ONS-CBP2-Pasargadae
Title: Pasargadae
Author: Ed Duke Cox
Game: Onslaught
Volume: 2
Node Setup: Click Here
Pasargadae, once the shining Capital of a mighty Persian Empire, this vast city has been reduced over thousands of years to a crumbling wasteland. The abandoned sewage system gives quick access across the Capital, but more often than not, the victors are those that make best use of the winding, eroded streets of the city.
hal: The Persian theme is really fresh and the dusk setting is very much underused by the mapping community. The outer scale of the buildings is very good and in conjunction with the buildings implied in the skybox and the continuation of the polygonal buildings beyond the play area (something the UT2003 bonus pack did very well), you really get the sense that you are "there".
The nodes are nicely spaced and the "direct" path to the center node from the primary base node ensures that there will be plenty of destruction happening right in the middle as team vie for the lone Raptor in the map. The Raptor pilot should have a field day in this map, ruling the air by itself and raining death on tanks and Mantas, with plenty of buildings for cover.
The power nodes are ensconced in a labyrinthine domed base, that almost... almost... keeps vehicular assaults at bay. The hallways of the bases are a little cramped for me, but it's hard to complain about this one small factor in an otherwise fine map.
Raffi_B: Boy, this one is absolutely dripping with theme. Ed Duke-Cox has filled this map with custom textures and meshes, and it was worth every second of his time. The entire map flows very well, and it shows that a lot of time went into making the map. The skybox, lighting, and architecture all contribute to the theme. While the main part of the map is great, the bases are a cause for a concern. It seems like they were planned out for CTF, then converted to ONS. Also, the node layout allows both Power Cores to be attacked at the same time. While this does create unique strategy and gameplay, it does not suit the ONS style of play at all. The map becomes a race to see who can spam the enemy’s Power Core, instead of being a strategic back-and-forth battle over Power Nodes. Other than that, this map definitely belongs among the most visually appealing maps I’ve ever played.
Zenny: I respect the map for achieving a nice ancient city effect. However, at the same time, I think the map is a little too big. Getting from node to node without teleporting or using vehicles can be a pain.