Endless Random /idgames WAD Adventures #039

[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:

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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. Ikidomari
2. Bastard
3. CaCHoWaD
4. Clandestine Castle Crashing
5. Satan's Lair v666

 

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The Top 10 (out of 46):

 

1.  @Roofi | 4520
2.  @Sena | 2135
3.  @LadyMistDragon | 1465
4.  @Walter confetti | 1110
5. @ICID | 640
6.  @Endless | 485
7.  @smeghammer | 345
8.  @Biodegradable | 270
9.  @LUISDooM | 235
10.  @Clippy | 210

 

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

[Roofi]

Month 11 Day 18

 

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

 

[1] DMPATCH.EXE by Steve Larsen (1994)

 

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To allow simple, consistent ways to patch the DOOM executable.

 

[2] Monster3.wad by Engdahl, Wm. 4-D CREATIONS [aka reddawg] (1997)

 

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What a cool find !

 

Monster3 takes place in a large fortress made of wood and metal under the timeless orange sky from the fourth episode of Ultimate Doom. You have three keys to recover in distinct areas. The two authors also added funny sounds : the Doomguy's "unf" had been replaced by "d'oh !" from the Simpsons, a female voice saying "hello" each time you get a new weapon or "cool" when you obtain ammo or health.

 

This level has a lot of supplies especially concerning blue armors and the stacked weapons you find everywhere. It looks like the mappers designed this level for Deathmatch. This level was very fun to me because you can easily kill many groups of monsters : barons, revenants, imps...

 

The only complaint I can do about this map reside in the fact that the mandatory keys are hidden with no or few hints. For the first two keys, you have to open two unmarked doors and lower an unmarked sector for the last one.

 

In any case, this quest for the keys did not pose a huge problem for me. Monster3 was a well-constructed level for its time with a lightweight humour.

 

Grade : A-

 

[3] FUNERAL ][ by Claudio Brisighello (1995)

 

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A great deathmatch/fair play pwad for DOOM ][ Now with a DOOR, ABYSS, more WALLS and four weapons to use. NOT ANOTHER DEATHMATCH PWAD, like, with no doors, only shotgun, etc... So, play it and see it yourself!

 

This deathmatch map was designed as a playground. The layout does not feature rooms connected with doors but rather a large courtyard where players must sneak between buildings, taking teleporters to instantly reach points on the opposite side of the map or use the stairs in order to reach sniping spots. I like the aesthetics here.

 

I fell in a dead pit in Barnum and Barons

 

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[Thelokk]

Instant Death by Maarten Hoogvelt (1995)

GZDoom / UV /100% kills / 

 

Well, an oldie but I enjoyed it a lot. It's a puzzle map: a non-linear switch hunt where you have to constantly backtrack in order to unlock new sections of this little puzzle box of a map, while dealing with... pretty light resistance. Nothing crazy really, save for a few unfairly placed chaingunners, and resources overflow anyway. There is some signposting, but oftentimes you're simply left stumbling upon the next progression beat, which I don't mind at all. The texture work is a tad monotonous but serviceable, and at times hilarious - behold the world's tallest red key door.  

 

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[Roofi]

Month 11 Day 19

 

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

 

STABLE.WAD by Bob Ferguson (1996)

 

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It takes a while, but once you get into the stable you may either join the beasts in their solid seclusion, or you may find your way out ... Watch out for the secret swimming pool though. It is not as friendly as it may seem at first.

 

Except the few places where you can see monsters locked in pens with their troughs , STABLE.WAD looks like a typical myhouse.wad from the 1990. Nonetheless, that one was really intricate to not say confusing : tons of hidden doors and lifts to find, doors which look like switches, shootable switches...  I don't think this kind of progression will please everyone.

 

I really liked this map because Bob Fergusson populated his map with a lot of low-tiers monsters to kill. If Stable tends to be irritating concerning the progression, it was a blast combat-wise.

 

I also enjoyed how Bob offered a lot of exploration in a such small building and the wide outdoors which become accessible once you solve the "puzzles".

 

Grade : B+

 

Ton of chaingunners appeared in front of me whereas I had no weapon in Phobos Complex

 

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[LadyMistDragon]

proto1.wad (1994) by Sean (Eternity)

 

So here we have a fairly standard, though certainly short '94 map which seems to have been released hardly a month after DEU was created. There are creative visual choices (look at the scrolling flesh in the second room's windows and be hypnotized!), puzzling design decisions like the crusher at the beginning where you can see a rocket launcher and some other serious oddities like a a block of red volcanic rock in the middle of this utterly generic base. However, that red key trap is nicely intense and perhaps a homage to Central Processing, although using your meagre rocket supply here is ill-advised, because you get less rockets than health, and the latter is most definitely in short supply. The force-field computer room is perhaps a touch self-indulgent and entirely pointless in vanilla Doom. Near the end, you're in a circular outside area (you access after taking one of three fake exits) and entering the real exit triggers a massive Imp trap. It's a little too generic overall to recommend, but the traps are nice, visual experimentation works just slightly better than you'd think, and it's basically painless if you're careful, which I wasn't, really. 5,5/10

 

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[Thelokk]

StarCove - a tribute to Ty Halderman by @valkiriforce (2016)

GZDoom / UV /100% kills / 100% secrets

 

"Misc. Author Info: Enjoys nice walks at sunset." Well played, valkiriforce. Well played.

 

A moving (and fitting) tribute to Ty Halderman, leader of TNT and mantainer of the idgames archives until... I mean, screw it, if you don't know who Halderman is you simply need to brush up on your Doom history - here, have a link. Note that this map requires you to load Icarus: Alien Vanguard as a resource or you'll be missing out on a lot of textures.

 

This said, I can barely believe this is a Valkiriforce map. Hitscanner hell? Combat while platforming? maybe I didn't play enough of their stuff, maybe my perception is colored by the rather easy difficulty curve of Anomaly Report, fact is I was expecting a pleasant if slightly better looking 90s style map, and instead I got my buttocks served to me more times than I'm comfortable with. This said, the map is a blast: very well textured, linear but not too linear, it features a lot of good details such as Valkiriforce's signature low-roof buildings (are you from California?) and a very entertaining Wormhole-like section. The difficulty curve is slightly offset by being provided big weaponry very early into the level, but not by much: you will still meet substantial resistance, and should be prepared for some tough fights - an encounter with cacos while on platforms is a prime example. The map is also mercifully low on that blight that is doomcute, thanks, I appreciate.

 

Very nice level, very sweet tribute. Well done. 

 

 

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[Shanoa]

Visor-1 by John Rosencutter, released in 1995. 

Status: Did not finish the level

Played with LZDoom on UV, this is a Doom II replacement wad replacing MAP01. This was the author's first map but careful it may not run on a 286, or so the text file says. Get that beefy PC out for this one! ;)

 

So it's 5:30AM...almost 6AM. I could sleep ooooor I could play a random WAD for this shiny new thread! Once again, I am hoping the idgames archive rng will bless me with a fun level to play. Let's see what I get!

 

 

Let this gif summarize the experience for me. Now I could just leave it at that but that wouldn't be too fair so here goes.. The best I can say is that it's definitely a 1995 map, you know the ones. Right as you begin you are in front of 2 caged Arch-viles, the only thing to do is run down the staircase to grab the shotgun and some shells and move on with your day. After minimal resistance in the next room, a huge contrast to the literal start of the map, and the second door you encounter that require to be shot to open, because of course, you'll end up in this room:

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You'll be faced with two Barons stuck in that blood pool, so grab that rocket launcher near them and go on with your day...again. As you make your way upstairs and around the square room you'll be met with, in the next room, the least surprising opponent of the wad, a Cyberdemon! Just grab the red key and go on with your d- oh...oooooh you need to kill the Cyberdemon to progress huh...with 2 rockets, a shotgun and a pistol/chaingun (if you grabbed the chaingun that is) huh? Sure I guess, now that's mildly annoying to put lightly. But hey, once you do that and leave you can just go to the red door, surely the worst is behind you right? Not quite because this is what you see when you enter:

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Yes I had IDKFA here, that was my post-death run just for photo capture.

A room with a massive, overly twisty and turny thin ledge that could put the Chasm to shame and you have to follow it to reach that blue key. I hope you enjoy the blood flat, blood wall and blood everything that will certainly not cause you to fall off to your death. (what, you think there is a teleport out? Oh you silly!) Not gonna talk about the cacodemons and pain elemental in the room + the already non-existent ammo from killing a Cyberdemon, you get the idea. (:

 

Obviously after this room, where I promptly died, I knew there was no reason to bother trying to finish it so I used the console to kill all monsters and IDKFA'd myself after my failed attempt just to see what was left and unsurprisingly there was nothing noteworthy. Another big room with a plasma this time and finally a staircase that keep going up and up and in circle with a bunch of monsters on it, ammos and a berserk pack.There's probably still not enough ammos to kill the 60-70 monsters of the level but you can punch them if you're really into torture and want to get that UV max on Visor-1.

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The last sad sight before you leave.

So yeah, obviously avoid playing this map. It's definitely a 1995 wad + author's first map, the deadliest DOOM combo in existence. I'm curious to see if Mr. Rosencutter made more maps and if they were better but regardless I hope he's well wherever he is!

[Thelokk]

5 hours ago, Shanoa said:

I'm curious to see if Mr. Rosencutter made more maps and if they were better

 

It seems this is not the case, unless they went by a completely different alias. The .txt mentions a goodmus.wad but I couldn't dig it up.

[LadyMistDragon]

Hellhaus (2000) by Thomas Bringle

 

Here is a map that according to the author is designed for "co-op". Honestly however, there's nowhere near enough ammo for co-op. Not like it matters too much, because while you might find a clever ambush occasionally (near the blue key, monster closets with Mancubi and Barons on either side of you) but monsters largely feel plopped down. Not to mention, there are some seriously weird design choices. The ugly light floor at the beginning is the most obvious but certainly not the worst example. Like the narrow hallways here feel purposeless anyways, but the ones behind the yellow door are downright infuriating and it's also dark. Go down one path and be greeted with that nasty TNT trick that has thankfully been consigned to the dust bin, invisible walls hiding chaingunners, with a pool of lava just as an extra spit in the eye. Worst, the only Arch-vile in the level will seemingly attacks you out of nowhere (he really doesn't as it turns out). The last room is typical overscaling hilarity, with you being required to jump onto a pillar of slime that has a teleporter on the top, which takes you to the bunker with the hitscanners at the beginning. Worst is the fact that you head down a hallway and when you reach the fountain that seems susppiciously ripped from the Heretic map The Confluence, you're greeted with a ridiculously large horde of monsters you'll have nowhere near the ammo for. 4/10 for some nicely amaterish detailing, but minus severalk points for being painful.

 

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Edited August 10, 2022 by LadyMistDragon

[Thelokk]

ROCK-n-ZIMMER by Dragonsbrethren (2012)

GZDoom / UV / 100% kills / 100% secrets

 

As it seems to be the trend at the moment, I roll expecting crappy shovelware, and instead I get a rather competent map by a frequent community project contributor (who seems hasn't been active in a while). The map is expansive and, as the title suggests, includes copious amounts of ZIMMER and, even more, ROCK - one of my least favorite textures. Still, the mapper makes it palatable by including it into a sort of 'dark techbase meets gloomy hell' environment that, a few misjudged garrulous techy details, mantains a consistent theme throughout. Combat is relentless, sometimes bordering on micro-slaughter, and incorporating 'modern' tricks such as teleporting AVs and switch-activated combat pieces. Some on /idgames commented on lack of ammo, personally I had no problem with it. 

Another great map overall.

 

 

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[Roofi]

3 hours ago, Thelokk said:

ROCK-n-ZIMMER by Dragonsbrethren (2012)

 

 

Played this map last year, it was a cool castle to explore

 

Month 11 Day 20

 

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

 

[1] Corridors -O- Death by Glenn Hopkinson (1995)

 

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A 4 player Deathmatch for Doom II, works fairly well for 2 players also. Basically this WAD is a square with four corridors connecting it to a larger square corridor. There are four rooms containing the weapons. All weapons are present in this WAD. The BFG is semi-hidden, though once you find it it is no problem to get. The main square is a pool of life stealing blood, with a column in the center that has a megasphere on it. The sphere will be hard to get unscathed in a 4 player match, as the apron around the blood pool is dark, and can easily be covered from a distance or upclose. The line defs that trigger the column to come down are too close to allow a turbo-ing player to whiz by without a shot being fired at him.

 

This map has nothing noteworthy. It just consists to a bunch of bland, straight and dark corridors converging to a square room where a megasphere stand on a pedestal. Extremly boring to see and to play.

 

A surpris crusher caught me in the first map of Courage 1.0!!!

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[LadyMistDragon]

Breeding chambers (1995)  by Jonathan Masseo (Eternity)

 

Well, we had to get some fucking genericism sometime, I guess. The small room you start in facing the giant computer skull switch precludes a map that plays out how you'd expect. I guess I can applaud the brown concrete used here instead of more STARTAN, but unfortunately, this mapper uses a different texture for doors for absolutely no reason at all. There's a small room with a Supercharge that doesn't really seem it fits with the theme, unlike the hallway to the left of the previous room containing test subjects that'll blow you away. Each individual sector area is  made of roundish, and perhaps oval rooms. Lastly, there's actually a non-offical secret near the exit, which opens through perhaps the most floor-clipping hilarity you can possibly imagine (and the wall doesn't even seem to move!) 2/10 for being barely even there.

 

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[Thelokk]

Saltwater by Sophie Kirschner

UV / 100% kills / couldn't find one stupid secret

 

I downloaded this one a few days ago (didn't really have time to play Doom since then) and I spent all day playing other maps from Sophie Kirschner, now one of my favorite mappers. Saltwater is still my favorite one on all fronts: it would go very well with the new nautical craze lit up by Mouldy's Overboard. 

The map is set by the seaside, complete with lighthouse, seagull sprites, and a marine soundtrack featuring the titular birds and calming sea waves. The kind of doomcute I actually enjoy, screw vending machines and vehicles. Most of the combat takes place into a sort of 'seaside fort' meets 'house by the sea' building, where each and every action will trigger the appearance of an arch-vile, who will systematically undo our work dispatching barons, knights and imps. Note that the SG, the SSG and the CG are then only weapons you get, and that close quarter combat is the rule - very easy to slip up even in the face of a handful of imps. Some of the sprites (armor, health bonuses, soulsphere) have been recolored to better fit the theme. The map is relatively short, and a good chunk of it is actually part of a secret, and not required for progression.

Great map by one of my new favorite mappers.

 

[LadyMistDragon]

The supply Base (2004) by MasterOFDeath (Eternity)

 

A short and fairly ugly, linear map that probably got kind of a bad rap (the author contributed to a really bad jokewad called "The Best Wad Ever"). The only serious problem is that you probably won't get much ammo other than that dropped by enemies. And also, the room with the Pain Elemental in the middle and the Spectre that attacks from the left seems intentionally cheap somehow. The warehouse room with the Arch-vile at the far end went much better, once you figure out there's a plasma rifle at the far end, along with a Super shotgun. Laughably, the exit door doesn't even seem to require the red key. Last fight just felt more tedious than hard, containing Cacodemons, chaingunners, and hell knights in a square room. Let's just praise the console thingy at the other end of the slime pit with the bridge at the end. How much do I care that it probably just drains/refills this place? well, i'm not sure. But this map gets 4/10 for being practically harder than something like Excavation from Icarus and being even uglier. That said, it just squeezes into the defintion of 'fair challenge.' Anyone who says it has 'no gameplay' is wrong

 

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[Thelokk]

7 minutes ago, LadyMistDragon said:

The supply Base (2004) by MasterOFDeath (Eternity)

 

A short and fairly ugly, linear map that probably got kind of a bad rap (the author contributed to a really bad jokewad called "The Best Wad Ever"). The only serious problem is that you probably won't get much ammo other than that dropped by enemies. And also, the room with the Pain Elemental in the middle and the Spectre that attacks from the left seems intentionally cheap somehow. The warehouse room with the Arch-vile at the far end went much better, once you figure out there's a plasma rifle at the far end, along with a Super shotgun. Laughably, the exit door doesn't even seem to require the red key. Last fight just felt more tedious than hard, containing Cacodemons, chaingunners, and hell knights in a square room. Let's just praise the console thingy at the other end of the slime pit with the bridge at the end. How much do I care that it probably just drains/refills this place? well, i'm not sure. But this map gets 4/10 for being practically harder than something like Excavation from Icarus and being even uglier. That said, it just squeezes into the defintion of 'fair challenge.' Anyone who says it has 'no gameplay' is wrong

 

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I think me getting cool maps and everyone else getting ugly BRICK cubes at every spin is the reason why I have no luck left for love. 

[Shanoa]

Rats Solitaire by @Isle and released in 2012. Played with LZDoom on UV. This is a Doom II replacement wad for MAP01.

Status: Did not finish

 

So huh you ever said to yourself "Man, I wish I could play Solitaire in DOOM!", worry not because with this WAD, you can! The map obviously doesn't have any combat, it's just playing Solitaire with some exploration should you choose to look around but how does it work? As per the name of the WAD Doomguy has been reduced to the size of a rat. Before you can even begin you have to choose what mode you want, Scored or Timed Solitaire. Once you have made your choice you're dropped into the level.

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The start area with a sink in the distance.

You begin next to an oven of some sort, you see a pack of cards behind you. Once you click Use on the cards, the game automatically spread a certain amount of cards on the ground. Now, i'm sure you know how Solitaire work so I'll spare you the details but basically to pick/drop a card you press Use. Clicking the alt fire button returns the card where it was. For a new game, just jump off.

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The play field (image 1) and how it looks like while holding a group of cards. Sorry for random resolution change.

The author added some cool stuff for those who wanna explore the giant kitchen. If you go past the oven there is a texture that act as a jump pad that send you on the other side of the map there you will find a sink. One half is filled with water and the other is empty, if you jump into the empty sink and into the sinkhole you die and it's accompanied by the chainsaw rev sound, very cute.

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The sink

Near the sink is also a toaster and if you hop in it, the floor lower twice and you lose about 20% health before popping out of said toaster, like a piece of toast. Again, really fun little interactions. Left of the sink is also an elevator (I assume the fridge), once you go up there is another jump pad to send you across the map where you started. There is also a switch that does...nothing. Well it DOES something but I had to check in Doom Builder, it seem to activate a script of some sort. There's also a a random room with the old "awesome face" but it's Hissy instead.

 

I admit I killed a solid hour, trying to win a game but alas I couldn't do it. Still I applaud Isle for this wad, it's extremely creative and it's crazy how much we've seen done in the last decade with good ol' Doom. Check it out if you're curious, if only to say "I played Solitaire inside DOOM".

[LadyMistDragon]

AndrewB Still Sucks It (2017) by Alzheimer's-Sama (Eternity)

 

I had played some AndrewB before a few months back from this entry of the NiGHTMARE Speedmapping sessions. Apparently, he's a serious vet of the community, even though I don't believe he's participated in anything in the longest time. The following map will probably make more sense if you were one of the Cool Kids^TM back in the day, but safe to say that Alzheimer's-Sama is probably an alias for Ralphis or someone else.

 

So in addition to some ridiculous and goofy music, we are treated to square rooms of flesh, along with some twisting stairs. There's this one room with Pain Elementals you run across before you find a chaingun. AndrewB seems to have had some issues with Pain Elementals. There are key doors here as well, but they are entirely unmarked. Also unmarked is a door that remains closed until it isn't.

 

This is one of those maps that would probably be funnier if you were actually there. It does seem like a bit of a tired joke. Although I'm not sure how many legenday speedrunners were around at the time, so if you know of AndrewB's foibles, you know, I guess.

 

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[ICID]

 

Ikidomari (2022) by Lippeth

 

^{Play Settings}

^{Source port: GZDoom}

^{Difficulty: UV}

A map shaped like the famous first level of Pac-Man, complete with the sound effects to match and a weapon + soulsphere in each corner. I had wondered if it would be a little more Pac Man-like in gameplay as well (e.g. weapons only last a few seconds and you have to spend the rest of the time running from baddies), but outside from the theming this is pretty standard wave-based Doom gameplay where you have to take out a wave of pinkies, then spectres, then imps, lost souls, cacos, chaingunners, etc. Not the most exciting premise in the world but it doesn't overstay its welcome and as a result I had a lot of fun. Love the titlepic too. Just do yourself a favor and turn off infinite height actors. 

 

Grade: 7/10

 

 

Bastard (1996) by Jonathan Hopkinson

 

^{Play Settings}

^{Source port: dsda-doom, complevel 2}

^{Difficulty: UV, pistol starts}

 

When people complain about "90s-style mapping", they mostly been boring monotextured corridors with no height variation and nowhere near enough ammo for the monster placement. It's used as a synonym for "bland" or "basic". I've certainly played enough of those in my time at the ER/iWA, but there's another type of 90s map that's talked about a little less, which is just throwing absolutely every idea you've ever had into a blender and hoping a map comes out. 

 

I have a soft spot for these, maybe because they remind me of tooling around with the Age of Empires scenario editor, or maybe because they at least give you some insight into the mapper's personality, goofy as it may be. BASTARD, though, is a pretty exhausting example of the form. Map progression feels completely random, and all three maps are long and ugly with really dull enemy placements that are either impossible or trivial with no in-between. The obligatory Wolfenstein monsters/textures are never appreciated. But the biggest issue is the infuriating sound replacements, most of which are a young child saying something annoying. The novelty will wear off about 10 seconds after you start playing and continue through all three maps, heaven preserve us.

 

Bastard isn't a complete wash. There are a couple of genuinely clever traps - I especially like the BFG room in MAP02). Even among the sound replacements, Doomguy's new hurt sound (a mild-mannered midwestern-sounding guy simply intoning "ouch. that hurt.") genuinely amused me throughout the entire playthrough, especially on hurtfloors. And the third map is a lot better than the two that preceded it - progression is more annoying than ever but combat is occasionally exciting, especially with the addition of some high-tier enemies and archvile snipers in the main room. Hopkinson probably could have been a good mapper if he continued to hone his craft and build ONE good map around a few good ideas instead of making three maps that are overstuffed with insanity. And also if he left those fucking sound replacements in the dumpster where he found them.

 

Grade: 4/10

[Roofi]

Month 11 Day 20

 

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

 

[1] Room of death by Jon Paynter (1994)

 

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You materialize on a ledge in the side of a large cavern. Looking around you realize its not a cavern, its an enormous room echoing with the growls of who knows what...

 

This ultimate doom map takes place in a kind of huge silo. Despite it's easy to survive in this level because of low monster count, you're likely to get definitively stuck if you don't solve the small puzzle involving three switches. Indeed, you have to building a small pyramid by raising three sectors in order to reach the soulsphere. If you rise one of three stairs too much, you can't reach the soulsphere anymore and you can't progress.

 

I like the exacerbated height variations , especially the giant circular stair which raise after you reach soulsphere's sector. Beside that, Room of Death has nothing worthy to offer and you have great chances to break the map.

 

I don't recommand this.

 

Grade : D

 

[2] Chester.WAD (Version1.0) by Nic Bedford & Simon Davis (2006)

 

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The level is based around the streets of the City of Chester in North West England. Landmarks of note include the city walls, the Rows, the Grovesnor Precinct and the Canal Bank towards the Levels end.

 

An ultimate doom level I already played during Month 7 Day 7 . This time I decided to play on prboom in order to kill the 177 monsters and find the 9 secrets. It wasn't a big deal since you can obtain a computer map in one of the secrets.

 

As I said in my first review, it doesn't feel like a city map because everything take place indoors. However, the long and straight hallways and the gridded layout look a bit like a town in some ways.

 

Chester is ugly and unchallenging but I liked all the exploration and openness.

 

Grade : B

 

I stop here for today.

[Thelokk]

FLORZOO1.WAD by John L. (1994)

GZDoom / UV / 6% kills / no secrets

 

Now, for something different, your very own Doom museum / petting zoo! Not an entirely novel idea even in 1994 I'm sure, but by far the best organized I've ever come across. FLORZOO1.WAD catalogs and displays in a map everything about Doom 1, and I mean everything: all textures, flats, enemies, weapons, powerups, decoration, everything organized in a neat little interactable display - yes, you can kill the enemies and you can collect the goods. The map is not entirely devoid of gameplay either, as there are a few collectable keys, guarded by low tier enemies, that progressively unlock more and more of  the display. Notable: the cybie / mastermind cage, the hidden decorations gallery, the doomcute couches.

Another little treasure from the /random system, short but fun.

 

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[Clippy]

after a break I thought I would play ID Games Russian Roulette today

 

first draw and first click of random button:

 

 

get it here https://www.doomworld.com/idgames/levels/doom2/g-i/helldown

 

basic towny level - feel sorry for this guy he spent his vacation on this while everyone was in the pool - lol gotta love them ID games description - really the most memorable part

 

Usual stuff you find in a mixed bag of Random Id Games nuts - unequal difficulty flow - ridiculous and not so intuitive progression (had to look at editor) and messed up texturing lol - feels like an early 90s shovelwhere map

 

what else can I say

 

 

[Clippy]

Alright guys I know it be a while but I back - ep 31

 

 

 

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

 

this time we in doom 1 - this always confuses me - mission in possible music lol - mostly possible, just confusing -- sorry I already forgot most of what happen - sky neat

 

til next time

 

 

[Clippy]

last one

 

 

 

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

 

I dunno even know what to say lol - had some tedious stuff - slow ass elevators, ,mazes - wacky things like in the thumbnail - some attempts at creatively designed areas - weird imp torture and more

[Thelokk]

Debrecen by @HUNdebLeonidasX (2016)

GZDoom / UV / 100% kills / 100% secrets

 

Well, sooner or later I was bound to come across a map I didn't enjoy - ironically enough, it's one most people would enjoy. The author recreated a section of their city (Debrecen, Hungary)'s main street in minute, doomcutey detail, custom textures and billboards included. If you're in the camp that city maps, doomcute and realistic locations are the height of Doom mapping, you'll love this one - if you can get over the silly, hitscanner hell dogpile gameplay. If, like me, you hate city maps, think doomcute is a blight, and maps should be all about abstraction, well... you still have to appreciate the effort put into this mod, and to be be honest some of the billboards are pretty funny (and political). Not my jam, but good stuff still.  

 

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[Rujasu]

Stix by Steve Parkinson 07/31/95

IWAD: Doom 2

Port: Woof

 

An uninteresting '95 wad with too much ammo to make the 39 monsters contained within memorable. All credit where it's due, though: The rooms might be boring squares with some boxes and shit in them, but the author demonstrates a decent grasp of lighting. The first room is all dark but has a light switch, and the second one has some basic shadows around corners. The gore promised by the description mostly comes as that one corpse wall texture repeated in a room without much more thought put into it. Having the end be just a Romero head in plain sight might still have been novel in mid-95, but nowadays it just gets a shrug from me.

 

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[Roofi]

9 hours ago, Clippy said:

bubba

 

Played Bubba months ago, liked the layout but I got softlocked in it...

 

Month 11 Day 21

 

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

 

[1] You can't hide! by Dean "deathz0r" Joseph (2003)

 

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(Oh man I love typing bullshit stories up)

One time in the Land of Many Campers, a certain ZDaemoner was getting fed up with campers who would camp in his own creations, especially when he couldn't do anything about it. He decided to construct a building that was so tiny, that it would be impossible for a person with the brain of an American president to actually stand in one place and expect to cheaply kill the players who actually try to play the game properly. He had to make it universally compatible, so that anyone would be able to enjoy his creation. He deceived some lamers from Doom Connector to play a "new wad that will literally blow your mind", and watched them freak out when they realised that they had nowhere to hide. The ZDaemoner defeated them with so much ease, that he decided to spread the wad so that many people will learn the ultimate lesson: 'You'll never get anywhere with camping.'

 

Yep , you can't hide in this tiny 64pixels-wide box. It seems all the budget went in the title and intermission pic. Moreover, this "map" uses the same music than in Sunlust map 20.

 

[2] The Red Skull Key by Pablo Dictter (2001)

 

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I'm releasing the whole pd-gates series. This was an 8 level series but 3 of them are really bad, so they are not being released. In this version, the wad file had been cleaned, the size is smaller. The design of the map has not been fixed. There are lost of textures that need aligment.

 

The Red Skull Key takes place among tall rocky mountains. Indeed, I died in this map during Month 8 Day 8 after falling in the deep ravine. Pablo Dictter replaced E4M4 in order to build his E4-style map with the beautiful orange sky.

 

The map title is self-explanatory. Your goal consists to reach the red skull key in order to unlock the exit. However, you have to cross dangerous rocky pathways, ledges of the ravine I mentioned just before and clean underlit marbled temples.

 

Crossing the ravine was by far the hardest part of the level. You're likely to fall if you go too fast because of elastic collisions and beware of the few lost souls ! The rest tends to be very straightforward since you have enemies and enough space to dodge their projectiles. You're locked with your shotgun most of the time but that's not a problem at all.

 

I loved the outdoors sceneries, the temple part felt more mundane with lot of symetry and lack of height variations. The ravine where I died in the first map was by far the most memorable place.

 

Grade : B+

 

[3] The Chase by Darryl Ashton (1996)

 

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In our previous adventure, we left our hero, Paul Nomard, in the chasm of death (and a big spider-thingy - surely no-one bothered to kill it?).

We now join our hero, Paul Nomard, and (if you play co-operatively) his friends Len Keward, Mandy Meltem, and Darryl Ashton (me!!!) at the entrance to a toxic dump, a waste disposal unit, a warehouse, a sacrifical chamber with loads of imps and a sealing door, and another stylish chasm or two.

 

Now the doomguy Paul Nomard ventures into a gimmicky and abstract test series. Those different tests have an unequal difficulty : the last part consists to a huge crate maze guarded by few imps whereas you crossed a chasm-like hellish part populated by powerful monsters such as an arch-vile and arachnotron just before. To be fair , I wouldn't have survived this part , If I had not kept the invulnerability sphere for that specific area.

Well, it's not the kind of map I want to replay someday but it was fair, even if the hell part looks bullshit without invulnerability. I do note, however, that Doomguy now has a name and a surname, which greatly enriches the game's lore.

 

Grade : C+

 

[4] SNYPER.WAD by Snyper (2008)

 

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See the original snyper.txt

 

This old 1994 Doom II map uploaded in 2008 features elaborated aesthetics for its time. First of all, the detailing and texture usage remains rather consistent even if I don't know where the level really take place. Secondly, Snyper did a good job at creating lightings. For instance, there is a very pronunced light contrast where you obtain the yellow skull key or there is a corridor where the lights go out as you go on.

 

Gameplay-wise, it remains pretty simple since most of the ambushes ambushes zombies and imps. You'll encounter some mid-tiers like barons or an arch-vile here and here but they don't pose a lot of trouble. Even if I think Snyper.wad aged pretty well, the progression tends to be unnecessarly obscure. Indeed, you sometimes unlock paths without the possibility to see them, so you sometimes have to go round and round to find out what you've activated. Near the end, you must jump in a nukage pit and go through a nukefall middle texture.

 

Snyper wasn't so memorable but still play pretty well compared to many levels released in 1994.

 

Grade : B

 

Died in Freaky Panties after an enemy dropped a bomb on his death and I didn't realise it was a bomb

 

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[LadyMistDragon]

Hellwad pak. For Doom 2 Hell on Earth (2005)  by John Cartwright (Eternity)

 

Soon as I saw the disorganized title and lack of detail, it sure seemed like we were headed for a winner. And, that's mostly true.

 

But far more effort was put into the design than, say, Hell Revealed, probably due in part to the custom textures used but also because Cartwright had a genuine gift for detailing in a way where environment couldn't become boring at least. Large outdoor areas, trees without leaves and possibly best of all, a bridge of blood, I mean masses of Imps in the second map

 

But that leads us to this wad's biggest problem, mainly its clumsy attempts at marrying Drake O'Brien layouts with Hell Revealed-style gameplay. Which would be fine. If. There. Was. Any. Ammo. There were just too many locations where you'd either have to depend on tedious infighting and then curse when you realize that just isn't enough.

 

For now, I'll just briefly describe most of the maps

 

Map 01 - This is cinematic. Almost like Heretic if you decided to throw techbase textures into the bargain for no apparent reason. But those shotgunners guarding the Super Shotgun are merely a moderate hint of what this wad aims for: horrific balancing! Enemy placement feels just a touch sloppy as a rule, although I can't say they are necessarily out of place. But as you enter a corridor near the end, you quickly start to run out of ammo...and that's where I just noclipped to the exit/

 

Map 02 - At least we get a Berserk Pack. And these rectangular tech hallways at the beginning are cool. Especially cool is the large collection of outdoor areas here. What's not so cool is the constant presence of Revenants on every remotely inaccessible surface, as well extremely obnxious, consecutive groups of Spectres near a cave with a Cyberdemon at the entrance.

 

Map 03: I took one look at the monster count and said "nope" Though at least we get custom music now, which is actually quite good. Remixes of stuff from doom 1

 

Map 04 - A brief and fairly easy temple-like map consisting of cool courtyard at the beginning along with custom marble and wood prevailing everywhere, this feels a touch incomplete

 

Map 05 - A generic sort of Doom II warehouse thing, this is a broadly passable if forgettable map with still strong attempts at detailing. I guess if you like practically the only strong enemies being Cacodemons, you'll think it's ok.

 

Map 06 - One I didn't get very far in. It seems to be a demonic setting. However, I must register my derisive laughter toward the shallow water not far from the start. These Lost Souls and Barons are trapped? More like that's what they want! And you will tell them, unless....scratch that. But maybe stay the fuck away from there?

 

Map 07 - Well, here it comes. The generic Nuts knockoff. Practically the same monster count as Map 03 but with lots of flat and open areas which are covered with monsters. Not so surprisingly "Shawn's Got the Shotgun" is kept here because it just fits. You have to admit the Icon's eyes are intimidating if nothing else.

 

This is just a little too visually striking to give a complete bottom of the barrel rating. But the ammo (and health to a lesser degree) balancing are so goddamn horrific, it makes a parody out of HR2, which surely influenced aspects of this 3.5/10 and I'm not 100 percent certain it was designed for pistol start at all either.

 

 

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[Thelokk]

The Recession by Joe 'Recidivus' Becht (1999)

GZDoom / UV / 100% kills / 100% secrets

 

What an appropriate name for our times.

Well, looks like my luck finally ran out, as this two maps wad is really nothing to write home about. The second map is little more than an out of touch 1994 square with unfair monster placement, so I won't bother discussing it.

The first map is rather large, and actually (according to the .txt file, which also comes with a story) an amalgam of maps from a previous project that never fully materialized. This shows, badly. Aesthetically and gameplay wise, we are deep into E3 land: toothless monster placement peppered with totally unfair hitscanner ambushes, full FIREBLU coated buildings, squarish layouts, The Recession channels all that is lame about Petersen's mapping without the few redeeming qualities. Being a hodgepodge of previous maps, the wad feels generall disjointed, jumping from one setting to the other without any real logic (even if only an aesthetic one).

1994 in 1995, love it or leave it. I'll go and take a stroll...

 

(screenies taken with IDDQD and IDCLIP cause I couldn't stand replaying this thing a second time, sorry)

 

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[Roofi]

11 hours ago, LadyMistDragon said:

Hellwad pak. For Doom 2 Hell on Earth (2005)  by John Cartwright (Eternity)

 

 

 

I played this few months ago, couldn't pass the first map because items/monsters balance was terrible in my memories...

 

Month 11 Day 22

 

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

 

[1] Velocity CTF by The Mechanix Union (2012)

 

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12 maps of high-speed action-packed Capture the Flag maps by various individuals of the Mechanix Union.

Map list: MAP01 - Rotated Infinity by Dusk MAP02 - Crypts of Eternity by Decay MAP03 - and Hell Captured by Dusk MAP04 - Industrial Nukage Mining by Dusk MAP05 - Gun Shy by Kamai MAP06 - Generatrix by Decay MAP07 - Tyr's One-Wheeled Bicycle by HeavenWraith MAP08 - Bleak Outlook by Synert MAP09 - Swap Meet by Shane MAP10 - Architecture of Aggression by Decay MAP11 - Winter Sacrifice by Decay MAP12 - Complex Beta by Decay

Uses the following music tracks: MAP01 - "Mizshunn Impassable" by David "Tolwyn" Shaw MAP02 - "Skedar Mystery" by Graeme Norgate, sequenced by Gold Jinjo MAP03 - "Destiny" by Mark Klem MAP04 - "Fear Factory" from Donkey Kong, sequenced by Jay Reichard MAP05 - "Taking Names" by Bobby Prince MAP06 - "Conductor" by James "Jimmy" Paddock MAP07 - "Fairy Tail Main Theme (Metal Version)", MIDI-sequenced by HeavenWraith MAP08 - "Bleak Outlook" by Synert MAP09 - "Path of Destruction" by Mark Klem MAP10 - "Wolfsong" by darkhaven3 MAP11 - "Under a Crimson Moon" by Eric "The Green Herring" Baker MAP12 - "Transducer" by James "Jimmy" Paddock

 

Those maps were designed for modern ports but they don't use special effects so much. They're some 3D bridges but they can be easily copied on vanilla. Some maps caught my attention more than the others : especially map 03 and map 04 where I liked the architecture of the buildings. Of course, all maps are symetrical.

 

[2] Market by Jay Cook (1996)

 

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In their invasion of earth, the demons had taken a market next to city hall, a primary peice in the final attack and capture of New York City. With SWAT teams putting together plans outside the premesis, you take it as your job to do all the work. You borrow a helicopter and drop down inside the store through a vent. Neat. Looks like no one in this abandoned shop noticed you.

 

This "market" looks more like a library but it doesn't change the fact you explore a pseudo-realistic building. You can sneak between the shelves, creeping in the vents or engaging more intense fights in the streets and on the roof of the market.

 

This level lacks of decent visuals. The crattop grey texture looks ugly when used on a so large scale and of course they're a ton of blatant misaligned textures.

 

Gameplay was fun and straightforward for the most part. This level proves to be tough sometimes. For instance, you have to kill an arch-vile on the roof whereas there is few cover , or the last combats involve some groups of monsters and especially pain elementals which get quickly annoying because of the lost souls. Ammo was also tight and above all, the secret plasma gun near the yellow key seemed necessary to properly deal with the roof's serie of fights.

 

Grade : B

 

I stop here for today.

[Endless]

Doom Commando | By icecreamsoldier | 2008

 

 

A sweet surprise from 2008. Doom Commando is a 7-level mapset for Doom 2, designed by icecreamsoldier, and it seems to be the only WAD made by the author, or at least uploaded to the /idgames archive. While the map seems quite rustic and rudimentary for 2008, an era that was marked for a transition into the age of amazement, and that particular year saw the release of some insanely fantastic WADs. Doom Commando, on the other hand, is remarkably... simple.

 

All the maps feel like they belong to the glorious era of the late 90s or early 2000s. It doesn't try to be anything exceptionally bombastic or detailed, instead, it opts for a more simplistic approach to map making design, while also making use of semi-realistic trends that make the mapset feel quite charismatic and filled with Doom Cute props. The maps are distinctively Earth-based, and follow around a variety of areas that range from abandoned mines, marble fortresses, prisons and even apartments. It does a great job at staying true to its relative bare-bones look, while also complementing with some quality touches. While it may look like a typical 90s level, it is pretty polished and lacks any major bugs or error, common to find in the WADs of yesteryear.

 

It is odd to treat it as a 90s WAD, but that's what I feel it really translates it better. It's clean, simple and pretty relaxing. While made for Doom 2, the gameplay flows more smoothly like Doom 1. I played on HMP and found myself strolling through it. Chill and moody it's a good way to put it. If you like WADs that have semi-realist design, or a false sense of nostalgia to it, then this is it. Not bad at all!