-scream

-Sirian

-Sirian

-Chipmunk

Minerva2 "In my first ever game with Peart, I offered to play him in his home level. I thought, "It's just Minerva. How bad can it be?" Well, for all the endless hours I have logged in Min2 (who hasn't?) I figured there was nothing left to learn about it. Well thank god it's not MY home level, or school would have been IN session. Never has someone been able to trap and kill me so easily when I've had an afterburner. It was like magic. His ability to press even the smallest advantage and turn it into a kill was astounding. I remember once when I hit afterburner and flew right through a wall of quad 6, happily taking about 63 damage just to get the Hell out of a spot he had already killed me in twice. I msged him saying "Fuck that. I'm not dying there again." He said, "LOL. Good choice." Can ya believe I nailed him direct 7 times with mercs to his none vs me, and he still won 20 11? :)"

-Sirian

-scream

Minerva2 "Chipmunk was my first match coming back from my hiatus, so I knew it was going to be a tuffie for sure. On top of that, I played him in a level he is absolute master on. He wasn't #1 on Cases for so long without a reason, you know. Welp...we start off the game, Direct Modem game, and we see each other in the main room, and right then and there I knew I lost the match. It had dawned on me right then that Direct Modem games in D2 = Dark Ships. Since I don't have a 3dfx card, I was hosed. It was close up until around the 7th kill. That's when the gauss ammo finally got to a respectable level. When he used lasers or plasma, I was fine...but when that gauss came out...it was over. After the first kill (which I got) I told him of the problem on my end. He offered to cancel the match, but I refused...figuring it would be a great way to start off the IDL campaign with such a tuff match. If there had been bright ships, the scores would have been closer, I believe. It could have gone either way."

-Karash

-Chipmunk

-Sirian

M INERVA is undoubtedly the most-played level in multi-player Descent history. This level was one of Spaz's early designs, and like other levels from that era (Tribute and Vesta come to mind) it has a deluge of homing missiles and smart missiles. No one is quite sure WHY Minerva became so opular, but I think part of it is the infamous tunnel that runs under the main room. Missiles tend to respawn in here a lot, and it's a favorite escape route of many runners. A few players even like to camp in there and make you come and get them, but this is just a gimmick that will only work in this one level, and only if a player can frustrate his opponent into attacking wrecklessly - not the sort of tactic that will get you to the top of the IDL.

Minerva has a lot of critics, but in actuality it was a good level in its day and remains a quality specialty level for missile boaters who are wicked with the homers. Those who favor Minerva (the original version) are usually running slow PCs (P133 or less) and do not have to face the tenacious tracking that makes homers so hard to dodge on a really fast PC. Many do not realize just how much differently D1 homers behave on fast machines, so they can't understand why some players resist or refuse to play Minerva; and some DO know and are happy to take advantage of this if you let them. If you own a fast PC and agree to play Minerva, you might consider underclocking your system so that you can play on even grounds. That is, unless you prefer the added challenge. :)

Minerva has one secret closet, located in the back corner of the reactor room, where you will find the only fusion cannon. The typical Minerva player has little experience with the fusion and often does not understand its power or how to cope with it, so this is often the first place where the experienced player will go. Overall rating for this level is a modest 7.

Minerva LH The LH version of Minerva provides a completely different game from the original. Although the layout is unchanged, the reduced missile count provides a much more balanced playing experience. There are still enough homers here to send an opponent running for cover, but unless they start to respawn out of control due to packet loss, they do not tend to dominate the game. This level is still a bit large for two players, considering there is only one main room.

Because of greater balance between primaries and secondaries, a wider range of skills is required to succeed here. The LH version, on today's PCs, plays much like the original used to on a 486 or slow Pentium. If you haven't played Minerva D1 in a long time, you might actually find that you enjoy it in this quality variant. Overall rating: 8

Minerva2 Minerva2 is easily the most played level ever, for multiplayer Descent, even eclipsing the original D1 version by a hefty margin. Mercury missiles have replaced the homers, and the introduction of gauss greatly affects the course of the game, in many instances. This leads to a very different sort of game than D1 Minerva. As much as this level is played, almost (if not) everyone has experience here. Yet the players who have the most experience with it in head to head games are guys who have been on Cases D2 ladder for any length of time. If you have never realized this, think about it: a whole ton of Cases players play almost nothing but Minerva, so anyone who has been on Cases is going to have played a LOT of games here, and know the level much better than those of us who have played it primarily in multiplayer pick-up games. And as is true in any level, knowing the layout and having a history of knowing what does and does not work vs a variety of opponents, will give someone an advantage.

More IDL players call Minerva2 home than any other level, D1 or D2. The lighting is uninspired, and carries a totally different mood than the original, but the visibility factor is fairly high. The fusion cannon has been replaced with a pack of smart mines, and unless they are removed from the game (a common practice) this is where you should try to head first (just like in D1). Overall rating: 8

Minerva v2.1 This conversion was done not long after the original. The fusion cannon was put back in, convertors and vulcan cannons were added, superlasers were removed, and the weapon arrangement was shifted around a bit. Unfortunately, the visibility is extremely low once some of the lights have been shot out. Playing with invulnerable lights is recommended unless both players have 3dfx. Because Minerva2 has no flag bases, this version reached a modest level of popularity for hoard matches. Because the visibility in this level is subpar, it receives a lowered Rating of 6.

Minerva OW This version of Minerva is true to the original and set up exactly like the LH version. With six homers and only two smarts, this level allows for tactical use of missiles without catering to missile boat players. Plasma fights are the mainstay here. Like many OW levels, it carries the exact same amount of vulcan cannons and ammo as the D1 version; yet since D2 handles the vulcan differently this leads to a less accurate reconstruction of what the level plays like in D1 than what could have been achieved, if the extra ammo had been left out.

The brick texture from the original Minerva has been reconstructed here in the interest of total purity. The lighting job is superb, both in terms of the visibility and in recreating the precise feel of the original. Watching the glow move along the walls as you fire a fusion blast down a long hall is a thing of beauty. If you pay attention, you will realize that all the energy weapons except spreadfire give off light as the shots travel, and that this opens up some possibilities for a creative player. (Spread shots DO make light, but only upon impact). And if you ever play Minerva OW, you will quickly realize the importance of lighting cues. The lighting in this level greatly increases the stalking factor over ALL other versions of Minerva, and you will have to be more versed in stealth, as well as tunnel skills, to succeed here.

This is the unknown gem of D2 Minerva versions, requiring much of players in terms of both D1 and D2 skills to succeed. Overall rating: 8

Minerva 666 This conversion is exactly like Minerva2 in terms of layout and items, but the textures are customized. A lot of work was put into this, and it provides a great change of pace in terms of scenery and mood. I believe this level was the inspiration for Parallax's Vampyro level: it has a haunted house look and is reminiscent of some Quake levels, in terms of its mood. The visibility is low, and the doors are a bit slow to open, but otherwise this level plays just as well as Minerva2. Overall rating: 7

Min69 69 has been banned for life from the IDL, but his version of Minerva has developed a small following, so his name will probably never be completely forgotten. Min69 is Minerva2 with added items: ammo racks, more gauss cannons, lots more mercury missiles, and an incredible 85000 rounds of ammo. This is a specialty level featuring gauss and mercs, but the other items were not removed, so a player still has the option of using plasma or quads, if he cares to. The action here is fast paced, and because this level is so extreme in terms of its weaponry, you really have no choice but to fight it out. The gauss and mercs here are SO extreme, they almost merit a separate category as a special factor. This can be Hell against a player with a poor connect, and this level is unplayable if there is loss or packet bursting. Overall rating: 6

Other Versions of Minerva There are countless versions of Minerva floating around out there. This is more a testament to the laziness or inexperience of many level builders than it is a compliment to the level's design. We cannot hope to review every variant of Minerva, so we have chosen the important ones and left it at that. Minerva was the fourth level created by Spaz, who also did the Minerva2 and Minerva v2.1 conversions for D2. All the other variants have been done by others; however, both the LH and NH variants for D1 have Spaz's approval. Whether you like Minerva or not, it will always have a place in Descent history. Minerva could not possibly have stood the test of time without being a level that is fun to play, so we here at the IDL are not offended by its popularity and feel no need to wage an anti-Minerva campaign. The IDL showcases the complete PTMC pilot: the guys who play both D1 and D2, on a variety of levels that demand a variety of skills to play. To us, Minerva is just one out of dozens and dozens of top-quality levels that our members choose to play. And isn't that how it should be?

-Ratings-

Level Name	DF	TR	TM	TP	EB	GM	3D	WF	CR	LV	ST	Overall	Special
Minerva	7	6	4	4	10	4	2	3	1	6	6	7	6
Minerva LH	7	6	5	4	10	4	2	6	2	6	6	8	4
Minerva2	7	5	6	5	10	4	2	6	5	7	6	8	D
Minerva v2.1	7	6	6	5	10	4	2	6	5	3	6	6	D
Minerva OW	7	6	4	4	10	4	2	7	2	9	8	8	JK
Min69	7	5	10	4	10	4	2	3	9	7	5	6	DGL

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