I decided to make an independent review of this old underappreciated classic.
First off, you have to remember that this is very old mappack, one of first mappacks and that there weren't many tutorials avaiable on Unreal engine and that the authors ventured to 3D realm for first time with the Shadow of Na Pali mappack, which Apoc is sequel of. They (Crescent Moon Software) were known for releasing 2D funky games and CMS and Apoc are both oldschool themed packs with this more funkier theme than usual.
If you want better looking maps by the same author, look up Kyle Pittman's UT maps, I have forgotten their names but they used to be on Nalicity and they were pretty good, Kyle also started working for Gearbox in summer 2006 when I spoke to him, as a contractor on Borderlands and later joined in full time and still is in Gearbox I believe.
There was also third CMS pack in plans and also a single custom map released by David, called The Living Planet, that map is probably well known by now and is old as well, although tad newer than Apoc.
Technical Execution and Story:
Technical execution is well done, now you may think I have gone crazy but I have not. What I talk about is not the basicness of geometry, which it is at many places very basic, but I talk about the technical execution of what they've done and what they worked with. There are not real glaring texture aligment or brush aligment errors, in few exceptions though. Many of the maps are well done and aligned, compared to other custom maps by the era and this is very important, you have to judge these maps in comparison of other maps of the same age. Screw modern standards and fabricated bullshit that many communities offer, this is how maps are "judged" properly.
It all fits well together and there are also good looking maps such as Silence Canyon or Great Cliffs, which don't have cubic cliffs, but real detail is applied on them, they might still seem blocky, but there was real work involved in making them.
I really prefer technical execution of this over maps like Tower of Ziki and such.
The lighting is done well too, although is basic or has unexplained colored corridors at places, but hey, it does kinda fit within the overall atmosphere of the mappack.
At least the maps are not copycats of existing maps and even try to use variation of themes to avoid cliches. For example the mercenary base at beginning is hidden within old looking castle themed buildings, the real base is underground and uses starship, not sticking to overused decayeds. It is not sure if the mercenaries here are meant to be the same mercs from Unreal, probably not, given the story. This is not after all the same universe.
The story is not something terribly good, but it isn't insulting either, you are after a pack of Mercenaries who stole nuclear rockets planning on destroying stuff, that's it. During the pack you fail to secure one of the missiles and you need to track it down and hunt it.
Gameplay Atmosphere and Music:
Gameplay is fairly linear at first, not different from Shadow of Na Pali, and having this oldschool doom wibe to it. But after first four maps you get an interesting choice, to split your path in multiple ways. From Silence Canyon you can go either to Emerald Caverns, which albeit basic look great and then you can choose either Village or Sewers, which both will lead to penultimate map of the pack, where all paths go to. Or you can choose to go from Silence Canyon to Great Cliffs and then to Spaceport, which again leads to the water caverns map which leads to final map. And each of the paths have unique weapon selection, so you never end up with the same. This is just brilliant.
There are also some interesting events going on like rockets taking off, mine carts crashing, ceiling dropping with pupae traps and more, so really it is not all that basic at all.
The final two maps are rather disapointment and not that fun or great looking, but they offer an interesting challenge, although coop is broken in the final map.
The music was most criticised in regards to this mappack, but it isn't bad, in fact some of the instruments are bad and too funky, but the actual music is well done and it gives this pack unique atmosphere. Though Galaxy really screws up the music badly so it will hurt your ears at times, when playing standalone it's not that bad anymore, maybe except the secret level music, ugh.
Yes secret level, you can acess it fairly early and it skips most of the maps, as it leads straight to final map and gives you all weapons, not recommended to go into the secret level, if you see jungle like painting on the walls you know you shouldn't go there because that is secret level entrance. You can check out the level but better load your game back or play it standalone rather than skipping most of the maps. Or just do switchcooplevel ateaster when you enter atapochead for first time.
EDIT: Forgot to mention skies, while they are basic, they are well looking, again silence canyon and great cliffs are good examples there.
Overall Score:
60 %
(Btw here is interesting read on their old website:
http://web.archive.org/web/20000930200936/http://www.unrealnation.net/cms/aboutcms.html )
First off, you have to remember that this is very old mappack, one of first mappacks and that there weren't many tutorials avaiable on Unreal engine and that the authors ventured to 3D realm for first time with the Shadow of Na Pali mappack, which Apoc is sequel of. They (Crescent Moon Software) were known for releasing 2D funky games and CMS and Apoc are both oldschool themed packs with this more funkier theme than usual.
If you want better looking maps by the same author, look up Kyle Pittman's UT maps, I have forgotten their names but they used to be on Nalicity and they were pretty good, Kyle also started working for Gearbox in summer 2006 when I spoke to him, as a contractor on Borderlands and later joined in full time and still is in Gearbox I believe.
There was also third CMS pack in plans and also a single custom map released by David, called The Living Planet, that map is probably well known by now and is old as well, although tad newer than Apoc.
Technical Execution and Story:
Technical execution is well done, now you may think I have gone crazy but I have not. What I talk about is not the basicness of geometry, which it is at many places very basic, but I talk about the technical execution of what they've done and what they worked with. There are not real glaring texture aligment or brush aligment errors, in few exceptions though. Many of the maps are well done and aligned, compared to other custom maps by the era and this is very important, you have to judge these maps in comparison of other maps of the same age. Screw modern standards and fabricated bullshit that many communities offer, this is how maps are "judged" properly.
It all fits well together and there are also good looking maps such as Silence Canyon or Great Cliffs, which don't have cubic cliffs, but real detail is applied on them, they might still seem blocky, but there was real work involved in making them.
I really prefer technical execution of this over maps like Tower of Ziki and such.
The lighting is done well too, although is basic or has unexplained colored corridors at places, but hey, it does kinda fit within the overall atmosphere of the mappack.
At least the maps are not copycats of existing maps and even try to use variation of themes to avoid cliches. For example the mercenary base at beginning is hidden within old looking castle themed buildings, the real base is underground and uses starship, not sticking to overused decayeds. It is not sure if the mercenaries here are meant to be the same mercs from Unreal, probably not, given the story. This is not after all the same universe.
The story is not something terribly good, but it isn't insulting either, you are after a pack of Mercenaries who stole nuclear rockets planning on destroying stuff, that's it. During the pack you fail to secure one of the missiles and you need to track it down and hunt it.
Gameplay Atmosphere and Music:
Gameplay is fairly linear at first, not different from Shadow of Na Pali, and having this oldschool doom wibe to it. But after first four maps you get an interesting choice, to split your path in multiple ways. From Silence Canyon you can go either to Emerald Caverns, which albeit basic look great and then you can choose either Village or Sewers, which both will lead to penultimate map of the pack, where all paths go to. Or you can choose to go from Silence Canyon to Great Cliffs and then to Spaceport, which again leads to the water caverns map which leads to final map. And each of the paths have unique weapon selection, so you never end up with the same. This is just brilliant.
There are also some interesting events going on like rockets taking off, mine carts crashing, ceiling dropping with pupae traps and more, so really it is not all that basic at all.
The final two maps are rather disapointment and not that fun or great looking, but they offer an interesting challenge, although coop is broken in the final map.
The music was most criticised in regards to this mappack, but it isn't bad, in fact some of the instruments are bad and too funky, but the actual music is well done and it gives this pack unique atmosphere. Though Galaxy really screws up the music badly so it will hurt your ears at times, when playing standalone it's not that bad anymore, maybe except the secret level music, ugh.
Yes secret level, you can acess it fairly early and it skips most of the maps, as it leads straight to final map and gives you all weapons, not recommended to go into the secret level, if you see jungle like painting on the walls you know you shouldn't go there because that is secret level entrance. You can check out the level but better load your game back or play it standalone rather than skipping most of the maps. Or just do switchcooplevel ateaster when you enter atapochead for first time.
EDIT: Forgot to mention skies, while they are basic, they are well looking, again silence canyon and great cliffs are good examples there.
Overall Score:
60 %
(Btw here is interesting read on their old website:
http://web.archive.org/web/20000930200936/http://www.unrealnation.net/cms/aboutcms.html )
Last edited:
Thanks for the review!