MRDR

[blue_tetris]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that this is the epitome of map creation for N v1.4. I've honestly never had such an enthralling game experience in my entire life. Something of this scope has been attempted in the past in, for example, The Epic, but anything with a real story or concept behind it, even other map packs with one unifying concept, has never come so close to what I desire for pure joy in my gaming.

We'll start with the story. I love stories. I'm sure anyone who knows about my music taste, the music I write, and the television shows, books, and movies I enjoy generally come down to some sort of a long, drawn out, overarching storyline or two. Basically the more epicker the betterer. MRDR, to me, was like a television show, in that you provided such small installments of the story every step, but it ended up spanning hours of screen time, metaphorically, to tell the whole story. I'd not consider this feature length: this is saga length. That's why I love stories; why I love this story is simple: it's an average bildungsroman artfully driven by technological concepts, and although the storyline is predictable and plot twists are quite natural and obvious, this does the pack itself justice, as the movement from one map to the next was a clear progression, and never jarred or wavered. It was consistent with narrative traditions that have been around for yonks, but in an entirely new setting and with an entirely new vehicle.

These, the setting and vehicle, were so easily translatable into the N Editor, in a purely aesthetic sense, as well as in a mechanical sense, impossible without the various objects and enemies that make up this fantastic game we play. The setting, obviously, is technology and ideas mostly related to computers and data systems, on some level, and the vehicle a strange sort of metagame, where you're being transferred from the computer world within the game inside the map pack, which you're playing with N, to the game itself inside the map pack inside your game. Blurring these lines creates a wonderful sense of surrealism for the player, as it's so much easier to find yourself immersed in the glorious world of MRDR, due to one's ability to draw immediate parallels with the ninja character (Westley), as well as the metaplayer (Fred Savage), the supposed entity controlling the ninja, only one level up from the story. Following on from my original point, the technological concepts explored are so easily translatable into both tilesets and objects, but never done so masterfully as the examples I see here. Themes, repeated often, but not too often, become apparent about a quarter of the way through the pack, and you start to get ready for the types of gameplay you can expect from the next title in the Cyberghost series, for instance. I could talk for hours about the way PALEMOON's tileset style lends him an ability to create exactly the right feel for the world he's created in this pack, but I think that can go unexpounded.

I strayed from the original point of that last paragraph too easily, showing even myself, writing of this pack, how well its creation combines story, gameplay, metagameplay, metastories, technology, and metatechnology; representations of every possible aspect of this pack blend together like bird shit and the roof of a white '90s Pulsar hatch, leaving me no option but to accidentally digress from talking about the use of concepts in the aesthetics to how this affects the gameplay and what that did to the story. And I mean this as an absolute compliment. For me to not be able to pick apart each individual component at will and bitch about what I didn't like about it, as I'm wont to attempt, is a godsend. I therefore cannot help but think that what really makes these maps great is the synergy created between all the aspects, down to the smallest of details, which really allows it to transcend a regular map pack's intentions and outcomes, and hit me so hard as a masterpiece.

On a base level, this is a collection of PALEMOON maps, made with some unifying concepts and an unwritten story hinted at by titles and possible interpretations of gameplay events. Maybe a seventh of the maps are throwaway garbage in any context other than that in which they are presented. You could look at the pack from an extremely close-minded point of view and say, "Hey, this is a bunch of generally white-aread maps with abundant chainguns and similar aesthetic stylings among them." That's a perfectly reasonable thing to say. But coming from my own point of view, where I'm personally interested in the grand scheme of this project, the concept as a whole, and the beauty in which it's been executed, regardless of whether I don't particularly love his aesthetic choices in general as a mapmaker, a moot point, since the brilliant construction of the pack outshines my need to nitpick, I will forever appreciate this as, I reiterate, the epitome of mapping for N. This is it guys. I am stating that, in my opinion, this will not be trumped. Fucking bravo, PALEMOON. PM me with your free Custom Title request.

I agree. It's a fun pack.

[otters~1]

I could talk for hours about the way PALEMOON's tileset style lends him an ability to create exactly the right feel for the world he's created in this pack, but I think that can go unexpounded..

Exactly. Thank you for praising PALEMOON better than those of us of less literary stature could by ourselves.

[aids]

I'm actually exited to replay this. The map hierarchy is strange though.

• -.000000:Power Button >> Perfect opener, but it has little replay value.
• -.00000:Boot Up >> The asymmetrical tiles are a nice touch, but I don't like the trapdoor.
• -.0000:Warm Up >> I really like the laser, but routing was the best.
• -.000:Load Up >> Such a great highscoring map. Userlevel'd.
• -.00:Log In >> I don't much like the lettering.
• -.00:Welcome To The Wired. >> Strange tileset. Pretty uninspired.
• -.01:Layer Level Prelude A >> Booooring.
• -.02:Layer Level Prelude B >> The gausses were nice, but it wasn't fun.
• -.03:Layer Level Prelude C >> It's like a snowball snake. Enjoyed.
• -.04:Layer Level Prelude D >> That one floorguard needed to be moved over half a tile. I couldn't beat it.
• -.05:Layer Level Prelude E >> Really well-rounded level. I didn't like the exit placement though.
• -.06: What Are You Trying To Prove? >> I absolutely hated the trapdoor schematic. It ruined the map.
• -.07:Who Are You, Exactly? >> Mat.
• -.08: A Path In The Wired >> Midair velocity control is one of my favorite tricks in N.
• -.09: The Network Is Crying >> The enemy placement was really bad. Drones would've worked much better.
• -.10: Save Me... >> Stunning tiles. The rocket was a bit easy.
• -.11: Network Abyss I >> Huge jump in difficulty. I would've liked it if you needed to separate the drones from 2/2 to 1/3, if that makes sense.
• -.12: Network Abyss II >> This one threw me off at first, but then it just pissed me off.
• -.13: Network Abyss III >> The chainguns are hella hard. I didn't like it.
• -.14: Server Interface I >> Fantastic for highscoring. Userlevel'd.
• -.15: Server Interface II >> Hmmm, the top drone's timing is off, and I didn't like how to get the trigger. Maybe if there was another hallway under it.
• -.16: Your Plan Is Impossible. >> Very nice map for highscoring, even though the top-left rockets are superfluous.
• -.17: Locked Away >> Interesting level design, but I didn't enjoy it.
• -.18: Hunter-Killer Tank I >> The gold was poorly placed, and it wasn't very fun.
• -.19:Hacked Server Interface >> You could've done more with the tiles. Gameplay was nice.
• -.20:Your Brain In The Wired >> I liked the layout, but the gausses were too simple.
• -.21:The Wired >> Another map with a great tileset and good gameplay.
• -.22: The Wired >> Shitty filler map. No creativity at all.
• -.23: The Wired >> Excellent chaingun placement and awesome gold lines. Userlevel'd.
• -.24 >> MISSINGNO
• -.25: The Wired >> If the last three chainguns had been closer to the right I would've liked the map.
• -.26: C:\Program\MURDERMARATHON >> The lettering's a bit rough, but I liked speeding it.
• -.27: CYBERGHOST STRIKES >> If there was a oneway between the lower 7-tiles I would've liked it much more.
• -.28: MURDER PROGRAM EXECUTE >> Meh.
• -.29:Death Report: Victim One >> Cramped quarters, not my favorite.
• -.30: Death Report: Victim Two >> Cool design, it was just too high up. Move it down two tile spaces.
• -.31: Death Report: Victim Three >> The rocket wasn't necessary, nor were all three locked doors.
• -.32: Death Report: Victim Four >> Morbid, but fun to highscore.
• -.33: Q: How Many More Have To Die >> The rocket trick was awesome, but the rest of the map was not.
• -.34: A: Everyone. Everyone Must Die. >> The dual chainguns were a bit much.
• -.35: Locked Away II >> Phew, tough map. Not even a sympathy launchpad or anything.
• -.36: Hunter-Killer Tank II >> More trouble than it's worth to complete.
• -.37: Death Report: Victims 5 thru 26 >> Eh, not that fun. The laser was not enough.
• -.38: What Will You Do To Save Her? >> The middle floorguard never moves. It frightens me.
• -.39: Once You Collapse The Core, >> Boring map.
• -.40: The Wired Will End Forever >> Big ol' level, itty-bitty gameplay.
• -.41: Do You Want To Stop The Killing? >> Decent level, except for the single top-left gold.
• -.42: Cyber Core Gateway >> Simple and to the point. Userlevel'd.
• -.43: BOSS: CYBER CORE >> Hot shit, moony. Such a boss level. Userlevel'd.
• -.44: The Wired Collapses - Total Shutdown >> Somewhat of a boring level. Nice challenge though.
• -.45: Princess? Where Are You...? >> Another throwaway map.
• .1: 404 NOT FOUND >> Stupid level.
• .2: Vanishing... >> Really nice tiles. The route took a little bit of time to figure out, but it wasn't bad.
• .3: CYBERGHOST RETURNS >> Fucking awful gameplay. It's a shame, because I liked the skull a lot.
• .4: She's Gone. >> I loved, LOVED walljumping between the mines. So much fun. Userlevel'd.
• .5: You Knew the Outcome. >> Curious design. Not sure I liked it though.
• .6: Hunter-Killer Tank III >> The last mine was cruel, but I enjoyed playing.
• .7: I Can Still Save Her >> More filler. I totally got sub-100 though. :3
• .8: Rework: Rewire >> Decent level. The enemies worked well together.
• .9.1: Data Backup Files >> Fun to highscore, but nothing noteworthy.
• .9.2: Rebuilding Cyber Core... >> Damn, what a well-made level. Those drones were excellently timed.
• .9.3: Mainframe Hack >> Needed some gold.
• .9.4: Reconnecting Collective Unconscious >> I dunno, it was a nice design, but it wasn't fun.
• .9.5: Establishing Linking Parameters >> Didn't like this one. The chainguns are really easy.
• .9.6: Finalizing Network Array Connections >> The PALEMOON thing to've done would've been to add a line of horizontal trapdoors to the exit.
• .9.7: All Systems Online...Again >> Somewhat of a boring level.
• .9.8: THE WIRED IS MINE! >> The gold was not good and the rocket was pansy.
• .9.9: BOSS: HUNTER-KILLER TANK >> I didn't have the patience to finish this.
• 1: You Do Not Control The Wired >> I pwn'd this map.
• 2: I Do. >> Meh, filler.
• 3: What Hope Do You Have? >> I don't like where this is going.
• 4: You Have No Hope. You Will Fail. >> An improvement over the last one. The three rockets are nice.
• 5: You've Come So Far... >> Not quite as good as the former map, but decent.
• 6: Only To Die At My Hands. >> I don't quite recall if I managed to beat this by going up to the exit, but no matter. It's a good map.
• 7: BOSS: CYBERGHOST PHASE 1 >> These boss levels are the shit. I love the laser dodges. Userlevel'd.
• 8: BOSS: CYBERGHOST PHASE 2 >> Wasn't very fun or worth playing.
• 9.1: Death Report: Cyber Ghost >> Meh. Fun to play, but boring.
• 9.2: Found Her! >> That's a very ninja'y-looking girl.
• THE END >> <3

My flash drive almost made me lost half of these demos, by my dad helped me recover them. :) They're worth watching.

mrdr-demos.txt

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