The Review Hub Archive

[Matty]

The Review Hub Archive

This thread contains all of the reviews submitted in the 'Review Hub' thread. The reviews are in the order of the list below.

Reviewed Maps:

Page 1

- Radiation 7/10
- Frozen Cargo 6/10
- Pinnacle 7/10
- Pearl Harbour 8/10
- Harvest 8/10
- Solitary 8/10
- Battle Of Verden 5/10
- Offbeat 7/10
- Shift 8/10

Page 2

- Triumph 6/10
- Reprise 7/10
- Strider 6/10
- Lunar Chronicle 8/10
- Separation 7/10
- Temple Nights 7/10
- Deviation 9/10
- Distortion 9/10
- Reach 101 6/10
- Thriller V3 7.1/10

Page 3

- Catalyst 8.7/10
- The Opera House 7/10
- Ganghouse 4.6/10
- Diameter 6/10
- S7 Line 6/10
- Renegade 8.5/10
- Atrium 8/10

- Elysium 7.5/10
- Overpass 7/10
- Cubical 6/10


Page 4

- Electron 8/10
- Project X 9/10
- Indiana Wine 8.8/10
- Battery 7/10
- Compartment 8.2/10
- Confinement 3.5/10
- Attack The Fort 4/10
- Jedwali 8.5/10
- Project S 7/10
- Project Z 9.5/10

Page 5

- Paragon - 9.5/10
- MONUM€NT' - 5.8/10

[Matty]

Map: Radiation
Author: Dynamic Echo
Reviewed by: Matty

Enjoyment: 7/10
We initially played the map in a game of S.W.A.T, but although it was very fun, we found it quite repetative. We then played a game of 2v2 Slayer with BR starts. The round was very intense. It was a great feeling of tension, in that stepping out of cover could mean a very quick death, or a very quick kill, depending on how tactical you went about it. Overall, all 4 of us really enjoyed the map.

Balance: 6/10
The weapons are quite balanced. Nothing is too overpowering. We played with Battle Rifle starts, which meant that the AR's you placed were very effective, which was very interesting. The Plasma Rifle seemed to be the weapon of choice, especially with so many lying around.

Durability: 6/10
You cant get outside of the map. There is a roof over everything. The spawns seemed ok, at some occasions you would spawn in a bad place, but given the map size there isnt much you could do to prevent it.

Aesthetics: 7/10
The interlocking is pretty tidy. Some of the areas are a little bumpy, and it shows especially since the map is so small. The central area is very well interlocked, and promotes some interesting combat. The centre piece is very interesting. It looks very nice and is also a good feature for the map, allowing the player to see the enemy across the other side, but is unable to shoot.

Originality: 7/10
I havn't seen a small map perfected like this one in a long time. And i havnt seen a map that creates such an enclosed feel since Reactor Core back in the 1v1. This map has many original features, like the central area. Playing in the 2v2 we found it hugely tactical. We were using strategies i have not seen done before, and which were very exciting, and kept me tense throughout the entire game. Although, at some points it starts to feel a little bland. The side corridors seem a little 'squarey' and simple, but the curve area inside the 2 spawns is a very nice shape made out of the single boxes.


Overall score (Average of the above): 7/10
This map played very well, and is a credit to ForgeHub. For a small map, this really is a great piece of work. The 2v2 games were incredibly intense throughout. The central area is very well put together, and the shield doors offer for some interesting gameplay. The spawn system could be improved, and some of the weapons could be tweaked or removed. Finally, some of the interlocking could be slightly improved to make it smoother to run on.

[Matty]

Map Name: Frozen Cargo
Author: duff himself
Reviewed by: Halostriker214

Enjoyment: 6.5/10
Description: At first I had thought it was fun but it really was too much chaos. The Shotgun and Brute Shot should be taken out and a gametype with no grenades should be added. Grenades are thrown around too much which is a bad idea.


Balance: 4/10
Description: Each bases had its own weapons but the bad part is that the Shotgun and Brute Shot are much closer to one base then the other. This calls for easy spawn camping and can also lead to someone leaving the party.


Durability: 7/10
Description: If you take off all of the grenades and the powerful weapons it may pose to be a good game but the map is too small. If it is a 4v4 it will most likely end up with spawn camping each other.


Aesthetics: 9.5/10
Description: The aesthetics just blew me away. He made sure everything was interlocked and he also made everything neat and tidy. There are a few little hiding spots I truly liked about the map and there was some scenary.


Originality: 7.5/10
Description: There was nothing too original although many people havent attempted Gradient like map on Avalanche. It has been done on Foundry but not yet on Avalanche so that is why it isnt lower than a 5.


Overall score: 6/10
This map seemed at first great but the Two power weapons are far too powerful. The aesthetics are marvelous. It is the perfect map for close quarters combat and is neat and tidy. Interlocking was used and nothing is bumpy. A single good grenade jump and you can get out of the map although it is hard. Remove the two power weapons and spread spawns all over the map and it will become a 7.5/10.

[Matty]

Map: Pinnacle
Author: Novak
Reviewed by: T3chnomonkey

Enjoyment: 9/10
This map was very enjoyable while playing crazy king, with plenty of "Hahahaha!" moments that kept things exciting. Dull moments were few and far between, although the lack of a variety of interesting weapons was a small disappointment. Overall, it made a lesser-played game type, very fun.

Balance: 7/10
Balance was obviously a concern on this map, as the author went to lengths to make the power weapons harder to get: the rocket hangs in the middle of the air, and the sword is behind a barrier. While the sword did not dominate like as on some maps, the maulers were a bit too overused and over-powered. Another issue was with the hill placement, one location had only one entrance was extremely easy to defend.

Durability: 6/10
While playing, we could not find anyway out of this well-constructed map. Spawn points were an issue, however. Some points were placed too close together, but the spawning issues could have been fixed with the use of more spawn areas.

Aesthetics: 8/10
Interlocking on this map is very nice and well done, although with some flaws. The door platforms bothered me, because sometimes the bridge above it would hinder you jumping. I liked that the "Door" objects were placed outside the map, so they couldn't obstruct game play. Finally, a favorite of all those playing was the "flame-grenade dispenser", an upside-down receiver node that occasionally "dispensed" flame grenades.

Originality: 6/10
Although a great map altogether, Pinnacle just doesn't really offer anything hugely brand new and exciting. Although it has lots of great little features, I can't say there nothing that can really make the map stand out, except for perhaps the general shape of the map, which is very unique. It's sort of like a horseshoe around the sides, but with an elevated area in the interior.

Overall score (Average of the above): 7/10
This map is one of my favorite that come out recently, for sure. Good weapon placement and nice atheistics, along with cool little features give the map plenty of replayability. Spawn areas could use work, as well and the grav-lifts, but besides that , a very nicely done map!

[Matty]

Map Name: Pearl Harbor
Author: BiznisHippie
Reviewed by: Halostriker214

Enjoyment: 7.5/10
Description: It really captured the idea quite well I had thought. The idea of attacking a ship was fun but since this was based off a true event it is sort of sad.


Balance: 6.8/10
Description: Now it is possible for Attackers to win but they will die multiple times before they win. The tank on the ship is the main problem as even though the attackers have banshees and Hornets they can still be destroyed quite easily. There should really be some cover on the land between the ship and the Attackers base.


Durability: 5.5/10
Description: Now the fact is you did not even attempt to put up a wall to not allow people to pass by. This can distract people as they take a battle over there instead of staying on the main battlefield.


Aesthetics: 8.5/10
Description: The ship is fully interlocked and looks gorgeous. The ship is quite big and is not some ship that took only 5 minutes to make.


Originality: 7.8/10
Description: The idea of a map like this has been thrown around quite often but not many have tried and those who have many of them have not succeded. This map is very nice for a 5v5 with the gametype. The fact though is only a ship was added and nothing else was added for originality.


Overall score (Average of the above): 7.9/10
This map was not one of those maps where people wanted to keep playing over and over again. I had fun and fun but after a few rounds everybody had gotten bored and we all played a new map. If you have a big party of people who want to play a game on Avalanche this map is the one to choose.

[Matty]

Map: Harvest
Author: G043R
Gametype: Conquest
Review by: Iv0rY Snak3

Enjoyment: 9/10
Harvest is a great map for conquest, everything is set out fairly, but so that there is a real struggle to control all of the territories, the weapons placed allow for some pretty random happenings, that you can laugh about in the post-game lobby

Balance: 9/10
It is a conquest map, so it has to be balanced, the only reason it lost marks is because of grenade placement. G043R set it out so that grenades fall from the pustules on the roof, but since the placement of these pustules is uneven, so is the placement of the grenades. it is a very minor problem though.

Durability: 6/10
The main flaw in the map is it's escapability. because there are no immovable objects on isolation, it is extremely difficult to block off the map effectively. G043R has done a good job, but there is a small window between when you knock down the barriers and when they respawn in which you can escape. although escaping is useless, it is not much fun when you have someone screaming in your ear asking how to get back in.
the spawning system works fine, you can be in your enemies base, and the spawning system will still work fine.

Aesthetics: 7/10
Being isolation, it is very hard to add scenery that fits in with the theme of the map, but he did well with what he was given.

Originality: 8/10
Isolation is very rarely forged on, so combining a new gametype (conquest) with an old map, in a way that is both fair and enjoyable is quite an achievement.

Overall Score: 8/10
Harvest is great to play on if you have a decent party, with members who won't attempt to escape the map. the location makes for a new experience, whilst still keeping the gameplay standards of conquest as pure as possible.

[Matty]

Map Name: Solitary
Link to the map: Solitary Link
Author: dented_drum
Gametypes: FFA, Slayer, Team Slayer



Enjoyment: 9/10
The map was quite enjoyable. We played FFA on it and found it quite fun and exciting. The different floors and tons of cover made it pretty suspenseful sometimes. Not knowing where the enemy is and if making a move could be your last. It was the balance that somewhat ruined the gameplay.

Balance: 6/10
It wasn't overall bad. Plenty of BR's and such lying around for good ammo, but too much power weapons threw off such a small map. Sword, sniper, maulers, shotty, flamethrower. All those power weapons dominated the map. We'd end up on tons of killing sprees fast. The equipment tries to counter these but are easily overpowered unfortunately.


Durability: 9/10
Virtually inescapable. Couldn't do it. No where to even try really. Bridges at top prevent any chance of nade jumping. Spawning was only a slight issue. Occasionally I found myself spawning quite close to enemies. I think a few more spawns placed could easily fix this though.


Aesthetics: 9/10
Completely interlocked always helps as the map was quite beautiful looking. The center platform is very nice looking and really adds a lot to the map. One feature we found quite amazing are small drop-down tunnels in the floor that go almost unnoticed from a distance. Yet they are very aesthetic and well made. They house invisibilities/overshields. They definitely add a fine touch to the map.


Originality: 7/10
Being a big arena, it isn't incredible original, however, the tunnel idea and center platform area add a lot to the map. Done, but not enough to say it's unoriginal. Overall, not bad.



Overall score (Average of the above): 8/10
Overall the map was amazing. The balance really brings down the map unfortunately. The weapons just need to be fixed up a little. I would suggest removing the sword. Easily the most overpowering weapon on the map. The sniper might not be needed. With BR's and carbines on the map, it isn't needed or used frequently. When it was, it wasn't very useful as a small fighting area plus tons of great cover = sniper fail. The maulers, maybe get rid of one. three is a lot of such a big weapon. Shotgun can stay, and we also liked the good spawn for the shotty, which makes it tougher and balances it out. Flamethrower+fire bombs= overkill. It's one or the other, preferably get rid of the flamethrower, too powerful. Fire bombs do basically as much damage yet less ammo. Balances better. I really enjoyed, as stated, the tunnels though. Something about them is just really amazing. Overall, a great map, we had loads of fun!! :]

[Matty]

Map: Battle of Verden
Author: Esquisofrenic
Gametypes: None

This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 1023x295 and weights 41KB.
^^ Fusion coils don't seem to belong vv



-Review-

Enjoyment: 3/10
As I was counting down the timer in the custom games lobby, I thought
"This map looks promising for intense gameplay". That is not the case. Once
I spawned in a ffa slayer game, I was instantly out of the map. The only
way to actually get inside the designated area, was to drop into a nearby
sender node. I honestly thought there was some freak 'glitch', making me
start outside. Game attempt 2 has gone underway, and still, I'm outside.
The reason be is that Esquisofrenic didn't bother moving any of the starting
points for ANY game type. Neither for objective based variants. This
diminishes the map's overall gameplay and value by a massive amount.

Balance: 8/10
The interior of the map seems to be identical, so it is virtually balanced,
with exceptions to the shotgun at center side. Each side has it's large arsenal
of weapons, including turrets, leaving almost nothing in the center. It's so
identical, it's boring.

Durability: 4/10
Since players spawn outside the map, objective objects inaccessible, and
outer walls are very easy to jump over, I can't give this a higher rating than
4. Believe me, the map is virtually broken. It gets immensely annoying
when you happen to be shooting at an enemy, and he/she escapes by
jumping over the boundary walls.

Aesthetics: 7/10
Although the walls are too low, the map is pleasing to the eye., until you
find yourself stuck between the geometric walls of foundry and an upside
down single box. That's when you wish the forger spent a little more time
working with the geo walls an his slanted walls. Half the walls look like they
were placed with haste, leaving behind a sloppy footprint telling us tat the
forger didn't care too much.

Originality: 8/10
I've only seen a few other maps created for trench style warfare, telling
me that the forger likes to create something fresh. A big plus in my book.

Overall Score: 4.5/10 (FAIR)
I know this is the first version of 'Battle of Verden', but there needs to be
a huge overhaul on fixes and spawn placement. Until that happens, I declare
this map Broken until v2 is released. I hope to see
another version, because this map does have potentiality.

[Matty]

Map Name: Offbeat
Author: Dom Says Oi
Reviewed By: Matty

Enjoyment: 7/10
The map features alot of fun areas. The highground is a rewarding area to control, however it is very risky for a player to stay there for long. The interiors made for some very fun combat, and it was a very thrilling match. However the spawning stystem seemed flawed, and began to affect the gameplay. We spawned in the building a vast majority of the time, and as we ran outside, someone would spawn behind us and shoot is in the back.
Balance: 6/10
The weapons are pretty well balanced. No weapon seems overly powerful. The only problem is that you havnt changed the run-time maximums on the weapons and equipment, meaning around 5 of every weapon can be present at any given time. We experienced this slightly, and we had 2 sniper rifles and 2 shotguns present in the match at the same time.

Durability: 5/10
We were unable to find a way outside of the map, although you can frag jump onto the top corner wall, above the rocket building. It is a very offensive position, and you can wreak havok on alot of people before you are finally killed. Also the spawning system needs improving. The spawns always seem to end up in the building, and a majority of the fighting takes place in there, even though it isnt really a fun environment to fight in.

Aesthetics: 8/10
If this map was down to looks, it would probably have been featured already. This really is a work of forging art. Lots of very interesting interlocking. Lots of merging that looked like it took a long time to perfect. The Rocket Building is very nicely constructed, and i really like that you merged the fence wall ramp into the ground to remove the 'bump'. My only issue with that is that fence walls are a really bad item to use as a floor, and that is because it has very bad physics with grenades. Sometimes a grenade will stop, sometimes it can bounce back at you, and it is very frustrating. Also some of the interlocking is quite bumpy, especially around the turret area.

Originality: 7/10
It is a very nice shape. Lots of areas to spawn in safely. Lots of interesting shapes created using interlocking that i havnt seen before. You gave me a few ideas for a map just looking at it in forge. You have created a very map that may look like alot of the others, but tends to play quite differently. Matches tend to be a fight for the highground, when they usually are a fight for the most powerful weapon.

Overall score (Average of the above): 7/10
This map is very well constructed. The overall shape is a perfect size, and offers lots of 'safe' areas to spawn in. You have also used the merging and interlocking glitches to a very high standard. Unfortunately, the spawning system needs alot of tweaking, and you may consider blocking off the area at the very top, it may only take 1 piece of scenery. The issues are relatively simple to fix, and i hope you take them into account and consider a v2.

[Matty]

Map Name: Shift
Author: stouf761
Reviewed By: T3chnomonkey

Enjoyment: 8/10
Load this map up on an unsuspecting group of friends and watch the fun begin! This map forces everyone to change the way they do everything, from throwing grenades to jumping, which makes for a fresh new feel. Playing rarely gets boring, and the multiple levels combine with the tilted floor makes figuring out the location of enemies on your radar are nearly impossible. However, the level shape is pretty basic, a rectangle with various nooks and crannies. Also, the BR and Rocket dominated in the weapons area, and the rocket's respawn time was set far too low, and the needler had almost no use at all.

Balance: 8/10
The weapons, along with the geometry, made this map very balanced, although it was bit too easy to score beatdowns with a mauler by jumping down from above. As I said before , the rocket is too overpowered, but trying to get it leads you into a deathtrap-like tunnel that can result in instant death if your oppent knows what their doing.

Durability: 6/10
Spawn points, as they often are, were a problem on this map. Spawning behind people was a problem, and often people were spawned in the middle of a fight. As we were reviewing, Matty spawned on top of me just as I spawned. As far as escaping the map, we were not able to escape, although you could walk along the side wall of the map, and gain a slight advantage.

Aesthetics: 7/10
Although generally nice to look at, there were a few aesthetic flaws that marred gameplay. There are a few places on the map where you can look through and see the real foundry floor, and grenades can slip through as well. Another issue were the walls, in which one double box was facing a different direction then all the others. Some interlocking could have been neatened up as well.

Originality: 10/10
Originality is obviously this map's key feature, and I've never seen anything like it before. The entire map is tilted on it's axis, and just that alone made the map worthwhile. There's not much more I can say about it, except that I wish all maps innovated like this one does.

Overall score : 8/10
A fine idea, executed to near perfection. Well done. With some small tweaks, it could be even better, however. Replace and fix some of the weapons, and fix the spawn points, and this map will be amazing. Overall, a really great map.