Wizard of Id's GameGuru Underground Pack

So this has been coming since the middle of July.  I apologize for both the delay and the scraped pictures.  I'd rather have done them myself but my life is incredibly busy as of current with the new baby and job stuff.

So it's about time to do some review stuff.

I recently purchased the Wizard of Id's (WID) Underground Pack.  It's an underground maze-system which has a great sewer or bunker-building quality to it.

This system contrasts against OldPman's underground kit which is similar but very, very different.

One of the more interesting things about WID's kits is that they are usually built with an uncanny level of detail; it's something very few artists pursue.  Each one has their own skillset but clearly WID's is his near obsessive level of focus on individual pieces.

Like this small sampling of the lights included.

This is a versatile kit which I think is well positioned as a competent middle ground for people looking for a very generic 'brick and tile bunker maze' system.  It's definitely reminiscent of a subway station or maintenance tunnel.

The first thing you'll notice about WID's kits is while they typically are not extravagantly modeled with ridiculous amounts of polygons... they have exceptionally good texture quality.

Speaking from experience, this is on medium.  Putting it on higher levels makes this really stand out.

WID's bump mapping is second to none, at least in the Game-Guru community.

He's got that down to a very enviable science.   He also tests his levels extensively using actual test levels he builds and with static lighting as well.  The results are clearly something which are
very mature in palette, texture, and shape.

The above is not too far off from what to expect from your own work.

It's a lot like going to a concert, really.  Sometimes you listen to a musician's audio track and think "I like this song.  I'll bet it's great in concert."... yet it ends up being an utterly flat dud.   Other times you think "This sounds as good or better than it does on the cd!" ... WID's work is a lot like that.

The pricing for his individual pieces is high.  I never buy his stuff individually.  His packs, however, are reasonably priced for art that's on peer in terms of quality with Errant AI's stuff (which I hold in extremely high esteem).

One thing worth mentioning... these pieces are HUGE.  I mean I was really flatly shocked after working extensively with other vendors like oldpman at how monstrous these levels could become.  It's not a bad thing, but you should know so you can plan accordingly.  Don't think you're going to create a tiny maze here on the edge of your map.  

This is approximately the width of a skyscraper from the TGC City pack.

The bottom line: That said there's a lot of variety, quality, and depth to WID's work and this one is no exception.  If you are looking for a top shelf set that merely needs some clutter items, triggers, and enemies - look no further.  This will handle the bill in spades.