Game: UT2004
Player Count: 4 - 8
Released 08-20-04

My first map release, though not my first map. I cut my original concept, DM-BelowTokaraDeluxe in half in order to submit this to a mapping competition.
I wanted plenty of z-axis and variable gameplay to encourage z-axis travel. But in many areas, I 'hid' the z-axis travel too well. In the 'waterfall room' one can jump from the upper catwalks down to the lower ones by jumping toward the wall, but this is not obvious. Also, I put the pools of water at the bottom of each large room to avoid 'punishing' the players from jumping down. However I found that nobody used these in their intended fashion.
I also found that the small 'intermediate' areas one can use to descend the map often go ignored. Amoung other leasson, two of the more valuable were to make paths more obvious, and to restrict or totally negate the use of 'small' paths/areas as players will want more of a 'guarantee' of landing where they want when in a fire fight.
Release won it the front page of BeyondUnreal for which I am eternally grateful.
It was later included in the Extreme Players' (German) 'Round 1' Mappack for which I was intereviewed as well.
For my first map release I was, and am, surprised at how far it went and, despite it's shortcomings, I am still proud of it.