Everybody knows, and most adore, the very famous gloom map mines-1. A very popular gloom map, known for it's get-the-center-or-lose tactical mindset. The author of this map likes it enough to put a special thanks and a cheesy smile in the map name message!

As you enter the map you're introduced to the same basic style the original gave you, duh. You see the lava and the platforms, the crates, the generically bevelled wall curtains, and the mine textures that were also scattered across the layout of the original. You already know you can't expect originality, but that's fine as long as it plays well, if not better than the original.

One of the things that really bugs me in this map is the brushwork. The bevelled side-skirts aren't done "right", bent around corners weird, or just placed oddly. Some of the lights are actually just 4x4 formations of small lights, the rest are completely identical, with exception to their color (which was either blue, green or orange). The rock and stone is placed in almost purely square form. It almost appears as if the author was just randomly rotating and placing brushes against each other in an attempt to make it look 'stone-ish'. There are attempted blast marks that almost resemble an asterisk. A star formation is made and lava is placed below it, or sky placed above it, to resemble the aftermath of a large explosion, cutting through the terrain.

Lighting also has issues. Some of the lights are generic entity spot lights, which are not setup to fade off well, making "spots". Also, as mentioned above, there wasn't much variety to color or to design. They were all either cube lights, or there was lava emitting below.

Texturing was another kick to the teeth. It's funny when you enter the pure-stone alien base only to find that the doorway leading in is made of the generic metal texture. The wall around the doorway, inside the rock-carved alien base, has the metal texture as well! You also find random support columns, built into the rock wall formation, and metal ledges. The same silly cube lights are littered in the rock room, but those were in the original alien base and rock backway, so I will let that slide. There's also parts where there should be a metal texture, and you have a flat rock surface.

The layout of the map looks rather ridiculous from out of and above the map. You have a very long and vent-like passage above it all. Not sure what can access it, but it almost looks like fly/grapple classes are the only ones that can get in it easily. Everything seems to connect to everything else at least twice. This map has more holes in it than swiss cheese. The human start base is only accessable through an easily defended ladder, I smell the rechid stench of choke point just thinking about it.

In conclusion, and to sum this all up, the brush work could use a lot of work, the lighting could use smoothing and originality, and the layout is insanely riddled with passageways. It might play well, but if one team is in danger, it has about 5 or 6 dozen options for places to run through, and to run to. This also makes it difficult to defend, since the opponent can come from any given direction. You'll have fun playing this map if you like changing bases every 10 minutes.