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The DWmegawad Club plays: Doom the Way id Did (& Ultimate DTWID!)

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(Crispy Doom, HMP-Continuous)

 

E2M1

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Right off the bat Episode 2 establishes itself with a texture palette that's distinct from all the military bases that were traversed before. The difference is striking: everything's overgrown and corroded, and the familiar green pools have been replaced with toxic red pools which pair very well with the corrupted sky.

 

There's a lot of style in the northwest section of the map too. The teleport in deposits you into a damaging furnace adjacent to an infernal machine which releases a bunch of monsters if approached, and I dug the hostile vibe of the area, but I find it kind of strange how if you decide to brave the danger and do both the big fight before the red door and the big fight after the red door, all you get for going above & beyond is a Berserk Pack.

 

This is a teleport-heavy map with a bunch of disconnected zones that can only be jumped between by using the warp pads, thoroughly demonstrating the gameplay concept just like the original opening map did. Upon level start I tried going right for the button & the warp point it opened to try diving deeper in, and it was fun to ditch the fools in the first area and search the second area for a shotgun. The secret chain there that leads to the Soulsphere is awesome, and I know that the drop back down is a helpful convenience meant to save backtracking time, but I must admit that it irks me a little how those impassable vine-covered windows just arbitrarily make an exception in this case.

 

The Cacodemon's debut as the overseer of the exit room is pretty cool, giving the monster ample opportunity to demonstrate its flight ability and persistence due to its higher HP total. That zone was one of the first ones I cleared, and when all was said & done and I had finished exploring everywhere else, the landmarkless & disconnected nature of the level made it a little difficult to find my way back there. Thankfully, the teleporter you need has an exit which positions you looking directly at the Exit sign, and I only took a little bit of unnecessary pain floor damage from getting turned around.

 

E2M2

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The first major encounter in the starting area is when two of those new demons fly in the window to attack you. Once again, props for giving the humble Cacodemon a moment in the spotlight to feel threatening. After that starting area, you're just given a Chaingun, and that's a cool escalation from how the previous episode waited until the midgame to buff the player in that fashion.

 

I like the battle around that pickup in the level's central control-room location, which gives you just a little less space to maneuver than you'd prefer. It threatens with ooze floors you might step back onto, and ooze pits you might accidentally fall down into. Having to trek around these sewer sections was appropriately aggravating - I especially appreciate how the Lost Soul makes its debut as vermin in this environment, hassling the player and forcing them to move when they'd really, really rather not.

 

I was impressed by the room where the old power weapon and the new power weapon were prominently displayed as prizes. I didn't see the catch coming - that I could only choose one of them and not both - and the shiny "new" gun was raised up out of my grasp. I also enjoyed the antagonism of the final stretch past the red door, when the hostile architecture of the blind drops & ooze floors resulted in enough friction to discourage backtracking. The switch chamber contains an inescapable death pit, but totally gets away with it since you can still reach the switch if you allow yourself to slip off the walkway.

 

E2M3

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The introductory maps were much more tense & austere, but this is the point that the episode finally relents and adds blue armors & backpacks to the mix so you can assemble an overheal and an ammo surplus.

 

This is also the first really confounding dungeon crawl, but the generosity of its treasure rooms makes it so the aimless searching is never a chore. I really like how, once you finally uncover all the layers that lead to the barred-off megaarmor, there are in fact even more layers since you have to flip a coin and just pick the left or right teleporter blindly.

 

I thought that the Soulsphere secret's dark area under a red sky looked pretty cool. The lighting in the Cell Pack secret also helped it feel more surreal, but the heavy lifting was done by the way the teleporters create a sudden jarring scene change from ordinary to otherworldly. Same with the Abandoned Mines-esque sudden arrival in a whole new disconnected bright outdoor area in the Invulnerability secret.

 

As a consequence of creating a ton of options for where to go, many of them are utilitarian storage or domicile rooms which offer a few minor treasures and otherwise completely dead-end. I don't mind the navigational antagonism because the jackpots when a path does pay off all feel so good. I was highly motivated to search thoroughly anyway, since the level tauntingly displayed a precious Plasma Gun just out of reach two distinct times.

 

I was underwhelmed by the Red Key room, but I got a good laugh out of the way my backtracking session to the exit resulted in me unwittingly slamming right into the new monster lurking in the darkness there. It actually made the bellow of a Baron of Hell seem startling.

 

(Incidentally, I'm a big fan of using the full intermission song to score a fast-paced level, the same as I am about how Plutonia used the Doom 1 & 2 Text Screen musics to score actual levels. But I can't deny how strange it is here when you hear the song cut out, and then start right the hell back up again.)

 

E2M4

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The darkness & complete silence on level start calls back to E1M8, complementing the midi and increasing the focus on atmosphere. I like the use of the constantly-cycling automatic lifts: the noise they make suggests something malfunctioning, like the outpost's machinery is breaking down. Or maybe that it's alive, what with the walls shifting to deliver you the yellow key or to spitefully take away the red key.

 

That whole red key section's got a lot of character, and like the previous level, it succeeded in making a Baron actually seem scary instead of tedious. I initially assumed he was trapped in a pit at the far end of the dark tunnel, and when the flickering light revealed that he was much closer than I expected, that was a bit of a jolt.

 

Structurally, I think this level is nailing the Sandybox design with its density of routes to take and dead-ends to find. Aesthetically, I dig how its take on the "corrupted techbase" theme is based on heavy juxtaposition with some areas being completely fine and other ones being flooded, vine-covered. I was especially charmed by the altar of human sacrifice, which facilitates the mass warp-in of Lost Souls once you take the keycard in that room.

 

There's a rather complex secret chain in the main hub which introduces the as-yet-unseen concept of shootable switches, and the final step to reaching the Soulsphere + Rocket Launcher is a parkour challenge. It's a little much, but I thought it fit the tone of the mapset well enough: Petersen was always throwing in tricky movement challenges during the sequel, like fleeing across a field of barrels trying to outrun an explosion in MAP23 or nimbly stepping across the collapsing bridge in MAP08, so I can imagine that the first inklings of that idea manifested here instead in this timeline.

 

E2M5

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Ok, by now I am completely convinced that there are a bunch of "scavenger hunt for the weapons" setups that I'm completely ignoring. Just like in the original game! Carry on.

 

Well, there may be facets that I'm blind to when playing Continuous, but the combat here still suits this mode rather well, frequently rewarding players who are willing to part with some of their precious rockets or cells, and using the bulk of the monsters to apply pressure to those who are more inclined to take their time. The blue key room is a good example of this, as stubbornly spending only shells gives the monsters time to teleport out of the room and start flanking or surrounding you.

 

This level captures that restless "every section gets its own unrelated texture palette" quality of Petersen's maps, and all the different environments looked pretty good on their own and as a whole. In particular, I thought the ooze-flooded & vine-covered section was cool with how it hid Imps amongst the overgrowth, and the adjacent treasure room had a lot of character too since the poison pool demanded an HP tax if you wanted the prize.

 

Just like the last level, this starts you off with 3 different doors to choose, and while there may be just one critical path that you'll have to follow no matter what, I like all the variation this creates in the experiences individual players have as they go through the areas in a different order or in a different direction. As fate would have it, I never encountered that outdoor loading bay until I had already completed the yellow & blue key sections, so I arrived on the catwalk circling the yard seeing monsters everywhere, pushed forward across that walkway to get back indoors on the far side, and discovered that I had actually dove into a brand new space that was just as big with just as many monsters inhabiting it. That was pretty cool.

 

The sustained pressure the level was able to maintain during that final stretch extended to the hostility of the RadSuit-driven poison sewer at the end. I appreciate how, when you trek all the way through the twisting, hostile tunnels, the sudden reveal of the Exit door has a delightful friction to it. Of course there's still more (and of course with your metaknowledge as a player, you know that there's still a secret exit out there somewhere), but there's a toll to be paid if you keep exploring for a while and come back later when you're done. Me, I had four hundred cells and a little less than half a blue armor to my name, so I decided to cash out then & there.

 

E2M6

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Foundry lives up to its name: this level is full of lava trenches & cauldrons, along with several occasions where you'll have to leap into the still-running mechanisms and move in between crusher cycles.

 

There was an odd crusher niche in a lava trench, and there was of course something hidden in the back of that recess. I didn't make it clean, got caught in the mechanism once, and was dealt a nasty hit. Diving into the teleporter and then immediately for the Invulnerability in a blind panic was thrilling. In fact, I'd say every teleport contained an entertainingly-nasty surprise at the other end. This level rules: it always seems like it's out to get you.

 

I love the triple-reveal early on:

1: The lift to get back up is actually a doorway into a whole other area you haven't seen.

2: The lift won't come back, you're trapped down here, and the Lost Souls are going to all fly in the window and get in your face.

3: Actually dropping down from the window yourself activates a sudden flank attack from lurking Cacodemons.

 

I had to work up the nerve to finally step out into the darkness beyond the blue doors, and again to finally take the threatening blind drop down into the unknown. The actual encounter at the bottom of that drop isn't so bad, but it seems very easy to panic and make a mistake there. A player who only scrapes by is going to be in a very scary situation when they meet the crowd of zombies directly afterward.

 

It was weird to hear a bunch of offscreen Pinkys die when the optional blue switch was pulled - I'll have to play again sometime and see what encounter I defanged by pre-emptively removing the monsters from the board.

 

I also found it a little odd how you only get to access the Light Amp Goggles after the level is already over - I assume that they're useful for secret-hunting, but I had spent all my RadSuits at that point and didn't like the idea of getting singed while wandering back & forth, so I just decided to move on rather than risk it.

 

E2M7

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An atmospheric Halls of the Damned tribute which feels ominous and hostile the whole way through due to things like the mandatory runs through its ooze canals, the descents into dark caves beneath the facility, and the eerie silence which fills most of its cavernous corridors. It may be a step down in difficulty, but the low-key mood of the level is a good match for Waltz Of The Demons.

 

Again, I like the disorienting nature of it, especially how on multiple occasions the areas you've cleared mutate as brand new passages open, rendering them unfamiliar all over again. And just like in E2M3, I appreciate how taking one of those tiny secret passages full of +1 bonuses that you see in Hall & Petersen maps and making it a dark & twisting path into the unknown maintains the function of the space but gives it ten times the character.

 

It's a good thing I like the presentation so much, because that's the only thing this map's got going for it. I know that I'm playing Continuous and trivializing most fights, but this level never gets mean - it's all bark and no bite. It's really cool when the path that dead-ends in a backpack prize suddenly betrays you and lowers you down into a dark cave, and it's cool when a computer-panel you approach suddenly collapses revealing a fleshy abscess, a pocket of hell beneath the shiny steel. But I really wish that I had actually been attacked in those moments instead of just being presented with a small, almost obligatory handful of monsters that have no chance of doing any damage.

 

It's so weird how the blue key zone shows you a bloody pile of corpses, and past them, a key placed out in the darkness... and nothing actually happens when you disregard the warning and take the key. The blue door wing in particular was a little extreme with how it went on and on through multiple environment changes, and that space is never actually used outside of having the occasional single monster to say boo. The crusher section gives you plenty of space to move and is just there to scare you, and it did - the whole time I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop and the attack to commence - but the tension was unbroken & nothing ever came of it.  The final payoff is pretty good, though. I had to take a blind drop, certain that this must finally be where the demons were hiding, and instead I was rewarded with treasure and a return to the familiar yellow key zone. And THEN that familiar space transformed for a proper fight. A pretty good one, too, where it gently applies pressure to make the player move and think tactically about positioning & weapon choice, but still nothing that was anywhere near as bad as I'd expected after all that buildup.

 

Thinking on it now, Limbo served as a chilled-out breather section in between more violent levels back in the original game, so while the lategame placement of this level is a bit odd, it's not without precedent.

 

E2M8

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There was an epic buildup as I opened all the locks and removed all the wards to release the boss, and I did not expect the final payoff when the entire arena started transforming. That was cool. As with the first episode's boss level, you've got all the room to maneuver you could possibly need, but that's to be expected. I appreciate how the original essence was maintained while making a few improvements to the formula: In particular how there's nowhere for the Cyberdemon to get snagged or stuck so that he never stops pursuing you and you never get a break.

 

There is merit to the original presentation with its mystery bellow and then those very heavy, very scary footsteps getting closer and closer, but I like the way the boss gets to make a dramatic entrance here (and demonstrate his method of attack) before teleporting away to begin hunting you from somewhere outside.

 

Also: the strange nightfall that covered the Deimos Base was a delightful surprise - I hadn't realized that you can change the entire map as the episode develops instead of just altering one tiny section of it.

 

-


Overall, I found Episode 2 to be a pretty solid tribute to the original Shores of Hell. I loved the aesthetics: simple and clean and evocative of a military base which has become possessed by a malevolent force. I even love the disorienting and convoluted layouts - it matches the way that the levels in the retail version seemed to actively resist being solved.


Once I finally acquired an overheal in E2M3, I maintained it for the rest of the episode - these levels seem to have some tricky pistol start designs, but as long as I kept carefully & methodically poking around with my overpowered arsenal, I didn't encounter anything too vicious and could just enjoy the ride. Honestly, I expected a few more unfair setups or outright deathtraps. Maybe the mappers are more kindhearted than the original evil dungeon master was, or maybe all the rudest stuff is being saved for Episode 3. Can't wait to find out; see you on the 21st.

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E3M1: Abyssal Stronghold. DSDA v0.24, UV-PS-Saveless. 100% kills and secrets. Completion time 6:31 (in November: 10:58). Zero deaths in E3 so far. Total tally (2+1+0)+DE.

 

Decent episode opener! Abyssal Stronghold does resemble Hell Keep, but mostly in a good way. There's also a little bit of the bad: we also get to pistol down a cacodemon. At least not in plural like in Hell Keep. This one's short and sweet, the second secret is a bit pointless for pistol starters as I think you are very likely to find it only after the level's been cleared. But then: by doing that it keeps up with Inferno tradition.

 

e3m1_skill4_dsda-doom_dtwid.zip

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E3M1: Abyssal Stronghold 
DOOM Retro, UV, Continuous w/saves, played on a PowerA Fusion Controller

I echo most, if not all of RHhe82's sentiments. It's a neat looking map, but I felt it could have looked a little bit more, surreal? One of the things I liked about E3 was how experimental and out there levels were allowed to be. You're in Hell, where reality is never what it seems. To bring up a comparison to Hell's Keep, the first room of that map did a good job at being out there, from the fleshy pit that you ascend from after poking an eyeball, to the simple structure ahead that hides a keep that looks much larger than what's outside. I know I should avoid comparisons to id levels, but what I liked about Hell's Keep was that it was surreal. It's a strong intro that shows you Hell can do whatever it wants. As fun as Abyssal Stronghold is, I feel that if you changed some textures around, this map could probably fit E1 or E2 pretty well.  
E3M2 on the other hand...

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E3M1 - Abyssal Stronghold- Ellmo *Sandy Petersen* (100%K/I/S):

Sweet episode opener here, totally worth the replay, in escense, it's just a deluxe edition of the original Hell Keep. It has that iconic horseshoe layout a good episode opener should have. I think it goes for longer than the original E3M1, the last room with the stairs and the switch at the window room, may be a bit unnecesary for me, but still a really nice fortress. This is what the first level of Inferno should have looked like, a little bit more detail, a little bit more care, and obviously, not a level that can be speedran by a child. Ellmo delivers yet another solid map.

IDness ratio: 5/5

(UV Playthrough - Crispy Doom)

Order of Preference:
 

Spoiler

 

E2M6

E1M4
E2M7
E1M7
E2M1
E2M9
E2M2
E1M5
E1M6
E3M1

E1M3
E2M4

E1M2
E1M8
E1M1
E1M9
E2M8
E2M5
E2M3

 

 

Edited by DJVCardMaster

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E3M1 - Abyssal Stronghold

 

By far the best episode of DtwId kicks off with this lovingly-detailed tribute to Hell Keep, ammo starvation and all. The opening gray cavern leading to the wide-open space overlooking the boiling blood is nicely scenic with the following hallways conjuring up images of the map American McGee did that ended up in Jaguar and PSX Doom. And Spectres. So many Spectres. They are possibly more likely to end your run than pretty much anyone else, including those annoying Lost Souls you'll probably need to only take out 1 or two of at the most. The little flesh canyon in front of the so-called 'secret' platform is probably this map's finest example of surrealism. At the end, the layout goes back to igneous rock caverns yet again, but far deadlier because of Cacodemons. Cavern here kind of made me think of a room of Waterloo Waterpark from Marathon 2. An excellent opener that does exactly what it sets out to.

 

Grade: B-

Difficulty: C

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E2M6 - Foundry :

 

I found(ry) myself in a stone corridor, armor bonus and potions on the floor, it circles around something and has two paths. I pick the one with a visible shotgun and from it shoot a pair of rockets at the resting caco. Then I move to the other path, down the stairs. Zombies, imps but more interesting are the small caged windows to crushers. I do the teleport hop and reach a marble room with a fireplace, some steps down, more bonuses on a semi-labyrinthic corridor that leads to another teleport. I jump into it from the opposite side, and find a secret. From there I return to the room before the fireplace. From there I take a side door into the crusher room I saw before and manage to get myself killed out of stupidity.

Try 2. Back to the crusher room, press the switch, back to the fireplace, secret, near death because of the lava and dead to a imp. I lost way too much life to the lava,so second death to stupidity.

Try 3 : As before : rocket the caco, crusher room, fireplace room, secret, back to the door next to the crusher room. More steps down and it's the room that had the caco. Crushers or lava to reach the RL.. And a switch that lowers the pillars from where I shot the caco. I leave the RL and move forward. Blue skull room. For the first time this map I go plasmatic on their asses. Or in the lost souls case, their skulls. On the way out of that room there's a teleporting pinkie, nice effect and leaves me unsure if he will come from behind.. I kill one pinkie and get to wonder if it was the same on I saw teleporting or another one.. Is it racist to say they all look alike to me? Up some steps and into the blue door. Straight ahead and another blue door.  It's outside, the blue water calms me down as I follow the trail of candles, and then fall face to face with a baron. Crushers on my way. I sprint past the first one to grab a plasma and then back. Same thing on the other side, a pinkie too close for comfort takes a few bytes of me, and I find the exit. But I am short on enemies and secrets, so.. Lift back into another pair of skulls, a pair of much needed healthpacks and then a run through the lava, grab a rad suit, more lava, secret! And a pair of barons. Now I'm at 20% HP, 7 enemies and 3 secrets to go.. Ok, I have a yellow key, so.. Ah, yellow door across the map. Another secret on the way there with a blue armor I can't pick up, since I don't have enough health to risk a jump into the lava. Yellow door. Press switch run and drop into the next secret. Bluesphere! Uff. With this health boost I go grab the blue armor and then back to the secret, to grab that teleport. And now I'm one secret short and I'm pretty sure I know where it is, even if I have no idea how to open it.. Ah! From the other side, of course. And then, it was the end.

K/I/S : 100% / 100% / 100%

time : 28:43 / 2:46:52

deaths : 2.

 

And my first two deaths in the wad are to stupidity and lava. Makes sense.

 

E2M7 - Ore Processing:

More grey walls and green slime! No way other than through the slime, so I go. A short run to a button, and another short run back, the path now open. And a secret back at the first room, and then up the stairs. A switch opens some more slime, on it a wall reveals a secret and then two more short runs to find the way to go, and now I have three paths. One a door, one a switch on a lift and the other a path on the slime... Door. It leads to a computer room with some nice views but nothing else of interest. Switch. Leads into a big vine covered walled room which connects to the yellow key on a ledge and a soulsphere on a higher one. No apparent way to reach either. On the big room another opening to a different computer room, with a small exposed brain matter corner. Up ahead, a lift. A imp and a teleport, I shoot one and jump on the other, and land on a pretty satanic room with a switch and a lift.

--(a lot of the map is lost here because I pressed something and it refreshed the page. I had just found a secret on the vines and was about to drop down to pick the yellow key)--

 Before I do that.. There's a teleport here. Ah, it brings me back to the satanic room, damn. So, crusher corridor, cave, other computer room, vines, drop for the YK.

Oh, a baron! And a caco! Also a pinkie and two shotgunners, but no one cares about those. Now I'm on my way to the yellow door and the exit and trying to find the remaining 3 secrets. One is the soulsphere, that I'm pretty sure has something to do with a switch I see marked on the map on top of a series of computers, that I can't reach nor see. The yellow door does indeed take me to the exit, but I'm 3/3 in secrets and monsters left so... Back to the big computer room and I can't believe I didn't try to shoot the obviously different wall before, but that's done now. Two enemies, one secret, back up, three enemies, a switch and ah ah! I knew it. And then.... A invis sphere. Not worth the time I spent trying to find it! 

  

K/I/S : 100% / 100% / 100%

time : 32:26 / 3:19:17

deaths : 0/ 2

 

E2M8 - Vault :

A bullet shaped cavern, leading to a giant room. Some small fires try to get in my way but I'm not going to be pressured by them. Switches, I press them, walls they descend as stairs rise, and another switch shows it self. Pressing it the central column descends, revealing ANOTHER SWITCH?! Goddammit. Press, another column goes down and now a cyberdemon. He reaches the lower floor and teleports away! The walls fall and now there's ample room to dodge his rockets while feeding him a stable diet of plasma to the face, up until I finish him off with a pistol shot, 'cause that's fun.

 

K/I/S : 100%/ 100% / 100%

time ???? who knows?! But I'm guessin it took me some 5 minutes tops to end the cybercow making total episode time around.. 3h24m 

deaths : 2

 

And that's all for this episode, folks!

Edited by kalaeth

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ups, double posted.. 

Well, new episode is today, so let's go :

 

E3M1 - Abyssal Stronghold :We are outside, brain fluctuates on blood, and stairs throw us to a pair of imps with nothing but a pistol to kill them and the pinkie after the door. After the second pinkie we are given a shotgun before braving to the next part of the level, where a pair of imps and a pair of lost souls greet us, outside once more. A not so secret secret gives me a few more shells and a rocket, a fall into brain, a creppy eye switch, and we crossed the chasm. Another building, another door, more ammo, more health, more imps. Down one stairs, nothing yet. Done the other, a caco. A switch, a lift, another switch and a teleport opens, and then.. Oh wait there's a path there. A switch? I wonder if it opens that door.. Yes, it does. Second secret done, teleport, the exit! Jump!

 

K/I/S : 100% , 96%, 100% 

time : 05:50 / 05:50

deaths : 0

 

Nice little episode opener! 

Edited by kalaeth

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E2m7 "Ore Processing" by Megalyth

DSDA-doom, pistol-start, UV-difficulty

 

When I think about "Shores of Hell" maps from Doom 1, the following traits come to mind:

- Weird map structure, which leads to convoluted routes through the maps.

- Mixing and matching of different textures.

- Mixing and matching different challenges and hazards.

- The maps as a whole feel abstract, but the individual rooms of those maps do not.

 

"Ore Processing" exemplifies those traits. The map has many nods to Doom1 E2m7, E2m4, E2m6 and E2m2, while feeling original and unique. Compared to previous maps in the WAD, the fights on "Ore Processing" feel easy. They still present some challenge, especially on a pistol start. On a pistol start, the map is pretty stingy with ammo. I often considered using a chainsaw during my playthrough. The tight ammo budget is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it adds a fun challenge to navigating the map. On the other hand, missing important secrets can really sting when the ammo is tight.

Speaking of things that sting... It is notable that "Ore Processing"  sometimes requires crossing damaging floors without rad suits. I think those sections are pretty fair, because "Ore processing" provides many healing items. IMHO, losing some health here and there is not a big deal, if there is a bunch of medkits nearby.

 

I absolutely adore the geography of "Ore Processing". Completing the map requires a lot of exploration, and the route to the end is twisted and unpredictable. The combat may be kinda easy, but in some situations this works to the map's advantage. Even with shotgun only, fights don't dissolve into exuasting grind. Yes, shotgunning fat monsters is grindy, but not soul-crushingly so. The fights of "Ore processing" do not distract from the exploration, and even help to make exploration more fun. You never know, what awaits you next.

 

I wanted to declare "Ore Processing" to be one of the best maps I have ever played, but sadly the map has a notable flaw for me. While the map geography is very creative, the map has only one possible route through its sections. "Ore Processing" would be much better, if it would have included either alternate routes, or a bunch of purely optional side areas. This way, the map would be much more fun to replay.

 

Still, as far as my personal opinion goes, this is an extremely fun map. But this is my personal opinion. The map has its strengths, its flaws and its weird quirks. I love its quirks, and its flaws are not a big deal for me. But I can clearly see, why "Ore Processing" can feel mediocre to other players. 

 

E2m8 "The Vault" by Marcaek, esselfortium

DSDA-doom, pistol-start, UV-difficulty

 

This is a pretty creative boss map. The titular vault makes for a pretty good buildup for the cyberdemon fight. And the start of the fight provides a little twist. At first, it seems that the cyber will remain at the center of the arena. But then - surprise! The cyber teleports away in unknown direction! Pretty cool stuff!

 

Still, I think that "The Vault" is not as cool as the E2m8 from original Doom 1. The main problem is the lack of columns. The columns on Doom 1 E2m8 play two very important roles. Firstly, the cyber hides from view behind the columns, making circlestrafe-and-fire startegy less straightforward. Secondly, the splash of cyberdemon's rockets is much more dangerous due to the columns. The lack of the obstacles on "The Vault" makes for a less memorable encounter.

 

That does not mean that "The Vault" fails to achieve its design goals. If "The Vault" was released as a part of original Doom1, it would have blown people's minds back then. It is a very good Doom1-style boss map, no doubts about that. Yet the cyberdemon encounter from "The Vault" feels somewhat more generic than the one from "The Tower of Babel", Doom 1 E2m8.

Edited by Azure_Horror

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E2M7: Ore Processing

It's pretty good. I didn't see much comparison with any of the original maps and that tends to make for the best levels of the wad. As you can probably tell from the demo I was a bit confused over the soulsphere secret until I figured out the switch in the plasma rifle room. My big problem with this map is all the hurt floors you have to cross to progress in the level. I get it, there's an amply supple of health kits for the most part but with all the backtracking it can take away so much health from the player that it feels totally bogus.

 

E2M8: Vault

We know it's going to be a Cyberdemon fight going in, the only question is what else they're going to add to it. Step out of the starting hallway, take out a few imps and shotgunners then lower all the pillars for additional powerups and to reveal the Cyberdemon. After a short engagement he teleports outside where the walls lower to reveal the rest of the level and a number of lost souls to get in your way. They kept it pretty simple which is a good thing, doing something weird or gimmicky here would have really missed the point of the wad.

e2m7.zip

e2m8.zip

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E3M2 City of Corpses (HMP, continuous, blind): K 100%, I 100%, S 100%, D 1, T 30:22

 

Spoiler

Fortunately, the design has not much in common with Slough of Despair, and i doubt there was even an overt nod towards it.  The map is a largish outside area in hell, with rivers of lava crossing fiery plains, grottos, and some imposing buildings of stone.  The majority of enemies are low-tiers, along with Lost Souls, but there are also a few Cacodemons, and they are all used to threatening effect.  In fact, on HMP, the hardest encounter on this map, in the grotto behind the BK door for the YK, against two Cacodemons, Imps and Lost Souls, was made ten times harder by the uncounted skulls, and here i already suffered my first death in the episode.


i found one of the secrets along the way, and had to look for the rest afterwards.  i couldn't understand the purpose of the secret wall in the first alcove behind the BK door, there were no items inside, and i found no way to go further from it.

 

The layout is large and sprawling, and while the progression is a matter of acquiring three keys only, it's made interesting by the scattered locations and addition of some little twists along the way, such as raising a path over the lava, and the use of teleports in a couple of places, adding flavour to the gorgeously realized map.  Whilst Foundry was more overtly threatening and challenging, i obviously found this one more difficult to stay alive in!  Not sure why, perhaps there was a scarcity of health, and on other hand, i didn't have plasma or the RL until both were offered in the exit-building.  The map is very fine creation, and against expectations a worthy replacement for my favourite level in the OG Episode 3. 

 

 

Who's Who

Spoiler

Episode Three

E3M1 - Abyssal Stronghold - 10+/10

E3M2 - City of Corpses - 10/10

 

Episode Two

E2M6 - Foundry - 10+/10

E2M1 - Receiving Station - 9.5/10

E2M4 - Mental Ward - 9.5/10

E2M7 - Ore Processing - 9/10

E2M3 - Rec Facility - 9/10

E2M2 - Filtration Compound - 9/10

E2M5 - Deimos Command - 8/10 (2-point penalty for design choices)

E2M8 - Vault - 6.5/10

 

Episode One

E1M7 - Logic Core - 10/10

E1M9 - Excavation Site - 9.5/10

E1M5 - Engineering Bay - 9.5/10

E1M6 - Reactor Complex - 9/10

E1M2 - Military Bunker - 8.5/10

E1M4 - Treatment Plant - 8/10

E1M3 - Fuel Synthesis - 8/10

E1M8 - Transport Facility - 8/10

E1M1 - Communications Bridge - 7/10

 

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E3M1 - Abyssal Stronghold by ellmo:
Definitely a better opener than Hell Keep and my favourite of the three M1's from this set, this map starts off the hell episode strong. For one, I actually have enough shotgun ammo to kill the enemies and don't have to rely on pistolling turbo pinkies, and also I think this map sets up the hell theme much better than the original with a nice combination of red bricks, white rocky caverns and fleshy floors everywhere. The rocket launcher secret is a nice nod to the original, but I managed to actually use it against a cacodemon near the exit, which makes it far more useful than the one in Hell Keep.

 

It definitely looks too nice to be a Sandy map (but that's not really a massive complaint) but I think it's fairly reminiscent of his work in terms of atmosphere and gameplay because it's still pretty weird at the end of the day, and has a couple of mean monster placements. I don't think this map had any zombies in, which is an interesting choice, one that was only explored in E2M2 from Ultimate Doom. I liked this one, it's a good opener to my favourite of the original episodes.

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GZDoom/UV/Continuous/Saves

E2M6: Foundry - Alfonzo

100% kills and secrets

Time: 15:15

Card: An Earthquake will happen

 

Earthquakes make everything jumpy for a bit, and items go flying.

 

I don't think this map is that id-like. There's a ton of areas with rising and lowering floors for no reason, and lots of random crushing ceilings in areas that are unnecessary to go under. The opening hall has some steel bars hanging from the ceiling that I don't recall seeing anything like in the IWADs, and there's even some yellow skull signage like that too. The map in terms of general visual design feels more refined and experimental than anything in the original Doom, basically. Gameplay-wise, it's a little more close, in terms of replicating IWADs and in terms of distance between foes. The one secret with 3 barons, a caco, and an imp (that may have wandered in) seems panic-inducing, but there's an invul right behind you when you teleport in (plus, the toxic monster curse affected the caco here, so that was a nice invul use). The general layout is the closest thing to the IWADs the map gets, but even that strays a bit with the secret yellow key you'll need to backtrack to use. Oddly enough, the yellow key door room just has a switch that lowers a lift right outside it in a hall that wasn't open when you saw it initially. Idk how that opened. There's a lot of blue doors here, and I'm still not sure why there was one in lava that had a switch behind it. It seems like the only purpose for it was to crush a monster offscreen somewhere. I honestly don't think it did anything else important, since I already had found the exit door before this. It's a cool level with some interesting aspects, but not very E2. 

 

Will try to do more levels after I eat, so there might be another post soon.

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E2M7: Ore Processing - Megalyth

100% kills and secrets

Time: 18:18

Card: Imp projectiles ignore armor

 

This map did feel a lot more like E2 than the last map. The bigger areas, texture choices, and lighting remind me a lot of E2M4. It's pretty moody. Lots of toxic areas pull some E2 reminders too, though I wish there was some rad suits for them. I know you're not in the waste for a long time, but there's a bunch of times you'll cross them, especially on a first playthrough, so a tic of damage each time adds up. Combat wise, we finally get a big fight when you grab the yellow key, as several closets opened up with a bunch of stuff including 2 barons. Rockets make it easy tho. I don't have much else to say other than this was a solid level that invokes the IWADs pretty well!

 

E2M8: Vault - Marcaek + Esselfortium

100% kills and secrets

Time: 4:32 (had automap open when level ended)

Card: Lost Souls are more aggressive

 

This is a much more fleshed out final level for E2 than the original. I like how this level unfolds. First, you have a big room with a few shotgunners and imps. Some switches lower columns with goodies. One central switch lowers part of the central column. Another switch lowers more. The final switch lowers it entirely and opens up some walls, revealing the outside area with the lost souls, while the Cyberdemon appears in the center, and promptly teleports out when it gets a chance. Idr if a plasma rifle is actually here in the map or not, but I'm continuous playing, so I have one and laid it to waste. I did accidentally pick up the blur sphere, so I waited it out before taking the cyb on. This is a very nice improvement on E2's final level!

 

Overall, when it comes to the id-ness of E2, it's a mixed bag. Some maps did this pretty well. A few invoked the Hell themes a little too much, making it seem like the map should have been in a future ep. A few maps also seemed a little more refined and advanced to be an id map. When it comes to whether or not the maps are fun and interesting, I'd say yes! They're still fun for the most part.

 

CC Card List for E2: 

Zombieman steal items off the ground

Imp are always focused on the player

Demon can leap at their prey

One monster is cursed. Killing it makes nearby floors toxic.

Pinkies have acid blood

Zombie Man haunts player after death

An Earthquake will happen

Imp projectiles ignore armor

Lost Souls are more aggressive

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E3M1: Abyssal Stronghold

By Ellmo

 

Kills: 100%
Items: 56%

Secrets: 100%
Time: 4:00

 

You know ironically given the original map this is actually my favourite starter so far, as far as gameplay is concerned I was nervous I’d have to pistol a Cacodemon given how my shotgun shell count was looking, but a box of shells by the foot of the titular stronghold and a rocket launcher secret was there to save the day, the visuals also feel like a revamped Hell Keep, feeling less flat and ugly, very surprisingly not a bad start for Inferno!

 

Grade: B-

Difficulty: D-

 

 

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E2M6: "Foundry" by Alfonzo

UV with Corruption Cards, no saves

100% kills, 5/5 secrets

 

Card: Barons of Hell in the level are increased by one

 

And here we have the map that takes the slot of my favourite Doom I level. There are some small similarities, such as dark mazy areas and one area with a small textural similarity, but overall not enough that I'd probably think to compare the two if they didn't occupy the same slot. In any case, this is probably the best looking level in the set so far. In fact I would go as far as to say it looks a bit too refined, to the point it kind of compromises the map's id-ness. In the theme of the wad it's a slight knock, but out of the context of the wad we have a great looking map, so I can't complain too much. And the map still does provide a veritable mishmash of textural themes, which fits the episode nicely.

 

The combat here was a pretty good time. Lots of rather pesky lost souls, and teleporters leading to rooms full of mid tier threats. The card I got this time was a rather nasty one, doubling up the barons in the level and making some of the fights a lot more spongey. The dark sections of the map are indeed very dark, with sight being difficult, but the corridors are narrow enough that it shouldn't impact your aim (although you might still get a surprise bite from a spectre). Damaging floors and crushers are also common obstacles here, with one of the secrets pretty much forcing you to get hit by one of the crushers. Quite mean.

 

Although its "id factor" is a bit questionable, this one was a good time. Probably one of my favourites so far.

 

E2M7: "Ore Processing" by Megalyth

UV with Corruption Cards, no saves

100% kills, 6/6 secrets

 

Card: Zombiemen bleed lethal acid

 

Apparently my secret-finding game is on point today. Well, truth be told, part of the reason I found all the secrets in this one is because my brain had quite a time penetrating the layout. I stumbled around quite a bit trying to find the keys in this one, and then hit another wall trying to locate the blue door. This map feels less corridor-heavy than most of the maps we've seen and features more spacious rooms, which is a nice change of pace. Visuals jump around a lot still of course, we see the vines coming back and some nice looking techbase rooms, caves, and some marble corridors to name only a few.

 

The fighting here was pretty fun, the nice open rooms provided some more breathy combat, and less just facing monsters straight ahead like the corridors often offer. This map only contained 5 zombiemen, so I didn't notice the card too much. I quite enjoyed the yellow key fight, which reveals barons and other baddies in a monster closet ambush. Thanks to the previous map's card, I actually ran out of plasma and rocket ammo here, so things got grindy towards the end, but I quite enjoyed this fight regardless of this.

 

Pretty good map overall.

 

E2M8: "Vault" by Marcaek, esselfortium

UV with Corruption Cards, no saves

100% kills, 0/0 secrets

 

Card: Lost souls bleed lethal acid

 

Ah yes, the episode 2 cyberdemon boss map. You know it. You love tolerate it. This take on it is actually pretty cool though, opting to ramp up the scope and scale of the level, giving the cyberdemon a grander introduction in the form of the switches that unlock his chamber and lower goodies, and eventually lower the walls of the marble structure to reveal a large open area full of blood. While the gameplay is still nothing to write home about, adding that buildup and larger scale is a good way to make the map feel grander and more climactic, and I think this map is about as good as you can do while sticking to the original map's core principles. Well done here!

 

Episode 2 thoughts: It was fun seeing the community's take on the more abstract looks that this episode had to offer. While it did at times look like some extra polish snuck in at the compromise of the "id" feel, it was an enjoyable thing to see nonetheless. Combat, as I've mentioned before, is very vintage Doom as always. Not always so heavy on the memorable moments or anything, but it was a satisfying play.

Edited by DisgruntledPorcupine

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E3M2: City of Corpses
DOOM Retro, UV, Continuous w/saves, played on an Xbox One Elite Controller

Now's where the fun begins.
This is already one of my favorite maps of the WAD. Now we're getting into some surreal imagery and abstract level design. It also helps that the name kicks ass, some real 90's cheese. The way the opening rooms transform when picking up the shotgun left such a strong impression; it's exactly what I was thinking of when I was talking about surreal level design that shows Hell's influence. Sure, the main "hub" area afterwards is a bit too large and a bit dull from a gameplay standpoint, but the path to the yellow key is some good old fashioned Lost Soul closet fun. The room where the key is looks appropriately dark and spooky, and makes for a fun dance against spectres, cacos, and lost souls. I can't help but compare the final wooden building where the exit is to one of the buildings in Mt. Erebus. The resemblance is just uncanny; it even has a way to access a plasma rifle and some ammo. I'm also probably a bit biased because this level has one of my favorite tracks in the game: Donna to the Rescue.

Edited by Agent Slacker : I can't spell fun apparently

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E3M2 – City of Corpses by @Walter confetti, @ellmo

Doomsday Engine, UV-Fast, Continuous, blind run w/saves

 

No explicit references to a specific level from id were to be seen in City of Corpses, resulting from the teamwork of Walter confetti and ellmo. The starting section showed a loose affinity with Pandemonium (the 4 doors as cooperative play entrances), and with House of Pain (the FIREWALL Cacodemon cubicle overlooking a walkway over damaging floor), while the large outdoor area could be compared to Mt. Erebus. These were only marginal sensations, though. This place could have featured in OG Inferno, and besides some modernistic touches here and there, it could be mistaken for an original 1993 map by Sandy Petersen.

Spoiler

1059765528_DtwIdE3M2_01.jpg.7bb57f0ca921e216fcf3c29d00697f21.jpg

There were no “urban maps” in the first Doom; only E3M6 featured independent buildings in the middle of a large open area, placing a milestone for a genre that was expanded in Doom II and in countless PWADs. The authors tried to imagine an infernal city, made of a few buildings surrounded by lava channels, barren squares, and roads of ashes. After collecting the shotgun and raising a bridge to leave the rather empty first building, I was greeted by faraway enemies, mostly Imps and former humans, supported by charging Demons and Lost Souls. Clearing the outdoor area was not difficult, but it required careful use of cover and constant movement.

 

It soon became obvious that the temples at the other side of the river were the destination, but crossing the lava was impossible without a bridge. The BSK lay on top of the northern volcanic cliff and was not strictly guarded; the real challenge was just about to come. The short quest for the YSK reserved a few nasty traps, especially if playing blind and with -fast monsters. The descending, U-shaped cavern, half-flooded with boiling blood, was a dangerous section that almost claimed my first death of the megaWAD. While I was occupied with a fierce frontal opposition, burning closets opened behind me and released silent and deadly Lost Souls. The first batch of three flaming skulls hurt me a bit, but I turned around quickly and got rid of them. I was not expecting a second flock to emerge just when I entered the large cavern at the end. I fell back under Cacodemon bombardment and charging Pinkies, lacking heavy weaponry to dispatch them in the open, and I found myself swarmed by four Lost Souls in the middle of damaging blood. They brought me down to 12% health and I was forced to resume the battle quickly, otherwise the Radiation Suit would have expired before getting back to the big room.

Spoiler

1833644090_DtwIdE3M2_02.jpg.512ebc65074f3c67a36049cefa567d7a.jpg

Healing items were at a premium, but the E3M8-inspired vault with the YSK was mercifully empty. The exploration of City of Corpses continued, entering the yellow door and a series of teleporters, eventually leading to the switch that raised the bridge through the lava. The temples on the eastern side of the river were not so interesting as the western bank. The southern edifice protected the RSK, though the three caged Cacodemons were harmless and could be totally ignored. The northern structure contained the exit and a Baron of Hell in an annoying position. The late appearance of both rocket launcher and plasma rifle suggested the design was oriented towards continuous play, more than what id envisioned for OG Doom; this decision might frustrate people wanting to pistol start the later maps of this episode. As for E3M2, I think this was a fitting map with good hellish visuals, true to Petersen’s style, recreating an infernal city that could have easily been the 10th map of Inferno. The gameplay went back and forth between great, challenging moments, and uninspired stuff. This adds up an average entry, sitting well in the early third episode of Doom the way id did.

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11 hours ago, dei_eldren said:

i found one of the secrets along the way, and had to look for the rest afterwards.  i couldn't understand the purpose of the secret wall in the first alcove behind the BK door, there were no items inside, and i found no way to go further from it.

 

There is a Berserk pack in that secret, tagged to appear only on UV. Maybe they planned to put a Soul Sphere on lower difficulties, then forgot to do it.

 

Finding that secret would have helped me immensely in the worst moment of the playthrough, though I am rarely checking FIREWALA/FIRELAVA textures for secrets as I think they are preposterous. Many authors think differently, though.

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E3M2 - City of Corpses :

There are some doom levels with names that sound like they came right out of some metal song. This is one of them. Let's see if the level is as metal as it's name.

 A red room, up ahead a door that opens by itself into a lava pit, but to the left a path leads us outside to the shotgun and a failing floor trap! It's a new path to the right of the start, and a caco in a window is promptly rocketlaunched, before reaching a switch that raises a bridge allowing passage over the pool of lava. We cross the bridge and find ourselves outside, where I grab the chaingun and start running and shooting until I reach the blue key, turn back and keep shooting at everything that moves. There's a blue door here. Also a rad suit to cross the lava.. Blue door first. Secret blue armor comes in just nice, down the blood river, shoot some cacos and lost souls, and then, getting ready for the worst case scenario, press the switch and.. Nothing happens. So I have now done what I came into this building to do : find the YK. Which means it's time to go to the yellow door and teleport, teleport, teleport! Then switch, bridge. Enter the big red building, find there's a secret RL, go get it, chaingun the caco by the switch, grab the RK. Red building. Two teleports. Pick one at chance : leads to the exit. But I have seen the plasma gun on the other side, so other teleport. Ah ah! All enemies down, 2 secrets to go.. Ok, secret one was kinda obviously back in the first lava pit. Another one to go... And it's another useless secret! Oh well.

 

K/I/S : 100%, 95%, 100%

time : 16:44 / 22:35

deaths : 0/ 2 (yesterday I forgot that I had decided not to reset the death counter on a new episode)

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2 hours ago, Book Lord said:

 

There is a Berserk pack in that secret, tagged to appear only on UV. Maybe they planned to put a Soul Sphere on lower difficulties, then forgot to do it.

 

Finding that secret would have helped me immensely in the worst moment of the playthrough, though I am rarely checking FIREWALA/FIRELAVA textures for secrets as I think they are preposterous. Many authors think differently, though.

 

Makes sense, thanks!  i thought just possibly it could have opened up something someplace far away, which i then would have missed.  But even the Berserk would have been a big help in that situation.. :D

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E3M2 - City of Corpses by Walter confetti, ellmo:
I liked this one overall, I don't think it started particularly well, but after getting outside the map opens up considerably for the better and has some pretty good fights for an Ultimate Doom map. This map felt rather inspired by Mt. Erebus, with it's open layout containing a few buildings set around some lava, this time in a gorge rather than on an island, with a couple of areas seemingly inspired by Slough of Despair (thinking mostly about the yellow key area). I don't think this map looks much like a Sandy map, like most of these levels it's just textured far too well, but I'd say it plays similarly to his Episode 3 maps.

 

The shotgunners outside are pretty brutal on fast monsters, they're so far away that taking damage from them is fairly unavoidable. I really liked the yellow key area, which starts off with a timed section over lava as lost souls appear from monster closets and then ends with a tense fight against cacodemons and spectres in the dark - this area just worked really well. Opening up a FIREBLU bridge to the other island is cool (I wish there was more FIREBLU in this wad), and being able to finally take out the sniping imps is satisfying.

 

I have two gripes with this map, the first being that it's quite tight on ammo - I ended with 4 rockets, and was worried about the prospect of having to non-berserk punch a baron to death, though I hadn't found the plasma gun. The other is that I wish the rocket launcher and plasma gun were placed slightly less far into the level, it would have made killing some of the many cacodemons a bit less slow. Overall though, I think this is a very fun little map.

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E3M2: City of Corpses. DSDA v0.24, UV-PS-Saveless. 100% kills & secrets. Completion time 13:42 (in November: 17:07). Zero deaths in E3 so far. Total tally (2+1+0)+DE.

 

I remembered this level somehow from my previous playthrough, and not in a good way -- but once again, now that I replay it, I'm suddenly having a better time. I'm not well acquainted with the level, but I suppose just enough to instinctly know when to preserve ammo or rad suits, and instinctly and roughly know what to do. and where to go That makes a surprising amount of difference. No wonder why MtPain27 insists on playing the wad twice on his Dean of Doom series.

 

In any case, City of Corpses presents us with a slew of Inferno tropes: the early part with a lone caged cacodemon and a demon greatly resembles House of Pain; the outside area feels much like Mt. Erebus. There are hints of Pandemonium with the fwatery floors.

 

rhhe82_e3m2_skill4_dsda-doom_dtwid.zip

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E3M2 - City of Corpses - Walter "Confetti" Confalonieri & Ellmo *Sandy Petersen* (100%K/95%I/75%S):

I really dig the setup of this map, starting on a place quite similar to House of Pain, but then, heading to the exit, the map gets a little bit more open, just like Slough of Despair, or Mt. Erebus, the latter being more reminiscent because of the reddish colors, and the random buildings here and there. For some reason, this level reminded me of some of the hell levels in Doom 2016, similar setup/layout for the outside area, I guess. Another map I really dig, the final area with the two buildings was something you would see in Thy Flesh Consumed, rather than Inferno, but it's OK. I really liked the layout and gameplay overall, quite a hard map, specially when trying to jump into the lava river. Missed oportunity to call this level "River Styx" though.

IDness ratio: 4/5

(UV Playthrough - Crispy Doom)

Order of Preference:
 

Spoiler

 

E2M6

E1M4
E2M7
E1M7
E2M1
E3M2
E2M9
E2M2
E1M5
E1M6
E3M1

E1M3
E2M4

E1M2
E1M8
E1M1
E1M9
E2M8
E2M5
E2M3

 

 

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E3M3 Malebolge (HMP, continuous, blind): K 94%, I 96%, S 70%, D 0, T 27:05

 

Spoiler

The Inferno in DTWID is one of the most unhospitable places i've ever had the misfortune to grace...  The map begins in a small room of red bricks, containing a couple of health packs, and a wooden door.  Immediately upon opening the door we are greeted by a grinning Cacodemon and her fireballs.  After shotgunning her, i emerge into a hall surrounding the first room, with two RK doors to the sides, while at the back is a Baron of Hell!  Luckily i still had a few rockets left, otherwise i would've been forced to shotgun a Baron, but had i known what lies ahead just a few minutes away, i would have not allowed him to take even that 11% health off me.  The only way out of the room at the moment is the route the Baron was guarding, a river of damaging blood...

 

What follows is a harrowing journey through some structure, an outside area with damaging pools of blood, and a labyrinth of hallways, caves, Spectres and darkness.  When i saw the second Baron, sometime after getting the RK, i plunged blindly into the labyrinth, and found myself bumping into Spectres, and being sniped at by Imps and zombiemen.  After some headless running i finally emerged out in the open at the other side, where the doors lead me back to the beginning area, now of course guarded anew by Pinkies and Cacodemons.  After this, there were still two keys to collect, and the secrets to uncover..

 

The map is large, meandering and complex, and while basically it is linear, the progression goes around the map in a way that makes it feel less so, while at the same time there are also a lot of areas to explore.  While gratuitous damaging floors are usually to be shunned, i thought here they played an important and meaningful part, helping to create a sense of not wanting to be here.  Only at one place, found later in the level, was there a radsuit, sorely needed as the blood flooded the whole room.

 

Of secrets there were ten, and i netted seven of them, feeling satisfied enough.  In truth, i did not want to risk losing more of my Mega Armour, getting which was arduous enough, nor more of my health.  A few enemies were left somewhere, presumably in the secrets i could not find.  The secrets weren't particularly difficult, save for many of them being in the physically unendurable environment.  Again, one secret left me confused, the towers of flesh in the pool of blood that yielded nothing (at least, the one atop which i was able to jump).  Possibly i should have found a way on top of the other one, too?

 

Once again, virtually perfect map.  The texturing is just flawless, authentic even if yet again somewhat more sophisticated version of the OG, and the combining the built structures into the unnatural environment was beautifully realized.  i do like the original Pandemonium, also visually it's very interesting, and this map of course bears scarce resemblence to it, again, it's more like a map from (tgMebJR) Si666il.  It's so long since i read Dante (and almost as long since i cared what he wrote!) that i'd forgotten the title is borrowed from Inferno - another classic touch.  The difficulty is of course increased from the OG, but it really is a necessity.  i enjoy the OG on UV by now, but i'm not sure i'd be having as much playing on UV here.  i really had good luck not to die anywhere on this map - i was close enough.  AND, i only remembered towards the end, that i actually had the Plasma Rifle!  Geesh, it would have made a couple things before a bit easier, but i have the habit from more modern wads to save plasma for... Archies and Cybies :D  Silly me not to realize here i should be using it on Barons, i certainly would have not run away from one if i had realized..

 

This Megawad is really following similar curve as the original - i'm not that fond of techbases in general (even if there are brilliant techbase maps, and i love them also in the OG, it's just not my favourite aesthetic theme), and the second episode simply isn't as good as Inferno.  Fitting indeed the crowning episode comes last.

 

PS: If this is the difficulty on E3M3, i'm getting anxious for what will be in Episode Four.  To quote Jim Morrison: 'Jesus, Save Us!' :D

 

 

Part2

Spoiler

 

 

Who's Who

Spoiler

Episode Three

E3M1 - Abyssal Stronghold - 10+/10

E3M3 - Malebolge - 10+/10

E3M2 - City of Corpses - 10/10

 

Episode Two

E2M6 - Foundry - 10+/10

E2M1 - Receiving Station - 9.5/10

E2M4 - Mental Ward - 9.5/10

E2M7 - Ore Processing - 9/10

E2M3 - Rec Facility - 9/10

E2M2 - Filtration Compound - 9/10

E2M5 - Deimos Command - 8/10 (2-point penalty for design choices)

E2M8 - Vault - 6.5/10

 

Episode One

E1M7 - Logic Core - 10/10

E1M9 - Excavation Site - 9.5/10

E1M5 - Engineering Bay - 9.5/10

E1M6 - Reactor Complex - 9/10

E1M2 - Military Bunker - 8.5/10

E1M4 - Treatment Plant - 8/10

E1M3 - Fuel Synthesis - 8/10

E1M8 - Transport Facility - 8/10

E1M1 - Communications Bridge - 7/10

 

Edited by dei_eldren

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E3M1: Abyssal Stronghold

Remember how much fun you had killing Cacodemons with a pistol in the original Inferno? Well you're in luck, because you get to do it all over again here. As you might expect health and ammo is a bit tight here, but there's just enough of it you can get the job done if you're careful.

 

E3M2: City of Corpses

This map had a rough start, thankfully it's open ended enough that you can run past most of the enemies and come back to them later if you find yourself short on ammo. It lives up to its name well enough, it takes place in a valley with a river of lava (Or blood I can't remember correctly.) running through it and a few building of note scattered about. I think there might have been a few spectres in the room where you get the yellow key, at least it felt like I was getting stuck on something but I couldn't see with the combination of darkness, rad suit and berserk pack so I just blasted away with the chaingun and hoped for the best.

e3m1.zip

e3m2.zip

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E2M6: Foundry

 

Halls of the Damned is probably my favourite level from the whole of the original Doom, certainly my favourite map of the second episode, and so this level has some pretty high standards to live up to, for me personally.  I think it succeeds in doing that, delivering an experience that's every bit as threatening, unsettling, claustrophobic, and varied as the original E2M6, while deftly avoiding any obvious homages and serving up a generous helping of fresh carnage to keep players new and old alike engaged.

 

The start is set up in an interesting way, with a very limited area initially available to explore, adjoined to the rest of the map via connections that you can't use yet: a door locked with the yellow key; a lift which can only be lowered from the other, bottom side; a switch on the other side of bars, out of your reach.  Getting out of the initial corridor requires using a teleporter, which then whisks you away to another part of the map entirely, leaving you disoriented and vulnerable; sure, you can use the automap to confirm that you're some way to the south and west of where you started, but you have no way of knowing whether you're above or below the area you were just in, which of the passages available to you represents progress, and which might bring you back to more familiar and hopefully safer territory.  From there, an extensive tangle of labyrinthine tunnels, drops, and teleporters unfolds before you as you scrabble your way through the depths of the foundry toward the exit.

 

I do appreciate the fact that much of the level is strictly optional, with big chunks of the north-west, south-west, and south-east that you can ignore entirely if your goal is getting to the exit as quickly as possible; that much, at least, feels like a genuine trait of the original id maps, although I'm kind of halfway on what others have observed about certain details and arrangements of spaces here feeling more modern and somewhat out of place.  The freedom to bypass significant parts of the level, the designation of certain major slices of real estate as explicitly optional, feels like something modern maps have moved away from, with more of a sense that, if the map author has built it, the player is expected to engage with it; that's not an unreasonable position to take, when in-game architecture is more detailed and demanding, and the multiple balancing acts of gameplay tend toward the more finely tuned, so that's not intended as a criticism, merely an observation of what differentiates this map and its inspirations from contemporary tendencies.

 

E2M7: Ore Processing

 

This one definitely has a whiff of Spawning Vats about it, not in the form of grand and obvious homages but in the incorporation of smaller elements into similar patterns, with its narrow stairwells, various control rooms, its alternation of rocky or rounded spaces with the strictly orthogonal.  It sets itself apart with its greater use of the vertical dimension, with a clear sense of there being upper and lower levels to the facility, the latter consisting primarily of a vine-choked and cavernous hall which many smaller rooms on the upper level overlook.  I don't know if it's a larger interior space than is present in any of the original maps, in terms of its square footage, but it feels grand and portentious in a way that doesn't quickly call to mind a parallel to any part of any of the classic levels.

 

There's a lot of variety on display here, as you proceed from one part of the map to the next: dark and light, claustrophobic versus open, technological construction versus natural caverns versus infernal transformation, different textures and materials and scales at work, in a way that all feels very faithful to the Deimos experience, while simultaneously building upon and beyond what has come before.  It may be that this episode's aesthetic is the most difficult to invoke and the easiest to get wrong, because it commingles techbase areas and grungy decrepitude and Hell intruding into man-made structures, and it's all too possible for any attempt to do that to instead feel like a hodge-podge, a mish-mash, three different themes diced up and muddled together rather than a single theme that produces different expressions.  I feel this is a map that succeeds at being a Deimos map, and at being the episode's penultimate map, with tougher combat and a more enjoyably intractable layout than what's come before.  One thing about the vertical offset between the big central chamber and the surrounding elevated rooms and corridors it that it brings the map's various spaces together without necessarily doing much to forewarn you about what's ahead; picking your way along a hallway, you'll pass a window overlooking a big room, but the inflexible neck of the vanilla Doom marine doesn't allow you to peer down, and so the room drops away toward a floor that's far out of sight, that could be a hundred feet or five hundred feet beneath you for all that you can discern, and from the reverse angle, you'll maybe see windows crowded around the top of your screen as you explore the lower level, but all you'll see through those windows is a slice of the ceiling or maybe the top of a wall, rather than gleaning anything meaningful about the room's layout, contents, and possible dangers.  It's quite deliberate, and a great way to connect all of the map's various areas into a single structure without giving the game away or allowing too many threats to be neutralised from too safe a distance and too sheltered a position.

 

E2M8: Vault

 

A lot of what I said about E1M8 is just as applicable here, and will I'm sure be just as applicable to E3M8: it's damn hard to build a map that measures up to the shock and awe of a player's first encounter with any of Doom's bosses, and when a map author is working with the vanilla game's resources and limitations, it's just as damn hard to do something different that's just as striking and memorable as one of the classic end-of-episode boss maps.  I think the designer here has done about as much as is possible, with the resources available and within the limitations imposed by the nature of the project; the tension builds steadily as the player opens up the vault one armoured layer at a time, and the third-act twist of the room's outer walls lowering at the same time as the final pillar at the heart of the vault, presenting threats not just in front of you but all around you, is about as clever a subversion of expectations as can be asked for, nicely introducing an unexpected element of danger into an encounter that by its very nature can't help but be a little bit predictable.  I don't know if it's deliberate that the basic shape of the map is reminiscent of the vanilla game's E3M8 (this is Doom the Way id Did after all, not Switcheroom) but if so, it's a neat way of messing with the player's expectations further, albeit one that's likely difficult to fully appreciate while dodging lost souls and incoming rockets.

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E2M9 - “Nebulous Origins” by iori

This map feels massive and incorporates a wide mix of E2 themes and ideas. If somebody wanted to summarize the episode with one map, this is a solid candidate. The layout and locations are all quite interesting, but the gameplay leans too heavily on holding M1 with the Shotgun for my liking. At least until the half-way point where you get enough cells to waste every Caco. I think an early Berserk pack would’ve done wonders for the combat. One of the best aspects of id’s E2 is that most maps have an early Berserk and punching Doom 1’s straightforward monster roster is still fun.

 

As far as fitting the TWID theme, it’s too high effort for what I’d expect from a secret E2 map. For maximum authenticity, it should be a short gimmick level like Fortress of Mystery. Nebulous Origins, like Excavation Site from E1, seems like just another map from the 2nd half of the episode. 

 

E2M6 - “Foundry” by Alfonzo

Significantly more hostile than the previous maps. This level contains some nasty surprises early on when you barely have any ammo. It’s also filled with various environmental hazards, with crushers being the more memorable part of the progression. Overall, I think it’s just too modern in layout and execution to be an authentic id level from ’93. More like something you’d see in a modern vanilla Doom 1 CP. It’s also somewhat difficult to navigate with all the one-way drops, especially if backtracking for those secrets that open at the start.

 

E2M7 - “Ore Processing” by Megalyth

These larger maps feel way longer than their IWAD counterparts. Ore Processing’s playtime is further extended by coloured doors being as far away as possible from their respective key pickups. The amount of backtracking is substantial and there aren’t enough branching paths or shortcuts to make the process any simpler. I do like the visual theme, which resembles Deimos Lab with its blue tech areas and overgrown grey walls.

 

E2M8 - “Vault” by Marcaek, esselfortium

Excellent visual design and build-up to the boss fight. Opening the vault looks really cool and the whole map feels large and intimidating. The Lost Soul count does seem a bit low. I expected more of them to charge in from the outside.

 

E2 Thoughts

The maps in this episode are more detailed, larger, and complex in their design compared to the IWAD Shores of Hell. It feels more like an attempt to outdo id’s mappers with similar themes rather than a “What if?” scenario. Or apply 90s visual quirks to modern mapping sensibilities. There is too much height variation and attention to texture selection for these to be Hall/Petersen collaborations.

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E3M2: City Of Corpses

By Walter + Ellmo

 

Kills: 71%

Items: 45%

Secrets: 25%

Time: 5:26

 

Oof, E3 taking quite the nosedive, City Of Corpses is cut from the exact same cloth as Ore Processing, at least combat wise, this map is very big and the monster count simply doesn't cut it, being so so so spread out, I do think it's a bit better than that map in some ways, I appreciate the whole thing not being dark and blurry and the layout is more refined upon, the MIDI here doesn't help the E2M7 gameplay feel though, what sounds like an unused Doom I track plods on and on, making this just feel more monotonous, this map isn't great

 

Grade: D+

Difficulty: E

 

 

E3M3: Malebolge

By Icytux

 

Kills: 68%

Items: 71%

Secrets: 40%

Time: 6:24

 

It is getting increasingly difficult to pull words out of my mouth to describe these levels, this one I played like 2 hours ago and I can't point out anything very interesting about it, it's a hell fortress with lava and stuff, that is it, I'm watching back this footage trying to think of things to say and I hardly even remember playing parts of this map, maybe I should take notes, I'd love to talk about it but there's just seriously nothing to Malebolge if you ask me, hopefully E3 picks up from here...

 

I am not a terrible writer, I promise, it is just getting extremely difficult to talk about this wad, and to think we’re only a little over halfway…

 

Grade: C-

Difficulty: D

 

 

 

Edited by NiGHTS108

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