Doom Wadarcheology - To dig, rediscover and enjoy the classics.

[thestarrover]

1 hour ago, princetontiger said:

I've noticed a lot of these maps aren't idgames... where are they from? I had a lot of fun with diharder.wad.

Some of  the maps I reviewed are  HERE and HERE

[BedrockCastle]

SPACKLE.wad by Your name here

9/14/94

Played through Chocolate Doom

 

This thing reeks of 1994 in the worst kind of way. Atrocious texturing, massive undetailed rooms dotted with very few monsters, horrifyingly bad gameplay, et cetera. I wasn't expecting much from a WAD by Your name here, but this is an unholy abomination even for 1994.

 

This opening area, featuring a COMPBLUE waterfall, is laughably huge for the puny amount of monsters it actually contains.

Spoiler

Spoiler

The gameplay is beyond terrible. Every room in the map feels the exact same. You'll only be dealing with a couple demons at a time, and there is almost no height variation. Even for 1994, the combat is absurdly boring. There are a ton of Barons in the unnecessarily massive ending room which you'll need to shotgun - it might trigger Hell Revealed flashbacks. Well, without any of the actual challenge, of course.

Spoiler

 

Your name here even added a room which brings The Chasm to mind, but it just makes me want to play that map instead. This room's also got a pinky who's stuck on a tiny platform, which he can't even move around on.

Spoiler

 

The only thing worse than the gameplay is the visual design. It's actually kind of pathetic. I didn't expect a whole lot, but I was actually severely disappointed with how ugly this E2M1 replacement is. Oftentimes, you'll see completely different textures side-by-side. Not only has Your name here never heard of border textures, but they also seem to completely not understand what textures go well together and which ones don't.

Spoiler

Spoiler

 

Some of the rooms here feel like they were straight out of Mock 2: The Speed of Stupid. This room in particular is perhaps the most hideous monstrosity I've ever laid my eyes upon. Take a gander.

Spoiler

 

All in all, SPACKLE.wad is a classic '94 garbage heap which can be described as... a lot of things. It's unique, but that's only because of just how bad it is. It's interesting, but again, that's only because of just how bad it is. Case in point: It sucks. The peaks of my entertainment during my playthrough were the few times I chuckled at some of these disgraceful attempts at visual design. There's not a drop of real fun to be had in this one. Stay away.

Spoiler

 

[Endless]

@BedrockCastle thanks for the review, however, take into account that the Wadarcheology Project is designed to find ''good forgotten WADs'' from the old golden days. That means we try to look for WADs that are either fun to play or creatively outstanding. This one you just reviewed seems to be one of those bad batches from the shovelware era, so we can't really add it to the museum of WADs.

 

Take this into consideration if you plan to review further titles.

[BedrockCastle]

Just now, Endless said:

@BedrockCastle thanks for the review, however, take into account that the Wadarcheology Project is designed to find ''good forgotten WADs'' from the old golden days. That means we try to look for WADs that are either fun to play or creatively outstanding. This one you just reviewed seems to be one of those bad batches from the shovelware era, so we can't really add it to the museum of WADs.

 

Take this into consideration if you plan to review further titles.

Got it, sorry for the misunderstanding. I'll only post a WAD review here if said WAD brings a metaphorical something to the table.

[Roofi]

Riffs of Doom! v1.0 by Karel P Kerezman (1995)

 

Quote

Various stringed electric instruments of rock and roll to liven your Doom exerience!

 

 

Sorry, my review will maybe not longer than 100 words and I have no screenshot to bring for the simple fact it's a wad replacing the sound effects with guitar riffs ! The 90's was a prolific decade in termis of silly meaningless sound replacements. However, I would like to do more videos on them because even the junk is a part of the history.

 

Now hang on to your hats, because it's going to rock! This wad is designed for anyone wanting to be like Jimy Hendrix or Elvis Presly while slaying demons ! Some sounds such like the SSG one's were not replaced though.

 

Here is my playthrough on Alien Vendetta, on the lowest difficulty, if you want to hear this beauty.

 

 

 

[LadyMistDragon]

(Crossposted from Random Wad Adventures

 

Chief's Wad - 03/20/98 - Played with Eternity Engine

 

A six-map set with some serious rough edges some players may not be able to quite overcome. Basically, you've got some silly sound effects, along with cramped and often brutal combat to the point of being unfair. But regardless, it's actually well-designed overall, and there's actually a fair sense of place in some scattered areas.

 

Map 01 - Well, I think we're in for something special! A dude facing us at the beginning, a collection of barrels behind him, and behind you, a secret behind a fake wall. But "I Sawed the Demons" proves to be a touch deceptive. Because what seems like a fairly average opening map quickly goes from practically zero to 100 in just a few minutes when you open  monster closets at  certain points and reveal Arch-viles in one and Pain Elementals in the other. Yes, this mapper hates you but at least you're well equipped.

 

Map 02 - A first map, I suppose. Fewer enemies than the last one and not quite so pressing. I do like the chasm room with the untagged secret hallway with the cells box. You press the skull switch here and kill some Imps and a Hell Knight with an SS. I think there's an Arch-vile at the end, or maybe a Pain Elemental or two.

 

Map 03: You find yourself behind a pillbox of sorts, facing a whole host of enemies you may not quite have the ammo for. You may want to kill the Revenants first, but it's not a requirement by any means. You'll have to drop down to some underground passages and take some teleporters to get keys. Sound a bit dreary, but the pressure never lets up. And I think this might be one of the few maps without Arch-viles (read: probably 1, so that's definitely saying something!) My favorite was probably the Caco ambush near the blue key I think.

 

Map 04: The most notable feature here might be the sort of "gladiator" room, grassy floors with green bricks surrounding the entire room and fences that make immediate access to the enemies difficult. Unfortunately, pistol starters will have to camp because you won't be able to just rush in and kill the Arch-viles. Then there's an unmarked door with a BFG and TWO MORE Arch-viles and then, a damn Cyberdemon when you get close to the other end of the room! This map is not impossible but might get a little bit over the top. Still, you need the RL if you want to go the other direction because the Arachnotrons quad at the other end of a teleporter will eat you alive. Then key placement feels needlessly obscure. Cool and brave to make a teleporter a pool with a corpse though. Progression gets a little better toward the end, I suppose, but overall, not a favorite.

 

Map 05: "Shawn's Got the Shotgun" is blaring through the speakers and boy, does it fit! So this central outdoor courtyard has Arachnotrons in each corner, along with some Hell Knights and Imps in the middle. You'll want to kill at least some of the enemies here so you can get into the side rooms without being destroyed, but keep in mind most of the Arachnotrons are easily accessible from other paths. Toward the end, you walk past a pillbox of shotgunners, and in a rare moment of triumph, get to squash a Spider Mastermind with a pair of SHAWN pillars!

 

Map 06: Completely breaking from the other maps, this one features an open layout and more texture variety than anything displayed thus far in this wad. Maybe it's like a lost town of sorts, because the green pyramid with the blue key is really kinda nice. The Revenants in the cage killed me the first time! Also like the last map, you'll find it's actually some different-colored torch which will open the secrets. The BFG in particular will be critical for the last fight if you're pistol-starting. And this is where the wad finally gets too over the top for its own good. Like I may have missed some cells, but picture, enter a bland scarlet fortress of lava rock, find yourself facing several Arch-viles in a tower with shotgunners on the sides, then suddelnly you're also attacked by a mob of imps to your back and Cacos to the front, and um yeah......not a good time!

 

Despite Simon going over the-top in a few spots, most maps here may be worth your time if you don't mind having your metaphorical teeth kicked in constantly.

 

Spoiler

Spoiler

 

[Walter confetti]

I'm agree with you, Chief's wad is pretty neat and unknown episode!

[Roofi]

Mac-10 by Gene Fulmer (1995)

 

Quote

Kick Butt option instead of pistol

 

A fun small early weapon mod which replaces your pistol by a powerful Mac-10. Actually it's just a chaingun with an increased fire-rate. It decided to give it a whirl on 180mpv's map 17 but I think this mod is more ideal on map with lot of weak monsters and bullets.

 

So, forget the minigun from Valiant and take Mac-10 instead !

 

 

[thestarrover]

A Lucid Dream (11PE-LCD.WAD)

A Pale Reflection (11PE-REF.WAD)

Twisted Science (11PE-TWS.WAD)

by Pictorial Element. 1994

 

The maps have been released in 1994 and even though the design is quite simple with wide areas, big rooms, long corridors and sewers, the gameplay is very nice: the maps are not linear and some areas and passages are not immediately recognizable. There are some hidden rooms not flagged as secrets (with weapons and other useful items) and some traps that are lethal.

“A Lucid Dream” requires a lot of backtracking: doors and teleporters are opened by switches located far away or accessible only under certain conditions.

“A Pale Reflection” is the best in my opinion: there is a wide open area with a lot of monsters and a very dangerous sequence of lifts. It also features the best design and an interesting secret room: you have only one chance to find it in the gameplay, so made your choice carefully. If you don't find it, you will have to restart the level.

“Twisted Science” is perhaps the most linear and simple map, even if finding one of the keys is not immediate and unlocking a switch can be fatal.

The final fight of “ A Lucid dream” is very unfair: there is no BFG in the map, so I suggest you to run away as soon as you open the door.

Considered the period in which they were released, at least for me, the levels are nice, fun and well designed.

 

Some notes:

---in the “A Pale Reflection”, in a corridor, there is a sort of invisible wall. Since you can pass around it, I don't think it is a bug but it is intended.

---GZDOOM doesn’t show correctly the skybox and few other textures of “A Lucid Dream”.Nothing important and the gameplay is intact. No problem with DosBox instead.

 

EXTRA

 

I included in the .zip two additional maps by the same author: a single player level for doom 2  and a deathmatch map for Doom

 

EDIT: I added another Doom 2 level in the .zip: "For Love of Evil" (11PE-EVL.WAD). It seems to be really tough!

Maybe someone can write a review! :)

 

SCREENSHOTS

 

 

Pictorial Element Wads.zip

 

Enjoy!

 

Edited May 1, 2023 by thestarrover : added 11PE-EVL.WAD in the .zip

[FEDEX]

Thanks for sharing @thestarrover

[LadyMistDragon]

Well, I didn't actually expect this thread to get resurrected for a bloody soundpack! In either case, here's a Scythe outtake - or so it seems!

 

Doom Advent Calendar 20 - 01/21/06 - Played With From Doom With Love

 

 Who knew that Erik Alm was up for an occasional speedmap after Scythe 2's completion? Not like this had to be a speedmap as according to Dr. Zin, every participant had a couple of months to make a map. In any case, here is a map that proves sadistic enough to match up with anything from Scythe. What doesn't match up however are the visuals. The plain, brown look of the base is less Scythe and more something from around 2000 with how unpleasing visually it is. However, it also gives no quarter and asks for none. No, it doesn't spring Arch-viles and Pain Elementals at the beginning but it does have chaingunners in at least 3 corners that tore us to shreds the first time. In general, placement feels precise and neat, excepting the ledge below the exit that's very easy to miss with the Mancubus and Arachnotron, along with a cell pack placed ever so conveniently. It would probably be wise to head to the corner tower since it contains all sorts of supplies like a Supercharge, although Erik springs a trap of Revenants in incredibly cramped quarters so perhaps it may not matter much if you don't just SS them. But it only gets worst. Past the Mancubi that are an ammo drain but also effective is a narrow hallway with a Cacodemon and a Hell Knight. But soon as the Hell Knight teleports in, we should really run right back into the central room of the beginning and take out the Arch-vile here, though there's little room to hide as well as teleporting hitscanners to make your life miserable. With BK in hand, we push a switch we saw earlier, which raises some bars. Be very careful with the HKs here because once we enter, the closet in the bakc opens, revealing another Arch-vile in painfully close quarters, along with waves of teleporting Imps. You might find it's best to rocket the Imps once we get enough room because the Arch-vile demands aggressive play. After this, we return to the central room again, deal with a pair of Mancubi as well as a Pain Elemental and then, only carelessness will kill us at this point, as only Imps and an annoying chaingunner have came to (poorly) repopulate the area. A classic unknown Alm map, forget the ugly visuals. This is actually pretty fun! 7.5/10

 

Link

 

 

Spoiler

 

[Walter confetti]

Uhm... aren't that DAC map a little ahead of the time span these maps are accepted (1994 - 2004)?

 

(Copied from Er/IWA Thread #57 with some corrections)

 

The Inner Circle by Brian Martin (The ZombyWoof) - Vanilla Doom 2, 1 map, 1995, played with Eternity "forseti" 4.0.2

Spoiler

I actually already played this map very, VERY long time ago, it was something I've downloaded from the net for some reason (maybe a recommended map list from some Doom site?) , i remember fondly the Doors soundtrack, the "foggy" hallways and the breakable glass switches, this level is a hidden gem made by Brain Martin, a guy known mostly for some other wads in the early modding years that released some other wads with this being is magnus opus and the last map he did, the level actually looks extremely modern for the age it was done, including lots of new textures (as well as new animated ones), a sprawling large interconnected layout, lots of exploration centered gameplay with few enemies around the base and monster closets \ new map areas opening to your passage and lots of care to the simple design work for the map. 

 

But it's all gold what sparkles? Not really, there's some parts that put me down while playing this, like the fact that sometimes is a little boring to play since there's not many monsters and due to the little confusing progression in the map you have to walk around the empty base with no monsters and no monsters to fight, the texturing sometimes is a little and adds confusion to the progression, secrets are little weirdly tagged, like you walk in a complete random corridor and you activate it magically, why? And also the brilliant idea of Brian of having a secret room filled of crushers, how beautiful and human by it's side doing this! Never seen something so asshole-ish from the times of RL trap room in "The Inmost Dens"! 

 

But despite this, a very good map worth of a play!

 

DOWNLOAD

Edited September 8, 2023 by Walter confetti

[Walter confetti]

Copied and pasted from Er/iwa thread, i think this map Is worth of this place.

 

Cunning Stunts  by Master Cylinder - Doom 2, 1 map, 1996, played with Nugget Doom 1.9.0

 

Talking about 90s Doom maps, this is a pretty neat find! Made in the Febraury of 1996 by a mysterious english guy by the name of Master Cylinder (is that a Monty Python reference? A Felix the Cat the torture war crimes disguised as a cartoon movie reference? I really want to know, this name gave me these two vibes), the level is sets in a city like place where two different offices, the one where the author worked at the time (Highs and Hill) and the second is the evil nazi subsidiary with a semi-hidden medievial dungeon in it, are been attacked by aliens that replaces the people with androids, zombies, imps, demons, giant middle age men floating heads spitting a "You're Fired!" attack at you like they are English Donald Trump and 3 almost unbeatable cyberdemons (but you can find a way to beat them, just be careful on the layout and new rooms opening!) populating this corner of world. New textures are added as well, both in cartoony MS-Paint fashion or in a more realistic approach of using photographs of building walls or objects like cars (with 8 sprite rotations nonethless!) or toilets, new animated walls are added as well in form of a movie screen where a revenant beat the shit out of some dude and the many clocks you'll see  and the author used neat vanilla trickery like instant opening doors\closets and trasparent doors, the layout is crawling and explorative, check every room for interesting stuff! Gameplay is kind of relaxed with some nasty stuff for keeping you always alerted for the next encounter, i liked the teleport ambushes here and there in the map... The wad is divided in 2 different archives, this one with the main map, graphics, installation for Dos (works with DosBox too) plus a small Demoscene executable that works as installer of the wad as well and another called CUNSTUN2 that includes new sounds and music, but this level works as well without them using any limit removing source port, too bad because i wanted to hear how this sounds with ELP Tarkus blasting on the background. Overall, a charming find from a forgotten past, worth a play!

 

DOWNLOAD (Part 1) (installation, map, gfx)

DOWNLOAD (Part 2) (sfx and music)

[thestarrover]

Dietrich-Bonhoeffer-Gymnasium.

UE-DBID.WAD by Bad Peon. 1996

Doom2, Map07

UE-DBID.WAD is a map that recreates the Dietrich-Bonhoeffer-Gymnasium in Germany, the school attended by its author Bad Peon.

The main goal of the author was to recreate a copy as faithful as possible of his school and the result is a really huge map that challenges the limits of the doom engine.The level was originally intended for Doom, but Peon abandoned the project and then picked it up and finished it on Doom 2. The abandoned beta is still available.

The map consists of a building and a very large open area. The building consists of two upper floors and a lower floor. The entrance to the school and the main hall are the most detailed on the map with red columns, stairs, four zone with amphitheater stairs, and this is the place where enemies are most concentrated. The level of detail, unfortunately, decreases a lot when you explore the other floors and the numerous rooms of the school: aesthetically they are all (except for a couple of them) square or rectangular and devoid of details. The wide open area is enriched by a sort of altar surrounded by columns. Demons, Lost souls, Pain Elementals and an Arch-vile are waiting for you in this area. The open area is accessible trough the many doors placed in the building and also trough some walkable walls: many of them, anyway, are one way only.

I think the author, being aware of the limits of the doom engine, has done everything he could to recreate the original building in the best possible way, trying to make the map playable by sacrificing many details (and a whole third floor), and, in my opinion, he succeeded because the map is nice.

Although the map is very large there are not many monsters to fight ( 260 if you play in nightmare mode) and the fights are not difficult, even if the ammunition can be scarce. However, to reach the exit you will have to kill all the Mancubuses on the map. Once done, the exit will open automatically....and It’s not a completely safe place...

An alternate exit has been provided if you play with the -nomonsters parameter. Read the text file to know how to activate it.

Throughout the map there are no keys and there is only one switch to make the computer map and the megasphere accessible. Only one secret to discover.

As extra, Peon included a particular " death screen": there are two traps in the map and if you have been killed by one of them, the custom screen appears.

Except for the BFG, all the weapons are available. Well hidden there is also a Berserk pack.

In the text file, very detailed, there are many info about the school and the possible bugs you can encounter if you play the wad with doom2.exe.

Included in the zip there is also a smaller, modified, version of the map for Duke Nukem 3D (dukematch only).

 

The level was released in 1996 and I am well aware that by now it is absolutely outdated both for the architecture and the gameplay, and that probably very few people will like it,  but I decided to talk about it because the level and its author are unknown and also for the effort and time that the author took (18 months) to create this map. I think it is worth playing it at least one time both in single player and Deathmatch.

 

Bad Peon released all his levels on Underground Empire*.

I included all of them ( cleaned as much as possible)** in the zip.

To complete the collection is also included a Deathmatch level By Ka0t, a member of U E.

 

* except for " The Last Time" also available on a shovelware Cd.

** Removed all the useless and unnecessary BBS files.

 

Bad Peon Wads.zip

 

Enjoy!

[Dynamo]

Hey there! Last month I was browsing the Doomworld forums in search of information for Andrew Gate, who was a fairly well known deathmatch mapper in the 90s. On a thread discussing his works, I also came across information regarding Ryan Rapsys (also known as DrRyno), who I knew to be a mapper for HacX, designing two levels for that including the rather (in)famous MAP10: Anarchist Dream. After reading a post by Nostromo from time ago, I knew that Rapsys was working on the later-cancelled HacX 2, but I had no knowledge of any other works, as searches on the /idgames archive returned nothing, and searches on the Doomworld forums also netted zero results besides that one thread. But that thread mentioned that three other PWADs designed by Rapsys were included as bonus content in the HacX CD, alongside PWADs made by a bunch of other people. So I checked the HacX CD and indeed... there it was! Three unique PWADs by Rapsys that he made between 1994-1996 (I'm guessing 1995?) and then patched up slightly for inclusion in the CD. The .txt files say they may be freely shared or built upon, but it seems nobody paid much attention to these maps. Let's take a look at them!

 

I am using Eternity Engine today, all the WADs are made by Ryan Rapsys (DrRyno) and they all replace Doom 2 MAP01.

 

Generic Void

Spoiler

 

I'm guessing this is the first map Rapsys ever worked on, because this is really extremely simplistic. It's basically a courtyard connected to a few more sparse rooms via very narrow corridors. There is no challenge to the map other than accidentally falling into the damaging floor that you see next to the key, or getting blown up by one of those barrels, but it's at least functional and even balanced for deathmatch and coop, allegedly.

 

 

Twofold Environments

Spoiler

 

This map loses whatever challenge it might have had at the start (which is not exactly much either way) by having an extremely overpowered and obvious secret in the starting room. Besides that, the first half of the map consists in a corridor leading to four different rooms offering separate, *ahem*, challenges. Of these, one contains the red key needed to move forward, and the rest just contain assorted monsters and items. Frankly I was expecting the map to end right after the red door but much to my surprise there is an outdoor area ahead! It's crude, but the unexpected sight threw me off nonetheless. There are two strange secrets containing health and armor bonuses here, you go upstairs into another building to grab another key which unleashes the first trap seen in two maps, and then the map ends in a disappointing corridor containing two chaingunners, a revenant and the exit switch. An improvement over Generic Void, but only just.

 

Traps and Tricks

Spoiler

 

This is the better map of the three for sure, although it leaves me wondering... the name is an obvious reference to MAP08 of Doom II, but aside for there being a lone crusher, and a poison tunnel (with an optional secret radsuit) and one last ambush at the end, this map has little in the way of tricks or traps. In either case, this is another short and fairly simplistic map, however it's also the first one to have relatively good texturing (I must say I quite like the blue compwall on the gray bricks in the starting area) and more action than the other two maps. I mean, don't get me wrong, you'll still be overflown by ammo and supplies, but it seems the least bit of attention was paid to the combat here if nothing else. This map gets bonus points for having a secret area containing nothing but a baron of Hell watching over a twitching hanged corpse - a true 1994 classic if there ever was one - and the aforementioned final ambush, which actually got me good the first time and netted the only death I've had when running these three maps.

 

 

 

Overall... I know none of these three maps are anything special, nor are they particularly memorable in any way, but the main reason I'm posting this was because they are quite a nice slice of Doom history for me, as they are from the only HacX author who I previously assumed had no other released works. Even so, considering the magnitude of the works by the other authors who worked on HacX, I find it rather dubious how the .txt in the HacX CD claims that for the most part these levels were the grounds for the members being invited to join Banjo Software... My guess is that Rapsys was either a personal friend of the lead developer (who also doesn't have any listed works as far as I could see), or had other unreleased and more promising maps not featured in the CD, because after all, the two maps he built for HacX are all things considered quite impressive and elaborate, so it would've been nice to see more work from Rapsys if only his career hadn't ended (and I guess started) with HacX. Oh well, I hope you appreciated another plunge into the 90's, minor as this one may have been. I'll focus on something higher quality next time, but I thought this one was worth it for the attached history alone. :)

 

Here's the LEVELS folder from the HacX CD, containing Rapsys' maps and other things from some of the mappers, though not HacX itself, obviously. Maybe there are some unreleased maps, or earlier versions of known maps, for the other authors? I see a REDRIVER.ZIP by Marc Pullen, not listed on the wiki, but given how popular of a modder he is, I would guess the map was already known at least. It would be nice to upload these works on /idgames either way.

Get it here: LEVELS.zip

 

Cheers!

Edited September 7, 2023 by Dynamo

[Walter confetti]

R A G N A R O K by Tom Talionis - Doom 2, 1 level, 1995, played with Zandronum 3.1

 

 

Ragnarok Doom Is a large, puzzle-ish level for Doom 2 with a very abstract design in layout format and textures usage made by Tom Tallonis and this is it's only known release for the community, at least the only archived.

I played this map recently in a zipped archive of wads presented in the Italian game magazine "The Games Machine" as bonus files in their CD-ROMs.
Despite the rawness of some rooms and the kind of cryptic progression in the map (especially in the second half searching for a way to return back to the starting point), this is a genuinely fun, bizzare, epic adventure where Doomguy faces the Ragnarok, the World's End myth story in the Viking lore. The strangeness of the place give the effect of a lost wasteland of what was once the realms of Valhalla gods, now destroyed by demonic influence. There's a lot of simple sector art based upon runic symbols and also have new nice looking textures, based upon Viking myths as well (i think?) that adds more flavor to the map, lots of lighting works, stairs building and monster closets opening to your passage makes the map visually appealing, like it's some sort of virtual art installation. It's also pretty interconnected in some parts, be careful to check every corner to find areas with tasty bonuses and monsters to fight! The strange midi rendition of "Sweet Dreams" gives more dreamy, weird feel to the map.
Monster usage is... Very harsh, especially at the starting room fight of a cyber vs mastermind battle, but it's a fun kind of harsh fight, at least at the start, but nonethless is a challenging battle against the many monsters, hard and fun but not too grindy. Anyway, it's a fun and surreal map that i recommend give a play at least. Reminds of Nightmares of Loki, but way less obnouxious.

 

Download:

The main wad (map, gfx, music)

Optional sound wad

Edited September 8, 2023 by Walter confetti

[DoomGappy]

What a wonderful thread. Wow. I found this by accident after playing a map from 03 by Simo Malinen and searching his name on the forums. I didn't expect to get such a treasure in return. It's amazing to see how things keep on existing, even years after you've created them. I can't write much about it right now, but I made a video. I thought it was a 90's level in the beginning, but yeah. I'll definitely check some of the files here. 

https://youtu.be/mDte5kyevq0

 

Wad file: https://www.doomworld.com/idgames/levels/doom/d-f/dl_wood
Author: Simon Malinen

Edited October 22, 2023 by DoomGappy

[thestarrover]

MARVIN.WAD by Hillary Clinton (?) , December 1994

DOOM 2, MAP01

Regardless of whether the name of the map author is real or a joke, Marvin.wad is a really interesting level, fun to play and, at least the first time you play it, difficult. The map is non-linear and getting the keys, especially the yellow key, requires a lot of exploration and caution as teleporters play an important role.

Some areas can be reached via shortcuts, but these are well hidden by false walls not flagged as secrets. What makes the gameplay difficult is that from the beginning you have to face particularly strong monsters with only the shotgun and even if you find the rocket launcher, you are in a small area and you must use it with caution. The SSG and the plasma gun are only available once in a hidden area and not finding them makes things complicated, considering that you will often have to face very strong enemies and various ambushes. Finding the plasma gun, in particular, can be quite dangerous. Luckily the automap helps ....

The map is large and quite varied in design: narrow areas rich in detail, where the combat is more intense, alternate with larger areas where the number of enemies is reduced and the level of detail is lower. What makes the level difficult are not only the enemies but also some environments... and the switches.

Some are necessary to continue, others instead reserve ....surprises. The keys to find are only the yellow and blue ones. Note that there are two blue keys: one is in plain sight at the end of the map, the other is hidden and, if found earlier than the other one, it can be used to gain access in advance to a certain area where useful weapons are stored.

Even though I'm not a particularly skilled player and I died several times, I really liked the map. In my opinion, both combat and exploration are well combined.

 

Screenshots

 

Download

MARVIN.ZIP

 

MYSTERY.WAD by Larry Parry, November 1994

DOOOM 2, MAP01

Similar in gameplay, but much smaller is Larry Perry's Mystery.wad.

To proceed in the level, a certain strategy is required, given the fact that the shotgun is hidden, the plasma gun is available only after having explored a specific area and the two megaspheres and other objects can only be reached via some secret passages which are not flagged as such and not visible on the automap. Having to face, in a sequence based on the chosen path, a Hell Knight, a chaingunner, a Pain Elemental and an Arch-vile, makes it mandatory to find at least the shotgun and choose the least dangerous path in order to be able to face the strongest monsters when you are better equipped. There is also one thing to keep in mind: there is an area where you have to be quick to get out, otherwise you get stuck and have to start the level again.The final fight is quite intense. The design isn't very interesting honestly, apart from a beautiful throne on which the yellow key is placed, but I wanted to review it mostly for its rather particular gameplay, even if I am aware that many people might not like it.

The level was conceived as the first in a series, but I have no info about the others. Although it is mentioned in the text files, there is no demo in the zip.

 

Screenshots

 

Download

MYSTERY.ZIP

Edited October 28, 2023 by thestarrover

[FEDEX]

Hi @thestarrover can you reupload the Gaminator cd please? The actual link loads "unable to load metadata from item location" 

Thanks!

[thestarrover]

12 hours ago, FEDEX said:

Hi @thestarrover can you reupload the Gaminator cd please? The actual link loads "unable to load metadata from item location" 

Thanks!

I attached the files in my previous post.
The CD was on archive.org and I didn't upload it. It seems to have been removed, or maybe the site has problems.
It was the Third edition of the CD released in 1995, and it had been uploaded a year ago if I'm not mistaken.
The Second Edition of the CD (1994) is still on archive.org and It doesn't include Marvin.wad and Mystery.wad
Cover of the Third Edition

 

EDIT: It's still on archive.org

Edited October 29, 2023 by thestarrover

[FEDEX]

Hi Fabio, The link was down when i wrote you, thanks for checking it.

[thestarrover]

@FEDEX You're welcome! Enjoy! :)

[Doomlover77]

@thestarrover I’ve found this CD which also contains wads for Doom2 and some tools. They can be found in the Vrac directory. 

There is also a shareware version of Doom v1.9. 

 

https://archive.org/download/dptoolclubcdasc21/CDASC21.iso.
 

There’s some more wad files in the vrac directory on this CD :-

https://archive.org/download/cdasc_34/cdasc_34.iso

 

And a few more wads on this in the Vrac directory on the CD :-
 

https://archive.org/download/dptoolclub-cdasc/CDASC_32_1996_septembre.iso  

 

Here’s some more CDASC CDs 9-29 from 1993 to 1996 with some more wads in the Vrac directory:-
https://archive.org/download/cd-ascq

 

@Doomlover77. 

Edited October 30, 2023 by Doomlover77

[thestarrover]

@Doomlover77

I didn't upload the CD. The disc was uploaded a year ago by an archive.org user. I simply reviewed two wads that I found on that CD.

[thestarrover]

4 hours ago, Doomlover77 said:

@thestarrover I’ve found this CD which also contains wads for Doom2 and some tools. They can be found in the Vrac directory. 

There is also a shareware version of Doom v1.9. 

 

https://archive.org/download/dptoolclubcdasc21/CDASC21.iso.
 

There’s some more wad files in the vrac directory on this CD :-

https://archive.org/download/cdasc_34/cdasc_34.iso

 

And a few more wads on this in the Vrac directory on the CD :-
 

https://archive.org/download/dptoolclub-cdasc/CDASC_32_1996_septembre.iso  

 

Here’s some more CDASC CDs 9-29 from 1993 to 1996 with some more wads in the Vrac directory:-
https://archive.org/download/cd-ascq

 

@Doomlover77. 

DP Tool Club CDs.

All the wads in that series are in the Shareware and Coverdisc collection I uploaded on archive.org.

[Doomlover77]

@thestarrover thank you for the information. @Doomlover77 best wishes. 

[Arrowhead]

Download link: https://www.mediafire.com/file/6hzys0ha6od18me/Levels_from_an_Old_Harddrive.zip/file

__________________________________________________________________________________

I've come across something fairly interesting. Recently I was contacted by @Grizzly Old B - he had mentioned to me that he had recently re-discovered an old hard-drive he originally used in the late 90s.

 

On this hard-drive were a variety of Doom WADs. This includes the following WADs:

 

bluehell.wad - 1 level
death2.wad - 1 level
episo-4.wad - 9 levels
episo-5.wad - 9 levels
gather.wad - 4 levels
level-1.wad - 1 level
level-2.wad - 1 level
level-3.wad - 1 level
level-4.wad - 1 level
level-5.wad - 1 level
level-6.wad - 1 level
level-7.wad - 1 level
level-8.wad - 1 level
marten8.wad - 1 level
quadro.wad - 1 level
shrine.wad - 1 level
temple.wad - 1 level

 

I didn't know much about the files included in the folder, so I reached out to @thestarrover. This ended up being very helpful - I was given information on a large amount of the above WADs.

 

Some of the WADs are unrecognized as of right now.

 

This includes: 'bluehell.wad', 'level-1' - 'level-8', 'marten8.wad', 'temple.wad' and 'quadro.wad'.

 

thestarrover gave me lots of information. I've included some of the details we do know about the WADs below:

 

"EPISO-4.wad and EPISO-5.WAD are Doom 2 conversions of the well-known wad compilations EPISODE4.WAD and EPISODE5.WAD, also released as EP4B.WAD and EP5A.WAD (EP4C.WAD is a fixed version or EP4B .WAD)."

 

"gather.wad is the old version of The Final Gathering by Daniel "Stormin" Norman. In the /idgames an updated and fixed version is available."

 

"shrine.wad is another wad by Daniel "Stormin" Norman, The Shrine of the Warriors."

 

Levels 1-8 could very well be known under other names elsewhere - the same goes for the other unknown levels.

 

I decided to include everything in this download, even WADs that were possibly already on the archive, like 'gather.wad' - it's possible some of these unknowns are earlier versions of other WADs, too.

 

Something cool that thestarrover speculated was that 'death2.wad' could possibly be by John Jankowski. It is mentioned by name in his ebola.wad readme file.

 

If anyone else knows anything about any of these files, please reach out to me, or post in this thread.

 

Spoiler

I was advised by Grizzly that the file dates in the mediafire link may be wrong - some WADs may be older than the stated file dates.

___________________________________

 

Along w/ this folder of obscure WAD files, Grizzly also sent me a 1996 WAD made by him back in the day. This is actually quite an entertaining little map - I've decided to make a Wadarcheology review for it.

 

I am not going to include the file here now, but I'll post it here on Sunday or Monday - alongside the written review.

 

The map is called 'fraggles.wad' - I'll likely make my reviews the same way as I have prior - a short written segment, w/ an attached gameplay video.

 

Hope everyone has been well, it's been quite a while since I've been posting here - as to whether I'm 'coming back' to regular Wadarcheology reviews, that remains to be seen.

 

I may make the occasional one, whenever I find something cool like this!

 

 

:)

[Arrowhead]

fraggles.wad - 1995 / 1996 - played via GZDOOM 4.1.2

 

AUTHOR:  @Grizzly Old B

 

‘Fraggles’ is a large exploratory level that was created in 1995/96. This map was made back in the 90s, yet it was never released. The file date reads 1996, but Grizzly is quite certain that he had started this in 1995 – for a 1995 map, it’s very impressive.

 

I was advised that this WAD was originally only meant for the author and his circle of friends. Grizzly also stated that he wasn’t sure it was ‘good enough’ to have been published. I disagree, as this is a complex map for 1995/96 – certainly above average for single maps of the period, I believe. I think it would have been quite well received in the late 90s. I had originally become aware of this level after Grizzly had sent it to me after I had done a bit of playtesting for him.

 

The map consists primarily of a large round courtyard which is flanked on all sides by many passages and hallways. The map’s theme is consistent throughout – it’s some kind of large base structure, but you'll see stuff like marble being used, too. There is a huge amount of hurtfloors in this level, but I believe they are used fairly in this map. Hurtfloors in this level are used interestingly, in that they restrict much of the map’s freedom of movement – a big portion of this map is managing careful crossings of either acidic blood or nukage. I was warned by the author to save some of the radsuits in this map for the ending –so make sure to do that – I don’t want to spoil too much of the set-ups in this level, but it’s imperative you leave 1 radsuit for the very end’s trek to the exit. I’d estimate that there’s over 10 radsuits in this map – but since you’re doing so much travelling over hurtfloors, they get used up quite quickly – so be sure to keep an eye on that!

 

There is a lot to like in this level – there’s plenty of replayability, too – as the author uses keys in an entertaining way:

 

This map plays differently based on the skill level picked - a playthrough on HMP will feel different than a playthrough on UV, or HNTR. This is because the 3 keys change position in the map depending on the skill level chosen. I had played this originally on UV, but I ended up choosing to play on HMP for my video.

 

While the puzzles can occasionally be challenging, the difficulty for this map is mostly low – even on UV – mostly because of the low monster count. There are a few very interesting challenges you need to complete to either receive a key, or a nice weapon, though – this is more the map’s main focus. There are a lot of time-centric puzzles in this level, w/ the plasma gun area being my favorite to figure out. The plasma rifle elevator is well set-up – it took me about 5-6 attempts to originally learn the pattern.

 

A couple of the keys are much trickier to retrieve in UV – there is one elevator ‘puzzle’ that you will likely mistime many tries of before you succeed. Another interesting region of the level is where the BFG is - it is cleverly obscured behind a maze of teleporting lines – you can only safely retrieve it after following a bunch of arrows that guide you through an invisible maze of sorts. This is not a maze you can get lost in – you can also completely ignore this area of the level if you wish.

Spoiler

However, if you’re playing on UV, you may want to acquire the big gun – there’s a deviously positioned Cybie to deal w/ later…

My favorite thing in this level is its asymmetrical approach towards gameplay. Nearly every area can be approached from more than one direction.

Spoiler

There’s a section of this level where you can ascend a 64x64 elevator into a room chockful of imps – this is pretty dangerous – I got hurt pretty bad when I first encountered this area. You can approach from the opposite side of this room, though – press a switch, and release the imps – which saves you from having to perform as risky of an endeavour.

I also enjoyed the little details, like the new sky, ‘sloped’ cavern hallway,

Spoiler

and the sign that appears showing a portrait of the author when they were in their early twenties – I’ve seen a couple similar ‘signatures’ from this period – but this one stands out to me for some reason. Make sure to 'press' the portrait! Be sure to snag that computer area map – there’s a well-hidden switch you’ll need to find to begin the final sequence of the map.

This map is big but shouldn’t take more than 10-15 minutes to complete on UV – however, that depends on how long it takes you to figure out some of the puzzles in this level, and how long you spend exploring for secrets. Worth a playthrough for certain – I’m sure you’ll find it unique, just as I have!

 

 

***ADDITIONAL INFO ABOUT THE LEVEL***:

 

Here are some additional questions I had asked Grizzly prior to writing this review. This is not quite an ‘interview’ – I just thought this would be some interesting information to share:

 

Spoiler

 

1.      Was 'Alaska' your old screen name / username before? I ask because of that raising sign that says made by 'Alaska'. (Referring to the portrait that rises – the one connected to the automap secret.)

 

GRIZZLY: “Yep, that's true. It's after the character of Alaska Saedelaere, who's one of the protagonists of the German sci-fi franchise of Perry Rhodan (which started in 1961, before Star Wars, Star Trek, or even Doctor Who).”

 

2.      Were you intending for a more puzzle-centric or combat-centric level? Personally, I think the map leans more towards being puzzle-y. But I'm interested to hear what you thought originally when you made this.

 

GRIZZLY: “I definitely wanted to make something puzzle-centric where you have to explore a lot. I also thought of it as to be played in Deathmatch, but I think that ambition faded a bit when I progressed with the map.”

 

3.       I've never seen the set-up where a bunch of switches appear all over the map - it made things a bit more interesting for sure. What made you decide to do that? Was it to encourage players to more thoroughly explore your map?

 

GRIZZLY: “If I remember correctly, the first thing I did was the structure with the two rivers meeting at the exit, which is blocked off by the many bars. So also the idea of having many switches scattered across the map to raise those bars had been there quite early. I guess I wanted to make the whole thing more interesting/complex by having to “activate” the switches first. (Funnily, there are similar “non-straightforward” concepts in my 2023 “Four Rooms” map. I didn't do this consciously, it's probably just the way my brain works.)”

 

4.      Why MAP24?

 

GRIZZLY: “Not sure. Probably because I wanted that level's music. It's definitely not my favourite number (that's 62).”

 

5.       Have you made any other levels from this period, or was this your first completed level?

 

GRIZZLY: “I have some levels from the months before, but those were more like mapping practice ones, nothing which could really be called a proper level.

 

 

***NOTICE***:
 

Spoiler

 

*I have included 2 different versions of Fraggles.wad in the attached mediafire link. One is the untouched original version – the other is a ‘clean’ version. There’s an image of a nude woman in this map – in the ‘clean’ version, the photo is removed.*

 

 

Download link: https://www.mediafire.com/file/rfa519r2anhbv6c/FRAGGLESbothversions.zip/file

 

 

:)

 

 

 

Edit: Forgot to mention this is on MAP24.

[Endless]

11 minutes ago, Arrowhead said:

GRIZZLY: “Yep, that's true. It's after the character of Alaska Saedelaere, who's one of the protagonists of the German sci-fi franchise of Perry Rhodan (which started in 1961, before Star Wars, Star Trek, or even Doctor Who).”

Always love little references to retro sci fi works in WADs. Reminds me of the Altair WADs that reference Forbidden Planet.

[Grizzly Old B]

Thanks a lot for your review + playthrough, @Arrowhead! When I created this map in my early 20s, I would never have dreamed that it would be reviewed and played again almost 28 years later. (And I also wouldn't have imagined that I started mapping again in 2023 ...) The Doom community in general and the Wadarcheology folks in particular are amazing!

 

To anyone who decides to give this map a try – please leave me a comment about it. You would make an old Grizzly from Oldenburg very happy by doing so! :-)

 

40 minutes ago, Endless said:

Always love little references to retro sci fi works in WADs.

 

The Perry Rhodan franchise is still alive and kicking (although relatively little known outside Germany). It just hit issue no. 3250 a couple of days ago.