yeah I can get to that page but how do I add it??

Downloaded a heap of HL2, Doom 3, Quake 4 and Crysis custom stuff. Will see how they turn out. 

it's quite short, and while it's a nice little coffee break sized map, it's not nearly as fun/impressive as you might think. 

let me know what D3 stuff you play and what's good 

nitin: lost coast isn't just showing up in your 'all games' list? it's free and comes with hl2, so it should already be on the list and you should just be able to click and install it.
for me, it's right under ep2.
i don't think you can download it outside of steam. 

there've been at least a couple of good doom3 releases here on func. check the news archive for them. 

no it's not. I just have HL2, Ep 1 and Ep2 showing. 

GB reccomened some as well. still haven't finished - I just have hoarder tendencies. 

You could try the stuff in this list as a reference;
http://www.runthinkshootlive.com/ 

i haven't seen some of those and they look great! 

Pretty good so far. Very nice set pieces, lots of secrets, but almost completely linear. 

 

yeah I found that and have downloaded almost all of the maps/packs listed there. Hopefully the standards are high. 

played human error last night.

very cool concept and storytelling.
new assets (npc models, voice acting(!), props). usually fairly high quality. some are slightly goofy though.
mapping is so so. some areas had very poor performance (this is source engine which usually has no problems running on my machine, so it seemed like they forgot to vis the map or something) and some areas are pretty mazelike.
i also think they based this map on a real place, so there are a lot of really long corridors that lead to dead ends (where all the doors are locked) which just makes things more confusing.
i'll play some more tonight. thanks again for that link! 

This was originally intended to be an unnofficial fan-made mod for Painkiller. And it that respect, it's pretty amazing. That was until DreamCatcher allowed the developers to turn it into a full stand-alone game. If that meant sequel then in that respect, it's doesn't live up to sequel expectations - considering the content it's still just an addon - a double-sized expansion pack.

It's still the same engine and same gameplay - nothing has really changed since the first game. Many of the same enemies make a return, along with some new ones, some new weapons and 16 new levels.

The only big problem with Overdose is that the gameplay isn't very balanced. For instance you get to the third (final) episode, and the first two levels are probably the easiest in the entire game. Then the next level is the hardest in the entire Painkiller franchise (in my opinion) minus boss levels. The first couple of episodes you would often be forced to switch to whatever weapon has enough ammo, then when that's out switch to whatever you have left! In other words ammo is in short supply. Of course I never ran out, but I was also often forced to use weapons I didn't really like. And the weapons are another problem in Overdose; they're all fairly average. The Bonegun (Shotgun) and Crossbow are great, but the rest are not very inspiring to use. The weapons are all very similar in damage, rather than the old-skool style of shooters where you get more powerful weapons as you go.

There are lots of new enemies, in fact almost every level has a new enemy set, much like the original. And this of course is fantastic that they can not only create 16 completely unique settings most with their own set of enemies. However, the enemies actual attacks are all fairly similar. Many of them probably have the same attack, just with a new model. 90% can be taken down in two or less shots with the Bonegun. Which makes them fairly repetitive.

The engine might be a few years old now, but because each level is nicely detailed and so creative, the game ends up looking good and (only just) up to 2007 standards. Let's just say the engine has aged as poorly as, say, 2004's F.E.A.R.. There's a lot of imagination put into Overdose and the level design is almost up to the same high standards as the original - which is a decent feat considering this was originally just a mod.

End of the day, however, this isn't a mod anymore. It's marketed and priced as a full game. And as a full game it does nothing different to the original. The gameplay is slightly more unbalanced, the enemies are repetitive and the level design isn't quite as good as the original. I was always a big fan of the original

It's only worth playing if you can find it cheap, and don't go in expecting a true sequel. Two expansions packs down - two to go - at least DreamCatcher really supports it's community! 

i like your reviews, but one thing bugs me:

You seem to be using the term "quality level design" as an equivalent to "polished visual geometry", which is really, really wrong, imho.

If somebody else reads this and starts using the term that way... Evil EA bosses will never even have the chance to understand what level design is and will start using it as a marketing term instead. Please, at least refer to the visual qualities of level design, if not switching terminology completely.

Thanks for the nice reviews! 

Glad you enjoy the reviews! Eventually I'll have reviewed just about every decent FPS from around 2003 and up. I actually put them all on my website... direct link here http://www.electricescape.com/etherealhell/reviews/othergames.php

And yep when I refer to 'level design' i'm talking about the visual geometry, which I suppose to those mainstream critics their 'level design' means something different. My reviews certainly aren't supposed to be compared to 'pro' reviews - I actually do them for myself, so that when I decide to play an old-skool game in 20 years time, I can read my reviews and know exactly what was wrong with each one. 

 

...If you liked Overdose, I suggest you play Supernatural. It is a standalone conversion custom made up of a mix of Overdose and Resurrection levels and weapons. It's so much better than the originals. I played it to death last winter and imo it takes Overdose levels where they really belong.

Lots of secrets (one of the really fun things of Painkiller) are added, Tarot cards conditions are a bit more balanced and hard (not too much) and the majority of levels are VERY atmospheric, if a little bit straightforward(but hey, open level design seems to be dead in 2011, right?).

I'd love to have some opinions from people hanging around here on this mod... 

don't know about mainstream critics, but the term refers to the more technical aspects of making levels-- monster placement, layout and flow and sometimes small amounts of scripting. it has little to do with visuals at all. 

I miss you!!! *sob* 

real life shit got really real the other day - co-worker's dad died in a car crash, so had to pull a double shift. Then some other shit... soon Negke - we'll make this happen, and it will be glorious. 

So are the levels exactly the same as in Overdose/Resurrection just played differently, ie different monster placement and order? Or have they actually changed the design of them? 

So who creates the geometry, structures, architecture in a video game level if it's not the level designer? I understand that artists do the texturing and will draw up certain set pieces, but it's still the level designer that ultimately builds the structures in the level, isn't it? 

not really. at least, not in the games you're playing, so AAA or at least near that level. it's very compartmentalized.
from what i understand, the old school doom/quake mapper who does everything except making textures (and as far back as doom/quake days, they did their own textures too) doesn't exist anymore.
when you've got a team of a hundred+, you'd rather higher a guy who's downright awesome at textures than someone who's average at everything i guess.
min-maxing in a corporate setting. :P 

In most companies, you have level designers who take care mostly of the gameplay aspects of the levels, layout, item placement, scripting sometimes, etc. Then you have level artists, who actually build the visuals and structures, most of the time using pre-made assets made by environment/prop artists.
These three jobs kind of overlap weirdly and/or blend together depending on the company, but yeah nowadays it's rare for level designers to actually do much visual creation.