Heroes' Tales - Russian Community Megawad

[Antroid]

Hm, strange. I hated map10, took two days to gather the will to beat it, because i just was in such pain playing it. Map11 just made me say "FUCK IT" and quit at the revenant legion on top of the building. This and the previous levels were WAY beyond "paifully tedious and frustrating and boring", and got pretty far into "soul-crushingly stupid"; i'm not touching this wad with a 20-foot pole ever again. To think that the first levels were so much better... hopes crushed :(

[Do0minat0r]

pcorf said:

Maps 10 and 11 were great levels. My two favorite levels. The others were average. I liked Map28 as well. Exit to map29 was clever, hehe!

How about the rest of the last 10 levels plus Shadowman's and Wraith's (see Belial's post)?

[Antroid]

Ok, i've been told on iddqd.ru that not all remaining maps are such horrible slaughter abominations, so after a week's break i'll probably just cheat my way through the rest of map11 and try playing more.

[pavera]

I thought Map11 was awesome.

[Antroid]

The only interesting part of it was when you just dove into all that acid and are slowly cutting away enemy numbers. As soon as you start pressing switches the map turns into another brainless slaughter map, the likes of which i hate with every fiber of my body. It doesn't even stop at that and throws jumping and balancing excercises at you, which i don't really mind, but not above fucking acid with tons of shit flying at me! If i could destroy files on the internet, the first ones to go would be wads with slaughter maps.

[Jodwin]

Antroid said:

If i could destroy files on the internet, the first ones to go would be wads with slaughter maps.

I'm afraid there's no way we (the collective mind of slaughter lovers) could be friends, then. :(

[Antroid]

I've guessed as much as soon as i learned of your existence, "Slaughter lovers" :)

[Do0minat0r]

Map12: A nice, short level revolving around action. Once you get the blue key, you have two choices of how to proceed. One way, you can go around the indoor area, killing all the Mancubi, and then spend only a small amount of time outside before finding the switch that gives you access to the exit area. Alternatively, you can avoid all but a few of the Mancubi on the far sides of the indoor area, but have to track all the way from one side to the other of the outdoor area. If you're going for 100%, then it is possible to do both. Either way offers its challenges, and if you want to go the outdoor route, you'll have to dodge the Mancubi indoors while picking up the blue key, unless you decide to kill them anyways. I bet this map was made for one of the "boss" contests and then redone for a non-boss slot; it would make an excellent Map07 IMO with some Arachnotrons. 8/10

Map13: I don't see what Jodwin has agains this; it seemed just fine to me. Sure it's a bit cramped and there are a few pitch black rooms on one side, but I thought it played well and was a good but fair difficulty. And the ending battle was fitting IMO. 8/10

Map14: I didn't find this to be anywhere near as unbalanced as Jodwin made it to be; in fact, I found it to be pretty good. The beginning is really no harder than the ending, but the lack of difficulty progression wasn't that serious to me, and I didn't find it "way too easy". As for the actual level, I thought it looked and played well, though some may not like it's style, but I din't mind it. The ship at the ending was neat. 8+/10

Map15: Extremely tight; I made it through until the three Cybers at the end where I had to leave one alive. And that was with practically perfect performance. Also there's way too many impa, to the point in which it can get boring or tedious, although I was able to put up with it. The architecture isn't that bad though, but it's nothing special either. The room with the Cybers is ugly! And the secret exit isn't much of a challenge; found it in a minute or two. One of the weakest maps in the set so far. 5/10

Map31: Mostly a maze level, but not completely and the automap was enough to keep me from being lost. The side areas to the maze are well done and the map definitely has an Egyption feel. The Archviles are all fair to deal with and the difficulty is about right, and if you conserve you'll have enough ammo for the (2) cyberdemons at the end. The secret exit again isn't very tough, but the special room itslef is cool. Overall, a different theme and type of level, as a secret level should be, and manages not to be as comfusing as you'd expect if you consult the automap. And BTW, is Cheogsh II really coming soon? I loved the first one! 9/10

Map32: Very dissapointed by this one, has lots of potential but falls flat. Too many ugly-looking rooms, not enough big fight despite two bosses, and an annoying teleporter-guessing game near the end - not to mention a hallway with Wolfenstein soldiers? Also, no SSG with big monsters makes it tedious. Good idea, bad execution. Probably the most boring gameplay in the wad so far. If Cheogsh II is really coming, the room that leads to this level is more interesting than anything in this level. 4/10

EDIT: Note that for many of these levels (this post and previous), my ratings are probably a little (a point or so) higher than I'd give them if they were standalone releases. This is because of the fact that I'm considering that most of them weren't worked on for that long, considering that the text file sais the base of these maps came out of speedmapping contests. Therefore I feel it would be unfair to use full strictness in my ratings.

[Do0minat0r]

/me starts new post to avoid continually lengthening previous one

Map16: Interesting maps with some challenging bits, better than Archi's previous 2 maps (9 and 15). A bit too much ash texturing perhpas, but it looks OK. The big room with all the lava on the floor is ridiculously tall, though if you go the right path it never gets that annoying. And the ending bit, being a clone of the starting area, with minor modifications, while potentially comfusing, is really cool IMO. In fact this map gets another point just for that. 8/10

Map17: Three different ways to start, but ultimately you end up exploring all but one room or so. Certainly a decent challenge and keeps to the theme well. Not much else to say, fairly short but also fairly sweet. 8/10

Map18: Switches oddly enough to a tech theme, this map is seemingly a bit easy at first but ammo is eventually tight. In fact, I needed every last bullet I had, so don't waste here. Not bad but some dull rooms and a wtf? solid color area pull a little over a point off compared to that last two maps. 6+/10

[Do0minat0r]

Map19: Nice level, like all from Shadowman. Those special corridors (with the teleporting effects and then the pitch black one with blinking light on the side) were cool. Looked a bit symmetrical on the automap but feel as symmetrical as it looked. Good challenge too, and my only gripe I can think of is that putting two Archies in the main room alongside two in the room on the south side of the main room when you flip the switch in said room seemed a bit excessive. But on the other hand, maybe that's because I retreated to the main room and then saved, under fire from two Archviles, and ultimately had to restore from a much earlier point. Getting cover can also be a bit challenging at times, but it's possible; as a hint, note that many of the ledges in the main room aren't quite tall enough for good cover, which tricked me once with the Spider Mastermind; better cover is with the structure(s) in the middle. And you have to be pretty precisely positioned at time to hide from the Archvile at the beginning. Despite these minor quibbles, I enjoyed this impressive map, and to top if off I loved the ending (won't spoil it). 9/10

Map20: First room can be a bit frustrating due to high-damage lava on the floor and with narrow ledges it's easy for a shot to knock you into it; be sure to save your game often. Normal fight after that are fine (and I like the idea of the rising central room). As for the Cyberdemons, I found it doable but you'd better not stay in the same position for long. Only one of the Cyberdemons behind the grates must be killed; any of the switched behind them reveal the exit. All in all a decent idea but not for everyone and I found the first room to be an especially severe case of potential frustration at times - even considering that I've found nowhere near as many frustrating points in these maps compared to (some) other people. 7/10

[Do0minat0r]

Okay, I know I didn't do anything yesterday. Was too busy just staring at Paul and Kristian's masterpiece known as Whispers of Satan. But I decided to finish this before going right to playing it, so here are my thoughts up to Map26:

Map21: First of all, it looked to me as if this map is a 100% duplicate of the same map in hfiidemo.wad (Hellfire II Demo). Since the author is still claimed as Shadowman, though, I'll review it like any other. Like all other maps by Shadowman, I liked this one. It once again appears symmetrical on the automap, but there's enough variety between sides that it didn't hurt the gameplay for me. After the beginning, the map's a main fort and two side towers. There are fights and climbing as well as a key in each tower, and after you get both keys, you're mowed by a Cyber followed by a huge hoard of monsters (but with two invulnerability spheres also available). All the fights are well-balanced, and in some cases it felt like I was on an artificial time limit due to other monsters crowding in/getting nearer after so long, but it all seemed fair to me. The stair-walking right over the center of the lava pit in the right tower I could've done without, but it wasn't that frustrating. Another fine map for this author. 8+/10

Map22: A mini-city with tons of fighting. Clearing out the outside area will take time and you've got to watch ammo; it's limited but there's generally enough if you're careful. The map itself isn't very long; there's only three or four indoor rooms you must travel through. The architecture is basic but competent, though nothing special. My biggest gripe is that I simply didn't have enough ammo to kill off all the Cybers at the end, though with the placement of the exit you can just leave a few alive, but it prevents 100% kills. Still a good map if you like the style (a huge outdoor fight and a couple of indoor rooms to go through). 7+/10

Map23: Didn't play it, I'm not a big fan of 3EPHOED's maps and this looked mediocre to boot. Wasn't going to spend time on this when I'm trying to get to WOS. NA/10

Map24: A short level, but with lots of fights. All three keys are used, but one is just a secret. It's an oldschool style, but it looks good and plays well - well balanced and a good difficulty level. Not really much I'd say againt this one, it's a bit short though, and having the third key just be a secret surprised me. 9/10

Map25: Shorter and more simplistic than most maps from Shadowman, this level revolves around fight. You have to be quick in the main room to kill enough Shotgunners to get the ammo you need, then deal with all the guys from another place, where you aren't vulnerable to so many at once. The other fights aren't easy either, making this map a challenge. It's not up to Shadowman's usual architectural stanard but it looks good enough. A solid map, but be prepared to be challenged, especially at the beginning and possibly the end. 8+/10

Map26: A brick map that starts out not so hard but quickly gets harder. Nonetheless like most maps in here, it's completely fair. The architecture remain fairly low on details but most areas look sufficient. Not much else to say about this one; a good map with progressive difficulty. 8/10

[Kyka]

I have only played the first 5 levels, so my thoughts are hardly very comprehensive, but this feels a lot like the Memento Mori megawads. Simple, and gameplay has been pretty good so far.

Nice work. A few minor bugs, but meh.

[Antroid]

How the hell do i exit map16? I've been everywhere twice, found that area that looks like the starting one (the cross with all the torches and a pressed switch and all), but still can't exit. I didn't really like a single map since map07 anyway, but this was the one of the worst one so far, on par with 10/11, too confusing and unintuitive.

Edit: nevermind, i completely overlooked a passage three times somehow. Doesn't change the fact that this map is not good.

Edit2: "Holes of evil", hahaha. Damn, this wad has such "amazing" map names...

[Do0minat0r]

Map27: A really good level, and not symmetrical at all like some of Shadowman's recent levels. Good fights, nice and consistent architecture, fair balance. It's a city on lava, but if you're careful the two suits in the map should be enough combined with plenty of health and lots of small platforms to hop across while crossing from one structure/building to another. My only complaint is that the lift that gets you on your way to the yellow key can be very unintuitive to find, but on the other hand, Shadowman did put in a subtle clue (an arrow-shaped arrangement of blue potions) that it just took me a very long time to pick up on. Of course if you grap the potions earlier it's no help but oh well, it's not enough to ruin an excellent level. 9/10

Off to Map28 now, which promises to be one of the biggest, best, and hardest maps in here!

BTW, I've already played Map29 (the strange texturing in it caught my attention) but I'll probably just post all three maps (28-30) together and that should probably be in a few hours or so; at the latest, tomorrow. I won't be playing Map33 as it looks very mediocre to me and I'm getting anxious to start on another megawad, Whispers of Satan - that thing looks awesome!

[hawkwind]

Serious Play bug map 18 ...

If the player stays too long at sector 151 after picking up the red key, door sector 145 closes and the player is trapped ! The error is with the line action at line 751. It should have been the same action as with line 749.

[Do0minat0r]

Didn't notice Map18 bug; of course I don't go "bug-hunting" like some do, on the other hand.

Anyways, completed the wad, and as I said I'll make one more post here before moving to WOS. So here goes the last 3 levels:

Map28: One of my favorite maps in the set. The whole thing is really well balanced, the architecture is a consistent hell style, and the progression is neat but not outright comfusing. Initially this map only offers a moderate monster load, but it turns into a slaughterfest with Cyberdemons later on; notably, you deal with two or three such rounds of monsters in the area overlooking the actual mountain (cool architecture, too). I'd at first think there was way too much in the area but by the time it was all over I realized the balance was actually done pretty well. The rest of the map is good too, and it never felt ridiculously easy or hard. There's not that much actual detail but all the areas look good. I can't find much at all to complain about, maybe that I think this would better fit as Map29 than Map28; in that caae, it would be an excellent penultimate level. But oh well, and that doesn't actually affect the map's quality. If you're only after the best in this wad, this is one of the maps to play. 9+/10

Map29: Weird architecture and sometimes doesn't look so great but there's good gameplay generally. After the yellow key, though, I wonder why the entire section to the right of that key is optional. Usually there'd be a switch or something there to make sure you explored and cleared it. All in all this definitely looks like an oldschool map but it's not a complete mess and it manages to play fairly well. 7+/10

Map30: Not much to say here, decent conclusion map. Builds up atmosphere at the beginning and Baphomet battle is fair (and the path in the room to get to it has a cool design IMO). I also like how you don't land on burning floor if you fall down in that room. It makes it less frustrating. 8/10

So that's my verdict on each map here, excluding 23 and 33 which I didn't play and don't intend to play anytime soon. They both look medicore to me (and no one else has seemed very fond of them either) and I'd rather just move on to WOS. Overall this was isn't as good as the typical community project but that's understandable and it was made much quicker. It's oldschool at times, and often the gameplay beats or at least equals the architecture, unlike a lot of maps nowadays. In the end I wouldn't give this any awards but I'd say it's worth trying especially if you don't mind a primitive style at times. I can say that I'm glad I played it, at least on the majority of the maps.

[Shadowman]

Please report about found bugs - then we`ll release bug-fixed version.

[Antroid]

What about releasing a GOOD version? :D
HA-HA!!!
...

[Do0minat0r]

Antroid said:

What about releasing a GOOD version? :D
HA-HA!!!
...

The wad's not really bad at all, you probably just don't like its style. If you don't like it then stop playing. And feel free to voice your dislike in the /idgames database here. But please don't be making fun of it here. That's not polite to the authors - not to mention it serves no real purpose.

[Antroid]

Hey it's not like i didn't praise it in the beginning. That last post was a joke! It's just that the wad changed it's style after map06 ended and i liked the old one better...

[Do0minat0r]

Antroid said:

Hey it's not like i didn't praise it in the beginning. That last post was a joke! It's just that the wad changed it's style after map06 ended and i liked the old one better...

If it's a joke then I guess it's OK. But I'll say what my parents always tell me: Inappropriate jokes do exist in this world. Not necessarily claiming this one as inappropriate but wanted to make sure you knew.

[Antroid]

I know. I thought that the joke was obvious, but i guess it's hard to tell on the internet. I have a history with inappropriate jokes though, because i love them. Won't use any more here though because this is a nice place %)

[Creaphis]

First Do0minat0r solicits - no, demands - players' opinions on every level of the wad, and now he's expressing great disapproval of dissenting thoughts. Who are you working for? The KGB?

[Antroid]

He wrote so much sheer opinion that he became sick of the stuff.

[Patrick]

Finally got a chance to play this.

There's a special place in hell reserved for people who make slaughter maps. The same level of hell reserved for child molesters, people who talk in movie theaters, and Visplane Overflow.

Otherwise, looks very retro. Good stuff.

[myk]

Patrick said:
people who talk in movie theaters,

Those do deserve a rather low and fiery tier in hell, although I'd grant them some leniency compared to the ones that eat candy with a really noisy wrapper and take a while at it.

PS: If you make slaughter maps, you do go to hell, but to become a commanding officer in the armies of hell :p

[hawkwind]

Shadowman said:

Please report about found bugs - then we`ll release bug-fixed version.

Besides what I've already mentioned, the only other bug, small as it may be, was a missing torch at sector 260, map 31.

I finally finished this. Well done one and all ... :)

[Kyka]

up to map 12 now.

Map 11 was amazing.

In spite of it's simplicity (and occasional annoyances) this megawad is pretty unlike most of what I have played. I am liking it a lot. And from what a few have said, there are plenty of good maps to come.

Thanks to those who worked on this. Excellent. :)

[Kyka]

One bug I did find, on MAP 05.

sector 41, if you drop down into it before you hit the switch to raise it up to ground level, you are stuck, as the sides are impassable.

Sorry for double post, figured this could use a post on its own.

[Kyka]

Triple post.

I have just finished this megawad.

Awesome work. Honestly, I loved it all the way through. Yeah yeah, a few things could have been done a better, but for me, it was the closest a megawad has come to capturing the really 'classic' feel of wads like MM, MM2, AV and TNT that I have seen in a long time.

Whispers of Satan and Scythe x are next on my 'playlist', but then I might play through this again.