Asteroid

Initial Comments

This is another of those nice levels. It isn't an epic (I wouldn't say you need more than 20 minutes to play it), It doesn't have any new enemies or objects, and there are no super-flashy special effects. What IS there is a level that has a great story to tell and that goes about telling it in an exciting way. Let's expound upon that further, shall we?

Level Design

It's all good here! Erik Pauker has done a good job making a little base buried deep within an asteroid. Let's just start this section off with the part where most level authors go wrong: texturing. It can make or break a level. Most of us complain about texturing day in and day out (myself included), but those of us who have actually tried to make a level know how hard aligning all those little values can be and that we really can't do any better (again, myself included). A level can have an exciting and original plot, flashy space battles, a lot of moving objects, scenery, action, excitement, plot twists, and anything else that makes a level great, and a lot of us would turn around and say, "Yeah, but did the textures all line up?" (Okay, okay... myself included).

What I'm getting at here is that texturing is an important feature, and this level has a lot of great texturing. Erik even made two new textures: a convincing rock texture to use for the asteroid, and a great sky texture with a view of a glorious planet. I spent hours looking at it! Okay, not hours, maybe a few minutes. OKAY! 5 seconds! But it held my attention that long, didn't it?

Lighting was nice as well! You walk by a window, and light comes in from the planet, at an angle like real light, too. Things get dimmer and brighter as you would expect. Erik also managed to make some huge rooms with no HOM effects. There are a lot of little things that make the level nice, too. Shelves, counters, and sounds add a lot of reality. There are also nice door jams everywhere that curve out nicely, as opposed to the boring square ones we're used to seeing.

Level Dynamics

There aren't many dynamics, but what's there is good. Enemies are placed well, never too many in one place, but not too sparse, either. Shields, weapons, and health were all well done. I was never too low or too high. There was always just enough to get me to the next section without a whole lot of worry. There are also a lot of nice effects. There are a few TIE fighters flying through this one big corridor, and that was really neat. I crossed this bridge, and I thought I was gonna get wiped out by this big flying thing! I also liked the fuel explosion and destruction of the power core as well. I really liked these sections.

Level Experience

There's really not much to say here, except that the level comes off as real. The rock texture is great, along with the sky. The views in this level are wonderful, and all these things along with the dynamics make for a great level!

Score

Design Score: 10
Dynamics Score: 9
Experience Score: 10

Total Score: 96%