Happy Mordeth Day, 20th Anniversary Edition

Yes folks, that's right. Today, the 22nd of February 2017, is the 20th anniversary of the release of Mordeth Episode 1.

It also marks twenty years of waiting for Episodes 2 and 3. Something commemorated through the Mordeth Award in the yearly Cacowards. And it's very nearly the ten year anniversary of the last official update from Mord himself... which was about the tenth anniversary.

If you haven't ever played the original Mordeth Episode 1, why not do it now? Either with Chocolate Doom, for the most authentic experience, or a fancy GPU-accelerated port like GZDoom. Be sure to follow the instructions on the Doom Wiki in order to get it working in a modern port, as the WAD has some Vanilla-era oddities that cause problems otherwise.

Does it still hold up today? I'll let you be the judge of that. But its influence can still be seen in levels like Brigandine, whose aesthetics can trace a lineage back to the labyrinthine alleyways and sewers that Gaston Lahaut laid down in a map editor two decades ago.

Personally, I can't be objective about Mordeth Episode 1, even now. It was the first WAD I ever played that felt like more than just a new level, but a piece of art. It created a sense of atmosphere and place that became the yardstick by which I judged other WADs, and other games. It was a huge influence on my own mapping efforts, particularly my levels for 10 Sectors and Crucified Dreams.











See you in 2027!

finish ?

That renderer ruins those scenes ;-(

edit: made gooder

Does it hold up today? mmmm... not really.

I checked out some maps recently such as ic2004 and cct2 that were new when I was entering the community, they aren't as fascinating now as I remembered them to be. Not trying to say that Mordeth is by any means bad, but a lot of stuff that looked great 10, 15, and in this case 20 years ago only looks ok now. I remember thinking all the stuff on doomworlds hosted pages were awesome but nowadays they look pretty easily reproducible.

Has anyone bothered to ask the Mordeth guy if the project is still going on?

I played through Mordeth not too long ago and I wasn't particularly impressed by it at the time. Maybe I should take another look at it.

Confession: I've never played Mordeth E1.

Hectic said:

Has anyone bothered to ask the Mordeth guy if the project is still going on?

He's still active in the Eternity sub-forum, and his posts indicate he's still poking at it.

I heard about Mordeth a thousand times and never played it.

One of the screenshots reminds me of Gas Panic from 10 Sectors.

I never played Mordeth but it looks good, might give it a go sometime.

SFoZ911 said:

One of the screenshots reminds me of Gas Panic from 10 Sectors.

You DO know that Jonathan made that map and it was a direct homage to Mordeth, right??

Linguica said:

You DO know that Jonathan made that map and it was a direct homage to Mordeth, right??

I had no idea. I never played Mordeth and I didn't know that Jonathan is the one who made Gas Panic. Thanks for the info though.

Speaking of learning new things, it just occurred to me that Jon and Jonathan are two different people. My name is Jon too.

40oz said:

Does it hold up today? mmmm... not really.

I checked out some maps recently such as ic2004 and cct2 that were new when I was entering the community, they aren't as fascinating now as I remembered them to be. Not trying to say that Mordeth is by any means bad, but a lot of stuff that looked great 10, 15, and in this case 20 years ago only looks ok now. I remember thinking all the stuff on doomworlds hosted pages were awesome but nowadays they look pretty easily reproducible.

Hm. I think Mordeth still looks great for what it wanted to do, even in direct comparison with more modern mods that try to achieve similar results.

And ic2004 still counts as one of my favorite techbase maps ever (as does its immediate successor ic2005.)

Wow, what a misleading title, you got me there.

Damn, I should play more good Doom WADs, like well-known ones...

You know, Mordeth etc. In any case, happy birthday Mordeth! See your continuation in 2030! :D

Or until someone dares to do it by themselves, and prove that Doom Never Dies... hi? Oh, that someone is me! :P

I thought this was talking about the user at first. I was wrong.

Anyways, looks great. Might give it a playthrough sometime.

Sgt Ender said:

I thought this was talking about the user at first. I was wrong.

wait what? i thought the user was also the creator of mordeth

roadworx said:

wait what? i thought the user was also the creator of mordeth

I'm confused honestly.

They say nuffin is better than deth, besides mordeth.
I like the trees and barrels.

Thanks again for the kind words, Jonathan. Time sure flies, and I consider myself lucky that people still hold E1 in high regards.

You're the most creative mapper from the 90's, why wouldn't it be held in high regards?

I think Mordeth should be re-released ready to drag and play. While it's easy to do the configuration by myself, that would be more convenient, and easier to figure out for newer players.

EDIT: nevermind, I saw the DeuSF version.

Gothic said:

I think Mordeth should be re-released ready to drag and play.

A port compatible version is available here. Use the two WAD and the DEH file with your favorite port of choice.

So, at such a landmark anniversary, this needs the question of exactly how close to completion the next version is. Will Episode 1 be completely redone for it? And when release finally comes will it just be the next episode or the complete package?

Mordeth said:

A port compatible version is available here. Use the two WAD and the DEH file with your favorite port of choice.

Wouldn't it make sense to merge the two wads and to put the DEH as an embedded DEHACKED lump?

Gez said:

Wouldn't it make sense to merge the two wads and to put the DEH as an embedded DEHACKED lump?

I think the more imnportant question is, why is the better package not on /idgames? Strangely enough that's the version I downloaded many years ago so I never realized that it wasn't the same.

Oh yah, Mordeth was a thing. Uh, Happy Birthday!

What a classic!

Still good to this day, love playing the last few city levels in particular, the architecture and 3d bridges alone make them a pleasure.

Happy birthday!

So, if I understand correctly, Mordeth is the Doom community's equivalent to Duke Nukem Forever?

Yeah.

Except that one came out.