"Tomb of Qualopec" analysis

Scottlee · 14-10-02, 11:04

The big negatives to Qualopec come with the graphics. Don't give me the "it was only TR1 defence". I've seen enough of the rest of the game to at least know what standards the designers were capable of. The standard they've gone for here is that of placing Lara in a huge dis-used yellow-coloured lego set, and it looks naff. I've never really liked end of section boss levels anyway. I like the more complex and epic parts of the game. Aldwych from TR3 is an example of a good epic level.

Having said that, not all is bad. The confrontation with Larson is the first human encounter of the series and provides almost as big a shock as seeing the T-Rex. It was a competent (if somewhat flukey) decision to have Lara underwater at the time she first experiences the fright of seeing bullets whizz past her ear. However, the conversation that follows in the FMV is a bit under-done. Lara does not grill him enough about Natla's motives for me, and that reference to "Jack-rabbit frog legs" annoyingly stayed in my head for over a day when I first played the game.

Another encounter(s) that doesn't go down so well with me is that with the dinosaurs. In the Lost Valley they were very welcome. Here they seem out of place. In a game full of near perfect animal placement, the Tomb of Qualopec sticks out like Verner Von Croy in a rugby scrum. And those dasterdly darts are back in tow too! I don't mind them in the Tihocan level when they do something orginal and cross back over each other. Here they just do exactly what they did in the caves and its boring.

I liked the part where you drop down into the dog room, though. A careful player with skill can prosper here, and that is what you want on TR. The connoisseur of careful TR-playing will hang off the edge before falling down the hole so they can check out the lay of the land. After doing so he can then evaluate the situation to the point of arriving at the type of conclusion that with me usually involves getting a shotgun out. Haha to all those muppets who fall straight through and get ripped to shreads whilst fumbling around with the pistols.

The puzzle with the moving blocks is the only thing that splits my good and bad silent rating system on this level. Whilst on one hand I like the basic idea of what you have to try and do with the blocks, I have to hold my hand up and gripe about certain details. These are namely the over-use of the skeleton artifacts, the blood on the spikes (???), and most disturbingly, the fact that there seem to be at least two ways you can accomplish your goal on this puzzle.

Tighter programming could have ensured a harder puzzle by virtue of one of those ways being cut off. Going back to the blood on the spikes thing - What the hell did they do that for? Are we meant to believe that people have died on those things and left perfectly adjacent stains on each individual spike? Ugh. The only plausible defence is that past Qualopec residents painted the damn things to scare visitors. But when your visitors are dinosaurs? God only knows. Answers on a postcard.

Uh, what else? The rolling boulder thing is lame if very much forgivable on this level because I think it's the first of the series. The debris falling from the ceiling is a nice touch, as is the moment you shoot down that statuesque guard. It's a bit of a sterile task to do in exchange for the scion (maybe), but at least it's unique. The ending to this level may be unique too. I might be wrong, but I think Qualopec is the only level in the series where you exit via the place you started off. By all means correct me if there is another. Sections like Cairo in Tomb Raider : The Last Revelation dont count by the way. (5/10)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Best part - I'll award it to Larson's appearance, the last time I'm ever going to award Larson anything, btw. Ever.

Worst part - Take your pick. I'll go for the blood on the spikes thing. I just don't like it.

Secrets - 2/3 good ones. I've given 1/1 for the underwater one, and 1/2 for the pair that appear in the same place. Both locations are good, but using one room to have two different secrets is just not on. The underwater one is especially good though because I think most player's instinct will be to swim to the surface first before looking around for watery caves. Once you have resurfaced to the Lost Valley, Larson starts shooting and you will not really go back underwater.

Monsters - Not bad. Larson is good. Mr dinosaur and friends overstay their welcome, though. Some of those skeleton guys from the TRLR catacombs would have been more appropriate.

[ 16. October 2005, 20:58: Message edited by: Scottlee ]

DarkAngel00 · 24-10-02, 21:35

Sorry, but I'm kind of tired seeing your analysises of levels in TR. Can you just post questions or anything but analysises?

ELEN · 24-10-02, 22:02

At least Scottlee is the only one who does this. Analysis is difficult. Can you give us yours about the "Tomb of Qualopec" level? I know you've finished it...

[ 24 October 2002: Message edited by: ELEN ]</p>

TRINERTIA · 24-10-02, 22:15

Scottlee does post questions and other things, not just an analysis of a level. If you don't like seeing them, why comment? No one forced you to come into this particular thread, DarkAngel00.

Croft Security · 02-11-02, 06:39

I enjoy your analyses, Scottlee, but I can't help but think you're being a little too picky. Like the blood on the spikes: who cares? I think it looks cool and adds an atmosphere of danger. The raptors, I admit, were out of place. They didn't belong there. I will also agree that the overall design and look of the level was not the best. But being perturbed over the skeleton artifact? Come on, that's really no big deal. The last room with the piece of the Scion in it makes the whole level worth while, in my opinion. The mummy that watches you but never attacks. The Scion floating over the pedestal with no visible means of support. The languid skeleton of Qualopec gazing blankly at the point where the ceiling will fall. It's stuff like this that is the reason I play Tomb Raider. Sure, not all of a level's elements are going to be suited exactly to your liking, but there are plenty of redeeming qualities. I still think TR 1 is the best of the series.

SorceresS* · 05-12-02, 08:21

I like your analysis, Scottlee, but Larson's spelled with only one S. Grazie.

danielcu · 05-12-02, 10:09

hey scotlee... i just think like croft security... those were the things that made me play tomb raider and that for sure was the level that made me continue....later on that year .... i did have other games to win,... and i woold.. but i saw the skeleton king on his throne,.. the scion and of course larson... after that i just couldn´t let pass a day without playing tomb raider...those made believe kind of indiana jones...the raptor... well in my opinion i liked... the thing about the dinosaurs i didn´t like was the fact o being only 2 kinds...i was specting maybe on pteranodon, or one swimming kind...something that make us think that there were a real lost valley... dont know like there´s so much else to see...

and something in all the tomb raiders that don´t see ...well done...

it´s the fact that they aren´t so realistic makeing the scenarios,... why if its tomb there aren´t other bones... but not here..

a couldn´t find a bathroom on venice...and there weren´t to much chairs either...

seee ya

Scottlee · 05-12-02, 11:20

That's fair enough Ernesto. Just my opinion that's all. I like 95% of the levels. Qualopec is the only one in TR1 I don't like. There aren't any in TR2 that I don't like. I can't say that about 3,4, and 5, but hey...the 5% has to come from somewhere.

Regarding the spelling thing - I always think of Henrik Larsson the Swedish footballer when I type that name! lol

tlr online · 05-12-02, 23:30

Sorry, I’ve only just noticed this.

Scotlee, once again a first-class analysis! Good work! Please keep it up!

DarkAngel00. I was quite literally taken back when I read your comment, so I’ll address it with as much time as it warrants. If you don’t appreciate the work, or can’t offer a justified or constructive reply, don’t open the thread. Alternatively, clear off!

TeeJay · 09-12-02, 23:26

Scottlee, I agree with you about the raptors, definitely out of place. Sure, the graphics were a little less than they could have been. I still found the level to have some difficulty in trying to figure out when to pull levers and when not to in order to get into the other door ways with the tall columns. I definitely was surprised to be shot at in the water when coming out. I didn't know about the medipack at the end of the wolf tunnel until I read someone else's post about it. I just dealt with Larson and didn't bother going anywhere else, because I thought I had been there already. That secret seemed kind of like a cheat.

If there is a level where you start and begin at the same place, I can't think of one. Good call.

DarkAngel00, I agree with Trl online.

I was very surprised to read your comment about Scottlee's analysis on levels. He has a great sense of humor, takes time to compare graphics, secrets, difficulty and also is informative about certain aspects of the level, which if you are in confusion, could help you out.

We are all allowed our opinions, that is what a forum is all about. You have a right to your opinions, but your right to share them is limited to sharing about the game(s). The Administrators take care of monitoring so that no one gets out of line individually. When you read something, you take what you like and leave the rest.

I guess I go back to what my mother taught me in grade school. "If you can't say something nice, then don't say anything at all."

14-10-02, 11:04	#1
Scottlee Relic Hunter Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Leeds, England Posts: 7,507	The big negatives to Qualopec come with the graphics. Don't give me the "it was only TR1 defence". I've seen enough of the rest of the game to at least know what standards the designers were capable of. The standard they've gone for here is that of placing Lara in a huge dis-used yellow-coloured lego set, and it looks naff. I've never really liked end of section boss levels anyway. I like the more complex and epic parts of the game. Aldwych from TR3 is an example of a good epic level. Having said that, not all is bad. The confrontation with Larson is the first human encounter of the series and provides almost as big a shock as seeing the T-Rex. It was a competent (if somewhat flukey) decision to have Lara underwater at the time she first experiences the fright of seeing bullets whizz past her ear. However, the conversation that follows in the FMV is a bit under-done. Lara does not grill him enough about Natla's motives for me, and that reference to "Jack-rabbit frog legs" annoyingly stayed in my head for over a day when I first played the game. Another encounter(s) that doesn't go down so well with me is that with the dinosaurs. In the Lost Valley they were very welcome. Here they seem out of place. In a game full of near perfect animal placement, the Tomb of Qualopec sticks out like Verner Von Croy in a rugby scrum. And those dasterdly darts are back in tow too! I don't mind them in the Tihocan level when they do something orginal and cross back over each other. Here they just do exactly what they did in the caves and its boring. I liked the part where you drop down into the dog room, though. A careful player with skill can prosper here, and that is what you want on TR. The connoisseur of careful TR-playing will hang off the edge before falling down the hole so they can check out the lay of the land. After doing so he can then evaluate the situation to the point of arriving at the type of conclusion that with me usually involves getting a shotgun out. Haha to all those muppets who fall straight through and get ripped to shreads whilst fumbling around with the pistols. The puzzle with the moving blocks is the only thing that splits my good and bad silent rating system on this level. Whilst on one hand I like the basic idea of what you have to try and do with the blocks, I have to hold my hand up and gripe about certain details. These are namely the over-use of the skeleton artifacts, the blood on the spikes (???), and most disturbingly, the fact that there seem to be at least two ways you can accomplish your goal on this puzzle. Tighter programming could have ensured a harder puzzle by virtue of one of those ways being cut off. Going back to the blood on the spikes thing - What the hell did they do that for? Are we meant to believe that people have died on those things and left perfectly adjacent stains on each individual spike? Ugh. The only plausible defence is that past Qualopec residents painted the damn things to scare visitors. But when your visitors are dinosaurs? God only knows. Answers on a postcard. Uh, what else? The rolling boulder thing is lame if very much forgivable on this level because I think it's the first of the series. The debris falling from the ceiling is a nice touch, as is the moment you shoot down that statuesque guard. It's a bit of a sterile task to do in exchange for the scion (maybe), but at least it's unique. The ending to this level may be unique too. I might be wrong, but I think Qualopec is the only level in the series where you exit via the place you started off. By all means correct me if there is another. Sections like Cairo in Tomb Raider : The Last Revelation dont count by the way. (5/10) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Best part - I'll award it to Larson's appearance, the last time I'm ever going to award Larson anything, btw. Ever. Worst part - Take your pick. I'll go for the blood on the spikes thing. I just don't like it. Secrets - 2/3 good ones. I've given 1/1 for the underwater one, and 1/2 for the pair that appear in the same place. Both locations are good, but using one room to have two different secrets is just not on. The underwater one is especially good though because I think most player's instinct will be to swim to the surface first before looking around for watery caves. Once you have resurfaced to the Lost Valley, Larson starts shooting and you will not really go back underwater. Monsters - Not bad. Larson is good. Mr dinosaur and friends overstay their welcome, though. Some of those skeleton guys from the TRLR catacombs would have been more appropriate. [ 16. October 2005, 20:58: Message edited by: Scottlee ]

24-10-02, 21:35	#2
DarkAngel00 Hobbyist Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 14	Sorry, but I'm kind of tired seeing your analysises of levels in TR. Can you just post questions or anything but analysises?

24-10-02, 22:02	#3
ELEN Most Honourable Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Athens, Greece Posts: 28,578	At least Scottlee is the only one who does this. Analysis is difficult. Can you give us yours about the "Tomb of Qualopec" level? I know you've finished it... [ 24 October 2002: Message edited by: ELEN ]</p>

24-10-02, 22:15	#4
TRINERTIA Explorer Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Pennsylvania, USA Posts: 649	Scottlee does post questions and other things, not just an analysis of a level. If you don't like seeing them, why comment? No one forced you to come into this particular thread, DarkAngel00.

02-11-02, 06:39	#5
Croft Security Archaeologist Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Wherever nothing is happening Posts: 1,026	I enjoy your analyses, Scottlee, but I can't help but think you're being a little too picky. Like the blood on the spikes: who cares? I think it looks cool and adds an atmosphere of danger. The raptors, I admit, were out of place. They didn't belong there. I will also agree that the overall design and look of the level was not the best. But being perturbed over the skeleton artifact? Come on, that's really no big deal. The last room with the piece of the Scion in it makes the whole level worth while, in my opinion. The mummy that watches you but never attacks. The Scion floating over the pedestal with no visible means of support. The languid skeleton of Qualopec gazing blankly at the point where the ceiling will fall. It's stuff like this that is the reason I play Tomb Raider. Sure, not all of a level's elements are going to be suited exactly to your liking, but there are plenty of redeeming qualities. I still think TR 1 is the best of the series.

05-12-02, 08:21	#6
SorceresS* Hobbyist Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Somewhere in Texas, by the yellow sand.. Posts: 68	I like your analysis, Scottlee, but Larson's spelled with only one S. Grazie.

05-12-02, 10:09	#7
danielcu Hobbyist Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: cuba Posts: 36	hey scotlee... i just think like croft security... those were the things that made me play tomb raider and that for sure was the level that made me continue....later on that year .... i did have other games to win,... and i woold.. but i saw the skeleton king on his throne,.. the scion and of course larson... after that i just couldn´t let pass a day without playing tomb raider...those made believe kind of indiana jones...the raptor... well in my opinion i liked... the thing about the dinosaurs i didn´t like was the fact o being only 2 kinds...i was specting maybe on pteranodon, or one swimming kind...something that make us think that there were a real lost valley... dont know like there´s so much else to see... and something in all the tomb raiders that don´t see ...well done... it´s the fact that they aren´t so realistic makeing the scenarios,... why if its tomb there aren´t other bones... but not here.. a couldn´t find a bathroom on venice...and there weren´t to much chairs either... seee ya

05-12-02, 11:20	#8
Scottlee Relic Hunter Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Leeds, England Posts: 7,507	That's fair enough Ernesto. Just my opinion that's all. I like 95% of the levels. Qualopec is the only one in TR1 I don't like. There aren't any in TR2 that I don't like. I can't say that about 3,4, and 5, but hey...the 5% has to come from somewhere. Regarding the spelling thing - I always think of Henrik Larsson the Swedish footballer when I type that name! lol

05-12-02, 23:30	#9
tlr online Administrator Join Date: Jun 2000 Posts: 47,536	Sorry, I’ve only just noticed this. Scotlee, once again a first-class analysis! Good work! Please keep it up! DarkAngel00. I was quite literally taken back when I read your comment, so I’ll address it with as much time as it warrants. If you don’t appreciate the work, or can’t offer a justified or constructive reply, don’t open the thread. Alternatively, clear off!

09-12-02, 23:26	#10
TeeJay Hobbyist Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Fremont, NE Posts: 31	Scottlee, I agree with you about the raptors, definitely out of place. Sure, the graphics were a little less than they could have been. I still found the level to have some difficulty in trying to figure out when to pull levers and when not to in order to get into the other door ways with the tall columns. I definitely was surprised to be shot at in the water when coming out. I didn't know about the medipack at the end of the wolf tunnel until I read someone else's post about it. I just dealt with Larson and didn't bother going anywhere else, because I thought I had been there already. That secret seemed kind of like a cheat. If there is a level where you start and begin at the same place, I can't think of one. Good call. DarkAngel00, I agree with Trl online. I was very surprised to read your comment about Scottlee's analysis on levels. He has a great sense of humor, takes time to compare graphics, secrets, difficulty and also is informative about certain aspects of the level, which if you are in confusion, could help you out. We are all allowed our opinions, that is what a forum is all about. You have a right to your opinions, but your right to share them is limited to sharing about the game(s). The Administrators take care of monitoring so that no one gets out of line individually. When you read something, you take what you like and leave the rest. I guess I go back to what my mother taught me in grade school. "If you can't say something nice, then don't say anything at all."