The /newstuff Chronicles #347

[Bloodshedder]

• Beautiful Doom (version 4.4) - zer0 aka Jekyll Grim Payne
  GZDoom - Solo Play - 4575247 bytes - (img) (img) (img) (img) (img)
  Reviewed by: Edward850
  Where do I begin?
  
  Not only does this have a rad looking title screen, but its contents, everything about this mod, is beautiful.
  
  Its blood effects are neat, the lighting effects are rather well done (a little blocky though. This could be improved), the gore/gibs are awesome. The shrapnel is fun (you can shoot it around the place. Interesting.), and everything just looks exactly that, Beautiful (I'm sure I said this before).
  
  A particular interest is the additional death frames and slightly re-designed weapons (nice SSG reload animation, by the way). Its not often that you get a Doom effects mod that adds addition graphics. The shrapnel, like I have mentioned before, is a rather nice touch to explosions, especially on the Cyberdemon.
  
  Its also nice of the author to remind me about autoaim. Having that on in a mod like this would be a disaster, so reminding me to switch it off in the text file is good thinking.
  
  All in all, a very good mod and much worth the download.
  
  
• Heartless - Doomguy93
  Boom Compatible - Solo Play - 185620 bytes - (img) (img) (img)
  Reviewed by: udderdude
  A map for Doom, on E2M4. The map is styled after the original E2M4, and you'll probably see more than a few similarities. The layout is decent, a few too many hallway battles for my taste. Gameplay is generally easy, there's nothing that taxing, and you get the BFG, which makes things much easier. The big event is a giant teleport trap that lasts for awhile and has all manner of uglies pouring through. With the BFG though, you're able to handle it quite easily. Classic Doom fans will want to check this out. For some though, it might be a bit too easy.
  
  
• Doomdream - Jose B. "doomguyer"
  ZDoom Compatible - Solo Play - 6096587 bytes - (img) (img) (img) (img) (img)
  Reviewed by: udderdude
  A map for Doom 2, using ZDoom. This is an enormous city map that sprawls for an entire city block. There are tons of buildings, and each one is ridiculously detailed. There are also other parts of the map, including a giant outdoor field, a mountain range, and the starting area is a temple. I would have to say this entire map should win some sort of award for detailing, as it's really amazing how much is packed in there.
  
  There are ZDoom monsters and new weapons as well. The map is definitely more about exploration than fighting off hordes of baddies, though. The gameplay takes a backseat, and you'll probably find yourself in more than a few situations where you've run out of ammo and there's no health around.
  
  The biggest drawback is the entire map is set to hidden, so no matter how much you explore, you never get a map of the whole city. This is pretty bad, considering how huge it is. You are likely to get lost pretty easily. If you're really above using IDDT, you could always map it down with pen and paper.
  
  This map could easily take hours and hours to complete. I would also recommend you avoid this map if your PC is more than 3-4 years old. Good luck!
  
  
• Labs of Deimos Revisited - Walter "Daimon" Confalonieri
  doom.exe - Solo Play - 236085 bytes - (img) (img) (img) (img)
  Reviewed by: PhilibusMo
  This map is described as a tribute to E2M4. Tribute is a bit of an understatement, as the maps are almost indistinguishable, except this just feels like E2M4 retard edition. For starters, the monster placement is extremely easy, with not even one monster taking me by surprise or being in a challenging fight situation. During the entirety of the level (on Ultra Violence no less) I was hit once by an imp fire ball; that was it, and I'm pretty rubbish at Doom. I also found every secret and killed every monster thanks to an automap placed towards the beginning of the level in the exact same trap as the original, with the only difference of this one not looking half as good and being far easier.
  
  The one major problem with the map that I found was retrieving the blue key which was behind a door that was opened by walking over a linedef with tag 9. Now I checked all over the level and opened it in Doom Builder, and this walkover linedef just didn't seem to exist. Another criticism is that during the end area (which was actually pretty nice to look at compared to the rest of the level), for seemingly no reason other than this being a bitch slap to anyone bothering to play this far, I was killed by a crusher crushing a voodoo doll with no warning. This is not a fun game play mechanic, it is just incredibly frustrating when you have bothered to make you way through a mostly bland and broken level to be killed for no obvious reason other than deciding to explore the one nice-looking section of the map.
  
  Having said this there were three nice moments, one with a cacodemon teleporting in behind a broken wall, one with lost souls appearing through fire and the view of the end area before you enter it. These almost make the wad worth playing, but not quite.
  
  This wad is mostly competent but offers nearly nothing new or interesting to people who have already played E2M4, or just looked at it in a map editor, or even just knows someone who has played it.
  
  Worth a punt if you have a few minutes to spare, but don't go out of your way to play this wad.
  
  
• My Frist! Map - Eye del Cul
  doom.exe - Solo Play - 29480 bytes - (img)
  Reviewed by: udderdude
  A map for Doom, on E1M1. It's a pretty standard 1994 map. Lots of ammo, health and badly textured rooms. Gameplay is easy, even on UV. You get the plasma gun and there's nothing larger than a Cacodemon to fight. If you like that classic 1994-map style, this is pretty much that. Everyone else will want to pass.
  
  
• Downhell - Shadowman
  Limit Removing - Solo Play - 193122 bytes
  Reviewed by: Craigs
  This is a map 28 replacement by Shadow Man and I gotta say I enjoyed it. Normally I don't care much slaughterfest maps, but I found this rather entertaining. There are only 253 enemies on the map, but it feels like there's way more. You really need to move fast, and kill the enemies as quickly as possible.
  
  Once you grab the chainsaw at the start, all the doors in the main area start opening, one at a time. With each one that opens, more and more monsters pour out. So it's an absolute necessity that you work as quickly as possible. You don't have much time to stop and admire the scenery. If you do, chances are you're going to end up completely surrounded by demons. The ammo and health balance is great, and there's never a dull moment. No lengthy key hunts, no shitty mazes that take forever to get from one end to another, just you, your guns, and a shit load of demons.
  
  As far as detail and architecture go, the map isn't too impressive. The texture choice consists of large brown bricks and some fleshy textures, and the map is for the most part, pretty boxy. I liked the rooms with the red skull bars, but that's about it. It's not exactly hideous, but it's not exactly aesthetically pleasing either. Some more curves and a little more wall decoration would have been nice.
  
  
• Unholy Demise - Terry
  Skulltag - Solo Play - 1025584 bytes
  Reviewed by: Craigs
  This is a wad by Terry. It sucks. Chances are you probably already knew that though. There's no point to really even downloading this. In fact, you probably shouldn't even bother clicking the link to the archives. You hit a switch and you're teleported to a room with the "some mong" texture plastered all over the walls, floors, and ceilings. There are also a shit load of baby dolls. A message flashes across your screen. Again, it's by Terry so I probably don't even need to tell you that it's nothing but stuff about raping you in the ass. That's it. Avoid at all cost, and if someone offers you a USB drive, floppy disk, or CD containing this wad, burn it, and bury it, and if you bump in to Terry, make sure you cut off his hands so that he can't plague the archives with his shitty wads.
  
  
• Kobal 2 - Shadowman
  ZDoom Compatible - Solo Play - 994950 bytes - (img) (img)
  Reviewed by: udderdude
  Two short maps for Doom 2 using ZDoom. The maps have a nice theme to them that is somewhat like Plutonia. Detail level is also nice. There are also some recolored imp/demon sprites (only their appearance is changed). The first map is a symmetrical tech base. It's so symmetrical that even the doors open symmetrically. It's not too tough overall. The second map is an underground base that's very dark and also somewhat symmetrical. It's very flat, basically a bunch of hallways with rooms. This map is a bit tougher, with some tough fights in tight spaces. Overall, it's worth a quick play through. But the symmetry of the first map and the flatness of the second map might be a bit of a turn-off to some.
  
  
• Valafar's Fortress - Raptor Llama
  Limit Removing - Solo Play - 24949679 bytes - (img) (img) (img)
  Reviewed by: udderdude
  A very poorly made Doom 2 map, with nonsensical design and enemy usage, huge rooms with almost nothing in them, areas that are almost completely black, horrible eye-searing texture usage, etc. The cherry on the shit cake is a 24 MB pk3 that has a few OGGs (probably ripped from somewhere) and not much else (the map itself is 130kb). It's also the author's first map, one that should have stayed on his/her hard drive. This is definitely one to avoid.
  
  
• Agony of the Eighth - Chris Wright
  doom2.exe - Solo Play - 123880 bytes - (img) (img)
  Reviewed by: udderdude
  A map for Doom 2. This is an interesting map with a very organic layout. It starts off difficult and gets easier as you progress. You get every weapon, a megasphere, and there's some boss monsters around. The biggest problem is that you can warp to the final area before visiting the other half of the map. If you haven't collected enough ammo beforehand, you might not make it, since there's two cyberdemons and some barons in there. It's worth a playthrough, though you might find yourself dying from the start a few times.
  
  
• BLOODY DEATHYMEGAEVILITY! - Nixot
  ZDoom Compatible - n/a - 15261 bytes - (img)
  Reviewed by: udderdude
  A not-so-great "Blood" patch for ZDoom that adds giant tumbleweed-sized blobs of red pixels falling out of enemies every time you shoot them. Looks ridiculous. Just don't even bother with this one. But feel free to laugh at the one screenshot provided!
  
  Everyone makes a blood patch for Doom at one point or another; most are smart enough to leave them sitting on their hard drive. This guy clearly wasn't.
  
  
• Hall of Faces - DarckRedd
  ZDoom Compatible - Solo Play - 18534 bytes - (img) (img)
  Reviewed by: udderdude
  A map for Doom 2. It's a short map that stars in a pitch-black hell area, and progresses pointlessly to a bright techbase. It looks like one of the author's first attempts. It's pretty easy to get killed in the first room with the bum rush of hitscanners and demons. So, yeah. Hall of Faces? More like Hall of Feces lol. Actually I can't really say that, as it's not so bad that nobody will want to play it. Just be warned of hitscanners in dark corridors. Also, the floor textures are wall textures in several rooms, so don't even bother trying this outside of something like ZDoom.
  
  
• Maps From Memory - Various
  doom/doom2.exe - Solo Play - 213153 bytes - (img) (img) (img) (img) (img) (img)
  Reviewed by: arrrgh
  Maps From Memory was an idea that appeared on the forums which went like this: Recreate E1M1 from memory as closely as you could. The zip contains two WADS, one for Doom with the bulk of the maps, and one for Doom II which only contained two. Some of the maps were worryingly good while others felt completely different. Most of the errors are in the texturing, though. This isn't really anything more than a curiosity, though - if you're looking for a "serious" WAD, this isn't the place.
  
  
• Styx - Nathan "Bishop" Chapman
  ZDoom Compatible - Solo Play - 814604 bytes - (img) (img) (img) (img)
  Reviewed by: Do0minat0r
  One episode for Doom I/Ultimate Doom, running on Episode 3. The maps are in the style of the original E3 (Inferno) and E4 (Thy Flesh Consumed), and as the name suggests, are based around the Styx river myth. Overall, I found the maps to be pretty good, especially considering they are the first maps by this author. The architecture isn't that detailed but generally looks good, and the gameplay is a good challenge, yet I rarely found it to be unfair. I found the maps very playable both as an episode and from pistol starts. My only notable complaints are that some of the maps have an annoying maze area full of Lost Souls that you probably have to chainsaw if you don't want to run out of ammo, and that I found the secret map (E3M9) to be a disappointment compared to most of the other levels. That being said, here are my brief thoughts on each map:
  
  E3M1 is a small level, and fairly easy to beat. You shouldn't have any problems with this one.
  
  E3M2 is harder, but I generally found it very balanced except for a slight shortage of ammo at the beginning (even if you chainsaw the Lost Souls in the small maze area). The map is a bit on the symmetrical side, however.
  
  E3M3 is about the same difficulty as E3M2, but a bit longer and much less symmetrical. The large, dark Lost Soul maze wasn't my favorite, but the rest was good.
  
  Aside from another (albeit smaller and brighter) Lost Soul maze in one area, E3M4 is an excellent level. The difficulty is roughly on par with earlier maps, while the length continues to slowly increase.
  
  E3M5 is an excellent map. Despite being clearly inspired by E4M6 of Ultimate Doom, the map feels like a new level. The balance remains good here, and while it starts with another small Lost Soul maze, this one is outside and I didn't really mind it.
  
  E3M6 is a long level, and also perhaps a slight ramp in difficulty is well, but certainly not unfair. The level revolves around a fortress with some cavernous areas surrounding it. I found it to be another very solid level, aside from yet another dark Lost Soul maze. The secret exit certainly takes some effort to find (but I won't spoil anything here).
  
  E3M9 (secret) is just a small level. It is also somewhat easier than the normal maps, due to a bit more health and ammo. It's not a bad map, but I was a bit disappointed after all the effort I spent getting to it.
  
  E3M7 is the map with the most monsters, and perhaps also the longest and hardest map in the episode, appropriate for the last normal level. This level revolves around the Styx canyon/river itself, and therefore a good portion of the map is cavernous and/or outside. Despite not being my favorite style, I found this map to be quite well done and throughly enjoyable, and quite a good challenge but not unfair.
  
  E3M8 is the boss map, with a few rooms and a key leading up to it. The boss room has a bunch of other big monsters in it, but there is generally enough supplies and cover to beat all the other enemies and then attack the Spider Mastermind head on.
  
  Overall, I found this episode to be quite good, especially for the author's first released maps, and certainly worth downloading and playing, especially for those who like levels with the E3/E4 theme. It looks good, plays good, and offers a good challenge overall. Definitely recommended for those who enjoy the E3/E4 style of maps.
  
  
• Exol Base - Nixot
  ZDoom Compatible - Solo Play - 2622108 bytes - (img) (img)
  Reviewed by: Super Jamie
  A very short and simple metal base with a couple of easy monster encounters. The author seems to have just discovered ACS scripting, as such the music will change every time you approach enemies and there are too many unnecessary messages on-screen. Nothing new here, just a first map that should have stayed on a hard drive.
  
  

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[Torn]

First post! :P

Looks like this one is more intersting.

[EarthQuake]

Is it really necessary to have screenshots that are 1680 x 1050?

[Snarboo]

A pretty standard /newstuff. Doomdream and Styx look interesting. I'm going to have to give them a go.

[GreyGhost]

Maps From Memory - Various
doom/doom2.exe - Solo Play - 213153 bytes
Reviewed by: arrrgh
Maps From Memory was an idea that appeared on the forums which went like this: Recreate E1M1 from memory as closely as you could. The zip contains two WADS, one for Doom with the bulk of the maps, and one for Doom II which only contained two. Some of the maps were worryingly good while others felt completely different. Most of the errors are in the texturing, though. This isn't really anything more than a curiosity, though - if you're looking for a "serious" WAD, this isn't the place.

Unbelievable! My first serious mapping effort hasn't receive the adulation I feel it deserves! I'll be back - with a humongous rant! ;-)

[arrrgh]

nooooooooooooooo

[Gez]

Bloodshedder said:

(img)

lol

[Vermil]

Styx works in any port that can run maps with unknown textures, not just ZDoom compatible engines.

The maps are Vanilla, but every one features several unknown "BRICK8" textures on non-visible lines.

EDIT:
Though E3M3 does also have a ZDoom-ism on it that prevents the platforms around the exit lowering. Vanilla Doom can only have one plane movement occur on a sector at once. ZDoom allows more than one.

In this case, the switch to lower the platforms will not function in Vannila Doom because the ceilings of the platforms are already moving as crushing ceilings.

I didn't encounter any other ZDoom-isms playing therough the entire wad.

[deathbringer]

The cherry on the shit cake is a 24 MB pk3 that has a few OGGs (probably ripped from somewhere) and not much else (the map itself is 130kb)

Remember N00B map-makers, just because you CAN do something, it doesn't mean to NEED to.

Like Doom Rampage edition with it's mass of Offspring MP3's

[printz]

Bloodshedder said:

Labs of Deimos Revisited - Walter "Daimon" Confalonieri
doom.exe - Solo Play - 236085 bytes - (img) (img) (img) (img)
Reviewed by: PhilibusMo

[...]

I was killed by a crusher crushing a voodoo doll with no warning.

[...]

Now that's horror.

[Udderdude]

EarthQuake said:

Is it really necessary to have screenshots that are 1680 x 1050?

Get a bigger monitor.

[Udderdude]

Gez said:

http://www.doomworld.com/php/screenie.php?dir=/images/newstuff/347/&filename=e1m1mem02.png lol

First screenshot to make me laugh in a long while.

[Snarboo]

Styx is pretty great so far. If it's reporting unknown textures in vanilla or a port, that can easily be fixed with Doombuilder's find and replace feature.

[esselfortium]

The maps-from-memory intermission is hilarious. Thank you Creaphis.

[Dutch Doomer]

I played the first 3 maps of Styx so far. One thing that annoyed me was the dark maze areas, I couldn't see an damn thing. Other than that its pretty good and fun to play so far.

[Creaphis]

esselfortium said:

The maps-from-memory intermission is hilarious. Thank you Creaphis.

Over 9000 hours in MS Paint.

[hardcore_gamer]

Craigs said:

This is a wad by Terry. It sucks. Chances are you probably already knew that though. There's no point to really even downloading this. In fact, you probably shouldn't even bother clicking the link to the archives. You hit a switch and you're teleported to a room with the "some mong" texture plastered all over the walls, floors, and ceilings. There are also a shit load of baby dolls. A message flashes across your screen. Again, it's by Terry so I probably don't even need to tell you that it's nothing but stuff about raping you in the ass. That's it. Avoid at all cost, and if someone offers you a USB drive, floppy disk, or CD containing this wad, burn it, and bury it, and if you bump in to Terry, make sure you cut off his hands so that he can't plague the archives with his shitty wads.

This is just trolling and does not even count as reviewing. How this got approved as a newstuff review is beyond me.

[Sporku]

Beautiful Doom actually makes the game look worse! Oh, the beautiful irony of it all.

[Dutch Doomer]

hardcore_gamer said:

This is just trolling and does not even count as reviewing. How this got approved as a newstuff review is beyond me.

Have you even played the map, that stupid thing doesn't deserve an proper review.

[Gez]

AgentSpork said:

Beautiful Doom actually makes the game look worse! Oh, the beautiful irony of it all.

Heh, I agree.

[aleksej]

Labs Of Deimos Revisited and Agony of Eighth - both wads really doesn't work in vanilla doom/doom2 even with limit removing hacks applied. Actually Labs Of Deimos works well with limit removing but crashes anyway right after teleporting in exit area.

[Do0minat0r]

Well, Styx is my first review of a wad. Any feedback on it (it'll really help me; I'm playing another wad to review it right now)?

[hardcore_gamer]

dutch devil said:

Have you even played the map, that stupid thing doesn't deserve an proper review.

I don't care how bad the map is. When i read the newstuff reviews i want too read an actual review of the map, not a text made up of insults thrown at the mapper. I mean calling calling a wad "shit" is one thing, but actually going as far as telling the author that his hands should be cut off him is just spamming the newstuff reviews.

If the map is really as bad as the author claims it is then you needs too say why or at least give us some screenshots of the shitty stuff.

His review was made up of like 6 lines of text, and out of those 6 lines like 1 and a half or perhaps 2 lines actually explain what the map is like, the rest is just insults thrown at the author.

I think it's a shame "reviews" like this are approved by whoever takes the call of what gets in and what does not because i think it decreases the quality standards that i think Doomworld is famous for!

[The Green Herring]

Bloodshedder said:

• Labs of Deimos Revisited - Walter "Daimon" Confalonieri
  doom.exe - Solo Play - 236085 bytes - (img) (img) (img) (img)
  Reviewed by: PhilibusMo
  
  [...]
  
  The one major problem with the map that I found was retrieving the blue key which was behind a door that was opened by walking over a linedef with tag 9. Now I checked all over the level and opened it in Doom Builder, and this walkover linedef just didn't seem to exist.

Spoiler

Actually, you have to open it by shooting a button on the wall near the door. You can't press the button; you specifically have to shoot it.

Yeah, that took me by surprise, too.

[esselfortium]

hardcore_gamer said:

This is just trolling and does not even count as reviewing. How this got approved as a newstuff review is beyond me.

Probably the same way that its "Worst Wad" description written by Darknation got approved as a Cacoward article this year.

[Dutch Doomer]

hardcore_gamer said:

I think it's a shame "reviews" like this are approved by whoever takes the call of what gets in and what does not because i think it decreases the quality standards that i think Doomworld is famous for!

Dude Doomworld has always been the place for harsh reviews, its common tradition around here. Craigs review says more than enough for me, there wasn't much to say about it in the first place.

[TheeXile]

Udder I think your review of Doomdreams is a bit optimistic. It certainly has exploration quality, but I was disappointed at how it really wasn't intelligently planned out. It's like the mapper's philosophy was to just pile on more and more content without clear direction or flow.

I'm only being so critical because the author really has potential if he applied some thought to gameplay with his designs.

http://www.doomworld.com/images/newstuff/347/e1m1mem06.png

lol.

[june gloom]

Nothing interesting, though I laughed out loud at "thanks for the tip."

[myk]

I haven't played it yet, but why does Valafar's Fortress have numerous OGGs for one level?

EarthQuake said:
Is it really necessary to have screenshots that are 1680 x 1050?

Yeah, I browse at 1280x1024, and some people use even lower resolutions. I bet 1024x768 mustn't be a rare choice. Not to mention that 1680x1050 doesn't even fit well in a 1680x1050 screen due to the space taken by the picture viewer or the browser.

The only problem I see is reviewers having to bother changing resolution while reviewing or to resize the shots they take (I do that, but upwards from 320x200 ;p). One solution is to use a temp lower resolution in the command line.

[TheeXile]

Any good image hosting services with auto-resize options?