Screenshots
http://www.gameservers.net/newsimages/1072981700.jpg
http://www.gameservers.net/newsimages/1072981687.jpg
http://www.gameservers.net/newsimages/1072981676.jpg
So what's the map like?
Slamball is a popular sport in America, which is very similar to basketball. The difference is that at each end of the court there are three trampolines which the players can use to reach the hoops high up in the air, which made for some insane slam dunks. Plaer felt inspired to make this map after seeing the sport in the US.
That pretty much describes the basic layout really. At either end there are two hoops, with three trampolines on the ground around them. In order to score you must launch yourself up with the trampoline so you can get a clear shot. All three trampolines lie inside the penalty zone, where the keeper should always be on the watchout.
The map is relatively small, so it plays best with 2-6 players as Plaer himself suggested.
Some may worry that a keeper would just sit on the hoop so nobody could score, but fortunately this isn't the case. Plaer had sense enough to make it so that the keeper is immediately forced off the hoop whenever he tries to land on it. What this does for gameplay is increase the keepers need to time a shot at an attacker. For attackers it's all about getting close enough to the hoop to have a clear shot, and the only way to do this really is to use the trampolines to your advantage. In addition to this, if an attacker tries to sit on the opposing team's hoop he will get gibbed, this is to prevent cherry picking. This on the whole makes the game a bit more hectic, and a whole lot more fun.
Visuals of the map are good, quite a few nice custom textures can be seen that certainly add to the Slamball feel of the map.
Some may find the framerate a bit heavy on this map. I found it to be roughly the equivalent to November, though when I turned the world detail down the performance improved quite a bit. Most systems should be alright to handle it, unless your video card is pretty out of date.
Pros
- It brings a whole new style of play to DB.
- Lots of fun.
Cons
- Some people may find it a bit heavy on the framerate.
Overall
Graphics 8/10
Gameplay 8/10
Not really an ideal league map, but this would be a lot of fun for the pubs because it's just so different. Thumbs up for this one Plaer.
But wait, there's more!
Plaer has coded a simple gametype just for this map, which basically gives DB-Slamball its own scoring system. Normal shots from the enemy half are worth two points, normal shots from your own half are worth three points, volleys are worth three points, and slamdunks (when you successfully drop through the hoop with the ball, without getting gibbed) are worth three points.
You can grab DB-Slamball (and its gametype) here:
http://www.ecs.soton.ac.uk/~jdsg102/SlamBall.zip
thx for the kind words arm
