The DWmegawad Club plays: SKULLTIVERSE

[DuckReconMajor]

MAP24 - Pustule - dsda-doom - skill 4 pistol start - rewinds used 

 

Nasty yucky name. Actually, though the map is named pustule, it feels more like I'm in a stomach. Helping this giant digest these monsters it presumably ate, I circle around the pit of stomach acid in the middle and blast the meat into smaller pieces.

The next part (in the gallbladder bones?) was more straightforward until I get back and (being mean again!) the blue skull platform is lifted up and cybers thrown at me.

 

Spoiler

 

 

[Lorenz0]

I finished both of these maps a few days ago, but couldn't find many things to say about them, so here are my late reviews. I'm experiencing a bit of a writer's block it seems like, so that's why they're this short lol

 

MAP22 - Yuggoth

hmp/continuous

 

Another good map that fully embraces the fleshy theme. The texturing and music combine well to create atmosphere in this one. The spine room looks really cool, but some of the other areas feel a bit too underdetailed.

 

The combat here is pretty enjoyable. Just some ambushes and well placed incidental monsters. Pretty much Doom's bread and butter.

 

MAP23 - Scream Bloody Gore

 

This one's pretty high on enemy density and tight encounters. It's a pretty good challenge, so I don't mind in the slightest. The monsters are not as insistently focused on trying to murder you with every step you take, like in the previous map by this author, and the map flows better because of this.

 

Visually it's good as always. I also appreciate the more compact layout. It's not necessarily better than something less open or interconnected, but it feels like a breath of fresh air, since there haven't been many of those in the wad thus far and it loops around nicely.

 

Order of preference:

Spoiler

MAP19

MAP09

MAP15

MAP21

MAP11

MAP07

MAP10

MAP23
MAP04
MAP05

MAP13

MAP22

MAP17

MAP12
MAP01

MAP14
MAP03

MAP20

MAP16
MAP02

MAP18
MAP08
MAP06

 

[Pseudonaut]

Map24:

The first fight is good, made me dodge archviles while trying to figure out where I could find a weapon (turned out it was in a very obvious place the whole time, lmao). After that, the next fight drained all my health and ammo, I felt starved for the rest of the level, and the constantly unpredictable chaingunners chipping away at me while I was already on the brink of death didn't help. There's also a damaging floor with a radsuit readily available, but it ran out before I felt I had explored the area as well as I'd like to (maybe I could've found a helpful secret?) and I felt a bit annoyed by that. I expect this is very different with continuous play, as the archviles would be trivial if you come in with a BFG, and the feeling of starvation would be reduced significantly. Maybe I could enjoy it more in a fast-paced run where I leave a lot of enemies alive at the start and let the cyberdemons infight them, but I didn't like it much the way it played out here.

[dei_eldren]

MAP25 - Feeder's Digest (HNTR, blind, continuous w/ saves): 100% (104/104), I % ?? (?/32), S 50% (1/2), D 3, T <16:00

 

Spoiler

Coming upon a map named Feeder's Digest by LunchLunch might lead one to anticipate another joke-map, but instead both names find some poetic justification in the amount of intestines used to build this abhorrently organic cave-system of flesh and gore, evocative of being inside the stomach of some gargantuan creature (possibly from Yuggoth?).  It is large but often tight and difficult to maneuvre, such as when the first ambush comes, when a Hell Knight teleports close by in the same space, and a Revenant into an alcove a small distance away, and trying to run away results in getting caught in the bony arms of another spawning Revenant.  As one traverses through the map collecting keys, the combat is mostly still easier than expected - and i wholeheartedly welcome that at this point of the WAD.

 

The last two combat scenes are separate from the general flow of the map.  The first is behind the YK door, which opens up to a view of a large cavern that one must jump down into, with tens and tens of rockets and a Soul Sphere, and a Green Armor, laid down on the bloody floor, rising to both directions by stairs of intestines.  What ensues is an onslaught of dozens and dozens of Imps, flanked out of the main arena by a few Hell Knights, that must be mowed down with the rockets, while making sure not to get surround by this brutal horde.  i died a couple of times here before getting my strategy right, it required a lot more aggression and activity than i initially was giving the situation.

 

The second one is the fight for the BSK that takes place in a bloody hall, filled with turning spine-pillars, adorned with the evil eye symbols.  What follows is a spawning of ten Revenants, and they manage to kill me once, despite my BFG.  The next attempt from me is much more mobile which is the key, as the flock thins very nicely and in the end is quite easily handled.  Plasma gun was available for this fight, and thanks to the pillars i think it would've been quite doable with it, also, as was the Megasphere, which i saved for after the festivities.

 

i cut my video here, what would have followed is twenty minutes of looking for secrets.  The first one, Mega Armor, was quite easy hinted in the map, but the second one, an Invisibility sphere took much longer.  i suspected the location because the map had a hint for it, but couldn't figure out how to get there.  Finally i determined it would likely require SR-50 running jump from the ledge (at least i didn't manage with just straferunning).  Since that's not in my repertoire, i just idclip'd my way there to verify i was correct and see what was worth hiding behind such shenanigans.  In case i'm mistaken and access to the alcove isn't obtained by some kind of pro-run from the central ledge, then i'm out of ideas.

 

Both in layout and aesthetics the map is well designed, with a central section from which branch out paths to different sections, and the gameplay flows well, but the setpiece encounters are the highlights here, as there was something unique about their setups.  Surprisingly, the map was also somewhat difficult to navigate from one area to another, as on account of the thematic similarity of all the views the map in fact ended up being quite monotonous, apart from the scenes of the larger encounters, but that also doesn't detract from its visual impact.

 

PS: MAP24?  Not my type, sorry, i played it for five minutes and then godded myself out of there, granting myself a free day :D

 

 

Ranked:

Spoiler

MAP15

MAP18

MAP12

MAP06

MAP01

MAP10

MAP14

MAP23

MAP03

MAP08

MAP04

MAP19

MAP31

MAP25

MAP16

MAP11

MAP02

MAP21

MAP22

MAP09

MAP05

MAP07

MAP17

MAP20

MAP13

MAP24

 

[cannonball]

MAP24 - “Pustule” by Moustachio

 

This one was nasty, really nasty.....

The one thing that continuously got to me here were the chaingunners, there are a lot of them, and they quite often turn up in very obnoxious places. Given you start with two archviles + others off the bat, you really don't want to worry about being turned in Swiss cheese at the same time. The fight that eventually opens up the the lower sections of the map is one of the bum notes for me, the whole thing took too long, essentially starting out easy to the point of ignoring everything and then the whole place turns into a violent bloodbath. Personally this could have gone much quicker. The lower sections offer protection from the madness in the centre of the level, but at the price of having to walking through damaging floor with limited radsuits. 

The second downer was the ending, the cybers can be handled solely on their own and frankly it wasn't overly interesting. Again the mechanics of the end fight could have been handled better. 

Overall, not my cup of tea, some questionable boom mechanics in terms of how the level plays out, too many chaingunners and honestly the visual were not the best (In my opinion flesh dominant maps look better with a fairly dim level of lighting). I won't say this is a bad map as it is on the whole a decent design and others will probably have more fun than I did.

[LadyMistDragon]

Map 24: Pustule (UV, pistol-start)

 

Hey, this project actually roped in an A-lister (well, Full Moon got a few as well, but eh, I didn't like it that much)! So Moustachio turns in an effort that kind of resembles Crud, other than the indoor fleshy walls and such. Also, the middle-Eastern flavoured "Slipper" will always be a bopping tune.

 

Died a couple of time at the beginning attempting to get my bearings. Grab the super shotgun but don't step toward the armour unless you want to be set upon by two Arch-viles at once. While you could certainly kill them both, it's really not worth the effort. So just leave the armour and head to the flesh ledge at the end of the room opposite the entrance to pick up the rocket launcher, hit a switch, and not quite trivialize everything arrayed against you since more enemies will teleport in, including 2 more Arch-viles! Anyway, the switch opened the way to a darkened cavern. Still hearing the growls of Arch-viles occasionally, I somewhat nervously headed this wau. Opposite the entrance is a BFG and two chaingunners you may not spot right away. There are also large groups of enemies some ways off to either side of you. I mostly just allowed infighting to take its course and that proved to be a wise decision. For some reason, the liquid you see toward the bottom of this area is poison and the only available rad suits are located to the left of the cavern's entrance. It was exploring down here that eventually led me to the Arch-vile I heard earlier.

 

Eventually, you'll reach the darkened bottom area with the blue skull key and a plasma rifle which you'll need because chaingunners and Imps are revealed on a adjacent ledge in addition to many, many other monsters teleporting in, including more Arch-viles I think? That doesn't really matter much. I just ran to the skull gate, faced off against the Cyberdemon contingent, running my cell supply dry and just exited despite the fact there was more than 20 enemies left alive somewhere because I didn't bother going down the other path.

 

It's strange. This map leaves really no impression on me despite some use of annoying enemies like Chaingunners and Arch-viles. It seems like much of its intensity is due to its obligatory placement in the megawad. Strip some of the Arch-viles and most of the Chaingunners and what do you really have?

[Capellan]

It's the 25th here, so +++KINDa 2.0

[DJVCardMaster]

+++Claustrophobia 1024
+++Interception II
+++Community Chest

[DisgruntledPorcupine]

MAP24: "Pustule" by Moustachio

UV, pistol start, no saves

100% kills, 0/1 secrets

 

Veteran mapper Moustachio joins the fold on this one, seemingly placing you inside something's stomach. It's pretty much entirely composed of the flesh textures, with some brown and black (damaging) liquid on the floors, as well as these gross ulcer-looking holes around the starting area. Probably the nastiest-looking map of the flesh episode so far, quite a well done job here.

 

Moustachio's experience shines through in the starting room, which gives you some pretty well tuned ambushes and tricky archviles. There is even one in the wall that will keep resurrecting a chaingunner on an above pillar. After you've spent some time in the starting room after hitting a switch, the floor lowers to reveal the way forward, and surprisingly reveals a BFG that's free for the taking. The rest of the map isn't quite as good as the beginning room in my opinion, but it's still enjoyable containing some barrel sniping with the chaingun and racing against time in damaging liquid with the radsuits. Once you grab the blue skull key a cyberdemon's cry is heard and the area repopulates with enemies. Once you reach the end portal it raises up and the cybie finally reveals itself, bringing another one with it as a surprise. They don't cause too much trouble though, especially if you refrained from using cells the rest of the map.

 

Good map overall. Starting room was great and the visuals did their job nicely.

[dei_eldren]

+++ Wonderful Doom

+++ KINDa 2.0

 

And i'll leave one vote for later.

[DFF]

Speaking of Moustachio and a suggestion from DJV, i'll throw in a (totally unbiased) vote. Plus i haven't played CChest in a while.

+++Interception II

+++Community Chest

[Biodegradable]

MAP25 - Feeder's Digest

UV | Continuous | GZDoom and Vanilla+

 

Hot damn, I appreciate a good pun. Anyways this was a slightly more cramped affair that made me feel like I'm trapped inside one of the behemoth's kidneys more than anything else. Lot of trap-based combat to make you paranoid about every door you cross and switch you press. The room that floods with plethora of Imps while you're being sniped by Mancs was definitely the toughest fight for me, especially once I realised LunchLunch decided to provide a way for you to cheese your way out of the last fight if your eyes are sharp enough. It's quick, it's nasty, it's memorable with its set-pieces. I liked it a lot. :^)

 

 

As for my vote for next month's megaWAD; everything I've been exciting about have been shorter map set WADs, so I had a look at +++KINDa 2.0 and I like the look and sound of it, so I'll also throw my vote in for that one.

[Lorenz0]

MAP24 - Pustule

hmp/continuous

 

What an intense hot start. Those archviles can be pretty terrifying while you're running around, trying to get a feel for the arena. Playing on continuous definitely gave me an advantage here.

 

As for the arena itself, it's fairly simple - just a big room with some occasional cover near the walls. I don't think it justifies putting half the combat of the map in there well enough. After a while I just wanna move on.

 

The encounters themselves are not bad though. Rocketing everything to death is usually the best solution and that's rarely unfun.

 

Visually speaking it's also okay, but at this point I got a bit tired of this theme. I think the maps in this episode look a bit too similar, and by next month I feel like map22, 24 and 25 will all blend in my memory.

 

MAP25 - Feeder's Digest

 

This one tries to distinguish itself a bit more from the pack, despite having the same kind of texturing as prior maps. The difference maker here is the cool, serpentine layout, and a few more unique setpiece fights.

 

The big flood of imps in one room, pinkies in another, the pillar room with revenants at the end...all of those were pretty enjoyable.

 

I'm also very happy to report that all the midis in this episode's maps sound great, including this one. It really enhances the atmosphere.

 

Order of preference:

Spoiler

MAP19

MAP09

MAP15

MAP21

MAP11

MAP07

MAP10

MAP23

MAP25
MAP04
MAP05

MAP13

MAP22

MAP17

MAP12
MAP01

MAP24

MAP14
MAP03

MAP20

MAP16
MAP02

MAP18
MAP08
MAP06

 

[DFF]

Map 24 - Pustule by Moustachio

Another semi-wave based arena map, one thing I love about this map, other than the absolutely putrid (in a good way) design, is that the brown and black fluids make a great contrast for the map. I find with flesh-centric maps they tend to just be a mush of red and yellows, two colors that blend very well, but overall lack a bit of needed definition/contrast. While simple the dark brown muck does this well, helps break up the scenery a bit while drawing the main focus onto the walls. It also helps make enemies stand out more as most also sport very fleshy palettes.

Aside from such, the lower outer ring feels very in-place for fleshy pits, being much darker and damper than the open arena. The map overall is simple but contains a consistent and sufficient amount of detail. Combat is best at the start and maybe in the late-middle. There's a bit of a sag when the player is stuck in the wave based combat but thats quick, and the ending right was interesting, but ultimately not super threatening given the setup.

map 25 - Feeder's Digest by LunchLunch

There a bunch of little details that I love about this map. From the rather calm but eerie tune, to the slinking tube-like structure of the map, with bloody juices flowing down the tubes, this map definitely gives off the vibe of being lost in a demonic intestinal tract. Aside from the gory details, combat here is brutal, but very well done. The map has a mix of set-piece combat and open-exploration combat. Funny enough, the slither-like design of the map is very space efficient which offers a map that feels like it has more content that it does (seeing as every map had the same size limits). The blue skull room having some great imagery with the bright spine pillars in the dark stomach-like area. The floating eyes having a bit more of that demonic arcana to differentiate from just regular fleshy domains, i suppose.

Either way, probably my favorite of the flesh maps. The whole package delivers a decently hard, but overall entertaining challenge while offering a good selection of map design.

Edited September 25, 2021 by DFF

[Book Lord]

MAP 25 – Feeder’s Digest by LunchLunch

PrBoom+ 2.5.1.4, UV, Continuous, blind run w/saves

 

I will repeat myself and say one more time that MAP25 is a cursed slot for Doom mappers. This was not exactly the case of the level in question, which was a worthy and enjoyable product if taken out of context. In the economy of Skulltiverse flesh hell episode, Feeder’s Digest could have made for an excellent MAP21, presenting a classic take on the subject and a difficulty level more appropriate for that slot, with Fallen Dimension providing a chaotic and eclectic closure of the thematic stretch. Map slots have been assigned differently though, so I entered @Lunch Lunch’s level after four maps full of gore, spines, and intestines.

 

This map reminded me of MAP22 with its organic caves, but it fully committed to the representation of bowels and entrails, showing a predominance of pink and beige colours, broken up by blood pools and rivulets. The gameplay was carried on by set pieces, all effective and entertaining, even though not particularly awkward to overcome. A linear path unfolded itself through four main areas, which were accessed in fixed order.

Spoiler

Firstly, Doomguy was sealed in an antechamber with Hell Knights and an Arch-Vile voyeur, with only two small columns to exploit for cover. Afterwards, a cavern offered a mild but varied resistance before the YSK. There were two secrets in this area, but I am still clueless about the Invulnerability on the Arachnotron’s ledge. The key led me to another cavern, where a telegraphed closet ambush could be released at will. I was happily avoiding Pinkies and Hell Knights when I picked up the YK and stumbled upon a switch. I presumed it opened the stuck door but unfortunately it released a duo of Arch-Viles who blasted me mercilessly. This was my only death on this map, caused by an excess of confidence I normally do not concede myself.

 

I bowed my head and proceeded carefully in the next two encounters. Behind the yellow door, facing the Skullgate, a rocket slaughter was prepared for my amusement. A fleshy amphitheatre received a host of 140 Imps, gradually teleporting in to be gibbed by my never-ending rockets. The Mancubi and the Barons overseeing the massacre could not do much except landing a couple of blows on me, but the resources were more than enough to survive, even if cornered by some of the Imps. A messy fight, more suitable for laughing than anything else.

Spoiler

The BSK room was less luminous than the rest of the level, a sign of ominous things to come. Two Revenant squads, each one with an Arch-Vile chieftain, were released and required a swift reaction. I expected them to emerge from the red pads, so I made sure to pick up the skull with the rocket launcher already pointing to the left pad. I pumped rockets in that direction until the other group came too close, then switched to plasma rifle. The scrolling spine columns offered some degree of protection from the Revenants, but the AVs must fall first or they will become a problem.

Spoiler

That was the end of Feeder’s Digest, an entertaining level in its own right. I think I enjoyed it less than it deserved, mostly because I started to get bored by the flesh hell texturing. Swapping level slots as suggested above would probably benefit both maps.

Edited September 25, 2021 by Book Lord

[DuckReconMajor]

MAP25 - Feeder's Digest - dsda-doom - skill 4 pistol start - rewinds used 

 

This map is filled with some sort of aesthetic gloominess that I really like. 

The first area with the Archvile with the red skull door I probably will end up in in a dream at some point. Same with the pillar room behind the red skull door.

As always, any excuse to play Punch-Out with Hell Knights (like in the yellow keycard room) is welcome.

You know the poo is about to go down when you're presented with a wide open room full of rocket boxes and a soulsphere. And this did not disappoint.

 

Spoiler

 

 

[baja blast rd.]

map24: "Pustule" by Moustachio

 

"Pustule" isn't quite as intense or gory as Going Down's arena maps, but it can be as hard to predict. A lot of the fun I had with this one was managing unusual interactions: like using a chaingunner to distract an archvile out in the open, to avoid having to hug cover. In the improvisatory monster activity, archvile sandwiches were surprisingly common: a vile on one side of a fleshy barrier forcing me to dash to the other side, where another archvile did the same thing. It's fun, and the whole map starts to feel like the "immune system" of this body, or giant pimple, seeing you as an unwanted guest. Instead of white blood cells, the tools of eviction are demons. The partial invisibility you can grab is sneaky; do you pick it up for protection against those hitscanners, but complicate dealing with revenants and hell knights? Maybe.

 

After this area, action shifts to fleshy tunnels where you're stocked up with a generous BFG, but even though it's super fun to nuke big mobs of imps and spectres and cacos and watch your tracers catch ledge-dwelling chaingunners behind them, you can't squander all your cells. There is much worse coming. 

 

After I cleared it all, I had to stop and appreciate many of the textures, which include many familiar variants on Doom 2's skin and flesh textures but also many unfamiliar to me. I love the "meat" texture, which looks like fatty brain matter; this is the first wad I remember playing with it.

 

Every flesh map has a different aesthetic strength, and this one is probably the best at using the assets themselves in creative ways. 

 

 

This fleshy "macrotexture" ground is cool. There are three types of textures that interlace together neatly: one is smooth flesh; one is lumpen tissue; and one contains elements of both, forming a seamless border. There are many variants of the latter for each angle. That allows the arena to be circled by a ring of flesh terrain.

 

map25: "Feeder's Digest" by LunchLunch

 

Ham-fisted puns are always a good first impression, and I mean that unironically. "Feeder's Digest" isn't as fancy as most of episode 3, but it is good at what it sets out to do. What you're being "fed" is mostly four arena fights, with a few smaller traps to snack on. The main fights are fun and varied -- body counts range from 5 to nearly 150, and the biggest threats are "weaker" monsters as often as they are revenants and archviles. 

 

There's a smart wrinkle in the first major encounter, which involves two hell knights and a perched archvile with tiny pillars as cover. If you slip into hell knight cave early for more reliable cover, two revenants pop up and say "fuck that lol." But otherwise, those revenants act equally as fluidly as the encounter's "phase 2," threatening to push you back into the archvile's sightline just the same. Fight and anti-cheese fit seamlessly. 

 

If you told me beforehand that the mass imp flood wouldn't be my favorite encounter, I might have been surprised. It's fun and all, but in the yellow keycard room, pinkies and hell knights used in such a "dynamic" way -- not a hold-your-ground stand-off, but in a way that encourages you to make one or two radical shifts in where you are standing to avoid getting pinned by the hell knights -- is rarer and very exciting. 

 

Overall I enjoyed it but the layout sort of loses its purpose at the end, with the last two set pieces and the final trip to the exit; the backtracking isn't lengthy, but it does add up. It seems like with more planning, those chambers could have been linked more fluidly. Also, the last fight with a revenant mob and archviles works perfectly if you're low on rocket ammo -- but if you have 15+ rockets going in, you can ignore the plasma rifle at first and make the encounter look naive.

[DJVCardMaster]

MAP25 - "Feeder's Digest"- LunchLunch (100%K/96%I/0%S):

Another one that felt a bit easier for me, I've only died once, at the imp room. Traps were pretty good, like the AV one at the start, the said imp arena and the last fight with revenants, but still I've felt I've finished this map with no sweat on my face. Looks are pretty good and disgusting on the literal sense of the word. The map feels like a continuation of MAP22, and also felt quite short, but nothing I could dislike from this, good map. I don't think you can make something big enough with theese textures without looking awful and boring, so it's the right amount of salt.
It may be again that HMP is way easier than UV, but I don't know, maybe I'm getting better at Doom, right? Well I don't think so.

Deaths: 199 (HMP - PrBoom+)

Order of preference:
 

Spoiler

 

MAP15
MAP19

MAP10
MAP31
MAP09
MAP13
MAP23
MAP21
MAP11

MAP05
MAP25
MAP12
MAP22
MAP16
MAP24

MAP03

MAP01
MAP20
MAP14
MAP04
MAP07
MAP32
MAP08
MAP02
MAP06
MAP18
MAP17

 

 

[Pseudonaut]

Map25:

The four main fights were what I enjoyed most here. The first one surprises you with two up-close revenants if you try to run into the cave, which is probably survivable, but very dangerous. Instead, you have to dodge hell knights and an archvile at the same time, with a narrow pillar for the vile, making this a tricky fight either way. The flood of imps later on is the one I found the most fun, and the final fight was nice too, but the plasma gun almost feels like a red herring here since the fight is more effectively handled with the rocket launcher, at least until the enemies get too close.

[cannonball]

MAP25 - “Feeder’s Digest” by LunchLunch

 

There is something almost refreshing about a map that doesn't unveil itself in one go. This one to me is probably the nicest "Flesh dominated" maps (Map23 was more a mix of themes). A lot of good fights are contained here, the subtle trap at the SSG is nicely done where a difficult to shoot archvile forces you into a cave with hellknights and a couple of pop-up revenants. Just five monsters but very well implemented. From there you have the yellow keycard with a wave of demons/HKs followed by 2 archviles, the red key bloodbath (Fodder fun) and the blue key room. 

There is backtracking, but the central corridors are so short that it isn't an issue. A very good map on the whole with very few complaints.

[TJG1289]

I'm a little behind so I will try to catch up later today. For right now, I'll send out a vote.

 

+++ KINDa 2.0

 

I've been voting for this one for the last several months (except last month maybe, since I wasn't sure how much I'd be able to participate this month), and it looks like it may finally get chosen this time! If I hadn't just finished Interception II a few months ago, I'd vote for that too. It is a solid pick though.

[dei_eldren]

MAP26 - Beyond Life (HNTR, blind, continuous w/ saves): K 100% (73/73), I 100% (46/46), S 75% (3/4), T 38:58

 

Spoiler

As it seems with many others, i also have had my fill of the fleshy hell theme for now, and then comes this change of pace.  i stubbornly die three times before accepting it's my fate to be reduced to a near-corpse who'll die at the mere touch of an enemy.  The setting is visually stunning and architecturally imposing castle clad in Heretic-textures, with a catacomb and a graveyard to explore, along with some towers and ramparts.

 

Along the way, provided you survive, health is in degrees restored as the opposition gets tougher - or at least, mostly so.  i die a few times in the main hall (possibly) by the Imps from the windows, as in truth the thing is a bit more frustrating rather than challenging.  Next the cemetery on the inner courtyard (possibly) has a few more Imps and Pinkies, and from here we go upwards, onto the ramparts and find an elevated patio.  Here Lost souls start assailing me, and i have enough health/armour now for about one death-kiss from them.  A few times, again, i die.  Very mixed feelings about this already, as i like the idea, but it's so daamn fruustraaating.  Not that i'm yet too frustrated, as that comes only next!  About a hundred Arachnotrons spawn in front of me a few meters away, one after the other, and everytime at some point, no matter how many i manage to kill, eventually one of them manages to shoot at me.  i do several attempts with plasma and Chaingun, but best results come when i switch to RL and get mobile moving constantly from left to right.  On last attempt i manage to avoid taking the few shots one or two of them gets at me.  Still, that was rather irritating.

 

My favourite place here are the catacombs, even if they are also filled with Lost Souls, and some Imps and Pinkies.  The whole level is visually impressive, but no place more so than the this, in an understated way, with the granite-grey walls accented by lava-ceilings and glowing upside down crosses on the walls in semi-darkness, and the strange glowing red gates whence the Lost Souls emerge.  There's also a Revenant hiding in one of the coffins, and he gave me a real fright.

 

As for the secrets, my longish search, doubling the playing time, produces three out of the four, but i didn't manage to open the final one.

 

Heretic aesthetics in Doom levels work extremely well, and i really admire for example Chris Couleur's gorgeous levels in Eternal Doom (at least for their aesthetics), and this map is no exception.  In the aesthetics there's also some doomcuteness in the gravestones and the coffins, as well as some impressive artwork, in the main hall, as artistic depictions of Lost Souls have been engraved and painted on the stone floor, and as a result, the map is visually both striking and unique.  What it comes to gameplay, i really enjoyed the catacomb and the graveyard areas, other than that, as gimmick-maps almost invariably do, it cuts both ways, managing to delight and annoy in turns and sometimes at the same time.  Whilst i only enjoyed parts of it, i'm glad it's there.

 

 

Ranked:

Spoiler

MAP15

MAP18

MAP12

MAP06

MAP01

MAP10

MAP14

MAP23

MAP03

MAP08

MAP04

MAP19

MAP31

MAP25

MAP16

MAP26

MAP11

MAP02

MAP21

MAP22

MAP09

MAP05

MAP07

MAP17

MAP20

MAP13

MAP24

 

Edited September 25, 2021 by dei_eldren

[LadyMistDragon]

Map 25: Feeder's Digest (UV, pistol-start)

 

If you're a DBP devotee, it's fairly likely you'll have some recollection of nomno.....I mean lunchlunch maps, such as the infamous closer to Rainy Days in Casablanca. He tends towards a rather frenetic, slaughter-style that would inevitably place him toward the back of a megawad like this. Despite the fact that I did not die once, he does not disappoint! Another little note, the music for Goldeneye 007's "Caverns" sure gets used in lots of megawads. The tracks for "Surface", "Surface 2" and "Statue have also been used, but they admittedly don't contain melodies as catchy, nor synths as subtly spooky as this.

 

Anyways we open in a small-flesh walled room with the only way forward being bloodfall stairs on the right. I think this thing you're fighting in is on the brink of throwing the infection off, though why are we here anyway? Some minor combat with hitscanners and a small group of Imps await. Don't be taken by surprise by the Chaingunner on the right. Hit the switch in this room, and prepare for one of the toughest ambushes in the map! A window opens on the other end of the room with an Arch-vile, while a nearby chamber opens up with a pair of Arch-viles. I suppose the proper way to do this would be to camp near the Arch-vile and dodge Hell Knight fire(wait, I just realized there was a raised ledge blocking your way back. or is that not true?). However, these are fast-ass speedmaps, so fuck that noise. Weave around the hell knights, head towards the switch in the back, and immediately be confronted by two pop-up Revenants! I was hurt as badly as you might expect, but I still got some good shots on them, killing probably one or two of them before I escaped to shoot at the Arch-vile.

 

Once everything was dead, I hit the switch behind the pop-up Revenants which opened up a small chamber where a few Imps come pouring out. They are push-overs, and the long room with pillars running through the middle isn't really much harder. Just watch out for chaingunners and assume hitscanners are lurking behind every corner and you'll be fine. Kind of disgusting to see the bloody skull texture being used here to represent the behemoth's bleeding innards. Near the pop-up Revenants at the end, I saw a somewhat unusual flesh texture which I opened for a Megaarmor. Hitting a switch at the top of the stairs here opens up a couple of more passages with Chaingunners, as well as cause a Pain Elemental to teleport in from the direction of the stairs. Not having many bullets at this point, I chose to shotgun the Pain Elemental. Thankfully, RNG was on my side, and he went down in three hits. His cursed spawn sucked up more of my ammo, and managed to flick my ass once, but this wasn't too hard. The yellow key then, can be picked up without little trouble.

 

One more thing here is the second secret, located inside the chamber where the Arachnotron was. While the ledges (broken stairs?) to the sides, and no ammo, tell you there may be something worth checking out, I was afraid I'd find it impossible to straferun correctly into here. Short answer: it's basically a matter of finding a particular spot on the ledge leading to the yellow skull key, but I'd usually miss at least half the time. Behind a skull wall is an Invulnerbility.

 

Anyway, proceed to the yellow key door and find yourself in a muscle-lined hallway with some fairly imposing pillars and a Berserk Pack. Why do you need a Berserk Pack. Well, pick up the rocket launcher, head to the far end of the hallway, then hit a switch (or not, I'm not sure) and a hoarde of demons with a small HK bodyguard ambush you. You probably shouldn't literally rocket everything in sight, but scattering them definitely has its uses. At a certain point, I broke out the fisticuffs and with blood and fury, hammered through the rest including three of the hell knights. I'd normally never attempt this with all the shotgun ammo I had at this point, but I was feeling very confident, with good reason as it turned out. Despite that hitting a switch causes two Arch-viles to teleport in, they aren't especially hard to avoid with cover not being so far away. I did get some luck in the HK corpses located some distance from where they teleport in so they didn't get too close.

 

Picking up the yellow key card in a darkened hallway will allow you to exit this room and open a door near the beginning requiring the yellow card. I initially grabbed the invulnerbility before entering the big room with tons of rockets and a Megasphere, but upon finding I didn't like the results, I just decided to go without and go hog wild. The other posters have already covered this huge fight quite well, but I'll just say you should probably expect to take a beating weaving in and out of the surrounding Imps and climbing the stairs. Yet, I somehow finished this fight with 130 health left! I don't know if that's particularly good, since no one else has mentioned their health that I can see. but no matter, now is the time to pick up the Invulnerability Sphere!

 

Because once you head behind the red door, located near the first Arch-vile of the map, you'll find yourself in an incredibly intimidating-seeming room, pillars topped by magic eyes and  darkened in a way that both suggests a lead-in to the last chapter, and as something of a Sunlust-lite fight perhaps. Sure enough, once you hit the switch at the other end of the room and apparently pick up a BSK as well as a plasma rifle, two Arch-viles and several Revenants teleport in. Without the Invulnerbility, I know this fight would be a massive pain in the ass, but by the time I ran out, there were only 4 bony ones left, who weren't too troublesome to dispatch and even never hurt me with their rockets!

 

You can probably tell I really liked this map. Whether it goes above 21 is another question. While I'm not entirely certain I'll have the time to finish this megawad, I'm leaning towards yes!

 

Since I guess we get to vote, we'll try this again, and let's just say I'm really getting tired of this vanilla speedmap thing. Things that sound like Doom Zero make me rather wary.

 

+++Wonderful Doom. Made by a mapper from Muhhthur Russia, I'm not sure if this as extensive a remake as something like Phobos: Anomaly Reborn, but it'd make a nice break from all this vanilla franticness to something probably more exploratory.

 

+++Hexen I just want to try this for a couple of more months. Fall is upon us after all.

 

+++ Freedoom Phase 1: Can you tell I want to get away from vanilla?

 

Edit: So I know Doom Zero is not a speedmap collection but a megawad made by one person that's vanilla hardly seems better right now.

Edited September 26, 2021 by LadyMistDragon

[TJG1289]

GZDoom/Blind/UV/Continuous/Saves

Map 23 - Scream Bloody Gore - Myolden

100% kills and 80% secrets

Time: 15:18

Deaths: 1

 

Myolden returns with an arena battle that's surprisingly tame compared to past maps of theirs. Most of the enemies are out in the open immediately upon starting, so pistol-starting people will have a problem. I'm not, so I didn't. The only death I had was from the plasma rifle trap. The hell knights cornered me, and while I was able to get away, I was not expecting an archie to boot. Most of the teleporting baddies aren't too threatening, like the imps after grabbing the backpack. The teleporting revs when lowering the blue skull could be rough, but just keep rocketing the narrow area they're coming from, and be aware of the cacos behind you. This can also be made easier thanks to the easy to grab BFG secret, that you can start to access via the hidden switch in a corner here, which will lower the nearby lift and lead to another switch. This one lowers a teleporter back on the ground floor, that I accidentally walked in to, and was thankful it just lead to the BFG and not 27 cybies or something. Speaking of which, lowering the red skull will make one appear, but you can get the teleporting hell knights to infight it. Rocket the ones that don't, then plasma the cybie. I couldn't figure out the mega armor secret, but I got the other 4. Like the previous 2 maps, this is a fleshy looking one, which looks nice. Since this is just a basic arena, it's probably my least fav of Myolden's in the set, but it's nowhere near bad. It's still fun! 

 

Map 24 - Pustule - Moustachio

100% kills and 0% secrets

Time: 10:16

Deaths: 4 

 

As I mentioned in my previous post, I played Interception II a few months ago, and Moustachio was the project lead for that. I remember enjoying his maps (and the first episode in general), and I really liked his Rowdy Rudy 2 map as well, so I was looking forward to this one. It's fine. It's basically another arena, that eventually will open up a bit revealing some fleshy caverns below. Having 2 archies hidden from view upon starting is a little bit of a rude awakening, but nothing too difficult, as there's enough cover here. Hitting the switch by the rocket launcher unleashes the main battle here, with timed waves, starting with cacos, then hell knights, hitscan, revs, and archies. When the archies appear, the caverns open, allowing access to the first non-secret BFG of the WAD, IIRC. The caverns aren't too bad, but there is some damaging floor here, so be careful. Grabbing the blue skull causes more nasties to teleport all around the cavern. Getting back up to ground floor unleashes 2 cybies, and makes the portal inaccessible. 3 of my deaths were trying to 2 shot each of them. Kinda tough when there's 2 of them. Decent map, but it's one of Moustachio's weaker ones. Eh, it's a speedmap, can't really complain.

 

Map 25 - Feeder's Digest - LunchLunch

100% kills and secrets

Time: 7:56

Deaths: 1

 

I think this is the last fleshy level, if the OP is correct, and we end with one that's kinda easy, but also a little more fun than the last 2 arena maps. Mostly incidental combat for this level, but there's one big fight later on. The hardest part is actually one of the first fights of the map, where you get trapped in a small area with 2 hell knights, and an archie sniping you that you can hide behind a small pillar to avoid. Very clever, and got me my lone death, as I rushed into the hell knight's cubby, to only be greeted by 2 revs. So I BFGd the hell knights next time, rocketed the archie, and SSGd the revs. The automap gave away that a secret was nearby, but you can't access it here. You can in the next room, where you can actually grab both secrets. There's a mega armor behind a differently textured wall, and an invul on the arachnotron ledge, that you can get to by jumping from the yellow skull platform. You may want to save it for the yellow key door, since the yellow skull door isn't too bad, a buncha pinkies and hell knights that are BFG fodder. The yellow key door you can tell is gonna be rough, since there's a ton of rockets and a megasphere. 2 barons, 4 mancubi, and more imps than the population of Vatican City will teleport in. Return for the invul and let the rockets fly! The final room (red skull door), will unleash revs and archies, with many pillars to hide behind. You get a plasma here, but I'm a continuous fool, so the BFG took care of the archies and I SSGd the survivors. A quick, fun level! MIDI was nice. I don't like Goldeneye, so I'm unfamiliar with the tune, but it did sound familiar. Was it used in another WAD? Idk.

 

Map 26 - Beyond Life - DFF

100% kills and secrets

Time: 13:54

Deaths: probably like 10 or something

 

I was both looking forward to this one and dreading it. Mainly since I remembered DFF's map 11 of Interception II. It's a great level, but it's a giant, enormous, non-linear trek that took me like an hour and a half to beat. I don't think the maps in this WAD can be as large as that, but I didn't know what to expect. Turns out, we have a very unique map that uses its small size pretty well. The first map of the void hell theme looks like a Scythe II map to me, but in a black void. Fitting. Everything seems ok until you go to grab the shotgun and you get teleported away, given health powerups, exploded, and returned, leaving less than 10 health and armor for you to work with. And if you play this map like I did, you won't be getting much more until the end. Idk if the center door can be opened before doing the side 2 paths in the main center part, but if it can, you may want to do that first, since it nets you a soul sphere after dealing with some baddies. If not, good luck. Most health pickups in this map are health bonuses, with the only stimpacks I saw in secret areas. You have to play this one very carefully, as pretty much any damage you take will kill you. I went the cemetery route to the right first, which can net you a plasma by a continuously spawning arachnotron. Hit the switches that gradually appear while SSGing the spiders, to eventually crush all the remaining ones. Taking the stairs will lead to a high area with a lot of lost souls, and access to a nice secret. Before jumping back down, look to the right and you can see an eye switch. Carefully make your way over there to hit it and be teleported to an area with a mega armor. There's a secret stimpack below too, that you need to shoot a switch for. The left path it some narrow passages with mostly imps and spectres, but some lost souls and cacos are around too. Look for the one cross texture that's different to open up a invul, which is useful for the 4 revs that teleport in here eventually. There's also a closet with a rev in it, that has a hidden path behind it, leading to a backpack and a stimpack. Now you'll probably do the north path to net the soul sphere, and also crush the windowed revs and spawn the blue skull. Very tense level, with a nice tense MIDI to go with it. It's a cool change of pace this far into the WAD.

[Book Lord]

MAP 26 – Beyond Life by DFF

PrBoom+ 2.5.1.4, UV, Continuous, blind run w/saves

 

Flesh theme was thankfully over, and this map ushered us to the final episode, set in the endless Void, characterised by a pitch-black skybox. The rest of @DFF’s level was far from ethereal, being it a gothic stone castle that in several spots reminded me of Adelusion’s maps in Requiem. I am a fan of any castle environment and this one was no exception: I loved the architecture, the secret passages, and the gloomy atmosphere it conveyed.

 

The first room marked the passage from flesh to void in a nice way, but that was not the only transition to be expected here. The voodoo doll staring at me and the elegant Lost Soul glyphs on the floor announced that some special gimmick was in store, and I was astonished at what happened when I tried to leave. I spent some time with Doom Builder, and I concluded that I cannot understand how such a perfect equilibrium could be achieved. As soon as I crossed the bright yellow line, I underwent a process involving barrels and a Berserk pack which did not kill me but left me with exactly 1% health.

Spoiler

On UV, this meant that the slightest scratch from any animated sprite could do me in. Considering that the central courtyard was dominated by 4 undying Revenants in cubbyholes (they get replaced if killed) and that the opposition ranged from mild to fierce, it took not so long to realise that it was going to be a frustrating journey. Health was not going to be replenished until I could exit the level, there were just some health bonuses and a stimpack under a well-hidden secret, with complimentary taunting face behind.

 

East of the courtyard I found the catacombs, the area I enjoyed the most thanks to its appealing gothic looks and because of the easy Invulnerability secret, which facilitated combat against those Revenants a bit. The automap helped me to uncover a secret passage behind a coffin, where another shrieking skeleton made me jump on my seat. There were some radical design choices here, such as the damaging floor behind the Lost Soul flaming closets. I agree that a normal person would stay away from fire, but this is Doom. Don’t kill me because I am curious.

Spoiler

The western area had a graveyard with a not so trivial teleport ambush with Imps shooting from the windows. I survived because the Pain Elemental was distracted by them, and I found a perfect hiding spot behind a gravestone. On the terrace above, a double ring of Lost Souls in the open, followed by more monsters, had me lose my temper. I stopped playing by @DFF’s rules, took out my plasma gun and made short work of them, including the Revenant. The following Arachnotron gauntlet was tense and unforgiving, but relied more on my skills than random events, so I liked it.

Spoiler

When I entered the final red marble room, I had enough of anxiety and starvation. I prepared plasma gun and nuked the flying balls that materialised without thinking twice. Picking up the BSK had the side effect of killing all remaining monsters on the map, so I could proudly leave with 100% kills, but only 66% secrets since I missed the combat armour. Beyond Life enforced a cautious approach to gameplay, which I can tolerate for the sake of variety, provided it does not last more than a single and short level like this. I was glad to have my carryover weapons, so I could overcome the most annoying setups without using cheats or burning myself out.

Edited September 26, 2021 by Book Lord

[Lorenz0]

MAP26 - Beyond Life

 

Pistol starting this one felt right, so that’s what I did.

 

A start of a new episode! The void theme is a very welcome change of pace, but even if it wasn’t, this map is not bad looking at all. Not spectacular, but does the job well.

 

I thought it was pretty interesting to start the map off with setting the player’s health to one and having him scramble for survival. However as it turns out, that gets old pretty fast. Throughout most of the map I thought “the combat here is decently enjoyable but it would be a lot better if I could actually take a hit”. That gimmick feels like a failed attempt at creating a more sinister atmosphere. The midi carries it well enough, no worries.

 

Anyway, I don’t hate this map, it’s just a bit annoying. I don’t know what lost souls did to this author, but he seems to love them a lot.

 

Order of preference:

Spoiler

MAP19

MAP09

MAP15

MAP21

MAP11

MAP07

MAP10

MAP23

MAP25
MAP04
MAP05

MAP13

MAP22

MAP17

MAP12

MAP26
MAP01

MAP24

MAP14
MAP03

MAP20

MAP16
MAP02

MAP18
MAP08
MAP06

 

[FrancisT218]

+++KINDa 2.0

+++Interception II

 

As for the last week of maps, I'll just comment briefly. 25 I did not test. 20 was some good work in forcing the requirement of the Cyberdemon deaths, and making it very hard to get him to die via infighting. 21 is a beautiful Shawny map as usual with plenty of fights; 23 is a punishing and more outdoor open myolden map of typical good myolden quality as well. 22 was likely changed too much since I tested for me to offer much of a relevant opinion. 24 is gross both in map and title, a nice nugget from Moustachio. 26 was an interesting foray into almost reality gameplay from DFF which I enjoyed.

[LadyMistDragon]

Map 26: Beyond Life (UV, pistol-start)

 

I don't think there's been a map so far that so aggressively hates the player so far in this megawad as this one. The experience is absolute hell for most pistol starters, especially as you're not going to have extra health going in. I suppose that's what the berserk pack you're teleported when you pass beyond the torches past the bottom of the stairs to is for since the concluding fightsd can be very nasty. You trigger some exploding barrels or whatever and you're IMMEDIATELY taken down to 1 percent health. And guess what, you get almost NO health for..the....Rest. Of. The. Map. You'll emerge into a somewhat intimidating central room where you're attacked by Revenants that you're just supposed to avoid. Head to the east and you'll be in a graveyard with a Revenant or two somewhere and some other enemies. You might  pick the west path first (the one with that scarrry red baron head) so you'll have a little bit more ammo. The trouble being is that you'll have to fight off Spectres almost entirely concealed by darkness, all while Lost Souls and Imps lurk behind them, not to mention other ones. After dying a couple of times, it seemed like the graveyard was the better option.

 

Or was it? Haaahahahaha! Killing two Revenants with your chaingun is not all that difficult, but emerging into a part of the graveyard hanging out into the void brings what has to be the worst damn trap in the entire map. Some Lost Souls teleport in from the void. This space is tight enough as it is, and you probably should chaingun these Lost Souls. But then, another group of them will teleport in, and then some Imps, and then finally, the thing you saw lowering finishes and a Revenant emerges. I died more than twenty times trying to fight off this complete and utter ridiculous collection of nonsense, raising my total death count to probably some place in the 90s (I'm not really keeping track because more than half of them are often me trying to figure out the correct way of approach). If you eliminate all the Lost Souls though, you'll be far more likely to survive. The tiny armour pickups prove quite invaluable here, as it's hard to see how you could escape this hitless.

 

The chamber the Revenant was in contains a switch, which partially lowers some bars blocking the way to the rocket launcher, as well as allow you to escape the room.

 

Now, the tomb-like tiny hallways. Actually, I might hate this more, as it's a matter of luck to a large degree whether you're able to proceed or else get blasted in the face by something. At a certain point, you'll reach a location in the hallway where doors will shut, never to open again. I'm not sure if this blocks the way to secrets I could never fucking find, but you can still move around. Hit a switch at a certain location in here, and Lost Souls will emerge from windows on the sides. Two pairs of Revenants will also end up attacking you when you cross into a room with coffins. By this point, you can use more chaingun/shotgun ammo, but I still did a fair bit of punching, though sidestepping is a little impractical here. I died here probably at least 4 times, but yeah

 

Then you can return to the central room, head to the room with the rocket launcher, but make sure to pick up the rockets on the entrance's sides first. They're not mandatory necessarily, but they will definitely take much of the heat off you. A pair of Delinquents goes down much easier with explosives after all. There's also a Supercharge that finally alleviates the health woes you've been feeling this entire map!  So at this point, the Revenants in the corners of the central rooms will all be crushed and you can pick up the blue skull key!

 

Lastly was the little room with the infinitely teleporting Arachnotrons which I initially passed on because it just seemed like something that you had to have lots and lots of ammo saved up for. Turns out I had missed a switch on my original few trips here, leading to a whole series which needs pressing, eventually lowering the bunker--like structure where the Archnotrons are, allowing you to have possession of the plasma rifle, and I was just like "Well, that was nice!!"

 

I will give the map this though, DFF definitely liked Toxic Touch. The fact that this little track of @leejacksonaudio originally appeared in one of the better maps in what is by far and away the very weakest of Duke Nukem 3D's episodes is frankly a little irrelevant at this point, because I can tell you one game has far eclipsed the other!

 

 

Edited September 26, 2021 by LadyMistDragon

[DuckReconMajor]

MAP 26 – Beyond Life - dsda-doom - skill 4 pistol start - rewinds used 

 

A map that reaches for the stars in its gameplay customization. You are now a low-health zombie. Thankfully free of hitscanners.

One mistake I make the first attempt is that I forget that a Berserk was used at the beginning, leading to an annoying amount of pistol usage. I am afraid to punch until it's necessary when I realize my mistake. 

Loved the castle and the backpack secret.

I like this map overall though the way the revenant encounters were made them particularly annoying to take out. I skipped the ones I could.

 

Spoiler

 

 

[DJVCardMaster]

MAP26 - "Beyond Life"- DFF (100%K/97%I/50%S):

I'll be short, was it good? Yes. Did I like it? No.
Where to start? DFF likes to think out of the box at the middle of a Megawad (There are a few examples of that in Interception II), but this time he went too far, by making a map in which, you'll become a zombie, and every hit you'll take will result in instakill. Some voodoo-doll trickery allow us to start the level at 1 health, and you'll have to quickly regain health along the map. Good thing, there aren't any hitscanners to be seen, bad thing, the map is pretty cramped, making avoiding enemies a big pain. This gimmick is something I would have expected for a MAP31, not for a regular map. 
Luckly, the fleshy theme is over, and we are recieved with a new setup, the void. The map already looks gorgeous, but you'll have no time to really appreciate it, as you'll have to constantly avoid enemy fire. 
Progression is confusing, there are some areas at the right wing of the map, from the start, that feel like they are optional, such as the arachnotron area. But optional or not, those are life-saving moments. A secret blue armor, a plasma rifle, and a single medkit (how generous).
I've died a lot, and I save-spammed a lot.  
I would not replay this any time soon, I'll leave it to Zero Master if he wants to try a REALITY! run on this, so I'm not becoming a Doom Master soon, and I have to say, I almost quit few times. Great, but not for me.


Deaths: 238 (HMP - PrBoom+)

Order of preference:

Spoiler

 

MAP15
MAP19

MAP10
MAP31
MAP09
MAP13
MAP23
MAP21
MAP11

MAP05
MAP26
MAP25
MAP12
MAP22
MAP16
MAP24

MAP03

MAP01
MAP20
MAP14
MAP04
MAP07
MAP32
MAP08
MAP02
MAP06
MAP18
MAP17