers. This idea could take Kyle all over the galaxy to complete his goals, and that promises a lot of new things, and a lot of action to go with them.

Unfortunately, the author never finished the set. He starts out great; the first level has a good combination of new and old, and some nice puzzles and ideas. The construction of the facility is fresh; he doesn't lose sight of the good levels that he has to model after, but he also does some new things. One of the best is the design of the Corvette, which you can view from the outside as well as going inside. The new textures are cool, and it's fun to look out the windows and see a ship hanging outside. The first level is a great start for this series.

But the second level is an extreme disappointment. It's only the Ramses Hed, with a few things changed. It's really boring to go through a level you've already done before, especially when it's supposed to be a new setting. It's not like there aren't a lot of Corvette levels out there to gain ideas from, and if the author was scared of just doing over what others had done, he certainly shouldn't have just taken the Ramses Hed and changed it a little. After the first level, this was a let down.

The author goes on to describe his prepared plot for the third and fourth levels. The story is good, and he suggests someone continue the series. I would like to add my suggestion to his, since this is too good an idea to let it go to waste. A small group of people could really do a great job with this.

Overall

I really liked the first level, but the second could have been done better. The overall idea is great, and reading through the text file, I like where the author was going. Unfortunately I have to judge the series on the first two for now, but hopefully somebody will take up the idea and complete the story.

REVIEW: Escape from Hoth

Geoff Elliott — Mon, 25 Nov 1996 00:00:00 GMT

It was probably a foregone conclusion that Hoth levels would be common in the Dark Forces universe. The Robotics level was little more than Hoth level with a new twist, and included all the features Dark Forces level authors could use to create their own Hoth levels. Escape from Hoth was one of the first to come out, and it's done a good job of building off the Robotics level.

The level has a lot of cool stuff in it, and tons of extra space for you to explore. You can literally spend hours crawling through the ice caves of Hoth, and you never know what you might find. The problem with all this extra space is that it really serves no purpose other than to make the level larger. If you know your way around, you can complete this level in a few minutes, otherwise it could take, as I mentioned above, a few hours. However, the hundreds of corridors to search through do increase the difficulty of the level, and also give you something to do.

The best thing about the level is the AT-AT 3DO it includes. Having shown up in several levels since, it was incredible the first time I saw it. But aside from that, the level is pretty much built off of Robotics. You can find a lot of the same stuff, right down to the old conveyor belts now turned into large ice formations. The level can get really boring after a while because of the similarity of the textures. It's the same over and over. This is a drawback of an ice-planet, and the author can't manage to overcome it. I was also disappointed to find that Echo Base hadn't been set up like the movies. Unless this level takes place in some other base on the planet("It could be smugglers, it could be..."), I think the author might have tried a bit harder to recreate the hangars and passageways we saw in ESB. It would have added something to the level that it tends to lack.

Overall

This level is somewhat of a letdown; it doesn't do much more than build off of ROBOTICS, and add a few mazes and Dark Troopers. But if you grab the cutscene with the level, it becomes a little more fun, and there's enough new stuff in here to keep you interested. So it might still be worth your time; if you have extra download time you can be the judge.

REVIEW: Star Destroyer/"Oppressor IV"

Geoff Elliott — Mon, 25 Nov 1996 00:00:00 GMT

I was very excited about the level for the first few sentences of the description. But then my enthusiasm quickly went downhill. The plot seemed great up until he included that bit about Palpatine's brother. I'd like to think I'm fairly inclusive when it comes to plot ideas, but this seems a little out of reach. I wonder why he couldn't leave well enough alone and turn out a great level.

As it is, the level feels like it's gone overboard. There are tons of new WAXs, new weapons for you to use, and new enemies. The idea for the stormtrooper jetpack works great, with the logic of Fett being applied to the troopers. I wish the author could have adapted the WAX for the trooper a little rather than just applying new logic since it appears to be walking through the air, but it's tolerable. But the real problem comes from the dozen other WAXs, some of which look great and some that don't. The TIE pilots are really light grey, and some others look like sketches. And then there's the Crow. He's redone the textures completely, and while this is not necessarily a small feat, the new ship looks terrible. My own opinion of course, but I'm not used to seeing bright flourescent ships sitting in the hangar of a Star Destroyer.

And speaking of the Star Destroyer, the level looks nothing like we might expect it to. I can't seem to find any resemblance to the ships we know and love, except the window patterns. The level is small, unsuitable for a Star Destroyer, the hangar bays open straight out to the side, the bridge is constructed oddly, and all around there are bright textures, nothing like the dark and foreboding colors from the movies. I'd like to know what was running through the author's head at the time he created this.

I can't help but think that if the author had taken some time to think out what he was trying to do, then set up a plan and tried to keep it simple, this level could have turned out great. As it is he seems to have fallen prey to that disease which claims first-time authors; simply, he tried to put too much in the level when he could have put the same amount of effort into a smaller idea and done a great job.

Overall

I wouldn't bother with this one. If you want a Star Destroyer, there are better ones around. If you want Boba Fett and lots of stormtroopers and Emperor's acting like him, try this out. But if you're looking for a good solid level with decent ideas to provide a challenge, look somewhere else.

REVIEW: The Evacuation of Hoth

Geoff Elliott — Sun, 24 Nov 1996 00:00:00 GMT

I've always loved the Battle of Hoth. It's been a great example of action, drama, and pure excitement in movies for a long time. And aside from the abscence of John Williams' pounding soundtrack, here I think the author has managed to capture what the battle must have been like for those frantic Rebels trying to find some way to escape.

Quite easily the best thing about this level is the mood it puts you in right from the beginning. Your first instinct when you see the walkers on the horizon is to run, and as Imperials come at you from left and right, you never lose that first feeling of panic. The author has also made you feel like you're in the middle of an attack. Taking some cues from movies and the Talay level, there are passages blocked with ice and snow, and bodies of the dead rebels lying around. There are also blast marks, smoke trails, and explosions raining all around you.

The feeling that you are being hunted is also present throughout the level. Walls explode as you approach to reveal Imperial troops pouring through a gap in the defenses, and you need to either stop and fight, or try to push forward.

You can't go through this level without hitting the ice caves, and they happen to be my favorite part. The textures have been altered and combined with original Dark Forces ones to create dark caverns complete with the soft blue glow of ice. It's really impressive for such a simple trick.

That's not to say this level isn't without problems. Like the author says, you should avoid trying explosives in the ice caves. And there are some points where the level loses its illusion. Out on the front line the author needs to restrict your movement to keep the level small, and he does it by setting up an invisible wall. He continues the landscape beyond the wall, but it generates the feeling you're being confined, and when you look out across the snow fields, it doesn't feel real. And why are the Dark Troopers here? I think that three Phase 3s absolutely ruins the level. One might have been tolerable, if placed strategically and given a purpose, but these don't have a point. It really destroyed the level for me. Why the author would resort to using them when he's already created a level that's tough to survive in and to figure out is completely beyond me.

Overall

Hey, I really like this level, but the Dark Troopers just blew it for me. The feelings the author had started to evoke, the anxiety, fear, panic, they all just vanished at my first sight of them. But regardless, this is a good level you'll want to download. It tells the story of the Hoth battle from a different perspective, and that's always a good reason to try it.

REVIEW: Distribution Center

Geoff Elliott — Sat, 23 Nov 1996 00:00:00 GMT

This is one tough level to get through. Not only are there more enemies and death traps than you'd find in several other levels combined, but the author has put in several puzzles for you to figure out. This level will tax your skills as a Dark Forces player, and I doubt anyone will complete it on the first try. As the author says, this level will require you to play it several times before you finally master it. But after running through it, I can't help but wonder why anyone would really want to.

The author loves to make you jump. The hardest jumping combinations I've found in a level to date are in here. But after the first couple, you begin to want something different. The exterior jumping sequences have a point. But later it starts to feel like the author can't come up with anything different. Some of the sequences are pointless: why would you need to jump from conveyor belt section to section? Aren't the belts supposed to carry cargo? This kind of design might work great for Super Mario Brothers, but in Dark Forces, it's just plain annoying.

I also want to know where the author got some of his other ideas for construction. The center is set up like an obstacle course. For some levels that's great, since that's the point. But here the area is supposed to serve a purpose, to transport and distribute Imperial cargo. Half the belts lead to nowhere, and often there are alcoves with troops in them, but no way for the troops to have gotten there, and no purpose for the alcoves other than to serve as smiper points. There's no thought to the construction of this level's surroundings.

There's also no real point to the plot. Jan has the plans and is trapped, right? But when you get to the end, it becomes very obvious she could have made it out herself. And why does Kyle start out with no wepaons? Why would he purposefully walk into an Imperial depot completely unarmed? And why are there Dark Troopers of all phases in the base, when the DT project hasn't even been approved by Darth Vader yet? And what is Boba Fett doing here? Fairly rapidly the level takes on the feel of a rough draft, much like a paper a student hurridly scribbles out during lunch before his next class.

Overall

Any player who makes it through this level should be commended on his skills. The level is tough, and confusing. It also doesn't have a point, and failed to keep me interested. If you want to see if you can make it through, try the level out. But otherwise leave it alone.

REVIEW: Escape from Secret Base II

Geoff Elliott — Fri, 22 Nov 1996 00:00:00 GMT

This is an interesting level. It's not hard, it's not easy, and it doesn't use a whole lot of complex puzzles in it. The basic stance is that you are required to find the correct key to unlock the hangar holding the Crow. But even with the standard basis, this level does make playing it worthwhile, and enjoyable.

The design of the base is nicely done, and seems to be well thought out. You have an exterior, and landing pad, and lots of other features that fill out all the holes other levels seem to fall into. Unlike others, this base feels natural, like it was built, not slapped together. Other levels have a sloppy feeling to them, but this base is precise.

You have plenty of soldiers around it as well, but the level is still a pretty easy one to complete. The Dark Trooper at the end is explained by the story(which fits nicely with what DF gave us), but he's boxed in, without the room to make full advantage of his abilities. I also noticed you can exit the level before confronting him, so the difficulty is lessened considerably.

Overall

My biggest complaint is that this level is too easy, and really too predictable. But the construction and story are great. I didn't find any HOMs or other glitches in the level aside from the DT problem. So basically this level won't challenge you, but it's still fun to play.

REVIEW: Impossible Rescue

Geoff Elliott — Fri, 22 Nov 1996 00:00:00 GMT

The first level to use Tatooine as a setting was original; it had lots of new things to keep you interested. This level has some new things too, but you can't seem to get past the feeling that it's just a rerun.

First off, the author recycles a lot of his previous level. While this is good, as it increases the believability that you're actually visiting the same place, and increases the continuity between levels, it also deadens the interest, especially if you just completed the previous mission. By having gone through it all before, you know your way around, know a lot of the puzzles, and even the new items don't seem quite as eye-catching. It's a lot like running through an adaption of the original Dark Forces levels. The second time is not nearly as fun.

Even the plot seems to have been done before. It really is just an adaption of all the rescue Madine levels, with Threepio in his place. While the author should be given a little credit for creativeness in the setting and the use of the droid in place of Madine, this plot is getting old real fast.

The author does throw in some new things to keep the level enjoyable. Boba Fett's base has been converted, and the area surrounding it has been expanded to include several new cliffs. But when you get right down to it, it's all pretty much the same.

Overall

This level is best compared to a poor remake of a classic movie. The plot is twisted a little to provide some new entertainment, but when it's all over, you have an urge for the original version. If you're looking to play a Tatooine level, I'd pick one of the two the author has made. Doing both constitutes overkill.

REVIEW: Operation Death Star

Geoff Elliott — Fri, 22 Nov 1996 00:00:00 GMT

This is just one of the levels to attempt to construct a death star, but it's by far the one that succeeds the most. Complete with an accurate detention center, trash compactor, and the hallways and chasms we found in ANH, this level has every ingredient that makes up a good level. Even the plot is sound; it makes sense that the Imperials would not let Kyle escape so easily, and this idea fits in well with the story supplied by Dark Forces. All DF says is that Kyle delivered the plans to the Rebels; it doesn't mention any troubles he might have had along the way.

This level is also not that easy to get through. You start off without any weapons, hard enough against a single Kell dragon, but surely deadly in an Imperial detention center. After appropriating some weapons, you get to make your way through a station filled with troopers. There are generators to keep them coming so the action never stops.

There are a few little details I noticed that seemed out of place. Why is the door to my cell unlocked? And why can I open it from the inside anyway? This is a question we could ask of Dark Forces as well, but it's made worse when you are meant to be a prisoner placed in that cell. I also would have expected the Death Star to have a few more troops in it to throw at an intruder. It's tough as it is, but the whole place seemed a little sparse to me.

Overall

The author has done a great job on this level, compiling many of the places we love from Star Wars into the plot, and still managing to keep the story within reasonable limits. This is one level you won't want to miss.

REVIEW: Operation Tatooine

Geoff Elliott — Fri, 22 Nov 1996 00:00:00 GMT

I'm sure that it was bound to come that somebody would create a level on Tatooine. After, the planet figured rather prominently in the first three movies and promises to do so in the prequels as well. What wasn't bound to come was a good level out of it; after all, just taking a good atmosphere and slapping a plot on it does not a good level make. But here the author has managed to pull it off.

There are lots of new WAXes and 3DOs to help out this level. And the place really feels like Tatooine. You can almost feel a bead of sweat dripping off your face as you run through the cliffs and caverns. One thing that the author should be especially commended on is that he doesn't throw in a lot of stuff that isn't crucial to the level just for the sake of having it in there. Everything new has a purpose to it: to make the level more interesting and create a more realistic Tatooine.

There are generators present in this level to keep the enemies churning out, and that also keeps the difficulty high. But in a remote place like Tatooine, I thought the generators were out of place. It didn't make sense to have stormtroopers and bounty hunters appearing constantly. Maybe in an Imperial base, or a Star Destroyer there would be an ample supply of soldiers so to have them keep appearing is understandable. But in the middle of the desert and especially near Boba Fett's base of Ops, you would think that the number of enemies to confront would be minimal. I also would have preferred to need to figure out several puzzles in Boba Fett's base. Even though there is a booby trap, you can almost walk right in. I would expect a bounty hunter to have a little more protection than that.

Overall

I felt this level could have used a little work. Once you stop ooh-ing and ah-ing about the new features and just being able to play in Tatooine, you'll realize the level seems terribly vacant. Even with Boba Fett(who we get to kill/stun AGAIN), the level isn't tough, and doesn't come up to it's full potential.

REVIEW: Easter Attack

Geoff Elliott — Thu, 21 Nov 1996 00:00:00 GMT

The best part about this level is probably the design of the monastary. It's not huge, or overly complex, but it does have some secret rooms, passageways, and a large center chamber reminiscient of the massive cathedrals in Europe. One could argue that the author should have added a great deal more detail in order to enhance the experience, but I would say that the simplicity of the design works well when considering the lifestyle the monks would lead.

The story is also an interesting mixture of Christian beliefs with the Star Wars Universe. It gives a good description of how the Revives and Extra Lives work, and the process of their construction. But I would like to know how the Empire has managed to cross such vast distances of Time and Space to reach Earth, when all the events we are familiar with occured "a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away..."

I also wish that the author had put a little more into the level. The monastary is nice to look at and walk through, but that's really all the level consists of. The goals are pretty simple to complete, and the level doesn't offer anything else. It's not difficut due to the nature of the story, and the puzzles are pretty much nonexistant.

Overall

I enjoyed the architecture of the monastary; ducking from pillar to pillar, trading shots with the troopers down below was lots of fun. But the level was too short for me to really enjoy, and too easy to offer any real fun or frustration. It might be one to download on Easter, just for fun.

REVIEW: Death Star Plans

Geoff Elliott — Wed, 20 Nov 1996 00:00:00 GMT

I really have to feel sorry for anyone who downloaded this level, myself included. The entire thing consists of a few rooms conencted by large doors. There are no challenges to this level, no puzzles to figure out, and no interesting architecture. The texture choice was either poor, or very little thought went into the construction of this base.

And what's with Boba Fett, Kell Dragons and Dark Troopers? If this is the set of plans for the first Death Star, the DTs aren't around yet; if they're for the second then the project is gone. And there's nowhere to keep the Kell Dragons, except the corridors and rooms of the base. There are no holding pens, just another example of the small amount of thought that is displayed here. All of the larger boss characters are put in just for the sake of having them in the level, and it doesn't do anything for it.

Overall

Stay away. Stay far away. It's only a 10K download, but unless you're incredibly curious, or doing your own review page, this level isn't worth the 5 minutes it takes to complete it.

REVIEW: DF96 - The Ties That Bind

Geoff Elliott — Mon, 18 Nov 1996 00:00:00 GMT

I'm not going to try to put a thoughtful introduction into this review. I just can't figure out what I want to write. So I'll just give you my initial reaction to playing Dark Forces 96.

Wow.

In case you didn't get that, I'll repeat it.

Wow.

If I had to accurately describe this set of levels, I'd refer to it as an expansion disk for Dark Forces. The authors have gotten together to create a fabulous story, and constructed levels that bring it to life.

If I was to really do it justice, I'd need to expound on all the different settings and new ideas the authors have brought into each of the levels. But to do that I'd spoil everything for all of you when you try it. So I'll attempt to give you an overview of what you can expect, without ruining it.

You can expect new settings, settings you recognize, and adapted settings from the movies that have been enhanced with creative ideas. You will find new characters, old characters, and each of them will be vivid and have a personality. You will travel to many different places, all flung across the galaxy, and everywhere you go the atmosphere will reflect the area around it, and it will feel natural, not contrived. There will be times when you are nervous, apprehensive, happy, fulfilled, disapointed, and frustrated. But most of all, you will probably have the best time you can find in an add-on to Dark Forces.

In order to set their level apart from being just another set of levels in Dark Forces, the authors have come up with some new surprises, not the least of which is the extensive amount of artwork that has been done. New textures cover the walls, and new 3DOs are evident in many of the levels. And new sounds also help to enhance the experience, from new dialogue to music. There are lots of new and edited things in this set a Dark Forces player will appreciate.

But rather than settle for throwing a lot of flashy new graphics at you, these levels will also challenge your playing ability. The puzzles are some of the more complex I've found, and many times you might find yourself traveling down one avenue, then discover you need to backtrack and fix something before you can continue. There are also numerous secrets to be found, often with some humorous results.

To sum it all up, the authors have created a new chapter in the history of Dark Forces, and I have no doubt the players who use the levels will enjoy it. The best thing about these levels is that they each take on their own distinct feel, but they do it without seperating themselves from the other five. DF96 does not feel like six levels put together to form a unit, but six levels that are each a part of a greater whole. I have always thought that a story is the best way to begin a level. If you start with a story you want to tell, it helps bring ideas to the level, and also helps you to flesh it out and give it some depth. The authors here have achieved something you won't find in every level you download; they tell you a story. This story wraps you up and will not let you go until you've done everything the authors have set out for you to accomplish, and overcome every obstacle they've set in your path.

Overall

Are you still reading this? If so, stop and download this new set of levels right now. There's no excuse for not at least trying it, and I'm sure many players will zip it up for use and enjoyment in the years to come.

REVIEW: Underground Research Facility

Geoff Elliott — Mon, 18 Nov 1996 00:00:00 GMT

I was disappointed with this level. I enjoyed the premise of going back to the facility where the Dark Trooper first originated, but while going through the whole thing, I just felt like it failed to deliver. There are Dark Troopers of course, and even an interesting room with protoypes of them, but I never saw what I would think of as a great research facility. There where no construciton lines, or even a lab. After completion I was let down.

The other thing which really irks me is that the author didn't seem to feel that the player should accomplish anything in the level. You get to run through and "wreak some havoc", but you don't discover anything, there aren't any difficult puzzles, and the author fails to develop some of his storylines from the text file.

What the author does do is set up an interesting setting, an underground facility. Descending through the caverns was fun, and he did a good job to make it that way. His texture placement was good, although the green lights did get a little annoying. His design was nice too, especially near the end. He also managed to alter the Dark Trooper weapon, which was interesting. The slideshow he created was a nice replacement for the cutscenes, and did display some creativity.

Overall

What can I really say in summary? I didn't really like it, but I didn't hate it. It's not bad, it's not great, it's just kind of so-so. Grab it if you want, but don't expect too much out of it.

REVIEW: TIE Defender Base

Geoff Elliott — Sun, 17 Nov 1996 00:00:00 GMT

This is one of the largest and most detailed levels ever created for Dark Forces. It was also one of the first ones, and I first tried it about a year ago. I was enthralled by all the new things packed into this level. I never got a chance to play the first version, but the Collector's Edition has so many creative ideas and settings to enhance gameplay that I will never tire of playing this level.

The story itself offers up so many oppoortunities for the author to add little details to the level, and he takes full advantage of them. He also puts in several areas which can help you along the way, but are in no way necessary to completing the level. There's at least one building that the first time I skipped right by, but when coming back to play again, I noticed several additional things to explore. I don't doubt that I'll find something new every time I play this level, because not everything is obvious at first. There are lots of new WAXs and 3DOs that you can find, but you might miss some of the more subtle things; I'll let you play the level rather than cover them all here.

The design of this level is one of the best things about it. You get to see waterfalls, cliffs and you need to work your way into the base rather than get plopped right into it at the begining. It takes you back to level four of Dark Forces, and I think this author has improved substantially on the original in ways.

In his text file the author also warns that the level is hard, and he isn't kidding. The base is guarded heavily, and I found myself running out of ammo in key situations. I think that's more due to my trigger-happy nature than to any fault on the part of the author. But the puzzles are what make this level even more interesting. Even what may on the surface seem like a relatively simple concept can be twisted to provide a real challenge. I spent many a frustrating time going back and forth trying new things to work my way past a particular problem. And even if you can figure everything out, there are Dark Troopers galore to battle against. You're going to need every bit of skill and cunning you can muster to make it by this level on the Hard setting. It took me several tries to make it myself, and then only by memorizing the sequence of events, and learning to conserve ammo and shields. This is one level that will make you work for whatever you get.

Overall

This level is one of the classics, and one no Dark Forces fan should be without. If you can, grab the custom-made cutscene by Carl Kenner; the experience is definitely worth the hard drive space and download time. But even without, there is enough here to keep you challenged and interested for a long time.

REVIEW: TIE Defender Base

Jeff Walters — Sun, 17 Nov 1996 00:00:00 GMT

This is one of my favourites and regarded by a lot of people as the best add-on level. What really sets this level apart from others is the atmosphere created by the numerous intricate VUEs the author has made. They are all smooth and extremely precise in construction and makes you want to sit back and admire them.

The VUE of the TIE fighter flying patrol down the river gully, then entering the base is just beautiful. The smaller VUEs in a control room that has several rotating model ships are a terrific idea and very nicely done.

This is definitely one of the bigger levels with many different locations to visit that you don't HAVE to in order to finish the game. This means that the more times you play it you often discover new things and places which is rarely seen in most levels that often FORCE you to visit everywhere in order to finish. Some might see this as a fault, but I like it as it means that each time you play it you can take a different path to the last time you played it.

The level is pretty well constructed architectually, but there are better. And the texturing is good, not great, but you don't really notice these facts in this level as you would in another. One problem is that there are too many Dark Troopers and the Hunter Killer probe droid is easily the hardest foe in ANY level.

The tricky elevator sequence where the Sequencer Charge is located, is well thought out if a bit frustrating, especially considering you have to fight a literal army of Dark Troopers in this part. The ending is just terrific with TIEs zooming over your head as you fight off the last few Dark Troopers.

Overall

As said at the start, what really makes the level is the countless, beautifully created VUEs; it's a pity more levels released since this one haven't duplicated this visual effect. A classic level, extremely enjoyable.

REVIEW: Destroy Imperial Supply Depot

Geoff Elliott — Sat, 16 Nov 1996 00:00:00 GMT

This is a very large level, and as I made my way through it, I was constantly amazed at the ability of the author to create so many different environments in one area, and yet manage to tie them all together. You need to find different keys to make your way through, but I found myself so entranced by the scope of the level and the detail involved that finding the keys became a secondary goal. My first was to explore the entire place and discover everything there was about it.

This level is so incredible that if I didn't know better I would assume it was an original from Dark Forces. The size is amazing, and it is absolutely bug free. There are no loose ends lying around and I found myself challenged while playing. There are numerous puzzles to solve, and I had to play it twice before I managed to complete it. The puzzles aren't the only thing the author throws at you; there are plenty of enemies, and he doesn't dump all of the weapons on you to combat them. One of my favorite things was how he set up the confrontations, either ducking and firing between the cargo boxes of the depot, or playing hide and seek in a dimly lit room. It was fun and difficult at the same time.

I was rather amazed to discover the lack of a story behind this level; usually Star Wars and Dark Forces fans love to take the opportunity to carve out their own niche in the Star Wars Universe. But while playing the level, it occured to me that the abscence of the story seemed to work for it. Without it, the depot is just another Imperial facility scheduled for demolition by Katarn, and the anonimity of it creates a bit of mystery around the place.

Overall

I still can't really get over the lack of a story. It would have made the level so much more fun, and without it, the level does have a bit of a bland feel. On the plus side, even without a plot the author does a great job with this level, and it is worth playing.

REVIEW: Operation: Evasive Action

Geoff Elliott — Sat, 16 Nov 1996 00:00:00 GMT

This level takes us back to Return of the Jedi. Apparently the Emperor has stockpiled the last of his Dark Troopers, and is preparing to use to stop the Rebel attack on Endor. This seems to bend several of the storylines in ROTJ, but it's only bending. This level is fun, and it gives us a little history of what Kyle might have been doing in the years between the Arc Hammer and the upcoming Jedi Knight. The author uses the textures that we've come to associate with the Death Star to provide an accurate environment to work in.

One of the things I enjoyed the most is the author's use of messages to continue the action from the movies while you go about your business. Updates from Endor serve to add urgency to your quest, and also help to make this new chapter of the Battle of Endor find its niche.

This level is not without shortcomings however. It appears that Kyle snuck in via a shuttle before the battle outside began, which explains how he made it through the shield. But how did the Emperor intend to get the Dark Troopers down to Endor without lowering the shield in the middle of the fight? I don't think he would have chanced even one Rebel fighter getting through to the Death Star. Regardless of that, I have to congratulate the author on not succumbing to the temptation of having Kyle blow up the Death Star. I realize this must be an obvious opportunity for the Rebels, but one has to stay within the boundaries set by George Lucas and Co.

Overall

This level is fun, and the story is creative as well. The author has found a way to use Dark Troopers as a part of his story, not just an addition. There are some things I can be really nitpicky about, but the bottom line is that I had fun while playing.

REVIEW: M/CRV Dana

Geoff Elliott — Fri, 15 Nov 1996 00:00:00 GMT

Ever wanted to fight for the Empire? Now's your chance. In this level you take on the role of an Imperial stormtrooper charged with the recovery of stolen plans. A precise, to-the-point briefing with some nice graphics sets you up for a good time. Very reminiscient of the opening scene from A New Hope, this level does a very good job of transferring the point of view away from Katarn. The author has retooled all the weapons to include white stormtrooper armor, which looks great, and the other members of your squadron are standing by on the transport in case you need the backup. And of course you can't have Imperial troops standing guard on the corvette, so the author has replaced all the waxes with Rebel troops from the movies, which look really good too.

Settings taken from the movies have always worked well in Dark Forces levels, and this is no exception. The corvette is patterned after the one in Dark Forces, but the author has his own original ideas for it. He also does a good job of keeping the mission in perspective. But there are a couple places that could have used some work. I'd like to know why the Imperial probe droids shoot at you, and why they're flying around in the cargo hold at all. I also wish the author could have worked a little more at providing a better model of a corvette to work in. Other authors have gone as far as the technical journals to keep their settings accurate, and lots of other levels have used corvettes too. The level doesn't have a lot of extra space to poke around in. There are a few extra rooms, but that's about it. The path is pretty well laid out for you, and it's not too hard to follow it.

Overall

The thought of playing as a stormtrooper should be enough to induce any Star Wars fan to download this level. Even though some parts are lacking, there are lots of new graphics to check out, and it's fun to play from the other side of the blaster. Hopefully we'll see a few more levels like this surface.

REVIEW: Coober

Geoff Elliott — Thu, 14 Nov 1996 00:00:00 GMT

It's been a long time since I've seen crap like this. I may get fussy about little things like texture placement and alignment, lighting, story, geometry, etc, but I don't think I've ever found a level as pointless as this one.

I was warned, but failed to heed the advice. I told myself that I needed to try the level in order to review it. I was foolish. You can look at the image, and that's all you'll need to see. There is no plot, the only goal is to find Jan(why, I don't know), and most of the textures haven't even been changed from the default. Are we supposed to take this level seriously?

I really hope not. Boba Fett, Darth Vader, enough stormtroopers to make you sick, misaligned textures... this level is just a slapstick job. The secrets aren't even worth it, since the "hidden" doors show up on the map.

Overall

I never thought that I could sink this low in rating a level, but then I guess I'd never played something like Coober before. By policy I have to add a link to the level so you can try it for yourself, but I would really suggest keeping the mouse away from it.

REVIEW: Night Raid

Geoff Elliott — Thu, 14 Nov 1996 00:00:00 GMT

This level is a wonderful example of misplaced priorities and foolish ideals. In it the authors have paid careful attention to the texture placement and fitting in individual rooms. There are new things here and while the level is not very tough there is enough to keep you on your toes.

But unfortunately there are several large flaws that render this level unworthy for many. For starters, for the most part everything is done with 90 degree angles. There isn't much to look at in the way of architecture here. Randomly sized doors, rectangular hallways and a level that for the most part is pretty closed in. There are a couple places where you can take a look up into the sky or down into space, but otherwise the techbase is just flatwalled rooms with nothing much to do.

Quite easily the worst aspect of the level is the complete disregard for the playability of it on most systems. Dark Forces was put out with the minimum requirements of a 386 processor and 8M of RAM. Most levels now days require 16M of RAM and most everyone has a faster computer than a 386. But these authors have put out a level that they suggest a Pentium 133 for, and they say that it STILL has areas in which it slows down. Games like the upcoming Jedi KNight have good reason to require such computing power; the engine is complex, the detail much higher etc. The need for such high hardware for a level in Dark Forces is ridiculous; and it's made even more so by the need for that requirement - a rotating AT-AT in one large area. The idea is ludicrous to begin with and should have been left out. Maybe it looks cool, but it's unrealistic in terms of the level and when referring to the hardware they suggest.

Overall

You can probably tell I didn't like the level. And so I won't bore you by expanding on details like the Babylon 5 textures thrown in for no reason, the crazy idea that Imperials would allow a Rebel X-wing anywhere near what is supposed to be a high security facility, and the unfounded idea that the techbase is high security when it's really quite plain. This level is average for the most part, but really isn't worth your time unless you want tips on what not to do.

REVIEW: The Danger Room

Geoff Elliott — Thu, 14 Nov 1996 00:00:00 GMT

There have been lots of training levels put out, mostly for use by internet groups. And all of them have had two things in common: lots of enemies and lots of guns. Unfortunately, usually they also had another thing in common, a lack of interesting gameplay, mostly brought about by a poor plot. This is one level that breaks the mold.

The author has taken a great idea from the comics and modified it for Dark Forces. The idea of a training level, or any level for that matter, where you can change your surroundings and create a different experience each time is a wonderful concept. Everything here is customizable, from the enemies, to the weapons you use, to the lighting. You even select how long you want to stay in the level. Whenever you're fed up, or nearing death, just hop over to the officer, take the key and get out. Your commander will congratulate you on a fine job.

I have no idea why this level appeals to me so much, but I can make a guess. It has a fresh concept that hasn't been used anywhere else to this point. While the stormtroopers lack the intelligence of other players, it's about as close as you can come to a multiplayer deathmatch in Dark Forces. Speaking of which, I'm hoping to see a modification of this when Jedi Knight comes out! The author described the real Danger Room as a massive arena where numerous fighters could train simultaneously, and I think that would make a great multiplayer level. We can always hope!

Overall

Hey, I enjoyed this level. As the author describes it, it's good for novices to hone their skills if they're having trouble in other add-on levels. Or it's good for veteran players to use to get some quick practice in. I really like the idea; maybe there's a Danger Room for Katarn at the Crow's Nest! However you put it, this level is fun, exciting, and never the same twice!

REVIEW: Operation Borea

Geoff Elliott — Wed, 13 Nov 1996 00:00:00 GMT

From the moment you set foot in this level you can tell that the author doesn't plan to go halfway with it. The exterior architecture consists of huge corridors, with walls reaching towards the sky. And it didn't take long to find some stormies to extend my greetings to. So I decided that this level was going to turn out pretty good. And I was right. The story is very interesting; it's nice to have somebody take some of the other existing Star Wars media and use it for some ideas. The style of the facility is dark and menacing for the most part, although there are different moods for different areas. I found narrow ledges to crawl across, catwalks to run over while Imperials blast at me, and massive chasms intended to keep me away from the data tapes. None of it worked of course and I completed the level with a sense of satisfaction.

I have to complain about the Dark Troopers, especially the Phase 3, because the level didn't need them. It was tough enough without the extra opposition, and all it really did was waste some time. The saving grace is that it wasn't utterly gratuitous, that the author did seem to have an idea in mind when he placed them there. They do seem to work with the level, but I think it could have done better without them.

I also wish that there was something new in the level. If you look at the specs below, it's pretty vacant. Some new sounds, or a couple new WAXs would have really added to the environment. And of course this is supposed to be a construction facility, but the player never gets to see that side of the area. I would have enjoyed looking at some technical readouts of the new ship on a computer screen. Perhaps this was just a command center, and the actual facility was located elsewhere.

Overall

What can I really say that hasn't been said? This is a pretty good level from my perspective. I would have liked it more without the DTs, but the story and grand scale architecture make up for that. If you have some free time and HD space, you might give it a try.

REVIEW: Back to Yavin

Geoff Elliott — Sun, 10 Nov 1996 00:00:00 GMT

I love it when level authors manage to use locations from the movies and wrap a story around them. It allows us to walk through the areas we saw on the big screen or TV, and experience them again in a new way. Return to Bespin was the first to do this, and now Back to Yavin has succeeded brilliantly with the same notion.

Taking his cues directly from A New Hope, the author has done a great job of creating a wonderful Yavin environment. He's done a good job of replicating the pyramids we all know and love, and the approach to the planet in the opening cutscene in reminiscient of the Falcon's flight. The cutscenes are another bonus that really adds to the level. They're pieced together from parts of X-Wing, Dark Forces, and Rebel Assualt, and they're not overbearing, but just add a little extra to the mixture. The really nice part was to be able to look up and see Yavin over the mountains on the horizon. Lots of little things other people might miss have been used to make you feel like you're on Yavin 4, not just another Imperial base.

But really, all of this won't work without a story, and there's a great one to accompany this. Building off existing plot lines, and using characters we're already familiar with, but not sick of yet, the author sets you up for a treat. You know that Yavin will be enjoyable. You know there are puzzles to work out, nice architecture to look at, original textures, FMEs and 3DOs to marvel at. But he's taken his story and developed it with all these things. For instance, he's made mention that the base is undergoing renovation by the Imperials. So there are construciton people working on the base. Some things are broken, lights flicker, like you might expect at a construction site. Another cool idea is to have the characters you meet further the story as you progress. Some familiar droids offer some information, and you need to talk to Gardine to know where he's hidden the tape.

One thing that did bug me were some flaws in the order in which things were accomplished. I infiltrated the base and expected to find Gardine next. But instead I ran into the coupling for the sequencer charge first. This suggests I should set the charge without having found Gardine or the tapes. This makes no sense; I would first want to ensure the safety of the prisoner, then blow the base to bits. But I planted the charge anyway, and was then forced to listen to the alarm sirens blaring through the rest of the level. It's not a big problem, but it sure does get on your nerves.

Overall

I loved this level. There are lots of hidden surprises, chracters to meet, things to see, and fresh ideas to keep you interested. My favorite thing about this level was walking down the aisle of the throne room. I had to pull out my Star Wars soundtrack and do that a few times. There are lots more things to find here as well, so download this one at your convenience.

REVIEW: Commenor Station: Pursuit of Cycy Loctob

Geoff Elliott — Sun, 10 Nov 1996 00:00:00 GMT

Major plot problems aside, I like the story the author has come up with. The addition of the new alloy into the picture, along with his detailed description of its uses, adds a little life to what would otherwise be a pretty mediocre level. It shows some creativity on the author's part. Unfortunately, that creative streak doesn't carry through to the level.

The major problems stem mostly from the plot. With a plot closely resembling that of Nar Shaddaa, the author has trapped himself in an area with little room for improvement: Nar Shadda was one of the more complex, difficult, and enveloping levels of the game, and the best the author can do is copy it. There is nothing really new here, it's just a revamped Nar Shaddaa with some new puzzles and a new WAX.

Where the level really fails is the authors inability to use the resources he has at hand. With dozens of new textures, waxes, etc available, he confines himself to the native Dark Forces ones. And what he does use, he uses over, and over, and over. He never breaks free of the mold and does something interesting. The architecture is basically one-level, with square corners as far as the eye can see, even though editors and the engine allow for much more interesting surroundings.

One interesting problem, for all the Dark Forces programmers out there, is the phantom commandos. Every now and then stormtroopers and commandos appear and disappear. Rooms overlap, just sitting at the edge of your vision. Corpses slide across the floor. It's quite harrowing to turn a corner and see a half-dozen troops there, spray the area with laserfire, and then watch them disappear. Talk about Kyle on spice! These phantom soldiers won't shoot at you, or even acknowledge your prescence, but they can still spook you. The author is aware of this, but doesn't know what might be causing it. I have no idea either.

Overall

Despite all the grumbling, the level really isn't that bad. My comparison to Nar Shadda was intended; it copies the atmosphere nicely, but remains a copy, and an obvious one. There are places where the author does some nice stuff, reminiscient of A New Hope, but the whole thing never gets off the ground. It's an average level for a first-timer; hopefully we'll see some more in the future.

REVIEW: Assassinate Darth Vader

Geoff Elliott — Tue, 05 Nov 1996 00:00:00 GMT

First, the obvious: the plot is nothing more than a way to get Vader into a level. The rest is there to give it some validity but it violates so many constants in the Star Wars universe it's unbelievable. Apparently this takes place before the Battle of Yavin, when Vader and the Emperor are hunting down the Jedi Knights. Of course Katarn would still be in Imperial service at this point; and why Vader only merits a Victory-Class Star Destroyer with no escort is unknown. The good news is, after the first few steps through the level, most of the plot is forgotten. The level envelops you in the Star Wars universe, and there's really only one thing on your mind: Vader.

In his text file, the author gives credit to the Star Wars Technical Journal, which he says he used constantly for information. It shows. The level consists of a Star Destroyer, nothing more, but this Star Destroyer is incredibly accurate. Granted, it doesn't encompass what would be an entire Star Destroyer (there's no commercial PC that could run a level that large and detailed) but it does do a fine job. There are crew quarters, separated between officers and stormtroopers, along with rec rooms, bathrooms... the list goes on and on. The amount of detail and creativity put into this thing is astounding. At times you feel like stopping the action and just taking a tour of the grand facility provided for you(which is fun!).

There are also several items that Star Wars fans should be familiar with. The Star Destroyer comes complete with an accurate bridge, where you can look out of the standard windows over the rest of the ship, and next door is a holographic display complete with rotating TIE. I felt like I'd stepped into TIE Fighter. The bridge area even has a pad for Vader to communicate with the Emperor, straight out of ESB.

For you to get around the ship, you need the standard keys and code cards, but the author has managed to get around the usual dreary business by giving you the afore-mentioned areas to explore. You pick up the keys along the way, running through this maze of corridors and rooms to find all kinds of secrets. The eventual goal is to reach the captain, who has the key to Vader's private chamber.

Of course all of this is leading up to your confrontation with Vader. And this is where the level slips. Vader is really just a Phase 1 Dark Trooper, and as such is way too easy to overcome. The VOCs work great, with a humming lightsaber and the characteristic breathing, but without a challenge, I felt disappointed. The author is aware of this, and wishes it could be otherwise. But it would be very difficult, not to mention illegal, to hack into the program. However, there are always alternatives.

It's difficult to find something to gripe about here, but I managed to come up with a suggestion. Despite what was done here, the author didn't use all that was available to him via the numerous web pages out there. I would have expected to see some grey shirted officers on an Imperial ship, or perhaps some stormtroopers without the helmets (I think there's a WAX for that) in their quarters. If the author wants to take this a step further, there are numerous areas where one more little item would increase the experience a lot. Dare we hope for a second version?

Overall

If you haven't downloaded this level already, do it now. I have yet to find a level to so completely immerse me in the surroundings. All the parts of Dark Forces you could possibly want are here, from the shootouts to the puzzles. Vader's a little easy, but once you get over it there's plenty more to grab your attention. My congratulations to the author on a job well done.

Recently Peter Klassen released some cutscenes for this level. Having tried them I can definitely recommend them. While they don't make the level any more fun or interesting they do add another dimension to the experience, completing it in a way.

REVIEW: Cargo Bay 5

Geoff Elliott — Tue, 05 Nov 1996 00:00:00 GMT

As soon as I read the description for the level I was mentally setting this review down a couple notches. Not only does the idea of another "rescue Madine from a detention center" make my stomach turn, but the word bounty hunter immediately sent visions of Boba Fett flying through my head. In these two regards, I wasn't wrong with my original impressions. Boba Fett is here, locked up in an Imperial cell for some reason. And while this level isn't just a detention center, that's the main focus, and it's unimaginative.

My biggest gripe is that I can't quite understand why the author would settle for something so unoriginal. The architecture isn't that bad, and there are several interesting puzzles, lots of switches to figure out what they do, and bad guys to mow down by the dozens. There's even a couple new WAXs that are pretty nice. But by giving the player all the weapons at the beginning, he eliminates the chance that this level will provide much of a challenge, and the plot just doesn't let the level go anywhere. A little more would be appreciated; perhaps a little extra to complete some of the description. The author writes that Vader will be coming in to inspect the area shortly, but never develops this idea. Why not have Madine and Katarn have to find a back way out, trying to escape before Vader arrives? Having to watch as a shuttle lands on a platform as I'm trying to avoid stormtrooper fire, knowing who it's carrying, would take this plot to a whole different level. As it is, the place feels hollow, and uninspired.

Overall

It's really too bad that this level fails. If the author had taken just a little more time to think about what he was doing, this could really come off well. But right now the plot is full of holes, and the level suffers for it. He makes mention of another level he's written, Invasion, and calls it his "good" level. Hopefully it will accomplish what this one fails to.

REVIEW: Castle

Geoff Elliott — Tue, 05 Nov 1996 00:00:00 GMT

First impression: this is one screwed up level. In parts it seems like the castle idea is actually going to work out, and in others the author seems to have lost all sense of the Star Wars universe and how it works, and what it means.

The idea of converting a castle to modern standards for Imperial use is not unheard of; in Timothy Zahn's novel Dark Force Rising the Empire reworked a castle on Jomark for the insane Jedi Master C'baoth. And several of the new textures made for the level are really good, and when combined with some of the old Imperial banners from Dark Forces, they make up a great medieval environment. It's not the idea that fails in this level. It's the execution of that idea. Why would anyone in their right mind fill a level (any kind of level) with dozens of Darth Vaders? And why is an Imperial prison crawling with bounty hunters? And why do doors that slide up to open have doorknobs? And why aren't the doorknobs broken off when the door slides into the slot?

There are hundreds of unanswered questions about this level, not the least of which is the design. The castle is incredibly cramped in some places, requiring you to come in at just the right angle to squeeze by. That ends once you get down below, but once in the dungeon, you lose your map! I understand that the description said you would not have a map going in, but why can't the HUD create a map as it goes along, just like every other level? To make matters worse, the entire lower portion is a giant maze, consisting of right angles everywhere, and every wall covered with the same texture. There's no way to find your way around, short of making your own map, or just by blind luck. This part absolutly drove me crazy, but really only set me up for the next section.

At this point, the same textures have been used over and over and are quickly becoming obnoxious. Apparently the author thinks so too, because the bottom of the castle is a pitch black pit, where you can't see anything. And of course the map is still out. If you flip on your headlight you'll quickly turn it back off. The neon green moss covering the walls is enough to blind you. I appreciate the efforts to make new textures, but I wish that they would be created with some taste, and placed with the same idea in mind. The same thing time after time taxes the patience. Here the thought was that one stone texture would fit the bill for all the areas of the castle. But LucasArts didn't use just one metal texture for good reasons, and the one texture that dominates this level could have used some variety as well.

Overall

Strangely enough, I found myself enjoying the level, at least at certain points. Needing to jump to get up to the ramparts was fun, and flying through the windows of the keep was something I wish I'd thought up. This level has it's good points. So I can't really discard it, but I can't put it on a pedestal either. Just set it in the middle pile, and try it if you're curious.

REVIEW: Daedalus Platform

Geoff Elliott — Tue, 05 Nov 1996 00:00:00 GMT

This is a training mission for the Internet group Commando Division of the Rebel Squadrons. It consists of a large platform with hangars and about a billion stormtroopers. You need to fight your way through the station to reach the plans. Nothing could be simpler. Right?

Well, not quite. Unlike other missions of this kind, you are not supplied with every weapon and an endless supply of ammo. You need to work for what you get, and that isn't exactly easy. The mission isn't difficult to figure out, and it isn't really tough to mow down stromtroopers as they file through doors. But only using the rifle and pistol was a fresh new concept in a level of this type.

This is also the second level to contain the "phantom commandos," as I like to call them. But in this level, the problem seems to stem from complications between the stormtroopers and the space background floating outside the hangarbay. Even if you can't see the troopers in this one, they can still see you, and will fire. I don't think it was intentional, and I'm not sure whether the author noticed the problem or not. He did notice what appears to be a disembodied officer's head in one of the control rooms. I don't know what efforts he might have taken to eliminate it, or where it could have come from. Dark Forces programmers, here's a new mystery!

One good thing I did enjoy was the lack of Dark Troopers. The author could have easily dumped a couple dozen in the hangarbays to help train his recruits. But apparently he has some good taste.

Overall

Do you like to sit back and mow down stormtroopers? Not too interested in thinking your way through a level? This is about as basic as it gets. This level reaches for an easily attainable goal, and gets there. It doesn't claim to be any more than it is, a training level to help get the recruits ready for.... something. You can take a look if your curiousity stirs you.

REVIEW: The Siege at Alderaan

Geoff Elliott — Fri, 01 Nov 1996 00:00:00 GMT

The story has some large conflicts, not only with the Dark Forces plot laid out by LucasArts, but also with the established sequence of events in Star Wars. For the most part, the problems with this level end there. The rest is a nice blend of tried and true design with new ideas.

The level isn't big, but there is plenty of extra space to explore, and the design is interesting, with textures placed in areas where they fit and make sense. It's apparent that the author spent the time to go through and scrutinize all the aspects of this level before release, and didn't put something in just for the sake of having it there. The different areas in the level all have a distinct feel to them, from open expanses by the river and dam, to the functionality of the mining facility, to the ominous hangar where you find the TIE Fighter prototypes and make your escape. You can't help but feel a sense of foreboding as the elevator brings you down into the dark room where the TIEs are kept, knowing the havoc the fighters will wreak in the years to come.

There are a few flaws; some of the overhangs by stairways require you to duck, and there's a portion of the river that doesn't move due to a suspended bridge above it. However, there are nice points as well. The dam was a nice touch, the officer's lounge overlooking the canyon was cool too. My biggest gripe was that the level was just too easy. Aside from a massing of stormtroopers and commandos in the shuttle bay, there was nothing to really jeopardize your progress, even if you skipped the revives. There were no difficulty levels to customize gameplay, so I couldn't make it tougher, and the puzzles in the level weren't all that challenging. But then, if making the level tougher would have meant adding a few Dark Troopers, I'd choose to leave it the way it is.

Overall

When it comes right down to it, the thought put into the design and story for this level are what set it apart from other levels. It's not great, but the flaws are minor, so if you're looking for a quick level to run through, give this one a chance.

REVIEW: Arcadia: Imperial Prison Planet

Geoff Elliott — Wed, 30 Oct 1996 00:00:00 GMT

The story that sets the base for this level has some flaws, and the level doesn't do much to grow beyond it. It starts out great, with some edited cutscenes from TIE Fighter, and some altered sections from Dark Forces. It sets the beginning of a mood that really fails to continue.

The level is based mostly on the Detention Center level in Dark Forces, with many of the same features that were used in the game. But where this level differs from the Dark Forces version is in it's failure to incorporate certain features of a detention center with areas from the Star Wars movies, and to create a realistic environment. The level feels slapped together, almost as if the author had a good idea, but failed to see it through. The player is forced to follow a direct route between areas. It seems like the author tried to make it interesting; there's a sewer system, and an area that looks like a control center that could lead to prison cells. But you never get the feeling like you're in a building that could exist. When you reach the sewer, you jump in and follow the stream for a bit, but then immediately it ends in a platform, with an armed guard standing near it. There's no where for the sludge to go. And even though this is supposed to be a prison planet, there's nowhere to keep the prisoners. You never see a corridor that could lead to prison cells. Little things like this slowly begin to tear apart the illusion of reality.

There are several things that the author did do well. The atmosphere in some places is excellent. My favorite effect is the thunderstorm that settles in while the player is inside the base. Complete with lightning and thunder, it's a really fine accomplishment that displays what the author is capable of. Unfortunately, there isn't much else to see. You travel via elevator for half the time, and just shoot up stormtroopers the other half. There are no puzzles worth solving, and there's no real difficulty in taking out the guards. Saving grace: the author had the good sense not to throw in a few Dark Troopers just to up the difficulty level.

The player feels a little empty by the time he/she reaches the landing platform again. You've recovered the navigation data, but there's no sense of accomplishment. That's due in part to the fact that the level isn't diffcult, but also to the story. Now that you've retrieved the NavaCard the Rebels can plan a rescue, but I left feeling like I'd abandoned the prisoners to their fate. I was all geared up to go after the shuttle and wreak havoc on the Imps, but there was nothing left to do.

Overall

In short, the level has been done before, and it's been done better, not only by LucasArts, but by other independent level designers. Perhaps with another level or two to advance the story and bring it to a real conclusion this level could really be great. But for now, if you want to infiltrate a prison, find a different way or play level 6 over again.

REVIEW: Imperial Academy

Geoff Elliott — Fri, 25 Oct 1996 00:00:00 GMT

This is a challenging level.

There are two ways in which that statement is true. The first is obvious; you know coming in that the Academy is a trap, so you can expect there to be Imperials lurking around every corner. But what I really mean when I make this statement is that this level requires you to think, to guess, and to take some chances in order to make your way through it. There's no easy way to get by this place. Turning on all the cheats will help you survive, but it won't accomplish your goals, and won't get you out. Jan tells you that the sequencer charges need to be placed in separate areas spread across the grounds, each accesable via deep access eleveators hidden beneath the surface. But you don't know exactly where, and the entire place is locked up tighter than a Death Star Detention Center. I use that phrase with a purpose. Just as a group of rebels managed to penetrate the Death Star's defenses and whisk Princess Leia away to safety, so can Kyle accomplish his mission. The difficulty lies in finding everything. There is a specific sequence in which the goals must be accomplished. Usually that leads to a constrictive level where the player is merely whisked along a determined path to reach the end. But not so here. There are plenty of different areas to explore and get lost in as you try to find your way around. And just because you follow a certain path, doesn't mean you can figure out how to continue along that route. Puzzles are presented at every corner, and it's up to you to discover the secrets.

The largest thing this level has going for it is the story the author has derived and the atmosphere he's created to fit his story. There is a large .doc file contained in the zip, which holds a long description of the events starting with the destruction of the Arc Hammer leading up to Kyle's departure for the Academy. It explains his stubborness, and Jan's pleas with him to avoid what is obviously a trap. Sure enough, the area is a setup, and there are trapdoors, commandos hiding in hidden alcoves, and TIE Fighters sitting in wait for you to stroll by. As soon as you step off the Crow and begin to investigate, you feel tense, and you proceed cautiously. The other thing which adds to the sense of the area is the atmosphere which surrounds the Academy. As you progress further down into the depths of the buildings, the area gets darker, more sinister, with shadows everywhere, concealing important clues. You get a distinct sense of foreboding when you walk along a corridor which may or may not deposit you in front of a dozen stormtroopers. This level also won't let you rush right through it. Regardless of having the puzzles to slow you down, elevators move slowly, giving them a feeling of having a large mass. The good choice of sounds complements the feeling. You also don't really want to rush past everything. It was nice to stop and take a look at what the author had done. There are lots of good ideas to be found in this level for those who like to make their own.

There are two problems with this level. The diffculty of the puzzles is one. Some of them are pretty abstract, and a couple I was only able to solve by sheer luck. The author throws in some pretty cool tricks, and they make the area both interesting and challenging. This level is obviously supposed to make you think, but sometimes you have to leave logic behind and play a hunch. The other complaint is the prescence of the Dark Troopers. But this is a weak one, because when you think about it it seems reasonable for the Empire to have thrown its few remaining DTs into action in a last ditch attempt to capture Kyle. And since each of the Troopers is placed in a key area which otherwise would have felt vacant, it doesn't detract from the level.

On the plus side, this level doesn't drop you off as soon as you have completed your goals. In many levels the author seems to feel that as soon as the last charge is placed, the rest of the story is just epilogue. Not so here. Even after you've set the sequencers, you still need to find your way back to the ship. There are several more puzzles that follow. This is one level that keeps you moving from beginning to end.

Overall

There is no good reason not to download this level and try it out immdeiately. I have to consider it one of the best I've played to date. The detail that is apparent in every aspect envelops the player and doesn't let them go until everything has been accomplished. A word of advice: the Academy is a difficult place to survive, and you will also get stumped in places. But don't give up, because this is one level you'll want to play from start to finish.

REVIEW: Operation: Chemical Warfare Facility

Geoff Elliott — Tue, 15 Oct 1996 00:00:00 GMT

When I started this level, I was geared up for a good time. The plot seemed sound, not incredibly elaborate, but simple and concrete. It promised action, toxic areas, some machinery, and plenty of enemies to mow down. There was no mention of the dreaded duo, Dark Troopers and Boba Fett, so I figured this might have some thought put into it. When I finished, I was disappointed. It wasn't a total bust, but it left me thinking the author didn't run it through enough tests.

The level is large, with lots of areas to explore, and different settings to keep it interesting. The textures seem to fit in place: in other words, a toxic dump looks like a toxic dump, and a control room looks like a control room. And there was even a cool new TIE Fighter 3DO, with textures taken from Dark Forces to enhance it. But there is something about this level that bugs me.

Maybe it has to do with the plot. It's simple, and could fit in anywhere in the Star Wars time line. But that's all it is. It's pretty unimaginative, which is really where the level fails. After the initial excitement of finding the TIE, the level let me down. The basis is nothing more than another 'find the keys, blow it up, and get out' deal. And there's nothing that ticks me off more than being forced to trek through a place I've already been after going a way required to finish the level. The general setup of the facility makes no sense. Why have a huge expansive corridor running through the middle of a toxic plant? And why is the switch for the machinery concealed in a room only accesible by jumping out of an elevator shaft?

The worst part about the level is that it's impossible to finish without cheating. The last key is contained in a room high above the ground, and there's no way in or out except via the LAPOGO command. The author claims the level is possible to complete without using a cheat, but I searched high and low, and couldn't find any secret to enable me to make it up there.

Overall

I wouldn't suggest bothering with this level. The architcture is lousy, the plot unimaginative, and there's nothing you can't find somewhere else. It's not that it feels slapstick, it just is poorly done. If I'm wrong about it being impossible, somebody email me, and I'll take another look at the level. But until that happens, the rating to the right says it all for this one.

REVIEW: Return to Bespin

Geoff Elliott — Sun, 29 Sep 1996 00:00:00 GMT

This is one of the few levels which attempts to recreate scenes from the Star Wars movies. And so far it is the one which does the best job. The story is really quite pointless; the discrepancies are so numerous and obvious that it's really just an excuse for the player to get to work in Bespin. But that's really all it needs to be.

To the best of their ability, the authors have made the players stay in Bespin every bit as satifying as if he/she were watching The Empire Strikes Back. The colors are accurate, the architecture reasonably close, and some of the scenes are incredibly reminiscient of the movie. If you look out a window you can scan the Bespin skyline; I was half expecting a cloudcar to fly by. The carbon freezing chamber is nicely done, with low lighting and that wonderful orange glow coming through the floor. And there's also a view from a window from which you can look out over the catwalk where Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker battled and Skywalker lost his hand. It sends a tingle down your spine to be transported into the movies.

There are also several new waxes placed periodically throughout the level to complete the setting. There's a cloudcar pilot to replace the commando, and Lando's cyborg assisstant is here too. The best thing about the waxes is that they've been based on existing files, so the animation for their deaths is smooth. The logic they use is easily transferable from LucasArts created sets as well. There are also a few new waxes that don't quite set the tone so well. There's a bonus file included for systems with more than 8 megs of RAM. It has some more waxes which include a blue Gammorean Guard and a six-limbed phase 1 Dark Trooper that's supposed to be a gundark as far as I can tell. They don't bring anything special to the environment, and as far as I'm concerned they take away a bit of the Star Wars environment with their briliant colors. They just don't seem to fit in.

The largest problem in the level, no matter what system you run it on, is the plotline. Not only would Moff Rebus have been transferred to a detention center for permenant housing long ago, but Boba Fett is dead as well, no matter whether you go by the Dark Forces timeline or try to make it fit with the Trilogy. And the prescence of the Dark Trooper can't be explained away for 8 meg systems. Lots of pieces feel like they've been added as an excuse, as I already mentioned, for the player to visit Cloud City. And if you only want to take it that far, then it's great; I have to admit that when I heard the voice of Boba Fett talking with the control tower over the intercom, I liked the nice touch. But if you want a really great experience, a level requires a good plot, and Bespin doesn't provide that.

Overall

With regards to the amount of effort put into this level by the authors, and the dramatic touches that keep the level interesting, there's really no way that Bespin can provide less than a positive experience for the user. It could use some work, but it's fun just the same.

REVIEW: Return to Bespin

Jeff Walters — Sun, 29 Sep 1996 00:00:00 GMT

From the moment you walk through the landing pad door at the start of this level you can tell that a lot of work has gone into making this level accurately resemble the Bespin from The Empire Strikes Back. The architecture for this level is simply breath-taking, out of all levels made, no other level captures the SW universe this well....you'd swear you're in the movie, expecting to see Lando, Han & Leia strolling down the corridors at any time.

There are dozens of locations in this level that are straight from the movie, the machine room where C3PO was almost burnt to ashes.....the walkway where Luke and Darth Vader fought......the room with the long table where Darth was seated waiting for Han & Leia....the list goes on. Every single location has a feel of it's own with virtually no repetition of design.

It is hard to find faults in this level, but if you wanted to nit-pick you could say that for the most part it wasn't very hard at all, the only dangerous foe being a Phase One DT on Boba Fett's landing pad who is easily killed by shooting out the window without having to confront. The story behind the level has weak points, but is adequate enough.

The level contains numerous new waxes which are mostly very good, particularly Lobot, though the Ugnaught does look kinda awkward. The few puzzles in the level aren't too frustrating or distracting and are well thought out. The level lacks a mission briefing LFD, but this was made in the early days when that wasn't possible, so don't make the mistake of thinking that it is a fault.

Overall

Overall, this level is just simply special, and few levels can approach it's architectual design and atmosphere. What makes it more special yet is that it was one of the first made, and the level-making tools available weren't as good as they are today.