Andrew Weldon

I constructed Bender for the MapCore Cube Challenge in which I had 4 weeks to build a level contained within a 1024x1024x1024 unit cube. I had failed to finish an entry for MapCore's previous 1024 Challenge in 2007, and eagerly dove into this one.

One pet peeve I've always had with cube-based limitations is the difficulty in using the Z-axis. Ramps and stairs devour precious X/Y space, often constraining levels to a limited vertical range or forcing the use of ladders or teleporters. I decided to try and turn this on its head—quite literally. In choosing to build this level in Prey, I set three goals:

1. Use each of the cube's six inner faces as a floor at least once.
2. Make the level's dimensions appear to extend beyond 1024 units.
3. Create a situation where players can see themselves

Prey's editor only supports the default Z-up camera orientation, so I was often building areas on their side or completely upside-down. On numerous occasions, I'd start building what I thought was going to be a brilliant connection only to realize that I had just built myself into an impossible corner. In the end, though, Bender is a smooth-flowing—if mind-bending, eeeyyy—level that makes full use of every unit on every axis.

In this particular 1024/cube challenge, Bender placed a worthy 2nd to Thiago Klafke's DM_Zest.