The DWmegawad Club plays: Ozonia

[NiGHTS108]

MAP08: Subterraneo I

 

Kills: 88%
Items: 58%
Secrets: 0%
Time: 4:27

 

Subterraneo I can be considered a bit of a break map, in fact I think even the length of my YouTube video broke the par by almost 2 minutes, the biggest fight comes early with a huge mob of Revenants which makes up like half of the map’s meek population of 50 or so, Subterraneo I consists of 3 floors you can traverse down with silent teleporters to simulate room over room… ooh la la, fancy mapping tricks! Thankfully if you’re like me and ran away from the Revenants, there’s a teleporter at the bottom of the cave that’ll lead you back to the top, the final fight consists of a lot of Hierophants but if you budget your rockets well, all your problems will disappear, Subterraneo I is a fine map that moves things along, not bad

 

Grade: B-

Difficulty: D+

Playthrough video

-

 

MAP09: Subterraneo II

By Lorenz0

 

Kills: 97%
Items: 91%
Secrets: 0%
 

It was kinda surreal to see non-Chaingunner zombies right off the bad for what felt like the first time in this wad, although this map is named Subterraneo II, I’m not sure what’s so II about it, they feel like quite different maps to play, there’s even an outdoors section in this map, I like the visuals of the said outdoors area but the rest of this map looks kinda samey to me, and similarly I found the combat here a little forgettable to be honest, the only parts I really remember are the big Imp ambush, the beginning with the annoying Hellions, and the rocket launcher fight with the annoying Hellions and… To tell you the truth I don’t think MAP07 was really the issue with the Hellions I had, Sorry Deadwing but I think I kinda just don’t really like the Hellions as an enemy, maybe I’ll come around to like them eventually but I wouldn’t mind if they were slower, weaker, or fired a different projectile, just one thing to make them weaker would have made them more palatable in my book

Anyway

Subterraneo II

 

Grade: B

Difficulty: C

 

Playthrough video

Edited January 9, 2022 by NiGHTS108

[DisgruntledPorcupine]

MAP08: Subterraneo I

UV, pistol start, no saves

100% kills, 2/2 secrets

 

A quicker map this time, but no less memorable than others have been. This one sees you starting in a lake of lava at the doorway of a techy looking building. The door takes you to a lava cave with a hole in the center, which starts your adventure underground. The hole (as well as the next one) uses and invisible teleporter to simulate the layers of earth as being on top of one another, which is a neat bit of immersion. The midi is a piano-driven jam in 7/8, sounds quite nice. 

 

The combat sees a bit of a stylistic shift, with combat being divided into 3 setpieces rather than having a lot of incidental monster placements as previous maps mostly did. The first encounter might actually be the toughest one, featuring quite a lot of revenants with a single mancubus at the head of the room. There is damaging lava scattered about and only a few small pillars to break up the homing missiles with, so there's some danger here. The second fight features a swarm of hierophants, pick the left side of the room and stick around there, using your rockets to take them out. As long as you aren't caught flat-footed you should do ok. The third fight is sort of a mashup of the previous two, hierophants are placed around the room ignorant to your presence from the start, and revenants teleport in later. There's a somewhat annoying arachnotron at the back that can cause some problems too, and there's a bit less of a defined foothold for you in this one compared to the previous one. You also get a soulsphere in this fight though, which helps out a good deal.

 

Feels like a bit of a breather, both timewise and in challenge, but still manages to be an enjoyable and distinctive map.

 

MAP09: "Subterraneo II" by Lorenz0

UV, pistol start, no saves

100% kills, 1/1 secrets

 

This map continues right from where the previous one left off, with you right by the exit switch you just hit, and facing the door that was once closed. Our first guest mapper joins the show here, and there is indeed a different sort of feel to this map, with the progression being more concrete and linear than it mostly has been in the past. There's a curious mix of themes here, where we continue with the underground themes but also have an outdoor area with a body of water and visible sky, makes you wonder where we've ended up. The midi is a nice synth-laden jazz fusion groove.

 

Lorenz0 also brings a bit of a new take to the combat here, where Deadwing often seems to favour a monster ratio pretty weighted towards mid-level threats, this one features more large chunks of low-tier enemies. Both custom enemies are also used a fair bit here, and they are no less nasty than ever. The first time you see them, quite early on with a pincer attack featuring a hierophant and two hellions, can be quite tricky at first and is best handled by just running out of the room quickly as you can. The ambush on your way to the red key is probably the trickiest part and is very fun, the hellions in this fight are quite tough to deal with. I try to take them out first, not just because of their general danger, but because they tend to hit lots of the other enemies as they leap around so the more obstacles they have the better.

 

A well filled guest spot, the map flows well and has some fun combat.

[Biodegradable]

MAP10 - Aranha

UV | Continuous | GZDoom with Vanilla+

 

This map is very cheeky, slapping you in the face with an impromptu boss fight with a Spider-Mum peppered with some Cacos and teleporting shenanigans before opening the arena doors into a large encapsulating gutter dotted with other building structures brimming with punishment. Revs and Archies can't wait to greet you and shower you with rockets and fire. Running in for cover will have you met with inconveniently-placed Brainiacs and roaming Zombies and Imps to wittle down your health as you desperately dance around dealing with everything. The place is also packed with monster closets with, you guessed it, more fucking Revs plus some Chaingunners for good measure. Much like MAP09, it's brief, but damn does it come out swinging. Fortunately, I was prepared this time. For newcomers though, hold onto your butts because this map has a way of not letting up for anything until you've killed every fucker on it. It's slick, it's quirky, it's action-packed and a fun romp. Definitely a favourite.

 

 

[kalaeth]

day 10, map 10.

 

MAP10 - Aranha aka "spider": 

 

I'm glad i'm not an arachnophobiac else I might be tempted to skip this level based on the name alone. I start the level on really low health so the gift of a bluesphere is something I really appreciate even if it probably just means the level will be mean. Teleport and... Oh. I see which spider the title means. And she keeps jumping from pad to pad! And me? Well.. I jump into the lava. Death 1. Second try I just shoot plasma into her big face while running from side to side and get her dead. Now.. mud revenants and switches to switch. And then I stand too close to a barrel and just go kaboom with it. Death 2. And of course I didn't save after killing the spider. Ended up doing even better this time, so no problem there. Different approach, side tunnel this time. Chaingun a manc, rocket a sniperspider, and then rocket the revs as well. Switch to shotgun, shoot a hidden switch, move forward, save before entering the revenant infested mud. Found the secret outside but upon teleporting back the double attack of rev+spider get's me back to 100 health. A bit of tunneling and I find the red key. More tunneling now! Red door won't do me any good until I find the yellow key so.. Another trip around the mud. A few chainguners show me I'm on the right track and there's the yellow key. Run, grab and what a surprise! Revs. A save before the 'port and into it we jump! Blue key and plasma monkeys are running around, nothing a few SSG blasts don't fix. Press the switch beyond the blue door and up we go. All enemies dead, all secrets found, so I open the exit door and holy f5ck that's a lot of skulls! Around the cliff and into the exit.

 

K/S/I : 100%, 94%, 100%
time (cumulative / level ) 2:37:08 / 12:58

deaths (cumulative / level ) : 10 / 2

 

Can't believe this level only has 44 monsters, they felt way more than that! well, that's  all for today.

[DJVCardMaster]

MAP10 - Aranha (100%K/I/S):

The name (Spider) already implies a Spider Mastermind fight, so there is nothing not to expect here, and let me say, what an interesting fight with the Mastermind we have here, constantly teleporting herself into different places. The teleporting platforms can get bugged if the spider wants to TP into a place where there is another enemy, and this can happen quite often, as those annoying lost souls get in her way. It is a really hectic fight if you pistol start, as you won't have a SSG to deal with the spider. The rest of the map is pure gold, pretty Plutonia-esque, (It also reminded me a little bit to TNT: Revilution) with many paths to take for the same goal, we are back to the "playground" maps like the first ones, when you finish fighting the spider. How hectic was to deal with the hellions at the end, they are getting even more and more into my nerves, I knew those would be complicated to deal with when in groups.

(HMP Playthrough - PrBoom+)

Order of preference:
 

Spoiler

MAP05
MAP10

MAP03
MAP04
MAP02
MAP06
MAP07
MAP08
MAP09
MAP01

 

[Deadwing]

Hey guys! >.<

 

I released a new RC with some important changes for episode 2 onwards. They don't add much new changes, where the main features are a small nerf on Hellion's HP, episode selection screen for boom compatible ports and some fixes that might make a map (17) unfinishable when using MBF or above cl. I would recommend downloading it when you guys get to map 12 (episode 2). Sorry for all the inconvenience >.<

 

RC3 Deluxe: Here
RC3 Classic: Here

Edited January 10, 2022 by Deadwing

[LadyMistDragon]

Map 10 - Aranha

 

The midi here is one of the hardest-rocking so far, containing a heavy metallic edge along with the same Mellotron you've heard at other points hovering in the background.

 

Visuals are the most blatantly Plutonia-esque so far, with brown mud and jungle-walls dominating your field of view, along with some temple-like walls where this facility lies because it could do but little else. The Supercharge, Chaingun and other supplies near the beginning are quite dread-inducing, a feeling which is reinforced by teleporting right into front of a Spider Mastermind who teleports around the arena constantly. Some Cacodemons and Lost Souls will also filter into this location.

 

It's ultimately a pistol-starters' choice whether they choose to kill the Mastermind or not, but the less risky strategy is to fire in her direction until some Cacodemons get caught in the crossfire, then pressing the two switches down on the sides to raise bridges to some seemingly anonymous walls. Until they're not!

 

Heading into the circular arena here, you'll find yourself confronted at some point by Revenants and TWO (and I do mean TWO) Arch-viles with the potential of having nary the rockets to fight them off at the moment (this was where my one death was earned). Yes, you'll eventually come across a Super shotgun and plasma rifle in a side area which triggers  a nasty trap with Revenants because of course, but rockets are quite scattered here. And though the Mastermind will not be able to hurt you too badly, Arachnotrons firing their plasma cannons at certain points can still fray away your sanity if you let them. I was lucky that the two Arch-viles ended up quite close to each other the second time around.

 

Near the plasma rifle trap is a Manucubus, on the other end of a pit wherin lies a teleporter that takes you to....the red key. It's something of head-scratching decision honestly, but no matter. Some chaingunners will appear during the YK door and appear to filter in your direction, though I can't be sure. The yellow key will not be too hard to find if you've pressed some of the switches you may have come across along the circle here. Dealing with the aftermath (an Arch-vile, two Barons and some Revenants) is another story, but it wasn't too difficult when I'd found the plasma rifle at this point.

 

The building requiring the yellow and red keys is a little bit of fun, since there are barrels you can destroy to turn most of the Imps inside to gibs. Lowering the teleporter will take you to a platform containing the blue key and also cause several hellions to teleport in which absolutely ended up wrecking me. I think I was at 10 percent health when they were all dead.

 

At this point, I'd not figured out how to access the secret, and I would've moved on if I had not turned on the 'always display secrets' feature of PrBoom+ (which doesn't always work for every secret but that's incidental) and seen a certain edge with an Imp. This was probably one of Deadwing's toughest secrets to find, and it was  only through the location of a shootable switch behind a pillar near where you pick up the blue key which would raise a bridge to said location. Around here was a Supercharge and several Revenants that sliced off much of the health I acquired from this.

 

Now, once you go beyond the blue door, you'll crome across a very interesting text bit telling you there was some kind of accident at the void facility this links to. Something really bad seems to have happened. The final area with its walled skulls, can only reinforce this.

[Deadwing]

9 - I love Lorenzo's map, especially because it brings something that the wad was needing a lot: A map with a very distinct style, and while the player can't relax, it allows him to breath a little more compared with the previous entries. The locations are all very memorable to me and the linear progression is a nice change of pace. It's a distinct map even for Lorenzo's style given his spetacular work with Perpetual Powers and previous wads, IMO, which is usually more setpiece oriented.

 

When you reach the central cave, progression gets a bit more tricky and some exploration allows the player to get some goodies, such as the berserk, and the soulsphere. The RK path is definitely my favorite, with a really good incidental setup: 2 Chaingunners + 1 Revenants after the lava walk. The setup is a lot more dangerous than it looks, as it wrecked some uncautious players, and then it is followed by the Hellions + Spectre + Imps setpiece, which is the hardest one of the map. Another really cool touch is the lack of health after that setpiece, where the player will certainly be hurt, but has to procced to another wave of enemies until he gets the deserved health. The Yellow Key path, on other hand, is definitely easier, more accessible and it works well as a breather from the other path.

[Pseudonaut]

Now that RC3 is out, I should point out that the demos I recorded for maps 10-13 and map32 are all for RC2, and may desync in the latest version.

 

Map10 FDA (2 deaths)

oz10.zip

Pretty dangerous start for a blind run. This map lets you choose whether to kill the spider mastermind right away or later, and I eventually chose later. In that case, I suppose you should get the cacos infighting with the SMM before leaving the area so that they don't distract you while dealing with the archviles. Later on, the SMM can just be killed with plasma, and it doesn't cause much trouble after you escape its arena. I had some difficulty figuring out how to get the red key, since it didn't occur to me for a while that the blind drop leading to the necessary teleporter was something I ought to try.

 

 

[NiGHTS108]

MAP10: Aranha

 

Kills: 92%
Items: 79%
Secrets: 0%
Time: 8:25

 

Awwwwwwwww yeah! Now that’s what I call funky fresh! Aranha plays its best card immediately with the most creative fight in the wad so far, a platform with a teleporting Mastermind, Cacodemons and other miscellany, it sounds simple on paper sure, but I’m a huge fan of how Deadwing executed it here, this opening handed me my head quite a bit and it’s a whole lot of fun, best part of Ozonia so far, the rest of the map is mostly in the basin around the Mastermind, you can duck out like I did to get on with the map if you don’t feel like killing the Mastermind right away, this one felt a little more lenient with Arch-Viles and Revenants than the rest of the wad so far, thankfully you do get a bounty of rockets to help dispatch the doctors and their patients too, I do wish the rest of the map lived up better to the promising first impression, it’s mostly just more of the same after that to be honest, you can hop outta here when you find the red and yellow keys in the connecting pathways, now it’s off to the Void Facility
 

Grade: A-

Difficulty: B

 

Playthrough video

[Endless]

MAP10: Aranha | UV | Doom Retro

 

Araña la que te engaña. Back with Ozonia an we have a new map. The title pretty much tells you quite fast what you'll face on first, but after that, I actually had a better time with this map than the previous ones. Is slightly easier and has less of a problem with too many arachnatrons or revs. It looks good and feels good, with a steady progress that I enjoyed. It's a traditional ''get all 3 keys'' style of map, but it works well thanks to the circle-layout that opens various paths as you progress, with some surprises here and there to spice up the experience alongside the gameplay. It works pretty damn well and I quite enjoyed the overall mood that it provides. Plus, it has a pretty damn banger of a MIDI. Nice stuff.

[Book Lord]

MAP 11 – Moonblood I

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

 

The name Moonblood is associated with the hub map of the megaWAD, which we are going to visit at the end of each episode. Even though the infotext called the first episode “Ozonia”, Doomguy emerged from a gate labelled “Land of the Seeders”, while the other sealed destinations were “Ozonia Realms” and “The Abyss”. A lot of messages could be read on the screens: one called this place Ozonia’s Void Facility, which was indeed surrounded by black void; a second one informed about anomaly on a generator, and another one said the Reborn was the Mother’s last hope. “The Reborn” surely referred to our FPS hero, but the identities of the Mother, of the Baroness, and of the Mediator from the intermission texts were shrouded in mystery.

Spoiler

I walked through the void to an awe-inspiring mausoleum, a massive circular building containing the only enemies of the level: 8 Hierophants. As a continuous player, I could have used my arsenal to make short work of them, but I played as intended and tried to kill them with the SSG and 48 shells. The area was big enough to outrun them if needed, but it was difficult to hit them well while keeping the distance. I failed to kill them all and fled to a side area; there I pressed a switch, thus prompting a transformation in the mausoleum, with the Mother Demon seen in MAP01 appearing in the middle. This time she did not kill me: am I really her last hope?

Spoiler

Some Hierophants had disappeared, and I found them wandering in the void. I used some carryover ammo to vanquish them, but I could just have left through the portal to the second episode. The resources were scarce for 100% kills, though I understand the gameplay was confined to a minor role on this map. Quite the opposite, the storyline has just spread its wings and is heading for the Ozonia Realms in the heavens.

[Deadwing]

10 - This was originally the last map that finished episode I, occupying the slot 11. It's concept was centered on the SMM fight, one of my many attempts of creating a good setups with her lol, and then the outer rim where you have to fight for survival against revs and archies + some snipers. It's a really hard map on its first half, and once you're done with most enemies from the outer rim, there's not much left and you're ready to get both keys and reach the exit.

 

The concept hasn't changed much from the beginning. While the wad was on playtesting, I switched the Soulsphere with a Megasphere, but then you can simply tank the damage from SMM and either kill her or run to the exit with good health remaining. So I decided to get back to the Soulsphere and add an extra green armor + health packs to help a bit.

 

Also, in the very early version of the map, it had Arch-villes instead of Hellions at the end, but that was making the map too repetitive, so I thought that the best way would be to introduce a new enemy there, and that's how Hellion was born :P He had a lot more HP initially (like 300 and something), but I feel he's getting more balanced now (hopefully). After a while, to make the wad more consistent, I thought it was better for both new enemies to get introduced earlier and at a slower pace, since they're annoying as fuck. Also, a good portion of the old maps (2, 3, 5, 22, 25 and 26) still don't have any new enemies.

 

Finally, that text screen was my attempt to make sense of the whole map and the exit area, which is one of my favorites areas of the wad so far haha

[Biodegradable]

MAP 11 – Moonblood I

UV | Continuous | GZDoom with Vanilla+

 

A little breather map with some story intrigue for your brain to chew on as you kill a bunch of flying nerds, say hello to Mother and then jump through a portal to Episode 2. And erm... hmm... no, that's very much it!

[Lorenz0]

MAP10 - Aranha

 

This map works well as an episode closer, being the most difficult one of the first 10. It starts with a duel against a teleporting spider mastermind, which is sure to damage you at least a few times, but the fight can be simplified by hiding down one of the staircases in the arena. Then you’re free to explore the outer ring of the map and small paths that branch out of it. Your movement is not restricted by anything, but there are so many roaming archviles and revenants that it’s surprisingly hard to stay alive amidst the chaos.

 

I also have to complement the visuals on display here. Among the brown and beige walls you can find numerous red vines that contrast very well with the scenery. And I can say the same thing about the blue evil eyes and torches at the outer edges of the map. Those are simple things, but they do a lot to make the level more visually appealing.

 

The music is once again very atmospheric, and combined with the texturing and the interesting layout, made me enjoy the map a lot more. It’s definitely one of my favorites so far.

 

MAP11 - Moonblood I

 

This nearly monsterless level is a really cool transition between the episodes. The combination of a total void with some kinds of research facilities is intriguing and makes me want to keep playing. Cool breather map.

[kalaeth]

MAP11 - Moonblood I aka "Sangue da Lua I" (hey, not my fault Deadwing decided to change the naming convention halfway through!): 

 

 So, I'm expecting another short map, let's see. Oh cool, a techbase filled with corpses! And then void... Pretty! A few djinns await me inside the gate, and then a empty facility. A not demonic at all face looks at me from across a pool of blood, so I go and press it and this brings out another one of those ugly demons that killed me back in the first map. If this is supposed to be my mother I don't like this religion. A teleport opens and that's that.

 

K/S/I : 100%, 100%, 100%
time (cumulative / level ) 2:42:21 / 5:13

deaths (cumulative / level ) : 10 / 0

 

Tomorrow comes the real level, but for now, that's all folks.

 

[LadyMistDragon]

Map 12: Moonblood 1

 

Deadwing mentioned there'd be a few of these nearly combatless maps. We have now reached the void base which seems nearly deserted, save from some consoles which provide sone more story. At one point, you come across Hierophants which aren't too difficult, but you also come across the entity from the end of the first map. For some reason, I don't think Doomguy is exactly supportive of the UAC Root project.

 

This feeling's only reinforced by the text screen, where it seems the UAC Root and demons have been working together to explore some dimension called the 'Ozonia Zone.' While sounding suspiciously similar to the Half Life mod 'Peaces Like Us.' the PCs apparent death at the end of map 01 suggests something more sinister is likely at play 

[FragsBunny]

MAP10: Aranha (92%/91%/0%)

 

1.       Arch-vile shoves nearby entities on death

2.       Lost soul receives damage one second later

3.       One monster is cursed. It must be killed 9 times

 

Well, regarding the opening battle against the Spider Mastermind… I wished E3M8 would have a fight like that, since the original fight is so easy! It’s still easy even now, provided you took a safe corner near one of the two switches and taking down enemies from there. Most of the job was done by SSG.

The outer circle, however, is an entirely different story. From the moment the first shot is fired, revenants and arch-viles will start feely roaming the outer circle, and you might get attacked at unexpected corners. Not to mention several “minor” ambushes after picking the keys. It feels like each time I try to fight those hellions with SSG, I take a lot of damage. Plasma gun, on the other hand, worked on them like a charm, so I’ll reserve some cell specifically to deal with those guys. My one big question… shouldn’t the big mother being fought at the level’s end, instead of the beginning?

 

MAP11: Moonblood I (92%/91%/0%)

 

1.       Hierophant haunts players briefly after death

2.       Hierophants are always focused on players

3.       Some monsters leave behind toxic corpses

 

“May the Mother grant what you wish from your heart”… Upon carefully checking the surroundings, I realized that I entered some sort of hub, with each entry describing the respecting episode of Ozonia. A minor clean-up involved killing multiple hierophants in the generator room, plus one more in the way back. Turned out that RL wasn’t really needed, as they could be felling with two-close range SSG blasts. For an atmospheric map in the vein of BTSX it’s quite passable. Having a little bit of action is better than having none! Onwards to Episode 2!

…Well, unfortunately, the game will not allow me to continue from that point, so I have no choice but to start the next episode with a new set of cards! And update the version to RC3 along the way.

Final card list for Episode 1:

1. Sergeant hunt the player in silence
2. Mancubus will electrocute nearby players

3. Mancubus shoves nearby entities on death

4. Arachnotron fires bullets instead

5. Pain elemental turns to stone on death

6. Arachnotron will steal items off the ground

7. Demon may pretend to die

8. Imp turns to stone on death

9. Sergeant can invert is gravity

10. Arch-vile shoves nearby entities on death

11. Some monsters leave behind toxic corpses

Edited January 11, 2022 by FragsBunny

[Deadwing]

11 - The finale for episode I is a quite quiet map and a short one that is almost monsterless. It's a hub that it is going to be recurrent through the wad. These maps were some of the latest ones that were created, and they were an attempt to glue all the episodes into a single package and to reduce scope for the project lmao >.< Of course, the main inspiration comes from the BTSX hub maps, which are pretty awesome and I see now that creating these atmosphere and explorative maps are a lot hard than it looks... In the end, I believe that it was a good decision. As far I've seen, people have been taking between 5 to 12 hours to finish all 32 maps, which is already a lot for this kind of mapset.

 

Anyway, while the process of creating "Moonblood I" wasn't complicated, fixing all the bugs from that circular room was like pure hell lol I think this is probably on me for using GZDoomBuilder (is there a better Doom Builder version out there?), lots of copy and paste to create the symmetry and circular shaped areas (something that the node builder doesn't seems to like much). So, to fix all the slime trails, HOMs, open sectors, etc, I probably had to play this map 30 times and fixed 50 of these kind of glitches >.< I'm pretty sure that even when these maps were shorter with ocasional action, they gave me more work than some of the "regular" ones, which killed my purpose of reducing scope haha

[TheOrganGrinder]

@Deadwing, thanks for the updated RC, I've got some catching up to do but I'll be switching to the newer version as suggested once I round out this episode.

 

MAP08: Subterraneo I

 

This one doesn't seem to continue on from the end of MAP07 so much as repeat the same pattern, starting the player off on the shores of an isolated island and ending with a descent into the demon-infested bowels of the earth, though in this case it's the descent through shrines and caverns that dominates the map's running time, rather than the exploration of the island's surface.  The WAD in general has been big on exploration-driven maps, low on arenas; this map inverts that pattern, leading the player through a sequence of staged, even scripted encounters as they jump down vertical shafts linking one cavern to the next.  In terms of pacing this is perhaps equivalent to Dead Simple, marking a transition from one environment or theme to the next, despite the fact that it comes one slot later than the traditional mancubus/arachnotron sandwich and doesn't map use of map-specific special effects, so that's more a question of thematic than mechanical equivalence, though both mancubi and arachnotrons play significant roles in the opposition here.  I do like the fact that it's possible to loop back to the start of the map from the final cavern before the exit room; the connections between chambers are one-way, but the whole can be restarted and traversed multiple times in search of missing secrets and much-needed supplies.

 

MAP09: Subterraneo II

 

This is the first of the WAD's guest maps, and continues directly from the preceding level, with MAP08's exit room duplicated as the start area here.  Cavernous areas alternate with chambers of brown and grey brick, and there's an outdoor section which suggests that the descent through different cave levels in Subterraneo I may have been metaphorical more than literal; to get here the player has made significant downward progress, and yet only a short distance from the start, you find yourself some ways above sea level.  Then again, MAP08's sea was lava rather than the water encountered in the outdoor area here, so who really can say how much of this environment is physical and natural rather than a malignant manifestation of Hell's influence?  Combat here is pretty punchy compared to much of the WAD so far, though a little stop-start in its pacing, with meaty packs of monsters unleashed reliably upon the activation of switches and the collection of keys, offering action and challenge but not much in the way of surprise.  I'm intrigued by the exit and the question it raises of where the game will take us next; are we done with our subterranean jaunt, or are we to enjoy only a brief breath of fresh seaside air before descending beneath the surface once more?

[Pseudonaut]

Map11 FDA (0 deaths)

oz11.zip

 

As others have said, it's an almost monsterless breather map. I don't have much else to say about it.

 

 

[dei_eldren]

MAP12 - Ceu (Plutonia, pistol start, blind): K 100%, I 97%, S 100%, T 16:15

 

Spoiler

MAP11 Moonblood I was an atmospheric affair, a map for storytelling rather than combat or gameplay.  It's amazing how much effort was put into creating that imposing and impressive environment, that was interesting to go through.  Just a testament to Deadwing's eye for and skill in design. 

 

With its wintery natural landscapes Ceu brought me briefly back to Eviternity, but that's about where the similarities end, as the combat and the design are decidedly different.  It is a techbase of some sort, located who knows where, perhaps being an island in the void.  i played it through twice, first continuous on Doom II, but after from pistol start on Plutonia.  Essentially i didn't find it much more difficult so, and both runs i managed to my surprise deathless.  It's all too often that i, for example when meeting an Archie, throw up my hands in the air and go, yeah, you got me! now let's do it again.. this time, in that situation, i on both times refused to just do that, and managed that encounter coming from nowhere without death.  First time i did take a hit, but had enough health to endure it, second time i was more careful and killed him using cover.

 

The map has some tough encounters, with enemies such as Mancubi and lowly harassing Imps shooting from afar and in crossfire, making it difficult, like in Plutonia, to know what exactly to focus in on first.  On first run i found the more difficult Soulsphere secret first (jumping into the void is a leap of faith), and took a lot of damage from the Hellion, but while i had very little ammo on my Plutonia-run, i had the sense to go for the plasma rifle first (had to snipe the first Mancubus with my few rockets left from outside), and deal with the Hellion in the other secret with that. 

 

Without a few choice parts of the map it would be possible to say this is one of the easier ones, and while that may be true for lack of hectic ambushes, there's still, let's see... the Arch-Vile, the Hellion, the crossfires, the Cyberdemon arena...  Yeah, Cyberdemon - second one in the WAD on Doom II!  i was afraid when i saw the Invulnerability (only on Doom II), but i totally wasted it, just grabbing it and doing nothing.  On the other hand, the Cyberdemon fight was.... FUN!, and i didn't really need it.  It's one of the most fun Cyberdemon arenas i've every played.  Obviously, i got him fighting with the Barons, and he won both times, so i was left to kill him with rockets (which is actually a challenging way of killing him) on both times, and i was happy to achieve it without any great mishaps... the exit-pillars obviously give a lot of cover, but they also give a chance to blow yourself up, and for splash-damage.  It didn't even occur to me that it's probably possible to leave the Cyberdemon alive.

 

Great unique and imaginative design (the starting room, the bridge-area, and the BK area, also need to be mentioned), and authentic plutoniaesque gameplay.  The progression is interesting, and i was glad to find a way back from the last arena to go find the secrets (similar mechanism as in Satelite, just a touch more hidden this time.)

 

 

Blind run on Doom II

Spoiler

 

 

MAP11 Moonblood I

Spoiler

 

 

[DJVCardMaster]

MAP11 - Moonblood I (100%K/34%I/100%S):

An intermission map, a really nice looking space station or whatever this surreal place is. You'll have to fight some Hierophants to proceed, and hit some switches, you can also see the scary monster we've already seen in MAP01, this time it won't kill you, you'll have to exit from the area at the start, with the bars now lowered. It's just a story telling map, good for story telling. It's there.

(HMP Playthrough - PrBoom+)

Order of preference:
 

Spoiler

 

MAP05
MAP10

MAP03
MAP04
MAP02
MAP06
MAP07
MAP08
MAP09
MAP01
MAP11

 

I'm glad this was this short though, COVID angers me so much that I was not in the mood of playing that much today. I was expecting this to take long enough for me to give the review tomorrow with MAP12.

[NiGHTS108]

MAP11: Moonblood I

 

Kills: 100%
Items: 55%
Secrets: 100%

 

Moonblood I (Named after the wad this thing is a sequel to I think?) is the first of 3 hub levels, I guess, go down the void path and you’ll be in a big room with 8 Hierophants, they can be considered the final boss of E1, and are quite pathetic if you just lead them into the bright room with the super shotgun and dispatch of them in there, after that you can press a button to watch all the fancy lights come on, also the Mother Demon from Doom 64 will appear in the centre of the room, and from there you can teleport back to the starting room, hop in another teleporter and end Ozonia E1
 

Grade: B

Difficulty: D-

 

Playthrough video

[TJG1289]

Deluxe/GZDoom/Eviternity/Continuous/Saves

Map 09: Subterrâneo II - Lorenz0

100% kills and secrets

Time: 9:07

Deaths: 1

 

We've got our first guest map of the set, courtesy of the main author of Perpetual Powers, one of my personal favorite WADs of last year. He takes the textures and custom enemies of this set and gives us a fairly big, but relatively tame map. When I say big, I mean we have some big rooms, with sparse enemy population. These areas, while not tricky, look very nice. The outdoor area where the exit is has these nice pillars with a few chaingunners in them. The main lava room looks way more imposing than it is. Just before entering is a fight with mostly fodder enemies, except for the heriophants that appear behind you. The hardest fight in the map is on the way to the red key, where you have to deal with 4 monster closets opening, revealing hellions, imps, and spectres. The spectres were actually the most annoying part of this, as I could barely see them, and I ended up face rocketing myself, eventually succumbing to my injuries. I've also noticed hellions like to move when hit by rockets. A rocket hit behind a hellion, and the blast pushed it forward into me. The yellow key fight is pretty simple, so all that's left after that is to use the red key, open the alcove with the yellow switch, deal with the shotgunners and archie there, then exit. Pretty simple. I can kinda tell this was by a different author than the other maps as it didn't have the same feel as the others so far. Not bad tho.

 

Map 10: Aranha

100% kills and secrets

Time: 9:47

Deaths: 2

 

This map is another example of having a small amount of monsters but it's still a challenge. The first thing you see after teleporting out of the opening area is a spider mastermind who likes to teleport around. Using the rockets in the area to take it out isn't advised, so try to hit the 2 switches nearby to raise a path to the wall nearby that you can lower, all while avoiding the spider and the cacos / lost souls in the area. Jumping down to the arena's outskirts is also a challenge, since monsters all around the arena will try to find you. Most of these are revs, though there are several archies that wander around too. Both my death happened in the outskirts due to wandering enemies that I had no idea were active, so just be aware of your surroundings. You've got to find 2 keys in order to get the 3rd. The yellow key will unleash more enemies in the outskirts, while the red key has you fall into a pit by a caged mancubus in order to find it. In the blue key area, make sure to shoot the switch behind a hard to find zombieman to raise a path to the secret area. Grab the rad suit, then jump into the outside path to find some hidden goodies and a secret rev fight. When you actually grab the blue skull, hellions will converge on your location from both sides. Plasma the crap out of them. Going through the blue door will get you some story exposition and allow you to raise a platform to the exit door. Plasma the mastermind then leave. Fun, hectic level! Very rockin' tune to boot.

 

Map 11: Moonblood I

100% kills and secrets

Time: 3:23

 

We have an intermission map of sorts, that takes you to the hub world of the WAD. Looks like we're in a void-type area that's just a short stop between areas. The computer monitor states there's an issue in the generator area, so venture into the void to see the problem. The problem are 8 heriophants. Nothing the SSG can't fix. I managed to not take any damage during this, making it the first map with monsters in it that I've beaten damageless! There's some slabs in a side room stating that the Mother is the one to take care of all life, normal and demon. Interesting. Speaking of which, once you turn the generator back on, the Mother Demon appears in the center arena. This time, you don't die and the level ends. You just be like "'sup?", then teleport back to beginning, with access to the next area open. Jump in to end the map. Time to see what episode 2 has to offer!

[DisgruntledPorcupine]

MAP10: Aranha

UV, pistol start, no saves

100% kills, 1/1 secrets

 

We see some reprisal of the visual theme of the early maps here, starting in a swampy vine-covered area. After taking the teleporter out of the starting point, you are shown very quickly where the map's name (translated as "Spider") comes from. You're face to face with a spider mastermind, and the area features two RLs with some rockets. However, from a pistol start, you have no business facing it down just yet, and will want to hit the switches to gain access to the outer area. The area features a muddy floor with some brown brick, but there are also some more hellish textures here and there like red cave textures, lava, and some red vines that are almost more vein-y than vine-y looking.

 

While the titular aranha is a central threat of the map, it sort of straddles the line of being a "boss" style map, as once you escape her at the start the rest of the map feels more like a traditional level. It has you hunting for the red and yellow keys, getting you the blue key and the way back up to the spider and the exit for your troubles. The area is pretty dangerous at the start, with there being 3 archviles stationed around the area as well as quite a few revenants. You really have to watch your back to avoid being sucker-punched by a revenant or get a surprise zap from the archies. The key fights have their challenges, but aren't too bad once you've familiarized yourself with the terrain of the area. You're generally given a fair amount of freedom to move. Also shoutout to the end, you take out the spider (preferably with cells) and head to the exit door and are greeted by a blood-soaked valley of skulls that houses the exit portal. Quite a sight.

 

Cool little map. Kind of a boss map, kind of not. In any case the fights were fun.

 

MAP11: Moonblood I

UV, pistol start, no saves

100% kills, 0/0 secrets

 

An intermission map, quite a fine one at that and we also hear the lovely MAP01 midi get a reprise here. You start in some sort of transporter facility (the "Ozonia's Void Facility" as a computer screen calls it), coming out of a transporter marked "Land of Seeds". You follow a green torch lined path through a black void to some sort of generator, which houses the 8 hierophants who are the map's only enemies. Hitting a switch lowers odd face-covered pillars from one pipe to another, which seems to power up the generator. The flashing lighting after you do this looks very cool, and the Mother whom you met in the first map reappears at the centre of the area, although she does not harm you this time. You are now free to teleport back to the facility and leave via the teleporter marked "Ozonia Realms".

 

Nice little atmospheric intermission, I loved the visuals. Also as a note I had not downloaded RC3 yet, which I will start using from MAP12 onward.

[Book Lord]

MAP 12 – Céu

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

 

The first map of the second episode immediately distinguished itself for its sleek design, even though the welcome committee around the water reservoir kept me too busy to bask in graphic delights. When I went outside, I realised the buildings had been constructed on the highest mountain peak, well above the white clouds that shrouded this exclusive sanctuary from the sight of the rabble on the land below. Staring in awe at the snowy gardens, suspended walkways, and towers was dangerous though, as a treacherous Arch-Vile approached me at an unusually fast pace and scored an early frag.

Spoiler

This part was the roughest of the level, which felt rather manageable from then on. The BK lay on the southern peak, having the shape of a garden with a central pool of water and platforms. It was easy to reach, and its teleport ambush did not surprise me; I found shelter behind the switch, while the Arachnotron stubbornly discharged plasma against it. A deafening experience that permitted to comfortably gun down the Cacodemons and the other turret enemies.

Spoiler

The key unlocked the exit area, another winter garden with an artificial pond in the middle and minimal surveillance. The switch opened three closets, two containing Imps and Arch-Viles, and the last with a Cyberdemon at the opposite side of the garden. I nuked the most dangerous Arch-Vile on the left in a matter of seconds, using the columns to avoid the boss’ line of sight, then I targeted the other on the upper right. The Cyberdemon was slow to close in on me and by that time he was helplessly hitting the bottom of the platform. I had a fair number of shells and rockets which I wasted on him, just to discover there was a large group of Barons in store for paradigmatic infighting.

 

I remembered the bars near the phasing Arch-Vile and found them open. Two Mancubi in a cramped terrace protected a now purposeless plasma rifle, but there was flavour text on a screen as well. This secret could be reached before entering the last area, though making an association with the bars on the other side of the walkway required clairvoyant powers. The Soul Sphere secret in the outer tower was easier to discover and equally fascinating. This was a stunning entry to inaugurate the second episode: its wintery colour patterns forced an open door with me, as I love bright tech-bases, but Céu went further in creating a tangible “lost haven” atmosphere. Combat was less convincing, ranging from unfair, single-use traps to bigger ambushes that were easily neutralised. Not a big issue though, since Ozonia constantly delivered challenging gameplay so far and I appreciate a pressure relief, especially when breath-taking views are on display.

[Biodegradable]

MAP12 - Ceu

UV | Continuous | GZDoom with Vanilla+

 

Ceu? Cunt would've been a much more apt name for this map. It's a right bastard as Deadwing once again knows exactly which demons to place where to give you a bloody hard time. The poisonous water makes a return to be a real fucking pain in the arse as you desperately run across some small villas, darting back and forth from Manc and Brainiac fire while Cacos circle above your head like vultures. The last part was especially infuriating thanks to the small square layout, two sniper Archies resurrecting shotgunners, a goddamn Cyberdemon and a gaggle of Barons for some extra spice. This is a gorgeous techbase, but in my short Dooming career I have learned this quintessential truth: The prettier a map is, the more it will hurt you. It's a complete prick of a map and I hated it. Fuck you lmao. My only solace is that I found the secret plasma rifle.

 

 

Edited January 12, 2022 by Biodegradable

[kalaeth]

So, because of the RC2 / RC3 thingy, I had to restart, and I decided to actually restart instead of idcleving. As such, this are my new stats :

deaths (I'll keep the same number, I did die less this time, but it was because I knew what I was doing) : 10

time (cumulative ) 1:38:06 (comparing with 2:42:21 on my first try, over 1h of difference!) 

 

MAP12 - Céu aka "Sky" :

Let's go! Or not. RC3 in GZDoom 4.5.0 won't change the episode.. So I'll just start a new game on the second episode then.

Whelp, there goes the cumulative time. I'll restart it then and keep the deaths only.

 

We are in Ozonia. A pretty techbase where the water still kills you. A couple of rockets to clear the caco guarding the shotgun, a lost soul and another caco, I open the door and I'm outside, where a SSG waits for me. and.. oh, a teleporting archie. Yey, there goes most of my health. Walking around outside I find a 'port to a secret bluesphere, yey. Back to the regular lever progression, a spider and a couple mancs punish me for stealing the blue key, but I have rockets so guess who's the one laughing in the end? With the key in hand, I wander to the blue door. Inside I see a bluesphere and an invincibility sphere.. This promises to be fun.. But first, since I have the map, I know where the other secret is.. Ah, found. A plasma! And two mancs. And text. Bureaucrats are the same even in Ozonia. Health and ammo ready, I jump to the exit pit. Press the switch, run for the invincibility and 50 rockets later, the cow is dead. Now, refuel the RL and show the barons a good time. Done, final 2 enemies : done. Exit! 

 

K/S/I : 100%, 100%, 100%
time (cumulative / level ) 12:38 / 12:38

deaths (cumulative / level ) : 10 / x

 

[DJVCardMaster]

MAP12 - Céu (100%K/I/S):

The map's name teased you some kind of sky related thing here, and indeed, here we have a lovely sky-themed map in a similar manner to Eviternity's last episode or that well known Ancient Aliens' MAP24, from the last map, you get teleported into a sky base, with an interesting layout and as common in Ozonia, different ways to tackle this map. Fights here just work really well, and there is a really enjoyable cyberdemon fight at the end, I'm just sad this map did not stand for too long as I was expecting, but then I remembered so far, Ozonia maps are usually this short. 

(HMP Playthrough - PrBoom+)

Order of preference:
 

Spoiler

 

MAP12

MAP05
MAP10

MAP03
MAP04
MAP02
MAP06
MAP07
MAP08
MAP09
MAP01
MAP11