Players: 1
Custom textures/shaders: yes
Custom sounds: yes
Bot support: no (no .aas)
*How to install:
Extract the ZIPFile into your baseq3 folder (you want the .pk3 to reside in baseq3)
*How to play:
/sv_pure 0
/map av
--OR--
Pick map from deathmatch skirmish menu
Development time: ~6 months
To a reviewer:
If you are trying to review this map, but can't get through enough of the map to effectively review it, don't despair - the map is very hard. For example even the very first puzzle is tough enough that you might get stuck. Email me if you want; I will give you hints if you need them. **email removed**
Map description:
Ancient Valley is a 1 player puzzle map where the objective is simply to get from the start to the finish without dying. Unlike some of my previous maps, it is fully functional without any cheats, so you should use /map. If you die, you may get a "Game Over" screen and be forced to restart arena. It is never possible to accidentally do something which makes it impossible to beat the map. So except for after dying, you never have to restart. In other words, you can't ever be "trapped" in this map.
Solving the puzzles:
The focus is more on logic and reasoning and less on searching, although some searching will be necesary. The puzzles are not luck-based; I avoided using stupid gimicks like disjunct illogical chains of events or tiny hidden buttons.
To figure out the puzzles you will need to explore thoroughly, take in clues from the environment, and experiment with what you find. A good understanding of q3 entities will help a lot. And good movement skills are a must.
Movement skills:
You will need good q3 movement skills because many parts of the map require that you perform jumps to advance. A good way to prepare your movement skills if they're less than average is to first play my map "hangtime" also on lvlworld. You needn't beat all the jumps in hangtime, but I'de say you should be able to consistently beat the first few jumps of each stage to be ready for Ancient Valley. The jumps in Ancient Valley are generally slightly easier than hangtime jumps, but not as obvious.
You'll definitely need the following skills:
1. Straife jumping: repeatedly jump to gain speed.
2. Circle jump: turn 90 degrees and then jump. Huge starting speed boost.
3. Slope jumps: if you jump into a steep slope you can slide up the slope or get more air.
Difficulty:
The puzzles are hard. From the very beginning. It is likely that you will feel "stuck" many times while playing the map. If at any point you feel stuck remember these important hints:
1. You can NEVER be truly trapped; you don't have to restart arena.
2. You might have to search harder and find something you've missed.
3. More likely, you have already found everything you need... you just need to sit back, look at what you have, and think harder.
4. You might (rarely) have to backtrack. Maybe you missed something before.
5. You might be ignoring something that you could do (a jump, perhaps), because to you, it doesn't even look possible. If you have weak movement skills, then you will be especially prone to making this mistake.
For newbies:
If your movement skills are simply too bad, and you need to cheat, then a good way to do so would be to give yourself haste. Most jumps will get much easier with haste. So you'll still be able to solve the puzzles and play the map.
/sv_pure 0
/devmap av
/give speed
If you're having trouble with just one jump, you can give speed for just that jump, let it run out afterwards, and then continue playing normally.
If you're dying so much that its not fun, and you're sick of restarting, then you could use:
/god
/give regeneration.
Definitely do NOT use noclip. If you noclip you can skip puzzles or even glitch out the map!!!
Remember: the ideal way to play the map is with no cheats! Its much more intense that way!!:)
Try not to wimp out...
Credits:
The map has evolved so much since I first declared it "done" like 2 months ago, in part because of feedback from playtesters. Playtesting was crucially important to the development process.
Thanks to:
-sock: his great egyptian texture set is in prolific use
-andy sargrad: playtesting
-kris barnes: playtesting
-ben sargrad: playtesting and advice
-pat howard: playtesting and advice
-|psy|shio: extensive testing and advice, and for the awesome spidy animation:)
Have fun everybody!