The /newstuff of Ten Years

[Julian]

Smell in the air. Don't you sense it coming? 10th anniversary of our favorite game on its way. It's getting damn close, don't you think. So here we (the DW team) are brainstorming (idling?) about what we will do for the occasion.

One of the ideas that popped up was a best wads ever /new(old?)stuff. Problem is... which wads will we put in there? Now shoot.

(Serious propositions only, anyone acting lamely in this thread will see his post deleted - if not his account)

[sargebaldy]

heh, actually that was my idea, for my site. damn dw trying to steeeeeel it from meeees, my preciousssssss!!

but uh, uac_dead, aliens TC, alien vendetta would be a nice start.

[Naked Snake]

uac_dead.wad

[Isle]

massmouth

[Ultraviolet]

Don't misinterpret me as trolling here, because I'm actually serious. I think there should be a small joke-wads section, a showcase of the comic relief that occured while we waited for wads with some actual gameplay/architecture/whatever value. Of course, writing this in would be last priority, but it would take half an hour at the most anyway.

Currently in my joke-wads collection:
1337 (.zip extension implied on these), a-onahd, bennyh, bughunt, build, burger, doom2_2, dumbmockteaser (not sure that's in the archives), dwforums, fritter, goblet, impenc, impencse, MooDDoom, nuts2, nuts3, nuts, nutsarna, pqdoom, supar1337

Somebody also please let me know if there are any joke wads I don't have. I love collecting them...


And suggestions more in-line with the topic:
Of course you know you have to include Aliens TC. Equinox would also be a good one to mention.

[The Ultimate DooMer]

What's allowed in and what's not? (regarding ports, DooM 1/2/Heretic/Hexen etc.)

And are we allowed to nominate our own wads if they're regarded well enough?

[Linguica]

Here's something I wrote many moons ago

* ALIENS-TC -- What list of must-have Doom WADs would be complete without ALIENS-TC? Created entirely by one man, ALIENS-TC thrust the player into Ripley's shoes complete with new levels, weapons and enemies. The atmosphere created in the levels was so perfect that players were more scared to turn a corner or descend a lift than Doom had ever made them. Although it's over five years old and looks that way, ALIENS-TC is still quite a fright as well as a a momentous achievement. Coupled with the fact that it was developed for an early version of the Doom engine that allowed even less linedefs onscreen than v1.9, it's downright amazing.

* Batman Doom -- If you want to play Doom, look somewhere else. Batman Doom bears about as little resemblance to the game it's built on top of as is possible. With 32 all-new levels, new textures, monsters, weapons, incredible special effects, a cohesive plot, and much more, Batman Doom could have been sold as a game in its own right a few years ago. The fact that it can be run using the original doom2.exe only attests to its makers' ingenuity.

* Doomsday of the UAC -- When looked at today, UAC_DEAD isn't all that much to write home about. It's full of the wide barren spaces which plague early Doom WADs, and the sparse monster count means long stretches of tedium. However, UAC_DEAD offered a sense of place not found in any PWADs before it, and it also broke barriers with its legendary "candle bridge" and Cyberdemon battle. It shows its age, but it's still a timeless classic.

* Eternal Doom -- One of the great things about the Doom engine is that it can be used to create absolutely enormous levels. Under the Quake or Unreal engine, areas may look more realistic, but no current 3D engine can create spaces nearly as massive as those found within Eternal Doom. Did you think that Doom 2's Map29 was a huge level? Go load up Map12 or Map30 of Eternal Doom and learn how large "huge" can be.

* Gothic DM II -- Gothic DM II still stands as the absolute pinnacle of level design in Doom levels, and amazingly enough, packs it all into running under the original doom2.exe. The levels are varied in their size, design and style, but all are intense deathmatch experiences worthy of any Doomer's hard drive space.

* Hell Revealed -- So, you think you're hot stuff? Just because you can blow through any of the levels in Doom or Doom 2 doesn't mean you're a true Doom god. After all, those maps were made all of six years ago, when circlestrafing had barely been conceived. For truly intense Doom action, Hell Revealed is second to none. Created by experienced Doom speedrunners, the maps in Hell Revealed are absolutely brimming with monsters while still remaining (barely) beatable. Beat this megawad on Ultra-Violence, and you can consider yourself a real master.

* Memento Mori II -- Memento Mori II was the second of TiC's community-driven megawads, created during Doom's peak of popularity. 32 levels, created by many different people, all following different themes and styles. The final product is still an absolute blast to play -- pure Dooming action, at its best.

* Requiem -- Released in summer 1997, Requiem still stands as one of the most complex and detailed megawads ever created. Although some bugs and glitches can be found throughout the levels (they were never thoroughly playtested), they are nevertheless some of the greatest single-player adventures ever made.

* S*T*R*A*I*N -- From start to finish, STRAIN was intended to be one of the most cohesive Doom WADs ever made, and it largely acheived its goal. All levels and enemies were extensively tested for fairness and playability. The plot was an integral part of the level progression. While some consider STRAIN to be rough around the edges in terms of some of its art and level design, the overall experience is immensely satisfying.

* Tei Tenga -- The new breed of source ports such as ZDoom have many wonderful and sadly underused features which, when used correctly, can transform a regular level into an extraordinary one. While the level design in Tei Tenga was pretty standard, the massive amounts of scripting used to create and propogate the story has not yet been equalled. Rocket salvos blow holes in the floor, turning off a power station freezes over a pool of water, and a psychotic computer toys with you before unleashing its armies to destroy you.

[Julian]

Make suggestions, suggest wads for Doom and Doom II ONLY (this is Doom's birthday, isn't it?), the wads should be on /idgames or, at least, on a stable location.

[Linguica]

Anyways, I think 25 or so of the "best" WADs with a description / link for each would be more than enough.

[Ultraviolet]

The Ultimate DooMer said:

What's allowed and what's not? (regarding ports etc.)

I wouldn't think port-specific wads would really be an issue in that it's all Doom.

Ooh, perhaps the anniversary merits a community re-do of Aliens TC. I always thought those maps lacked in logical layout. I think Aliens TC re-done with ZDoom's ambient sounds, 3d lights, slopes, scripting, and other architecture and gameplay features would really kick ass. I've actually been taking notes on implementation ideas and stuff (for YEARS -- this folder is about an inch thick, not really Aliens specific, though, just general stuff) and I had the idea to re-create the sentry-gun scene (if you haven't seen that part, go get the director's cut or special edition or whatever on DVD RIGHT NOW) with Thing_Hate, aliens being CONSTANTLY spawned on patrol routes, and the turrets only working for so long before they "run out of ammo" (fake of course because there's really no way to track that except for players) and are overrun and destroyed, followed by the aliens being patrol-routed to a location which the player is supposed to defend -- gets told at the beginning of the level not to let it be overrun -- but the player can still take up a defensive position at any location, do stuff like seal off doors (one less way for them to get in, lower the "bandwidth" of their attack)... but anyway...

I know giving the specifics of this idea really stretches the on-topicness of this post... sorry.

[sargebaldy]

quas did update it actually, not sure where the link is to it. still lots of misalignments and stuff though.

[Julian]

Jeez guys! ON-TOPIC! NOW!

Anyway, source ports shouldn't be an issue. I would count Doom64 TC as quite an important wad for instance.

[The Ultimate DooMer]

Ok, I'll throw in a bunch of everything:

Vanilla: Requiem, Hell Revealed, 2002ADO
General port: Alien Vendetta, Community Chest
JDoom: Underworld Ep 1
Legacy: Nimrod
ZDoom: Massmouth 2, LTSD, Dark 7

[Ichor]

Hacx
Trinity (mentioned in 3D Game Alchemy)
Boothill (also mentioned in 3D Game Alchemy)

[Naked Snake]

Revolution! is a great megawad, and I think it should be on there too.

Also, on the 10th, DW should take a look at the games that used the Doom engine.

[Fletcher`]

Fist Full of Doom

Cyberdreams

Void (the sanity raping map by the sanity raping Cyb)

Qdoom.

[Janizdreg]

Single solo maps:
Blood Runners (0bloodr.zip) - Amazing design.
Containment Area (contain.zip)
Dante's Gate (dante25.zip) - Nostalgia.
Doom Raider (dr1-full.zip) - Different kind of Doom play.
Doomsday of UAC (uac_dead.zip) - More Nostalgia.
Jägermörder 01 - Chemical Lab (dmdjm01.zip) - A map that oozes perfection. Ahh.
Rocketeer (roketeer.zip)
Ropy II (ropy2.zip) - Another piece of perfection. Simply incredible.
Venom (venom.zip)
Void (void.zip) - Truly imaginative stuff.
Vrack 2 (vrack2b.zip) - Massive.

Megawads/map sets:
2002 A Doom Odyssey (2002ado.zip)
Alien Vendetta (av.zip)
Assault on Tei Tenga (teitenga.zip) - Love it or hate it.
CH Retro Episode (retroeps.zip) - Doom retro at it's best.
Crusades (crusades.zip) - Yet more perfection. Atmospheric.
Dark7 (dark7.zip)
Hell Revealed (hr.zip) - Get your ass whooped big time.
Kurt Kesler map collection (k_maps.zip) - The collected works of the master.
Memento Mori II (mm2.zip)
Phobos: Anomaly Reborn (par-lutz.zip)
Requiem (requiem.zip)
Scythe (scythe.zip)
The Classic Episode (class_ep.zip) - More quality retro.
The Community Chest Project (cchest.zip)
The Hell Factory Hub One (hellfact.zip) - The mother of all modern ZDoom WADs.

Deathmatch levels:
British WADpack Season 11 (brit11.zip)
Chainsaws and Boomsticks SE (cbs_se_11.zip)
Dwango5 (Dwango5.zip) - The crowd pleaser.
Gothic DeathMatches (gothicdm.zip)
Judas23 (judas23.zip) - Up, down, left, right.
MetalDM (metaldm.zip)
Narcosis (narcosis.zip) - Beautiful.
Overload Deathmatches (overload.zip) - Frantic duels.
The Brotherhood of Ruin DM (ruindm.zip)
Vex-Doom (vex-doom.zip) - Deathmatch at it's very best.

Modifications:
Batman Doom (batman.zip) - A TC that really does change stuff.
Eternal Doom (eternal.zip) - Huuuuge.
Hacx (hacx1_1s.zip)
MassMouth 2 (massm2.zip) - Fun & funny.
Mordeth (mordeth.zip)
Operation: Arctic Wolf (arctic_se.zip) - Wolfenstein!
The Darkest Hour (darkhour.zip)
ZanZan (ZanZanTC.zip) - A world of it's own.

Sorry, I just couldn't resist writing all these pointless comments. =P

[sargebaldy]

what i think is sad is that 96% of what people are listing are for doom2 not doom :/

i have some more i'd list, such as dead base and mount fire, but apparently no one besides me has played these anyway...

[NiGHTMARE]

Yeah, this is the 10th anniversary of Doom 1, not Doom 2 (you frads! :) )

Anyway:

#1KILL
2002: ADO
Aliens TC
Army of Darkness
CH_Retro
Classic Episode
Cleimos
Cringe!
Crossing Acheron & Dante's Gate
Crusade (aka Spooky)
Dawn of the Dead
Death Tormention 1 & 2
Debut
Eternity, Infinity & Serenity
Fava Beans
Ghast
Inferno & Phobos: Anomaly Reborn
Invasion levels 1 & 2
Invasion 1 (the megawad, nothing to do with the above) & Vengeance
Megalab & Megawatt
Mntfire & Deadbase
NJ Doom 1
Nukemine
Return to Phobos
Slaughter Until Death (sudtic) & The Evil Unleashed (teutic)
T_DUNN01
UAC_Dead

I'm sure I've missed a few...

[Quasar]

sargebaldy said:

quas did update it actually, not sure where the link is to it. still lots of misalignments and stuff though.

My Aliens TC 2.0 update was only meant to make the original Aliens TC work with modern source ports. Try the original in BOOM or MBF and you will see that it is almost unplayable due to some really weird problems.

Looking at the internals of the levels, you can see that DOOM editing and editors were very young then. There's lots of errors in the level construction, stuff done in very round-about ways that are unnecessary, and also there are some serious issues with some of the textures. I stripped all the resources apart and put them back together in the normal, standard fashion for my update.

I would still love to see an Aliens TC with new port features though. I was actually planning to do one myself for a long time, and I still wish I could, really. It would be awesome.

[sargebaldy]

speaking of updating old maps in a newer engine, i've been reworking wasteland: dead base (from may 1994) into a zdoom-hexen map. i'm thinking about saving that release for december 10th too.

[Cyb]

heh, aliens tc is older than doom2

btw I don't think eliminating every wad for doom2 is really necessary, the vast majority of really great wads were made for doom2, not doom, and this is about the start of doom (ie the game in general), not really about the specific doom wad (btw if you want to get really specific/anal, it's only the 10th anniversary of the shareware episode 1, not full Doom). Besides, nobody will care when Doom2's anniversary rolls around :P

[mephisto00]

Hell Revealed
Massmouth
Requiem
Memento Mori 2
Vrack 2
Void
Hell Revealed 2(If it hits before the 10th anniversary)
Mockery

[Kaiser]

Julian said:

Jeez guys! ON-TOPIC! NOW!

I would count Doom64 TC as quite an important wad for instance.

That TC isn't ready for /newstuff yet....unfortunately



Momento Mori and Cchest makes good candidates.
Also, I would suggest Eternity, Revolution!, and CH Retro

[Grazza]

Deathman said:

That TC isn't ready for /newstuff yet....unfortunately

Julian had said:

the wads should be on /idgames or, at least, on a stable location.

So it's probably OK for the purpose of this feature.

[sargebaldy]

I'm not sure why the Doom 64 TC would qualify, since the maps were designed by Midway, and just translated over...

[Kaiser]

sargebaldy said:

I'm not sure why the Doom 64 TC would qualify, since the maps were designed by Midway, and just translated over...

its not that, the TC is just too darn buggy...



btw, the level authors already know about this TC, and they seem to like it for some reason...

[sargebaldy]

I rather liked the TC, my point is it makes more sense to honor people in the community who made maps from scratch over people who just transferred over professionally made ones... Same reason I wouldn't think Wolfendoom should be listed.

[NiGHTMARE]

Many of the Wolfendoom maps were made from scratch (Astrostein, Arctic Wolf and Rheingold to name but three).

[sargebaldy]

Yeah, I meant the original set. Arctic Wolf may indeed deserve a mention :)