: I also want to mention that it is possible to avoid the third tower
: completely. If you stand on the outside ledge near the 1x recharger, the
: ledge that overlooks the water, it is possible to jump over to the top of
: the fourth tower.
You're certainly right about this. Sadly, this doesn't hold for the first two towers, as access to the final room is blocked until you smash a set of wires on the second tower. Still, you may wish to visit the 3rd tower afterall for two good reasons - the difficulty/ammo needed to jump to the 4th tower and the load of drones that will be unleashed if you step on the 4th tower. The 3rd tower only has a Mystic and a couple of drones to deal with - much easier IMHO.
: Steve, you didn't mention anything about oxygen on this level. Did you run
: into a problem with it? I found myself getting pretty low by the end of
: the level.
How quickly I forget. I suppose the first time I played, oxygen was an issue, but there are much worse examples in other 3rd party scenarios (The Black Series, for example, although there you are warned). The novice player almost certainly will spend a bit of time under water trying to figure out where to go, although once you've figured out how to access the first tower, the rest become obvious. Finding that first stairway out of the water was where I lost the most oxygen my first time through. I suspect that the experienced player going through the level for the first time (if there is such a thing anymore) might have more difficulty as it is common to use water as a shield against enemies. Diving underwater is a common strategy for dodging enemy fire and getting to a more advantageous position. It's natural to assume that there will be at least some sort of O2 source on the level, so most players wouldn't think twice about that until thier down to the lowest line on the oxygen meter. That strategy can easily trap the player on this level. I agree with you, John - this isn't a good way to design a level - there should have been an O2 canister or recharger somewhere on the level, at least in a hidden alcove if nothing else. Fortunately, Septic Exodus does have an O2 recharger before the player ever has to go for a swim.
