The DWmegawad Club plays: 99 Ways to Die & Troopers' Playground & Talosian Incident

MAP13: Get the Hell Out

There's only so much one can say about a map that's dominated by a single gloomy arena fight against a handful of revenants and arachnotrons, and after a couple of pretty solid maps the limited scope and undercooked gameplay on offer here can't help but be rather underwhelming.  On to the next.

MAP13: I don't know if I really want to "get the hell out", especially when to exit the level I have to jump into an unknown pit. It's a simple arena fight, and the imposing atmosphere made me to expect to face something worse. This is better on UV after reading the other comments, at least there's also a couple of arch-viles added to the mix. I really like the desing of the room before the cave, with computers on the ceiling and a nice use of the crate texture.

map13: Get the Hell Out, by Malcolm Sailor
zdoom2.8.1, uvmax, pistol start, no saves, first time played

Get the Hell Out! If you can. It's not like the enemies give you a chance to leave the facility before trying to break you into itty bitty pieces. A short but intense affair, with one main battle where you unleash 2 archviles, revenants and arachnotrons in a pit with an octagonal center. You are given a rocket launcher with plenty of ammo but not a lot of room for cover. The fight is over one way or another in a minute. The fight for the exit consists of a handful of chaingunners that shouldn't be that much of a threat. There is one ugly, fatal gotcha trap to steer clear of that got me the first time through.

MAP14

A brown base of mostly square rooms with quite a bit of backtracking. It's very much oriented toward set piece encounters, with little or no organic or freeform combat. I mean, it's ... fine. It's just wholly unmemorable.

The final encounter with the 'trons and mama spider is trivially easy to cheese. I ducked right, they started infighting, and I moseyed off to the exit while they had their little family squabble.

Also, since it is the 25th here, and I figure it will take 9-12 months of me banging on about it for this to finally win support :), I feel safe voting for:

+++ Dawn of the Dead, Phobos, Earth and Classic Episode

Earth?! You monster...

1 hour ago, Memfis said:

Earth?! You monster...

It's only 10 days.  And you can just not play it :)

What's wrong with that pwad?

20 minutes ago, NeedHealth said:

What's wrong with that pwad?

It's from an era of WAD-making where architectural extravaganza generally got emphasised over gameplay (e.g. it came out around the same time as the famously unplayable Gothic DM 2).

Yeah, I went into doombuilder to find the revenant that ate like 60% of my health, only to find out that the whole level fills with enemies. What's with that ? Seems kind of cheap .. the waves were a nice touch though.

Earth is good. I second this vote

+++Dawn of Dead, Phobos, Earth, Classic Episode.

Learn to respect classic wads that have IWAD-style gameplay. It's really the easiest thing you can do.

MAP14 Beneath

Now this is more of a Malcolm Sailor map. Some interesting hordes of imps and demons abound in this one. Having to shoot across that fence reminded me of Barrels O' Fun. But the carnage is there when it's there. The secret rocket launcher is for the arachnotron crowd, and a spiderdemon lurks among them on higher settings.

Just now, NuMetalManiak said:

Learn to respect classic wads that have IWAD-style gameplay. It's really the easiest thing you can do.

 

Of the top of my head I can't rememberer one id level that fills the whole play space with enemies.

MAP14: It looked interesting at first, the part with the lava floor, and the cave setting is nice but it's a very unremarkable level. It's plenty of boxes of rockets around and no RL on UV. Ugh, iwad music... nothing wrong with it but the "ambient" custom music is one of the strong points of the wad.

+++ Heroes' Tales.

MAP14: Beneath

This is the first time we've heard the original Doom II music track for any given level and I have to agree with @gaspe that it's not wrong but it really doesn't fit the tone of the WAD as a whole, especially coming out of left field as it does.  With every previous level having featured custom music I went and checked the Doomwiki entry for this level, which does state that it "uses a music track by John Bye," but having poked around in the TALOSM.WAD file itself, there's no D_DDTBL2 data to be seen.

As for the level itself, it's a fairly low-key experience, a gloomy underground of caves and wooden areas in contrast to the techbase theme of several preceding maps; it begins with a downward leap from the level before, and features a couple of similar drops in its gameplay (one into a familiar skyhole-in-the-floor teleporter, one into a chasm) that continue that spelunking theme of delving ever deeper into the bowels of the planet.  What it puts me in mind of is nothing so much as the middle episode of Silent Hill 2, the progression of Historical Society to prison to labyrinth all connected by "leaps of faith" into dark abysses; of course, this WAD is a 1997 release, Silent Hill 2 wouldn't be released until 2001 so my mental sense of cause and effect is reversed.  Other that that sense of onward, downward progression, this is another map with fairly conventionally Doom-like gameplay.

Oh, and...

+++ Strange Aeons

41 minutes ago, NeedHealth said:

Of the top of my head I can't rememberer one id level that fills the whole play space with enemies.

Unless the wiki lies, map01 has 65 enemies on UV.  Must be a small play space! :)

Yeah forgot that MAP14 has that music track from IWADs. That's the one thing I no longer like from the IWADs, even Evilution. I just can't stand IWAD music anymore so I just make my own music wad to replace any IWAD music. Sorry Bobby Prince fans, but I like his Duke/ROTT/Wolf3D/other Apogee works better.

54 minutes ago, NeedHealth said:

Of the top of my head I can't rememberer one id level that fills the whole play space with enemies.

There is no need to fill up the entire level with enemies. Less is more. Less is stronger. Less is real life. Less is fantasy. Less is caught in a landslide. And less is not an escape from reality.

+++ Heroes' Tales

I second @gaspe's excellent choice.

map14: Beneath, by Malcolm Sailor
zdoom2.8.1, uvmax, pistol start, no saves, first time played

Another dark, subterranean map, this one a mix of civilised structures and natural caverns. Malcolm Sailor has provided some key teleporters as the only way to travel to certain areas, building the tension the first time you step onto each new teleporter as you wonder what new hell awaits on the other side.

You meet the wads first spider mastermind guarding the exit in a cavern with half a dozen arachnotrons. There is so much cover though that polishing off the noisy beast is a cinch after he's been weakened by the arachnotrons.

The most frustrating aspect of the map for the pistol starter is picking up a motherload of rockets but not being provided with a rocket launcher! The super shotgun is sufficient but going crazy with the rocket launcher would have been more fun.

+++ A.L.T.

6 hours ago, Capellan said:

Dawn of the Dead, Phobos, Earth and Classic Episode

Max limits on episodes is three, sorry :P (I should probably put that somewhere in the OP...)

4 minutes ago, dobu gabu maru said:

Max limits on episodes is three, sorry :P (I should probably put that somewhere in the OP...)

Thwarting my plans again, I see.

I can't be bothered figuring out another combination that adds to 30, so I guess I'll skip voting this month.

Enough 90s corridor crawls, can we get back to newschool stuff?

+++ Mayhem16 and Dimension of The Boomed (Its done only baring some potential bug fixes!)

+++ Mayhem '16 and Dimension of the Boomed

I fell behind a little bit, so here's a big dump of reviews.

MAP10 - Hardware

This map is a big style shift from the early maps in the wad, with a tech or earth based theme instead of the brown bricks and caves most of the previous maps had going on. It's still fairly easy and simple without too many challenging fights or traps in the way, and it's another map you can get through in no time but at least it was a bit different than the rest of the wad so far.

MAP11 - Software

Right here we have a map that is enjoyable to play through while actually looking good as well. the architecture here is certainly more interesting and complex than the previous maps mess of doors,hallways and square rooms. and there's also a few challenging moments here such as the final Archvile fight towards the end of the map. Plus the map's got great atmosphere with the dark and dim techbase theme going on so it's pretty much a winner by all accounts.

MAP12 - Vulcan

We're still with the tech theme here but overall this map has a different feel than the rest of the wad, Considering it was made by another mapper than the typical John Bye/Malcolm Sailor duo that would explain it. The map's close quarters, packed tight with enemies and there's couple of nasty fuck you traps such as at the blue and red keys, making it one of the toughest challenges so far. The map felt a bit sloppily designed if that makes any sense, but it was still one of the most enjoyable maps of the pack so far.

MAP13 - Get the Hell Out

So, this is a map that seems to be bigger on storytelling than it is on gameplay. The whole thing's really just one arena fight and once that's done it's on to the exit. The main showdown itself is a fair enough challenge, With 2 Archviles among a handful of enemies such as Arachis and Revenants. Although this map might have been better called Get The Hell In, considering the ominous pit at the end of the map.

MAP14 - Beneath

There's another change of style here, with us going into a more hellish atmosphere. Like something you'd see in the final episode of Doom II. Other than that there's not too much to say about his map. It's pretty basic and short without providing much in the way of challenging or interesting gameplay to leave a lasting impression. I believe we had our first boss monster on this map with a Spidermastermind surrounded by a bunch of little Arachis but it wasn't too hard to deal with.

+++ Mayhem '16 and Dimension of the Boomed

8 hours ago, dobu gabu maru said:

Max limits on episodes is three, sorry :P (I should probably put that somewhere in the OP...)

Can you clarify this rule Dobu? Do you mean you can't choose 1 episode from more than 3 different wads? I ask because DWMC has played 4 episodes from 1 or 2 wads several times in the past. E.g.

• 2002: A Space Odyssey - Mar, 2013
• Ultimate Doom - Dec, 2013
• CONC.E.R.N.ED + Draft Excluder - Mar, 2015
• No End In Sight - Mar, 2017

57 minutes ago, tmorrow said:

 

Can you clarify this rule Dobu? Do you mean you can't choose 1 episode from more than 3 different wads? I ask because DWMC has played 4 episodes from 1 or 2 wads several times in the past. E.g.

• 2002: A Space Odyssey - Mar, 2013
• Ultimate Doom - Dec, 2013
• CONC.E.R.N.ED + Draft Excluder - Mar, 2015
• No End In Sight - Mar, 2017

He meant as in wads. You can't chose more than 3 wads (I interpret his "episode" is like every new wad is like a new "episode" in the Doomguy show).

+++ Heroes' Tales

7 minutes ago, Catpho said:

He meant as in wads. You can't chose more than 3 wads

Thanks @Catpho, I thought that might be the case. If not then Dobu will let us know.

+++Plutonium Winds , +++ Master levels

Oh man! We're doing 3 wads, one of which is one I've suggested for a long time, and I'm far behind! Well, time I get cracking. Gonna play through 99 Ways to Die First, and I might as well do the entire wad in one post in order to catch up.

So for 99 Ways to Die, it's three maps designed by Warren Marshall, who went on to make some Quake maps after this wad. Funny enough, the levels in the wad emulate the architecture and texture style of Quake, right down to the heavy use of brown textures. It also has a story, according to Marshall, in which four arch-viles have raided a castle and you need to eliminate them along with the rest of its unholy denizens in order to reclaim it. One of the most notable features of 99 Ways to Die is that Warren Marshall makes great emphasis on detail and lighting, which are very impressive for 1996 standards, so its no wonder it was among the top 100 wads made between 1994 to 2003. The levels are fairly short and for the most part on the easy side, but you still have to stay on your toes at there are some tricky spots, which are more intense for pistol-starters. On to the wad, on Hurt Me Plenty (the exit teleporter in the final map does not work in Ultra-Violence for some reason)

Map01

100% kills, 100% items, 100% secrets

Time: 04:51

Pretty good introductory map which sets in motion the story Warren Marshall made. First order of affair is to grab the shotgun, and open the door to the inside of the castle to kill the shotgunners so that they won't pose a problem since they can snipe you from the windows. Then, take out the imps and demons in the outdoor section and pick up the goodies. Inside the castle, make your way around the hallways and find the super shotgun for heavy firepower. Watch out for sniper chaingunners as you explore the castle. While collecting the yellow key is optional, it's advisable to go ahead so you can pick up the rocket launcher, soul sphere and mega armour that's behind the yellow door, though it's guarded by enemies, among of which are a cacodemon and two revenants. Overall, this is a straightforward map which mostly optional bits, which makes checking them out fun. Save for the heavyweights behind the yellow door, it's quite an easy, but you need to be careful of the sniper chaingunners.

Map02

100% kills, 100% items, 100% secrets

Time: 06:33

The brown theme continues on this map. When you go down the stairs to the chamber with the nukage pool, a secret door opens revealing a hallway with spectres and some ammo, including a backpack. Rush for the hallway and go up the elevator to a large dark area with pillars, some cacodemons and lost souls, spectres roaming around the water at the bottom until they teleport to where you are, and some revenants that can be crushed by a crushing ceiling. Here is where you can find more goodies, including a plasma rife and soul sphere. I like to snipe off the enemies that teleported to the courtyard and to the other side of the map with the rocket launcher as they're all grouped together. Be sure to check the cavern near the nukage pool for the yellow key where you can collect more stuff you'll need. The pain elemental in the outdoor yard beyond can be a nuisance, especially when you have chaingunners to worry about. As you make your way up eliminating the imps in each level, you'll come down some stairs where a wall opens revealing demons. Don't attack them as that will alert an arch-vile from where the imps were. Thankfully, it can be killed easily with a few rockets. While a bit trickier than the first map, it's still a breeze.

Map03

101% kills, 100% items, 50% secrets

Time: 08:20

The last map in the wad and it can be pretty tough, though still manageable. The west side of the map leads to two courtyards, with the first one containing arachnotrons and lost souls, and as you make your way up and across to the next courtyard, you'll be approaching one of the trickiest fights the map has to offer. First off, after hitting the switch opening the door to the structure out in the second courtyard, you'll have to go in and climb up some stairs to reach the red key, but keep your guard up as a horde of monsters will spawn in which consists of demons, cacodemons, pain elementals and an arch-vile. This is a very hairy situation because while you're attacking the arch-vile with the rocket launcher, the demons and lost souls spawned by pain elementals can get in the way causing you to eat a rocket. Luckily, there's a cell pack for the plasma rifle, which you can use for the other monsters. The east section leads to some tunnels, where you can find a hidden megasphere behind a nukage fall (one of the secrets on the steps will not register, so I couldn't get all secrets), it's also loaded with baddies. Then you get the north section beyond the red bars, which leads to a fight up the elevator to the teleporter where you reach the end, culminating in a battle against two mancubi and two arch-viles. Pretty hectic of all the three maps, but a lot of fun.

So that wraps up 99 Ways to Die. Great small set of maps, the level design is excellent for its time, and the gameplay offers both fun and challenge. Definitely a wad worth keeping. I'll do The Trooper's Playground tomorrow. See you again soon.

44 minutes ago, T-Rex said:

the final map does not work in Ultra-Violence for some reason

It's a bug. Look for a patch to 99ways wad on the first page by @Memfis, posted May 1. Note on map03 that one of the secrets won't register.

Also since you are about to tackle TTP, note if you are using zdoom you'll need a patch to the def file so the evil marine works properly (it works fine in prboom, glboom, gzdoom though). Refer to my fix, posted May 1. Further note that map06 has a bug where a secret that won't register.

I look forward to your reviews!