I'm on the fence of throwing in the towel, considering gameplay is not my strong suit. You can't have a pretty map without strong gameplay to back it up

Personally I have been holding back on feedback because no one likes to be the destroyer of dreams. Its obvious you have spent years on this project and are a long standing member of the community, but I don't think you are rationally seeing the feedback for what it is.

No map is ever perfect (visually or game play wise) and if you want to make a map that everyone will like then you are going to be making a very bland map! Every map has warts and pimples and things that don't make any sense, but that is part of their character, their charm. Remember you should always be mapping for yourself first and if other people like your stuff then all well and good.

There are many awesome things going on with your map, visuals fantastic, brushwork top notch, re-using of architecture for different routes and raising of the platform structure in the second map, was mind blowing! When you see it for the first time, its just a classic moment.

I think most of the feedback in this thread is saying the same thing and because you have spent so long on this project you are not seeing the wood for the trees anymore!

Most of your gameplay is one thing, monsters spawning really close in tight, trapped or confined areas! Everything is so close that there is no time to use other weapons like grenades or shotguns, the player is forced to use one weapon, the SNG. There is no space to strafe or move around and keep monsters at arms length while using slower or explosive weapons.

There is just no variety of encounters; monsters spawning gradually from distance or standing / patrolling areas already. You rarely give the player a chance to plan an encounter during combat, its mostly reactionary instead of a mixture of strategic and surprise. You say that there was no space to have everything gradually setup, but you could easily bring monsters in from the edge of the map with platforms, ramps or gated areas.

The second problem is scale, it feels like you built everything from the map editor camera's perspective. When in game its just too tiny, the player is constantly running into architecture, catapulting off bumpy ramps and unable to strafe left or right easily. There are tons of excessive floor detail that makes the player camera bounce up and down and awkward to move across while fighting.

it is extremely apparent you have poured a massive amount of time and effort into this project and I think you should have got an outside opinion earlier on. Maybe email another mappers you admire and respect and find out if your map has any game play issues. No one likes to change stuff after it has been worked on for a long time and this is something that everyone struggles with.

The final issue for me was your engine choice, I could not see any reason for the map not being split at the SK entrance down to the zombie area. Its designed as a one way trip and the teleporter back up felt awkward to me. I know the trend in Quake mapping is to make everything so big it takes hours to complete, but the intermission screen does play a powerful role, its a natural break point. Just like books are rarely just one chapter, the same could be said of games.

I think what you have created is visually awesome, the final sections of the second map is mind blowing with its zombie infested chaotic layout and the final rollercoaster ride at the end, it was perfect. Personally I think you should try experimenting more with different encounter setups or try teaming up with someone else. Working together could be a cool way to try different ideas and find other encounter styles. 

You shouldn't be pandering to others and their expectations of what a quake map should be. Make whatever the hell you want

Kinda hard to argue with this. 

If that's what you consider destroying dreams, you should destroy some more - because it's good, constructive feedback. Better than not replying at all out of some sort of misunderstood diplomacy. 

Don't quit before the sequel! 

If you're good at something, stick at it. And you obviously are. I didn't really mind the engine restrictions and loved the rusty scrapyard style. I'll deliberately bypass gameplay flaws already mentioned by others. Your opening post sets the tone: a big endeavour carrying great expectations. When a reward is eagerly awaited, it's usually harder to face unexpected critcism or lack of interest. This might lead to deep disappointment. In fact, the problem lies not in your maps but in your self-centered process. Working on such a huge project alone unavoidably leads to lose objectivity and make wrong choices along the path. You should team up. Teamates help each other for a greater good. The best way for a good creator to become better. Don't give up on impulse. There's no shame in learning lessons. And if you'll ever decide to leave Quake mapping, I for one will miss you and your unique and uncanny style! 

Make no mistake, I am proud of what I accomplished, but I suppose I set my expectations too high. Its rather contradicting to say build whatever I like, don't pander to those who think what a Quake map should be like, then release it and be surprised to see everyone says it plays like a pile of ass :)

I guess its safe to say, I'll never please everyone, and I'm fine with that. Just learn from your mistakes, figure out what was mostly disliked and improve on that aspect.

@negke There's a sequel? 

The sequel is the descemt further into the evil hellion landscape. 

Well, I actually wasn't planning on continuing the hellish scrapyard. If anything, I'll probably explore some new themes that are either rare, or haven't been seen in Quake before.