================================================== Title : The Below Release : 03/October/97 Filename : below.bsp Author : Sascha Otterbein aka diarr[HOE]a Email Address : cedric@rhoen.de Description : The map's theme is a sewerside. It is split into two parts: buildings on the surface (only walkable inside) and the sewers below. The whole map is rather open which means every location is connected with others in various ways. This allows multiple routes for your pattern runners out there and also you to flee from offenders. It contains plenty of lurking spots, with damn dark areas (although not as critical as to lose orientation of cause or prohibit teamplay). There are some large halls connected with shallow passageways, which make strafing difficult sometimes, but you are not forced to take them. You will find ALL weapons in this level, but take care of the very nasty traps. This map is for sneaking, hunting and tactical considerations. It is NO fragfest. It is wicked, it is mean. It is dark and atmospheric with cool lightning. Since this map is complex in architecture I recommend playing it with P166 or better machines. And exactly these machines were aimed during map consruction process. "The Below" is designed for high-end LAN parties ONLY, so do not complain if your computer sucks. I can't take it no more to listen to ppl who dislike maps, cause they only get 25fps. It makes me angry to listen to all those suffering kids. I still play Quake with a DX4 machine, son. My visible screen size is as big as a stamp. This is no comercial map, I implement whatever architecture comes into my weird mind. Maybe this sounds somehow radical, but I feel to demonstrate my opinion. And remind the fact that I do not force anybody to play this map. Important Note : I have to mention that this map is my VERY FIRST map I have ever done yet. It was constructed while learning BSP; I did not even build an exercise level or any other map. If you like it (of cause you do ;-) then drop me a line. Remember: I only do it to make you happy. So get in contact and tell me if you like my lil'baby. Feedback is my payment. Report your expieriences, make suggestions. Tell me about your LAN party as you played "The Below". Additional Credits to : "The Below" is exclusively dedicated to Silvia Strathmann for sharing pleasure, passion & pain BETA tester credits : Joerg Moser of the Quakery Site (did the most worthy testing; I really appreciate his wisdom ;-) Arnim "Serotonin" Holzer Berthold Scharrer (he thinks the secrets in the map are far too easy to find) Rolling Khmer Brigade several others for feeding me with some small suggestions =================================================== * Play Information * Game : Quake 1.07, enhanced for GLQuake Map Name : The Below Single Player : YES, just for learning the map; I put in a few monsters for your pleasure. It is nearly up to a cool SP level! (Joerg Moser made the suggestion to reconstruct it to a SP level. Though I like the idea very much it is far too sophisticated to make changes, especially I do not want to lose the unique DM gameplay of this map. Furthermore I am already involved in some new projects.) Co-op : Never heard of that Deathmatch : YES, 12 DM starting positions. I recommend playing it with 4-10 human players. Difficulty Settings : I put in a novelty. Lyrics! Yeah, I am a poet. Since the secrets of the map are somehow... very secret to find, I decided to add a little tutorial for llamers to learn the map. Enter the map at "easy" skill and get hit by some rhymes on certain spots. Cool, huh? New Sounds : No New Graphics : No New Music : No Demos Replaced : None ReaperBot : THIS MAP IS NOT DESIGNED FOR BOT PLAY. However I gave some bots a try. After testing it nearly 20h I can report about the playability versus the RpBot. Though it is fun to frag them, it is also very easy. The reason for this is they do not reach important items. A RpBot skill 3 did not get the Lightning Gun a single time during the test; the RL and the red armor were collected a few times, but most probably by chance. The pentagram (I guess even nobody of you will get it often) and the quad remained untouched. As you can see, it is a disadvantage for the RpBot. The two stairway towers, the pipes beyond the sewers and the room with the bunch of rockets are nearly never entered. What they like is THEIR "holy megahealth" ;-) under water in the northwest hall and the footbridge spanning over the canals. ZeusBot : Tested, but seems to be even worse than RpBot. They do not seem to have any plan of what to do next or what the sense of life is :) And they are even not interested in the megahealth. I tested it only a few hours however, but it seems to be crap on this map. ================================================== * Construction * Base : New level from scratch, I do not bite. Editor used : BSPv0.84 - no alternative editor out there (No, Yahn Bernier does NOT pay me to say this ;-) YWBSP, ARGHLITE, RVIS1 Construction time : About 60 hours of pure construction Build Time : YWBSP : 2324 secs. ARGHLITE : 2281 secs. (-extra option enabled) RVIS : 19955 secs. (full vising) Brushes : 1494 Average leafs visible : 188 Machine I used for construction was a damn old 486DX4 with 24MB of RAM. You don't believe it, do you? Known bugs : None. Tested till we got allergic reactions. ================================================== * Copyright / Permissions * Authors may NOT use this level as a base to build additional levels. THIS LEVEL MAY NOT BE DISTRIBUTED FOR COMMERCIAL PURPOSES. IF YOU PAID IN ANY WAY TO GET THIS LEVEL, YOU ARE BEING RIPPED OFF AND SO AM I - REPORT THIS TO cedric@rhoen.de This file (below.zip containing below.bsp, and below.txt), or any derivative works thereof, may not be sold or redistributed for profit in any way without express written permission of the author. This includes, but is not limited to, mass archival as on a cd-rom and inclusion in commercially published compilations (books and/or magazines). You are free to copy this file for personal use, or to make it available for redistribution in its electronic format, provided that: (1) it remains wholly unedited and unmodified, (2) no fee or compensation is charged for copies of or access to this file, and (3) this copyright notice and the following disclaimer remain attached. Disclaimer: This file is provided by the author "as is", and any express or implied warranties, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose are disclaimed. In absolutely no event shall the authors be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, exemplary, or consequential damages (including, but not limited to, procurement of substitute goods or services; loss of use, data, or profits; or business interruption) however caused and on any theory of liability, whether in contract, strict liability, or tort (including negligence or otherwise) arising in any way out of the use of the information herein contained, even if advised of the possibility of such damage. ------