The DWmegawad Club plays: Whitemare & Sacrament

[Memfis]

For Doxylamine Moon there is like a hour long video of Lainos just talking about its development but it's in Russian obviously - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPIkcGGTIW0
I watched it at some point, don't remember too much but basically the whole map was inspired by an obscure anime called Malice@Doll, specifically its amazing feeling of not-quite-apocalypse but something very big coming. The map is called this way because at the time Lainos was frequently using some soporific called Doxylamine that had deep emotional effects on him, which he colorfully describes in the video. And in the level there are tons of cultural references, hidden meanings, etc that the author values a lot more than gameplay. I was kinda impressed by the video at the time, didn't really think that one could put so much in a Doom map (even if all that is almost impossible to understand for anyone else).

[Magnusblitz]

So I took a look-see in DB2 to find the other yellow keys, and see what using them did. Apparently it releases a bunch of monsters into the map... maybe there's a weapon somewhere too but couldn't find it. I like the puzzle design (and it's pretty dang impressive from a technical point of view) but kinda disappointing "reward."

[Lainos]

Magnusblitz said:

So I took a look-see in DB2 to find the other yellow keys, and see what using them did. Apparently it releases a bunch of monsters into the map... maybe there's a weapon somewhere too but couldn't find it. I like the puzzle design (and it's pretty dang impressive from a technical point of view) but kinda disappointing "reward."

Yes, you need to found 6 yellow skulls and use it in the museum (one of the two buildings with red doors). You will see candles where you can go across wall. Use switch and go to 3D-picture...
You may see all in that video Memfis posted.

Funny that almost none was able to perform this quest. I understand, that's because level is too boring... Well, it's a reason why I made Overdose-version later.

[Da Werecat]

I didn't think it was boring, but I couldn't solve one of the secrets. I circled the map for too long and finally gave up.

[SyntherAugustus]

Funny that almost none was able to perform this quest.

I think the level just needed to communicate a bit better on what the yellow skulls are for. Typically a player finds one key that unlocks all the doors for said key. If for example, you found all three skull keys and unlocked a puzzle, that would make more sense than the player thinking that they're redundantly collecting multiple yellow keys. The player may have some interest in figuring out just what to do with the three keys they found.

I think a quick walkthrough showing all of the key locations might be in order.

[Magnusblitz]

Lainos said:

Yes, you need to found 6 yellow skulls and use it in the museum (one of the two buildings with red doors). You will see candles where you can go across wall. Use switch and go to 3D-picture...
You may see all in that video Memfis posted.

Funny that almost none was able to perform this quest. I understand, that's because level is too boring... Well, it's a reason why I made Overdose-version later.

Hey, thanks for dropping by. Yeah, I found the six keys (after cheating with DB2) and took 'em to the museum. Placed em, went through the candles, then into the teleporter. I enjoyed the puzzle part of it, just not the reward of having a few revenants and cacos now in the map for me to run away from with my pistol. :)

For me the main detrement was the minimap, not being able to see where I had been before. I thought I had searched the southeast corner fairly well but missed at least two skulls (including that one in the dumpster, didn't investigate the armor clue enough). The other problem is not knowing how many skulls there are to collect, unless you've found the red key and actually started placing yellow skulls (then you could figure out six cubby holes = six skulls to collect).

[NuMetalManiak]

HOLY CRAP IT'S LAINOS

Ahem, I didn't realize there were more than four yellow keys either. Redoing the map in nomo and got the six keys just like Magnusblitz did, the dumpster one and the one on top of the crate required a bit of jumping work. Then it would be find the red key and enter the museum. I managed to find multiple new items available once teleporting back to the outside, and one of them was indeed a new weapon, but it was just a shotgun. No idea which monsters would appear since I replayed it in nomonsters though.

It really is a rather interesting oddball of a reward for solving the YK ordeal with all things considered. Especially clever since there weren't any sectors marked secret in the map. Having no good use of automap without resorting to IDDT made it even harder.

[Lainos]

Better late, that never. =)

Quick manual for yellow keys quest.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jaMzPyiy6w

[kmxexii]

BlackFish said:

I think the level just needed to communicate a bit better on what the yellow skulls are for. Typically a player finds one key that unlocks all the doors for said key. If for example, you found all three skull keys and unlocked a puzzle, that would make more sense than the player thinking that they're redundantly collecting multiple yellow keys. The player may have some interest in figuring out just what to do with the three keys they found.

Yeah, this is the boat I was in when I played this for the first time.

[Katamori]

Memfis said:

I watched it at some point, don't remember too much but basically the whole map was inspired by an obscure anime called Malice@Doll, specifically its amazing feeling of not-quite-apocalypse but something very big coming. The map is called this way because at the time Lainos was frequently using some soporific called Doxylamine that had deep emotional effects on him, which he colorfully describes in the video. And in the level there are tons of cultural references, hidden meanings, etc that the author values a lot more than gameplay. I was kinda impressed by the video at the time, didn't really think that one could put so much in a Doom map (even if all that is almost impossible to understand for anyone else).

Wow, I've never thought that this map is so deep...however, I could have expected for that.

The most surprising for me is that the map is inspired my Malice@Doll, I mean we have talked about that anime, but I thought that Doxylamine Moon is based on rather real-life feelings. Maybe, this is the real power of this map.

I can clearly remember that I was strongly obsessed with the map, because of its atmosphere, and I realised that it's actually kinda close to the atmosphere of places I live and I visited back in the day.

Anyway, impossible to explain, how amazing this map is. I've never seen anything like this before in Doom community, and I surely won't.

[Demon of the Well]

Sacrament Map 02 -- Doxylamine Moon - 100% Kills / No secrets
Of all the maps in Sacrament, Doxylamine Moon is the one that most deviates from what DooM, as a generality, typically looks like in a gameplay sense. Monsters, ammo, health aids, and weaponry are all extremely scarce. While in some cases this dearth of 'things' in a map is a device for creating what I've seen Kmxexii and a perhaps a few others refer to as a 'survival horror' action style, that's not really the case here....the focus here is so far removed from combat and threat of death (at least in the likely 'ordinary' playthrough) that the game practically enters a different genre entirely, one of adventure and puzzling. Naturally, this will alienate those players only interested in a no frills bloodbath (and in all fairness, this is hardly an unreasonable expectation to go into a DooM WAD with), but if you're open to the concept of a play experience that's more like a freeroam sightseeing tour in a very well-realized setting than like any sort of battle engagement, Doxylamine Moon might be just the thing for you.

Some have said (here I'm mostly referring to comments from around the time the WAD was released rather than those in this thread) that the map is too obscurantist for its own good and is thus overbearing in regards to the mapset as a whole, but I'm not inclined to agree. Apart from the fact that pretty much everybody knows the IDCLEV code these days, the standard route out of the map--which requires finding the blue key and one admittedly tucked-away switch--should be quite easy to uncover on a blind playthrough for anyone that makes even an iota of effort in doing so, and indeed, the map can be completed in around 60 seconds or so once the player understands the route. Of course, the real draw of the map lies in unraveling the mystery of the creepy art gallery and the yellow skulls. While uncovering this 'sidequest' in the first place does take some more thorough exploration than what the standard exit route requires (e.g. one has to at least find the red security card before anything else), I feel that most of the steps of the process are adequately signposted--the unconcealed switch in the gallery that opens the yellow-striped skull-cubbies is fairly self-explanatory, and at least one of the yellow skulls is out in plain sight during even very casual exploration, though the way to actually reach this particular skull (the one on top of the box on the stairway near the park) is much less clear.

So, the map doesn't hold your hand as far as letting you know what you're specifically accomplishing in pursuing the skulls or putting up streetsigns to direct you to each of them--it simply makes it pretty clear to most moderately observant players that something is up, and then lets you decide for yourself whether or not you're interested in doing the legwork to figure out what that something is. I found the vaguely sinister gallery intriguing, myself, and so the first time I played I went to the trouble of finding all six skulls (which took some time, suffice to say--about half of them are really easy to find, but the other half are devilishly well-hidden), and I'm glad I did, as I feel the map made a lot more impression on me this way than it would've if I had just taken the exit and left it that.

I do have some criticisms, those being that the functioning of the actual skull/gallery mechanism is not 100% reliable--it's possible to pick up some of the skulls without activating the trigger that distantly actuates the gallery stuff--which probably spells a dead game for anyone without an inkling of what's actually happening in engine terms as the skulls are 'placed into their receptacles.' Secondly, and perhaps more pointedly, I agree with others here that the reward itself is underwhelming. I have no problem at all with the concept of the reward being the map becoming populated with monsters to kill (and implements/supplies to kill them with), as in a more traditional DooM map--indeed, I think it's a great reward!--I simply feel that Lainos showed far too much restraint in this regard...the monster population is really more of a light, cursory sprinkling (even if they are more powerful than the initial zombies/imps/specters) rather than a more satisfying deluge, especially considering the size of the map. Alas, a cool idea in general principal, nonetheless.

I think Doxylamine Moon is very much an experience worth having, and would gladly play other maps in this vein on occasion, but your results may vary. Suffice to say that if something like BRPD's 'Grove' appealed to you, perhaps this will, as well.

[Magnusblitz]

MAP03: Dirtyllery
94% kills, 3/7 secrets

Nice little pun name there.

After the first two high-concept maps, this one is a much more standard affair, stomping through a base of cement/tekgreen/brick textures and a bit of slime. Overall, nothing too fancy or objectionable. The combat is pretty light, and I managed to net every weapon except the BFG with only a few secrets (though I found some that apparently weren't marked as secrets, as well). There was only one part that stumped me for awhile, and it was basically just because I missed the switch that rises the slime. Only other complaint is that the ending was a bit anticlimatic and felt sudden. But overall, decent map.

[NuMetalManiak]

MAP03 Dirtyllery

Yay, a map where I get other weapons, with some interesting sprites. A rather low monster count, and it's incredibly boring because of them all being lightweights, other than a revenant somewhere. I somehow stumbled into a hidden area to the outside, where the YK was, guess I found the shortcut first. But other than that, there's some interesting secrets, but not much else. It's too mazey for it's own good sadly, and I got incredibly bored while playing it.

[Lainos]

BTW-Fact_1:
Map03 "Dirtyllery" was a first finished level for Sacrament. This is because originally map was made by Wraith for another project. But something didn't happen and map was rejected. Wraith didn't know what to do with that work, and proposed it for Sacrament. It is worth noting, that original map was very different from final Sacrament version. It was much smaller. I ordered continue work and expand the map, up until she gained present size. But I also didn't like some solutions on the level (for example, sector arrows-tips), and Wraith had remodel these parts. And finally I myself polished the map.
Perhaps, "Dirtyllery" was most exposed to changes.
Wraith has established himself even earlier, I glad that I saw potential of that little map and very satisfied with what was the result. If someone does not agree with me, I can't understand him.

[Magnusblitz]

MAP04: Phobia
96% kills, 0/2 secrets

Another standard affair, which is hamstrung by how damn linear it is. The entire map consists of one long hallway that occasionally reaches a branch between a key door and another hallway, go down the hallway, get the key, then wrap around to go through the door. Near the end, there's a fork; somewhat annoyingly, whichever one you go through is one-way, and you'll be blocked from doing the other fork, making a max run impossible.

The level does do a decent job of detailing to help offset the linearality, but there's only so much you can do to dress up a hallway. Combat is much like MAP03's, in that it's not very challenging (aside from the AV/caco battle, simply because the cacos are released at a height that makes them difficult to fight).

[Demon of the Well]

Sacrament Map 03 -- Dirtyllery - 100% Kills / 85% Secrets
This is a much more traditional level as far as gameplay is concerned, as others have already observed. Indeed, the layout is not unlike that typical of the general Knee Deep in the Dead style (or at least, the popular conception of what the KDiTD style is). It's nonlinear, with many of its alternate routes being tied up in secrets in some way (including some secret paths which are nested in other secret paths), it's full of lifts, with many switch/lift combinations serving as important gates into new areas, and it's positively lousy with windows, spyholes, viewports, and whatnot--except for some of the deepest innards of the slimeworks, almost every major chamber in the installation looks out on or down into some other part of the complex. While the overall layout is in no way credibly representational in style, the overall impression of this tangled, inset design is that the facility does 'something', presumably something related to toxin processing, which of course is also a classically 'DooM E1' trait.

While there's a lot more monster density here than in the two previous maps, their number consists chiefly of troopers, sergeants, imps, and quite a few demons--again, the staples of KDiTD. There are some DooM II enemies present in a scant few places, as well, but most of them are relegated to 'turret duty' as a result of the way they're placed, ala the caged revenant outdoors, or the squad of chaingunners packed into the pillbox in the brick outbuilding that houses the exit. So, naturally, play here is generally not very pressing, with the player adequately equipped to quickly annihilate the steady trickle of opposition, especially considering that the SSG and other powerful weapons are available for explorers. I do like the relatively early optional chainsaw at play here, as it is very much in its element in the many tight corridors vs. strings of low-level foes. On this point, assuming you find all of the available weapons, this is where the differences in sprite quality become apparent: the SSG and rocket launcher both look fine to me, but the plasma rifle looks terrible--the coil on the barrel looks like a still frame of what was originally an animated piece, which is something I just can't seem to unsee now that I've seen it. I'm pretty sure the basic shotgun has been changed from the original version--now it looks inoffensively 'realistic', but I remember that in its original form it had a strange green tech-screen above its pistol-grip, which did look rather out-of-place.

Anyway, suffice to say that the main draws in this level are exploration and secret-hunting, rather than combat, which is something I'm okay with as long as it doesn't dominate an entire mapset; the biggest play failing here I would agree is probably the exit, as it does seem very tacked-on. Fortunately, the dank, grimy facility is a suitably engaging environment from an aesthetic standpoint (I quite like most of the texture combos here), so there's a decent amount of entertainment value despite the simple battles, which is generally about the best that can be said for maps in the usual KDiTD style. Incidentally, Wraith's next map will be very much an IWAD callback, as well, will be interesting to see how it fares.

[NuMetalManiak]

MAP04 Phobia

Ugh, boring linear slog. Sure, it's got some bigger monsters, but it's stil too boring for me. Those vines I had to cross at the beginning were very annoying. There's a fork in the road that unfortunately warrants the impossibility of 100% kills. Not only that, but in the long run, you must choose between plasma gun or rocket launcher! How fucking arrogant. I don't think I got a rocket launcher in MAP03, and going for one road, I didn't get it either.

There's the yellow key road (RL), and the "climbing" road (PG), both had an archvile somewhere at the end of that route, and then leading to the exit but closing off the other route. The climbing road, to me, was more fun, but I really didn't like this offering at all.

[Demon of the Well]

Sacrament Map 04 -- Phobia - 79% Kills / 100% Secrets
Yes, it's a level with a bit of a split personality, at least aesthetically speaking--about two thirds of it is languid vine-grown marblegoth ruins, and the other third is bricks n' metal base with some computery trim. These two themes alternate throughout the map, always changing starkly from one to the other, with very little in the way of transitional space. It's a bit of a strange angle, and I'm not sure how effective it really is, but perhaps we don't really see the idea's full potential here, on account of how simplistic the layout is--the others really aren't exaggerating when they say that this is literally nothing but one long, mostly flat corridor with a couple of binary forks at points. Hell, the corridor is even usually about the same width and about the same height, so the periodic goth/base changeups are really the only form of variety in setting that we get. I think the earthgoth segments look nice, particularly in terms of colors, and the vinery and darkness (which sometimes impede vision of enemies in front of you, granted, though the corridor is usually narrow enough for this not to matter much) which tend to accompany them don't bother me. The brick/base segments are a lot more dull-looking, which suggests the interesting notion that some kinds of straight themes inherently suffer more in some kinds of layouts--because it's traditional brick/tech, these segments are extremely tidy and orthogonal with little panel insets for details, and the fact that the whole layout is just an endless hallway really bears down on the player in them. The vinegoth segments are just as much of a crass hallway, but the more irregular shapes and dropoffs and the greater darkness that their old/natural setting invites smooths over the impression a bit more.

Anyway, the map eventually drops its party piece, that being a setup where the player gets a choice of paths for the final leg of the journey. Fair enough, each path mostly builds off of one of the aforementioned two themes we've been seeing in alternation up until that point--left is base, right is dirtgoth. Unfortunately, the choice is absolute and final; you can only do one, and the other is closed off forever. This does make true maxruns impossible, although I suppose a truly demented individual could exploit the arch-vile's resurrection powers to reach 100% kills (both secrets occur before the final split, incidentally). Personally, I suggest the right path, which is a climbgoth outing, for reasons touched upon earlier--the left path really is pretty lame. As to the combat itself, well, there's a fairly high bodycount, and a general degree of bloodiness will go some way towards compensating for a lackluster layout, but it can't really save this one....apart from a small closet trap or two, everything really is directly in front of you pretty much all the time here....just pace and shoot in one direction, until the end.

Not a very strong map. Fortunately, we get to see more of its nifty vinegoth texture scheme later on, in a different map.

[Avoozl]

Does the club ever do any single map wads? If so I would suggest both Doxylamine Moon: Overdose and 5till L1 Complex.

[dobu gabu maru]

^ None so far. Those are good recommendations though for anyone wanting to check them out.

Fell behind with Whitemare but hopefully the same won’t happen with Sacrament.

MAP01: This was an… okay level. Pistol-only maps are never my favorite since the weapon is woefully underpowered, only allowing you so many encounter combinations that can be “fun”. The small outcropping of woods surrounded by looming buildings was my favorite part, but everything else felt… just alright. There was some interesting hell corruption but none of it felt consistent as you were whisked from area to area. I like the feel to the wad thus far however, and hope it only goes uphill from here.

MAP02: Lainos proves his mastery here with an absolutely gorgeous, haunting piece, incomprehensible in scale. Honestly this should’ve been the first map as it provides the same basic pistol gameplay but leaves a much stronger impression, tricking the player into expecting a trap that never comes. While ultimately weak in its gameplay, it’s a great showpiece that let’s the player get absorbed in this old-ass engine, marveling at the amount of hours it must’ve taken to construct this city. Stunning.

MAP03: An interesting map that thankfully abandons pistol-play and just throws three more weapons at your feet. There’s a lot of corridor crawling and switch pressing here but it stays interesting enough not to become a headache, with plenty of ways to loop back through old areas. Nothing spectacular but nevertheless enjoyable.

[Magnusblitz]

MAP05: Lavatraz
93% kills, 1/5 secrets

This one definitely has the classic approach, feeling a lot like a Doom II level in both texture usage and layout (strong Industrial Zone vibe, albeit on a smaller scale). There's a bit of exploring to do, especially with figuring out where the teleporters go, but nothing that will get you lost. The battles toughen up a bit here without upping the difficulty of the monsters, mainly because there's a lot of snipers and areas where the player is surrounded. The "maze" after the blue door is a bit of a letdown and return to banal corridor shooting, but overall the map is decent.

[NuMetalManiak]

MAP05 Lavatraz

Ooh, Prison remake, nice. Even has enemies in prisons. I'm still bored as fuck though, you just go through each of the buildings, clean up messes, grab keys, and go back around again. The YK is pretty easy to miss though. I guess all the homages to the original are pretty neat, but I couldn't like this one much either. Exit building was pretty rash too, a long way to get to the switch and backtrack again.

[Demon of the Well]

Sacrament Map 05 -- Lavatraz - 100% Kills / 100% Secrets
Yes, this one's a paean to "Prison" from Evilution (map 07, I think?)....a map I've always disliked. Not so much for the whole picture, mind, it just has certain setpieces that are so aggravating they spoil my impression of the entire map. The main offender is the actual prison/cage crossfire section; large wall-to-wall clusters of monsters in small cages (or cells, whatever) are one of my pet peeves in monster placement, as cleaning them out tends to be about as entertaining as cleaning dust off of the topsides of individual segments on a set of venetian blinds. Unfortunately, most of the same setpieces from the original (not just the cage sections) are homaged here, and they are generally just as irritating as the original models, perhaps even moreso since the main cage block actually looks uglier than the one from Evilution.

The segment behind the yellow door is a little better (its counterpart was also the best part of 'Prison'), and running around trying to clear out the opposition on the outer edge of the complex is pretty entertaining, since you have to move all around to get enough ammo to do a thorough cleaning. After all of this we conclude with a very flat, vaguely Factory-esque segment (how close this one is to the end of the original map I can't really recall, I haven't played Evilution in a long time) with some pretty unimaginative monster placement.

Wraith's existing maps (not just those in Sacrament) tend to get mixed reviews, but I generally rather like most of them. This is an exception; apart from some of the early gain-a-foothold play, this feels much more simplistic and phoned-in than most of his works, from both a structural and gameplay perspective, perhaps a side-effect of how closely he apparently aimed to pay tribute to that Evilution map. Hey, cool music in this one, at least.

[Crusader No Regret]

dusting off Whitemare...

map 1: Right when leaping down to the canyon with the rocket launcher, there are some ice barriers to the right. Later on, it's possible to jump behind them and get stuck.

With bugs out of the way, this is a map I got bored with after the first attempt. Made it past the spiderdemon, the made a movement error that resulted in me dying to revenant missiles. Lots of dealing with multiple revenants without much in the way of cover so keep moving or face a swift end (or cheat). The samey combat bored me. Found one secret.

map 13: Looking at the automap, I had a "this door will shut behind me, won't it?" feeling. Sure enough, it does and an ambush pours in. Of course, I died. Could have cheated with resurrects but decided I wasn't enjoying this and stopped.

map 14: Gameplay has its interesting and its dull momnets. Found chainsaw and SSG and ammo was still tight. Chipping away at barons with a shotgun is so dull; continuous players won't have this problem though. Made it as far as the huge Christmas tree. Didn't figure out the puzzle to lower the teleporter. Maybe I could have cracked it but real life intervened.

map 15: Two plays spaced several days apart. First time, I had an ADD moment and quit after 10 minutes. Second time, I explored much more and found most weapons and two secrets. Really impressive use of the ice textures in this map. If there was a trap to be found, I likely blundered into it. Over a dozen resurrects later, I stopped at the yellow key trap after getting splattered by a cyber rocket.

map 31: I guess I spoiled some of the suspense by using an HUD which tracks kill totals. The exit worked properly in my ancient PrBoom, sending me to map 32.

map 32: Two things that really stuck out were the new monster having tons of HP and that I made sure not to waste ammo pickups and still ran dangerously low.

[NuMetalManiak]

MAP06 Pandora's Box

Okay this one was actually interesting. That first part is annoying and prompted me to use IDBEHOLDL cause it's pretty cheap. The open area is nice and holds the secrets, but many monsters can be ignored. If you go through the blood tunnel, you fight for a plasma gun, which can easily be done through infighting. Going down the big hole into a teleporter lands a few choices. One goes to an inner garden with mancubi, another to a supply depot, and the last one to the right portion of the level. There, some cliff fights, none of which are really difficult, then two teleporters again. One leads to the blue key, another to an aside with an unfair archvile fight. The finale tries to pull a double "gotcha" gimmick which is kinda annoying. I killed the archvile and revenants, but skipped the barons cause really they aren't worth the trouble. A pretty interesting affair I guess, not THAT boring thankfully.

[Magnusblitz]

MAP06: Pandora's Box
100% kills, 2/3 secrets

See, I actually liked the start area, as the flicker of light was enough to fight the monsters and get a feel for the surroundings, but limited enough that the limitations of the Doom engine don't make the details look corny. I admit that much longer though and my eyes would've started bleeding.

The level is nicely detailed, though the most impressive piece is definitely the outside area. There's a little bit of a learning curve to the level (I went through the teleporter first, scratched my head as to the point of the marble room before later finding the blood tunnel to the blue key) but nothing too dastardly. The fights are pretty easy for the most part, but have enough beef to them that they're not brainless.

The finale is the weakest part of the episode. The AV/rev fight is easy because there's a chokepoint handed to the player, and the baron fight is a bit dumb and easily skippable. I'm wondering why the area surrounding the coffin is made damaging...?

[NuMetalManiak]

MAP07 Arena

Atrocious music compliments this rather odd map. I think it's best to gather weapons and ignore enemies till later, as the arena serves as a hub for this one. Three keys to grab. RK was easiest for me with only caged spectres, YK on the other hand has a tricky archvile/caged monster shootout making it the hardest of the sections for me. Flipping the four switches next, to kill the arachnotrons and go up to the switch in the NE. Got the BFG, boy it's sprite was ugly. Seeing that I couldn't exit yet, I then proceed with a cyber/revenant/mancubi combo back at the arena, and with this much space it's incredibly easy to win. Really though, that music is grating. Just my musical opinion to ignore.

[Demon of the Well]

Sacrament Map 06 -- Pandora's Box - 99% Kills / 100% Secrets
An unusual exploratory level, with a colorful mix of themes (including a left-field callback to Memento Mori II), a contrast of wide open spaces with long stretches of corridor, and a somewhat awkward (though not really obtuse) progression. It's interesting, but seems a bit imbalanced in some ways....some of this is aesthetic, ala the green marble room that has the plasma gun in it looking like something out of the 90s (and not the more 'boutique' side of the 90s), but some of it pertains to the more crucial matter of how the map plays, like the way the blue key room itself is a tiny little hole in the wall that feels almost comically insignificant in comparison to the two prolonged treks towards the two halves of the blue key 'quest.' The Box itself is interesting from a narrative perspective; apart from being suspiciously sarcophagus-shaped, it features a pair of booby traps guarding what first appears to be just a blur sphere--but no, the exit is actually inside of the box. There's also the aforementioned tendency for the player to spend a disproportionate amount of combat time in long, linear corridor treks (the best of which is the torch-lined walk over the blood river, which is sort of 'disguised' as far as being a corridor goes) relative to large open area and shrine to Pandora's Box itself, both of which are fairly light on opposition.

That's probably the map's biggest failing (and, as we've seen and will see again, not a problem unique to this one map in Sacrament)--it simply doesn't have enough monsters, particularly in the main area. I think it might've been cool to see the area repopulated between the different legs of the blue key quest--plenty of scope here for a bloodbath, but there's also enough space for players who don't feel like dealing with it to just bypass it. Similarly, the vile/revenant ambush that triggers when the player first approaches Pandora's Box could've stood to have been much larger; put some more ammo in the little room, and what is just a camping exercise as it stands becomes a desperate struggle to maintain the chokepoint--generally the easiest way to make a chokepoint setup into a decent fight, I think....sheer volume.

Oh yeah, only 99% kills here, since I didn't kill the monsters from the first atmospheric tunnel-run (arch-vile resurrections made up some of the difference)--somehow it just feels like you're supposed to flee from them like they're far more formidable than they actually are.

[Magnusblitz]

MAP07: Arena
99% kills, 3/4 secrets

Welp, lives up to the name. Actually looks like an arena too, unlike many similar maps I can think of. Like the last map, there's a decent amount of monsters but still feels a bit undertuned. I actually had the toughest time with the red key section (since the spectres can surround you, preventing you from hiding from the AV). The blue is just four barons and the yellow can be run away from before the monsters even all wake up and teleport in.

The music was a bit strange, but I didn't mind it too much. Forget to mention it, but the music on the last map was oddly overdramatic as well.

[Demon of the Well]

Agree about the music on map 06, there simply isn't enough threat in that map to warrant that kind of tense, dramatic BGM.

Sacrament Map 07 -- Arena - 102% Kills / 100% Secrets
.....kind of like the music here, though, even if it's the last thing I'd have thought of to go along with this sort of gloomy, dingy, 'dark ages' masonry/iron decor. There isn't a lot of subtlety to the shape, structure, or flow to this map, and as one might surmise it does indeed use the traditional map 07 special tags....but I actually find it fairly palatable, even though I generally dislike Dead Simple arena setups.

This is a slugfest, plain and simple; you get all of the basic weapons moments after entering the map (plasma gun is available towards the end, along with a hidden BFG) and piles of ammo to use with them, so all you have to concentrate on is moving and killing. The Arena itself has been measured pretty well, I think--it looks big, but it's not so big that you can just circle around everything without effort, at least not before thinning out some of the initial ground traffic. There are stands with a very sparse crowd (apparently your death-spectacle was not well-marketed by the event promoter), and a central post surrounded by four iron satyr-face switches at the center; the idea is that each of these switches unleashes a batch of arachnatrons into the arena, and of course, this being map 07, killing all of the arachs will cause something else to happen. The catch is that three of these four switches won't work without keys, so you have to go off into the side areas to get them. While these side areas are not quite as direct as the Arena itself, they are all very simple setups at heart, each of them using a classic PWAD construction--the penned monsters that are all released until you're too deep into their midst to simply flee; the limited walkway crossfire; the Baron squad that surrounds you when you take a key; etc. Of these, I think the prison setup works best, simply because the scads of specter meat make a decent shield for the one arch-vile; the Baron setup, by contrast, is pretty underwhelming. The single most dangerous monster in the map is probably the arch-vile in the cage section, though, as finding effective cover from his attacks can be quite difficult in that area, with only toothpick-thin wooden beams at the points of the cages readily available.

Once you have all the keys you can use them to eventually unleash the inevitable mancubus wave, which in turn opens the exit. The mancs appear with a cyberdemon, but on this particular playthrough he wasn't much good to me--got himself smothered to death in a mountain of clammy, glistening mancu-rolls in pretty short order, so I used the BFG to speed up the cleanup. The BFG replacement sprite, incidentally, is neat in concept (I always like to see the ultimate weapon be something out of this world) but rather poor in execution--it looks like it's probably something ripped from another game, and very sloppily ported to DooM's palette.

Anyway, nothing fancy, but pretty decent for a map 07, a mapslot which tends to contain maps that bore me.