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What makes an evile map?
I think it can come in different forms. It can come in general creepiness. It can come in blatant hellish satanism. It can come from brutal hardcore gameplay, or from eerily silent exploring. It can be bleakly barren, or drenched in blood and fire. The one thing I think makes evile maps truly evile is how the various factors - designs, theme, atmosphere, and gameplay, work in harmony. If each one enhances the other, this gives the most disturbing and outright nasty sort of map. This is what stuff like Zer (which is particularly merciless), and some bits of Doom3 do well, and where games like Painkiller fall down. Combining a hellish atmosphere with cheesey gameplay, or dark designs with an otherwise cheerful vibe, can be fun, but it loses that effect. ...was an evil, evil place (Kew mapped it I believe). Evil can be present in silence broken by soft whispers. In Shadar, one of the worst enemies had no form, just a snaking, smoky whisp that sought you out to steal your life.
Shadar was evil because the whole place was haunted - even the stonework seemed to hate you. "secret of abbot's rune" I think it was called? blue-metal, with lots of blood and gibfountains. gave the player the distinct impression of being an unwelcome intruder.
That bit in HL1 where you are in the underground abandoned missile base was quite scary imho. Especially that crazy evile green monster thing, and the radiation everywhere.
When you enter through the vaulted corridor to that area you hear a wicked good psychedlic sound track. You know some weird shit is just around the corner.
Although I was never really into action-RPG's until Dungeon Siege, I always admired the art and eevil, evvvvvvvil theme of Diablo.
The cut scene that began Diablo II was awesome. Very foreboding stuff. I also can't believe that I forgot to mention Heretic; the only game in the series it spawned that truly reeked of evil. To me it did give the impression of a sort of medieval, black magic holocaust. A doubt many (any) of you can be bothered to load up Duke3d, but probably the evilest/freakiest map I ever played was a user level called : Eutrope (a.k.a PCENITENCIA DE SAINT EUTROPE) by Ricky Pierrot. I wouldn't want to spoil it beyond saying the map maker is twisted. He also made another 4 or 5 maps, which are all pretty much the same, so the shock value is somewhat diminished after seeing one of them. Perhaps the world has moved on, or I've become jaded in my old age, but back in 96-97 when these came - oh boy - nightmares.
Links: Eutrope: http://www.gamers.org/pub/games/duke3d/maps/a-e/eutrope.zip Other maps by the same guy: http://www.gamers.org/pub/games/duke3d/maps/a-e/bathoryx.zip http://www.gamers.org/pub/games/duke3d/maps/f-j/huxtler.zip http://www.gamers.org/pub/games/duke3d/maps/a-e/ersebet.zip For people that want to fire up Duke3d under WinXP, try the excellent Duke Nukem 3D Port by JonoF: http://jonof.edgenetwork.org/index.php?p=jfduke3d financial writer of mine, Bill Bonner who write The Daily Reckoning and he had these words to say about the 14th century.
I could not help but be reminded of the Black Art of Tronyn For many, death from the plague must have come as a blessed relief. Early in the 14th century, Europe suffered some of its worst weather, poorest harvests, and bloodiest uprisings in history. Violent storms hit the coasts and destroyed dikes. Cold, rainy summers ruined harvests. The price of food rose 500%. People ate cats, rats and even animal dung. When those delights ran out, they dug up the dead and ate them. Those who did not starve to death or die of plague often died from violence. In 1303, the pope himself was captured by a mob. He died soon after under mysterious circumstances. The next pope was murdered. His successor removed the whole papal administration to France, to Avignon, where he thought he might be safe. But there wasn't much safety to be found anywhere. Peasant uprisings, the Hundred Years war, the Jacqueries, Guelphs vs. Ghibellines, bands of brigands roamed the country. "What shall they say that readeth this or heareth it read," asked the era's leading historian, Froissart, "but that it was the work of the Devil?" aguirRe, thanks for that link. That's a set of maps I've never seen. They're GREAT!
The sanitarium in Alice. Evil, nasty place. The insane children. Oh, yes, you make it hurt so good.
Tale Of Abbot's Rune is fun, not creepy
btw any one thinks that QFour fails at being evil or creepy despite all the bodyparts-based machinery and bloody pipelines etc and the empty sections that are supposed to be spooky? or maybe Iv become completely numb to such things Well...
*SPOILERS LOOK AWAY NOW* *NO, REALLY, SPOILERS* Out of the stuff I've played, I thought the transformation process was quite gruesome. And the "processing machinery" with head/limbless torsos even more so, that really is quite disturbing. I think they did that quite well, earns it's 18 for sure. But the overall effect of the maps isn't so creepy I agree. OMG !!! I'm still playing Doom3 (yes late again...), and I've just reached "Hell" level... And I think the entry is really impressive, the most infernal style I ever saw... The ambiance, le lava, even the backtrack sounds are evilish (children crying, etc...)... If I was wondering to see Hell one time in my life, so it is done...
Yes, Doom3 Hell is pretty disturbing; I think I can call it the only time I've felt really uncomfortable in a game level. Even though I was marvelling at the sheer awesomeness of it, the crushing sense of dread that it evoked from just being in that place made me want to get the hell out of there as quickly as possible.
Finding and listening to the recordings from previous explorers on the abandoned PDAs was one thing that sticks out in my mind... A bit cliched and random. Some bits were nice though. The entrance with the giant skull was very cool. The infested base bits were more disturbing IMHO.
u should try RoE
there are some very cool base-turning-hell/infested maps and better done temple maps (also feeling more evil and atmospheric) If RoE looks like D3 Hell's entry, even if it's a bit cliched and random, I will try it for sure!
I think ID spent a lot of time to improve the ambiance there, and that's why this first part of the level is so impressive IMHO... exactly what I was expecting from a Hell level... It stucked me on my chair! Seeing the entry, I said myself: "Wow, I'm in, let the game really starts now..." and after a few exploration, I also asked myself: "Why this beautifull infernal level didn't appear earlier in the game ??!!... and why there is only one Hell-like level in this game ??!!" Argh... I really have to buy RoE now.. ;P Avast! Probable spoilers ahead, yar.
I thought the first Iron Maiden section was a bit creepy, it's all redish light at first, and totally empty. The transformation was pretty sick, as was the giant pulsing heart. Despite all that, the game didn't come off as so dark and evil in my opinion, D3's atmsosphere was definatly spookier. RoE only has one Hell level - the last map - and it's not as good as D3 hell, not bad, but neither as scary nor immersive.
hhhmmmm, what you said sounds a bit disapointing... In anyway, I will have to find time to test RoE whatever happened ;P
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