Omni's Slag Heap - A Limit-Removing set of castoffs and misfits for Doom 2 - NEW MAPS 2021/12/30

[Omniarch]

Note: latest update includes 5 new maps and removes dehacked modifications.

 

Welcome to the Slag Heap, my dumping ground for orphaned or misfit maps! Not the most marketable premise, eh? A noob's discards? Must be terrible, right? Well, you tell me!

 

Since my rampant perfectionism consistently inhibits my creative endeavors, Doom mapping included, I have yet to release a single map outside of a community project. This of course means that I do not receive any criticism on my work, which is probably not ideal. So, since I had over a dozen finished maps of varying quality rotting on my hard-drive, I decided to sift through 'em, discern which ones were worth saving, touch those ones up and compile the results into a Doom 2-compatible set.

 

Here are the results:

 

        

 

        

 

        

 

        

 

 

 

This is a set of 13 maps for Doom 2, tested with PrBoom+ and Crispy Doom. Difficulty settings are not present. Pistol starts are recommended but not enforced. DM and coop are not supported. Jumping and crouching will break some of the maps, though freelook should be fine. Difficulty varies from standard Doom 2 UV to Thy Flesh Consumed UV depending on the map.

 

Download

 

Bare in mind that the quality will not necessarily be consistent between maps, due to them being made at different times. I've done my best to bring them up to standard, but one can only change so much without exceeding the scope of this project. 

 

Here's the order of creation for those interested:

Spoiler

October 2020: 8, 11, 9

November 2020: 3

December 2020: 31, 6, 1, 2

March 2021: 5, 7

August 2021: 4, 32

October 2021: 10

 

Feedback, critical or not, is much appreciated. Enjoy!

 

Additional credits:

Spoiler

New Midis: Lee Jackson, Mr. Freeze

Doom textures for Doom 2: SargeBaldy

 

Edited December 30, 2021 by Omniarch

[Biodegradable]

A pretty intense and frenetic set of maps, mate, all pretty much starting off with a sharp kick to the teeth! MAP02 and MAP03 were especially frantic. I found them both exhausting yet also exhilarating! I think MAP06 was my favourite though as it was a really cool homage to E4M1. Some really cool stuff here, man. I hope you enjoy my playthrough.

 

 

[SP_FACE1]

Played only two maps so far. It's surprising how good looking maps it's possible to create with just those standard brown textures! Gameplay was also fun.

 

On MAP02 you can get in this sector but can't get out:

Spoiler

 

[Misty]

5 hours ago, Omniarch said:

Here's visible different sky square on the left side, you want fix it by adding new sky transfer with tag that sector uses. It's not really game breaking but it looks a bit odd. 

[Omniarch]

1 hour ago, Biodegradable said:

A pretty intense and frenetic set of maps, mate, all pretty much starting off with a sharp kick to the teeth! MAP02 and MAP03 were especially frantic. I found them both exhausting yet also exhilarating! I think MAP06 was my favourite though as it was a really cool homage to E4M1. Some really cool stuff here, man. I hope you enjoy my playthrough.

Thanks for the playthrough, it was both entertaining and informative! Seeing how someone else interacts with a map is always interesting and helpful. If you are wondering why there were so many damned imps, its because all of these maps were originally made for Ultimate Doom, before being compiled into a D2 wad. I was also concerned that the Dehacked patch might break the set's mod compatibility, but I'm glad to see that wasn't an issue and that people can play the maps as they wish.

 

1 hour ago, SP_FACE1 said:

Played only two maps so far. It's surprising how good looking maps it's possible to create with just those standard brown textures! Gameplay was also fun.

Thanks for the compliments! I quite like working with a limited palette, letting the geometry and lighting do the heavy lifting. I'm glad to hear that the gameplay was fun rather than annoying, which always a concern in high-exposure maps.

 

1 hour ago, SP_FACE1 said:

On MAP02 you can get in this sector but can't get out

Thanks for the heads up! As of this writing, the issue is already resolved. A new version will be up for download when a few more people have played the set.

 

58 minutes ago, Misty said:

Here's visible different sky square on the left side, you want fix it by adding new sky transfer with tag that sector uses. It's not really game breaking but it looks a bit odd. 

Good catch! Like the previous issue, this one has already been resolved, along with another similar bug in MAP06.

[SP_FACE1]

I completed all maps now. MAP05 has quite a difficult jump. Maps after that are also rough but fair. However MAP05 feels a bit too much. I played on HMP.

 

All the levels have a distinct unorthodox feel. There's always something that's unlike any other map I've played previously. Something fresh and surprising.

Oh, and the title pic is very nice. Looks like the album cover of a one man black metal band.

[Omniarch]

15 minutes ago, SP_FACE1 said:

I completed all maps now. MAP05 has quite a difficult jump. Maps after that are also rough but fair. However MAP05 feels a bit too much. I played on HMP.

I didn't implement difficulty settings, so you were basically playing on UV. Since Biodegradable also had difficulty on that one, I'm thinking I should have placed that one in the last slot.

 

17 minutes ago, SP_FACE1 said:

All the levels have a distinct unorthodox feel. There's always something that's unlike any other map I've played previously. Something fresh and surprising.

Oh, and the title pic is very nice. Looks like the album cover of a one man black metal band.

Thanks for the compliments! What I lack in motivation I try to make up for in originality. Seems to work fine most of the time! For the titlepic, I literally just looked up 'slag heap' on google images, and that image was one of the first hundred or so results. I then edited it a bit in a drawing program, adding a bit of airbrushed contrast. I quite like the way it turned out.

[MrTAD]

I just got done with the wad. And well. Certainly what I expected. The levels didn't contain much thematic cohesion, but that's not a slight as it makes each level really stand out. I very much particularly like Map 04 Darkside. (I will explain why later on)

 

First The weapons

The Pistol: I really like the look and feel of the pistol, and especially the sound changes. It makes the gun feel much more impactful but also is a bit softer on the ears, a thing that can be rather bothersome with the original sound effects.

The Chaingun: Nothing gets my attention more then a good Chaingun and this one is definitely a good gun. Fast, impactful, and just over all good. It felt a bit awkward getting used to the extended delay when you stop firing was a tad bit awkward but it fit for a weapon that was made that powerful.

The Plasmarifle: The only thing that changed with this was the sound but like the Pistol, it is just a far better sound for the Plasmarifle.

 

Next the Levels

 

As I had explained earlier each level feels like a grab bag of levels pulled from various different sources. And that helps each level, as there's so few there is no chance to have any repeating levels themes, atmospheres or concepts.

 

Map01 Slade Facility:

Definitely my least favorite of the bunch, but if the worst you can do is a mildly spicy, you're fairly good. I think what really drags it down for me might just be the fact I played the community project and it is definitely dragged down from feeling rather similar to your level there. And this issue is something that I have with a few other levels. However those levels for the most part have their combat made extremely different thanks to the newer monsters, whereas with this. It feels like the Revenants were simply replaced with imps, and the Hellknights and Spectres were added in to have a bit more monster variety. But still an overall solid level.

 

Map02 Mesa Base:

Tight, Mazy, Brown, an over all great level made good by the fact it keeps things small and controlled. While also taking advantage of that smaller enclosed area with a near constant attack from Pinkies, Imps, and Shotgunners. It is a lot of fun, and it's bite sized design, coupled with the fact the level is more open ended and can be explored in a variety of ways makes it much less groaning to die and have to restart.

 

Map03 The Redoubt:

Basically Mesa Base but worse. That's basically it, It's bigger and more open but loses Mesa bases somewhat more free exploring environment. And also uses a very similar texture palette and enemy palette.

 

Map04 Darkside:

A beautiful opening that very much calls your attention. And also sets the mood for the map. The opening battle it's very cool and I like it. There is one flaw with Darkside I don't like. The design is great, but it feels like a rehashing of the designs seen in Slade Facility. It's definitely better then Map01 in this regard, as it has a more unique enemy palette and feel.

 

Map05 Dance With Demons:

Honestly, I've never been the biggest fan of the Slaughter Map style. It certainly is great and clever with it's design but Slaughter maps just aren't really my cup of tea. A nice palette cleanser that let's you relax before going into the last half of the Mapset.

 

Map06 After The End:

The next 3 levels are levels I had played before in another thing if your's. So I do already have an idea of the traps and such to expect ahead, however that doesn't stop the levels from still being fun and enjoyable, and with the added enemy roaster. It allows for more unique traps that weren't there before.

 

Map07 Absolute Exposure:

One of the best levels of the Wad, very detailed, very creative, good difficulty. I feel a bit confused about parts of the level, like parts of the level feel like they simply don't serve a function. Such as the doors on the walls in the room with lava and the rock pillars. But overall, still a really solid level.

 

Map08 Blood Marshes:

When I saw this level was here from the previous project I couldn't help but groan a little inside, I initially thought it was gonna be unfun like previously, however, it definitely feels much more different. I don't think anything design wise has really changed, I just think I've gotten a better understanding of the level. There are some issues, the biggest one being the vines make this level hell. The doors I just kept walking past so many times. Because the vines were far too obstructive to make sense of it, and the Cyber Demon too. The darkness of the area and a bit fewer vines would be more then enough to obstruct the Cyberdemon but the vines currently in it are far too many and result in even the rockets being hard to see until they are a bit too close to be able to doge. But other then that, a fine final level that left me feeling anxious about the Cyber Demon following me around constantly barraging me with Rockets.

 

Final thoughts-

Overall, I definitely had fun with the mapset, and I would definitely play it again, especially Map04 and Map07. I really solid mapset. Above average at worst and noticeably more above average at best, which is still a really good outcome to have.

[Omniarch]

Thanks for the detailed post! Now I know how other people feel when I do big write ups for them :)

 

29 minutes ago, MrTAD said:

I just got done with the wad. And well. Certainly what I expected. The levels didn't contain much thematic cohesion, but that's not a slight as it makes each level really stand out. I very much particularly like Map 04 Darkside. (I will explain why later on)

Despite thematic cohesion being one of my highest priorities (below individually interesting maps, of course), my attention span is so short I usually only end up making a handful of maps in a given vein before getting bored and moving on!

 

28 minutes ago, MrTAD said:

First The weapons

The Pistol: I really like the look and feel of the pistol, and especially the sound changes. It makes the gun feel much more impactful but also is a bit softer on the ears, a thing that can be rather bothersome with the original sound effects.

The Chaingun: Nothing gets my attention more then a good Chaingun and this one is definitely a good gun. Fast, impactful, and just over all good. It felt a bit awkward getting used to the extended delay when you stop firing was a tad bit awkward but it fit for a weapon that was made that powerful.

The Plasmarifle: The only thing that changed with this was the sound but like the Pistol, it is just a far better sound for the Plasmarifle.

I am very happy with the way these modifications turned out! I am considering keeping them around for some of my later projects.

 

5 minutes ago, MrTAD said:

Map01 Slade Facility

When you refer to the 'community project', do you mean 3x3? If so, you are dead on, my map there was basically a rehash of this one, which in turn is heavily inspired by MAP04. The main reason I copied the layout was simply because I find this level enjoyable. A bit short and visually uninspired perhaps, but entertaining.

 

9 minutes ago, MrTAD said:

Map02 Mesa Base:

Tight, Mazy, Brown, an over all great level made good by the fact it keeps things small and controlled. While also taking advantage of that smaller enclosed area with a near constant attack from Pinkies, Imps, and Shotgunners. It is a lot of fun, and it's bite sized design, coupled with the fact the level is more open ended and can be explored in a variety of ways makes it much less groaning to die and have to restart.

 

Map03 The Redoubt:

Basically Mesa Base but worse. That's basically it, It's bigger and more open but loses Mesa bases somewhat more free exploring environment. And also uses a very similar texture palette and enemy palette.

MAP02 definitely has the best layout of the bunch, imo. Makes sense, since it's the most recent of the set. The combat here was kind of an afterthought, but I am glad it turned out so well. MAP03 was originally intended as a sort of 'siege' map, where the player is tasked with taking down an enemy bunker. It kind of ended up being a very brown techbase in the end, unfortunately.

 

11 minutes ago, MrTAD said:

Map04 Darkside:

A beautiful opening that very much calls your attention. And also sets the mood for the map. The opening battle it's very cool and I like it. There is one flaw with Darkside I don't like. The design is great, but it feels like a rehashing of the designs seen in Slade Facility. It's definitely better then Map01 in this regard, as it has a more unique enemy palette and feel.

This one is the best of the lot, I think, especially in terms of atmosphere. It is heavily inspired by cannonball's Return to Hadron, one of my absolute favourite wads. It is also the first prototype of a loosely E3-inspired theme that I have planned for my megawad...

 

15 minutes ago, MrTAD said:

Map05 Dance With Demons:

Honestly, I've never been the biggest fan of the Slaughter Map style. It certainly is great and clever with it's design but Slaughter maps just aren't really my cup of tea. A nice palette cleanser that let's you relax before going into the last half of the Mapset.

Of all the maps in the set, this one strayed the furthest from my initial vision. Originally, it was supposed to be a castle defense map of sorts, where the player would have to fend off ever larger hordes of demons as they try to retake a demonic fortress. It ended up being little more than a slightly unorthodox slaughter-lite, unfortunately.

 

17 minutes ago, MrTAD said:

Map06 After The End:

The next 3 levels are levels I had played before in another thing if your's. So I do already have an idea of the traps and such to expect ahead, however that doesn't stop the levels from still being fun and enjoyable, and with the added enemy roaster. It allows for more unique traps that weren't there before.

 

Map07 Absolute Exposure:

One of the best levels of the Wad, very detailed, very creative, good difficulty. I feel a bit confused about parts of the level, like parts of the level feel like they simply don't serve a function. Such as the doors on the walls in the room with lava and the rock pillars. But overall, still a really solid level.

Huh, I didn't know anyone besides DavidN bothered to play Thy Flesh Removed. I'm flattered! MAP07 is probably the most intricate of the set, with by far the most extensive secrets. Btw, those doors you mentioned were meant to punish players that triggered the caco-trap before getting to the RL by letting them flood into the main area. Didn't seem to work out as intended, unfortunately. Ach well, was an interesting experiment. One of my design goals in most maps is to allow monsters to move as dynamically as possible, hence my bias toward the very mobile cacodemon.

 

21 minutes ago, MrTAD said:

Map08 Blood Marshes:

When I saw this level was here from the previous project I couldn't help but groan a little inside, I initially thought it was gonna be unfun like previously, however, it definitely feels much more different. I don't think anything design wise has really changed, I just think I've gotten a better understanding of the level. There are some issues, the biggest one being the vines make this level hell. The doors I just kept walking past so many times. Because the vines were far too obstructive to make sense of it, and the Cyber Demon too. The darkness of the area and a bit fewer vines would be more then enough to obstruct the Cyberdemon but the vines currently in it are far too many and result in even the rockets being hard to see until they are a bit too close to be able to doge. But other then that, a fine final level that left me feeling anxious about the Cyber Demon following me around constantly barraging me with Rockets.

This map is probably the only one that suffers from being moved from its original UD slot, mainly due to the exit. I'm sure you know what I mean. When it comes to the vines, I couldn't agree more, in fact, I actually removed some for this release. Besides that though, I feel this level is the most original of the set, being partially inspired by Xaser's take on the obscure PSX Doom secret level The Marshes that appeared in his Lost Episode (fantastic wad, imo).

 

24 minutes ago, MrTAD said:

Final thoughts-

Overall, I definitely had fun with the mapset, and I would definitely play it again, especially Map04 and Map07. I really solid mapset. Above average at worst and noticeably more above average at best, which is still a really good outcome to have.

Thanks for the high praise, man! I appreciate it :)

 

I also appreciate your honest criticism, especially since it comes from another mapper! I hope you will be around to play my more ambitious projects, if and when they ever materialize ;)

 

P.S I'm still waiting for ERR E4, you know! ;)

[ElPadrecitoCholo]

Slag Heap

 

Ultra-Violence || Zandronum || Vanilla

 

Status:

-Deaths → Map 01, 02, 03, 04, 06 = 0; Map 05 = 4 (1 by Shotgunner, 1 by Hell knigh, 1 by Archvile, 1 by Revenant); Map 07 = 1 (killed by lava floor); Map 08 = 2 (Killed by Cyberdemon)

-Saves → Map 01, 02, 03, 04, 06, 07 = None; Map 05 = 5; Map 08 = 1

 

Map 01:

 

 

A really interesting map with a notoriously high difficulty, since, apart from needing only two keys, this map is also full of weak, annoying enemies and others with high resistance, among the most notable, the Imps and the shotgunguys, since They are in charge of draining health during the beginning, and in addition to that, the certain shortage of ammunition that there is, both for the shotgun and for the rocket launcher, if not the two in general, but to all this, it was a Really entertaining map with a simple but acceptable structure.

 

Map 02:

 

 

A map that is really ugly for the concept that it transmits to you, only the Marine, within a place where mostly Imps, Shotgunners and Pinkys are, no other enemy but only the 3 of them, with which one would think that it would be easy work take care of a few enemies like this... well, the truth is, no, it is not when you see that the structure of the place is really confusing due to the slight monotony it has, besides that, there are very little health resources on this map , both inside and outside the site, therefore, it makes the fighting even harder to swallow if you don't have good coverage or reflexes at that time, although the good side of this is that torture only arises from inside of the site, since having all the keys, and it is possible to get out of there, the thing becomes a little calmer.

 

Map 03:

 

 

In this map, things started to get a bit monotonous and annoying, if in itself I said that Map 02 had a certain monotony due to the structure it handled and the certain class of enemies it provided, in this map there is no exception. Here the thing already seems more something designed for Doom 1, because throughout the entire adventure through places with the same designs and without any difference, the enemies that are most seen are Imps and Shotgunners, not the zombieman I take into account a lot because they do not get to give that problem that if you get to feel with the other two, as I had said, many sites with enough of these enemies, and some Pinkys, despite how simple everything came to be seen in general, Being someone who enjoys Doom 1 a lot, I got to entertain myself with this, the shortage of First Aid Kits and having so much in front of you that is attacking you, and which in turn is weak is already something I am used to, and apart from that, the architecture that had The whole place was something basic but well elaborated, since it included areas with closed spaces, and that in full combat is really ugly.

 

Map 04:

 

 

I liked this map more, because here again we return to the variety of enemies, and in addition to that, the structure and architecture of the place look really amazing, maybe if I had to complain about something about this map, it would be the fact of not arriving to include the SSG, since, if there seemed to be times when this weapon was needed when the rockets ran out, but in the end it was a great map after all, being set in an underworld castle has called me quite a bit attention from the first moment I started playing it.

 

Map 05:

 

 

A map very focused on Slaughter mode, with almost no possibility of moving and with many tubes of health for some steps, the fact that the weapons are placed at the top of everything could not be considered something practical, at least, leaving even a shotgun at the beginning of the slaughter, because in truth that having to use your fist to achieve having to take a shotgun out of a Shotgunner is not at all enjoyable, maximum that we take into account that the kits are really scarce, and it depends more on luck and the agility of having to survive these encounters, because in truth it was ugly to have to dodge attacks while I get my own 10-only first-aid kits, a slightly unfair battle if you allow me to say it, although clearly not impossible, since I barely finally managed to end all that torture, and also, having the BFG 9000 after having survived all those encounters without the #7 weapon, is not as satisfying as a reward, because practically all of them were already dead...

 

Map 06:

 

 

This map has a lot of essence from Episode 4 of Doom 1, and it is that from the beginning it is noticed by the way in which the shotgunners teleport themselves, in addition to that, the beginning here is a bit difficult for the enemies resistant that are placed on the side where the exit seems to be, but to tell the truth, progress is not as annoying as expected, although that if, again it would not hurt to have the SSG on this map due to the great variety of tough enemies out there, however, the map is not really big, it is certainly short than I might have thought before getting here, but what makes it really complicated, is the fact of having so many enemies together in various places, and with that in the end you face a Cyberdemon, and on top of that, 1 or 2 Archviles are released that begin with the resurrection of enemies, taking into account that your rockets are limited, that really becomes a serious problem, although part d The structure and architecture were fine, really solid for my taste, as I said before, pure essence of "Thy Flesh Consumed".

 

Map 07:

 

 

A map with a very intense beginning, since, as soon as it takes what is a shotgun, the Marine quickly realizes that the enemies are everywhere, both weak and annoying enemies such as Imps and Shotgunners, as resistant enemies that would come being the Cacodemons or the revenants and Hell knights to give an example, the structure used here is really interesting, because if it feels as if it were a kind of dungeon or cave through which our Marine is trapped, but that in each room there is something that differs from the rest, and it is its architecture in terms of the elaboration of traps, since in an area there is not much of this, except for the part where it is almost reaching the rocket launcher, where an area of platforms must be passed, and in On the other hand, in the other room, there is a lot of platform at the beginning, and without much space for movement, but hey, the final room is the one that takes all the merit, for being a very strange combat area, where a Cyberde mon and many Imps are firing their projectiles left and right, which would have made me think that it would have been a very uncomfortable battle, if it weren't for teleporting me exactly where the Cyberdemon and so I end up killing him, anyway, this map it was more entertaining than the previous one.

 

Map 08:

 

 

This map has been rude, quite rude, first of all because it leaves you in a very ugly blindness, without much visualization and with the sole dependence of the automap, since the sites are hardly seen if you do not rush to the corners, and to make matters worse, the pressure of the Cyberdemon makes it even more difficult to want to concentrate to be able to search things more calmly, fortunately I managed to kill that bastard using nothing more than the shotgun, which was not easy to get the ammunition for said weapon, but anyway, after having killed him, everything became calmer, costing me several kits to survive, but after exploring everything, and having discovered the secret of the BFG 9000 in a On the platformer, killing the rest of the monsters was no big deal, including Archvile's surprise at the end. Something that will stand out from this last map is the structure with which it was made, since there were buildings made in a simple way but at the same time with certain details that do not make it monotonous, and in addition to that, the way they were hidden the secret buttons and also the rocket ammunition in really special areas, all this made the exploration very interesting and I did not feel bored at any time. Great job with this Wad full of an interesting set of maps, and I must say, I really had a great time on each map, perhaps with a few complaints, but in general, the vast majority of these levels were very entertaining.

[Omniarch]

9 hours ago, ElPadrecitoCholo said:

Stuff

Thanks for the playthrough! Very informative.

 

In case you were wondering, all of these maps were originally made for Ultimate Doom, and some I didn't bother spicing up with D2 monsters (a mistake in MAP03 in particular, I think) In MAP08, you originally had to kill the Cybie to leave the map, due to the E4M6 special action, and the rather pathetic AV surprise at the end was an attempt to prevent the player from leaving without killing the Cyber. I'm glad you put in the effort to find all the secrets in MAP07 and MAP08, since not many people seem to find them. The BFG secret in MAP08 is the one I am most proud of in the set, due to its originality and (I hope) clear visual communication.

[ElPadrecitoCholo]

7 hours ago, Omniarch said:

Thanks for the playthrough! Very informative.

 

In case you were wondering, all of these maps were originally made for Ultimate Doom, and some I didn't bother spicing up with D2 monsters (a mistake in MAP03 in particular, I think) In MAP08, you originally had to kill the Cybie to leave the map, due to the E4M6 special action, and the rather pathetic AV surprise at the end was an attempt to prevent the player from leaving without killing the Cyber. I'm glad you put in the effort to find all the secrets in MAP07 and MAP08, since not many people seem to find them. The BFG secret in MAP08 is the one I am most proud of in the set, due to its originality and (I hope) clear visual communication.

 

Ah, I understand, thanks for clarifying my doubt about the first 3 maps. Well, since the Cyberdemon in Map 08 was causing me a nuisance, due to the fact that it kept harassing me in places where I was really very prone to dying, I better take a chance with my little shotgun ammo resource to kill it, although I didn't know that in the end it should be the fight, but hey, it was better for me to take off that enormous weight from my shoulders. And thank you for appreciating my efforts to find the secrets in Map 07 and Map 08, I struggled a lot to get everything to 100%.

 

PD: How could the other secret be found on the first map?

[Omniarch]

Right, since 2021 is nearly over, I decided to bundle my miscellaneous leftovers from this year into the Slag Heap. I also decided to remove the death exits and crappy dehacked modifications, so that people can play how they want. Note that the in-built dehacked patch must still be loaded in order for MAP11 to work correctly.

 

Anyway, five new maps have been added to the lineup. Bon appetit!