descentchampions.org

Is there a list somewhere of people who have made good maps, and maybe what they're top X maps are? I've noticed that the style of a map maker seems to be really consistent and also very different. I'd like to try more interesting maps.

Well -- here are the top 20 maps by popularity over the life of DCL. I have color coded them by author as follows:

DKH
Nirvana
Spaz
Sirian
BuZzeRd
Unknown

1 Logic
2 Nysa
3 Lurk
4 Vamped
5 Black Rose
6 fuzed
7 Flea
8 Take2
9 Athena
10 Neptune
11 Ascend
12 Io
13 Vamped NYPD
14 Nocturnal
15 Salute
16 Ugh
17 Ascend x4
18 Pillbox
19 June Bug
20 Logic x4

DKH is the rather dominant champion, owning about half of the top 20 and the top spot by a wide margin. If you want to see more of DKH's stuff, just poke around DMDB. It's all tagged with him as the author, and the complete set's here: http://www.enspiar.com/dmdb/viewMission.php?id=796 . Honestly, it's all good.

Nirvana comes in second. Nirvana's style I'd describe as . . . funky. And he focused a lot on D2. But he made some truly great stuff. There's a highlights page at http://www.descent2.de/nirvana-frames.html , and a full set at http://www.descent2.com/sickone/levels.html .

Spaz is third. For a long time he was the undisputed king of Descent level making, and modern maps all still feel his influence. Some of his maps that don't make this list still have fans, too, but as a whole, the set is looking a bit dated these days. There used to be a .zip file that had his complete works . . . I don't know where to find it, now. Perhaps it'll turn up.

Sirian's up next. His levels can be best described as experimental, and one has very little in common with the next. But none of them are really bad, and most have niche hardcore followings. His web page is still up, so you can look at his stuff here: http://sirian.warpcore.org/archive.html

I don't know if BuZzeRd ever made anything else.

And I don't know who made Pillbox, or whether anything else they made would be good . . . Pillbox certainly isn't . . .

------

Modern level makers who don't make the list, who are worth checking out:

Naphtha's set is a gem. There's a D2 version, too, which is even better.

Tyranny made some truly ratty wicked stuff. is a nice, tame starting point. gets your feet a bit wetter. It gets crazy from there. It's all up on DMDB.

Drakona, would you have any idea who made Satan's Hell Hole and Xtasy?

No idea on either. You used to be able to look that sort of stuff up on DescentValhalla, but it isn't around anymore.

Source: http://web.archive.org/web/200412061830 ... /main.html

(Descent 1 Levels)

http://web.archive.org/web/200502142213 ... evels.html . . . niiiiice. That's a really nice level list overall, actually!

And eductional! I did not know Power Pro was a Juggy map! Or that Junior was by Retro! Nice!!

That's the first mention I've found of the level called Hah. Too bad the download link doesn't work

Lothar has it. Reportedly when you launch it, it spawns you on top of a fusion cannon and then your ship starts spinning like crazy.

He said it like it was a BAD thing; frankly, it sounds to me like the level was functioning precisely the way it was supposed to...

you spin like crazy and you're stuck in place. It's not actually playable.