What are the most frustrating Doom levels?

Similar to the "what are the worst levels" but a bit different.

Simply put, which levels of the original Doom games (this includes Final Doom) make you want to tear your hair out?

For me refueling base from Doom 2 would be a good example, with the reason being that it has too many monsters and not enough ammo to deal with them. I often find myself getting surrounded by hordes of monsters with no ammo and it makes me almost scream at the screen.

Which maps anger you the most?

It's gotta be the Chasm for most people...

yeah the chasm, the chasma of sandy peterson constantly trolling you. This map is probably the only one map that annoys me. Plutonia maps did likewise years back but that was because I found them too hard but that's not a valid reason for hating a map.

I found Tricks and Traps (PSX) extremely annoying when I was younger, because most times I didn't make the exit run.

Sometimes I think I'm the only person who actually likes The Chasm.

Anyway, one map that gets on my fucking nerves is The Temple Of Darkness, just for that phenomenally shitty start.

No, I like the Chasm too. Honestly anyone who finds it remotely difficult in this day and age should probably quit video games.

cannonball said:

Plutonia maps did likewise years back but that was because I found them too hard but that's not a valid reason for hating a map.

The title of the thread is "What are the most frustrating Doom levels?", not "Which levels do you hate for some reason other than their difficulty?". So as long as you found them too hard, any map or number or maps are a valid answer.

Incidentally, I agree with you. I've never played Plutonia in it's entirety without cheating.

BaronOfStuff said:

Sometimes I think I'm the only person who actually likes The Chasm.

Nah, I always liked it. It's very atmospheric and different from the rest of the levels. Also like Barrels 'o Fun and Nirvana.

I find some maps boring sometimes, but not really frustrating (though I really just play DOOM and DOOM II, not the other stuff). MAP30 is frustrating if I miss the shot though. Anyway, I'd have prefered a "real" boss to fight, some bigass thing the size of several cyberdemons that makes the whole map shake when it stomps around (which chunks of ceiling falling down and crushing things), breathes fire at you, shit like that.

In all honesty, I haven't really played the Chasm, so I don't have MUCH of an opinion. What I've experienced of it so far isn't too bad..

The Chasm is certainly one of the more difficult Doom 2 maps, especially on UV, but in no way does it compare to either half of Final Doom's more challenging levels.

DoomUK said:

The Chasm is certainly one of the more difficult Doom 2 maps, especially on UV...

I don't think it's particularly difficult at all to get by, especially if you're playing a consecutive run. I think it's usually speedrunners whinging about the catwalks that gives this map such a bad name.

I like the Chasm! Got no problem with it. It's one of the (many) levels I'm looking forward too during my annual runthrough of Doom II, along with Waste Tunnels, Crusher, Tricks and Traps, The Pit, Refueling Base, Circle of Death, Downtown, Inmost Dense, Industrial Zone, Suburbs, Citadel, Gotcha, Barrels O' Fun, Abandoned Mines, The Spirit World and The Living End.

Oh sorry, uhm to answer the question...

No maps in Doom I or II strike me as really frustrating. If I had to pick one, then maybe E3M1. It's one of the few vanilla maps where the ugliness really bugs me. Oh and maybe a litle bit E4M2. That map can be such a bitch to finish! But great fun, nonetheless.

Most frustrating level? Definitely Doom 2 MAP19 (The Citadel).

impossible without secrets + impossible to reach those secrets + oddly behaving environment + ugly design + confusing layout + unbalanced ammo + too big hordes of monsters = the most frustrating level

I really don't have any that can make your hair turn gray too soon. Hmm...
Maybe the Central Processing (level 20) in Evilution puts bit pressure, due to goddamn long halls and passages.

scifista42 said:

Most frustrating level? Definitely Doom 2 MAP19 (The Citadel).

impossible without secrets + impossible to reach those secrets + oddly behaving environment + ugly design + confusing layout + unbalanced ammo + too big hordes of monsters = the most frustrating level

Ah yes, this too for me.
Good thing you are doing it up into something decent then.

Refueling Base and Suburbs, I think. Heh, they have the same music.

The Chasm, Nirvana, Gotcha. In that order. I like playing fast and in The Chasm and Gotcha that means falling. In Nirvana it means never knowing which teleporter is right.

The only level in the original iwads that I find frustrating is E4M1. The lack of ammo pisses me off severely.

Definitely The Chasm.

There's nothing wrong with walkways going across pits of damaging liquid, but they're extremely annoying when the platforms are razor-thin, the pits are inescapable, and lost souls are biting at your ass.

scifista42 said:

Most frustrating level? Definitely Doom 2 MAP19 (The Citadel).

impossible without secrets + impossible to reach those secrets...

Erm, what?

All of the secrets in MAP19 are accessible, not to mention that you only need two of the keys to leave (although one of them has to be the Red Skullkey). Far from impossible in any sense.

Heh, I still don't know how to get to that red building in "The Citadel". I agree that this map is really confusing.
I think tomorrow I'll try to finish it with 100% kills and secrets just for the kicks. :)

Eris Falling said:

I found Tricks and Traps (PSX) extremely annoying when I was younger, because most times I didn't make the exit run.

THIS. When I first played all those years ago it took me ages too complete it.

It still surprises me when I hear of regulars here who haven't cleared out or even completed every IWAD map (well, non-Final Doom anyways). It's pretty much required playing -- You're missing out. :P

glenzinho said:

The only level in the original iwads that I find frustrating is E4M1. The lack of ammo pisses me off severely.

x2

This is the only IWAD map I fucking hate. It's so unfair, unbalanced and otherwise uninspiring that I'd be glad if it would never have come into existence. Even Plutonia map08 or map25 aren't nearly as frustrating... They're a lot of fun whatsoever, whilst Hell Beneath is just a nuisance.

There are some other IWAD levels I dislike, but I wouldn't call any of them frustrating in any way.

Gotcha and Barrels O' Fun.

Gotcha is just frustrating having to go up against a Cyberdemon and Spider Mastermind at a time (where they don't give you enough ammo or protection).

In Barrels O' Fun, the Pain Elementals in burning barrels is just annoying. Although many would argue that pain elementals are annoying anyway

BaronOfStuff said:

I don't think it's particularly difficult at all to get by, especially if you're playing a consecutive run. I think it's usually speedrunners whinging about the catwalks that gives this map such a bad name.

yep. i hate maps where can fall in some crap, and the chasm is the embodiment of this. half-life's xen levels fall into this category too.

Afterlife said:

Gotcha and Barrels O' Fun.

Gotcha is just frustrating having to go up against a Cyberdemon and Spider Mastermind at a time (where they don't give you enough ammo or protection).

leave them fighting each other, go kill the rest, then finish off the survivor.

I'm going to agree with The Chasm. Fuck that map. It's not only shittily designed, it's just flat out ugly. I've come to kind of like Sandy's levels but the only thing that level is missing is a constant barrage of photos of him wearing sunglasses captioned "DEAL WITH IT" and the music replaced with just a recording of him laughing his fat ass off to make it the ultimate troll level.

Afterlife said:

Gotcha is just frustrating having to go up against a Cyberdemon and Spider Mastermind at a time (where they don't give you enough ammo or protection).

That one is a piece of cake. Just Like Pirx said, let them infight each other. Just hide behind the switch if need-be and take out anything else in the room then finish off the survivor.

Eris Falling said:

I found Tricks and Traps (PSX) extremely annoying when I was younger, because most times I didn't make the exit run.

YES. Especially in the game boy version of doom 2, where the hit detection (in this case colliding with walls) was kinda shitty and sometimes you'd get caught on a space from one step to the next.

Most of the Doom 2 maps.

Hunted and Administration Centre

From the id designed iwads, E4M2 & E4M6 > anything else for me, largely due to the damaging floor in both levels that makes fighting any enemies a pain. Nothing in Doom 1 or Doom 2 touch the frustration I've experienced from those.

Also, I still like the chasm.