SIGIL v1.21 - New Romero megawad [released!]

[[McD] James]

 

[wheresthebeef]

3 hours ago, NightFright said:

My review (hopefully avoiding spoilers):
 

Spoiler

 

PRO:

+ Visually impressive, even with stock textures

+ Great gameflow (basically impossible to get stuck anywhere, weapon arsenal progress satisfying etc)

+ Also optimized for lower difficulties to satisfy players with rather average skills (no slaughter gameplay)

+ Fantastic soundtrack

+ Atmospheric (often dark, but in a creepy way; many lava caverns that give "hellish" feeling)

+ Satisfying secrets

+ Secret level not too difficult to find (after you figured out how this mission pack works)

CON:

- First four levels actually rather short (approx. 10min playtime)

- Occasionally tight spaces (but still managable)

- Skybox not so pretty

- Some unprecise texture placement here and there

- Episode ending rather anti-climactic (no new boss etc)

- No custom music for episode ending text (just D_VICTOR MIDI music)

VERDICT:

I was afraid this might be another "Thy Flesh Consumed", but I was positively surprised. In ITYTD/HNTR, this is quite possible to beat for me as an average Doom player. I had hoped the episode lasted longer, but for that I guess I would have needed to choose a higher difficulty. In general, it feels exactly the way Romero advertised it: You are in a "deeper pocket" of hell, having to maneuver through dark caverns with the famous lava cracks and big lava lakes. This is a MUCH more enjoyable approach to the hell theme as offered in ep.3 and 4 IMHO. There are not many wide open areas, but I think that also wouldn't be fitting the general theme of the episode. I had a great time with this and will definitely replay the whole thing quite a bit. If Romero is willing to deliver more of this for Doom II, I won't say no.

 

 

Yeah, I'd say this is about what I'd say for pros and cons too.

I'd add a pro that the secrets are varied, it isn't just 90% press use on a secret wall door.

Also there's a number of original puzzles and the like, even if some of them aren't great they still add a nice quick break from mindless slaughter.

 

I'd add a con that its possible to break the levels

[KillPixel]

Quote

SIGIL FACT: The megawad was designed for original DOOM 1, which means there's no mouselooking or jumping allowed. If you do, you're cheating. Have fun!

I get jumping is cheating, but freelook?  Really?  I guess I should rely on autoaim rather than my own lest I risk cheating.

I wonder if he considers enabling freelook and disabling autoaim in Quake as cheating as well?

[Dragonfly]

It's based on the original games limitations. Sigil contains shootable switches which may be possible to hit from positions you wouldn't be able to hit it from with freelook, so yes, it's "cheating".

Edited May 27, 2019 by Dragonfly

[Gez]

I can refrain from jumping, but he'll have to pry my mouselook from my cold, dead hands.

[KillPixel]

Meh.  I'm not super pumped about that design choice, that's a pretty archaic artifact to design around IMO (plz don't hurt me).  Now I'm wondering if I need to enable vanilla compatibility like infinitely tall actors and such...

[Gunstar Green]

14 minutes ago, KillPixel said:

I get jumping is cheating, but freelook?  Really?  I guess I should rely on autoaim rather than my own lest I risk cheating.

I wonder if he considers enabling freelook and disabling autoaim in Quake as cheating as well?

 

Yeah, jumping will break the maps but if you want to freelook I don't see the problem with it. It doesn't really make hitting the switches that much easier. I personally used "strict" in GZDoom but play however you want as long as you're not going for a speedrun record or something. 

 

Quake actually had it built in but not enabled by default in the original exe, I think they've gone on record saying Quake should have had it from the start.

[DuckReconMajor]

hahahahaha

 

 

 

 

[DuckReconMajor]

Most of the time I play without either, but he could have worded it a lot better, perhaps

 

"For an extra-classic feel, try playing without mouselook or jumping. Maybe try a software renderer!"

 

The kids are gonna jump, use mouselook, complain about Brutal Doom compatibility, and make dumb-ass YouTube videos calling it "disappointing". They're still playing Doom! The staying power of this game blows my mind to this day.

[TakenStew22]

I can stand not jumping, but no mouse-looking? You're not making me your bitch this time Romero. >:)

[LadyVader1138]

I'm find with not mouselooking as I typically don't. Hell, I don't even use a mouse. I play keyboard only.

[Epyo]

Y'all should consider trying just turning off the vertical part of mouselook!  It feels awesome, and helps you not break levels!  And, no crosshairs--you just line up the gun like real doom guy. (Once you get used to this style, and embrace the vertical autoaim, you can actually aim much quicker, and it raises your skill level quite a bit, IMO!  And you're not staring at a dang crosshair all night.)

 

(I'm just kidding, to each their own.  That's just my favorite way)

[Gunstar Green]

Well yeah, he doesn't mean horizontal mouse controls, that's always been in Doom.

[MeatSafeMurderer]

Well...DOOM might've released in 1993, but it's 2019 now. I can't not mouselook.

I guess he's just gonna have to make me his bitch.

[Egg Boy]

just bought it, excited to get into it!

[dybbuk81]

I'm starting to think gmanlives dogs the big name games because of the expectations they need to have compared to us little guys. He gave our game Project Warlock an incredible review as well as a lot of other independant groups but must favor the little guys which though cool for us I'm glad people still dont go by reviews and give people a chance. We also had a couple bad written reviews but luckily the good ones overshadowed them or people made up their own minds. The major complaint was our game save issues and difficulty settings. Fair enough. All games have flaws and I'm sure in the day even Doom itself did. I'll still add sigil to my permanent collection and cherish that file as the fifth episode by one of the real guys behind doom. Just keep in mind reviews are opinions. They can even be biased due to expectations set by the sole individuals reviewing them.

[SamuelNMEvander]

7 minutes ago, Egg Boy said:

just bought it, excited to get into it!

Enjoy.

[fraggle]

I hereby declare that "sigile" is the word that shall be used to describe levels made in the style of SIGIL

[scalliano]

So far, music is ace, E5M4 can die in a fire. Fuck that crusher maze. Fuck it. Hard.

[BigBoy91]

Gman sounded like a bit of a prick in this review, in my opinion. For instance, he whines about Romero not using any Doom 2 assets. I think he's missing the entire point of this WAD. He also complains about the lighting while using the worst OpenGL lighting settings. Still love Gman though. I feel like he was overly inflammatory to create controversy and get views. But enough about him.. I can't wait to try this! Looks very promising and OG.

[ImpieEyez95]

Is anyone looking into creating an animated INTERPIC for this release? @Gifty perhaps... :)? (I think you created the E4 one correct?)

[Fonze]

49 minutes ago, Gunstar Green said:

Well yeah, he doesn't mean horizontal mouse controls, that's always been in Doom.

 

Mouselook really wasn't a thing like it is in modern ports; there was always the ability to turn left and right with it but vanilla required an extra file (novert) to be able to not move forward and backward with the mouse.

 

Otoh I think that anything up to the ability to actually shoot along a vertical axis isn't really a bad thing, though I find it easier to judge the cut-off of the vertical autoaim when vertical looking (as opposed to vertical aiming, if that makes sense?) is turned off.

[Revenant100]

1 hour ago, Gunstar Green said:

 

but if you want to freelook I don't see the problem with it. It doesn't really make hitting the switches that much easier.

Several secrets and even normal gameplay progressing switches are designed around finding the way to reach the same level as the shootable switch.

 

[Phobus]

To be fair, the maps are mostly well designed enough that vertical mouse look doesn't allow sequence breaking anyway. At least, I always got up on the right level before shooting the switch, and I've been a dedicated GZDoom mouse look guy for years.

[Stale Meat]

So mouse looking and jumping are out, but we can still crouch and quick save at least!

[Reisal]

4 hours ago, Ajora said:

 

 

Sorry John, but mouselook is part of my gameplay MO (modus operandi). However, I don't jump nor would use mouselook to unfairly shoot switches on a higher ledge as I don't roll that way. Mouselook is to attack enemies only.

[CorianderCastor]

Quake had hold to mouse and a broken always run, heh, but +mlook and +speed in autoexec does wonders.

So to say that's cheating would be to say joyb_speed 29 is cheating.

Not to mention caps lock as run in Wolf, although that is janky.

 

I like auto aim in these old games; it's the horizontal auto aim that throws me off in Doom.

But I still don't get why some people want freelook in Wolf and the Catacomb games.

Also, I think mouse move works well in Wolfenstein, but I can't seem to get used to it in Doom.

 

I need to play through with the midi's. Currently I prefer the mp3 for sp and the midi for dm.

I think a mod that enables on the fly soundtrack switching would be nice.

To do that well seems nontrivial.

[Super Mighty G]

4 hours ago, Ajora said:

I never play Doom any other way. Pretend it's 1995 and this was just released.

[unerxai]

I love the fact John Romero called mouselookers cheaters

[Nine Inch Heels]

Do it however Mara would want it. ;-)

(It's a bit of an insider, sorry)

Edited May 27, 2019 by Nine Inch Heels