I will play every level in Eternal X and comment on them.

[Drictelt]

I think I've often been mapping for eternal without having too much inspiration, which has caused most of the boring switch hunts.
I'm a bit surprised though about you classifying This Message Will Self Distruct as one of the worst levels (I was very proud of it when I made it and in fact I still think it's a very fun level) and The Incredible Hulk and Babylon *number* as two of the better. I made the interiors for those levels and I've always thought they were rather boring and dull.

I'm wondering though, did my combats get any better? Because, not being a very good marathon player, I never know what to do with my monsters. (And please don't compare to Guns of Avalon, where I tested every single monster several times on different difficulty levels)

[MoppyPuppy]

Actually, Guns of Avalon was one of my favorite KTA III maps.
If I'm thinking of the correct map.

It was real small. Had Lava. And a Spht'kr that teleports in to assist you at the very beginning.

It was SO SMALL, and yet it was challenging. The reason I like it so much is that its an example of what you can put into less than 100 polygons.
Every KTA III map was an example of that, but if you think about all individual KTA maps as cutouts from a 1024 polygon level, a lot of the KTA maps would be examples of something along the lines of ultimate and FINAL battle.

But if your map was a cutout, it'd just be some random hallway section. Kinda like any hallway from any scenario that just put maybe 2 monsters inside.

In my map for the Summer Map Collaboration Project, I've revamped a lot of my "random hallway" sections into an homage to Guns of Avalon.

[Drictelt]

You've improved, too.
At kissing ass.

;P

[Shadowbreaker]

I actually liked the Jjaro chapter... despite the annoying ass switch hunt on that one level, it was the only thing that was actually hard in the whole game.

And to think that I might have made some of those levels, had I not just slacked off

[RyokoTK]

I think I've often been mapping for eternal without having too much inspiration, which has caused most of the boring switch hunts.
I'm a bit surprised though about you classifying This Message Will Self Distruct as one of the worst levels (I was very proud of it when I made it and in fact I still think it's a very fun level) and The Incredible Hulk and Babylon *number* as two of the better. I made the interiors for those levels and I've always thought they were rather boring and dull.

I'm wondering though, did my combats get any better? Because, not being a very good marathon player, I never know what to do with my monsters. (And please don't compare to Guns of Avalon, where I tested every single monster several times on different difficulty levels)

I think "Self Destruct" is one of the worst because not only does it have the endlessly frustrating respawning PID enemies, so you always have to run away, but it's also one of the game's several massive sprawling pointless Pfhor ship levels. It also has a really difficult escape-from-the-lava section at the end which is almost impossible because the timing assumes no one will get in your way -- something that's entirely unlikely with the endless hordes of enemies.

The Incredible Hulk and Babylon X are maybe a little less visually interesting but the layout is a lot tighter and more coherent, and the combat's just a lot more fun. So really, overall your monster placement and usage is generally fine even in Eternal, with the Jjaro maps being the only real exception.

EDIT

I actually liked the Jjaro chapter... despite the annoying ass switch hunt on that one level, it was the only thing that was actually hard in the whole game.

It's true that it's challenging, but I don't think it's challenging in a good way.

[Drictelt]

I can see how the monster floods spoil those maps, yes...

[RyokoTK]

Well half the time there are so many monsters scattered around the map that you can't really run away, you'll just run into another group of enemies.

[MoppyPuppy]

Well half the time there are so many monsters scattered around the map that you can't really run away, you'll just run into another group of enemies.

If you want to cheese your way through Phoenix Eternal, that's your own decision, not Pfhorrest's.

[RyokoTK]

If you want to cheese your way through Phoenix Eternal, that's your own decision, not Pfhorrest's.

please

[CaptainJason]

Deep Into the Grotto
[attachment=3793:DeepInto...tto_0000.png]

This level is bad. It's really, really, really bad, and the thought of having to replay it upon choosing the wrong choice at the end is more than I can tolerate, so I hope to high heaven I did the right thing for my own sake.

There's only one thing worse than a really bad level, and that's a really hard really bad level, which this one is. The inherent problem with this level is not only that it's an annoying and overly-long switch hunt maze, but it has infinitely spawning enemies in great numbers and you can die very very quickly, and they can chase you freely over the entire level so you have absolutely nowhere to hide. In my course of trying to punch all of the switches on this level, I died more times here than probably anywhere else in the entire game -- combined. This, coupled with the fact that your blade ammo is finite and the WMC doesn't work properly, means you are always forced to run away at top speed.

It's not a lot of fun. In fact, it's not only not fun, but it's unbelievably aggravating, and if I weren't pointlessly and needlessly forcing myself to finish this game I probably would have stopped playing right here. I didn't even realize fully what the objective was until I was some distance through the level, because I was too focused on not dying basically immediately to the endless hordes, and by the time I did catch on I had to retrace all of my steps in order to find out which stupid switch I passed up. This level sucks.

Making the choice at the end of the level seemed to boil down to catching Hathor in a logical error of sorts, if my knowledge of Marathon lore is correct. (Also because choosing the obvious choice in this game is always wrong.) So, at least it beats having to break an out-of-the-way wire that no one told you about, or something like that. In fact, as far as "choice" goes in this game, this is the only one where it actually feels like a legitimate choice. Unpfhorseen was close, but I think it was too obvious that Tycho was evil. But I guess I'll find out if I'm right or not before too long.

Level design: 1/5
Architecture: 3/5
Combat: 1/5

I gotta agree with you on this one. The forever spawning hordes of enemies with no respite is pretty annoying. This is especially so when one considers how few caches of ammo there seem to be on this level. I found myself going through more zero point modules than I could shake a light saber er, gravitonic blade at.

Challenging is cool, but this comes of as a bit too much excess for me.

[Dugit]

I've only just noticed- although Third Rock From Lh'owon is now on the level select board, Forever My Greatest And Only Love is not?

[CryoS]

ITS A FRAP!

[RyokoTK]

I've only just noticed- although Third Rock From Lh'owon is now on the level select board, Forever My Greatest And Only Love is not?

I guess the map file that I had from the main download is now out of date? I don't know.

[Pfhorrest]

I don't think 3rd Rock is up on the 1.0.3 version currently available for download.

There was a 1.1. beta a while back that trailed off for some reason or another, which included 3rd Rock in place of "Forever My Greatest..." (well, not in place of, because the levels in that chapter are all rearranged now). Maybe Dugit has that?

[Dugit]

Sorry there guys, I've got the 1.1.0 b3. I'll get the latest one right away.

[Pfhorrest]

"The latest one" is the wrong direction: you have a more recent version than the version currently on the website, because 1.1 never went final, and now never will, unless I decide to call Omega version 1.1.

[CaptainJason]

I'd like to point out an annoying issue on the Jjaro levels (Antiquity). Since these levels have such an inordinate amount of massive regenerating PID's, the fact that there appear to be no ammo replenishment for the only weapon(s) that are able to be used starts to become an issue as one progresses through these levels. I mean, that darn switch hunt in Deep in the Grotto takes up a lot of the zero point packs that you pick up in the previous levels pretty quickly, making for relatively few packs to be available when dealing with the massive regenerating PID's in the next levels... Quite annoying.

[HunterOfShadows]

I'm confused as hell, all these improvements have been described in this thread, but when I got Eternal...none of them are there.

>_<

Is it just not released yet?

I am enjoying reading your reviews Ryoko

[Dis]

If you won't even bother reading two posts above yours you might as well not bother posting.

[HunterOfShadows]

If you don't bother not being retarded, you might as well not bother posting

I'm not interested in reading every single damn post to find my answer, and the only way to find that answer would be to read every single damn post, since I dunno where to look to begin with, how would I, indeed, how would I know to look right there, there's 8 fuckin pages

That really sucks to hear that, I would encourage Phforrest to continue the series.

[Xap]

I think I enjoyed Eternal X a lot more than RyokoTK did. I was engrossed by the whole experience. I guess everyone has different aspects of things that they enjoy.

[HunterOfShadows]

I honestly find though, that feelings I didn't know how to articulate about eternal x, that Ryoko did, which I personally appreciated a lot

His feelings about Antiquity, summed up mine perfectly, I HATED the PiD shit

[Dis]

That really sucks to hear that, I would encourage Phforrest to continue the series.

Maybe you should re-read that post, champ.

[Xap]

Yeah it turns out I posted that up there without reading most of Ryoko's reviews (or his conclusion) (like the dumbass I am). I agree with a lot of the things that were said, especially about the best/worst maps; Babylon X is personally my favorite, and I loathed Deep Into the Grotto.

I connect most with the person who said, a few pages back (too lazy to find that shit), that they liked Eternal X because it was relaxing. Especially the music; I sent an email to the composer about it a while back, telling him that. (He said he had not gotten much feedback on it.) It created a nice atmosphere that made the annoying levels a little more bearable and the boring levels... relaxing.

[CitizenKane]

Unlucky for Some

Here's a level that should be awesome, but isn't.

I'm just playing through Eternal for the first time at the moment and I thought Unlucky for Some was one of the funnest levels I've played in any scenario