The Trickster's Domain

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This map took way longer than I expected. Not because it was overscoped, but because other things got in the way and I had to interrupt my work on this multiple times for longer periods. When I started making The Trickster's Domain, M.C. Escher's Relativity was providing the theme and it's featured prominently in the main area of the map.

I initially wanted to make a map that was brimming with wierd secrets and puzzles. During grayboxing I veered off this path and focused more on encounter design and disorienting architecture. Some of the initial ideas I had for secrets made it into the final map. I also wanted to experiment with alternative ways of gating. I tried to create a progression in which certain areas are only accessible with a certain weapon, similat to what the Metroid games are known for.

Thanks for playtesting, feedback, and sending me their insightful demos go to:
DispairEngine
ptoing
Micheal Markie
Greenwood
spootnik
Mazu​


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Submitted by
pLaw
Downloads
2,437
Views
6,110
Release Date
Jan 4, 2024
First uploaded
Last update

Ratings

4.91 star(s) 33 ratings
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Latest updates

  1. UPDATE, 8th January 2024 - More Soft Locks Fixed

    Some people reported several other soft locks that are fixed with this update. I also used this...

  2. UPDATE, 7th January 2024 - Small Fix

    Fixed a soft lock that happened only on skill 0.

  3. UPDATE, 6th January 2024 - Some More Minor Fixes

    Another few smaller fixes: A pickup didn't drop from the ceiling when it was supposed to (when...
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Latest reviews

Fairweather
One of my favourite maps of all time. The visual design is great, the way areas have mirrored elements is fun, the secrets are incredible, the locks are unique and interesting, and the combat is multifaceted and keeps up with the player. This is one to learn from, truly.
Skill
Hard
Upvote 1 Downvote
P
loved this map. fantastic visuals and plenty of space to move around in with some fun verticality in places
Skill
Nightmare
Upvote 0 Downvote
ironicmoustache
I liked both of pLaw's previous maps, but this makes them look decidedly amateur (and they are, of course, not).

I'm generally not much of a Metroidvania person myself, but the weapon gating works quite well here, tying in well with the overall level design—which is where pLaw knocked it out of the park.

Great big picture architecture and small-scale details, with excellent level flow and suitably nasty, well-conceptualised fights on Nightmare (but, crucially, never unfairly nasty). The last arena is a standout fight, one of the better ones I've played recently.
Skill
Nightmare
Upvote 0 Downvote
drhyperion451
Very cool map and skybox. The puzzle style part of the map is very enjoyable. It's very playable on nightmare, but a bit hard in some aspects. The special buttons design are pretty clever, however I managed to open the super shotgun button with the nailgun.

  • The shambler cutout scared me! Really good.
  • The ending with the quad and the invincibility was very cool.
  • Didn't like the fact that some pickups were infinite, but that's okay.
30 minutes playthrough.
Skill
Nightmare
Upvote 0 Downvote
A
I wasn't sure how well the metroidvania aspect was going to work going into this map, but I really liked how it turned out, and how simple the gating systems were as they tied into weapons.

I also really liked the little model of the final area with the buttons indicated just before the area itself.
Skill
Easy
Upvote 0 Downvote
S
Incredible map! Really interesting theme, nice encounters, clever flow and situational design. I even liked the mass encounter at the end.
Skill
Normal
Upvote 0 Downvote
Z
Excellent map. The skybox was amazing, as was everything else.
Skill
Normal
Upvote 0 Downvote
Cpt.Gonzo
Apart from the marvellous architecture and the great combat, I loved the idea of the Weapon Locks. Amazing how well Escher matches Quake.
Skill
Hard
Upvote 0 Downvote
erysdren
top tier map, great encounters and enjoyable puzzle elements. took me 21 minutes to complete, no deaths.
Skill
Easy
Upvote 0 Downvote
L
I played this map three times, skill 0, 1, 0. Skill 1 because skill 0 contained some bugs Paul corrected. Skill 1 manageable for a slow player like me, skill 0 better to admire the wonderful architecture.

Remembering that I owned a MC Escher illustrated book long time ago I investigated the implementation of his art.

Even after long searching I could detect only 4 secrets including the thunderbolt. I couldn't puzzle out the secret with the pips (I had to google this, I'm from Germany), the eyes of a dice. Very clever. I'll give this another try after a break.

Great! An independent interpretation of Escher's art and a map full of suspense, thinking, shooting.

And, by the way, thank you also for "Derelict Freighter". I played this around one dozen times ....
Skill
Easy
Upvote 2 Downvote
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