Tell me about some of your favourite maps / sets

[Omniarch]

Exactly What It Says on the Tin. As a periodic longposter, I have oft found that the topic of my rambling is largely decided by which threads are active at any given time. This is all fine and dandy, except for the fact that, to my knowledge, there isn't currently an (active) thread dedicated to longform posting about individual maps or sets thereof. That's the purpose of this here thread.

 

Now, I'm not going to specify any rules regarding length, format or topic, but here's a few general guidelines / notes that will hopefully define the thread's desired use-case more concretely:

 

• There is no minimum length requirement, as stated, but the purpose of this thread is to facilitate somewhat longer posts (250+ words).
• Pics are not mandated, but are appreciated. HOWEVER, if you do decide to include pics, please make resize them so as not to take up too much vertical space. The forum software allows you to resize embedded images in the post form: just double click on an image to bring up the relevant modal.
• Do not feel pressured to be comprehensive in your writeups: if you want to spend a thousand words rambling about one secret fight in MAP33 of MyFavOverlongMega.wad with no additional context, then be my guest!
• Similarly, be as specific as you want. Short, high-level overviews and exhaustive analyses are both equally welcome.
• If you want to use a given wad as a springboard for a more general discussion (e.g Sunder's wider impact on Waddom), that's fine too.
• Finally, discussion is strongly encouraged, so don't be afraid to respond at length if the urge strikes.

 

Right, that's all. Good luck and good posting! I look forward to reading what y'all have to say :)

[continuum.mid]

When someone asks my favorite Doom WAD, I'll probably always answer with Japanese Community Project. It was the first community PWAD I finished, after going through Freedoom, and all of the IWADs; I'd made attempts at Plutonia 2 and Antaresian Reliquary, but found them both a bit too hard at the time. JPCP, on the other hand, was apparently intended to be some people's first community WAD, and it's difficulty peaked at only a little harder than Plutonia.

 

What's great about JPCP is that brings together a bunch of mappers with diverse, and entirely unique, styles, whose work outside JPCP is either limited or nonexistent. Project leader Tatsurd-Cacocaco contributes maps that are mostly similar to Doom 2, perhaps with some graphical enhancements. Manbou, who made about a third of the WAD, uses cc4tex to create several excellent maps, including a trilogy of space bases, several quality techbases, striking renditions of Hell, Sunlust-style ironclad void areas, and a beautiful river valley. (I can highly recommend his PWAD Water Spirit.) Toasty delivers some of the most memorable experiences in the set, with his chaotically textured, extremely abstract maps. Everyone remembers the self-referential Doom comic in the automap of 54-pit, its bathroom mirror dimension, and the lovingly rendered Payday remake in Blood Fund Gang. Not to mention the corrupted mess of intersecting dimensions that is Hazmat Hazama, perhaps the most alien-feeling map I have ever played - its atmosphere still gets to me on replays. Nanka Kurashiki contributed much of the art for this set, as well as two of the prettiest maps I have ever seen - Remind and Cakravartin's Miscalculation - and two of the cutest and most inventive I've seen - My Fav and Nandeyanen. (Her contribution to NOVA III is equally brilliant, by the way.) Tyousen121 is a beginner mapper who seems full of ideas, in his Tricks and Traps remix The Three World, and the dimension-hopping Probably Maybe Certainly. And lastly, Yullie is a master of Plutonia-esque combat setpieces and shows plenty of ingenuity in his two maps.

 

The one-off contributions vary a lot more in quality, and include both the best and worst of JPCP. My least favorite - though still not a horrible map - is toMass's G_T_Factory, which is full of very odd design decisions including mandatory damaging floors. My favorite, and it seems also others' favorite, is Masa's HeLLport, a beautiful journey through a hell fortress and the shipping port just outside of it. (As far as I know Masa has not released even one other map, and I am severely disappointed.) Others are charming novice works like doom68k's Space Port Panik, some are pretty and fun like Guna's Thermal Disposal Place, and some that are just weird like Namsan's Bad Morning.

 

It all adds up to a fascinating grab bag of maps in both just about every conventional style, and a number of experiments that I don't think have been matched since, while avoiding magnum opus syndrome and keeping a surprising consistent difficulty arc. I really wish we could have seen more Japanese Doom, as all of the contributors to this set demonstrated a lot of ingenuity.

Edited April 17, 2023 by continuum.mid

[D0M0]

I like a ton of wads and maps out there. But it I were to choose a favourite map, it would have to be the destination (rush map 12). 

 

It is an absolute behemoth of a map, Archi’s magnum opus in the set. Playtime casually usually takes me about 40 minutes. The architecture in the map is wild, consisting of a lot of light sequences as well as a castle like structure you are pacing within. The gameplay is almost considered non-linear, as you can choose your path at the start as well as which keys you want to take first. You need all 3 keys in order to press switch to the exit.

 

One key is located through a teleporter north of the map, in which you have to run past a cyberdemon to catch. The fight that initiates afterwards consists of a spider mastermind as well as some other enemies. If you choose to go this route first, you may end up with the BFG, so these enemies are not a problem to take down. The next phase initiates when you press 2 switches within the room, and that reveals 2 cyberdemons along with a massive horde of barons and hell knights. This is accompanied along with a small staircase area that takes you to the key, and taking that key will send lots of revenants and imps teleporting into the map. 
 

If you can’t tell already, rush map 12 is a very hard map. I have spent over 60 attempts trying to single segment the map (which by the way still takes at least 20 minutes). It is literally the test map, once you’ve beaten all the other maps of the wad, you’ve proven yourself worthy to take on the titan. 

 

The whole concept of the map, the design choices archi made as well as the memorable fights that gave me goosebumps on first play through. These are contributors to why I love this map. The amount of time dedicated to making the map must be pretty insane. However, my personal feelings were all over the place. The whole map felt like a crusade but also a series of tough hurdles waiting to trip you up. Beating this map on its own gave me a sensational feeling of happiness, and I bet beating this on UV-Max will do too.

[LadyMistDragon]

180 Minutes Por Vivre and specifically the 1-11 slots, feel like such an adventure. It's easy to figure out a narrative where an infiltration of some massive industrial facility, leading up to a seaside excursion, a journey to a military base then crossing through an ancient fortress and some more stuff  before ending up high in the western Alps (Ou Est la Berger). Consistent setting sort of peters out after that, but the maps by Roofi (who also released the excellent Ventose the following year, as well you might know) especially manage to stand out for their strong settings. Though the other don't really slack either - Oxyde was co-designer on "Etat 'd Emergencie" which still features a memorable final battle, even to this day, if mentions in rd posts are anything to go by at the very least.

 

Pirate Doom - Using as opposed to, um, abusing GZDoom features can produce spectacular results and Pirate Doom is Exhibit A. The monsters receive (largely....with one uncomfortable exception) cute makeovers, map design is absolutely fantastic and the graduation from gimmicky and cinematic stuff to maps that are just generally more challenging doesn't feel forced whatsoever

 

Use 3D's maps - These sorts of large and abstract spaces that can take place in basically any setting that basically appeal to those who like getting lost in maps. Combat will probably be a little bit unchallenging for those used to modern wads and signposting also can be a touch questionable. However, I've personally never felt bored for a second while playing his maps in CCs 1 and 2.

 

Jim Flynn maps, or specifically Map 26 No Parking. In addition to the rocking midi and a certain hellish building that becomes key to progressing at a certain point, the outdoor park at the end must have looked really good in 1997. An entirely fitting swan song for a voice that seems entirely unique today but was done in other forms in the mid 90s largely by those who wouldn't know "signposting" if the concept struck them square in the head.

 

Grove - Honestly, it would be better not to say too much here, but I feel like this map touches on childhood and what is ultimately lost upon leaving it and how any attempts to regain the wonder you had will inevitably end in failure. Also better than the Mucus Flow! No, really.

 

Ancient Aliens - I'd say almost all of the set with maybe 1 or 2 exceptions toward the end where Skillsaw had a hand, but out of the maps that aren't Culture Shock or Leave Your Sol Behind and probably 1 or 2 other maps:

 

The Nectar Flow - Kind of a drag combat-wise to most perhaps, but there's little that can beat this marriage of atmosphere and midi along with a seriously strong display of natural and ancient beauty. Although the ending is rather cheap when it comes as unexpected as it does.

 

Where Eagles Dare to Soar - There are several things I like about it, but of course, running down the series of platforms at the beginning is just plain fun

 

Wormhole Junction - A little gutsy to have a slaughter map like this in the middle of a set, but bright and colorful with a certain flow of nonstop action that many other so-called slaughter maps have yet to mention

 

Acerola-Onion - Whatever you may think about Back to Saturn X, any of the flaws that might exist there feel considerably more minimized and harnessed in this particular outing! Plus, Essel's skill at fitting her trademark melancholy into the Ancient Aliens palette actually proved really entrancing

 

 

 

 

Lunar Laceration - Sadistic as they come but really, really fun! Nicely clean lunar setting and an absolutely brutal secret map. And the ending everyone asked for!

 

1000 Lines 3: Basically, just throw in RonnieJamesDiner and Aurelius' maps, perhaps Wilou's and Bridgeburner's as well, and that's why this wad will be in the top ranks for me.

 

leading right to.....

 

Tartarus - So basically take RJD's penchant for chaotic combat, and juice it up by a factor of 5 and this is the result! Still beats out Nensha any day of the week, at least when the latter's played on UV!

 

 

Then the unholy trio from Skulltiverse

 

Map 11- Tense atmosphere building at least until we get to the end with the SS then the fury of the base is unleashed! The two Arch-viles at the end definitely felt like what should block our way out

 

Crack in the Skull - #1 IN THE HOOD, G! No, but take the Wormhole concept and place it in about as compelling an environment as can possibly be imagined and we have the sort of map that could almost have raised Skulltiverse to a silver award by itself! No, but it's really that good.

 

Last Ruin - Muumi goes more open, normally, but here, a Sunlust sort of tightness is achieved and among other opponents, an Arch-vile/Revenant grouping that's utterly deadly, then an incredibly tiny room where the objective is never hesitater, all capped off by an exit teleport Cyberdemon I'd seriously thought had teleported from the central square (that would've been better, admit it!)

 

Edited April 19, 2023 by LadyMistDragon

[Roofi]

I recently wrote a global review of Epic 2 , one of the my favourite megawad, after recording my longplay on it.

 

Despite, being technically limited by the vanilla restrictions, Epic 2 is one of the most immersive and sensational adventures I have ever experienced with Doom. The numerous custom ressources incorporated in this masterpiece bring to Epic 2 an unique personnality. Each time I play Epic 2, I feel like watching an action-adventure movie  and this is one of the reasons why I wanted to record a longplay.

 

Epic 2 is extremly long and complex for an one-man megawad but at the end I had a lot of pleasure replaying it again and again, in order to learn all the areas, secrets and encounters. At the end, memorizing this megawad wasn't a big deal at all because Eternal knew how to guide the player. Of course, a lot of maps disoriented me the first time I played them, but at the end I think they are brilliantly designed, so that you can always find your way back. Even map 28 "Ogdoad", which is known to be insanely complex, didn't pose me a lot of trouble when I recorded the video.

 

About the difficulty itself, Epic 2 starts soft but it gets really spice in the last episode. I admit I recorded map 01 to 28 in one sitting whereas while maps 29 and 30 were the subject of two separate videos that I later assembled. Map 29 is a Deus Vult hommage where fighting becomes so savage that spheres of invulnerability are sometimes not enough to keep control upon monster spams. And for Map 30, I just usually suck against IOS.

 

At the end, Epic 2 was an outstanding vanilla-compatible ride. It's a privilege to see such a beautiful megawad running on Dosbox, although the absence of the "That's right" playing every time a secret is found was a bit regrettable. Epic 2 also includes some optional HD skies which can be launched on advanced sourceports but the azure and night skies still wonderfully work. And I didn't talk about the soundtrack, which notably let us  rediscovering some of the greatest classics from J-RPGs games.

 

Some notable maps in this megawad , my 10 favourites :

 

Map 10 - Gold Mine - An excellent, fairly quiet, exploration-oriented Egyptian level

Map 12 - Alien Ship - As an introduction into a theme, Alien Ship was way more convincing than "Entrance to the secret".

Map 14 - Orion's Belt : What to say about this map? Everything is perfect. My favourite Eternal's map , slightly above Hell Ground's map 04.

Map 31 - Osirion - Maybe not as great as Misri Halek, but honestly I prefer this midi over the misri halek's one.

Map 17 - Hologram - It's a really strange map but I love all those hi-tech textures and the the entrance to the spaceship at the end of the map !

Map 18 - Gunman - Maybe the most heroic level in the set, and to be fair, I prefer the midi over the mp3.

Map 25 - Per Nefer : As Mtpain27, this level is really absorbing and somewhat uncanny in a good way ! It's also a welcomed break between the hard maps.

Map 27 - Ammut : The hypnotic Mortal Kombat's music fits so much with the carnage !

Map 28 - Ogdoad : An exciting puzzle-oriented levels which greatly improve the concept of Eternal Doom's map 30.

Map 29 - Mortuary: Awesome Deus Vult hommage

 

 

Edited April 19, 2023 by Roofi

[Andromeda]

6 hours ago, Roofi said:

I recently wrote a global review of Epic 2 , one of the my favourite megawad, after recording my longplay on it.

 

Map 28 - Ogdoad : An exciting puzzle-oriented levels which greatly improve the concept of Eternal Doom's map 30.

Ogdoad is directly inspired by Darkdome, which is Eternal Doom's MAP12. It does have some things in common with Excalibur though.

[lunchlunch]

I've listed my favorite wads before and even said similar things about them already but I'm gonna do it again here. Most of my favorite wads in general tend to be personal projects, or if you'll excuse the pretentiousness- auteur works, mapsets made by a single mapper with a distinct vision. I much prefer these to the uneven, incoherent, and messy nature of community projects. Obviously I can find that aspect of CPs charming in its own way, or I wouldn't submit to so many, but the wads that resonate with me the most tend to be the auteur stuff.

 

Sunder (2009)

New Sunder is cool too but it's an entirely different beast and I'm drawn more to the visuals/gameplay of the original. Definitely had the biggest impact on my mapping out of all wads.

The Ana's Dream

Surreal exploration map. This is DOOM gameplay stripped from combat and resource management. All that's left is the purified essence of classic DOOM- dread in a labyrinth. Switch-hunting and progression itself becomes the primary mode of gameplay.

Going Down

Brilliant through and through, with the best claustrophobic fights around. Enough has been said about this wad already, and anyways, it speaks for itself.

Zzul Bases

Killer5, one of the most skilled DOOM players, author of some of the most esoteric of all DOOM maps, took it upon himself to scale back and make short, easy maps inspired by old Team TNT projects, making for a very special experience. Like The Event Horizon, it uses a condensed set of stock textures but manages to look wholly unique. IMO, this is not a set of maps made for players, but rather these are maps made for mappers, a trait I have tried to instill in my own personal projects.

Pocket Slaughter

Highly refreshing that after a decade of exhaustingly long, arduous, and overstuffed slaughtermaps, these last two years have seen an explicit shift towards slaughter lite, with sets like MSCP and Haste leading the way. Pocket Slaughter takes it even further, distilling the tropes and essence of slaughter fights into even smaller and more manageable bite-sized pieces. It gives lesser skilled players something to sink their teeth into as an entry point to the slaughter genre. The gimmick maps, such as the one where you're pushed forward through a hallway of traps by a stampede of barons, are a lot of fun too. 

[akolai]

alright, let's rock
 

HARDFEST MAP11 ~ MALACHITE FOREST

  

First, an important note: this is the hardest traditional platforming map ever made. The number of people who've seen this through has to be in the single digits. High difficulty can be a blessing and a curse, it can make your map more mysterious and daunting, but at the cost of accessibility - it's taken to the limit here, and the result is an absolutely enchanting piece of work. 
Giving out the automap straight away is an interesting choice. The layout is immediately striking - it's filled with natural, freeform geometry that's always a pleasure to gaze upon, but more importantly it's HUGE. It is impossible not to admire the talent that went into the layout alone. The longer you spend here though, the more the scale dawns on you, especially once you're past the early softball platforms (that are still likely to take dozens of attempts for people who aren't intimately familiar with this game's mechanics).
The abstruse progression doesn't help matters - certain encounters act as barriers to the next point of interest, and require certain weapons to defuse properly. This is where the map really sets itself apart from other platforming maps in its league - you're expected to fall. There are supplies and an essential encounter waiting for you in the abyss. Giving you a free way back seems merciful - so naturally, inferno had to go and ruin that for uv, enforcing a limit of 3 return trips. Beating the map on uv requires you to spend these resets effectively, which all but guarantees failure on your first trip through.
Despite all the bullshit the map puts you through, it's worth the trouble. Nothing is free, every jump feels rewarding, finding each screwball progression point further justifies the obsession, and it's all tied together by a midi that doesn't belong to this world - dramatic, hopeful, contemplative, mysterious, magical; 'Encapsulation' sings to my soul like nothing else I've ever encountered.
 

And now, to tie it back around; you will probably never beat this map. The difficulty is so far beyond anything else you're likely to experience, it's almost funny. Trekking through the forest without deep, esoteric knowledge of one of the game's most oft-discarded mechanics is only setting yourself up for failure. But take it from me, learning how to platform is worth the journey if it culminates with Malachite Forest. The fact that it's largely uncharted, its intricacies unknown to most, only makes conquering it that much sweeter.
 

Maybe I'm looking too deep into it. It's just a dumb platforming map after all, only speedrunners care about this shit.


more writeups to come? who knows, but this map is criminally underrated thanks to its genre, and i'd like to change that
if you're crazy enough to try this and you don't know what sr50 is, learn here
hope this is what you signed up for, omni

Edited May 10, 2023 by akolai

[Kinetic]

Dimensions/Zzul

 

A lot of people I know in this community, mainly challenge maxers, have talked about dimensions ad nauseum, myself included. But even though it has a bunch of different in-jokes related to speedrunners and their histories with specific maps, Dimensions as a wad is probably a bit underrated, in my opinion of course. I'm also going to talk about Zzul, as a mapper, a bit, because I have to.

 

It's known as one of those "nearly impossible crazy hard" wads by most people, and known as a pretty serious and significant set for challenge maxers. But Dimensions isn't just really hard, it's a really, really good mapset, and also fairly unique. I know there's arguing about whether the git gud argument has any merit with assessing a wad's quality, but as someone who has learned the levels and has played all of them multiple times, Dimensions just does so much right for me in terms of combat and for lack of better words, the vibe I get from the set.

 

To talk about Dimensions, is to talk about its absolute ruthlessness and savagery. Every single map, is trying to kill you, in absurd ways.

 

A lot of more recent wads (yes Dimensions is kind of old now, isn't it :p) with hard fights can be very calculating and exact in how it's trying to kill the player, there will maybe be 2 revenants in one area and then a couple barons coming from this angle and a 1k health cyber teleports in behind you. Or we'll have this fight where you have viles on one side and viles on another but a line in the middle or switch needs to keep being crossed or pressed or shot, so the viles disappear and you rocket back a horde of cacos until the viles appear again and you have to make them go away again. So very calculating, precise, fights, you can tell they are carefully orchestrated by the mapper and the fights are orderly. At least they feel orderly to me.

 

But Dimensions and many of Zzul's maps, they just attempt to kill the player in the most brutal and merciless ways. Dimensions Map01, you spawn in and like 30 barons are there, followed by like 40 cybers who teleport in 5 seconds later, then the map just continues spiraling into chaos with hordes of archviles, tons of cybers, lots of revs, tons of PEs, etc.. You have a BFG, all the cells in the world, and tons of megas, it's just a frenzy. Map02's finale, just a horde of archviles without a ton of room, tons of cells, and if you get zapped you probably fall off and die. Then a wave of like 10 cybers spawns in. Map03, so many savage fights, the box fight just spawns in so much stuff and you must dance behind cover to hide from the central archviles, the secret fight, spawns in 3 archviles immediately with no cover, followed by a cyber, and depending on the route you take, 2 more floor viles spawn in with the revs. The basement is another savage room, 4 megas, no cover, pairs of floor viles spawn in on 3 separate occasions, a cyber spawns in at each corner on the 2nd phase, tons of stuff spawning in the middle, then it finishes by spawning in 10+ cybers. There is no safe area, there is no well-defined strategy, you just have to BFG the hell out of everything, kill viles quickly, avoid cyber rockets, and if you get low no health there's nothing to do but grab a mega and keep circle strafing, it's relentless pressure and over-the-top savagery, both in monster placement and in how the player is required to play to beat the fight. And the secret finale fight of Map03, what more is there to say. It's a simple encounter, just 21 cybers on a bridge coming at you, one mega, effectively infinite cells. This isn't a finely crafted (fetish film) fight, it's literally just cybers on a bridge coming towards you, you have a BFG, ammo, and a mega, there's no real strategy, you just have to win against them. Going on to Map31 and 32, Map31 of course is just pure chaos and adrenaline from the start to the end, a 3 minute barn-burner, and of course many viles and cybers and revs, BFG again, megas, etc.. You almost know the drill completely by now. Map32 has the merciless invis wing, which I actually don't like but I like how it really is pure "fuck you" to the player, but still at least you can do that fight first in a speedrun. The platforming fight, iconic and simple, doesnt ask the player to do too much, except the 2 things it does ask you to do, which is kill the cybers in front of you and platform without falling or eating rockets, isn't easy. The other wing, just hundreds of revenants in a hallway. The finale, 64+ viles, cybers in the corners, then like a hundred viles are released and you need to grab an invuln...yeah, I just described every fight in Dimensions basically, and every single one is over-the-top and almost cartoonish in how it's trying to kill you, like it's lunacy, absolute lunacy, and often just pure aggression from the map.

 

The maps are thinking less "how am I going to kill you/how am I going to kill you in the most effective/efficient way", and moreso just "I'm going to kill you", and the first instinct of the map is just to throw a ton of archviles or cybers at the player, doesn't matter that the player has the BFG and a ton of cells, it's sending a bunch of viles and cybers and revenants because the map just doesn't have an ego or superego if we wanna talk Freudian, it's pure Id and is without restraint. Of course there are harder maps and more difficult fights, it's almost common for those things in the most recent hard maps, but again, the emphasis is over-the-top brutality.

 

To talk about Zzul briefly, these are the kind of maps he makes. Even in Zzul Bases, a tamer set of his relatively speaking, I believe he has an in-your-face cyber jumpscare on Map01. He's made Flotsam Map05 and Map06, Map06 especially is just pure violence. Zzul just makes maps that are crazy and savage. His BFG combat in particular is just...it's not hard at all for me to say his BFG combat is easily the most fun compared to any other mapper. His archvile hordes with columns for cover, are a staple fight of his that is just so hard to not enjoy for me. The basement in Dimensions Map03, you know how fun it is to cut through a pair of viles, find a cyber around the corner who is already firing, and quickly blend BFGing a pair of viles into one shot of a rhythm 2-shot of a cyber, before you blow past him and continue circling? In the basement of Dimensions Map03 or Flotsam Map06, you can often eat massive damage, but then jump right back into aggressive play after grabbing a mega, the BFG combat is just damn near perfect, it's often kill or be killed, hunt or be hunted. Instead of offering cover from viles in many fights, Zzul will say no, you have to run at them with the BFG and kill them before they kill you. He'll compress space and put a cyber(s) in there, ask you to kill it before it eats up all your space and kills you. A lot of areas you wouldn't think you would be fighting what you are, the end of Flotsam Map06, you wouldn't think you would be fighting like 30 viles in that small, cramped cave. In the basement of Dimensions Map03, you wouldn't think he would spawn in as many cybers as he does at the end. In the box fight of Dimensions Map03, you wouldn't think he would literally just fill the arena completely up essentially on the first phase, or spawn in 3 cybers in the 4th phase, it's such a small space really and for first-timers, you reaction has to be "well damn these cybers are looking really big in here", because the space is atypically small compared to when you BFG cybers in most other maps. It almost feels like, Zzul didn't design the structure and architecture of these maps, but he did do monster placement, and just decided to throw in ludicrous quantities of monsters and have such dangerous monsters, the monster placement is almost overmatched for the architecture and for balancing, for first-timers it might feel like an oversight at times, with how many monsters Zzul will throw at the player given the space it's in (i.e. "really? 4 viles? 2 surely would have been enough?")

 

So, to come back to Dimensions, why is it so unique? Well, like I said, it's kind of just Zzul doing what Zzul does best, and his brand of maps is pretty unique. It's not always a precisely calculated fight that efficiently kills the player using few monsters, it's not always a gimmick, a lot of the times it's 500 revs, 40 cybers, 30 viles, tons of cells and a couple megas, and you just have to kill stuff before it kills you. Dimensions is definitively slaughter, 4/5 maps basically have 1k monsters or more, but not a single fight ever drags on for too long. No fights are Sunder-esque fights, it's not a huge ass room with 2k monsters, and it's not really dangerous fights using like 2 archviles, sniper revs, and you have 100 health so if you take damage from anything you die. To make it clear, I do not have any issues with these styles, but I just find the spot Zzul hits very unique, and a lovely spot to hit, of pure aggression and violence, playing his fights even casually the gameplay is fast and aggressive.

 

I guess it may be a fair criticism to say, "well when you play a Dimensions map, you know there are going to be cybers, archviles, and revs, maybe also PEs, it's so predictable, and it's almost all BFG spam, nothing interesting about it when it's the same thing everytime, just in minute variations". Well to counter that criticism that I just made up because I haven't actually heard anyone badmouth Dimensions, I mean that criticism is fair, if you don't like, then you don't like. I know what's going to happen, but what will happen is so fun to engage in, I cannot emphasize enough how awesome Dimensions is, in the gall it has to just send a dumb amount of viles or cybers your way, it's almost always overkill, it's so fun and almost funny. And how some of the fights are so simple, it's nice that there isn't a strict strategy that will work all the time, and that it just asks you to dodge well, keep things moving, place BFG shots well, just real simple things that it asks you to do well that's also hard to do well.

 

I guess other things to talk about Dimensions would be other elements besides combat, visuals and design choices. Map31 and 32 are so basic and terrible in terms of texture and architecture, but obviously those weren't the point and they're a bit silly on purpose. And for what it's worth, Map31 has an absolutely fantastic scene with when the bloodfalls lower, the revs flood in from the gate en masse, the cybers quickly spawn in and there's like 30 of them that appear in 2 seconds, and best of all, the sky being choked with rev missiles going every which way and many towards you, it's just a beautiful image. Map32 also has something similar to a lesser degree with its rev hallway. Anyways, Map01 is decent looking, REDROCK and blood cover everything, real simple texturing job but the theme is damn near objectively good to me with how many other maps I feel it has worked in (late Scythe comes to mind). Map02 is a nice upgrade in visuals, void theme is definitely <3 but I like what is there, the opening shot is pretty, both for the literal first shot, and for when you teleport to the main area, the main island is very cool. The architecture of Map02 is just actually supremely underrated, I think. Love how the map ends with some small platforming to the exit, very atmospheric, and the upsidedown platforming is a stroke of genius. Map03, very cool architecture and theme, again, minimal texturing, but such a memorable map good god, any theme with black and green, especially if it's GOTHMET9 and SHAWNGN2, will scream Omega-Minor to me. The secret BFG floating in the middle of the distant green pillar, wonderful architecture and imagery. I also love how the player has to scale the thing, to get to the BFG (although elastic stair-climbing???). How the main building also feels somewhat eaten away at and destroyed on the one walkway by the platforming section, very nice as well. The secret finale I love as well, a bridge to nowhere and green torch structures everywhere, not sure what they are or why, but I guess you're in a strange Dimension.

 

Then also the music of every map, I think Map02 and 03, with their visual themes paired with the music, just do a great job at creating a sinister and bleak atmosphere and really make you feel like you're inbetween worlds, or a null space. Map01, 31, and 32 are just real jams.

 

As a last note, I think Dimensions also does a lot for skill improvement, particularly with BFG combat and how some of the fights require good timing and placement of BFG shots (i.e. vile horde at end of Map02, basement of Map03). Map01 can also teach a fair amount about monster herding on a large scale, as your movement in that map is imperative to your survival (Map01 definitely has strategies regarding paths and herding enemies in certain ways that helps with success). The first fight of Map03, as I can certainly tell you, is also great for understanding how your movement draws enemies, since you can't beat it unless you move in a specific way. If you're at the skill level to take on Dimensions, I really think it improves you as a player if you grind out maxes for each map, I would definitely attribute Dimensions as the most significant wad to development as a player, Map03 was a real experience trying to beat that map the first time.

 

In conclusion, Dimensions is awesome, more people should be riffing off of Dimensions and Zzul like with how many people riff off of Ribbiks, and yeah fantastic set, I'd place it in the All-Decade Team for 2010s wads.

[DoomGappy]

I found this thread yesterday by accident, but I love the idea for it, so here's a bump. I've kept a more or less curated WAD log with grades and small review snippets. Here it is:

 

Now playing:
The Plutonia experiment
1994 Tune Up Project
Fava Beans

Finished:

 

Miniwads
Sekhemti: 8/10 - Great maps, but very short, unfortunately. Or not. I've changed my opinion and less is more sometimes. Sekhemti is the ideal length for a fun little efyptian romp. 

 

Megawads
Ancient Aliens (2x): 10/10 - All time favorite, need to play other skilsaw stuff. I have no words to describe the experience, though. It's definitely memorable. Feels like Marathon and Doom had a little baby.

Strange Aeons (2x): 9/10 - Very dark and ominous vibe and midi, without compromising fun and gunplay. Cool by itself, but can also be coupled with High Noon Drifter without ruining the experience.

Return to Saturn X: 9/10 - It's been a long time but I loved it. Would have to replay to rewrite things.

Return to Saturn X 2: 9/10 - Played it too but don't remember much. Maybe now as a mapper I'd remember things better. 

1994 Tune Up Project: 7/10 - Great levels in some parts but some tedious ones in others. Still haven't beat it, but it has my favorite map07 ever, because of the texturing and general combat and the MIDI used. It's a rush. If you have to play a map from this, make it map07.

TNT: Evilution: 9/10 - Many remarkable maps, very hard but really good level design, specially for the time. Understandable why it's so influential.
 
Gun mods
High noon drifter: 10/10 - Very interesting mod with cool guns and dynamic gameplay. Feels amazingly balanced and makes the revolver a usable pistol replacement and oh so satisfying too!

Brutal Doom: 8/10 - Started great, got too cluttered with too many options. Probably just Sgt. testing with concepts for his game. Not my cup of tea anymore, but I have appreciation for it. It's what got me into Doom in the first place.

 

Total conversions
Prodoomer: 7/10 - Great concept, but very convoluted. Harder difficulties seem crazy unfair. Might get back to them one day. 

The adventures of Square 1 and 2: 10/10 - Fun and exciting adventures with our square buddy. Hope part 3 comes out someday because this is such an amazing little modification. The story also is very cool.

 

MiniWads and Single level maps
Trust: 6/10 - Nice plot twist but the maps and enemies look sloppy. Still, the ending is kinda chilling. 

 

Gimmick wads and creative concepts
Cyberdreams: 9/10. I'm going from memory, but I remember loving most of it. I love the concept for the wad and will make a homage to it soon!
Evil Eye: 9/10, great concept. Inspired me a bit to explore similar concepts.

 

Single maps
John Romero's E1M8B: Great map, ruthless beginning. Warming up for Sigil.

My House (with brother): 8/10 - Played this one with my little brother due to the hype. He enjoyed it and got scared a lot. Loved the exploring stuff. I played and he watched, so maybe I should revisit it the other way around?

Thatcher Techbase: 7/10 - Big map but kinda convoluted. Stil admire the effort to make all the textures and funky things.

Edited November 30, 2023 by DoomGappy

[SmoothMcD]

Not that it's particularly unknown, but the Alfonzone seems criminally underrated. It has pretty much everything that makes a great megawad, but I'll list a few things I love about it in no particular order:
 

• It's extremely colorful
• The tilesets and environments are extremely varied
• The "episodes" are quite short, which seriously mitigates the fatigue of a 60 level megawad.
• The music is incredible
• The sense of humor is a good mix of clever, stupid and ridiculous
• There's a huge mix of gameplay styles in there. Slaughter maps, adventure, puzzles, etc etc.

 

I suppose the only things I don't love are the occasional reliance on jumping/crouching, and the fact that it's so long means I'm not as likely to start it up if I want to replay a map pack.