Took the time to review some more maps now, I'm determined to review them all in the SE-MAPS-ALPHA compilation. This one is all the Darklord 217 maps:
HEXMISS - Ah, I remember distinctly this one came out of the H!Zone expansion pack. While I do really like this mod, unless we do some major geographic and artistic renovations to it, I fear that adopting it may make our pursuit to borrow other author's maps a bit too obvious. (If I make any sense)... It's a good map, but I'm just worried this one might be too well-known.
HEXRAN - Hehe, this was a funny one. ... Design is good, may be a bit corny though but I liked playing it.
HXCOD2 - This one was really fun and exciting. Loved the layout of it all and the atmosphere, but perhaps the real winner in this one is the Death Wyvern violently rampaging the city. I think if we add this one though, we should add a 2nd wyvern. <!-- s;) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_wink.gif" alt=";)" title="Wink" /><!-- s;) --> But Rambo if you don't mind, I do think this map could serve as a good template for the city proper in our main town map. Better yet, this map could be the old square itself.
HXTERA - Dark, challenging... however, when I played it, it had a HUGE problem with crashing EVERY time I tried to reload my game to even warp to the next level (exact bug report: "Z_CheckHeap: block size does not touch the next block.") Would have been a keeper, but unless this crucial bug is fixed this will serve no point for us.
KORJAIL - Lame. It started off pretty cool, despite our overabundance on "escape from prison" maps, but then it dies a quick death after the author reveals his poor mapping skills and rather uninteresting puzzles (like battling a few dark bishops with only a low-ammo 2nd weapon, then all of a sudden pop comes the mage boss, then with low-ammo 3rd weapon you have to battle Korax). Possible to beat, but no flow and the 1st word of this review sums it up.
KRULL - Another great hub (the REAL winner, however, is the last level, set in a deep volcano. If we only include one level from this set in Korax RPG, must be the last one). Also featues some gruesome sound effects that really remind me of the early 1990's D&D computer games, and nearly scared me at it! Also features some speech, but no print function accompany it so it may benefit our non-English-inclined players if we provide text with the speech.
LEDGES - Good as a small deathmatch level, not too sure if it'd fit anywhere in the Korax RPG though.
MTNBETA - Too bad this is a beta, I'd've really liked to see it finished (again another mapper neglects a lot of the key numerics). But anyway, there's some nice maps in here, some not as great though (the best one IMO is the erupting mountain level, where you have a limited amount of time to exit the level before it erupts and you burn to death). I don't think these would fit in SE though, but it's worth playing in its own right.
PURPDTH1 - Another deathmatch level, but there's just no real atmosphere to it, it's just a generic each-room-has-unique-textures arena. I say no to this one.
WSHEXDOM - I like the CONCEPT that the mapper was TRYING to evoke (a high-sky combat), but sadly he didn't have the designer's know-how to pull it off well (like making descending elevators ridiculously fast so you end up free-falling to your death). I think you should all check out this map just to see the ideas, not the map itself. Some interesting things he did, now if only he had a few more years' experience under his belt!
ZOWEHEX - Proof that minimalism can work in Hexen! These maps invoke detailed atmospheres while maintaining a straightforward geography, and the complex design is reserved the truly important parts of the map, like staircases. If we were to include these maps, they should be as separate identities, not parts of a mini-hub.
Once I've reviewed all them, I will give a summary list of all the YES maps, and all the NO maps. I encourage all members to do the same.