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the infamous flotsam map versions

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Leo T_C_K
OldUnreal Member
Posts: 3660
Joined: Sat Aug 27, 2005 6:24 pm

the infamous flotsam map versions

Post by Leo T_C_K »

The Flotsam map that was entered in the contest...back when we made the FLP pack with yrex, I couldn't find the map anymore even, the xanaweb (the site linked to from the french gti bonus cd) wayback version didn't have the files, so we could only find the version that mmu backed up (it was the fileplanet version afaik). But it turns out it wasn't the featured version. Now that version (or close to it) has surfaced on that CD i talked about before finally. Now here are the two versions to compare.

Be aware it works best only on version 200. The later version is interesting in that it has a different titan room and it has a mercenary room with alarm spots next to cockpit and in general its more finished and has more monsters, except that the start has a zone leak.

This guy later got really good but this was obviously rushed for the contest. He made some really good ut maps later on that had quality of retail maps and he also made beaconis obscura, the famed flyby map that also was a winning entry or one of them in the later contests (the first predecessor to make something unreal or the first ever msu contest more like)....

But yea this map is known to be hated by Turboman who wished it never existed but maybe he played just one of the versions. Well since most websites got dead that hosted it, his wish did come true....except now both versions will be posted here:


older ver - this is the one flp version was based on, with some hints taken from the screenshot of the later ver but I didn't remmeber the difference in the titan room, except i knew it was different somehow
updated ver

enjoy (or not, if you're turbo and hate this map)
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Leo T_C_K
OldUnreal Member
Posts: 3660
Joined: Sat Aug 27, 2005 6:24 pm

Re: the infamous flotsam map versions

Post by Leo T_C_K »

I got a chance to play through this on 200 finally. Well...while it certainly still feels unfinished (the last translator message is empty after all), it is much better than the older flotsam and
I really assume this must have been the version supplied for the contest(unless there was even newer version). The waterzone leak bug at start is really unfortunate though, but this is really a decent map all in all and actually feels complete compared to the old version (which we unfortunately based flp on). I really blame fileplanet kind of for keeping that old version around and confusing people. I bet Turboman didn't play the updated version otherwise he wouldn't be so harsh on it, or he was due to the waterzone bug. Not sure really.

Either way this map is novelty in multiple ways. Not only is there a Nali character that basically commands the ship and given that the author has read the unreal novels I suppose this is not surprising. But also...it has mercenaries fight alongside the player, and just like with nalis they turn against you if you kill one of them even if they don't see it. I assumed from the xanaweb screenshot that it was just a bunch of mercenaries added to the map at the ship's bridge but no, they are somehow working with the Nali (that makes me wonder if the dranoel ever had to do something with the mercs) and basically serve as the troops on the ship trying to re-take their ship back from the skaarj. That's an interesting and for a map of a month or less than a month after Unreal's release, that is really some achievement to say the least.
While the author's map skills wouldn't be so good yet and not as great as in later (his ut maps are worth checking and so is the beaconis obscura art map still for unreal 220), it still manages to impress on some levels.

Compared to the old map, there are more changes than the titan room, the pipes are seen all through the map, adding more complexity to the geometry, there is the mercenary side room and the bridge has more details as well, as well as the fact that there is water already at the top of the pipe from the lava room. The monster placement is different, gone are behemoths, instead there are brutes and more lessebrutes all around...there are gasbags in the library section and kralls below and iceskaarj with the escapepod thing. In the flp version we did have kralls in the library but didn't know there were gasbags once.
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Leo T_C_K
OldUnreal Member
Posts: 3660
Joined: Sat Aug 27, 2005 6:24 pm

Re: the infamous flotsam map versions

Post by Leo T_C_K »

combined version now here
viewtopic.php?p=101874#p101874
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