The DWmegawad Club plays: Rowdy Rudy's Revenge! & Rowdy Rudy II: POWERTRIP!

[Silhouette 03]

Map10: Black Gold

"Unpleasant" is the best way to describe this map. I may have been left in the dark on this map's difficulty( Ba bum tss!) 

 

The essential gimmick here is that you're fending off waves upon waves of enemies while waiting for bars to lower to proceed to the next area . This is unpleasant for many reasons, chief of which is that the map is almost pitch black and you're fighting high tier enemies for the most part. You barely have a moment to catch you're breath before you're attacked once again. This isn't a slaughter map, merely a map where you're constantly under attack at all times. The surplus of arch-viles in open areas where cover is very limited takes the cake, though. Can't say I enjoyed this one.

 

Still not as dark as Doom 3( I'm years too old for this joke, but if you read my posts to honestly get a laugh, than you are a FOOL! Still love you though ;)

 

Silhouette's stats;
Kills: 76%
Secrets: 50%

Deaths: 7

Darkness meter^Tm: 87%

Number of outdated references I have in store for you: INFINITE!

 

 

 

 

[Omniarch]

MAP09: Security Station, by @DFF - 100% / 80%

 

Seems riderr3 wasn't the only one taking inspiration from Evilution. Security Station is another highly atmospheric map, though unlike MAP07 this one leans more in the direction of pseudo-realism, at least as much as one can under vanilla limitations.

 

I have known of DFF ever since I played Akeldama sometime in mid 2020. His Bunker Hill is one of my favourite maps in the set, to such an extent that I ended up making a trench-network style map myself (though it ended up being more of an open-plan techbase, and it now resides in my Slag Heap where it belongs).

 

The thing that stands out most to me about his work is the sense of place he conveys through a map's visuals. That tendency is on full display in Security Station, a jungle techbase overrun by demonic forces.

 

There is a tangible sense of tropical humidity in this map, tainted by the stench of rotting flesh. Extractor fans spin lazily, the carcasses of the dead fester in the boiling heat, the blindingly lit interior contrasts with the dank outdoors. Barbed wire and dense foliage obstruct movement, snipers attempt to pick you off from afar, danger lurks around every corner.

 

There are many dead-ends that imply a greater scope than the map itself conveys, which is something I always like to see in a map. Superfluous though such things may be, little touches like that can really enhance the feel of a map.

 

Rudy feels more like a soldier than a hero here, despite the fair resource balancing and lack of really nasty fights (lowering floor trap aside). I must say, I really am digging the variety brought to the Rudy-verse by all these different mappers. I think Doomkid really was onto something when he opened the Rudy-verse to other mappers. I hope other dehacked modders decide to do the same in the wake of Powertrip!'s acclaim.

 

Difficulty is consistent throughout, though it does get a bit easier towards the end if you manage to find the giant ammo cache unlocked by trying all the doors. The style of combat is mostly the kind of corridor shooting one expects from a base-crawler, punctuated by the occasional set-piece.

 

The only issue I have with the map is that I found myself getting stuck on the decor more often than I'd like. This seems to be a recurring problem the DFF maps I've played (I've died more times than I care to admit in Bunker Hill after getting caught on the geometry), though not a major one.

 

Overall, another interesting map, with a strong sense of place and a pervasive atmosphere. Powertrip! continues to impress. What lies in store as we enter the wad's second half? Only time will tell.

 

 

[gaspe]

MAP10: Staying with the author of the previous level we continue the adventure in the dark underground where the Black Gold of the title gets extracted. Similar to Security Station I'm getting some Skillsaw vibes from this level. In the first part you start already with a warming up fight which is probably the hardest part. The main area is a big circular cave around the starting base with monsters that keep to teleport in hordes and the strategy is to keep running. The monster population is too sparse to consider it a slaughter map and the monsters tend to scatter around a lot while the snipers and turret monsters give most of the trouble but it's generally easy to just run past everything. On the other and the place is favorable to the few av that will teleport near the end with the little cover that can generally be found around the drills. Still if it was fun, it's a like an easier version of Lunatic MAP05 or SoD MAP16.

Edited February 21, 2021 by gaspe

[DFF]

Map09: Security Station - by Some Hack
GZDoom | Kills: 100% | Secrets: 100% | Expert, Fast Monsters, Pistol Start

Figured i'd give some insight on the map design rather than give the regular map review commentary.
This was my third vanilla mapping attempt, I believe after Akeldama and definitely after the (hopefully) soon released Infernew. By this point i was a lot more comfortable with how to manage visplanes and work around vanilla limitations. I'm not sure where the idea of a "security station" came to mind, but the jungle aesthetic/setting is one that i really enjoy a lot, so this WAD allowed me to have fun with it and i wanted to make a rather jungle-esque map. This is where the idea of the entrance trees seemed fitting, having the player be forced out into the clearing since they can't easily shoot back at snipers from the cave.

 

The rest of the map is designed in a canyon with lots of high rocky outcroppings and foliage. At the time one thing i had decided in my head was that aracnotrons make great snipers with their repeating projectile, easy to dodge but deadly if not respected, however due to their fat size its hard to place them in a lot of areas. The new plasma guy was a wonderful addition I decided to make full use up, a deadly and compact sniper. Their projectiles are slow enough that as long as the player keeps moving they should generally be fine, so this helps keep the flow moving early. I did get comments in alpha of "has this mapper actually tried to shoot these snipers?" which of course I did. with autoaim and no mouselook. I did have to lower a few rocky sections but one of my concerns is that the snipers would be too tricky to remove, but thanks to the pistol upgrade it seems they are not that terrible.

The rest of the map is mostly explanatory, lots of changing vertical heights to give variety and a sense of the size of the canyon. I wanted to make the base not terribly linear and with looping elements, and I wanted it to look a bit like a barracks and logistics center. The barbed wire also added to the feeling of a restricted area, which is where i got the idea of the "failed" entrance attempt at the start of the map to let the player in, as well as the red key being locked behind a fence in the hands of a marine that couldn't get back to safety from the jungle. The original exit was much lamer and not as pretty in alpha, looking more like a generic locker-room with the cola secret. the mastermind was still there but the whole design felt odd and a tad half-assed. I eventually redesigned it to be a bunker which turned out very well. I had a lot of fun designing the armory and im pleased how it turned out, as well as learning the secret to the see-through doors used in TNT and in New World, which is where i examined the designs from.

As mentioned before, i love the flame caco and flamethrower troopers and wanted to make full use of them. the troopers make for dangerous but not too difficult corner traps, and are a bit harder to dodge than pinkies while serving a similar role. The flame cacos though are great since they are rather tanky and can be a real problem when in your face. 

 

This is a map I really enjoyed making and Im glad i had the opportunity to add it to the RRudy set, the amazing Dehacked work from Doomkid made it a blast to map, since the resources felt a bit more fun and new than regular doom, allowing new combos of encounters.
 

[Silhouette 03]

Map11: Ambush!

*Admiral Akbar voice* IT'S A TRAP!

 

This may as well be the peak of Rowdy Rudy 2, since it can't get better than this. Non-linear on the second half, high opposition and fun traps.

 

A jungle map, where you'll be gunning down zombie-men with the chain-gun and blasting  revenants with the Super Shotgun. The amount of flow in the map is insane, with the map opening up in the second half, revealing an interconnected temple to explore. This is also where the Plutonia inspiration comes into play, with hordes of revenants and chain-gunners and the general environment having the plutonia aesthetic. The quantum accelerator at the end is also a nice touch. The fast-paced action and combat, dealing with enemies in alcoves, playing cautiously but also taking big risks due to the lack of cover make this map an absolute wonder to play.

 

This next one is going to be extremely difficult, isn't it? Sorry, I'm having a premonition here, don't mind me.

 

Silhouette's Stats:
Kills: 95%

Secrets: 0%

Deaths: 4

Plutonia sense^TM : tingling

Midi rating: 5 head-bangs out of five 

 

[gaspe]

MAP11: Straightforward name but it's very fitting for the kind of gameplay this map offers. The level is clearly divided in 2 parts with the has monsters entrenched in ledges carved in the rocks and hidden behind the vines, just waiting to pick on the player when he comes. Rushing forward isn't wise but the rather generous ammo balance allows you to advance at ease. Here you can also find the only armor of the level, a green one, meaning also that the later parts are harder . The second half is set inside a temple, with a pretty nice detailing done with the overgrown vines, and the gameplay shift to use monster closets as the main feature. There are two paths you can choose where each one unlocks the RSK room on the other path and I think it's designed in an interesting way since at the end of the path there's a teleport that takes you back to the hub even if it means you can potentially skip some encounters. I think that the easiest route is to take the south-east path first that gives you the RL, then the north-west doesn't have traps on the way and you can avoid to press the switch here and proceed to the next area to grab the key with a funny showdown with the flaming monsters.

[gaspe]

MAP12: Very plesanat techbase level with clean and detailed visuals and the large space given by the rather big scale makes it comfortable to move around when the monsters flood the areas in the hot moments. With the standard stuff you see in this theme (crates, computer rooms) you'll also make a brief visit to some vents (with lost souls that can't be missid and some nasty flamethower guys) and the toilets. I liked that that the starting nukage canal gets reused. To finish there's another classic: an elevator fight with a cyberdemon and few other baddies.

[MtPain27]

MAP 10: Black Gold

 

I started this map three times on three different days, quitting each time with the hope that I'd have enough patience to finish it the next day. I only got through it the third time because I had to finish the map if I wanted to complete my responses on time. I tell you what, this is the least fun I've had playing the Rowdy Rudy cycle so far. Black Gold has you clean out two really dark, cramped caves back to back, and that's the whole level. The first cave is jammed with pinkies, flamethrowers, toxic and fire cacos, and gives you just enough shotgun shells to deplete your stash before you invariably get caught from behind by some cheap projectile or flame gout that you didn't see coming because it's pitch black all around you. The next cave will make you beg for less space as you take frantic laps to avoid the gaggles of RPG guys, revenants, and worst of all, four arch-viles. Adding insult to injury, there's a pair of lite-amp goggle hidden behind a nondescript cave wall, which I wouldn't have found without my automap.

 

This level absolutely sucks. It makes intentionally infuriating choices, namely with lighting and enemy placement, which render pistol starts really unenjoyable. The latter half could have been really fun if I had more of a view of the opposition, but the darkness cheapens the experience, forcing you to take hits you normally wouldn't have taken. For being placed at the midpoint of the wad, Black Gold isn't generous enough to offset its cruelty. I suppose I deserve some pain for playing on the hardest difficulty, but I still hate this map.

 

MAP 11: Ambush!

 

Hey, it's The Immigrant Song: hell yeah. Ambush! is very welcome after the suffocation of Black Gold, it starts with a veritable lawnmowing of hitscanners through twisty jungle caverns, opening up into an ancient temple setting which hearkens back to MAP 01 (seems like a long time ago now). Some of the troopers benefit from the color of their uniforms, camouflaged behind vines, though I did get blown up by an RPG guy at one point, and he's wearing red, so maybe I'm just unobservant. A few solid moments stick out: the fire squad in the red key room, which I took great pleasure in nuking after all the times those bastards rotisserie'd me in the last level, and the final fight in the temple arena with the two arch-viles and their baron escorts. I like this map, it's a good palate cleanser.

 

MAP 12: Clearing Inventory

 

"At least I've gathered a decent number of weapons along the way," Rudy thinks confidently...

 

Uh...

 

Pistol starting Clearing Inventory isn't nearly as rough as the intertext would lead you to believe. Find the coke machine secret and an early plasma gun in a little outcropping behind some storage crates outside and you'll be more than prepared for the rest. @RonnieJamesDiner (love that name) gives us a map that's polished and decidedly man-made, and it sports some fun music by AD_79 called "Cacophony of Asian Donut Shops." Fantastic. 

 

The blue key ambush is frenetic and exciting, the archie/chaingunner encounter in the men's restroom and the baron-led conference room fight where you get the SSG are both chuckle-worthy, and the massacre by the slime river where the whole wall opens and a million hitscanners greet you is pretty nasty, though I'd say my three deaths were due to lack of patience rather than being outplayed. The flamethrower/fire caco attack in the air vent is distinctly uncool, though at least RJD gives you a soul sphere right after: good man. The flying mastermind fight looks pretty daunting even with all the artillery and health pickups, but run right past everything for another soul sphere and you'll be dug in enough to survive. As for the elevator fight with the cyberdemon and teleporting revenants and arch-viles...man, I don't know what to tell you. As it happens, I survived it first try: I have no idea how, there isn't much health, and if you're out of cells kiss your ass goodbye. Clearing Inventory has a demanding ending but thankfully doesn't squeeze you too much before you get to arm yourself. Great map. 

[kalaeth]

monday, time to play!

 

MAP 10 : First step : shoot the bars. After that, jump down and start killing. Afte And then, ater all r clearing it all, I go grab the backpack, enter the door, grab the BFG, open the next door and beware of the manc, and take a deep breath before the lift. And then die to the first AV, after a bit of running around. 

 Second try, I don't even know to what I die. 

 Third, 2AVs dead, the cyber is stomping around, I found a small place where to rest for a second before jumping back into the action.. And cyber down! And all enemies down! And that's that : 

2 deaths, 100% K/S/I, 12m48s.

 

MAP 11 : cavernous jungle, lot's of hitscanners.. Are we sure we aren't replaying plutonia? *arrives outside* Yup, not plutonia, these guys are shooting plasma, rockets and fire at me! I make my way carefully, shooting at anything that moves and a few thing that don't, there's a trap around a SSG, and a secret! But still, I die after trying to grab the green armor.. 

 Second go : I end up dead at the exit of the cave..

 Third go : Much better exiting the cave, and I've cleared everything until the trap, grab the SSG, clear path until the green armor clearing, grab the armor, rocket the ambush, SSG the cacos. And then, after all this death, I'm still not even halfway there in terms of killing them all.. And dinner is ready so.. I'll continue this later today or, more likely, tomorrow.

 Ok, continuing.. 

 As expected, entering the door means a lot of imps, of both kinds, pinkies and a pair of revenants show up. I manage to kill all of them and then find the secret with the berseker + backpack, which teleports a bunch of pinkies for me to punch. After that, it's time to operate the central switch and get ready for pain! Kill all the guys, press one switch, press another. Back up, a new door for me to open. Imps, pinkies, a rev and a manc and shotgunners. Moving forward means more enemies, including a caco, and a revenant that manages to kill me after I miss 2 SSG shots to his face..

 Life number 4 : this shotguners end up being the most damaging of the enemies but nothing too bad. Caco dead and revenant dead, by sheer force of will. Or rockets, but the first one sounds better and.. We reach a dead end and 'port back to the ambush room, to enter the next door. All goes good until the archie shows up and burns me to a crisp.

 5th life : Archie dies to a blast of rockets. And then I die to fire cacos in the red key room

 6th, archie dies to rockets again, second archie as well, I grab the red key and.. Blast myself in a pillar...

 7th! And done, fire cacos dead, fire troopers dead, and then! I die to the barons..

 8th : same as before.

 9th : EAT ROCKETS BARONS! And.... Done! Oh look, a Plutonia style exit for a Plutonia style map.

 8 deaths, 100% K/S/I, 16m33s .

Edited February 23, 2021 by kalaeth

[DFF]

I need to play some catchup, especially with 12 levels left in 6 days.

Map10: Black Gold 
GZDoom | Kills: 100% | Secrets: 100% | Expert, Fast Monsters, Pistol Start

This was obviously my attempt to make a simple arena level that was originated from my desire to make another RRudy map, and with some spread sentiment on the DW post about some of the map variety being too jungle oriented. I figured a oil drill in a cave might be something a bit different than jungles. Originally i planned to make this map above-ground and entirely more industrial focused, something that maybe would have paid off better but the inspiration wasn't hitting me with that concept. I also dabbled with another dark map concept called "heart of Darkness" with rudy running to abandoned outposts in the thick, dark underbrush. This also didn't go far due to the wrong feel, but could have also been interesting. Finally i settled on the underground arena.

Sadly this map probably is not everyone's cup of tea as it features 2 elements I struggle to not use that people seem to dislike: an overall dark light level (too dark), and for the first half a rather cramped space. Although to be frank a main reason for the dark light level is because this map really pushes the visplane limit. Because of this the cavern is really low detailed and quite uninteresting, with the main visual point being the oil rigs which were copied and joined to save on sectors. I was trying to use the darkness as a way to make the map look better than seeing long streches of the same wall. However this creates a very tricky combat experience. The difficulty may have been too much for a mid map, and if i were to make changes to this map i'd probably make the light visor a given powerup, maybe add 2 on opposite sides of the cave, put a invul in the secret, and maybe tone down some of the monsters.

It was a fun map to test the vanilla visplane limits, but i would make some tweaks and design a lot differently next time.

 

[Doomkid]

(I love that map, DFF. If everything you make pleases the audience, you’re doing something wrong. Relish the variety of reactions it earns you!)

[LVENdead]

I have some major catching up to do. I ended up playing ahead to map 08, and then getting stuck there for a bit, and now I'm back after having played a few more.

 

I lost track of my stats so I'm just going to skip them from now on. 

 

MAP 04: Expert, pistol start, saveless

 

This one is a bit of an odd man out so far, but I can't say I dislike it. I don't know why, but something about this map reminds me of BTSX EP2 Map 01 and Ancient Aliens Map 09, both by Joshy. I think it lies more in the aesthetic than anything about the map flow, but I couldn't help but point it out all the same. I actually like how the map starts out with you taking fire from many angles and having to try and decipher the best route through the obscuring vines and multiple paths. The midi is pretty cool too. The ending is a bit bullshit, but otherwise a fine map.

 

MAP 05: Expert, pistol start, saveless

 

A short little map that employs a thin monster count but maintains a strong pulse. You'll mostly be visiting a few larger areas that are all pretty much connected to one another. I could not for the life of me figure out the secrets on this one. 

 

MAP 06: Expert, pistol start, saveless

 

This one will wake you up if you were somehow not fully into this WAD by now. I didn't find it TOO difficult, but you definitely feel the increased monster count. This place is absolutely crawling with baddies. The progression is weird, I guess there's basically a whole option part of the map? Must be for deathmatch I'd guess, otherwise you can completely miss it. It can be beaten pretty quickly if you don't go exploring for secrets.

 

MAP 07: Expert, pistol start, saveless

 

This one was the first that I died to a couple of times, but I didn't find it too hard. It's just got quite a lot of tricky things to manage if you're not paying well enough attention. The fight where you get trapped after getting the SSG killed me the first time - I think I got really unlucky with some caco positioning. Outside of that it's not too vicious. It's got a bit of a weird layout, and the Duke 3d toilet is strange but also charming. I liked this map for the change of scenery, but couldn't say I'd count it amongst my favorites.

 

MAP 08: Expert, pistol start, saveless

 

As soon as I got to this map and understood the premise, I would have put money on it being one of MtPain27's favorites. Interestingly enough, this map killed me more times than any of the others so far. I got really far through it my first run and blew myself up during the blue key ambush (this is actually a running theme for me), and then did the same thing literally again a second time. Then I went through one of those valleys where you just get stuck early in the map over and over, dying to stupid stuff like an errant rocket guy I forgot about, a pinky swarm, a revenant, whatever. Just dumb deaths really. Eventually though, I made it all the way back through and beat it. It wasn't until MtPain27 pointed out the room that looks like it comes from Quake that I realized why part of this map feels so familiar. A map that gave me way more trouble than it should have, otherwise I had a blast shooting and fisting my way through this way.

 

MAP 09: Expert, pistol start, saveless

 

I played this map tonight, so I have more fresh thoughts on it. It was pretty tough but also a lot of fun. Since I have the luxury, maybe I'll just respond a bit to some of DFF's own comments about it.

 

On 2/20/2021 at 1:23 PM, DFF said:

This is where the idea of the entrance trees seemed fitting, having the player be forced out into the clearing since they can't easily shoot back at snipers from the cave.

 

I actually really liked this start a lot. Give me the SSG and just enough ammo to kill one or two pinkies, then give me basically no choice but to dart out of the cave and try to grab supplies while taking potshots at the snipers I can hardly see. A frantic way to kick things off without relying on bullshit.

 

On 2/20/2021 at 1:23 PM, DFF said:

The new plasma guy was a wonderful addition I decided to make full use up, a deadly and compact sniper.

 

These guys were used to great effect. They make better snipers than imps at least since the projects travel faster, but they aren't bogus hitscanners that feel unfair when they're perched up there in huge numbers. 

 

On 2/20/2021 at 1:23 PM, DFF said:

As mentioned before, i love the flame caco and flamethrower troopers and wanted to make full use of them.

 

Well they certainly put in some good work during my playthrough! I loved how effectively they chase you down after grabbing the blue key and again when teleporting in to grab the red key. 

 

The mastermind fight at the end was...there? I managed to basically just corner peekaboo him with the chaingun and he didn't put up much of a fight. Overall this was a fun map, I liked the cool blend of interiors and exteriors with varying elevation and the use of the foliage as a tactical consideration. This map is at times as cerebral as it is violent.

 

MAP 10: Expert, pistol start, saveless

 

Somehow I only died twice on this map. I actually didn't dislike it although I totally understand why other people do. The starting battle presents an interesting puzzle that is really only solved with good positioning and monster management. It's of course a good idea to prioritize the pinkies since they are so effective at clogging you up, but it's also not a bad idea to pick off a few cacos as well, since they really exert a lot of control over the space. I got lucky with infighting which made cleanup a lot easier and safer. 

 

The second fight is nuts. I honestly didn't do a whole lot of specific fighting, and instead took opportune moments to clear monsters out here or there to mostly grab resources safely. When the archies showed up, I panicked a bit at first, but having the BFG did a lot to assuage myself and get my head back into it. The cyberdemon showing up was of course a moment, but he quickly drew the ire of an arch vile and I mostly left them alone. I do think it is pretty bogus to put that many archviles in open areas where you might not really have a good way of keeping track of where they are or when they come in. I didn't realize I could exit perhaps as soon as I was able, but by the point I did, I had eaten at least one archie blast and just got the hell out of dodge to say that I beat the level. I think I ended with ~70% kills.

 

I actually like the setting of this map as well. I'm always a big fan of big subterranean industrial spaces, ala Black Mesa, and this map just kind of elicits that feel for some reason. Didn't mean I wasn't ready to run for the exit when the time came.

[Pirx]

on to rudy2. 

same as before, gzdoom 4.5.0, expert, pistol starts, just the maps with some cosmetics.

 

 

MAP01 - “Storming the Bayside Base” by Doomkid

 

great introduction to a plutonia themed map. the fast, plasma-burst throwing black imps making predator noises in the jungle and the heavily armed zombies from the first rudy wad are countered with excellent weapons like much faster fists, the assault rifle, and the auto shotgun, which i often preferred over the ssg for its range and its ability to stunlock larger enemies, especially revenants. the berserk fists are hilarious, you get a secret pack AND an invuln, and let the gibs fly. the new graphics and sounds blend with classic doom beautifully, and the maps start where the previous one ended.

 

 

MAP02 - “Initial Hurdles” by sluggard

 

i said pistol starts, but wow, what a difference when it's actually an assault rifle with 150 bullets. you keep blasting right away at a bunch of zombies and imps to the tune of lee jackson, and you should, as the zombies seem to be more accurate. storm a hill with a bunker on it and then to a showndown with a few little red rocket men and chaingunners. pretty quick and entertaining map.

 

 

MAP03 - “Further Infiltration” by DavidN

 

you infiltrate a larger base, predominantly brickwork and steel, in the way a terminator is supposed to be an infiltrator unit. helped by some new toys like a faster, more accurate chaingun and a rocket launcher. the archvile makes it first appearance (and disappears about 4 seconds later, lol). the base is a bit convoluted, featuring many curved corridors, and cannon fodder. go crazy with rockets. i left with about 20 of them because shotgun/chaingun are so powerful. 

 

 

 

MAP04 - “The Hydrocore” by Voltcom

 

very "plutonic" visually, but, as others have noted, not rudy-like open combat, but rather dark and suspenseful. have to sneak around a bit in the beginning, wary of zombies lurking behind corners. night vision is welcome as they're often obscured by vines and grates. you find the ssg here, but as i said, the auto shotty is much more useful than in vanilla so it doesn't instantly get replaced. the end features a berserk corridor, and it's amusing how these fists rip even fire cacos to shreds.

 

 

MAP05 - “In the Thick of It” by Doomkid

 

a larger base with open surfaces on different levels, with railings and stairs between them. nothing new here, the map is sparsely detailed, more like rudy1 (perhaps an earlier map?) 
take care in the beginning as those zombies ruin your health quickly. i don't remember if there were rocket dudes here, but their missiles pack a punch and their trajectory seems a bit less straightforward homing right at you than revenant missiles, anyway i got hit twice in the foot when i thought it will just crash into the ground. 

 

 

 

MAP06 - “Clutched Cargo” by Doomkid

 

E1-style techbase with plenty of former humans and imps, green sludge pools and barrels, and even a baron. poor baron has more health, but i found him definitely less threatening than the toxicaco due to the latter's speed of fire, he's target practice for the auto shotgun. you start in a (supposedly) cargo room with some doors and should visit the sludge room only after getting enough ammo, as it's pretty rough with its humans/monsters mix. funny details with those tables and playing cards. the outdoor area reminds very much of romero's e1m6/m7 and secrets are kept simple and rewarding. iirc there were some arachnotrons with chainguns instead of plasma (or was it the next map?), but they went down quickly.

 

 

MAP07 - “Secluded Rifts” by riderr3

 

starts suspenseful, a cave with an (obviously) mostly dark base. all hell breaks loose when you fire the first shots, but the new shotgun prevails. get the rocket launcher from the upper floor behind and jump down, and an archvile appears. further you get to a truck with a ssg and heavier opposition (a nod to tnt?). there's some elevator riding and switch hunting, which i found a bit confusing, as it wasn't clear from the beginning how get the yellow key. seems that i missed some secrets, perhaps revisit it later for this reason.

 

 

MAP08 - “Cliffside Punchout” by TravyB

 

yeah, what a map. i posted recently that i like to play maps with a berserk pack for warming up, and this takes the fists to the next level. you have a run around a cliff and up onto it in order to get a berserk pack, with waves of pinkies (well, reddies), imps and other critters arriving the next second. and it's glorious. their heads fly sky-high and even revenants eat 3-4 punches so fast that they're not worse than imps vs vanilla berserk. then i reached a bunker and got shot there, as i was overzealous to use the fists only, but this time there's a mix of zombies everywhere. restarted and played the opening again 3 times just because it's so ridiculously fun, and then decided it's time to shoot up the bunker. after having flattened everything, i tried to drink coke but got a plasma gun.

 

 

MAP09 - “Security Station” by DFF

 

i exited the previous map rather unexpectedly and into the jungle, where i came immediately under attack by plasma guys perched on some cliffs and mancs below (and reddies running amok in between, if that matters). they infight nicely and i continued into a larger base, or should i say headquarters? because of the nice wooden panels and marble floor in some area, while the rest has an industrial vibe. got one of the keys from atop a cliff overlooking the starting point and defended it, while the rabble assembled below and got into infighting as usual. an archvile comes to the rescue on the "headquarter" stairs. the weapons sound powerful and are very satisfying to use. fighting my way through rocks and woods had me return to the red door, now with the key in my hands. behind it there's an armory where i cleaned up everything, only to have 1-2 more waves arrive. in the end, the surprise: the exit houses a spider mastermind, now floating on thrusters instead of stomping on legs. which makes the smm a more usable boss because it doesn't get stuck everywhere. anyway it barely shot back and died after maybe 10 seconds of rocket fire.

 

 

MAP10 - “Black Gold” by DFF

 

i was going to write exactly what @gaspe said about this map before i saw his post. so, the beginning might be harder than the big showdown because you can get stuck between monsters in the pit and in the tight halls that follow, and both caco variants are deadly when you can't dodge. then you get insta-lowered into a large, dark cave/mine, monsters spawn and you keep running in circles. the only problem can be the 4-5 archviles that spawn, because at this point, projectiles are flying everywhere and you have to dodge their attack for a moment behind the shafts. shooting rockets backwards at them works best. the cow spawning in this mayhem is an afterthought, because ammo is so plentiful that you can make short work of everything. skillsaw-like mayhem that needs much movement. 

edit: a bfg? must have missed something  ;)

 

Edited February 23, 2021 by Pirx

[DFF]

Map11: Ambush by TravyB
GZDoom | Kills: 96% | Secrets: 50% | Expert, Fast Monsters, Pistol Start

Another great map. The first half of the map is really tight tunnel fighting and narrow canyons full of baddies lying in wait behind vines and cliffs. Its a great opening and visually a lot of fun. I do appreciate how despite the Collab nature of this CP many of RRudy 2's jungle/outdoor scenes manage to be very cohesive, with jungle designs looking mostly alike while still being different enough to add variety and show some unique mapping traits.

Once the player gets past the deadly canyons they find themselves in a more traditional plutonia-like marble temple. Its a rather large and open space but they will fill up with monsters very quickly. I love the design of the main arena as its used multiple times, and the skull pillar trap is simple but a very fun idea. Also as others have said the flaming death room was great. The arch-vile in the cage felt like he was there just to die to rockets but I won't complain. Overall another fun map, the temple section seemed to slow down a bit from the hot start but was still good. The exit does feel a tad out of place, being a random tech room in an otherwise marble temple, but again its a minor thing.

[Silhouette 03]

Map 12: Clearing inventory

Turns out it wasn't just Plutonia's aesthetic that RR took inspiration from...

 

This map is just.... I cannot describe how fiendish this map gets. It starts out relatively simple and than just goes up in difficulty by a large margin. There are revenant hordes and more than one herd of blood demons to deal with. The spider demon also makes a much anticipated return... and proceeds to infight with the revenant horde. 

 

Detailing, however, is really good, with air vents and the bathroom filled with hit-scanners a prime example. The air vent with the pepsi machine also gave me a chuckle. I do feel bad for.... interrupting... the meeting in the demonic conference room.

 

The final area, with the lift with the cyber-demon( THAT REFUSES TO DIE) is just a prime example of being evil for no reason than to just be needlessly cruel...

 

I wonder if the name of this map mocks pistol-starters. I certainly feel insulted..

 

Silhouette's Stats:

Kills: 96%

Secrets: 50%

Deaths: around 15

Inventory cleared: YES

Frustration meter^TM: 84%

 

 

  

[RonnieJamesDiner]

42 minutes ago, Silhou3tte said:

The final area, with the lift with the cyber-demon( THAT REFUSES TO DIE) is just a prime example of being evil for no reason than to just be needlessly cruel...

 

It's what I do, baby. That fight definitely wasn't necessary, but, it seemed like a fun^TM idea. And, the amount of FDAs I received from players one-shotting that encounter reinforced my decision to include it. That said... after my 1K Lines 2 shenanigans, I'm slowly but surely learning that there's a time and place for being evil. Hopefully it didn't sully the experience! 

[Silhouette 03]

21 minutes ago, RonnieJamesDiner said:

 

It's what I do, baby. That fight definitely wasn't necessary, but, it seemed like a fun^TM idea. And, the amount of FDAs I received from players one-shotting that encounter reinforced my decision to include it. That said... after my 1K Lines 2 shenanigans, I'm slowly but surely learning that there's a time and place for being evil. Hopefully it didn't sully the experience! 

Don't worry, man. I enjoy mappers finding interesting ways to be cruel. I was chuckling at how over the top the map was with it's encounters. Good on you for screwing me over ;)

[gaspe]

MAP13: Pretty nice layout in the starting all-brown techbase that isn't bland thanks to some good lighting and detailing and I liked the tan-brown bicks that looked good in the place even if they seem like an odd choice to use there. The techbase isn't even the main part as the map reveal a canyon where the author got more colorful with the visuals. It think it was a good choice because even if the first part looks good it's something that could become stale if it went on for too long. I also liked the sense of place given by the sea and the broken silos leaking the nukage in the water. The gameplay was also different in the two parts and both use the strenghts of the layout, with more traps that feels more staged in the closed spaces of the base and in the outdoors the combats are more like disorganized brawls.

[jmac]

Map 8: Cliffside Punchout

This one opens with a huge brawl, and I had a lot of fun with it. Unfortunately, I think the rest of the map doesn't quite live up to the standard that first encounter sets, becoming slower-paced and less chaotic. Regardless, it might be my favourite map of the wad so far.

Deaths: 0

 

Map 9: Security Station

This was the first level to make me realize just how dangerous the plasma guys could be, with their use as snipers from all angles. I remember months ago, when I first played this level I wasn't fond of it. Replaying it though, I have no idea why. It's definitely among my favourites now. Not quite linear, the entire map feels well designed, and each encounter flows perfectly into the next.

Deaths: 0 

[Silhouette 03]

Map 13: Mutagen plant

Nice to see a map that doesn't heighten my blood pressure for a change...

 

Kind of a odd one to talk about, since it's pretty run of the mill with it's difficulty and layout. The combat IS relentless though. Higher tier enemies become increasingly common, though at this point in the conversion I was more than capable of taking on everything the map could throw at me. The detailing is as usual, fantastic. I'm convinced all the mappers involved in the project are extremely skilled in making detailed environments, since they basically only use vanilla textures( including Final Doom). Feels odd for me to call a map run of the mill when it excels in a lot of criteria, but every wad has a map that feels left out. Thankfully, this one isn't mediocre.

 

This conversion wears the plutonia inspiration as a badge of honor. Who knew cruelty would gain praise?

 

Silhouette's stats:

Kills:100%

Secrets: 33%

Deaths: 0

killer guns: YES *cocks rifle*

Killer beats: hell to the YES!

 

[gaspe]

MAP14: Techbases + canyons is a familiar theme at this point. This is set like a sort of Mario Kart, mostly linear but with few moments where you can take a side route. It has some arts that feel inspired by Plutonia even if for the most the map plays like something else. The most interesting part is the southern nukage canyon where you have to take the same course a couple of times to get the key and go back to the upper area and this part has a simple but effective way to repopulate the area and depending if you take out the snipers or not you can create slightly different situations which is good for a replay.

[DFF]

I was gonna write some reviews but my power went down yesterday, so here's a few

Map12: Clearing Inventory by RJD
GZDoom | Kills: 96% | Secrets: 100% | Expert, Fast Monsters, Pistol Start

 

another visually great map, this one set in a storage facility along the cliffs of a resevoir. This map has lots of room to move which is great since there will be a lot of action going on. I also appreciate the larger scale of this map, a great contrast to the previous map which had a lot of really tight fighting and then medium sized arenas.

The combat is good, lots of variety in fighting and priorities, with the berserk being fun and very useful as always. The nukage pit was fun, reminded me of E1 with the windows. The caco trap was nice since they forced me to run into the teleporting demons so to escape the windows. The fighting after here is nothing too special other than a fun fight in a nicely done bathroom, where i punched all the chaingunners and the archvile to dead while hiding between the bathroom stalls. The final 2 fights get a bit more interesting as we see the flying spider mastermind again in all her glory, this time not locked in a storage vault of sorts. She is a lot better now having the ability to fly and flank you, but with the large area and all that plasma is not a huge threat, whereas the revenants proved a big nuisance due to their numbers. The final fight involves a very tight elevator with a cyberdemon, very hard to fight due to the circular room, where often its hard to shoot him without taking splash damage from the walls. Revs and Arch viles teleport in aswell, but here's a great instance of where the improved RRudy arsenal changes fights, since a cyber plus many bone boys sounds like too much in a small enclosed space, but with the berserk upgrade and some cover the skeletons were only a minor nuisance, with the main goal to wait out the bottom of the elevator to have some room to kill the cyberdemon.

Great visuals, great flow, very fun map.

 

Map13: Mutagen Plant by Moustachio
GZDoom | Kills: 100% | Secrets: 66% | Expert, Fast Monsters, Pistol Start

 

The more standard E1 base design is a welcome break from the jungle. While the first section of the map is incredibly brown, its a good contrast to the generally green, grey, and black color palette of the middle segments of RRudy2. it might be just me though. Very nicely design base with some great uses of height variation. I do agree this feels a bit like a "standard" map but its definitely got some memorable elements, such as the story pieces, with this being a storage facility of the now spilled mutagen that has been used in the super soldiers. The outdoor sections are choc full of baddies, and there is some great design and fun here. The ending cove with the mutagen lake is where the charm feels like it peters out, and the exit feels a tad out of place, but overall still a great and fun map. Also the MIDI used here was an interesting one, not my favorite but not a huge knock.

[jmac]

Map 10: Black Gold

Black Gold was rough. The first fight especially was frustrating, with being constantly blindsided by cacos, and never quite having enough ammo. I didn't hate the level, but it left me angry, even after I'd finished it, and it's easily my least favourite level of the bunch so far. It does get some bonus points in my book though for using music from Descent. That was my first FPS game.

Deaths: 10

 

I played through most of map 11, but lost my motivation when I was killed near the end of the level on my first attempt. With the levels getting longer and more difficult, I've decided to back out of my no saves rule, because I honestly don't have the time, patience, or skill level to play without saves as we go further into the wad. I'll be replaying map 11 tomorrow, and I'll give my thoughts on it then.

[Silhouette 03]

Map15: Canyon rumble

My deaths have gone into double digits, so that means we're back in business!

 

Remember in my previous post I cockily said that I've become acclimated with RR's difficulty? I may have been on something, because my a$$ was handed to me 14 times in this map.

 

I have a gut feeling that this one was at least partly inspired by Map 09:Abattoir, one of my favorite maps, due to two indications. The impressive architecture is one indication. The other is the difficulty. You'll be taking on revenant hordes and at least seven arch-viles, as well as two cybers at once. Slaughter-light is how I'd describe the combat as a whole, which I prefer to that of a conventional slaughter map. The number of Archviles, especially the three that teleport in after you pick up the red keycard, is staggering. Strange that before Plutonia I used to be terrified of them.....

 

"You can never have too many Archviles"- Dario Casali, probably(not).

 

Silhouette's stats:

Kills: 100%

Secrets: 100%

Deaths: 14

Wondering why the word arch-vile has become a often used word in my vocabulary: YES

Wondering why people insist on putting revenants in hordes: YES

 

 

 

 

[gaspe]

MAP15: Very good architecture and detailing, the upper half with the red and yellow key is fantastic. It starts with something in the vibes of a techbase before visiting a natural area, I guees that the jungle of the title comes from here but this part isn't even the main one. The most remarkable part is the last where things get more abstract with tech and nature mixed and the place feels like a monument with a distinctive feature of curves. The gameplay was also well done and on par with the visuals, and challening when it wants to be that. Even the pistol start isn't so easy combining mancubi as hard to take down snipers and a large group of pinkies making you fight to get your ammo. Worth of mention is that you have to kill the mancubi in the starting area to open the door to progress, quite like Dead Simple, I'll have to check how that trick was done. The best moment is when you flood the arena with monsters after picking the RSK, with a sneaky second cyberdemon that caught me as wasn't expecting it all as your attention is on the one you see after pressing the switch.

[Silhouette 03]

Map 15: Jungle Hijinks

Pain... Pain... Pain...Everything and everywhere there is pain. Arch-viles everywhere, revenants are coming out of the walls, hitscanners line the crevices of the jungle, lying in wait for some poor, unfortunate soul lead astray. This soul is stubborn, a little headstrong, Unfunny and spends way too much time on his posts.

 

Brutality is a common theme now. Every combat encounter is a fight to the death. The first area encourages you to move forward in search of better equipment. Then you're greeted by an Arch-vile and the single biggest herd of Blood Demons I've yet to lay eyes on, as well as the most metal-ass toilet/throne I've ever seen. The jungle is no different, with nearly every single higher-tier enemies out to kill you. One trap triggers three arch-viles( I'm so tired of using this word) that immediately do what they were made to do: Make my death counter go up immensely.

 

I won't lie, the detail in the map is wonderful, especially the secret room with the demons queuing to use the vending machine. Adorable.  The vending machine crushers in the mancubus room were also a nice addition.

 

I don't know if cold drinks were a running joke among the mappers involved in the project or Doomkid really likes the Pepsi VS Coke a cola war of the 90's .

 

Silhouette's Stats:

Kills: 99%

Secrets: 66%
Deaths: around 20

Wondering what the difference between Coke a Cola and Pepsi is: YES

Cruelty meter^Tm: off the Charts!

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

[jmac]

Map 11: Ambush!

This is the map that made me give up on my goal of finishing this saveless. I can't help but feel some resentment towards it for that, but that's just me being petty. Ambush is a great map, one of the better ones of the wad. It certainly lives up to its name, especially in the starting canyon area. The skull pit fight short and brutal, and probably the single encounter that I remembered best from when I first played this wad months ago.

Deaths: 6

 

Map 12: Clearing Inventory

If the last map hadn't made me give up on playing without saves, this one certainly would have. The majority of the map isn't too difficult, and feels fairly standard (though well made). But that last bit, oh boy. I'm not good at handling cyberdemons in the best of situations, it's definitely my biggest weakness in playing doom, one I've been trying to work on improving. There's no such thing as and easy cyberdemon fight for me. Throw me into a confined, awkward space with one, like the elevator fight on this map, and it becomes a truly harrowing experience. All in all though, this is a very solid level, and most of the fights were a lot of fun for me.

Deaths: 9 (all of which were in the elevator fight)

 

One more thing I'd like to add. I was in a bad mood when I gave my thoughts on map 10, and in hindsight, I think I made it out to be worse than it really was. The theme of an underground oil rig is an interesting concept, and a nice change of pace from the aesthetics of most of the other levels. The first fight still definitely has the potential to frustrate me, but its a map I can have fun with when I'm in the right mindset. I still stand by my statement that it's my least favourite map so far in RR2, but there haven't been any maps that I hate in the wad. 

[Horus]

+++Heretic (with Raven MIDI pack)

[Biodegradable]

+++180 Pour Vivre

[Silhouette 03]

2 hours ago, Horus said:

+++Heretic (with Raven MIDI pack)

As long as it’s not episode 4 and 5... for obvious reasons, namely I don’t want to play thy flesh consumed times two

22 minutes ago, Biodegradable said:

+++180 Pour Vivre

On a scale from 1 to plutonia on UV, how difficult is it?