Pendragon

This map is a really strong demonstration in its opening seconds of what decades of adding new features to Quake, combined with just a little artistic flair can do, in this case, coloured fog. Framed by the fog in the distance across a vast acidic wasteland is... something A few enemies stand idle, faces turned in reverence towards the... is that a... tripod? No. Its a gun, a big gun, a really BIG GUN.

Let us climb the BIG GUN together.

As I make my way inside and begin the ascent up rusty ladders, BIG GUN makes me feel small. The BIG GUN makes me feel insignificant. I keep crawling through its innards, always moving up. The BIG GUN is decrepit, crumbling, covered in graffiti. Walkways have tumbled into the acid below, concrete blasted away, leaving leaps as the only way forward. Still the BIG GUN is heavily guarded. Did they build it? Did they capture it? Did they dig it out of the earth fully formed? No matter. Outside the BIG GUN I clamber fragile ladders, scraping myself over its enormous joints.

Whatever I do, no matter how high I climb, the BIG GUN is cold, indifferent. It points to the sky, waiting for some signal, waiting to do what it was born to do. All I can do is go higher. Past tv monitors filled with blindfolded people, unworthy to look upon the BIG GUN.

Finally, I reach the cannon. I want to touch the BIG GUN. I want to hold the BIG GUN, but no, in the end the BIG GUN holds us all. I need to go higher and when all I have is a BIG GUN, well... everything starts to look like a bullet...

Time to fly.

This map fucks, if that wasn't obvious.