Abstract, Artistic and Expressive Wads

[Inconspicuousss]

What are some unique and abstract wads that you'd recommend? I am looking for something artistic or really showing a sense of the author. Doesn't have to be a big wad just something someone was passionate about. Something out of the ordinary without being a terrywad.

[Chookum]

Five from the top of my head:

 

Though I helped test this out and have a pecuniary interest to declare, I'll put forward Crate Expectations by Clippy. Who knew you could do so much with some crate textures in vanilla Doom?

Beyond Reality is a great ZDoom romp from DarPsycho, who has many more idiosyncratic experiences that play with Doom in addition to being unhinged.

I CANT GIVE YOU ANY THING and I WILL NEVER GIVE YOU ANY THING are psychedelic slaughter experiences.

Fire Rainbow is another visual mash of texture constraints. Hope you like Fireblu, and Fireponk, Acidblu, Goldblu, and...

GOODWAD plays with the engine with the power of MBF (or MBF21, I forget which) to deliver a variety package of whacky experiences.

[Gez]

53 minutes ago, Inconspicuousss said:

What are some unique and abstract wads that you'd recommend?

Oniria

Plasmaplant

Doom 404

Finely Crafted Fetish Film

53 minutes ago, Inconspicuousss said:

I am looking for something artistic or really showing a sense of the author.

Grove

Foreverhood

Erkattäññe

53 minutes ago, Inconspicuousss said:

Doesn't have to be a big wad just something someone was passionate about.

My House

lilith

53 minutes ago, Inconspicuousss said:

Something out of the ordinary without being a terrywad.

dead.wire

Lullaby

The Magenta Spire

Void and Rainbow

[97th Century Fox]

Gotta mention ZanZan

And speaking of zanzans, pretty much the entire repertoir of Zan-zan-zawa-veia, aka Yakfak, fits the bill

[Walter confetti]

Amorphous Euphoria

[DoomGappy]

 

This right here.

[riktoi]

ARCHIE
BARBARA & REGGIE'S CASTLE MASSACRE

[A Handsome Fridge]

Not to toot my own horn, but..

OK totally tooting my own horn, but artsy and abstract are the few trademarks that I have :D I think Tapestry of Stones and Mearblock are both good examples, check them out in RAMP2022 https://ramp2022.teamouse.net/download.php (many other artsy maps in there as well so that's a big bonus).

[Warboss_Gegguz]

Ribbiks' and Grain of Salt's catalogs are usually my go to when it comes to stuff that's extremely unique and/or abstract. 

https://rbkz.net/doom/

https://doomwiki.org/wiki/Grain_of_Salt

The aforementioned Finely Crafted Fetish Film is them, and also stuff like Stardate, SWTW, Wormwood, Magnolia, jumpwad, frog, and a slew of other fairly experimental mapping projects.

 

Just know that they're mostly slaughter and puzzle mappers, so if you're not into that you're gonna want to set the difficulty fairly low.

[Maribo]

An unorganized and incomplete collection of things, in which you will find no shortage of passion:

 

Dum-Dum Thoughts

1 Bad Wad

Candlemass

Clouded Eyes

A Lost World

Uroboros

The Settlements

I Can't Sleep

0x0

DEFY THE OMPHALOS

Down The Drain

Saturnine Chapel

Firebloo Girls

YOUDOVOODOO

Cognitive Dissonance

Mork, Murder, Art

Northern Powerhouse

Ashen Garden

[Phoenyx]

30 minutes ago, Maribo said:

Clouded Eyes

Didn't expect Clouded Eyes to appear in a list of...well anything really LOL

I appreciate it <3

 

Maribo and others pretty much covered all the WADs I would suggest. I would probably add Let's Be Enemies onto the list too. But stuff like ICGYA, YOUDOVOODOO, Northern Powerhouse, The Settlements, Dum-Dum Thoughts, Uroboros and 1 Bad WAD are all amazing. ^-^

[Peccatum Mihzamiz]

Hot Soapy Water is all about artistic vibes.

[LadyMistDragon]

Data Corruption

Box of a Thousand Demons

Safe Haven

Liminal Doom

Trouble Over the Rainbow

Excruciation

Eraser

[apichatpong]

On 7/17/2024 at 11:34 AM, 97th Century Fox said:

Gotta mention ZanZan

And speaking of zanzans, pretty much the entire repertoir of Zan-zan-zawa-veia, aka Yakfak, fits the bill

 

Thanks a lot ! I knew Zan-zan-zawa-veia from soundtracks but wasn't aware of his work as a map builder. It turns out I like "genealogy" and systems and, after spending quite some time playing (randomly on his "répertoire") Spidersilk, I now have found a missing link and influence for some of my favorite maps by Ribbiks and Tourniquet ! (and didn't knew that Zan-zan-zawa-veia was Yakfak).

 

Already close to enter my subjective (but not THAT original) Hall of fame of "mappers of the strange" with Ribbiks, Tourniquet, TimeOfDeath and Xulgonoth.