Pak Attack: Func Map Jam 8: Film Noir Theme (2016) [BQTN 143 | PC w/ Quakespasm]
1From the moment I noticed the Func Map Jam series, this one in particular stood out as having the potential to be unlike anything I've played in Quake before.
And to an extent it certainly lives up to that - the palette lends a different vibe, especially when combined with external textures (especially from Kingpin). That being said, the palette is not without its issues, both in terms of conveyance (significantly harder to distinguish boxes of shells/nails at a glance) and in terms of contrast (enemies blending into backgrounds).
By far the standout map of this pak, IMO, is Pritchard's (which I played last of the 4 maps in the set), and it's also his first Quake release - very well done in that regard, especially considering the unorthodox theme.
NewHouse's map has a few surprises and thrills, and certainly still has a few moments of brutal difficulty as you might expect. The setting is quite interesting, but this map definitely runs into contrast issues with zombies blending into the backdrop of various buildings.
Ionous' map is interesting insofar as the entire exterior seeming particularly low on lighting detail, appearing rather evenly and brightly lit. This happens to work well with the monochrome palette and fog; where the map ends up suffering is in some of the ridiculously dark pockets of the interior. I also managed to softlock once.
Shamblernaut's entry is a slight remix of E1M3 which I didn't take much note of; however, his work on the start map is probably the most striking part of the entire pak as it immediately sets the tone. Between the start map and Pritchard's map, they go particularly well together towards nailing the jam's theme.
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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, Twitch, or Glimesh! You can find links to all 3 on my site at https://cney.stream/ along with a page listing everything I've played in the series.
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