UnknDoomer's corner of ultra silence - Short WAD Reviews / Longplays / Hints

UnknDoomer · November 3, 2022

Statistics at 31.10.24:

Wads reviewed: 205 = 200 + Master Levels for Doom II (1) + 4 LBR specified, 2 of them in separate topic. See below.

Wads recorded: 134 = 130 + 4 LBR specified.
From them 3 TC's (doesn't have separate number): Mayhem Mansion (2013 / 2023), Nerves of Steel (2015 / 2017), IronTusk's Diablo 3D (2018 / 2022).

Maps recorded: 50 = 43 (Doom) + 6 (Heretic) + 1 (Hexen).
Gameplay mods reviewed / checked: 12.
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Links tree:

Youtube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@UnknDoomer/videos

Discord channel (EN/RU) - https://discord.gg/cq7H93jHFn Currently empty, but there are plans to gradually develop it.

Patreon for support - https://www.patreon.com/UnknDoomer/ (check first two tiers if you are interested in new videos only).

Original topic (RU) - https://www.old-games.ru/forum/threads/doom-heretic-hexen-wads-mods.93420/

ZDoom topic (EN, mirror) - https://forum.zdoom.org/viewtopic.php?p=1233811

IDDQD topic (RU, mirror) - http://i.iddqd.ru/viewtopic.php?p=131622

Longplays By Requests (LBR) -https://www.doomworld.com/forum/topic/135817-unkndoomers-corner-of-ultra-silence-longplays-by-requests-lbr/
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Additional links:

Doomworld Community Console (Doom 64 / PSX / ...) WADs List (EN) - https://www.doomworld.com/forum/topic/129493-doomworld-community-console-doom-64-psx-wads-list/
Doomworld Community Heretic / Hexen Top WADs of All Time (EN) - https://www.doomworld.com/forum/topic/125560-doomworld-community-heretic-hexen-top-wads-of-all-time/
Doomworld Community Top Hardest WADs of All Time (EN) - https://www.doomworld.com/forum/topic/126313-doomworld-community-top-hardest-wads-of-all-time/

List of the best and exotic TC based on DOOM I/II (RU) - https://www.old-games.ru/forum/threads/spisok-luchshix-i-ehkzoticheskix-tc-na-baze-doom-i-ii.93415/

Doom (1993) and other early shooters (up to and including 1996). Interesting facts. (RU) - https://www.old-games.ru/forum/threads/doom-1993-i-drugie-rannie-shutery-do-1996-vkljuchitelno-interesnye-fakty.93421/
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Other old shooters:

Duke Nukem 3D + add-ons + EDuke32 (source-port) (RU) - https://www.old-games.ru/forum/threads/duke-nukem-3d-add-ons-eduke32-source-port.108796/
Hexen II + Portal of Praevus + FTEQW (source-port) / Heretic II (RU) - https://www.old-games.ru/forum/threads/hexen-ii-portal-of-praevus-fteqw-source-port-heretic-ii.107160/
Blake Stone: Aliens of Gold + Planet Strike + BStone (source-port) (RU) - https://www.old-games.ru/forum/threads/blake-stone-aliens-of-gold-planet-strike-bstone-source-port.108712/
Mortal Coil: Adrenalin Intelligence (RU) - https://www.old-games.ru/forum/threads/mortal-coil-adrenalin-intelligence.110826/
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Articles and interviews:

Doom. Part 1. Top 25 wads that didn't get a Cacowards award - (RU) https://habr.com/ru/articles/660443/
Doom. Part 2. In search of unknown Kadath or magical realism, surrealism and strange dreams. 8 unusual wads (RU) - https://habr.com/ru/articles/808659/
Doom. Part 3. The living nightmare. 64 and PSX. 12 completely different wads (RU) - https://habr.com/ru/articles/812467/
Doom. Part 4. Technical limitations as a stimulus for creative potential on the example of 12 wads (RU) - https://habr.com/ru/articles/819065/
Doom. Part 5. Not only Doom. Gothic, gloomy cities, dark fantasy. 2 modifications and 12 wads for Heretic / Hexen (RU) - https://habr.com/ru/articles/821003/

Going through the backlog. Part 4. 5+1 forgotten B-shooters. 1993-1996 (RU) - https://habr.com/ru/articles/805965/

Back to the past. Part 3. Interview with Ken Silverman, creator of Build. From technical details and Duke Nukem 3D to Ion Fury. (EN) - https://www.doomworld.com/forum/topic/145837-back-to-the-past-part-3-interview-with-ken-silverman-creator-of-build-from-technical-details-and-duke-nukem-3d-to-ion-fury/

Back to the past. Part 4.1. id Software. Interview with Sandy Petersen. From Doom to Age of Empires. (EN) - https://www.doomworld.com/forum/topic/148308-back-to-the-past-part-41-id-software-interview-with-sandy-petersen-from-doom-to-age-of-empires/
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How it was started.

It's about ~ 2 years passed since I've started to writing some short notes / reviews about different wads, not only sticked to Doom I / II, but also Heretic, Hexen and 64. Initially it was just an a sort of part activity of other activities them I'm doing for about past ~ 10 years on well known placement in CIS that stick to old titles in overall.

The topic is gradually growing in length, around 66+ different wads been covered (as well as many other notes been made) by current moment and, after watching for a while some of the decino's, @pagb's and few others videos, as well noticing topics from @Endless (1, 2), @Not Jabba's Not the Cacowards, ONEMANDOOM, I came to idea that, perhaps, I might add a bit of content on the top of it as well in a longplay format. Some of the reviewed one often had no analogues on my native language and, sometimes, if talk about mostly Heretic & Hexen niche, might be not much covered on english as well.
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Q/A.

Q. Where to find your reviews on english?

A. Not all of my reviews were translated on english, but few of them are available in the wad topics. Usual format is short and contain short description, pros and contras, as well some useful hints, especially in case how to find secret levels. From the current point I will try to continue to put all of them in this topic.

Q. When video recording been started specifically?

A. At review #66, which you can find below.

Q. Walkthrough conditions.

A. Usually I'm using latest version of the GzDoom, always, no matter how hard wad is, UV difficulty, and, sometimes, some additional mods (at first used regularly, recently not so often) - Complex Doom, Heretical Doom, Walpurgis, Corruption Cards. I'm not stick to pistol start, save / load as many as required to not make things tough with no reason, don't care much about 100% everything nowadays, but usually trying to find all secret levels. Basically I'm playing for fun & challenge, not challenge only, so this act as basic aspect for conditions I've set. I'm also going through all the recorded wads for the first time, so basically in most cases there are no "polished" gameplay will be - things are how they might be for the any random, but well experienced player.

Q. Older reviews on English / where to find them.

A.

1. Quest for Crystal Skulls {2020} {Heretic}

2. TNT: Revilution {2017} {Doom II} {Complex Doom}

3. Plutonia 2 {2008} {The Plutonia Experiment} {Complex Doom}

4. Going Down {2014} {Doom II} {Complex Doom}

6. Doom Zero {2019} {Doom II}

7. Valiant: Vaccinated Edition {2015} {Doom II} {Complex Doom}

8. Call of the Apostate {2011} {Heretic} {Heretical Doom}

9.1. Faithless {2019} {Heretic} {Heretical Doom}. Heretic Doom was a bad pick in this specific case due a fact of a low compatibility. Later wad became a part of trilogy that currently remain in the beta stage. So. Planning to back to it later for another try.

11. The Unmaking + The Lost Levels {2021} {64; EX version}

12. Unbeliever {2019} {Heretic} {Heretical Doom}

13. Eviternity {2018} {Doom II}

15. NaNoHexen 2019 {2019} {Hexen} {Walpurgis}

16. No End in Sight {2016 / 2019} {The Ultimate Doom} {Complex Doom}

17. Deathless {2018} {The Ultimate Doom} {Complex Doom}

19. Double Impact {2011} {The Ultimate Doom} {Complex Doom}

20. BTSX EP1 (2012) {Doom II} {Complex Doom}

21. BTSX EP2 (2014) {Doom II} {Complex Doom}

22. Rainy Days In Casablanca {2021} {Doom II}

23. The Wayfarer {2019 / 2020} {Heretic}

24. UAC Ultra {2010} {Doom II}

25. DBP25: Dead, But Dreaming {2020} {Doom II}

26. Fear and Loathing {2020} {Doom II}

Q. Why the theme called "corner of silence"?

A. "Ultra" because of difficulty level. "Silence" because there is enough noise around there nowadays. So in order to somewhat go abstract from it for a bit, not in case of Doom related content as well, my videos contain mostly only pure gameplay without any commentaries, external music, pop-ups and the like type of things.
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66. 2022ADO (2022).

Quote

20 years later an unknown signal has been detected from Jigoku, a hellish place from the Proxima Centauri system originally thought to have been defeated. Sounds kinda disturbing, but the hellspawn has been resurrected and you have been sent on a mission to block their path. Upon arrival, you enter the base and fight your way though the dark corridors. As you progress things start to turn nasty, it gets darker, the stench increases and the sweat blisters out of your oily skin. With the earth base and nearby hell cooked, you are teleported to Proxima Centauri D (Jigoku) to finish the job. So grab that gun, lock, load and rip and tear and show those Demons who the boss truly is.

Wad for The Ultimate Doom from @pcorf and company. Consists of 5 episodes with 10 levels each (8 normal and 2 secret). It is the spiritual heir to 2002's A Doom Odyssey, which was released 20 years ago and was included in the Top 100 WADs of All Time list.

For 2022 a rather rare combination of three elements:

1. Most of the modders today prefer Doom II rather anything else. In case of The Ultimate Doom new wads are quite rare thing, notable ones - even rarer.

2. Mega megawad - more than 32 levels.

3. A set of levels sustained in the context of quality.

In first episode, as as sort of additional condition, no rocket launcher or chainsaw been used. All episodes can be found in playlist here.

Screenshots:

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/2022ado_1-png.273620/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/2022ado_2-png.273621/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/2022ado_3-png.273622/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/2022ado_4-png.273623/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/2022ado_5-png.273624/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/2022ado_6-png.273629/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/2022ado_7-png.273628/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/2022ado_8-png.273630/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/2022ado_9-png.273631/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/2020ado_10-png.273634/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/2022ado_11-png.273668/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/2022ado_12-png.273666/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/2022ado_13-png.273670/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/2022ado_14-png.273677/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/2022ado_15-png.273695/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/2022ado_16-png.273693/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/2022ado_17-png.273713/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/2022ado_18-png.273714/

Settings and features:

* GzDoom 4.8.2, UV difficulty.

* Lots of secrets.

* Quite a noticeable shortage of ammo in E2 & E5.

* E3M2 in some places reminds map from original game.

* Overall idea of level design follows the original. E1 - techno basic, E2 - combination of different layouts, E3 - otherwordly type. E4 at one time was supposed to be in 2002ado, while E5 was inspired by SIGIL from John Romero.

* You can telefrag 3 cyberdemons in this wad.

Pros:

+ E1M3, E1M4, E1M7, E1M8.

+ E2M4, E2M8 - "Escape From Babel". M8 is a large arena with a fortress in the middle. Inside the fortress cyberdemon awaits. Considering that there are not many rounds of ammo during the episode as a whole available, this element becomes especially noticeable on the last map.

+ E3M3, E3M5 - "Putrescent Dirge". A branched labyrinth and about 700 enemies. E3M6, E3M9.

+ E4M2. E4M7 - "Impious Alcazar". Location with many platforms and elevation changes.

+ E5M4 - "Valley of Afterlife", E5M9 - "A Doomed Odyssey", E5M10 - "Plasma", E5M8 - "Naberius".

Contras:

- E5M10. Concept with teleporting mastermind, as well as a cyberdemon, probably looks good on a paper, but in case of gameplay sequence rather annoying when you have less then 1 second to shoot one. Not saying it's impossible to deal with, but in case M10's maps, which are supposed to be fun, this aspect drop down this part a little.

Secret levels.

10 in total.

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/2022ado_bunny-png.273638/

Description tells not to expect something special. As for example E3M10 & E4M10 just represent small arenas with a lot of enemies on them, while only remarkable thing about it is level structure. In this probably only E5M10 stay opposite in compare to the rest of secret maps. M9 in first three episodes is hard to find, in case if you don't have a level map - up to impossible. So. If you are not hardly stick to 100% of everything, or you see Hexen puzzles in your nightmares, then probably it will better to pass them. Otherwise, well, I warned.

1. E1M3 -> E1M9. Requires pressing a switch on the helipad. To do it, in turn, the path is blocked by several barriers, finding switches for which, without having a map, seems to be an hard task. As a consequence you need to find a secret with a level map first.

2. {exit not found} ? -> E1M10.

3. {unsolved} E2M5 -> E2M9. Require to deal with a long list of switches to get access to the secret exit, but main sequence stick to deal with the door on the south. I've spend some time to look around but didn't find a way to open it. Seems to I've missed one somewhere.
4. {exit not found} ? -> E2M10.

5. E3M6 -> E3M9. You need to get into the orange cube in the center of the map. To do this you need to raise 4 platforms near by. The platforms are raised by 4 extra hidden switches, access to one of which will require the grab of a yellow skull, while the grabbing of which, in turn, is a separate puzzle.

6. E3M9 -> E3M10. You need to go into the orange passage near the main exit.

7. E4M2 -> E4M9. You will need to raise three platforms and get the blue key.

8. E4M9 -> E4M10. The passage behind the wall in the southeast of the map, not far from the point of start.

9. E5M4 -> E5M9. Not far from the main exit, you need to press the switch in the form of a skull. The wall will fall, a staircase will form. By going down it you can find a teleport - it leads to a secret exit.

10. E5M9 -> E5M10. Apparently you need to press a switch in the warehouse area, although here I'm not sure if this plays any role for the secret exit. Anyhow, in the northeastern part of the map you can find a little visible dark passage - this is the exit to M10.

Edited 28 minutes ago by UnknDoomer

UnknDoomer · November 8, 2022

67. DBP53: Plutonian Sunrise (2022).

Orange. My favorite color in addition to black and purple. After a long journey in 2022ADO I've decide to stick to something that has more... direct approach. DBP53, presented by @SilverMiner, with it's short levels and fast battles fit fine enough to fullfil this request.

The last, at the moment, project of the Doomer Boards forum. Contain 12 levels. The main idea stick around the orange coloring, which to a certain extent makes it similar to other wad of the same community - DBP39: Carnage Oasis, which I've exlored earlier.

Screenshots:

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/dbp53_ps_1-png.273741/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/dbp53_ps_2-png.273742/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/dbp53_ps_3-png.273744/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/dbp53_ps_4-png.273743/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/dbp53_ps_5-png.273747/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/dbp53_ps_6-png.273746/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/dbp53_ps_7-png.273745/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/dbp53_ps_8-png.273750/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/dbp53_ps_9-png.273761/

Settings and features:

* GzDoom 4.8.2, UV difficulty.

* On the M6 red skulls protrude in the form of peculiar apples, two of which, apparently, can only be obtained by hard bet on rocket jumping.

* Short and straight levels.

* Traps with a large cluster of enemies. A prime example is case - M4.

* There are no secret levels here.

Pros:

+ Seasoned style.

+ Soundtrack.

+ M3 - "Plutonian Reservoir".

+ M4 - "Compounded Omens".

+ M11 - "Hunted In Reverse".

+ M12 - "Plutonian Sunrise". A small arena with gradually (relatively) incoming enemies.

Edited June 8, 2023 by UnknDoomer

UnknDoomer · November 9, 2022

68. Tangerine Nightmare (2017 / 2018). #60 in the community top.

In continue of the "orange" theme. Wad of 9 (1 secret) levels. In case of if count titles map - 10 levels. Created by members of the French Doom community and presented by @franckFRAG, which is currently working on one another interested wad that I'll probably review after it's final release.

As an entourage, a fantasy like middle ages were taken with some gothic vibe. The concept was reflected both in the locations in general and in case of sprites of a number of monsters. There are many unique textures here as well. Difficulty increases gradually and in the latest maps it approaches a level that, to some extent, could be called a kind of "lite-version" of the creations usually typical for folks like @Ribbiks in particular, like Stardate 20X6, but taking into account M8 and especially M10, they become approximately in the same row.

Screenshots:

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/tn_1-png.273851/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/tn_2-png.273845/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/tn_3-png.273846/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/tn_4-png.273847/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/tn_5-png.273848/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/tn_6-png.273849/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/tn_7-png.273852/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/tn_8-png.273850/

Settings and features:

* GzDoom 4.8.2, UV difficulty.

* Hardcore.

* The name of the wad refers to a German electronic music band.

Pros:

+ Unique surroundings.

+ M6 - "The Forgotten Land". A large fortress with surrounding territory and many difficult fights.

+ M7 - "Goetia". A fortress with many secrets, some of which will not be easy to unravel.

+ M8 - "Pandemonium". > 1000 enemies (depending on the how fast you will move and act). To complete the level you need to break through the enemy hordes from the starting point in a sort of circle, to the top opposite place to the large tower.

+ M10 - "Umbreion Nils". An extremely difficult bonus map, > 1500 (the number can vary greatly) enemies, which only the most experienced players can deal with on UV difficulty.

Secret level.

M9 -> M10. On the way closer to the end of the map in the dark brown segment, you need to press the torch, which burns with a blue flame - a passage will open.

Edited June 8, 2023 by UnknDoomer

UnknDoomer · November 11, 2022

69. Ozonia (2018 / 2022). #96 in the community top.

Screenshots:

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/ozonia_1-png.273881/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/ozonia_2-png.273887/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/ozonia_3-png.273888/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/ozonia_4-png.273889/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/ozonia_5-png.273890/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/ozonia_6-png.273893/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/ozonia_7-png.273894/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/ozonia_8-png.273915/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/ozonia_9-png.273916/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/ozonia_10-png.273953/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/ozonia_11-png.273951/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/ozonia_12-png.273962/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/ozonia_13-png.273960/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/ozonia_14-png.273958/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/ozonia_15-png.273959/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/ozonia_16-png.273963/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/ozonia_17-png.273973/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/ozonia_18-png.274027/

Wad of 32 levels (2 secret), divided into 3 episodes, the style of which varies significantly. For inspiration @Deadwing drew ideas from classic The Plutonia Experiment, Eviternity, BTSX EP1 & BTSX EP2, and other well-known and highly acclaimed by the community wads.

As a result of the selection of mentioned above, for the most part maps are relatively compact, but detailed, there are few enemies on them, but tough battles happens often enough. The structure of the maps and the story component are in many ways similar to what could be seen in the BTSX series. The design of the first episode inherits the concept of the stone jungle from Plutonia, the second combines snow-covered man-made bases, interspersed with elements that were usual characteristic of Eviternity, third took otherworldly niche.

Ozonia is the third in a series that also includes ExoMoon (2018) and Moonblood (2017).

Longplay of all three episodes can be found here.

Settings and features:

* GzDoom 4.8.2, UV difficulty (Eviternity).

* 2 new types of enemies.

* On most of the level you can find a map that reflects their structure.

* On the M25 you can get to the exit without getting the blue key - just use the rocket jump option in proper way.

Pros:

+ Nice soundtrack.

+ E1M2 - "Renascido".

+ E1M7 - "Satellite".

+ E2M15 - "#".

+ E2M32 - "Penitência". Forked cave, 500+ enemies and a couple of difficult battles.

+ E2M16 - "Cidadela I".

+ E3M21 - "Inferno".

+ E3M23 - "Inca".

+ E3M28 - "Solidão".

+ E3M29 - "Mecanismo II".

Contras:

- I myself stick around to electronic type of music for a long period of time, in particular ambient and house varieties of it, but in case the selected track comes in handy at E3M21, then, for example, in E3M23 it sounds and feels out of the context of the atmosphere of the episode.

Secret levels.

E2M15 -> E2M31. You will need a blue key and then press a couple of switches in the zone where it is applicable (in the south part of the map). As a result a barrier will open in the north side of the map, leading to a secret exit, which, in turn, is guarded by two cyberdemons.

E2M31 -> E2M32. The exit is in the center of the map. You will need a red key, which is also needed to exit to the M16.

Edited June 8, 2023 by UnknDoomer

UnknDoomer · November 13, 2022

70. ZDoom Community 2018 HeXmas Special! (2018).

https://forum.zdoom.org/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=62375

Wad for Hexen, created by the ZDoom forum community. Consists of 1 hub and 4 levels. There is an emphasis on snowy, but, in general, quite variable locations. There is a small plot with a mono like dialogue system.

Screenshots:

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/hexmas_1-png.274048/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/hexmas_2-png.274049/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/hexmas_3-png.274046/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/hexmas_4-png.274047/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/hexmas_5-png.274050/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/hexmas_6-png.274080/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/hexmas_7-png.274081/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/hexmas_8-png.274110/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/hexmas_9-png.274111/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/hexmas_10-png.274113/

Settings and features:

* GzDoom 4.9.0 (available for download from 5.11.22), difficulty 4/5.

* Walpurgis 0.97 (available for download from 28.10.22), made by @eharper256.

* All collected consumable items are lost when moving to the hub.

* There are 2 boss battles take a place.

Pros:

+ Design of the locations.

+ Soundtrack.

+ Interestingly arranged work of mechanisms, in particular in the introduction section.

Contras:

* Not so an issue, rather an a specificity of this was. Apparently, due to the non-standard approach to working with consumable items, it becomes impossible to use the main attack of any weapon other than the first one if the the Walpurgis modification is additionally set after returning to the hub, regardless of the amount of mana available. Alternative attacks work fine.

Riddles and tasks.

1. Portal #1 (source location). In the first location you need to place the arrows as shown in the 2nd screenshot. Long arrow at 12 hours, short arrow at 6. There is something like a hint exist here, but it is not obvious. So. The solution in my case was found by sequentially rearranging the arrows.

2. Portals #2 & #3. Next step - need to collect 4 crystals, 2 of which are located in a large fortress.

3. After that the portal #4 will open, where the local elder (mage) will send the hero for the fifth crystal.

4. After its extraction you will need to go back to the knight and continue cleaning up the location. Then return to the elder again, then to the same location, behind the red doors, then again to the hub to the elder, then the last portal will be opened, the transition to which will complete the game.

Edited June 8, 2023 by UnknDoomer

UnknDoomer · November 14, 2022

71. Talparun (2021).

https://www.moddb.com/addons/talparun

Wad for Hexen by @Kenon, which usually specializes in creating single maps - outside of this wad and the Dungeons and Monsters (2022) for Heretic, other conditionally large creations available to the general public have not yet been observed. Consists of three short, fairly straightforward, but well-developed levels.

Screenshots:

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/talparun_1-png.274141/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/talparun_2-png.274142/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/talparun_3-png.274144/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/talparun_4-png.274170/

Settings and features:

* GzDoom 4.9.0, difficulty 4/5.

* Walpurgis 0.97.

* There are no secrets as such, although you can find a couple of small sections that are not marked by the counter.

In the final puzzle a sequence of three symbols will require you to correlate them according to those that you met along the way on the pillars. It is not possible to solve the riddle quickly by brute force method, because there are more than 9 possible combinations, but, however, the nearest pillar is not so far away, and knowing one symbol, picking up the other two becomes easier. The correct combination is star, star, crescent.

Edited June 8, 2023 by UnknDoomer

UnknDoomer · November 14, 2022

72. Hub of Pain (1996).

Short and straight forward (can be completed in +/- 30-40 minutes) old wad that contain 3 levels (1 hub + 2 levels), notable for the fact that it's author was involved in the development of the official add-on for the original Hexen - Deathkings of the Dark Citadel. In total nothing much more to say about it, except for the aspect of choosing the class to play - it will be quite problematic to pass on high difficulty for a melee-variation of one or another hero, with an emphasis on to kill most or all of the enemies.

Settings and features:

* GzDoom 4.9.0, difficulty 4/5.

* Walpurgis 0.97.

UnknDoomer · November 15, 2022

73. Shadows of Cronos (2012 / 2014).

Wad for Hexen. Consists of 1 hub and 5 levels. Developed by @Kaiser, which mostly known in the community mainly for his significant and diverse contributions to the Doom 64 branch, as well as a number of classic high-quality wads. SoC, in turn, turned out to be a kind of experiment in a new niche for the author of wads for Hexen. There are no specific or unique elements here, but the wad has quite high quality.

Settings and features:

* GzDoom 4.9.0, difficulty 4/5.

* Walpurgis 0.97.

* There are four weapon upgrades can be found along the way, three of which are at the very end, two before and one during the final battle - three mini-bosses, many usual enemies and two Corax will take part in it. In this case it is recommended to explore the area in order to have three invulnerability items in the arsenal at the end.

Pros:

+ Attention to detail.

Secrets.

1. Invulnerability can be found in two secrets. The moment at 1:59:50 shows how to get the second one. The third will be available before the final battle.

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/soc_secret_1-png.274234/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/soc_secret_2-png.274235/

2. There is a kind of sixth level exist that, it seems, can be count as a sort of easter egg - it is a room with a huge amount of consumable items, still I did not find a way to move the stone fresco blocking the passage to it. Nearby there is an inscription: "The warriors of peace will prevail...". Whether this is a hint, or whether the level is purely joke in nature, which can only be accessed through the noclip cheat code, is not completely clear. If you try to enter it while the level starts, without killing any enemies, fresco still will be there.

There is another interesting thing. Along the way you can find a dead end, in which there is nothing but only a one skeleton. There is an inscription next to it - "I also thought that there was something here.".

Edited June 8, 2023 by UnknDoomer

UnknDoomer · November 15, 2022

74. Ye Olde Smudge (1995).

https://www.doomworld.com/idgames/levels/heretic/s-u/smudge

One of the early wads for Heretic, consists of 3 levels. Taking into account the collection of all the secrets, it takes about 30 minutes to complete. The author of such at one time was also noted for the fact that his maps were included in the Master Levels for Doom II. The main feature here is the interaction with a large number of switches.

Settings and features:

* GzDoom 4.9.0, difficulty 4/7.

* Heretical Doom 1.5 + Monsters 0.4a by @Ryuhi.

* Wad took E1 slot.

Edited November 15, 2022 by UnknDoomer

UnknDoomer · November 15, 2022

75. The Sewers of D'Sparil (2004).

https://www.doomworld.com/idgames/levels/heretic/d-f/dhspd01, https://danarchy.youfailit.net/speed/

Short, can be completed in less than 10 minutes, and in overall an unremarkable wad, but nonetheless remarkable for one technical detail.

Various community projects are a longstanding activity. One of the varieties of those was taking into account certain technical or thematic restrictions, such as, for example, creating a map that fits a certain map name, making a joint wad before a specific date, the size of the wad should not exceed 96 kb, use a limited number of sectors, i.e. the size of the map should not exceed 32x32 or 64x64 blocks, etc.

The experiment with The Sewers of D'Sparil combines two conditions:

1. The creation of each map should have taken no more than 100 minutes (~ 1,5 hours), which is a serious challenge.

2. The concept of the level should be built around the sewers.

Settings and features:

* GzDoom 4.9.0, difficulty 4/7.

* Heretical Doom 1.5 + Monsters 0.4a.

* Wad took E3 slot.

Edited November 15, 2022 by UnknDoomer

UnknDoomer · November 19, 2022

76. Master Levels for Heretic (2019).

https://forum.zdoom.org/viewtopic.php?t=66415

Screenshots:

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/mlfh_1-png.274306/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/mlfh_2-png.274307/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/mlfh_3-png.274361/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/mlfh_4-png.274386/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/mlfh_5-png.274387/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/mlfh_6-png.274422/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/mlfh_7-png.274424/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/mlfh_8-png.274425/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/mlfh_9-png.274426/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/mlfh_10-png.274427/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/mlfh_11-png.274442/

Four other videos can be found here.

A rather controversial, but at the same time semi-official and to this day discussed collection called "Master Levels for Doom II" (1995) was released a little more than two years after the original game - 26.12.95 versus 10.12.93. In the case of Heretic nothing like this has been observed for many years, including in the context of community projects. @NightFright decided to correct this kind of ~~fatal flaw~~ state of affairs by creating a similar collection, while introducing two additional criterias:

1. Really select only the best works from the best. It was decided to limit the total quantity to a bar of 50 maps.

2. Conduct an audit of their technical condition and make a number of other adjustments. Mainly - GzDoom support.

Quote

1) You should use at least GZDoom 4.2.4 for this since I am using a new MAPINFO function allowing to show author names on the level stats/tally screen.
2) Some maps had to be edited to make packaging along with other maps possible, avoiding sound and graphics conflicts.
3) PWADs containing more than one level were split, with health and inventory maintained during level transitions.
4) Separately released maps belonging together (as a series) are bundled, but health and inventory is reset during level transitions.
5) "The River of Fire, Part 3": This map requires jumping.
6) Notable map changes:
- "Blood, Fire, Death": Second map omitted since you basically just die there
- "Enchanter": Line #1786 edited in second level to fix a texture problem
- "The Remote Outpost": Specials for lines #346+1180 changed from 28 to 26 (green --> blue access door)
- "The River of Fire, Part 3": TITLEMAP omitted

The design was made as a simple list, as a result of an authentic MS-DOS style menu or a hub in the spirit of Rumble Pack (2022) / Compendium (2018) should not be expected here.

Four other videos are available here.

Settings and features:

* GzDoom 4.9.0, difficulty 4/7.

* Heretical Doom 1.5 + Monsters 0.4a.

* Maps from the same series have been put in into mini-collections, such as "The Sewers of D'Sparil", reviewed earlier, so there are 40 items in the list to choose from instead of 50.

* On the map "The River of Fire, Part 3" option to perform a jump is required.

Pros:

Criterias I've personally set into.

1. - an ordinary level, which did not make sense to include in this selection and which also under normal circumstances does not make much sense to pay attention to in general, since there are a many of such kind around exist. A separate amendment was made to take into account the fact whether the level belongs to the era of the early period (~ the first 3 years after the release of the game) of mapping or not.

2. + Not bad, but generally usual level.

3. ++ the quality is above average.

4. +++ Unique concept, interesting level design and structure, seasoned gameplay.

Thus, it generally makes sense to pay attention to the fourth category and, according to your mood, to the third.

+ 1. Alfa 4 (2015). Three keys on pedestals, three sections to explore, lots of simple switches and mechanisms.

++. 2. Ascents from the Depths (2006). A waterfall, narrow labyrinths, platforms, dangerous enemies and 7 secrets that will not be as easy to find as it might seem in the case of a fairly compact level.

++ 3. Avatar's Demise (1998). Compact and fairly linear level, 222 enemies, moderate difficulty.

+ 4. Blood, Fire, Death (2010). Big arenas, long corridors, long jumps from great heights. At the end 5 minotaurs are waiting, which are quite problematic to deal with, including in the presence of a huge arsenal - I was able to defeat only one. However, this is not required to complete the level - it is enough to run past them to the exit.

++ 5 Burial Ground (2000). Cemetery, crypts, mummies and ghosts. Pretty atmospheric map.

+ 6. Camelot (2002). Medieval fortress, water moat, catacombs and a track straight from the 8-bit era.

+ 7. Candy Choppers (2001). Micro map, you can pass it less than in 5 minutes, the emphasis is stick around on the possibility of flight.

++ 9. D'Sparil Lost Keep (2000). A hardcore map with good architecture, where just from start there will be a large-scale skirmish with several iron liches, a malotaur and a group of ordinary enemies. With some skill you can get rid of the malotaur at the expense of the telefrag. At the end of the level D'Sparil and another malotaur are waiting. Killing the first leads to the instant death of the rest of the enemies.

+ / + 10, 11. Dark Mountain I (1998), Dark Mountain II (1999). I - as the name implies, the action takes place in a mountainous area. The map is a combination of typical rooms and branched caves. II - continuation of the theme of the same name. The main difference lies in the significantly increased level scale. This applies to both spaces and detail in general, as well as the number of enemies.

+++ 12. Desert Crypt (1998). The setting matches the name. The hero wakes up in an Egyptian tomb and explores the surroundings, filled with many enmies, among which there are quite a few iron liches.

+ 13. Die Trying (1995). One of the early maps, released six months after the release of the original game. Doesn't stand out for anything special except for a small puzzle with a ladder. The small number of enemies, 115, is fully compensated by the dense grouping of them, in particular on hills and in dark rooms, where it is difficult to see anything without a torch.

+ 14. Emerald Bathhouse (2016). Emerald Baths. The emphasis is on the combination of water with green textures. Weapons became another feature of the level - in addition to the cane, most of the time you will have to wield only a staff and gauntlets, periodically having the opportunity to use a crossbow.

+ / +++ 15, 16. Echanter. Part I / II (1999). I - a large fortress. II - an extensive cave system, in which 2 invulnerability from the first map will come in handy in the beginning.

+ / +++ 17, 18. The Fiery Descent (1999), The Fiery Crater (2000). In the first case the action takes place inside the volcano. Narrow passages and small skirmishes are attached. The music is taken from an SNES game called Actraiser (1990). In the second the action continues where it ended. By moving deeper into the crater you will have to find the fortress hidden in it. The difficulty is quite high, however, according to the author, it was supposed to be so - the second level is specially designed for experienced players. The author also owns a series of levels with the opposite, water kind, in particular Water City (1997).

+ 19. Fortress of D'Sparil (2002). Corvus is trying to escape from yet another D'Sparil's fortress, but he does not intend to let him go. A level with pretty good architecture. Here it is worth bearing in mind that during the final battle the passage back is blocked. You can use the teleport to the beginning of the level, but without noclip cheat-code you won't be able to go to the exit again, so it's better to search for secrets in advance.

++ 20. Icebound (2011). A rare example of high detail, along with a moderate scale and overall balance. Thanks to these aspects, the level, which is not a full wad and does not use any custom textures, was able to compete with Doom wads and receive the Cacowards 2011 award. There are 7 secrets, but supposedly only 5 can be found, and when playing with Heretical Doom modification - 4.

1, 2. The passages to the secrets here are destructible in places, but two of the walls leading to the secrets cannot be pressed or deconstructed.

3. In addition, another one, an egg, can only be obtained by combining a jump obtained with a temporary bomb. Theoretically the same method could be applied to the second problematic secret with a shield. On the other hand the situation may also be due to the use of Heretical Doom, recalling in some way the problem in Faithless, where it was not possible to destroy the trees in order to get close to the secret. The function is originally common for Hexen, but not for Heretic.

@Ryuhi:

Quote

As for destructable walls, they are always a bit hack-y in how they work, depending on the method the author used in the map. Most times they require an explosion of some kind, often due to an actor "just behind" the linedef that needs to be hit to trigger the destruction (to prevent bullets from breaking the wall)

a good example of that method that comes to mind is how they're done in hell on earth starter pack.

That said I'm not proficient enough in mapping to know all the methods, so I couldn't tell ya what would need to be done to make compat there. If its searching for a specific damage type for example, it might not really be possible without a specific compatibility patch

+ 23. Montain's King Domain (2015). The fortress of the mountain king, which seemed impregnable and lost in the snow, is captured by hostile creatures. A random traveler exploring the caves, wanders into the remains of a once mighty fortress. Of the features one can note a rather high complexity and a periodic shortage of ammo. Other maps of the author can be found here.

+++ 24. New Dungeons (2010). An extensive dungeon system, high difficulty, lack of ammo and 945 enemies.

+++ 25. Recant (1995). Small, well-designed, especially by the standards of the release year, level.

+ 26. Reclamation (2001). According to the plot of the level, the ancient sanctuary was captured by hostile creatures. The hero offers to clean it from those and return the church to its former state. There are separately well-realized architectural elements.

++ / ++ / +++ 27, 28, 29. The River of Fire (2000), Heart of Fire (2001), How to Disappear Completely (2004). Descent along the lava river into the cave depths, accompanied by a nostalgic melody. The second level continues the previously set concept, and the third raises it to a qualitatively different level.

+ 30. Shadowy Forest (2000). The action in this level takes place at night, in a forest full of dangers. The advantages include a unique design and sounds of different living creatures, such as the frogs. As for the disadvantages - are cunningly hidden switches, that sometimes working in a non-obvious sequence.

+ / + / + 31, 32, 33. Smudge (1995). Wad of 3 levels, was explored earlier.

++ 35. The Crypts (2003). Remake inspired by original E1M7.

++ 38. The Seven Chambers (1997). As the name implies, the action will unfold in 7 main sections. Dynamic gameplay is combined with a large number of consumable items - it is rare at any level to carry 16 purple flasks at the same time.

++ 42. The Subterranean River (1996). The river, the underground city, the docks, the throne room, the flooded temple, the crypts can all be found in this level.

+ 43. Torture (2003). The hero will have to go down into the dungeon and avenge his fallen comrades. A level from the author of the previously mentioned "Reclamation".

+ 44. Town of Aquafort (2012). Micro level with urban landscape, can be completed in less than 5 minutes, which was originally planned as an introduction to a full-fledged episode.

+ 45. Town Of Witchcraft (2007). The complete opposite of the previous level. City-fortress, lost somewhere in the mountains. Finding some switches can be difficult.

+ 46. Valley of Saints (2013). Somewhere in the valley of saints there is a chapel. Evil forces are waiting inside. Extraordinary fortress, combined with caves.

+/++ 47, 48. Water City (1997), Water Castle (1999). The underwater city is captured by D'Sparil's henchmen. It's time to put it in order. In the future action moves to the fortress, in which there is a secret exit, which, however, does not lead anywhere. Opposite "The Fiery" dilogy of levels. Instead of mountains and caves, there is an urban landscape, and instead of lava, there is water.

+ 49. Where Serpents ever Dwell (2011). Pretty standard map, the main concept of which is based on relatively high difficulty and dynamic gameplay.

+++ 50. Wyvern Heights (1995). Wyverns, like those can be seen in Hexen, will not be found here, and all the action will take place in an enclosed space. At the same time, there was a place for a unique style, among other things, competently combining textures from Doom with those from Heretic.

Contras:

- 8. Coven (2012). Unremarkable typical level.

- 21. Lucifer's Spell (2007). Standard level. Most of the enemies here are represented by gargoyles and golems.

- 22. Max Saga: The Doom Dragon (2014). A cave with a lot of Weredragons.

- 34. The Abandoned City (2004). The action takes place in a small port city. The gameplay is built around pressing a large number of switches in a certain and rather long sequence. As a result, if you hesitate for a second, it will be difficult to figure out where to go next and you can run for a long time from one end to another. The rest of the level does not stand out.

- 36. The Dragonmaw (2013). The author of this level has not previously worked on single maps, nor, apparently, on levels for Heretic in general. As a result, we got a fairly ordinary map, which does not stand out in anything except for a couple of conditionally interesting architectural solutions.

- 37. The Remote Outpost (2005). A micro map set in a small cave. Mostly 2 types of opponents, with a total of less than 60. There are no secrets, the map can be completed in less than 3 minutes.

- 39, 40, 41. The Severs of D'Sparil (2004). Wad has been reviewed before. Giving away as many as three slots for maps that are notable for a purely technical detail of the event during which they were created does not seem appropriate.

The final impression of compilation remains twofold. On the one hand, in terms of quality, it surpasses "Master Levels for Doom II" in all respects and here are a number of interesting maps, which are otherwise not easy to stumble upon today, but on the other hand, the gap between the release of Doom II and Master Levels was less than 1,5 years, while in the case of this compilation under consideration we are talking about a difference of ~ 24 years. Not comparable numbers.

One of the earliest maps I reviewed, Wyvern Heights, which I gave the highest rating, came out ~ 3 months after the game was released. Although Heretic, like Hexen, has largely remained in the shadow of Doom until the last few years and the number of available maps and wads for it is incomparable, it becomes obvious that the overall quality bar was set early on. Against this background, it seems rather strange to include maps like "The Severs of D'Sparil" or "Coven" into the list. Excluding rather mediocre maps, the list could be reduced to 39 positions, and if we also remove relatively typical ones (marked by +, not taking into account the series of maps), then to 19. Total, adjusted for subjective opinion, objectively, the list could be two times less.

The number turns out to be less beautiful, but, in my opinion, if it is obvious that due to the generally small number of good thematic maps, despite the past long period of time, it is not possible to create an extensive list that matches the conditionally "beautiful number 50", then there is no point in setting such there is no goal. The presence of "filler maps", among other things, can scare away an interested audience that has not previously dealt with Heretic much.

Edited June 8, 2023 by UnknDoomer

NightFright · November 19, 2022

Hey, thanks for featuring my compilation! Had almost forgotten by now that I made it. Can't hurt to draw some attention to it.

Admittedly, some not-so-great entries made their way into the collection to reach the magic number 50, but general quality of the collection is pretty decent. Which cannot cover the fact that sadly, there was a very low number of REALLY remarkable standalone Heretic levels to choose from.

As for series of maps, I avoided butchering them and just pick specific ones, even if it meant that some less interesting contributions felt overrepresented.

Ultimately, deciding what makes the cut and what doesn't is a subjective matter, but just look at the Doom II Master Levels which are mostly sub-par. It was also an effort of preservation and careful fixing for some older maps, so it wasn't a waste of time. Plus the way I compiled and presented everything, it's easy to pick your favorites and avoid entries you don't like.

(Also should mention there are a bunch of good episodes out there, but here I had to consider only single maps or short map series.)

My H!Zone remaster turned out rather nice, too.

Edited November 19, 2022 by NightFright

UnknDoomer · November 20, 2022

Quote

(Also should mention there are a bunch of good episodes out there, but here I had to consider only single maps or short map series.)

@NightFright, BTW. In that case. If you have someting to suggest, you can put it into this topic.

UnknDoomer · November 21, 2022

77. Elf Gets Pissed (2015). Cacowards 2016. #270 in the community top.

Screenshots:

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/egp_1-png.274493/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/egp_2-png.274497/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/egp_3-png.274498/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/egp_4-png.274499/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/egp_5-png.274500/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/egp_6-png.274501/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/egp_7-png.274504/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/egp_8-png.274503/

Wad for Heretic, presented by @RottKing. Consists of 9 levels (1 secret). Several adjustments have been made in the context of unique gameplay elements:

Quote

The WAD includes DECORATE and other lumps that provide the following custom elements in the game:

the lightbringer weapon in slot 7, with sun and nova runes as ammo
a tombstone that spawns a giant dog head with 2000 hit points
a chicken barrel which, when blown up, spawns four chickens

Additionally, there are new soundtracks for the title and intermission screens.

As for other parts notable for two things. First is high difficulty, lack of ammo and health points will be observed virtually throughout the entire playthrough. Second - interesting skirmishes with enemies, such as fighting on a slowly rising platform with two malotaurs on the M5 or fighting in narrow corridors with a large number of enemies on the M6.

Settings and features:

* GzDoom 4.9.0, difficulty 4/5.

* A new weapon is available at the secret level. It will take some tinkering, in particular, making a couple of not-quite-simple jumps in order to get it. Moment is visually shown at 1:56:00. The game froze at the start of M8 in my case, as result part of the recording was not saved, so I repeated the end of the level using cheat codes for a visual demonstration.

Secret level.

M4 -> M9. In the south, when the lift descends, a wall opens in parallel. Behind it is a switch. Pressing this will open access to the blue key. It will be required to open the door leading to the secret exit. It, in turn, will need to be reached by jumping from the center of the location.

Pros:

+ Interestingly arranged skirmishes with enemies.

+ M4 - "Canyon Encampment".

+ M9 - "Toobin".

+ M5 - "Minotaur Spitroast".

+ M6 - "Unholy Vespers".

+ M7 - "Gate of the Underworld".

+ M8 - "Destiny's Stage".

Edited June 8, 2023 by UnknDoomer

UnknDoomer · November 21, 2022

78. 100 Line Massacre (2022).

Screenshots:

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/100lm_1-png.274521/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/100lm_2-png.274522/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/100lm_3-png.274523/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/100lm_4-png.274543/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/100lm_5-png.274547/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/100lm_6-png.274548/

Wad made by @Arsinikk & @NinjaDelphox. I briefly talked about wads created with elements of certain technical restrictions earlier. Contrary to the wad discussed in the past, 100 Line Massacre is representative of one of the most common technical limitations associated with the number of linedef, the number of which is limited to 100 here. You can read more about what the it's term is here. As a result all 35 levels (3 bonus ones) are quite miniature and take ~ 2-5 minutes each on average, adjusted for difficulty, which is high here.

The remaining 3 videos can be found here.

Settings and features:

* GzDoom 4.9.0, difficulty 6/7, Vile Cruelty. Unique difficulty, follows right after Ultra-Violence. Basically it's UV+.

* Used the version for Unity to access the bonus levels connected to GzDoom.

* Voxel Doom 1.0 by @Cheello. No monsters from Doom II yet.

* Hardcore.

* In order to open the passage to the exit on M30 you need to get rid of two doomguys located behind the cyberdemons. BFG is the best weapon for this purpose.

Secret levels.

M15 -> M31. The exit is on the platform. Requires rocket jump.

M31 -> M32. Sequential pressing of a number of mechanisms. It is difficult to describe, if necessary, I recommend watching the video starting at 28:08.

Pros:

+ Soundtrack.

+ Level design. The extreme limited scope is combined with interesting gameplay mechanics.

+ M2 - "Sewage Bath". If I'm not mistaken, one of the notes in Doom (2016) briefly mentioned that cacodemons like swamps.

+ M7 - "Light a Match". Light a candle... in the form of a cyberdemon... and see what happens.

+ M8 - "Way Too Simple". If the previous 7 maps seemed relatively simple, then M8 may change this point of view.

+ M32 - "Wonderful Nightmare".

+ M33 - "The Descent III".

+ M34 - "Under A Bleeding Sun".

Edited June 8, 2023 by UnknDoomer

UnknDoomer · November 23, 2022

79. Confinement 256 (2017 / 2018).

Screenshots:

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/conf_256_1-png.274558/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/conf_256_2-png.274559/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/conf_256_3-png.274589/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/conf_256_4-png.274594/

Continuing the theme of restrictions. A wad of 61 levels (9 secret), consisting of 2 hubs (1 secret), the main idea of which was to limit the map size to a 256x256 grid in the level editor. Initially the wad included 20 levels made by the @Xyzzy01, but in the process it grew into a full-scale community project, with the participation of @Dragonfly, @Bauul and bunch of other people. So at the end point 39 more maps were added, excluding 2 bonus ones. Logically, the maps are divided into two segments. Those made by the author and those made with the participation of the community.

Xyzzy01:

Quote

Added a BFG and invulnerability sphere on UV. I don't see how anybody was supposed to complete this map originally!

Settings and features:

* GzDoom 4.9.0, UV difficulty.

* Voxel Doom 1.0. No monsters from Doom II yet.

* Hardcore.

* On the M12 it is better to use a plasmagun.

* On the M15, I recommend saving more often. You will need to remember approximately the algorithm and sequence of explosions.

* On the M16 it's better not to enter into the inner circle.

* On the M18 you need to push the green wall by the weapons in your arsenal until the trigger goes off.

* All levels made with community participation, M21-M59, are focused on the forced start with a pistol.

* Loading the M55 might lead to crashes and freezes. Probably compatibility issues with the latest version of GzDoom. For this reason it was not possible to fully record this level.

* M58. Last version contain major update:

Quote

Added a BFG and invulnerability sphere on UV. I don't see how anybody was supposed to complete this map originally!

In the original there was only a double-barreled shotgun and a megasphere. Having those two items only make the way to deal with the two cyberdemons almost impossible within a limited area you have to move. A bug may occur here, in which the BFG and the sphere might be missing. With proper skill you can do without BFG, there is still only one charge in it, as for the temporary invulnerability you can try to enter the "IDBEHOLDV" cheat.

Level 54 (spoiler / solution):

* A level that, at first glance, is impossible to complete. It is a compact labyrinth that constantly rebuilds when you press the next switch or without pressing one. Pop-up inscriptions also hint at the hopelessness of the situation. In addition you can use the noclip cheat and make sure the current picture from the outside - the switch, as a rule, is always only one. Nevertheless, if you run around the location long enough, then, in the end, the configuration will close to the one shown in the screenshot:

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/conf_256_level_54-png.274598/

And against the background of the main part of the level, it may seem really impassable, but there is a solution.

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/conf_256_level_54_puzzle-png.274600/

Counting from the cell with the switch, you need to count 13 steps in a clearly defined sequence. Only in this case will it be possible to get to another switch. The numbers are cell numbers. 2. Back, 3. Left, 4. Forward, 5. Forward, 6. Forward, 7. Right, 8. Right, 9. Back, 10. Right, 11. Back, 12. Back, 13. Right, 14. Forward. The switch will be on the left. It remains to run along the already linear corridor to the last switch, after which a rocket launcher and the last inscription will appear.

Secret levels.

M9 -> M19. At the end of the level, you need to quickly press two switches in succession, otherwise there will be a transition to the M10.

M19 -> M20. You need to shoot at a slightly visible switch in the passage leading to a regular exit. After it is triggered, a wall will open.

* The secret map "CONF00: Fire Dust Labs" is only available through the console. Press ~, enter map conf00.

* To get into the secret E1M1, you will need to connect DOOM.WAD instead of DOOM2.WAD, then select the first episode. If you try to open the level through the console in Doom II, then the level will be loaded, but a significant part of the textures will not.

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/conf_256_secret_doors-png.274590/

* M55, M56, M57, M58 and M59 are available through the secret hub. From the secret hub you can only go to one level at a time - after that the next normal one will load. So if you want to explore all the secret levels you will either need to make a separate save in the hub, as I did, not initially assuming that you can still return here, or you will need to find all 5 secret exits leading to the hub.

Exit 1. To get to that one on the M28 you need to shoot the switch - the platform will go down. At the expense of the platform climb the pole. Shoot another switch. A series of switches will appear on the opposite side. Shooting at most of them will cause the pillar to sink into the lava, but one of them leads to a secret hub.

Exit 2. M32. You need to shoot at 2 switches behind the teleport, then go towards the inscription "Exit".

Exit 3. M35. There are 2 archs on this map. To go to the hub, it is necessary that one of them throws the doomguy out of the original square into one of the available windows.

Exit 4. M39. On the top floor 4 switches can be seen behind bars. You need to shoot at them - a wall will open on the lowest floor.

Exit 5. ?. Didn't found one. I recommend skipping the M55 on occasion. In addition to the fact that there is a possible bugs with it, it is not particularly interesting in compare to the rest of the secret ones.

Pros:

+ General concept.

+ Level design.

+ M6 - "The Container".

+ M8 - "Tight 10".

+ M14 - "Barrel Mines".

+ M15 - "Seeing Red".

+ M18 - "Pushover".

+ M25 - "The Shooting Range".

+ M31 - "Open Canyon". Doomguy will have to shoot back from many enemies while staying in the tower in the middle of the canyon, gradually increasing the height of it.

+ M32 - "Madagascar".

+ M39 - "The High And The Low". Something similar to the M31 concept, but now you have to control the elevator, moving from the lowest floor to the highest. The level is somewhat reminiscent of "TEETH" from "Master Levels of Doom II", adjusted for the scale of the location.

+ M43 - "Cruel Precision".

+ M49 - "Emerald Onslaught".

+ M50 - "Johnny Boy". 3 archs, lava and hand-to-hand combat.

+ M52 - "Confinement Beam". The scanner analyzes a small square area and periodically teleports different demons / drops items.

+ CONF00 "Fire Dust Labs".

Contras:

- Glitched M55.

Edited June 8, 2023 by UnknDoomer

UnknDoomer · November 23, 2022

80. Confinement 256: The Mystery of Scrapped Concepts (2018).

Independent, i.e. starts without the original, add-on to the previously considered wad. It is a compilation, for one reason or another, of maps that were not originally included in the main release. Part at the time of that was not completed, somewhere there were technical problems or the concept seemed not entirely successful. Consists of 20 levels (1-16, 31-32, 20, 30). In terms of quality it is generally inferior to the original, but at the same time a number of original concepts are present.

More specs about maps:

MAP01: Scrappy Start
Music: Unknown
Description: Not actually a scrapped concept, but rather it's a map that was made as a warm-up for me to get back into that distinct 256 "feel".

MAP02: Sligescraper
Music: Unknown
Description: Makes use of the stair-building linedef special as well as the first instance of floors moving and changing textures. Looks like the start room of a SLIGE map but is not actually created by SLIGE.

MAP03: Solitary
Music: OHB_666.MID by Yafkak
Description: Obligatory(?) puzzle map. First real puzzle I've ever made and I'm quite proud of it!

MAP04: The Dimensional Shift
Music: 19XX: The War Against Destiny - Stage 2 Boss - "Raimei" by Tatsuro Suzuki, MIDI composed by Sean Bee
Description: The concept for this map was simply a map that was split in half between Earth and Hell. Uses Boom's friction effect on both halves. Inspired by S'Arais's rejected "Skycrack" map for Phade102's Confinement Community Project.

MAP05: Warpframe Alpha
Music: "SPACE_01.MID" from heathersanimations.com
Description: Takes advantage of the way Doom 2 handles secret exits in maps that are not MAP15 or MAP31. You can probably trade health for bullets by repeatedly "exiting" this map. Look closely to tell the actual exit apart from the rest.

MAP06: The Spacetime Chamber
Music: "Silky Feathers" by Viscra Maelstrom
Description: Idea was literally just a remote portal that monsters flood the room from. This and Splinter were the two maps that had the most work done on them before being scrapped. End of Episode 1.

MAP07: Pain Piсatas
Music: "Ending Title" from Blade Runner, by Vangelis
Description: This map requires the lost soul limit to be turned on to even survive it. Shows pain elementals being harmless while there are more than 21 lost souls in the map.

MAP08: Companion Crate
Music: 30in30-4 - What If I Don't Want To Be A Punching Bag by James Paddock
Description: Obvious Portal reference is obvious. Anyway, this map demonstrates taking much less damage from the archvile's attack by being on the other side of some physical geometry, hugging it. Also shows a monster spawner missing targets directly east and west of it, among other things that I'd rather not spoil!

MAP09: Splinter
Music: "un17" by Bobby Prince
Description: Shows how bumpy terrain can mess with the player's movement. This map stayed pretty much the same as when I found it, originally. Minus the final wave of monsters and the outside area.

MAP10: Warpframe Beta
Music: "I don't want to look in the dark for Demons" by JMickle
Description: Doom 2's monster projectiles can trigger some walk-over linedefs, as proven by this map.

MAP11: Reminiscence
Music: Unknown
Description: This map is a combination of most of my maps from the original Confinement 256. How many can you recognize?

MAP12: Phantasmal Pen
Music: "opening" by Bobby Prince
Description: Needs ghost monsters enabled to work as intended, but I've acknowledged in the preceding text screen that it isn't technically needed to complete the map. End of Episode 2.

MAP13: Doggo A Go-go
Music: MIDI version of "Bonetrousle" from Undertale
Description: This map is what makes this WAD MBF-exclusive. Avoiding a special kind of enemy in a tiny "maze" similar to Pac-Man. I feel like this will be everybody's "pet hate" map of the set...

MAP14: The Starlighter
Music: Level 1 - Lunar Outpost from Descent
Description: My second real attempt at a spaceship; this was an exercise in detailing. Has self-referencing sectors, but the main feature of the map is a "puller" object that can be used to the player's advantage!

MAP15: Fight For Freedom!
Music: Unknown
Description: Boss map with a time limit. Some BEX work done here.

MAP16: Forever Confined...
Music: AAAAAAAAAAAA.mid by Fuzzball
Description: Bad Ending.

MAP31: Last Resort
Music: "un08" by Bobby Prince
Description: Extremely short final boss fight.

MAP32: Manumission
Music: MIDI by kniggit
Description: Good Ending!

MAP20: Don't Copy That Floppy!
Music: "Sewer Slide" by stewboy
Description: I didn't want to copy the floppy again...

MAP30: Inertia
Music: Remix of D_E1M5 by SilentZora from Project: Doom
Description: Challenge-oriented map under the same name as a map that made it into the original Confinement 256, but is now scrapped because I genuinely felt like it was my weakest entry there.

Description tells - wad NOT supported in GzDoom. It require PrBoom+ 2.5 to run it smooth and as planned. Still. I've decide to give it a try and see what happens. So. Here new heading - "Experimental Longplay".

Settings and features:

* GzDoom 4.9.0 (not fully compatible), UV difficulty. The author recommends using PrBoom+ 2.5.

* Voxel Doom 1.0. No monsters from Doom II yet.

* Hardcore.

* Judging by the readme file on the M5, the original version was supposed to have a secret exit, which in particular is hinted at by the fact that one of the arrows is slightly different in color, but in the final version all exits lead to M6.

* M31 and M32 are sequentially available after M16 and are not actually secret maps.

* To access M20 and M30 on M32 you need to find 3 skulls and 3 keycards.

* There is an easter egg referring to the "Portal" game.

* To deal with the evil doomguy on the M20 you need to shoot from the BFG at close range. A similar recommendation applies to a pack of those on the M30.

* M16 suggests a bad ending. M16 seems to be possible to access instead of M32, which is a good ending, if on M15 you not meet the time limit. I didn't record M16.

Pros:

+ Battle with the final boss.

+ A number of interesting experimental concepts.

+ M20 - "Don't Copy That Floppy!".

* Contras:

* Most of the contras, if you can call them that, are exist due to the incompatibility of various hacks that basically doesn't work with the GzDoom port in overall. Since I usually go through wads with GzDoom, despite the explicit warning, I still decided to take the obvious risk and make experiment.

Quote

~~Two~~ THREE important things to know first:

1. This is completely separate from the original 256 (so, don't load them together!).
2. This NEEDS to be played in PrBoom+ 2.5. 1.5 with, I think, -complevel 9.
3. The text-file explains what each map does, I realize I haven't made it clear enough in-game despite the text-screens, my fault.

Numerous things in maps simply don't work in GZDoom, such as the puller object in MAP14. Many maps rely on the way certain sprites and textures render in the software renderer as well. Maps require using tricks that only work in vanilla/boom; compatibility options notwithstanding. DeHackEd patch doesn't behave like it's supposed to in (G)ZDoom, etc. Two maps have an MBF-exclusive feature as well, so they won't work in DOS Boom.

- Exit with M8 does not work - one of the triggers broken. Enemies keep spawning endlessly outside the doomguy location, while the cube doesn't drop and the exit doesn't open. Video from the author's channel.

- The M10 is completely broken. Video.

- M11. In fact, it is not passable when taking into account the start with a pistol. There are problems with the appearance of enemies and objects. Used cheats.

- M12. Another non-working map. Requires ghost monsters to be enabled. As far as I was able to understand in the case of GzDoom it's hardcoded setting in gzdoom.pk3. More information.

- M13. A rather unfortunate concept, which is a variation on the theme of Pac-Man. Hero has to run away from 3 dogs in a small enclosed space. The catch here is that they are immortal. In addition to this, the switches, that must be pressed, appear one at a time and are located literally on each wall. In addition dogs can block hero in one square or another, and frequent saves here will not help much, as well as the ability to minimally rebuild the level structure. Used cheats. Video.

- M14. From the point of view of the level structure - an interesting map, small space ship. From the point of view of the gameplay it is a difficult level to pass, in particular, since there are broken triggers that do not allow using the air hatch. Used cheats. Video.

- M32. Not sure if this is a bug, but I couldn't find the red keycard. Other than that, transition triggers on M20 and M30 do not work. Used a cheat.

Edited November 23, 2022 by UnknDoomer

UnknDoomer · November 24, 2022

81. 200 Line Massacre: The Slaughtering (2022).

3 days ago the public release of the sequel to "100 Line Massacre" arrived in time. As before the wad consists of 35 levels (2 secret, 3 bonus), divided this time into 3 episodes of 11 levels each and a separate section with bonus levels. The sequel follows the "more" principle - more monsters, higher difficulty, M35 stands apart in this regard, higher scale and level detail. Significant adjustments were also made to the work of monsters and weapons, which you can read more about in the original topic.

Screenshots:

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/200lm_1-png.274652/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/200lm_2-png.274649/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/200lm_3-png.274648/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/200lm_4-png.274651/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/20lm_5-png.274660/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/200lm_6-png.274661/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/200lm_7-png.274664/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/200lm_8-png.274663/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/200lm_9-png.274662/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/200lm_10-png.274666/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/200lm_11-png.274668/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/200lm_12-png.274669/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/200lm_13-png.274672/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/200lm_14-png.274670/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/200lm_15-png.274671/

The remaining 3 videos, E1, E3 and bonus levels, can be found here.

Settings and features:

* GzDoom 4.9.0, difficulty 6/7, Vile Cruelty (UV+).

* Hardcore.

Pros:

+ Detailed levels.

+ Successfully modified weapons according to the formula, which can be called vanilla+.

+ M6 - "Abandoned Pit".

+ M10 - "Butcher".

+ M32 - "Pussy".

+ M19 - "Death From Above".

+ M22 - "Etro's Gate".

+ M23 - "Cyberwar".

+ M25 - "Cubbiks".

+ M27 - "3-Way Hatefuck".

+ M29 - "Slaughter Sandy".

+ M30 - "Neon Crucifixion".

+ M33 - "Bonus Zone I". Available from M34 - "Credits". You need to shoot a rocket at the switch. The latter will appear after clearing the level. I recommend making a save because otherwise to select the second bonus map the "Credits" map will have to be played again.

+ M35 - "Bonus Zone II".

Secret levels.

M15 -> M31. On one of the crusts there is a switch that lowers the platform, which leads to the usual exit. You need to lower another platform. To do this look up, where was a warehouse of boxes. You can see the unpressed switch there. Doom II is designed in such way so that you can press the switches while being under them.

M31 -> M32. If you go around the teleport to the M16, you will notice that there is a switch on one side of the square. Pressing it will lower the wall at the waterfall.

How to deal with extra tough level 35?

Well. It can be beaten and yes, it can beaten ever on Vile Cruelty (UV+) difficulty if you, as it regullary applied for such kind of maps, follow specific steps.

1. First of all run behind the spiders. Grab the BFG, clean up the area. Make a focus on archviles - they will always remain a major threat on this map.

2. Go to the section where you can find a lot of pinkies and other demons. Run behind pinkies, provoke an attack. Hide here until most of the demons have killed each other / shoot barons by rockets and try to avoid damage from them.
3. Now you back to the center and a lof of skeletons are around. Still, they are not a big problem. Problem is archs - ever if you have 200 HP they can kill you in one hit.
4. Forgot about monsters here and way you to another corridor on the opposite side.

5. Here a lot of cacodemons will await, as well as bunch of pain elementals and later archs. You need to find right balance between continue grabbing mega spheres and ammo for your BFG.

6. Proceed to the exit.

Edited June 8, 2023 by UnknDoomer

Sonikkumania · November 24, 2022

You don't happen to take requests? I know you might have your hands full am and unfortunately I can't offer you anything in return so I understand that you decline, but the Doom 2 custom .pk3 mod I released this year could really use some feedback from users. I'd appreciate if you'd give it a shot but again I understand that you might have other plans, well anyway the mod is here.

UnknDoomer · November 24, 2022

@Sonikkumania, "Blake Stone: Aliens of Gold" is one of my favorite games and till current day it didn't get any finished TC's as well as it has just a few (3, it seems; 3 more for the add-on) map packs. There is BStone exist now, https://bibendovsky.github.io/bstone/, but not GzDoom TC. I guess it will be interesting to see full 32 level (or kind) megawad, that follow concept similar to Corridor 666 (WIP) in future. I see that as well old thread with Corridor 7: Alien Invasion TC got bumbed once again. So, looks like people are still looking for such. BTW. Corridor 8, cancelled sequel, originally based on IdTech 1 engine:

So. I'm for sure will record it and provide feedback later.

Edited November 24, 2022 by UnknDoomer

UnknDoomer · November 24, 2022

83 (1). Vertigo Realm (2022).

@Sonikkumania asked me to review his TC, that contain four maps and monsters that came directly from Blake Stone: Aliens of Gold.

There are two ways to look at this TC. If from the standpoint of the usually applicable parameters, then the output is a rather mediocre explosive mixture of typical Doom II elements, with monsters from Blake Stoke, as well as the Realm 667 pack, a shotgun from Duke Nukem 3D and a general atmosphere more typical for Rise of the Triad, especially in the context of the third and fourth levels.

Screenshots:

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/vr_1-png.274738/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/vr_2-png.274739/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/vr_3-png.274749/

Settings and features:

* GzDoom 4.9.0, UV difficulty.

Pros:

+ Soundtrack.

+ General concept.

Contras:

- The fourth map. Basically it's does not fit into the general atmosphere, it's extremely long arena overflowing with different type of content.

- Partially mutually exclusive elements.

- Some of the enemies types die by one hit, while originally they have more HP.

On the other hand, TC can be perceived as a prototype and a good experimental groundwork for the future from the position of implementing a full-fledged megawad. So here is my list for improvements:

1. Good TC's stick one major topic usually. If you decide to make a main bet on Blake Stone then it's. Take sounds, textures and whatever else elements it has and apply under GzDoom format. Still. There is some exceptions. One of which is Bloom, that combined Doom & Blood fine enough with a nice backstory. It has it's own contras, mostly related to balance and difficulty, but in any other case it's good example to act as a example for inspiration.

2. Plot. Here the one you can use as introduction:

Quote

The old saying goes - the enemy of my enemy might become a friend. Sometimes circumstances lead to strange alliances...

Doomguy continue exploring the strange void he recently found, while he received a help signal... help signal from demons. In a video message he was greeted by a supreme cyberdemon named SliceAndDice, aka S.A.D. Technogenic bases and ever most of his home realm was captures by unknown forces, that do what seemed impossible before - they began to enslave the demons to their will.

S.A.D. asking to arive as soon as you can and offers a temporary pax.

Doomguy asked: "Why asking me? You can always make your bet on national hero Duke Nukem or that special agent... Blake?".
S.A.D.: "Can't do. They are both on a well deserved vacation in Hawaii now and there is no way to contact them outside here. You need to help bring an ancient book to it's place. Otherwise other worlds might be an danger too!".

You take your double-barreled shotgun and slowly move into the portal...

3. 3 different types of location - tech. bases, demonic world, the void. I recommend to check 2 wads the first part: UAC Ultra, Carnage Oasis.

4. Features:

4.1. Hub. Between your run & gun sessions explore a hub where you can short talk with S.A.D., a frienly relevant and a few informators to gain new information. For a simple dialog system you can check ZDoom Community 2018 HeXmas Special! I've been reviewed here before.

4.2. Weapons upgrade. 1 or 2. In fact, one has already been applied to the machine. You can attach them to machine from Blake Stone, which will give weapons instead of food, while during gameplay doomguy can collect coins to spend it on.

4.3. Dr. Goldfire. There is point to make him a regular enemy. Rather better him like Betruger from Doom 3. I.e. he can talk with doomguy from time to time remotely, spawn enemies, etc.

4.4. Enemy types. You might place some friendly demons that will fight with monsters from Blake Stone. In case of soldier types. Originally pink and green. Green one tells on russian: "Убил!", which means you killed him, but in original game he pretended to be dead then wakes up, usually when you are not near by and continue to attack. The first can be called a security guard, while the second is more like special forces, much stronger.

4.5. Electronic soundtrack might fit into fit. As well you can put on some ambient. Based on what I've heard on the second map here is example:

Edited August 22 by UnknDoomer

Sonikkumania · November 24, 2022

@UnknDoomer thank you very much for your time and effort! I will keep your criticism in mind as I work with my new project. Again, thank you 8)

UnknDoomer · November 24, 2022

@Sonikkumania, I might become a playtester, if you decide to step into full megawad concept one way. Just following the mentioned steps might be enough to achieve the good end result in case you already have a skeleton for it.

As for the

Quote

You don't happen to take requests? I know you might have your hands full am and unfortunately I can't offer you anything in return

part. Well. As my channel desicription tells I'm, at least for the moment, not a some sort of "full-time doomtuber" that has tonns of subscribers and so on, it's just an some sort of fun subactivity for me now. Still, sometimes I might find a place to take a look on the things if it will be interesting enough from specific angle of view.

As for the rest. Basically I've some programming background myself also, but in case of lack of time and a lot of unsolved core questions I've around, modding / mapping for Doom isn't an option for me currently, but playtesting might be.

UnknDoomer · November 24, 2022

82. Penumbra (2020).

Screenshots:

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/pen_1-png.274725/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/pen_2-png.274721/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/pen_3-png.274720/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/pen_4-png.274722/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/pen_5-png.274719/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/pen_6-png.274723/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/pen_7-png.274724/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/pen_8-png.274730/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/pen_9-png.274729/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/pen_10-png.274733/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/pen_11-png.274732/

As I've mentioned earlier, the proportion of wads for Heretic / Hexen and Doom is not comparable, especially in terms of quality. This state of affairs motivated @Matthias (LiquidDoom), as well as a group of mappers from the Czech Republic, who identify themselves as LiquidDoom, to create their own wads, the main focus of which is on the atmosphere of the "old school". To date, the author has managed to release 1 wad for Heretic and 2 for Hexen, the quality of which, as far as one can judge from third-party comments, has grown over time.

Separately, I note that I do not plan to consider all the works of the author, since I do not aim to cover all the wads that exist for Heretic / Hexen, but rather, as always, the most interesting for one reason or another. Based on this logic, the stop was made at the last one - Penumbra. Wad is quite linear in structure, consists of 1 hub and 8 levels. Can be completed in around ~ 1.5 hours.

Settings and features:

* GzDoom 4.9.0, difficulty 4/5.

* Walpurgis 0.97.

* There are a large number of platform sections - you have to jump here enough, at the same time this aspect is well-furnished.

Pros:

+ Locations design.

+ Originally built traps.

+ Boss battles.

+ The final level built around the concept of flight.

Edited June 8, 2023 by UnknDoomer

Matthias · November 26, 2022

On 11/24/2022 at 6:07 PM, UnknDoomer said:

* There are no secrets.

Thanks for the review!

Well, there are secrets actually... not only that, but vanilla Hexen doesn't support built-in secrets, so I literally had to coded it as ACS scripts to have my own secret counter :D

UnknDoomer · November 26, 2022

Quote

Well, there are secrets actually...

Moved line out.

Matthias · November 26, 2022

3 hours ago, UnknDoomer said:

Moved line out.

Actually in Penumbra are secrets that no one ever found, because I have never seen anyone mentioning them or fiding them in YT gameplays :D

UnknDoomer · November 26, 2022

Well. As for the my case after maxing out 100% secrets in all iwads (or close to it), as well as several others titles, like Blake Stone: Aliens of Gold, where you literry sometimes require to press every possible wall that have space behind, and later few pwads, I'm mostly lost interest to care about that part nowadays, except for the secret levels.

I'm always trying to find all of them, ever sometimes it might be pretty hard and, on top of that, in few cases there might be like zero or one video on youtube that didn't stick around it and a bunch of long forgotten threads. So, if you are stuck and wad isn't new... well, nowhere to look for help will be. You are alone into the void to deal with what become.

UnknDoomer · November 27, 2022

84. Lost Luxury (2021).

Quote

The story goes something like this: There's been recent worried talks of a large, flying wheel being seen in the skies. Some have reported it raining down death from above, and that it seems to always leave towards one particular abandoned locale. Said locale used to be a luxurious resort, but most who have checked in on what happened since haven't returned. Some believe it now belongs to a group known as the Hextuple Heresiarchs, a powerful group of dark magicians. Against your own better judgement, you too decide to see what's happening there.

Traveling there by boat, as you hit the foggy shore you only hear the winds and waves. But that might not be for long...

Screenshots:

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/ll_1-png.274788/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/ll_2-png.274797/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/ll_3-png.274814/

Wad for Hexen, presented by @Alper002. Consists of 1 hub and 10 levels (3 secret). Originally created during NaNoWADMo 2020, which is usually characterized by short and fairly straightforward levels, but moved out of the scope of this event, due to which the scale increased much.

Settings and features:

* GzDoom 4.9.0, difficulty 4/5.

* Walpurgis 0.97.

* As you progress through, there will be an opportunity to collect four, and if all the secrets are unraveled, then more, invulnerability. I recommend not spending them until the last phase of the final battle. At the beginning of it you will have to fight with one Corax, then with two and at the end with three.

* Time to complete is ~ 4-5 hours.

* Regarding obviously missed things. I did not manage to get into a couple of sections on the M4 - "Overcooled Factory". Among other things, this would allow to have one more invulnerability.

Riddles and main tasks.

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/ll_main-png.274805/

The main task is to collect five gems and use them at the point on the hub shown on the map.

As for the three secret levels. It makes sense to deal with them for two reasons:

1. In order to get the fourth weapon. Still, this task is not trivial.

2. As a result, simplify the final battle somewhat.

In the north of M4 - "Overcooled Factory" you can find a rounded switch, pressing which will display an inscription that its purpose remains unclear. In fact, it doesn't affect anything.

Alper002:

Quote

The "mystery switch" was just a silly joke

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/ll_secret_1-png.274798/

1. At level M3 - "Haunted Overgrowth" there is a green crystal. To pick it up you need to activate the statues in the correct sequence. The initial position of the torches around can be correlated with the symbols on the ceiling - burning torches must correspond to the light symbols, i.e. statues, next to which the fire burns. On the level map you can also track the correct combination.

Collecting the remaining crystals should not cause problems. In the room with symbols on M2 - "Former Resort", the final sequence of five symbols is collected according to the principle of one from each visited room, unlike the intermediate sequences and looks like this: empty, circle, star, circle, crescent.

Part 1.

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/ll_secret_3-png.274804/

2. At the same level, you can press a series of switches to get a cavern key. One switch will point to a ghostly wall, another will temporarily lower the wall, and finally a third will lower the platform with the key. After receiving the key you can go to M5 - "Extracted Caves", open the door and enter the first secret portal on M9. Here 1 of 3 parts of the fourth weapon awaits, but in order to get it you will firstly have to fight with a large number of fire gargoyles and, secondly, deal with a rather non-trivial and long sequence of switches, which, due to its specifics, I will not describe here - better watch video, if required.

Part 2.

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/ll_secret_2-png.274802/

3. On the level "Former Resort" in the north of the map you can see a barely visible switch. It is hidden behind a wall that is ghostly. Pressing it will lower the wall nearby, where another switch is located. In turn pressing it will lower the wall in the northwest of the map and it will be possible to go to a previously inaccessible area leading to the second secret teleport on M7.

Part 3.

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/ll_secret_4-png.274807/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/ll_secret_5-png.274813/

The portal is on the north of M4 - "Overcooled Factory", behind the ice wall. To open it you need to press on the dark ice wall in the location where you could pick up a blue crystal by solving a puzzle with symbols.

Regarding this particular secret level, I will note a couple of points:

1. After solving each puzzle, in addition to pressing the switch in the zone of one, to open access to the next one, you must also press the main switch in the zone with fire traps.

2. In the third puzzle, where you need to press 4 things on each side, it is important to pay attention to the description. In the second case it is supposed to press not on the switches, but on the walls, the pattern on which is located incorrectly, that is in order to align them.

Pros:

+ Interestingly arranged puzzles.

+ M4 - "Overcooled Factory".

+ System of traps in the penultimate level.

+ The final battle in the flying wheel.

Edited June 8, 2023 by UnknDoomer

UnknDoomer · November 27, 2022

85. 4 Weeks of Pain (2019).

https://forum.zdoom.org/viewtopic.php?style=14&f=42&t=66458

https://www.doomworld.com/idgames/levels/hexen/0-9/4weeks

Continuing the theme of NaNoWADMo. Wad for Hexen presented by @Gothic, consists of 28 short and straightforward levels, divided in turn into several logical stages - 4 hubs, each with 5 levels, in the final of the hub 1 level with the boss. Entourage varies significantly as you progress. The action begins with caves and swamps of various sizes, then continues in the forest and fortresses with dungeons, moving to a kind of industrial district, where metal, fire and ice are combined. The latest hub is a combination of all the previous elements, while shifting the focus to battles in small arenas.

Screenshots:

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/4wop_1-png.274824/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/4wop_2-png.274825/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/4wop_3-png.274829/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/4wop_4-png.274830/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/4wop_5-png.274834/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/4wop_6-png.274831/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/4wop_7-png.274832/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/4wop_8-png.274836/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/4wop_9-png.274853/

Settings and features:

* GzDoom 4.9.0, difficulty 4/5.

* Walpurgis 0.97.

* The emphasis is on action, puzzles are simple and serve as an accompanying element. The difficulty is quite high, you should not expect an abundance of items here - most of the wad, with a significant probability, will have to be completed with a minimum amount of HP.

* Mages are waiting at the end of the second hub. It's impossible to kill them all. The task is to keep fighting until a portal appears behind them, leading to the third hub.

@Gothic:

Quote

You're supposed to kill the bishops and then only one Heresiarch appears. It works well on vanilla, but I didn't consider gameplay wads with random monster spawners.

* Time to beat is around ~ 3-3,5 hours.

Pros:

+ M4 - "Foggy Smash". Swamps combined with a small fortress. In addition to the usual swamp inhabitants, unfriendly fish waiting here.

+ M5 - "Boil Pit". Cave with hot springs.

+ M10 - "Undead Uprising". A cemetery with an interesting combination of candle lighting and mechanisms.

+ M13 - "Torture Chamber". Dark dungeon.

+ M18 - "Caudron". Boiling water, metal and lizards.

+ M20 - "Steam Works". Five switches will activate the hammer, which will open access to the ice cave.

+ M23 - "Colosseum". The battle in the arena, proceeding in several stages. You will need to fight all types of enemies available in Hexen, in a round for each type. At the end, there is a boss awaits.

Contras:

- M20 - "Steam Works". In contrast to the surroundings, a serious drawback of this level is a large number of platform sections, which can be difficult to deal with. Ultimately, Hexen is not about parkour, I say this specifically as someone who has completed the original Mirror's Edge (2008) twice without a weapons.

* In the finale a bug is possible, due to which Corax disappears from the level when teleporting, which makes impossible to complete the game. The issue is solved by opening the console, ~, and entering the command "kill monsters" - after that another boss will appear.

Edited June 8, 2023 by UnknDoomer

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