Must unique setting in a wad?

[A.Gamma]

So, what is the wad with the most unique setting you ever played? Why do you think it was unique?
TC's don't count! (So things like Forevermore are ruled out).

[Obsidian]

Kaiser's computer. =D

[Gez]

The gastro-intestinal anatomy of a mandrill on an acid trip, especially after having already visited Willy Wonka's chocolate factory.

[scalliano]

The Doom community.

[Maes]

Most early 1994 stuff would quality. There was stuff like ForgeX, Trinity, some giant toilet WAD, etc. probably because people weren't afraid to try new things.

Then there is stuff like Asylum of the Wretched, which is not a TC but has a totally unique setting. Stuff like Cyberdreams or Cybie would qualify, too ;-)

[Memfis]

Maybe it doesn't look unique but for me the map with the most unique setting is the last playable level from Sacrament. That black sky with a red moon, that dark moody lighting, that MUSIC... It's totally out of this world.

[kmxexii]

I think of levels that get a lot of mileage out of simple effects, like the rails of Cyberdreams' MAP29, or Welcome to Hell's MAP06, which does a great job using crystal sectors and light and shadow. Also STRAIN's MAP28, by Bjorn Hermans; those red-striped hallways near the end are to die for. Hell Revealed's MAP28 is another stunning level. Doubtless there are many more I can't recall. Oh, some of ALT's levels, like MAP15 or the time freeze one whose slot I can't remember.

[Snakes]

kmxexii said:

Hell Revealed's MAP28 is another stunning level. Doubtless there are many more I can't recall.

I take it you mean HR's Map26 "Afterlife," seeing as your review of that map basically touted how awesomely memorable it was. Map28 was a fairly typical slaughter map by Niv.

For me, running through that creature's body in TVR! comes to mind, along with bits of Mandrill Ass Project.

At the end of the day though, everything about Void blew my mind and just screamed unique. The sliding bookshelves, the black and white stretch, shrinking yourself... just incredible how many unique ideas are present in that wad when placed next to most any other map.

[kmxexii]

Snakes said:

I take it you mean HR's Map26 "Afterlife," seeing as your review of that map basically touted how awesomely memorable it was. Map28 was a fairly typical slaughter map by Niv.

Whoops! I think you did the same thing with Post-mortem when you originally commented.

Also, Impossible by JK.

[The Pursuer]

Hell Ground
http://www.doomworld.com/idgames/?id=15919

One of my favorite wads based off of it's design alone.

[SYS]

The ones that try to emulate real places with logical layouts but due to nature of the Doom engine they look terrible.

[Maes]

SYS said:

The ones that try to emulate real places with logical layouts but due to nature of the Doom engine they look terrible.

Europe.wad uses only standard Doom engine features (well....not exactly, it also uses some Boom handling of textures for some details, like the cemetery), and has several very unique settings, such as the subway (long AND detailed, even the outdoors section, even more than certain subway themed maps).

The final city section is also a very good example of how to make a city look good using just standard Doom textures and mapping features: it has alleys, second floors, nice detail, even "garbage" on the streets.

Speaking of which....UAC_DEAD.WAD is certainly pretty unique, and also Dead Base. If you want to see a "my house" type level that doesn't suck and is deceivingly hard and secret-laden, try Urban Wars Beta, sadly never made into a complete series as promised.... :-(

The "forest", paved road, streetlights, basketball court and outdoors toilets in Cybie 2 also push the boundaries of what you'd consider acceptably representable with the Doom engine.

[Joshy]

kmxexii said:

Whoops! I think you did the same thing with Post-mortem when you originally commented.

Also, Impossible by JK.

Echoing this one. I loved Impossible: A New Reality.

Also naming some obvious ones, Void and Nullspace.

[Yukarin]

Maes said:

The "forest", paved road, streetlights, basketball court and outdoors toilets in Cybie 2 also push the boundaries of what you'd consider acceptably representable with the Doom engine.

Is it wrong if I say this wad is the most fun I've ever had with doom?

Also Most is spelled m-o-s-t not m-u-s-t

[A.Gamma]

Hell's Vendetta said:

Hell Ground
http://www.doomworld.com/idgames/?id=15919

One of my favorite wads based off of it's design alone.

I had seen that one, but never bothered to try it until now, Great stuff.

[TheUltimateDoomer666]

SYS said:

The ones that try to emulate real places with logical layouts but due to nature of the Doom engine they look terrible.

Yeah, the "it could be real" ones are pretty unique. But like you said, they often look terrible. Most of the toilets I've seen in maps look like either a box filled to the top with water, or a small swimming pool.

[Clonehunter]

Schools aren't unique, but they're fun.

[Blastfrog]

Clonehunter said:

Schools aren't unique, but they're fun.

Clonehunter said:

they're fun.

Eric's back from the dead!

Shitty jokes aside, I've never really found them that fun. It's just hallways with tons of small, useless rooms all lined up. It's a perfect example of real world structures sucking when it comes to Doom gameplay.

[Fletcher`]

kmxexii said:

I think of levels that get a lot of mileage out of simple effects, like the rails of Cyberdreams' MAP29, or Welcome to Hell's MAP06, which does a great job using crystal sectors and light and shadow. Also STRAIN's MAP28, by Bjorn Hermans; those red-striped hallways near the end are to die for. Hell Revealed's MAP28 is another stunning level. Doubtless there are many more I can't recall. Oh, some of ALT's levels, like MAP15 or the time freeze one whose slot I can't remember.

Or that map from !TVR! Revolution where you kill demons inside a gigantic worm.

[Maes]

E4M5 from the Lost Episode. It certainly has a unique setting: an apparently deserted, corrupted city full of twisted corridors, an abandoned subway, and, at the end, a set of cut-off rails that lead into the void, with a train that is about to move on them....very surreal.