(Dis)Assembly

Description
What a contradiction in terms this map is! A disassembled assembly line! Pande returns with his latest mapping creation; (Dis)assembly. The idea is that an Imperial Super Star Destroyer has bombed this Rebel factory and has left it in ruins. My only complaint with this is that if it was a [i]Super Star Destroyer[/i], then this part of the [i]planet[/i] should be... well, no longer there! :P

There are three kinds of map, though you only really see two of these most of the time. Firstly; purely functional (as in a clan map or academy map), then balanced (balanced between looks and gameplay) and finally a piece of mapping art (the best looking map it is possible to construct and play in JKA). Generally speaking most maps are either over to the functional or artistic sides I would say, I don't think maps that are truly balanced between the two come around that often.

Whilst this certainly makes a good duel map, due to the plethora of platforms and tight winding spaces, as Pande says in his readme, this is more a piece of art. There are a few features in this map which really make it stand out in terms of artistic excellence; the first one is the light, which gradually fades in and out, simulating the passing of clouds overhead. Secondly, you will also notice that the light rays coming through the holes in the roof also fade in and out. Combined with the thick layer of dust billowing around the floors, this creates a very dramatic visual effect.

When you combine the visual effects with the level of detail and also that fantastic and moody music (made by Pande himself no less) you have a really nice map to look at. And as I said above, it is also excellent for having duels in, so its not all just about the looks, although players with slower computers may have a little trouble due to the amount of detail and number of visual effects here.

One the subject of the music, since it was made by Pande; obviously if you wanted to use it in any way you would need to get his permission first!

For all the good bits in this map though, there are improvements that I feel could be made. Whilst the lighting is very good, especially with the sunlight fading in and out, simulating clouds, there is just something not quite right about the overall interior lighting. Its not easy to put my finger on, it just doesn't look quite right. I think the problem is that the contrast between the light areas and the shadows is too great; the shadows are a bit too dark and the light areas look a little bleached out when the light is at its strongest. I just feel that it doesn't look quite natural, I would definitely suggest lightening up the shadows with some extra ambient light anyway.

I also think it would be great if this could be expanded into a full FFA map, since the setting of the map just begs for more areas to be explored!

Overall though this is a very high quality map from Pande and well worth a download, especially if you love a good duel map! You are definitely one mapper I will be keeping an eye on Pande, as you are continuing to improve your skills! :)

[b]New Textures:[/b] Yes
[b]New Sounds:[/b] No
[b]New Music:[/b] Yes
[b]Bot Routes:[/b] Yes
[b]Game Types:[/b] FFA, Duel, Power Duel

~Nozyspy~