The Hoerby Trilogy: Imperial Outpost D-42

Level Background

Just after receiving the Star of Alderaan for destroying the Arc Hammer, your ship comes under attack by a large number of enemy ships. You are captured and taken to a prison at Imperial Outpost D-42. From there, you escape and the series begins...

Initial Comments

This level has quite a reputation for being very good, and I have run it before in the past. It always was one of my favorite level sets, and it still is. It never ceases to amaze. Although there are no parts of it that are exceedingly amazing and wonderful, it is just altogether good. Before you start playing, there are a few things that show that it's going to be good. The batch file is pretty good, with a few checks to make sure everything is correct. I always say that a good batch is the backbone of a good level.

The second thing is the presence of a custom textcrawl. A level without a textcrawl is just so limited in where it can go score-wise. They're so easy to do, there's no excuse for not having one. Then, the author goes the next step and makes custom credits. A creditcrawl is great too, and they're easy as well.

Level Design

The entire thing, all three levels, seemed well thought out and planned beforehand. Everything works and flows well, there aren't any out-of-place textures, and architecture fits to where you are. The entire first level is one big circle.

Speaking of level 1, it was the downside of the series, and hurt the rest of the trilogy. It is very boring, and the run through the sewers at the beginning is just no good at all. I've done it before, and I hate it, especially since Dark Forces has an engine collision problem in sectors with flag 16 set (that's the slippery floor). Then, the architecture is repetitive. Lots of crates, which don't make too much sense - this is a prison complex, the only thing you'd be shipping in and out is food and supplies, and there's too many crates loaded up everywhere for that. The architecture is simply dull - too many circles, in fact.

Level 2 gets much better. The entire thing flows well, with architecture that fits where you are, and outposts along the troop road where you find the code you need. The presence of large trooper squads on the road supports this design. The large trek through the rocky area gets old, but it's not too big. Level 3 is the best one. It is perfect, nearly. Nothing wonderful about it, it's just right. It's a bit too short, though. Not much to say here - it's just great.

Level Dynamics

Like I said above, there really isn't anything dynamic and special about the levels - they're just altogether right. Not even a lot of INF anywhere, it's just what is there is used well. The series uses the adjoin command a few times in the elevators o level 1. Other than that, there's nothing fancy about the INF.

Powerups and enemies are well-placed. The author mentions spending a lot of time thinking about enemy placement, and it shows. There are troopers stationed at doors. There are quarters for the troopers and officers, separated well - officers in one, TIE pilots in one, scout troopers in one, stormtroopers in one, commandos in one. There are trooper squads on the major roads.

There are only a few Dark Troopers, I think maybe 1 too many in level 1 and 1 too many in level 2, but that's a minor issue. You can actually get most of the Dark Troopers to kill each other anyway - when they can see you but there is a wall between you, they keep shooting and missiling until they kill each other accidently.

Level Experience

Atmosphere is great. The design and texturing, coupled with the enemy placement set a stage that simply feels right. Most of the places you explore feel like you would expect them too, and everything is well thought out. I guess it's something subliminal, but it's just right, and I can't explain it.

Overall Response

This was a pretty darn good level set. There aren't a lot better than this one. If you've never played this one, you need to. It could be critical to your health, because it's pretty much expected of you as a DF fan that you'll play it.

Score

Design Score: 80
Dynamics Score: 80
Experience Score: 83

Total Score: 83%