| THIS mission provides the ultimate battleground for dueling with D2's dreaded phoenix cannon. Whether you want to play king-of-the-phoenix with a single gun or fly head to head in a clash of orange in a wide-open level masterfully tailored with angles and walls specifically for a phoenix vs phoenix fight, you've come to the right place. |
| Bow to Phoenix, Level 2 "This match in particular is memorable for me. At the time, Sirian was mulling me over for a possible UT nomination, after an Athena game with him which I lost 17-20. He knew I was a mouser, and that I preferred flat levels. He obviously wanted to test me on a 3D level in D2, and when he requested the match with me he listed five levels. Mementomori, Hykill, one I forget because I couldn't find it anywhere, and Bow to Phoenix levels 1 and 2. I decided to look through all the levels. First was Mori. That one had a helix, and these scary towers. Ixnay on the Orimay. Next was Hykill, and looking back, was my best chance at getting a good score by far. It is more of a rat-type level, and at the time all I could do was really run and rat, so this would have fit like a glove. Looking back on all these levels, Sirian was a real bastard for forcing me to play one of these levels ;) I finally took a look at the BTP levels. I didn't want to do level one because it only had one phoenix -- I feared Sirian would be able to take the thing and hose me with it and just about shut me out before I could kill him again. BTP 2, however, had two phoenixes, and plenty of these nifty black fusions! I decided I was going to do that one, even though it was a very 3D intense level. I asked Aldak to warm up in BTP 2 before accepting the challenge with Sirian in it. Both Aldak and I pretty much sucked with the phoenix, and the score was pretty even. But when I switched to that nifty black fusion, I began to pull ahead! This sure was cool. I knew I couldn't match phoenix with Sirian, so I decided that I would try to surpise him a few kills into the game and switch to the black fusion. I challenged him to the game, and he warned me it was his home level. I sorta shrugged that off, thinking to my self how cool it would be to surprise this "sirian" fellow with the fusion. Well, needless to say looking back at my paltry 6 points to his 20, it was not a smart move ;) I started off just like I planned to, matching phoenix with phoenix. I then switched to my secret weapon. I was able to hit him once before my third or so death. Hmm. I was going to keep chipping away. Sirian basically owned me, it was his home, his rules, and I felt like an Irishman deep in the jungle. Nothing worked. I got a few sweet fusion hits, and in D2, that was enough to give me one kill. I gave up on the black fusion after getting pummeled early, only to come back to it on the end. I got as many as 8 kills this game, but I suicided twice trying to aim at that rat bastard, and instead shooting into a wall. I've never played anyone on the IDL in this level after this match, and I don't see myself doing so in the future. The nightmares of Sirian's coveted Orange pilot killing me over and over, with the echoing sound of "*doink* Orange killed you!" are simply too much for me." |
-Birdseye
| Bow to Phoenix, Level 2 "Sirian played me in my home, Nysa OW, so it was only fair I played his new home. I sucked more than I guessed at phoenix. I got a sweet gauss kill once, and I had 3 good phoenix kills; but I ate 3 smarts, and I drank A LOT of OJ! I did a lot of his work for him by hitting myself with rebounds. The macros he had for his pilot "Orange" made me LOL a lot and made the game funner. I got a direct merc hit; wish I had more to use, like in my Min69. The layout was very nice for the phoenix, but it sucked for my peagun, tho, with those BIG rooms. I caught Sirian charging me once and he really drank it that time. Man, you run out of ammo a lot with the phoenix! I died 3 times cuz it autoselected when it ran out. Sirian almost never ran out, tho. He knew where all the unmarked energy bays were. I think he also owns stock in Tropicana and they installed extra cartons of Pure Premium in his Pyro." :P |
-IM_GOOD
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 B
OW TO PHOENIX
is one of the many "requested" missions that Nirvana has produced for
top players. These levels were made to Sirian's specifications, and the
result is impressive. Almost anything you can imagine doing with the
phoenix cannon was accounted for in these designs.
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The cube work in Bow to Phoenix is some of the finest ever done, not only for economy and aesthetics, but with dozens of carefully manipulated angles to delight those who have mastered the Zen of the ricochet. The pillars shown here are just a sample of some of the obscure angles in these levels from which orange will bounce to strike the bewildered phoenix newbie. |  |
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The tighter areas of the level are particularly dangerous. A well placed flash
missile can disorient you, causing you to flee right into a stream of orange
or fail to flee from direct fire. One should never forget that phoenix can be
aimed directly as well as via ricochet. Smart missiles can herd you into the
path of the orange and vice versa. There is nothing worse than realizing, in
the final moments, that you have been maneuvered into a trap from which there
is no escape. The phoenix shots are slow -- so slow that you can afterburn
into your own fire! Yet the gun fires *very* rapidly, second only to the vulcan
and omega cannons in that regard. Be careful!
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Coping with runners on this level may require some patience. There are two
gauss cannons and several mercs, so the dead-eye D2 veteran pilot will do
well here. But trying to charge an opponent armed with the phoenix is a
chancy proposition. Unless both sides are playing aggressive, stealth skills
will be required. There are numerous potential camping spots, but anyone who
overuses them can be made to pay. Don't overlook the tactical significance of
the guided missile. It can lend you the edge during a stalking contest. A lot
of the missiles respawn in the center tunnel; you'll have a tough time if you
never bother to venture in there. Beware of the reactor, and try to choose
the right weapon for the job. The phoenix isn't the best choice for all situations.
Overall rating: 8
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Energy is of paramount concern on this level. No weapon consumes the juice
faster than phoenix, and unlike level 1 there are fewer alternatives. This
level was meant to be a phoenix on phoenix fight, so energy had to be readily
available in all parts of the mine. There are seven HUGE bays, but only one
of them is clearly marked, so make sure you know where to find them all.
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These two images show spots on either side of the main fight room where you can grab energy from an unmarked bay. The level is divided into two main areas. The huge dogleg room and exit area make up the less-used half. Energy is most easily available in the huge dogleg room (to allow for uninterrupted 3D phoenix duels) but five of the respawn points are near the boxy room with the three pillars and Nirvana's trademark bridge. The two bays shown here are therefore the most tactically significant. Learn them. |  |
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Only playtime in this level can enlighten you to all the many angles that are available. The view on the left shows the catwalk near the exit. This is just one of the more obvious ricochet shots there. The view on the right shows the main dogfight room. Those phoenix shots were bounced off the bumps in the floor of the room, below that bridge. It can be hard to dodge phoenix when shots are coming from five different angles at once. |  |
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This well is the level's only clearly marked energy bay. Newbies to this level who
don't bother to learn any of the other bays won't take long to figure out why Sirian
calls this the Well of Death and why this is his favorite area of the mine. You might
think in a level this large that proxbombs would be useless, but you'd be wrong. With
two packs of them, traps can be created out of thin air. This level has two homers but
no guideds. The design is a masterpiece and achieves all it claims to. Players seeking
to engage in a phoenix dogfight will get all they bargained for. The level is a
bit large, though, and if players get into a contest of will and patience to determine
which half of the level the game will mostly be played in... a game can drag out. So
for head to head play,
we give it an overall rating of 7.
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| Level Name | DF | TR | TM | TP | EB | GM | 3D | WF | CR | LV | ST | Overall | Special |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bow to Phoenix Level 1 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 8 | F |
| Bow to Phoenix Level 2 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 4 | 10 | 9 | 2 | 8 | 4 | 7 | F |
| Back to the IDL War Journal |
