trle.net
Your host for all Tomb Raider Custom Levels ever released!

Levels listed...
TR5 - 31
TR4 - 3137
TR3 - 177
TR2 - 132
TR1 - 60

72240 reviews (20.4/level)
3530 (99.8%) walkthroughs
442 Hall of Fame levels
1217 levels rated >= 8

TR Fan Site

 


Escape from the Military Base v2 by Alex Chap

DJ Full 6 7 8 5
Gerty 3 4 5 4
Jorge22 5 5 6 6
Jose 0 2 6 6
Leeth 6 5 5 4
manarch2 3 4 4 3
MichaelP 4 7 6 6
Mulf 3 5 5 2
Orbit Dream 5 7 3 4
Phil 6 6 6 8
Quentin 4 6 5 5
Ryan 4 6 5 6
sonnyd83 4 6 6 6
Zhyttya 6 5 4 5
 
release date: 15-Nov-2013
# of downloads: 93

average rating: 4.96
review count: 14
 
review this level

file size: 110.00 MB
file type: TR4
class: Shooter
 


author profile(s):
email(s):
alex96-tr-ost@hotmail.fr

Reviewer's comments
"This remake of the builder’s debut begins with a so-called stealth segment, which is really no such thing. While you can make the guards notice you earlier than necessary by pulling faces in front of them, there is no way you can postpone it; the moment is preordained to occur when you approach the ladder, and thereafter the entire sequence becomes a matter of sheer dumb luck (pray that the grenades don’t hit you directly) and waiting for glitches to occur (guards occupying the ledges will eventually float down to ground level). So that novel idea didn’t pan out, but the builder chose to stick with it regardless. Shortly after you’re treated to the ‘choose your weapon’ bit from version 1, which, significantly, turns in another appearance later on. Indeed, all the best bits of this remake were lifted directly from version 1, but are buried here under loads of padding and redundancy, some of it downright egregious as in the case of the tedious pushable puzzle in a warehouse (which replaces a brief moment of respite in v1, and becomes a real gameplay killer here, especially if you go for the secret), or another tedious pushable puzzle in a TR2 “Offshore Rig”-inspired room, which serves to open three consecutive doors and trigger a magically floating platform into existence, or the mind-numbingly dull sequence in which you use five switches in a row, each time summoning a troop of the same kind of baddy (and I wouldn’t be surprised if even their numbers were exactly the same each time). The entire “Warehouse” level should have been scrapped, along with much of the rest. The six levels may all clock in at 15 minutes apiece, but that still amounts to a grand total of around 90 minutes, which is clearly too long for this kind of game.
The game is better than v1 in a technical sense, I’ll give you that. In the massed attack, the SAS no longer blink in and out of existence as they did in the original, and the long slide towards a cluster of baddies is better executed here. There remain fun moments, but they are few and far between. And it has to said that as much as the builder’s technical skills have developed since his debut, in terms of design the remake is still undistinguished, and in one respect must even be called a step back: although the game uses TR textures (mainly from TR3), they are all low-res versions with unclean borders and bristling with .JPEG artefacts, and any transparency is replaced by opaque black; as though the builder used thumbnails cropped from website screenshots instead of the original textures. I find this inexplicable.
While version 1 was brushed off by many reviewers as insipid, predictable and boring, this remake was greeted by most with guarded recognition, many pretending that basic gameplay ideas get better over time like wine when they’ve merely been given a ‘modern’ gloss. It’s akin to valuing some ‘Extended 2012 Remix feat. Nincompoop’ of Manic Monday over the original." - Mulf (26-Oct-2019)
"The first Military Base level was nothing more than a blandly textured, tedious shooter with little to offer other than the predictability of blasting guards left, right and centre. This one, however, is more than that. It's still mainly a shooter, and there's still tons of enemies everywhere you look, but more thought has been put into both the gameplay and aesthetic side of things. Admittedly, it's still a bit dull trying to shoot the countless enemies here, but there were some creative elements thrown in for good measure that I thought were really nicely done (the parts where you can choose your weapons, allowing a guard to open a gate for a secret, the huge slope with the guards at the bottom, the cathartic snowmobile slaughter) and the textures here aren't as crudely applied as before and there were some neat custom ones. I enjoyed it more than I anticipated." - Ryan (11-May-2019)
"It's really tough to play through multiple levels of similar mood even though the game is a shooter - look at Serious Sam for instance, it's mindless but still beautiful. And while the squares of the inner base are justified, the outside zones should have much more effort put into them. So I really cannot rate the looks any higher than average. The music is good, I heard voices there is too much of it but I don't think so. Gameplaywise I would surely not include so many fake doors because I must've wasted an hour on trying all of them with the crowbar. Just stick to one door type per each interaction to make it clear. On the other hand I appreciate the weapon choice part, this gives some replay value." - DJ Full (21-Oct-2018)
"Was not expecting this game after checking the average rating, it was super fun. Let me just make one thing clear: this is NOT your typical tomb/puzzle game, as described by the author, it's entirely based on a shooting game, so please, don't go in hating this because it's actually pretty fun and well thought. I loved the idea of approaching carefully and strategically. The levels doesn't begin with the most welcome entrance, you will be forced to tank a lot of damage, but fortunately, you are rewarded with a lot of ammo and medis after. So if you managed to get pass that first area you'll have tons of fun after. The idea of choosing a weapon to play the game was unique, loved it!!! however i can't deny that the level design is very poor, always the same square, big areas with lots of enemies to kill. Basically you can score this level by the fun factor. I loved playing it and it's a game that you can play back a number of times to try out the different weapons." - Zhyttya (29-Jul-2016)
"A fast and enjoyable experience. Is defiantly a great shooter level that uses a lot of combat technics. Loved the fact that you have to know how to position your self to do damage and not take from everyone. The weapon selection was awesome and the fast paced action to. But then we had some boxes to push that completely killed the rhythm of the level. If it wasn't for that and the free damage you take when you start the level this would have been one of my favourite fun levels in TRLE. Oh, and the flare bug from one level to the other is actually a plus, was awesome to see Lara with a broken arm. Highly recommended if you love shooting instead of solving puzzles, and the custom textures done on paint were a really nice touch" - Leeth (29-Jul-2016)
"The stealth phases in the beginning is not very adapted to Tomb Raider, Lara is detected by enemies without looking at her sometimes, then she is rather quiet, so I go towards the large scale fastest as possible. The low amount of ammunition early on can be difficult to manage, but there are generally enough ammunition . The first secret is in a cell, there is another prisoner inside but Lara did not want to release him. x) All the secrets of this level are rather amusing to find. At one point , we fall on fun textures that show the stats several weapons, at the 1st choice, I immediately and without hesitation took the Wes-44 ( Revolver if you prefer) . Later when a door is opened, Lara immediately falls on a (very) long slope where you have to survive, it was not my favorite part because it was rather difficult due to a camera that shows sharp teeth , I don't have the time to be concentrate. Oh, and the last secret in a green pond is ... Rather " trololo " . *-*" - Quentin (23-Mar-2014)
"Very much a shooter, as much a shooter as Tomb Raider can get, meaning loads of baddies to shoot, room after room after room. It's quite simple yet not dull as when you want to bin something because you'd rather go to bed. The very few tasks that don't actually enter the shooting competition are a bit dull, ok; they could be there or they couldn't and it wouldn't make much difference, but I guess they offer a little rest in between. After the first, most difficult, part, there are two instances where you may choose your weapons. I chose the revolver both times and I wasn't sorry - loads of ammo and a great way to blow up automatic firing machines or whatever you'd call them too. I liked the long slide down to an army of baddies and the bonus level on the snowbike. In the end you get a code and are able to see a little of what's in Alex's mind regarding future levels. That's it." - Jorge22 (04-Dec-2013)
"Thankfully this so called Version 2 is actually a Version 1 of a much better game and really deserves a look if you are a fan of shooter levels. Yes ok, what you get here is a lot of rather dull gameplay (if you want to call it that), as you generally keep progressing through 6 levels (of about 15 minutes length each), killing everything that moves and does not move, occasionally halted by picking up a key that you will soon after use to open a door. But noentheless, there are a few nice moments in between. I liked the (sort of) element of stealth at the very beginning, the choice of weapons to make twice in the game, the one little push block puzzles that changed the pace a bit, the experimenting with ambience colours and then later on the use of sentry guns and the snowmobile. There is even a hint at a storyline, including the outfit change to support it. So, all in all not such a bad choice to play this one if you are in the mood for some mindless shooting... (4 secrets)" - MichaelP (29-Nov-2013)
"The builder in the readme calls this a revision of his earlier release. However, I found it to be an entirely new and much better game. The first one was an entirely predictable and rather boring, linear exercise in moving to the next room and blowing away the opposition. Here we have a much more polished effort with a number of different "looks" and opportunities to exercise your brain as well as your shooting skills. Indeed, I missed a key that you need at the very end, and who knows how many of the secrets (I found three) that I may have overlooked as well. This is certainly not destined to become a classic, but I had a good time here as I played while writing a walkthrough, and that's all any of us should ask. I also don't understand the criticism in an earlier review of limited pistol ammo. Every pistol ammo pickup has 100 rounds, and as you progress in the level you get much more sophisticated weaponry as well as scads of ammunition, rendering the pistols irrelevant. To me, the ability to defend myself never became an issue." - Phil (28-Nov-2013)
"Sorry Alex, I am not a fan at all of shooters and this one is a doozy. There is limited ammo for the pistols and if you do survive the first onslaught then you have to make a choice between 4 different weapons and ammo. As I made a save before choosing I could go back and see if another weapons made a difference. I did choose the grenade gun in the end and with some careful planning I could use the Hammer Flash Ammo to freeze loads of soldiers in one shot. That was fun though. There is much later on another choice to make, which way to continue but at the end the roads you choose all came together. The last was getting on the snow bike and try to evade numerous soldiers and sentry guns. But some credit is due that with a little planning and also trying out to trick the enemies, you can have an easier time. So if you are into shooting, you might have fun, sorry to say that I didn't." - Gerty (27-Nov-2013)
"There's some pretty good stuff within this 90 minutes(for me)level set,but you need to look beyond the aggressive Shooter elements in order to find it.The slide to the spike pike with the massed soldiers beyond;the choice of doors for the Armory;the pushable object sequence;the limited ammo and strategy elements at the start of the adventure in order to avoid dying.It's all good fun,but the need to conserve ammo and health is a bit wearisome to begin with and may be offputting to some.Scenically,there's not much here to get the pulse racing;and the atmosphere is never more than basic,with simple architecture and generally straightforward lighting. As the adventure progresses the copious ammount of collected weaponry and ammunition renders the various massed attacks pretty harmless;but I loved the battle room with the smoking warning (always look after your health!);and the adventure is always fast-moving and linear. The best release from this stylistically recognisable author so far;but probably not to everyone's taste." - Orbit Dream (18-Nov-2013)
"For those who enjoy a good shooter, this is the level set for you. You do nothing but that. I am impressed by the number of levels this author has created in a short period of time. The game takes place with Lara trapped in a military base with countless guards after her. You need to find some weapons but you need to be stealthy to sneak past baddies and work your way up. Once you get your pistols, the fun begins. There are other minor challenges to complete other than taking down anything that moves. We have a room with pushable blocks you have to move to open some doors, this builders now trademark ultra long slope - quite impressive with baddies all over, but explosive ammo comes in handy. There's a lot of key collecting too. The keys needed to have the correct slot names. The snowmobile at the end was enjoyable, you need to use the lasersight to take out the machine guns as you can't survive otherwise. A very good feature of this game is the choice of weapons, you are forced to choose which weapon you will use for the rest of the game, great idea as it affects gameplay. The graphical qualities here are much better than previous attempt but could be much less blocky and less mis-shapen ones too, there's a good variety used and they all suit the base category of level, the choice of texture does change throughout but keeps with the theme. I think he should have used pink instead of black for the ventilation grills to make them see through. The use of camera's is very good with some nice views e.g. one or two flybys, or the viewing moving into the distance near the end, very professionally done. Finally sound was appropriately selected, mostly from TR3 where entering a room or outside. All in all, a good, and possibly under rated, second attempt which took me just under 2 hours." - sonnyd83 (18-Nov-2013)
"This is yet another step-up of a builder who has started with a rather bad debut and then climbs up, albeit a bit slowly. I actually enjoyed the concept of the first level, with a bit of storytelling, some stealth elements and rather nice efforts put into the lighting, but this idea got lost a bit later in this level and it turned into a rather plain shooter, which it remained until the very end, and overall not a very enjoyable one because the fights are sometimes a bit boring (in one area, one has to flip a lever to open a door and release six or so soldiers, and that five times in a row) and sometimes way, way too heavy, I of course speak about the area with a dozen soldiers shooting at you at once, so in many regards this level reminds on the first version. This time, there are some (easy) block puzzles, some sentryguns to blow up and a fun and health-consuming snowmobile ride at the end. My favourite part was shooting soldiers while jumping to and fro on a slope and only after the last enemy dropped, a way further was created, a scene whose quality was way ahead of the rest of the level - much more of this please! The looks are slightly better than in the builder's previous releases, but suffer from monotony and some rather obvious texture and architecture mistakes (some rooms suffer heavily from wallpaper effects). I liked the way some sounds and cameras were used in this level, the leveljump where Lara switches her clothes in between was nicely executed. One door for a secret never opened (and despite the help of Fexinspect the way of triggering is still a mystery to me), so I had to cheat in order to see the "special" secret in here. Spent 55 minutes in this level, found all secrets and managed all special challenges from the builder, but I'm not sure if it's even possible to drive over ten soldiers, so I killed most of them "manually"). It was a level with some nice moments, but I didn't really like the shooter elements and also a lot of tedious and a bit repetitive parts and not so great visuals. In short, I keep repeating myself here, try to stick to a few good ideas (like the slope I mentioned) and maybe build one decent-sized level with those, and care for a better look of the level, then I can't see much preventing you from better marks in your next levels." - manarch2 (16-Nov-2013)
"The limited ammo for the pistols was a very BIG error in this adventure. I was not able to continue playing with no ammo and a lot of enemies shooting Lara. Simply a game to send to the trash. Sorry." - Jose (16-Nov-2013)