Just like any terminal illness, ShotgunRagtime is back after a temporary remission, bringing you a lovely little review about a relatively unknown map. Please, attempt to enjoy:

GAMEPLAY: 7/10

While looking over Andromeda’s description, I glimpsed the peculiar phrase “large map”. As we all know, box maps have been clogging the mapping scene like cholesterol clogs a fat man’s heart valves, so now anything bigger than my left-fucking-nut gets to be called a “large” map. Needless to say, I was skeptical.

But unlike women who say they love me, this mapper WAS NOT joking -- Andromeda is HUGE. And not copy-paste Aztec-style huge, I’m talking fully fleshed-out map sections encompassing different themes, values, and freaking ethical codes. I nearly popped a blood vessel when I realized that there were FIVE (count ‘em!) doors leading out of spawn! I couldn’t handle such an unexpectedly large choice!

This hugeness carries the overall experience quite a bit: in fact, I believe it may actually be the largest custom map ever made. However, as the old catechism goes, it’s not just the size that counts, but what you do with it (at least that’s what I tell myself)

The map makes no real effort to actually ejaculate you from the starting room… err, remove you from the starting room. It’s the best place to run trains, so good in fact, you don’t even need Jugg. So you run a circle in the first room, building up a load of points before blowing them all over several doors, looking around, and then retreating back. Despite this, the experience was rather relaxing and enjoyable, and the custom perks, guns, and huge amount of stuff to see redeemed the linearity a bit.

DETAIL: 8/10

I’m giving the detail a much higher score than I usually would, simply because it is applied evenly across the entire map, an overwhelmingly impressive feat when you consider the size.

Andromeda is supposed to take place in a dream-like environment: not a unique idea, but this map nails the concept. All of the map sections (a town, church, facility, etc) are linked nicely, but there’s an overarching feeling of disquieting…  uncomfortableness, like that creepy old guy at Drug Mart who keeps looking at you funny (maybe it’s just your hair?). You’re left feeling like you’re in a suitably surreal landscape, although the immersion is broken by strange architectural decisions that sometimes make you wonder if the laboratories were designed by blind midgets. Anyhow, the map could use a good once-over and some spooky lighting, or any interesting lighting at all, really. Seriously, what the fuck is it with custom maps and fullbright? Quit it already, it’s lazy and ugly and unimmersive.

CUSTOM CONTENT: 7/10

The map has custom guns: they look nice and they work, although some have small issues such as incomplete reload sounds and holes in the models.

Huh. That was a sentence so generic it could be applied to nearly any map in the last three months. Essentially, Andromeda doesn’t bring much new to the table in terms of custom content. The map does, however, meet the standards bar -- the guns are nice and varied, there’s like nine perks and no limit, and there’s even a custom PaP camo. In fact, I was somewhat horrified when I saw my first PaP’d gun slide out:



Yep, it’s called the “Wet Dream” and it looks like it’s covered in… yeah, that’s gross. I would NOT pick that thing up and shoot it.

In any event, the content is there and it’s functioning as-intended. I would give an overall score of 8, if it weren’t for the fucking soul boxes. WHY are these in EVERY. STINKING. MAP?!

1. They are boring as hell to fill
2. They require you to sit in some uncomfortable spot, removing player freedom
3. The model is uglier than Caitlyn Jenner without makeup

I don’t even bother with them anymore, I don’t care if there’s a Ray Gun, a free perk, or a topless Katy Perry behind them. It’s just not worth it.

REPLAYABILITY: 8/10

For all its flaws, the map seems… oddly similar to any major 3arc release -- it is huge, unique, and rather pitifully easy. With all the paths to go off of spawn, guns to try, perks to buy, and soul boxes to fill (if you’re a masochist), there’s a lot of incentive to play Andromeda over again, particularly on the strength of its layout. I also noted that playing in co-op may allow camping strategies in several different areas, so there’s something to do with friends.

OVERALL: 30/40 (excellent)


Gameplay: 7
Detail: 8
Custom Content: 7
Replayability: 8

DOWNLOAD: http://ugx-mods.com/forum/index.php/topic,9062.0.html (EDIT: I'm retarded, there is a UGX DL  )

PS: The mapper has said that he's working on an Easteregg, so stayed tuned for that -- will update review when it launches!

Nice review man, really entertaining read! I disagree with your final scores though, I wouldn't have given any category higher than 7. Don't think Replayability should't that high either. Your descriptions of some categories give the impression that they should be lower

A think a score of mid-20s would better suit it, since it's not half bad at all, but it's by no means excellent. Maybe the easter egg update will justify a higher score.

Also completely agree with the Soul Chest point. A few maps ues them well, but I hate it when people plonk the prefab in a map and call it an objective. Be creative dammit!

Nice review man, really entertaining read! I disagree with your final scores though, I wouldn't have given any category higher than 7. Don't think Replayability should't that high either. Your descriptions of some categories give the impression that they should be lower

A think a score of mid-20s would better suit it, since it's not half bad at all, but it's by no means excellent. Maybe the easter egg update will justify a higher score.

Also completely agree with the Soul Chest point. A few maps ues them well, but I hate it when people plonk the prefab in a map and call it an objective. Be creative dammit!

Thanks a lot man!

I spent a while contemplating what score to give the map. TBH, if I had my way, I would simply cut the four categories off and write one unified review with a score out of 10 at the end. In my past two reviews I feel like I also struggled with the category system, because I feel like it's too linear and doesn't allow for ratings based off of more complicated factors, there's no real space for asides and personal feelings that impact a reviewer's opinion in more complex ways. For example, I felt a sense of benevolence towards the map because it reminded me of the older days of mapping, but there's no "nostalgia" category...

So I can definitely see why my overall scores may seem surprising, but it's because I struggle with the system and end up having to kind of freeball what categories to allot points to in order to give the map a fair score.

Nice review, i'm trying to get the map reviewer status myself, wish me luck 

Really good review. Looks like you spent a lot of time working on this (10/10)

You rated everything fair and great. I totally agree with the rating of 7 or 8. This map was HUGE and creative but they could of done better with the weapon skins....

Great reviews man. Keep up the great work your doing here on UGX

Lol nice review, very entertaining to read