Author: Frode Waksvik (Puritan)
Released: 10th April 2009
Rating: 95
Review by Merlijn on 11th April 2009
Nostromo Final Version. 10 April 2009, by Frode 'Puritan' Waksvik.
The classic Alien movies have inspired many mappers to recreate some of their favorite scenes and locations. However, most of them base their level on the second movie, Aliens. That's why this one stands out among the crowd: it's based on the dark, rusty spaceship from the first movie. The storyline has been altered a bit: Ripley failed to activate the self-destruct mechanism, now Duke is sent to finish the job.
The author takes some liberties with the theme (for instance you'll encounter a lot more aliens then just one) but overall it stays very true to the creepy, claustrophobic atmosphere of the movie. Dark hallways, flickering lights, spooky sounds, an absolute absense of windows and some locations that fans of the movie will certainly recognize: all of these factors contribute to a very accurate and effective recreation of the movie's spooky feel. It's very immersive. This also means that design certainly isn't like your average spacemap, texturing and layout are quite unique.
Initially, the gameplay resembles the movie: very slow and full of dark corners and long hallways that could possibly contain a lurking alien, waiting to attack you. The tension is well built, but might not everybody's cup of thea. If you want straight up action, this probably isn't your map. However, things pick up during the second half of the map. There are some nicely staged fights and once you activate the self-destruct mechanism, the pace really quickens. I won't spoil too much, but the final sequences are quite memorable to say the least. Be sure to play this map in a dark room or at night, because some areas are VERY dark.
Overall: a very good map and a must-play for any Alien-fan. If you like dark, spooky levels you'll certainly enjoy this one.
Rating: 96.
Review by Forge on 1 April 2009
Nostromo First Version, circa 31 March 2009, by Frode 'Puritan' Waksvik
Based on the ship Nostromo from the movie Alien, Duke must get aboard and set off the self destruct sequence that failed when Ripley activated it.
A medium sized map with the basic layout of a three leveled space craft. Solidly designed; the architecture is very good, and the detailing, texturing and shading make for a nice dark atmosphere which enhance that, "the aliens can be around the next corner" ambiance. The atmosphere is further cultivated during the self destruct sequence with the alarms sounding and a voice coming over the loud speaker basically telling you to get the hell off the ship. Although each level looks very similar to the other levels of the ship, they have their own unique rooms and characteristics that break up the redundancy, and there's a few tricks you can implement to make navigation easier.
The map is more of a unlocking, puzzle solving, navigation style rather than a fire fight and kill all aliens theme. But don't worry, Duke isn't walking around collecting weapons, health, and ammunition for nothing; there are a few combat scenarios with the artifacts. There's also encounters in the corridors after you wake up aliens from setting off the self destruct sequence. This while you're trying to beat feet to escape, go figure. The puzzles are pretty simple; they mostly consist of unlocking a series of doors to progress further into the bowels of the ship, and there's view screens next to the majority of them to let you know where you generally need to go next.
Texturing/Lighting-Shading: 9/10 Sprite Work/Detailing:9/10 Ambiance: 10/10 Architecture/Design: 19/20 Layout: 18/20 Gameplay/Difficulty: 28/30
Overall: 93/100
Gameplay Type: SP
Requires:
Duke Nukem 3D v1.4+ and JonoF/EDuke32
Filesize: 1.45 MB
Level includes: new CON code, new sounds
Download:
Nostromo (509)
Other releases by Frode Waksvik (Puritan):
Abandon,
Ablaze,
Afterglow: A New World Rising,
Afterglow; The Scent,
Bruise Mining Company,
Neutron Base: The Arrival,
QMC: Puritan,
Subworld,
Ulysses,
Unaided Mission,
Undesirable Elements,
Uranus,
Vermin Clearance II,
Xenium,
Yesworld,
Yesworld: 2nd Edition
Know of any other maps from this author? Let us know
Mapping template:
======================================================================
THIS LEVEL IS NEITHER MADE BY OR SUPPORTED BY 3D REALMS.
Title : Nostromo
Filename : Nostromo.zip
Author : Frode 'Puritan' Waksvik
Released : March 2009(Beta) Final version in April 2009.
Web Page : Many of my maps available at www.dukerepository.com
Other Levels : Abandon, Ablaze, Afterglow; A New World Rising, Bruise Mining
Company,
Neutron base; The Arrival, QMC: Puritan, Subworld, Ulysses, Unaided Mission,
Undesirable Elements, Uranus,
Xenium, Yesworld, Yesworld 2'nd edition.
Description : This level is a tribute to the first movie "ALIEN".
In the movie capt Ripley activates the self-destruction system and then escapes in
a pod.
In my map the self-destruction system failes and Duke has to board Nostromo to
finish off what Ripley started...
I've tried to keep my building closely to the real ship.
Of course, I've taken a few liberties here and there but...
The level might appear as a long journey through corridors and doors for some.
But hey, if you've seen the movie you'll know why...
This is not a level brimmed with aliens. It's more like an adventure/puzzle styled
map.
***
COMPANY LOG: 08:25 hours
-We've approached the NOSTROMO, we are coming up behind the ship.
Our sensors indicate the ships functions are still within operating specs.
The crew is very excited, a ship this size with it's cargo intact will be
worth millions to us.
I still feel uneasy about her, a faint shadow passes before my eyes when
I think of her journey. What a strange shape.
I must access her computer, I suspect she has a secret to whisper.
In order to do that we must go onboard, we must know if there's
anyone onboard if we're to claim salvage rights, but she's still
under her own power.
We're trying to decide whether we should try to compute her course
and follow, or try and board her.-
***
Additional Credits To : Forge and Numan for handing out a hand when I needed it. They
have done a great
job with betatesting this level.
20'th Century fox for this amazing movie.
I've borrowed a few seconds of soundeffects from the movie.
All rights reserved 20'th Century fox.
All the guys behind both EDuke32 port and the HRP project.
And of course, all of you that still are playing Duke and
downloading my levels.
-"Hail to the king, baby!"-
======================================================================
* Play Information *
Episode and Level # : Usermap
Single Player : Yes
DukeMatch 2-8 Player : No
Cooperative 2-8 Player : No
Difficulty Settings : Not this time. Nostromo doesn't want to reveale her
secrets.
Atomic edition Required : Yes
EDuke32 Required : Yes (Exceeded limits and some effects).
HRP required : Built in addition with the HRP.
New Art : No
New Music : No
New Sound Effects : 12 new sounds for increasing the ambience.
New .CON Files : Yes
=====================================================================
* Construction *
Base : New level from scratch
Level Editor(s) Used : BUILD / Mapster32
Construction Time : 450 cups of coffee , 1200 cigarettes and almost a broken
relationship.
Known Bugs/Problems : No
=====================================================================
*Important Information*
Installation : Unzip all files into your Duke 3D dir.( Where your
EDuke32.exe is located).
Simply press the "StartNost.bat" file.
When you're through playing NOSTROMO simply press "EndNost.bat". ( This removes
all files related to NOSTROMO).
Important Notes : If you press "EndNost.bat", all files that belongs to
NOSTROMO will be deleted.
So, don't press this if you have a saved game and want to start it up again.
Use the "StartNost.bat" option if you're firing up a saved game.
You may distribute this level wherever you want as long as this txt file is
attached.
You may NOT use this level, as a hole or in chunks, as a base for new levels.
IMPORTANT !!
If you can read this you're having the final version of NOSTROMO.
( There is a beta version out on the web as well).
======================================================================