Jump to content
Search In
  • More options...
Find results that contain...
Find results in...

Recommended Posts

So the question of what is the hardest megawad has probably been posed enough times that you're all sick of it. But what about the easiest? I wonder if we could do a gameplay tune-up of the easiest megawad.

Share this post


Link to post

Do you mean serious megawads? If not, then Congestion: 64 and THISSUXX are pretty easy to finish - the former especially, as long as you don't quit on map14. THISSUXX has a few maps where it is possible to die.

Of major classic-style megawads, I'd say the easiest are probably TVR! and Icarus. But both are so perfect in their own way that modifying them (even with permission) would just seem wrong. Note that not many megawads give permission for editing their levels in any case.

Share this post


Link to post

I second TV's Revolution. It's fairly easy, but that in no way implies it's bad. I also agree with Icarus, although the last time I played (long ago) I thought the first map was rather tough.

Share this post


Link to post

I'll also go with TVR!. Most of Icarus's maps were about the same difficulty as TVR!'s, but unlike TVR!, which was consistently easy all the way through, Icarus did have a few (relatively) hard maps thrown in, like Map01, Map11, Map28, etc.

Share this post


Link to post

Of the megaWADs I've played, I'll second Icarus. The only other thing that comes close in the running would be BF_THUD!.

Share this post


Link to post

Why on Earth would a megawad need a 'gameplay tuneup' just because it's easy? Not everything needs to be Hell Revealed.

Share this post


Link to post

Yeah, just try it on nightmare or -fast or even -respawn. You don't have to base maximum difficulty on Ultra-Violence.

Share this post


Link to post

I'm tempted to nominate Khorus's Speedy Shit, since it takes probably an hour or two to finish entirely, but it can get quite brutal at times.

There's also Scythe, which takes probably a little longer and is about as easy to beat... until MAP26. 9_6

Share this post


Link to post

The easiest megawads I've played are The Twilight Zone, Revolution!, and Demonfear.

Share this post


Link to post
Xaser said:

Why on Earth would a megawad need a 'gameplay tuneup' just because it's easy? Not everything needs to be Hell Revealed.

Yeah I'd be against doing a gameplay tuneup, for instance I think Icarus really is perfect and awesome the way it is.

Share this post


Link to post

I've never found Icarus (the so far I went) that easy. It has lots of chaingunners and complex areas where you can get sniped or not easily know where to continue (such as that restaurant from that moon).

Share this post


Link to post

Yeah sometimes the chaingunners are a PITA, esp. like on map12 after you manage to survive the mandatory barrel explosion and there's one of those suckers waiting for you on a nearby ledge. Well at least there's lots of cover (crates) . Overall the difficulty is well balanced, you just have to pick the right skill level.

Also, OP instead of trying to change easier megawads, why not just play the harder ones? It's not like there aren't dozens of those around... Seems like the "in" thing these days to make maps that are 100% hard, instead of trying to playtest across all skill levels so they can be enjoyed by players of all skill.

Share this post


Link to post

Also, OP instead of trying to change easier megawads, why not just play the harder ones? It's not like there aren't dozens of those around... Seems like the "in" thing these days to make maps that are 100% hard, instead of trying to playtest across all skill levels so they can be enjoyed by players of all skill.


So, are you saying people who like hard maps should suck it up and play the harder maps but people who like easy maps should be accommodated for from every mapper?

Share this post


Link to post

You're reading too much into what is just a practical suggestion. If he wants to spent time/effort to make easier megawads uber-hard, instead of just playing the stuff that was already made that way, well that's his problem. What he does (or doesn't do) won't affect me one bit, and I'm not attached to the outcome in any way.

Share this post


Link to post

Okay, my bad. I did read the second part of that quote as deploring the current state of difficulty balancing. As someone who sits on the other side of the fence, that is, feeling many maps are too easy and nightmare/fast/respawn changing gameplay so much it might as well be a different game and certainly isn't comparable to the variation between skill 2/3/4, *and* the "UV only" people who will claim any map they aren't good enough to beat just sucks period, it's hard to agree and all too easy to get riled up about something that isn't there, so, sorry.

Share this post


Link to post
Phml said:

So, are you saying people who like hard maps should suck it up and play the harder maps but people who like easy maps should be accommodated for from every mapper?

It is not like, as a hardcore player, you don't have infinite choices in Doom to make the gameplay harder.

Share this post


Link to post

You can get some more granularity with DeHackEd patches. For example, increase some/all of the monster hit points and/or their associated missile damage. You could also play around with speed, reaction time, and pain chance. Maybe other stuff too...

Share this post


Link to post

All of these suggestions could apply to making the game easier just as well...

The point is never to plainly make the game harder or easier. Turn every zombieman into a cyberdemon. Instant super hard game. Turn every ammo clip into an invul sphere. Instant super easy game. The implied intent, or what should be obvious anyway, when talking about changing difficulty, is to make it harder or easier in a way that keeps things interesting.

Share this post


Link to post

Revoultion! was pretty easy, but it was also a great megawad...

Same with WOS, it was fairly easy (except for a couple frustrating moments) but again I never felt that it was lacking anything.

And lastly... DemonFear, pretty easy if I remember correctly.

Share this post


Link to post

demonfear is easier than revolution for the most part. also killing adventure (minus map30). none of those needs changes.

Share this post


Link to post
Phml said:

All of these suggestions could apply to making the game easier just as well...


Well no shit sherlock, but that's not what the topic is about, eh? ;)

The point is never to plainly make the game harder or easier. Turn every zombieman into a cyberdemon. Instant super hard game. Turn every ammo clip into an invul sphere. Instant super easy game. The implied intent, or what should be obvious anyway, when talking about changing difficulty, is to make it harder or easier in a way that keeps things interesting.


Those are retarded examples. You can use DeHackEd to finely tune monster/item parameters, rather than jumping into instant jokewad lalaland. And then you will end up with a collection of DEH patches for use with other PWADs as well. But you want to do it all manually in a level editor, map by map the hard way? Well have fun then... Or rather maybe not since you'll be intimately familiar with the maps and they'll hold no surprises when you finally play them.

Share this post


Link to post

Well doom.wad (the original 3 episodes) is probably the easiest, so if you're going to do it, might as well start with that.

Share this post


Link to post

I don't consider Demonfear to be a "megawad". To me, that term implies new textures, possibly new music (apparently this is important to some people - I play with music off, myself), and the inclusion of at least one level that would set the original EXE's engine limits creaking :)

Demonfear is 32 fun (hopefully) and fast firefights. That's all.

Plus, if anyone was going to re-tune it, it would be me, and I'd do a lot more than just make it harder. It really shows the 1995 origins of most of the levels!

On another note, be aware that some megawads may not allow editing their maps, whereas others (such as the original MM) have level by level permissions for editing the maps, which would complicate the process of 're-tuning' them, should something of that sort go ahead.

Share this post


Link to post

I wasn't gonna upload any of the mods i made, just doing it for personal enjoyment and curiosity.

Technically, megawad is a term for any episode of 15 or more levels in length, so Demonfear is a megawad if that's the definition.

Share this post


Link to post

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×