The DWmegawad Club plays: Abscission

[cannonball]

MAP14 - “Oasis”

 

This is one of those maps that feels less than it's inspiration. Yet again I had ghost monster schenanigans (Though this time it was an archvile reviving a demon that died underneath a door so just bad luck. Not much else to say, the map is fine and the darkness adds an element of atmosphere, but overall this is another map that falls short of recreating the magic of what is probably American Mcgee's best map in Doom.

[DJVCardMaster]

MAP15 - Collapse (99%K/100%I/80%S):

Hmm... Quite an unorthodox way of giving me the secret exit, involving some catwalking in pretty random places... You can barely see the secret exit thanks to the automap, but trying to see the ledges where you can barely walk over it's another small challenge. If I didn't check the wiki I wouldn't have any idea of how to get there, honestly.

The map is a big cave complex that feels like an undercity of some sorts. There is a lurking cyberdemon out there that will make you life a bit more painful. On top of that, there are several hitscanners, slowly draining your health from time to time. Even though the map looks open, there is only one way out, with some dead ends that bait you into thinking you are doing some progress. The map is fine, but again what takes the cake is the atmosphere. The music choice in the megawad overall gives this Doom mapset a totally different feeling. Specially because these kind of maps don't overwhelm you with fights packed with bulky enemies. In fact, this map only had one cyberdemon, some nobles and mostly cacodemon and hitscan fodder around. No high-tier enemies, thankfully. Still, hitscanners will put you in big trouble because of the map's openness.

MAP31 - Reanimator (100%K/I/S):

A stupid concept, an arena that has a big crusher in the middle with several crushed enemies, ready for the fuckton of archviles to resurrect them all. Also there are some cyberdemons that will actually help you by killing and infighting against both the archies and the ghost monsters, by trying to deal splash-damage to them. As long as you kill the ghost chaingunners and the archviles, you will succeed, as you have a lot of way to maneuver around the arena. After that, try to find a "sigil-eye", shoot it and you will find the exit. I did not like this map, but I can accept the novelty of it. Aesthetically follows MAP15, but its meh. Worst one yet.

MAP32 - Bed of Creation:

Wow, what? Talk about novelty. Scariest Doom2.exe map I've ever played, I have the same feelings as Roofi right now. What is this buggy nightmare? Seems like someone watched that funny Decino video about triggering the "all ghosts bug" (I think this map was made earlier than the video anyways). The level is just a hellish laberynth in which you turn into a spirit and roam around the place with some nasty archviles trying to hunt you down forever. The only way to exit is thanks to a death exit found somewhere into the level, which will make you start MAP16 with only 1 health. No BFG? No big price? No, just a spook. Again, Snaxolotl plays a lot with atmosphere, the map iself looks uncanny, and that eeire feeling of just floating around the place will make you feel like you are nothing. Great setpiece, although it's not as replayable. It works one-time only. Also, the exit is found after roaming around the place for a bit with a bit of trial and error. Not a lot of gameplay.

Really nice work, but my question is: Does this explode VSP limit or something in regular Doom2.exe? Feels totally breakable.

Order of preference:
 

Spoiler

 

MAP10
MAP12
MAP14

MAP03
MAP06
MAP11
MAP15
MAP08
MAP04
MAP05
MAP09

MAP02
MAP13
MAP01
MAP07
MAP31

MAP32 (Unrated)

 

Won't be ranking MAP32 as it is an entire thing on itself.

[RHhe82]

MAP16: Cold Ascent. Played on UV, pistol start. DSDA v0.27.5. K: 165/165, S: 1/1, I: 5/6. Comp. time 15:47

 

Although there are some very vague Suburbs-elements: like, I guess, there are archviles and small-scale slaughter. Unlike Suburbs, Cold Ascent is a solid map. Maybe not exactly my favorite - I guess it's a bit boring up until we open the red door and hit the switch. I was lucky to have found the BFG secret surprisingly easily, and even more lucky to have left the invulnerability sphere intact. Right there the map energizes itself for the final, exciting showdown.

 

[Added upon posting: maybe it's not a case of being "boring", but rather the constant darkness which makes most of the (regular) maps feel kind of "too samey". I don't know, but that's a complaint I've already been voicing a few times]

[Snaxalotl]

Map15: "Collapse"

I'm not a huge fan of this one but think its a decent map. From an aesthetic and mood perspective it turned out fine but I still feel that its missing potential in regards to combat and flow. To avoid making a traditional city map I opted to make it a caved in section of a city buried beneath rubble which turned out looking much more unique than just having a traditional outdoor urban area.

Also that hellish pit has a pretty weak fight intentionally, it looks like its going to lead to a nasty trap because signposting tends to be correct in doom levels. I don't want the player to know when and where I'm going to start challenging fights most of the time, so to help with that I'll occasionally give away free keys or go out of my way to advertise an area as if its going to be a tough situation but just include a light encounter instead. If I didn't do this then this megawad would fall into the trap of the player learning and understanding when every trap will happen before it happens, and predictability gets old real fast.

Map31: "Reanimator"

With the secret levels I threw my normal rules out the window, If I'm going to go against the grain and do something really cruel or strange then these two slots are the best spot. The slow lift is purely for technical reasons to prep the crushed enemies before the player shows up, and a short crusher wouldn't be as reliable or efficient despite making a reduction in the required height for the lift.

If playing on a vanilla port then ghost monsters will turn this map into something much more fierce, though its not essential. and technically the level is impossible to lose as the icon of sin will get crushed regardless of whether the player is alive or not so I guess that makes it the easiest map in the wad ;)

Map32: "Bed of Creation"

Ohhhhh boy this is a weird one. Firstly the map requires an intercept overflow bug to be played the intended way, and from there everything is broken. I intended for a more complex design for how this map would play out but I can't stress enough how much the intercept overflow breaks a map.

-The player can move through solid walls but not walls of a specific height, so a border was needed to prevent the player from wandering in the infinite void outside the map.
-All projectiles lose the ability to land, and this does include splash damage... As such the player can't hurt anything and only the archvile can hurt the player with its flame attack (though the damage is reduced as the splash is gone)
-All linedef functions stop working so normal exits and triggers are all gone, including an exit switch..

So I was left with a gimmick where I couldn't have combat outside of invincible archvile engagements, without any line functions to spice it up. and all the player got was an ability to go through walls. This gimmick for mapping is extremely unique but limited at the same time, and I felt compelled to make something as out there as possible for map32, a task I think I accomplished. The whole map is cursed and feels like a nightmare...

Also fun fact! There are actually two ways to beat this level, the harder option is navigating to an exit platform to die on. And the second one was a failsafe incase making it there proved to challenging, if you get launched out a window you will be granted the sweet release of death (the good kind not the archvile kind)

[Celestin]

MAP16: Cold Ascent

 

Unless you see some vague similarities to the houses of Suburbs, the map is mostly original, yet it retains the large-scale action of the original. 

 

It's hard to describe where Cold Ascent is set - it looks like skyscrapers' roofs, with towering buildings in the distance, but why are there bookshelves everywhere? Including ones that just hang suspended in the sky? Nevertheless, this place is extremally cramped. The combat consists of spawning numerous imps and some heavies in places where available space is limited. The fights get progressively bigger, culminating with a battle against two archviles, mancubi, cacodemons and numerous imps. I recommend finding the BFG secret, it greatly helps with getting stuck or quickly eliminating the viles.

 

Not much to say here, Cold Ascent is a quick and fun brawl, I like it especially after the gimmicky secret stages.

[Insaneprophet]

Map 13 

 

I agree with everything said that this map creates a tension and anxiety in the player that Ive never seen replicated in quite the same way. Im in the camp of everyone who initially found themselves opposed to it but have warmed up considerably. I can remember feeling the exact same way back when it first released. On my first run I was very frantic and made costly mistakes playing too quickly but on second attempt, once I slowed down and took things more metgodicaly, I found myself really digging the atmosphere.

 

Map 14

 

This was very much a breather and I loved it. We are able to get away with the fast paced gameplay that was denied to us on the last map. It also hit all the right notes in its homage while still creating a unique and cozy location. I have no complaints. 😀

[LadyMistDragon]

Map 16: Cold Ascent

UV, Crispy Doom, pistol-start

 

This is a very, very nice design! It's as darkened as the rest but the first true attempt at making something that looks like a downtown - and naturally, it's more convincing than Map 13. It kind of looks like it's a little more like an underground map that has large-scale architecture but in either case, the office buildings are just as convincing as they need to be. And Snaxalotl's neat arrangements are just the icing on the visual cake

 

Unlike the Suburbs, this isn't so much interconnected large-scale combat as much as a series of explosive challenges that progressively increase in difficulty. By the time we get to the Arch-viles when the last key's revealed, much of the playing arena's consumed and we've got one of the more difficult situations of the map. And no, the secret BFG was not located. I'm genuinely bad at finding secrets when they aren't obvious and in fact, we found exactly zero percent. So yeah.....

 

 

 

 

 

[Cutman 999]

MAP15 - “Collapse” (Pistol started, 2 attempts saveless, 100% Kills, 50% Items, 60% Secrets)

 

Basically map 13 if the bs factor was thrown out the window, this time with mega armors, a bunch of space and no monster spawner.

 

Similar to doom 2's industrial zone, you can get disoriented kind of easily, and the start is rather a pain, but once you have a foothold (and armor), getting through this isn't difficult. Even if you don't have the plasma gun, like in my case, the chaingun is rather easy to spot, and that and your standard shotgun can do some heavy lifting, the rocket launcher just helps in the red key place.

 

The ending is a bit of a whimper, with the ammo cashes, the availability of the sgg and the teleporting monsters you'll expect to fight a big horde, but no, is just like 4 pain elementals quickly filling the lost soul cap, that was such a good place to put revs, or if snax didn't want it, mancs and arachnos were in the original industrial zone, heck.

 

I had to get spoiled by the wiki to notice a 10-pixel walkway that brings you to a secret, that lets you access another secret, housing the secret exit. At least is not super convoluted, but still very hidden.

 

Overall, the map is fine and has the strengths even the lesser maps present.

 

7/10

 

MAP31 - “Reanimator” (Pistol started, 3 attempts saveless, 165% Kills, 100% Items, 100% Secrets)

 

Wait more than 30 seconds for the elevator to lower, then get into the arena with like 6 archviles and 3 cyberdemons, with a bunch of pinkies, grab the plasma and rocket launcher in case the pinkies block your path, and wait more than 2 minutes circle strafing in case the viles got distracted with the cyber at the center of the arena, then you win the map after a crusher murders Romero's head, or just don't be a dumbass like I was and find the sigil eye opening the secret exit that the wiki doesn't even mention to you.

 

If this is a joke gimmick map, I didn't find the joke funny since it overstays it's welcome and doesn't do anything with that joke to even make it funny.

 

1/10

 

MAP32 - “Bed of Creation” (Pistol started, 6 attempts saveless, 0% Kills, 100% Items, 100% Secrets)

 

Absolutely crazy! THEY ACTUALLY MADE A MAP AROUND THE INTERCEPS OVERFLOW GLITCH! this is the best community ever...

 

About the map, someone knows there's a way to exit without just getting propelled over the edges in the white pillar area? I watched @Spectere pacifist run because I had no idea of what I was supposed to do, the map was a big maze and I wondered if there's progression related to that, but it seems like it's not the case.

 

6/10

[Insaneprophet]

Map 15

 

I just really liked this one. I dont know why, maybe the texture work, maybe the cyb, maybe I dont know but I was left feeling more of a living end vibe than an industrial zone one. (Both favorites of mine anyways) It continues the trend of relatively easy combat despite trying to create some apprehension with the cyber chasing you to begin and the large wave released later. Theres a good amount of secrets to figure out and when added all up I just really liked this one. 😀

 

Maps 31 and 32

 

No comment. Didnt try them when I first played it and still not really interested now. Gimmicks arent my thing, but they sound like they are cool for the people who can appreciate that stuff.

 

Map 16

 

Less of an adventure and more of a combat arena/challange map but pulled off in a way that hides those attributes by not being super difficult or completly locking you into a large space. I recognized this right off the bat even though I couldnt remember any exact details. This may be where we start getting into what stuck with me most about the set as a whole, short maps that present a scenario and are quickly beaten and moved on from. Ive got nothing bad to say about this map, its great fun to play, but longer adventures are where my heart resides. 😀

[DJVCardMaster]

MAP16 - Cold Ascent (100%K/83%I/100%S):

Of course playing this map with 1% health was discarded, still I had to play this map twice as I commited the error of both grabbing the invincibility early and getting stuck with a fuckton of enemies that wouldn't let me go through.
This map felt similar to MAP12 in terms of looks,  a city landscape inside a liminal space with dark surroundings. Eeire feelings because of the office rooms inside this complex gave this map, yet again, a spooky feeling. The map behave similarly to MAP12 aswell in playable area, as this level was somewhat of a hub-shaped arena, with stuff that will happen in the future. The first minutes of the map weren't that hard, but as soon as you trigger the red key fight, everything gets surrounded by a cacoswarm and the hardest fight yet in Abscission. Here is where you need to quickly grab the inv-sphere and start spamming rockets for your life. Kill as much as you can, and don't get trapped into the outside areas with too much monsters or cacodemons will fly through, letting you trapped inside the buildings with limited resources to fight them all, as fatsos will also block the paths thanks to their thickness. Thanks god I've found the BFG here, as this let me mow down the Archviles that also spawn quickly in this fight. Making this fight even worse to deal with.

Really enjoyable map but exhausting for me at the same time.


Order of preference:
 

Spoiler

 

MAP10
MAP12
MAP16
MAP14

MAP03
MAP06
MAP11
MAP15
MAP08
MAP04
MAP05
MAP09

MAP02
MAP13
MAP01
MAP07
MAP31

MAP32 (Unrated)

 

 

[cannonball]

MAP15 - “Collapse”

The cyber at the start is a bit of a shock, but otherwise this one isn't that difficult, the blue key area felt like it should have packed more of a punch and the end fight was more annoying than anything else given that monsters can get stuck in random places and the monsters tend to dribble into the map. The rest of the map is fine I guess, nothing too special but it plays okay enough. Just remember where all of the blue doors are because these contain ammo caches that are useful. 

I did not find the secret exit.

 

MAP31 - “Reanimator”

This one is a little meh, the concept is interesting but the map is essentially beaten by staying on the outer perimeter and letting the cybers do the work for you. I think this one felt like a missed opportunity if the concept was horror.

 

MAP32 - “Bed of Creation”

This is quite something, it certainly falls into the completely original category and whilst the concept is rather restrictive, I think this one was done well. In fact this amplifies the horror of the "Hunted" map motif to a whole new level. In the end this one falls into the position similar to Map31 of Uprising. The thrill playing the first time is enough to elevate the map towards the top of the pile, but of course the map will lose something on replay. Still for a secret map this was a worthwhile experience.

[Blast_Brothers]

MAP16: Cold Ascent

 

Quote

 

Arcane but not archaic; fierce but not frustrating; subdued but not normal. Once the blood gets pumping, this map features the most intense combat in the set thus far.

 

I'm enamored by Abscission's vision of a corrupted Earth as something that still has the exterior appearance of humanity. There are pockets of Hell and pockets of not-Hell, creating a lot of moments where you can really feel the two worlds tugging at each other. It sells the idea of a "conquest" of Earth really effectively.

[Celestin]

MAP17: Predation

 

Predation it an interconnected network of caves and tunnels with some commonalities: hurtfloors, deliberately confusing progression and a cyberdemon that chases you through the whole map. It does create a hectic gameplay, but damn, it's relentless. You need to be on the move constantly, watch out for enemies blocking you, avoid environmental hazards and on top of that, avoid the cyberdemon until you get your hands on the plasma rifle and enough cells.

 

I think Predation is just not a map for me, don't get me wrong, the tension is here, but the overall level feels pretty exhausting.

[Snaxalotl]

Map16: "Cold Ascent"

Back when I first released this wad I didn't like this map very much and felt it was filler. But now looking back and playing it recently I think it works well as a standard map in abscission.

This time around my twist on a city level was having the map take place on the rooftop of a tall building, though its design does lean into a little bit of an otherworldly influence. That invulnerability was placed early to tempt the player into taking it when its not really needed, thus making the final fight much more difficult. And unlike map15 I felt that this arena actually has teeth, though its still very doable without the bfg secret.

I like how almost the entire map becomes the final arena at the end rather than the encounter taking place inside a brand new room, it helps get the player acquainted with the space which makes navigation and combat easier for a first time playthrough. Even though this map doesn't really do anything special or out there like some of the other maps, but I think the flow is solid.

[Magnusblitz]

MAP15: Collapse

100% kills, 2/5 secrets

 

In terms of the IWAD inspiration, I think this one is much more towards the good inspiration (rather than too similar) end of the spectrum, as while there are a few spots that evoke Industrial Zone (mainly the wooden tower containing the yellow key, and the crackle section) the overall vibe is very different as it's not an outdoor area but instead a mostly underground collapsed area. Cybie patrols the start and there's some teleport pads that look ominously like the Icon ones from MAP13, but neither turns out to be as threatening as feared as Cybie can't get around much (and is best left alone to help against the hordes later) and the teleport pads aren't Icon ones.

 

Combat is actually on the lighter side IMO, as I was using mostly single shotgun/chaingun for most of the map. Other than a couple of Pain Elementals I typically prefer heavier weaponry for, wasn't too bad. The teleport groups at the end are a bit more robust but by then you'll also have heavier weaponry to handle them (and they also seemed to only come from a couple of teleporters so didn't get flanked much).

 

The real interesting bit for me was the secrets, or more accurately, how poorly I did finding them... by the time I had cleared out the map I had only found one (the megasphere), then found the berserk after a bit more searching, but couldn't find the others. Looking them up in the editor, I felt a bit dumb for missing the bookshelf one (which I had figured was a secret, I even humped it, just missed the actual switch), while the plasma gun feels a bit unintuitive. Getting to the actual secret exit was clever, though also a bit underdeveloped, just being a random lava square? I'm a bit surprised we didn't get to walk over across the pit to the outside of the wood tower, especially since there's even shells there (that can't be grabbed as far as I can tell).

 

All in all a decent map, not one of my favorites but still good.

 

MAP31: Reanimator

100% kills, 1/1 "secret" (but 0/1 for finding the super secret exit)

 

The darkness really comes into play on this one, as the initial greeting when you shoot that wall is to immediately have your vision turned into nothing but dark shadows and Arch-Vile flame. The key for me was just surviving the first few seconds; if you can grab the rocket launcher and find some cover to get yourself situated, then it's just a matter of slowly whittling down the Arch-Viles and then finishing off the cybers. Hmm, but with that map name and all those corpses under the crusher, sure there are supposed to be some ghost monsters right?

 

So, figuring there was a ZDoom compatibility setting I didn't have set right, go in, turn on "crushed monsters can be resurrected" and try again. And, well, okay, now there's some monsters that come back after the crusher but they're all still stuck in the middle and not doing all that much. Turns out ZDoom doesn't have a compatibility flag that can be toggled, instead the lack of ghost monsters is hard-coded in which is really fucking stupid. So unfortunately I did not get the full impact of the map. Also didn't find the secret exit, which is a nicely hidden Sigil style trigger. No idea why this wasn't tagged as a secret though.

 

MAP32: Bed of Creation

0% kills, 1/1 "secret"

 

Shoot the switch, walk out of the cubby, hit the switch on the other side, done. Huh? That can't be right... looks like my choice of port is rearing its ugly head again, as this map relies entirely on the intercepts overflow error (caused by shooting the trigger over all those corpses). Very cool concept, and I really like seeing the thought process into how to make the level work given the constraints of how the error works. Sad to have missed out on being able to experience it fresh. Ah well.

[RHhe82]

MAP17: Predation. Played on UV, pistol start. DSDA v0.27.5. K: 120/120, S: 2/2, I: 108/108. Comp. time 21:30

 

Dang, these maps are getting longer. The name of the game is a three-key hunt with a cyberdemon constantly on your tail thru teleportation. Wherever you go, the cyberdemon is on your trail: the monster-only teleporters are cleverly designed for sure.

 

I don't know if I was in sour mood or what, but didn't love this one. It's a perfectly fine level, but I suppose I've grown a bit weary of the constant darkness, and that we're never given an SSG here, only the stress of being hunted by a cyber. (Of course, the cyber threat demands we're not given an SSG, because it would be too tempting to get rid of the bullmachine right away, which would blow away the tension as well. With only the lower-tier weapons and too little ammo for plasma and rocket launcher, you either keep the cyber alive until the end, or suffer the insufferable tedium of single-barrel shotgunning it. I guess you could do that, but it's still more fun to be hunted than play peek-a-boo for five minutes.

 

So, not a fan of this one, but I suppose that's more a matter of taste than any conceivable flaw in the map.
 

[Magnusblitz]

MAP16: Cold Ascent

100% kills, 1/1 secret

 

If MAP15 took the IWAD texture scheme but went 'down' with it (from outside area into a collapsed underground), this one does the same but goes 'up' to skyscraper rooftops. The invulnerability sphere immediately puts the player on alert, but things actually aren't bad until the final battle that unleashes the Viles and their swarm. Wish I had found the BFG before it, but only found it after clearing everything out (which I did before even grabbing the yellow key, so there's a bit of unnecessary-feeling back-and-forth at the end.) I actually didn't use the invuln sphere on the AVs either, though I did use it to clean everything up with the berserk because all the ammo I had left untouched was on the other side of the map where I couldn't reach it. An okay map.

[DJVCardMaster]

MAP17 - Predation (100%K/99%I/0%S):

I've felt really immersed in this map. This long cave complex that felt at times from the Doom E3 was quite difficult because there was always a time where a cyberdemon stalked you. At first I thought there was more than one cyberdemon, without knowing he was actually teleporting from room to room. There are several ways to tackle this map and thats what makes it really good, as usual, for my taste. Though it felt a bit confusing as the automap was not that reliable at times, giving you fake hints of paths you can't take and things like that. The constant darkness also played a bit against my sense of orientation. 

Confusing but really enjoyable and immersive.

Order of preference:
 

Spoiler

 

MAP10
MAP12
MAP16
MAP17
MAP14

MAP03
MAP06
MAP11
MAP15
MAP08
MAP04
MAP05
MAP09

MAP02
MAP13
MAP01
MAP07
MAP31

MAP32 (Unrated)

 

 

[LadyMistDragon]

Map 17: Predation

Crispy Doom, UV, pistol-start

 

Ok, that's the first time this wad has shown a sense of humor, albeit fairly dark. And as it happens, there is one indoor area that directly cites another area from Tenements. Mostly though, this is a series of hellish rock canyons, albeit with the occasional wooden fort structure interspersed throughout, like the one where the Tenements copy can be found. This map is far more than that though. It successfully conveys the idea of a sprawling, abstract, and nightmarish complex that oddly enough has fullbright in non-darkened areas, along with a midi that promises more than doom (idk, I think my sound's turned down).

 

The teleporting Cyberdemon and Arch-vile were definitely among the better handled concepts here. Although I know most maps would rather just have multiple Cyberdemons, I don't think enough mappers really pay attention to the other potential uses of them. We spent too much time with the Arch-vile initially. To be fair, provoking infighting between the Arch-vile/Cyberdemon isn't necessarily guaranteed but just run away and it should happen on its own (or not).

 

One of the trickier sections was definitely around the blue key in the cavern that leads to the Tenements reference, due to all the Spectres coming from every which where and the reality of bullets and other ammo not being too prolific. We can probably pop off a rocket or two but keep in mind there are Pain Elementals in corners that might be more deserving of it.

 

The idea for the end seems basically to be able to destroy the cyberdemon with the acquired cells that seems predicated on how many hits the Cyber took from the Arch-vile and other enemies. Of course, there's probably secrets  that I failed to find but fuhgeddaboudit, this adds in more than straightforward fights and thusly should be praised.

 

 

 

[Roofi]

Map 16 "Cold Ascent"

 

Quote

 

I like the idea of a large brawl happening at the top of skycrapers. It gives some Going Down and Sunder vibes but I have to admit that I felt Snax was lacking a bit of inspiration here. The layout is square and I'm a bit disappointed that the darker sibling of "Suburbs" turned into a sort of arena. Moreover, whereas I enjoyed the big fight concluding this map, most of the encounters consist of swarm of teleporting enemies and the one that are already present seem a bit placed on the fly. The combat design was a bit too simplistic too me and that leads me to think that "Cold Ascent" represents a bit a filler in this wad.

 

Like map 12 in the original Doom II, exploration was one of the most important pillars, and I'm rather disappointed that this aspect is much more overshadowed. In any case, the music still vibrates in my ears, and the imposing buildings, dimly lit, manage to make us feel isolated despite the fact that this place is crawling with more monsters than usual.

 

Grade : B (13/20)

 

 

 

Map 17 : Predation

 

 

Playing this map the first time in continuous failed to make me realize how anxiety-inducing "Predation" is. Actually, the concept is a bit similar to map 15 "Collapse" but the execution was way stronger to me. Killing the cyberdemon in map 15 was way easier as its movements were more restricted, but here the teleportation lines and the wider paths give it more opportunities to kill you. Actually, you can defeat it as soon you collect enough ammo but between the omnipresence of damaging liquids, monsters and notably several (annoying) pain elementals and the lack of super shotgun we're more encouraged to flee than to face it.

 

Something that makes this map particularly eerie is the music, which sounds more “orchestral”. It's particularly quiet, but conveys the feeling of being constantly followed, even after defeating the big predator with its rocket launcher.

 

And killing the cyberdemon doesn't turn this adventure into a total piece of cake. Wandering pain elementals, the sizeable presence of spectres, chaingunners or even the vile in a certain place can get the better of you.

 

This map makes me feel like a rabbit in a forest. Running is one of my main strengths against all those predators who want to hunt me. This feeling is also increasing by the fact most of the action takes places among natural areas.

 

Grade : B+ (15/20)

 

 

 

 

 

[Blast_Brothers]

MAP17: Predation

 

Quote

 

For what feels like the millionth time in this WAD, there's a vexing roaming Cyberdemon to deal with, who can track us through four interconnected sections. Despite this map formula being very specific, it hasn't grown old yet. This iteration distinguishes itself with its brutal opening minutes - none of the four paths are hospitable. The action only lets up a little from there - the unpredictable teleports of the Cyber keep you on your toes the whole time. It was cathartic to waste him as my final kill.

[RICHIE B]

Alright, onto Map 16 and 17 (and Map 32) then...

 

Cheesy Doom

Playing Continous, cos I never like pistol starts unless I'm forced.

UV Max

And the cardinal sin of using saves, you'll have to shoot me.

 

So that means I ended Map 32 without doing it properly and started Map 16 with 200/200 health.

 

As for Map 32, that was very interesting but I'm not too technically minded with how Doom works so I would never have figured out what to do. Seems to be something for experienced experts who understand this stuff. Had a look through idclip one time and was wowed by the scale of the architecture. Huge stuff always impresses me, and this was very impressive. I never figure out when you're supposed to take a death exit. There was a map in Hell Revealed like that with 4 separate outside areas all the same, then not knowing what to do afterwards. You have to go in the square in the middle and let yourself die. Seems really counter-intuitive to me.

 

MAP 16: Saw that invincibility and thought I'd better save it. Managed to hide from the big horde across the bridge by the 3 doors with plasma gun, megasphere etc. But then the door near me suddenly popped open and revenants came out.

 

On 7/16/2024 at 8:57 PM, DJVCardMaster said:

...as I commited the error of both grabbing the invincibility early and getting stuck with a fuckton of enemies that wouldn't let me go through.

I did even better and forgot to pick it up altogether so it was just left there after everything died down.

 

One thing I've noticed a lot in this wad is doors and areas closing behind you, often permamently. I always like to finish each map gathering everything up to go to the next map with full ammo and 200/200. But with doors and areas getting closed off as you progress, you'd better pick up everything before you get shut out. This is probably to stop people like me trying to hoard stuff and cram everything into my backpack, to feel safer in this grim survival experience.

 

 

MAP 17: This was like the wicked witch's land in Doom Zero. Playing continuous has it's drawbacks as the experience of being chased by the cyberdemon was lost on me. Once he's dealt with the rest of the map isn't too hard.

 

 

MAP 18 (since it's midnight in 15 mins here): Definitely noticed some Courtyard style wooden pillars and of course the shotgunner and pinky maze. Wish I'd picked up the berserk instead of saving it, as I don't think you could return till maybe the end. Would have been good for the pinkies instead of using up SSG. The rest of the map was definitely it's own thing but there is a huge fight in the centre though. As with many maps, Abscissions versions often have damaging floors to make it harder than the original, like Map 07, or Map 06 with huge falling areas.

[Spectere]

On 7/16/2024 at 2:06 PM, Cutman 999 said:

MAP32 - “Bed of Creation” (Pistol started, 6 attempts saveless, 0% Kills, 100% Items, 100% Secrets)

 

Absolutely crazy! THEY ACTUALLY MADE A MAP AROUND THE INTERCEPS OVERFLOW GLITCH! this is the best community ever...

 

About the map, someone knows there's a way to exit without just getting propelled over the edges in the white pillar area? I watched @Spectere pacifist run because I had no idea of what I was supposed to do, the map was a big maze and I wondered if there's progression related to that, but it seems like it's not the case.

 

6/10

 

There is actually a canonical path through the level, but it's really difficult to figure it out in the midst of all the madness. Here's a quick (spoiler'd) sketch of it:

 

Spoiler

 

Note that since this map relies on the intercept overflow bug (making it impossible for players to activate linedef actions), the "exit" uses the same "20% damage/exit level" type as the white pillar areas.

 

[DavitW]

MAP16: Cold Ascent
Vaguely suburbs like when it comes to the architecture and large Archvile ambush towards the end. The library section is a very nice looking part of the map. There's an invulnerability sphere available in there as well. Might be best saved for later on, mainly for the red key door ambush, but I decided to use it early just to make sure it didn't go to waste.  The balcony area is tight enough you can easily find yourself sandwiched in between several tons of fatass if you're not careful.  Grabbing the yellow key right in front of the exit door and having to backtrack across the map to open said exit felt a bit redundant though. Really, the only thing in the other yellow key door is a switch that opens the exit. Could have at least put an imp in there.

 

MAP17: Predation
I must have been in a bad mood when I played this map, because I tell you, it felt like just about every thing in here pissed me off in some way. The main idea is a hub map with a Cyberdemon teleporting around. Not a bad idea in its own right, but the map is so close quarters he can spawn directly in front of you in a cramped hallway and you're fucking done. It's been a while since I last played Tenements, but the area with the red key is so similar I'd honestly would have figured it was exactly the same. Kind of awkward and out of place if you ask me. The SSG deprivation and usage of spectres in dark caverns weren't my favorite design choices either. I mean, I get that's kind of the whole purpose of spectres in the first place, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.

 

ab16-17.zip

[Snaxalotl]

Map17: "Predation"

This is one of the maps I consider to be peak abscission, after toying with the roaming cyberdemon concept for a few maps I decided to go all out with that design before moving on to other ideas. This map isn't just built around the player, its built that cyberdemon too. I really can't express how long it took redoing teleport spots and geometry to make sure that he can reliably find the player, its still not perfect but on almost every occasion he will be near the player at all times (Which was much more difficult to do as the map isn't fully built around free monster movement without those teleporters.

From the start you are relentlessly hunted throughout a nonlinear collection of areas which add so much variance to each playthrough, compounded by the randomness of the cyberdemon. Slowly but surely you get more stocked along the way until you can finally take the fight to him... Sure you could always run away after getting all 3 keys but most players I watched run this map felt the desire to take him out and get revenge, despite the exit being so easily accessible after getting each key.

Abscission isn't a wad for everyone. I felt a massive lack in dark atmospheric maps and oppressive game design where the player is barely scraping through when the difficulty peaks. The toughest maps aren't the boss levels, its ones like these and map13 that push the player around while they feel like they are scraping by. I don't regret making each map dark and having oppressive levels like this one. Because that's what I think really gives this wad its own identity, along with the atmosphere and soundtrack that it rides off of.

dark and oppressive is my bread and butter, and the highlights in abscission like this wad really helped me find my niche.

On a side note the music track has taken a much different tone than the others so far. Its not just the levels that are changing aesthetically, so is the music. Early E1 had a more synth oriented melancholy feel while slowly building in grandiosity until giving way to map11 and E2. From here drone is much more present and as hell is becoming more visually apparent the music reflects it with strings and more vocals. When making music for each map I try to make it build off of the environment and reinforce what emotion I want tied to it. Here in predation there is a much more sombre tone filled with a hint of optimism, reflecting that the tables could turn on the cyberdemon hunting you.

[LVENdead]

I'm a few days behind and still haven't played 17 yet, but I want to get my thoughts on paper before another half a week passes.

 

Map 15 - Collapse (UV - 100% kills, 60% secrets)

 

I like this subterranean interpretation of a city map. It's got a few passageways to zip around through in between the larger areas, with which you'll want to shake the cyberdemon who chases you more or less right from the start until you're equipped to deal with him. It's honestly relatively tame outside some light pressure from the cow boss, with many little nooks and crannies to emphasize incidental combat. There's a few particularly nicely lit areas that always stand out to me when I play this one as well, and it's got an overall solid theme that doesn't feel much like it's accompanying Doom 2 map. The fight at the end with enemies flooding back in is really the major weak point to me, and not even based on the premise but more the pacing of it. I'm more of the persuasion that I'd prefer if enemies flooded in a bit faster and kept things a bit more hectic. As it played out, I was kind of just standing there killing imps one after the other until the beefier monsters filled in and caught up; at that point it was a lot of meat that took quite a while to clean up without all that much pressure. I felt like I had "solved" the fight well before it was over, if that makes sense. I also don't love how the secret exit is hidden, but it's far from the worst secrets I've encountered. Overall not a bad map, it just stumbles a bit.

 

Map 31 - Reanimator (UV idk)

 

Yeah I'm not a fan of this map. I admire the experimental premise, but that's about it. It's really just that it feels like a proof of concept more than a proper map, something made to explore the idea's viability to be used in a map, but maybe not substantive enough to be an entire map. I dunno. I basically just go straight for the secret exit, I get a little frustrated having arch vile flames covering my screen the whole time. It's a secret map, so I'm not here to dog on it too much, but I can't say it imbues me with any desire to play it again.

 

Map 32 - Bed of Creation (UV)

 

Now this one is real interesting. It's actually infused with some horror due in no small part to the unique setup. I have to give props for the clever implementation of an actual bug, and it turns into a real interesting gameplay mechanic. I don't have a ton of notes for this map overall. Maybe, if anything, it would be that I feel like there's a bit of a missed opportunity to explore the abstract weirdness a bit more; this feels like some primordial place, some layer of world in between worlds, a non-place with different rules, packaged in kind of a boxy layout with relatively simple texturing (not in and of itself a critique, but something I note regardless). I know we're limited when we elect to stick with stock assets, so I can't describe exactly what I'd expect...Nor would I be so unreasonable as to hold anyone to it. But it still makes me wonder.

 

Map 16 - Cold Ascent (UV - 100%)

 

Fun rooftop map that doesn't do much at all to remind me of the Suburbs (not that I'm complaining). I think it looks good and really conveys the feeling of being at an elevated location. The setpieces feel pretty hectic and the arena is effective in keeping you from posting up in one place for too long. We get some good use of meatier monsters to crowd the space up. Even with a tactical use of the invuln, you can't coast through the final encounter. The midi starts to sound weird in this one, meandering and kind of muffled, like some cosmic resonance breaking through from a neighboring plane. The boundaries of realities eroding against hell's influence. The floating bookcases are ominous and I love how they start to associate with hell taking hold.

 

It's small and efficient, with a good overall appearance, and explores its own idea just enough before concluding.

 

[Magnusblitz]

MAP17: Predation

100% kills, 0/2 secrets

 

I think the central gimmick of the Cyberdemon constantly stalking the player is exceptionally well done here, I too thought there might be more than one cyber at first but turns out he's just getting a lot of help from monster-only teleports. I had to chuckle when he showed up in front of me in the watery tunnel area in the northwest. The only spot that felt sorta unfair was in the yellow key lava section, I managed to end up near the entrance from the main hub (so can't go back, one-way drop-down) but the cyber then teleported on top of the only path out, which felt a little unfair and not my own fault for getting pinned. Aside from that though, really well done.

 

I was more annoyed with the rest of the map - there's more aggravatingly placed Pain Elementals (which I'm never sure if I should hate or give kudos, probably both), and the Tenements copy area with the far-off revenant really irked me for some reason. I ended up going into the southwest section first which probably proved a mistake as I think it's the toughest with all the damaging slime; I think the intent is to put players in a "choose the cyber or choose the slime" quandary but all the chip damage made me run out of medkits too quickly. Thankfully there's eventually some armor and after that things even out a bit more. And yes, was happy to finally take Cybie out very last at the end.

[Celestin]

MAP18: Elder Shrine

 

This one strikes a fine balance between IWAD inspiration and originality. The staples of The Courtyard are still here, such as the column room, big arena fight or a ton of health vials and armor shards. However, they are all remade in a way that I'd likely wouldn't register this had I encountered the map in isolation.

 

Elder Shrine turns the cramped design to eleven, assaulting the player with a trio of pinkies that are hard to run past, only to drop them into a rush of imps. The aforementioned column room is so saturated with demons and obstacles getting to the other side is the biggest challenge of the map. I triggered a door in front of me and escaped to meet more monsters. I think it was a mistake, as getting to a dark tunnels with shotgunners and pinkies is a preferred option - it has a berserk (which is a godsent here), a plasma rifle and a BFG secret.

 

The finale is a huge fight against a horde of various monsters. What keeps it from being a trivial exercise in circle-strafing is a presence of damaging floor everywhere but in the very centre. BFG prevented me from getting stuck, but it was still a tense scenario to keep in the middle and avoiding getting overrun.

[RHhe82]

MAP18: Elder Shrine. Played on UV, pistol start. DSDA v0.27.5. K: 171/171, S: 2/2, I: 184/184. Comp. time 16:06

 

This one also felt a bit bland for me. It's not a bad map, although I wish the berserk pack had been lying nearer to my path -- I guess Elder Shrine will also benefit from replaying it, so you'd save your energy from shotgunning so many pinkies. The area around the exit looks cool, and I really liked the final fight - it really energizes the map which otherwise seems, I don't know -- boring? Maybe that's still a wrong word; like I said in the last map, I'm aching for something else than darkness -- although I do respect the lighting as a design choice: Abscission feels internally consistent work of art (and not just a bunch of Doom 2 IWAD map reimaginings slapped together).

[LadyMistDragon]

Map 18: Elder Shrine

Crispy Doom, UV, pistol-start

 

That music is griim. Like it sounds a lot like the depressive stuff heard thus far but that particular one-note darkwave-esque synth line that underpins the whole thing might be more unsettling than the last one where the danger felt a little more immediate. Like the other maps, this hits all the tropes of the IWAD counterpart, though arranged in such a way that it's impossible to accuse this one of just being another straightforward remix. 

 

For instance, the berserk pack is considerably harder to acquire because it's hidden behind a fair few more things but the pinkies will still bear down on us like no one's business. Be quick and one should probably be able to enter at least one of the side rooms, although the closer one has a chaingun, along with a Hell Knight that could make things slightly tricky with all the other enemies arrayed against us. The darkened series of blood hallways with the berserk pack seems more tempting but at the same time, also demonstrates the old Doom 1 maxim of well-placed sergeants in the dark being incredibly deadly, so perhaps just wait on that. As if that isn't enough, there's also Sigil-esque red cracks that show another source of inspiration.

 

Finding the secret BFG wasn't really too difficult - just a matter of exploring a darkened passagway. In either case, it helps greatly against a horde of Cacos in the claustrophobic blue key room, a clear reference to the original final showdown of the original courtyard.

 

And speaking of that.....the exit is located in roughly the same direction but the circular structure here proves to be far more cinematic and indeed, seems to be the titular site of the map. Press the switch that reveals the exit and a massive horde starts to teleport in. The damage floor here is of low-intensity but still is strong enough to keep us lurking for too long. Things prove especially tricky since we probably don't have the ammo to just BFG spam everything, confining that to some of the more constrictive situations that might arise here. At least there are no Arch-viles.....