Endless Random /idgames WAD Adventures #033

[ICID]

^{(logo by @4MaTC)}

 

ICID, what the hell is this now?

Endless Random /idgames WAD Adventures is a small project of exploration, interaction, entertainment and reviews where we meet once every two weeks to select random WADs in search of hidden treasures, lost promises, or our worst nightmares! We use the /idgames archive’s special feature that lets us search for random files. Of course, sometimes the results are resources or unplayable stuff, so we focus on looking for WADs.

 

So, what do we do here?

1. Play at least one random WAD in a two-week period of time. WADs are selected using the Random File feature on /idgames or from the list below.
2. Post a review of whatever you play. There’s no required pacing, but most of us post a review once every 1-2 days.
3. Always provide the name of the WAD, the name of the author, and a link to the file.
4. Play however you want, on any skill level, and with any source port, as long as you play the WAD as intended/in working shape.
5. Be respectful. Good rule of thumb: making fun of a map is okay, making fun of the mapper is not.

 

What kind of WADs are we looking for?

Any file on /idgames is fair game, but most of us choose to stick to singleplayer Doom or Heretic WADs that work in our sourceport(s) of choice. I also pull at least 5 random WADs for the event and add them here. Feel free to play them with me if you wish, or look for your own! The point of the event is to encourage you to explore this vast, random world. 

 

Recommendations for reviewing:

Spoiler

1. Please take screenshots or video of your adventures.

2. Commenting the source port and skill-level is not required, but provides helpful context to your review.

3. Try to stick to no more than 1 WAD per day to avoid burnout, but this part’s all up to you, champ!

4. As mentioned above, screenshots or videos are awesome. 

5. Reviews of all formats are valid. Both longform and shortform are good as long as you write with integrity. 

 

Endless Random /idgames WAD Adventures of this event:

1. Base_16
2. Vengeful
3. Shrek in Doom (warning: this is a Terry wad)
4. Levpack
5. TeleKill
6. The Lower World

 

Spoiler

The Top 10 (out of 25):

 

1. @Roofi | 3985
2. @Sena | 1845
3. @Walter confetti | 990
4. @LadyMistDragon | 955
5. @ICID | 540
6. @Endless | 450
7. @smeghammer | 325
8. @LUISDooM | 235
9. @Biodegradable | 185
10. @Clippy | 160

 

Join the Doom Master Wadazine community for more events like this! » https://discord.gg/Q2RKn4J

[Frost-Core]

Hey im first!

Found this wad called cyber fight https://www.doomworld.com/idgames/levels/doom2/a-c/cybrfght

Well ok, this map is a 2017 map however its very barebones and 1993 style, all of the maps scream cyberdemon, and they all have that one thing, BFG9000, really? why not a rocket launcher? i played all the way to map09 and i could not finish it, maybe i can, its very bad so i dont recomennd you play it, also it has no custom intermission text and map names, which makes it a noobie mapset

and finally, the best thing about this wad is that you can see the cyberdemons butt :

^(MAP04)

EDIT : i finally finished MAP09, also its ten levels, 'o' of destruction! is not replaced, quote this thread if you have played it. and i found it myself while browsing a-c, does that count? since i browsed it randomly.

Edited May 16, 2022 by Frost-Core

[smeghammer]

I got a really excellent one this time - a full 34 map megawad from 2021 called Judgement, by @Rayziik:

https://www.doomworld.com/idgames/levels/doom2/Ports/megawads/judgment

 

I played the first map on HMP using GZDoom with freelook, saves, died once.

 

Just a pleasure to play this one.

 

This has some modified monsters - black imp with double purple fireballs and a buck-toothed mini-caco - and a modified pistol - faster fire rate, which makes it quite handy:

 

 

Difficulty ramped up nicely, though didn't get all secrets...

 

Yeah, like this a lot. Recommended!

 

[brick]

1. Base_16 by Henley Bailey (doom.wad, GZDoom, UV)

The health starvation is real. There's a single health bonus lying around. One soulsphere is in a secret. That's it. No stimpacks, no medkits. Tons of shotgunners and imps, a handful of barons, and a Cyberdemon if you make the mistake of going for the troll secret with the BFG (which is otherwise useless). Shells and clips are plentiful, rockets are extremely limited and you will use most of them. The map is rather monochromatic, though I don't mind so much and it does make that one secret look rather striking. Texture alignment is pretty hit and miss (though this may be a DEU map, so I can forgive it), including random misalignments but secrets that are hidden behind perfect alignment. There are several homages to E1 and those are done well, including the opening taking a page from the E1M1 armor room, and later to E1M5 with the balcony that triggers raising the walkway. Bailey was 15 years old and the wad has a time stamp of 1995. With that in mind it's honestly not a bad map, but the health issue makes me feel a bit grumpier about it.

Spoiler

 

[Walter confetti]

8 hours ago, brick said:

Base_16 by Henley Bailey

I know this wad! Pretty cool for it's age, at least visually and in layout department, from what I remember...

The raising bridge part with the caco is the part i remember the most.

[Roofi]

Month 10 Day 03

 

I play until I die or intentionally stop. I don't comment the wad where I died/stopped.

 

[1] MST 3000 Sound FX (for DOOM or DOOM 2) by David Lloyd Rabine (1995)

Quote

This wad replaces quite a few of the sounds in the game. I tried to get the levels pretty consistent, but some of my tapes are old. Those tapes didn't come out very loud even with the gain cranked up. I hope you enjoy this wad, I had a fun time making it going through all my tapes for a weekend.

 

A sound wad which compile funny quotes from "Mystery Science Theater 3000", a science fiction comedy series created by Joel Hodgson. Nothing special but I love the "Push the button Franck" each time you press a switch. The author said he made it through all his tapes. I just realised how tedious making a simple sound wad was during the 90's.

 

Also, David Lloyd Rabine works for the NASA, pretty glorious.

Spoiler

 

 

[2] Warehouse of Evil! by Owen "Sarge Baldy" Lloyd @sargebaldy (2004)

 

Spoiler

 

Quote

Originally intended as an Episode II D:E map. One of the last maps I began in DoomCAD, reworked in DeepSEA, and finished in what was then the newly released Doom Builder.

 

An underlit warehouse which contains 44 monsters and 3 secrets. Despite, the reasonable monster count , the level may be deadly for the most unaware. Ambiant darkness doesn't play in your favor ,ammo is tight and I didn't find any armor during my playthrough. Don't miss your shots too much or you're likely to be screwed.

 

The map isn't ambitious but the music from Doom E2M2, the darkness and the traps manage to create a successful creepy atmosphere. In spite of the simple detailing, the level has decent aesthetics.

 

I like it.

 

Grade : B

 

[3] Gore Galore (for DOOM 2) by Ian Springer (1994)

 

Spoiler

 

Quote

This level is designed especially for DeathMatch 2.0, but it is also an excellent single-player experience (although it will take a DOOM guru to beat it on Ultra-Violence). At first, the level will seem rather large for a DM level, but I can assure you that once all the players become familiar with the map's layout, this level provides the ultimate DeathMatch environment. There are many intricacies present which are not essential for a simple rowdy DM game, but they will truly enhance the game for those who take the time to figure them out. Have fun!

 

Gore Galore One of the rare Doom 2 custom maps released in 1994 and despite not being a good DM map, it's definitely worth playing singleplayer map :

 

Gore Galore features a quirky progression and gameplay. You must venture yourself inside a kind of underground base and sneak among cramped rocky passages. As any 1994 map, the map doesn't have any logical progression, you open many doors leading to rooms containing monsters, goodies or both. The author was generous (especially about blurspheres !) so I didn't feel frustrated during my whole playhtrough. 

 

However, Ian Springer created some challenging parts. For instance, you must kill a cyberdemon at the outdoors areas without getting stuck by the numerous trees, or in the pentagram-carpeted rooms, you have to kill a series of revenants before confronting a single vile. Also, near the end , you press a lot switchs without knowing what they do and beware of the surprise crusher at the very end.

 

I enjoyed this map.

 

Grade : B

 

Two Mastermind perforated me in Aarrghh!

 

Spoiler

[Clippy]

Man any time you want to play a random ID games map it's always a good time

 

We didn't find anything too wacky this time - a mostly competent map with decent combat and some mild shenanigans

 

This was Iron Lords by Rastrelly from 2019 - link here :: https://www.doomworld.com/idgames/levels/doom2/Ports/g-i/ironlord

 

 

 

 

This was special because I finally achieved my life long dream of having 4 ppl talk in my video: @sandwedge@Dub Bag@Biodegradable

 

This made the experience fantastic while experiencing a random map at the samw time. Pretty varied map with kept me interested - outside rev part and the double cyber ending which I played the hard way lol - excessive red key texture use? It's fine but this vid is a blast

 

Sadly the intro footage got messed up but one of the maps I rejected along the way was something called Gaurdian cause I thought it had 1700 monsters in it, @sandwedge took this on after with us and I hope he shares that here cause it's the BEST DOOM EXPERIENCE AND VIDEO OF ALL TIME

 

great times last night - I am so thrilled to be a part of this community and have had this experience! Fucking fun!!

[sandwedge]

Well here it is, a legendary video.  Just like Clippy's vid above, all 4 of us got in on the action (@Clippy@Dub Bag@Biodegradable), but this level was also 4x as busted as Clippy's... well that's too conservative an estimate.

 

 

General thoughts from vid description:

Played in GZDoom on Ultraviolence, not pistol start because you'll see why. Extra special because I have 3 other dudes to hang out with! And trust me, I need them. Clippy found this gem by hitting the random Id games button but it looked daunting so we saved it for my video. And I'm so glad we did. This level starts out alright for a 2000's wad, some silly circuitous sewers but nothing too bad. The map quickly goes off the rails with a series of baffling decisions, culminating in one of the worst elevators ever put in a Doom game, perhaps a video game period. I won't describe it here, just watch it. The map never really recovers, and it turns out it's some sort of Frankenstein abomination of two levels stitched together, but apparently mutually inaccessible. The second map is... better, but not by much. At least it has some interesting architecture. If nothing else, this wad is a cautionary tale about the dangers of drug use while mapping.

 

So yeah, so glad I had you guys on for this one because otherwise I probably would have lost my mind.

[Dubbag]

thank you so much! this was an absolutley blast. Ive never laughed this hard in a vid.

[Sena]

Day 1: Mercenaries https://www.doomworld.com/idgames/levels/doom2/m-o/merc

 

I've gone through some outright terrible starters before, ranging from levels that you physically can't play to ones that are so bad you wish that the aforementioned was the case. With that in mind, it could probably be construed as a compliment when I say that this is level is playable and nothing more. 

The most notable aspect of this level is its opening, which features the purely satanic and objectively evil decision to have kamikaze explosive barrels teleport in around the corners with chaingunners in towers, right at the very angle you'd want to stop and shoot them in, and I fell for that one completely. But apart from that, it is a very by the books Earth level, and I'm not just saying that because half of it takes place in a library. It is notably restrictive with its health packs, but that's also countered by the fact it's just a short map overall, with just short of 100 enemies, closer to 70 if you don't include the swarms of zombiemen all stood together who you can all kill within 1 second of chaingun fire, that is if they don't do it for you. For some reason, there aren't actual switches or doors in this map required to get keys, if you can see a key, rather than look for a way around to get into the room it's located in, you're supposed to just mash the wall until you find the one texture that's actually a door, which is a very peculiar way to go about it, but I shouldn't expect anything less when Matt Bollier's only other mapping credit is in Eternal Doom. This level does have a nice and atmospheric bit of story in the textfile, which obviously, describes a scenario that doesn't come close to what you see in terms of gameplay, but overall this is a decent level, even if it is majorly undetailed once you get past the first half of it. But, it's playable, especially for the early 90s, and especially when you consider what plenty of other peoples' post-Eternal mapping catalogue looks like. 5/10.

[LadyMistDragon]

Rapping lyrics for Doom part 5 (1996) by Zack "mr. corruption" Karpinski (Eternity)

 

As far as I can tell this replaces most of the sound effects and the monster alert sounds for some reason with brief little rapping snippets. Actually, it's not a half-bad fir for the midi in the map I was playing it in. Also, there's something quite funny about hearing Dr. Dre every time you teleport, so long as you don't do it too often. It's ultimately fairly disposable then.

 

Castle of Doom (1994)  by Lorenzo Caira (Eternity)

 

a 94 map uploaded in 2014 @Endless might be interested to know of this. Or maybe not since it's more like a mix between castle and techbase in the sort of manner that makes it seem like Lorenzo was having fun with textures. There's the typical '94 flaws, such as obscure progression and a mildly illogical layout, but at least there are no softlocks, unless you leap outside prematurely before you've found the yellow key. A yellow key you find by hitting a random skull on a wall in 3-tiered "secret hallway of slime to lower a platform that seems low enough to access but apparently was actually beyond an invisible wall. Secrets are as common as dandelions but don't quite feel so rewarding as Romero secrets. You mostly encounter lower tiers with the exception of Lost Souls early on, though Cacodemons start to show up later. Finally, you get just one rad suit for an area of slime where you find the yk, which is a problem because there's actually a sort of hub area to the west I think you have to access through here. It'd be nice if Lorenzo knew people are unlikely to figure all this stuff right away, but no matter. It's perfectly playable, but very unfriendly to first times, and the combat is just kind of there. Funny message at the end, btw. 5/10

 

Spoiler

Spoiler

 

Edited May 17, 2022 by LadyMistDragon

[FEDEX]

9 minutes ago, LadyMistDragon said:

 

Castle of Doom (1994)  by Lorenzo Caira 

 

 

Check this link , the URL is missing

[LadyMistDragon]

got it

 

[Endless]

1 hour ago, LadyMistDragon said:

Rapping lyrics for Doom part 5 (1996) by Zack "mr. corruption" Karpinski (Eternity)

 

As far as I can tell this replaces most of the sound effects and the monster alert sounds for some reason with brief little rapping snippets. Actually, it's not a half-bad fir for the midi in the map I was playing it in. Also, there's something quite funny about hearing Dr. Dre every time you teleport, so long as you don't do it too often. It's ultimately fairly disposable then.

 

Castle of Doom (1994)  by Lorenzo Caira (Eternity)

 

a 94 map uploaded in 2014 @Endless might be interested to know of this. Or maybe not since it's more like a mix between castle and techbase in the sort of manner that makes it seem like Lorenzo was having fun with textures. There's the typical '94 flaws, such as obscure progression and a mildly illogical layout, but at least there are no softlocks, unless you leap outside prematurely before you've found the yellow key. A yellow key you find by hitting a random skull on a wall in 3-tiered "secret hallway of slime to lower a platform that seems low enough to access but apparently was actually beyond an invisible wall. Secrets are as common as dandelions but don't quite feel so rewarding as Romero secrets. You mostly encounter lower tiers with the exception of Lost Souls early on, though Cacodemons start to show up later. Finally, you get just one rad suit for an area of slime where you find the yk, which is a problem because there's actually a sort of hub area to the west I think you have to access through here. It'd be nice if Lorenzo knew people are unlikely to figure all this stuff right away, but no matter. It's perfectly playable, but very unfriendly to first times, and the combat is just kind of there. Funny message at the end, btw. 5/10

 

  Hide contents

  Hide contents

 

Haven't reached that one yet, but if it's named Castle, it will be done.

 

It is His will.

[LadyMistDragon]

Brain3 (1998) by Gregory W. Percy (Eternity)

 

Yep, seems like a map you'd need to belong to MENSA to figure out. Please. Nothing almost but wooden textures and a pointlessly dark lift in one room. A boring map that could definitely have a little bit more health. And there is an Arch-vile in the exit room that counts as a secret because.....there's really not much to this at all. The basic hub structure at least shows some competency, but the torches seem a touch random and a lame attempt at adding some ambience. I thought perhaps there might be something behind the wall that's at the far end of the little lava area, and who knows, but it probably wouldn't be an area tagged on the map. It's actually not too bad for a map as short as this, but gods, I am so sick of wood, wood everywhere. Although I just saw the kid was in grade school, so maybe we shouldn't be too harsh on him. But i hate monochromatic maps that are bland to begin with 4/10

 

Spoiler

https://i.imgur.com/XsjtCec.png

 

[brick]

2. Vengeful by DustKo (doom2.wad, GZDoom, HNTR)

I started on UV then quickly dialed down when I saw the monster count. Turned out to be a very good idea.

This started off as a quite nice wad. It's interesting because it's in UDMF format but the mapping style is much more traditional, and as far as I can tell only uses UDMF as a way to access line actions. The architecture, map size and progression are almost vanilla (there are some voodoo scripts but they're quite subtle). That's not to say the maps are plain, they're actually really well designed with very nice sector lighting in parts and some simple but very effective detailing. There are quite a few subtle Dehacked changes to enemy behaviour, the most noticeable being Barons, who now fire two projectiles in quick succession and feel a bit more than Knights with double health. I really enjoyed the first five maps, they get progressively trickier but still very manageable on Easy. I started feeling a bit differently about the wad on MAP06 though, when the monster count suddenly jumps up to ~400, with an inordinate number of PEs and archviles. Then a death exit happens and MAP07 rolls around and it feels like playing a completely different wad, it is hard with lots of enemies attacking from all sides and restricted movement, lots of hitscanners, eventually a Cyberdemon roaming around. By the time I got to yet another death exit at the end I was exhausted and seriously considering if I should quit, but it turns out that's pretty much the end of the complete levels, only a small part of MAP08 is there. The MAPINFO lists lots more levels so it seems the themes were at least present as ideas. Shame it seems abandoned, but if the next levels were more like the last 2 I don't think I'd have lasted until the end. Still, those first few levels were a lot of fun.

Spoiler

 

[Roofi]

Month 10 Day 04

 

I play until I die or intentionally stop. I don't comment the wad where I died/stopped.

 

[1] Danzig for DOOM ][ Deathmatch by Map16 - B. Weldon Map17 - B. Vannatta Map18 - B. Vannatta Map19 - B. Vannatta Map20 - B. Vannatta  (1995)

 

Spoiler

 

Quote

Danzig2.wad is a concatenation of the second five Danzig pwads. These levels are designed for intense two-, three-, or four-player DOOM ][ Deathmatch. Supports various modes of play (see below) and monsters (use respawn).

 

Danzig2 consists to a pack of 5 DM maps for Doom 2 taking place in various places such as marble/brick fortresses or a warehouse containing pile of crates.

 

Each level has an exit which is unlockable by activating a timed lift. Also, a handful of zombies populate those maps for the only purpose of annoying the players during the deathmatch I guess.

 

Anyway, what striked me the most were the visuals. For maps released in 1995, the design is modern. The authors, and especially Vannatta brought a particular care to the texture alignment and the architecture. The result looks polished. For instance, you can see a lot of rounded wall corners which help the maps looking a lot more smoother. In the warehouse, there is an area where you can walk on crates. The mapper used the right textures so the texturing looks consistent. The beige color stands on beige crates and the grey color on grey ones.

 

And I died in the first room of SargeBaldy Speedmapping Compilation #1 , after being chased by an army of pinkies.

 

Spoiler

 

 

[INfront95]

Uh, this is my first time doing this, but here we go.
https://www.doomworld.com/idgames/levels/doom2/0-9/1024pc01 [SPACESHIP 1024 by Paul Corfiatis]

 

As name implies: this is 1024x1024 spaceship themed map. Honestly, when i first booted it up, i thought, i will enjoy it because of,almost, doomcute aesthetic. But do not be deceived my friends. Abundance of chaingunners in tight corridors will change your mind, and after you extinguished your flaming butt, one particular "flamy boy" will resurrect what you cleared, and you will have to clear it again. 

 

Also want to notice that some secrets are useless.

First: is megasphere infront of the exit switch, as spit in your face.

Second one: is plasmagun which would've been helpful to kill "archie".... but you can find it only by running through small corridor with said "archie".

 

My personal verdict: Aesthetic-Good  Gameplay-Meh

Everything written here is my noobish opinion, experiences can varie, if you experience varies too long consult local doctor.

Spoiler

Edited May 19, 2022 by INfront95

[Silhouette 03]

I'm burnt out from mapping, so I'll try my hand at this. I'm new to this, so I hope my writing skills are adequate.

 

1. OUT OF PHASE- Karthik Abhirama Krishna- 2001 

 

 

 

 

My first venture into the wild world of IDGAMES begins with OUT OF PHASE, or ophase.wad,  by Karthik Abhirama Krishna, released in 2001. According to the text file, the author was 19 years old at the time (so around my age) and relied chiefly on their brother for playtesting and feedback.

 

The map has a lot of the hallmarks of beginner maps. It's flat, under detailed and with really odd progression. The first thing you'll notice is the doors, save one, make use of METAL 1 and METAL 4 textures ( I had to open the map in UDB to look at the texture names). I know many mappers repurpose vanilla textures in really imaginative ways, but in this case it seems like a really odd design choice. When I see a door texture, I can immediately recognize that that is indeed a door and can be  opened. In this case I became frustrated as I struggled to differentiate door from wall. 

 

The combat isn't really anything to write home about, either. It's essentially just enemies in a straight line. I played on UV and I was still  more than sufficiently equipped to take on said enemies as you're granted a Super Shotgun near the start of the map. There's very little challenge here. The only time I was caught off guard was the two-archviles- in the-exit trap. I did have a Plasma gun and SSG so I made quick work of them.

 

Overall, This is a middling map. It has a lot of flaws as I mentioned before, but there is a certain charm to it. Maybe it's finding another mapper that was once around my age looking to make maps that would gradually become great, or maybe that's the whole point of Endless Random IDgames wad adventures. Looking for rough gems and diamonds in the rough.

 

 

Thanks for reading.

 

 

 

 

 

     

[LadyMistDragon]

Must Die (1996) by G.B.S (Eternity)

 

Hey, I played you in Shovelware Society! Though this doesn't really feel like Shovelware. Boring appearance but shockingly competent combat. I don't know why you'd place a blue key on a lift texture, but I have little else to complain about. Secrets don't really stand out too much but are easy enough to find if you're looking out. Also surprisinfly more difficult than you might expect a map like this to be, but nothing too shocking. I do quite like the hallways on the sides of the middle courtyard, they are a nice sort of framing device. All in all, this was quite solid, though I sort of think I'd be better off playing the winner of this week's Shovelware 7/10

Spoiler

[Sena]

Day 2: Beyond the Walls of the Night (v1.1) https://www.doomworld.com/idgames/levels/doom2/Ports/a-c/bewani

 

For 2006, this is an astoundingly good looking WAD, it's not often that I start playing, and within the first few seconds I am able to take note of just how much detail and care went into the visual design, but this one did that, and that level of detail is consistently present throughout, I was not able to find one area that looked boring or like they rushed it, and if there is one strength this WAD has, it is consistency. The gameplay is generally as good, it might have a few areas I did not care for, but in its entirety, it is well orchestrated, with enough variety in enemies and how they are utilised to prevent it from feeling repetitive. However, no level of orchestration and attention to detail can change one thing from feeling repetitive, and that is getting lost, there is nothing fun about having to walk through areas you've already been through, not knowing what singular switch you've missed, and this is an issue that is exasperated by their usage of ZDoom features. In particular, there was one door I could not open because "the computer area is still closed", or something, and I opened what I thought were two different computer areas, but neither of them were the right one, and while I did count one instance of them starting a 1-second cutscene showing what the switch I just activated did, clearly they didn't do it enough, as I had to give up just after reaching 60% kills. The locked door is only one example of a wider issue, they've already got colour-coded keys and doors, I don't really see the rationale in adding new ways of blocking my path that I have to figure out spontaneously. But it wasn't bad, despite all the down time, I still enjoyed it, and it is a level probably worth playing solely because of how good it looks. I might not have actually played much of it, but what I missed was probably as good as what I got to see. 7/10.

 

[brick]

3. Shrek in Doom by Max Pick

This is about as bad as you'd expect from the warning. Shrek cannot be harmed as far as I can tell (both my rockets and bullets seemed to just pass through) and you can't see anything because he fires multiple rockets continuously and the explosions completely fill up the screen. There's a button you can push and it triggers a script that prints juvenile profanity while your speakers blare someone screaming them at a recorded volume so high everything distorts (I knew what to expect so had the volume super-low). There are several hundred archviles roaming around. Yeah.

 

4. Levpack by ?

I was hoping for a pack of levels with at least some cool ideas or something nice about them, like Base16 and Vengeful, but these are much more crude. I couldn't find any mention of an author but I assume they were a beginner's efforts or someone just trying out DEU and uploading whatever they had made. There's almost no use of elevation whatsoever, each section of a level is completely monotextured and there's no rhyme or reason for the switch between one set of textures and the other when moving between sections. E1M1 has nothing of note other than the completely random textures. E1M2 has those weird paper-thin walls in a maze invisible on the automap, not the best idea but at least it's not too obnoxious. E1M3 is not replaced. E1M4 it a teleporter maze, a 5x5 layout of small rooms with a teleporter each, and each side taking you to a different room (many, if not most, take you back to the start). There's a switch you're supposed to press to raise a bridge that gets you nowhere (I think the map is unfinished). And don't ask about the texture misalignments. Very crude and barebones overall and not really worth your time. It would have been fun to know whose work this was though, especially if it's someone who did learn from those sketches and went on to do something really good afterwards.

Spoiler

 

[FEDEX]

I was reading the comment section at idgames from Levpack "...avoid this like the Plague" it makes my day Haha

[Biodegradable]

Blood Reactor (2019)

This was an all right, map. Not terribly impressive and perhaps I'm being a little harsh, but this one felt more like a late 90s/early 2000s WAD rather than something from 2019 thanks to its so-so progression, square layouts and basic combat. There's some good examples of lighting and it didn't bore me to death, but otherwise it was kind of... "meh". I don't know, just not a lot to say about it, honestly.

 

 

[Silhouette 03]

I'll try and do two reviews today.

 

2. Base_16-Henley Bailey- 2011

 

 

This is a Doom map by one Henley Baily, another aspiring young mapper. According to the text file, they were 15 years old at the time of the maps creation and that this is the author's second map. There's not too much interesting background here, beside the author listing known bugs as "ants, beetles and spiders".

 

 

 

The best word to describe this map would be misshapen. I say this as the architecture is extremely jagged and juts out a bit, and not in a good way. It feels like the author was experimenting with different shapes here. The map is woefully under detailed as well, save a few floor lamps here and there. There's a lot of wasted space on display here with a serious need for some detailing. I wouldn't say that the map is terribly interesting to look at either. It's very white, as you can see in the screenshot above. There's no use of border textures such as SUPPORT3 and SUPPORT2 to indicate texture change. There are numerous misalignments as well. At least there is some sense of verticality and height variation in the layout.

 

 

Combat is really not all that engaging or fun. Some effort was made to have traps, (or rather trap, singular) though they aren't lethal. Two or three imps in a closet on a ledge aren't really much of a threat unless they have another more powerful enemy for support. An enemy that would force the player to focus on two sides: One would be the stronger enemy and the other would be the imps on the ledge that attempt to whittle down the players health. There's also a serious case of health starvation present in the map. I had nine percent health for the last section of the map. Ammunition is plentiful, though.

 

 

Trying to find some positives here was hard, mainly since, similar to the previous map I reviewed, this map doesn't do anything particularly well. It's not a bad second map, though.

 

Thanks for reading.

  

[Roofi]

Month 10 Day 05

 

I play until I die or intentionally stop. I don't comment the wad where I died/stopped.

 

[1] BASCO00.wad by James Echenique (1996)

 

Spoiler

 

Quote

Deathmatch wad 2-4 player. My first level ever!!

 

A Heretic Deathmatch level which takes place in the enclosure of a castle built with grey bricks. You can find many weapons in the small pool located at the centre, but the author scattered them everywhere too. 

 

I stop here for today.

[Clippy]

Managed to have another four way so hoping I would find something interesting to play

 

I didn't

 

https://www.doomworld.com/idgames/levels/doom/a-c/babylon6

 

Babylon 6 by Robin Andrews

 

I mean it's from 1994 so you can't expect much and someone really needs to know how he made this with the tools available at the time

 

all green textures, no variation, random portals make no sense - crushers without warning - unmarked doors - almost exclusively imps - you know - all that good shit - we finally found something else of more interest at the end

 

Thanks for coming along: @sandwedge @Dub Bag @Biodegradable

 

 

[Biodegradable]

Where The Base Has No Name (2012)

 

You can just imagine the mixed jolt of fear and ecstasy that filled my heart when the random button gave me a map by @cannonball, dear reader. If I had to describe his style in a phrase in just two words they would be, Calculated Cruelty. Foolishly, I thought because this was an older map that perhaps Cannon would be slightly nicer, but no, he was just as brilliantly nasty 10 years ago as he is now. A non-stop thrill ride of chaotic action delivered in a plethora of meticulously planned traps and sneakily-placed high-tier demons that will keep you paranoid from beginning to end. Cannon's slick use of sniping Chaingunners, inconvenient Mancs, surprise Archies and large swathes of Revs and Pinkies in particular are the real stars of this show. This old WAD is a testament to Cannon's talents and a sharp reminder as to why he is, for me personally, one of the most thrilling and engaging Doom mappers around.

 

 

[FEDEX]

Hi @Biodegradable which mode do you use here? Ketchup / Nashgore and Darkglove?

[Silhouette 03]

3. Maze-Scott Ashley- 1995

 

My third venture involves another Doom map called Maze by Scott Ashley release in 1995. It seems that this was his first map, and that Doom was one of the few computer games he actually liked. This is also the second map I've reviewed that has a review on IDGames by @Doomkid.

 

 

It becomes very evident that this is indeed both a 90's map and a first map by the author. There's practically no verticality or height variation here. Yes, there are mazes and mazes are generally flat (if Plutonia map 11 is anything to go by) though the rest of the map is very flat, save for the secrets. Progression can sometimes be a bit obtuse, such as the way to get the yellow key, though it isn't too bad.

 

 

It's really, really uninteresting from a visual perspective. Most areas are severely under detailed, with the exception being the outdoor areas ( and one tech base area, which are by far the best looking areas in the map, if a bit abstract given doom's limited outdoor texture set.

 

 

 The map plays okay for the most part. It's mostly lower tier monsters such as shotgunners, imps and former humans. Not terribly exciting, but serviceable.

 

The map does have some nice ideas, like it's outdoor areas and usage of themes, though the execution is poor for the most part. It is however not a bad first map by any means.

 

Thanks for reading.