The Secret Energy

I love this. But not enough for 5 stars, Yet. It's good in a fun aspect but bugs and mapping has its flaws.

This map is not for beginners, this is a map for the guys, who have an experience and maybe knows how the game works. It took me around 40 minutes to complete (counting all save-loads), but the best time is something like "30 sec". Well keep in mind that I have to save a lot combined with blind walking. If you are playing this level for the second time then maybe you can complete it faster, but I am not a pro and don't even want to be there.

Visually speaking this is your another typical-standard-tech-base map, so nothing to comment on here. I've seen thousands of those, this not to be meant as an architectural masterpiece but rather a playground to test your skills. So, if you want to stress your nervous system (whatever that means), have a 10+ years experience in boomer-shooters and plenty of free time on your hands - then go for it. Otherwise no, better spend your time on something more meaningful, like collecting Honey Select cards.

Complete playthrough, UV + fastmonsters, from beginning to 00:42:00 :

"The Secret Energy" is a moderately difficult Death-Destiny inspired map happening in a surrealistic base located in natural landscapes. As Black Room , I loved the mystic ambiance  and the proper detailing. Also , this map offers a lot of exploration thanks to the semi-linear progression . Finding the secret area was exciting.

The level reminded me a lot of Elysion , especially the beginning where a timed battle occurs.

If I can compare DD's maps with Paul977's ones , I have the feeling that Paul977 create fairer fights in less cramped layouts. So , I think P977's maps is a good way to initiate yourself into Death-Destiny's style.

Here are my stream with the successful attempt (No micro) :

My demo : Energy_3034.lmp

An engaging map.  Thoughtful traps reminiscent of Death Destiny left me with a sense of impending doom.  I knew I was going to die and die a lot but every fight left me with a sense of reward.  Give this a chance if you're not a fan of hard or challenge styled gameplay. 

On UV, a blind playthrough shouldn't take more than an hour.  If you're unfamiliar with Paul977's maps I'd say start with this one then follow with Black Room.

fantastic map! the visuals, music, and gameplay all make for an excellent time. I quite like Paul's mapping style, and this particular stock-texture visual theme is one of my favorites. it seems like the gameplay on lower difficulties is perhaps too harsh - but for players seeking a challenge, it's an excellent time.

That's a memorable map! I downloaded and played it right after the author Paul977 posted the wad on the DW subforum. It was more than a half year ago. Other earlier works from Paul977 like the Blackroom and the Desciples of Darkness I would also recommend if you enjoyed this wad.

I think a player who is unfamiliar with the map would probably need a minimum of half an hour to get to the exit. So it's not a short or a long ride and there is some non-linearity that I appreciate. Enough situations where you need to decide where to go next like at the crossroads. I'm not talking about forced choices in the middle of the fight. I'm about the routes that especially concern the first part of the map. In the same time it's far from being confusing and abstract like at the beginning of the Doom2 Map8. The architecture of this UAC base is more towards the reality, solidity, largeness. No doubt it's a good detailed map with time-tested style and with some striking visual findings. I would use couple of such tricks in my wads if I was a mapper.

As for the gameplay, encounters and such things like implementation, secrets that I had problems with. I tend to agree with the fact that the initial pressure here can be regarded as breaking but why should it be so? Very similar to Elysion.wad. But that's one thing. Another thing is that the difficulty isn't growing, it's swinging and lowering from the start. It's better to say that the gameplay is uneven. I'd say so before and would recognize it as normal as it still remains decent, but now I think that it's a problem of many maps. Other shortcomings are very specific.

Worthy map to beat, but could it be better? Yes, for sure!

The mapping is very well done. I can see myself having fun on such a level, maybe in a deathmatch context.
However, the enemies and the gameplay of the map itself is a joke. I might even go so far as to say the level is impossible without cheating. From the first room it gives you a super shotgun and then expects you to kill roughly 30 Revenants while a Cyberdemon hangs around in the background just waiting for a stray bullet to hit him.
Ended up going with Godmode and enjoying the well put together map. Its very easy to get lost, however, and some hallways just seem to end with little value in them.

Overall a promising map, maybe just get somebody else to do the enemy placement.

Are you up for a brutal, non stop challenge through detailed, but bland environments? The Secret Energy doesn't let up, so it's either a low health slaughter map or a speed runner's dream to get from switch to switch, all while enemies constantly spawn in with each button press. There's little health for such meaty enemies and even on the easiest difficulty, it's a slog to kill them all. To balance out the lower health, there are less hitscan enemies that seem to be relegated to a few chain gunners that can get distracted in a sea of madness.

It feels like a punishing experience from the first room. It fills with imps, then pinkies, then flying enemies, then revenants and a cyber demon. The entire map is like that. Enter a room and it will flood in via waves. Each wave opens up something new and you need to find where that new thing is. Is it a switch on a wall? Is it a switch inside of a pillar? Did a door just open up? Are you supposed to go back into the main corridors of the complex? At least on my first play through, I felt there was a poor flow to the level.

The place is so big and centralized, you might miss where you need to go next. No arrows, the switches are around corners and walls inside of rooms that may or may not have opened. The game has its detail, but detail with greens, browns, a few blue wires across the floors, perhaps to guide you to the next area. It was all lost on me and blurred together into a jumble. While the structures of each new room was different, it's the color scheme and darkness that stayed the same.

Give it a try. There is something redeemable in here for those hardcore enough to endure the first room, let alone the entire map.