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

[gaspe]

MAP21: This feel very Plutonia in style, a rather abstract brick complex with the occasioanl green/vines parts in it. The gameplay doesn't have the same energy and for the most it's a slow crawl with easy fights in the first part. Though the trap at the cave and the Yk were interesting. Then you'll get teleported to the other half of the level where the author did his best, which is a non linear area and wherever you go to find cover you'll just find a way that leads to new places and thus awakening more monsters. It was neat how the PR and the secret BFG room are connected to this part. My main criticism is that it dragged too much for me.

 

MAP22: Another fairly large level, and the biggest one the was even if a good portion of space is used for scenery. Similar to the previous map I also think this one goes on for too long. The gameplay is a very repetitive affair of entering in a new area and kill what comes from the front, and the player is rarely surprised or put up with something that breaks the monotony. Otherwise the author did a very good job on the visuals and he built the place, creating a varied set of locations which is good for exploration and with some cool details and "lore of the map", my favourite was the forest with that mysterious hellish temple. Those are features that are very successfull if you want to make big adventurous level. I would have used a different kind of music, that track was rather unfitting for me.

 

Comparing Rowdy Rudy II with its predecessor would be pointless imo. They are totally different wads, a solo effort and a community project, with also different texture sets. Maybe the only thing you can properly compare is the dehacked work which got revamped with new things that made the gameplay more exciting (like the psycho-imp or the flamethrower guy). You can also note that Doomkid was stayed faithful to his style and his maps would also fit in Rowdy Rudy's Revenge.

Rowdy Rudy II has the strong point of the community projects that will give you very varied experiences, but if you like to have more consistency the wad is very cohesive with the themes since there are few outliers to the jungle/base combo.

[Horus]

Pinging @dobu gabu maru to enquire about March’s thread :P

[dobu gabu maru]

Thank you very much for the ping, the club had slipped my mind! I checked on like the 26th and only saw one suggestion and thought "may as well give it a few days", but little did I realize a few days meant March :P go ahead and start playing Pour Vivre, I'll get to the post later today

[RottingZombie]

OK! Finally done with Rowdy Rudy's Revenge, now that I had a minute to catch up. What a great wad... Loved the music, graphic mods, and challenge. Map10 frustrated me and I couldn't see myself doing it in one shot, but I at least did the last section in one go (quicksaved right before the teleporter into the 'boss' room). I totally didn't fall off the last platform and then noclip back up.. o_0.

 

I don't know whether to beast through Rudy2 or put it on the backburner while I catch up on other stuff.

 

Rudy1 -   K     I     S

----------------------

Map01 - 100 100 100

Map02 - 100 100 100

Map03 - 100 085 050

Map04 - 100 100 100

Map05 - 100 096 075

Map06 - 100 090 000

Map07 - 099 100 050

Map08 - 111 097 033

Map09 - 099 079 016

Map10 - 116 087 000

Total Time: 1:59:34

[Silhouette 03]

Map 19: Cyber factory

Only 2 cybers in a factory that creates them? I'm almost disappointed....

 

A simplistic light slaughter-map with an open layout that encourages strafing. I've been wracking my brain for things to say about this map, since almost everything about it is simple, from the classic light slaughter gameplay to the aforementioned layout. One thing that does concern me greatly is the amount of ammo in the map. Frankly, with the amount of enemies and the quantities they come in, there should be at least be a bit more ammo in the map, since I was unable to kill the final revenant horde with the current resources I had on had.

I just saw that this months PUSS speedmapping session is going to be based on Rowdy Rudy's resource set. Would be nice to see what other mappers with a fresh perspective will do with the formula already laid out by the two conversions.

 

Silhouette's stats:

Kills:88%

Secrets:100%

Deaths: 9

Wondering who oversees production of this factory: YES

Wondering If I can sue whoever Is in charge of this factory: YES

 

Map20: Death god's shrine

[INSERT METAL NAME HERE]

 

The last map was definitely a taste of what to come. We're in the thick of it, now. The standard slaughter fair has shown itself. I've always look at these maps as a reverse version of of the standard mapping practice as Andrew Yonder pointed out. Instead of taking back territory from your enemies and reaching a stalemate, you're letting them take over territory to give you breathing room and a chance to plan your next move, than proceed to take back said territory. Their numbers overwhelm you, but pure strategy and quick thinking are your best weapons. The detailing in the map is my favorite aspect, with a lot of the areas having some really nice detailng with vanilla textures, my favorite kind of detailing.

 

I hope the next few maps give me a breather.

 

Silhouette's stats:
Kills:99%

Secrets:100%

Deaths: UNKOWN(let me put it this way, If I were to count my deaths in a full-on slaughter, It would be as pointless as attempting to count all the hair on my head.. I have to focus on the horde of revs coming to high-five my face)

Scent of the slaughter: Immaculate

Smell of the gunpowder: Toasty!
 

[kalaeth]

 

So.. work has been heavier the last few days and as such I haven't been playing as much. So.. I'll try and catch up now!

 

MAP12 : it's all so quiet, and there are three vending machines. Open them up for a green armor and off to the river of sludge! Once outside I'm partial to the chaingun them all to death school of thought and action. Grab a backpack, take a lift, rocket the manc to death. Once inside I recommend a rocket-launcher focused approach. Don't forget to visit the reunion room for the berserker and then, it's back to rockets flying! Things I don't recommend : wasting life trying to grab the blue armor. I still did it, but I don't recommend. After wasting a bunch of ammo and entering the blue door, grab all you can, try not to get fried by the flameboys in ventilation conduits, fall down to an AV fight, exit the bathroom and another AV! Then grab all there is and get ready for a amphitheater of pain! Grab ammo, jump down for one last trip to carnageville! Try not to die to the revenants, get rid of the flying mastermind, grab the soulsphere, and waste a few minutes trying to reach the secret. After that, go to the red door, press the switch, walk around and be exactly next to where the cyber show up so that you can get his very first fired rocket to the face, have better luck on the second go, kill the cow, the lone revenant, the pinkies, enter the teleport. And then notice there are enemies still alive... Ah, there's a not-secret secret inside the secret! Done.

1 death, 100% K/S/I, 18m 34seconds

 

MAP13 : Oh look, it's the same room and I still have all my weapons! Outside the room a bunch of things try to kill me. So far, without success. But eventually they get me in the technomaze. Let's go again.

 Round 2, from the top! So far so good, now to the trap that killed me before, the techmaze lowering part with rocket zombies. First a quick run to grab a blue armor, and then a save and a let's go! And done! Red key obtained, back to the start, open red door, press button. Go down, shoot rockets until they don't move anymore, proceed. Once outside use invencibility to the best followed by invisibility and then most should be dead. Then find the secret megasphere, keep walking and killing until the sludge clearing, grab a suit and keep on killing, show no remorse. Pick a second suit, find the button and die to a flame caco.

 Round 3, from the megasphere, all good until the switch, moment where I blow myself (not the fun way) because of a imp that came from behind (also not in the fun way). 

 Round 4, from the button : different approach : go from the side. It works. Grab the yellow key and I'm ready to leave except.. I'm missing one secret. I know where it is, but how to reach it? Ah! nearly hidden stairs... And done! 

 3 deaths, 100% kills, 90% items but 100% secrets. That's 19 minutes and 1 second of carnaaaaaage.

 

MAP14 : down we go! And then downer! And downer! And now, a circle of death! With flying rockets and not just mine! Kill all, kill the cyber and the pinkies, and then die to an AV due to a misplaced rocket. 

 Second go! This is all kill and no stop all the way! 9m45seconds of killing and then, the exit! 100% K/S, 1 death.

 

Will play the last maps later.

[kalaeth]

once more,

MAP 15 : A pair of imps are expecting me with their backs turned. Which sounds like a bad idea for them and I show them just why. Then I kill a pair of mancs which lifts some product placement bars, all that before jumping down, moping up the imps, go grab the backpack, deal with the pinkies, use the urinol, grab the soulsphere, and then back to start, up some stair and down some lift, and I'm outside. As usual I take a tour of the jungle while killing everything before doing anything. Inside the waterfall there's a line of enemies waiting for a chance to buy a coke that I can't reach but assume I'll meet again. So I just press the evil looking skull in the middle of the woods, nothing bad will come out of this! Flame caco down, I enter the punchzone! Where I punch everything to bits. Then shoot at the evil eye, kill the rev, and then go down to kill the two AVs but end up.. up in flames.

 Second go, from the flame caco.. Second death to the rev, Third death to the AVs.

 Fourth try, AVs dead, barons dead, now to climb, megasphere, blue key, cross the jungle, press the blue switch, enter the teleport! And I'm on a small wooden space, and of course all around me are enemies as soon as the wood disappears. After removing them all, I climb some stairs to a cyber cow. Not killing him I go past to grab the red key, then I press the red switch that not only releases the cow it also summons at least one AV, several cacos and barons.. Still, they don't call me a murder machine without reason. I garb the yellow key, and I could port away but I want to grab that secrets... Now, there's a hole in the wall.. Done. 2 more secrets to go. One will be the vending machine one.. And the other one is the blue armor that can only be caught at the start (I cheated because I didn't want to restart the level, sorry), so it's back outside, into the cave and.. Oh, wall isn't here! enter, kill kill kill, grab soulsphere and go to the exit! 

 27m15s, 3 deaths, 100% all (or 66% secrets if you don't want to count the one I didn't grab at start and so had to use fly to trigger)

 

MAP 16 : Uuh, techbase! I actually really like these "no one is here" starts. And then enemies start popping up, slowly, we reach the E1M3 homage area. And after grabbing the YK I obviously go check out outside instead of opening the yellow door. And then yes, yellow door. And outside again, from the other side. Press the switch, grab the key, enter the red door, walk around, kill kill kill, walk around, kill kill, find a secret! back pack and auto map, yey! Which leads to more secrets! Which leads to the game freezing! So back to the red key.. Back to the secrets and now to move forward! Another homage! I bet this is why the club decided to play a french set after, they kept writing and thinking "homage" which sounds french enough. Oh, another secret after the AV+blue key. And now, a maze... And I'm really tired of this maze, 20 minutes into it so I'll just go dine instead. Back from dinner (the next day), I've found the exit but I'm missing a couple secrets... Whatever,

 100% kills, 96% items, 66% secrets, 28 minutes 25 seconds.

 

MAP 17 : hot start! 1st death by rev balls in the start room. Second run I got rid of the revs with the BFG and then advanced plasma in hand, got the blue key, opened the blue door and.. splattered by a rev ball. Third run, from after getting the blue key is going well. At 200% health and one secret discovered. And then death after the blue door. No better luck on the following try. Or the one after. Finally, on my sixth try I infiltrated the room with the yellow key, and ended up blasting myself with a rocket due to teleporting caco on the next room. Seventh went well until after I pressed the switch and again, rev ball to the face. Eight I survived the batch of revs, grabbed the YK, killed the archies, went to pick the missing secret, all ammo and armor and health, killed a couple revs from the door and, after saving, jumped downm killed everything and done! 

 7 deaths, 100% K/S, 96% items, 14m09s

 

MAP 18 : a pair of cacos and a manc right at the start tell us the level wont really be easier, but I was dealing well with it... until I got surrounded, flamebois in the back, plasmabois by the front and nowhere to run. Second run is going well, killed one AV already, two, a pair of cacos also, and then I got doube-teamed by a flame and a toxic caco. Oh nice, on my third try it was two toxic cacos that got me. On my fourth I went at it one caco at a time and then died to sudden mancubus flame to the face. Fifth, again the cacos. Six is the magic number! Switch flipped, got to the exit but blew myself on the wall... Seven is a prettier number anyway. Exit found, all enemies killed. However I'm pitifully low on health and one secret short... But I can't reach it, so it's 6 deaths, 100% K/S, 0% secrets, 14m09s

 

MAP 19, but only after a cigarette. Ok, things teleporting away and a free soulsphere? This doesn't sound good. A secret blue armor and tons of rockets after, I'm ready. I actually survived the horde of revenants, but the mancubi got me. Second round is going better. Revs and spiders cleared, now to shower the mancubi with love. And by love I mean rockets. Tons of them. Everyone down, time to go up. Press switch, kill mancs. Press switch, nearly die to spiders due to lack of rockets but survive. Press switch, grab yellow key, press switch, kill all but the cyber, die to rocket to the face. Third go, from the spiders ended up in cyber rockets again. Fourth go, from the spiders. Woot, copious amounts of BFG cleared the cyber and AVs and revs and.. DONE! Not too terrible,

3 deaths, 100% K/S/I in 6m20s.

 

I'll leave MAP20 for later, it's dinner time.

[Silhouette 03]

Map21: Sinner's woods

Define woods.....

 

Breather maps( as I like to call them) are a much needed thing, in my opinion. If you push the player too hard, they may become exhausted, or frustrated, and stop playing altogether. They're a design choice that I respect in many regards. Map 21 is breather map, but an interesting one for many reasons, namely the map's abstract nature and the flow.

 

The layout is probably the most abstract in the entire conversion. I was expecting some trees and other textures one would at least attempt to give a representation of some kind of jungle. This is less a criticism, and more of a frank observation. The flow, however, is incredible. The usage of lower tier enemies and relatively straightforward progression contribute nicely to this feeling of flow. Most of the encounters themselves aren't that difficult, which is much needed after the slaughter of the previous two maps

 

Sandy Peterson would be proud.....

 

Silhouette's stats:

Kills:99%

Secrets: 66%

Deaths: 0

Abstract meter^TM: 95%

Wondering whether these copyright jokes actually make you laugh: YES 

Edited March 7, 2021 by Silhou3tte

[NeedHealth]

"Woods" here is in the abstract sense, like an area.

Also the map name is infact Sinners' Woods which makes the whole phrase plural, instead of just one word -woods of the sinners vs woods of the sinner to use the long forms.

 

The reason this map ended up as an extra is because I accidentally the wrong settings when i made it.

[Silhouette 03]

Map22: Jungle assault

This ends. NOW.

 

Rowdy Rudy 2 ends on a high note. Everything good I can possibly say about a map in this conversion is here. The gameplay is top notch, the detailing is excellent, the layout makes navigation a breeze. Just fantastic

 

I'd hate to endlessly repeat myself and subject you to my feverish rantings, But I will say that the detailing is absolutely insane. Putting in a large amount of detail is one thing, but making it so that the detail doesn't get in the way of gameplay is something I very rarely see. You'll see what look like hovercrafts, houses and buildings, and they all look good, abstract, but clear enough that you can get a solid idea of what you're looking at.

 

Everything fits together so well. The map throws all it can at you, almost every single high-tier enemy is used to it's full effect. Progression is also mostly non-linear and the map is interconnected in quite a number of areas. You could tell the mapper put a lot of care and effort into making this map the best it possibly could be, and the best possible end to a fantastic conversion

 

Silhouette's Stats:

Kills:97%

Secrets: 100%

Deaths: 1

 

I though I'd close this off by thanking all of those who took the time to read my posts, especially some of the Authors, such as @Doomkid, for reading (and reacting to) my posts, and @RonnieJamesDiner, for giving me insight into his cruelty. I don't know why you all seem to enjoy reading this, but thank you.

 

I will be taking a break from the club for this month, since I'm pretty exhausted, and I want to focus on my mapping and playtesting. I will be returning for April, though( you're not getting rid of me that easily).

 

I will see you all in April.... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

[Doomkid]

It was a pleasure reading your reviews! You could definitely write for the Doom Master Wadazine if you ever felt inclined, by the way (well, in my opinion anyway). I'm sure others would enjoy your style too!

[Silhouette 03]

24 minutes ago, Doomkid said:

It was a pleasure reading your reviews! You could definitely write for the Doom Master Wadazine if you ever felt inclined, by the way (well, in my opinion anyway). I'm sure others would enjoy your style too!

I won't lie, I'm flattered. I'd like to, one day when my skills at analyzing map have improved, write for the wadazine, though that would have to be some time from now. Thank you for the kind words!

Edited March 7, 2021 by Silhou3tte

[kalaeth]

ok, let's end this! 

MAP 20 : holy f5ck so many zombiemen! First death : out of rockets, out of plasma, rev ball to the face. Second death : cleared most zombiemen with the chaingun, swapped to rockets but rev balls to the face. Third death : cleared the zombiemen, but one of the hidden revs got me after 128 kills. After two more deaths to the hidden revs I got a foothold but eventually die to the circular area. Seventh go I decide to take another tunnel, and I reached a megasphere. Deep breath, save, open door. Kill everything, grab the red key. Fall down, kill more... Survive! 244 kills, about halfway there. Survived the invun circle, and then died to pinkies. On the 8th try of the level, I discovered my love for this SSG and got rid of all the pinkies, grabbed the yellow key and now.. I'm down to chainsaw and rockets. I've got all 2 secrets, so I can jump down and wreck havoc. Tons of rockets fired after, I'm ready to move. Survived the imp-ambush, grabbed the blue key and that seems to be it! 

 So, 7 deaths, 100% K/S/I/, 13m33s.

 

Map 21 : Imps! imps everywhere. Then the small tunnel with the pinkies, and after that a caged AV. And then I die to a rocket trooper I saw too late to dodge. Second go, the ville got a shot on me and eventually I shot a wall. With a rocket. While standing next to it. Third time is the charm? Nop, different rocket trooper, same fate. This time I'm doing better. Way better, even got the blue key! Pressed a hidden switch but don't know what it did, and I can't reach the soulsphere yet.. Hum, a bunch of wall humping did it. Blue door and I'm in the caves, survived the AV ambush, but died to the flame buy after falling down. Twice.

6th, all good until I shot myself after the AV and his friends showed up. Seven! AV dead, button pressed, dark imps dead, YK in hand, and now to the yellow door. And dead after the 'port.

 8th try. Not too bad but still, death. 9th, I said fuck it, let them come to me and found a place to rest. Pressed 2 switches and then the teleporting cacos from hell got me. 10th try, got the cacos, but then mancs got me. 11th were the revs. 12th, a single rocket dude. 13th! went a bit further but eventually died. 14th, another death to random trooper. 15, 16, 17, 18! Went back instead of forward, got rid of the mancs and revs. Out of rockets but grabbed the plasma gun! And then died to an AV. 19th was the same. 20th death I went for the cyber rocket to the face instead, for a little change. 21st death to the AV once more. Off to lunch now. 

 22 run, AV dead, I'm out of rockets, nearly shellless and the cyber is roaming. So I'm over here, hugging a corner he is too fat to pass through and SSGin his ass. Repeatedly. This gets me kill 22, 23, 24, 25 and 26. 27th I finally do the dodge dance good enough to kill him, kaboom he goes. And then I die to a chaingunner+rocket dude combo. Death 28 comes as I retry the dodge-dance, but after that one I do i successfully and without suffering any damage! Entering the hitscanner paradise corridors I eventually die, twice. So it's 30 deaths so far. Found a secret! And another! And then I die to the combined swarm of pinkies and rockets dudes. 

 And after that, death 32, was autoaim f5cking with me and hitting two rockets, one in each wall, while I was trying to shoot straight ahead. Dammit. Ok, rocket dudes and pinkies dead, into the 'port I go! Kill the final cacos, imp and rev, and.. finally! 

 32 deaths, 100%K/S/I, 28m49secs.

 

Map 22 : the jungle is full of zombiemen! I shoot and walk and shoot and walk and then enter a cave that leads me to a grave with a backpack and a SSG, and at that point I return, press a button, get stuck in a wall and die. In flames. So back to the start. This time, as I reach the grave the manc is already dead. So back up, press button to open the bridge, and down we go again. Bridge went fine this time, so I'm at full health when I open the door. What follows after can only be described as "run and gun" as I walk around the corridors shooting everything and then some. Somehow I reach a big window still alive and decide to backtrack a bit for health, I'm down to 38%.. Back to 100% I found a lift and bravely jump into it, a slow descend into a secret! Giving thanks for the rocket launcher I go back up, and then finally outside, only to discover that I require 3 keys..No such key appears to exist outside and eventually I fall into a 'port and find myself on a dark room, where I die again.

 Third go, from the secret lift. Knowing outside to be useless for now, I go in the opposite direction, into a room with 4 giant vats and 2 mancubi. Presing a switch takes me to the red key, 2 more keys to find. And since there is a red door here... A room filled with rocket dudes plus extras, removes a big chunk of my health but I survived, giving me a plasma gun and a soulsphere. I noticed a red door back outside on my backtracking so I go there. Dark imps and plasma dudes, all fall to the might of the chaingun, revenants and lost souls as well. By the time I reach the big room with cacos I'm out of bullets and spitting plasma. Grabbing the blue key and chaingunning some more I go back, two keys down, one to go and now it must be the teleport way. I do find the key but I ended up dead to reav rockets, revs I can't reach but sure as hell can reach me.

 Fourth going I get to kill the revs, shotgun style, arm the plasma and jump into the port, yellow key already in hand. Plasma is the way to go and battered but alive I escape, press the final switch and run towards the exit, crowned in glory and blood. Lot's of blood.

 

3 deaths, 26m27s, 100% everything.

 

A total 5 hours 50 minutes and 20 seconds of running time later, Rudy has powertripped to hell and back! Since the game warped me back to level 1 I'll keep the save to revisit the first levels with the full arsenal :D

 

All in all, a really fun, challenging but not frustratingly so wad that I am glad I got to replay thanks to the DWMC! 

(still unsure if I'll play this months offering but if I do with will be at another date, another time)

[RottingZombie]

I tore through Rowdy Rudy II this weekend, finally. In short, I love it and thought it was on par with the original in quality, but it felt different. Where I took a cautious approach in the first, in this it was all guns blazing action. I especially loved map22 - great use of texture and design to sell the base assault theme.

 

It's going to be weird going back to normal weapon behavior now.

 

Also, I swear I've played map 20 somewhere a long time ago? The beginning of it looked so familiar.