Hellhole.wad (for Doom 2)

A work of art. The broken BSP tree makes it even better.

It's insane that this was made in 1994. The level of detail, atmosphere and feeling of exploration is simply unmatched by anything from that era. And not only that, but it actually feels like a real place. Absolutely stellar stuff; I highly recommend this to everyone, including modern players who don't typically play old stuff. You'll be blown away.

You must live very close to me my friend ;)

Technically the first map sets in real life university, or at least the first officially accepted as one of those kind of maps. The map Is pretty complex and some areas are neat for a map made in 1994, big open structures with some good simple details in It, the layout Is intricate and good, expect for a pair of dead rooms hunting for keys and other goodies, but it's a good way to tell the player to explore the place. The only big issue is the yellow key door in the main courtyard area that doesn't open (at least in Woof port, the "latest" release) for some weird reason. Good stuff btw.

I feel like I increasingly come across these Eternal levels where there are wide open spaces that would normally feel desolate and empty, but something about the inclusion of these odd little setpieces makes it feel... oddly touching. It's like he isn't playing by the same rule book as other people. The castle map in this WAD is like being shrunk down and getting to walk around a diorama that someone has built.