The DWmegawad Club plays: 1000 Lines 3

[LadyMistDragon]

12 minutes ago, Psyrus said:

*Peeks in*
The intermission midi is mine.  ;)

I don't know how I could've mixed it up with the text screen music I've yet to hear(:. Also, how come no one gave titles to the intermission/text music? I'd think you could describe them somehow.

[Tristan]

14 hours ago, dei_eldren said:

i'll have to check if any other mappers from Eviternity were involved in this along with Dragonfly. 

 

7 hours ago, LadyMistDragon said:

Here, it seems like the roles were reversed, mainly because Tristan also confessed to a tendency toward going wild when he starts mapping.

 

Nah I started the map then ran out of ideas so Dragonfly finished it, but Elysium was more of a 50/50 split whereas I'd say this map is more like 75% Dragonfly's work.

[LadyMistDragon]

1 minute ago, Eris said:

 

 

Nah I started the map then ran out of ideas so Dragonfly finished it, but Elysium was more of a 50/50 split whereas I'd say this map is more like 75% Dragonfly's work.

Huh, who did the lava pit area then?

[Tristan]

The rough layout is mostly mine but all the monster placement in the map is Dragonfly's except for the arachnotron sniper, and maybe that one zombieman in the exit but I can't remember if that was me or Dragonfly pretending to be me, lol

[Capellan]

MAP02

 

[DisgruntledPorcupine]

MAP02: "Tharsis Awakens" by Tristan Clark, Dragonfly

UV, pistol start, no saves

100% kills, 0/0 secrets

 

And just like that the monster count quadruples (and then some) from the previous map. This one takes place in a spacy metallic techbase, with an outdoor area full of cliffs and lava. For a map that's limited to 1000 lines, this one actually took a decent amount of time to finish. The Otex textures also lend themselves well to the limitation since their generally more detailed appearance can compensate for the lower amount of detail that the mapper is able to implement themselves. We also meet the new caco, same as the old caco but a strange dark green colour.

 

The larger monster count is partially owing to a lengthier map and some big groups of weak monsters thrown at you towards the map's latter half. The zombieman hordes are easy enough to take care of, but the big plasma zombie group is probably the most dangerous part of the level. They may not hitscan, but again they can deal a lot of damage very quickly. There's also a big imp horde near the end of the level, they're not so dangerous themselves, more of a distraction for the revenants that come in through the rear. The rest of the level isn't too bad. You meet the archvile here and he's not super dangerous. Also, shoutout to the lone zombieman guarding the exit. Love it.

 

Pretty fun level. I enjoyed the spacy aesthetic.

[dei_eldren]

MAP03 - Lower City Grime (HNTR, continuous, blind): K 99%, I 0%, S 0%, D 4, T 14:01

 

Spoiler

At first two attempts, i got rather annoyed and disliked the hot start, before getting the hang of it (i exaggerated its difficulty, to be fair.)  But as the map progressed, after a while i realized it was the most exciting part of the level.  This small city-style map was a bit of a letdown after the first two, with its extremely linear and uncomplicated progression, and rather boring combat - meaning, it was not much more than a matter of mowing down enemies with a weapon of your choice.  The most excitement came as an attack of what turned out to be three surprise Pinkies from my behind, which i mistook in the moment for a horde, thus causing my third death, whilst the BK ambush with the plasma-rifled-guys was a little bit lame, even if they managed to get me as i concentrated on the feint of the Revenant.  These deaths i regret a bit, and just show how sloppy my gameplay happened to be.  And i didn't bother go and kill the last Arachnotron in the slime.

 

Still, while the level was bland, it wasn't poorly made, just very basic, and it was also quite short.  So much so that it really had the feel of a map with enforced limitations, or even a speedmap, which was a bit disappointing, too.  So far, i think i could have easily played HMP, but i'm sure the difficulty will ramp up to no end over the next few maps...  Damn those deaths, though...

 

Oh, have to mention the cutest thing on the map that were the grass-beds in the beginning area, increasing the grade by a whole point. :)

 

PS: Reading the other reviews it's apparent that HNTR on this map is far easier, apart from the start, so that might account for my less positive experience.  i found for example the ambushes on MAP02 much more challenging.

 

 

Top 1000 maps:

Spoiler

MAP02 - Tharsis Awakens - 9/10

MAP01 - Dust Devils - 7/10

MAP03 - Lower City Grime - 5/10

 

Edited December 3, 2021 by dei_eldren

[Biodegradable]

I'm late! Sorry, sorry, sorry... ACK! I've been busting my arse for weeks editing a big 35min video for a client, but it's finally finished and I'm here! Oh boy, been eagerly waiting to play this, you guys. Time to catch-up :^)

 

MAP01 - Dust Devils

HMP | Continuous | GZDoom

 

A fun, breezy intro to our new 1KL adventure, complete with gorgeous architecture ordained with Ukiro's lovely OTEX, this map has a fun run-and-gun quality with nifty secrets and progression. It almost gives me vibes of the first map of Duke3D where you're dropped into a small city section and just cause some chaos. I love it. I couldn't figure out that backpack secret, but I reckon it was just a cheeky switch that eluded me. Incidentally, the dehacked weapons feel great! The weapon switching is nice and quick while also differentiating itself from Supercharge, the animations are smooth and the QoL tweaks to speed and accuracy are greatly appreciated. Nicely done, Aurelius.

 

MAP02 - Tharsis Awakens

 

A slightly flat and wide, underground facility that's stark, filled with easy ways for hitscanners to snipe you through gaps in walls and I guess this is where all the plasma boys hang out when they're not killing marines because those guys were everywhere! Good thing I found that secret rocket launcher from MAP01 hehe. I love the detailing in this one with how the keys are sitting on a tiny podium paired with a couple of complementary colourful fixtures. The general progression of this map was also really good, keeping me on my toes as it gradually turned the heat up.

 

MAP03 - Lower City Grime

 

Oh man, big city shoot-out! A big kick to the face starting out, gunning down heaps of zombies while dodging projectiles then cleaning everything else up before you can truly get your bearings as to where you are. More nostalgic feelings for Duke3D came flooding into my brain (the borrowed trash textures only making it stronger hehe) as I traversed this urban landscape. Hot damn, does OTEX make for awesome future city aesthetics. All the windows and concrete and neon signs! I can't wait to see more of this episode for that reason alone. Evidently, Liberation wants you to go hog-wild with the Plasma Rifle as he litters the streets with cells more than any other ammo type as he chucks the entire population at you at one point, bastards pouring out into the streets, sniping from above and even teleporting behind you. This is probably my favourite map so far. Just a lot of action-packed goodness with a gnarly, city backdrop with a terrific midi from Psyrus to head-bang to while gunning down baddies. I'm in heaven, mate. :^)

 

 

[ReaperAA]

MAP02: "Tharsis Awakens" by Tristan Clark and Dragonfly

UV, pistol start, no saves

Kills: 228/228, Secrets: 0/0

Deaths on map = 0

Total Deaths = 0

 

A huge jump (more than 4x on UV) in monster numbers compared to Map01. Though that large number is due to a lot of the enemies being lower tier enemies like zombiemen, imps, plasma troopers etc. Still, the map doesn't hesitate in introducing the good'ol mid tier enemies like cacodemons (which are now reskinned), hell knights, barons, revenants, mancubus and also 1 archvile. But while the map is a big step up from the first map, the encounters are still pretty easy because it allows the player ample space and opportunity to retreat to safer area during monster encounters. Only the final encounter with imps and revenants can be somewhat threatening if playing blind.

 

The size of the map isn't huge, but due to the economical use of the layout and the fact that you have to loop through the central area multiple times makes the map seem bigger than it is. My only minor complaint is that aesthetically, it feel more like just a good techbase map and not one that follows the mars city theme as some other maps in the episode do. That and there are no secrets on the map.

 

MAP03: "Lower City Grime" by Liberation

UV, pistol start, no saves

Kills: 162/163, Secrets: 0/0

Deaths on map = 0

Total Deaths = 0

 

This map is where things start getting a bit spicier. Although the enemy count is lower than the last map, their usage is overall more effective, with the blue key ambush and the final fight being the 2 main highlights. Still not a hard map by any means. 

 

The layout and progression is simpler and linear, but the map more than makes up for it aesthetically. Aesthetics wise, this map (like Map01) has strong mars city vibe. The main objective is to infiltrate and then fight through what seems like an industrial sewage plant (or something like that). And just like map02, this map also doesn't have any secrets which is very slightly disappointing, but not a big deal.

 

[finnks13]

MAP 3 - Lower City Grime by Liberation:

Another step up in challenge, Lower City Grime's monster count is inflated by more tough opponents than Tharsis Awakens' was and this translates to a more hectic level. I think the cityscape conveyed in this map is particularly impressive, with the ending bridge standing out to me as a really well done bit of making an area feel alive using few lines. Not sure how it took me such a long time to find the first progression door as it's not really hidden at all, but I suppose all the eyecandy is making me pretty unobservant.

 

The fight in the first area after dropping down from the plasma gun is a bit of a kick up the arse, I was trying to save cells at this point but a swift smacking from a couple of revenants had me switching over to the plasma gun out of respect for their punching ability. Also, if this is going to be a plasma-gun-dominated episode, it would have been nice to have a sound replacement for it as you're fine changing the pistol and chaingun sounds, so it would have been appreciated to have a less annoying sound here too (I just really hate the default plasma gun sound, I'm not trying to sound like I'm grasping at straws for things to complain about here).

 

The fight after the elevator down to the sludge room is probably the best, with the horde of pinkies spawning behind you pushing you forwards, and snipers all around - the plasma trooper is used very well in this fight as they exert a lot of pressure on you from just their elevated spots, and it's quite hard to focus on them when there's hell knights and pinkies approaching your position on the ground level. The final fight is also pretty fun, as to avoid the revenants you have to push through the pinkies and arachnotrons to get to a safe spot. I liked this map, it's hectic and fun.

[FragsBunny]

MAP01: Dust Devils (100%/100%/100%)

1.       “Nazi” have increased movement speed

2.       Zombieman can leap at their prey

3.       Add lots of explosive barrels to the level

 

Let’s add some fun to the first episode by adding lots of barrels! Granted, Barrels of Fun is the kind of card that actually makes a walkthrough much easier then usual, but when this card first came up with the mod, it resulted with barrels clogging up the starting room and sometimes on teleporters exits. It also could break GZdoom with sheer number of barrels it could spawn. Now the placements of barrels is more balanced, there can’t be more than 100 barrels per card, and they don’t spawn on the map immediately!

 

The first level introduces us the “dehacked” nazis, the plasma troopers that do drop some cells on death. The only good weapons you can play with here are secret shotgun and the assault rifle, whose firing rate can put the classic chaingun to shame. We also have brand new key colors – green and purple so far. I was surprised for the first map to end so fast when I reached the exit, when there were still some secrets to discover. Turned out all of the secrets are accessible through well hidden switches! I tried to reach the rocket laucher from where I found the backpack with some straferun skills, but eventually found the final two secrets that allowed me to grab it with ease. Cool opening, looking forwards to blow up more barrels!

[FragsBunny]

MAP02: Tharsis Awakens (100%/100%/100%)

1.       Imp projectiles explode on impact

2.       “Nazi” fire bullets instead

3.       Baron of Hell gains health and damage after killing another monster

 

Guess what? The shotgun also had its firing rate increased. Along with assault rifle, those two weapons will do their job so good that you wouldn’t notice how fast you can kill over 200 monsters in a short time! What I really did not like is the fact that the “cell ammo” dropped by plasma troopers actually gave me bullets instead of cells! I think I may not have loaded the dehacked patch that could change that…

 

The barrels in this map were more of annoyance rather than being beneficial. Sometimes I had to clear the room of those barrels while expecting an enemy ambush, so that I wouldn’t get blown myself down by those barrels. Sometimes those barrels do appear inside monster closets, giving me some opportunities to score a free chain of explosion. The green key ambush, however, surprised me, cause I expected the monsters to came out of nearby closets, instead of spawning right in front of me, while the room was still full of barrels!

 

As I mentioned before, the plasma troopers gave me no cell ammo, which allowed me to use the plasma gun for a mere 40 shots. The assault rifle does nearly the same job, and much batter with rapid-fire bullets! The ammo consumption is another matter, though. For the finale, we have a revenant pack in front and imp packs from behind – still nothing that rocket launcher can’t solve! When you finally see the token zombie trooper, it’s a clear sign that a level is about to end.

[FragsBunny]

MAP03: Lower City Grime (100%/100%/100%)

1.       Imp bleeds lethal acid

2.       Imp hunt the player in silence

3.       Sergeant has a regenerating shield

 

The third level gave me plenty of opportunities to play with plasma gun, as cell packs on the ground were plentiful despite giving 50 cells each. In fact, the entire level is built around fast-pased action, where you continuously unleash bullets and plasma on hordes of your enemies. It is also the first level that gave me strong vibes of Neo Shotkon City from Auger Zenith. The fun in further amplified by the continuous presence of barrels. At one point I lost a fair amount of health in the lower area and had to retreat back up in order to restock myself. Another nasty ambush came in the final leg of the map, with pinkies in front and revenants from behind. Fast and furious, to the point that you won’t ever notice the complete absence of a super shotgun!

[Bauul]

30 minutes ago, FragsBunny said:

What I really did not like is the fact that the “cell ammo” dropped by plasma troopers actually gave me bullets instead of cells! I think I may not have loaded the dehacked patch that could change that…

 

The plasma trooper drops do give you cell ammo, it could be the corruption card mod you're using isn't playing well with the Dehacked. Might be worth checking the mapset without mods loaded - if it works properly, you may want to consider whether to continue playing with the mod.

 

Edit: Turns out this might actually be a bug with the Decorate code in the latest RC. Stay tuned.

 

3 hours ago, finnks13 said:

it would have been nice to have a sound replacement for it as you're fine changing the pistol and chaingun sounds, so it would have been appreciated to have a less annoying sound here too 

 

We actually went backwards and forwards on this, even dropped in some new sounds to hear how they sounded in game. In the end Liberation decided he preferred the original plasma sounds, so we ended up keeping them. But it was a genuine consideration.

Edited December 3, 2021 by Bauul

[finnks13]

1 hour ago, Bauul said:

We actually went backwards and forwards on this, even dropped in some new sounds to hear how they sounded in game. In the end Liberation decided he preferred the original plasma sounds, so we ended up keeping them. But it was a genuine consideration.

 

Well, I can't argue with that, if you've gone back and forward and decided that the regular plasma gun sound fits the set better than an alternative one, then feel free to completely ignore my grumbling about it!

[Liberation]

Hey folks, glad everyone is enjoying 1k3 so far!

 

Getting 1k3 to work on all ports has been a bit of a challenge, and unfortunately due to recent changes the plasma zombie cell drop did get broken in GZDoom, it's giving the player bullets instead of cells.

 

So, here is a hotfix for that.  (load after 1k3rc3.wad)

 

If players are pistol starting the maps, the patch is fine.

However if you're playing continuous, you do have a choice to make as to whether to use the patch or not due to save games. I will note that the plasma zombie is only in E1, and if you are playing continuous, then I doubt you will suffer any ammo shortages due to this.

Just to confirm, this only effects GZDoom.

[Doritos420]

@Liberation Thanks for the patch!

 

Map03 - Lower City Grime by Liberation 

A sewer level that is actually awesome! Very fun level and it felt like a small step up to the difficulty. Despite the lower monster count you’re fighting in areas that feel a little bit more claustrophobic. At the start of the level you loop back to the beginning area after grabbing the blue key, but then after that you go along a fairly linear path; gives the level a very adventurous feel to it. The visuals combined with the music gives a fun cyberpunk sort of vibe which I really enjoyed. One detail I loved was the computer screens with the satanic imagery flashing on it, as if even the electronics are being corrupted. The area that gave me the most trouble was probably the first area where you take the elevator into the sewer, where the mancubi and plasma guys are firing at you right away. My favorite area was probably the wide open sewage areas with the catwalks that looped back around. Despite just using the Doom engine it felt as if I was exploring a 3D world. Cool vista at the end when you’re approaching the exit along the long bridge. Really liked this one, gave me lots of ideas for my own mapping.

[LadyMistDragon]

Map 03: Lower City Grime, by Liberation

 

This music (by Psyrus again) is not unlike the last one, though the emphasis on sci-fi energeticness goes better with what's now entirely a city map, as opposed to the last one. The trash in the corners is a nice touch, as well as the acid rain puddles nearby.

 

This map starts hot almost right off. Liberation kindly provides you with an assault rifle so you don't just find yourself scrambling into another room right away. Though the plasma troopers are now out in greater force and will certainly wreck your day quicker than almost anything. They're not really a problem until you cross the linedef around the blue key though. Charging them is probably unwise due to their combined rate of fire, but Revenants are also attacking you from behind, so you can't exactly stand still.  Unfortunately, I learned the lesson too slowly, because I died.

 

Anyway, the door the Revenants emerged from leads the way to a plasma rifle, along with a way to get back to the main courtyard. Here is another ambush, along with several Hell Knights and a few plasma troopers firing from across the courtyard from y'all. I think we know what that means. Though maybe you don't want to wait around. Why would you ;p)?

 

Behind the blue door are some enemies and a lift that takes you down to the next main challenge: a nicely vertical room with some Manicubi in front and plasma troopers on the left, and some other assorted enemies as well. Since I wasn't focusing on the plasma troopers for some odd reason. I was chewed up quite badly here, though there's still some room from error.

 

So you go up another lift and not long after emerge into the hardest fight of the map. The Imps on the other side of the drainage ditch don't seem to be a huge threat but the two Archnotrons inside the ditch itself are an entirely different story. Plus, there are Imps to the right firing at you from some distance, so you'll want to take out the closest pair at least (since I went through my ammo like popcorn, it seemed rather unwise to target the farthest ones). In addition, head to the end of this area containing storage boxes and you'll be attacked by some hell knights. I think you might want them to infight the Archanotrons behind them, but it's not strictly necessary. Anyway, you might be like me and be slow to spot the Archnotrons in the slime. I died here twice before working out a strategy of moving so the below Arachnotrons are in my not-so-iron sights, and then moving to the other side, slowly, once they are dead, and then shooting the Hell Knights and then charging at one of the Archnotrons once they are dead. At the far end of the area with the Hell Knight and other Arachnotrons is a Pain Elemental for some reason, At least there's multiple entrances and medkits to alleve your no-doubt highly-wounded state.

 

Last fight is a satisfying sort of thing with pinkies charging at you from a walkway leading to an important place, I think, along with a cheeky Arachnotron firing at them from the far end and some Revenants right behind you I failed to spot until a few seconds later. There was enough room to move to the sides, so it wasn't really an issue.

 

Map 02 is probably a little more fun, but that's just because enemy plasma firesucks, objectively. Running out of plasma will probably never happen although it's not ideal for every encounter.

Edited December 3, 2021 by LadyMistDragon

[baja blast rd.]

(Like a few other people, my playthrough is a replay.) 

 

02: "Tharsis Awakens" by Yob Tristan Clark and Dragonfly

 

 

A taste of the pleasures of the new arsenal: you're comprehensively kitted up with plenty of noisy fights throughout...a sandbox to try whatever you want. Normally, less useful weapons fall by the wayside, but quick switch lets you try fun combos. Fire two rockets at a mancubus; have the assault rifle blazing with the rockets barely in the air. For such a dreary base, it's a party. The plasma dude convention was especially fun, running around and having them nuke the mancs and cacos. The music with its driving rhythms and wistful synths helps "Tharsis Awakens" feel cool to inhabit. 

 

03: "Lower City Grime" by Liberation

 

 

In some ways, Liberation's first map is a visual "how to" for the limitations: the textures are generally busy-looking stretched over long unadorned surfaces, using periodic baked-in detailing like windows or introducing asymmetrical horizontal bands. Overall nothing looks "unfinished" despite the big scale -- even at the imposing vista of Mars Corp. The action doesn't relent; it builds from smaller tussles into an absolute plasma war after your descent, spiders and soldiers perfectly equipped to exploit the long narrow spaces. The layout flow is noticeably elegant, and even with the plasma leaning, every encounter feels differentiated and worthwhile.  

[Roofi]

 

I have a specific challenge for this DMWC , I don't play the maps , I just comments them from the layouts instead and some screenshots. :)

 

Map 01 

 

 

A level that emphasizes the use of lights since it is possible to see from the layout long linedefs converging towards square sectors.

 

The environment consists of a large courtyard in the southern part with a rectangular shape and narrower passages in the northern part with more deformed rooms.

 

The first map has the advantage of proposing fairly open spaces despite the limit of linesdefs

 

Map 02

 

 

 

A small and particularly detailed base surrounded by spacious rocky landscapes made with a handful of big sectors. The sort of corridor located in the center of the map acts as a hub because it allows to reach the different areas. The separation between the natural areas and the tech-base is particularly striking.

 

Map 03

 

 

This map aims to be more realistic. You can recognize the street and the sidewalks that surround it. The buildings are built in a rather simple and realistic way. However, the author has employed gigantic triangular sectors to create a scenery that is both massive and economical.

 

A long bridge leads to a lone building located in the western part. 

Edited December 3, 2021 by Roofi

[Suitepee]

https://youtu.be/nY6PxRomtpo = part 1. (maps 1-14)

https://youtu.be/pAk7NQtjrzM = part 2. (maps 15-20, 31/32)

https://youtu.be/aHUxUvPb-3g = part 3. (maps 21-30)

 

The most fun 1k Lines project yet.

 

Map 30 spoiler/thoughts:

 

Map 30 should set a massive future example for the entire Doom community in how to end a mapset, still remain challenging, and not use an outdated & unfun Icon of Sin to do it. Good job @Aurelius on that one.

[RHhe82]

MAP03: Lower City Grime. Played on HMP, DSDA-Doom 0.21. 100% kills, 0/0 secrets. Interestingly enough, there were zero items, as well. Completion time 13:18.

 

I still think I should be playing on UV, but on the other hand, this map wasn't easy-peasy either. There were only a couple of times I could catch my breath, mostly in the beginning in the few closed-off rooms. This is to say, I had fun times. I like when the levels are relentless enough, but not overwhelming. Ammo isn't scarce, but not overabundant either. Plasma zombies gave me some actual trouble this time now that we've gotten acquainted with them.

 

This time I forgot earlier impressions of Eviternity/BTSX tech-baseyness, and saw more of Duke Nukem 3D (or even Ion Fury) cityscape here, as someone already mentioned earlier. I think Duke still does city levels better, because the engine is rigged that way, but if only city levels of Doom 2 were of Lower City Grime caliber. Also, I would have hard time believing there were 1000 linedefs at most, the map looks fuller than that. I wonder if I peek at UDB... I would have guessed wrong! Only 986 linedefs! Map02 had one thousand, exactly. Oh, and looking at it in UDB, I love how teleporting monster closet sectors have been constructed with blocking decorations :-D

 

I totally forgot to mention last time, but I'm really digging the soundtrack, too.

[NiGHTS108]

MAP03: Lower City Grime
By Liberation

 

Kills: 82%

Items: 100%

Secrets: 100%

Time: 4:00

 

Lower City Grime hits the spot, community project leader Liberation impresses with his use of Plasma Marines, it’s the best use of them I’ve seen so far, being lodged high on platforms with enemies below so you can’t easily snipe them which keeps you on your toes, the fight in the crate area near the end is some good clean fun with the use of Pinkies and Hell Knights, not much else to it, Liberation doesn’t waste your time and keeps every encounter fresh and crispy!

 

Grade: A-
Difficulty: C

 

Playthrough video

Edited December 4, 2021 by NiGHTS108

[Capellan]

MAP03

 

 

 

[Azure_Horror]

Map 01 “Dust Devils” by Aquila

GLBOOM-Plus, pistol start, UV difficulty

 

The opening shot instantly sells cyberpunk city aesthetics. Aquila achieved an amazing effect with just a few flat surfaces and clever texture usage. The combat in the starting area is also pretty memorable, with new Plasma Soldiers firing from multiple levels. Luckily, our starting pistol is pretty beastly.

 

But do you know, what is the real beast here? The fresh chaingun replacement - assault rifle. And when I say "the real beast", I mean it: imagine Valiant super-chaingun, but with perfect accuracy, and without that pesky wind down animation. This thing feels less like a chaingun replacemnt and more like a plasma rifle variant!

 

Plasma troopers are used in many different parts of the level. Visually, they are great, and compliment the "bleak future" theme of the map. Combat-wise, they feel like squishy arachnotrons, at least so far. Potentially dangerous, but not as deadly as Former Captains of Struggle/Eviternity fame.

 

Visuals are very good on “Dust Devils”, especially the houses. My only complaint is the lift. Huge machinery surrounded by big red lights looks a bit too grandiose compared to other parts of the map. But overall visual impression is very good. The dirty concrete texture feels right at home. The greenish tech squares are smartly used to create run-down housing(?) complexes. Sometimes those buildings go all the way down to nukage pits. Other times the buildings connect in menacing way above your head. Nothing says "bleak cyberpunk future" like those structures.

[cannonball]

MAP03 - “Lower city grime” by Liberation

No secrets again... :/

 

Ok the map itself - This one probably has the strongest sense of place so far, the pseudo-realism actually works very well here with the action taking place between some buildings and a large aqueduct behind the blue key door. The gameplay was pretty well focused with some nasty plasmaguy placement where they can often hit you from far away. I must confess to dying an excessive number of times to the actual difficulty of the map that was overall a little easier than the hardest bits of map02. However on the whole this can be played at an aggressive pace once you have the plasma-spewing zombies sussed. 

Overall - Short and slick and the best map so far. I guess the only compliant is both the lack of secrets and potentially having a little too much ammo. Then again maybe that is all part of the fun.

 

A side note - I am enjoying the fact that so far the plasma gun has been given stronger precedence by being given both early and providing decent amounts of ammunition for it (I know that you get essentially clips from the zombies but still it is a small but interesting tweak to the classic gameplay that tends to lean on other weapons more heavily than the one occupying the number 6 slot).

[DFF]

Map02: Tharsis Awakens - Tristian Clark and Dragonfly
PRboom +2.6; K: 100%; S: 100%; T: 7:55

This is more the kind of heat i like. For map 2 theres a decently high monster count (easily 4x the first) but its not that difficult of a map. there's plenty of room to move in and there's a good balance of health and ammo. Most of the enemies are lower tier fodder, but a lot of the bigger players finally come out to play here. We see some cacos, a mancubus or two, revenants, both of the bruiser brothers, and a singular arch-vile. But in addition to this we also finally get a plasmagun to capitalize on those plasma drops from the plasma troopers. I prefer this map combat wise over the first not just because its got the slightly more edge i prefer in difficulty, but I feel the trap setups and the forces encountered compliment well with the arsenal given. Where the assault rifle chewed through everything in map01, it was a valuable but somewhat scarce resource by the second map, and the shotgun, RL, and plasma gun felt very useful in their own regards and each managed to find purposeful usage in my run, as this map features a large variety of traps to large monster hordes for the RL, smaller key fights for the shotgun and machinegun, and some heavy hitters where plasma is needed to melt them fast. 

The map design and detailing was clean and rather interesting. the base was abstract in that i could not exactly identify what a real world equivalency of this building would be but thats not a bad thing, sometimes a techbase is just a techbase. Its consistently great but not amazing. this map does feature one of the hallmarks of 1K lines that im not a fan of and thats zero secrets. This is a byproduct of the limited number of lines, which i can appreciate, but i always feel like maps that lack secrets (other than very specific types of maps) lose out on a core aspect of doom, the urge to explore and dissect every bit of a map to find some juicy ancient hideaways with long lost loot. Its a minor grievance really, but maps that fit good secrets (especially ones limited like these) always gain bonus points in my book.

Rankings:

Spoiler

Map02
Map01

 

[Maribo]

DSDA-Doom v0.21.3, UV, Continuous, Saves at the start of each map (probably more when it gets slaughter-y)

I'm not going to be doing a map-by-map log, just posting notes when I feel. This is a blind playthrough as well.

- The weapon-swap speed is muscle memory-destroying, but very interesting. It makes the traditional strategies for speedy maxing play a lot looser. Makes me look forward to the IL runs people will submit.

- As a sub-note to the first point, plasma is kind of handed out like candy in this due to plentiful use of plasma troopers. The high amount of cell ammo + being handed the plasma rifle so early makes it much more of a viable "panic button" weapon so far, with the weapon-swap speed change.

- The altered shotgun animation speed is nice, it makes it a lot more bearable to use on revenants, even if it is still tedious on anything with halfway decent health.

- I cannot keep enough bullets for the assault rifle. This is a good thing, because it means I'm actually using it for more than sniping ledge enemies and stunlocking revenants when I have no other ammo.

- MAP02 is like opening a present box just to find another box inside, it's fun.

- A nitpick: MAP03 has a pair of really out of place arachnotrons in a sewage area in the fight before the ambush near the exit, they're not very dangerous and really they're just awkward to kill. That fight was otherwise the trickiest for me so far, it's the only one in the wad so far that got me near death, because I made a poor choice of neglecting a couple of the plasma troopers.

[Capellan]

MAP04

 

 

[NiGHTS108]

MAP04: Monument Of Mars
By Reflex17

Kills: 88%
Items: 37%
Secrets: 0%
Time: 5:29

 

Despite the daunting name, Monument Of Mars is actually the second easiest map in 1000 Lines 3 so far, most of the fights don’t leave any kind of an impression, I just played it and I'm having trouble recalling anything about it, there’s 2 sorta clumsy Arch-Viles, one in an ugly warehouse and one cowering behind a crate outdoors, and it's also ripe with monster window dressing (the act of placing monsters as decoration on cliffs or other unreachable positions), the majority of the enemies come single file but the fight in the previously mentioned ugly warehouse is pretty fun, even if you get beyond enough rockets to take care of Archie and co. Monument Of Mars feels sorta rushed, it's short, average looking and kinda boring

 

Grade: C+
Difficulty: D+

 

Playthrough video

Edited December 5, 2021 by NiGHTS108