The map opens to a rocky grass scenery at night. A tunnel can be seen in the distance, and a hole in the ground with a bridge over it leads down into the catacombs. I am as well greeted by a hefty 800 r_speeds. In some areas the r_speeds creep over a thousand (over 1200 in some areas!), averaging at 500-800 throughout the map. The cause for these uncommonly high r_speeds is seen wherever you turn. Beautifully crafted architecture is a main feature of this map.

The hallways are broad and easy to navigate, with three main arteries branching off the main hub (the starting room) to each side of the map. Two of those six pathways are under ground, (in the "catacombs") and are riddled with spider webs spanning over the canal in the middle. I call them catacombs because they have a very rustic and old look to them, not that of the bases (and other pipes).
The bases themselves feature a more modern and clean high-tech/industrial look, with plenty of "plasma" textures (as seen in the human base tube) and flashing lights (as seen in the strip of light that races around the alien base). Intermingled with the futuristic base are patches of well-crafted outdoor areas (e.g. the central hub) that really heighten the atmosphere of the map to a cold dark night, and not a cold bright base.

No area of the map feels cramped, and at the same time everything is filled out. The equilibrium of empty and filled space is maintained carefully. Throughout the map there are a number of ledges and crates that allow for skillful shortcuts. While there are crates, their number is very limited, and they are placed in strategically well located areas.
Noticeable in the map are the various sounds used. All the sounds are base quake2 sounds, but they are tastefully used. In the catacombs you can hear the water splashing, in the outdoor areas you hear the chirping of grasshoppers, and in the bases you can hear various drones of machines and sparks of broken lights. There is a nearly constant sound effect for any area, but they are clearly defined (in some areas too clearly, like in the alien base pipes where the sound cuts off if you move to the side of the pipe) and so do not cause discord.
Plenty of new PNG textures were supplied to those who prefer to use them. As I am not one of those, I can only say that even without updated textures, this map looks good.


And now to the drawbacks. As already mentioned, the r_speeds are very high in most areas (hovering around the suggested limit for 'normal' computers of 800) and reach 1200 in some areas, whereas others (especially the pipes) have an absurdly low r_speed count. If this was a little more balanced (at the sacrifice of brushwork, unfortunately) it would be friendlier to play on.

The translucency effect used in the cobwebs, grass lapping over edges, and in the bridge in the central hub have a drawback. They are not lighted (in fact, they seem to glow) and so look out of place in some areas.
This map introduces the new key system. As described in the readme, build classes can take the key and press the button in the enemy base to unlock their own five-frag class (and lock the opposite team's). Personally, I dislike these features (and mission maps generally), but that is my own personal opinion, and if you happen to disagree, that's your choice.