Hard Attack

Hard Attack is a remake of Tim Willits's ATTACK.wad from the Master Levels. 

 

Dated 2006, it has that tidy trim-heavy look many have come to associate with the time. Little is unexpected, but it is pleasant enough to look at. The original layout, with its straight hallways and clean angles and pervasive symmetry, happens to suit mid-'00s stylings perfectly, or at least stereotypes of them. So, to me, it felt like the remake was proving the thesis that ATTACK.wad, enhanced a decade, would be an early-game Community Chest 3 map. 

 

The author says Hard Attack is "not a hard map." If anything, modern players might read that as understatement. Ammo can get tight early, but the action is very sedate. Throughout, you're mostly fighting a scattering of hitscanners, a trickle of pinkies, a duo of revvies, a handful of imps, piecemeal, in familiar ways, without a driving pace or smooth flow. A late key trap throws four low-tiers at you. 

 

Having skimmed other reviews, "original design that willits made" is a sequence of words that made me laugh, divorced from context, with what has become common knowledge about Willits's history.

I can see why this base was used because it always had potential, however there's only so much you can do with it while keeping it's original design the same. Good but not great. -TRRobin.

This is dated October 2006. It's based on Tim Willits' ATTACK.wad, which was part of the Master Levels CD (it was alphabetically first of the lot). This remake adds a lot of detail and generally raises the monsters a tier, although the total count is almost the same. The layout has no new bits, but it looks more modern, and the gameplay is just as good. It's nice to be reminded of the Master Levels every now and again, they were good.

average, but worth a go 3/5

One of the better remake maps that I've seen in a while. The detailing fits this map excellently as its not too much but still enough to retain the old school feel while maintaining 2006 quality. This is probably this author's best map to date and I hope he continues like this. To the author of this map: Take note of the original design that willits made - this is how a good doom map should flow, look, and feel. If you can follow this style into your later maps, you will become much more successful. 4/5

Not really. Since this is a remake of the original, it suffers from some of the same design cop-outs, like heavy symmetry in many of the main areas. A worthy remake, but a remake of a map that's not really Willits' best work.

very good, a bit too easy skill 2 4/5

I don't have master levels. So I can't tell how it is as a remake. But I can tell it's a very fun level, so play it.