Big Trouble in Little Dunwich">

Iikka Keranen is best known for his line of IKBase textures for all three Quake games. He has earned a well-deserved reputation for never skimping on either the number of textures available or the quality of each image, and as a result his palettes can be seen in untold numbers of maps 'net wide. He's no stranger to mapping, either. With 5 Q1 single player, 9 Q2 DM, and now two maps for Q3, he's been a prolific contributor to the community for quite some time. Fingers also has been an active participant in the gaming industry, working for both Ion Storm and Looking Glass. His work has contributed to the development of games such as Daikatana, Anachronox, and Thief.

Fingers' newest Q3 map turns the traditional notion of what a DM map should be on its head. Designed as and influenced by a section of 19th century Boston, Terror consists of a block of three story buildings on either side of a cobblestone street. Each of these buildings empties out onto the road, via a direct doorway, by a small antechamber, or through a connecting alley. A number of open windows in the structures' facades also look out onto the street, and provide access to the roof eaves and building ledges that wind through the upper reaches of the map. Although from outside there appears to be several different buildings, in reality their interiors are merged into two distinct spaces. Both are three stories tall and are densely packed with usable playing area. Most rooms take full advantage of the height of the building, and are designed with either vaulted ceilings or as atrium-like spaces open to the floors above. The sole means of moving upwards is by stairs, although the compact proportions of the level insure that nearly all areas are within only a few feet of one set or another. The two buildings are connected by their common access to the street and a third-story skywalk stretching over the roadway below. Additionally, a complete sewer system beneath the sidewalk (replete with hidden, temple-like rooms) also link the two. Totally novel, completely unique, and undeniably impressive to behold, Dunwich's design is one you simply have to check out. (A)

Dunwich also stands apart from your typical DM match in terms of its looks. According to the readme, the environment is modeled after the "irregular and chaotic" architecture of old Boston. Both the building facades and the street are impressively realistic and lavished with masterful attention to detail. Nothing is left lacking from the doorway arches, to the streetfront windows, to the slanted rooftops and ledges, everything here screams authenticity. Upon this, Fingers has imposed a texture set worthy of his magnificent architecture. Stone, brick, and cobblestone are the order of the day, all from the author's new IK2K palette. The interior of the map is not left to lack, either. Graced with arched ceilings with wooden beams, hardwood floors with Persian rugs, and miniature pieces of artwork adorning the walls, there's an awful lot to see. Probably my favorite area is the sewers down below-- done simply without too much extravagant detail, they're realistic, but simultaneously drip the sort of subtle Lovecraftian malice that the author seemed to be going for. The eerie (although occasionally cheesy) ambient noises both there and in areas above only further reinforce that impression. Easily, the coolest detail to be found here is the meteor that has crashed into one of the buildings. A crucial part of the back story explained in the .txt file, the holes that it punched through walls and ceiling before it becoming embedded into the floor are worth the download alone. Not to be missed. (A+)

Right in line with the rest of the map, gameplay is definitely not ordinary. Inside, the layout is "angled and tangled," with rooms and corridors branching off from each other in unusual directions. It's easy to miss spotting some entrances or passages into each room, so sudden and unexpected 1-3 player confrontations are quite common in most areas. The randomness of these encounters is to be emphasized with the sheer complexity of the layout of this map, you'll probably just be wandering aimlessly throughout the board for the numerous games it will take to memorize the arrangement of it all. Smaller groups may well be swallowed by the size and complexity of the design, so reserve Dunwich for larger matches such as 5-6 combatants or more. The map is partitioned off into several areas that are nearly entirely self-enclosed, making gameplay rather decentralized. More interconnection between them would have been nice, but as is there is still little to complain about. Action throughout the board is more likely to be 5 2-person duels than 1 10-person brawl, but occasionally a sizeable conflagration does brew up in some of the more open areas. The storied atrium-like rooms also add a twist of vertical combat to the mix. Down in the sewers, gameplay is more hide and seek nearly always the most sparsely populated portion of the level, players often take turns stalking each other through the sunken passageways and hidden rooms of this section. Outside in the street is by far the map's most open area; between the doorways from each building, the overlooking windows, and the rooftops and ledges, there is a sizeable hunk of playing area here. However, with no weapon spawns there, most of the action is to be found inside. Weapon placement is not a problem the all save LG/BFG set is spread evenly throughout the board, with the exception of the street. The GL is the easiest piece of iron to spot perched on the skywalk, it is a cinch to see but perhaps trickier to get to in the maze of interior rooms. As for the rest, all but the most familiar with the map will likely just be charging blindly from room to room, picking up whatever piece of iron they happen to encounter. The PG and the RL seem to be in more high-traffic rooms, and the SG seems to be everywhere. As for the RG, it is placed in plain sight, but I had some difficulty consistently locating it. A fun map to play lots of room, ingenious and novel design, and totally different from the "meat and potatoes" DM play that most players will be used to. (A-)

A top notch map. Totally different from anything I've seen so far (or likely will again). The environment is totally immersive and very innovative, and the gameplay is definitely not of the "been there, done that" variety. Although not for smaller groups, Dunwich is a fine choice for larger DM-FFA games. (A)

Layout	Atmosphere	Technical	Overall
A	A+	A-	A