those new zendar screenies, particularly the first one, I dont even know what to say!!! 

No doubt I'll equally love the AD version. 

I think the new AD version of Zendar is much better; it has less barrier/doors, better use of the rooftop area, more alternative routes, still has the existing encounter design, loads of phong/dirt mapping and a much richer sound landscape! 

You mean you managed to improve an already perfect map? I can barely contain the hype. :P 

Fending off the Bobs in the original Metal Monstrosity was already a challenge, and it's a challenge that's going to be made even tougher with the lack of hitscan shotguns in AD. I see that you've added those pesky Centurions in as well. It seems like it's going to take quite a bit of skill to beat the AD version.

MM is one of the most dynamic maps I've ever played in Quake. Whenever I play it again after it has been a month or so since my last playthrough and forget the exact and most efficient way I can beat it, the slight differences I make in the way I go about the map end up surprising me and causing me to face familiar enemies in unfamiliar positions. I really love this map so I look forward to the challenge. 

The AD version of Metal Monstrosity has wider platforms, a slightly different weapon progression and better access to starting items. The trick with the jim/bob in AD is to use the Single Shotgun, its 2x the speed of nails and can easily deal with their attack pattern.

MM is always going to be a love/hate level because of the lack of floor space and extreme vertical (jim/bob) combat. The map has many monsters on patrols which creates dynamic encounters and it certainly pays to take your time and find the better routes. 

I managed to complete Metal Monstrosity using a 360 controller, which is what I have tested a few maps with now. This helps someone like myself to temper the difficulty as I am pretty much able to complete most quake maps on my first attempt. 

using a 360 controller, which is what I have tested a few maps

I would not recommend testing with a 360 controller. Quake maps are often designed for pc keyboard/mouse controls with precise movement, vertical combat and quick reaction times. If the primary input device was a controller I would certainly design my levels differently. 

Used purely as a handicap. One of the main complaints I got about my own map is that it was too hard. 

Controllers get a bad rap because consoles are mass market and most casual players are bad - and then PC "master race" types see all these gimpy nooby games designed for casuals and wrongly think they are designed for controller limitations. That's not the case - they are designed for bad players.

A good controller player can handle anything a mouse & kb player can. I would cite myself as proof of that. 

Eh. Maybe it is different today, back in 2010 however...

http://www.techspot.com/news/39738-microsoft-killed-cross-platform-project-because-pc-gamers-wrecked-console-gamers.html 

@Fifth, using a controller to create a handicap as a way to determine skill level is a really bad idea. If you want to make better skill levels then apply design limitations!

* Reduce attack vector of enemies (infront mostly)
* Reduce quantity of enemies (small packs)
* Reduce vertical enemies (less fighting up)
* Wake up enemies in smaller groups
* Limit back spawning enemies

There are countless ways to create better skill levels, turning the player into a slow moving lump of treacle is not one of them! :P

@Kinn, I am well aware that some gifted individuals can use a controller as good as a mouse and keyboard player, but most people struggle with controllers with vertical combat and quick reaction times.

I am simply stating that the design of maps are often dictated by the primary input devices. I would certainly create no precise movement areas, use less vertical enemies and try to focus combat more infront of the player if the primary device was a controller! 

I have to be honest, I managed to beat all the maps I have played with a pad. I'm not bad with one, I'm just not as good 

Precise movement isn't a problem, gamepads can handle that really well.

The true limitations are turning speed and vertical aiming accuracy.

However, vertical combat can work well if its angle doesn't change often (e.g. a bunch of enemies high above the player, but none below them). This gives time for the player to adjust his vertical aim to the correct level, and afterwards the player only needs to turn and move around to focus the aim on each enemy.

And precise platforming also works extremely well, as long as there isn't much fighting at the same time. A precise platforming section with moving tiny platforms, death knights, scrags and fiends would be brutal; ogres, grunts and dogs would be more fair. 

Wizards and Souls Firetop Mountain
Do you like the video style? Want to see more? 

The generic canned "epic" music doesn't really fit - should be dark ambient. Other than that, I likes. 

The music is nice. The scenes focusing on where the ghost knight is are a bit like a spoiler, I guess.

Did you do any specific map editing or QC coding for this video? 

Dark ambient music certainly suits Quake when playing the game, but it is sleep inducing when watching a video. Need a beat, something lively to keep the viewer going. The Epic music is certainly not Quake style, but the map is not really a Quake theme either with the ghost knight.

Did you do any specific map editing or QC coding for this video?
I have added a new impulse command to cycle the intermission cameras and a couple of extra spawnflags. Most of the functionality showed in these videos is already present in AD 1.42 source. 

And the combat one works better than the flythrough I think. The original monsters have lots of popping in their animation which doesn't stand up to video scrutiny. 

The idea is I am trying to tell a story, a journey through the map, with unique camera angles and directional pans and zooms. Probably best described as a raw/crude like Quake cinematography! 

An old mod that spawned a coop player as a camera which followed you around, snapping to cool angles depending on where you were fighting, sometimes resorting to first person if it went somewhere bad.

AguirRe had a copy of it... not sure where it ended up. 

I like Sock's videos in that they're not focusing on the action, but on the atmosphere. It's like they're telling a story about the map before the player gets in. 

The HD pack for Eric�s "The Underearth" can be downloaded here:

http://quakeone.com/forums/quake-mod-releases/works-progress/11588-hd-textures-sp-maps-38.html#post165743

Cheers 

The seas around R'lyeh are full of tentacle stingers!
From RMQ project, a model by Madfox and re-skined by me 

weapon models for AD by the MODdb Quake community!