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The Mystery of the Outpost by Nick21

BlackWolfTR 6 8 8 8
DJ Full 7 9 8 7
Feder 8 9 9 8
g12STL 9 10 8 6
Jay 7 8 7 8
JesseG 6 7 8 8
Jorge22 7 8 8 7
Jose 5 6 7 6
manarch2 2 5 6 6
nerdfury 8 7 9 6
Orbit Dream 4 8 7 8
Phil 7 8 8 8
Ryan 5 7 8 8
Torry 5 7 7 4
 
release date: 04-Aug-2021
# of downloads: 126

average rating: 7.13
review count: 14
 
review this level

file size: 40.00 MB
file type: TR3
class: Desert
 


author profile(s):
email(s):
lepynicolas@orange.fr

Reviewer's comments
"Ye gods, this base is absolutely huge and ram jam full of enemies. Admittedly, there are some ‘friendlies’ around to help Lara out a bit, but that leaves plenty of shooter action of varied aspects – raptors, anyone? This is very much an exploration/shooter type of level, but I found it enjoyable enough and it’s not long, although there’s a fair bit of backtracking to be done, which tends to drag it out a bit. Nice to see the Nevada settings again, albeit it littered with lots of corpses" - Jay (21-Mar-2024)
"This TR3 level is pretty good although some issues are present here. Gameplay-wise it's enjoyable. Exploration and combat is the main focus here. No puzzles. Design is good but it's not the peak of possibilities. Some rooms were boxy and the texturies were a bit repetitive at times. But overall the design is still good. I liked the layout of the map and how everything was connected. The biggest issue with this level is that you can finish it within 2 minutes. It's possible to bypass the red lasers and the rocket and reach the finish trigger skipping everything. Another thing is that in lots of places you can easily get out of the map. These two main issues could have been easily prevented. Also the sounds of soldiers were incorrect. Overall, it's still a really solid level which is enjoyable and engaging. The atmosphere is cozy and nostalgic. Recommended." - BlackWolfTR (25-Jun-2023)
"I don't know what kind of level I've just played, cause first it felt like infiltration, then like an escape map, with no clarification. Also not sure how exactly I triggered that one door, after several passes of not being able to - but aside of this one problem the game was quite good: made of basic elements but still nicely arranged, also with rewarding and useful secrets on top." - DJ Full (24-Feb-2023)
"This TR3 level could have been such a good raid but it is marred with continual and lengthy back tracking, enemies and objects that would fade from view and then reappear and enemies galore. So you would have a guard firing at you but could not see them although Lara would still target on them. Whilst I don't mind shooters, when coupled with the inordinate amount of tedious back tracking it becomes tiresome. The outside areas were lovely and extensive and the secrets provide you with the much needed weaponry to get through so take the time to find them. The attacks from guards with pet Raptors was unusual and whilst the prisoners do sort of help Lara out in a sense, they just were not around when she needed them most." - Torry (07-Nov-2022)
"Not easy to play this complext level, not 'cause hard tasks, but only for the too huge areas where you'll find often dead ends and closed doors, forcing you to explore the same places many times to find the items you need. There are a lot of enemies to shoot, but also enough ammo for the extra guns ans some friendly guards and prisoners to help. It's a pain the malfunction of the game in certain areas, specially in the larger outside areas where the enemies and objects dissapeared depending the camera view and sometimes the game crashed. The best were the camera hints and the old musics. Not very enjoyable but perhaps entertaining for the pure explorers." - Jose (13-Jun-2022)
"Lara invades some kind of military outpost here, turns out the mysterious activity revolves around creating dinosaurs! Naturally she will have to fend them off, along with a high number of guards, so expect lots of combat. Thankfully there are some prisoners and friendly shooters (must be the squad mentioned in the description) that will show up to assist Lara. There aren't really much tasks aside from that, it is purely exploration as Lara runs back and forth and opens many doors, some of which are shortcuts to reduce future backtracking – that is good because Lara might have to run through painful turrets several times. There are some rough spots such as illegal slopes in the outdoor areas, and a constant issue of objects disappearing and reappearing constantly; I can only guess too many things were put into the level. Visuals are pretty good, but textures get squashed and warped in quite a few places. 1 hour 11 minutes." - JesseG (10-Jan-2022)
"As the author implies in the readme file, this was an experiment, and one can easily tell. I believe most reviewers have already stated the obvious: the settings are huge and there are rooms where you have nothing to do except pick up some ammo or even merely shoot a couple of small green dinos that are trying to escape through the walls and would have loved to have been left alone, the backtracking is huge as well, it's basically a shooter, and it's a bit annoying to have all those baddies appear and disappear from sight for no special reason. Still, I had a good time - once things got going. To me, the highlight of the game may have been that time when Lara's suddenly attacked by a few soldiers, plus a couple of raptors. The multitude of Lara's helpers, soldiers as well as prisoners, was cool. There are, of course, several other interesting moments. There's more than enough ammo and weaponry, as well as medipacks, coupled with some of those medi-crystals. The way the connections between different rooms and areas unfold is well conceived. Let's see what Nick come up with the next time..." - Jorge22 (22-Sep-2021)
"I don't really consider a level that takes an hour to play as "short," and I could have sworn while I was playing and writing a walkthrough that the name of the builder was something other than Nick21, but no matter. I agree with the comments of the earlier reviewers, in that the constant back and forth did become somewhat wearisome as the game wore on. The hardest thing for me was reaching that last secret with the grenade gun, but once I figured out the correct spot from which to jump, it became much easier than what I saw in the posted video. TR3 levels are never going to get top marks from me, no matter how well constructed they might be, but I still enjoy playing them from time to time. This one unfolds bit by bit as you open one door after another to provide a way to a new area, but the problem lies in being forced to re-plow previously covered ground multiple times. I never had to worry about running out of ammo despite the plethora of enemies you meet along the way, including in previously visited areas. One might not agree with all the builder's gameplay decisions, but you have to admit that a lot of time and effort went into mapping it all out." - Phil (03-Sep-2021)
"Although this is adequately constructed from an architectural standpoint and the atmosphere is good and the music well used, the gameplay in this level really is a matter of taste. It is indeed a shooter as stated by other reviewers, but this time it's not an imbalanced one, but rather dreary to play. No puzzles to speak of and nothing else worthy of mention in the gameplay department (despite me admiring the way the various corridors and courtyards of this base connected with each other), and the running around, backtracking and pulling switch after switch does get old fast. The enemy encounters do keep you on your toes, and it was a nice touch to have the friendly soldiers and inmates, but they have an annoying tendency to flicker in and out of existence which caused me no end of trouble when Lara was being shot at by initially invisible enemies. But with the exception of a couple of paper-thin walls and texturing glitches, the environments are solidly made. A creditable effort certainly, but not one that I personally enjoyed." - Ryan (02-Sep-2021)
"Despite taking me 90 minutes to complete,there's surprisingly little to discuss in terms of gameplay; as everything can be economically summarised as "Backtracking Shooter". There are no puzzles,as such;nor are there any particularly difficult physical challenges - you simply shoot;pull a lever;backtrack to discover what door it opened;shoot some more. The playing area is extensive and well constructed (all the various areas can be clearly seen;it's accessing them that provides the challenge);but the exteriors suffer greatly from draw-distance problems,which in turn hampers the creation of atmosphere. The builder is considerate to the player in terms of shortcuts (each of which leads the player back to specific sections of the map);but it's still tricky to recall where all the various doors and swipe-card receptacles are located. Enemies are this levels strong suit - they are seemingly countless,and greatly varied.Many of them can be disconcertingly heard in nearby areas yet to be accessed,stomping about aggressively and adding a degree of suspense to the adventure - although the large arsenal makes them easy to ultimately neutralise. It's profoundly handy to have so many helpful mercenaries knocking around the place,doing much of the bloodletting for you - but it's often quite a challenge to ensure that they don't become enemies themselves,through being caught in friendly fire. Objects have a tendency to flicker out of existence (as do the enemies,on occasion);but the design,construction and texturing of the level is otherwise highly accomplished and detailed ;and it's often entertaining and rewarding to explore (especially for the acquisition of secrets - although one of the key pickups is deviously hidden). For those in the mood for an aforementioned Backtracking Shooter,this should serve them well - it should also serve as a suitable warning for those looking for something else!" - Orbit Dream (13-Aug-2021)
"The looks of this level are okay: there's a decently designed base which is agreeably connected to the exterior desert surroundings. Texturing and lighting are overall okay too despite several texturing mistakes and also paper thin walls. There's a huge dose of enemies in this game, it does not only feel like a shooter but is one. There's enough of weaponry and ammo around to deal with them, especially if you go for the secrets, but it's so tedious to fight with another one around almost every corner, and the friendly troops weren't extremely helpful. Unfortunately, fighting is the unique and exclusive task in this game aside of infuriating backtracking across the whole map; one (!) single laser trap aside, there are no traps, no puzzles and almost no real platforming. Exploration alone might be interesting from time to time but it just can't be the main gameplay element - boring! Easy to see why I won't recommend this 40 minute level..." - manarch2 (11-Aug-2021)
"I wish the TR3 engine wouldn't have such a short draw distance, so that those huge outdoor areas and great battles between enemies and allies could be enjoyed even more. Nevertheless, very fun level to play. The author has done a great job, with attention to details and nice use of camera shots and audio tracks. In fact, if Area 51 was replaced by this level, TR3's Nevada Adventure would be a little better." - Feder (11-Aug-2021)
"(8) Gameplay & Puzzles: This is a charming and sometimes goofy classic adventure that took me about 1 hour. I would say that it's medium difficulty; there's quite a bit of combat in the 2nd half of the game that might overwhelm newer players. Also, it's important to keep a keen eye on your surroundings, looking for areas to jump to, otherwise you'll be running around in circles for ages. The exploration was very enjoyable, however I really think the adventure lacked puzzles. I just loved how silly the storyline was. "What's going on in this mysterious outpost? Are these evil dudes raising dinosaurs or what?" (7) Enemies, Objects & Secrets: The combat is great fun and I really enjoyed trying to save as many friendly guys as I could. HINT: The South Pacific guys are neutral, and won't shoot Lara unless she shoots them first. They can help you with fights in the 2nd half of the game, when the gameplay becomes more shooter-like. The builder uses classic decorative objects in an attractive manner, however it was unfortunate that so many objects glitched in and out of visibility (I did read the readme file concerning this). This glitching out of visibility wasn't a big deal with static decor, but when enemies and friendlies are invisible during combat, it gets cumbersome if you don't want to accidentally kill any friendlies (this is super important to me). I think trap setup could have been improved -- up until the end of the game, there's only a few barbed wires here and there, and those laser lines that Lara triggers when she touches them. There's only one movable laser trap sequence and it's near the end of the game. I think that the gameplay would have been more exciting if the builder had sprinkled in interactive traps here and there throughout the course of the adventure. The Desert Eagle secret was too easy. (9) Atmosphere, Sound & Cameras: The builder effectively establishes an immersive sense of place in his charming classic environment. The way that the builder interconnected all of the areas to explore was done very well, and it was good to unlock various shortcuts as I explored further. The man-made architecture is very good, although the rocky areas at times look boxy/inorganic, and there's a paper-thin building near the MP5 pickup that should have been fixed. The classic music cues are great and there are adequate camera hints. (6) Lighting & Textures: The lighting is pleasant and realistic, and the builder incorporates some attractive, subtle pops of colored lighting here and there. I think that the texturing is the weakest aspect of this level and really needed more attention and care, as there are many misshapen textures. Overall, I had a good time, but I think that the builder needed to incorporate some gameplay variety beyond exploration and shooting (e.g. puzzles, more traps). I'll for sure check out the builder's next project, but I also encourage him to be more careful with texturing. If you like shooting lots of dudes and TR3 Nevada, I think you'll love this level. 8/7/9/6." - nerdfury (10-Aug-2021)
"This is like the perfect level for a remake of the "High Security Compound" level in TR3. The enemies were perfectly placed and randomized nicely. There was a wide variety of enemies and also AI (who fought each other strangely).The secrets were well hidden (even though I found two and spotted a third but could not see how to reach it) and ammo was plentiful here. The textures were alright, there were some holes and spots that appeared unattended to but nothing serious. I really enjoyed this level, and I recommend this one for all and even beginners to try out. Great level!" - g12STL (07-Aug-2021)