The DWmegawad Club plays: Fragport

[Lingyan203]

I haven't played Fragport yet but I vote for +++Plutonia Revisited Community Project 2.

[Veeda Vidlak]

Fully caught up now.

 

Map25 “Arena 11”

 

Interesting. Why is this map so short? It’s just one arena fight and some doomcute workstations.

 

The only thing to do at the start is grab the soulsphere and megaarmor from two of the side rooms then head down the hallway to start our match. Of the weapon choices I have to imagine the rocket launcher is the clear pick, the SSG won’t have the ammo to kill everything and the chaingun is lol. The arena itself is a nice fight, spiders, hell knights, and cacos in a two-level space. Twenty-five enemies in total. The key is to make space in a corner and take out the cacos, which isn’t too demanding with 200/200 stats to permit mistakes. The hardest part is managing ammo to get all kills.

 

After that we’re done, get the keys and hit switches to leave (back in the hallway).

 

Presumably a break map, which I appreciate. The fight is well-designed, though the key/switch fetch quest is probably unnecessary. The door marked shrink at the beginning got a chuckle out of me (no way that “psychiatrist” is APA accredited). I generally like seeing a map like this in the mid 20s, it breaks up the grindiness that tends to pervade the back ends of megawads.

 

Map26 “Arena 16”

 

We’re doing this again? Alright, arena map #2.

 

We go straight into the arena this time, with only the weapon choice beforehand (even more hilarious here, did anyone not grab the plasma?). It’s harder than Arena 11, mostly because we only have 100 health to work with instead of maxxed stats Nevermind, LadyMistDragon has indirectly informed me you can just walk back and grab the same armor and soulsphere found in Arena 11, eliminating the only thing I liked about this map. There’s nothing to it, there are only 21 enemies (barons, revs, mancubi) and the area is pretty big. I’ll also say the key/switch part drags more and I didn’t want to waste time doing it.

 

I don’t see any reason to talk about this one further, one short arena map is enough.

 

Map27 “Arena 18”

 

And we end the arenas with the weakest one of all. If you’re cultured grab the rocket launcher and ignore the ss and armor. For the rest of us, grab the stat boosters, take the BFG, and waste the useless cyber, mastermind, and viles before finishing what I hope is the last key and switch hunt. Don’t forget the extra black switch atop the area needed to exit, which is easy to overlook and can result in wandering around forever wondering how in the hell to leave. Another penalty flag for that BM.

 

Suffice to say my liking of the arena maps ended after the first one, having a trilogy of these just makes me believe Stephen was out of ideas and threw in these low-effort vignettes. It doesn’t help that the best one was probably the first, which would have worked as a standalone just fine.

 

Fast Monsters: Same thing with all arenas. It’s just one fight, get it done and you’re done.

fragport25_fast.zip

fragport26_fast.zip

fragport27_fast.zip

Edited March 27, 2023 by Veeda Vidlak

[brick]

GZDoom, Doom compat, hardware, HNTR, blind, continuous with saves.

 

MAP26 - “Arena: 16”
Another arena, this one more expansive, and frankly more boring. The keys are in plain sight but almost randomly placed, and there's really not much to the map than running around getting the keys then trying to remember where each switch was. This time the elevation doesn't affect combat much, so it just makes the backtracking drag on. There's some nice lighting in some of the passages, but otherwise this one is forgettable.

 

MAP27 - “Arena: 18”
I liked this even less than #16. Cyber and Spider just infight and are kept busy, the archviles are easily dispatched with the BFG (and why would you choose any other weapon when this one's an option), and once again most of the runtime ends up poking around every corner looking for the keys and the switches, and trying not to fall next to some of the stairs, which is an automatic softlock (thankfully I'm on GZDoom so I can just jump back out. No, I'm not going to feel bad about cheating when the map uses cheap softlocks). The map also breaks the wad's habit, this is the one time where you want to turn around as soon as the map starts and go grab the items from the offices, since those will mysteriously lock as soon as you go for the arena, even though there's a teleporter next to the exit that puts you back in the hub area.

 

All in all my problem with all 3 arenas is the same: I spent most of my playing time just running around after everything was already dead, first to find the keys, and then all over again to find the switches I had missed. As others have mentioned there's potential here, and I can see why TUD would choose to have each arena be its own map, but ultimately the execution just doesn't work.

[Ralgor]

MAP27 - “Arena: 18”
dsda-doom v0.25.6 cl2, UV, Pistol start, blind run, single segment
100% kills and secrets
Using the 2003 version of Fragport

Yet another weapon-starved arena map. Just grab the BFG and kill everything. Only 10 enemies, so even if you die the first time you'll get it pretty quick.

The main issue, besides the repetitiveness of having three arena maps in a row, is that this one hides the exit from you. One way of thinking about it is that there is no normal exit, only the secret exit. It took me longer to figure out how to exit this map than it took to kill everything.

Grade: F

MAP27 - 7:19.66 (7:19)  K: 10/10  I: 0/0  S: 0/0

ralgor_fragport27.zip

[DFF]

Forgot to add my votes for next month:
+++Solar Struggle
+++ Intergalactic Xenology / Lunatic / KneeDeep in KDZD
+++ Corruption

[Azure_Horror]

Map 26  Arena 18

 

On a surface level, this is just a forgettable eXTrEme Arena.

BFG! Archviles! Cyberdemon! Spider Mastermind!

 

Defeat everything, flip 4 colored switches, return to the main lobby and... And there is nothing else to do. Huh?

Well, let's return to the Arena 18... Unlike arenas 11 or 16, this one does not get closed, once you are back in the main lobby.

 

This time, there is a twist. Returning to the main lobby is not the way to go! Exit is accessible from the arena itself, you only need to find bonus Black-colored switch to unlock it. And the Arena mini-episode is concluded.

 

 

Do I like an Arena mini-Episode as a whole?

Not really. However, I am not a big fan of Fragport maps in general, so Arenas do not stand out in any negative way.

 

Do I like, how the mini-Episode was organized?

Yes, definitely! Those 3 maps pretend to be combat only, but in practice they hide a neat Adventure-Exploration sequence.

 

Arena 11 introduces the concept 4-switch exit; Arena 16 reinforces that concept, and Arena 18 quietly adds a 5th switch, subverting the expectations. Separating arenas into 3 different maps makes total sense. If all fights were placed on a same 3-fight map - it would be a much longer ordeal, and a sudden switch-hunt at the very end would feel especially aggravating. And if only the last arena would take place on a separate level - it would arise a lot of suspicion about potential rule change, spoiling the 5th switch twist, while not making arena 18 appealing in any other way.

 

As it stands now, arena 18 is a mini-adventure map, which pretends to be an Extreme Combat Map. A really cool idea, which works pretty well thanks to Arena 11 and Arena 16 being separate levels. Neat!

Edited March 27, 2023 by Azure_Horror : some errors fixed; better words chosen

[Book Lord]

MAP 27 – Arena: 18

DSDA-Doom v0.24.3, UV, Continuous, blind run w/saves

 

The choice between rocket launcher, plasma gun, and BFG with 600 cells was really hard, it took me about 0.25 s to decide. There were only 10 monsters on this map, among them 8 Arch-Viles that were best handled with a big green ball in the face. The Spider Mastermind and the Cyberdemon, that patrolled the western and the eastern half of the central area respectively, received the same treatment. Arena: 18 was named ‘The Labyrinth’, even though I have seen more intricate layouts in this very megaWAD. Finding all keys and the usual four switches was even easier than on the previous arenas.

Spoiler

Blind players might only hope to find and press the odd switch marked with black colour, or they could find themselves lost for a while. I thought that being sent back to the hub, where you will be unable to progress, was a bad idea from The Ultimate Doomer. He could have placed the exit there, or at least he should have sealed the return to the hub and forced the player to search for the switch he might have missed. I did not have these problems, since I did not miss the extra switch and I noticed the long tunnel near the pad, but I still think it was needlessly confusing. The setting was tense because of the Arch-Viles, but a BFG in hand scaled down the menace and turned this into the least interesting of the three arenas.

Spoiler

 

[Monsieur E]

Sorry for not partaking this month, March proved busier than expected! 

+++ Plutonia Revisited 2
+++ Intergalatic Xenology Trilogy / Lunatic / KDIKDIZD 

Haven't decided on a third option yet, and I think Lunatic works better in between as a break between two heavier wads 

[Doomy__Doom]

+++ Intergalatic Xenology Trilogy / Lunatic / KDIKDIZD 
+++ Corruption

+++ PUSS IX: Mapping at Warpspeed

[Roofi]

Map 27 "Arena: 18"

 

 

And here it is, the last arena where things get eventually serious with a cyberdemon, a spider mastermind and the several arch-viles pullulating among the cavernous networks. TUD gifts you with a BFG in counterpart. You can still choose the RL or the PG but they don't be suited for the situation unless I'm wrong. Anyway, beware of the ammo because it's scarcer than it looks. Don't miss your shots against the viles in case you use the BFG.

 

While the rocky tunnels were insipid to me, I appreciate the warehouse. As the other participants stated, that map has a twist which consists to find a switch with black textures in order to unlock a vent. I took some time figuring out where that switch was and its purpose. It's a creative way to escape the "colosseum" but it eventually adds more needless confusion.

 

Grade : C

 

 

 

[Celestin]

MAP27: Arena: 18

 

Yet another arena, now it's a brown cave with 8 archviles and grey warehouse patrolled by a mastermind and a cyberdemon. Pick up a BFG and remove them all in less than 3 minutes. This is finally the last of the arenas, as instead of a teleporter back to the beginning, you can walk to the right through a narrow tunnel.

 

Maps 25 to 27 feels like a single level that was split into 3 to get to reach the magic 32 maps in a wad. Or deathmatch outtakes connected by a shared hub to give a semblance of continuity. Either way, it's a blatant padding and it derails a strong narrative progress of the third act. This is the lowest point of Fragport by far.

[LadyMistDragon]

Map 27: Area 18

 

Three MORE weapons to choose from. In this instance, you're deposited in a maze-like indoor arena with lots of washed-white walls, dirt tunnels for some reason and a even a couple of large rooms, one containing some large crates. RL was used because this place would be even more of a joke otherwise. These Arch-viles have a way of all congregating on your current location. Cyberdemon and Mastermind probably aren't all that hard to kill, especially with a stacked ammo box for whatever weapon you choose(the former did nearly kill me at one point though). Exit's not in the train station in fact, but at the end of a narrow passageway to the right of the teleporter back to the central hallway only opened by a black switch easily missed and like the Spanish Inquisition, not expected! "Chop Suey's" ok for 3 minutes, but that nonsense made this the worst so far!

lmd_fragport27.zip

[TJG1289]

GZDoom/UV/Continuous/Saves

Map 27: Arena 18

100% kills and secrets

Time: 3:36

 

The final arena is probably the easiest, as it's easy to BFG everything. I mean, you can get the BFG before entering, and why wouldn't you pick that? This arena only has 8 archies and both boss monsters. The archies do like to head to your location, so have the BFG ready. The layout is kinda similar to the previous map's arena with the elevated maze part. Now, unlike the last map, this map ends by finding the hidden black switch and hitting it, allowing you to exit via a vent beside the teleporter back to the staging area. Not gonna lie, I'm kind of surprised that some people didn't notice this and assumed the exit was back in the staging area. I see a black bar blocking a tunnel, I figure there must be a way to open it, especially since there wasn't one in the other arenas. Plus, I bet I found that black switch while looking for the keys when I played this the first time anyway. 

 

Overall, I don't oppose the idea of having 3 separate arena maps. I think it could work pretty well for story purposes. I just wish there was more to the arenas themselves. Either more enemies, or more open areas to make it more like an "arena" and not a deathmatch map. My favorite aspect of these maps is the fact that it reuses the same staging area in all 3 maps. This is vanilla, so it's not like there can be a hub map, so this is the closest thing to one we can get, and I like that little touch. Ultimately, splitting the arenas into 3 different maps didn't really work as they weren't difficult, but if there was more to them it would be fine.

[Ralgor]

2 hours ago, TJG1289 said:

I see a black bar blocking a tunnel, I figure there must be a way to open it, especially since there wasn't one in the other arenas. Plus, I bet I found that black switch while looking for the keys when I played this the first time anyway. 

 

What black bar? I went back to check because I can miss things, but there is no black bar in that final tunnel.

[TJG1289]

3 hours ago, Ralgor said:

 

What black bar? I went back to check because I can miss things, but there is no black bar in that final tunnel.

Ah, shows what I know. Since I've always found the switch first, I just assumed there was a black bar since it's a black switch. Is there just a vent texture and not a bar showing a passage out?

[Book Lord]

MAP 28 – Sub-Level 05

DSDA-Doom v0.24.3, UV, Continuous, blind run w/saves

 

The full complement of weapons in the starting room suggested that some tough fights lay ahead. However, it was not easy to guess that one of the fiercest aggressions in Sub-Level 05 was going to happen after the first noise was emitted in the Celtic cross hub. Four Cacodemons were placed near the blue doors to act as baits for a large teleport deployment, which did not save high-tier demons for later. A pistol starter was well equipped but must be more efficient with his ammo management than I was in this case.

Spoiler

The orange door to the north was stuck, so the standard 3-key hunt must begin from the southern ‘Pipe Room’. The RK could be spotted behind coloured bars, hinting at a puzzle inside the puzzle: the four side rooms contained switches to press and different challenges, except the one with a Pain Elemental guarding some useful stuff. The red room was nothing special, the green path hosted a couple of cramped fights, and the COMPBLUE maze with pulsating lights was a recurrent feature of Stephen’s maps that I was not eager to see in Fragport. The whole sequence was not particularly exciting and ended with a Revenant ambush, whose only surprise was the lack of an Arch-Vile.

Spoiler

The ’Stores’ wing started with a suspicious-looking REDWAL1 room and with the author using ALPHABET for the first time to communicate directly with the player. The ‘HMM…’ writing was followed by a predictable pop-up ambush with Imps and Barons, the latter being used well in this setup. The GK was placed out of sight in an alcove, for another non-descript switch hunt that will be eventually completed by exploring the side rooms. The ‘Storage’ contained the nth crate maze, where an elevated Arch-Vile must be reached by finding the steep staircase to climb up to his level. The ‘Databanks’ featured an even simpler layout consisting of a square grid with deaf monsters, and the Arch-Vile in the middle to mark the position of the switch. Could the Revenant ambush at the now revealed GK be considered a surprise?

Spoiler

The green doors granted access to the ‘Reactor Control’, the last and most interesting section of Sub-Level 05. The computer room hosted many hitscanners and Barons at floor level, which were quite fun to exterminate, considering that there were Revenants shooting from the ledges. Pistol starters shall not miss the secret ammo stash on the northern platform, or they will have real trouble emerging from the southern TEKWALL4 network alive. There were tons of Arch-Viles there, starting with the duo encountered next to the BK, and followed by a nasty deployment of healers in tunnels littered with corpses. I found myself under pressure like never before, and I assume this was one of the hardest bits of Fragport, especially if low on cells.

Spoiler

Continuous players found piles of ammo to loot behind the blue doors, destined to carry them through the final maps, where pistol starters will be starving. A Computer Area Map was placed before the end of the level to justify the same item being given at the start of MAP29, but it can be used to find any missing secret compartments on MAP28 as well. Sub-Level 05 was an average indoor level to carry on the story line and bring Jody Russell close to his final objective: the Reactor Core he will destroy very soon. It had a couple of exciting moments but also filler material, a sign that ideas were almost fully expended at this point. Still, it was much more substantial, balanced, and pleasurable than the last four maps, so I think it deserves a mention in the megaWAD highlights.

[Helm]

Map28 - Sublevel 05

Jody starts out here given all the guns in a circular shawn hub, upon firing any guns ambush starts to teleport in, including viles, but you do start with a BFG so it shouldn't be a problem for too long. I was excited up to this point to see a hard start and all the guns, I'm like ok, let's go ultimate doomer *sigh* After the initial ambush the pace slows down and you go on incremental key hunts to open the sides of the centre hub. The incidental encounters on the way are ok, but there is a blue maze section with pulsing lights that basically needs a bit of patience and I am all out of that even from last month for 1KILL, let alone for fragport to be pulling this shit. 

I start running into ammo trouble in the middle of the long keyhunt and it saps my energy to have a bfg and a rl but nothing to shoot them with. Towards the end I must have neglected some major ammo cache or generally mismanaged because I end up in a mandatory drop in a small room with two barons and a key armed with a saw. I dodge them in there, get the key, nope out only to run into two closet viles blocking the way out. That's where Jody remembered the old wise sage she trained with that once under the waterfall whispered in her ear 'tnt the motherfuckers' and so supernal progress was made on this day. At this point I give zero fucks, especially after tnting those last few viles on my way, with all keys in hand I arrive at a final ammo storage room filled to the brim with everything I could need to sort out this level. But this is a cache left for continuous players, lol

A real half-baked front-stacked lowlight to the set, though I wouldn't be the one to judge it really, I'd have to....... replay it..... and finish it..................... legitimately................ footage

[Azure_Horror]

Map28   Sublevel 05

 

I like the circular center of the map. The map geometry in general is quite cool on this map. However, the gameplay is not fun at all.

 

What we have:

- A chainsaw

- Not much extra ammo

- Especially not much cells/rockets

- Not much health/armor either

- Many fat foes

- Many imps/pinkies hiding in random corners.

 

Result:

- Not enough ammo to clear enemies super quickly

- Not enough health to do stupid stuff like using the chainsaw against cacos/revs and to save ammo this way.

- Going forward too fast gets punished by random annoying foes, who either waste your SSG, or your health, unless you fight them super-slowly and super-boringly.

 

The Ultimate Doomer decided to place scary foes, and not too much resources, and call this a day. It gonna be a fun ultimate challenge, right? Not at all! Boring way solves all the fights, but it is booooooooooring! And all fun ways are nerfed by virtue of resource allocation.

 

Essentially, this map is a clear demonstration, why "Hard Adventure Map" requires a lot of thought put into combat. Restricting player resources may make life harder for them, but it also can make the whole gameplay super-boring!

[Ralgor]

10 hours ago, TJG1289 said:

Ah, shows what I know. Since I've always found the switch first, I just assumed there was a black bar since it's a black switch. Is there just a vent texture and not a bar showing a passage out? 

 

Yup, just a vent. There's an identical one on the other side of the hallway. You can tell there's something off on the minimap, but it's not obvious you're looking for another switch.

 

Since there are no enemies back near the black switch, it's pretty easy to miss it.

[Roofi]

Map 28 "Sub-Level 05"

 

 

I agree with the crew about the strict ammo management you have to perform. TuD clearly encourages you to adopt a steady approach by using you chainsaw , your fists, and the infight if possible. Moreover, important ammo is tucked away in secrets. So , it's not time to escape yet, I strongly advice you to not rush and examining the nooks and crannies. The frustrating thing about this map resides in the fact you can unlock the rooms containing all the ammo you needed...  after obtaining the last key. Also it doesn't make any sense because you'll get all that stuff in map 29 anyway.

 

Beside that, Sub-Level 05 resembles to a traditional exploration level with distinct parts separated by a gigantic wheel-shaped hub. Several parts consist to explore small mazes of 64 pixels wide corridors, which can be easily qualified as weak level design but I kinda enjoyed it anyway. I mentioned the ammo restriction just above but most of the encounters are easy to deal with, especially with the berserk, but you'll also meet a certain number of arch-viles and barons which are better to get rid with the most powerful arsenal.

 

Sub-Level 05 isn't an highlight in terms of exploration map but I catched more my interest than the trio of arenas we just played. About the next map 29, I'm happy to tell you that it's broken in vanilla ! I will have the opportunity to pour out my salt tomorrow.

 

Grade : B-

 

 

 

[Helm]

55 minutes ago, Roofi said:

The frustrating thing about this map resides in the fact you can unlock the rooms containing all the ammo you needed...  after obtaining the last key. Also it doesn't make any sense because you'll get all that stuff in map 29 anyway.

 

I didn't know there could conceivably be Crimes Against Pistol Starters before playing fragport

[Ralgor]

1 hour ago, Roofi said:

The frustrating thing about this map resides in the fact you can unlock the rooms containing all the ammo you needed...  after obtaining the last key. Also it doesn't make any sense because you'll get all that stuff in map 29 anyway.

 

The original version of MAP29 in the 2001 and 2003 versions do not have all of that ammo at the beginning. So if you don't get it here you will have a VERY bad time in the next level. The "pistol-start" friendly version of the map called FRGPRT29.WAD in the 2003 release fixes this, as does the 2011 version. So all of this ammo at the end is vestigial.

 

Quote

About the next map 29, I'm happy to tell you that it's broken in vanilla !

 

I'm happy to report the bonus map29 mentioned above DOES work in vanilla! I feel like I lucked out by accidentally using the 2003 version, which to me seems like the superior version at this point.

[DFF]

Map28: Sub Level: 05 - UV, FDWL, Continuous

K: 104 | I: 85 | S: 100

Coming into this map with all the goodies from the arena (being continuous) i did not have the ammo issues that others have. I think this is likely a factor of being designed for continuous play but i could be off-base. Im not sure how TUD tested these maps since pistol start doubles as a mapping standard and a useful tool to be able to playtest individual maps. Either way Sub Level 5 was a rather fun map that captured a lot of Fragports better elements, while also capturing some of the worse gimmicky ones.

The starting circle works for a great setpiece. The design is simple but effective, and presents the player with a choice learned after playing a bit. do you go the stealthier route and ignore the cacos, or do you fight and try to take on the demonic security force protecting the hub? I had the ammo to easily do the later. The pipe room was acceptable (except for the blue strobe room, I have very choice words for that one. Specters, 64 unit halls, and the complete darkness strobe are very uncool) and the revenant trap on the red key would feel in-place on a more prominent megawad. The red storeroom gag was slightly comical, touching on Fragports style of 'tongue-in-cheek slightly serious but fun' design. Its minor but i liked its inclusion. The reactor core room looked rather nice and by that point the map felt like I was playing a TNT reject. Finally grabbing the blue key unlocks the full storerooms and access to the reactor vents. An odd choice since it fully prepares the player for the next map, but as seen and noted, map29 does this at the start anyways. narratively I like it, but I think Stephen should have been more confident here and either chose continuous or pistol start (granted if he put all the resources on map28 and none on 29, it would be nearly impossible to beat pistol start, which i think is fine if the intention was continuous).

I think this is one of Fragports better maps from a design and narrative standpoint. The idea of going deep into the moonbase's reactor core through vent shafts and access tunnels, bypassing security doors is quite fun. I think combat wise this is marginally balanced. There was lots of ammo pickups squirreled away in corners of the map. But seeing my experience with map24 I can appreciate that sometimes Stephen just does not ammo balance these later maps for the super non-ammo conscious. I think this is a good map, but there were too many 64 wide tunnel sequences for this to be a great map. While fun for narrative sake, fighting monsters in these cramped tunnels is grindy and sucks. The secrets are boring, forgettable, and sometimes useless; and the blue pipe room tunnel can kindly go... [delete] itself.
 

Map29: Reactor Core - UV, FDWL, Continuous

K: 1654 (lol) | I: 83 | S: 100

 

This map enters with a very long and dark vent shaft. Thank god TUD provides an area map otherwise this would be a sore spot. For an Icon of Sin map I actually liked the design. Some may find it frustrating but it felt more of a timed puzzle than a race to shoot rockets into a hole. The idea (admittedly like IOS maps) is to locate switches which allow you to take down the boss, all the while monsters are spawned from the IOS. In this map, the navigable space is large, but cramped between computer displays and metal heating pipes. I rather liked this setup since it meant that the spawning monsters were more than an annoyance. You have limited ammo since there are no pickups other than megaspheres in the half-circle arena, and the constantly spawning monsters will over time fill in the play space and suffocate you. Moving and locating switches is key, and there are a lot of them, possibly 10-12. There are also archviles protecting some of the back switches which prove annoying in the chaos but manageable. I really wish the steps over the metal pipes were a different texture since they are hard to see, will have to dock points for that since speed and movement is the focus here. The pipe areas are once again just the right height to block movement but not projectiles, meaning there are no safe cubbies to hide for a moment (other than the two corners maybe), good design I feel. Activating all the switches enables the self destruct sequence, when hit kills the icon of sin. not an original idea but one I much prefer to the 'lift and rockets to the face' IOS fights.

I can see many probably not enjoying this map, I though it novel and well fitting with the narrative beats. 
 

Rankings:

Spoiler

Map21
Map16

Map13

Map15

Map29

Map20

Map19

Map28

Map11

Map01

Map22

Map17

Map06
Map05

Map03

Map18

Map08

Map23

Map10

Map09

Map26
Map25

Map27

Map12
Map02

Map07

Map14

Map04
Map24

 

[Celestin]

MAP28: Sub-Level 05

 

Getting all the guns from the first room might suggest a fun, action-packed romp, but instead it's an ammo drought. Make a good use of a secret berserk from the Pipe Room, leave enemies for later if you can and conserve as much cells as possible for the ending.

 

The level starts with a large teleporter ambush in a circular arena, spiked with archviles (which of course should be the top priority) and chaingunners. I killed them all, but in a hindsight, it was a mistake - they can be dealt with later on with infighting. So, the first destination is the Pipe Room, a hunt for switches which open the bars blocking the red key. Once you grab it, revenants are revealed and I'd recommend luring them out to infight.

 

With the red key, you can enter the Store, which features a tedious crate maze. It's tight, filled with hell knights and mancubi, but the real bother are cacodemons. They can easily block you when you can't see the and that's a recipe for death. Finding switches here and in an adjacent computer room leads to a green key, which opens the reactor's control room - a fight against a variety of monsters. It's an okay setpiece, though I was running low on health at that point, which forced me to camp and slowly take out enemies below. From here the route directs to the ductworks with imps. Nothing bad, right? Well, once you reach a chamber with the blue key, archviles and cacodemons are dropped into the tunnels. This is what you've been saving cells for. It's a nasty ambush, very hard to beat if you aren't prepared, but with enough BFG shots it is managable.

 

With the blue key, you can open storage rooms along the perimeter of the central room. Mountains of ammo here are either a friendly gesture to continuous players, or a middle finger for pistol starters. One of the rooms contains an opened airduct, which let's you leave this place.

 

Crystal Maze shenanigans aside, this is probably the hardest level in the wad, requiring a foreknowledge and good resource management. Or, equally likely, was intended for continous players. I did however enjoy the overall progression of the third act, even though combat is far from my favourite.

[Veeda Vidlak]

Map28 “Sub-Level 05”

 

Somewhere along the line The Ultimate Doomer became a certified expert in pistol-start ammo starvation (possibly by accident). It’s impressive how consistently balanced the resources are but it’s hit or miss whether I find the levels more fun.

 

Our start certainly doesn’t give us a resource deprivation impression. All our guns are here along with a backpack and a respectable ammo cache. Firing a shot calls up a teleport ambush, including two archviles. It’s a pretty good fight… the viles ruin any attrition gameplan so we have to zero in on them with the BFG before cleaning up the mess. Not hard with the BFG but a strong encounter overall.

 

The layout is a hub style with a circular hallway connecting to every other area of the map. I find the design very well done, having a rich variety in detailing while maintaining a coherent narrative. The next move is to head south, entering a pipe room with four small doors to the sides, each one having a switch needed to open the red key. The minichallenges are fine except the horrific flashing lights blue maze which I was dismayed to see. Try not to use cells, you’ll want as many as possible for the ending, just like in maps23 and 24. Once finished, take the key and trigger a predictable revenant ambush, which isn’t threatening unless you get trapped.

 

The green key section has a left and right area, the left one being straightforward and the right one being a pain in the ass. It’s a crate maze with a number of very nastily placed enemies, most of which are deaf, so take your time and watch ammo usage. Like the red key, taking the green key unleashes four revenants, which is low-effort for a key ambush. The final part of the level (east) is kind of tough… we have to overtake a command center that is difficult to get a foothold in. Revenant snipers, barons, hitscanners, and the terrain heavily favors the enemies. Afterwards, head south into the ductwork until you reach the blue key. We get a real ambush this time, like five archviles, and if you don’t have enough cells say goodnight, they’ll have caco walls for days and the rocket launcher isn’t viable in the confined passageways.

 

No monsters left, though continuous players get to stock up for the final stretch (also serves as massive tilt for pistol starters). The computer map at the exit is for continuity, but it also helps find secrets for 100%ers.

 

After a string of underwhelming levels, Sub-Level 05 stands out as a better outing. The storytelling is strong, the aesthetics compliment the layout, and some of the fights are pretty good. It’s still a mixed bag... much of the gameplay is routine and there is more than one aggravating area. This seems to be par for the course in Fragport’s third episode, same with the spartan resource balance for pistol starters. The numerous deaf monsters are also flow unfriendly, too much of the map requires extracting them one at a time (we don't have the resources to play otherwise). It’s one of Fragport’s better levels, but various factors hold it back from being an elite map.

 

Fast Monsters: This isn’t a good recording but the wretched flashing lights maze makes me just want to get a win and be done with it.

fragport28_fast.zip

[Ralgor]

MAP28 - “Sub-Level 05”
dsda-doom v0.25.6 cl2, UV, Pistol start, blind run, single segment
100% kills and secrets
Using the 2003 version of Fragport

This map starts you off in a large circular hallway, which has a few other areas that branch from it. You have to perform a standard linear key hunt, with each area having a little challenge to get its key. There is no connectivity between the areas, and each area is designed a bit differently. Some of the areas have multiple sections as well, splitting the "challenge" up into pieces. You do start out with a full loadout of weapons though, so that's appreciated.

There is a demonic incursion into the central hall the first time you fire a weapon. Since you should have all of the weapons, the best plan is to just wait until the arch-vile shows up, BFG him, and then clean up the rest. The hallways are wide enough for you to move around and not get cornered. Even if you're doing this blind, the arch-vile shouldn't be too difficult to take down, although you might be low on ammo afterwards. Luckily the next area gives you plenty of ammo.

 

The light strobing area was annoying, but just keeping the chainsaw out easily keeps the pinkies from chewing on you. I didn't find this section that objectionable in the end.

There is a trap with five arch-viles that gets sprung when you grab the blue key. If you have enough BFG ammo though, you can just blast your way free. Most of the monsters here that can be resurrected are just imps, so it's not too hard.

Once you have the blue key you can access store-rooms that will max out your ammo. This is completely pointless for pistol-starters. Given the warning made in this thread previously, I can only assume that map 29 originally assumed you had all of this ammo for the next level. Luckily I'm going to use the "pistol-start friendly" version of that map.  There also a computer map in the final room if you want an easier time secret hunting, which is something I wish more maps would do.

This was the hardest map in a while, but it still wasn't super difficult. Most of the difficulty was in two or three fights. This being the map before the icon of sin fight I was expecting something a little harder. It had plenty of ammo, and I spent more time sawing things than I should have. I just did it because I was a bit bored at times.

Grade: C

MAP28 - 25:43.03 (25:43)  K: 148/148  I: 7/7  S: 5/5

ralgor_fragport28.zip

 

It seems like most people thought this level was pretty tight on ammo. It didn't feel that way to me, since so many of the monsters here are easy to saw. I missed the berserk secrets on my initial clearing of the map, and that would have made it easier. My play-style is usually pretty ammo-conservative though, so maybe that's why.

Edited March 28, 2023 by Ralgor

[TJG1289]

GZDoom/UV/Continuous/Saves

Map 28: Sub-Level 05

100% kills and secrets

Time: 18:17

 

This is the map I remember the least out of the E3 maps of Fragport. Prior to playing, I only remembered the exit, but as I played it stuff came back to me, like the crate room with the archie at the top, and the red room with the random "hmmm..." on the floor totally giving away the ambush here. I didn't really remember the pipe room fight though, which explains my death from the revs after grabbing the red key. I think this is one of the stronger maps in the episode honestly. The ammo wasn't really that tight to me, as I always had enough to take everything out, but I did notice a lack of rockets. Thankfully, I didn't really need to use those that much. This is [robably the most concise map since map 21. It's not wide-open; it feels more like a traditional Doom map in terms of map size and layout. The enemy placement feels normal, though a but tougher overall. Makes sense since we're in the endgame here. The incidental combat works well, and the suspected key ambushes aren't too bad, though the 5 archie trap after getting the blue key might be a bit much. Hope you have cells! I did. In fact, the secret blur sphere right before getting the key is one of the better uses for it that doesn't involve using it to avoid be turned into swiss cheese by a chaingunner firing squad. I was able to get into the small room with the blue key without the 2 barons noticing, BFG one of them, then SSG the other using the pillar as cover. Surprisingly effective! The only thing I didn't really care for was the 2 mazes in the map, since why did we need 2? Though I am full aware of the next 2 maps and mazes, don't worry. Overall, I like this one quite a bit, and feel it's one of the more tight and focused maps in E3.

 

So after grabbing the blue key, you can unlock 4 rooms, each containing a ton of health, armor, and ammo, enough to fill you up for the next map, but useless for this map as it's over. So obviously not friendly to pistol-starters. But that begs the question: how often were WADs around this time designed for that? Was pistol-starting a common playstyle in the 90's/ early 00's, or was that something more recent? I've been lurking on this site since the mid 00's, but didn't start actually reading the fourms until the normal Doomworld Frontpage defaulted to them, and didn't start actively posting until a year or 2 ago (and apparently I made my account in '11 though I have no recollection of doing that), so I have no idea what the community was like then and if pistol-starting was something they liked and designed around. I feel most people play continuous, especially back then, but I'm not certain. There's a little bit of pistol-starting consideration in this WAD, as there's a chainsaw available at the begging of each map, but that's really about it for the most part. So I worry that people who play this that way aren't really experiencing this the intended way if it's designed for continuous. The ammo draught can for sure be annoying, but it's virtually non-existent continuous. And plus, this WAD's whole deign philosophy is to be one continuous adventure, with maps starting right where the previous one left off, so it would make sense the gameplay is designed around the same philosophy. I'm just rambling now, so I'll stop. 

[LadyMistDragon]

Map 28: Sub Level 5

 

My brain is cooked, thanks to my digestion once again taking a trip to Anything Disruptus-land. But let's see if we can do this....

 

We start in a circular hub room filled everywhere with fucking white everywhere (it's not SHAWN anywhere than maybe our start), along with all the weapons we could possibly need, probably including the BFG but I somehow failed to note when I picked it up. In any case, our first port of call is "Pipe Room", with a few Hell Knights in addition to Imps and pinkies. For some reason, getting a certain ways into this room will trigger a teleport trap outside that seems a little bit ill-conceived to say the least. Mainly because if the two Arch-viles in the mob aren't in a rush, we'll end up spending a shitton of ammo in order to exterminate them! Things didn't work out that way, thankfully. After futzing around with the switches in the back, there was still one that was blocked off so we wandered into the little storage hallways of very distinct texture usage. Mazes are never appreciated, honestly. When this stupid junk is over with (and after having dealt with at least 1 pair of Barons) the switch in the middle is finally accessible. Pressing it finally grants access to the red key, and with it, a Revenant sneak attack! This part was actually pretty fun as dodging around the computer banks and taking potshots at the screeching skeletons with a decent amount of room is quite hard to hate. Of course, there was still the fight I referenced above.....

 

But with the red key, we can enter a bright red and fairly-wide rectangular that seems suited to piss players off....and spring a blatantly-obvious trap (highlighted by the message of "Hmmmmmmm" that's not too hard to handle, although we're surrounded. The next room then provides us with two choices that we can tackle in whatever order we choose. One is a bloody office space filled mostly with pinkies and Imps that are fairly short order to handle with the chainsaw, despite one of them getting behind us and damaging us quite badly....but wait, there's an Arch-vile in the main cubicle It was trying to watch for them that the aforementioned pinkie saw its opening and took it while I was busy trying to avoid Lumberg. 

 

Then the other room is that old Doom staple, a crate maze! I think camping is probably intended here, since there's a Pain Elemental sitting some ways to the left and three Cacos that will be alerted the instant a shot is fired, along with several Hell Knights and chaingunners, about half of which will probably converge on our position. Maybe a Revenant or two? Anyway, find the super-obvious crate secret, barely and unintentionally manage to avoid getting immolated by a healer guarding a switch, then climb the crates, plasma said Martian in an ill-advised haphazard manner then press the switch on top. This switch and the other one open a hall in the previous room with the green key, and a nasty Revenant trap that we probably shouldn't have used any rockets for, but it seemed good as opportunity as any.

 

From here, we then enter "the Control Room". Not unsurprisingly, hitscanners are clumped around computers but on either side in raised closets are Revenants (sorry, but no one will tell me that Stephen Clark didn't know the game he was riffing on with this layout) and several Barons of Hell in the center, along with a couple of Revenants. On the side with the broken monitor is a secret that would've saved many of our ammo woes if we'd actually bothered to press it the first time instead of pressing 'dead space'(I'll see myself out). But on the other side is a cruddy tech maze filled with Imps and not really a whole lot else. The end once again contains a Baron 2-pair guarding the blue key, the acquiring of which triggers far too many Arch-viles that have any right to exist in such a tight vent. It was around this time we realize we had the BFG. Not like it mattered because we were all but out of cells after eliminating the Barons and we expended our remaining shotgun cells against the viles....and there were still three alive when we ran out. So after chainsawing and chaingunning them while also chainsawing a Cacodemon or two and rewinding at least once or twice, we finally prevailed, ran out, grabbed the secret ammo and BFg'd the two barons remaining in the control room with little effort. 

 

Opening the door to the exit (which we luckily did the first time) will reveal a vent and the ultimate troll move: a computer map that reveals, among other things, a secret in the last maze we came from containing an entirely useless blur sphere and the existence of the berserk pack mentioned above behind an entirely anoymous SHAWN wall. Needless to say, this and the presence of ammo/health in the locker/storage room felt like the ultimate troll move.

 

Still, I'll have to agree with Veeda Vidlak here on an overall positive impression. The ammo situation didn't really become dire until near the end and the hidden berserk pack would have had some, if limited function by the time it can be accessed. But the fight near the pipe room was garbage, not as much as chainsawing three Arch-viles in a row, but at the same time, I had missed  bits of ammo in the control room

lmd_fragport28.zip

[brick]

GZDoom, Doom compat, hardware, HNTR, blind, continuous with saves.

 

MAP28 - “Sub-Level 05”
The wheel-shaped hall looks like something from Duke Nukem 3D. All the weapons are right there at the start, and you will need them because firing one shot brings a quarter of the map's enemies. Once the dust settles the pace is a bit more relaxed. The south side has the pipes room with several side passages, switches there will eventually allow access to the red key in the main room. One of the switches is past a blue maze with the slowly fading in and out light and several spectres, who are very hard to see under these conditions. The west side has an ambush cutely signposted with a "hmm" floor sign. Past this are the storage areas, one physical (crates) and one less so (databanks), as before each has a switch and together they get access to the green key. The east side has the reactor control and a small vent adventure to the blue key. Before leaving make sure to hit all the blue key side rooms and stock up, they're chock full of supplies. An enjoyable map on continuous, but then I think it's obvious this is what TUD was primarily designing for (the parade of warning signs on MAP31 is what really clinched it for me).

 

MAP29 - “Reactor Core”
The first part is one of the most boring maze crawls ever, through dark ducts with nothing to see, nothing to fight, nothing to do but push ahead... and you don't even need to find how to navigate because the player start sits on top of a computer map. The second part involves destroying the reactor that has been foreshadowed several times in the episode. It's an IOS of course, but there's no timing or any shooting at it. You have to find several switches scattered around the terminals controlling the reactor, and "press" them, which is supposed to be Jody placing explosive charges at strategic places. When they're all placed, you find the detonator and activate it, which destroys the reactor. The gameplay isn't the most exciting, but I like the concept and the attempt at making it work within the vanilla exe. The explosives are actually shown with sector art near each switch, the final switch has an antenna to make it look like those classic movie detonators, even the monster spawners make sense: the reactor is powering the demon gate, so of course they're spawning in large numbers right there. It's a neat twist on the IOS concept, and the execution is better than many.

[Azure_Horror]

Map 29   Reactor Core

 

Now, this is a nice adventure, unlike map 28 or, say, map 12.

 

- A crawl through dark ducts helps too build tension, and also introduces the whole idea of auto-map maze-running. It will be important in map 30...

 

- The reactor core itself is a cool action sequence, from both narrative and gameplay perspectives. The reactor, which keeps the demon gate open, must be destroyed. To do so, the DoomGuy must carefully rig a set of bombs around the crucial machinery. Meanwhile, the demon gate keeps spawning new hellspawn around the place...

 

All in all, this one of the most elegant Icon of Sin maps I have seen. Rigging the explosives is done through a series of switches, each marked with a Sector-Art bomb nearby. Once every bomb is ready, the main detonator switch becomes unlocked. Activating the main detonator kills the IOS and wins the map.

 

This setup helps to avoid the main bane of all IOS maps - the vertical autoaim jank! No silly gameplay restrictions, no monsters confusing your autoaim - just flip all the switches, while an endless demon army tries to stop you.

 

The vent crawl at the start also works well in my book. Many IOS maps begin with an introductory sequence. But those intro sequences often distract from the main event, because every loss brings the player right back at the start of the map. Fragport vent crawl has one clear advantage - it does not include any monsters, or any crucial items that can be missed. Therefore, the player can learn the simplest route and stop paying any attention, focusing their mental energy on the Icon Encounter itself! Yes, the vent crawl still requires some time to complete, but at least it does not distract from the main part of the IOS map.

 

If a mapper insists on creating an atmospheric "quiet before the storm" at the start of their IOS map - they should really consider making it empty of distractions. The Ultimate Doomer did exactly that.

Edited March 29, 2023 by Azure_Horror