The DWIronman League dies to: The Darkening E1 & E2

[Alfonzo]

July, 2018

> Download The Darkening

> Download The Darkening Episode 2
> NaZa's unofficial leader board

 

Leaderboard

 

1. [1] Survived Beginner [03:52:49] Your name and your performance do not square up properly, god dammit!
2. [1] 22 levels NaZa - NaZa's come a long way... but how many talent points did he have to pull down from the navigation tree to get here?
3. [3] 21 levels leodoom85 - Stone Tyrant gets its revenge on the other map11.
4. [2] 19 levels Anima Zero - It Seemed Like a Good Idea At The Time.
5. [3] 16 levels Sparktimus - Arch-vile didn't take too kindly to the bossa nova dis.
6. [2] 13 levels NoisyVelvet - 2000 is close enough to the '90s that fence-hopping should still come with a disclaimer. Nice GAD in E1. (DNF)
7. [3] 12 levels Aquila Chrysaetos - Different flavored fireballs bring to an end this debutant's Darkening.
8. [1] 07 levels Eris Falling - Definitely not "Dead Simple". That was actually quite complicated and can we get a forensics team out here, please? 
9. [1] 07 levels Agent6 - I guess the agency doesn't train for chainsaw-versus-perched-sergeant scenarios.
10. [1] 07 levels guineu - Headless chicken syndrome is a deadly affliction.

 

What is the Doomworld Ironman League?

 

The DWIronman League is a monthy competition in which participants aim to survive for as many levels as possible in the given map set, preferably in one sitting. Click the spoiler tag below for a detailed list of rules. Players of all levels of ability are welcome. It could change the way you play Doom!

 

In July 2018 the Doomworld Ironman League dies to 1999's The Darkening and its sequel from the following year, Episode 2, both -complevel 2 (Doom (strict)). These non-identical twin classics are the product of an ensemble comprising some of the big names from the past and present like Jan Van der Veken, Adam Windsor and Travers Dunne. The second episode in particular has served as a great source of inspiration for prospective level designers and is seen by many as a blueprint for the modern map with its "looping layouts" and unifying complexity, and standing in stark contrast to the first Darkening, which has aged considerably. Together, these 23 levels should add up to about 3 hours of harrowing hitscan encounters and crawling through corridors, but coming off the back of Rush... certainly it's nothing that will spell instant death to the unprepared. I put it to you that you will survive this ordeal!

 

Good luck, and remember: you can play these in any order. Dying in one set does not prevent you from attempting the other. Completed maps are cumulative, and so is the time taken. Please zip your demos up for convenience.

 

Potential Game-stoppers and Bugs

 

• None documented yet.

 

prboom-plus -file darken -complevel 2 -warp -skill 4 -record my_demo

Spoiler

• One attempt per month. Good luck!
• Demos (PrBoom+, GLBoom or Eternity), stream highlights and single-take video recordings are the only accepted proofs. You must link to these runs in the thread. 
• UV only continous; no pistol-starting.
• No other wads unless they are purely cosmetic.
• No hard-coded cheats or features that result in behaviour beyond what is possible in the intended source port (e.g. freelook, jumping and crouching in a boom set).
• If streaming or recording videos using an advanced source port with compatability options, you must not enable any flags that result in behavior beyond what is possible in the intended source port. In most cases, this will mean that you can comfortably use "Doom/Boom(strict)" behaviour in ZDoom, for example. You must also display these settings on-screen before your run.
• If you choose to stream your run rather than provide a demo and you die before completing a single level, either on map01 of a set or because of a single level being selected for the month, you must display the number of monsters killed/remaining in the level before you quit. The number of kills registered will determine your ranking versus other players who died on that level.
• You do not have to play the secret levels in order to register a complete run. However, a player who finishes the game having completed more secret levels will rank higher than his competitors.
• You cannot load a game having progressed past the save point.
• You cannot consult Doom Builder during your run to check for map details. Your viewers may, however.
• If your operating system fails during the run such that the stream/recording becomes irretrievable, you are permitted a second or subsequent attempt. Technical difficulties during streams or recordings that present as merely an impediment (i.e. the run is still observable, in the case of a stream) do not count as system failures. In these instances, you should save the game, if possible, and resume when the issue has been resolved.
• Death exits do not disqualify a run (duh!) but accidentally restarting the level before the tally screen appears will. Stay frosty!
• You are required to affix one of three numbers to your run informing the League of your degree of familiarity with the map/set played. Note that your evaluation should only take into consideration the content covered in your run (e.g. if you scout only the first level of a WAD you're otherwise unfamiliar with and die in the first level, you should list your run as [3] instead of [2]. If you remember only one part of a level in a set you haven't played before but never reach that level, you should list your run as a [1] instead of [2]):

1. 
   This is a blind run. If I have played or watched any of the level/set being played before, I can't remember the details of any one area in a way that would offer an advantage over truly blind players.
2. 
   This is a familiar run. I have played or watched the level/set being played before — even if it's only one area — and can remember enough details to have an advantage over blind players.
3. 
   This is a prepared run. I played the WAD to some extent after it was announced for this month's Ironman but before declaring an official run

 

Previous Threads

2016
Jenesis (winner: Demon of the Well)
Crusades (winner: Ribbiks)
Nilla Doom (winner: Demon of the Well)
Khorus' Speedy Shit (winner: Bloodite Krypto)
Perdition's Gate (winner: Bloodite Krypto)
UAC Ultra (winner: Bloodite Krypto)

 

2017
Jade Earth (winner: Bloodite Krypto)
Legacy of Heroes (winner: Bloodite Krypto)
Back to Saturn X E1 (winner: dew)
Mapgame (winner: Bloodite Krypto)
Vae Victus 1 & 2 (winner: Demon of the Well)
Disturbia (winner: Bloodite Krypto)
Insertion (winner: Bloodite Krypto)
Unholy Realms (winner: Bloodite Krypto)
Osiris (winner: Demon of the Well)
End Game & End Point (winner: Bloodite Krypto)
Oscillation (winner: Ancalagon)
Doom The Way id Did (winner: kmc)

 

2018
Combat Shock 2 (winner: Bloodite Krypto)
Coffee Break (winner: Bloodite Krypto)
Warlock's Hearth (winner: Demon of the Well)
50 Monsters (winner: Bloodite Krypto)
Double Impact (winner: Bloodite Krypto)
Rush (winner: WH-Wilou84)

Edited July 5, 2018 by Alfonzo : I am an update.

[leodoom85]

OMG.........both classics!!!
Liking the choice already.

[seed]

Time for another round eh?

 

Very well, I'll make my run through both of them later. I will return xdd.

[Alfonzo]

Bloodite Krypto: 14

Everyone Else: 10 (with 3 of those coming before he joined the competition in 2016).

 

Bloodite represents that one sporting country that is generating so much talent that its opposition is required by organizers to compete under the banner of "The World" for international scheduling to remain marketable and competitive. Demon of the Well has simply dropped too far off the pace, now, and has been conglomerated. He is but a mote on the highway with his measly five victories, including just one from the last 12 months of Ironman League. If DWIronman did trophies I'd have booked this one months ago because yep, she's all over, folks. It's become the U.S. at the Olympics. The America's Cup. The All Blacks. Australia versus American Samoa in 2001. ZeroMaster versus eLim.

 

If my reading is correct then last month's winner is @WH-Wilou84. Congratulations! Everyone else walked away from the spoils when you were most prepared to stick fat following 2 years of demo recording. What a refreshing change of pace. Now time to rip one out of their cold, dead hands!

Edited July 2, 2018 by Alfonzo

[Dragonfly]

 

 

I need to stop an_mutt now before it's too late!

[Aquila Chrysaetos]

1 minute ago, Dragonfly said:

 

 

I need to stop an_mutt now before it's too late!

I'm on Team @Suitepee! Go Suitepee! Poor man almost had it yesterday.

Hopefully, I'll be able to post an official run this month of my own.

It's been too long since I played either episode, so I'm fuzzy on details, but I'll count it as a Cat 2 because I do remember some of E2.

[seed]

18 minutes ago, Aquila Chrysaetos said:

I'm on Team @Suitepee! Go Suitepee!

 

Then I shall be on Team 42 for @42PercentHealth 👊.

 

Do make a run by yourself though, I wonder how well you'll do, haven't seen how you play yet. I just recorded my Darken run, died at some point on MAP05 I think. I thought the wad was bugged at first, who woulda thought I also needed the resource.wad file. It was nice to see enemies floating and HOM everywhere :v .

 

I won't post the demo until I make my Episode 2 run however, which won't be until tomorrow.

[NaZa]

12th consecutive new set to me. Fitting, a year after my best result to date with Insertion (DTWID was Cat3 so I ain't counting it). I will probably produce a demo mid-month, a bit of a change but stuff is currently happening and it's impossible. If I don't participate until the 20th, I won't participate at all. 

 

Congratulations to @WH-Wilou84 on his first win, after 24 attempts, 4 second places (3 successive!) and 11 survivals. 

Edited July 1, 2018 by NaZa : Miscounted massacre

[leodoom85]

Time to do this thing after I prepared myself...brb

[SleepyVelvet]

Category 2: I looked at the first map of each a while ago, but is pretty much 100% blind otherwise.

 

darken1 DEAD: Map07 (thought I hit '6' for plasma, pulled out rocketlauncher instead)

darken2 DNF: Map08 (decided to be adventurous and fence-hopped; got stuck in nondamaging lava instead)

noisy_darken_ironman.zip

 

prboom-plus.exe -file .\RESOURCE.WAD .\DARKEN.WAD -deh .\DARK.DEH -skill 4 -complevel 2 -record noisy_darken_ironman.lmp

prboom-plus.exe -file .\Darken2.wad -complevel 2 -record noisy_darken2_ironman.lmp -skill 4

[leodoom85]

Tough luck NoisyVelvet.........unfortunate that you died in map 07 :(

In other news....I just survived The Darkening 1. Time to do Darkening 2.

 

[Suitepee]

I've heard about the Darkening duo (I've briefly played map one of the sequel...) as being one of the early inspirational mapsets for custom texturing, so should be interesting to finally play it, even under Ironman circumstances. I plan on having some practice with PRBoom before I do my run this month after dragonfly and an_mutt, so hopefully I can FINALLY get a point on the Britbowl board.

 

Also thanks @Aquila Chrysaetos for your support!

[Big Ol Billy]

Cool, cool. I fell off for the last two, though not for lack of trying—in both cases I ended up getting caught up in repeated practice runs and never worked up the confidence to do a proper attempt. (I blame the choice of Double Impact—I love that set so much I didn’t want to do a run where I didn’t get to see all the maps!). But fingers crossed that I’ll get my shit together and lower my personal expectations this month.

[Beginner]

Punks not dead. Category 1 submission. E1 went surprisingly well, so did E2 up until the last moments

Spoiler

where I got away with getting hit by a rocket and failing to fire BFG in a dangerous moment.

The Darkening Episode 1: 01:15:09

The Darkening Episode 2: 02:37:40

Total time: 03:52:49

Edited July 2, 2018 by Beginner : I wonder why nobody mentioned that I forgot to put a link to demos in the post

[leodoom85]

well......different outcomes I had for this session...

While I survived Darkening 1 in 1:10:39, category 3....I died in Darkening 2, category 2 and thanks to a fucking cybie AGAIN in map 11 while I was grasping the exit!!!.

 

darkld85.zip

[Anima Zero]

Survived Darkening 1 in 1:06:34 which is good.

 

Darkening 2?  Got to map 9, then a jump into what appeared to be an empty slime container of sorts turned out to be occupied.  He did not like his private drinking zone invaded and promptly kicked me out of it all corpse like.

DWIronman_DarkeningDemos_AnimaZero.zip

[Dragonfly]

9 hours ago, Beginner said:

not dead. Category 1

 

I think I'll start a petition to change your name from Beginner. You're no noob! :P 

[seed]

Alright, so I finished my Darkening 2 playthrough as well. Gonna skip talking about the first Darkening since I actually don't remember where exactly I died yesterday, other than on MAP05 (I think?). I wonder though why some areas in this wad were so dark, that makes me not want to know how they would've looked in Software.

 

It was a good run, yeah I died once again but overall I was mostly satisfied with my performance. I was close to getting gangbanged in Darkening 2 by a wave of Pinkies, but considering the traps from the previous level (especially the one that triggers after picking up the yellow key), I could just smell it from a mile. Then I almost got myself in some deep shit with a few Revenants outside near the blue key (boi am I glad I fell off the ledge right after the trap triggered, had they caught me on the platform where the blue key was I would've had nowhere to run. A quick death), and at the end a bunch of asshole Chaingunners almost got me. Before starting fighting with each other, yay.

 

But ultimately, I died at the beginning of the next level, since I didn't know the map I didn't expect that I would get trapped inside a room (a not-so-obvious trap), and unfortunately after running out of ammo too. Damned Shotgunners :v . So, grab your popcorn and enjoy the show. "Watch Me Die!" indeed.

 

Spoiler

GlBoom+ 2.5.1.4, Blind.

 

agent6darken.zip

[guineu]

Darkening Ep1 => Map04, didn't expect a fat spider so soon, just ran around like an idiot and died.

Darkening Ep2 => Map05, first threatening teleport trap, couldn't find a place to hide from hitscanners, ran around like an idiot and died.

 

Blind / Category 1: guineu darken 1+2

[Aquila Chrysaetos]

Call Darkening E1 a Cat 3 because I thought I was recording when in fact I typed "-recorddemo" and not "-record".

I had a dumb moment.

However, I did make it to MAP09 when I thought I was recording, then I got locked in the nukage pit. Made me mad.

 

Recorded in Crispy Doom 5.2.

 

Darkening 1 - Cat 3, see above

Died on MAP09 after the blue skull to a baron who wanted to say hi.

 

Darkening 2 - Cat 2, played years ago

Died on MAP05 to an imp.

E2 was stringent on health, I felt like I was dragging my innards along with me half the time.

 

Didn't do as poorly as I imagined my first Ironman run would.

[Tristan]

Dead on MAP07 of 1 and MAP02 of 2, 7 levels survived. I liked 1 but 2's gameplay didn't sit well with me from the very start so maybe I can be glad the run ended early. Both Cat 1

 

 

[NaZa]

AAARGHHH
 

category 1

 

DARKENING E1: Survived (1:23:00)

DARKENING E2: DIED ON MAP12... after two hours of playing I just wasted all the radsuits and lost track of everything, got confused.

 

Yes, I have indeed attempted that grab; it wasn't successful. That was not the cause of my death, though. I killed everything I saw and couldn't find progression, so I just evaporated. Too bad, I might have challenged Beginner. But, what's done is done!

 

 

darken_naza_ironjul18.zip

[ukiro]

 

2 hours ago, NaZa said:

couldn't find progression

 

You didn't find the yellow key on map12? Considering where the shot is from, you were so close!

[NaZa]

33 minutes ago, ukiro said:

 

 

You didn't find the yellow key on map12? Considering where the shot is from, you were so close!

Looking at the map in the editor, I seem to have witnessed a BSOD in my brain... the lift which takes you to the gunshot switch (in the nukage) seems to also open up a passageway leading to the red key when it lowers... I must have just gone up without thinking there's another way behind the lift, when in fact I could've just passed through and saw it all.

 

That last map shouldn't be done blind.

[Sparktimus]

Streaming my ironman attempt in 10 minutes! (5:20 EST)

Come watch me die!
 

 

[Sparktimus]

That's E1 done and E2 attempted :v

I had just a wee bit of help from my Twitch chat, but that doesn't stop me from having a lot of close calls in E1, which I eventually survived! Didn't get so lucky in E2, though. Got caught off guard by a sneaky archvile and had my run burnt to a crisp. Cat 2, btw.
 

Gameplay for E1 starts roughly 6 minutes into the VOD. Also includes an attempt at E2 which leads to a GZDoom crash:

Gameplay for E2 starts at roughly 12:30 and includes some meddling with the settings near the beginning, but it doesn't take too long:

 

Edited July 5, 2018 by Sparktimus

[HexaDoken]

KEYBIRB TIME

 

E1: Survived in 67:53. Slow, steady, reasonably effecient.

E2: MAP02 reached in 4:49, then... yeah. "Let's go die" indeed.

 

Total: 12 levels survived in 72:42. Cat 2 run: never played the wads before, but saw Mutt's and Sparks streams before attempting.

 

 

I suppose if someone wants to snatch back the Kup I took the last month, now is a good opening.

 

 

edit: fun fact: Sparks above would've probably died on like map03 of E1 if not for my help. "I suppose I could help you, don't see why I shouldn't", mused I at the time. And now he's ahead of me in the scoreboard.

 

D:<

[NaZa]

Also, in the standings, I've updated 2016 because of the following reasons:

• Relaxed "illegal comp settings" across the year and allowed "illegal" runs on board because it never happens these days anyway
• August 2016 - three people ran on HMP (including ClonedPickle, who eventually survived!)
• September 2016 - ordered people who died on MAP01 by the relative number of kills
• October 2016 - switched Breezeep and Preliatus due to Preliatus having 1 more kill.
• November 2016 - added Saint_Guy's run which wasn't on the board only because of update timing
• December 2016 - this one was updated in January with 14 runs that didn't make it to the board for some reason, also due to no proof I didn't count Saint_Guy's and CapnClever's runs for this WAD because I didn't know where they'd end up.

 

A similar update will probably follow for the first months of 2017 as well.

 

Also, for the last month I've counted Fiendzy in because, if nothing, his bug only made it more difficult for him to play, as was the case with ClumsyWizard/Preliatus back in October last year, when no textures were drawn while he was playing but he ended up on the board.

Edited July 9, 2018 by NaZa

[Bashe]

Darkening 1 - completed in 55:36. Got a nice time advantage on map07 due to a major shortcut. Some very close calls, but also godly RNG in my favor (for once!).

Darkening 2 - died on map09. A callback to Insertion (also July, huh), wherein WHERE DID THAT CRUSHER COME FROM FUCK YOU was my death. In review, I failed to notice it was moving before I grabbed the secret. Was very confident about finishing this one, too. :\

 

Both were category 2, though I played Darkening 1 more recently than 2.

 

darkending.zip

[Swalzi]

I recorded the demos with PRBoom+ and played with software rendering. My demos aren't too exciting, expect cautiousness and observing. I survived 7 levels. These runs are category 1. Demo archive

Darkening 1 - Died on map07. I was bitter about accidentally skipping the story text, I was made more bitter while trying to escape a mancubus fireball at point blank range. I played rather well up until my death. Map04 and map06 are my favorites of what I played from E1.

Darkening 2 - Died on map02. For a brief second, I thought I outsmarted a trap. Then I got killed by the very enemy I tried to escaped from. Those projectile speeds, man.