The DWmegawad Club plays: Base Ganymede

[TJG1289]

I haven't been in a good mood the last several days, so I didn't play any Doom. Time to catch up a bit.

 

E1M4

(UV/Continuous/Saves)

100% kills and secrets

Time: 7:52

 

So far this is my favorite map in the set. A nice linear romp that looks very nice. The base imbedded in white stone with nukage look works really well here. You start out with a spread out hot start, with more and more enemies heading your way. There's a chaingun nearby so use that. I'm liking the emphasis on the chaingun this episode has been doing. Once you get in the base, you can take 2 paths to the next outdoor area. The one I took stayed on non-damaging floors, as you keep safe and just have to deal with the normal riff raff. You could take a rad suit and jump in the nukage, which can nap you a rocket launcher, so do that eventually. Either path takes you to a large outdoor area with a lot of enemies that shouldn't be a problem. The building here lowers the bars to the yellow key, and also features a lot of barrels that can make mincemeat out of the zombies. The yellow key path nets you a plasma, which is very usefull for another large outdoor area that also features a baron. Even with all the enemies here, it's nothing to worry about. Very solid map.

 

E1M5

100% kills and secrets

Time: 16:34

Deaths: 1

 

First death of the playthrough here cause I got surrounded and had the RL out. Darn surprise pinky. Anyway, this level is a biggie, and features some big fights. You get a RL right off the bat, so pistol starters might be annoyed at the second room which has a baron and some elevated imps in a kinda cramped area. Once you get elevated yourself, check the walls for a sunken-in switch to lower a hidden chaingun. You can get the blue and yellow keys in any order. I got the blue key first, and honestly, I don't remember that path. I just played it, and I don't remember it. The yellow key path on the other hand made me concerned when I heard a Spider Mastermind. She appears when you grab the plasma in the nukage pool. There's a lot of opposition here too, so take them out first before grabbing it. The second secret can be easily jumped to from the elevated platform to the side of it. The yellow key area has a fight I missed pre-death, where you hit a switch by the red exit door, and 3 barons appear behind you. Hit the switch in the room they were in to gain access to the poisoned path, with some goodies at the end, and way too many enemies teleporting in. I'm surprised I survived that area. The red key room also features another big surprise: a Cyberdemon. Thankfully, you should have enough cells to take him out, just be aware of the cacos that come in. This is the first level where I've noticed the lack of health others have posted about. I ended the level with 20% health. Tough level.

[Book Lord]

E1M8

Doomsday Engine, UV-Fast, Continuous, blind run w/saves

 

E1M7 death exit and subsequent pistol start could not mean anything good. This was supposed to be a gimmick map, a platforming map, a “trial of champions” map... maybe on UV it could play like that, but with -fast monsters it was the worst thing you can get on your daily game session. These are the levels where I regret my choice to play with -fast, just because nobody bothered to check how does the map play under that parameter, or because they assume that it is only used by Doom gods looking for extra challenge.

 

My first playthrough was awfully frustrating. This vexation on the pretence of a challenge happened by an inescapable, 20% damage pool of lava, surrounded by hell’s trademark fireproof wood. My companions in this deadly contest were three Imps and one Demon, under the supervision of her majesty the Spider Mastermind. She could see me in almost every nook or corner of this godforsaken place, and systematically terminated me before I could look around. I resorted to IDDQD, just to investigate what I was supposed to do, and even under that premise it was an exacting task.

Spoiler

It consisted of a series of difficult movements under relentless gunshots: trigger a line and move back, run and strafe on a thin ledge, stroll around the Mastermind balcony, lower the lift with the Pinky, shoot a faraway switch, avoid crushers, then make a final dash for a telefragging relief. A single false step led to a swift death. I made the wrong choice to snipe all low tiers with the pistol, just to make sure they did not interfere during my platforming feats. Imps were not that reliable for infighting, since they kept the Spiderdemon busy only for a fraction of second, but they were essential to have a chance to move under the boss’ nose without becoming her point-blank target. On my first attempt I had no choice but to hide behind the thin iron pillars, then hope to stun the Mastermind with the shotgun before she unloaded on me. A hopeless strategy that worked only after many, many, many attempts.

 

The map played a lot better as a speed run. With foreknowledge, 2 intermediate saves and a few reloads I beat it close to 20 s. It was still luck-based. I would not bother recording a demo, as it would be more a RNG test than a display of ability. My final judgement: a mandatory speed run as the Episode 1 boss map? No, thanks!

Edited July 8, 2021 by Book Lord

[Capellan]

 

[Soul_Runner]

E1M7 - K - 100%, I - 100%, S - 100%, Time: 9:30
Pistol Start, No Saves, UV Max, Not Blind, No deaths
First look we get imps, a pinky and a shotgun in a much more hellish environment with the green walls and brown floor.
No secrets in this level and a monster count quite similar to the previous level. When firing, the sound of a spider mastermind?
The second room, ambushes the player with a closet behind them of imps and shotgunners after they deal with a few smaller hitscan in the room originally. The hell theme really kicks in here with the lava ceiling and the skull textures and objects being used.
A watery room with shotgunners, imps and lost souls. The chainsaw makes easy work of the souls with care as to their charges. As we head down the cavernous path, an ambush appears behind with imps and lost souls, but the gift of a rocket launcher, health and green armour!
A fort appears before us, guarded imps, cacos and shotgunners. Some rockets, bullets and a switch that raises a bridge, allowing us entrance will help us with the welcome crew of the fort, more imps, pinkies and lost souls. A switch as our only way out, guarded by a baron which lowers a teleporter.
Here i visit the only other room i haven't, showing us a yellow key guarded by a baron and his crew of four imps. Thankfully they leave us a plasma gun after we deal with them. A small lava run to lower a lift and get the yellow skull key within a cage that the baron was positioned in.
As we leave two teleporters have lowered, taking us into a the room we started in, except with a wall lowered and us facing a battalion of imps, shotgunners and pinkies. Here we find a backpack, health and shotgun shells to deal with them, and a switch which opens the path back to where we have been.
Now heading into the yellow skull door, we come into a hellish corridor with a lava river, torches and bright red rocky walls, and a whole heap of barons. As we trek down the red path, we get more rockets and plasma to help kill off the barons with a soulsphere and rad suit waiting at the end with more ammo.
As we get to the bottom, the spider mastermind we heard from the very beginning appears to gun us down. Rapidly making distance, a rain of plasma is enough to stop it in it's tracks.
Some spectres guarding the exit aren't a problem for the plasma gun as the final switch is accessible and we get to the end of the level. Hitting the switch lowers a teleporter, which when taken shows itself as a forced death exit! No weapons for the next level.
A Good Hell level, however not as interesting and memorable as the cavernous techbases except from the fort we came to, the death exit being memorable due to taking your weapons away.

[DuckReconMajor]

E1M7  - prboom-plus 2.6um - skill 1 - pistol start with saves

 

I enjoy this bit of Episode 2 throwback presumably on the way to more Hell stuff. 

The arena you launch up to inside the castle walls was awesome and was very pretty with the lava ceiling

I totally missed the yellow key and had to go back and get it.

 

Spoiler

 

 

[Dazel]

E1M7

(GZDoom, UV, Pistol Start, Saveless)

Death Count: 0/1

 

This isn't a bad one. It's low on the excitement, big fights, or even tight encounters, but a decent amount of care has been put into making weapon choices and ammunition very deliberate. The aesthetic jumbling I felt the maps previous were falling into works better here, as we've skipped any kind of E2 corrupted techbase and gone straight into E3 Hell, wood and marble galore. Health is VERY stingy if you're not careful taking cover from hitscanners and dodging projectiles, but up until the end it felt balanced, if very methodical. Then there's the end, which plaps a Spiderdemon on your face with no cover whatsoever from her chaingun, making you rely on pure luck to stun with plasma and not die right at the end of the level, which I just barely managed.

Spoiler

A death exit means everyone's pistol starting next map, which is- oh no. Nononononononono not this one nooooo

Rating: 2½ 🟊🟊✭☆☆

[TJG1289]

E1M6

(UV/Continuous/Saves)

100% kills and secrets

Time: 10:56

 

This base is starting to look a little fleshy. I like how the Hell aesthetics are starting to seep in. Coming in with 20% health from the last level is not good, especially with some shotgunners in the area. I went to the right first, and eventually found a berserk pack in the nukage by a rad suit. This is another level where I'm starting to forget specifics, but I did like the random Cybie fight by the blue key, that makes you run around him on stairs. A baron appearing where you grab the RL is kinda cheap, but you can squeeze past him to get a better distance. Kind of a weak level honestly, as I don't really remember much of it, but like I mentioned before, getting the Hell textures in is cool.

 

E1M7

100% kills and secrets

Time: 9:45

 

For being the second to last map in the episode, this one is fairly easy. It's a very linear path through, starting in a big room with a shotgun, box of shells, and a decent amount of imps (+1 pinky). This exciting start peters out quickly, as we traverse some E4 inspired halls with incidental encounters that won't cause you any issues. That is, until you get to the fort. Inside the fort, you'll take a instant lift up to a pretty big room filled with imps to the left, lost souls to the right, and some specters behind the pillar in front of you. Again, taking out the RL almost ended me since lost souls and specters gained ground on me quickly, but I made room for myself. Take 'em out, deal with a baron, hit the switch to teleport out, and hit another teleporter to take you back to the beginning, where an alcove opened with shotgunners and imps. Another kind of tough one, especially since you haven't been able to recover any health from the last battle, but if you take out the shotgunners first, the rest shouldn't be bad. Hit the switch, and head back to where the yellow key is. At first, I thought the sides should have risen to the platform with the plasma, but actually a thin rail has risen in the middle, so get in the lava for a hot second to rise up to it. Back at the yellow key door, you have to deal with like a dozen barons, so rocket them (there's rocket ammo here so that helps). When you're ready, grab the rad suit and Soul Sphere, smack the switch, and backpedal while plasmaing the Spider Mastermind that just teleported in, but you saw coming considering you heard it when you first fired your gun in the level. Kill it and the sudden specters behind it, hit the switch, and enter the teleporter to a death exit. Kinda a ho-hum map.

 

It's not the 9th yet here, but people are already posting their thoughts on the next one, so I'll just knock it out now. It's only an hour early, so who cares.

E1M8

100% kills and secrets

Time: idk, like 30 seconds

Deaths: 6

 

Well, this was different! This is a one-room rush to the end, avoiding a Spider Mastermind's chaingun fire while doing some light platforming and shooting. You get a shotgun to help take out the 3 imps and 1 pinky and to shoot a switch. It took a couple of deaths to figure out what to do, but here was what I ended up doing. I grabbed the shotgun and headed for the skinny beam to hide behind. Got right up on it, since there's a crusher here but it can be avoided. Head to the bars to open the alcove behind you with the teleporter. Run through it, and run to the other one past the skinny ledge here. Once teleported to the side of the SM, get the closest imp to hit it with a fireball so the SM will target that for a sec. Rush around to the next teleporter, and take out this imp if it's not also infighting. Lower the lift, shotgun the pinky, ride it up, and shoot the switch on the other side to raise the wall past this crusher. Quickly get through, and jump into the final teleporter to telefrag the SM. If there's any imps left, pistol them to show dominance, then hit the exit switch. I really liked this type of map! It's kinda like Run For It from Scythe, just not on a time limit. The SM provides enough pressure where you have to act quickly, and the level is so short that a death is no biggie. Overall, the first episode was solid Doom 1 fun. Nothing too amazing, but sometimes, you just want some meat-and-potatoes and not a fancy steak dinner. Eager to see what's next.

[DisgruntledPorcupine]

E1M7

UV, pistol start, no saves

100% kills, 0/0 secrets

 

Any and all elements of tech are now gone in this map, opting for a predominant variety marble fortress, wood, cavern, and hellish textures. The combat in this map is fun, if a little bit on the basic side for most of the level's runtime. The first sight in the map is a bit of a tell of its playstyle, as it likes to throw big globs of imps at you in open rooms, with about half of the monsters in the map being imps if we include the 20 lost souls as part of the total monster count. For any of these imp fights you shouldn't have too much trouble so long as you keep strafing around and don't let them cut you off.

 

Apart from these large imp ambushes, the most memorable fight is the closing room. You will walk in to the sight of 11 barons of hell in a hellish cavern, with probably not enough plasma/rockets to take them down without pulling your hair out in boredom by using weaker weapons. However, you can trigger a spider mastermind to show up in the room, and get them all to infight her. Then you can hit the switch and go behind her, killing the spectres that show up to block you. The barons are quite spread out, so you may still be dodging projectiles from the ones she has not aggro'd if their projectiles end up sailing behind her, but otherwise this section is a breeze when you do this. It's a neat little infight puzzle, if a little bit lengthy. The spider will likely fall first, so once she does finish off the rest of the barons with your plasma and rockets.

 

Decent little penultimate level, a little bit shorter compared to some of the recent levels. Excited to see what the finale of E1 has in store, as this level does end off with a death exit.

[Dazel]

E1M8
(GZDoom, UV, Pistol Start, Saveless)

Death Count: 11/12

Fuck you. I could go on a nice little rant about how surviving this level is complete RNG, how the lack of cover when moving across a chasm-thick bridge while dealing with potential knockback from a Spiderdemon is bullshit, about how nonsensical the 'puzzle' progression here is, or about how even once you've figured out how to get to the end, it's complete and utter chance to not be shot at too much to actually finish it, that the player's skill is 100% irrelevant to if the Spider sees 'fire' or 'don't fire' in the RNG table, but this map doesn't deserve that, it deserves a fuck you. At least it's over quickly.

Rating: MINUS 2 -🟊🟊☆☆☆

[DavitW]

E1M7
Safe to say we're in hell now, things look difficult right from the start but I'd say it's a step down from the last two maps. Coming back with a pistol start here and resource management wasn't as big of a thing as it was in the rest of the episode. Lots of big set piece battles here with large groups of enemies but they didn't come off as intense or exciting as the author likely intended. It builds up to a lava cavern with many barons blocking your path and a spider mastermind to fight at the end. You get plenty of rockets and plasma here and with a death exit don't be afraid to use it all to save your time. Not too bad but a bit weak looking back at what we've had so far.

 

E1M8
Final map of the episode presents itself exclusively as a boss fight with the spider mastermind. Could be a poor choice considering we've already killed two of them earlier in the episode, I swear I didn't run away from the last one! Anyway this one presents itself as more of a puzzle map to me but is really just more of an obstacle course while a spider mastermind decides to either stomp around doing nothing or shoot you into some lava. There's also imps around for... some reason. Just an obnoxious map really where it felt like luck decides if you make it. There's a rather rude crusher trap behind some of the only cover in the map, which is like a 4 pixel wide pillar, and after the first teleport they don't even have the decency to line you up on the ledge properly so you have to move slightly to the left or fall into the lava. Took me a few tries to figure out what the arrow pointing into the lava was for. My first thought was an invisible bridge or a teleporter right off the edge but it was actually just pointing to a switch over yonder. Whether I'm just an idiot for missing it or obtuse design by the author is up for you to decide.

[Thrustpeak]

UV| Continuous w/ Saves | PrBoom-Plus

 

E1M8 

Can't say that I'm a big fan of it.  

[Endless]

E1M6 | UV Continous | GZDoom & DOOM Retro

 

 

An interesting base that seems to combine a bit of the classic gothic style of Ultimate Doom; like hell corrupting earth, or in this case, Ganymede. The map has a simple and stable layout, mostly of linear progress, but maintains a multitude of connected paths to be able to advance without any pauses. While the size is smaller than previous maps, it also presents a little more difficulty by placing enemies in tighter spots and in greater numbers. Overall it is decent. Fast and fun, it doesn't have any major highlights but I don't think it's too bad either.

 

E1M7 | UV Continous | GZDoom & DOOM Retro

 

 

The visual progress seems to evolve in more closed areas and with less Jupiter in the background, but including a little more gothic hell scenes along with a good use of textures that gives it a certain vanilla air quite pleasant. While the use of lights is not that amazing, the solid architecture and overall design of the map make this one I like. It reminds me of the classic episode 3 with a bit of episode 4. Luckily it doesn't have the difficulty of the latter, but it does increase the amount of enemies a bit more and tends to throw large hordes at us with enough space to maneuver and attack with the rocker launcher, creating good combat scenarios that are as enjoyable as they are intense.

 

E1M8 | UV Continous | GZDoom & DOOM Retro

 

 

An interesting proposal that gives a new flavor to the typical E1M8 ending. In this case we do not have two barons, but 1 spidermastermind accompanied by about 4 henchmen. The concept of the level is like a small combination of The Chasm from Doom 2 with E3M1 from the original. It's, well, not my favorite but I can give them points for trying something different. Most of the deaths will probably be due to failed attempts to overcome obstacles and traps, and the combat itself is reduced to hiding, maneuvering, and telephragging. It's not the best, but I can see the charisma in it. Playing this in a vanilla environment can be a bit confusing as well due to a switch we have to trigger in order to proceed through the map, which is hard to see if we only have 2 pixel resolution. Heh. All in all, a bit disappointing, but not as disastrous either.

[Biodegradable]

E1M8

UV | Continuous Play with Saves | GZDoom + Dead Marine

 

Well that was a bitch of a map. An interesting challenge, but not really a fun one. Rather aggravating to be honest lol. It's one of those things where it's a lot of trial an error trying to figure out what on Earth you're supposed to do, so there's zero chance of you managing to beat it on your first try without any prior knowledge, which is honestly bullshit. Thankfully, it didn't take me a stupidly long time to figure it out. Not much else to say, honestly. Unfortunately, I accidentally had my mic muted again, so you don't get to hear me moan and my triumphant "FUCK YOU" after I telefragged the Spider-Demon, so you'll just have to imagine it.

 

 

That's the end of E1 then.

 

[Doritos420]

E1M8 - Spider’s Domain

Spoiler

Welcome to platforming hell. What an absolute bitch of a level this was for me. At first I was like “Only 5 enemies, maybe a couple spider masterminds and some cyberdemons” turns out it’s just the some imps, a pinky and the most annoying spider mastermind yet. Avoiding her chaingun fire it feels like it’s completely up to RNG whether you take damage or not as you’re navigating around. The first area is pretty simple to figure out what to do, take the teleporters and reach the next one. I found that the first platforming area inside the lava is harder than the last one; weird,  but whatever. The stumbling block for me was that stupid lion switch that you have to shoot to progress. I saw the arrow on the ground and figured I’d have to teleport back there and physically hit the switch to make it. As far as I know this is the first time in the whole wad where you have to shoot at a switch to activate it, so I wish this concept was introduced a bit earlier when I’m not under fire from imps and a spider demon. I think you could do this pretty easy, just at the start of the level have a similar looking switch that the player can’t reach that’s recessed into the wall and have the player shoot it to progress through. Anyway, when I figured that part out the rest of the map is EZ PZ. Just jump through the remaining teleporter to telefrag the mastermind. I’m a bit disappointed that the final flavor text of the episode wasn’t changed. Overall not a fan of this final boss, hoping we get more level exploration and fun combat like we’ve seen in the previous levels.

 

[TheOrganGrinder]

E1M4

 

Is this the first time in the WAD the player has clearly started a map where the previous level ends, or have I just been oblivious to it until now?  Maybe it's an odd choice to include that particular aesthetic quirk at the one point in the episode where the player may not be emerging from a single, specific exit structure but might equally well be entering E1M4 from either E1M3 or E1M9; still, I like the fact that it's not just the exit room or hallway of E1M3 that's apparent here but the exterior architecture of a whole substructure.

 

There's a reasonably abundant supply of radiation suits here, although I'm generally in the habit of going everywhere I possibly can before taking a dip in the toxic drink, and oddly enough this one is laid out such that you can reach the exit without doing more than dashing across a couple of shallow pools of the radioactive green goo, making the slime canals that snake their way through the level quite optional until you're running out of ammunition and need to make a grab for the rocket launcher.  There's quite a bit of macro-scale architecture on display here but for the most part you're making your way through tunnels, technological complexes, and carefully constrained canyons and arenas, contributing to a surprisingly oppressive atmosphere that impresses on you constantly just how big the Ganymede base is and how small a part of the world, the mechanism, you are.

 

E1M5

 

Well.  This is the point at which the WAD asks you to step up your game, isn't it?  At first, this merely takes the form of a more complex layout, suffused with inky shadows from which gunshots ring out and fireballs drift with a kind of placid menace; it's not long, though, before you're introduced to the toughest members of the Doom bestiary, first the Spider Mastermind and then the Cyberdemon.  We're only five or six levels in to a 27-map project, so I'm starting to worry now that the back half of this one may prove a little spicy for me.

 

Over the past couple of levels we've started to see small fragments of infernal architecture embedded in maps that mostly combine technological structures and natural, rocky moonscape exteriors, as though E2 and E3 are being teased and hinted at in the midst of a generally E1-flavoured affair.  That curve is familiar to Doom players but it seems to be rising, accelerating, rather more quickly than the original, which leaves me wondering: where is this all going and how long will it take us to get there?  If this level is any indication then it's going to be quite the wild ride.

[LadyMistDragon]

E1M8 - Nabaloth's Bunker

 

Little were you aware that during your battle in the last map against the hideous Shlazalaz, you were being observed by her sister, Supreme Commander Nabaloth 'd Stygiala'Doman (don't ask) through a skull camera that Doomguy will probably never see. Enraged at her death, Nabaloth fiddles with the nearby teleporter so that (a you're murdered and b)you'll be taken to a location in her mansion containing a bunker surrounded by lava she has most fiendshly placed herself in. As you arrive, an incredibly aged, leathery, but high-pitched voice emits "You have breathed your last, mortal. The killing of my sister will be the last wound you ever inflict upon the forces of Hell" followed by a few seconds of demonic laughter, because of course. Why is she parked right on top of a teleporter? Where the hell was Kyle the Imptern when they were considering teleport design? Ah, who cares? This music originally came from DtWId E2M8 but its fast aggressive beat fits this particular map like a glove.

 

I gotta tell you, I have this nasty habit of overlooking common sense which makes things takes much longer than they have to. But obstacle courses are unusual in Doom. Ok, starting, you see a shotgun hanging on a ledge but the Mastermind howls the instant you step out and cover is absolute zero, apart from a lift near the end. It's basically a matter of counting on the Spider not being especially aggressive, because you WILL get cut to pieces otherwise. You're basically traversing long wooder platforms around the lava lake surrounding the bunker, taking teleporters, and walking on annoyingly narrow surfaces that will waylay the careless player. The minimal opposition almost feels obligatory As @TJG1289 said, it'll help if you can get an Imp to infight with the Mastermind when you're walking in front of her bunker, but that's never an absolute guarantee. After catching something of a break on a lift with a pinkie and some shotgun shells, you'll then find yourself on a platform with two crushers and a barrier in the middle you can only get around by finding a part of the path sticking out like an arrow. It probably took me around 6 tries before I realize that might be a viable path. After that, walk on another narrow platform to a teleporter which will make you telefrag the mastermind and place you in front of a switch to end the map.

 

Honestly, I really liked this map. It's a very different and unique sort of challenge that perhaps thankfully is not replicated in either of the two following episodes' finales. As a way of underscoring this, my death total in the megawad was 3 before this, but went up to 14 by the time I finished this, so I naturally be will be subtracting it. I guess it was just sudden inspiration @Khorus had at one point.

 

[cannonball]

E1M8 - The problem with introducing your entire bestiary in the earlier maps is that you are left with no real easy option for your final end map. So we have for the end of episode 1 this very short obstacle course. Now this only took me four attempts to beat, however you need a lot of luck with the spider as there is a period where if she locks onto you then its game over. 

Overall it isn't a great map, but it is so short that it didn't aggravate me too much.

[DuckReconMajor]

E1M8  - prboom-plus 2.6um - skill 1 - pistol start with saves

 

Well done boss map! I love diversions like this that focus more on trial and error in movement.

And there weren't a ton of little assholes running around blocking the way like when modern slaughtermaps do platforming.

Just you, the big brain gun, and one pinky demon in the way I can forgive.

Great finale to this episode. I had a quick run through the first half of this E1 skill 1 and made it about 5 maps in before dying. Knowing the paths a bit beforehand it's even more fun.

 

Spoiler

 

 

[Capellan]

 

[DisgruntledPorcupine]

E1M8

UV, pistol start, no saves

100% kills, 0/0 secrets

 

The final map of E1 is a small obstacle course, wooden and flooded with hellslime. A spider mastermind sits at the front of the level overwatching it, with 3 imps and a pinky at points in the course, and a shotgun as your only means of defense. There isn't much for me to say about this one, I kinda enjoy the audacity it has, even if it is a little bit RNG dependent. The spiderdemon can really mess you up if she fires at the wrong time, like during the section with the crushers or when you just teleport in on the narrow ledges. For the most part though, there are tiny bits of cover you can use to break her fire temporarily. It's a fun little experiment as a closer, although it's far from a climactic finale and is generally over in less than a minute.

[dei_eldren]

E2M1 - Nukage Retention Facility (HMP): K 100% (81/82), I 100% (6/6), S 0% (0/0), T 8:09, D 6 - And so we are back to familiar territory, a nukage-themed techbase.  The map is also true to its M1-slot, short and punchy, just like E1M1, and also, with the now accustomed to hot start.  The situation is more dangerous now, as i find Imps and zombiemen assailing me from many fronts, running upon the ramp in a nukage-container with no shelter from the fire.  Having only a pistol i kill the zombies, and leave the crossfire from the Imps who are situated on higher alcoves from the only available door.  Ending up in a room with more zombies, and as the Shotgun is placed out of reach, it's no mystery why Sergeants were not included among the enemies.

The next room, the whole map is very linear except for small amount of necessary backtracking, has more of the same, but after the rather intense fight is done, we are in possession of a Chainsaw, conveniently as i doubt there's even enough ammo to kill everything with the pistol.  After which comes the trickiest room of the map, that dealt me three deaths.  There's a central ramp, and on sides, four inaccessible alcoves, two of which have an Imp and two a Shotgunner, who all have to be dealt with the pistol only, and health is already running low, namely at 28%.  At first, though, there's also a Pinky and a Spectre, but they are easy to deal with as they run happily to my Chainsaw.  There would be a Medikit in the room with the Shotgun, but it matters little if i use it up now and die later or die now and use it later.

When the enemies are killed, there's a small puzzle of shooting-switches in the alcoves, which gives access to a switch, to lower the Shotgun and i think to open up the passage to the other direxion in the starting room, and still also, to get in a few more Pinkies to Chainsaw.  

 

So i head back, collect finally the Shotgun (grabbing which Sargeants immediately teleport in, taking more bites out of my health), the bit of health available, and return to the starting area, where more enemies have appeared to accompany the Imps i left behind.  It's the easy part though, as i still have some health, which after the fact settles at 13% (let's not write home about that...), but entering the final area, a canyon leading to another facility, gives more problems, as now Sargeants are regular part of the enemy hordes, both near and far.  Luckily there are two whole stimpacks! also, so with some luck, i'll be able to run forward, collect them, and shells which are also almost out, without getting shredded.  In a few tries all this is realized, but it wasn't exactly fun.  i do admit, i didn't play ultra-conservatively earlier, but neither was i reckless at any point, and doubt i could save much more health except by having better luck.  (EDIT: After a couple more tries this morning i finally succeeded in conserving more health on the run, i'm just not used to being demanded to play so accurately, but still the health does chip away, especially committing any inaccuracy.  Should be able to play this level now consistently without deaths, though.  Just didn't make great decisions on the blind run, i s'pose.)

 

There's still one more room, with Shotgunners upon turrets, and Imps on the ground, but it is nothing to worry about, and there is a pleasant surprise in the form of a bona fide Medikit inside the Exit-room!  Upon my word... tough as nails with only low-tiers, but still, i would have liked to have seen more health.  Yes, it would be somewhat easier, but on the other hand, now the difficulty is fabricated.  Not talking about a Soulsphere but just a few stimpacks would suffice - there's no fun in having to attempt these kinds of combats multiple times only because of hitscanners and because one can't regenerate enough health between the encounters.  i also played this on HNTR, and still don't know which i'll continue with, perhaps both until i can no longer manage HMP.  Other than that, it's a good map with good ideas (somewhere among the nukage), earning from me a 3/5.

 

Spoiler

 

Edited July 10, 2021 by dei_eldren : another try

[Soul_Runner]

E1M8 - K - 100%, I - 0%, S - 100%, Time: 0:34
Pistol Start, No Saves, UV Max, Not Blind, 1 death
From the start we see the hell theme continue, with no secrets and only 5 monsters? Can't be that bad surely.
Running out you hear the spider mastermind who will be watching you the entire level, and only a shotgun for firepower for now. As you move, a crusher stops you from going back and a lava filed room with a teleporter opens.
This leads to a thin platform where an unfortunate shot from the spider demon can easily push you off into the lava pit for a quick death, which it did for me.
Reaching the next teleporter forces you to run close around the spider for the teleporter, transporting you back to the opposite side of the room to continue running.
An imp and Pinky Stop your progress until you get up the lift and notice an arrow on the floor. On the opposite side of the room is a switch, a shootable one which raises a wall to an imp letting you keep making progress. A final imp guarding a teleporter to deal with before you rush into the teleporter and telefrag the spider mastermind, eliminating the threat and killing everything in the level.
With no secrets, it's a short and sweet level with a constant overpowering threat that you can't deal with head to head. A rush to the end before the one powerful demon delivers a swift death.

[Book Lord]

E2M1

Doomsday Engine, UV-Fast, Continuous, blind run w/saves

 

Ouch! The second episode of Base Ganymede did not show any mercy! UV -fast blind players (a rationally restricted category of weirdos) are going to have a hard time here, because little is given for survival, and every stingy resource demands a toll. The hot start left me already battered, but I should have restarted instead of going ahead with 46% health. I have never used the pistol for so long before, but nothing else was available. “Time is not ripe for the shotgun” – said Khorus – “but I put it in plain sight, so you know what you are missing”.

Spoiler

 

 

 

When I spotted the chainsaw, a sour grin appeared on my face. Mandatory chainsaw against Demons: a setup you cannot afford most of the time on UV -fast, because they bite like grinders and stun-locking them is unreliable. I surgically killed the first Pinkies with pistol, but the next room had more of them and no ammo. My only option was to induce the shooters to hit them to death, which took a lot of time and patience. Not only I had to swallow the fact that shotgun guys’ weapons were out of reach, but there were four (4) switches to waste bullets on! And what happened then? More Pinkies materialised on the only way out of that disgraceful room, although I could not chop them to pieces like somebody assumed! After about 5 attempts, I dodged them on the bridge and found refuge on the steps, from which I CAREFULLY sawed them one by one (w/saves and reload in case of mortal bite).

Spoiler

See, the shotgun pillar had lowered! What a great opportunity to get my bleeding hands on the ultimate weapon of mass destruction… wait, some more Pinkies, they bit me again, or was I gunned down by the Sergeants emerging from closets? The ambush was predictable, but the threat was way higher than required. After retrying, I survived with 1% health and had to kill a lot of faraway shotgunners in such a wonderful shape.

 

This heck of a map had no plans to calm down. A new section became accessible where many monsters waited for me, including the first Cacodemon, some distant hitscanners and more Imps, whose unit of measure for episode 2 is going to be the dozen, as prefigured in the last part of episode 1. You fight a dozen Imps here, 2-3 dozens there, 5 dozens later… you will see. I liked the visuals of the last section: a trail across a rocky canyon, connecting the nukage treatment facility to a guard house with the exit. I was pleased enough not to be upset by the Sergeant hidden behind a tree, or by his mates teleporting on the two pillars inside. After all, we are given a Medikit in front of the exit switch, so nobody should say that this author has no heart or pity. I am glad I did not miss any lifesaving secrets, because there were none.

Spoiler

I hope the second episode does not focus only on item shortage and trolling moves like this map. If the purpose were to scare off most players and seed some doubt in the bizarre ones playing with -fast monsters, mission is accomplished. But I will not give up this time; I am going to beat Base Ganymede on UV -fast, even though I might die a lot as the difficulty inevitably ramps up.

Edited July 10, 2021 by Book Lord

[Biodegradable]

E2M1

UV | Continuous Play with Saves | GZDoom + Dead Marine

 

Khorus turns the heat up right out of the gate with you starting off ambushed with Imps on all flanks and a shooting gallery of Zombiemen to wittle your health down before you can figure out where anything is. You're also placed on a thin pedestal surrounded by Nukage, but our friend is merciful by sticking some radsuits down there to help should you fall in. Progression remains simplistic, yet elegant as this map unfolds itself as you make your way around, teasing you with your lack of a shotgun for a bit and then giving you a shit-ton of shotgunners to contend with after you've obtained it. Combat overall is nice and tense, not giving you much of a moment's notice and is all too happy to continue to ambush you with new bastards teleporting into to replace the bastards you just murdered. Things overall are a little more scarce and a little more tense. This episode is proud of its sharp teeth and I bet it's going to love showing them off throughout.

 

 

[DuckReconMajor]

E2M1 - prboom-plus 2.6um - skill 1 - pistol start with saves

 

Another fun and interesting setup for a level. I love this outdoor slime valley look. The most 'on a moon' feeling map so far.

I like the pistol and chainsaw requirement for most of the level. Of course it doesn't throw anything at you that would be too grindy to take down with the pistol which is good.

I always forget that this mapset uses shoot switches and luckily remembered after not too long this time. I grab the shotgun and speed through the next valley to the exit.

 

Spoiler

 

 

[Thrustpeak]

UV| Continuous w/ Saves | PrBoom-Plus

 

E2M1

The hellish influence of the closing maps of episode 1 has seemed to recede, and we return to the visual style of earlier episode 1 maps. This episode 2 opener almost feels like the start of a second episode 1 with a reset on the difficulty. There wasn't really any of the more sinister traps we were coming to see more often, and the enemy roster is omitting the stronger demons for the most part. Nukage once again returns, but as far as I could tell there was no actual reason to go into it unless you fell. Strange to see no secrets as I would have expected an episode 2 opener to at least throw a chaingun or something to us early, but there was no need for any heavier firepower than we were given. This map sees you going through the bulk of it with just a pistol and chainsaw—while teasing you with a temporarily out of reach shotgun—which was more than enough to dispatch the pinkies, zombiemen, and imps. It's not until the end that cacos make an appearance, but not in enough numbers to pose any significant threat with a shotgun now in hand. Honestly, it feels a bit strange that the episode 2 opener could have just been placed in the middle of episode 1 and not seemed out of place. It will be interesting to see how quickly the difficulty rises this episode as I don't expect it to be as slow a burn as the last. 
 

Spoiler

My pistol vs. the gun I tell it not to worry about

 

 

[LadyMistDragon]

E2M1 - Nukage Disposal II

 

After your victory over Nabaloth in the last map, you end up heading to what I believe is a more remote facility on Ganymede, but seems like it's identical to the previous one you visited. The one thing I can observe is that the location might be less mountainous in certain locations. I like "Hiding the Secrets", but I don't really think it's appropriate for an opening map, not to mention its high-pitched, two-chord melody is something easy to imagine becoming overbearing for some. Sorry if I don't say more, but this map reaches new heights of abstraction, making description quite difficult

 

So did you think E1M1 have a hot start? Try placing 2 zombiemen directly in front of you with many of the surrounding ledges occupied by Imps and slime below on the edges of the path. The sole saving grace you have is no shotgunners, but things won't remain that way for long. Escape the best you can through a hallway leading to a courtyard with a pair of Imps, some foot soldiers and some kind of nukage collection device with a shotgun hanging on a platform above what's presumably the filtration device. No, I have no idea who could possibly think that's a good shotgun storage place, but no matter, move on to the next room, move past all the Imps and climb some stairs to collect a chainsaw at the opposite end of the room, which you can then use to take on the nearby trio of Imps you just passed by. You'll then enter a room with slime on the sides and Imps and Sergeants on the platforms on either side. This isn't really difficult at all if you play it slow and carefully but the trolling goes without acknowledgement. Shoot the switches behind you when you're done and somehow lift the mass of crap blocking your path to the yellow key, causing some spectres to appear behind you which you can easily dispatch with your chainsaw.

 

Coming back, you'll have to deal with a number of ambushes, including two pairs of shotgunners in the courtyard where the shotgun has now lowered. And you're sure gonna need it now! Because you'll immediately notice upon return to the starting area that in addition to (possibly) more Imps there are some Sergeants places in strategic positions that you'll have to terminate forthwith. That's not all though. Head through the newly-opened area straight in front of where you reentered probably 20 feet away and after killing some hitscanners, you'll be ambushed by a Cacodemon, and not long after, a Lost Soul. For whatever reason, it's difficult to leave this area without losing quite a bit of health, possibly due to the nukage pools on the sides containing large mobs you encounter when you depart out of the disposal facility and to the entrance of a more purposeful facility surrounded by a canyon made of ...white marble. There's surely more than one kind of rock on Ganymede, Khorus you wanker!

 

Anyway, the final area is probably easier, and possibly secure, because you run into some teleporting shotgunners on platformers hanging over what actually is revealed to be empty space when you idclip it.......You still can be taken by surprise very easily, and you wouldn't want to have a deathless run ruined by your inherent laziness, now would you?

 

This is a nice difficulty step-up, though probably not all that extreme. This and the next map can be serious pains (like much of this whole wad) if you're playing keyboard only.

[Soul_Runner]

E2M1 - K - 100%, I - 100%, S - 100%, Time: 5:06
Pistol Start, No Saves, UV Max, Not Blind, 0 Deaths
A cool starting area on some platforms surrounded by acid with imps above again and zombiemen on the platforms with us. This episode starts off with the techbase theme again, the second room teasing us with a shotgun on a pillar, alongside more imps and zombies.
A chainsaw is available in the next room which gets a lot of use with a number of pinkies and spectres in this and the next room after the four shoot switches guarded by shotgunners and imps. Not the first use of shoot switches but the largest by far.
The main switchs unleashes pinkies and spectres, which then on returning allows us to grab the shotgun, being ambushed by more pinkies and shotgunners. As we go back to the start more monsters are revealed, shotgunners and imps, with a spectre to block you, more imps, shotgunners and a cacodemon to crowd you on your platform.

A large open rocky area, showing a continued rocky tech base theme with a two groups of imps, a shotgunner and hitscan above. Finally the last room with two pillars, one shotgunner each with 4 more ready to teleport in. Deal with the last imps and the exit is available and ready.
A level short sweet level, not quite as hard as E1M1 in my opinion with no secrets. Nice and easy.

[Capellan]

 

[dei_eldren]

E2M2 - Overtaken Nukage Reservoir (HMP, Continuous): K 100% (201/201), I 83% (22/26), S 66% (2/3), T 22:49, D 4 - If Episode 3 will still persist with the nukage-theme, it won't be funny anymore.  Here we have another hot start, another horde, quickly enough dispatched at this point, thanks to ample practice.  After a short run in the corridor, the first nasty ambush of the map throws itself on me, again having insufficient ammo, even if at this point, health is still at acceptable levels.  After killing the Imps and Demons (for these no bullets should be wasted whenever possible) guarding a raised balcony offering us a Chaingun and a whole box of bullets for it comes a very difficult attack of three Cacodemons, and after first attempt i realize i haven't got enough ammo to deal with them all.  Fortunately in the corridor we came from i find a few more shells, and manage to kill the Cacos on second attempt from safety.

 

Next in the easternmost section, is another unpleasant encounter, as Cacos and Demons teleport into my face and behind me, when i'm trying to focus on some Imps.  i take quick flight backwards, but because of still very low health, die twice in the encounter.  Ultimately i finish it with 2% health left!  The first secret of the map is located in this section, as well as the switch to raise the bridge leading to the final area behind the YK door, and a few much needed stimpacks.

 

The larger building of the complex is next, where BK needed to get through the door to the YK close by are located.  Sort of weirdly pointless design choice, but whatever, i mean, why not?  There's a couple of nifty tricks and traps here, mainly requiring fast reflexes to dash away much like a cat would, and is my favourite section of the map.  Until the inevitably nasty ambush, as the YK is finally obtained in a pool of uncontaminated water.  Running to safety from the flock of Lost Souls, i ran into some Pinkies and Sargeants back in the building.  Fortunately i had enough health and armor, making this the only major trap of the map which i survived at first attempt. 

 

Behind the YK door, in the final section of the map, is a large nukage reservoir, and i suspect on Ganymede they're turning water into nukage.  So, i grab the radsuit and run in, to be faced with a few dozen Imps, as well as one teleporting Cacodemon.  This isn't going to be pretty, as my health is below 50% and some damage will be unavoidable.  i do my best, and die.  i try again, and die.  Something else is required, so i do what has so often worked in the past, return back looking for something i'd left behind.  In the very next room, i immediately find a radsuit and a berserk-pack waiting to be found in the nukage pit.  With that help i manage to subdue the enemies, with exactly seven shells left.  Three more Imps await by the Exit, as well as some ammo.  i doubt anyone will miss the last secret, containing another of those universally beloved berserk-packs for the joy of continuous players.

 

Thus i'm missing one secret, and admittedly cheat with iddt to find it.  It would have been a helpful stash of ammo and health to find, but it's not even showing in the computer area map earlier found.  i also look around and to my chagrin realize i even left behind some precious shells from fallen Sargeants, and few clips.  That's my bad, and i can't let this happen again.  At any rate, since there's no more radsuits, i decide to leave it all behind, so i don't need to lose about 30% health in running through the nukage back to exit.

 

The second Episode has now begun much like the first, only meaner.  i played the first three maps of E1 on HMP and they didn't seem that much harder than on HNTR.  This map was not bad, but neither was E1M2 and it was still the most boring map of the set, so i hope this proves the same.  Despite some nice individual design features, and effectively imposing brutalist aesthetics, ultimately this level just doesn't do it for me.  Average, playable but dull and probably too long, and somewhat too stern, 2.5/5.

 

Final thought?  RL would be great to have!

 

This is the end of my HMP experiment.  i can do it, but don't really enjoy it, especially since i predict some really long and challenging levels ahead, as there were in middle of E1, in particular M3 and M5.  But i do like the fact that Base Ganymede will force me improve my standard of gameplay, even on HNTR. 

 

Spoiler