Looong post, part 2: Gritty Columns Zone
GCZ1:
To be honest, I don't like the visuals at all. The theme is nice, and the texturing fits, but the scenery is really awkward. First of all, what's up with these thing-based cacti in square formations? That doesn't make sense and it certainly does not look well. The same goes for the sector-based cacti, they don't look too much like cacti either. The AGZ-style textures don't fit at all. Apart from looking like remnants from 1:X (which they are), they kind of clash with the ACZ textures.
Now on to the gameplay. The opening rooms lacks direction and purpose, because it's too empty for being so wide. I'd suggest putting some visual eye-catcher there, to both start the level on a high note and give the room some purpose. You could also use it as a starting point for an alternate path or put secrets there, but you should do something. I really like how the cave section after that looks, since it has kind of a gloomy feel to it, but there's not much going on before I'm thrown out into the starting room again. After the first star post, we get to a interesting gimmick with moving floors and a nice-looking outside section with an unfortunately wasted rock spawner. Rock spawners only work when you make sure that the player isn't able to hide too easily. Here you can just tag to the wall and survive with ease. The next section comes totally unexpected, and if you thok at the wall in front of you, you fall directly into the quicksand and trigger it. That basically means you have two options: Button mashing or suicide. Make the quicksand rise fast enough to kill the player, and put a star post in front of that section. Also, try to make the player see that this is coming, so that he can prepare for the challenge.
Going outside again, I noticed the railway bridge. It's a nice idea, and it would have even been better if you included a second path there, but it's too obvious for a hiding space, especially when you hide things in both spots. After that, we are introduced to the DSZ1 crushers for the first time. There's a reason why the ones in DSZ1 had two rows: They are pointless otherwise because they don't provide a threat. The chance to get caught between those is low enough if ignore them, so they're ridiculously easy when you take care of them.
The room with gargoyle pyramid after that was somewhat irritating. Am I supposed to do something there? If not, why is it there? Give that room a purpose, regardless what it is. Directly after this, I get to hop over some crumbling platforms over quicksand. That wouldn't be a problem if the platforms weren't so ridiculously near to each other. Increase the distance between them, and if you wanna be really awesome, combine this section with another gimmick (PolyObjects, for instance) to make the room more interesting.
After another room with those pointless crushers (it doesn't get better the second time around), we get to an outdoor section that suffers from one thing: it's too uninteresting visually. If you change the setting of the level (like going outdoors), make sure to give the player some breath of fresh air by making this room look interesting. I really like that cave entrance shortly thereafter, but I don't need to be refreshed at that point. The cave itself sucks, however. Mazes are bad, and you should know it by now. The ending section features a good idea, but the room is so empty that I actually got bored while waiting for the quicksand to lower.
GCZ2:
When I said that this zone blew me away, I actually meant this level in particular. First off, I really like the torch idea, especially with those light blocks around them. Those square pillars give the level a sense of architecture. Overall, these elements made me forget that the textures still suck. Then we have that gimmick with the alternating crusher over small platforms. It might not be the most innovative thing ever made, but it works really well, and provides a bit of challenge that absolutely suits a fifth zone.
The gargoyle section with the scroller is shamelessly copied from Ezer.Arch's example wad, but since it's an example was, that's not a problem I guess. I really admire the idea, but I wish you could've done more with it. Right now, the left button is the only one needed. Insert a second path here, or put some obstacles in the way.
Tell me the room with nine buttons is a joke. If so, it's a bad one, if not, get it out of your head. It is as boring as you can get to press nine consecutive buttons just to open a door. Even if the visuals in the following room redeem you somewhat (it's exactly the change of pace that I meant in Act 1), it's simply a bad idea. In the following room we get the same crusher gimmick over a death pit. I like how you gradually increase the difficulty by doing so.
The next real room (as opposed to corridor) features some neat ideas with PolyObjects and moving FOFs. It plays really well and keeps me on my toes, but I would suggest two things: Make that room less bland visually. I see you concentrated on gameplay here, which is fine, but you forgot design the room itself somehow. Doing so results in your level feeling like an obstacle course. The second issue regards the PolyObjects. I'm sure you can do more with them. Right now they don't do much to me and I can just ignore them. You should make them go forward over the outside of the platform (as they do now) and back over the inside (to push you down if you don't take caution). The spinning ones also cause irritating glitches on the floor of the room, but that's not your fault.
I also like the next segment, especially how the Minuses follow you if you choose to get that 1-up. The next room has the same issues with the crushers as Act 1, and the scrolling floor looks weird. You could make that a waterslide with sand textures to make it look more realistic. Also, try to make the scroller faster, so that the crusher actually provide some danger.This could be automatically fixed by making it a waterslide, however, since you can't turn around then.
The rising FOF in that large square room with multiple levels reminds me of Aerial Garden Zone somehow. Don't get me wrong, I don't mean to say you stole the idea, sicne you didn't, and it's a fond memory anyway. I like how avoiding the Minus makes the platform sink again. I don't like however that the mid-levels of the elevator don't contain all that much. Put something in there.
The next few rooms are the highlight of the map. They include a adrenaline-inducing race against quicksand (this time it kills you if you're too slow, which is good), and the two-sided crusher platform that requires some careful maneuvering. The quicksand comes a bit unexpected again, so I'd suggest some visual cue. I also like the ending of that section with the crumbling platform, but I'm disappointed that there's no path on top. After a fast-paced section like this, an alternate path that requires enough speed to reach would be perfect, but as it is currently, this part feels a bit anti-climatic.
Then we get another of those "dark" rooms with crusher over death pits. A second one is perfectly fine with me, and since it's longer than the previous one, it raises the challenge a bit. I don't know if you meant the player to jump back and forth between those two columns, but it isn't needed to progress. The next room also needs a visual cue, or at least something that stops me from entering at full speed. I was killing several times by rushing headlong into that crusher without knowing beforehand. Make me stop dead before entering, and I'm fine with it.
The pillars in the last few rooms get in my way and succeed in totally annoying me and makes the section feels maze-like. It don't know what these rooms are supposed to be either. They're just "there" basically. Also, I feel that a level as energetic as this one needs a more fitting conclusion. See ACZ1 or RVZ1 for example. Throwing the End Level Sign into some random empty room feels anti-climatic.
GCZ3:
Good god, CAMERA MODIFICATIONS. They mess up my camera and render the boss almost unplayable. Not that it matters, because it's unplayable anyway. The quicksand kills me without giving any chance, which is bad because the boss can't really be beaten without falling in once, since it speeds up every hit. The concept is not bad, but I simply cannot enjoy this... well, not even beat it, in this state.
Overall, I think I like your mod so much not because of what it is, but because of what it could be. For some odd reason, it inspires me to have tons of ideas that I'm never gonna implement because I suck at mapping. There's still a lot of work to do, but this has a lot of potential as well.
GCZ1:
To be honest, I don't like the visuals at all. The theme is nice, and the texturing fits, but the scenery is really awkward. First of all, what's up with these thing-based cacti in square formations? That doesn't make sense and it certainly does not look well. The same goes for the sector-based cacti, they don't look too much like cacti either. The AGZ-style textures don't fit at all. Apart from looking like remnants from 1:X (which they are), they kind of clash with the ACZ textures.
Now on to the gameplay. The opening rooms lacks direction and purpose, because it's too empty for being so wide. I'd suggest putting some visual eye-catcher there, to both start the level on a high note and give the room some purpose. You could also use it as a starting point for an alternate path or put secrets there, but you should do something. I really like how the cave section after that looks, since it has kind of a gloomy feel to it, but there's not much going on before I'm thrown out into the starting room again. After the first star post, we get to a interesting gimmick with moving floors and a nice-looking outside section with an unfortunately wasted rock spawner. Rock spawners only work when you make sure that the player isn't able to hide too easily. Here you can just tag to the wall and survive with ease. The next section comes totally unexpected, and if you thok at the wall in front of you, you fall directly into the quicksand and trigger it. That basically means you have two options: Button mashing or suicide. Make the quicksand rise fast enough to kill the player, and put a star post in front of that section. Also, try to make the player see that this is coming, so that he can prepare for the challenge.
Going outside again, I noticed the railway bridge. It's a nice idea, and it would have even been better if you included a second path there, but it's too obvious for a hiding space, especially when you hide things in both spots. After that, we are introduced to the DSZ1 crushers for the first time. There's a reason why the ones in DSZ1 had two rows: They are pointless otherwise because they don't provide a threat. The chance to get caught between those is low enough if ignore them, so they're ridiculously easy when you take care of them.
The room with gargoyle pyramid after that was somewhat irritating. Am I supposed to do something there? If not, why is it there? Give that room a purpose, regardless what it is. Directly after this, I get to hop over some crumbling platforms over quicksand. That wouldn't be a problem if the platforms weren't so ridiculously near to each other. Increase the distance between them, and if you wanna be really awesome, combine this section with another gimmick (PolyObjects, for instance) to make the room more interesting.
After another room with those pointless crushers (it doesn't get better the second time around), we get to an outdoor section that suffers from one thing: it's too uninteresting visually. If you change the setting of the level (like going outdoors), make sure to give the player some breath of fresh air by making this room look interesting. I really like that cave entrance shortly thereafter, but I don't need to be refreshed at that point. The cave itself sucks, however. Mazes are bad, and you should know it by now. The ending section features a good idea, but the room is so empty that I actually got bored while waiting for the quicksand to lower.
GCZ2:
When I said that this zone blew me away, I actually meant this level in particular. First off, I really like the torch idea, especially with those light blocks around them. Those square pillars give the level a sense of architecture. Overall, these elements made me forget that the textures still suck. Then we have that gimmick with the alternating crusher over small platforms. It might not be the most innovative thing ever made, but it works really well, and provides a bit of challenge that absolutely suits a fifth zone.
The gargoyle section with the scroller is shamelessly copied from Ezer.Arch's example wad, but since it's an example was, that's not a problem I guess. I really admire the idea, but I wish you could've done more with it. Right now, the left button is the only one needed. Insert a second path here, or put some obstacles in the way.
Tell me the room with nine buttons is a joke. If so, it's a bad one, if not, get it out of your head. It is as boring as you can get to press nine consecutive buttons just to open a door. Even if the visuals in the following room redeem you somewhat (it's exactly the change of pace that I meant in Act 1), it's simply a bad idea. In the following room we get the same crusher gimmick over a death pit. I like how you gradually increase the difficulty by doing so.
The next real room (as opposed to corridor) features some neat ideas with PolyObjects and moving FOFs. It plays really well and keeps me on my toes, but I would suggest two things: Make that room less bland visually. I see you concentrated on gameplay here, which is fine, but you forgot design the room itself somehow. Doing so results in your level feeling like an obstacle course. The second issue regards the PolyObjects. I'm sure you can do more with them. Right now they don't do much to me and I can just ignore them. You should make them go forward over the outside of the platform (as they do now) and back over the inside (to push you down if you don't take caution). The spinning ones also cause irritating glitches on the floor of the room, but that's not your fault.
I also like the next segment, especially how the Minuses follow you if you choose to get that 1-up. The next room has the same issues with the crushers as Act 1, and the scrolling floor looks weird. You could make that a waterslide with sand textures to make it look more realistic. Also, try to make the scroller faster, so that the crusher actually provide some danger.This could be automatically fixed by making it a waterslide, however, since you can't turn around then.
The rising FOF in that large square room with multiple levels reminds me of Aerial Garden Zone somehow. Don't get me wrong, I don't mean to say you stole the idea, sicne you didn't, and it's a fond memory anyway. I like how avoiding the Minus makes the platform sink again. I don't like however that the mid-levels of the elevator don't contain all that much. Put something in there.
The next few rooms are the highlight of the map. They include a adrenaline-inducing race against quicksand (this time it kills you if you're too slow, which is good), and the two-sided crusher platform that requires some careful maneuvering. The quicksand comes a bit unexpected again, so I'd suggest some visual cue. I also like the ending of that section with the crumbling platform, but I'm disappointed that there's no path on top. After a fast-paced section like this, an alternate path that requires enough speed to reach would be perfect, but as it is currently, this part feels a bit anti-climatic.
Then we get another of those "dark" rooms with crusher over death pits. A second one is perfectly fine with me, and since it's longer than the previous one, it raises the challenge a bit. I don't know if you meant the player to jump back and forth between those two columns, but it isn't needed to progress. The next room also needs a visual cue, or at least something that stops me from entering at full speed. I was killing several times by rushing headlong into that crusher without knowing beforehand. Make me stop dead before entering, and I'm fine with it.
The pillars in the last few rooms get in my way and succeed in totally annoying me and makes the section feels maze-like. It don't know what these rooms are supposed to be either. They're just "there" basically. Also, I feel that a level as energetic as this one needs a more fitting conclusion. See ACZ1 or RVZ1 for example. Throwing the End Level Sign into some random empty room feels anti-climatic.
GCZ3:
Good god, CAMERA MODIFICATIONS. They mess up my camera and render the boss almost unplayable. Not that it matters, because it's unplayable anyway. The quicksand kills me without giving any chance, which is bad because the boss can't really be beaten without falling in once, since it speeds up every hit. The concept is not bad, but I simply cannot enjoy this... well, not even beat it, in this state.
Overall, I think I like your mod so much not because of what it is, but because of what it could be. For some odd reason, it inspires me to have tons of ideas that I'm never gonna implement because I suck at mapping. There's still a lot of work to do, but this has a lot of potential as well.
