Architectural Design

  For years, its aged-sandstone walls lay in ruin. She was revived by id with their
v3.15 release & since has been a favorite battleground. Too many Strogg can be
found in the lava outside, most near the Quad. Reckless Abandon aka Match1, is
the pinnacle of Quake2 deathmatch.

Construction seems a bit heavy & the layout guarantees alot of fresh-action you
may never have seen. You'll see quite a few "air-shots" running this puppy.
Simplistic in design but powerful in character, this level separates the men from
the boys. Can she be fun you might ask? Read on..


Atmosphere & Lighting

  Ambience certainly does not describe a characteristic of this level. Its extreme-
focus is 1v1. This place feels hot & dry, a perfect day for dying. The only sounds
from the level itself emanate from the two plats. One of the most important aspects
is a keen-alertness to where your enemy is at all times. Tell-tale weapon, ammo, &
item pickups is key to knowing not where he has been, but where he will be.

  The colored-lighting is emitted by yellow-lights within the confines & few blue-
fixtures in the lower-level by the HB. Outside, it is basically bright & the red-glow
from the lava along with light from the daytime-sky completes the ambience.


Style & Textures

  Reckess Abandon's theme runs very strong throughout the level. All brushes are
consistent in placement & add to its integral construction. I was hard-pressed to
find any mis-alignments within. The texture base of hard-concrete walls seem most
ideal for the lava-setting. The only detrimental placement I could find was a
darkened-wall behind the plat leading up to the MG.

  If you stop & look around, you'll find a rather bland-looking eviron. This is
inadvisable though as any more detail would slow gameplay & detract from one's
life. Miniumum eye-candy is offered but most notable is some animated-gearing
below a clear hallway floor.


Weapons, Ammo, & Items

  The weapon-set available is excellent but the placement of the ammo supercedes
any I've seen. You'll find a mix of different ammunition in sets against the walls
especially in the internal areas. These placements service most any weapon you
may be carrying at the time & you can certainly stock-up rather quickly.

  Health is fairly ample in supply & an adrenaline is provided. It sits in a rather
accessible location however & presents itself to very high traffic-flow. Seemingly,
everyone converges near it either from above or below. The stimpaks on the stairs
are always a great boost as you ascend. The Mega-Health sits in a cove near one
of the two Rocket Launchers. To obtain it, or navigate back to the atrium, you must
traverse a spinning-bridge above yet more lava. If you fall into the lava without a
hook, the only way out is a very quick RJ before you crisp.

  The Quad is most vulnerable & near impossible to grab & escape with your balls
in one piece. It sits in a recessed bay above the lava in the atrium. You may either
jump or hook to it, but either method is dangerous. If you jump, your timing must
be exact. This timing becomes more demanding as you make your exit with the
prized 4-banger. Rockets hail from all directions; any one could knock you off the
ledge to certain death. A safer bet is to jump down to the left onto the walkway &
teleport to safety. One trick to quickly grabbing the Quad is to ride the plat up
to the MG & hug the wall while running straight off toward the bay.

  Armor is scarce but is appropriate considering the size of this level. A single
Body- Armor & a lone Combat Armor sits ready for the taking. It is very important
to control the armor in this playground as frags run rampant. The chance you take
for that shot of Mega, RL, & Combat Armor can be terrible as the three items sit
back in that dead-end. Timing is extremely critical in either sneaking to them or
making your attempt in exiting, especially if your foes catch you going in.
Fresh-meat anyone?


Balance & Gameplay

  The flow in Reckless Abandon is very fast due to its great connectivity. Play
becomes even faster still when coupled with a hook-mod. Cutouts within the walls
of the sanctum promotes the exhibition of great tactical escape. If you are fast,
you can even run up the stairs & turn the tables on your enemy. The hook also
comes in handy here; jump down, & hook back up while throwing rocks DFA-style.

  Inherently, the layout is very effective in coming from behind in score with proper
determination. This level suits mainly 1v1 gameplay, but really shines through with
about four players in FFA. Teams of two can sure work up a sweat as action
abounds. Air-shots with the Rail is simply icing on the cake & are both prevelant &
rewarding.

  Sporadic fighting can take place from one tier to the next. Inevitable chases as one
hops down to lower-reaches can be elusive. The two one-way teleporters further
enhance the speed of this map & give adequate option for tactical decision-making.


Technical & Presentation

  The structure could stand a few clips here & there but not significantly so.
R_speeds top 800 but average around 400 in most areas. Since this level was
released with the Q2 v3.15 upgrade, I found no accompanying documentation.
If anyone knows who created it, please let me know.

Conclusion

  Reckless Abandon is usually understated & rarely played. It deserves to be in all
server- rotations as it is one of the great DM levels provided by the Southern-boys
of id. It is very highly-regarded in the custom-circles I frequent & gives by far
some of the best enjoyment of fest that can be had... B+