The DWmegawad Club plays: Abscission

[Insaneprophet]

Map 11

 

This is a pretty damn good set up that makes one hell of a fight with multiple stages but in the end thats all it is. Kind of a one trick pony. I enjoyed it for what it was and have played out the fight a dozen or so times but this wont be remembered and wouldnt make it close to a favorites list but hey, theres room for everything in this game. If it werent for all the maps like this we wouldnt know how strikingly bad the bad maps are and how amazingly good the best are. 😀

 

 

[Blast_Brothers]

MAP11: Sarcophagus

 

Quote

 

I spent the first few minutes of my playthrough convinced that the Cyber was confined to the central area. That's... not true. Imagine my surprise.

 

Quote

 

Another mean and visually intriguing map.

[Wolfgun Shootner]

MAP10: Industrial Crypt

UV, pistol start

 

Took me some time to single segment this, because Cyberdemon... Eventually I made it in just under 19 minutes with all the kills and all the secrets. Great sprawling map with hitscanners lurking and mean ambushes waiting around every corner. Mowing down the cannonfodder while trying to escape the Cyberdemon is really great fun, a well designed challenge! I also like the spider and baron at the beginning. Without any powerful weapon you almost have to rely on those two infighting, so for once my preferred gameplay style gets rewarded. Well done!

 

MAP11: Sarcophagus

UV, pistol start

 

The entire map is one fight and that's a secret, so it's a secret fight... A short and punchy map, watch out for spectres blocking your path, don't get surprised by the archvile, kill the Cyberdemon, try not to fall... got it. Takes about 5 minutes. I found that although the Cyberdemon is almost invisible in the inner circle, the rockets stand out of the dark very well, so this makes it almost easier to dodge Cyber projectiles than in daylight. I don't try to reach the plasma, I let stuff infight the cyber, then take him down with what I have - shells and rockets, then take care of the archvile, use the plasma to blast through the remaining hellspawn. Nice!

[LVENdead]

1 hour ago, Wolfgun Shootner said:

The entire map is one fight and that's a secret, so it's a secret fight

 

I believe the reason for this is that there aren't technically any "real" secrets in the map, which for some source ports (and I think vanilla .exe?) means the secret count would show up at 0% at the end if there were no sectors tagged as secret in the map. Just allows UV-max'ers to actually hit 100% on secrets even though there aren't any.

[LadyMistDragon]

Map 11: Sarcophagus

Crispy Doom, UV, pistol-start

 

Defiantly minimalist midi accompanies what is probably the grandest and grimmest map so far. Flashing lights can be spotted on every one of the industrial tower structures in the vast pool of slime but they are less places of safety than underscorers of an unbeatable hostility. The main area is pretty damn hectic and really is where most of the combat is. It'll probably be fine to one who can keep moving, but otherwise, it might be wise to drop the difficulty if one's pistol-starting. There's plenty of ammo so at least that's not a huge deal.

 

I'm not kidding about the structures here either. After the small opening room, the design seems geared towards impressing you with its scale and filling you with dread. The Benjogami comparison is not far off but this is more based in purest bleakness than anything ever made by him. And of course, there's the Cyber in the middle and the Arch-vile that gets introduced in a far more effective fashion than Circle of Death.

 

The ending is just as grim. We're descending down some stairs in the void, dispatching a sole Arachnotron that clearly references Circle of Death, then we step onto....our grave? This is such a Doom trope at this point, I have nothing to say how it aids the story but despite the brevity that encouraged entirely wasted secret finding, this should stay with me for a while.

 

 

 

[Magnusblitz]

MAP11: Sarcophagus

100% kills, 1/1 "secret"

 

Essentially a boss map to clear out the episode, but with enough little extras that make it stand out. First, gotta admit that now that I'm playing with proper vanilla lighting settings, that Spectre at the start caught me by surprise and took a nice chunk out of me. The second thing I really liked was the rising nukage in the middle - when you first enter the ring it seems like the Cyberdemon will simply be a turret, but then the sludge fills up and he's free to roam. You're also free to grab the red key and test your skills by letting out Mr. Vile and friends while the Cyber is still lording about. This does present the risk of overextending yourself into the blue key/plasma gun corridor; like @Celestin I trapped myself in here and it took a couple of attempts to escape. Since there's too much to play these days I'm typically not a fan of "replay over and over to learn the map" but for a short one like this it's not a big deal. Funny enough I think I died less from cyber rockets or AV fire than simply being bumped (goddamn lost souls!) into the sludge pits.

 

I also really adore the size and spectacle of the surrounding visuals... I know it's just giant blinking CEMENT columns but it really does come together with the music to create a sense of foreboding. I'm probably off the mark but between the radioactive slime, "sarcophgus" and the columns (cooling rods?) I start thinking I was in a giant demonic Chernobyl or something.

[Roofi]

Map 11 : Sarcophagus

 

 

After taking the endless stairs, you're now among the catacombs of the "Industrial Crypt".

 

The "Circle of Death"'s concept must be now taken litterally regarding the tough boss fight involving a cyberdemon and other monsters but actually this combat doesn't feel that important compared to this "sea" of infinitely tall concrete pillars that blink in the darkness. I know that Abscission is supposed to make me unsettled but those structures totally alienate me.

 

It's a true work of art as an abstract horror, I have no other word for it. Sarcophagus makes me feel anxious, lonely and desperate, and the brutalist style contributes to the lifelessness of the space. Corpses and falling blood would have been too clichéd and unoriginal. Instead, these strange structures make me wonder: What are they for? If so, how many corpses do they contain? If I die, do I end up encased in these immense pillars, presumably serving as foundations for this hostile new world? I spent litterally several minutes watching this eerie spectacle during my first playthrough and the quiet midi contributes to make the experience trippier.

 

And this horrific aspect is really reinforced by playing on the original EXE, as these distant pillars become a mass of pixels becoming increasingly unrecognizable.

 

Despite its vanilla limitations, map 11 of Abscission was for me one of the most fascinating works in terms of trapping our hero in darkness. Those flickering pillars will long remain etched in my memory. With map 10, the conclusion of the first episode of this wad is diabolical and gorgeous. Can't wait to get more deeply isolated in hell....

 

Sidenote, I remember Mtpain showing images of this map at the conclusion of season 3. Here's hoping he gives this map the same rating I do.

 

Grade : A+ (19/20)
 

 

 

[DJVCardMaster]

MAP11 - Sarcophagus (100%K/I/S):

The Circle of Death have become ten times more deadlier. This entry feels a lot, aesthetically, to something you would find in Sunder. It really gives you that Sunder feeling because of that overusage of CEMENT textures, pillars with flickering lights far away, and overall a mood that makes you feel small. The level is just a boss fight, with everything thrown to you right from the start. It's not that hard after you clear the central area, still, the work you'll have to do to clear it is quite difficult. Fun gameplay, but I was not a fan of those long-ass unescapable pits, those just wasted most of my time in this map.

The last stairway to the death exit was clearly what gave me the most Sunder vibes. Really cool looking area. Is this Vanilla Doom still? Amazing views. Well done, Snaxolotl.

Order of preference:
 

Spoiler

 

MAP10

MAP03
MAP06
MAP11
MAP08
MAP04
MAP05
MAP09

MAP02
MAP01
MAP07

 

 

[TheGreenZap]

(HMP, Doom Retro)

 

MAP10: Industrial Crypt

 

If you thought 09 was adventure, boy, this is an entire different ball game. This was quite the map with a lot of great encounters. The Cyber Demon was challenging, because it was close quarters and it was dark. So hard to see when he's firing. Keep chipping away, running, hiding, repeat. The Pain Elementals were a pain in the ass as usual. They should have just named them PIA. They were primarily the problem in the nukage pool fight. It was nice to be able to find the button and get up on higher ground in that one. I was able to grab the BFG in the end which I felt good about. Memorable map for sure.

[SirPootis]

MAP09 - Hadal Facility

99% K | 2/2 S | 16:48 completion time

 

To be completely honest, I didn't enjoy my first playthrough of this map. I felt it dragged on a bit, and the hub-like structure felt too limiting. Now, having played this for the third time around, I've grown to enjoy this a lot more. From an atmosphere perspective, this level feels great. You're diving deep into a long-forsaken underground base that's brimming with those who likely trashed the place, and all you can do is try to find a way out. Imps flood the ruined sections, putting just enough pressure to keep you moving through the minimal platforming sections. Shotgunners and chaingunners harass you from the outskirts, and cacodemons decide to take the fight to you, getting in your way and providing floating cover for the hitscanners flinging pot shots at you. I really appreciate the doomcute in some of the spaces, the few tables in the meeting area and mess hall, the cafeteria serving up its slop of the day, and even the improvised fortifications that leave me visualizing the scenario of resistance fighters sandbagging the main hall in preparation to ward off the demonic force, failing, and then the demons themselves using the same tactic against anyone coming through with any more fight in them. The final fight is a great way to play off the last room of the Pit, which I usually just run past the wall of mancubi and exit. The final fight caps off the musty romp through a dilapidated techbase with a nice slugfest under that same night sky. Just like with Slag Dump, seeing that sky after 15 minutes in the ruins... I can almost feel the cool air hitting my face. It's refreshing. The music again is great. The juxtaposition of the constant drums in the back with the melancholic, yet almost soothing synth pads give an interesting dynamic of what the place used to be compared to what it is now. The only thing I'm not a fan of is the medkit closets. This is the third time I've played this level, and it's the third time that I realize I can just open the bars when I'm already at least 10 minutes into the level. Other than that little nit-pick, another solid level.

 

MAP10 - Industrial Crypt

96% K | 9/9 S | 14:26 completion time

This one's another banger. It takes Refueling Base and turns it into a breezy trek across this abandoned nukage facility. Unlike Hadal Facility where you're making your way through a completely destroyed underground base, Industrial Crypt's facility is undisturbed. It has this unsettling-yet-serene feel to it. This map is on-level with Hydroelectric Grid for me, with how it takes its inspiration and improves it on essentially all aspects. The high points are the hitscanner hallway fight and the red key nukage fight. Who would've figured that throwing in a single cyberdemon would turn up the intensity of an already-popular fight to 11. What a blast. The nukage fight is also great fun, giving the player the RL and throwing them into a massive pit with pain elementals, imps, revenants, and pinkies while having to manage radsuit usage. While radsuit management is not usually something I enjoy, it's executed well here. The nine secrets are not too difficult to find, with maybe the exception of the invuln secret, although that's probably just from me not even noticing it atop the pillar until I'd already killed basically everything. The SSG secret is great fun. I remember surviving the secret fight in the nukage and almost completely passing it by until I noticed the TP pad in the corner, and thought "wait a second". A tiny bit of parkour in the background scenery is always fun, especially for a payoff like that. The ending staircase down is such a chilling visual to end the level. This stairway, narrow enough for a person but tall enough for a titan, beckons you down, further into the abyss. The bodies strewn all over only add further questions. Where the hell am I going?

 

MAP11 - Sarcophagus

100% K | 1/1 S | 4:28 completion time

 

If you thought this map would give you an answer, you'd be dead wrong. The Sarcophagus is a circular arena that screams into your face from the word 'go', smattering all kinds of demons at you, with a cyberdemon acting as a turret from the center. That is, until the slime eventually raises, then he's after you too. We see the first arch-vile of the wad in this fight also, which is appropriate given the inspiration. So far, this is shaping up to be a short and sweet boss arena fight, which already is a good time. But then. You grab the red key, open the door, march forward, and....

Seeing the massive pillars flickering in the distance of the gaping void filled me with equal parts awe and dread. You're in uncharted territory now. Grabbing the blue key, cleaning up the last few enemies in the main arena, and leaving through the red key door, I just stop and look into the distance. Such a simple, yet grabbing scene. Another great level.

Edited July 12 by SirPootis

[Snaxalotl]

Map11: "Sarcophagus"

This map was a massive pain to make vanilla compatible, surprisingly it was the main arena that had issues rather than the massive expanse deep below. The setting here is an old nuclear reactor deep below the surface, yet beyond the reactor chamber lies architecture no human could have created, something deeper is going on down here and it's completely foreign compared to everything else the player has seen thus far.

 

The midi here really helps drill in the vibe that I wanted, its not some triumphant combat music or energetic horror. The track is ominous and foreboding, you aren't supposed to be here and there is a sinking feeling that something bad is going to happen if you continue. The koto was used to mimic the sound of a faint alarm, not sure how well that could be recognized but it added a neat layer.

Once again I'm fully satisfied with how this map turned out, from a combat perspective its functional and straight forward, bringing a climactic end to the first episode and resulting in the death of the protagonist. Yet its not the end, who knows where he ended up after descending into the Sarcophagus.

[LVENdead]

Map 11 - Sarcophagus (UV - 100%)

 

Does this map title perhaps have a double meaning? The end of this map will make your stomach drop. It's truly an iconic visual setpiece and probably one of the most memorable things from the entire WAD, full stop. The rest is a competent "boss fight" to round out the first episode. I swear to god the cyberdemon killed me multiple times, it was truly a pain in the ass to beat saveless even though I'm more than seasoned to combat of this caliber. I actually really like the precarious skirting around the ledges I found necessary early in the fight; otherwise it's very easy to get pinned somewhere which makes you easy pickings for the cyberdemon. Once you get a handle on the first stage, letting out the archie kind of kicks off the second round, but he ends up being fairly easy to deal with for any number of reasons. Really, it's all the pain elementals getting out of control that can cause the most havoc while you're trying to finally handle the cyber. This is a quick one with a big impact. Is the combat anything to write home about? Not necessarily. But it's effective enough, and really the map is more of a sum of its parts. It's the frantic nature of a quick but hectic shootout followed by an eerily still and quiet and nearly unfathomable ending that tie it all together for me. Something has gone very wrong here, and while it hits like a punch to your stomach, if you somehow didn't see it coming then you haven't really been paying attention.

 

I really like maps like this. Sure, Doom is a goofy shooting pew pew game from the 90s, but finding these moments like the finale of this map that leave you unsettled are what make it special a special medium to explore as a creative space.

 

Edit: Just in response to one of Snax's notes - the koto in the midi doesn't exactly sound like an alarm to me, but it does sound like some errant machinery banging around behind the walls which I would call very fitting for this map.

Edited July 12 by LVENdead

[RHhe82]

MAP12: Outer Plane. Played on UV, pistol start. DSDA v0.27.5. K: 95/95, S: 1/1, I: 2/2. Comp. time 10:05

 

I think I can see the connection to Factory, but still, we are far from that. At first glance I wasn't that enamored with Outer Plane, but I grew to like it quite soon: I like the fights behind the teleports. One thing I didn't understand: you're given ample ammunition, but the SMM is crushed nevertheless. I was running towards it at the end BFG buzzing, only to realize it was getting crushed.

 

The vision of IoS wall had me concerned for a moment, but it's not an IoS map, thankfully, and as an additional positive, I have never seen IoS wall used in the fashion it's used here. Like this one!
 

[DJVCardMaster]

MAP12 - Outer Plane (100%K/I/S):

Wow what? Outer Plane throws everything seen in the first 10 maps out of the window, going for a suspenseful atmosphere, full of darkness and overall the feeling of esoteric-ness. 
A simple but effective hub area with monsters to kill and stuff to open and show, as you hit switches placed in areas you will teleport to. Four teleports with three tasks (And a safe spot conveniently marked with a silver tp flat) will give you three weapons, the SSG, the RL, and finally, our first non-secret BFG. The three arenas have some things whose idea was clearly taken from the original MAP12 in a subtle way. Hitting the switches will reveal more stuff in the main hub area. After everything has been done, there is a mastermind guarding the exit, you can kill it right from the get-go. Or you can grab the yellow key and crush her to death. I've chosen crushing her to death to complete this map 100%. 

The music and the setting here is top notch. Great suspense vibes given here, as you slowly approach to each teleport while killing some enemies guarding the exits from the starting room. Another good map to welcome us to the new episode.

The exit bridge is just weird, are we getting inside the mind of the Icon of Sin itself?

Order of preference:
 

Spoiler

 

MAP10
MAP12

MAP03
MAP06
MAP11
MAP08
MAP04
MAP05
MAP09

MAP02
MAP01
MAP07

 

 

[Celestin]

MAP12: Outer Plane

 

My favourite part of Abscission is seeing how Snaxalotl takes maps that are not great, borrow certain ideas and create something better. Outer Plane is a dark outdoor hub and several challenge rooms, more or less inspired by parts of The Factory.

The imps horde, mancubi fight and cacodemon ambush are much more cramped than they used to. The latter is the best encounter of the map, the fractured platform over nukage restrict your movement and to make the fight more exciting, the weapon of choice is a rocket launcher. I question the presence of the mastermind at the end, she does a poor job as an area denier and can be crushed, but that's a minor nitpick.

 

Also, beating each challenge leads to a room with an Icon of Sin and the map ends by you walking straight into its exposed brain. Random weirdness or some deeper story? I'm not sure. Either way, Outer Plane is a great map, providing some tricky fights and an interesting visual side.

[Wolfgun Shootner]

MAP12: Outer Plane

UV, pistol start, DSDA

 

The three fights after the teleporters are fun but nothing too bad. Overall this felt to me like a bit of a breather map. I did not like to see the icon of sin at first but fortunately this is not this kind of map. This is basically entryway for the next level, it seems we enter the icon of sin.. Oh oh, nothing good can come of this.

[Blast_Brothers]

MAP12: Outer Plane

 

Quote

 

The preceding maps were more difficult, but none of those were this unwelcoming. It doesn't hate you; it doesn't even bother to notice you. You are an alien on a planet with its own machinations.

[Insaneprophet]

Map 12

 

I definately enjoyed this one more on replay than on first go round. Initially I didnt think I cared for it very much but now as I try to come up with why, all my brain can think of is the different things I liked about it. It is really easy, but easy in a very fun way. Its short and abstract, but longer than the last map that was only one fight and abstract in a very Doom 2/Chasm or indeed Factory sort of way. Is it the adventure/exploration type that I love so much? No. Can I say one difinative bad thing about it? No. 😀

[Roofi]

Map 12 : Outer Plane

 

 

 

Snax transformed the Factory in a serie of separated arenas, in order to make you understand how detached the world of Abscission is. Those are linked via a hub that could be the main section of an another hypothetical homage to "Circle of Death". Your goal consists to build an invisible bridge to reach the brain of an inactivated Icon of Sin. You might wonder why you do this, but instead you should shut up and just witness all this weirdness. Not everything is supposed to be known after all.

 

My opinion is perhaps controversial but "The Factory" figures as one of my favourite maps from the IWAD. And to be frank, I don't like "Outer Plane" as much because my biggest attraction to the original Map 12 is the moody exploration. I have a great respect for Snax's approach, and the sections borrow from the original map's aesthetic, whether it's the wood textures, the light textures or the iconic battles, particularly the one with the cacodemons. Nevertheless, I'm rather disappointed that there's not that much exploration in the end. The hub also seems rather boring and uninspired, as it's very symmetrical.

 

"Outer Plane" is as good a map as any, but I confess that "The Factory" remains a cut above it. Now, let's see what's going on in the thoughts of the IOS...

 

Grade : B- (12/20)

 

 

 

[LadyMistDragon]

Map 12: Outer Plane

Crispy Doom, UV, pistol-start

 

Oddly enough, this chooses to continue the theme of the preceding map. Factory clone this is not! Oddly enough, the teleporters made me go Map 12 of Biowar instantly. Although this is more a particularly creepy reimagining of Living End and also Chasm to some degree. There's actually a secret here at least but I couldn't be bothered to find it. 

 

What's important is that there are three challenges at each of the forks. We ended up fudging things and waiting until we had the BFG before taking on the Caco horde due to distracted incompetence earlier. Imp trap is fairly dangerous and BFG room is a little difficult to use the BFG in. All that being said, the Spider Mastermind at the end proves to be a total joke. The scene where we're placed in front of an Icon of Sin is no joke on the other hand. We were out of rockets at this point, but that's inconsequential. Just go forward and finish. Good map. Sorry I have no more to say atm.

 

 

 

 

 

[LVENdead]

Map 12 - Outer Plane (UV - 100%)

 

This map is a nice reset from the culmination of the last few maps to begin the episode. Overall a far shorter and more benign experience, but you can't exactly sleepwalk through it either. There's hitscanners aplenty, including chaingunners and a spider mommy, but generally speaking the former are actually threatening whereas the latter is all but perfunctory. I was able to complete it on my first attempt (of this overall playthrough) without dying, so the more chill pace was a nice confidence booster after catching deaths to cyberdemons in both of the previous two maps. Rough resemblances to The Factory are fairly present and easy to see, but structurally the map has basically nothing in common. That's a good thing. It does look pretty good, even though there's not much about it of noteworth either.

 

Thematically, this map doesn't stand out nearly as much as the prior few maps. It's also the point where I start having trouble following the rough plot of Abscission - I understand we died and now we've awakened somewhere else, but as to what's happening and why I can't say at all. At the end of this map it seems like we enter the brain of an Icon of Sin to have a Prophetic Vision? I do like the abstract nature of it all, and perhaps it's best when questions are left unanswered as the mystery is often far more captivating than the truth...but being someone who has a lower tolerance for ambiguity, I can't pretend like the lack of clarity doesn't drive me a little bit crazy sometimes :)

 

 

[TheGreenZap]

(HMP, Doom Retro)

 

Map 11: Sarcophagus

 

I know I'm one map behind, but I'll get there. Anyway, Map11 was a good battle, but I can't say I liked the edge. I dropped off of it like three times dodging crap. But I get why it's there. After I got a feel for where the edge was, it was a fun time battling the Cyber Demon and other baddies. The Archvile I picked off pretty quick because he was busy trying to raise the dead. There was plenty of ammunition and health lying about to help in this arena style battle, which I appreciate. I thought it was a good ending to the episode.

[Cutman 999]

MAP11 - “Sarcophagus” (Pistol Started, 3 attempts saveless, 97% Kills, 100% Items, 100% Secrets)

 

From the category of "making bland iwad maps into great setpieces" we have an U of destruction disguised as an underground nuclear plant that feels like a miracle that it is vanilla compatible

 

(Holy shit, just look at this screenshot, this isn't boom)

 

Spoiler

 

Other than that, i prefer map07 in every single way, mostly because that didn't have spammy enemy placements that felt more purposefully made to cloud every inch of space, there weren't spectres in dark areas that just exist so you could receive a cyber rocket while you are stuck by the meat you can't even see, and didn't had a final vile ambush that felt like filler. (btw this is the first time a vile appears in the wad? just like doom 2?) 

 

6/10

 

MAP12 - “Outer Plane” (Pistol Started, 3 attempts saveless, 100% K/I/S)

 

Thank god snax ditched completely doom 2's the factory as a reference, doing her own thing once again, again a hub, but more streamlined and aesthetically pleasing than before. I suppose we are in hell now, idk.

 

Basically the map is just 3 fights so you could get to the exit as quickly as possible, sure, you can do the bfg one first and see if you can 2-tap the mastermind, but that's an option and probably the enemies are going to eat you alive without more powerful weaponry. I like how 2 out of 3 of these fights are factory re-imagenings, giving them a lot more tension than their original counterparts without skyrocketing the difficulty they had just because snax could.

 

Only a single nitpick, all my attempts were lost because of the caco arena having inescapable pits, this wouldn't be as bad if the cacos didn't force you to circle strafe around the edges of the platform so you can group them and kill them, making reasonable for you to fall there and lose all your progress if you are as stubborn as me.

 

8/10

[cannonball]

MAP10 - “Industrial Crypt”

 

Pretty universal praise for this one, and honestly I can only agree with that. I think the highlight is defintely the yellow key section that dumps you a place where you really don't want a cyberdemon to be stomping around, the following few minutes are quite harrowing, trying to avoid him and managing to make progress to get said yellow key. The rest is solid and like Refueling base is packed full of secret. I really like the use of architecture here, using broad strokes really well to portray a big industrial unit.

Overall this was really good suspenseful fun.

 

MAP11 - “Sarcophagus”

 

I think the only issue this map has is that what is essentially a boss map includes a monster that was seen in two levels prior to this. We do however get our first archvile here, who is released when you grab the red key. There are very few complaints again and I cannot notice that every single cyber is been deployed in a fun and interesting way. The larger structure at the end is another example of using broad strokes to convey a grand scale that is really quite striking.

 

MAP12 - “Outer Plane”

Well we lose the larger city-scape (For now), on the other hand we get all the positive elements of the Factory and turn them into a series of decent fights. Ammo wise you can actually kill everything without the need for the crushers, however I ended up in the blue key area last (This is where the rocket launcher is too), so in the end the crushers to that point felt like they had a use. In the end this was a solid opener to the second episode, dark, abstract with some nice set pieces.

[Snaxalotl]

Map12: "Outer Plane"

To me this map's purpose is to support the rest of the wad rather than stand on its own, I think its better to think of the big picture when making a megawad rather than constantly trying to outdo myself after each map. To that end this one brings an close to E1 and opens to E2, As the player plunges into a strange realm instead of the material world. I was tempted to make map12 more difficult but opted to reset the difficulty a bit and give some breathing room after the climax of Episode 1. Though who knows how long that will last considering the ominous ending.

As @LVENdead pointed out the story is very ambiguous at this point which is fully intentional as it adds an aura of mystery to the whole episode. Some clues are dropped along the way and some have even fully picked up on my intentions despite how vague I left it. I get doom isn't really seen as a story based game but I really do care about the backdrop it provides to the gameplay as it adds structure and cohesion to the whole wad. Plus it helps add to the atmosphere and would feel like less of a journey without it.

[Magnusblitz]

MAP12: Outer Plane

100% kills, 1/1 secret

 

While the first episode was mostly content with being homages/remixes of the IWAD levels, looks like we're going in a different direction here and things are gonna get weird. There's a few inspirations here and there from The Factory of course, but I agree with @Blast_Brothers that this map just feels very weird and alien. I mean, yeah, you can sit there and say it's just a lot of brown blockiness, but I think the darkness and abstractness help sell the atmosphere.

 

Gameplay-wise I couldn't help but notice similarities with MAP06, in that there's a central semi-protected area with snipers awaiting outside. And as @LadyMistDragon points out, kinda funny that the teleporter hub setup here echoes MAP12 from Biowar last month. Combat is a bit of a breather as others have said, though there's still plenty of danger - the manc room gave me the most trouble, though I can also see the caco room being tough for those used to having teleporters to escape pits in exchange for a bit of slime damage rather than guaranteed death.

 

Off into the Icon brain and probably a dream sequence based off the next map's title.

[RHhe82]

MAP13: Prophetic Vision. Played on UV, pistol start. DSDA v0.27.5. K: 110/110, S: 3/3, I: 1/1. Comp. time 16:36

 

I throw my berserk fist in the air at the start, and already I hear the Icon of Sin waking up. Should've guessed from the last map. This doesn't bode well for me, does it? I already made plans to write a sour review and just running for the exit with whatever kills I had so as to avoid an inevitable clusterfuck...

 

But then, the map miraculously manages to sort it self out: despite monster spawner, it stays manageable, I can't understand how. Maybe it's the cyberdemon that clears the riff-raff for me in the long run? The map does indeed get hectic, and I wouldn't want to attempt this one saveless (although knowing where to go, I think your regular Doom gods could do it with ease... but not me).

 

I was really surprised to see kill count just getting nearer and nearer completion, and very surprised to see I didn't need to hunt down anything. Moreover, I was really surprised  to see the monster spawner didn't summon anything too bad: no archviles to be seen anywhere, although right before the end I came across a ghost revenant, so I suppose there must have been at least one archie somewhere.

 

The Downtown influences can be seen, but even if this map is to be considered a take on one of my least favorite maps in IWADs, this is a very sharp improvement over it *despite* being an Icon of Sin map. Then again: if there hadn't been IoS, what then? This would have been an okay map, but IoS renders it very hectic, and dare I say exciting. I'm not sure if I had incredible luck, or had the monster spawner mechanic been altered somehow?

 

Very solid map I'm afraid to play again in case the IoS mechanics ruin the map that time..

[Wolfgun Shootner]

Map 13: Prophetic Vision

UV, pistol start, DSDA

 

Man, Doom is hard without armor! I died so many times I thought I‘m in a Sigil map… But seriously, figuring out a strategy here is harder than usual, I had to try many different things. At first I wanted to punch my way through, but even the imps get me sometimes, and there is so much more stuff going on. Monsters are slowly zooming in on you from every direction, constantly. Eventually I ran some circles in the open areas and got the arachnos to kill stuff. Once I survive the first onslaught the rest becomes a bit easier. I shotgun the Cyberdemon, which takes some time but is consistent and not too hard.

It is interesting how the spawning works, it appears the spawning frequency is very low, most of the monsters are map monsters, but at the end I have 300% kills? I did not kill 300 monsters..

Very difficult map, very eerie, very good!

I will miss the next two weeks, holidays… will try to catch up but not much July left when I return.

 

So long, see you later!

[Celestin]

MAP13: Prophetic Vision

 

And the question regarding the Icon of Sin in the previous map has been answered. I wanted to rage-quit at first, as combining city and monster spawner gave me Hellbound's MAP30 flashbacks, but I think Snaxalotl was trolling the player a bit. There wasn't nearly enough monsters for the amount of noise the spawner made. After beating the map I checked with IDDTx2 and IDCLIP to see what's going on and it seems most monsters spawn underneath off-screen crushers, with only a tiny minority making their way to the playing area. It can screw you over (I for instance had a pain elemental near the BFG secret), but I'd say it's mostly for show and have a limited impact on the gameplay.

 

Your goal in this war-torn city is to run from place to place in a rather linear fashion and hunt for keys. As I've said earlier, the spawner's sounds imply danger and pushes the player forward at break-neck pace, though in reality, it can be taken slowly and steadily. Most enemies here are imps anyways and you have plenty of shells to deal with them. Nevertheless, I advice tracking down an abandoned office with a BFG, it's helpful when it comes to the cyberdemon by the blue key.

 

Prophetic Visions is one map I feel will be divisive. I get the point of the fake Icon, it does light a fire underneath the player's feet and coaxes them to rush forward, but it will no doubt be seen as frustrating by some. At least once they realise this isn't a danger here, by that point it becomes a solid exploration map with decent combat and appealing visuals.

[veevil]

Three maps behind and a few dollars short, but I think we can make it work.

 

MAP11: Sarcophagus
(UV, pistol start, K: 100% / S: 100%, Woof!, complevel 2)

 

Abscission's first episode closes on a compact Donut of Devastation riff. The map is essentially one medium-sized fight, but a hot one at that. Cyberdemon at the center, a crowd of monsters on the rim, and you teleport smack dab in the middle of that crowd. You're on a timer, too, as the sludge level will soon rise high enough for the cyber to start roaming around. Two options for pistol starters: use infighting combined with the RL and the SSG to whittle down the cyber, or make a run for the plasma. The latter strategy is more exciting but also much riskier, since the cybie will make dealing with the red key ambush squad and getting out of the blue key corridor quite a bit harder. Add Abscission's ever-present darkness and those damn spectres into that equation, and you've got one spicy meatball, but one that'll be gone pretty quick after you sink your teeth into it.

 

If you ask me, the main attraction of the map is the closing sequence. Might sound like a backhanded compliment to snub the "meat" of the map for a visual set-piece, but I mean it - the design of the outer area is just so cool that every time I've played the map I've stopped for a while to take it in. Great job.

 

 

MAP12: Outer Plane
(UV, pistol start, K: 100% / S: 100%, Woof!, complevel 2)

 

Abscission skips the vanilla city episode and instead kills us and sends us into some sort of purgatory, which I'm all for, honestly. I'm not really in the mood for factories.

 

I don't have as much to say about this map as the surrounding ones, but that doesn't mean it's bad. It's the first "teleporter hub" design in the wad and the challenge rooms the teleporters connect to have some neat ideas in them. I especially liked the caco platform, which seems like a much improved remix of that room in The Factory. Going for the BFG fight first (which I did accidentally this time) will make the rest of the challenges a bit too easy, since the map isn't that hard to begin with, but nothing wrong with a breather map.

 

I'm starting to think Snax is very good at making memorable ending sequences. I like the way you can see the the end from a distance multiple times before you get to it, and how you can imagine it leading into the following map even if it doesn't follow any earthly logic. Good stuff.

 

 

MAP13: Prophetic Vision
(UV, pistol start, K: 212% / S: 100%, Woof!, complevel 2)

 

I remember MAP13 well from my first playthrough, as it sure knows how to make a first impression. Back then, I heard the IoS wake up and ran around panic-stricken for a good while before I realized the enemy spawner was there to intimidate, not aggravate: you won't be overwhelmed, since the spawns will only rarely make it to the play space. Hell of a scare, though - well done.

 

Once you calm down and get your bearings, you'll find that the challenge in the map is threefold: not much health, very little ammo (outside secrets), and a cyberdemon on the loose. The secrets aren't very obscure, so normally you wouldn't have much trouble with them, but the dual pressure of constant spawner noises and cybie hoofsteps can make it difficult to concentrate. After you do find them, though, the map's pretty much won: a truckload of bullets and shells and a BFG to make the big beef go boom.

 

One of the most effectively intimidating maps in a wad that deals in oppressive atmosphere to begin with.