Favorite level in TNT: Evilution?`

[Stupid Bunny]

Oh boy another TNT lovefest to join

 

TNT is a tough one to pick a single favorite from because it has so many high points for me in terms of concept, exploration, atmosphere and epic scale of maps. But I’m gonna go with my gut and say MAP20: Central Processing is my all-time favorite. It’s in some ways a perfect representation of TNT in a single map, right down to the way it divides opinions so sharply (I hear as many people gush about this map as revile it on here, it seems).  I’ve talked about it before but I love the way it slow-builds from the warren of cubicles to the dark, open canyon sequence at the end. The music track is I think thoroughly underrated, and fits perfectly with the dour, cold atmosphere of the map.  It has semi-realistic scene-setting (the computers at the desks) mixed with hellish surrealism (the cave with the Baron and crates, among other areas), and some cool secrets along the way. I’ll never forget the adventure of playing this for the first time.

 

other honorable mentions

 

MAP21: Administrative Área

MAP18: The Mill

MAP15: Dead Zone

MAP19: Shipping/Respawning

MAP27: Mount Pain

MAP31: Pharaoh

MAP16: Deepest Reaches

[BaileyTW]

I think for me it's a 3 way tie.

 

Map01: System Control. It's short sweet, it has a great midi, and I get to punch things that go down in 1 or 2 hits, often explosively. Just a really neat map to tyson.

Map09: Stronghold. Very few maps capture action hitscan combat as much as this map, like not even Episode 1 of Doom. From start to finish with very few dips it's just constant action.

Map27: Mount Pain. It's an adventure, it's pain (but in a good way this time), and it's the most important feeling map of the set. Its got some dips in there of not much going on but I think with the aesthetic in those areas it makes up for it, with a tunnel section I'm never 100% sure I'll get through undamaged (I know where those imps in the dark are but I'm still always worried I'll be hit from the dark). It's got some neat big fights, with a very neat use of the lost souls around the end I had not seen since then really.

 

Honorable mention to Map 23, Lunar Mining Project. Just a pretty good map with pretty good combat.

[Kyka]

Glad there is some love for the ol' Drakenmeister

 

My favorite map: 21 Administration Center. Yeah sure it is a bit tedious at times by modern gaming standards. Yeah sure sometimes it looks bland, and in parts even ugly. But the sense of scale is unmatched. I so clearly remember walking around that final area, being hunted by this brooding cyberdemon, against a dark red sky, in an area so big that I couldn't really even describe how it felt to be in such a virtual space. The rockets coming at you were virtually invisible in such twilight darkness, a far cry from the midday glow of E2M8. It was eerie, chaotic and wonderful. Like all of Drake O'Brien maps, it starts out painting a picture of the mundane, but always ends with you being unplugged from your doom matrix, and shown the scenery behind the offices and administrative centres; the vast Geiger-esque machinations behind the walls and rooms of the opening sections of each level.

 

I have always felt that Plutonia is a masterclass in the use of space, architectural principles, aesthetics and symmetry, but nothing in all of the iwads goes close to this mixing of the mundane and the terrible, the dull and the terrifying like tnt does. And within tnt, no one did it better than the Drake. The soundtrack only increases this sense of time and place.

 

All hail the hypnodrake. 0_o

 

 

Edited September 23, 2021 by Kyka

[LadyMistDragon]

Prison. Shitty place but AWESOME Doom map:d).

 

I also really like Crater, but I'm not a fan of the original track selection. Mill and Processing Area were also seriously good.

[nikitsune]

Map17: Processing Area

 

My favourite since I was a child.

This level looks like a mansion used as communication/computer base of some sort, therefore it introduces an original structure while giving it a very familiar, Doom-like appearance thanks to the classic textures we all know very well, which I find interesting.

 

It is also a compact and interconnected map, and making a compact map look distinctive, if not memorable, is not easy. Processing Area plays smoothly, it really does. The gameplay is fast-paced and, although not really challenging, it always feels entertaining after many, many years, and many challenging WADs completed.

 

 

Edited September 23, 2021 by nikitsune

[LadyMistDragon]

11 minutes ago, nikitsune said:

Map17: Processing Area

 

My favourite since I was a child.

This level looks like a mansion used as communication/computer base of some sort, therefore it introduces an original structure while giving it a very familiar, Doom-like appearance thanks to the classic textures we all know very well, which I find interesting.

 

It is also a compact and interconnected map, and making a compact map look distinctive, if not memorable, is not easy. Processing Area plays smoothly, it really does. The gameplay is fast-paced and, althought not really challenging, it always feels entertaining after many, many years, and many challenging WADs completed.

 

 

I absolutely worship the music here, though I kind of wish it was in the next map instead of here. It was related to the context of my lift when I first played it, but the lonely moodiness of "More" was just perfect, for working in a mill.

[TheLippyServer]

Three way tie between maps 5, 9 and 31.

 

Maps 5 and 9 are just great, bloody fun. And 31 is probably THE quintessential adventure map in all of commercial Doom. All 3 have great atmosphere and memorable combat moments, and 5 and 31 in particular have really iconic musical earworms. That Mustaine track from map 5 might be my favorite vanilla midi.

[Stupid Bunny]

@Kyka that’s a very eloquent summation of exactly why I love MAP21, and Drake-O’s maps generally. For good or ill he’s probably the single greatest influence on my mapping style of all the IWAD mappers, and most of TNT’s most memorable, stirring and grandiose moments come during his maps.

[RonLivingston]

I go for Shipping/respawning, with Pharaoh, Central Processing, and River Styx, Shipping/respawning is my most favorite for the fact about the tractor trailer, the conveyor belt, and the entire warehouse of crates

[Yumheart]

3 hours ago, BoxY said:

The only thing that sucks about it is that the midi choice is pretty awful, I think if you put the intermission midi on it instead then in terms of atmosphere it would almost be the perfect TNT-style map.

The TNT midi pack has a pretty solid replacement, much more atmospheric.

[SilverMiner]

Warm hole, Habitat and Crater

EDIT:

Also mt. pain, caribbean and deepest reaches

[SilentD00mer]

Some of my favorite maps(I don't have one favorite map, I guess):

Map 02 - Human BBQ

Map 04 - Wormhole

Map 12 - Crater

Map 11 - Storage Facility

 

Basically, because of some elements of gameplay or the music, and the visuals are very good(Well, except Map 02, but I like the layout of the map)

[Kyka]

2 hours ago, Stupid Bunny said:

@Kyka that’s a very eloquent summation of exactly why I love MAP21, and Drake-O’s maps generally. For good or ill he’s probably the single greatest influence on my mapping style of all the IWAD mappers, and most of TNT’s most memorable, stirring and grandiose moments come during his maps.

 

Good sir, your map that later became tntr's 'transduction' had a massive Drake vibe to it, which was why I wanted to use it. Arguably the best map in the set. Haunting and experimental, the only thing it lacked to make it a drakemapᵗᵐ was a vast outdoor area. It did have a pretty neat secret outdoor area tho.

 

2 hours ago, SilverMiner said:

Warm hole,

 

Hearing someone call it 'warm hole' makes me feel all... warm.

[Maximum Matt]

E1M6, Administration Center and Mount Pain.  I love Drake 

[Michael Jensen]

Map20: Central Processing

Drake O'Brien was a genius ahead of his time. While his other maps are great as well, Central Processing is the only IWAD map, and possibly the first Doom map that creates a continuous world. There are so many different areas in this map and all of them fit together perfectly to create the most immersive level in commercial doom. Other IWAD levels pick 1 setting (base, city, whatever) and stick to it, but O'Brien gave us several, all naturally connected, building up towards the epic conclusion. Only other levels that come close to such a thing are also both by O'Brien, but for most of their length, they remain focused on one main setting. The sense of place and storytelling in CP is unparalleled. Besides all that, it has gorgeous visuals, good gameplay design and an amazing midi. 

[BetelgeuseSupergiant]

On 9/24/2021 at 3:15 AM, Kyka said:

 

Good sir, your map that later became tntr's 'transduction' had a massive Drake vibe to it, which was why I wanted to use it. Arguably the best map in the set. Haunting and experimental, the only thing it lacked to make it a drakemapᵗᵐ was a vast outdoor area. It did have a pretty neat secret outdoor area tho.

 

 

Hearing someone call it 'warm hole' makes me feel all... warm.

Dude, your map "transduction" are awesome!

[KubaloBlackMT]

I like Map 1 and 2, but for some reason I also skip to play map 25.

[valkiriforce]

Pharaoh and Central Processing. Both are atmosphere-rich experiences that have influenced my mapping style and stay with me to this day.

[head_cannon]

MAP28: Heck

 

Because it means I'm playing a Plutonia level instead.

 

 

...In all seriousness, I really do enjoy this level. Many of Evilution's pistol start setups are exercises in resource austerity, but this one just gives you an arsenal and a blue armor right off the bat and lets you have at it.

 

Visually, all three mini-dungeons do well to nail that classic hellish aesthetic while remaining distinct from one another and maintaining their own identity and their own source for which id level they're inspired by.

 

Mechanically, two of the three mini-dungeons give you an entertaining choice between spending their resource caches against the guardian horde in a big ol' slugfest or just plotting to steal the key, kick the hornet's nest, & make a clean getaway. The other dungeon is much simpler in its "marble maze" setup, but the way it takes things down a notch and makes you play more carefully - focusing on the danger lurking around every blind corner - makes it a good pacing tool in order to add more variety.

[Captain Ventris]

Central Processing rules. Really epic map with some great visuals. Really tells a story as you play it.

[Ripper]

There isn't just one

I've got a few favourites:

MAP01 - System Control (Berserk from the start :))
MAP05 - Hanger (I just like shooting through strategically placed low-tier enemies)
MAP08 - Metal (it's probably elevated by Into the Beast's Belly - my favourite song from TNT's soundtrack)
MAP11 - Storage Facility (fairly high bodycount makes the crate maze more interesting IMO)
MAP13 - Nukage Processing
MAP16 - Deepest Reaches (Exploration-oriented maps are not for everyone but I kinda enjoy it)
MAP19 - Shipping Respawning (design similar to MAP11)
MAP22 - Habitat (this one looks so unfinished and tedious it makes me laugh :))
MAP27 - Mount Pain (zombiemen, decent challenge, open spaces, varied visuals for TNT standards and of course Into the Beast's Belly)

[Dusty_Rhodes]

There's actually a lot of good levels in TNT, so let me pick out standout maps instead having to choose just one. Just to clarify, I actually really enjoy maps 1 - 13, so if your favorite early TNT map isn't here don't be upset, I just didn't want to write out reviews for all 13 maps. 

 

Map01: System Control

 

Short and sweet, with a great layout that tweaks Doom 2's Map01 Entryway, System Control is one of the most fun maps in the wad. Being able to berserk you way through it and find the satisfying secrets really elevates it as an opener for me. Sure it's no Ancient Najavo Wolf Warp, but it's still great in my book. Not to mention the layout and texturing are really refined. It looks great and is still a blast to punch through all these years later.

 

Map 04: Wormhole

 

Probably one of the most creative maps, Wormhole shows the first concept of traveling dimensions using teleporters in a level. The combat is really solid and the level has great music (that can be said for all of TNT though). Legitimately a creepy map with oppressive atmosphere, Wormhole is a standout and one of the first maps I use to show how great TNT can be. 

 

Map06: Open Season

 

This map sees a lot of hate, but I've always been enamored with it. The layout feels like a Doom map, and a military science facility at the same time. The music and low monster count lend the map to a very lonely atmosphere. The backtracking allows you to think and absorb the ambience of the map. It's reflective, I like it. Also the combat is pretty fun and has some cool setpieces with the nuclear plant area. I think this one has effected my mapping style more than I consciously know.

 

Map08: Metal 

 

Metal is a ornery, mean, low down mother Hubbard. Probably the first real difficulty spike in the game, after Map07: Prison (another great map, but it never was one of my favorites, a little too bleak, a little to ugly). Another map of being perforated by hitscanners, you'll be mowing down zombies one minute, then be mowed down by new zombies the next minute. Either way, the brutalist architecture looks great even today, and the combat is engaging carnage. Not to forget the incredible music, Into the Beasts Belly. A song that is not only reused to great effect two more times in the wad, but has also been in classics like Sneak Peak in Scythe. Doom music at its best, in a game full of tracks with Doom music at its best.

 

Map09: Stronghold

 

Another mean map, Stronghold dislikes the you. It doesn't want to give you health or ammo. It wants zombies to stomp your guts in. But you won't let that happen. This map has the most enemies in a classic Doom level. And most of them are fodder. The combat can get grindy and RNG dependent at times, but it's mostly fun carpeting the floors with gibs. The layout is actually my favorite part, it still looks good and is opens up near the end in a very satisfying way. Still the progression isn't perfect, and can be a. It can be obtuse at times, but overall, Stronghold is an incredible level. 

 

Map12: Crater 

 

Crater is both a great break map and wind down after the frantic, aggressive, and bleak Map11, and a lonely ambient piece. I've always been drawn to this level, it's low impact and fun to explore. I love the underground teleporter hub that adds so much interconnectivity to the map. I love the giant slimefalls with almost no monsters in it. The only thing that would make this better would be a different music track, as the current one does not fit in the slightest. It really needed a more moody, low key track. Oh well, Crater is still one of my all time favorites, I like to pistol start it every now and then, and just enjoy the scenery and weirdly empty world it creates. 

 

Map13: Nukage Processing

 

Back to the action, this is a masterpiece of a level. I've always been annoyed by the phrase "TNT has higher highs but lower lows than Doom 2" (always seemed really lazy to me), but this might be better than the best maps in the mighty Doom 2. The texturing and lighting is consistent and good looking, especially for 1996, and the combat feels refined and fun. It has multiple ways to open up the level, and all the secrets are enjoyable to find and are very useful. There's a lot of memorable setpieces, like the lowering cyberdemon and the reactor room with the shotgunners and pain elementals. Truly a blast, and I'm always excited to play it when comes time to replay TNT.

 

Now that's all I'm going to go in depth on, but other great maps include:

 

Map07: Prison

 

Map17: Processing Area

 

Map18: Mill

 

Map19: Shipping / Respawning 

 

Map20: Central Processing 

 

Map27: Mt. Pain

 

Map28: Heck

 

Map:30 Last Call

 

Map31: Pharaoh

 

Map32: Caribbean

 

I love TNT even though it fleeting brilliance is brought down by annoying gameplay or incompetent design at times. It's such a unique and creative game.

 

[LadyMistDragon]

On 9/24/2021 at 7:24 AM, A.H. Sankhatayan said:

Map20: Central Processing

Drake O'Brien was a genius ahead of his time. While his other maps are great as well, Central Processing is the only IWAD map, and possibly the first Doom map that creates a continuous world. There are so many different areas in this map and all of them fit together perfectly to create the most immersive level in commercial doom. Other IWAD levels pick 1 setting (base, city, whatever) and stick to it, but O'Brien gave us several, all naturally connected, building up towards the epic conclusion. Only other levels that come close to such a thing are also both by O'Brien, but for most of their length, they remain focused on one main setting. The sense of place and storytelling in CP is unparalleled. Besides all that, it has gorgeous visuals, good gameplay design and an amazing midi. 

I don't know why, but Mount Pain always stood out more to me. All that is true, but I tend to have trouble finding it memorable outside the last area. The music should be more memorable though (only other place I've heard it is 180 Minutes Por Vivre's Map07) I really am curious what ppossiblyt completely unrelated profession to software and/or programming he ended up going into. I've got this picture of someone who just saw Doom as a canvas to simulate journeys, more than something to play with the boys on the weekend or whatever, but that could be completely wrong. I wonder if there's anyone in BC with a Facebook profile of that name......(Drake apparently hailed from Vancouver, though he might weell have moved).

Edited September 28, 2021 by LadyMistDragon

[Alfonso]

Map 15: Dead Zone

The multiple ways to approach the level are pretty fun.

Don't think other commercial level can't even compete in that aspect.