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Bloodshedder

The /newstuff Chronicles #456

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  • Rache - Redbull
    Doom 2 - ZDoom Compatible - Solo Play - 237758 bytes - (img) (img) (img) (img) (img) (img)
    Reviewed by: doomguy93
    Rache, "rache.wad" created by Redbull, is a large one-map wad implemented for both single player and co-op. There are a couple neat homages of the 90's from where the players start.

    It consists of a poorly pixelated texture of the Doom 1 title screen on a small PC and a KMFDM texture. There are also some texture offsets that could easily be fixed by making the linedef upper and lower unpegged. Overall, the wad is worth downloading if you enjoy gunning down 400+ enemies...

  • Krieg - Redbull
    Doom 2 - ZDoom Compatible - Deathmatch - 117854 bytes - (img)
    Reviewed by: doomguy93
    Krieg, "krieg.wad" created by Redbull, is a medium sized one-map wad implemented for Deathmatching. From the looks of this map, I can tell that it is loosely based off killer.wad. I tested it out with bots and it plays OK. There is a switch to a sector that reveals a rocket launcher which is a neat concept, but I feel that the BFG should have been in its place instead. The Duke Nukem weapons are cool and the midi is good.

    Overall, the wad is worth downloading only if you are into late 90's styled maps. It is probably best for at least four players though.

  • Soccer - Redbull
    Doom 2 - ZDoom Compatible - Deathmatch - 80061 bytes - (img) (img)
    Reviewed by: doomguy93
    Soccer, "soccer.wad" created by Redbull, is a large one-map wad implemented for deathmatching. It is very symmetrical and nicely designed. It also looks good for something that takes on the mid to late 90's mapping style. I spotted two missing textures by a lift near one of the goals. There is a switch that activates two lights that illuminate the field making it much easier to see. I thought that was a pretty neat concept.

    However, the wad lacks solid gameplay mostly due to the size of the map. I've said this before, "Big maps with lots of open space tend to create slow and unexciting gameplay. This was a problem with most 90's wads." I even tested it out with some bots and it was what I expected it to be... slow. I recommend making stadium maps small even for 4-8 players.

    Overall, the wad is worth downloading. I'm sure with 8 players online, it would be interesting to play even though it doesn't have modern Doom mapping standards.

  • Risen - Redbull
    Doom 2 - ZDoom Compatible - Solo Play - 58554 bytes - (img)
    Reviewed by: doomguy93
    Risen, "risen.wad" created by Redbull, is a large one-map wad implemented for singleplayer, co-op, and Deathmatching. It is 1994-themed with a building in the center of the map in red bricks. There are 156 enemies scattered everywhere throughout the map.

    I'm not too keen an slaughter maps, but this one is fun to play... for like ten minutes. I usually give up on slaughter maps within the first two minutes of playing.

    Overall, the wad is worth downloading for single player/co-op. I don't think the deathmatch gameplay would be all that great to be honest. But give it a shot if you are into slaughter maps.

  • Savage's house - Redbull
    Doom 2 - ZDoom Compatible - SP/Co-op/DM - 52367 bytes - (img) (img)
    Reviewed by: doomguy93
    Savage's house, "savage.wad" created by Redbull, is a large one-map wad implemented for deathmatching. The textures are plain and boring. I didn't even bother playing with bots or with actual players online. This is due to the map size being large. The gameplay would have been slower than watching snails fuck.

    Overall, the wad really isn't worth downloading. It is just too 1994-styled and way too big.

  • Monster Hunter Ltd (Part I) - Didy
    Doom 2 - Boom Compatible - Solo Play - 2643964 bytes - (img) (img) (img) (img)
    Reviewed by: kmxexii
    I haven't taken the chance to get familiar with Didy as an author, but when I saw some praise for this and its partner (MOHU2) I had to check it out. Now I've got to dig deeper, because if the rest of his back catalog is as neat as this, I'm in for a treat. This is a big, adventure style level for Doom II - perhaps the best I've ever played - with some light opposition. I'm not saying that there aren't a few tricky fights, but the combat isn't that demanding, which lets you drink in Didy's ruined cityscape / industrial complex, followed by a short stroll through deserted post-apocalyptia, and all for a piece of art. It's got a lot of cheats like the saws or the threaded arachnotron that might wow you with what you can do in Boom, and make sure to take your time to poke around once you've finished your mission, because there are a lot of excellent details you're liable to miss. The only thing that tripped me up was familiarizing myself with one of the new lift textures, which might hold you up. Be sure to try this and its follow-up - it's worth it.

  • The_Nazi_Hideout - Greg Lafitte
    Doom 2 - Vanilla - Solo Play - 23551 bytes - (img) (img) (img) (img) (img) (img) (img) (img)
    Reviewed by: doomguy93
    The Nazi Hideout "nazi.wad" created by Greg Lafitte, is a one-map wad implemented for both single player and co-op. Just by the way it looks with its texture offsets and improper door designs gives away that this is a newbie map. The map is fairly big and contains 40+ enemies, mostly Wolfenstein SS characters and some other Doom demons. I wasn't able to beat this map due to the fact that four cyberdemons or the spider mastermind would always kill me. Thus said, the wad lacks solid gameplay with its unfair balance of enemies/weapons.

    Overall, I didn't particularly enjoy this wad all that much, so I don't recommend downloading it.

  • Secretdoom: Disrepair - Cyberdemon531
    Doom 2 - GZDoom - Solo Play - 15943553 bytes - (img) (img) (img) (img) (img) (img) (img) (img) (img) (img)
    Reviewed by: kmxexii
    This is a short mapset for GZDoom that plainly reads of a beginner's release. True 3D and "battle damage" detailing can't detract from the generally uninspiring architecture. Now, Cyberdemon531 manages to hit upon a few interesting ideas, but these maps are short and pretty boxy. Combat is spiced up with the addition of a bunch of Realm667 monsters, none of which thankfully sponge up your ammo. Cool map layouts would complement the additions much better, though. There is a sort of bare-bones survival mode that I had fun messing around in that re-purposes a handful of these with a couple of switch objectives to unlock weapons, but what I'd really like to see is C531 improving his craft. Killing demons in a vibrant setting is much more fun.

  • pc gamer review doom2 dec/1994 - matt firme (article) uploaded to idgames by trevor brunelle
    N/A - N/A - N/A - 5543838 bytes
    Reviewed by: doomguy93
    This contains two JPEG snapshots of a Doom 2 article written by Matt Firme from a December 1994 edition of PC Gamer Magazine. Pretty neat article and nostalgic I guess. Download and see for yourself or just Google it. Kudos to you Trevor Brunelle for uploading it to the archives.

  • Abyssal Speedmapping Sessions: Session 4 - Various
    Doom 2 - Boom Compatible - Solo Play - 661060 bytes - (img) (img) (img) (img) (img) (img) (img) (img) (img) (img) (img) (img)
    Reviewed by: Tuxlar
    A set of speedmaps that (mostly) don't suck... but collectively fail to decide if blood floors ought to be damaging, or not (:P). Music is well chosen and varied. Maps start off pretty run-of-the-mill (and easy), but crank up nicely towards the end (in all respects). Highly recommend pistol starts for each (via idclev). Map themes were constrained to a choice of the following: Abbatoir, Downtown, or Fortress ruins. Maps are (as expected) fairly short... early-Doom 2 iwad-lengths, on average.

    Things of note:
  • Map 04 ("The Tale of Sir Ruins of Fortresstopia"!) is where the challenge and theme use started getting interesting, but had ammo shortage issues towards the end (I did miss secrets).
  • Map 05 ("A-bad-toir") is all-round competent (speedmap or not), and seems to be the first to prominently feature custom resources.
  • Map 06 is all but a joke map... I don't get it.
  • Map 09 ("Abbatoir 5") doesn't fuck around (reminding you that blood floors are damaging AS GOD INTENDED), shoveling imps in your face right from the start. One of my favorites.
  • Map 10 ("Spatterdash") keeps the intensity up, also scaling up a tad in size and thematics, but throws a bit of randomness and bombardment that put me off a bit. Back to inert blood, I guess.
  • Map 11 ("Selling Doomworld By The Pound") normalizes the challenge by comparison, and manages to hang in a bit longer than the others (felt the least "speedmapish", in other words). Another favorite.
  • Map 12 ("Matryoshka Citadel") pulls off a nice, large-scale "citydel" theme, but also starts pushing into slaughtersville. Might as well be the finale; next map is unremarkable.
    Verdict: Worth playing. Skip to map 05, if impatient.

  • recycled.wad - reality 2.0
    Doom 2 - Vanilla - Solo Play - 6823 bytes - (img) (img) (img) (img) (img)
    Reviewed by: hellothere231
    This is an absolutely abysmal WAD, with incredibly bad texturing: default Doom Builder 2 textures on the walls, ceilings, and floors, which look godawful, and incredibly boring architecture. Doors are thick and ugly. Dull and huge square rooms, and dreadful enemy placement. Incredibly short, and there are no health placements, so don't screw up.

    There are no redeeming features about this. Don't play it. Seriously.

    Oh, and apparently this was made in "a few weeks" according to its text file.Ha ha.

  • E2MWalter - James "Phobus" Cresswell
    Ultimate Doom - Vanilla - Solo Play - 98390 bytes - (img) (img) (img) (img) (img) (img)
    Reviewed by: doomguy93
    E2MWalter, "ph_walt.wad" created by James "Phobus" Cresswell is a nicely made one-map single player wad. According to the text file, this was a gift to Walter Confalonieri for his 31st birthday. The map has over 300+ demons and plenty of weapons/ammo. I particularly enjoyed how fast paced the gameplay was, and the E2M1 midi suited it pretty well.

    Overall, I recommend downloading it because it is really fun to play. It has that old school charm to it along with nice visuals that resemble the designs elements from John Romero's Doom maps.

    Happy Belated Birthday Walter!

  • koak.wad - reality 2.0
    Doom 2 - ZDoom Compatible - Solo Play - 12273 bytes - (img) (img) (img)
    Reviewed by: doomguy93
    "koak.wad" <---- (This is seriously the title? What the Hell does koak even mean?)

    So, koak.wad created by reality 2.0, is a typical newbie wad consisting of one map implicated for single player. The map is really, really... REALLY plain. It is nothing but long hallways, big rooms and a large outdoor area filled with a few easy to kill demons.

    There is really nothing more to say about this wad. I recommend that the author play more custom Doom maps to acquire better mapping techniques. That said, I don't really recommend downloading this unless you are into newbie maps.

  • The Shipping Quadrant - nambona890
    Doom 2 - Skulltag / Zandronum - Deathmatch - 30003 bytes
    Reviewed by: doomguy93
    The Shipping Quadrant, "shipquad.wad" created by nambona890 is a small one-map wad implemented for deathmatching. It requires Skulltag data files (Skulltag_Data.pk3 and Skulltag_Actors.pk3 to be exact) which I don't particularly care for all that much. There really isn't much to this wad. There are eight sectors with weapons and secret areas containing Skulltag powerups, as well as the traditional Doom powerups. In the middle of the map are stacks of crates with some more goodies.

    Overall, not the most impressive deathmatch map, but I guess it is worth a download if you like Skulltag DM.

  • Doom Debug Menu - Doomguy 2000
    N/A - ZDoom Compatible - N/A - 56552 bytes - (img) (img) (img) (img)
    Reviewed by: mrthejoshmon
    This is a surprisingly fun (and probably useful to somebody) wad for ZDoom by Doomguy2000.

    The "Doom Debug Menu" allows you to edit what replaces the items, enemies and objects within either an IWAD or PWAD via an in game debug menu (like a randomization wad, only you have complete control over what is replaced and what replaces it). Messing around with the debug menu can end up in you getting yourself into some awkward situations like accidentally replacing health kits with Hell Knights or turning Shotgun Guys into Cyberdemons; it is all good fun really.

    After messing around with the menu for so long you will undoubtedly get bored. This wad can't really do much else than replace things within a map. I would recommend this wad if you want to burn about 20 to 30 minutes of time out of boredom.

  • SuicIIde Doom - Peter Hawes
    Doom 2 - Vanilla - Solo Play - 292577 bytes - (img) (img) (img)
    Reviewed by: Obsidian
    As you might know, I like clever stuff. Whether it's a Doom map or a puzzle or just a Transformer (not so much nowdays, but still), I've always been interested in the way something ticks - which brings us nicely to the subject of this review.

    The name Suicide Doom might conjure up a few impressions: you might think the wad is some sort of successor to Linguica's infamous wad Do It or possibly something just plain unnerving and tasteless like RootPain (a rather unsettling piece of work if the comments are anything to go by). Thankfully, none of these are the case. Suicide Doom is first and foremost a puzzle wad akin to Cyberdreams: you need to somehow kill yourself in-game in a set time limit in order to progress to the next level. Currently there's only five levels, but it's possible the idea can be expanded on to make a nice little set of these maps. They aren't overly pretty maps, but as this is more of a test wad it stands to reason the author didn't bother prettying them up.

    The thing that gets me however is a bit more in-depth. Suicide Doom is fully vanilla compatible: there aren't any scripts that activate when the player dies or anything, everything is all snugly confined within the vanilla engine. The author states in the text file that he made this wad in order to experiment with voodoo dolls in Doom (look on the DoomWiki if you don't know) and examining the maps in Doom Builder revealed an interesting series of mechanisms used involving barrels, crushers, Arch-Viles and (you guessed it) voodoo dolls. I'm very tempted to explore this myself in future maps, although I might hold off until I actually complete the stuff I'm already working on. :P

    To sum up? It might not be everyone's cup of tea, but Suicide Doom is a nice little puzzle wad with some excellent contraptions under the surface that are worth looking at. Download if you like clever stuff like me.

Let me guess; one of those reviewers doesn't know how to properly appreciate a WAD that you liked this week. Want to do something about it? Instead of complaining in the comment thread like you always do, perhaps you can make a difference and write some better reviews than those idiots up there. The /newstuff Review Center is the place to do so. Put that Doomworld Forums account to constructive use, because you need one to submit reviews.

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Seeing my review on the front page just reminds me that I haven't reviewed anything since that wad. Dammit, someone kick my ass for me.

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Holy shit, you guys are tearing through these reviews, especially doomguy93. I better do the same!

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I'll point out that, contrary to what the screenshots suggest, E2MWalter actually uses the default E2 sky, not the city one from Doom II

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Obsidian said:

Dammit, someone kick my ass for me.

ok



anyways, if you're questioning me when I said these wads took a few weeks to make. I made them in my spare time during school. I would usually spend about 10-30 minutes at a time work on on it. it was kinda of an irregular schedule, sometimes spending days without working on it. I forgot to mention that in my original readme file, but it's too late for that now it seems.

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To everyone on /newstuff: I won't be able to review as much in the upcoming chronicles due to some changes in my life. I'll still be on the forums, but I'm going to limit myself to doing a couple of wads a week.

I'm just too busy to allocate my time to the community.

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Phobus said:

I'll point out that, contrary to what the screenshots suggest, E2MWalter actually uses the default E2 sky, not the city one from Doom II


ok... i just wandering why there's that sky....

phobus said:
Happy Belated Birthday Walter!


Thank you very much!

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I counted at least 30+ WADS in the review center all from Memfis.... That explains why /newstuff is backlogged.

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doomguy93 said:

To everyone on /newstuff: I won't be able to review as much in the upcoming chronicles due to some changes in my life. I'll still be on the forums, but I'm going to limit myself to doing a couple of wads a week.

I'm just too busy to allocate my time to the community.

Should I try again at doing a few more?

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