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

[DJVCardMaster]

E1M7 - Logic Core - Trevor "Iori" Primmett *John Romero* (100%K/96%I/100%S):

Well, it is what it is, E1M7ization at its finest, nothing bad to say about it though, as it is E1M7, it is a good impression of it, a long map, with a layout that could make you get lost, even though it is linear. Several additional rooms as god Romero demands, secret finding as interesting as always, and good looking. There are some vibes again from a possible "E1M1" here at the first two rooms, in fact, the start gives a better E1M1 impression than Communications Bridge. Logic Core sums up everything we have already seen from this episode. Also, the central Room with the pillar at the middle feels classic, it also reveals a secret Rocket Launcher aswell, finally a look from DTWID you can remember just like the original game.

IDness ratio: 5/5

E1M8 - Transport Facility - Ellmo *Sandy Petersen*:

Good effort at giving a new style, Sandy's one, for the obvious ocassion, E1M8, where the boss battle is, this time, you won't have any pinkies at the start, this time, Transport Facility offers you a really nice build up, something you are not expected to see from the original E1M8, which build-up before the battle, is not as suspenseful. Here, you have two dark corridors, and some weapons and little setpieces to explore and stock up your arsenal before you get into the battle itself, the arena itself, is shorter, and now you have not only 2 barons, but 3, so there is a "spike" in difficulty, not that 3 barons in a smaller room is something much more difficult for us experienced doomers, but it can go really well for newcomers. This map does a really good job at making a solid E1M8, without taking direct homages from the original work, in fact, it has a more interesting layout.

IDness ratio: 5/5

(UV Playthrough - Crispy Doom)

Order of Preference:

Spoiler

E1M4
E1M7
E1M5
E1M6

E1M3

E1M2
E1M8
E1M1
E1M9

E1 Thoughts:

This episode replicates what KDITD did originally, with some flaws like the said overuse of things you would see in E1M7, or maps that do not feel as memorable as the original counterparts, some maps lack that little "something" the originals had, to be a memorable map. Most of the maps, hence the E1M7ization, look so standard that feels like an IA programmed to map like John Romero, did some of the levels (M2, M3 and M9 come to my mind the most). Still, it is an enjoyable episode an a good easy dooming experience for newcomers into the world of custom mapsets. It's difficulty may be standard as well, with a stronger difficulty spike, but with a lower cap in said department. Some other maps, had little to nothing to do with E1 apart from some generic traits, like M1 and M9. The secret map did not feel like a secret map, the first level was underwhelming. The rest is OK. Not the best E1 experience I've played, but a good one, still.

[dei_eldren]

E2M1 Receiving Station (HMP, continuous, blind): K 100%, I 100%, S 100%, D 0, T 23:43

 

Spoiler

The starter of Episode 2 turns out to be exactly what i expected at the start of the first episode - more in the vein of Wonderful Doom, similar elements, difficulty, aesthetics, length and gameplay to the OG.  Apart from the peculiar starting room that gives no clue of what's to come - though, it does have the familiarly shaped blood-floor segment, - this level is the kind of homage i thought this WAD would be.

 

The progression is via teleports to few different areas, all distinct from each other and mostly mirroring what is in the original.   The biggest scare for me came, i was certain i would die, came teleporting into the secret pillared room with Pinkies, Cacos and Imps, and was saved only by unknowingly grabbing the berserk-pack i didn't even see, when i was surrounded and being eaten alive by the Pinkies and the shotgun was way too slow to deal with them!  Only thanks to that piece of good fortune my deathless run is not over - and if i wasn't quite awake yet when i started the map some after 9am, now i was!  The texture used for the upside down cross had been used for the facade of the area holding the BK and the RK, and having the entrance to the aforementioned secret RK door area.  That area was rather dangerous itself, having damaging floor surrounding the teleporter with two Pinkies charging at the player.  After they were cleared, there's a room with a central structure which opened up along with walls on the sides, revealing the RK door to the secret along with another ambush.

 

The two remaining secrets which were connected together had more than a passing reference to Hangar, but with a twist that made it a bit more challenging - for one, there was no switch in the staircased room with a panoramic second-story view.

 

i like especially the fact that all the references were mixed up, but this is definitely most like a reimagining of the OG map so far in this set.  The difficulty is probably somewhat increased from the OG, but most importantly, the gameplay is wholly on point, and Receiving Station was great to play through.  Also, what it comes to the ethos of the set, i noticed no infringements on Id's design principles, and after E1 the quirkiness of styles of Petersen & Hall is a nice contrast to Romero's more sort of intellectual/disciplined take.  Pretty much perfect map for what it is, only the starting room i found slightly annoying, probably partly because of being half-asleep i had trouble seeing the quasi-hidden staircase and for a minute had no idea what to do!  That was an unnecessary and gratuitous complication, and i don't remember those kinds of tricks being used in the OG.  So minus half a point for that :D

 

 

Who's Who

Spoiler

Episode Two

E2M1 - Receiving Station - 9.5/10

 

Episode One

E1M7 - Logic Core - 10/10

E1M9 - Excavation Site - 9.5/10

E1M5 - Engineering Bay - 9.5/10

E1M6 - Reactor Complex - 9/10

E1M2 - Military Bunker - 8.5/10

E1M4 - Treatment Plant - 8/10

E1M3 - Fuel Synthesis - 8/10

E1M8 - Transport Facility - 8/10

E1M1 - Communications Bridge - 5/10

 

[TJG1289]

GZDoom/UV/Continuous/Saves

E1M7: Logic Core - iori

N/A% kills and 100% secrets

Time: 16:12

Card: A green liquid slowly fills the level, resurrecting monsters

 

CRAPCRAPCRAPCRAP. This card turns the level into a delayed Nightmare run. This makes getting 100% kills pretty much impossible, as the liquid keeps resurrecting monsters. At least it also changes the music to The Mucus Flow's, which is a very nice touch! Again, I hope this doesn't screw me over next map with the E1M8 tags.

 

In my Mucus Flow induced panic, I don't know if I was able to fully appreciate this level. That being said, I still appreciated it a lot. This feels like a remix of E1M7, with elements that seem like direct homages from that map, but with enough unique elements to it. The overall design is pretty natural, and there's not a lot to get lost in. There was one switch that I wasn't sure what it did, so I spent some time wandering around the now green liquid filled areas before I found the door that opened. There's a few areas with a decent amount of enemies, so the difficulty is actually increased here. For sure the hardest level in the ep so far, and I did get down to the 20s% health wise in one part. I think it was a computer panel-filled area after taking a lift down. Didn't help that the invincible Pinky was down there, which did eventually become vulnerable even with the resurrecting monsters. Secrets weren't too bad. I found the automap toward the end, which showed the soul sphere you can spot early isn't really available until the end. Pretty fun level! Looks like an id-developed level, and the sheer amount of baddies makes this a fun challenge with the limited arsenal. 

 

E1M8: Transport Facility - ellmo

N/A% kills and 100% secrets

Time: ?

Card: Pinkies fire an imp projectile on death.

 

This map is a more atmospheric take on E1M8. The area is low lit, there's no monsters around, and Sign Of Evil makes it all the more tense. There's 2 paths you can take to the grand finale. The ground floor path nabs you a shotgun, and access to the rocket launcher secret. The path up the lift gives you a chaingun, and if you hit the switch in the dark path past the shotgun, a secret soul sphere. Both paths take you to the same room with a few imps and pinkies. You'll find a switch that lowers some armor bonuses and an evil eye. Approach the eye to lower not 2 barons, but 3! In my continuous play, I barely used the rocket launcher, so I had 50 rockets to waste on 3 barons. Kill them, walls lower, demon teleporter is revealed. Jump in, end up in a kill room, rocket everything anyway. Very nice take on the final map.

 

Ep 1 overall is pretty faithful to the IWAD for the most part. Some areas could do with better aligned and more varied texturing, but for the most part this wasn't an issue. There was a few design choices that seem to build on the IWAD which was nice. Let's see how the next episode goes!

 

Full Corruption Card E1 list: 

Imp are able to fly

Sergeant turns to stone on death

Acid Rain can occur

Former Human always focused on player

One enemy is invincible until most enemies are defeated

Enemies can be disguised as items

One monster is cursed. It is completely invisible

A green liquid slowly fills the level, resurrecting monsters

Pinkies fire an imp projectile on death

[Agent Slacker]

E1M7 - Logic Core
DOOM Retro, UV, Continuous w/saves, played on an Xbox Wireless Controller for the Xbox One Series X/S
While I prefer the Xbox One controller's ergonomics (it's slightly larger, the trigger shapes feel better on my fingers), the d-pad on this thing is incredible, one of the best d-pads I've ever used.

I won't lie, I got lost on this one, more than I'd like to admit. The atmosphere throughout this whole level was foreboding enough. There was an ambush early on that caught me off guard (it involved flipping a switch that opened up a bunch of monster closets around me). One of the traps involved grabbing a key and having an imp monster closet pop up. I thought that was kind of lame if I'm being honest. Other than that, I didn't enjoy this map as much as the last one.
 

E1M8 - Transportation Facility
I think this was a fun little tribute to Phobos Anomaly. I thought the intro room was a bit dull with the same grayish textures all around, and the main arena was a bit dark, but I loved the presentation of the 3 Barons. There was a small battle between some imps and pinkies in the Baron room that was a bit underwhelming, but it's all about the presentation ultimately. DOOM maps have gotten so much harder over the years that playing a map set like this, with difficulty meant to mimic what was difficult back then, is an absolute cake walk. 

Overall, this was a fun little romp through some familiar level tropes. I'm more excited for the next 2 episodes, as I've always felt those were the most visually interesting of the whole Ultimate DOOM experience. 

[Xaser]

Since E2M1's coming up soonish, here's some random historical shenanigans:

 

Folks who have played NEIS may recognize this map, 'cause it's E2M1 there too. Or at least, a variant of it -- the gist is that DTWID's development stalled out midway through, so NaturalTvventy and I took our toys elsewhere to build our own castle. I didn't expect Receiving Station to make it into DTWID so I included it in NEIS, and by the time DTWID development fired back up and (surprisingly) the map did make the cut, I'd already created NEIS E2M9, which simply wouldn't work if I excluded the map from NEIS... so the map ended up in both projects. Welp. I did make a bunch of visual & thingplacement edits (e.g. berserk instead of plasma) to the DTWID version to make it slightly less of a Deimos Anomaly knockoff. Emphasis on "slightly". :P

 

As for the map itself, I think the working idea was just something like "what if Romero made E2M1?", hence the E1M1-esque courtyard and the general shape. The name actually comes from the man himself, in an old post about what he'd name an ExM10 for each episode. Modified a bit, of course, because I can't leave anything alone. :P -- A bunch of people jumped on Biosphere and Sheol, but I think I was the only one to try and tackle the relatively-pedestrian "UAC Receiving" concept.

[Rujasu]

E1M8: Transportation Facility

 

My, I've missed a couple, but this one is still definitely one I've played before. And much like Phobos Anomaly, it's not much to write home about. I do like the lighting, and the MIDI pack did a decent job of adding to the atmosphere. A third baron doesn't really make the fight more engaging, especially since the other monsters in the level can be cleared beforehand. On to E2!

 

Rujasu_DTWID_E1M8.zip

[Salt-Man Z]

E1M4: Treatment Plant (UV/continuous/saves)

22:51 | 100% Kills | 98% Items | 100% Secrets

This map was a lot of fun, but I'm honestly not sure how well I'd rate it. At times it felt unpolished: I was able to "bump" the blue key by jumping at it from the window across the way, and then spent the next 5-10 minutes wondering if I'd done a sequence break. (Didn't end up mattering; by the time I made my way back around to the blue door, I immediately discovered where I would have properly picked up the key anyway.) To add to my confusion, for what seemed a long stretch, all the enemies I encountered were facing the wrong direction, making me really wonder if I had screwed something up! (I'll also add to the list something that I see a lot of other maps do, but it bugs me every time I see it, and that's having a blue armor accompanied by armor bonuses. Like, what's the point?) Also not quite sure what to think of the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" MIDI, which is pitch-perfect for a lot of 90s PWADs, but for "the Way id Did?" I dunno. Otherwise, this map had constant combat (most exciting when the baddies were facing the correction direction) and lot of ground to explore; there were so many times what seemed like just a minor detour would end up by way more than that, leading me to have to do a couple circuits of the main loop to make sure I didn't miss anything. (I will say that how the map opened back up to the very beginning area was very cool.) In fact, even after I had found the exit, I kept stumbling on more and more areas that were somehow still brand-new to me. I missed only a single item, and due to how long it would have taken to retrace every step of the map, I decided to just assume it was an armor bonus in some corner I overlooked and call it a night.

[Agent Slacker]

E2M1 - Receiving Station
DOOM Retro, UV, Continuous w/saves, played on a Stadia Controller

I remember the third time I played through this map was on the Switch port of DOOM, seeing as NEIS is one of the add-ons available for it. I was a bit shocked at first, but then I remembered who worked on NEIS (btw, Castle of Illusions is a real ball-buster on UV, especially on the Joy-Cons. The gyroscope can only help so much).

This was a nice intro to The Shores of Hell. I love how the intro room looks. The first teleporter is this nifty fireplace that opens up. The next room has this great red pillar that you eventually enter to get the blue key (and the red key if you're looking for secrets). The final room, just like Deimos Anomaly, is the introduction to everyone's favorite tomato, the Cacodemon. The difficulty ramps up from the get go because of the amount of enemies in tight quarters.

I had a lot of fun with this map, feels like the lovechild of Hangar and Deimos Anomaly.

[DisgruntledPorcupine]

E1M7: "Logic Core" by iori

UV with Corruption Cards, no saves

100% kills, 3/5 secrets

 

Card: Demons have a regenerating shield

 

It's getting tough to describe these, but this one looks quite good, definitely on the "techier" side of the coin that I mentioned preferring earlier. One thing to definitely note here is the very dark area with the infrequently flashing lights, a nice call back to the vintage horror elements that some of the old id maps had. It's also quite a long level, and despite the layout seeming kind of mazy on the surface I actually found myself being able to navigate this one pretty easily.

 

I actually entered this one with slightly low health, so there were some dangerous parts in the opening stretch because of it. There's a part near the beginning where you drop down a lift, and stepping forward causes a bridge to lower with enemies behind it, and this was another area that was made somewhat overwhelming by the cards. It's very easy to get pinned down in the lift, so this part was an ideal use of some rockets. Otherwise the dark part was very cool and somewhat anxiety inducing. Funnily enough though the card I got this time lessened the impact though, as the spectres were surrounded by a bright white shield making them easily visible, but the rest of the monsters were no less difficult to see.

 

This one was pretty fun overall. I did think the second half or so dragged a little bit, it felt like after the dark area there weren't many big threats, but still a decent level.

 

E1M8: "Transport Facility" by ellmo

UV with Corruption Cards, no saves

81% kills, 2/2 secrets

 

Card: Enemies explode on death

 

E1's final map is simple, much like in the original game. The map arms you with health, a shotgun, and chaingun, and secrets contain a soulsphere and rocket launcher. There are two paths to the arena at the end with imps and pinkies, and at the end of the map there are three Bruiser Brothers to fight. After killing them, the area opens up to show you the demonic portal, which has a nice looking stream of nukage flowing in front of it. Hop in and episode 1 is done. I wish I got the card that I did earlier, would have been real fun to blow up hordes of fodder all huddled together.

 

Episode 1 thoughts: As I've said (and may find myself repeating a few more times out of my own self-consciousness), I don't really have a very vivid memory of Doom I due to having spent far more time with Doom II and generally just being less of a fan of the first entry. From what I do recall though, this was pretty decent as a recreation, and there were some maps in here that were quite good. E1M6 and E1M9 are so far my favourites. One of the things I do remember about Doom I was not really liking any of the secret maps too much, so it was nice to have one of the secret maps be a highlight here. Looking forward to seeing the community's take on Sandy's more abstract styles in the future episodes!

Edited February 9, 2022 by DisgruntledPorcupine : Forgot to acknowledge my E1M8 card

[Book Lord]

Note: this review was written before Xaser's post, which explained why the map felt a bit odd if compared to the rest of the megaWAD. I decided not to modify it, as first impressions still matter, but the insight given by the author was eye opening.

 

E2M1 – Receiving Station by @Xaser

Doomsday Engine, UV-Fast, Continuous, blind run w/saves

 

Playing Receiving Station was quite a shock, I am still not sure what to think about it. It was harder than any E1 map, nothing new under the sun, but it was also mean and cruel, more than anything seen in Doom the way id did so far. If Xaser wanted a radical change of pace, he surely obtained it with his take on E2M1. He also created a good-looking corrupted tech-base, way more twisted than anything seen in Deimos Anomaly.

 

This short map had several traits in common with Sandy Petersen’s opener: it made extensive use of teleporters, it featured damaging blood floors in annoying positions, it showcased a red-hot wall with a sinister hole, and included a RSK to access an additional room. While id games stuffed the level with many resources and secret areas, Xaser went for the opposite approach: fewer secrets, no weapons besides the shotgun, and harsh aggression. While he introduced the first two Cacodemons, he saved Lost Souls for later.

Spoiler

I was not assuming to find the plasma rifle like in Deimos Anomaly, or a stash like the one behind the OG red door; after all, the RSK was there for the taking, just two steps away from the mandatory BK. However, viciously placed monsters were not what I was looking for. The chamber with the red door held a nasty multiple closet ambush, with teleport lines shuffling the monsters for added chaos. Behind the optional red door, a dangerous Spectre, Imp and Cacodemon attack was in store: I tried to make a stand and I was grappled by a -fast Pinky, who turned me to shreds in the blink of an eye. In the second attempt I escaped immediately, using the passage to the nearby area as a choke point. The combat up to that moment still devoured the extra health gained from the secret Soul Sphere. For what? 8 shells and 20 cells I could not use yet. This was borderline offensive, and I am still feeling my blood boil for that.

Spoiler

From the aesthetic point of view, Receiving Station was an interesting take on the corrupted Deimos base. It was also a challenging level, but the resources were too limited to play tricks on the player like Xaser did here. I hope the megaWAD will not drift towards player starvation and similar modern concepts, as they have not much to do with Doom the way id did, at least not in the second episode.

[TheOrganGrinder]

E1M4: Treatment Plant

 

I remember not being a fan of this particular map on previous playthroughs, but not being entirely sure why.  Having played through it again just now and finding myself compelled to examine my thoughts and responses to share with the club, I think there are maybe two factors that contribute to that impression.  The first is the sense that there's a pre-planned secret/secondary route through the map, involving a leap from sector 44 across a nukage pit and onto the bridge that is sector 38, that influences the position of the blue key (and to a lesser extent the red key) in a way that's detrimental to the flow of the non-secret route to the exit; if you're just going through the map without looking for secret areas, the detours necessary to find the blue and red keys are so minimal as to leave me wondering why the respective doors are even locked, when unlocking them requires that you deviate from a direct route by all of twenty-seven feet.  Opening the blue door "from behind" if the player finds the secret route is a convenient little backtrack, but not one that's strictly necessary, so I feel that either compelling the player to continue on past the red door and lower sector 58 in order to return to the start of the map, or simply allowing the blue door to be opened from the "wrong" side without use of a key, would permit much more flexibility in the location of the blue key, maybe putting together a whole new leg of the facility curling around the eastern and northern sides of the secret courtyard in the north of the map as a dedicated sub-quest, versus the current setup in which the blue key has to be accessible from both sides of the door.

 

The second thing about this map that doesn't really sit well with me is a vague feeling of inauthenticity to the source material that goes off when the aforementioned sector 58 is lowered, a big wall that bisects the map (or trisects, really, since it divies not just north from south but initially blocks the route to the exit to the west, too) in a way that feels it's drawing very much on post-Knee-Deep in the Dead mapping habits and design evolutions.  I'll give this level points for differentiating itself nicely from E1M4: Command Control, but I'm struggling to shake the feeling that its basic layout and progression reflect a later era of map design than the project is intended to emulate and pay tribute to, and that its Phobos aesthetic is a layer of paint atop a more modern underlying structure.  And I feel I've done nothing but complain about this map so far, which is a shame, because it's a good map, one that's a lot of fun to play through, with its many secret passages and quirky structures and a very striking design for its exit and that whole surrounding area.

 

I'm also wondering if this map might initially have been conceived as a potential contender for the E1M3 slot, since the lengthy "side quest" involving various switches and the passage through the toxic tunnels at the centre of the map, rewarding the player with the yellow key, feels like it could be leading up to a secondary exit just as much as to the soul sphere that is its ultimate goal.  The big, star-shaped teleporter beyond the yellow door calls attention to itself as something a bit more gradiose and portentous than the red floor squares that are Doom's usual teleporters, after all, and I wonder if that was originally designed with the potential of being the player's route to E1M9, had this map been assigned to a different slot?

[RHhe82]

E2M1: Receiving Station. DSDA-Doom, UV-PS-Saveless. 100 % kills and secrets. Completion time 6:02 (November: 11:51). Zero deaths in E2 (total tally: 2 + 1 death exit).

 

It looks like I'm currently in the minority, but if the first episode didn't end in a high note for me, then the second episode doesn't start that way, either. Part of that is because of the sour memories of blind playthrough in November, where I had a lot of trouble finding the secrets. This time I had it easier, as indicated by the completion time cut almost in half. I still find the layout confusing. Original E2M1 didn't have that same problem despite the obvious similarities in the way the level is laid out. Maybe I'm just so much more familiar with Deimos Anomaly, I don't know... I did like this map's version of the dark Cacodemon secret hideout better than the OG's cramped room.

 

I made it in one go, but I already came close to dying. It's clearly more challenging than the vast majority of last episode. I don't remember much of DTWID E2 (except E2M6), but I suspect my death tally is going to rise soon, and we'll see if I let go of the saveless mode.

 

rhhe82_e2M1_uv_cl3_dsda-doom_dtwid.zip

[kalaeth]

Another day, another episode! As for the preceding episode I'll play on HNTR, continuous with saves if needed.

 

E2M1 - Receiving Station:

The sky is red and there is blood everywhere.. Damaging blood! Pressing a button opens up a fireplace, so I grab some floo powder, throw it inside the fireplace and jump! I'm now outside where a more conventional teleport stands, just begging me to enter it. I do. And then, after having to kill a pinkie with a pee shooter while standing on damaging blood I wonder if maybe I shouldn't. Still, I got myself the blue key, and after killing a shotgunner a new shotgun, since my last one was lost in the episode change. So despite my health loss, it's still a positive balance. With nowhere else to go I return to the teleport, pistol shoot some more impps and then grab another shotgun. Another teleporter and more imps plus a caco. Kill all, and I'm at the exit. With 3 secrets and 3 enemies to go. Back to the first pinkie room I find a new alcove. Was it always here? Was it the button I pressed near the exit? Who knows, who cares, the red key is there and there's a red door here as well! The red door hides a teleport to the first secret and the final monsters. Now, for the rest.. Oh, I did find it weird that that imp platform was reachable if there was nothing on it. This explains! Third secret is next to it, bluesphere and then, exit!

 

K/I/S : 100% / 100% / 100%

time  : 8:28 / 8:28

deaths : 0

 

A nice little breather to start the episode. More tomorrow!

[finnks13]

E2M1 - Receiving Station by Xaser:
Decent opener to episode 2, mirroring Deimos Anomaly in a lot of ways - both contain lots of teleporters, REDWALL and a secret red key that leads to a claustrophobic death trap. This map uses damaging floors heavily and they are quite annoying after a while - the one rad-suit helps for the fight it is placed in but it's a bit too out of the way for the other parts. It took me ages to find the secret switch that leads to the red key, and since the alcove it opens is a couple of rooms away, this whole red key section felt very stilted to me and not very satisfying to unpick. Getting teleported to the berserk secret with two turbo pinkies already awake was terrifying and I am really surprised I managed to survive that deathless - this was probably my favourite bit of the map, I just wish the parts leading up to it were more fun.

 

I thought the teleporters to each different area were a bit confusing - there are two that lead to the same area and I kept getting confused by them and going to the wrong place. The teleporter to the blue key opens up without any ceremony and I always managed to clear the exit room before finding it - maybe leading the player here first is intentional? Either way, it's a fun enough map, and does its job as the opener for Episode 2. Having never made it past Episode 1 of No End in Sight, I didn't recognise it from there, but that's a fun little tidbit about this map - maybe I should play it there and see if the changes made for this version improved the level or not.

[RHhe82]

55 minutes ago, finnks13 said:

aving never made it past Episode 1 of No End in Sight, I didn't recognise it from there, but that's a fun little tidbit about this map - maybe I should play it there and see if the changes made for this version improved the level or not.

 

I have yet to play NEIS at all, so I didn't realize this. Took a quick peak and played thru E2M1 there -- and somehow, I liked it better than what's in DTWID? I don't know why, it's more or less the same level, only minor differences as far as I can tell. Textures are clearly different. I'm starting to wonder if I was in a bad mood when playing DTWID E2M1...

[Rujasu]

E2M1: Receiving Station

 

Well, I did say I'm only going to do FDAs, so here's death #1. A clear reminder that pinkies can be dangerous without shotgun ammo or room to move. More surprises for a future second playthrough I guess. This one is also definitely completely new to me, so my past self stopped at E1.

I can't say I remember a whole lot about Doom E2, but I feel like this one establishes itself as visually distinct from E1 right from the start. There's also more teleport shenanigans and unavoidable damaging floor (to my knowledge, didn't get an extended look at the place). After some midi missteps in E1, the pack plays it safe with a very clear cover of its OG equivalent. Not an exciting choice, but it does the job.

 

DTWID_Rujasu_E2M1.zip

[DJVCardMaster]

E2M1 - Receiving Station - Xaser Acheron *Sandy Petersen & John Romero*:

I don't think there is such a combination between Sandy and Romero in the original game, but you can let your imagination blow up here, here is a solid E2M1, that gives you the feel of starting a new episode again, but the level makes you sure you are not here for a walk in the park. It's just like the original E2M1, similar traits like the optional red skullkey, and a nice little playground to play and stock you up a little bit for the next map. It is kinda redish, and I don't remember the second episode as red as this (Skybox, textures, blood pools), you'll see later in this episode, mappers took a "reddish" approach to The Shores of Hell which, may not be as exact as the original E2, but sure it gives this episode some personality. Lovely starting map, fun and compact like the original was, and also teases you this episode is going to be hard.

IDness ratio: 4/5

(UV Playthrough - Crispy Doom)

Order of Preference:
 

Spoiler

 

E1M4
E1M7
E2M1
E1M5
E1M6

E1M3

E1M2
E1M8
E1M1
E1M9

 

 

[Womp the Cat]

E2M1 Receiving Station -UV- Xaser: 

This was a really fun rendition of E2M1 arguably less confusing but still head scratching at moments. I found the red key on my first playthrough blind, without realizing it was a secret key. and then got my ass handed to me in the the red door trap. Couldn't find the red key the second time round and got a bit confused, re red door/key but otherwise beat it fairly quickly. I will reiterate some of the sentiments around the damaging floor. though I appreciated how effectively the pinkies were used in conjunction with them right before the blue key. 8/10

 

I beat the first episode yesterday, but in a single sitting continuous. I'm not gonna comment on the individual maps, but overall I had a lot of fun with them, and the spirit of id was very much alive. I died twice, once on E1M3 and then on E1M6. Really looking forward to the rest of the wad, I'll be trying to keep up with the day to day level at a time playing/posting.

 

 

[DavitW]

E2M1: Receiving Station

I'm not sure what I think of all damaging sectors here, but I'm going to go the safe route and say I don't like them. My strategy of luring the demons at the blue key back into the teleporter was quite the clever move if I do say so myself, as otherwise I would have taken far more damage trying to fight them in there. Red Key is opened by the secret switch in the final room, which leads to a secret that's really far more trouble than it's worth. Unless I missed it there's no plasma gun, even with all the cells lying around.

e2m1.zip

[dei_eldren]

E2M2 Filtration Compound (HMP, continuous, blind): K 100%, I 98%, S 66%, D 0, T 52:52

 

Spoiler

This level is an Idesque journey through blood-pools and and cramped corridors in a labyrinthine map that has exact opposite virtues to the previous one, namely, nothing here is out of place but the familiar elements are all arranged in a novel way.  Neither do i remember extensive use, at least, of semi-see-through walls used for corridors in the OG, but regardless this feels again very authentic.

 

The layout was for me the most complex yet, with all the height differences and paths dependent on those, i had a really hard time putting the areas together in my head.  Yet, it was a lot of fun until trying to unravel the secrets at the western side!  The Blursphere and the Mega Armour simply did my head in, and i couldn't figure out the purpose of the teleportation to the little square blood-filled room.  After some 20 minutes of trying i finally gave up and went to collect the easier secret from near the start.  The Soulsphere was pretty simple and i forget what the fourth i found was, but they were all delightful.

 

The combat along the way had a lot of fun moments, like the staircase by a pool of blood where i had to fight a Cacodemon and others.  Lost Souls were used for great effect, and to increase the enemy count without increasing the enemy count :D  There was also a nice Cacodemon ambush around half-way through.

Combat-wise it wasn't as hard as some of the other levels, but the rather high-damaging blood pools created their own challenge, but there was a good amount of radsuits available for the most part, but not always - like along the way to the exit, which i liked a lot.  i passed away once looking for the secrets, but not really counting that.  (i admit sometimes i think that when playing blind looking for the secrets is a valid a part of the gameplay and deaths incurred should also be counted...but on the other hand, i have a tendency to just try stupid shit just because, which is just sillyness on my part.. this time i took a dash with very low health through the blood to an elevator and died on the way, and in real terms, it's totally meaningless.  Fact is, when frustrated, sometimes the imp of the perverse gets hold of me and i just wanna do something idiotic to wind down.  In truth i should have admitted i can't resolve those secrets at the moment a long time ago ha-ha.)

 

One thing i like in this set are the varying methods used between the levels by which the Idness of the maps has been achieved.

 

 

Who's Who

Spoiler

Episode Two

E2M1 - Receiving Station - 9.5/10

E2M2 - Filtration Compound - 8.5/10

 

Episode One

E1M7 - Logic Core - 10/10

E1M9 - Excavation Site - 9.5/10

E1M5 - Engineering Bay - 9.5/10

E1M6 - Reactor Complex - 9/10

E1M2 - Military Bunker - 8.5/10

E1M4 - Treatment Plant - 8/10

E1M3 - Fuel Synthesis - 8/10

E1M8 - Transport Facility - 8/10

E1M1 - Communications Bridge - 5/10

 

Edited February 8, 2022 by dei_eldren

[Book Lord]

E2M2 – Filtration Compound by @esselfortium, @Xaser

Doomsday Engine, UV-Fast, Continuous, blind run w/saves

 

The graphic continuity with Receiving Station was evident and commendable, no surprise that Xaser collaborated with esselfortium for this map. Filtration Compound did not share the aggressive attitude of E2M1 though, going for a mazy layout of rooms and corridors whose connection did not make much sense outside of the game mechanics. There was a lot of damaging blood all over the place, possibly the substance that gets filtered in this former UAC compound, now corrupted by hellish influence.

Spoiler

Lost Souls were hidden everywhere, often behind corners or in pits, ready to appear when least expected. This, combined with -fast hitscanners and Imps shooting through windows and from different height, made the exploration quite tense. No encounter was very challenging though, just a long series of small fights without the real intention to kill Doomguy. It was also very linear: the only viable path led to the BK, then dropped me exactly in front of the locked door, not a common courtesy in id’s OG. The red door was found in no time, and the only path through the blood eventually brought me to the RSK.

Spoiler

The base gradually became more twisted and infernal as the level progressed, and this was a nice effect. The area with the sinking walkways was the most warped, with a lot of wood, marble, magic fire, skulls, and demonic effigies on display. There was a big cluster of secrets in that area, including a completely pointless Invulnerability. I found the fake wall leading to it, but I failed to have the same epiphany twice, so the much more valuable Megaarmour remained on its ledge. The map liberally offered both the rocket launcher and the plasma rifle in the same room, though only one could be taken. I chose the plasma gun, as it was more suitable for the cramped corridors these mappers seem to prefer, and because it might turn out useful in case the number of Pinkies increases in the next maps.

Spoiler

Needless to say, the affinities with Containment Area were next to none. The texture scheme was consistent with what id used in some rooms of E2, though this uniformity of green and brown tones had nothing to do with Petersen’s work in Doom (it better reminded some of his Doom II entries). The original Deimos base was a triumph of different textures, and I do not see that kind of pastiche here. While the level was good from the gameplay perspective, I cannot say this related very much to Doom the way id did.

Edited February 9, 2022 by Book Lord

[DisgruntledPorcupine]

E2M1: "Receiving Station" by Xaser

UV with Corruption Cards, no saves

100% kills, 3/3 secrets

 

Card: You hear monsters in your head

 

Foggy memory or no, there were definitely clear parallels between this and E2M1 that I noticed, such as the layout consisting of small areas linked by teleporter, the big bright red wall at one part, and a damaging five pointed star platform (although I had to reconfirm this one by going back to check the original, where it's just a triangle). This is further driven home by the midi replacement, a sort of alternate take on I Sawed the Demons. It sounds nice, I think I prefer the faster tempo of the original though in this case.

 

Combat in this one was solid, felt nice and dynamic. We of course finally get introduced to the beloved cacodemon in this map too, you have a couple pretty easy ones to take down. The secret red skull key will also take you to an area with a berserk pack, which is always a welcome sight when the SSG isn't an option. With the set of cards being refreshed, we go from not hearing demon bites to hearing them when there are no demons around! This card is more funny than an added challenge, it has a tendency to trick me into thinking I'm making progress whenever I'm lost because it will play a monster wakeup sound.

 

So far the episode is off to a good start.

[RHhe82]

E2M2: Filtration compound. DSDA-Doom, UV-PS-Saveless. 100% kills and secrets. Completion time 23:17 (November: 31:58). Zero deaths in E2 so far (total tally: 2 in E1 + 1 death exit).

 

I can see Shores of Hell influences (but no Containment Area influences!), where tech bases start to converge with hell. I'm still not exactly loving E2 so far, Filtration compound feels like someone's slapped together some rooms and hurting blood pools and weird secrets that rely on sensing fake walls. I managed to cut 9 minutes of playtime from November blind run (where I undoubtedly consulted Doomwiki), because I remembered the general location of some secrets and that they were difficult to find. Indeed they were so difficult, that apparently I had found only five of them last time.

 

I wish I had remembered the invuln sphere before entering the awkward secret crusher corridor. Alas, no.

 

I don't know; It feels bad being so negative as of late, because if these were released in 1993-1994, they'd be helluva great maps. And seeing as the nature of the megawad is to be re-imagining of the official iD maps of the era, I should be singing praises here. So, okay, the fact that I'm playing these the second time means I am enjoying them after all. There are maps in official Doom wads and custom wads that I'd never want to touch again, and despite some fake wall secrets, DtWiD rises far above that.

 

rhhe82_e2m2_uv_cl3_dsda-doom_dtwid.zip

[Agent Slacker]

E2M2 - Filtration Compound
DOOM Retro, UV, Continuous w/saves, played on a DualShock 4
I'm a bit sad I wasn't able to get gyro aiming up and running through Steam at the moment.

I've got to agree with RHhe82, this map feels a bit slapped together. I'm not fond of fake wall secrets in general; I'd prefer if they were regular old "hump the wall until it opens" kind of secrets. Nothing really stuck out to me on this map, which might have to do with how I feel about it's layout. I also wasn't fond of the brown texture used throughout the map. It's not a bad texture, but I didn't like how often it was used.
I will say, I do like the idea of having a player choose between one weapon or the other. That room was super neat, although I will admit, I did manage to cheese it and grab both weapons (I was a bit shocked at how easy it was, too. It might be DOOM Retro or something, I dunno). 
Overall I thought this was a weaker map compared to the first one, and even compared to Containment Area.

[Xaser]

I'm seeing a lot of folks directly compare each map to the doom.wad map in the same slot (e.g. compare Filtration Compound to Containment Area), but the only maps that were ever explicitly designed to go in a particular slot were the M1's and M8's. The guiding line for everything else was "hey what if there was a 10th map in the episode?", i.e. try and stick to the theme of the episode as a whole, rather than act as an alternate-universe version of any particular map.

[Book Lord]

1 hour ago, Xaser said:

I'm seeing a lot of folks directly compare each map to the doom.wad map in the same slot (e.g. compare Filtration Compound to Containment Area), but the only maps that were ever explicitly designed to go in a particular slot were the M1's and M8's. The guiding line for everything else was "hey what if there was a 10th map in the episode?", i.e. try and stick to the theme of the episode as a whole, rather than act as an alternate-universe version of any particular map.

 

I think by now we got the project headline right. Episode 1 maps have some features shared with their respective slots, but as I tried to stress in my reviews the maps are the most successful when they achieved a personal status as a level from that episode. They needed to build an identity on their own, while paying tribute to id games' work and staying faithful to the OG Doom.

 

Filtration Compound might receive criticism not because it has no connection to Containment Area (by the way, you guys completely shunned the crate maze in your E2 maps, as if making one was a sinful thought), but because of the tortuous layout and the monotone colours, which are not typical of The Shores of Hell, or for its difficult secrets. These are objective facts, and every review so far points at them.

 

Still, my opinion on the map was positive, better than what I thought of your single-handed effort in E2M1 (this was influenced by my UV -fast blind playthrough; I found the setups a bit unforgiving in that arrangement, but still the RSK secret was more a trap than anything). Both were good maps, though not maps I would enjoy replaying too often. They have particular traits that can tickle your personal sensibility, as testified by @dei_eldren's enthusiastic reception.

[esselfortium]

8 hours ago, Xaser said:

I'm seeing a lot of folks directly compare each map to the doom.wad map in the same slot (e.g. compare Filtration Compound to Containment Area), but the only maps that were ever explicitly designed to go in a particular slot were the M1's and M8's. The guiding line for everything else was "hey what if there was a 10th map in the episode?", i.e. try and stick to the theme of the episode as a whole, rather than act as an alternate-universe version of any particular map.

Right, we actually were supposed to specifically avoid making homages to specific IWAD maps or scenes, as much as possible.

[kalaeth]

E2M2 - Filtration Compound :

 

An imp, a zombie and blood. Also a door. I start by there, grab a shotgun and press the switch : stairs going down. I dive onto the underground! Cacos show up and I realize I don't have a chaingun so it's shotgun work until I ran out of shells! Pistolling a caco is heavy work. There's a switch here and a door back there. Door first. Oh look, a lost soul. I shoot, it dies. And , yey, shells. And damaging floor. With no more option,I press the switch and open a path. More lost souls, shotgunners, imps and finally a chaingun! With a caco to match. Nice of whomever left the gun there also leaving a monster for us to try it on. And now it seems I need to take a dive into some blood. Grabbed a rad suit I didn't mean to grab and went to see a secret I had guessed in one of the blood pools. Another switch, another suit, another blood pool, another switch another path and now.. Down the stairs into a tunnel, and there it is, the blue key. And from here, the blue door. But first, this wall looks suspicious.. Ah ah! bluesphere for me. Caged tunnel, lost soul, two suits. Grab one, fall down. And then switch, bridge, stairs and a door on the middle. And a teleport.. I'm gonna go door first. An invincibility.. Unreachable from here. Going down after the stairs I find a wall that isn't really there revealing another secret with a switch. Press it. And now, teleport. And it's just a blood filled room. No switches, no exits.. Teleport back. And now in the middle room there's another teleport. And I wasted an invincibility sphere for nothing. Can't even grab that blue armor standing there.. I give up for now and go up... Plasma or rocket? I decide rocket and as expected, the pillars go up. And then, move onwards. Red key! Red door! Blood trail, switch door. and I'm at the exit. With 2 secrets to go and 1 enemy. Back.. Oh, another secret near the invincibility sphere.. Ah! Blue armor. And now.. The final secret is.. The invisibility sphere I'm guessing. Yup, it is! And it gets me crushed and makes me walk on killer blood, but I go it! Final imp hidding near the exit but I'm gonna go and find some health, that crusher crushed my spirit. 

 

K/I/S : 100% / 92% / 100%

time  : 34:05 / 42:33

deaths : 0

 

(spent a lot of time finding those health packs I knew I had left lying around. It's map 2 and I'm already tired of all the unavoidable damaging floors -_-)

[finnks13]

To be clear for these next few maps, Shores of Hell is by far my least favourite Ultimate Doom episode so these maps emulating that style are starting off with a pretty large disadvantage. 

 

~~~

 

E2M2 - Filtration Compound by Xaser and esselfortium:
I didn't like this one, it's the only map so far I didn't bother going back for 100% kills after finding the exit switch (presumably there were some hidden in a secret area I missed) because I wasn't enjoying myself and wanted out of the level. The pervasive use of damaging floors is pretty accurate to Episode 2 from my memory, but 10% damaging floor everywhere combined with a horribly confusing layout just isn't fun, even if it is accurate to the source material. I don't remember finding any armour so that might have contributed to my frustration. The only part of the map that I can say I actually enjoyed was managing to pick up both the rocket launcher and plasma gun in that room where you have to pick between them - it was a nice feeling to pull off.

 

The secrets in the map are odd, and seem far more complicated than anything I remember from Ultimate Doom, and one of the two I actually managed to find killed me with a crusher trap, which definitely didn't win the map any points - and very nearly marked the end of this playthrough. I saw the map was meant to be in the style of both Romero and Petersen on the doomwiki but I don't really see much influence from the former - the texturing seems pretty competent so I suppose that's where the Romero is, even if it doesn't look much like an Episode 2 map. Not every map can be a winner, so onto the next one.

[LadyMistDragon]

 

...since I held my head up high. Probably. But we're back after having to deal with some rather serious RL issues!

 

E1M7: Logic Core by Trevor Primmett

 

Quite amusingly, Mr. Freeze's track is probably the best fit here, as both Bloo's replacement and "March of the Demons" go for a heavily atmospheric bent that clashes a little bit too much with the action-focused bent of the map. Yes, there are a few shadowed areas, but mostly, it's just long and strangely lacking in memorability. It's best not to worry too much about why a Cacoward winner like Trevor dropped the ball here (some would say E2M9's worst, but idk) but it's still far from bad. Quite ironic then that Sarah Mancuso would shortly be raised so strongly in stature while Trevor seemingly disappeared into the mists of....

 

Grade: C+

Difficulty D+

 

E1M8: Transport Facility

 

I find these titles to be quite an amusing rendition of what the original id titles were. They mostly stayed away from the metaphorical stuff in E1 and even E2 except toward the end in the case of the latter. But here......I'm not sure. This is about as good an episode closer as you could hope for E1. You find yourself going through many shadowed areas, occasionally fighting pinkies before you enter a large room gazing outdoors, hit a switch and find yourself having to fight something like 4 Barons! Truth be told, you've got aplenty of room to move around, and the showdown here feels strangely tedious. For one of the best examples of an E1 closer, look no further than the E1 replacement created by @dannebubinga. Ignore the panning of it's author and you'll find quite an awesome E1M8 take.

 

Grade: C+

Difficulty C-

 

E1 Thoughts

 

The first few maps are probably among the most skippable in any of the well-known E1 replacements (that even includes stuff like Stormwalker's often-frayed Phobos Massacre wad). By M4 however, it really starts to find it's groove, despite occasional slips into mediocrity, and never really strongly disappoints right up until the end. Don't come in not expecting challenge and you should do just find.

 

Favorite map: E1M4

Least Favorite: E1M1

 

 

Edited February 10, 2022 by LadyMistDragon