The DWmegawad Club plays: Abscission

[Blast_Brothers]

MAP21: Of Flesh and Fission

 

Quote

 

Our reincarnation - or perhaps deincarnation, given the circumstances - back into our human form only means more hellish environs are in store. I'm curious to see how more twisted the remaining maps can possibly get. I want to give a special shoutout to the awkward sightlines making the map feel more oppressive and disorienting than it really is. Makes the first descent really uncomfortable but backtracking isn't so bad.

[Snaxalotl]

6 hours ago, Andromeda said:

Is MAP20 named after this song by any chance?

 

 

Yes it is! I love this song :>

[LadyMistDragon]

Map 21: Of Flesh and Fission

Crispy Doom, UV, pistol-start

 

So here we are, back in the slime-filled bottom of Map 11......or so it seems like at first. The multiple medkits seems a litttle weird until you realize what map slot this occupies. But while there aren't any other direct Nirvana references, it's pretty clear the main encounters at least draw some influence from the ones there, if completely reshaped. Moreover, this fits the description Sandy Petersen did of Nirvana being a disorganized and sort of trip-filled mess. Although a lot of areas reinforce the intial impression, there are subterranean slime tunnels where hitscanners and spectres can chew us up from behind and the ending and very hellish flesh chasm occupied by Imps and a Hell Knight on every pillar while other Imps fire from windows far off from the side. Oddly enough, this section is a lot less troublesome than it seems on first blush, despite the rather limited rocket ammo here. 

 

It all contributes to the feeling of a place between dimensions, a la Lost Lands from Turok. Perhaps as a result of this, Snaxalotl gets a lot less trim with the shapes of the rooms, although the cord leading to a particular teleporter is still a nice twist. Better, we'll actually need some more of the medkits at the start. Admittedly, there was some sloppy gameplay in a few spots. But the Imp/Elemental trap in the rectangular lava cave might still be rather underrated: there isn't really a huge amount of enemies here but target 1 Pain Elemental and you'll find some Lost Souls from the other one slowly chewing off your skin from behind. The chaingunner teleport trap just before the chasm is also good. And the way the metal door at the end opens is quite ominous....

 

 

 

[DJVCardMaster]

MAP21 - Of Flesh & Fission (95%K/100%I/100%S):

A pretty twisted world based on some of the shenanigans found in Nirvana. Ugly, with sharp angles. Overall it feels like it was made by Romero as a Sigil 2 outtake because of its unorthodox layout and looks. I found myself a bit interested in this map at first, but other than building up something, nothing actually ever happens here. At the end, there is some platforming to be done. Possibly the most interesting bit, but not what I've expected.

Order of preference:
 

Spoiler

 

MAP10
MAP12
MAP19
MAP16
MAP17
MAP14

MAP03
MAP06
MAP11
MAP15
MAP08
MAP04
MAP05
MAP20
MAP09

MAP02
MAP21
MAP18
MAP13
MAP01
MAP07
MAP31

MAP32 (Unrated)

 

 

[Cutman 999]

MAP21 - “Of Flesh & Fission” (Pistol started, used saves, 100% K/I/S)

 

Nirvana if it wasn't bad, and also a fantastic map.

 

I like how the hub is not just a haphazardly element like in the og nirvana, but a way to checkpoint your progress, while also serving as your source of health, since all the medikits of the map are in the very start. This means, this map plays a lot more in that "survival horror" aspect, asking you to preserve your health to survive some of the nasty encounters present here. All of them serve as a careful act of eliminating them while trying to ensure that you don't take any damage, or else you will depend a lot on the hp at the start. The pain elemental one, and the manc rooms are my favorites in this whole map and surely they play really well to this concept.

 

If it wasn't for the chaingunner teleporting ambush being so dicey, I will probably rank this as a 9/10, but still, very well executed for a reimagining of one of doom 2's most infamous maps.

 

8/10

 

15 hours ago, Snaxalotl said:

I don't quite understand how the map could be labelled as having zero monster synergy as @Cutman 999 stated. Archviles and pain elementals prevent pacifism as they will constantly create more lost souls and revive enemies that succumb to infighting while hitscanners cause chip damage. In every attempt I had at getting monsters to infight each other until the map beats itself I end up hitting the lost soul limit, and getting my health drained as every dead hitscanner comes back from the dead to keep causing damage. This makes prioritizing archviles/pain elementals while avoiding hitscan attacks and the cyberdemon the main priority at first.  All of this feels like synergy to me personally, though I suppose that's subjective. I can safely say though that I didn't experience burn out when making this map, I liked how it turned out when I first made it and I still like it to this day.

 

Welp, you have a bfg almost at the start of the map, once you grab that you can nuke those 2 and the map becomes infighting because of how susceptible hitscanners are to fight with one another, while also the cybers you know that are the infighting kings, so they could possibly kill half the stuff in the map anyway, and if it doesn't happen, 660 cells is more than sufficient.

 

I'm open to record you a demo if you want to discuss this further.

[Snaxalotl]

2 hours ago, Cutman 999 said:

Welp, you have a bfg almost at the start of the map, once you grab that you can nuke those 2 and the map becomes infighting because of how susceptible hitscanners are to fight with one another, while also the cybers you know that are the infighting kings, so they could possibly kill half the stuff in the map anyway, and if it doesn't happen, 660 cells is more than sufficient.

 

I'm open to record you a demo if you want to discuss this further.

 

That doesn't account for the pain elementals or archives though, Im not really sure how infighting would reliably take care of them.

 

And if the solution is for the player to shoot the pain elementals, archviles, and cyber demons then I don't think the map would be beating itself at that point as those are the main threats in the level and require player intervention.

[Magnusblitz]

Huh, definitely did not expect the episode text to go in that direction. Very creepy.

 

MAP21: Of Flesh and Fission

100% kills, 1/1 "secret"

 

So we end up back in the bowels of MAP11, apparently resurrected, though after how long who knows? Tons of medkits at the start ala Nirvana, and thankfully you'll return here frequently which allows for healing up and takes some of the sting out of the lack of armor. The foreboding atmosphere continues here, and the cloak-and-dagger with the shotgunners I think fits that atmosphere a lot better than the imps/pinkie fights of the last few maps. The earth-hell combination is in full force here which also helps add to the creepiness as it's hard to kinda "predict" what the areas will or "should" look like. I quite liked the setup of the last area with the different batteries of hell knight + imps shooting from all different directions, creating a nice sort of bullet hell design.

[Snaxalotl]

Map21: "Of Flesh & Fission"

Another one of my personal favorites in the wad, and serves as a great introduction to Episode 3 as the player returns back to the Sarcophagus. Gameplay is linear, though there is a spike in difficulty and the starting hub / checkpoint system add an interesting twist. I really like the visual design that this map has though again I had to make compromises to keep under the visplane limit, but in the end I found a balance between scale and detail that I like. scraps of houses and furniture are buried beneath a massive complex with reactors overgrown with flesh, a good setting now that we have reached the final stretch.

I enjoy how health is bountiful in this level but its only accessible at the start so the player needs to restock and try to keep their health up until they can return through the next checkpoint. Each section provides a new type of encounter which helps prevent any tedium or repetition, and that teleporting chaingunner area can be so unpredictable/deadly. Though perhaps it overshadows that last area which is meant to be the hardest part of the level.

I can't say I'd change much about this level in hindsight, perhaps fleshing out (pun intended) the final area to extend it making it more than a frantic rush to clear out enemies to access the ammo they are guarding while being pelted with fireballs from a distance. Maybe an encounter once the player was stocked up would make it more satisfying, though overall I like the concept that is in place.

The midi here is much very atonal compared to the other tracks so far and slowly increases in volume and chaos as it progresses. I made the track about as long as I thought it would take most players to reach the end so it ends up climaxing around the final area, slowly building tension until we reach that point.

[RHhe82]

MAP22: Mausoleum. Played on UV, pistol start. DSDA v0.27.5. K: 54/54, S: 2/2, I: 2/2. Comp. time 10:23

 

Catacombs is one my favourite levels in Doom 2. It's a bit sadistic (in Doom 2 IWAD terms) and fun. Mausoleum, on the other hand, is only sadistic. I'm sorry, I didn't like it: it's somehow too cramped, there are constant in-your-face chaingunners. It's has inconsistent damaging floors (I'm not talking about the safe paths to both secrets; some of the starting area alcoves seem to be also non-hurting, while most of it hurts). There are some texture misalignments (in the starting area, one of the gargoyle faces). The plasma secret is clever, but when the same trick is duplicated for the soulsphere, the gimmick just becomes obnoxious (and I do consider them the same gimmick, even if the Soulsphere secret is completely dark and you have to follow automap instead).

 

The soundtrack is oppressive (and this I mean in a positive way), and it feels like a change of pace, because most of Abscission's soundtrack stays more in the background, and I found it funny that the mysterious hell knight floating amidst the nukage gets crushed :P I suppose this was his/her mausoleum :P

 

*

 

Added upon posting this: wow, do I sound negative :P I played Mausoleum something like a week ago and wrote the capsule review right away, it sounds like I'm picking on small things and inflating them :P I think the main reasons for me not liking it was the crampedness, the prevalence (and not barely noticeable inconsistency) of hurt floor, and possibly slight ammo starvation -- I think I remember thinking that it was a good thing I found the plasma early, otherwise wouldn't have made it... but I'm not sure anymore.

[cannonball]

MAP19 - “Phosphene”

 

There are some really cool visuals on show here and this map feels like quite a spectacle. The combat however for large parts of the map feels slow again and there are some bits where you simply have to methodically take everything out (Like the slime maze), this map relies on weaker foes again, the drop after the yellow key door with the mass of pinkies is used well and the final fight with the cyber that reuses a space you visited earlier was cool. The map wraps around nicely and the re are teleporters to lead you quickly to your next objective so this aspect is handled well. There are a couple of timed switch sequences that are annoying at first but straightforward once you get used to them.

Overall Snax's take on Sandy's visions of a city is well done, but I just wished that the gameplay was a little better, again this shows in the first half of the map but picks up later. Note I may have got the rocket launcher but I never used it because frankly that cyber duel was more comfortable to handle with the SSG.

[Celestin]

MAP22: Mausoleum

The Catacombs was a tightly-designed chaingunner hell and this aspect has been retained. Mausoleum doesn't offer much ammo, so get ready to punch whenever you have an option. It's the kind of map that makes the most out of the small enemy numbers and limited space. Just be ready for the final trap - a revenant in your face, a firing squad in your back.

 

I like how the secrets are handled here. There are those pitch-black tunnels filled with damaging blood that I initially ignored, only to later notice guiding lines that appear at a later point (I'm not sure what triggers them). They give you a plasma rifle and supercharge that were of great use during the finale.

 

Solid map that manages to capture Catacombs' aggression.

[LadyMistDragon]

Map 22: Mausoleum

Crispy Doom, UV, pistol-start

 

Catacombs was one of the more underappreciated maps made by American McGee. Perhaps it's no surprise the remix would emphasize the most hostile and oppressive portions. But holy hell, there is really no health and also, that maze in the west, though obviously sector-art filled and containing probably at least one secret, is just really stupid and takes too long. And bruh, I felt more resentful at chaingunners than at any point in a long time because they're everywhere and unfortunately, they're close to enemies that are probably more safe for punching. I didn't have lots of energy for this but the fact remains that despite the reused midi from like map.....09 or 11?.....idk

[DJVCardMaster]

MAP22 - Mausoleum (100%K/I/S):

A short map that takes a lot of non-subtle references from the original Catacombs. As I said, very short and claustrophobic. I was not a fan of trying to search for secrets exploiting the automap in this map, but then I realized you can hit a light switch that shows you the path to get both the rockets and the plasma gun.
Nothing much more to say about this map, is just there, just as the OG MAP22 was in Doom II. Filler map, for sure.

Order of preference:
 

Spoiler

 

MAP10
MAP12
MAP19
MAP16
MAP17
MAP14

MAP03
MAP06
MAP11
MAP15
MAP08
MAP04
MAP05
MAP20
MAP09

MAP02
MAP21
MAP18
MAP13
MAP01
MAP22
MAP07
MAP31

MAP32 (Unrated)

 

 

[Pseudonaut]

Map12: Can't believe I died on such an easy map. The manc teleported somewhere I didn't expect. The BFG is a little excessive, but probably makes UV-Max speedrunning pretty fun.

 

Map13: Horrible demo, millions of deaths. Seemed like a tough map while I was playing it, but judging by others' posts about it, I assume it's much easier when you keep calm and take it slow. The monster spawner immediately produces a sense of urgency, but it only lightly populates the playing field, and you're facing pre-placed monsters most of the time. Those monsters can seem like a serious obstacle due to the lack of health, lack of ammo, complete absence of armor, and roaming cyberdemon. With a little bit of conservation, I managed to kill the cyberdemon with the SSG before finding the BFG later.

 

You might think you've won when the cyberdemon is dead, but there are a few curveballs along the way. It seems that crushers are involved in the mechanism that makes the monster spawner so mild here, and as a side-effect, ghost monsters eventually make an appearance. I was fortunate to only encounter a ghost spectre (seems redundant, you know what I mean), but that's enough to spook you at the end of map like this, particularly when the obvious path to the exit has unexpectedly been blocked and you need to go around. Personally, I'm glad this map is prone to the ghost monster "bug", feels like the cherry on top, something to fear even after the hard stuff is done. I consider this the best map so far.

 

Map14: Like Dead Simple, The Inmost Dens is often the subject of homages like this one, though not quite as overdone, and the reference map was one of the best in Doom II. In this case, I find it a little too similar to its inspiration. I also don't care for the cheap trap that unexpectedly teleports you to a firing squad of chaingunners, the source of my one death.

 

Map15: More fun with a roaming cyber. Not easy to make sense of everything at first. Didn't find the secret exit but I'm warping to everything anyway.

 

Map31: Despite appearances, this is an extremely easy map. It's intimidating since it throws you into the fire when the elevator ride ends, but even if you die immediately, just wait a few minutes and Romero's head will die without any input from you. Provided you cross the right linedef, you can actually finish the map without ever activating the elevator you start in, but where's the fun in that? Of course, if you want to take the secret exit, or kill everything, there is plenty of challenge. The archviles are savage, and you're very likely to die within seconds of leaving the elevator. As time goes on and more archviles die, it gets easier to survive, but killing the ghost monsters is guaranteed to be awkward. The elevator ride at the start, about 35 seconds of doing nothing, definitely makes this annoying on repeated attempts. Nonetheless, it's one of my favorite maps in the wad.

 

Map32: I think I was a little spoiled for this one by skimming the thread before having played it. I vaguely remembered reading something about a map where intercepts overflow is triggered on purpose, so when I realized what I had just done, I caught on quick. Snaxolotl helps players catch on by consistently using a red texture where you're meant to pass through, while impassable walls are pitch black. What I didn't realize is that I had found the exit on attempt #1, and I ended up being killed by archviles when I thought I was trapped, even though I could have just stood on the exit floor until my health was low enough. Cool map, the gimmick goes well with the atmosphere. My only complaint is that it's a little short and easy when you understand it, but there's no doubt in my mind that it's one of the best in the wad. 

 

ab12-32FDAs-pseudonaut.zip

[cannonball]

MAP20 - “To Hieron”

 

A serviceable map that looks the part. For some reason this didn't strike a chord with me like Map11 did, maybe it is the more abstract nature of this episode compared to the first where the maps melded together to create this more defined narrative. In the end the map plays okay, the pain elementals are probably the biggest troublemakers along with the BFG being placed behind the mastermind. 

Overall this was okay. 

 

MAP21 - “Of Flesh & Fission”

 

So we return to what was the end of Map11, now flooded with slime and new areas to explore. This one touches on a lot of the motifs of Nirvana but done in a more tasteful and effective manner. I like the strange otherworldly mix of hell and tech on offer here, the unsure feeling of where you are now. The gameplay is fairly quiet but it does heat up towards the end, especially if you get ground down and placed in a position where the only path is forwards. The catwalk section in the final area looks neat and works really well, the mix of imps and hellknights present a nice compromise of effective opposition without making the encounter feel totally unfair. 

A nice start to the final episode.

[Magnusblitz]

MAP22: Mausoleum

100% kills, 2/2 secrets

 

Glad to see I'm not the only Catacombs fan here, heh. This WAD has instilled in me a fear of rooms filled with square columns in small rows, upon dropping down at the start I was worried it was gonna be another pinkie swarm fight... thankfully(?) it's mostly chaingunners instead, which can still be quite dangerous if they flank you, but at least isn't nearly as frustrating in terms of getting pinned. I liked the first part of this map, some interesting dancing away from damaging floors and I quite liked the secrets once I found that turning on the light also made the sludge path non-painful. The second half, well, upon reaching the northeast corner it becomes very obviously apparent what the inspiration is, I'd say this one is almost verging into "remake Catacombs from memory" territory. There's a mean trap behind the red door that basically will require one reload from all but the luckiest (or most paranoid) players, and then the map ends, a bit unceremoniously. Not really sure what the intent behind the floating hell knight in the middle of the map was, and didn't even figure out how to get to the RL (thankfully not a secret I suppose).

[cannonball]

MAP22 - “Mausoleum”

 

Another one who enjoys Catacombs, however I found this to be too obnoxious and cramped for its own good. The initial wave is decent but far to often you get dunks into areas with chaingunners where you hope for good fortune with them because health is very limited, which is the biggest issue with this map. I ended up by the red door with 4% health so essentially a one shot kill and had to have great fortune to get out of there alive. 

Visuals are decent but the overall feel of the map is more cramped and hostile than its source material and unfortunately this makes it take a big dip in terms of enjoyment.

[DavitW]

MAP21: Of Flesh & Fission
We're in the third episode now, so I'm expecting some real fucked up shit to start happening soon. The music is a good start. We're in full ambient horror territory by this point. Starting off with a repitive one note twang and pounding drum before adding in some spooky noises. By the end of it there'a a few evil windchimes added to the mix before a stringendo that goes into... something. I finished the level before the Midi could loop. Anyways, the level itself is probably the first proper challenge we had in the wad. Sure, you had the boss maps, but those were more trying not to get one shot by a Cyberdemon than the more long term challenge this one brings. And unless I'm just blind, it's another map that seems to have a complete lack of armor. At least there's plenty of health in the beginning. The final area is a sort of pseudo platforming challenge along with a typical hell knight and imp ambush. It really made you think twice about every move you made.

 

MAP22: Mausoleum
Have to be honest with you here. Early impressions of this one were very poor. Things did improve a bit by the time all was said and done, however. Incredibly close quarters, what feels like more hurt floor than regular floor and most of the ambushes seem to involve dumping chaingunners and pinkie demons right on top of you with little room or cover. Both of the secrets were fairly obvious in my view, but it's probably best to wait for one of the rad suits before retrieving them. There's also a Hell Knight stuck in the air and in desperate need of help. The only thing we can do is activate an invisible crusher to put him out of his misery. At least the map looked pretty cool.

 

MAP23: Hazard Pay
Explosive barrels obstructing pathways? Light fixtures that serve as crushers? 48 inch or greater drop next to walking surface without properly installed guard rails? Something tells me the union will have Doom Guys back on this one. This is one of those maps that I feel gets easier as it goes on. The rockets handed out before particularly difficult encounters are certainly useful. The office area with the Archvile is probably the most challenging part if you don't find the megasphere secret beforehand. Another Spider Mastermind in another relatively harmless area. Good map. though it's still more demon invaded earth than the more abstract design I was expecting by this point. More of a problem with my own personal expectations than the wad.

 

ab21-23.zip

[Celestin]

MAP23: Hazard Pay

 

Once again, what was originally a horrible level has been transformed into a mad dash forward, dodging monsters, avoiding explosive barrels and collecting resources. Two major ways Hazard Pay improves from Barrels o'Fun is giving the player the SSG and removing pain elementals. Clearing the corridor is not the end, there are two more fights to deal with. The office features chaingunners, pain elementals, an archvile and crushers, I was lucky no ghosts were spawned here (though you have plenty of rockets in case of emergency). Then there's an ambush behind the yellow door, where you are squeezed between two groups of enemies. In both cases, the rocket launcher can deal with them quickly, but it's dangerous to use explosive up-close. The mastermind appears here, but she got stuck and eaten by pinkies, so I just ignored her completely.

 

It's not hard to improve the worst map of Doom 2 and this quick brawler left me satisfied. There is tension and action, but without the aggravation of the original MAP23.

[baja blast rd.]

map11: Sarcophagus

 

Very good map. Styled after the Circle of Death, it's a progressive arena map, but it's also a lot more than that. The dark atmosphere is <3, with the flickering lights and the drops to nowhere and those impossibly tall bright CEMENT structures at the end, which have stuck out to me in screenshots as the megawad's most compelling image. The timing to the waves of combat is organic: cacos and PEs eventually rising from a deep abyss to reinforce what's already there; a red key trapped with tripwires so far away from it that I didn't realize they were connected and just saw a vile and other stuff coming at me for unexpected reasons. Long maps often need to make sense -- because if a long map is completely baffling in some way, you might get lost -- but I'm noticing that very short maps appeal to me more when they mystify me in some way, even in small ways like that, leaving certain things about their mechanics unexplained, despite their inevitable simplicity. The lighting effects are some of the best parts of the base Doom toolkit, and sometimes I think of it as as foundational as doors or lifts -- that maybe a beginner class would treat it as a first-class "fundamental." The most unexpected part of the lighting ensemble here is the way the stairs at the very end flicker, as if enchanted somehow, around all those corpses and blood splats. Why do they do that? 

 

 

[RHhe82]

MAP23: Hazard Pay. Played on UV, pistol start. DSDA v0.27.5. K: 104/104, S: 1/1, I: 20/22. Comp. time 14:36

 

Barrels of Fun is one my least favourite levels in Doom 2, especially on pistol start, but on continuous too. Hazard Pay, on the other hand, is much more to my liking; it also draws heavily from source material, but I think it manages to make it more of its own thing while retaining the core of the original. That said: I kinda wish it had exaggerated on the barrels and other funny aspects a bit more.

 

No matter, I still like it. For some reason I had a lot of trouble with all the encounters involving archviles. I also suffered a bit from thinking I'll run out of ammo, and yet at the end I had something like 30 rockets to spare -- a replay would probably be more enjoyable.

 

Added the next day: And I just realized (after posting the review of MAP16) that the map is bright! That must be another reason I liked it! :D

[Horus]

Since next month’s voting is nearly here, I believe we were talking a while ago about August being a potential ‘nostalgia’ month, i.e. that WADs already played by the club could be voted for, is this the case @dobu gabu maru or would you rather that be part of a separate club? I ask as that would influence what I choose for next month.

[Blast_Brothers]

MAP22: Mausoleum

 

Quote

 

Chaingunners, nukage, and a short runtime combine to make something painful but still admirable.

 

MAP23: Hazard Pay

 

Quote

 

Barrels of Fun is a little too silly to fit the heavy atmosphere we've seen thus far, but the minor levity of watching monsters explode doesn't mean this map is a break. Combat remains tough, and the penalty for mistakes becomes greater when there are explosives everywhere. Special praise should be given to the total bedlam of the first two minutes.

 

Snaxalotl seems to be using ghost monsters as an intended play mechanic, given it shows up almost inevitably in the office crusher fight here, and was seen in previous maps (notably MAP31). It's been well-balanced so far, which is surprising.

[cannonball]

MAP23 - “Hazard Pay”

 

Well this was a pleasant surprise, this one essentially strips out all of what made "Barrels o fun" bad and build a solid level around the rest. The gameplay is energetic, the mastermind actually carries some threat given there will be two spots where she can rain down fire and visual are top notch, returning us to the sights of large structures and tasteful texture usage. Everything works nicely and the archvile usage can catch you out too.

Overall this is probably my favourite map since the first episode.

[LadyMistDragon]

Map 23: Hazard Pay

Crispy Doom, UV, pistol-start

 

Beginning is kind of hostile, though a subtle reference to Barrels o' Fun's notorious Mancubus barrel hallway can be seen. Although along with that, there's also plenty of enemies up some stairs on the side that will all die to barrels. Probably not before the Imps and chaingunners have hurt us a little bit, though probably not too badly if we're quick. The next room locks in and maybe kind of references that stupid Pain Elemental hallway from the original, but while that little tribute is sitting off to our left and should be dispatched as soon as possible, multiple Hell Knights and Arachnotrons in strategic locations discourage us from making a stand and good thing too when a Super Shotgun is sitting on the other end. From this point, it's kind of a choice to either dispatch everything or continue outside, where there's another far Arachnotron some ways in front and a Spider Mastermind on the far left. Drop down here and find a Supercharge, although perhaps the rocket launcher might prove more important since we can kill the Arachnotrons easier that way.

 

After that, we enter a sort of series of offices guarded by pinkies. Again rockets are probably best here, though it's pretty tight, not to mention an Arch-vile that will probably duck back and forth and thusly make things difficult, in particularly when there are plenty of chaingunners to give us a nasty wake-up call. Shotgun will likely prove the better weapon here then.

 

Not much to say after that. Yellow key hallway has more pinkies behind then later, the top of the bloodfall with the Spider Mastermind that should then die fairly easily.

[Celestin]

MAP24: Abyssal Refuge

 

Abscission enjoyed a long streak of good and above maps, but it sadly came to the close at the 24th slot. Abyssal Refuge is a frustrating level that combines precarious footing, limited resources and some of the most dickish enemy formations yet. 

 

The first obstacle I've encountered was a platforming section, where you need to jump between crushers, that was aggravating enough, but the next part proved to be the hardest fight of the map. I'm talking about the network of sewers and this is where the aggavating monster combos come to play. Snax unleashes pinkies, chaingunner and cacodemons, while you have a berserk and a shotgun with little ammo. You have to be constantly on the move to avoid getting blocked, punch the demons to reduce their numbers, watch out for chaingunners (who can shred you in a map with no armor) and keep in mind the radsuit timer. Even if you survive this, up next is the reimagined slime room, now with a lot of imps and some cacos, making the place extremally cramped. If you get past this, I'd say the hardest parts are over. 

 

One thing to mention is the non-linear nature of the map. If you fancy going into crowded rooms with little ammo, you can get a plasma rifle or a rocket launcher (the other one locks after picking the weapon of choice), which corresponds to unlocking a route to red and blue key. The former is a room with a ludicrous amount of pinkies that I survived thanks to a secret invuln, the other features more ledge walking. Also, you can get a BFG pretty much from the opening minute, perhaps it helps with clearing the rocket launcher/plasma room, but, as always, I've got it after killing everything and having no use for it.

 

I'm not going to complain about the visuals or the atmosphere and I get this will likely be more fun with a bit of foreknowledge, however Abyssal Refuge was the map I enjoyed the least. Coming in blind was a lenghty and painful experience.
 

[DJVCardMaster]

MAP23 - Hazard Pay (100%K/90%I/0%S):

This map has barrels and some fun. Strange layout involving some kind of hellish office building in the middle of hell. Seems like the deepest circle of hell makes you work in an office cubicle for the rest of your life. Thanks god I killed the archvile at the office quickly, as he was about to revive some of the, already seen in Abscission, ghost monsters. Again, nothing too interesting happened here, but was way better than both of the previous map of this last episode. Also, we finally see that really nice red-planet skybox from the title screen, beautiful.

Order of preference:
 

Spoiler

 

MAP10
MAP12
MAP19
MAP16
MAP17
MAP14

MAP03
MAP06
MAP11
MAP15
MAP08
MAP04
MAP05
MAP23
MAP20
MAP09

MAP02
MAP21
MAP18
MAP13
MAP01
MAP22
MAP07
MAP31

MAP32 (Unrated)

 

 

[RHhe82]

MAP24: Abyssal Refuge. Played on UV, pistol start. DSDA v0.27.5. K: 155/155, S: 5/5, I: 4/4. Comp. time 33:44

 

I actually like Chasm, so I didn't enter Abyssal Refuge with low expectations. And indeed, it's a fine map, although bit on a back-tracky side, and as such it somewhat outstays its welcome. Although -- I'm not sure if I broke the progression. Somehow I was able to open the red key door in the control room on my first visit there, which might have caused me to adventure in wrong direction. On the other hand, yellow key door secret demands you backtrack and do the crusher-pillar section twice. I wonder if it is necessary, though? Was the yellow key completely optional?

 

I'm not sure. It DID grant access to some much-needed supplies, because for the most part I was suffering from serious lack of ammo and other resources. Radsuits were plenty enough, thankfully, but armor was almost completely lacking, there was no SSG... On a replay the situation would be less dire because of all the secrets, some of were difficult to find. For instance, the path to BFG I found only by stumbling off the cliff and unexpectedly landing on a ledge.

 

This time the darkness didn't bother me -- I suppose one well-lit map before helped somewhat.

[Magnusblitz]

MAP23: Hazard Pay

100% kills, 0/1 secret

 

The first main area is the roughest, though my initial approach to try and wait it out and create infighting (or let the monsters explode themselves on the barrels) proved fruitless; much better to just run to the end and grab the SSG and go on the offensive. Still a bit difficult, with fireballs from all sides, moving platforms and barrels to avoid. I agree with @RHhe82 that I was hoping for a bit more 'fun' barrels, while you can get some use out of them, I feel they're here more as hazards for the player than useful tools. Still, makes for a good (and underused) gameplay mechanic. I really liked the two side rooms, both are very well-designed bite-size encounters that took a couple tries and some strategy, but never felt frustrating or unfair. Can definitely see how each little bit was placed to create different sorts of pressure. The SMM didn't do much for me on the other hand, but others said it worked well so I suppose it's luck of the draw.

[DJVCardMaster]

MAP24 - Abyssal Refuge (99%K/100%I/40%S):

This time references to The Chasm are obvious, there is no intention to hide the clear inspirations of this map. This feels similar to the Chasm, but longer, and spookier. So far, what I've noticed about Abscission in general is that Snaxolotl really succeeds at making you feel lost in a spooky labyrinth, just like the first time you played Ultimate Doom. When Snaxolotl does not abuse the monster usage in a map, she manages to create a good suspense atmosphere in combination with the music. This map had a lot of moments when I felt pressured by time, because of the expiration of radsuits over nukage floor, and the constant approach of flying enemies from all over the abyss. This time, parkouring through catwalks wasn't as annoying as in the original MAP24, even though the part with the silos was quite hard, but still, I've felt pressured because of the fact that I had a radsuit and no time to waste. What was a bad deal about this map for me was the low ammo you may have at this map, where I've benefited myself from playing continuously through the mapset (If I die quickly into the map, if not, I just pistol-start, which was not the case here). Most of the time you will be punching enemies with a radsuit, so even more hurry and pressure to myself.

Really good map, possibly one of the stand-outs of Abscission so far, making it a really hard level without overwhelming you with enemies. Classic Ultimate Doom experience right here. 

Order of preference:
 

Spoiler

 

MAP10
MAP24
MAP12
MAP19
MAP16
MAP17
MAP14

MAP03
MAP06
MAP11
MAP15
MAP08
MAP04
MAP05
MAP23
MAP20
MAP09

MAP02
MAP21
MAP18
MAP13
MAP01
MAP22
MAP07
MAP31

MAP32 (Unrated)