Do you usually go for the secret levels?

[Deleted Account]

Do you go out of your way to find the secret exit in map 15s when playing megawads? Or do you skip them out of personal preference?

Most of the time I go for the secret exit, except when I'm playing scythe 2 cause the way to the secret exit is confusing and pretty dumb (also cause those maps aren't that great anyways). So yeah tell me ur preference

[Captain POLAND]

Yea, I don't like to miss stuff.

[Billa]

Yeah I want to see all the wad has to offer. Secret maps are often the most experimental and gimmicky maps of the megawad, I want to see what the author can conjure up from the depths of their imagination. Getting to the secret maps is always a treat I look forward to experiencing for the first time, and they tend to rank among my favourite maps honestly

[Sleep Deprivation]

I usually don't, mainly since I find the secret maps to be boring garbage. Not to say that I completely hate finding secret maps, but I find their design in the OG IWADS terrible.

[RHhe82]

I do, because I’d feel like missing out on something if I skipped them. That applies even when replaying some old acquaintance like IWADs, and even if I didn’t like those levels. In IWADs they aren’t that great, and the Wolfenstein levels just snap out of the mood.

 

In PWADs they can be some of the best levels, because they usually dare to break from the formula. That’s also a risk.

[BGreener]

I try to, but I’m terrible at secret hunting. If I don’t find it and I’m approaching the map15 exit I’ll create a separate save file and look for it another time.

[Borg]

19 hours ago, Sleep Deprivation said:

I usually don't, mainly since I find the secret maps to be boring garbage. Not to say that I completely hate finding secret maps, but I find their design in the OG IWADS terrible.

Try AV map 32. See if it doesn't change your mind at least a little.

[out_of_service]

Sometimes I’ll make a half assed attempt at finding the secret exit. 

[Shepardus]

If I'm playing individual levels from pistol start, I'll usually include the secret levels. If I'm playing continuous, I'll play them if I can find them, and skip them if I can't.

[Toilet_Wine_Connoisseur]

unless I know ahead of time its going to something weird/gimmicky. Usually no, most doom secrete feel like just another level rather an excuse to do goofy shit or experiment 

[BigBoy91]

No.

[Solmyr]

No, i don't usually look for secrets unless i'm low on health and ammo and i used everything else lying around on sight. If i find a secret exit is purely by stumbling into it by chance.

[Kor]

I usually do.  I want to get the full experience, even if I've played a wad more than once.  Though if I really don't like a wad's secret levels I won't play them.

[pantheon]

I'll play them but won't necessarily find them. If I don't get to them by the end I just IDCLEV. I usually pistol start so it doesn't make too much difference.

[Jaccident]

I usually forget about them, which is a shame because I would probably enjoy them

[DiR]

As much as I enjoy secret levels, I'm pretty garbage at finding secrets so I haven't played through that many secret ones.

[jmac]

Yeah, but I generally leave them until I've finished the rest of the wad. Since they're usually so different from the rest of the wad, and often more difficult, playing them in the middle of a megawad tends to feel like an unwelcome break in the wad's momentum. IMO most secret levels work better as an encore.

[ImproversGaming]

I have yet to miss a secret exit in a WAD. Typically, I find the normal exit then turn around and run to the secret one to complete the map. Not sure why, just how I do it. 

[spineapple tea]

If I can't find them myself I'll idclev to them at the end of my playthrough.

[Scypek2]

I certainly do when it's easier than beating the map normally. It's been quite a while since I've seen the last room of Industrial Zone.

[Doomkid]

In wads where I really want to see all the maps, I'll just idclev if a secret exit is missed.

[Sena]

I have never played a secret level apart from the ones in Doom 2, and even then, I have never deliberately set out to do it - sometimes I unwittingly get to MAP31, and sometimes MAP32 after that, sometimes not. 

[Ludi]

Yeah, but I generally don't cry over not finding the secret exit. I'll just do the ol' IDCLEV31/32

[Summer Deep]

I often sort of half-heartedly look for the secret exit on MAP15 of a Doom II megawad, but even when I'm really trying, my success rate is probably no better than around 20%. I was delighted this evening however to find the exit to MAP31 on Anomaly Report - I had a feeling it might be in the vicinity of the area which hosted the last big fight, but was surprised when I fell over the side of said arena and into the watery area where the secret exit was situated. It looks as if it could be a pretty memorable one as well, with almost 400 monsters.

 

 

Edited May 12, 2022 by Summer Deep

[Nikku4211]

Yeah I go for them, but I don't always succeed.

[Alex S.]

Yeah I normally go for secret levels. Even if it takes a walkthrough or a video to get it right. I love exploring.

[ducon]

Yes, I iddt if I don’t find them or I use a level editor (yadex, slade, eureka…)

[Graf Zahl]

Most of the time, yes, but a few mappers seem to think that they are free to do any nonsense there that totally disrupts the main campaign.

 

A good example for this would be that cyberspace level in Valiant. Virtually everything about this level felt off to me. It not only clashes with the rest in design but even more in gameplay style and tedium. In this case I just made a small edit to the WAD to skip it as the second secret level was fine.

Another one I regularly skip is BTSX II because its slaughter style clashes badly with the rest of the levels.

 

Doom 2's Wolfenstein levels would also be good examples, but they are relatively short and provide a good reward in the end so they are worth playing normally.

 

 

[RHhe82]

14 minutes ago, Graf Zahl said:

Most of the time, yes, but a few mappers seem to think that they are free to do any nonsense there that totally disrupts the main campaign.

 

A good example for this would be that cyberspace level in Valiant. Virtually everything about this level felt off to me. It not only clashes with the rest in design but even more in gameplay style and tedium. In this case I just made a small edit to the WAD to skip it as the second secret level was fine.

Another one I regularly skip is BTSX II because its slaughter style clashes badly with the rest of the levels.

 

Doom 2's Wolfenstein levels would also be good examples, but they are relatively short and provide a good reward in the end so they are worth playing normally.

 

 

Wolfenstein levels don’t break my OCD-like behaviour, but indeed: the experience would benefit from completing Industrial Zone thru normal exit rather than the secret one. I don’t think I have used the regular exit there since 1995, but I really should. It’d probably be a really fresh experience.

 

I’m glad you brought up Valiant’s MAP31. Nice to play through once, but that was probably the first time I thought to myself, that subsequent playthroughs don’t need to include the secret levels, that I could just idclev all the exciting levels. Too bad Valiant’s cyberspace level has the fun arena area. Ancient Aliens is another similar one; I quite liked MAP32, but MAP31 I wouldn’t want to replay.

[mrthejoshmon]

Always, I will more often than not waste embarrassing amounts of time hunting down the secret levels, personally I have memorised the secret exits for Ultimate Doom, Doom 2 (+NRFTL), TNT, Plutonia, 64 and the PSX exits.

 

I also admit that every MAP15 I play is spent staring at the automap towards the end, sometimes if I can't figure it out I will use Doombuilder to find it.