1 Monster Megawad MAP02 Remake: Hangar of Evil

Probably many know the 1 Monster Megawad. The idea is interesting, and some of the maps are really nice. But many people asked the authors to create normal maps out of those.

I took a map I liked from the wad, MAP02 by Torn/Ryathaen, and remade it into a proper map. Here is the list of things done:

• Added a variety of monsters
• Changed some minor things, like some sector heights, shapes, lighting levels etc. mostly for gameplay reasons
• Re-skinned the map with the gorgeous Darkening 2 texture set by Ola Bjorling
• Added custom music, from Darkening 2 as well, second map

The map was tested with prboom-plus, default compatibility. The 1 Monster Megawad claims that it is incompatible with Vanilla Doom, but it is possible that this simple map would work fine even in Vanilla.

The WAD contains two maps: my version is MAP01, the original is MAP02. So you guys can compare. Your choice which map to start with :)

Screenshots are attached, so is the wad file.

1imp_d2.zip

The edited version inherited the original's biggest flaw, which is that the first half involves lots of single shotgun vs. imp clusters in situations where the single shotgun serves only to make everything take twice or three times as long. The corridor- and chokepoint-based layout also makes it unfeasible to rush through to get a better weapon. The red key room is bugged with a single-directional standoff against pinkies that amounts more to meat clearing than anything. The room behind the red key doors is packed with imps to make getting to the good stuff tougher, and the room behind the 64-wide blue key doors is even filled to its brim with ineffectual spectres that only function as yet another delay of the SSG acquisition. The early secret RL gives you a net total of four rockets, so there is not much mileage to be had there, although it does sooth the tedium a bit. There are several cacodemons roaming around all the while, which luckily can be completely ignored, but they definitely contribute to the impression that dull single shotgun grind was the intended gameplay style. The outdoor area is more tolerable but again noticeably stingy with rockets -- a single box when there are several mancs and a big horde of imps. So it's definitely a map suited best towards 'single shotgun against lots of HP' grind fetishists, but not much more. The total commitment to not providing armament that would be very satisfying for the types of monsters deployed -- berserk for imps and pinkies, much earlier SSG for all the meat packed into the map, far more rockets for all the clusters of stuff, even a secret BFG with one or two shots for satisfying neutralization of lots of stuff -- is glaring. 

I think the edited version wins by default, mostly because the original map is much the same but has 200 imps and nothing else. But both play poorly, and it's noteworthy that not all changes are for the better, particularly where pinkies and spectres are involved. It looks good, at least. 

I kind of agree with you, I don't think this map was that great to begin with, but I liked the layout and wanted to try to work with someone else's map for a change. Working it into a better gameplay was tough.

However, I am totally up for reading through people's opinions and perhaps changing the level, so that it becomes fun.

In terms of pinkies, I generally don't like pinkies because they are tedious. However, I tried using them in a way that would make more sense. If you have a couple of pinkies in a smallish room, it is a bit challenging. At the same time the room is big enough that you could move around.

As with spectres, I had an idea that once you enter the door, all other doors will open and some pinkies might escape the room. The failure here is that Doom monster AI does not work that way. And they just gather in front of you.

I thought a lot about the chaingun and whether it should be added earlier. Totally open to adding it much earlier, even if through having a chaingunner somewhere on the level early on.

Either way, thank you for the feedback, difficult to disagree, but I still need to understand what can be done apart from "add more ammo and weapons".