CSS: Naruto Model

Title:
Naruto
Type:
Player Model
Authors:
S-LoW
Shounen Jump
Shiban
Deimos
Download Link:
http://www.fpsbanana.com/skins/55068
Website Excerpt:
"Finally a Naruto skin!"

If your a fan of Japanese Culture or know someone that is then you are likely to have heard of Naruto. For those that haven't; Naruto is a long running Manga (Japanese comics for those out of the loop) with an anime (Japanese Cartoons) trailing behind; Naruto has a wide fanbase and as of such has a huge amount of fan created goodies on the internet so it was a huge surprise to me that I didn't discover this skin earlier.

Unfortunatly for you players without access to your own server; they is no way to use the skin online but a handy reskin is avaliable here http://www.fpsbanana.com/skins/9292 just for you guys. To install the skin you will need mani admin installed on your server. Get it from http://www.mani-admin-plugin.com/ and please note that you will also need the skin manager for mani which is downloaded here http://www.mani-admin-plugin.com/mani_admin_plugin/skins/cstrike_skins.zip.

Gameplay

There is something enticing for the anime fan in me to be shooting that damn annoying Naruto with a Scout so i can certainly say that it enhances my gameplay. There are some minor hitbox issues but nothing too noticable. One problem i found was if too many people were looking at the model then the server would inexplicably crash though this could be a serverside issue. If anyone has more information on this then please post in the comments.

Visuals

The model is well made and the animations seem good but in some cases I found the model wouldn't properly animate when holding certain weapons. The texturing is good but at some times I find the cartoony appearance to be distracting and occasionally a small eyesore when trying to play serious Counter-Strike Source.

Pros

• An excellent quality model that resembles the character it represents.

Cons

• Seems to crash the server occasionally.
• Some animation issues
• Art style may match the source material but doesn't fit in Counter-Strike Source

Score: 5/10

Screenshots (Thanks to Menchi)

CSS: Halloween Mappack 2006

Title:
Halloween Mappack 2006
Type:
Mappack
Game:
Counter-Strike: Source
Download Link:
www.fpsbanana.com/maps/18363
Website Excerpt:
""A group of mappers, old and new, from forums.joe.to have come together to make a small mappack for this Halloween.The pack includes a variety of five spooky-themed maps from different people.
Maps Included:
de_nightmare by AlphaKennyOne
pet_sematary_final by Deski
de_hangcastle_s by Dr.Boo
cs_deadhouse by NIPPER
de_paranoid by HomicidalApe ,ayeyah and Mr.Blip"

A fairly old mappack but a must see if you haven't yet given some of these maps a look. I will take a brief look at each map.

de_nightmare by AlphaKennyOne

Type:
Demolition
Filesize (Uncompressed):
BSP: 21,236 KB
Nav: 825 KB
Text Document: 2 KB

A well designed map that has meshed several different map styles together and has a rather warped feel to it. I won't spoil to much as these maps tend to be more about exploring them than actually playing them but this map has still found it's way onto my server's map rotation. The map has several well hidden secrets that the more acute player may discover though if you have access to admin powers you should have no trouble finding the secrets with a little noclipping around though I must admit it wasn't me that discovered the secrets even after some extensive noclipping but the fellow admin of the server who has a rather large fondness of secrets and admin rooms who made the discovery and passed it onto me. The map is well designed and runs smoothly on my server. I have not noticed any map-related issues with any other players on the server.

Gameplay
The actual gameplay of the map seems reasonably solid. Players will not only have to deal with the enemy players but will also have to avoid a plethora of traps that could prove a fatal end to any unsuspecting player. The bombsites are a fair distance apart and mean that the CT team would have to split immediately to secure both bomb sites before the terrorists have a chance for an easy plant. There is a distinct lack of cover in both bombsites so tactical players will have to focus on defending entry routes to the bombsite.

Layout
The map can be quite confusing in the way that the environments quickly change and the players will find themselves rather disorientated when rushing through the map. The map makes use of portals which move the players to new areas which reduces lag and allows for better movement through areas.

Visuals
The map blends a variety of designs such as a graveyard leading into a combine reactor style room. There is a seemingly abandoned apartment, a strange tornado and more. The best way to fully understand this map is to load it up in CSS and have a little explore. There are plenty of small interesting details to keep an exploring player happy.

Map Score
8/10

pet_sematary_final by Deski

Type:
TBC
Filesize (Uncompressed)
BSP: 2,221 KB
Nav: 235 KB

TBC