Your favorite Pfhor levels

[ellio7t]

I was starting to work on padding out Jack Hammer and needed some inspiration. What are some of your favorite Pfhor style levels and why?

[Dugit]

Without a shadow of a doubt, the best Pfhor level I've ever played has got to be Hang Brain. In the trilogy as a whole, most of the Pfhor levels are somewhat sub-par.

In the rest of the trilogy, the only stand-out good levels in the Pfhor style, for me, were If I Had A Rocket Launcher (...), Rise Robot Rise, and Naw Man, He's Close. On Hang Brain's side is top-notch aesthetics, architecture and action. For Rocket Launcher, there's just the action, but for me it's the perfect gauntlet run and hack-and-slash, an intensity I tried to emulate in Rise And Fall Of Dugit in Aeon, with mixed success. :p

For Rise Robot Rise, there's an interesting change of pace when it comes to combat, and the architecture isn't so bad either. Sure, the lighting is a little flat, but it's not terrible. Naw Man, He's Close is something hard to pin down for me. The action is jarring but satisfying, and the atmosphere is genuinely ominous. I remember my first playthrough about six years ago, and not hearing those damn compilers...

[Destiny]

The Pfhor maps are some of my least favorites... >.<

Though, if I were to choose some, I would choose the Pfhor maps in M1. It's dark and you can't see very well. There's also the feeling that the aliens can pop up from anywhere.

[VikingBoyBilly]

Pfhor your eyes only and Pfhoraphobia are the most memorable to me. I like it when the levels seem more alien and make less practical sense.

[RyokoTK]

Dugit's suggestions are all good. Also, I'd recommend looking at Tempus Irae. For all the praise it gets for its Italy levels, the Pfhor levels are actually the most consistently good and unique. Check out Ain't My Bitch, Polygonium Opus, and You Got Me in a Vendetta Kinda Mood for examples.

[Dugit]

It's sad that I can't remember any stand-out excellent Pfhor levels in Rubicon. Sure, there were a couple of average ones (Bump and Grind, Carpe *mumble mumble latin*, Hell Pfhor You), and a pretty neat one (A Long Walk Off A Short Pier), but with so many downright terrible ones (Exit Door Leads In, This Hurts Less Than...Uhh..., Not *This* Again (I mean, come on, is this the third time we've played this level?)) I have to insist that you don't look at Rubicon for inspiration.

Some of the architectural nuances here and there are pretty neat and interesting, and the set is cohesive enough to use well, but when it comes to gameplay, for goodness sake, don't go Rubicon.

[PerseusSpartacus]

What are some of your favorite Pfhor style levels and why?

I loved almost all of M1A1's Pfhor levels. It's dark, ominous, and very alien. Plus, there are many mysteries regarding these levels that have yet to be solved. For instance, the weird egg-in-the-column on Ain't Got Time Pfhor This.

Pfhor Your Eyes Only is rather short, but it's also a good introduction to the Pfhor ship. Activate the purple fog and it just turns into one of the most undoubtedly creepy levels of the whole trilogy.

It's also pretty hard to beat Unpfhorgiven. It's just so creepy, with many aliens seemingly popping up out of nowhere. It gets worse when you factor in the red blips that indiscriminately pop up on your radar, showing aliens on the opposite sides of walls from you. Sometimes, one blip gets the nerve to show an alien directly beneath you, which freaks you out to no end.

All in all, creepy, foreign, aesthetically pleasing - everything you want from a Pfhor level.

By the way, I always thought Craig Hardgrove's version of Fat Man would go well on Pfhor Your Eyes Only. There's just something so alien about it.

Cheers,
Perseus

[???Durandal???]

I'd have to say that most of the pfhor levels in PHOENIX/TGI are my Pfhavourite pfhor levels.

They have very intricate design and texturing that just doesn't seem to be present in most other scenarios.

[RyokoTK]

I'd have to say that most of the pfhor levels in PHOENIX/TGI are my Pfhavourite pfhor levels.

They have very intricate design and texturing that just doesn't seem to be present in most other scenarios.

They're fine levels in general, but awful as Pfhor levels. They're the same as most other levels in their respective scenarios, except with silly alien texturing.

The only exception is the Phoenix level Red Eye Express, in my opinion, but even then...

[CitizenKane]

Generally Pfhor is my least favourite texture set, however there has been some standout levels for me, namely:

1. Exit Door Leads In / A Long Walk Off A Short Pier (Rubicon)
2. Post Naval Trauma (Infinity)
3. Unlucky For Some (Eternal)

1. Exit Door Leads In / A Long Walk Off A Short Pier

Two maps that are connected (one being the inside of a Pfhor ship and the other being the outside) on the Salinger plank in Rubicon. I liked the Pfhor texture set in Rubicon (by which I mean the Pfhor ship texture set rather than the texture set on the Pfhor homeworld maps, which were also amazing) because it's much darker than Infinity and M2, and it was the fact that the texture set was often so bright and garish in the latter that put me off it a lot. Other than that I can't really say why I enjoyed this level so much, it was just fun, dark and atmospheric and was cool point in the story.

2. Post Naval Trauma

A lot of people don't seem to like this level. I can understand why - the fact that it's very drawn out with a lot of backtracking, combined with the lack of oxygen, can make it a bit annoying at times. There are very few levels in Infinity that I don't think are amazing, but this one just holds a certain nostalgic quality for me as well as some nice mapping and novel features. Hang Brain and Naw Man He's Close are other standout Pfhor levels both from Infinity, the latter in particular used to terrify me trying to traverse those dark corridors while being sniped by fusion BOBs towards the end of the level.

3. Unlucky For Some

This level was just fucking fun. Such a cool premise - an all out battle between Leela's humans and the Pfhor set outside a Pfhor facility, with the SO running around causing all sorts of mayhem among it all. Everything about the level is great IMO, really cool seeing loads of juggernauts engaging in battle around some really impressive outdoor architecture, and jumping across those bridge / turret things was a nice touch. I wasn't a massive fan of the Pfhor texture set in Eternal generally, but there was some cool levels. Burning Down The Corporation is another highlight and has some amazing architecture.

[Dugit]

1. Exit Door Leads In / A Long Walk Off A Short Pier (Rubicon)

Really? Sure, Short Pier is novel and interesting, but Exit Door Leads In? To me this level stands out as one that could have been excellent. And here's why it just isn't (especially on TC):

- Hideously retarded melee attack by the Rubicon Enforcer, coupled with (max) 1x health AND it's guarding the save point. Not off to a good start.
- The only non-secret viable weapons cache is in a plasma conduit. Hey, awesome. You better believe you're fucked if you don't have the recklessness (or hindsight) to go fishing in plasma for your guns.
- The level itself is practically devoid of any outright excellent lighting or architecture. It's creepy-ish, sure, but it's just a sprawling mess of corridors. Nothing special.
- It may just be me, but on TC the Enforcers are practically gods. From long range (sure, they're snipers) on TC they can whittle away a full bar of health in one volley, and remember that these shots are seeking AND they have horizontal error*. From close range (and getting the jump on you), it's instant death. That is, if you don't find the secret health canisters, but then, who weighs the difficulty of a level on how much easier its secrets make it? Not a good tactic, especially for first play-throughs.
- I suppose it's Comfortably Numb's fault, but MY MASER IS GONE. Fuck you, Rubicon. I only got to use it for the last bit of 10001 Nordic Nerds, and you're telling me it's gone? I don't remember if there was a maser in that plasma pit, but considering how dark and messy the level is, it wouldn't get much action anyway.

* I suppose I'm being a touch hypocritical when it comes to horizontal error when it comes to Aeon's black compilers, but there's rarely more than two or three at a time, the shots are slow enough to dodge, and there's no nuclear melee attack. Plus, they're not designated snipers so they don't just stand there.

[RyokoTK]

I think you can see the weapons in the pit if you look down from the ledge, so it's not quite a leap of faith. And it's the only way you can go without running into an enemy, and if you look on the automap it looks like a platform that will bring you back up. (In reality, it's a really slow crusher.) And yeah, there's a Maser in the pit. There's another weapon pit with the other half of the weapons too, past the Enforcer you meant.

The level is crappy though, because yeah, if you take a left past the first elevator you'll get electrocuted by the Enforcer and sent back to Comfortably Numb.

[CitizenKane]

I'll be honest, I haven't had the same issues that you chaps are talking about because...

[inb4flaming]

I don't play on TC, ever. I'm technically not a very good player and don't purport to be. So in most scenarios 'Normal' is challenging enough for me. Even then I can kind of see what you're saying about Exit Door Leads In, it is one of the more challenging levels I've played and got frustrating at times even on Normal. But not to the point that it detracted from my enjoyment of the level.

[philtron]

The Pfhor levels of Marathon 1 and Infinity are my favorites, although M1 might beat out MI in my book.

In M1 they are dark and bizarre with architecture that varies wildly between organic and geometric, tight corridors and wide spaces, which makes them feel really alien. I like the sense of isolation conveyed by the lack of terminals or human ammunition, it's like you're trying to survive in a wilderness far from civilization. I also probably like this texture set the best. My favorite level is probably Two Times Two Equals. You pass through several areas and each one is completely unique from the others, and many areas have some of the most intricate and interesting detailing of any M1 level. Also, this level has many areas with an atmosphere of "purpose", such as the room filled with enforcers around statues of Hunters, or the giant court with the slime waterfalls where the different Pfhor castes are separated from each other; it feels like something is going on in these places even if it's not clear what.

Infinity's levels are also good even though they have a completely different atmosphere and style than M1.

I like Post Naval Trauma. I like the details like the decorated corners in the black stone hallways, the secret enforcer room with its gun closet, the long views from one part of the station to the other, and the various ways doors are played with.

I also like Foe Hammer a lot, although objectively it isn't that good (symmetrical, short, not much going on, and the initial battle between the Bobs and S'pht only acts as a means of clogging the hallway you're trying to go through). But I do like it a lot and I love the little touches throughout this level: the half dozen terminals above the Pfhor slime which you can never reach; the two part bridge you can raise; the submerged switch that opens the secret Mother Hunter room; the Hunters that rise out of niches in the walls; and the strange battle dynamic when you and the Hunters fire at each other across pools of slime.

[RyokoTK]

Post Naval Trauma is a great level, except for the vacuum bit, and the fact that it follows Acme Station -- another vacuum level. I just don't have time to enjoy it.

If it were a normal level, it'd be a lot of fun. There are a lot of battles that would be great if you had your full arsenal of weapons, but are annoying because you don't.

[CitizenKane]

I just don't have time to enjoy it.

That's exactly how I feel about Acme Station, a lot more so than Post Naval Trauma, which is probably more to do with the fact that it's a much more claustrophobic and frantic level generally.

Acme Station is an amazing map but for some reason I never considered it on par with the other Jjaro levels in Infinity, and I often overlook it when I think about all the great Jjaro maps. That is probably just because I've never really explored it properly because the lack of oxygen makes that very impractical.

[RyokoTK]

That's exactly how I feel about Acme Station, a lot more so than Post Naval Trauma, which is probably more to do with the fact that it's a much more claustrophobic and frantic level generally.

Acme Station is an amazing map but for some reason I never considered it on par with the other Jjaro levels in Infinity, and I often overlook it when I think about all the great Jjaro maps. That is probably just because I've never really explored it properly because the lack of oxygen makes that very impractical.

That's how I felt about it when I played on Normal, too. Then I played it on TC and my opinion changed to seething hatred. The combination of oxygen burning faster on TC and the higher health of all the Cyborgs means you have to play the level near-perfectly or die.

[philtron]

I used to feel that way about Post Naval Trauma. The first few times I played it were flat out stressful. I've gotten used to it since then and it can be a pretty easy going map if you know what you're doing. You do have to prepare for it several levels prior if you want an easy time, but it does have an oxygen recharger and two o2-canisters teleport in before then, which is significantly better than only two o2-canisters for the entire map of Acme Station.

And yeah, Acme Station is one of the most ridiculous maps. Even if you know what you're doing you have to rush. I think the worst part is that it precedes Naval Trauma. If it was the other way around it wouldn't be so bad: if Naval Trauma came first you could go back to an oxygen recharger before continuing to Acme Station and things would be tough but manageable.

But I still like Post Naval Trauma a lot. It's got a lot of unique and interesting architecture, and once you get to that recharger things become smooth and saucy. The absence of certain weapons never bothered me. One of my favorite things to do in Pfhor levels is to avoid using human weapons in favor of alien guns and Post Naval Trauma let's me use alien guns a lot. And then there's also fun times to be had by luring Pfhor near a Juggernaut and killing off half a dozen in one shot.

[CitizenKane]

So would it be safe to say that most people aren't a fan of the Pfhor levels on M2?

It's really difficult to like anything with that texture set, it's absolutely hideous... but on top of that I just think they are all really poor levels.

It's interesting how one level (Hang Brain) that is essentially a variation on another level (Begging For Mercy) can be infinitely better (no pun intended). Just goes to show that while Begging For Mercy has a great premise / concept, it was just executed so poorly (hit switch, destroy circuit panel, clear room full of Pfhor on other side of level, hit another switch - repeat x 8). Hang Brain really showed Begging For Mercy how it's done.

There isn't actually a single Pfhor level on M2 that I like, I find them all quite boring and sometimes nauseatingly garish...

[RyokoTK]

So would it be safe to say that most people aren't a fan of the Pfhor levels on M2?

It's really difficult to like anything with that texture set, it's absolutely hideous... but on top of that I just think they are all really poor levels.

It's interesting how one level (Hang Brain) that is essentially a variation on another level (Begging For Mercy) can be infinitely better (no pun intended). Just goes to show that while Begging For Mercy has a great premise / concept, it was just executed so poorly (hit switch, destroy circuit panel, clear room full of Pfhor on other side of level, hit another switch - repeat x 8). Hang Brain really showed Begging For Mercy how it's done.

There isn't actually a single Pfhor level on M2 that I like, I find them all quite boring and sometimes nauseatingly garish...

Actually, I rather like the Pfhor set in M2 -- it's sufficiently alien, and there's a broad palette of colors that can be used to great effect, which is missing from the Infinity counterparts. Yeah, there are some garish bright colors, but there are also more subdued ones, and a steady hand could make something decently attractive but weird. Exactly what I'd expect out of an alien set, even! The Infinity set is awful, it's so bland and hard to use. And most of the M2 levels are solid, but not exemplary; there are few peaks, but few valleys too. I was considering mentioning "Requiem for a Cyborg" for this topic, because I do like the layout a good bit, but I think I just forgot. If I Had a Rocket Launcher is also a really fun level, but in terms of architecture and appearance it's just not very interesting.

The reality of it is that Tempus Irae's Pfhor levels blow away pretty much everyone else's, so when you're looking for inspiration, look at those. I'd rather play the bad Pfhor levels in TI (I Can Feel It) than most others from most other scenarios.

I thought about this the other day -- Rubicon's Pfhor ship levels are pretty bad and boring, but the Pfhor planet levels are generally quite good! They use a lot of similar architectural habits, too, which you'd expect; it's pretty much just a different color palette than anything else. I'd look at some of those too, like Wading in Vitriol, to get a good architectural grasp on the subject.

[Dugit]

It seems, at least for me, to be the same in Eternal X too. There's some truly hideous/generally terrible Pfhor ship levels (Dysmentria, Unpfhorseen and the last one come to mind*), and yet there have been some flat-out excellent ones. I remember Pfhor Far Laam as just a cleanly brilliant level. The action was fantastic, and the level design was truly admirable.

A Friend in Need â?? on a nice train of thought, here â?? comes to mind as even better as Pfhor Far Laam. As I recall, the level was extremely well thought-out, with clean action and some excellent architectural nuances.

Unlucky for Some, I suppose (it's already come up) is hard to pin down. There's some awesome stuff going on (and some very neat and novel architecture), but you're supposed to go somewhere else and slap fighters around. Tch. If deviation is in order, this level can be excellent, and the perfect excuse to make good use of that fresh fusion cannon against an armada of juggernauts.

Apotheosis had a couple of genuinely brilliant Pfhor ship levels, but I haven't played it for years and the level names elude me.


*and one with the word 'horse' in the title, but I just cannot be bothered to go and look for it. As I recall it wasn't anything that special.

[RyokoTK]

A Friend in Need was a really good level, but that's the only Pfhor level I enjoyed, and it was on a really short list of levels I enjoyed at all in EX. But the fact that the Pfhor texture set is so bad made it, to me, not recommendable as a good example of Pfhor stuff.

[Sharkie Lino]

About the M2 Pfhor levels,


For Carnage, Apply Within. On TC, man, you really have to be ready for the challenge there...


I have found Begging For Mercy to be the easiest, but that's probably because of all the ammo you have, and the 3X recharger in the early parts of it.

[Ares Ex Machina]

I have found Begging For Mercy to be the easiest, but that's probably because of all the ammo you have, and the 3X recharger in the early parts of it.

Incidentally, it is by far the hardest M2 map to complete fists-only on TC. 27 other maps, and not one of them comes close.

[RyokoTK]

About the M2 Pfhor levels,
For Carnage, Apply Within. On TC, man, you really have to be ready for the challenge there...

This level is so obnoxious on TC. There's like eight hundred Compilers in that room with all the goo. Get hit one time, and you take a drink.