Do lower difficulties give you more checkpoints?

[DoomPhreak]

I'm playing at UV difficulty and the fight at the end of "Advanced Research Complex" is really long. Usually I get a checkpoint after beating the Gore Nest, but here I don't. Do lower difficulties give you more checkpoints?

[Dragonfly]

From my experience, no. The game tends to gives you a checkpoint at key locations and at the end of specific fights. I admit it's a little odd not to get a checkpoint after a gore nest but I've not observed any differences in the difficulties.

[DoomPhreak]

Near the end of "Advanced Research Complex", there are 3 tough fights with no checkpoints. First is a bunch of possessed, two pinkies, and some lost souls. The tough thing about this part is you try to preserve ammo for the ensuing, even bigger fights. The second fight is the big one after you activate the gore nest. IMO, there should be a checkpoint right after it, but there isn't. Then there is a fight with two barons of hell, made tougher after some passages are walled off. Then I believe you have to actually exit the level to have your progress saved. I always appreciate a good fight but there is really so little margin of error that you have to perform 3 fights perfectly, from your movement to your ammo management. You are out of position for even one nanosecond or so clumsy that you get trapped at a dead end (which, of course, are where the ammos are placed) and you are toast. There are a couple of teleports which actually DO NOT HELP because, I don't know about you, but going through a teleport often leaves me so spatially disoriented that I actually become more vulnerable. Also, I play at FOV 80, which may prevent me from seeing enemies in certain blind spots, but I like a realistic viewpoint. Btw, what are those GREEN BALL THINGIES on the floor? I thought there were powerups but they don't seem to do anything.

[Dragonfly]

DoomPhreak said:

but there is really so little margin of error that you have to perform 3 fights perfectly, from your movement to your ammo management.

Just chainsaw one of the barons to both eliminate a high tier enemy easily, and give you a bucketload of ammo.

DoomPhreak said:

You are out of position for even one nanosecond or so clumsy that you get trapped at a dead end (which, of course, are where the ammos are placed) and you are toast. There are a couple of teleports which actually DO NOT HELP because, I don't know about you, but going through a teleport often leaves me so spatially disoriented that I actually become more vulnerable.

Learn to use the teleporters, they can give you great ways to dodge the opposition and can enhance the way in which you handle the fight. Before activating the gore nest you can try to learn where they take you, which, if I remember correctly, is directly behind the teleporter you just entered, either up one floor or down one floor.

DoomPhreak said:

Btw, what are those GREEN BALL THINGIES on the floor? I thought there were powerups but they don't seem to do anything.

They are BFG Cells, something which you shouldn't be scared to use.

[DoomPhreak]

Dragonfly, thanks for the info on BFG ammo. Regarding teleports, knowing where the teleport exit is doesn't seem to help because you don't know what's waiting for you at the other end. Using it to escape may simply be a case of jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire. Is there telefrag in this game??? There doesn't seem to be. The enemies don't seem to use teleports at all.

[Dragonfly]

DoomPhreak said:

Dragonfly, thanks for the info on BFG ammo. Regarding teleports, knowing where the teleport exit is doesn't seem to help because you don't know what's waiting for you at the other end. Using it to escape may simply be a case of jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire. Is there telefrag in this game??? There doesn't seem to be. The enemies don't seem to use teleports at all.

There is a telefrag, but I've not performed one outside of multiplayer. What you can do is go into a teleporter, try to survive a couple of seconds, then backpedal back into the teleporter putting you where you were. The monsters that were hunting you initially would have turned around to chase you after you initially teleported, so there should be some space for you to run on through!