The DWmegawad Club plays: Eviternity

Just realized I posted this a day early. Oh well.

Somebody is eager :D

There's no harm in letting it sit here as a placeholder 'til March-in-your-respective-timezone.  ^^

It's not even a leap year haha

First off: psyched y'all are giving it a go! Even if it's sorta unsurprising considering where the votes were falling... :P

As a thought though: MAP19 and MAP32 are crazy-long, especially considering the relative size of the rest of the maps in the wad. It's a bit of a tradition-fudge, but it might be worth grouping up a couple of the shorter maps -- perhaps MAP01+MAP02 and MAP05+MAP06, that way you can allocate two days each for 19 and 32. Otherwise I imagine there's gonna be a lot of falling-behind once those dates get reached.

Either way, have a blast! Or get blasted by Annihilators! Close enough.

fuck MAP19.

Also heads up, make sure you actually pick up the red key in MAP04, made that stupid mistake of going right next to the key and dropping down when I played and realized that I was not able to rereach the key there since the shelves went down.

5 hours ago, Xaser said:

As a thought though: MAP19 and MAP32 are crazy-long, especially considering the relative size of the rest of the maps in the wad. It's a bit of a tradition-fudge, but it might be worth grouping up a couple of the shorter maps -- perhaps MAP01+MAP02 and MAP05+MAP06, that way you can allocate two days each for 19 and 32. Otherwise I imagine there's gonna be a lot of falling-behind once those dates get reached.

We do tend to lose people midway due to the 15-31-32 all being squeezed into one day anyways, so maybe that's a good idea. So something like:

3/1: MAP01 + 02

3/2: MAP03

3/3: MAP04

3/4: MAP05 + 06

3/5 - 3/12: date + 2

3/13: MAP15 + 31

3/14 and 3/15: MAP32

3/16-3/18: regular map date

3/19 and 3/20: 19

3/21 onward: date -1

Whatever folks wanna do, I can see it both ways.

I recommend doing 15 and 31 on separate days, so maybe combine two more somewhere, or start with a bang doing 1-2-3.

I already played this last week, but I'll be publishing the videos of it daily this month :)

Looks like the first maps of each episode are on the smaller side (at least at first)... Ok, how about this schedule:

3/1: MAP01 + 02, then one map a day

3/5: MAP06 + 07, then one map a day

3/9: MAP11 + 12, then one map a day

3/12: MAP15

3/13: MAP31

3/14-15: MAP32

3/16: MAP16, then one map a day

3/19-3/20: MAP19, then one map a day

I'm gonna go ahead and pledge myself to this. I've been off and on running pistol-starts since the final release, and have only made it up to Skillsaw's map (31). I'm looking forward to seeing all the changes from RC1 that I missed.

One more newcomer to the club!

The last time I started this mapset I got distracted away before completing one episode, so any structure, schedule and a group to share my thoughts with are very welcome. I did like what I played, so let's do this!

Alright, it's now March here in the UK, so let's get this show on the road! I'm going to go with the schedule in Magnus' post above, though I'm conveniently going to be without wifi this weekend so I'll have to play a bit of catchup there. PrBoom+ 2.5.1.5 -complevel 11 HMP continuous w/ saves.

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Preface: Of course I was going to join for Eviternity :)) This was probably the most involved I was with the development of a WAD since the lukewarmly-received Doom 2 In Name Only, so it's been wonderful for me personally to see Eviternity doing so well. I was one of the later additions to the Eviternity team, coming on board in June, and initially I was only supposed to do soundtrack work for the WAD. Me and Josh discussed the music of the heaven episode specifically through Discord DMs before I joined the server, though as it ended up I was involved with playtesting (and a lot of it in the period between RC1 and the final release), mapping and even a bit of sprite work, to my own surprise. I wish I could have contributed more music to the project but I feel like I've been stretched pretty thin these last 6 months in particular so while I originally intended to do more, it just couldn't happen sadly.

Of course it goes without saying that I have played every map here at least once, most maps at least twice, and others a lot more, I can say off the bat there is only one I'm truly not a fan of and those familiar with the WAD already will win no prizes for guessing which map that is, but we'll talk about that later ;)

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So, onto Chapter I, the medieval theme.

MAP01: Inauguration - Dragonfly

2:23, 100% kills, 100% secrets

The distinctive pizzicato strings of Klem's "Midnight Call" from MM2 set the soundscape for the inaugural map, I must say this is an excellent example of The Petrichor Effect, using a seven-minute MIDI on a map that takes no more than three, but hey it gets the job done! From the off you can see some of the little additions Eviternity includes, in GZDoom you've got the falling rain and more importantly the pistol's rate of fire is heavily increased meaning it's actually useful for a change! Good thing too as the opposition here is a little heavier than you'd normally get from pistol-only gameplay, but all extremely straightforward. The layout is very simple and compact but does a good job of introducing the visual theme of this chapter. The two secret areas are both fairly easy to figure out, though if you're too hasty you may not notice their triggers, particularly the chaingun's secret. Don't forget about those secrets, by the way. Really. Don't.

All-in-all I think this is a MAP01 in its most classical sense, very short, very easy, gives you a small teaser of things you can expect to see in this WAD.

MAP02: Subterranean - Dragonfly

4:11, 100% kills, 100% secrets

So you'll notice that this map begins exactly where MAP01 ends, to the extent that the exit switch of MAP01 literally opens the door to MAP02. I always thought it was cool when maps do this and it's basically the norm in Eviternity - there's only a couple of cases where this doesn't happen. In a bit of a difference from MAP01, this map carries a more natural look, featuring a quick romp through waterlogged caverns accompanied by Jimmy's "Octarine." I can only hope one day that I'll be able to write music as quickly as he does, goddamn, didn't he make this MIDI in like 30 minutes? Anyway, I digress. What I like about the layout of this map is that despite its linearity is that you see areas before you reach them on multiple occasions, it repeatedly loops back on itself, and I guess that's not such an uncommon thing to see in Doom maps but there's something about this case that feels a little different, I dunno. It's cool! Strong BTSX E2 vibes with the atmosphere of this map for sure. Shotgunning hell knights isn't to everyone's taste, but if you've got the chaingun from the previous map's secret area there's enough bullet ammo for you to use here.

Solid stuff to begin with for sure, but we're only just getting started.

got to play eviternity only now and... i'm impressed.

MAP01 - "Inauguration" by Dragonfly

reminded me immediately of requiem's map02 with the full moon above, behind fir trees, what a sight. zombies as easy practice for the buffed pistol - it's not only more useful, but more fun to use. imps and demons as a mix - i could explore the map almost undisturbed as they had enough with their petty spat. teleports are easily seen as they emit red sparks. then pay attention to details - it's how the chaingun is found. nice warm-up map, looks indeed ancient with its dark wood and stone with demon faces carved in. the otex textures are phenomenal, fit id's work perfectly. i can't imagine anyone will be disappointed with this wad.

wow

mystery!

MAP02 - "Subterranean" by Dragonfly

takes place in a cave where you can often see where you'll go next, but have to find the way first or unblock it. the exit is in a kind of small wooden temple guarded by imps, but the exit is controlled by a switch above. the way to it leads through the whole cave, which manages to look pretty and natural in the doom engine, complete with creeks and waterfalls and relaxing music. we see the first chaingunner and hell knight. the latter throws his usual bright green plasma, but the fire around his hands is more turquoise, perhaps because of a palette change. very easily infighting monster mixes again, the shotgunners in the dark are the only enemy that can take on by surprise. so, after knocking the knight off his switch, who too all imp balls from below, we enter the wooden temple (or hut in a cave, whatever).

player 9 scores

(it's from xaser's damnums mod, appeared right when i took the shot)
 

1-Inauguration

It was a nice little medieval area. Not very hard, or very long. It’s definitely a MAP01. I finished it pretty quickly and I don’t have much to say. Expect my later writeups to be longer, as with the levels in the megawad.

2-Subterranean

Longer and harder than the first map, but still a nice easy ride through a cavernous natural area with a few abstract buildings set up. Mid-tier monsters show up here, still no SSG, but I got a chaingun instead. Despite its short length I still wound up getting lost at one point, failing to notice the stairs hidden in the cliffside on the lower part of the exit area, running around trying to figure out how to open the two doors on the platform where the green armor was instead. In this search for switches I found the one that lowered the secret backpack. Nice map.

I've been trying to get some free time to tackle Eviternity in all its glory. I'll join the DWMC for some of the earlier chapters/maps but will likely drop out part way through and tackle the rest later when time permits. I'm attempting to use @Magnusblitz's altered schedule.

Source Port & Game Mode & Style

game mode: gzdoom3.7.2, uvmax, pistol start, first time played but not blind as I've watched several demos, no saves atm but likely later
stats: seeking 100% k/i/s
play speed: resembling the movement of an old man with a walking stick.
play style: hiding in a corner with one hand on a rifle while sucking his thumb, anything that moves gets its head blown off.

Warning Regarding Mods

Note that Eviternity includes dehacked monster changes and does not work well with some other mods, for example smoothdoom to name one I tried. Test your mod by summoning some of the monsters (e.g. lost soul, baron of hell, commander keen and nightmare demon) to make sure you are getting the correct monster and/or behavior.

chapter: Archaic, map01: Inauguration, by Dragonfly
uvmax, 100% k/i/s obtained

We have a gentle opener to start Eviternity's first chapter. With only tier 1 monsters to face, our marine can enjoy taking in the stunning view of a map made using the new, smooth, high resolution otex texture pack for the very first time. Though impressed, our marine has his guard up immediately and is not fooled for a minute, muttering sarcastically "Great! A beautiful and slick backdrop to showcase my blood and guts when a rocket splatters me in the back later on".

You will enjoy the faster firing pistol for the first half of the level until you can pick up an old favorite, the shotgun. The 2 secrets are helpful, one with a green armor and the other with an early chaingun acquisition.

chapter: Archaic, map02: Subterranean, by Dragonfly
uvmax, 100% k/i/s obtained

A marvelous subterranean cave system to explore. The caves alter when you use some of the switches. Multiple tunnels connect the various caverns you stumble into in clever and surprising ways, but fortunately nothing too maze like or bewildering to impede your marines' progress as he goes about the business of, er, "de-monsterising" the cave. The hell knight and chain gunner are introduced as well as some switch traps that aren't all that dangerous now but you just know these kind of traps are going to become more scary as the brutality ramps up on the maps to come. There's a secret berserk pack in plain view you need to work out how to get.

All right, time for the first release of the year, Eviternity:

First of all, I thought my PrBoom was accelerated, because my pistol was shooting faster, but this is actually a feature, a good one, since you are going to be gunning a lot with it through the first level, although this may make Pistol starting easier in the future....
I also noticed a slight change of PLAYPAL, which in my opinion, it's really welcome, pinkies look even more pink.

MAP01 Inauguration - Joshua O'Sullivan (96% K/ 100% I/ 0% S):

Beautiful first map, with a lot of pistol action that is pretty well balanced around the new fire rate. It gets challenging if you waste too much ammo, but not a big problem. I love that MM2 song, it really fits.
Map overall is pretty well detailed and makes you want to play more of this mapset.
Nothing much more to say about this map, is pretty simple, but effective.
Didn't know how to get any secrets, I felt like I wasn't trying my best to find them. 

Death counter: 0

Alright, so I played the first two maps of this previously on RC1, and it was amazeballs. Figured I'd wait for RC2 before continuing (and also figured the Club would be playing it when that happened.) So here I go. Eviternity actually forced me to upgrade my GZDoom to 3.7.1, which has a tendency to lag on occasion on my machine (even running at 640x480!) so I actually played through the first two maps tonight, and then installed GZDoom 3.7.2 and ran through them again on that. (Either it actually ran a bit more smoothly, or I didn't notice it anymore.) In addition, I'll be playing on HMP/continuous/saves/keyboard-only.

MAP01: Inauguration

7:53 (3:03) | 100% Everything

Right off the bat, you know you're in for something special when you step out of that absolutely gorgeous portal into the rain. The new pistol feels fantastic, and makes waiting for the first shotgun not so painful (and sometimes I found myself switching back to pistol for some sniping action.) The first time I played this, I completely missed what the very first switch opened up, so I was confused for a bit. Other than that wrinkle, progression is pretty dead simple, making a little loop around the map. My first attempt tonight only took 4 minutes to find the exit; the rest of the time was me trying to remember how to get to the chaingun secret. (Obviously my second pass went much more quickly.) Not really much of a level here, but what there is is a great showcase for the new textures, etc. (And I love that Mark Klem track.)

MAP02: Subterranean

14:49 (6:36) | 100% Kills | 93% Items | 0% Secrets

I didn't mention the new sky, which wails: in this map it looked especially amazing peeking through into the caves (especially with bloom effect on in GZDoom.) This map kind of herds you into the correct path at first before opening up a little more; I actually managed to get stuck/lost on my first ever play, somehow. In fact, my third attempt was the first time I ever wound up taking the "correct" progression. My first play, I managed to break sequence somehow I think, by climbing through an opening between cave rooms, and I was therefore very confused by the teleporters that show up near the end. (Presumably that was fixed up since RC1.) On my second play (my first tonight) I did everything right up until the end: I had thought the point was to raise the lift to the hell knight and his switch that makes the exit accessible; I assumed hitting the switch that releases the caco ambush was what did that. So I'd hit the switch, and backtrack to the new lift. But no! From the caco room, you just walk up the waterfall and lo! you're right there at the HK switch! I'm a genius! Anyway, in RC1 I was never able to find the secret, which makes me sad because as a continuous player, I really want that backpack! My first time of 14:49 includes over 5 minutes of wandering around trying to figure that out, and failing. My second time, of course, is me giving up on every figuring that out.

To preface, I will be using GZ 3.6 since that's the minimum I need to upgrade to get the GZ version working. My idea is to UV-Max every map, but if I have too much of a time constraint, then I may need to pass a secret or two. I've played Eviternity up to Map 14 in RC1, then up to Map 31 in the final release, and it has been one of the best Doom experiences I've had in a long time. I will get to the release changes when I come to them, and will stop stalling the maps.

UV, pistol-start, no saves

MAP 01: INAUGURATION

(All stats will be listed at the end of each video)

Throughout the entirety of this map, I could not shake the feeling that this would be a modern day reimagining of Scythe 2's "Castle Entrance". Everything about the two maps correlate, such as the way that it gets some mileage out of the newly upgraded pistol, the ambience of manuvering around an outside courtyard with towering walls around you, and the gated off inside areas feel right at home with Scythe 2. The gentle back and forth naviagation of this map felt great to play through. Feeling is definitely Eviternity's stronger suit. You can complain about the style or difficutly all you want, but there's no way you can fault it for how the maps feel. It's overall an excellent introduction, and a perfect example for what's to come.

MAP 02: SUBTERRANEAN

If anything is going to stick with me about this map, it is that beautiful midi. I wasn't crying, but I had that feeling in my chest that you usually feel when you tear up at something. I won't bother explaining why Jimmy is so good at what he does, because anything I could say has already been said before. 

Subterranean is a great example as to how Eviternity maps can have a very maze-like layout, and still be incredibly direct and clear. Despite navigating through very similar caverns, I never felt like I was truly lost at any point. I felt the waterways helped to differentiate between certain turns, and not even the teleport could turn me around. Keep these excellent pieces coming. 

So I've played through roughly half of an earlier release candidate of this WAD, but I'll be starting over with the final release version for DWMC purposes.  ZDoom, Hurt Me Plenty, continuous play with saves as and when I feel like them.

MAP01: Inauguration

The WAD and the episode begin with a map that's on the small side (as expected) but which makes the most of its limited footprint and introduces players to the new features of Eviternity, from the faster-firing pistol to the delicious new textures and subtly shifted palette of @ukiro's OTEX that see such good use here.  The overall is suggestive of layers or tiers, the grand door which bars the exit forming a central point from which the map's other structures and sub-regions radiate and descend; the player is called upon to climb to that top tier, then descend to the distant canal, before finally making their way back to the exit.  The gameplay is fairly low-key - mostly zombies and imps, a measured handful of demons, spectres, and (at least on Hurt Me Plenty) a solitary shotgun sergeant to keep things interesting, although the rapid-fire pistol means that the map can throw more of those low-tier enemies at you at once without things feeling too hectic.

MAP02: Subterranean

Things begin to heat up quite nicely here, as the player's journey takes them through a series of partially flooded caverns dividing the fortified exit of the preceding map from whatever deeper structures lie beyond.  The cave areas are wonderfully well realised, with a single consistent system of waterways connecting the different chambers; sometimes you can follow the underground river upstream toward its source or downstream to its terminus, but at other times it passes through a fissure too narrow for the player's body to pass and you're compelled to find another way around, but it's a lovely thoughtful bit of design that really helps to draw the player into the map as more than just a functional arrangement of combat spaces.  It's pretty well interconnected, too, with the path of progression bringing you back to previously explored caverns at higher elevations, atop previously inacessible ledges, or on the other side of impassable gulfs, with regular releases of additional monsters ensuring that you get to see what those caverns look and play like from multiple perspectives.

I already recorded these over the last couple of weeks.  I see the new schedule, but I'll still be following the old megawad schedule with my releases.  (15,31, and 32 on the 15th).

MAP01: Ordinary opening level, the upgraded pistol is nice so all the pistol play doesn't get boring and the pistol can also be a viable weapon in the future. It doesn't take so long to play with bigger guns: the SG and a secret chaingun that come at the right time.

MAP02: Meeting already hell knights and cacos was a bit unexpected since MAP01 features only the usual low tiers, good to see that the things are stepping up. There are some nice details like the creeks in the caves but I liked more MAP01 theme.

Forgot to mention that MAP02's music track, "Octarine", might be my favorite Jimmy piece ever.

6 hours ago, Dragonfly said:

 McMotivation

Here we go!

Play Info

Source Port : GZDoom 3.7.2

Difficulty : Hurt Me Plenty

Saves : Allowed. Doing my best to not save in the middle of a fight though.

Restrictions : Pistol start.

MAP 01 – Inauguration

I played this map a few times already so I knew what to expect. The pistol received a small firing upgrade, which was useful to fend off the few imps and demons before I got the shotgun. The initial zombie ambush remains the map’s most memorable moment, and makes for overall a good first impression. Lovely music, even if I don’t have the specific adoration for Klem’s work as some of you do. Mostly because the last time I played Memento Mori 2 was a very far time ago.

Something that struck me replaying this map is how simple its design is. Three layers of a quarter circle, a few structures connecting these layers together, and very little backtracking. I know this is the first map of a big mapset, but it feels like you could show that specific map to a new mapper as an example of what they should make first before trying to create a big sprawling epic.

MAP 02 – Subterranean

Well, this map is definitely more detailed, even if it remains simple. As Dragonfly mentioned, it’s still a linear map, winding clockwise then counterclockwise, with creeks and valleys to see future areas and take potshots at enemies. I did get shamefullly lost on the berserk pack area missing the pathway back to the starting area (Imagine finding the secret switch then shooting imps yelling WHERE DO I GO) and missed the initial shotgun on my run. Even with pistol start, limited weaponry and the inclusion of a few hell knights and cacodemons, HMP seems to be a bit on the easy end; then again, from what I heard of “astral cacos” and that these are the first two maps, maybe it’s better if I stay on this difficulty.

Everything from this point on is completely fresh. Yup, didn’t get past map 02 before I got distracted by other mapsets.

While putting in an actual post I realized I don't pay enough attention to do even a single post on MAP01. Therefore, I probably won't detail my experience with this mapset. Still might play and talk though.