ICID Posted November 27, 2023 (logo by @4MaTC) ICID, what the hell is this now? Endless Random /idgames WAD Adventures is a small project of exploration, interaction, entertainment and reviews where we meet once every two weeks to select random WADs in search of hidden treasures, lost promises, or our worst nightmares! We use the /idgames archive’s special feature that lets us search for random files. Of course, sometimes the results are resources or unplayable stuff, so we focus on looking for WADs. So, what do we do here? Play at least one random WAD in a two-week period of time. WADs are selected using the Random File feature on /idgames or from the list below. Post a review of whatever you play. Always provide the name of the WAD, the name of the author, and a link to the file. Play however you want, on any skill level, and with any source port, as long as you play the WAD as intended/in working shape. Be respectful. It's okay to criticize a map, but remember that many mappers read these review threads and behave accordingly. Also, please don't tag mappers into a negative review of their work. What kind of WADs are we looking for? Any file on /idgames is fair game, but most of us choose to stick to singleplayer Doom or Heretic WADs that work in our sourceport(s) of choice. If you're worried about finding Terrywads or broken files, I also pull at least five random WADs for the event. Feel free to play them with me if you wish, or look for your own! The point of the event is to encourage you to explore this vast, random world. Recommendations for reviewing: Spoiler 1. Please take screenshots or video of your adventures. 2. Commenting the source port and difficulty level is not required, but provides helpful context to your review. 3. Try to stick to no more than 1 WAD per day to avoid burnout, but this part’s all up to you, champ! 4. Reviews of all formats are valid. Both longform and shortform are good as long as you write with integrity. Endless Random /idgames WAD Adventures of this event: Silver Edge Porn (of which your mainstream idea is laughable) fred Shrike Tuning Contest #3 Spoiler The Top 10 (out of 69): 1. @Roofi | 7960 2. @LadyMistDragon | 4420 3. @Sena | 2595 4. @Walter confetti | 2480 5. @ICID | 1570 6. @brick | 1555 7. @Endless | 1220 8. @Thelokk | 725 9. @Clippy | 600 10. @smeghammer |425 Join the Doom Master Wadazine community for more events like this! » https://discord.gg/Q2RKn4J And check the Doom wiki for the full list of past adventures. 3 Share this post Link to post
LadyMistDragon Posted November 27, 2023 (edited) NIMBLE.WAD (1994) by Myles Williams (Crispy Doom) I think I played a better map by Myles once. Anyways, here's a catwalk-filled outdoor map that kind of seems like a certain DM map only uploaded to the archives in 2021. Everything is much too tall and the hideous fireblu barrier is really only good to point and laugh at like a bunch of petty Nelson Muntzs. Elsewhere, textures clash and when one falls, it's a pain in the ass to get back up. Sandy Petersen did put unlike textures together sometime but it was generally with a little more care for their complementary features than what's here. Otherwise, it's another overly easy map. 3/10 Ruins of Sathryn (2022) by Endless (From Doom with Love) Hey, I remember you! Paper-thin walls and a generally monotonous color scheme belly this hot start of a map, where it proves absolutely critical to pick a direction and stick with it (I headed toward the ledge with the Cacos). UV provides a heavily bullet-hell adjacent gameplay that demands caution at some times and aggression at others. The last main fight is with a Cyberdemon at a remote end of the map and both ammo and space are rather limited at this point. An easy 7/10! Edited November 28, 2023 by LadyMistDragon 2 Share this post Link to post
Roofi Posted November 27, 2023 Year 2 Month 09 Day 11 I play until I die or intentionally stop. I don't comment the wad where I died/stopped. [1] POISONS.WAD by Richard K. Thomas (2010) Quote Quote A .WAD for you people that like hard levels. Lots of toxic channels and poisonous lava. Beware of the many exploding barrels or you'll be toast. POISONS.WAD is an old Ultimate Doom map made in 1994 taking place inside in a marbled bunker filled with monster closets and harmful liquids. I really expected unfair traps involving exploding barrels after reading the short description but it was fortunately not the case ! Some rooms are actually full of barrels but only reckless players may blew themselves up. If you're steady like me, they will serve to turn some gangs of imps and zombies into bloody pieces. Always fun to do this ! I wouldn't say that POISONS.WAD is tough but the relevant usage of the monsters combined with the heavy presence of damaging slime and lava oblige me to keep on my toes. Richard always knew how to make monster closets and didn't hesitate to show us. Making traps is more than an acquired knowledge nowadays but this was much less the case almost 30 years ago. The last good thing resides in the open layout , which allows you a bit exploring the level at your free will. Solid map for its time. Grade : B- (12/20) [2] BLINDSIDE2! (BLSIDE2.WAD from BLSIDE2.ZIP) by Scott Harper (aka. MadMax) (1996) Quote Quote Think the original Doom2 levels were hard ?? .... You are in another WORLD now...The instant you move, BLINDSIDE! Does it ever end ?? You probably won't forget the name, but in case you do, do a 180 just before hitting that exit switch... I already played that map a long time ago but somewhere else. It appeared in a old compilation of 90's maps. If this map managed to stay a bit in my memories is due to the weird shapes the author attempted to make : the yellow arena with the endlessly teleporting cyberdemon, the huge diagonal staircase leading to a part made of large hexagonal lifts. I like all the variety but the progression ended irritating me because of all the surprise unmarked fast lifts which sometimes trap you in front of a small gang of hitscanners, which can be really painful when you're unarmored. The other weak point of the map is that it doesn't resemble to a singleplayer map since the level doesn't give you clear objectives such as obtaining keys for instance or taking more remarkable paths. You just have to find some scattered switches instead in order to unlock the multiples doors in front of the exit. BLINDSIDE2! looks like a repopulated big DM map. Grade : C (10/20) [3] AQUILA.WAD by Daniel Jenkins (1995) Quote Quote I got the idea for this wad while playing Ledges. It is built primarily for deathmatch, and has all the weapons. The rocket launcher is at the top of an "eagle's nest" type of tower. Hence the name, which is the genus of the Golden Eagle. To get the plasma gun or BFG you must trudge through a sewer of nukeage. Be careful, once you enter the sewer a bright firewall becomes visible to the other players, alerting them to where you are at. I've also got ammo for the weapons in rooms that are accessible via teleporters. A hommage to probably one of the most popular DM maps from the 90's. Ledges is a map known for its tall and large circular courtyard surrounded by curved stairs and ledges. I don't remember what the original LEDGES looked like but that one definitely contains more vines. The few monsters act as popcorn here and you'll find all the ammo you need to beat in the caches accessible via the teleporters near the barrels. [4] Camp by Dan S. Hadley (2003) Quote Quote This is a Doom version of my camp in the Maine woods. A monsterless map in a log cabin and its surroundings. The first thing you"ll notice are all the furnitures (and some useless commander keens). So cute ! But now, where are ennemies? There are none and their absence doesn't match with remix of The Legend of Zelda's main theme which is the kind of music telling you the beginning of an adventurous epic journey. The absence of monsters doesn't bother as long there is a purpose for it, which isn't the case here. Moreover, the map is poorly crafted with doors you can't open but can go through and an unmarked exit. For a map starting in a house, I would have hoped for something similar to Hell Revealed's 'The Siege' map 21, but in the end it was a huge disappointment. I planned to give a F but the house is pretty nice to visit and I like Zelda's tune. Grade : D- (3,5/20) [5] NewDoom Skys - Doom Version by Sparky of KISS Software (2000) Quote Quote Tall skys for Doom or Ultimate Doom (sky1 to sky4) based on the banner image from the web site NewDoom. This wad is dedicated to the guys (and gals?) at NewDoom - Happy New Year and all the best with your site in 2001. The author gives the impression that there are 4 skies, but there is only one for the 4 episodes. The sky is pretty but it's still a scam. [6] Deimos Revisited Version 2 bug fixes by @Sniper109 (2009) Quote Quote 4 maps for doom2, re-interpretation of deimos, KDiP sequel A small mapset I had to play on gzdoom due to inadequate testing from its author. "Vanilla Doom"? My ass ! A floor was stucked in map 01 ! Anyway. This map mostly uses stock assets but also contains dehacked weapons : - Your pistol has been replaced by a rifle which has a higher fire rate. Cool ! - The chaingun also has a higher firerate so it now acts as a true chaingun ! Even more cool ! - The chainsaw has been replaced by beefier assault rifle which fire 4 bullets in each shot. Why not but it was useless for me. The wad also features a final boss which I have no remorse spoiling you about what it is as it sucks ass : a sort of failed reproduction between a revenant and the icon of sin. It can fire revenant missiles and summon monsters. He's easy to beat in the last map because he end up being bullied by the monsters he just invoked... What a failure. So, the main interest of the wad resides in the three first maps. Sniper 109 follows a classic formula : the first level is a classic tech-base filled with nukage, the second a hellish fortress with some stylish rocky passages and map 03 sends you in hell with its giant lava-filled caverns. Among the three maps, map 03 is my favourite since it has the most ambitious visuals and appears to be the least corridor-like. The wad takes 30-45 minutes to finish, which would be ideal for a longer coffee break. Nevertheless, in the end I found this wad rather boring, with its repetitive architecture and unimaginative combat. Overall, the gameplay remains simple and enjoyable, but I'm not asking for additional maps. Grade : C+ (11/20) [7] Tele Mad 1 by Jason Root (Hellbent/Grotug) @Hellbent (2003) Quote Quote An outdoor map with 8 teleports all going to a pillar in the center of the map with an unlimited supply of health. This is the only place to get any health in the level. Strategy should be fun to employ in this. This isn't the first Jason Root's DM map using this green noisy texture I explored. I've nothing to say about the gameplay because it's totally ordinary. However constantly running in this map with the original Doom's small resolution feels like watching a snow screen. It's funny for a few seconds but I'm afraid prolonged play on the .EXE leads to serious headaches. I stop here for today. 3 Share this post Link to post
Walter confetti Posted November 27, 2023 2 hours ago, Roofi said: I already played that map a long time ago but somewhere else. It appeared in a old compilation of 90's maps. It's from MAP02 of Heroes 2 iirc, actually. If it was used somewhere else idk Rock by Michael Wheeler - Vanilla Doom 2, SP, 1 map, 1996, played with DSDA-Doom 0.26.0 Spoiler A small indoor map with lots of monsters, a "backrooms" feel trought the bland rocky courtyards and a sort of strange progression. Looks like a first effort mapping with those old editors. Nothing else to say really. Found a level that i think to have already play in a past Er/IWA session, Paranoia by Philippe Lafontaine. Yes, i definetely played this, i remember the octagonal central area. Meowgi's Practice Hub by @Meowgi - Boom compatible, Doom 2, 11 maps, 2021, played with GZDoom 4.7.1 Spoiler A hub by speedrunner expert and author of future Junkfood and Grindfest community slaughtermaps efforts with 9 different speedrunning challenges, all present into MAP01 and singularly in the other maps. I'm not a speedrunning expert unluckily, so i didn't fully finished all the challenges. A youtube playlist with these things explained are present on text file description. Played this on GZDoom because i tought it was a actual hub level for zdoom based ports lol. Over this, a pretty fun mapset. 4 Share this post Link to post
brick Posted November 28, 2023 Brick | 4 wads | 5 maps Silver Edge (2022) by Paolo M. aka Paul977. 2 SP maps for Doom II in Boom. I hope you like revenants, because I could swear they account for half the enemies in the wad. This pair of map is difficult to judge for me. Objectively they're probably well put together. I'm not a fan of the silver aesthetic but it's very purposeful and consistent. The palette and custom textures give it a unique look, with the yellows and greens looking quite striking. I don't even think the combat is bad, there's clearly thought put into the encounters, the enemy count is low but the ambushes are set up very precisely. I just did not care for the gameplay, I found the ambushes irritating, I kept going in circles trying to find where to go next even though the maps are not that large. I think it's a me problem, but unfortunately I didn't have a great time playing this. Spoiler Porn (of which your mainstraem idea is laughable) (2016) RaphaelMode. 1 SP map for Doom II in Boom. This is not exactly the kind of wad title that inspires great confidence, so I walked in expecting the worst. Surprisingly this turned out to have nothing to do with porn (the text file's attempt at explaining the title anyway made no sense whatsoever), but it's still pretty bad. It's a series of branching paths, one path leads to death and one path leads to the next test, with a wall scribbling that's supposed to hint at which is the right path to choose. The problem is that there is zero context for the scribbles, nothing outside of them to even begin to guess what they say, no pattern that I could guess even after a few to try and decipher them, so the map turns into an exercise of pure trial and error. The stock music, the fact many of the "traps" involve standing on a moving platform and waiting for a full minute to find out if it was the correct choice or not, and the amateurishness of the "hints" do not add to a great experience. Spoiler fred (1994) by Jeff. 1 SP map for vanilla Doom. Yes, it's a 1994 map, but honestly I like it more than the previous one. There's not much to it, it's very easy, short, nothing remarkable, and has the typical abstraction of those early maps. But it also has some fun secrets, progression that didn't make me want to pull my hair out, and for something so old there's a surprisingly good understanding of some of the basics of mapping, with extensive use of elevation and light level differences. It doesn't have the "I can't believe this is one of the first maps" impression of something like Stones, nor the wow factor of later 1994 gems like Doomsday of UAC, but it's still remarkably well put together for something made within a month of DEU, and for the whole 5 minutes it takes to max it it's a fun ride. Spoiler Shrike (1995) Carlos Dwa. 1 SP map for vanilla Doom II. Another early era map, this time for the sequel. Right away I knew there was trouble when the wall right next to the starting door is tagged as requiring a blue key (I wonder how much it would mess up the map if it did work...). Opening the door reveals a completely different texture selection than the start room, with no attempt whatsoever at any sort of consistency or aesthetic. Around the corner and past some human and zombie enemies, there are a dozen SS. Carlos claims that the "purists" could complete the whole map with just the shotgun but I can't imagine many people would want to go through knights, cacos and then the barons with just that (though it seems there's plenty of ammo for those so inclined). The texture usage is utterly random, when it's not just plain absent. Then I hit a room with 2 archviles, trying to move around it sent me through a series of teleporters that ended in a dark room with no way out and a bunch of enemies that eventually shredded me. Spoiler 4 Share this post Link to post
LadyMistDragon Posted November 28, 2023 Entryway DM, For Doom 2 (1998) by cloud (Eternity) A deathmatch map reportedly made for Doom Legacy but there's really nothing here that couldn't be done in vanilla. I do know the empty spaces here are just a little bit too large. That's a decent-looking pattern in the central room and there's at least some attempt to add varying areas, but it's kind of so-so when picked apart a little 3/10 Spoiler Monty Pythons' Revenge (1996) by Mark Potter, John Potter, and Clifton Cline Are you perhaps of the view that random 90s sound replacement collections for Doom have a certain offbeat charm to them. This is the Trout Mask Replica equivalent of taking all the goofy sounds from Monty Python and setting them within the context of a game that they clash horrifically with. I can not emphasize enough what an ill fit a bunch of drunken, sweaty, British men are with any Doom map that isn't some goofy mess anyway. Not to mention the so-called "musical replacement" sounds like something straight out of a Terry wad. The biggest insult are names that sound straight out of the Monty Python production team. 0/10, Terry Gilliam was right, we are truly screwed as a species. The Lost WAD #5 "G Rated" (1997) by Jeromy John Visser (Crispy Doom) Quote As with previous Lost WADs, I built this with attention to texture alignment and playability using ALL the keys. It is a bit smaller than previous work, but if you notice how well the game plays (tested at all levels) you'll copy this one to your floppy disc. NOTE: I added an "Easter Egg" to this one as an incentive to play on. If you find it, e-mail me and tell me how you like it! You'll never see things the same way again! A decent enough wad I suppose. The cells might be called a nice touch but having your bad guys in locked-in cells is something that never really made sense to me. The crusher in the one room is amusing I suppose. And progression and combat are both fairly solid, despite this being more on the easy side. Take away the sound pack I was idiotic enough to play this with, and there's a solid map here, although I dunno why this called "lost" exactly. The use of custom textures was nice, though subtle, and there's an outdoor area that's generic, but kind of nice all the same. Chaingunner trap at the end can easily be evaded though. 5/10 2 Share this post Link to post
Roofi Posted November 28, 2023 Year 2 Month 09 Day 12 I play until I die or intentionally stop. I don't comment the wad where I died/stopped. [1] React by @cycloid (2004) Quote Quote Yadda yadda mountain base yadda yadda experiments yadda mutants yadda yadda lone soldier yadda yadda reactor core yadda yadda three switches badda boom React is a medium-sized boom-compatible brown base set up at the top of the mountain. The Doomguy had to take the helicopter in order to reach it ! It borrows a realistic tone , materialized by the large presence of hitscanners, the blocky architecture, the warehouse with its suspended crate made with mid-texs and unwritten scenario which ends with a reactor to blow up. The map features "SSG guys" which more or less consist to slightly stronger shotgun guys : they walk slower and deal slightly more damage, which is quite surprising regarding the incredible power of this weapon when it's in your hands. Doomguy is not like the other marines afterall. In spite of this, the map difficulty remains very tame and exudes an old-school charm that's easy to appreciate. At last, two fun facts I want to share : - the reactor has the shape of a vagina. - blowing it almost gave me a heart attack ! Cool map. Grade : B (14/20) I thought I could go through a window in FIREBALL.WAD but I ended up in a deadly lava pit instead because of an impassable linedef. Quote 4 Share this post Link to post
brick Posted November 29, 2023 Brick | 1 wad | 11 maps Adventure | 5 wads | 16 maps Tuning Contest #3 (aka Freakmapping) (2008) by Various. 11 SP maps for Doom II: 3 vanilla, 1 Doomsday, 2 ZDoom, 5 GZDoom. This is a contest with what I thought was an interesting premise: contestants were given one SLIGE-generated map, told to upgrade it to something better-looking and to inject some uniqueness, then the entries were judged by popular vote on the forums. The end result is the usual mixed bag you'd expect, but even more so because mappers used very different ports. I played the SLIGE map first to get an idea of what the baseline was; it's typical of the random generator with that S-shaped starter room tagged as a secret, blocky rooms and corridors, very straight progression. There are a series of lifts that seem to be what most of the contestants latched on, almost all the maps include similar looking or acting lifts. Beyond this they did very different things with the premise. Escape From Burning House has no combat and the goal is to get out of the titular burning house, which looks suspiciously identical to the original SLIGE map, with taking constant damage acting as a timer to get out. I liked Corrupted Zone for repurposing that S into something very different, and making a large and complex map but where its origin is still recognizable. The maps that deviate the most from the original are unsurprisingly in the GZDoom group. Freak Train is very script-heavy and I had trouble seeing the SLIGE origin at all. Descent is beautiful, but most of the real estate is occupied by that immense tower and the surrounding city, none of which is ever accessible (it really looks stunning though). I think Netherworld ends up as the oddest one out because the Doomsday renderer just looks so different from even GZDoom. Ultimately I found it very interesting to see how the same map and premise could be interpreted so differently, but not all the maps were that much fun to play. Spoiler 4 Share this post Link to post
Li'l devil Posted November 29, 2023 9 hours ago, brick said: Escape From Burning House has no combat and the goal is to get out of the titular burning house with taking constant damage acting as a timer to get out. Wow, that's a really cool idea for a map. 3 Share this post Link to post
LadyMistDragon Posted November 29, 2023 (edited) Nucking Futs!! (2007) by Wills (GZ Doom) This guy's maps were really obnoxious, like supremely so, if the Mockawards he received are any indication. I can't say I really understand the premise beyond that this exists to parody the tropes of godawful Doom mappers. I guess that's why a speeded-up version of the main theme plays in what turns out to be a blank title screen. The last (playable) map was so stupidly cheap since the 'real' Imp is impossible to spot until you're dead, most likely. "Raining Liquid Hell" doesn't even resemble the title in any way. The /idgames reviews are kind of awful though. The so-called "Impse" is more metaphorical than anything else. Also, 7 maps when the text file says there's 13? Oh, soooooooo funny!! I think maps like the Underhalls parody must have been a bane upon the early ZDoom world, albeit that you could actually leave the first room at a certaib point. This is just too stupid, see ya. 1/10 Spoiler Spoiler 4 Share this post Link to post
Roofi Posted November 29, 2023 Year 2 Month 09 Day 13 I play until I die or intentionally stop. I don't comment the wad where I died/stopped. [1] JAX FOLLY (jfolly.wad) by Jack Valero (1996) Quote Quote Pretty standard fare- find the keys, kill the bad guys, try and stay in one piece. This is a fair sized single player level. It's too large for death matches. Tried to keep an eye on texture alignments and I think it looks good and plays well. Hope you enjoy it. Jax Folly seems to follow the cute concept of "Myhouse.wad" at the beginning : you start in a garden and the first rooms are filled with some doomcute such as a simplistic blue sofa and a red chimney in which some cacodemons are trapped. However, the map gets a lot more abstract and multi-themed once you enter in the basement made of green marble. The house part acts therefore as a lure because it represents an insignificant portion of the map. Nevertheless, I like the simple "doom-y" visuals, and the strict ammunition balance encourages players to keep their attention and not rush. Some areas present more challenges than the others : there's a specific hellish fortress which contains lot of deadly but easy-to-dodge crushers for instance. But above all, the exit is guarded by a monster spawner you can't defeat as there's no romero head accompanying it. However, there's a "simple" tip to deal with IoS used outside map 30 in cl2-compatible wads : let the monsters spawn until they get stuck each other (monsters can't telefrag except in map 30). Even if the house is more enticing than the other sections, the fact that they're "hidden" behind it gives the impression of exploring a magical world a bit like Veddge's wad, but much more old-school and less immersive. The IOS at the end, however, remains a stupid idea. Grade : C+ (11/20) [2] Skypack 2 by Stian Skjondal (zsignal) http://members.xoom.com/zerosignum http://doomworld.com/securitron @zsignal (1999) Quote Quote This is a WAD with 8 sky-textures for you to use. They are mostly mountains, and they're all 256 x 240. NOTE: to view the skies in Doom, you'll need ZDoom. For ports that don't support 256x240 skies, you can just scale or crop it down to 256x128. This old 3D will always give me a strange feeling of isolation, which is reinforced by this view of the horizon on certain skies. These skies really give me the feeling of being on an uninhabited planet. I would like to use one of them in my future maps. [3] An Affinity For Pain by @Tolwyn (2004) Quote Quote You find yourself enclosed in the reception towers of a Hellspawn encampment. Of what it's protecting (or hiding) is not readily known. Somehow you got the short end of the stick in this mission and you just want to get in, clean house and get out. Tolwyn was mostly prolific during the 90's as a musician but he was a competent mapper as well. Indeed, I really the episode "Insertion" released in 1998. Whereas containing a lot more details that what the vanilla compatibility may bear, I feel a strong 90's feeling in "An Affinity for Pain". First of all, the theme presented here is both classic and unclear. It's a sort of mixture of a beige tech base and a hellish castle. Tolwyn's maps are very "iwad-y" and don't really to manage to remain carved in memories. I can say that Tolwyn did a clear usage of the stock textures in this map but I don't feel that the map in general stands out all that much because of its classicism. I really like the diagrams in order to show you how some puzzle work though. The second aspect resides in the puzzley progression, especially materialized by the numerous switchs you've to press. The progression tends to confuse me in that map and it's sometimes a bit tough to understand the roles of each switch. The evolution of the map is also rather sandboxy, and it's not easy to understand what you're actually trying to achieve. In fact, knowing how to find your way around seems to take the lead over the difficulty of the combats, and this is a recurrent situation in old-school levels. And at last, the overall architecture seems rather random to me. This is neither a compliment nor a reproach, but I get the impression that Tolwyn wanted to take greater advantage of the improved capabilities of limit-removing ports to offer more open and detailed scenery. However, these don't seem to fulfil any particular function such as guiding the player or making specific locations that would be impossible or very difficult to achieve in vanilla format. In this case, An Affinity For Pain could be a typical map from the 1990's, with a extra details to bring it up to date. So, I have a fairly positive opinion about "An Affinity For Pain" but it's nothing less than a decent 1990's map with more polished and enriched visuals. The music is good too. Grade : B (12,5/20) I fell in the black void in Dark City Oblivion Quote 5 Share this post Link to post
Sena Posted November 30, 2023 Area 51 by Keith Hickman, Garth Donovan (2 maps, 1997) I normally dislike 90s maps, but this one manages to be an exception. It comes paired with the Mission Impossible midi because well, it is still the 90s. In any case, this is a solidly designed level, with the attention to detail and theming being its greatest strength, helped in part by its custom textures (I especially liked seeing a belt of ammo on the chaingun box of bullets), but also its creative and charming use of those textures in developing its rooms, which definitely goes a long way in selling the idea of exploring the facility further, and venturing deeper - comparing it to Questionable Ethics from Half Life would be the obvious choice, which makes this level all the more remarkable, as it came out a year prior to Half Life. Its second level is admittedly less interesting, both of them contained around 230 enemies, yet the second one took me around half as long to beat, and it did seem to be overall less polished, with much wider, mono-textured hallways without much going on, and seeming to only indicate that having large spaces to explore matters far less than having spaces that are properly thought out, with meticulous attention to detail. Not a bad moment in sight, this would be an easy contender for one of my all-time favourite maps from its decade. 7/10. 4 Share this post Link to post
LadyMistDragon Posted November 30, 2023 Jazz Doom (1999) by Bill @Bloodshedder Koch I've got to say, Bloodshedder was FAR younger than I originally thought. Still, his activity in the Doom community has been quite limited since 2018, though he reportedly still helps maintain the /idgames archives. He still seems a little young to have taken a step back unless like Linguica, he has a career to focus on which makes sense. All of that aside, this is a nice collection of (largely) jazz music, though the title music is "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" and I honestly wouldn't call "Baker Street" jazz either, despite the presence of that urban-sounding sax. No matter, it's a nice musical collection to play 90s wads to! PS. Also, "Eye of the Tiger?" smh.... Man the Mandala (1995) by Arturo Cubacub (Crispy Doom) Quote A mandala is an eastern painting or art piece, usually circular in motif with a central point of origin. It is used as a cognitive centering device for meditation. The idea is to immerse yourself in the art work, which in the process would bring you to a space where you can overcome your "demons," so to speak, and come to some resolution. When I first saw Doom, I knew it would be a perfect place to put a Mandala in... demons, resolution to higher levels and immersion.... "Man the Mandala" is my first attempt at playing with this concept. I use some eastern symbolism interspersed with some very western ones, which may or may not be obvious. At any rate, it certainly is a lot more fun and immediate than sitting in a lotus position, following your breath to point on a painting on a wall...which can be fulfilling, but is certainly a hell of a lot more work and not necessarily fun! The map is indeed, shaped like a mandala but that's probably the most notable thing about it. Key placement is illogical as all hell, the yellow key is entirely superfluous and there's far too much ammo, not to mention Supercharges lying around. That said, other than misalignments in some tight places, this is not such an ugly map, and combat is certainly fine enough, but the mid-tiers mostly feel quite random, other than maybe the one Revenant behind a wooden door. 5/10, nice to play. 2 Share this post Link to post
Roofi Posted December 1, 2023 Year 2 Month 09 Day 14 I play until I die or intentionally stop. I don't comment the wad where I died/stopped. [1] Twelve-1 by TwelvePac (1995) Quote Quote A two to four player Doom 2 DeathMatch wad. Different sector heights, many different rooms. Brown rock textures are so omnipresent that I feel like exploring a giant chocolate cake. The layout is spacious and it's comfortable to navigate, but probably a bit too large for Deathmatch as some areas are devoid of any content. [2] SSARENA.WAD by Brian Drake (1995) Quote Quote This level was designed to be used in deathmatch mode..... You can play with it by yourself, but chances are you could go blind! A sort of colosseum built with rusty startan in which there is a nazi swastika-shaped building at its center. A pure demonstration of good taste as we can witness. Most of the weapons and ammo are perched on the tribunes and you have to jump from the windows of the building in order to get teleported. If you don't want to enter the building, some RL are available between the branches of the cross. And at last, you can battle against a pair of cyberdemon if you don't have a friend who would desire playing this wonderful forgotten DM map. [3] Year 22 -A Rock and a Hard Place- by Eric "The Green Herring" Baker @The Green Herring (2009) Quote Quote No wonder that warp facility was abandoned; it was overrun by the dead and the damned! With your fists, armor and helmet covered in demonic blood, you spy the structure in the center of the base. The description of the base by your superiors included many details, more than you ever needed to know; a white pad with four pentagrams on it was not one of them. Sighing, you approach the pad, and give it a gentle tap with your foot. After all, if nothing seems to be powering it, nothing's going to happen, right? Wrong. In the blink of an eye, you find yourself in what can charitably be called a canyon. In front of you, you see a rusted, metal tower, carrying a keycard which glistens in the light, nearby of which are the remains of an unlucky soldier. Behind you, you hear the sound of rushing water. You quickly notice two things that are a bit off. One, the rocks supporting the teleport pad are identical to the ones in that base. The other is that while you've only aged a few seconds, it feels like a whole year has passed. With a tight grip on your guns, you step down, and then up to find that the pad no longer works. With a sigh, you decide to head past the tower to investigate. If you ever find a way back home, you're gonna have a /lot/ of explaining to do. * * * This is the sequel to 2008's Year 21 -The Vanishing Point-. The WAD is built such that if you load it after YEAR_21.WAD on the command line, you can play this and the previous level in order. Thus, it's on MAP02. There's even a level name graphic for the previous level in case you do this. Anyway, this rocky region is /much/ more difficult than the previous level, with fiendish mobs that battle you in tight quarters. Skill levels are implemented, so if you're having trouble taking the hellspawn down, just play the level on Hurt Me Plenty or lower. Nevertheless, it can be completed whether or not you start from scratch, or get here from Year 21. A little hint: It's best to leave the first group of monsters alone till you get a better weapon. In case you're wondering, this was meant to be a 24-hour speedmap on my 22nd birthday, similar to the previous level, but numerous interruptions (apart from my family's celebration) conspired to make the attempt a failure. Namely, the tendency for the original Doom Builder to crash when entering 3D Mode. A lot. In spite of all this, I promised myself to finish it before the end of the year. Then, on July 27, the original version was obliterated by an unexpected wipe of the hard drive it was stored on. Soon, I set about recreating this level from memory, this time using Doom Builder 2, and in less than 24 hours, I finished doing so. And then, in September, the computer itself got messed up, but fortunately, I was able to save that version of the level. In late December, I finally finished it. So there you have it. Anyway, enjoy the level! Whereas the natural environments are very cozy to look at, the first encounter announce the tone of the map in terms of combat design and a sort of recurring "gimmick" consisting to make a swarm of revenants appear by surprise between bunch of popcorn low-tier monsters. More generally, TGH seems to love ambushes involving lot of monsters teleporting at the same to the point discourage people with heart diseases to play this map ! The level is therefore pretty spicy but TGH decided to be generous with ammo and health : you can find shotgun shells and medkits everywhere; Talking about shells, "A Rock and a Hard Place" is a very SSG-centric level. I've no negative opinion about this kind of gameplay but this seems to be considered too "grindy" by more modern standards. Moreover, the metal midi tends to bring some HR2 vibes to me (which is a wad I really like) For me it was a pleasurable passtime with clean "classic" visuals. Grade : B (14/20) [4] Fragagon by Tom Sanner (1995) Quote Quote Death Match wad There is a great emphasis on heights in this map as the arena consists to a pit containing stairs and crates with goodies on top. You have to climb the ledges in order to jump on them. Some imps can be fragged. I stop here for today. 4 Share this post Link to post
LadyMistDragon Posted December 1, 2023 Hangar41 (1994) by Patrick N. Gorman (Crispy Doom) A fairly simple '94 Doom map that still manages to work in some wonky progression and (sigh) marble walls. It seems like at least one wall isn't suppose to open from the end of the square room that ends up revealing a chaingunner! Making one switch shootable was just really strange. I assume the switch in the room it opens also opens to the titular hangar, but I'm even shorter on time now, so I couldn't be bothered to check it out. The mass ammo stores were pretty funny though 4.5/10 3 Share this post Link to post
Sena Posted December 2, 2023 Walking In My Name by Moniac (2001) There's a lot of maps that make use of linedef art, but here's one specifically based around the concept. The problem that arises is that, presumptively, most would agree that gameplay should always come first, but this approach to mapping contradicts that principle, with the end result being some pretty confusing navigation, especially via the repeated use of unmarked teleporters, and a slightly awkward and rigidly flat style of architecture. The combat is pretty good, with a few sections that are quite demanding for the early 2000s, although it is strangely marked by an incessant handing out of backpacks, and an overflowing of rocket and cell ammo far before either appropriate weapon is given to the player. Some good moments here and there, and certainly above average for a first map, but some streamlining and cohesive visual theming would have gone a long way to make this a consistently good map, rather than incidentally so. 6/10. 2 Share this post Link to post
LadyMistDragon Posted December 2, 2023 Doomed Columns (2021) by Paul Hildebrandt Quote 12 3D modeled columns textured with Doom2 graphics (not included) so to fit in with the game. All models are low poly and can be re-textured by editing the MODELDEF lump. Refer to DOCUMENT lump for instructions. A not half-bad attempt at adding in some more columns to Doom's vanilla repetoir. Although since this is a PK3 file, it can only be used in GZDoom. And as you can see above, the default models will need to be re-edited if you're hoping to make them pop in any way. Because distinct though they may be, they're definitely a little lacking in identity CIRCUS.WAD (1997) by Vance Andrew Blevins (Crispy Doom) You know the file id of this contains the author's sig in ASCII? Anyways, this map is quite simplistic with a main area like the description where Imps fire from the windows and we're assaulted by a collection of Demons, some Barons, and a Spider Mastermind that teleports in. After some odd progression that basically involves heading into square room of vine, a Cyberdemon teleports onto the now-raised central platform in the center. Maybe we should leave him alone because shooting him is somewhat challenging from most angles and we can telefrag him near the very end anyway. More Barons can be found in the backrooms and at the time I ran into the final one, there were no more cells or indeed, much else. Apparently, there's even a secret! Funny map though. 5.5/10 0 Share this post Link to post
LadyMistDragon Posted December 3, 2023 EDEN.WAD (1994) by Mal Blackwell (Crispy Doom) Quote his level is the result of countless hours and many late nights of working, working, working and re- working the map to get it right (as you DOOM editors know, DEU5.0 can be very uncooperative!). Anyway, I think this level has that "id" feel to it. I really consider it an extension of the original game rather than "my" level. I'm sure all will enjoy playing it. As of this version of EDEN there are NO HOM effects & NO screwie textures. I have painstakingly concealed secret passages and made this level challenging to play. Please play it first before extracting the secrets mechanically. Well, there's trouble in paradise, Go clean house! Three cheers for senseless violence!! :) Mal Blackwell doesn't have the same name recognition as other future non-Doom mapping stars as Richard "Levelord" Grey but he nevertheless has quite a lot of game industry experience and I believe is even a consultant on AMC Squad and some other free games made in GZDoom! Anyways, this seems to be his very first map released to the public. And the effort described in the text file really shows for a map released less than a month after DEU was released! So maybe the opening hallway is a laughable series of symmetrical sectors but things soon improve from there. Detailing is rather spare but nevertheless succeeds in giving the rooms at least some character. Other than some of the random closets but no matter! Like for instance, there's that room leading to the blue key doors that has a mainframe to the left and a very curious case of red symbols on the floor. This actually leads to a waiting room textured quite lovingly in blue. Otherwise, Mal seems to favor small tech corridors leading to keys and stuff, often in what I'm dubbing "janitory passageways." You see, like many a a naive mapper, Mal thought it would be a good idea to hide progression behind secret doors. Such a good idea in fact that he tried to hide the linedefs where said doors might actually be! The first one leading to the yellow key is all but invisible though, and is basically across from an entirely random window that you're somehow supposed to guess at....because it's also adjacent to a hallway leading to the yellow key door. Thankfully, the other critical secret doors are at least marked and it's a curious decision because Mal definitely seemed to have a good grasp on where doors ought to be used! The crooked platform leading to the plasma rifle is butt-ugly as it comes, but I'm just calling it Crispy's fault. Combat is not terribly challenging but there's plenty of barrels, though not enough to lead to mass murder or anything. Things do pick up towards the end with larger numbers of enemies unleashed from traps and even a Baron or two getting tossed into the mix. Don't be too eager to move forward though, you can pick up rockets from a closet! The finale is then a power fantasy of sorts, taking us outdoors to a forest, an Invulnerbility Sphere and half a dozen pinkies and a sergeant or two, along with far more plasma ammo than you really need. 6/10, pretty good! 2 Share this post Link to post
ICID Posted December 3, 2023 (edited) Silver Edge (2022) by Paul977 Play Settings Difficulty: UV, pistol starts Source Port: dsda-doom A pair of slaughtermaps very obviously inspired by Ribbiks' work, but scaled back a bit in both aesthetics and monster count. I say that not as a criticism - in fact, I really enjoyed these little bite-sized morsels of slaughter. The low monster counts mean you can't rely as much on infighting in most combats and make the ambushes challenging without ever getting to the point of being frustrating or sloggy, a common complaint of Ribbiks imitators. Ammo is always plentiful but never so abundant that you can just mindlessly plasma through all encounters, and most fights let you see the monsters you're about to encounter before you wake up, so to my taste this stayed firmly on the fair side of "tough but fair", although as comrade brick's review above shows your mileage may vary. Both maps are pleasantly non-linear but I thought the first had better combat, it felt more fine-tuned and tested and I had more fun opening up too many doors at once and getting myself into hot water. The Arch-Vile fights were especially nasty and the final setpieces, while not too tough to cheese with infighting, were a great way to send out the map. The second map's still good but some of the fights seemed fairly trivial (like the first arch-vile who's just standing in a hallway waiting to get plasma'd) and others seemed like much more of a difficulty spike (the pillar room that opens up a cyberdemon). MAP02 also has the better atmosphere imo - the MIDI and background make you feel like you're on a beautiful silver spaceship of some kind, a very pleasant counterpoint to the battle at hand. In short, while Silver Edge provides nothing you haven't seen before, it's all polished to near-perfection and a hell of a lot of fun for us slaughter enjoyers. Bravo @Paul977, can't wait to see what you cook up next. :) Grade: 8/10 Porn (of which your mainstream idea is laughable) (2016) by RaphaelMode Play Settings Difficulty: UV Source Port: GZDoom In case it wasn't already obvious from my full-throated defense of B.P.R.D.'s work, I love experimental Doom WADs. Preferably stuff that actually engages with the Doom structure and gameplay loop rather than just being an unrelated point-and-click adventure game with delusions of grandeur but hey, I'll take what I can get. So I was very excited by this map as soon as I saw the text file, which states "this is not mine or any other specific person's fetish, it's Doom's." Raphael's tumblr (whose theme is, fair warning, basically unreadable on desktop) calls it "a doom mod that caters to a fetish that doesn’t exist, or maybe does but I haven’t seen it" and states "I still knew what I was doing because the accommodation of themes could be abstracted." Based on said tumblr Raphael clearly enjoys avant-garde stuff and deliberately ugly aesthetics, which are certainly visible in "Porn", a map structured around providing binary solutions to complex ethical problems written in a language that doesn't exist. Stated bluntly, this means you walk up to what look like MS Paint drawings providing two options, one of which will kill you and one of which allows for progression. If played correctly, the map will never require you to fire a single shot, and will take you up and across slow elevators and conveyer belts with nothing much to look at. It ends either with you sitting down in a chair to play Doom, or finding the "secret ending" where you get locked in a wall to watch monsters infight with no input from yourself, a helpless spectator. Is this "fun" in the traditional sense? Not remotely. Did I find it moving or otherwise emotionally engaging as a piece of art? ...not particularly, but that doesn't make it a failure in my opinion. When I read something like "this map contains all that pornographical work would, besides sex", that's not a statement that makes sense to me, but it's one I enjoy thinking about. Okay: what does define porn besides sex? And how would you make those elements into a Doom WAD? These are interesting questions and the kind of thing I like encountering. I also enjoyed being introduced to Raphael. I read several pages of their tumblr and I think we have similar worldviews. A lot of their writing - including the lengthy textfile included with this WAD - strikes me as rather tongue-in-cheek, feigning a higher level of pretentiousness. I really enjoyed this post about WAD quality being measured by by "Intense Relevance, Comprehensive Relevance, Ethical Quotient, and Artistic Quotient." I intend to seek out their other WADs and Doomworld Mega Project contributions. So to me, it's a successful ER/iWA experience - because what I want most here is to be exposed to work in the realm of Doom that I never would have seen otherwise, be it good, bad, or in this case, perplexing. I'll leave us with this final thought from Raph: 5 Share this post Link to post
Walter confetti Posted December 4, 2023 (edited) Shrike by Carlos Dwa - Vanilla Doom 2, 1 map, SP, 1995, played with DSDA-Doom 0.27.3 with complevel 2 Spoiler A large, harsh and abstract map sets in a castle\mountain\chasm place of sorts, with the best part being stairs, the floating sky structure and the temple with the lighting storm, for the rest it was a weird thing. The combat is pretty heavy, kinda proto-slaughterish in some parts, nice but too much for me. The abstractism is the fun part, otherwise is pretty mediocre. !FUBAR1.WAD by Scot Raney - Vanilla Doom 2, 1 map, SP, 1995, played with DSDA-Doom 0.27.3 Spoiler Being taken by surprise by the smoothy jazz track used in this map, didn't expect it at all! Another abstract "hard" map sets again in a castle-like structure, this time a monster closet and backtracking based gameplay is involved, as well as a E2M9 style gimmick involved in the map with a hot start in a cave with barons and hell knigts. Have the same feelings of the previous map with this one, conceptually they are extremely similar. I also think this map it's broken? How do you can do the cobra (there's a cobra shaped sector after the red key, the room have also a nice fake 3D effect) sector jump without noclipping? Got a really neat DM map i have already played time ago called Mines: Remastered GAMMA: One Nerd And His Doom by @Hyena - Zdoom compatible ports, Doom 2, 2 maps, SP, 2002, played with GZDoom 4.7.1 Spoiler One of those crazy early 2000s Jokewad maps for Zdoom, born from Massmouth fame and then evolved into their own things like this one with the british\not british co hock dude with the help of linguica fighting hilariously hacked monsters similar to the enemies in The Sky May Be, but without that hardness in combat. The author is pretty well known for these kind of maps since he made a lot of maps for the legendary Mock 2. The level looks like is come straight out from the early years of mapping, but with some modern assets like sloped ceiling, scripts and a scripted "3D" bridge, music stolen from original shows (Star Trek, the 60s one, this great moment of fiction to be more precise) as many other zdoom maps will do for the 00 decade... Silly wild fun. Edited December 4, 2023 by Walter confetti 2 Share this post Link to post
LadyMistDragon Posted December 4, 2023 DOWNTOWN (2003) by Simo Malinen (Crispy Doom) Simo Malinen is sure a mixed bag. Not unlike fellow Finn Iikka Keranen, he often seemed fascinating with crafting spaces but whereas the former always went for broke, let's just say Simo somewhat tends to take an idea and run with it whilst neglecting things like playability, interesting visuals and so forth. Though sometimes, it does come together because he never would've won a Cacoward otherwise. This entry on the other end, seems to feature two primary textures and while using the vent textures was kind of a neat idea in creating a somewhat more realistic building, the fact remains this landscape is all but detail-free, apart from some trees located next to who-knows-what. But it actually plays pretty well, being something of a mini-slaughter map, though not one that we should really struggle to finish quickly. Although finding the teleporter that sends us across the rooftops will take some work. No matter, a lot of these rooftops are close-quarters so it's pretty easy to either fall off or just teleport away without killing everything. I guess some of these overhangs might add some character if they weren't boring and blocky as all hell. The computer near the end that opens the exit is probably the most interesting part though 5.5/10 3 Share this post Link to post
brick Posted December 5, 2023 Brick | 1 wad | 5 maps Adventure | 6 wads | 21 maps Mayan Mishap (2018) by Tango. 5 SP maps for Doom II in MBF. I did not recognize the name until I made the connection to Supercharge, but @Tango has been actively mapping for a long time now. This little set oozes charm and personality, with a custom palette, custom textures, replacement sprites for most of the enemies borrowed from various sources, but also small but ever-present changes to the mechanics. Almost every enemy projectile moves faster now, several times I winced at how quickly a fireball was flying towards me. Barons are now armed with a Cyberdemon's rocket launcher on top of their green volleys and are terrifying in large number. On top of the slow and ponderous mancubus there's now a flying variant, though it thankfully moves just as slowly. The maps seem big and full of enemies but are actually not that long, I found them to be just the right length to avoid oversaturation. The Mayan aesthetic is perhaps not as pronounced as I expected but visually the wad is pretty distinctive, Tango put quite a bit of effort into the architecture and it's fun running around the maps, trying to find ways to get to a higher terrace that you can see from below. Gameplay is pretty aggressive, the first map is easier but they then ramp up the difficulty quickly. I found some of the arenas a bit too much for my liking and the difficulty balancing not very friendly to the lower scale, I think a Megasphere here and there on HNTR would've done wonders to defang some of the toughest encounters without requiring changes to the combat setups. Still I had a lot of fun playing, the wad is very well done and certainly eye-catching. Spoiler 5 Share this post Link to post
LadyMistDragon Posted December 6, 2023 (edited) Two Fort Capture the Flag (2001) by Sgt. Crispy (Crispy Doom) I would've probably skipped this but I recognized the name, and honestly, it's not half-bad. One can tell that Capture the Flag was the intended mode from the two different but perfectly symmetrical halves, one gray and one brown. Why is there a slime pillar in the middle? I couldn't tell you. Spoiler Batman Forever v0.0 (test version) (1996) by James (Crispy Doom) Is this the same James that uploaded some other sound junk to the archive? I'm not really certain. I do know the TITLEPIC and INTERPIC are replaced, which are kind of nice, but the numerous replaced sound effects get rather annoying, especially Robin whining when you wall hump or the Joker's manical laughter substituting for the sounds of....some enemy or another. And just what the hell is "I'm gonna do a drive-by" supposed to mean? Batman Forever was not considered that good from the retrospectives I've read over the years, being not as over the top as Batman or Robin or little of the actual quality of the.....but let's just end the diatribe right here before it degenerates into nonsense. Industrial Outpost (2020) by Malrionn (Crispy Doom) A remake of a map from a 2048 project and um, why? Visually, it's a little hard to complain about the incredibly tasteful use of techbase textures generally but the issues of course are the same as the more frequent 1024 projects, namely that there's barely any frickin' anywhere to move around! Worst is the harsh truth that unfortunately, Skulltiverse raised the visual standards of these maps so high that the only recourse would be some straight 1024 retreads...and we don't need any more of those frickin' maps! I'm fine, but bruh, these are so annoying to play, and I'm just glad the trend has mostly died (well, with one exception perhaps but that project's still under wraps) Anyways, the crates are kind of annoying, but can be taken piecemeal. Is this where the 'alternate route' is hidden? Possibly but that ain't no saving grace here. Especially in that ridiculous red key room. Say, do you like being assaulted by Cacodemons and Lost Souls with very little room and no Super Shotgun? I sure do! All sarcasm aside, the final fight is actually really good! Though one is not going to be able to devastate the opposition without the supplies that can be spotted in the corner, the Spider Mastermind will probably end up infighting with everything else anyway. Just rocket as many Pinkies as seem to be attacking and then we're gucci! 6/10, to some degree probably lifted by the final fight because, um, like what was up with that stupid corner crusher with the medkit in the middle! I also disagree with the bit in the text file about placing enemies outside the playable area, but that's just another philosophical difference, although one that results in good part from the size restriction. Edited December 6, 2023 by LadyMistDragon 2 Share this post Link to post
Clippy Posted December 6, 2023 Ok I'm back and hoping to up my production of this Idgames crap - I got to catch up you're already on 73 oh my fuck boys This time I drew a long one by @Plut Who actually has doomworld thread here: so yeah surprised to find such a recent pick - maybe my most recent random pick ever - just from September! Truthfully, I was late and weary and expecting to get the usual short/easy 90's jank, which can be fun to joke about but I couldn't joke here this map was pretty competent - just longer and harder than I was expecting. Definitely pulled off the feel of plutiona but plutonia after dark - the start def had me worried but after a few restarts I could get a foothold - but my goodness nonstop action every step more things to shoot haha - excessive SSG action which I guess some ppl could complain about but I love me some ssg anywho - sorry if low energy just long map and tired but yeah - well built opressive plutonia madness lets hope the next one easier and shorter tho haha 6 Share this post Link to post
Roofi Posted December 6, 2023 Year 2 Month 09 Day 15 I play until I die or intentionally stop. I don't comment the wad where I died/stopped. [1] Doom Advent Calendar - SporkMap by @Agent Spork (2006) Quote Quote My submission for the Doom Advent Calendar project. It's your basic UAC base type map. Agent Spork's maps are a useful way of finding out what a typical map released in the middle of the 2000s looks like and that one isn't an exception. Unfortunately, this UAC base doesn't offer anything very transcendent, due to its very orthogonal, corridor-like layout and minimal height variations. It also includes lot of trims and borders but those feel old nowadays and don't improve the visuals that much. The gameplay remains easy to enjoy but it definitely lacks of creative concepts or encounters. Most of the combats consist to kill the opponents blocking your way and the generic architecture erases all surprise. Even the original iwad at least managed to create more varied shapes to enhance the surprise while exploring. Here, it remains correct but insipid overall. Grade : C+ (11/20) [2] Gothic by Jason Benson (2004) Quote Quote Basically a medieval cathedral corrupted by demonic forces, it is your job to exorcise the church for it to be restored into a national landmark. A sort of really dark underground castle built with green marbles which I initially thought it was going to be extremly blank but it does have points of interest in the end. "Gothic" is a rather short map with a low number of ennemies but scarcity of ammo require to be quite rigorous with your guns. You can obtain a berserk pack but only at the end, after you killed almost all the enemies... Ambient darkness isn't usually a good friend when it comes to creating less monotonous scenery, but the author has succeeded in creating contrasts of light that draw the player's attention. I have a soft spot for the brown domes capping the wide circular rooms. It's the kind of architectural stuff I don't expect from an amateur wad like this and those are pretty striking visually speaking. These reinforce the idea of being locked away in a hidden place, probably underground. All in all, it's still an amateur map, but I was pleasantly surprised by the work done on the architecture in certain places. Despite the absence of custom music, I managed to feel a certain mysterious atmosphere (with the music turned off, of course!). Grade : C+ (11/20) A revenant beat me up to death in BUMMER 1 the cramped corridors of whereas I've nothing more than my pistol. Quote 1 Share this post Link to post
LadyMistDragon Posted December 6, 2023 ELROND.WAD (1995) by Stephane Schmitz (Crispy Doom) This...Belgian mapper says to be nice but this was 25 years ago, so maybe we shouldn't complain too much about the very odd height variation, with many halls being probably hardly higher than the height of Doomguy. Though near the beginning, some barrels can be shot to blow up a fair few enemies, despite the completely inefficient placement of a straight line it happens to be. Otherwise, this is just a maz-y, confusing level of narrow corridors with far too much ammo and health and design sensibilities that seem to have more in common with deathmatch and indeed, this seems to be designed for deathmatch as well. There's no monster-blocking lines though so if you hear enemies randomly teleporting, it's not because they're crossing some monster-only teleport lines. I'm not sure you can't get the yellow key without cheating and I didn't have the time nor the remotest amount of hints to try. There's also a complete lack of an exit and the most annoying midi you can possibly conceive of. The second map appears to be of somewhat higher quality, although monster placement feels random and there's not really tons of rhyme and reason to the layout. Also, making a random pillar the way to get out of the lift near the beginning was not a cool move. At least ammo stores aren't too large though. Overall, I guess this gets a 5 out of 10. Neither of them are well-made in any real regard but at least one plays like an actual map. Video below (Doesn't include second map, ran out of time and believe me if I call it basically skippable) 2 Share this post Link to post
Roofi Posted December 8, 2023 Year 2 Month 09 Day 16 I play until I die or intentionally stop. I don't comment the wad where I died/stopped. [1] Three Testing Maps by @Daniel (2004) Quote Quote These are levels that I made for test DeHackEd patches. Those three maps are playable on single player mode but those are simple experiments because you can skip all the monsters in each. The first one is a kind of underground laboratory with its chambers. You'll find all weapons and items you can obtain in Doom and meet all races of monsters, IOS included. However, fighting them is optional and I actually advice against releasing them from their chambers as duplicates of them will appear too. I recklessly opened the arch-vile and cyber's ones and I had to quickly exit the map as dozens of yellow dudes and cybies ended up chasing me. The second map consists to a huge courtyard and I've no idea what Daniel wanted to try. Imps and zombies appear on pad but can't move from them so you have just to ignore them and rush to the exit located in front of you. The last map seems to be an experiment related to how far an arch-vile can attack you. It's a gigantic room with a single arch-vile at its centre. However, dozen of them are released once you unlock the exit. The best strategy is just to stay far from them. Killing the viles is way too dangerous with the BFG. At the end, the three testing maps were fun to visit and are theorically playable on single player mode but I'm unable to grade them properly as I skipped most of the encounters and the maps don't have a real gameplay anyway. [2] LEDGE FOR DOOM I by Craig Webb (1996) Quote Quote DeathMatch level for DOOM I, designed for DEATHMATCH 2.0 rules. If this wad looks familiar it's because, although the level was created from scratch, much of the ideas and level design was shamelessly stolen from my favourite DM level, ledges2i.wad, created by Mark Gresbach. The heavy duty weapons are quite tricky to get a hold of. Have fun trying to get the plasma gun (just remember my motto - No Pain, No Gain :) A DM map for Ultimate Doom I discover for the third time. Here's what I said the first time (Month 4 Day 22 ; 9 Septembre 2021) : "I found the wooden structures quite fascinating in this map. I enjoyed how this map exploits height variations in order to make a pretty complex level. You indeed sometimes have to some tricky jumps in order to reach the most important items. Also, you can find teleporters in this level which help you to reach certain places. However, I didn't play ledges2i.wad mentioned by the author , so I can't compare. I had fun collecting all the items for sure." And the second time (Month 10 Day 26, 30 june 2022) "A deathmatch map I already discovered during Month 4 day 22. Ledge looks like a popular DM map from the 90' since I saw variants of this." And now, I tried collecting all the items again on prboom+, I felt like playing a sort of tiny platformer game. I recklessy rushed toward a chaingunner who instantly stopped me in Revile Quote 0 Share this post Link to post
LadyMistDragon Posted December 8, 2023 ChrisWAD v6.1 (2000) by Chris @ginc Polan (Crispy Doom) Among the wads released in 1995, this is one of them! Practically every sound effect has been replaced, basically anything not-related to the game has received an MS Paint makeover, and there's even a monster replacement or two! The general consensus seems to be the wad is extremely 90s but still shows quite a bit of creativity, but it has to be admitted that there was probably little reason to play it. This version has the spare Doom II assets revealed which is why this was uploaded 5 years kater, Anyway, I determined to play this until I died or intentionally stopped. I forgot what else I was going to say. 01: Wow, these doors look so silly! I think they were supposed to represent other kinds of doors but the bad alignment makes them look silly. Wow, just repeated myself. It's a little unclear what opens the outside doors but that's what the hints were for! This isn't even a puzzle map but it's definitely not a streamlined product! 02: Open, lots of slime, got distracted from the main progression by a secret....sigh 03: There were many cool and curious design decisions. Too bad I ran into a room with Lost souls and hardly any bullets. Maybe I'll play more later. Little to really complain about, other than the ridiculous sound effects. I guess 15 year olds are kind of like that, even though I always thought that was fucking stupid. 1 Share this post Link to post
brick Posted December 9, 2023 Brick | 1 wad | 9 maps Adventure | 7 wads | 30 maps Double Impact (2011) by @RottKing & @Ralphis. 9 SP maps for limit-removing Ultimate Doom. I love Double Impact and I will talk yours ears off about how great it is if you let me. It's one of my favourite E1 replacements and any excuse to replay it is good enough. Some wads feel like a natural extension of that E1 style, but to me DI is something else entirely; it's as if someone skipped those extensions and went straight to the extreme, logical conclusion without stopping at any of the intermediates. Removing limits means the architecture is more detailed but it's still the same kind of abstraction as id's maps. I know I often have this weird fixation on lighting when talking about wads, but I think this is the wad that made me realize how much I cared about it, it's incredibly well done, sometimes subtly. And the music! some of the tracks are still Bobby's but reshuffled (a couple are just left as is) but the mashups are really fun, the E1M1 original is so catchy, and even the victory music fits so well with the humorous ending text. The wad is famous for its difficult combat, but it's also beautifully balanced, HNTR is more difficult than iwad E1 of course but it's still very approachable and removes more than half the opposition. The wad uses the whole bestiary, but even the more hellish denizens work well in the E1 setting, and some of the maps veer into corrupted techbase and make them fit even more naturally. In general it's a study in how to use the more limited Ultimate Doom set effectively, I think this is the wad I'd use to convince sceptics that interesting and challenging fights can still be made in UD. Maps are much larger than iwad, but no matter how long or complex they got I never felt a single one outstayed its welcome. There's always a logic to the progression even if it's not immediately obvious, there isn't a single trigger that feels like bullshit, the sometimes numerous secrets (most maps have 10 or more!) are always so fun to sniff out and occasionally very clever. E1M3 allows you to exit with almost half the map unexplored, including a chain of secrets to eventually reach the other exit. And it's worth finding it because playing E1M9 is its own reward, it's one of my favourite maps in the set. E1M7 has a great gimmick with a switch that drains a lot of the toxin pools, changing the look of many rooms and exposing new passages. And then there's E1M8; I'll be honest, I still don't like it, I appreciate the attempt at trying something new but I feel it veers too much into "run around, die, try again, rinse and repeat until you figure out the pattern", and I'm not a fan of this kind of perseverance-endurance test. It's a minor complain though, this is still one of my favourite wads. Spoiler 5 Share this post Link to post
LadyMistDragon Posted December 9, 2023 DarkestHour's Arena (1996) by Darkest Hour (Crispy Doom) A monotextured arena-shaped map that nevertheless has plenty of places to hide and supposedly a weapon close to every player start. Seems a little big for 4 players but with 12 as the text file suggests, we're definitely in for a fun time. And of course, since this was made in the 90s, there are some weapon sound replacements that are kind of sucky to be honest, and a few voice clips added in for who knows what reason. Also, this can be played in single-player, though personally, I couldn't wait to leave because just look at this stupid map 4/10 Coadjutor to the Stars (2009) by Colin 'Fragtard' Mitchell (GZ Doom) Since this was listed as a co-op wad, it was decided to play this with a mod to make things less tedious, but this isn't one of those maps, though I can't say I feel bad since it's a mediocre map with zero personality anyway. I don't think it can be completed in single-player anyway because we eventually reach a point where there are a number of pairs of switches located not far away from one another. It's an indoor E1-styled map, in case you're curious as to the environment of it. 5/10 1 Share this post Link to post
