J's top ten map recommendations.
La piasta resistance
|
A lot of guys ask me what is my own favorite map (the chef's personal recommendation). After careful consideration I have selected my top 10 most highly recommended maps, for those who don't have time or the inclination to test them all. Hopefully these will represent a general introduction to the range and diversity of my work. Counting down from 10...  10). Monopoly. One of the first maps I ever map. Not necessarily my best map, but it just means a lot to me. The game board is actually from an old shareware game I made back in the eighties called Chicagopoly. It has a zillion secret areas, and the colors just pop. This map was inspired by my mentor and main inspiration John Falgate (AngelHeart) after playing his DmBreakfast map. I still like going back to Monopoly from time to time.  9). The Moon. Totally unlike any planetoid you have been on before yet totally familiar. This is the biggest map (in space -no pun intended- not bytes) I've ever made.  8). Opera House. Timeless. The Unreal Civic Opera House, Future City and Jurassic Park I think occupy the same level of achievement for a themed map. Future City has more special effects and custom accessories, but all three pretty much capture the full measure of what was intended.  7). 8 Ball. A classic gamers map. Green felt beneath your feet, blue chalk on your fingertips. I don't really do arena maps, this one is the exception. A fast paced closed circuit map fashioned after a cross between a roller derby rink, billiards table and football stadium. The neat thing about this map is it's an all inclusive package and contains a set of 17 custom skins sampled from a set of regulation American pool balls, Gatorade health pickups, and a gun that actually shoots "8 balls". It also pays tribute to all the other 8 ball maps that came before it.  6). Aeon Flux. A little stark for my taste, but this map had to be made. It takes the tired old format of Unreal's industrial complex to a whole new level. Weird, kinky, it feels very old for something that hasn't even come to pass yet.  5). Sand.Sand is the definitive desert map for Unreal, unless someone comes along with something better. A vast desert with a small village in the middle. There are a few very well thought out very "classic" secrets to this map including a crystal ball, a flying carpet, and of course the legendary wishing well, not to mention more modern conveniences like oil rigs, hum-vees and improvised explosive devices. As Lawrence of Arabia once said, "It's very clean".  4). TRON. Completely out of the ordinary for Unreal. This was one of my favorite movies as a kid, and I really wanted to make a map that would let me know what it feels like to be an escaped program running loose on a hostile game grid. Made about the same time as Future City, it shares many similarities including the one of a kind animated skybox. It is almost exactly the same as the movie. Recognizers, light cycles, IO ports, the Tron skin, a nice place for those who need to get "in" more.  3). J's Dojo.Again, sampled mainly from the movie Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, this map is sumptuous. Rolling hills with a picture perfect Chinese training compound set in the middle. As Frank Lloyd Wright said, "Build on top of the hill and you lose the hill", which is exactly the advise I followed. The lack of gravity gives this map an almost mystical feel. The talking portraits, and Plane of Eternal Enlightenment just add the perfect touch.  2). Fight Club. Fight club is a textbook example of what a themed map should be. It is the perfect culmination of subject, execution, and appointments. Not a huge map, it's just one building, but it's packed with all the essentials from the movie including but not limited to "subliminal photography" which as far as I know has never been done before in any other game let alone an Unreal map. The setting, the skybox, the textures, sound effects, Busch beer, even the news report on the TV make Fight Club almost as good as the movie experience because you can actually go in there and destroy something beautiful. It's the most quintessential of all my maps in a convenient single serving package.  1). Tokyo.My number one most favorite map of all time has to be Tokyo. It has a lot of neon signs so it just looks great, plus it has a ton of places to explore and gadgets to play with. Also the use of invisible catwalks (so as not to destroy the skyline while maintaining optimum game flow) is a really neat innovation. Many of the sound effects were sampled from the movie "Lost in Translation" one of my favorite flicks, so it just holds a special meaning for me. The party room at the center of the map starts you off with a very joyous and uplifting feeling. There are a lot of little nooks and crannies, alleyways, tiny streets and bars that just add a feeling of intimacy to the map. The bathhouse, strip club, karaoke bar, pachinko arcade, sub way, teleporter- phones, the Japanese beer, all these minor details coming together, I just love 'em. Thanks for playing J's maps [email protected] www.geocities.com/j4unreal |
