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Re: Tempus Irae Volunteers - Gauntlet
Posted By: Mark LevinDate: 12/3/03 10:56 a.m.

In Response To: Tempus Irae Volunteers - Gauntlet (Steve Levinson)

: Why do I so dislike this level? I mean, it's action-packed, has lots of
: opportunity for exploration and a look at Leonardo's ingeneous system of
: locks. Is it that there are so many ways to die before reaching the first
: pattern buffer? Is it the low water level that makes it devilishly
: difficult to get up onto dry land? Is it the false hope of the first
: teleporter? Is it that there are just too many ambushes? Maybe it's all of
: these.

I have to agree with this, but not as strongly; this level is not a highlight of TI but I don't completely detest it. It's so large that running through it is a chore, and the path to the exit is not terribly clear. Gauntlet also gets dinged for the magic trigger polygons and unnecessarily slow doors we've seen before, leading me to believe it was also created early in TI's development. The liquid is meant to discourage the player from jumping in, but it's usually easy to get out with a few shots from the AR.

On the plus side, the chapel where the manuscript is found is quite impressive, and the combat is usually good. The level is pretty linear (except for the end), and it's nice to be able to put the smack down on all the monsters that were shooting at you as you ran along the path.

It's also a bit unusual that the first "exit" teleporter is hidden behind a window with the landscape texture applied to a polygon that slides up to reveal it. This trick looks quite bizarre no matter where it's used, and really doesn't belong in a map set on Earth.

: The Nardo team I think recognized the frustrations inherent in playing this
: level and left the player with a secret way out of much of it - not unlike
: what Bungie did in the M2 level, Ex Cathedra, to allow the player to skip
: the hated water maze. I dunno - if a level needs a bypass switch, then
: there's a problem with the design in the first place. And the use of a
: small grassy patch as the primary trigger for the bypass is, well, a bit
: too cryptic. And there is something that just doesn't seem right about
: using a shortcut - even a secret one - to get out of what should be fun.

Where is this? I didn't see it mentioned in the spoiler guide.

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Replies:

Tempus Irae Volunteers - GauntletSteve Levinson 12/3/03 9:55 a.m.
     Re: Tempus Irae Volunteers - GauntletMark Levin 12/3/03 10:56 a.m.
           Re: Tempus Irae Volunteers - GauntletSteve Levinson 12/3/03 2:36 p.m.
     Re: Tempus Irae Volunteers - GauntletGholsbane 12/3/03 12:58 p.m.
     Re: Tempus Irae Volunteers - GauntletTodd 12/3/03 7:38 p.m.
           Re: Tempus Irae Volunteers - Gauntletzudo 12/4/03 5:40 a.m.
     Re: Tempus Irae Volunteers - GauntletD-M.A. 12/5/03 12:28 p.m.
     Re: Tempus Irae Volunteers - Gauntletbaba_yaga 12/7/03 7:53 a.m.



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