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Levels by Sirius

    Sirius is a true veteran in the league of Descent 2 level builders, and one of the few who went all the way to 2008, keeping to build new levels for this awesome and unique game. I only have found few levels made exclusively by him, but their quality more than justify dedicating a page entirely to them.

    Click on the images for a visual impression.
    Click on the level name for the download.

Anthology

Tier One: Descent 1

Anthology is Sirius' latest and greatest level. It has been built using many of D2X-XL's features (plus some new I have added for it), and is a beast of truly massive proportions. There is no Descent level coming even close to its 5501 segments, 1130 walls, 771 robots and 266 powerups. Exploring Anthology is a daunting task, and it isn't made easier by the legions of robots it throws at you.

Anthology3D viewAnthology (split in 3 levels)

Tier Two: Descent 2

The sheer size of this level will however not be the only thing that will make you marvel at it. Sirius is a master of the art of Descent level building, and it shows in Anthology: The entire level flows perfectly, with a wonderful mixture of huge halls, narrow passages and mid-sized chambers. There is an awesome variety in texturing, yet everything goes together nicely. Robot placement and strength are very well tuned. I found the mission to be challenging on hotshot (I don't know how Sirius could play through it on insane!) and a pleasure to play from the first to the last second.

Anthology3D view

Tier Three: Descent 3

The first two tiers' design follows the 'classic' Descent school with its rather abstract look, but Sirius has managed to take this to a new level and execute the theme just perfectly - and completely break with it with Anthology's final boss arenas, where he adds a strong flavor of Descent 3 with a realistically looking outdoor area and - bosses you have never seen in Descent 1 or 2 before.

To say Anthology sets a new standard would be a gross understatement. This mission is in a class of it's own.

Anthology3D view

Here is what Sirius himself has to say about his level:

Anthology started, as well as I can work out, in about June 2005. The mission: to make an interesting, straightforward D1-style co-operative level that I could play with some people when we had a bit of time to kill and wanted something new. At the same time I would get to use some ideas I'd never found the opportunity to use before.

A couple years - and then some - have come and gone, and the aim has changed substantially. Two things happened; firstly D2X-XL raised the segment cap for Descent 2 levels to previously unheard of highs, and I decided that this level should be the one to exploit them. Secondly, I found an idea that would put that extra size to use. Now Anthology has a different aim: To provide the player with a trek through the Descent series, and to do it in a single sitting - even if pretty much all of one.

Like Descent, you will start in a mine deep underground, and fight your way through twisting corridors, rooms and lava caverns. You will ascend through the mind-bending puzzles and structures of Descent 2, until you reach the surface of Descent 3. All the while, you'll see the familiar enemies, architecture and environments that brought these games to life. It won't be an easy fight, but I trust it'll be an enjoyable one!

And now don't waste any more time: Get it and play it!

FV24B

FV24B is another cool level made by Sirius. The purpose is totally different from Anthology's, hence the level is too: It's a CTF+ level built for D2X-XL's enhanced capture the flag multiplayer game mode. You won't have to fly too far to the other team's base, and there are not too many access routes, but you will have to pass through a huge arena in the level's center. This level is for fast paced, frantic CTF action. Give it a shot (heh), you won't regret it (and finally be able to play a full blown CTF game with Descent 2 ).

ExcellentMultiplayer

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Helium

At the first glance, Helium by Sirius seems to be a very simplistic level consisting of a simple O-shaped ring with a diagonal connection. But here, the first impression is not the one you should go after. Helium is a lava level of jaw drapping beauty. Everything is blended perfectly together. There's the asymmetric cave you'd expect in a volcanic environment, and then there's channels divided by a sharp edged ledge, or a platform almost looking like part of an ancient temple, making you completely forget the simple basic structure. This is a perfectly executed level in every respect, be it geometry, texturing or lighting, a true masterpiece.

The level's wide open spaces do not offer a lot of cover or ways to hide and rush forth unexpectedly. Expect furious dogfights and, with a lot of players, outright massacres.

OutstandingMultiplayer

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Year Of The Snake

Year Of The Snake II is a beautiful, large Descent 2 multiplayer level by Sirius. Texturing, lighting and weapon placement are top notch and the wide spaces of this level make it dogfighter's heaven (and tunnelrat's nightmare).

SuperbMultiplayer

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Year Of The Tiger

Year Of The Tiger is the latest work of Sirius. This truly stunning level shows a temple built near a volcano's burning crater. Sirius has put everything in this level D2X-XL does offer. A specialty is using geometry objects to model complex geometry like angular pillars or create decorative elements like ornate stone ledges. Of course this level is well suited for multiplayer games, with its huge halls and caves offering plenty of room for wild dogfighting, while also providing enough escape routes in case an opponent proves to be too tough. Make sure you don't miss the huge ... errrm ... tiger statue when flying through the level. Meouww!

The archive contains modding data and precomputed light, mesh and lightmap data, including the proper folders for them, so you simply need to extract it to your main D2X-XL folder.

OutstandingMultiplayer

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