Recent Reviews

1. Divade011

   8/5,

   I played a team CTF on this map. Looks great, bases were appropriately CQ with a good line of sight down the side. Top section seemed like a trap if you had flag though, I didn't use it much. I heard you say it was OP before so it makes sense you cut it down. Still felt great to be on.

   Apr 17, 2016
2. Dunco

   7/5,

   Really great detail. The map seems bigger than it is. I kept getting distracted looked at your architecture then getting blasted from behind.
   
   I did feel it was a bit cramped and there was a dark corner that looked like a hall but was actually a dead end. Maybe some lighting in those corners.
   
   It was pretty scary crossing from one side's base to the other but I dug that. Played on strongholds and the center was totally chaos. I dug that too :)

   Apr 11, 2016
3. Max Extra

   8/5,

   Though this map was played with more players than originally anticipated, I thought for the most part this map played very well. I personally love death pits and the sword base/boarding action from this map played very well. This was a wonderfully clean forged map, as I would expect from you.
   
   I cant comment on the grenade placements because with the player size for the map the frag grenade count was a bit on the larger size. I do like how the splinter grenades where utilized on the maps corners and angles.
   
   Keep up the great work! I m really not sure what more to say in a review of this map that hasnt been mentioned already or available in the VOD of the stream.

   Mar 6, 2016
4. Nohbody

   8/5,

   I played this map not in a 2v2 or 4v4 game but in fact in a game in which you, Pat Sounds, were a participant! I think we had how many, 7v7 or so and it was a slayer game? This was in Max Extra's Forge Friday event. That being said, I will keep in mind the scope as I offer my critique.
   
   First things first, the map has a solid layout. Reminiscent of Halo CE's Boarding Action, Power Strip departs from this possible inspiration in that its two structures, also separated by a chasm (much smaller here), have increased depth the farther the player gets from the chasm. Power strip also has a variety of bridges that span the chasm, and not all of them can be traversed without jumping. One in particular is such a long jump that I had to clamber onto the ledge or face death, a testament to the careful detail Pat Sounds put into the sizing of the jump. While a friend of mine, who unfortunately was much less observant than he should have been, failed to notice the gap in the bridge, complained because he fell right into it, I personally enjoyed the bridges. There was a path that was high up and on the edge of the map and was very narrow. This path felt odd in conjunction with the others methods of traversal, especially in how safe it was when the player quickly sprinted from one side to the other. I think this area should be studied to better understand ways to make its use dangerous but ideal under certain conditions. There was also a bottom floor beneath the bases that had a large, cylindrical platform. While my first impression of this platform was that it was much too high off the ground, I found that with a well-made jump I could clamber onto it and then jump onto another platform. This was especially handy in a situation in which I was near death and was surrounded. I made a hasty getaway and a technical jump onto this platform facilitated my escape. I also used the platform to evade an enemy by running around it in circles! Hahaha it amounted to an interested space with which to fight enemies. The two doors on either side of this bottom area lead into the opposing bases via a large, wide ramp. This area I thought was much too large and when fighting enemies had little geometry with which to bounce grenades or get useful lines of sight. The opponents on the high ground also had the same issue, and the interactions in this area often resulted in a stalemate if both opponents were passive, or a significant advantage to the opponent who stayed put and let the other be aggressive. It may need some reconsideration as well. Also, on the top floor of the bases, I found that these weren't the most inspired combat areas. They didn't offer variations on the combat scenarios already present in the map.
   
   I think the map would be fairly large for a 2v2, but would be ideal for a 4v4. Again, that statement should be taken with a grain of salt given the number of players I played with on this map. I did not have the chance to test out the power weapons. The aesthetics of the map were great, specifically the light-bridges. I recommend finding a way to use aesthetics to differentiate the levels in the bases. Using colors or items to give context to the current floor in the base can help give players have a better natural sense of their current location. I found that I wasn't always sure where I was in the base until I looked out at the chasm.
   
   Positives:
   + Good, simple, easily & quickly understood map layout
   + Good use of varied combat spaces and verticality
   + Great aesthetics
   
   Negatives:
   - Certain combat areas are awkward and may need fine tuning
   - Map layout is solid, which is a plus, but lacks in innovative movement options or combat spaces.
   - Not as good as Pet Sounds
   
   Overall: 4 Stars. Great design. Great execution. Great visuals. Caveat: it leaves me yearning for a little something <i>more</i > in that I don't think it fully takes advantage of the new movement possibilities in Halo 5.

   Mar 5, 2016