A little disappointed that I didn't love this like most people seem to but I did have a lot of fun with it! If you like Quake I don't see any reason you'll dislike this, it's basically just a beefed up version: tougher enemies, stronger weapons, and some absolutely gorgeous vistas to shoot through. The visuals are easily the best thing this mod has going for it, there's so much detail and variety in every location that it blows the sludgey look of the original out of the water.
The decision to make the shotguns fire projectiles is one I don't entirely understand the logistics behind and yet I really liked it, it made them all feel a bit more tactical and satisfying to use. The new triple shotgun and lightning gun are pretty cool but I think the arsenal still needed some more touching up. There's some enemies with crossbows that I think would've been great if you could've used, for instance.
My biggest issue with Arcane Dimensions is level design, specifically how massive some of them are. These are some of the biggest and most sprawling FPS maps I've ever seen, and while that's impressive, I don't think the game always does a good job leading you through them. Lot's of them have tons of branching paths and secrets and it's so easy to get lost and confused and spend time running in circles unsure of what to do. Really makes you wish Quake had a map, I honestly can't believe this mod didn't add one.
I also feel like the mod has a tendency to introduce cool stuff and then just forget about it. There's a cool level where you get double jump boots and I swear I never once saw them again. There's enemies too that show up in a couple levels and then just disappear. I don't know, I think the whole thing feels a little scattershot to me. I would've liked something with a bit more cohesion to it as opposed to just random levels. Finding secrets feels way less rewarding knowing you're just gonna lose all your stuff at the end of the level. And why the heck did so few levels give me the rocket launcher? It's such a staple of Quake's combat that it just made things feel tedious. Really could've used some more original music too, I'm getting sick of hearing the same tracks over and over again.
Maybe I'm just Quaked-out at this point but this mod left me feeling a bit numb. I enjoyed my time with it for the most part but it's just too much at times. More impressive then seamless.
The decision to make the shotguns fire projectiles is one I don't entirely understand the logistics behind and yet I really liked it, it made them all feel a bit more tactical and satisfying to use. The new triple shotgun and lightning gun are pretty cool but I think the arsenal still needed some more touching up. There's some enemies with crossbows that I think would've been great if you could've used, for instance.
My biggest issue with Arcane Dimensions is level design, specifically how massive some of them are. These are some of the biggest and most sprawling FPS maps I've ever seen, and while that's impressive, I don't think the game always does a good job leading you through them. Lot's of them have tons of branching paths and secrets and it's so easy to get lost and confused and spend time running in circles unsure of what to do. Really makes you wish Quake had a map, I honestly can't believe this mod didn't add one.
I also feel like the mod has a tendency to introduce cool stuff and then just forget about it. There's a cool level where you get double jump boots and I swear I never once saw them again. There's enemies too that show up in a couple levels and then just disappear. I don't know, I think the whole thing feels a little scattershot to me. I would've liked something with a bit more cohesion to it as opposed to just random levels. Finding secrets feels way less rewarding knowing you're just gonna lose all your stuff at the end of the level. And why the heck did so few levels give me the rocket launcher? It's such a staple of Quake's combat that it just made things feel tedious. Really could've used some more original music too, I'm getting sick of hearing the same tracks over and over again.
Maybe I'm just Quaked-out at this point but this mod left me feeling a bit numb. I enjoyed my time with it for the most part but it's just too much at times. More impressive then seamless.