After a certain type of megawad

The first map of doom 1 and 2 have 2 things in common - very simple first map, no keycards. Most of the megawads I've played have a relatively huge first map with switch-hunting and/or multiple locked doors. Are there any megawads where the first few levels are as simple as those in doom 1 or 2? (Tnt did have a keycard in the first map, but it was very easy to find, and not a sprawling map in the slightest). It's not a difficulty thing, I just find that a wad that eases you into more complex levels holds my attention than one that throws a challenging map at you right from the get-go.

Map02 of the second Newdoom Community Project megawad throws a sprawling Map02 after the first level, though there is a shortcut to the exit that I found in that instance.

Edit: I haven't found any megawads that have relatively simple first few levels that I remember.

I could think of a few
Hell revealed - The first few levels are short and pretty easy, surprising given the wads infamy with being hard.
Vile Flesh - yet again the early maps are short, just after map11 is where the maps get huge.
Community chest 2 (erik Alm's "The Furnace" is short)
Can't remember others so I will let others suggest other wads.

Doom The Way id Did might be up your alley.

I like when first maps are simple too. Build up is important. I think all my megawads\episodes will have at least 2-3 straightforward maps in the beginning.
Now onto suggestions:

Requiem - first 2 maps are very simple, 3 is much more complex
Marswar - same deal
2002: A Doom Odyssey - same (only in the first episode)
Eviltech - I don't remember it too well, but first 3 maps are definitely very simple

Hope this helps somehow.

esselfortium said:

Doom The Way id Did might be up your alley.

DTWiD

Imma gonna link it before OP thinks you just told him to play the original IWAD.

The Rebirth by Vader will be right up your alley: http://www.doomworld.com/idgames/index.php?id=12102

invictius said:

Most of the megawads I've played have a relatively huge first map with switch-hunting and/or multiple locked doors.

What megawads are these?

Wads like Scythe. Huge first level.

DuckReconMajor said:

Wads like Scythe. Huge first level.

Or Speedy Shit. Some real sprawlers in there.

DeathevokatioN said:

The Rebirth by Vader will be right up your alley: http://www.doomworld.com/idgames/index.php?id=12102

I've tried about half the reccommendations so far, and the first map of this wad is the closest I've come to the "you could do it in 30 seconds in a speedrun" kind of feeling that comes from the iwad first maps.

ellmo said:
Imma gonna link it before OP thinks you just told him to play the original IWAD.

I was aware of it, but had no idea that it was anywhere near complete just yet.

Thanks all. Am I the only one that generally gets turned off by megawads that don't have new music? (I guess this is easily fixed by having a winamp playlist of midis - not mp3's, that would be too un-doomlike)

Scimitar is kinda like Scythe, but without voodoo dolls in crushers that kill you if you don't finish the level in less than five seconds.

invictius said:

Am I the only one that generally gets turned off by megawads that don't have new music? (I guess this is easily fixed by having a winamp playlist of midis - not mp3's, that would be too un-doomlike)

I'm the same. Music is a very important part of Doom experience for me, and when I see that the author didn't work on it - it's a major turn off. And loading music wads often doesn't fix the problem for me because random midis may not fit the levels.

Memfis said:

I'm the same. Music is a very important part of Doom experience for me, and when I see that the author didn't work on it - it's a major turn off. And loading music wads often doesn't fix the problem for me because random midis may not fit the levels.

Whereas I play with music off. In the dial-up era, I always rolled my eyes at WADs with new music in the same zip file as the levels, because they wasted so much of my time and bandwidth on something I didn't need :)

NEIS beta!

http://www.doomworld.com/vb/wads-mods/60012-the-ultimate-doom-no-end-in-sight-beta-release/