The DWmegawad Club plays: 180 Minutes Pour Vivre

[Azure_Horror]

4 hours ago, ironicmoustache said:

MAP14 - La Belle et la Bête

It was, admittedly, a bit easy to just retreat into the corridor you enter the area from and rely on infighting, but still.

 

Whelp, now I feel stupid. For whatever reason I was sure that the narrow entryway closes after the SSG is picked up.
 

MAP14 - La Belle et la Bête (by Roofi)

Played with GLBloom+, UV with saves, pistol start.

 

Speaking of Going Down by Mouldy... Map 13 had some traits remeniscient of Going Down. Map 14 has Going Down written all other it.

 

To start, you begin the map with no weapons around. And there is a Heresiarch from the Map09 right in front of you! You need to navigate narrow spaces and find out how to progress, while avoiding the boss monster. By the way, the minimap draws no lines on La Belle et la Bête. This fact does not impede progress, but it certainly adds to the uneasy atmosphere. The setting perfectly blends creepy hospital-like hallways with flesh-and-blood caverns. After the walls begin to disappear, both themes combine into one nightmarish reality.

 

I like how this map uses the Heresiarch. The spiderdemon won't work in such a cool way.

 

Combat-wise, the main theme of this map is weapon restictions. You will clear annoying low-tiers with a pistol, chainsaw a pain elemantal and eventually find the SSG only to realise that rocket laucher could have been much more handy.

 

The SSG encounter is one of the highlights of the map. If you don't use the easy camp-the-entryway solution, the fight becomes pretty interesting. The battlefield is a wide, semi-open room full of monsters. The monsters are not aware of the player's presence. The twist is that the battle space is controlled by two very annoying archvile platforms. SSG is only effective up close, so clearing archviles in adnvance is not really an option. The result is that the player cannot run around willy-nilly and needs to use the SSG to defend their position against advancing monsters, many of which have better long-range attacks. Luckily, the monster are a mixed bunch, and will happily infight. You can even wake up demons one by one to provoke some infighting before the big battle. But be careful not to startle a pain elemental!

After the big showdown, you have the tools to get the plasma rifle and finish the map. But be careful, there are some nasty crusher traps in the familiar spaces!

 

La Belle et la Bête is a great map. I think it is one of the most memorable maps in 180 Minutes Pour Vivre.

 

Edited March 14, 2021 by Azure_Horror : spelling

[franckFRAG]

Wouah ! Thanks Captho for your post !

 

It's curious that you see me as a prolific mapper, because I released very few of my projects on idgames. But you are right, I have a lot of projects in the boxes, probably because I’m a very (see too many) perfectionist with my personnal projects... I am also reassured that I am not only seen as a mapper who makes small, and challenging maps (You can take Muskadet for example). Community projects (like 3HA and Pour Vivre) allow me to express myself quickly, without being perfectionist. So you are right when you say that personal projects are different from community projects :) I am impressed that you have retained all these wads and theards. I'm intentionally discreet when it comes to showing wip projects. I don’t really like sharing things I haven’t finished (It's the same things with screenshots, because we never see his maps release a day).

 

Btw, be sure that I'm going to release a personal project this year. I know that my mate french mappers are waiting for me on another project, I’ll try to do what’s necessary.

 

You should keep your eye on Discord and on the French Board, I sometimes post some informations about my personal projects, sometimes screens or maybe maps.

 

Your post gave me strength to keep making maps !

[Doritos420]

Map 14 - La Belle et la Bête - UV pistol start

What a crazy map! So far with this Megawad I think Roofi’s maps have been my favorites (but each one very different). To me this played almost like a stealth game, trying to avoid the Heresiarch, grabbing different keys to open up the level, ducking in and out of rooms. Such a fun twist. Getting rid of the automap presented a challenge, as I often overuse it when exploring a level. I was able to find 2 of the secrets without much hassle but missed the one with the megarmor. Also I was finally able to kill the Heresiarch myself unlike in map 9 where the Revenants did it for me (the death animation was very entertaining). The battle in the lower level was also quite fun, but thanks to the soulsheres it was not too difficult.

[Roofi]

Map 14 : 

 

 

Episode 2 in many Doom wads, often proves to be a good opportunity to make more conceptual and twisted levels while keeping the difficulty relatively moderate to appeal to all audiences.

 

"La Belle et la Bête" tells the story of a marine being relentlessly pursued by an otherworldly creature in a corrupt hospital. You can actually find a hospital bed with medkits and some ammo near the exit heh.

 

This level can be divided into two parts. The upper part where you are chased by the Heresiarch and the underground part filled with mid-tier monsters turning their backs to us like a Death-Destiny/Darkwave's* trap (which are basically the same person). My main regret on this map is to have removed the Heresiarch for the HMP and HNTR difficulties. However, it does not matter if the underground trap is cheesable. The goal was to make a map more strange than difficult. Also the crusher section is not hard at all if you stay aware.

 

To make the map darker, I had fun removing all access to the automap to make it look like the player had no map and was lost.

 

Moreover, it is possible to kill the Heresiarch at the very beginning with the SSG in continuous, if you have saved ammo enough on the previous maps. It's not a problem for me since I always play on pistol-start.

 

I said on map 10 that I was not really fan of the Heresiarch. However , it was fun to build a gimmick around it which would have been impossible with the cyberdemon (too fast and powerful) or the mastermind (no comment).

 

Finally, "Beauty and the Beast" refers of course to the famous Disney movie, but I do not like Disney, except some movies like the Lion King. However, I like this map name and I will not hesitate to make a new map with a movie name.

[dei_eldren]

i do agree on HMP the Mancubus at the beginning was perhaps a bit on the easy side.  i've been skeptical about the new monsters, but it seems here the Heresiarch couldn't be easily replaced by any standard enemy - so it's really interesting use of it.  i'll do this on pistol start at some point, to see how different it is.

[Doritos420]

50 minutes ago, dei_eldren said:

i do agree on HMP the Mancubus at the beginning was perhaps a bit on the easy side.  i've been skeptical about the new monsters, but it seems here the Heresiarch couldn't be easily replaced by any standard enemy - so it's really interesting use of it.  i'll do this on pistol start at some point, to see how different it is.

 

I recommend it. I've been doing pistol start since map 10 and I've found it's greatly increased the fun I'm having with the different levels. Finding new weapons and secret hunting is much more rewarding, and on levels like 14 it feels like a must to fully appreciate the map.

 

Edit - I've recently gone back and played some of Doom1 with pistol start just to experiment with it some more. Very fun.

[rehelekretep]

map14 fda

heh, i found this map more annoying than fun tbh - sorry Roofi

[dei_eldren]

50 minutes ago, Doritos420 said:

 

I recommend it. I've been doing pistol start since map 10 and I've found it's greatly increased the fun I'm having with the different levels. Finding new weapons and secret hunting is much more rewarding, and on levels like 14 it feels like a must to fully appreciate the map.

 

Edit - I've recently gone back and played some of Doom1 with pistol start just to experiment with it some more. Very fun.

 

Thanks for the encouragement - i did it! 

 

'pon my word - what a difference it makes, that was TOUGH!  i managed to kill the Mancubus (ok, on pistol start it isn't too easy for HMP) with SG and pistol while scrambling for bullets - quite different from rocketing it in three seconds.  The main fight too, much more difficult, needed four tries...as well as the preceding fleshcavern with PE and Imp - couldn't just plasma my way through it.  On a blind run, even on HMP i wouldn't be able to handle these maps on pistol starts, gotta admit.  On the other hand, succeeding in this with only deaths in that one fight was really rewarding :)  Am waiting for someone to post a video of their run, to see how the fight is supposed to be handled without dying.

 

i'll start doing pistol starts on select levels, as am trying to up my game anyway :)  My next project on IWADs will be playing through them on UV which is something i've never done.

[Roofi]

9 minutes ago, rehelekretep said:

map14 fda

heh, i found this map more annoying than fun tbh - sorry Roofi

 

No problem for me :)

 

Thank you for your demo

[Doritos420]

To kill the Heresiarch I actually waited till the very end when I got the plasma gun. Feels good to pelt him with energy blasts after being such a pain for the whole map.

[LadyMistDragon]

Map 14

 

Another Roofi map, another groovy Psyrus track, another scramble for weapons. At this point, I don't think Roofi despises the player, which is good because cheap bullshit ('cough' "Trilethal") gets old fast. That sounds unfairly dismissive, but it's an incredibly concise summary. I was feeling depressed either, but finished up Hell's Farthest Shore, which is a pain in spots if you don't have a plasma rifle, and I'm all better. :) Now on to Sideurgia!

 

Starting out, you'll see a Heresiarch in front of you to the right. Even if you're not pistol starting(and honestly, this is a rare case in the megawad where someone made a gimmick with full cognizance of pistol starts), you're probably not going to have the ammo to take them out and you'll have to seacrh for a door which actually opens. Roofi says this map is set in a haunted hospital, but the basement (where there should be machines and disorganized rooms stocked with maintenance equipment) is composer almost entirely of flesh-covered walls and blood covering the floors. The corruption seems a bit more advanced than it should be, but whatever, like the last map, you'll know you're in for a fight. Chainsawing a pain elemental, along with a couple of imps and a spectre? is pretty tough to survive. But perhaps it's easier than the one large room which you visit on the way to the blue key. While getting to the side closest to the entrance is something I figured out, it was more a matter of luck than skill and the Arch-vile located behind the several other enemies, not to mention the chaingunners and Pain Elementals will destroy you if you charge in a la' Rambo. Not gonna lie, the crusher didn't feel menacing whasoever and seemed tacked on. Getting the plasma rifle is so satisfying, but I did take a hit from a Manicubus in front of the exit while trying to kill the Heresiarch. Annoying but I survived.

Edited March 15, 2021 by LadyMistDragon

[Azure_Horror]

4 hours ago, Roofi said:

the crusher section is not hard at all if you stay aware.

 

I agree. "Nasty" was a wrong word on my part. The better word would be "treacherous". They don't present much danger, but they are quite close to each other, and it was a bit tricky to correctly find a right spot between them.

By the way, the crusher after the plasma rifle is a very nice touch! (No, I didn't got hit by it, but I carelessly walked under, being all happy about dealing with the boss.) 

 

4 hours ago, dei_eldren said:

I've been skeptical about the new monsters, but it seems here the Heresiarch couldn't be easily replaced by any standard enemy - so it's really interesting use of it. 

 

While I very much like the Heresiarch, and agree that he fits very well for "La Belle et la Bête", I think 3 to 5 barons could also work here. Their attack pattern is much less deadly than Heresiarch's, but you would get many bodies to maneuver around instead of one. Alternatively, Roofi could have gone with Plutonia style of horror and put a bunch of archviles in that spot >:-)

[dei_eldren]

1 hour ago, Azure_Horror said:

 

I agree. "Nasty" was a wrong word on my part. The better word would be "treacherous". They don't present much danger, but they are quite close to each other, and it was a bit tricky to correctly find a right spot between them.

By the way, the crusher after the plasma rifle is a very nice touch! (No, I didn't got hit by it, but I carelessly walked under, being all happy about dealing with the boss.) 

 

 

While I very much like the Heresiarch, and agree that he fits very well for "La Belle et la Bête", I think 3 to 5 barons could also work here. Their attack pattern is much less deadly than Heresiarch's, but you would get many bodies to maneuver around instead of one. Alternatively, Roofi could have gone with Plutonia style of horror and put a bunch of archviles in that spot >:-)

 

i agree in principle - nothing wrong with a little bit of sadism, just not sure if Doom levels are the correct place for it?  Dashing for the timed door would be really fun with multiple bodies blocking the way :D  i'm glad i didn't have to do that even with the Heresiarch but he's definetely shown he has his place in the WAD.

 

But you used the right word for the crushers the first time :)  Not that i didn't appreciate them or hate them for it, they'd be useless if they weren't lethal (like the ones in Si666il, after Romero yielded and changed them...one of his worst mapping decisions ever) - showed me i have no control skills.

[BoxY]

map14

From what I read about the map from others I was prepared to hate this one because it uses a bunch of design tropes I usually despise - no automap, dark, weird progression, unkillable enemies chasing the player, crushers - in fact if someone wanted to specifically design a map that I would hate, they should probably start with those things. But all against all odds, this map ended up being really good. It was a hard sell at the start because it took me like 5 minutes just to figure out the little switch puzzle with the door which didn't make me feel too optimistic about the rest of the map, but after I got some actual progression going I started to really love the atmosphere and in particular the fights, which were very well balanced and interesting but also not so hard that they would amplify the frustration factor that already exists from just getting around the place.

I really love in particular the excellent lighting, which I've always believed is way more important than detailing and even textures for making a map look good, especially with vanilla compat maps. It really helps with the atmosphere, especially in software lighting. Bravo Roofi.

[dei_eldren]

MAP15 (HMP, Continuous, Blind) - From the start one knows that unravelling this level will take more than a couple of minutes - attacked at first by Cacos, one has to choose to run to either of the large sections of the level, left or right from the small elevated central space.  i choose running to the right, killing the Cacos coming at me from that direxion, to drop down a lift way down, to a pool, guarded by various mid-tiers, and a Cyberdemon on top of a tower.  The Yellow Key fight in particular later on is very brutal.  There's also a view to a secret Megasphere, which annoyingly enough isn't accessible for this fight!

The architecture of this installation is largely based on vertical variation, and the flooding of the floor levels of each section.  Progression is non-linear and quite complex, but not because of puzzles, but requiring keen observation.  At first i was hoping killing the Cyberdemon wouldn't be necessary, but of course it is, as it becomes clear he's also guarding a vital path forward.

One of the secrets was rather easy, 2/4 were very tricky and took a lot of investigation to find (was very determined, due to the Megasphere as well as the expected secret exit), and sadly, whilst i suspected correctly the location of the fourth, i couldn't get it open (i verified this after the fact from a video, but Henry K also wasn't able to open it) - so the secret exit eluded me.  i really tried everything i could think of, even checking for linedefs (as much cheating as i've ever done playing through a level) in automap, without help - only gave up at total lack of ideas. 

Excellent level, tricky and hard as fuck, but just as much fun to conquer!  9/10!

 

As per last secret: i couldn't connect the sound to anything visual before.  Now that it's found, yes, the clues were there.  i very much appreciate the subtlety and finesse of these maps, quite new experience, and one of the general reasons i so much enjoy these.

Edited March 15, 2021 by dei_eldren

[Roofi]

Map 15 :

 

 

A punchy and rusty interpretation of "Speed" from Plutonia. Actually, "Feinte" is in my opinion easier than the original map due to the many wide open spaces and abundant ammo. The iconic Cyberdemon from Plutonia map 11 is not very effective here due to its placement. However , it's not a problem because it's so much fun to kill him easily.

 

The level is divided into two distinct sections separated by a large water canal. The layout is not as compact as in Plutonia and doing a uv-max on this map requires a lot of backtracks. However, it helps to make the map large and adventurous.

 

What I really like about this map is the mix between the rusty textures and the water. The map has a more "cheerful" atmosphere than the previous levels, but it is also from here that the gameplay starts to rely a lot on the use of the plasma gun and the RL. 

 

The secrets are indeed extremely well hidden, even too much for my taste. Actually, I like this old-school way of making secrets. However, if I spend hours searching, I always end up wondering if the map is broken or not. So I check on doombuilder if there was not a problem somewhere. 

 

Of course, it's still quite rare to see maps that can't be completed 100% but it bothers me when I spend hours searching and in the end the secret or the remaining monster is inaccessible because of a lack of testing.

 

Also , the secret switch to shoot in the megasphere's room is extremely annoying to reach without freelook.I always use the SSG for it.

[Endless]

MAP11: Où Est le Berger by Franck Livolant (franckFRAG)

 

One of the first maps that could be considered as proper slaughter. This is an adventure of varied heights with a great design that shows quality in its progression. With a final combat quite unexpected and large, this map throws us into a fun and balanced challenge. 4/5

 

MAP12: Impact Ecologique by Maxime Bisiaux (Datacore)

 

Now that we have completed the previous map and we are with the death-exit, we start from 0 in a map that reminds me of E4M1. Few items, but a lot of blood. The layout and simple architecture make this a very charismatic level. 4/5

 

MAP13: Chair Boueuse by Blême

 

What starts out as a vanilla looking map, ends up becoming a corruption of flesh and sin. A fast map with an intricate layout that shows good design and attention to gameplay. 4/5

 

MAP14: La Belle et la Bête by Alexis Jeanson (Roofi)

 

Probably one of the most interesting and creative maps in the megawad, although not one of my favorites. The small size of this map emphasizes a closed, dark and claustrophobic environment, as well as full of traps and small puzzles. In UV we will find a rather violent surprise, which gives it a cat-and-mouse style, but in lower skill-levels it is slightly lackluster. 3/5

 

MAP15: Feinte by William Huber (WH-Wilou84)

 

The heights contrast with the violent map, illuminated by the metallic ground and the blood of the demons. A medium sized map that combines a simple layout from left to right. Simple in terms of its dynamics but with a hard and welcoming combat. 4/5

[Biodegradable]

MAP15 - Feinte

HMP | Continuous Play with Saves | GZDoom + Dead Marine

 

Wilou spiked my health bonus with cyanide and then gave me a swift kick in the arse! Ahem... yes, that's how I felt when this map opened up on me with the reign of Hellfire I had been anticipating since we began playing. He sank his teeth into my flesh and refused to let go, thrashing me about like a ragdoll as each encounter was more vicious then the last! Okay, hyperbole aside, man this was a tough one. This map tanned my hide and fashioned me into a Bio-skinned couch on quite a few occasions, however it never felt like bullshit, which is awesome. Aside for the gritty combat, the map shines visually even moreso after going through a trio of ugly maps before it. While there's still a lot of the harsh metal textures, Wilou spruces it up with a water motif that flows more or less throughout the entire map as if you were traipsing through some sort of deep yet tall water treatment facility. There's a lot of fun uses of height variation to be found here and it plays into the combat really well. It's a rough ride, but a fun one. I look forward to what our friend brings me at MAP17 ;^)

 

 

[Omniarch]

MAP14: La Belle et la Bête (The Beauty and The Beast), @Roofi - 100% / 100%

 

Well, the map's title is right about one thing: Doomguy is a total hunk. Or is the Heresiarch supposed to be the beauty? I mean, he's got a nice tail for all them scalies out there...

 

Ahem.

 

Anyway, The Beauty and The Beast (I didn't even need a translator for this one, my newbie, half-forgotten Memrise french suffices) is an interesting gimmick level. I can't say I enjoyed the level per se, but I respect its craft and appreciate the mood. Not to mention that it was made in just 3.5 hours.

 

Its not actually the gimmick part of the map which I find irritating (it is too easy to be so), but rather the actual combat encounters, especially the largest one, which uses all of Doom's most potentially annoying enemies at once to create a veritable cocktail of irksomeness.

 

I can't fault the map too much for this, though, since it still held my attention for its entire run, and executes its gimmick pretty damn well considering the restrictions.

 

 

MAP15: Feinte (Feint), by @WH-Wilou84 - 99% / 25%

 

Hey, another map with an easily-translatable name! And its a homage to MAP12 of Plutonia? This is my lucky day, it seems ;)

 

Feint is a superb map, one of the best in the set thus far, better I'd wager than the map that inspired it, or at least more enjoyable. Verticality, chaingunners, inverted difficulty curve, chaingunners, a degree of non-linearity and of course... chaingunners. And Revenants. And Archviles. And also Pain Elementals. Oh yes, this is Plutonia alright.

 

The encounter design here is top-notch, capturing the essence of the harder half of Final Doom, while avoiding its frustrations and short-comings. You will find yourself continuously on the move, rather than hopping from safe-spot to safe-spot, unpicking the map at a rapid pace, more like a speed-challenge than a combat puzzle.

 

All that is not to say that the more typical Plutonic style is inferior. There are many equally interesting directions to take the time-tested set of conventions that underpin the style, this one just so happens to emphasize fun-factor over challenge, a wise choice considering the map's place in the megawad.

 

Visually, the map is beautiful, perfectly adapting the clean techbase look of 180MPV's first episode to a highly vertical layout. The map's lighting is also solid, always drawing the eye to the nearest point of interest, helping to make the progression as clear as possible.

 

Resource balancing is also pretty fair here, tight enough to keep the player on their toes but not frustratingly so. Despite the map's verticality, I didn't find myself constantly cursing the autoaim like I often do in Plutonia, a testament to the map's commitment to QoL.

 

The midi is also very appropriate for the map's pace, fast, but not overwhelmingly so, helping to simultaneously calm and encourage the player.

 

Overall, an excellent take on the Plutonia formula, faster and more conducive to a flow state than many of its kind, though perhaps lacking the Casali bros' distinctive 'bite'.

 

I am very much looking forward to playing more of WH-Wilou's stuff later in the wad. I foresee much happy Dooming yet to come!

[ironicmoustache]

Crispy, UV, pistol starts.

 

MAP15 - Feinte

 

Feinte wears its Plutonia inspirations on its sleeve and knocks it out of the park. A pretty brutal start (took me a couple of retries here before figuring out the most effortless way to tackle it) settles down—relatively speaking, mind—into a fast-paced, immensely enjoyable romp. WH-Wilou lays it on thick and fast with the enemy selection and encounter design, making it one of the hardest maps thus far, but it's to his great credit that the map never gets bogged down by the need for corner peeking and/or defensive play. There's a real sense of flow and forward momentum to the map. Gets nasty at times, but never felt unfair. Genuinely excellent map, and it looks great to boot.

 

It's the perfect inverse of the previous map, making for a stellar 1-2 punch. Totally different level design philosophies, but both succeed at making the player feel (almost) constantly in danger. Good stuff.

 

I couldn't find the secret exit, spent 20 minutes faffing about aimlessly out and decided I wouldn't bother. I found that shoot switch in the Megasphere room (after an age spent going over the trigger trying to figure out what it did, natch) but couldn't identify what it triggered. Not sure if I'm going to IDCLEV to MAP31 or just proceed with MAP16.

Edited March 15, 2021 by ironicmoustache

[dei_eldren]

(There being less days in the month than maps in this set i am uncertain when we are supposed to post about the secret levels, so i apologize if this is too early.)

 

MAP31 (HMP, Continuous, Blind) - This map is almost like an endless violent encounter.  i started with full health and armor, yet when i finally was able to breath the first time, both were depleted to unacceptable levels, which prompted me to do it again.  Knowing what's to come, i had some strategy in mind, and killed the Revenants, Imps and Pinkies with some more efficiency, allowing me to move on with good morale.  Even the fights against Zombies inside were very intense, and when generous amounts of Imps, Pinkies and Revenants were thrown into a mix, it all became very hazardous. 

The structure is some sort of a tech installation with a bloody pit separating the buildings - very nice complex design.  i'm not sure i've ever been forced to use strafe-running while platforming before, and it showed.  Especially the way back to the other side took a few times to practice, but the end ascertained i wasn't on the wrong track (or perhaps more accurately, i had been misaligning my track only slightly).

More than anything else, this level was just a lot of fun...as intense as the fighting was, it never felt unfair, even under heavy crossfire, or with Pinkies blocking your way while maneuvering around Revs' missiles.  The most unpleasant surprise was the Archvile from nowhere resurrecting perfectly good corpses, dealing me my second and last death.  Got only one of the secrets, even with the computer map - and i couldn't get the triggering panel in the starting room to function, but perhaps i missed something somewhere that would have enabled it?  Nice quick romp, the killing part of which didn't take more than 15 minutes.  9/10!

Edited March 15, 2021 by dei_eldren : grammar

[LadyMistDragon]

Map 15

 

A standard abstract techbase with heavy use of blue, watery floors and the standard Pour de Vivre wall textures, Feinte doesn't seem all that much different visually speaking from Wilou's previous offering in the set, other than perhaps showing it's inspiration (Map 14 from Plutonia) more heavily.

 

Anyways, after the 3 managable previous levels, you're immediately thrown into the thick of it with a Manacubus on the ledge across from you, and in each corridor exiting the room, a Spectre and a pair of Cacodemons and Manacubi, along with a hell knight below you on the left and an Arachnotron that appears behind you when you step forward a step or two. At least there's a super shotgun which gives you a fighting chance. You can proceed down either corridor, though if you go down the one on the side with the combat armor (left from your starting location) you'll run into Revenants across a pit that might tear you to shreds. As you might expect, I died several times, around 3 for basically all the remotely challenging ambushes. The first few came from the Cyberdemon on the platform that you can access by taking the right corridor, whilst I was below him. Regardless, though you should have just enough plasma cells after picking up the nearby plasma rifle to make short work of him and all the other enemies on the upper level of the pit. An arch-vile will teleport into the open area behind you when you open the regular exit door, but you'll have a departure committee to tend to before you can address that threat. The small room with the Manicubi and chaingunners that lowers the pillar with the yellow key was one of the worst, but it does have a Supercharge and you can leave as well, so you do have some room.

 

I couldn't fit in elsewhere, so I'll just say "Let's Go Cybie" is an awesome track and one that makes much sense for a level like this. I didn't find the secret exit, and indeed, I'm not going to be playing those levels because a)I don't really have the time b)Map 31's a bit on the bland side c)My test of Map 32 showed it easily ranks among the best of the set in design and ambience terms, but unfortunately, it'll take more time than than I suspect much of the last third even.

[TJG1289]

This is the first one of these I've done, so forgive me for asking: do we do the secret levels after map 15 or at the end of the month?

[Azure_Horror]

Map 15 Feinte (by [WH]-Wilou84)
GLBloom+, UV (with saves), pistol start

 

First impression: This looks very much like that one plutonia map but with water-and-metal design instead of blood-and-wood.
Second impression: the сhaingunners on Feinte are less obnoxious than on that plutonia map!
Third impression: the сhaingunners on Feinte are still nasty.
Fourth impression: the fights are really fun!

 

The start is pretty nasty, the right strategy is requred. Failed starts on UV often involve bumping into the specters. Maneuvring around them seems tricky, but not RNG-dependent. Those two damn specters are placed very effectively!

 

Standing still is death on this map, but most of the time the player has ample oportuninty to move around the arenas. This leads to very dynamic and action-oriented gameplay. There are many monsters, but also enough plasma and rockets. The Nightwatch cacodemons return, and can save you a lot of ammo! They are as beastly in infighting as they where in map06.

 

[WH]-Wilou84 have written in the .txt that the "Feinte" was inspired by map12 "Speed" in Plutonia Experiment. The inspiration is pretty evident from the very beginning, but, compared to Speed, Feinte feels much smoother to play. The problem with Speed is the lack of, well, speed. On Speed you often need to camp monsters from safe corners. The worst offenders on Plutonia map12 are all the chaingunners, who like to hide either outside the line of sight, our beyond the vertical aim range. On Feinte there are no awkwardly placed monsters, and the main tool of survival is mobility. This feels much, much more fun!

 

Secrets are pretty cool, but with some caveats:
-- the megaarmor secret may become very hard to find if its clue becomes hidden by a demon corpse.
-- the megasphere secret is annoying to open because you can easily mistime the shot.  
-- the secret exit button is very awkward to hit.
-- the secret exit button is hidden in a wierd place (even the sound clue can be completely missed), and the map is pretty big.

Spoiler

The secret level

switch

 

can be found in the pinky-ambush secret room, the exit itself lies inside another secret

 

[WH]-Wilou84 continues to provide very fun combat maps for 180 Minutes Pour Vivre. The best thing is that those maps are pretty different, yet each of them is a treat to play. I anticipate playing more [WH]-Wilou84's maps in the later slots!

[TJG1289]

Map15: Feinte - [WH]-Wilou84

100% secrets and kills. Time: 14:12

Deaths: 1

 

One of the hottest starts of the WAD so far, and easily the toughest if you're pistol starting. You don't really have much room to maneuver, and the spectres don't help. There's thankfully a SSG right in the area, but you still have to deal with hell knights and an elevated arachnotron / mancubus combo, plus some far away revs sniping you. Once that's taken care of and you start exploring, you'll notice that this is a tech base-themed version of Plutonia's map 12, but not really as bad. I went the Cybie path first, and that isn't too difficult as the Cybie can't really hit you on the ground since he's really high up. My only death (somehow) came when I went up to his level and got rocketed when getting off the lift after taking care of one of the mancubi up there. You get the plasma this route, and open up the path to the red door. The sniping Revs route gets you the RL and the red key and is generally harder, as there's more enemies on the ground and on ledges surrounding. Taking the red key path takes you to a chaingunner and mancubi ambush with a Soul Sphere that the RL takes care of pretty easily. Finally, the yellow key you grab opens up the final room with 2 Archies (one of which teleports back to the ground floor behind you) and a bunch of hell knights. I rocketed the one archie that didn't teleport, then ran back to the one that teleported, lured it away from the corpses and killed that one quickly. 

 

Now for the secrets: In my first playthrough I got half of them: the Megasphere secret and the drop down off the ledge in the red key path one. I had to IDDT the one that led to the elevated ledge in the first room with the mega armor, and had to take the WAD into UDB to figure out the secret exit. The combat armor secret is very subtle, and the secret exit switch is very, VERY hard to find without consulting something. It's also very hard to shoot, even with free look. I'm just glad I figured out the Megasphere one all by myself; it was pretty clever. Very fun map! 

 

Also, just re-asking, secret levels next or at the end of the month?

[BoxY]

map15

This feels like it was placed in the wad as a kind of answer or complement to map14, with its pace, setting and gameplay style being almost the opposite. I didn't pick up the Plutonia map12 reference until Roofi mentioned it, and I can kind of see it but I feel like this map lives up much better to the original map's concept because the pace of movement and combat is much higher. Fights are excellent and mostly dangerous, I think almost all of them killed me at least once on my blind playthrough, but I didn't mind because it's the kind of fun difficulty where if you die you just want to jump back into the action as fast as possible. The only monster placement I didn't like so much were the heaps of chaingunners placed in some areas which ruined the fun of running around open areas and dodging projectiles, but since this is a Plutonia tribute I guess it's considered mandatory to have them. Still, this map would have played a bit better without any hitscan imo.

I exited the first time and saw I had 80% kills and no secrets which was a sure sign I missed at least one secret fight, so I went back to try to figure it out and maybe try to get the secret exit too...but this is where shit gets messed up. After some minutes of completely pointless searching I turned on idclip and iddt, but even that didn't help. I then opened the map in an editor and even with being able to see every trigger, it still took like 15 minutes to figure out what the hell was going on and tag everything. And that secret shootable switch to access the secret exit is just bullshit - I shot it like 15 times with SSG and didn't get it to activate even once so I gave up and left without actually getting to the secret exit. I can understand the desire to make the secret exit a bit harder to find than a normal secret, but I feel like this went way overboard, to the point where I feel like there's an almost 0% chance that any player would be able to find it by just playing the map normally unless they're the kind of mental patient who actually plays Eternal Doom for fun. Still, a really fun map overall.

[MtPain27]

(Will have to blaze through these today because as it happens, I'm in Dean of Doom production mode now)

 

MAP 13: Chair Boueuse

 

A pretty modest techbase that gives me Community Chest 2 vibes for some reason, maybe it's the intestinal tech decorations and somewhat underwhelming fights and detailing. I had a weird visual glitch where the floor in the slimeway clipped through the monster sprites, and the pinky corpses kept sliding around. This effect is pictured below. Don't miss the secret SSG behind the first mancubus or you're going to be really sick of this map by the end. The secrets in general are a little obvious and/clumsy, though I kind of liked one with the rocket launcher.

 

MAP 14: La Belle et la Bete

 

Okay, this is definitely the most memorable map of the set for me so far. I confess I really hated it at first, but playing through it again was highly satisfying. The opening where you're beating feet away from the Heresiarch, pushing past zombies, nabbing the red key, and shooting pinkies is my least favorite part of the map, partly because the Heresiarch is slow and stupid, and moving him around is a pain, but also partly because that's the part of the map I played through the most. 

 

Once you get a few weapons and both yellow keys (idk what that's all about), and come to the super shotgun fight in the pit with the archies et al, the level really sings. It's an infight puzzle really, use the arachnos to whittle down the other foes, take out the PEs, hide from the AVs, and you're mostly good (the arch-viles can't leave their islands, thankfully. I overthought this fight at first, and Roofi gives you a secret megaarmor and two soul spheres to compensate for your sweat. I don't understand the point of the crushers at the end and the plasma is totally unnecessary for the Heresiarch...he's much more fun to peekaboo shoot with the SSG, even more than the Mastermind. He's SO SLOW! 

 

Anyway, this is a very tricksy, but excellent level. PS: There's no need to take away my automap, man.

 

MAP 15: Feinte

 

Yikes that's one hell of a start. Mancubi, revenants, spiders, cacos, and hitscan make for a good infight party but make sure you don't take too much flak, it's quite easy to die here. The rocket launcher room teaches you the value of getting the nightwatch cacos to infight, and by god those arachnotrons never let you alone. This room with the water floor and the other room with the cyber and the plasma rifle really reminded me of Speed from Plutonia, with water and steel replacing blood and wood. The cyberdemon room does feature the most annoying sequence in the level, with the caution tape button you have to land on to lower the elevator that takes you to the red key door AND the megasphere secret. You're going to have to make at least three trips up that elevator if you want to trigger the secret, get out, and then get out again once you vanquish the yellow key room (save cells and/or rockets or good luck with all those chaingunners and mancs). 

 

I ended up ducking out of this one with 96% kills because I couldn't be bothered to figure out how to find the secret exit, which is hiding at least two chaingunners and an imp. Sometimes it's just not worth it.

 

[Edit: Didn't even see Roofi's comment about MAP 15 being inspired by Speed till just now, aren't I sharp?]

[WH-Wilou84]

2 hours ago, TJG1289 said:

Also, just re-asking, secret levels next or at the end of the month?

According to previous club threads, you may post about them next.

[rtpHarry]

[dei_eldren]

MAP16 - i have to admit, this is not a map i enjoyed in any aspect.  In style i'd call it hypermodern, in aesthetics, layout and gameplay, and as popular as the style is, it leaves me cold.  The absolute worst part of the map was a closed room, with a timed switch for a door, where about a thousand Chaingunners teleported in from all the four corners.  Far worse than the (in?)famous Cagefight in Hell Revealed MAP13 - which i didn't even find vicious, just totally bonkers. This room is obnoxious, and without it the score would've been a couple points higher.  Still in all, this style is just not for me.  3/10. (No offense to the mapper or people who like it.)

 

Re MAP32, as i didn't get even close to solving the secrets of MAP31, i will have to skip that one.

Edited March 16, 2021 by dei_eldren : clarification & HR comparison, map32