The DWmegawad Club plays: Doom the Way id Did (& Ultimate DTWID!)

[NiGHTS108]

25 minutes ago, Use said:

So who's up for a sequel 

 

Unfortunately only if we can time travel back to June of 2014

[TJG1289]

GZDoom/UV/Continuous/Saves

E4M8: An End To Darkness - Xaser

94% kills and 100% secrets

Time: 26:00

(automap was used for these stats at the end

Deaths: 4 (3 from CC turrets)

Card: A Cyberdemon has been added to the level

 

I counted 5 cybs in my playthrough. I'm assuming the one on the wall surrounding the center is the one CC added. That or the one in the secret area.

 

Another Dr. Sleep emulation, and even though this is nothing like his actual TFC map, it still reminds me of that map a bit. Maybe it was the gargoyle switch doors. I haven't played the Master levels, or his other ones, but I could see this being something he would make. Xaser does make it the magnum opus of the WAD, with just over 300 monsters, and many heavies. Like I said, 4-5 cybs, lots of barons and cacos, and a decent amount of shotgunners. The soul sphere at the very beginning was a nice offering, and was definitely useful. This map is very big, but I didn't really get lost at all. Oddly enough, in order to find the exit, you don't need any keys, you just need to unlock the bars in the first room to gain access to the center. You can grab the red skull in order to get the BFG behind an unmarked red door, in a room that is like the TFC's version of the armor area of E1M1. That BFG is really needed, but more on that in a sec. In the starting room, there's 3 paths you can take. Idk if there's any specific order you need to take, and I don't remember what path is what. I feel like I'd need to replay it to give specific details, so I'll just do some general thoughts. There's one room that's almost completely dark and not visible on the automap. Several alcoves will open with baddies, but rockets are provided. There's a switch behind 4 red bars in one point of the map. I found one switch that lowered one, but I didn't see the others. I'm assuming that's where my missing kills are, and since I got all the secrets, I'm guessing I just missed an optional area. CC wasn't nice to me in the small rooms with the teleporters, placing turrets in 3 of the 4 of them, making these areas way more dangerous. The final fight is one of the most intense Doom 1 fights I've played. First of all, you have to deal with 2 masterminds. Get one to hit the other, then take out the other one. When both are dead, the water lowers, allowing access to the outside areas, and unleashing 3 cybs, a crap ton of barons, and more. My only non-turret death came from one of the cybs here, and it was toward the end of the fight. I'm kinda surprised I didn't die more, with all the shielded barons sinking ammo, but I got the cybs to infight with most of them. Very fun fight. This was one of my favorites of the WAD, and one I'd replay, just to figure out the red switches. 

 

UDtwId final thoughts:

Like the original WAD 8 years prior, this WAD tries to replicate the original feeling of the IWADs, to mixed results. Some maps feel like id, some didn't. I don't think any of them were bad at least. Some maps were really fun, like the first and last maps, and some were ok. Only one map was really, really difficult, and that was E4M4, but it was fun at least. The maps did seem to be a little more high quality, which makes sense given the mappers and time between the 2 WADs. I think this ep was probably more consistent in quality over the other 3 this month. Solid stuff! I'm glad I played this set this month, but I do think I prefer D2twID more. 

 

CC Cards for E4:

Cyberdemon can carry other monsters

Pinky can teleport away when in danger

Zombie man can leap at their prey

Lost Soul is always focused on the player

Baron has a regenerating shield

Sentry turrets are scattered around that shoot Cyberdemon projectiles

Cyberdemon projectiles explode on impact

Baron can carry monsters

A Cyberdemon has been added to the level

[DisgruntledPorcupine]

E4M6: "Molten Gods" by Tarnsman

UV with Corruption Cards, no saves

100% kills, 4/5 secrets

 

Card: Cacodemon gains health and damage after killing another monster.

 

Not too bad of a card this time, there was actually opportunities for the cacos to get roped into infighting here but I did my best not to allow it. A mixture of predominantly marble and wooden hell textures. This is another one with lots of damaging floor, but it doles out the radsuits to a nice degree. Good thing too, as you'll be down in the hellslime a decent bit for progression and goodies.  I brought some rather low health into this one and was worried I'd have to do a save to make sure I got by the beginning stretch smoothly, but I luckily also had quite a lot of rockets which made things much smoother.

 

The most noticeable feature to point out in this one is the Romero-esque cyberdemon, which is pulled off very well. Luckily the mod doesn't seem to touch boss monsters, so he was in his rightful place overlooking and exerting pressure over the entire starting area. The mod also, seemingly coincidentally, left the triple baron ambush by the blue key and plasma intact. Good thing I'm bringing a BFG in with me from playing continuous or this can be a very hairy encounter. Speaking of BFGs, there is one in this map tucked away in a secret, which you'll have to fight your way through a very dark ambush for. The random monster placement stuck a baron in here this time, which made this fight way more of a scare. Also a funny note, the invulnerable monster this time was an imp by the area where you can jump to the cybie's platform, but I coincidentally telefragged him on the way back up. Guess he was using IDDQD after all.

 

Great map this one, it's a high pressure romp that felt id in the right ways, and was also quite fair throughout.

[kalaeth]

It was a 4 day weekend here in Portugal, so I'm just now going to finish the remaining levels.

 

E4M5 - Doctrines of Devils :

Zig zag to a blue sphere, a couple shotgunners wait with their backs turned. I kill them both and move forward, leaving the bluesphere for later, imps and a caco show up in a open space with some pillars. More shotgunners and caged imps. Grabbing the shells makes the floor disappear, now it's blood everywhere.. I climb a pillar, shoot a switch and a path opens up, more blood and a radsuit. I grab it, run around the blood, find the map, something here keeps lowering but I can't find out what before the suit goes away, so off to the door I go, a big courtyard. There's a door to the two paths from the open space before, there a caco and a blue armor, plus rockets. Now.. Suit and down into the building.. I can't reach the red key, but I'm guessing the way into it has something to do with these platforms that keep going up and down, so after clearing the room, I jump onto the the first one, from there to the second and so on. As expected, the fourth one allows me entry but I'm nearly dead.. Back to the pillars I grab all the medipacks, back to normal health, start, bluesphere. More comfortable, I go for the red door. Assuming there's one. Ah, here it is, open, 'port. A baron. BFG! back to the shotgun. Switch opens the central teleport, I go to it. Oh, trick floor with cacos and then.. A hall of pillars.. Rocket the baron and reach the other side. Teleport, yellow key. Pick everything up, switch, yellow key. Nothing more to be done, yellow door. A switch raises the exit platform and I could exit if I wanted, but I'm 3 secrets and more than 10 enemies short. Secret one is two radsuits. Secret two is a invisibility sphere. Secret three is a godmode sphere but I'm still a ton of enemies short. And the map tells me there's an entire zone I haven't been too.. Oh, a teleport I had seen but not entered puts me face to face with a BFG and inside the unexplored area. Cacos, barons, imps and shotgunners. It's a party! All done! Exit.

 

 

K/I/S : 100% , 97% , 100%

time : 22:05 / 1:58:37

deaths : 0 / 14

 

E4M6 - Molten Gods :

Cacos from outside the cage, there's a fall down to lava and another exit I take, a blusphere visible. After that, wooden floors, marble walls, lava everywhere. Imps shoot from every side, the bluesphere spent even before I can move further into the level. Down in the lava there's a radsuit.. But I end up going back to the start and falling down, which happens to be the right path, since it leads me to the YSK and the plasma. Grabbing those releases a cybercow and a baron at the teleport destination.. I die to the cyber. Back top the start.

 This time I run. Run for the blusphere, back to the start, grab plasma and YSK, run to teleport, kill baron, run towards the yellow door, grab the RSK, kill baron and cacos and now.. Save, run to the lava and get a rocket to the face... Again.

 No facerocket this time, I reach the red door, rocket everyone in attendance, jump to the secret backpack, save again, teleport, open a secret that drops me next to a BFG, a blue armor, a baron and a teleport.. That gets me facerocketed. Again. 

 4th. From the BFG secret.  Up, away from rocket zone. Next to the secret's entrance, a jump into a ledge for some health, and it's two barons in close range. Yey for BFG? Teleport. And now I don't think I can keep avoiding the cow in the room.. Grabbing a rad suit I run the lower levels, but eventually run out of plasma and it's yet another rocket to the face. Yey! 

 5th, again radsuit, lower level including two secrets, and now..  I finally kill the cow! And after that I find the secret invunerability. Because of course. Teleport up, jump down, pick up rockets and plasma, save, open door. Rocket everything! And.. Exit.

 

K/I/S : 100% , 93% , 100%

time : 12:12 / 2:10:49

deaths : 5 / 19

 

E4M7 - Hand of the Heathen :

Another lava filled building.. Tons of shotgunners, a caco, and my autoaim not helping. I'm down to 20% health and still in the first room.. I end up falling into the lava, grabbing some medikits, switch, platform up, down into the lava again, platform down, platform up, back to the start, up to the ledge, rad suit, lava, autoaim wastes a ton of rockets to kill the baron and then shoots one at the wall... Death 1.

  Different approach : chaingun the shotgunners and the caco from the starting position, then slowly move killing at sight. And then I fall into the lava. Again. Switch, path to the blue switch, back to start. By the time I reach the rad suits, I save. Grab one, jump, kill the baron and the cacos from the lava, grab more rockets and another suit, up. kill a lot of things and then die to a caco I didn't even see! 

 Try three will be after lunch.

 With a full stomach, here I go. Plasma didn't do the trick for the cacos.

 4th attempt. Better this time, got away from the ambush. But ended up falling after in the platforming.. Suit and run back. And passed the platforming. Got the bleu key, fell down into the lava, took way too much to find a suit but still managed, blue door, caco, switch. Platform, down. And now that I have the map I can see the way to the bluesphere.. Ah! now, blue bars and door.. And f5ck off! a cyber in this close quarters?

 5th. From the door. Also, I hate this silent walls. 6th. 7th. 8th.... Found the invunerability but ended up dying even so, with a rocket at the exact time it ended. Again.

10th. Finally! managed to two shot the bastard. Save, yellow door. Oh a baron. Right next to me, yey. And then, a closed door. There was a yellow door on the lava... Rad suit, lava, yellow door, rocket the baron, and.. not here. Back up... It's timed. Ah.

 

K/I/S : 100%, 95%, 100%

time : 13:21 / 2:24:11

deaths : 10 / 29

 

I did not like this level.

 

E4M8 - An End To Darkness :

Final map.. And death 1 to some specter in infinite darkness. Map starts with an invisible switch for a red key. Then 3 paths. First death I went left. This time I'm going to jump after the red key grab! Oh, no, I cant. Well, to the right. Corridor leads to corridors that lead to switchs and more corridors.. Other side, a baron + imps trap, a green armor. And a teleport to a secret lift followed teleporting imps and zombiemen. Whenever I think I've cleaned them all, a few more show up. I'm down to 16% health and haven's yet reached the hard part.. Well. It is what it is. And fuck. Fell into the sludge, died. 

 3rd, I was going good! Until something teleported into my face as I was firing a rocket and then a death shortly after to some unseen enemy.

 4th. Not terrible, managed to reach the darkness with 65% health, but this time no entering guns blazing. I shoot and wait for them to come to me. Very slowly I move forward. Down to the sludge, switch, up a lift, and I reach a door, bridge, kill more, small room with health, much appreciated, and a teleport or two. Yup, just one.  Teleport, identical room, but the door leads to another bridge with a cyberdemon. Because of course. Nothing funnier than fighting a cow in a space too small to maneuver. Found a secret, and now.. Oh, secret BFG room. And death by the cow. 

 5th. Death to the lost souls in the BFG room. 

 6th : another secret! And a invencibility! I use that to kill the cow, then, off to the BFG "secret" room, kill the lost souls, grab the berskerer, and explore the bridges. Finally find a room from where the SMMs can be seen (and shot at).. Going back to exploration I find a secret switch for the secret with the auto map.. And now I'm guessing it's SMM time. Switch, shoot shoot kill lowers the floor. Invun, BFG the cow, BFG a few barons, rockets! And then.. More barons, more cacos, more rockets.. And another cow kills me.

 7th, from the middle of the last fight. 8th from the same place. This time I managed to get the cow away from his homebase time enough to grab some cells and kill him! Then, up, teleport, final bridge and.. Yeah, I'm gonna end short.

 

219 / 233 kills, 11/12 secrets and 29m 42s in the level.

 

Total : 2 hours 53 minute 53 seconds. 36 deaths in total, almost all of them in the final episode.. That I didn't enjoy as much as I did the ones before.  

[TheOrganGrinder]

Right, I should get my thoughts on these last couple of levels written up before the thread falls too far off the top of the forum...

 

E4M7: Hand of the Heathen

 

I'll admit, had the text file not indicated that this map was designed with the intent of emulating John Anderson's style, my immediate point of comparison would have been to E4M2 and E4M3 of this WAD, that I originally and erroneously described as being designed in emulation of Shawn Green's style before realising upon further reference to the text file that they were instead crafted in the oeuvre of American McGee.  Maybe it's the texturing choices, with STONE3 appearing as a dominant material in all three maps, or maybe it's the tendency toward strictly orthogonal architecture throughout, but overall my first impression of Hand of the Heathen is of a bigger, meaner cousin to Vile Affections and Earth, Blood and Fire.

The sepulchral qualities of those earlier maps are likewise present here, although the abundant lava, occasional signs warning of poison, and extensive metalwork suggest an industrial setting as much as a tomb.  It's an austere and sombre environment to the point of feeling oppressive, although there are moments of grandeur that suggest the whole place is the work of some more potent creative mind than its barren cloisters might otherwise indicate; the lavishly illuminated stair from which the player is encouraged to take a leap of faith into the lava below, the colossal columns between which the player must pass as they open the way to the blue key, and the marble battlement with its invisible bridge preceding the exit room, are all memorable scenes that pop magnificently from the generally understated backdrop of the rest of the level. Mostly the fabric of the map is functional, getting out of the way and letting the player engage with the business of surviving the map author's cruel and capricious streak; this is a mean level, but mostly in a fun way, with the Cyberdemon guarding the yellow key coming across as both emblematic of the author's approach to gameplay and, in tone, as something like a punchline to a joke.  I suspect he'll gib many players at least once, and whether that prompts frustration or laughter will depend on how closely your sense of humour fits that of the level designer.  For my part, I called that trap bullshit in the heat of the moment, but I couldn't keep the grin off my face as I said it.

[TheOrganGrinder]

E4M8: An End to Darkness

 

I'm kind of torn on how I ought to approach and assess this one, because I'm not as familiar with John Anderson's body of work as I feel I ought to be, and that makes it difficult for me to judge how well or otherwise this map is emulating Anderson's particular style; but on the other hand, assessing it purely as a could-have-been-Ultimate Doom map, focusing first on foremost on whether it credibly presents a map that might have been included in the Ultimate Doom of the next reality down and to the left, feels like it's ignoring many of the level's own qualities and its status as a heartfelt tribute map to a departed member of the Doom mapping community.

 

To get that part out of the way first, then: I think I would have liked this better as a standalone map than I do as part of Ultimate Doom the Way id Did, because my ongoing mental refrain as I was playing through this was "id didn't, id wouldn't have."  Two Spider Masterminds, squaring off against each other amidst a scene of columns and rotundas and neoclassical grandeur?  Three Cyberdemons taking part in the pitched battle that follows, in addition to the one that guards the elevated walkways earlier in the map?  The size, the scale, the complexity of it all?  It's fun, it's engaging, it's ambitious, but it also feels very much like the product of the post-id era of map design, determined to exceed rather than emulate the scope and the limitations of Thy Flesh Consumed and its period.  And maybe that's deliberate, maybe that was part of the guidelines laid down for this project and for this level, maybe this map is an answer to the question "what if id, what if John Anderson, but bigger, meaner, more?"  It succeeds in answering that question more than it succeeds as a plausible alternate E4M8, as an Unto the Cruel that never was, in my opinion.

 

Setting that aside, taking this map on its own merits?  Well, like I said, it's fun, it's engaging, it's ambitious; from the start, the player is offered a choice of intimidatingly anonymous hallways which twist and crook their way past eerily silent and empty reservoirs and offering tantalising glimpses of distant structures and future battlefields before delivering the player to a variety of possible challenges.  I took the top-left path first, which in hindsight may not have been the easiest route or the smartest choice, but that's something that I like about Doom maps of this sort, the freedom to make mistakes on a large scale and to learn from them by adjusting your overall strategy and making different choices on your next attempt, or to do things "wrong" but come out the other end victorious anyway, albeit bloodied and depleted by your experiences.  Whatever route you take, it'll be a little while before you run into monsters of any sort, giving you at least a few moments to appreciate the scale of the infernal complex into which you've just been deposited as the WAD's final and most ferocious challenge, the sense of vastness and desolation which pervades it... at least until you're a little ways in, because when things start to heat up in earnest, it's a while before they stop.  The Spider Masterminds can be baited into tearing strips out of each other, the Cyberdemons that follow are as much a danger to their own minions as they are to you, but even with the benefits of infighting it's still a bigger and more fierce succession of encounters than anything you're likely to find in the IWADs.  Once Hell's mightiest have been laid low, there's little further opposition between the player and the exit, which plays out as a sombre procession over invisible bridges, looking out across the carnage you've just wrought before taking one last plunge into a surreal, inverted rotunda structure; a fitting end to the level, to the episode, and to this project as a whole.