|
|
|
About Shogo |
Reviews
Defending the Monolith, beta .95
Homepage: http://www.planetshogo.com/dtmDownload: Mod beta .95, I82's DtM Maps
The Basics
Defending the Monolith (or DtM) is a teamplay mod that is sort of like capture-the-flag but with a twist. Your goal is to destroy the other teams Monolith (which, not surprisingly, looks like the logo of Shogo's creators) while keeping them from destroying your own. Added to the mix are four new MCA classes, based on the original MCAs.
Sniper The Sniper looks like a 3/4-size Akuma and is the most fragile of all the classes. It can only use its hand weapon or the sniper rifle. The bonus is that a zoomed-in Sniper shot does enough damage to bring down just about any other mecha! This is not a good class to choose if you have a poor-bandwidth connection, because you'll never be able to aim accurately enough.
Demolitionist The Demolitionist is based on the Enforcer and can only use the bullgut and the spider. The bullgut, though, has been souped up. All four rockets shoot straight and can lock on to their target. Heaven help me if I can figure out how to get a lock, it just kind of "happens." This one is my personal favorite.
Rocketeer The Rocketeer is based on the Ordog. It can use the pulse rifle or the laser cannon. The bonus? It can fly! Just hit the "jump" key and off you go! The Rocketeer is best at sneak attacks though, because it is the second weakest class. I had problems landing the Rocketeer without taking damage from the fall.
Heavy Weapons This class is a bigger version of the Predator. It is big, bad, tough, and slow. It can use the juggernaut (slower than the original juggernaut) or shredder (faster than the original shredder). Nothing fancy about this one, pedal to the metal and fire away!
The authors are promising new classes in future versions, so stay tuned.
Because this is a teamplay mod, it is best with at least four (and preferably more) players. You have to edit your autoexec.cfg file to add commands for changing mechas (you change after the next time you die) and changing teams. If you like CTF (and who doesn't?), this is a good mod for you. As in CTF, teamwork is paramount. Snipers for defense and a Demolitionist or Heavy Weapons mecha for offense seem to be a potent combination.
The twist on CTF and the new classes breathe some sorely-needed fresh life into Shogo. This mod is just plain fun, I don't know how else to explain it! The level that comes with this version is quite nice and well suited for DtM. Interstate82 (the man must never sleep) has two awesome maps for DtM (DTM_Maniac_Castle and DTM_Maniac_Entrance) that are definitely worth the download.
As with any beta release, there are bound to be bugs. Right now, the game doesn't end when one team destroys the other team's Monolith. Also, there's no team-message command, so all your strategy gets broadcast to everyone on both sides. There are team-change commands, but I can't seem to get them to work. The server has a bit of a tendancy to crash. While the classes are nice, I wish they could have made different models instead of reusing the old ones. You should also receive frags for attacking and/or destroying the Monolith, and not just for killing opposing players.
As of this writing, there are two DtM servers up 24/7. Why more people aren't playing it is beyond me. As far as I'm concerned, playing on I82's DTM_Maniac_Entrance map is worth the download all by itself. The mod is quite fun as it is. Once some of the bugs get squashed and more maps come out (which will happen, unless I82 decides to take up sleeping again), this mod will be a necessary addition to every Shogo player's arsenal. Kudos to Fierce Koala and company for a great effort!