The DWMoonwad Club plays: some maps that are set on the moon

[NiGHTS108]

MAP05: The Final Countdown

Kills: 100%

Items: 85%

Secrets: 100%

Time: 5:57

 

Do I really have to write this review? I think the MIDI of this map basically explains to you why this is totally awesome, The Final Countdown only consists of one fight, but I'll be damned, it's a good fight, it has the only BFG and Cyberdemons of the wad, and it steadily drops in more monsters as the countdown slowly decreases, I make it sound lamer than it really is, the only way I think you can properly grasp how cool this map is is if you play it yourself, The Final Countdown is bombastic, amazing, and probably one of the best last maps I know :)

 

Grade: A

Difficulty: B

 

 

- FINAL THOUGHTS - 

 

"Lunatic is a good"

Those are my thoughts

It's not great, but I really like Lunatic overall, you can blast through it all in less than an hour and I think Skillsaw packs in a number of great moments, especially the iconic Final Countdown, definitely a nice little package that never wastes your time, my final grade is a B+, on the difficulty side of things, it gets off to a slow start, but does become slightly more threatening near the end, I think a C- is appropriate for it

 

Now for the grand ranking!

 

Spoiler

Man On The Moon :)
Lunatic 05: The Final Countdown
Lunar Lac. 07: Moon Fortress
Lunar Lac. 09: The Cyber-Slaughter-O-Matic-5000
Lunar Lac. 08: Fuck It, Let's Blow Up The Moon
Lunatic 03: Rocket Zone
Lunar Lac. 04: Habitation Zone
Lunar Lac. 01: Crash Landing
Lunatic 04: Super Lunarcomputer
Lunar Lac. 06: Searing Core
Lunar Lac. 03: Venturing Outside
Lunatic 02: Space Weapon Research
Lunar Lac. 02: Biolab
Lunar Lac. 05: Moonbase Blitz
Lunatic 01: One Small Step...
Dark Star
Assault On Moonbase Cresta
Moon 2000

 

I'll be back if the DWMegawad Club is having a bit of a slow month, or if I see something that catches my eye over here, I think one club is enough for me at the moment

[baja blast rd.]

Some Lunar Laceration...

 

map07: Moon Fortress

 

 

 

So the moon meets...a gothic fortress? I really dig the theme mishmash, both from a concept standpoint, and the way the white-orange of the moonscape and its molten innards is a natural fit with the red-black of the interior gothic stuff. The fortress mostly sticks to the "New Gothic" look thematically, but there are occasional tech implements, like lights and force fields, that remind us we're on the moon even indoors, and the big Earth that sometimes peers through windows and ceiling holes is a sight to behold. 

 

Aisde from an early rough note -- that wave of teleporting suicide bombers in the library, where I ran into the "one trickles out way later" problem again because the spawns aren't perfect -- and a later one I'll get to, Moon Fortress serves up a steady dose of some of Lunar Laceration's best overall encounters. I enjoyed grabbing the BFG from under the cyber's nose and two-shotting him. Not a fan of Megachurch Pastors, especially not when they are siege cows. The blue skull battle is great -- a chaotic mess of cyberdemon (yes, this is a very cyberdemon-themed map) and ground-based infighters and an incoming cloud of cacos and pain elementals, all in a tight space where narrow pillars are both a complicating adversary and a friend. Part of the key to that one is not being overly desperate to kill the PEs; take opportunistic potshots where you can. The mass warp-in stairway fight after the blue key door is very exacting; it's worth it to forgo some early supplies and save it for that one, and to plan how many rockets you fire before switching over to BFG. 

 

The final battle is clumsy. It outfits the arena with two megaspheres and lots of medkits and rocket boxes, which suggests you're meant to move around actively during the battle. But in reality, there are so many suicide bombers and cybruisers warping into in the center, and as someone playing with no foreknowledge, you don't know when and how they spawn in -- nothing stops you from unluckily standing in the wrong spot when one suddenly shows up next to you -- so engaging it that way was very unappetizing. I just holed up in one of the ammo cache pulpits, spamming BFG until my shots and infighting from the two cybers had thinned out the hordes. That easily wins the encounter as long as you stay alert for incoming cybruiser rockets. If ultra-lethal monsters are used like this, I think it should be impossible for the player to "accidentally" run into one that is just spawning in. The teleport destinations should be clearly marked (such as with teleporter pads) and preferably be even more out of the way. Valiant did this very well.

[baja blast rd.]

And a bit more Lunatic...

 

map02: Space Weapon Research 

 

 

 

After we drop down the elevator shaft, we get an oddball start: two barons, which is a risk in that the player might actually try to kill those with the meager weapons provided in that room. I like to leave them for later, until the red key pickup releases three mancubi tailor-made to infight them. 

 

This one is very low key visually -- a lot of simple, squat rooms with occasional glances into the surrounding lunar landscape -- but I find it very cozy, thanks to the STARTAN variants, the cartoonish signs, the hints of Earth peering down, all the low ceilings. 

 

It's more of a narrative stopgap that introduces the two new custom enemies. Remember that the demons impacted with the moon, so research didn't create these zombies, they just helped themselves to the weapons lying around, which might be why they are so inept at using them! The plasma zombie is standard issue: it can hit hard in groups, but it's pretty squishy. It also drops a bullet clip that it doesn't ever use. The rocket zombie fires a revenant missile but is almost comical with how the missile emanates from its head rather than the gun, and the incredibly, incredibly long delay between when he points the gun at you and actually fires the missile. See that's the downside of using a weapon you just stole. The guys would have put up a better fight with the chaingun. 

 

As much as I'm playfully mocking these guys, I'd say they are designed well! Custom enemies usually should not be *too* strong one-on-one. Being overpowered can make them more interesting in one-on-one fights...at the expense of literally any other fight. 

 

map03: Rocket Zone

 

 

 

Yes, it would not be a skillsaw wad if there were no puns. Your first and main weapon is the rocket launcher, and you'll soon enough happen upon these tall shuttle-like rockets spread around the scene. 

 

I love the way this one is structured: a mix of open terrain to freely roam outfitted with a medley of threats, and of big, intense set pieces that don't hesitate to throw a zillion imps and zombies at you. What is moderation?!

 

The incidental combat might look largely random in how monsters are scattered all over the place, but there is a logic in how heavy hitters you might prioritize tend to have gangs of small fry around them, which explode like confetti when you target the more dangerous monsters. Early on, rocket boxes are are everywhere as if to say, "Hey use me," but just so you don't overdo it and regret it, there are some boxes tucked away near the yellow key for a refill. 

 

The set pieces, the rock valley sandwich in particular, hit upon the magic that would characterize all sorts of similar fights in Valiant, Ancient Aliens, and Heartland. They look cool and impressive -- the walls suddenly rising into the air to shut you in, a bit of a delay to catch your breath and add some suspense -- and operate on a logic of escalating intensity over however many waves the battle is partitioned into. In the last battle, a freebie soulsphere turns out not to be free after all, and we see one of the upsides of the new zombies being weak; this encounter really dumps a bunch of them on you, but it doesn't feel overly rude. 

 

Apart from the big tall rockets strewn around the place, this one has less of a visual hook to me than even the nondescript Space Weapon Research. It's more of a map where the spectacle of the horde is the visual show. 

[sandwedge]

Hey folks, this one took a chunk out of me as you might see by the play time 😅  Some of it was me doing it to myself of course, but it has some challenging parts for sure.

 

 

From vid description:

Played blind in GZDoom on Ultraviolence, Pistol Start. As you can see by the playtime these 3 maps aren't playin around. I was going to edit stuff out but instead you can see my unvarnished struggle if you want lol. Chapters should make things more accessible. First level is very tight in terms of space and health, and I eventually have to restart the level (skip to that chapter if you prefer). Once I realize the health situation the second attempt goes better. Then in level 7, I end up briefly forgetting I had the BFG in a brutal two-way stair ambush that almost requires that weapon. You can skip to where I remember it, which helps dispatch the encounter shortly. Final map is a really cool idea, a sort of Metroid style final countdown to escape. I definitely don't bother with killing everything there, and consider myself lucky to have gotten out alive. All in all, while I may have sounded quite frustrated at points, it was not to the point of disliking this mapset. With some perseverance I was able to get through with much satisfaction. Check it out!

 

Anyway, I did finish Lunatic in one sitting so I will be linking that soon.  Reminded me a lot of laceration, which I'm sure finnks was no doubt inspired by!  And that's a good thing because Lunatic was awesome... especially that last map!

[baja blast rd.]

And finishing Lunar Laceration...

 

map08: Fuck It, Let's Blow Up the Moon

 

 

 

Great closer. A thematic segue from the gothic fortress leads us back to the more techy parts of the moon. 

 

But first, early on, this extremely devious bridge battle with a carrot-on-a-stick BFG, pain elemental, galleries of snipers, and of course a cyberdemon, might be my favorite fight in the wad in a tactical sense. I love how it's so possible to have to do things like side dodge cyber rockets on a narrow bridge while fighting other monsters. Knowing the cyber off the bridge with a BFG shot is part of the strategic planning too.

 

The last stretch is finks's take on Final Countdown, a "chase" sequence rather than a choreographed dance number. It's staged really well starting from the large monitor that instructs you what to do in a gloomy room, and the music change-up to something more propulsive (but also nostalgic). The crate maze part is arguably undercooked there (only a few zombies), but the payoff at the end nails it -- the way you're looping back through the core of the map you cleared which is now repopulated, the escalating onslaught of viles and cyberbruisers and bosses. 

 

The timer adds lots and lots of urgency to battles that would ordinarily give you infinite time to snipe and clear at your own leisure. I actually "overdid" it this time around, finishing the map with well over 30-45 seconds left, but not without throwing myself into danger a bit too loosely. That sort of baiting is another reason the time limit works well.

 

The way the exit teleporter simply ends the game might be premature -- I was expecting kind of a story outro -- but that is not a big deal. All in all, Fuck It, Let's Blow Up the Moon is a cool mix of some of Lunar Laceration's best traits: fun and brutal claustrophobic fights, offbeat lunar settings and concepts, and...good map names.  

 

There's something really charming about sector-detail space rockets...or, well, sector-detail anything.

 

 

This is a good first project. Favorite maps were 06 and 08. I actually laughed at the project description's difficulty as being comparable to Valiant e5 and Speed of Doom e2; those wads are a lot easier. I am looking forward to whatever finks tries out next. 

[LadyMistDragon]

Map 03: Rocket Zone

 

Just because this has kind of died out, I'll be posting for this specific map. Honestly, I don't have lots of time for this though, so I'll do the last two when I can.

 

Visually, this isn't much of a step up, beyond that there's a far greater attempt to simulate a larger scale. Such as the building near the beginning with columns framing a yellow switch facing a location you just know will be trouble. While you do get a rocket launcher practically at the beginning, you get little more than just enough rockets and the chances of scrambling for more ammo is high. The exit passage to the red key and the first rocket took me some time to find. One of the Cacodemons here gave me quite a bit of trouble.

 

The second area then tries much harder to overwhelm you, though the grouping of corpses you see initially aren't so indicative of that. While you are trapped and then attacked on both sides by Imps and then, Hell Knights, this area opens up and you'll be out of rockets for a while before finding some more. The blue key trap is sufficiently nasty, teleporting in two Arch-viles to handle with little more than a Super shotgun and a few rockets. Definitely the kind of trap that would fit toward the latter half of a megawad. Last trap's the best though, throwing in tons of hitscanners in a cramped space to make your life a living hell. Good thing I had the secret plasma rifle at this point because you're close to overwhelmed here.

 

 

lmd_lunatic03.zip

Edited May 3, 2022 by LadyMistDragon

[LadyMistDragon]

We've got ten days left. Honestly, I would've left this for another time, but the truth is I don't really have lots of spare time. I'll probably have Map 05 done before the deadline, probably on the 13th or 14th.

 

Map 04: Lunar Supercomputer

 

Right away, you see Skillsaw's emerging philosophy of mapping design in that in certain locations, there are circular hallways which facilitate the dodging of enemies that would otherwise corner you. Visually, it's hard to say if this is really better appearing than the maps proceeding it. However, Paul picks a color scheme and sticks to it, in this case a bright blue bordering on cyan that's far more interesting than tan and brick, brick and tan and all points in between. For some reason, there's also a lof of whited-out triangle textures located throughout.

 

You'll get strong weapons almost right away, and that's a good thing because an Arch-vile will attack fairly quickly and surprisingly enough, not kill me if you watch the demo. The pinkies that attacked me near the bit with the yellow bars and the Revenant on the raised platform did put an end to me a couple of times. Thankfully, they were the only deaths I suffered in this map.

 

The yellow key trap was adequately spicy and actually reminded me of a similar trap from Map 02 of 180 Minutes Por Vivre where you grab a key and have the option to drop off a platform to get away from the hordes of monsters that emerge from packed in closets. Was Wilou going for something that only hinted at spiciness in an early map? I'm just going to say that, although perhaps you have a few more options in this specific case.

 

Traps tend to unleash Arch-viles, something that Paul became much better at spreading out over time. That's not so much the case with the plasma rifle trap which I half-expected but didn't want to handle at that particular moment.

 

I really like the trap which is triggered after you press the switch that will allow you access to the red key. The closets are incredibly obvious, but they contain hell knights and rocket dudes, and if you try to run back, you'll immediately find yourself confronted by more human enemies. Surprisingly enough, (or not, it's Doom) my reckless play here was rewarded, probably because Paul was moving away from punishing the player excessively philosophy.

 

Everything after that serves to fill up time but still manages to be enjoyable essentially (the combating of one last ambush including an Arch-vile in the opening room when you acquire the blue key)

 

The fights here aren't as extensive as Rocket Zone perhaps but this actually might be my favorite so far. Gettin' closer....

lmd_lunatic04.zip

[sandwedge]

Alright I got through Lunatic by skillsaw in a single sitting since it was only 5 maps, and it was actually a perfect amount of time at about an hour.  Really nice length for a brief excursion to the moon, I mean I played some single maps in this series as long or longer, but none could provide the amount of variety here.

 

 

Played in GZDoom blind on Ultraviolence with pistol starts, compatibility Boom (Strict).

 

I found it interesting to play through one of skillsaw's earlier releases, a cacoaward no less, because I know he's a legend but I haven't played THAT much by him yet.  I did play vanguard which was iirc released that year, and I'm almost through ancient aliens, but I was struck by how good his mapping is even with early releases.  For one, it's a small touch, but the story about the moon hitting a giant ball of demons and you having to escape is so funny and so easy to be visualized that it stuck in my mind while playing.  I'm not usually a fan of story because it's usually pretty meaninngless, but I like this little touch.

 

In general this reminded me a lot of finnks13 Lunar Laceration, and I'm sure he was inspired by it.  If not, then great minds think alike!  I noticed they both used some extra enemies, but this was definitely leaner on the dehacked stuff (iirc laceration was mbf so yeah).  I think the addition of plasma marines was quite similar, but I think I actually preferred the rocket marines in this one who fire homing revenant missiles.  It is a real problem if you can't find cover, but it is a lot less immediately threatening than a full on rocket launcher, which I find kind of crazy for a zombieman enemy.  In general, I found that the limited new enemies and their lesser strength meant I had a bit more flow to combat, and died a bit less from unexpected explosions, be it from suicide bombers or rocket marines or something.  It felt a bit more blind friendly, which I bet is more a personal choice... but I often like things that feel like you could possibly beat them the first time just be reading a situation clearly.  I really don't die much in this one but the combat was still threatening at points, which perhaps is just my personal sweet spot.

 

The flow in general might bear some of that classic skillsaw flavour, but like I said I haven't played enough to truly say.  It's easy to have confirmation bias and say, well this wad is by a "great author" so the combat is special.  Really it just flows very well in a way that reminded me of that same craft from ancient aliens, the type of visceral combat that makes you work to just scrape by, but never slow you down.  There's usually plenty of open ground to fly around encounters figuring out what to prioritize, which is usually a fun, liberating feeling.  I love being put in that flow state, I think that's the most entertaining level a game can achieve, and I thought this nailed it.

 

I'm a player who likes a lot of detail, whether it be doomcute or just little touches to lighting, accents etc.  And this makes a huge impression right off the bat with the american flag setpiece.  It doesn't have to be a crazy encounter, but that flag combined with the skybox creates a mood that not a lot of wads do.  I used it for a thumbnail for that reason.  These are the types of things that really stick in my mind, so that after playing it doesn't immediately start to fade into "yeah that was fun" without remembering details, it's more like "yeah that was fun and I was on the god damn MOON where Buzz Aldrin was!" 

 

The second level doesn't have the same level of grandiose setpiece, but it does have what I consider to be a very funny troll joke in promising weapons that you don't end up getting.  Instead, a screen announces the plasma rifle and rocket launcher were STOLEN!  Not only that, but you are then ambushed by new enemies using those very weapons!  Therefore, without having a huge visual flair, this was still a memorable moment for the perfect way these new enemies were introduced.  It really feels like something you do see in commercial games, where new enemies are thoughtfully placed to make a big first impression.

 

The third level gets back to that fantastic lunar base detail, with some real cool and really realistic looking rockets sticking out of silos all over the place.  There's even some nice lighting that makes the sky box feel more real, as the sun and earth are lighting up one side of these huge spires.  You also see only one rocket before having a whole base of them revealed, which is another cool build-up.

 

The 4th level is a great name, SUPER LUNARCOMPUTER, but is the least memorable imo because it is very much a techbase without too many memorable features.  That doesn't mean it wasn't fun, perhaps I should write these right after I play them to better remember the combat feel, but it wasn't a weak level, just one that can't really compare to the others.

 

Of course, we come to the 5th level... the title got me excited, and of course then the midi kicked in... I mean what can you say, nothing else can get you quite as pumped for a final battle!  You face off in a huge ring that starts to gradually open up, giving you more enemies each time but more resources coming down on the walls.  The number counters on the wall are a cool touch to show you how far you progressed.  How often do you get something like that in a final slaughterish encounter?  Finally the outer walls open up in a dead-simple-esque design, revealing the exterior one last time before you see yourself off by stepping onto a rocket bound for Earth.  Once again, the combat is great but it's all the touches around it that truly elevate it to a hugely entertaining, memorable experience.

 

As you might notice, I wrote these a bit later than recording so even when watching some footage back what definitely stands out is the detail, themes and setpieces.  Even so, even without these details these levels would be fun, as I attested to earlier, though perhaps I wouldn't remember each level distinctly.  Mostly I know that it helped me get into that "flow state" of combat, because it had well balanced encounters allowing lots of movement, with a gradually increasing, scary-but-manageable, blind-friendly-ish challenge.

 

That's gonna do it for my moon wads, this was a very fun thread to be a part of!  I have to go back to read people's stuff on Lunatic now that I've posted it.  I hope everyone enjoyed participating in this thread as much as me!

[baja blast rd.]

And finishing Lunatic.

 

map04: Lunar Supercomputer

 

 

 

The drabness of the look here belies the amount of line-drawing effort put into it. It's neatly detailed and all, but there isn't really much of a concept evident; it doesn't really feel like we're in a "lunar supercomputer" as much as just a gray abstract map with computer details.

 

That said, I think it might be the most fun map to this point. You get 258 monsters organized for either dangerous thrills, like that lone archvile wandering at the start or the huge fracas before the red key -- or to make you feel the power of your weapons: mixed crews of monsters that again tend to explode like confetti or get vaporized because of squishier monsters in their midst. Every big encounter is very mixed in composition, and where Rocket Zone was fine-tuned for the rocket launcher, Lunar Supercomputer gives you flexibility between that and the plasma rifle. Its slaughtery encounters don't get meaty, and there are enough dangerous single threats (zombies, archviles, revenants) that you might prefer the surgical precision of the plasma rifle. The way the central area is constantly repopulated and gradually piles up with bodies is satisfying. 

 

map05: The Final Countdown

 

 

 

I don't think I've come across a map quite like this, one that has rewired my brain to hear the music, a track that was not even originally a game track, as belonging to it. 

 

The Final Countdown is one of the most inspired simple concept maps I've come across. In a circular arena that serves a launch pad for the rocket that will let us escape the moon, waves are synced to a timer that gradually counts (T minus) 10, 9, 8... certainly not seconds. It's such a fitting map for the music, and such a fitting concept for the end of this wad. 

 

The two defining tendencies in the encounter design are resource abundance and chaotic monster placement. There a whole lot of medkits and spheres and armors you won't really ever use, because in a setup like this. you don't want to be handed out a perfectly balanced amount of gear but easily miss where that one last sphere is under of a field of corpses. It's exhilarating to grab something, anything, to stay alive. The Final Countdown is not that hard, but it does a good job of looking very lively. Infighting breaks out naturally, but every wave is careful to inject plenty of pressing threats you need to take out yourself. 

 

This sort of encounter design looks "random" and mindless in some ways -- from the very first waves, the teleporters vomit out several different species chaotically, seemingly without a clear logic -- but in my experience it requires lots testing to fine-tune and make sure everything feels as intense (but not more), dangerous (but not more), and fun as it should, that each wave has the right size and "texture" to it. It's not about the individual roles of individual monsters; it's about the Big Picture.

 

The result is a thrilling, momentum-driven fiesta of gibs and BFG shots and, sometimes, close calls. Fun.

 

...

 

Overall Lunatic definitely achieves its goal of porting the vibe of '90s cartoonish "shoot 'em up" style games into Doom, at the expense of feeling bland visually sometimes. A decade layer, the moon theme with its directional lighting is a lot more familiar -- it's not going to blow you away just by existing. So Lunatic can come off as speedmappy. Works like Lunar Laceration, Nova 3, Tarnsman's Projectile Hell definitely build on the ideas in more thematically interesting ways. Valiant and Man on the Moon greatly increase the "fidelity" of the visuals, adding a lot more grit and grease. But the overall story, the continuity, the basic design mechanics -- and of course the Final Countdown -- haven't aged the slightest. It's still good.

[LadyMistDragon]

Map 05: The Final Countdown!

 

It's the final countdown!!! This is the sort of song where you'd get mocked or viciously insulted by the die-hard heshers for daring to admit you fucking love this song. But it's the kind of cheese it's hard to feel guilty about, due to its complete lack of fear essentially, so kindly fuck off, oh trolling morons that are probably 80 percent American.

 

Now this map....there's really not lots to it at all. Starting in a small rectangular room with every weapon, you hear another clip play before it gets into "The Final Countdown," hopefully, by the time you've taken the exit teleporter.

 

......to a large, donut-shaped room. Ok, this is a less ambitious form of that fight from Rocket Zone II in Valiant perhaps but a)this music rocks and honestly, that the only justification required. You are a little short on rockets initially, but you'll gain access to some more eventually as the strength of the hordes arrayed against you is increased. It's not quite Going Down levels lf claustrophobia, but I was trapped and murdered by pinkies in the first few minutes because I was playing like shit. I suffered another death when attempting to pick up the second Megasphere, an Imp trapped me and a Revevant rocket took me from behind. The third death occurred a minute or two after the outside opened up and a plasma trooper shot be from behind. I am bad at picking up health if you watch the demo. Naturally, this last circle is the best part, and when the center opens up, revealing an Arch-vile upon a rocket, you'll spend lots of time with clean-up. Definitely seems like something that could unfold differently if you play it more often. Like maybe 1 of the Cyberdemons doesn't die from the mass of infighting. I also wish I was a bit more precise with my BFG shots, but using it against some Barons and Mancubi shortly before my third death was still satisfying.

 

Anyway, when you reach the exit rocket it then takes off (surely filled up by Arch-vile fuel) and you then witness the sight of the night sky as you take off for greener pastures, presumably as the Marines prepare to clean up the stragglers that surely exhausted you. The feeling of triumph as this concludes is quite real and am wholly unapologetic about.

 

Overall, it's hard to write about Lunatic. Compared to many other wads of the post-Skillsaw area, it's not really much, and Rocket Zone was rather annoying toward the end, but the last two maps are undebatable chef's kiss, but it's a very solid entry. Paul would certainly go on to develop more-realized opening maps. But for what it is, it's a shockingly goood forerunner of modern Doom.

 

Nice!

lmd_luna5.zip

Edited May 13, 2022 by LadyMistDragon