23rd of August 2024

FM7X - Continental Odyssey by Fernando Márquez

Fernando Marquez is back, this time for the last time (but then again he probably said so when FM4X was released as well). Looking at the title, you may wonder what happened to FM5X and FM6X. Well, these are both included in the pack, but they're merely Dukematch episodes. So, the "meat" of this release is FM7X, a new episode titled Continental Odyssey, kinda inspired by the World Tour episode of the 20th Anniversary release that took Duke all around the globe to kill aliens in various exotic locations. The episode consists of seven new single-player maps (of these two are secret) and a few Duke-Tag maps (remember?). Like with Fernando's previous episodes, there are no new monsters, con effects or art.

A bit of a WARNING here before you proceed, as I'm merely a humble servant of the public and thus have a responsibility to make it easy for you - which is something Fernando doesn't seem interested in doing. Like before, the author seems to live in a world where EDuke32 doesn't exist. The elaborate and thorough manual that comes with this mod has instructions on how to install the mod from a CD-ROM and launch it in DOS but makes no mention of EDuke32 or even DOSBox. Of course, NO ONE aside from the author will play this without a modern port, and considering not even many who work in IT know what a bat file is let alone how to modify one, the overwhelming majority of would-be players simply don't know how to play the mod.
So, here's how to get this up & running in EDuke32: Download the zip. Unzip it. Navigate to FM7X-GRP\FM7XPLUT and copy everything there into your EDuke32 folder. After copying right click FM7Y-SP.bat and click Edit. (If you get a warning here, simply ignore it.) Now simply replace Duke3d.exe with eduke32.exe. Save as whatever.bat (select all formats rather than .txt from the dropdown menu) and now launch the episode via the newly-modified bat file.
BUT please do keep in mind that the mod is intended to be played in DOS (or DOS emulator such as DOSBox).

The journey begins with Sufragette Rampage, really a medley map of sorts, as it seems to include a whole host of locations familiar from the original urban maps. The map proceeds at a considerable pace, never spending more than a minute or so at any particular location. The start is rough, as you have to make do with the pistol and explosives for quite a while, avoiding enemies when you can. After the map settles down it's pretty fun to play, but I did miss the blue key and spent a while looking for it, initially mistaking its unusual location for a mere decoration. Design is good but standard fare with classic urban texturing and strong 3DR type lighting (sometimes too strong). The wide streets with tall buildings are more reminiscent of the Blum maps of E1 rather than Levelord's in E3, but Fernando's own touch shines through occasionally as well.

Amazonian Quarry is a mine somewhere in the Amazon. Duke3D doesn't really have that many mine maps (the best can be found, naturally, in our epic DNF2013), so fresh attempts with the theme are always welcome (although admittedly the theme evokes little passion). Fernando's mine is a bit all over the place. What is being mined and why are the aliens there? Are the occasional alien textures meant to imply the place was built by them, or are they just a weird choice of textures? Subway sectors are used to simulate minecarts. They fit the setting but are too slow to be of any practical use, so consider them scenery (and the tunnels they inhabit are useful for navigation). The layout can be a bit confusing because of the map's extensive network of tunnels and such, so you probably end up relying a lot on the automap. The real disappointment is that the map is almost fully symmetrical, so essentially you end up playing the same map twice (although you can rush through the second part). Combat is pretty good here with a good selection of monsters, balanced item-monster ratio (you cannot rely on any one weapon alone) and no excessive reliance on respawns.

After this Duke is dropped off somewhere in... Egypt, I guess? Quick Dip Oasis is a nod to Mirage Barrage in World Tour, considered by many the best map in the official expansion. Oasis makes do extremely well with just Duke3D's stock textures in creating a somewhat authentic-looking temple/pyramid map, and it achieves this with just a few textures (kinda necessitated by the theme; you wouldn't expect to find a lot of variety within the walls of a pyramid). Everything just looks neat and tidy, geometrically correct, and lighting is used effectively. The architecture and use of various traps also reminded me of the notorious opening map of the Plug 'N' Pray episode of the PSX Duke3D. Sector Effector tricks involving moving sectors and such are also prominent throughout the map. Now, the map is quite large and has a sprawling layout, so I ended up getting a bit pissed off after spending around 10 minutes at what seems to have been a total deadend. There's also a button puzzle that basically demands you to jump out of the game and use Google; good thing or not, that's up to you. I also didn't much care for the final area due to its abrupt presentation and lack of cover.

K-TIT Aerodrome is next. I'm always happy to get an airport map, and this one is probably my favorite map in the episode. It has good lighting (this really should be expected from Fernando by this point, as he's a master of this art), clean texturing (and here it gets more creative than in the more traditional Suffragette) and wide hallways providing you plenty of space to move around. There's a bit of symmetry here (you explore two departure gates), but it's not blatant like in Amazonian Quarry; it merely eases navigation. You get a few glimpses of the runway (disappointingly empty, however), and the entrance yard with the traffic control/guard tower is an effective showcase of how to make a large-ish area look really good by relying mostly on shading. The map is also a lot of fun to play with its pleasant pace and good selection of monsters. Also keep your eyes open for the secret map entrance here; it's well hidden but does not require an elaborate sequence of events to be found.

Duke's chopper gets shot down in Hellin' Beachin' and he has to navigate through a forest and some beaches to get his hands on the final boss. This map is more linear than the rest with almost no need to backtrack; in fact, the map loops back to where you started by itself. In addition to some thick forests, you need to navigate vertically as well along hollow tree trunks and cliffs. Design-wise the map is the least remarkable in the episode; the forest sections just look a bit dull, but at least the more open beach sections provide relief every now and then. Issues related to navigation basically disappear due to the map's linear layout, which does make for a refreshing switch after the more open-ended layouts in the previous maps. If you missed the second secret map, a boss fight at the end of Beachin' wraps up the episode rather unexpectedly.

If you thought that's it, you'd be wrong. There are two more maps to go, but these are both secret. This is kind of a weird design decision, as these are basically one third of the episode. Either find their entrances yourself (in K-TIT Aerodrome and Platinum Spatial) or just type dnscotty106 and dnscotty107.

Duke uses an alien craft to reach a space station in Platinum Spatial. This station isn't particularly reminiscent of any map in Lunar Apocalypse (only mentioning this because Fernando's style has always been heavily influenced by the originals); in fact, I was more often reminded of the classic Hell Station. The map's design is pretty good with spacious hallways, blinking lights and some clever button-operated moving platforms, but detailing felt a bit sparse and texturing didn't really strike this time. The layout is also a bit confusing, and you need to make your way back to the central structure pretty often. The biggest problem really is that in one section the onboard switches for moving platforms didn't seem to work at all in EDuke32, so you either need to cheat here or be very quick with your jumps and use of Steroids (I was actually able to pull it off without cheats, but it took many attempts). The map has two exits; a regular one that takes you to Hellin' Beachin' and a secret one that takes you to the second secret map. I actually found the secret exit by accident, and I'd definitely recommend giving it a try, as the path there is well worth traveling.

Zoned Out Moonlight is a secret moonbase that also servers as an alternative ending to the episode. This is probably my second favorite of the episode, being heavily reminiscent of Dark Side (E2L8), considered by many the greatest space map in the original game. Moonlight is fun to explore with enjoyable combat and a relaxing Lunar atmosphere. The map's layout is clear and includes a rather sizeable optional officers quarters section. The spaceport section (including its topside) with the rocket and all is really well made, and all the nods to E2L8 work to the map's benefit. The map is noticeably smaller than the rest but packs a lot of variety in it (even including a small garden), and the Battlelord boss fight feels like a more appropriate way to finish the episode than the one in Beachin'.

As for general points, the jetpack is really useful throughout the episode. You're basically handed it on a platter at the end of the first map. Of course you may end up skipping considerable chunks of the maps with it; I tried to avoid that and merely used it to get past tedious sections involving jumps and to get out of lower sections conveniently. I found combat generally speaking enjoyable with balanced item-monster ratio (aside from the rough start of the first map) and an almost complete lack of "annoying" elements such as excess reliance on Battlelords and respawns, or poorly placed Sentries and Commanders. Fernando has also gone through some CD-ROM archives to find midis for the maps, but I have to say these weren't really any better than the ones in FM3X, ranging from obnoxious (map 1) and out of place (map 2) to tolerable (maps 3 and 5).

Conclusion: Continental Odyssey is a good episode that packs quite a lot of thematic variety in it. I found combat in particular thoroughly enjoyable throughout the episode. Map design is a good mix of Fernando's early 3DR influences and his more recently developed original style. Layouts do occasionally get a bit confusing though, especially since every map is kinda long (around 20 minutes each aside from Moonlight), and often there's too much backtracking, but at least signposting and use of viewscreens helps. What's weirder is hiding what is essentially a third of the episode behind secret exits, and Fernando's insistence that you should play his mod without the use of modern ports is characteristically peculiar to say the least. Anyway, if FM7X truly is the end of Fernando's mapping career, then it's a fitting end, being a mix of the old and the new while paying tribute to the last official Duke3D release involving the original mappers. Naturally we hope there's still more left in Fernando's tank and that more projects are brewing in the back of his mind.

Score: 8½
Download: Download (more download options here)
Version: 1.4, 1.5
Author: Fernando Márquez