IronEagle Competition 27: The Classic Episode

[Pegleg]

Welcome to a new year and a fresh installment of the IronEagle competition, the ironman challenge that welcomes everyone, young, old, veterans, and new players alike. Streamers and non-streamers are welcome. Do you like your Doom ultraviolent? Come on down. Do you prefer things to not be that rough? You're welcome, too.

This month, we're returning to the format of a single mapset, albeit one made by several authors. This month, participants will challenge themselves against The Classic Episode, straight from 2002. The authors, Jan Van der Veken (@Jan), Anthony Soto (@Swedish Fish), Nick Baker (@NiGHTMARE) , and Travers Dunne (@traversd), are all well-known, and here they combine their work into a single episode replacement for Doom that emulates the style of classic Doom episodes.

 

 

Congratulations to this month's winners (further details are in the post below).

 

UV: @Daerik (Runner-up: @Veinen)

HMP: @BoxY (Runner-up: @Crusader No Regret)

HNTR: @Horus (Runner-up: @Andromeda)

 

Download The Classic Episode here.

 

The Classic Episode starts on E2M1. Survival is completion of E2M8. There is a secret level, accessible from E2M5, as usual.

 

Spoiler

 

• Template for Chocolate Doom:
  • -iwad doom.wad -file class_ep.wad -skill <x> -warp 2 1 -record <IEclassep>

 

• Template for PRBoom+:
  • -iwad doom.wad -file class_ep.wad -complevel 2 -skill <x> -warp 2 1 -record <IEclassep>

 

• Template for ZDoom:-iwad doom.wad -file class_ep.wad +compatmode 2 -skill <x> +map e2m1 -record <IEclassep>
  • it is possible you may have to use +set skill <x> for GZDoom

 

 

Note: My thinking is that, since this is a replacement for Episode 2, that it should function with the original executable. Therefore, complevel 2 would be appropriate. However, it has been pointed out that the latest version of Ultimate Doom is complevel 3; thus, the appropriate complevel should be 3. This all being said, while I have specified complevel 2, I will accept demos or streams recorded with complevel 3.

 

 

Rules:

The rules are basically the same as they have been. Either demos or streams are permissible. If you are creating a demo, post the demo. If you are streaming, post a video of the stream. Even if streaming, you can still submit a demo, if you want to.

The basic rule is that you submit a demo/stream played at a particular difficulty level (HNTR, HMP, or UV) and you play without saving and reloading, ending your run when you die (or survive).

The following are allowed:

• Freelook
• Mods that are COSMETIC ONLY

 

The following are NOT allowed:

• Crouching
• Jumping
• Mods that change ANY aspect of base gameplay, including (but not limited to) enemy behavior, enemy speed, player abilities, player speed, weapon damage, ammo, and enemy drops.

 

Further, more specific rules are listed below:

Spoiler

 

• Submissions (except for streams, as described below) must include a demo from one of the listed acceptable ports. The first actual attempt must be submitted, there are no do-overs (with very few possible exceptions, which I will address as they arise).
  • You may practice a mapset if you want, but these practice runs should not be submitted as your official entry, and your run would be Category 2, unless there are exceptional circumstances (such as described below).
• A run must be done in a singular sitting with no saves. (With room for breaks. This will be addressed below.)
• Streams and video runs are accepted provided you post a video of the stream/run or a link to the video.
  • If you post a video of the stream, you may post a demo if you want, but it is not mandatory. You may also post a demo if you, for some reason, do not want to post the video or a link.
• Secret levels, if present, do not have to be completed for a survival run. If they are completed, they are extra credit.

 

Any port is accepted provided it will actually run the mapset. There is no preference.
Of course, if you want to try a Boom map in Chocolate, be my guest. However, be aware that your run may be over rather quickly. Don't say you weren't warned.

 

Category System:

Category 1: Blind run.

This explains itself. You have no knowledge of the wad and have not played/seen it before.

Category 2: Non-blind.

If you have played the wad before and/or possess any foreknowledge, your run is non-blind. Basically, anything that is not Category 1 is Category 2. The exception to this is if, for example, you do something like die in the first or second room or two of Map 01 and then decide to play again for your run. Call that Category 1.

 

If you're unhappy with your blind run, feel free to record a new run, and submit that run instead. If you want to submit your first run, no matter how you perform, by all means, go ahead and do it. You just shouldn't feel that you HAVE to submit a run you're dissatisfied with, just to preserve a "Category 1" status. If you want to go back and submit a second run, you're welcome to do so, but, at this time, it won't be counted.

 

 

Difficulty System:

You may submit a demo/stream for only one of HNTR, HMP, or UV. Choose only one, because s ubsequent submittals will be rejected (i.e., if you submit a HMP demo, the HNTR demo you then submit will be rejected). We're not using the 1CC rule set here. And your first submission is what counts.

 

Only runs from the same difficulty will be pitted against each other. Each difficulty will be graded separately.

 

 

Submission:

When you submit your run, please the include the following information:

• The category (1 or 2)
• The difficulty
• Did you survive?
• Map where you died
• Kills in the map where you died
• Time of death or total time for survival
• The port you used (if you included a demo)
• A link to the stream/video (if you did a stream or recorded a video)

 

You may include a commentary about the maps or details about them, if you want to. If you do include specific information about the map (e.g. "The demon trap in Map 08 is rough"), please put it in a spoiler, so that people that want a completely blind experience won't be tipped off. In you're just putting in a general comment (e.g., "Pro tip: don't get hit"), then no need for a spoiler.

 

Attempting to max the maps is not necessary to win. Feel free to attempt a pacifist run, but clearly state that when you post your submission, because I'll have to take that into account with the ranking.
 

Ranking for this mapset will be determined by:

• Survival
• Total time for survival
• Map where you died (in reverse order: E2M8, E2M7, E2M6, E2M9, E2M5, E2M4, E2M3, E2M2, E2M1)
• Time to reach the map where you died
• Kills in the map where you died
   

If you die, please wait a few seconds before quitting.

 

 

Breaks:

Everyone gets tired. Sometimes people survive longer than they expected. Nature calls. Every now and then, there are family emergencies. Needing to take a break shouldn't necessarily end a promising run. While you should try to complete the run in a single setting, this isn't always possible. If you have to take a break, try to make it quick.

 

 

Happy Dooming!

 

 

 

Previous IronEagle Competitions

Spoiler

 

2018

• Scientist 2 (Winners -- UV: leodoom85   HMP: n/a   HNTR: Liberation)
• Vanguard (Winners -- UV: Bdubzzz   HMP: n/a   HNTR: Liberation)
• Crumpets (Winners -- UV: NoisyVelvet   HMP: n/a   HNTR: Pegleg)

 

 

2019

• Dark Covenant (Winners -- UV: kmc   HMP: n/a   HNTR: Pegleg)
• Brood of Hatred (Winners -- UV: Bdubzzz   HMP: Crusader No Regret   HNTR: Pegleg)
• Riot Control (Winners -- UV: Bdubzzz   HMP: Walter Confetti   HNTR: Pegleg)
• Scimitar (Winners -- UV: Bdubzzz   HMP: Crusader No Regret   HNTR: Pegleg)
• Bauhaus (Winners -- UV: vdgg   HMP: Crusader No Regret   HNTR: Pegleg)
• Bloody Steel (Winners -- UV: Bdubzzz   HMP: n/a   HNTR: Pegleg)
• The Brotherhood of Ruin (Winners -- UV: leodoom85   HMP: n/a   HNTR: Pegleg)
• Flashback to Hell (Winners -- UV: kmc/Bdubzzz   HMP: n/a   HNTR: Pegleg)
• A Taste for Blood (Winners -- UV: Bdubzzz   HMP: n/a   HNTR: Pegleg)
• Back to Basics (Winners -- UV: Bdubzzz   HMP: Horus   HNTR: Pegleg)
• Whitemare (Winners -- UV: Bdubzzz & NaZa   HMP: Crusader No Regret   HNTR: Pegleg)

 

 

2020

• Thy Flesh Turned into a Draft-Excluder (Winners -- UV: Bdubzzz   HMP: n/a   HNTR: Pegleg)
• Fava Beans (Winners -- UV: NaZa   HMP: n/a   HNTR: Pegleg)
• Beyond Revival (Winners -- UV: Bdubzzz   HMP: n/a   HNTR: Pegleg)
• Absolute Dishonor (Winners -- UV: Veinen   HMP: Crusader No Regret   HNTR: kalaeth)
• Ever Shrine (Winners -- UV: Bdubzzz   HMP: Dieting Hippo   HNTR: Pegleg)
• Operation: Biowar (Winners -- UV: Veinen   HMP: Austinado   HNTR: Pegleg)
• The Attraction of All Things Uncertain (Winners -- UV: Bdubzzz   HMP: seed   HNTR: Pegleg)
• Fracture (Winners -- UV: Bdubzzz   HMP: Horus   HNTR: Pegleg)
• Spectrum (Winners -- UV: golbeeze  HMP: Horus  HNTR: Pegleg)
• Tyrant (Winners -- UV: Bdubzzz  HMP: Horus  HNTR: Andromeda )
• The Enigma Episode v. 2.0 (Winners -- UV: Crusader No Regret   HMP: n/a  HNTR: Andromeda)
• Songs of the Damned & Drip Feed (Winners -- UV: Suitepee   HMP: Capellan  HNTR: Andromeda)

 

 

Edited March 5, 2021 by Pegleg : Edit 1: The joys of copying and pasting. Edit 2: Complevel discussion. Edit 3: Added winners.

[Pegleg]

I meant to post this in January 2021 (in fact, I wrote "Reserved" in the post on January 2, 2021). Here it is January 2, 2022, and I'm just now getting to it. Oh well, better late than never.

 

So, toward the end of 2020, I decided to compile a list of the best performers for the whole of 2020. I had a simplified scoring system, where:
1st place = 10 points

2nd place = 7 points

3rd place = 5 points

4th place = 3 points

5th place = 2 points

6th place and on = 1 point

This was based on the scoring system devised for the Britbowl in 2020.

 

Here were the top performers for 2020. Congratulations.

 

UV

1. @Bdubzzz      84 points
2. @Suitepee     39 points
3. @leodoom85  32 points
4. @NoisyVelvet 30 points
5. @NaZa          25 points
6. @Veinen        20 points

 

HMP

1. @Horus                   37 points
2. @Austinado              24 points
3. @Dieting Hippo         22 points
4. @Crusader No Regret 15 points
5. @Capellan                13 points

 

HNTR

1. Pegleg             42 points (I removed the six months when I was the only participant)
2. @kalaeth        32 points
3. @Andromeda   30 points
4. @Major Arlene 14 points

 

 

These were the participant counts for each of the difficulties (people who participated at that difficulty at least once).

UV: 14

HMP: 12

HNTR: 4

 

Overall, there were 25 unique participants. Five participants tried their hands at different difficulties, depending on the month, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.

Edited January 3, 2022 by Pegleg : EDIT 1: Added winners for 2020. EDIT 2: Added other user statistics for 2020.

[Pseudonaut]

PrBoom+, UV, category 2, I've played the first two maps before. After that, it's a blind run. Died on E2M4 with 68/122 kills at 29:41.

 

Spoiler

I didn't hear the door close behind me because the sound of the barons waking up played at the exact same time.

 

iece-pseudonaut.zip

[Aquila Chrysaetos]

ieclass-aq.lmp

DSDA Doom 0.10.0, cl2, skill 4
Category 2

Survived, 1:06:11

[Capellan]

This will actually be a rare cat 2 run for me - I played Classic Ep in 2019 for the MegaWAD Club at the very least, and probably also back in the early 2000s.  Doubt I will do it all in one sitting, unless I die early, but will stream it when I do.

[akolai]

IEclassepcat1.zip

prboom+, category 1, dead with 160 kills in m3

[leodoom85]

Survived. Category 1. GLBoom+ used. UV difficulty. You know the drill....

Time spent was 1:15:16 and secret level was played. Took it easy this time despite of being a predictable wad in terms of traps and other stuff. 

 

Demo time: dwie_clasLD85.zip

[mtthew]

Category 2, UV, DSDA Doom 0.9.0. Dead on map 1 at 3:54 with 76 kills. 

 

Disaster. Went in with the confidence of someone who beat this WAD only a couple of months ago, and promptly got owned.

 

IEclassep_mtthew.zip

[Capellan]

I'll be streaming on the morning of Sunday 10th, my time - Google tells me it'll be 5pm EST on Saturday 9th when I start.  Link below.  I'll post again shortly before starting.

https://youtu.be/I6Z62TNqKL0

 

[Veinen]

Finished in 53:32, including the secret level. UV, category 1, prboom+. Very cool classic style set.

 

DWeagle_ClassicEP_Veinen.zip

[Andromeda]

Recorded on dsda-doom 0.10.0 -complevel 3, category 1, HNTR.

Survived in 1:05:11, including the secret level - Fun set, more in the style of E1 than E2 I reckon but has some teeth even on lower difficulties.

 

ie27_andromeda.zip

[Capellan]

21 minutes ago, Andromeda said:

Survived in 1:05:11, including the secret level - Fun set, more in the style of E1 than E2 I reckon but has some teeth even on lower difficulties.

 

The maps being in E2 was likely just to prevent their use with the shareware version of Doom.

 

[Andromeda]

25 minutes ago, Capellan said:

The maps being in E2 was likely just to prevent their use with the shareware version of Doom.

That makes sense, I didn't read the text file beforehand but it has info on the style of each level which clarifies things.

[dei_eldren]

Oh my, that was tough going on HNTR - relentless!  Just goes to show how much easier levels seem when getting a second chance...

 

Recorded on PrBoom+.  Category 1, HNTR, died in E2M2 - kills 61/73, time 32:43.  Died on a standard trap, knew (meaning guessed correctly) it was coming and panicked when it did haha! 

 

Many thanks to Pegleg for alerting me to this.

dei_classed.zip

Edited January 5, 2021 by dei_eldren

[Pegleg]

3 hours ago, dei_eldren said:

Many thanks to Pegleg for alerting me to this.

 

You're quite welcome. Hopefully, we'll see you back in the months to come, too.

[dei_eldren]

3 minutes ago, Pegleg said:

 

You're quite welcome. Hopefully, we'll see you back in the months to come, too.

 

You will!  And i decided not to go for HMP before i first get to map03 on HNTR :)

[galileo31dos01]

Category 2, UV

Survived in 1:09:42

classep_IEbygal.zip

 

Played this in dwmc before. Very fresh memories so I could get a bit of mileage out of secrets, including E2M9, but not too much since it's still very shotgun heavy. DOTD was the more varied of the two iirc. 

 

One more thing, I see that almost everyone attached their files to dw but I still don't see that option anywhere. Could someone point me out where it is, please??

[dei_eldren]

4 hours ago, galileo31dos01 said:

One more thing, I see that almost everyone attached their files to dw but I still don't see that option anywhere. Could someone point me out where it is, please??

 

At least for me, just below the message writing window, there's a paperclip, and next to it 'Drag files here to attach, or choose files...'  Just click the 'choose files'.

[Pegleg]

Category: 2

Dead on: E2M8

Kills: 90/94

Time: 1:16:03

 

ie_pegleg_classep.zip

 

I enjoyed this mapset. I also did a bit better than I was expecting to do, although I'm not terribly surprised I died where I did.

 

This time, unlike in my other runs where I've survived deep into the mapset, I did not do myself in with a rocket! Go me.

[galileo31dos01]

10 hours ago, dei_eldren said:

 

At least for me, just below the message writing window, there's a paperclip, and next to it 'Drag files here to attach, or choose files...'  Just click the 'choose files'.

 

There's no paperclip visible for me, in either chrome or firefox. It's only the box that says "Insert other media", which isn't to attach new files. Strange, very strange...

[dei_eldren]

10 minutes ago, galileo31dos01 said:

 

There's no paperclip visible for me, in either chrome or firefox. It's only the box that says "Insert other media", which isn't to attach new files. Strange, very strange...

 

Yes, the Insert other media button is on the righthand side of the same segment... checked on Firefox and it's all correctly there, too.  Good luck, sorry couldn't be of help.

[galileo31dos01]

19 minutes ago, dei_eldren said:

 

Yes, the Insert other media button is on the righthand side of the same segment... checked on Firefox and it's all correctly there, too.  Good luck, sorry couldn't be of help.

 

Turns out I reached the 50mb attachment limit a while ago. Freeing some space unlocked back the paperclip :D

[BoxY]

Dammit I'm an idiot, I survived skill 3, category 1 in 1:03:56, only to realise after finishing that I was recording in complevel 2. Oh well, it was a fun first experience with an ironman event. Useless demo provided: IEclassep_bx.lmp

 

Edit: never mind, I looked back again at the thread and apparently complevel 2 is the target compat, despite it being an Ultimate Doom wad.

Edited January 6, 2021 by BoxY

[Andromeda]

1 hour ago, BoxY said:

Dammit I'm an idiot, I survived skill 3, category 1 in 1:03:56, only to realise after finishing that I was recording in complevel 2. Oh well, it was a fun first experience with an ironman event. Useless demo provided: IEclassep_bx.lmp

 

Edit: never mind, I looked back again at the thread and apparently complevel 2 is the target compat, despite it being an Ultimate Doom wad.

Actually, cl3 is the target compat. @Pegleg must have mistyped the complevel on the template in the OP.

[BoxY]

1 minute ago, Andromeda said:

Actually, cl3 is the target compat. @Pegleg must have mistyped the complevel on the template in the OP.

 

Ah, in that case it's an error on top of an error. :) Is it possible for a demo recorded in cl2 to play back properly in cl3 regardless or does some behaviour inevitably cause a desync? I played the first couple of minutes of the demo back in cl3 without issues but I'm not sure if that would hold.

[Horus]

@BoxY I recorded a cl2 demo for Spectrum that desynced in cl3. That said, if Pegleg put cl2 in OP, i’m sure it will be accepted!

[Andromeda]

17 minutes ago, BoxY said:

Ah, in that case it's an error on top of an error. :) Is it possible for a demo recorded in cl2 to play back properly in cl3 regardless or does some behaviour inevitably cause a desync? I played the first couple of minutes of the demo back in cl3 without issues but I'm not sure if that would hold.

From what I know, most times a cl2 demo desyncs on cl3 when a lost soul bounces off the floor. I played back your demo and surprisingly it plays back fine until E2M7, where it desyncs about 6:30 minutes in. As @Horus said though, I'm sure your demo will be accepted regardless.

[BoxY]

In that case all's well that ends well, and thanks for the info. :)

[Veinen]

For the record, I'm pretty sure my demo was also recorded with cl2 as that is explicitly stated in the OP (though I suspected that it's an error...). The only functional difference in this mapset compared to cl3 is that with cl2 lost souls don't bounce off surfaces so if that's deemed a significant advantage then my run shouldn't count either. And that is indeed what might cause desyncs if you force cl3 when playing back the demo. But you shouldn't specify complevel for demo playback anyway, because prboom will automatically use the same complevel that was used in recording, so verification shouldn't be an issue.

[Bdubzzz]

Category 1 Survived in 56:58. (plus secret level) UV

 

IE-classic-dubz.zip