Retro Pack - Version 1 (mtf_retropack-v1.wad)

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Sonic Team Junior
So, after a long delay (a really long delay), we finally decided to release this to the public.
And with 'we' I mean myself, KO.T.E, Blade and Errol.

So, what is the Retro Pack exactly? Simple: it's a multiplayer level pack with only one goal, porting old SRB2 levels to 2.0 and giving them a major overhaul to make them play according to 2.0's quality standards.
It's not done by far, but here is the current zone listing:

Iron Turret:
We already knew that Neo Chaotikal made a revamp of Iron Turret, but that didn't mean KO.T.E and I wanted to make one ourselves! This map started off as 2 serparate map designs which were later combined.
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Metal Star:
This level was finished long before the Retro Pack even existed. It features drastic changes from the original, see for yourself:
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Isolated Canyon:
Originally a retextured and slightly edited port, but Errol decided to make it more awesome.
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Twin Hills:
This is one of the lesser edited levels, but it still has some significant changes over the original.
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Conveyor Conflict:
This stage got some major overhauls, and not only visually speaking. It now has an outside area in space, which is more risky, but more rewarding.
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Dual Fortress:
Another stage with major overhauls, it features entirely new areas and a nice 2.0.5 TCZ-like texture set.
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Hydro Plant:
The only match stage in this pack so far, but this has to be the most revamped stage of all. Everything is touched up, and there are many outside areas added.
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And finally, the moment you've all been waiting for, the download link:
SRB2FFH mirror - Click me!
Sendspace mirror - Click me!
There's also an attachment available (obviously).


Also, I felt like writing the full credits to this pack.

Iron Turret:
Designs - KO.T.E & Spherallic
Item Layout - Spherallic
Visuals - Spherallic
Idea of merging the designs - Blade
Original map by ?

Metal Star:
Everything - Spherallic
Original map by FuriousFox

Isolated Canyon:
Design - Errol
Visuals - Spherallic
Item Layout - Errol & Spherallic
Original map by Neo Chaotikal

Twin Hills:
Everything - Spherallic
Visuals tweak - KO.T.E
Original map by a441

Conveyor Conflict:
Design - KO.T.E
Visuals - KO.T.E
Item Layout - KO.T.E & Spherallic
Original map by Mystic

Dual Fortress:
Design - Blade
Visuals - Blade
Item Layout - Blade & Spherallic
Original map by ?

Hydro Plant:
Design - KO.T.E & Spherallic
Visuals - KO.T.E
Item Layout - Spherallic
Original map by ?

We have put a ton of effort and time into this, and we hope to get some good feedback. But most important of all, have fun!
 

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The pictures show a lot of effort, and there's definitely been plenty of thought poured into the layout and visual aesthetic (I have nitpicks, but I'm me... I see no texture issues that would be deal-breaking). If this is still in submissions when I get home I'd like to actually play some of these with the other judges this time.
 
This looks absolutely incredible. I love what you've done to the old maps! Conveyor Conflict and Dual Fortress really do work for all three characters now -- something which I had a major qualm with in their 1.09.4 iteration. It's not perfect by any means -- Metal Star is still impossible to defend, and there's a nasty bottleneck in Iron Turret -- but you've done a fantastic job with these maps.

Great job. You get my personal seal of approval.
 
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Well, this is a rather pleasant surprise.

Judging from the screenshots alone -- I'll play when I get a chance to -- your take on Iron Turret clearly blows mine out of the water, though I'm still proud of my moonroof in the underground chamber. Your texturing work on Isolated Canyon is positively disgusting and exactly what I expected to see someone do the minute I laid eyes on Arid Canyon for the first time, but hopefully you've been able to actually make an enjoyable stage out of it.

Metal Star doesn't look like it will play any better than the 1.09 version, but the other maps look pretty interesting, and Twin Hills in particular looks gorgeous with the new texture set.

More feedback later.
 
Hydro Plant returns? Sweet! That was probably my favorite level from 1.09.4 which didn't make the cut for 2.0 (though I may be a huge minority on that statement.)

I also love the use of textures, particularly in Metal Star, which basically transforms the entire look of a level whose original texturing is hopelessly primitive by 2.0 standards, and Conveyor Conflict, which is probably the best use of Doomship Zone textures to date (definitely trumps my own use of those textures in Liftoff Gantry Zone).

The best thing about what I'm seeing here, however, has to be the whole mess of new areas. From what I've seen here, they completely add extra dimensions to previously plain, mono-thematic levels, such as revealing that Conveyor Conflict is in space, or Hydro Plant is surrounded by a nature-tree-lakey type place.

Now that these levels have been so thoroughly awesomed up, I actually think they should be added back into a later version of SRB2 as official levels once again (as they are here, obviously!)
 
and there's a nasty bottleneck in Iron Turret
Can I please kill myself for observing this in a test game and not reporting it? I really feel stupid now.

Otherwise, very nice pack, but I said this already. I'll go see if you made Isolated Canyon more open than in the test version though.

EDIT: The wall-hugging rings in Metal Star still exist, and the Rail panels are still on the sniper towers.
 
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Wow, I'm really surprised with all these positive reactions! Thank you!
But, what is a bottleneck and where is it in Iron Turret? And JEV3, I'd like to know what your nitpicks are.
And SpiritCrusher, please excuse me while I kill myself for forgetting these things.
 
Bottleneck = choke point. There's only one hallway to the base that can be chucked full with Grenade, Bounce or flametrails.

EDIT: 5 Stars average? Let's get D00D over here *mauled*
 
So, I've played it. Even though I helped with it, I didn't get to see some of the final versions. So, here's my review post.

Iron Turret - 7/10
Well, this is a vast improvement from 1.09.4's version, but there's a few flaws. As mentioned, there is a really bad chokepoint at the bases, and if you jump off the flat space outside of the bases at max speed you will almost certanly fall into the slime, as you can't see it till it's too late. Other than that, I like the final version.

Metal Star - 8/10
Even though it was the first one made, it's one of the best ones in the pack. One thing though is that the flag is undefendable. Perhaps move it underground?

Isolated Canyon - 7/10
It's really good. Not much to say about it. However, it REALLY needs tunes 14. :(

Twin Hills - 7/10
I really didn't see that much of this level, but I like it alot. I didn't really use the underwater paths much, though.

Conveyor Conflict - 8/10
Very big, if not a tad too big. This map is well done, however, and the space parts were nice. I'm sad that the Belt Direction Changes are gone, though. :(

Dual Fortress - MINE - 11/10
I am VERY pleased with how this turned out. The new high paths allow places for Flag Runners to hide, and the old alt path now has a purpose. The new TCZ looks works great here, too.

Hydro Plant - 7/10
Like KOTE's other map, this one is very big, and rather confusing. Very good, though. The outside parts are nice, and the new looks inside are well done. Also, the only reason this is the only match stage done so far is that they are MUCH harder to make them work in 2.0 that CTF maps, as they are far more symetrical than the CTF maps.
 
Even though I helped make this, I never got to see some of the updates. So I am gonna give my thoughts on all of the levels.

Iron Turret: By KO.T.E & Spherallic "sorta mine" 8/10
Ah yes, Iron Turret, one of my favorite 1.09.4 levels. I remember back when we was still making this level pack we had both made our own versions without each other knowing, and then we started trying to figure out who's version to use until Blade came up the idea to merge them. Anyways, I really like this version of the level. Even if at this point it hack a choke point at the base. I really wish I could have found away to keep the underground lab/factory part though. :<

Metal Star: By Spherallic 9/10
This level was one of my least favorite stages in 1.09.4, but you fixed that in this port. One thing I REALLY like about this level is the under ground parts of the bases, it makes a awesome effect (Not to mention it's fun bombing people on top from below with a bomb ring :P). But there is one big flaw with the level, like Twisted Terminal Zone, you can't gard the flag. If I was you I would have put the flag on the bottom part of the base, or put it in some sort of smallish room. I also thing the center of the level is a bit cluttered, try moving some of the stuff out a bit. Other then that, I really like this level.

Isolated Canyon: By Errol & Spherallic 7/10
This was also one of my least favorites in 1.09.4, you guys fixed it somewhat, but it could still use some work, namely the center. I really don't like how cramped it is on the lower part, try making it wider in there, the top part is okay though. Also, I think it could use another path somewhere, but I don't know where. and like Blade said, needs more tunes 14. :(

Twin Hills: By Spherallic 9/10
Yet another of my favorite old levels! I really loved this stage back when me and Blade used to mess around in 1.08, and you made me love it even more. For the most part I love the new texture set for the level, save for the whiteish part of the blue base that is under water, it kills my eyes. I like the new top path you added, but it lacks detail or something. I also noticed you didn't fix the texture bugs on the walls of the red and blue base that used to be caves lead to the scatter. Also, when taking the lower path there is those line of stairs that go up, but right before you reach the end you run into a wall with no warning, that is very cheap when you are being chased and should be fix'd. But other then that, great job!

Conveyor Conflict: By KO.T.E "MINE" 9/10
Ah yes, Conveyor Conflict, my favorite 1.09.4 CTF level. I really liked how this level turned out, even if it is a bit big. At first, I was gonna make this level another "loleggrockctf" level, But I then remembered about Doomship Zone, that is what gave me inspiration to retexture this level and add in the space parts and some of the other detail. But one of my main gripes I have about this level is that the space parts feel empty, I really wish I could have done more to them, but oh well. Also, we should have used Doomship's song for the level, it fits better then Techno Hill Zone 2's.

Dual Fortress: By Blade 10/10
With out a doubt the best CTF level in the pack, this is a major improvement from the one in 1.09.4. I really like the new parts you added in, like the cliffs with auto and the higher ground for Tails and Knuckles. But I do have to complain about the bars that you put in at the big window of the bases, they make Tails and Knuckles useless when they are racing against Sonic to get the flag before he captures it. But anyways, I like the new texture set and all, I would have almost though that Mystic or someone had made this port. :P

Hydro Plant: By KO.T.E & Spherallic 7/10
Well, besides this level being stupidly large, I like what came of it. I do dislike how you didn't add back in the room where the rail ring was, because as of right now it looks ugly, not to mention you left some grass pegging on the entrance from the outside to the inside. Anyways, I think we may have to cut out some of the factory or the out side parts, because as of now it is impossible to do a 4 player match game at this big level. But besides that, I think it is fine.
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Anyways, great work team! I'm glad we finally got this thing out to the public.
 
I really don't like how cramped it is on the lower part
I feel an urgent need to say "I told you so". Also, the cacti still disturb the flow a bit. Just move them around a bit, so they're not between the middle hallway and the base entry.
 
5 Stars average? Let's get D00D over here *mauled*

ASK AND YOU SHALL RECEIVE

Hydro Plant: Okay, while a lot of effort clearly went into this, the map is TOO HUGE. The outside areas arn't necessary and just seem to be there to break symmetry. The first round we played was basically find and seek, while the second was almost entirely in the center arena (at least for me anyways).

Iron Turret: This is easily the most drastically changed stage here, and I don't think it was any better. I don't like that slime or those pillars for the bridge or that bottleneck or the thing placement or how you turned a wide open stage into a cramped one or... Oh you get the idea. I didn't like this one much at all. I prefer Neo Chaotikal's personally.

Metal Star: While this SEEMS better than the first version, I ended up playing exactly the same as I did in the original. The inside of the bases didn't really add much game play here to me personally. It's still difficult to defend the flag, but I liked this one. Then again, this is (so far) the least changed stage here.

Isolated Canyon: The bases are still cramped, and 80% of this stage plays exactly the same. This includes it's main fault (or, the main fault to me); cramped bases, and the cramped main hallway. Aside from the new textures, I didn't notice anything new at all, really.

Twin Hills: This place was "meh" before, and it still is now. Little has been done to make this better, and it shows.

Conveyor Conflict: EASILY one of the best levels here, hands down. While yes, it IS a bit huge because KOTE likes to make stages bigger for some reason, I still liked this stage, and how it also managed to put it in a space setting nicely (and how it doesn't abuse Eggrock textures like every other space stage) and still keep the original designs with it.

Dual Fortress: Up there with Conveyor Conflict is this piece of work, which takes one of the lamest levels and makes it great. But like SpiritCrusher said, I don't really like those bars getting in my way. It make it more annoying to jump out, especially when someone is chasing you. I also like the extra monitors and ammo for Tails/Knux.

All in all, this is a decent pack. I didn't really like the majority of stages, but I did like the latter two and Metal Star. It's great how some of these stages have been updated. Others... Not so much. 3 out of 5 for me.
 
But like SpiritCrusher said, I don't really like those bars getting in my way.
Excuse me, what did I say?

Care to elaborate why you don't like the item placement in Iron Turret? I personally felt it was very thought-out. Also, the choke point has now been removed, and there is a second path to the base, if that makes you happy.
 
oh hay guiz have some rough drafts
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Anyways, this will not be updated with every little fix, we'll wait until more reviews get in.
 
Iron Turret Zone -- 7/10

Hm. This one is tricky for me to review. I love what you've done to most of the stage -- the middle section is a lot more fleshed out, there's a wonderful underground area now -- but there's still some notable flaws here. The bases have the worst choke point ever (you lost a point for that alone), you should consider removing that back room entierly and putting the flag somewhere similar to where it used to be. I really have an issue with the placement of the slime rivers. This may seem trivial, but when you're dashing away with the flag and you make a blind jump over the base, you always seem to run headfirst into it. Shift its location around and you'll be set. Other than that, I don't see much that's wrong here. Easily 9/10 material (when the original map was 3/10) if you fix the qualms listed above.

Metal Star Zone -- 6/10

You fixed none of the existing issues with this map, as previously said. It sure looks nice, but it's still far too easy to both bunny-hop over to the flag, and too difficult to defend the base. Might I suggest putting the flag at the very back of the base, and putting a downwards staircase ahead of it?

Isolated Canyon Zone -- 5/10

CEZ + ACZ textures don't mix. On a similar note, the old ACZ tune doesn't fit this map anymore - might I suggest tunes 14?

Anyways, the map plays just like it did before...the bases are a spamfest, the corridors are far too tight, and the layout just doesn't seem polished enough. I also found some team ring monitors on the outside of the castle that shouldn't be team-oriented (conversely, I also found regular ring boxes inside of the castle). Work with this one a bit more.

Twin Hills -- 8/10

Who knew that such an old map could hold up so elegantly. The texturing job is beautiful, and despite its age, this map is still a blast. I'd gladly replacing Lime Forest with this any day. No complaints whatsoever.

Conveyor Conflict -- 9/10

Wow. You managed to fix one of the most Sonic-centric maps from the 1.X CTF rotation. I'm genuinely impressed at that alone. The texturing job can get a bit monotonous in locations (computer terminal overload!), and the outer area might be a bit too risky, but there's been a lot of effort clearly put into this level. I love the attention to detail in the outer area. If you fixed up some of the horrendous texturing and tweaked some of the flow in the space region (I found it easy to lose which way you're supposed to be going), this would be a 10 in my book...

Dual Fortress -- 10/10

...but why bother, when you already have a 10 in my book!

I can't describe to you how shellshocked I am. I loathed this map for years. To see someone skillfully transform it into a fun, exciting, and fast-paced map for all three characters...dumbfounding. Great job. My only complaint is with the jail bars put across the window to the bases, but that's a minor quibble at best. Congratulations on breathing new life into this old map.

Hydro Plant -- 6/10

I'm not too crazy about this map. Most of the people already summed up my thoughts -- too big, confusing layout, too many rooms, etc. -- but I will admit that the middle room looks wonderfully designed. Cut down the unnecessary rooms and make the passages easier to navigate, and this has the potential to shine.

Overall, you've made some wonderful improvements to some old favourites (and not-so-favourites), and you've succeeded where we failed at bringing old WADs over. Now just find a way to work Tree Ring Zone into 2.0 and you're golden.
 
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I'm too lazy to write a full review, and nearly all of my complaints with this pack have already been summed up. I will say, however, that I overall find this pack an absolute blast.

With Iron Turret, I think the back flag area would work well if, instead of having a 90* turn going into the flag room, it just went straight in with a shorter hallway.
Also, there's a bugged spawn in the level - one of the spawn points appears to be on the border of sectors, so you spawn halfway inside the crates in the spawn room. http://www.memes.no/88flak/SRB2Stuff/Iron Turret spawn bug.jpg

For Isolated Canyon Zone, I actually find the CEZ/ACZ textures mix fairly well, but I'll agree that the bases and central area are a bit cramped. Also, there's no way to go down a level in the bases - only up, which can make things a bit frustrating when you know an opponent is directly below you but there's no way to get down there.
Also, this map is hell in OpenGL, but it's not a big deal since it's the rendering's fault, not yours.

For Metal Star, I really like how you glassed in the bases in that preview pic; I can't wait to see how this will play as a result. Also, I really think this level could use some tunes 94 in it - it's an intense stage, and as a result I think the Zero Ring music fits it a lot better than that old mines music.

Finally, there's a bad wall section on Hydro Plant that gives hall of mirrors, but it's only cosmetic. Far more likely a bug with the nodesbuilder that would be fixed if the level were edited some anyways. http://www.memes.no/88flak/SRB2Stuff/Bad wall on Hydro Plant.jpg

I'll post more as I think of it. Great fun overall though.
 
Also, I really think this level could use some tunes 94 in it - it's an intense stage, and as a result I think the Zero Ring music fits it a lot better than that old mines music.
It's maybe just me, but I find the Mine Maze music extremely intense, even more so than Zero Ring.
 
Boy, screenshots can really fool you. I had high expectations going into this level pack, but unfortunately such expectations were met with unbalanced and sub-par level design. Generally, item placement is a bit of a mess, with large clumps of stuff basically everywhere. Almost every single old level design flaw is still present, though this varies from level to level. More in-depth bickering:

Hydro Plant is way too big. The outside section shouldn't and has no right to exist at all, and the inside section just isn't interesting enough/is repetitive/is difficult to navigate. Honestly, I'd give up on trying to fix this one, because the new water stage works MUCH better and is actually fun.

Iron Turret has some good ideas, but a lot of stuff just isn't done properly. The stage is too small and cramped, and the proportion's all over the place. Everything's either too small (the turrets, for instance) or too big (the frames around the bases, they completely occlude the player's sight).

Metal Star is as broken as it ever was. You can still capture the flag 5 times within a minute by just hopping between the bases and the center platform. Conversely, the way the stage is so flat except for the turrets allows for blatant abuse of Rail, making it both too easy and too hard to play in.

Isolated Canyon is just as bad as it used to be -- perhaps even worse. It's just not fit for SRB2 2.0. I might go back and give this an overhaul in a distant future, but as it stands it's just not a good stage and everybody knows this.

Twin Hills looks prettier, but the stage is still as plain and boring as it ever was. I prefer Lime Forest to this.

Conveyor Conflict was a pretty good surprise! The Doomship textures really make the level feel fresh and original, and it's the first time I've seen the space countdown gimmick + blue blocks used outside of Egg Rock. It works phenomenally well, but as it stands the space section is just a really easy way to break into a base -- it doesn't help that there's two doors leading to outer space inside the base. I might get hanged for this, but I feel this is really the only stage that deserves to be revived out of all the ones in this pack, but it does need some of its most glaring faults to be fixed.

Dual Fortress is Dual Fortress is Dual Fortress. The stage looks a lot different, but it's really not. The one noticeable change is the new cave path which allows for a different way to break into the base, but the water canal is still as useless as it ever was. I was also disappointed to see that the insides of the castle weren't touched, since I always found those to be incredibly boring. Overall a step in the right direction, but it still needs a lot of work.

Also, guys, one more thing: get rid of mapcredits. I don't care who the fuck made the stage, I just want to play it. If the stage is that good, I'll eventually learn who made it on my own accord.
 
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