The Artifact: Part I

The Artifact: Part I

'Locked away and forgotten long ago, an ancient, mysterious relic awaits those who are worthy to reach it.'

After spending some time playing some puzzle maps created by the online community, I thought i'd have a go at making one of my own. I've played some very different kinds of adventure maps, some designed to test your skill with armor abilities, others that feature genuinely difficult puzzles and some that use forge objects in new and inventive ways.
In this map you play as a character named 'John'. You have discovered a sunken temple and must move through it to reach the skull.
You are armed with nothing but a pistol and have lost your grenades, your shields are down and your health will not recharge if depleted. There is a single med kit on this map which you can use to heal yourself, but only once.



This map is not designed to be incredibly difficult and does not feature individual puzzle rooms. It is more of a complex that you need to work your way through slowly, returning to rooms you have been through before to obtain certain items or abilities you may need to progress.



There are many obstacles and puzzles in this complex. Certain weapons or items need to be obtained so that switches can be activated and doors opened in order to move forward. As you do not start the game with these items, you must search and find ways to obtain them so you can reach the end of the map.



Feedback would be appreciated! This is my second attempt at a puzzle/challenge map so let me know what you think.

I have almost finished the second, far more challenging part of this map which is going to be uploaded soon.

WALKTHROUGH
You start the game stranded after surviving the falcon crash. Explore the wreckage for extra pistol ammo. You may need it.
Hop from rock to rock and follow the path round into the tunnel. Drop down in to the water and follow the underwater path until you reach a narrow opening. Crouch to move forward. You are now just outside the sunken temple. Now you just need to find a way in.

Stand facing away from the temple entrance. Explore the chamber you are in and you should notice that there is a propane canister stuck in the rock face. Shooting it will cause a small explosion, knocking down a needle rifle on the other side of the wall. Follow the second underwater tunnel round to collect this weapon, as it is a crucial part of completing this map. (If you die at any point, you will need to return to the room in which you sound the gun originally). Once you have obtained the needle rifle, return to the front of the temple. You should notice a small rectangular gap just to the left of the entrance. Stand on the rock ledge directly opposite this and fire a few needle rifle rounds through this gap. The barrels blocking the door will explode and you will be allowed to enter the complex.

In the first room you will come across, you will notice the 'Sprint' ability perched high out of reach. To get it, jump on to either one of the glass sails attached to the wall, turn around and jump up to the platform in front of you. Be careful you don't fall into the water. You should see a block at the back of the room, shoot this with the needle rifle. This block activates a grenade dispenser, shoot the block and a grenade will drop down from above. Use to to throw into the gap where the armor ability is sat, and it will blow towards you and land right in front of you. Make sure you do this from the level below so you can catch the sprint before it falls into the water. Use the Sprint jump to get to the unreachable platform and again to hit the grav-lift, taking you up to the second floor.

In this room you will see a custom powerup in front of you. You won't need this just yet.
Follow the room forward, you will see three sections, the left containing a teleporter that is blocked with a fusion coil. The middle, which is another grenade dispenser, again activated by the needle rifle, dispensing 2 sticky grenades at a time. Finally, the right section, containing another, inaccessible teleporter.
Use the grenade dispenser to obtain the grenades, but be careful. Standing to close to this dispenser when activated could prove dangerous.

Take the grenades, unlock the teleporter on the left and go through it. Turn around, you should see a small gap in front of you. Throw a sticky grenade into this gap and you will able to grab the 'Armor Lock' ability. Return through the teleporter.

Head back towards the grav lift you used to reach this room. Grab the custom powerup you saw earlier and head round to the right of the grav lift. In front of you there will be a shield door. You will not be able to get through it without a. 1x Sticky grenade (you should have one left after using the dispenser), the custom powerup, and the armor lock ability. Move through the shield, drop a sticky grenade and activate armor lock. The fusion coils blocking the door will explode and you will be able to continue.

You should be familiar with the dispensers featured in this map by now, and you should notice one directly in front of you. Use it to obtain the concussion rifle.
Just to the left of this dispenser you will notice a ramp leading downwards towards water, along with another blocked door. To unlock it, stand at the top of the ramp and fire at the deployable cover hanging from the ceiling. Destroying this will knock a large ball down on to a switch, once again allowing you to continue. In the next small room, use the ball to boost yourself up and crawl through the gap. Follow the narrow corridor round and you will reach a teleporter. Go through it and you will arrive in a large empty room will doorway across a large expanse of water. You wiil not be able to reach this door unless you obtain a jetpack. Return through the teleporter you just came through.

Back in the narrow corridor, search around and you should see another deployable cover hanging from the ceiling. Destroy it with your remaining concussion rifle rounds and use the ball that drops down to return through the small crawlspace and back into the room you were in before.
If you leave the room and face back towards the ramp, you will notice that you can jump down into the surrounding water, but only on one side. Move round to the back of the ramp and you will find a jetpack hidden beneath the water. Take it and return to the teleporter, go through it and use the jetpack to reach the doorway that was unreachable before.

In the next room, unlock the teleporter. You will see a small hole in the ground leadiing to a room below. You cannot drop through this gap without once again using armor lock. Go through the teleporter you just unlocked and you will find yourself in the room with the custom power up and sticky grenade dispenser. Grab a couple of grenades, head back to the Armor lock dispenser and grab it. Return through the teleporters until have reached the room with the small hole in the floor. Remember that you need to find the custom powerup in this room before dropping through the hole, placing a sticky and activating your ability. You will find it behind one of the walls in this room. Once you have dropped through you wlll be able to continue.
You will now have reached the final room. Shoot the barrels to obtain sprint and use it to get across the water to the platform and again to get to the teleporter. Once you have gone through this teleporter you will be able to pick up the skull, completing the level.

Spoiler

You start the game stranded after surviving the falcon crash. Explore the wreckage for extra pistol ammo. You may need it.
Hop from rock to rock and follow the path round into the tunnel. Drop down in to the water and follow the underwater path until you reach a narrow opening. Crouch to move forward. You are now just outside the sunken temple. Now you just need to find a way in.

Stand facing away from the temple entrance. Explore the chamber you are in and you should notice that there is a propane canister stuck in the rock face. Shooting it will cause a small explosion, knocking down a needle rifle on the other side of the wall. Follow the second underwater tunnel round to collect this weapon, as it is a

Spoiler

crucial part of completing this map. (If you die at any point, you will need to return to the room in which you sound the gun originally). Once you have obtained the needle rifle, return to the front of the temple. You should notice a small rectangular gap just to the left of the entrance. Stand on the rock ledge directly opposite this and fire a few needle rifle rounds through this gap. The barrels blocking the door will explode and you will be allowed to enter the complex.

In the first room you will come across, you will notice the 'Sprint' ability perched high out of reach. To get it, jump on to either one of the glass sails attached to the wall, turn around and jump up to the platform in front of you. Be careful you don't fall into the water. You should see a block at the back of the room, shoot this with the needle rifle. This block activates a grenade dispenser, shoot the block and a grenade will drop down from above. Use to to throw into the gap where the armor ability is sat, and it will blow towards you and land right in front of you. Make sure you do this from the level below so you can catch the sprint before it falls into the water. Use the Sprint jump to get to the unreachable platform and again to hit the grav-lift, taking you up to the second floor.

In this room you will see a custom powerup in front of you. You won't need this just yet.
Follow the room forward, you will see three sections, the left containing a teleporter that is blocked with a fusion coil. The middle, which is another grenade dispenser, again activated by the needle rifle, dispensing 2 sticky grenades at a time. Finally, the right section, containing another, inaccessible teleporter.
Use the grenade dispenser to obtain the grenades, but be careful. Standing to close to this dispenser when activated could prove dangerous.

Take the grenades, unlock the teleporter on the left and go through it. Turn around, you should see a small gap in front of you. Throw a sticky grenade into this gap and you will able to grab the 'Armor Lock' ability. Return through the teleporter.

Head back towards the grav lift you used to reach this room. Grab the custom powerup you saw earlier and head round to the right of the grav lift. In front of you there will be a shield door. You will not be able to get through it without a. 1x Sticky grenade (you should have one left after using the dispenser), the custom powerup, and the armor lock ability. Move through the shield, drop a sticky grenade and activate armor lock. The fusion coils blocking the door will explode and you will be able to continue.

You should be familiar with the dispensers featured in this map by now, and you should notice one directly in front of you. Use it to obtain the concussion rifle.
Just to the left of this dispenser you will notice a ramp leading downwards towards water, along with another blocked door. To unlock it, stand at the top of the ramp and fire at the deployable cover hanging from the ceiling. Destroying this will knock a large ball down on to a switch, once again allowing you to continue. In the next small room, use the ball to boost yourself up and crawl through the gap. Follow the narrow corridor round and you will reach a teleporter. Go through it and you will arrive in a large empty room will doorway across a large expanse of water. You wiil not be able to reach this door unless you obtain a jetpack. Return through the teleporter you just came through.

Back in the narrow corridor, search around and you should see another deployable cover hanging from the ceiling. Destroy it with your remaining concussion rifle rounds and use the ball that drops down to return through the small crawlspace and back into the room you were in before.
If you leave the room and face back towards the ramp, you will notice that you can jump down into the surrounding water, but only on one side. Move round to the back of the ramp and you will find a jetpack hidden beneath the water. Take it and return to the teleporter, go through it and use the jetpack to reach the doorway that was unreachable before.

In the next room, unlock the teleporter. You will see a small hole in the ground leadiing to a room below. You cannot drop through this gap without once again using armor lock. Go through the teleporter you just unlocked and you will find yourself in the room with the custom power up and sticky grenade dispenser. Grab a couple of grenades, head back to the Armor lock dispenser and grab it. Return through the teleporters until have reached the room with the small hole in the floor. Remember that you need to find the custom powerup in this room before dropping through the hole, placing a sticky and activating your ability. You will find it behind one of the walls in this room. Once you have dropped through you wlll be able to continue.
You will now have reached the final room. Shoot the barrels to obtain sprint and use it to get across the water to the platform and again to get to the teleporter. Once you have gone through this teleporter you will be able to pick up the skull, completing the level.

 

So I did, should have double checked that before uploading really... Thanks for the feedback, the map is generally designed to test an individual player, but that doesn't mean it can't be edited to work for 2 or more people. Might give it a go.