Some things I generally mostly like:

New ammo boxes - nicely themed.

New items in general - all well done. New weapon models look sweet.

Blood Axe - I like the functionality of it, although I prefer the Zer chainsaw overall, the axe is a bit standard fantasy.

Triple shotgun - again I like the utility of it and the model is decent. I would prefer for consistency if it fired a vaguely triangular spread.

Plasma gun - it just works.

New monster skins in general - not the updated models per se but most of the updated skins especially the base ones. Nicely done and fit in well.

New sounds - drips, creaking, etc, again all fit in perfectly.

Some of the new monsters are pretty neat gameplay-wise. Gargoyles are always fun, Golems are decent to fight, vore mamas are pretty cool. Hunters and Eddys too, they add some nice beef to bases.

There might be more. 

Increased amount of gibbing - fun.

Armour shards from backpacks - useful.

Crossbow knights - they're okay actually. Attack visibility is useful.

Candles.

How Quakey most of the new map aesthetics are. (Even if only in proportions but often in general style even if they're a lot more advanced from vanilla maps).

The design effects of almost all new monster attacks are cool and very consistent with Quake (even if when monsters aren't).

Shotgun grunt projectiles being dodgeable. 

I'm not convinced of the sharp shooter powerup, though. Not only isn't it immediately obvious what it does (should have been called "shotgun sharp shooter" perhaps), I would think its usefulness is limited, not least because the regular shotgun already is half a sniper rifle.

I would've prefered if it also added something to all other weapons or the combat in general, for instance removing the damage resistances for the duration, so that you can shoot every monster with every weapon without penalty, grenades don't bounce off and scrags don't dodge rockets etc. 

I think I have only found this a couple of times ever, either that or I don't remember it.

I think the idea of focusing the shotgun spread is cool, but it's a bit of a weak effect for a timed powerup. Maybe it could behave as more of an ammo upgrade? I.e. when collected, the next X shells fired have a tight spread, so it depletes based on shell consumption, not time. Then maybe when active, the shotgun skins could be slightly different for visual feedback, rather than it being a screen tint. 

Oh and also I kinda like negke's idea of making it ignore shell damage resistance as well. 

 

As far as AD for mapping I really enjoy:

-Entity state system (One of the best features)

-Lots of variety for monsters/items (Exact
skins/frames/spawnflags)

-Particle templates

-Custom keys

-Textbook elements

-Player_start spawn2

-Lots of models to choose from.

-Nightmare only key...This is just devious! >:)

-func_bob...and now, misc_bob!

-Oh and of course breakables, the breakable spawner and the ability to create your own debris.

The list goes on, the entity state system allows for some really dynamic gameplay moments! 

I can understand the frustration of major gaming news outlets not picking up the story of an updated Arcane Dimensions, to be honest I was surprised some of them picked it up when it was first released

This happened because I pushed it! I wrote endless emails, tracked down journalists and constantly tweeted about the MODs development. I know people here are not much into Twitter, but it is a good way to communicate nowadays. There was even tons of twitter fans who let magazines know they liked the MOD to get the word out there.

Probably the hardest thing I had to realize was that even with all the emails and tweets, hardly anyone was really paying any attention. I originally assumed the lack of response was because its Quake, but when machinegames released Episode 5, nearly EVERY games news site covered it! probably the question here is, why is that? :P

Nowadays I don't care as much about the marketing to game news website because AD is well liked within the Quake/Doom communities and people are looking forward to the new releases. There are new people turning up all the times on Quake forums and ultimately that is what its all about, new people and new ideas.

I can't get v1.5 to run in DP - using the 09.22.2016 autobuild. It loads the standard Quake start map instead.
If the original start map is loading then the mod directory is not being used. I do not recommend nightly autobuilds because they are often experimental. AD 1.5 does work with DP (2014 version) and I recommend you contact the person generating that autobuild for help.

derpy as E2M2 Remix
I know AD_E2M2 can be cruel gameplay on hard skill, but I assumed at this point everyone has played the original a lot and will want a greater challenge! Personally I love the architectural style and flow to the map, the gameplay is certainly not everyone's cup of tea, but there is also lower skill levels, use them! :P

the mix between real life architecture and the orignal style of quake
I often use real world architectural examples in my map because they can represent a weight and familiar structure for players to understand. A sprinkle of photo source references can do wonders for inspiration and details in maps.

The progs won't compile
The progs does compile, you need to take this up with Spike as its his compiler. I have been using the same version for several years, which if the newer versions has changed could be a problem.

In case I post a bit of constructive criticism later on, here's some things I love about AD
It is always good to hear what works just as much as what does not work. The counter weight of opinions gives me a better understanding of what stuff is really liked and a better idea of what stuff to develop further. People constantly telling me what stuff they don't like is really just an endless shit sandwich!

I'm not convinced of the sharp shooter powerup, though
The Sharpshooter and Nail Piercer are situational powerups. They are also pretty bad Quake powerups because they don't work with all weapons. Just like the powerups in Quoth, nobody understands AD powerups easily and they often result in boring gameplay. It is no easy task to create generic powerups that work across multiple weapons, look recognizable, are easy to understand and create fun gameplay!

I think the new AD powerups should be deleted! I liked the idea of them on paperwork, but their implementation is terrible. Creating new Quake powerups needs more time, discussion and thought to really work.

ignore shell damage resistance
Shell resistance does not exist on any monsters anymore. Ammo resistance is probably the most contentious addition to the MOD, even more so than projectile shotguns!

I like ammo resistance because it encourages players to think about combat encounters more and switch weapons! Unfortunately many players want Quake to be pure action with (any) guns a blazing. I misunderstood the spirit of Quake and expected everyone to embrace RPG style ideas. 

The progs does compile, you need to take this up with Spike as its his compiler. I have been using the same version for several years, which if the newer versions has changed could be a problem.

When I first tried to compile AD progs, my FTEQCC was actually obsolete, so I had to update it, after which everything worked.

Now I updated it again after seeing it not being able to compile v1.5, but nothing changed. The problem disappeared when I turned "iceg_transB13" (which didn't seem to reference anything) into "iceg_tranB13". 

First, AD is the best Quake mod of all time. 1.5 is better still yet. Absolutely Fantastic!

AD Powerups: I somewhat agree that they are very underpowered. I for one didn't know what they did when I first played AD. I didn't even know they were two different powerups. Sharpshooter is a cool idea but has very very limited use. Time based makes it less useful. I pick it up just to clean up the map. Perhaps if nails and rockets homed in on enemies it would help, and even maybe grenades could bounce towards enemies of their own accord.

Shotgun Resistance:
YES!! You have no idea how satisfying it was to blast a drole with my Widowmaker just now! I still like the other resistances for nails and rockets. Lightning and plasma, mmmm meh.

This is so awesome!! 

I think the new AD powerups should be deleted! I liked the idea of them on paperwork, but their implementation is terrible. Creating new Quake powerups needs more time, discussion and thought to really work.

I tend to agree that removal is preferable in this case, simply because there's so many awesome new features, that it's probably a good idea to clean out the things that don't work, so as not to keep accumulating "mod clutter" :} 

Choosing whether or not to use them and using them effectively is a problem for the mapper.

I think that the sharpshooter powerup works fine, it just needs to be used in the right encounters with the right weapons.

Having said that...

If you think about that particular powerup, what does it offer that a nailgun doesn't? The only thing I can think of is the lack of nail resistance. Now if more damage spread weapons are planned for the future, then this powerup may also effect them, in which case, yeah, it will probably offer something significantly different.

IMO there shouldn't be many overlaps of powerups.

The original 4, ring (enemy manipulation), quad (damage boost), biosuit (damage mitigation) and pentagram (damage mitigation) each offer pretty different perks without a heap of overlap. Maybe a little overlap with damage mitigation, but one of those is environmental only.

The questions that need answering I think are: What domains aren't covered by the above? What powerups would fit into these domains? Will they break the game if we include them? Will they make the gaming experience more fun?

Thanks for listening to my rant. And please don't see this as a criticism of this mod, it isn't. 

i also love the particle effects
rounded dots, solid color

it just works. they're perfect and beautiful

i find them aesthetically much better than the "enhaced" particle effects of darkplaces or qrack.
leave the fancy smoke and spark effects to modern games

i would like to see particles coming from lava and slime pools, altough i don't know if that would be too taxing

and about power ups... i tried to use the nail piercer and it's more trouble than it's worth, trying to get to position to fire when enemies are aligned 

All aggroed enemies (+ any new enemies that aggro during powerup duration) attack a random other enemy

/brainfart 

Simon used the Sharpshooter best in AD_Mountain: it's just an item out in the open before an encounter, a small bonus for that fight, rather than something that should be hidden away in a closet as a big reward like most of Quake's powerups. I think Nail Piercer is the same, just treat it as something to use as a bonus for a single fight.

---

Originally when these powerups were created, I suggested they be treated like Doom's Berserk powerup: lasts for the duration of the map. That would put them into the category of needing to be hidden and powerful items to find in secrets... but that's possibly not a bad thing as sometimes it's tough to give a nice reward to a secret without it being wasteful. 

I'm in agreement with #124, I think these two powerups work far better if left in the open rather than tucked away somewhere. 

As proved by Episode 4. 

I think they have a unique enough functionality to keep.
Poor use could be blamed on the player or the map designer but not the powerup IMO.

AD is still early days and even the AD team have not fully realised the potential, myself included. 

 

All weapons are locked except the axe but you kill everything in one hit for a short duration. 

 

Has there ever been a good use of the Ring of Shadows in any Quake map, ever? 

is great in multiplayer. I think Sandy Petersen used all the powerups best, he used them liberally, openly and in very fun ways. 

I think the RoS was used well in the Pain Maze. 

is great in multiplayer

Ah yeah, forgot about that. I guess you could also include SoA's Empathy Shield as stuff that's kinda meh in SP but works in MP.

The Ring of Shadows would be a lot more interesting and worthwhile in SP if you could use it to hide from already aggro'd monsters.