

DmLaputa

"Laputa, The Castle In The Sky"

Constructed by Jennifer Diane Reitz  lupa@otakuworld.com
In the week of September 1-6, 1999


INSTRUCTIONS:

The unzipped folder contains these files:

Laputa.txt           (this text file)
DmLaputa.unr         (The actual level map)
LaputaOld.umx        (the main theme music from 'Laputa')
Miyazaki.utx         (graphic texture set)

Place the 'DmLaputa.unr' file into your Unreal 'Maps' directory.
Place the 'LaputaOld.umx' file into your Unreal 'Music' directory.
Place the 'Miyazaki.utx' file into your Unreal 'Textures' directory.

You might want to hang on to this text file somewhere in your Unreal folder.

The level can now be played.


PURPOSE OF THE LEVEL:

'DmLaputa' is not actually designed to be a deathmatch level. The deathmatch designation
exists only to provide the greatest freedom of use for the level by the player.

The purpose of this Unreal level is not for fighting, though that can be done, and weapons are supplied, but rather for exploration. 
This is a recreation, as best as I can, of a Most Marvelous Place, a place from anime, from Japanese animated film.
All the graphic textures are reproductions of the surfaces from thae actual film itself, scanned in and specially reworked to create
proper isomorphic tesselations suitable for Unreal. The end result is a world that looks like nothhing you have
ever played in Unreal before, a truly 'anime' world. The goal is for anime fans to experience one of the great wonders of anime
in person, in 3D.

And, you can also shoot each other too, if you wish.

This world is a recreation of the floating castle of Laputa, as seen in Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli's
classic anime 'Laputa, The Castle In The Sky'. This brilliant work, certainly my own favorite anime of all time,
will soon be released in the US in English by Disney, after a bit of butchery designed to make
the film more acceptable to what Disney executives think American I.Q. scores would appriciate.

The setting is a fantastic, abandoned supertechnological castle, from a legendary time, as it drifts across
a war ravaged world. Docked at the castle is the huge tiger-striped army ship 'Goliath', commanded by Muska,
who is seeking the power of Laputa. Also can be found the glider of Pazu and Sheeta, the heroes of the movie,
and a personal artifact courtesy of Dora, leader of the Sky Pirates. All are on the quest to find Laputa.

On this map can be found almost all of the scenes from the anime, including the 'brain room', the 'heart of Laputa', and much else besides.


CONCLUSIONS:

It is my hope that you will enjoy this Virtual World, and most of all, that the fans of Laputa will especially appriciate it.
I have done my best, but I am still learning UnrealEd, so there may be some problems. This is a VERY ambitious setting to recreate,
and the complexity of a floating castle some four miles in diameter would hopefully be appriciated, and my lackings forgiven.


Jennifer Diane Reitz
Otakuworld.com

 

 