4 Comments

1. Mel

   27th March 2008 at 8:00 pm

   

   No flow or structure/poor balance & gameplay/levels unrelated.

   Reply
2. Technic

   15th May 2012 at 11:13 pm

   

   First of all: it’s not that bad as mel wrote here. “Gruntmatch” is worse! But that’s just one comparison.
   So here we have a old, single map containing fighting grunts and knocking out turrets only.
   At same places are tripmines, so I suggest to save some special ammo or weapon.
   And be aware of the dark room. Well, it’s no real “dark room”, just a “d a r k” room, get it? 😉
   The grunts have shotguns or assault rifles, some throw grenades. Some are placed just oddly. (why would a grunt hide behind a crate, when there’s a turret in front of it anyway?)
   That’s just one minor flaw. However, there are some more of course.

   But let’s point out the good things.
   These are nice combat action with very good balancing in my eyes. Music is playing too.
   Another thing is the quite good mapping for a first map.
   There are good layouts, nice lighting and even a outdoor area.
   If only it would be more detailed, more variety in textures and stuff.

   However, the flaws can easily “overwhelm” the positives.
   What I mean is the missing story or puzzles, longer playtime and more variety in general.
   Nonetheless if you like tough gruntfest-style maps, you’ll surely like this.

   Pro’s:
   -Nice combat action
   -Pretty good mapping for a first map, good layouts, nice lighting (+outdoor area)
   -Balancing – watch your step, there’s not much health or HEV batteries
   -Relatively well atmosphere – you never know what to expect around the next corner, door
   -Grenades provide tactical procedures
   -Music fits imho

   Con’s:
   -Very short playtime (~5-15 minutes)
   -No story, puzzles
   -Not much variety in mapdesign, enemies, weapons etc.
   -No HEV at start – but can be found early ingame

   Summary: Well done gruntfest for a coffee break, worth a look if you like these style of maps.

   Reply
3. Urby

   27th July 2021 at 4:40 pm

   

   This was a real blast from the past. This is another map which I believe was distributed on a bootleg Half-Life Maps and Mods CD back in the day.

   I started this out with fond memories coming back to me. In hindsight, I think I might have played this map with god mode enabled when I was a kid.

   Playing it legitimately on Hard is not a pleasant experience. I mean this quite literally when I say that I think there is one single healthkit in this map. I finished the map with 5HP, with the entire experience becoming an exercise in twitch reflexes and cheesing the AI through corner sniping.

   The design of the map itself is certainly unique and I think with a few of the paths linked up this might have made a nice HLDM map once upon a time. As a singleplayer gruntfest, it’s a little too unforgiving.

   Installed:
   Manually

   Difficulty Played At:
   Hard

   Playtime:
   25 Minutes

   Reply
4. reaction

   11th July 2023 at 9:12 pm

   

   Grunts Domain feels like a very early map from a competent mapper. The combat is very flat and lacks variety. There isn’t enough health and the author, Calavera, at the time didn’t know how to put items in crates which would have been the perfect place to have medkits.

   With the negative stuff out of the way, it’s time for the positive – the map looks good. Granted, it is under detailed and a bit plain but there are some nice curves and use of glass. It’s clear that Calavera would become a skilled mapper if he has continued (I’m not sure if he made more maps, I haven’t looked into it, sorry).

   Grunts Domain won’t blow your mind but it’s worth a romp, especially if you’re into older maps. Just play it on Easy or Medium if you don’t want to savescum.

   Installed:
   Manually

   Difficulty Played At:
   Medium

   Playtime:
   10 Minutes

   Reply

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