Pak Attack: Brutalist Jam: the upper levels (2022) [BQTN E161c-e | PC w/ vkQuake]
1It's finally time to jump back into Quake with the Brutalist Jam - the very reason I finally prioritized playing Control. There are a whopping 35 maps in this pak, clearly more than I can fit in a single video, so I'll be posting the lower and upper "halves" of the start map separately. This video comprises the maps accessible via the lower two floors of the start map.
Table of Contents:
00:00 - Intro
02:28 - The Foundations of Cruelty by EKHudson
35:06 - Tower Theta by Fifthskip
50:13 - Untitled by ChocoHearts
56:07 - Concrete Addiction by Grash
1:08:50 - 50 Shades of Grey by iYago
1:35:54 - The Pits of Insanity by dougmnyc AKA Grue
2:03:54 - Flatzone Maximus by stixc
2:11:33 - The Edge of the Empire by mrtaufner
2:43:55 - Pratique Concrete by magnetbox
3:00:06 - Organ Foundry by riktoi
3:13:43 - Voidcorp XPM Lab 0016 by SewerHrehorowicz
3:39:13 - Rampage by Colossus
4:21:33 - Liminality by NewHouse
4:51:06 - Forbidden Brutal Religion by Mazu
Standouts:
The Foundations of Cruelty by EKHudson
This is apparently Elliot's first Quake map, and he was learning Trenchbroom along the way. Could've fooled me - this is extremely impressive for a first map, and really nails the brutalist theme.
Untitled by ChocoHearts
Another first map, which is pretty short and simple, but has some neat environmental ideas that make me really interested to potentially see more by this author. Gives me somewhat Quake-II-adjacent vibes.
50 Shades of Gray by iYago
This map has some neat set pieces (and a super not-a-secret) and its exit immediately gave me strong Control vibes. Also I can't believe I got a shout-out in someone's readme, just for reading readme files.
The Pits of Insanity by dougmnyc AKA Grue
This map may have had some nasty moments, but it certainly has some extremely strong and memorable artistic design that nails the theme in sometimes unsettling ways.
The Edge of the Empire by mrtaufner
Another strong map from mrtaufner, and another map that sometimes gives me vague Quake II vibes.
Liminality by NewHouse
While this wasn't necessarily the most enjoyable map for me (as NewHouse maps tend to be on the difficult side), it is really impressive artistically, in terms of incorporating brutalist architecture meaningfully into the level design at some points, while having it naturally fade into the backdrop in others.
Forbidden Brutal Religion by Mazu
You knew this was going to be on the standouts list. Once again, we have a map that Mazu constructed in 2-3 weeks that looks like it ought to have taken that many months. It ticks plenty of boxes for the brutalist theme, while also being an entire experience in itself. One of the most notable moments is when you finally get through the area beyond the silver key door and reach the top of the map... and then get to look down and see all of the obstacles you surmounted to get there. Absolutely mind-boggling scale. The area beyond the silver key door also features a neat new mechanic, while also providing a "boring" alternative for accessibility purposes... though it could do with far fewer snipers.
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For more BQTN (Better Quake Than Never), see details and the full playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfGxDQwmTH6y1mhQzUaCZ6XxXxspG7Z19
This was originally livestreamed. Catch BQTN live on weekends at 8PM US Eastern on YouTube or Twitch! You can find links to both on my site at https://cney.stream/ along with a page listing everything I've played in the series.
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