How Do You Guys Find Secrets in Doom 2 Megawads?

[Master O]

Any particular tips on how to do that without any outside help (Youtube, etc)?  Do you guys have any particular things you look for?

[leodoom85]

Some of them are pretty obvious, like different textures or misalignment. Other secrets, you have to listen closely for sounds after pressing a suspicious switch or something. And others....well, use the wall humping tactics :)

[NaZa]

For secrets in Doom 2 itself, I just used the internet.

 

Same goes for Hell Revealed, Memento Mori, Requiem, 1 Monster...

 

Yeah, not an adventurer.

[yakfak]

lol i spent so long sidestep flying around ALT map 2

that's my secret finding method

shoulder-barging the entire map

[Misty]

I often discover them randomly. Unexpected secrets are the best. Unless,they decide to punish player for finding secret. 

[drygnfyre]

I think in well designed maps, there is always either a visual or audible clue. You can look into a room and see an item in it, it's a clue there is some method into there, just a matter of figuring it out. But in most cases, I just end up having to use a guide online, especially if a secret relies on some kind of engine exploit (like Arch-Vile surfing, rocket jumping, etc.)

[leodoom85]

Also, for the main IWADs like Doom or Doom 2, I haven't used a guide at all...

[40oz]

The ones I find are often by accident. Being low on health or ammo is often a good motivator to wall hump everything.

 

a lot of secret indicators are lifted from the iwads, so trying to find all the secrets in the iwads is great practice. Any kind of inconsistencies like jarring texture patterns, miscolored torches, random candles or other floor decorations, a row of gargoyle faces and only one of them isn't lit, etc.

 

always try to jump on to any ledge that looks reachable, activate every computer texture or crate, shoot any switches textures you can see but cant reach. Some mappers are compulsive space-fillers too, so if your playing a map and the Automap shows you've explored everything except this weird empty space in the middle of the map, you can be sure there's a secret closet in there.

 

edit:

 

check out this thread for some ideas of stuff to look out for too

 

 

[baja blast rd.]

Most mappers have pet methods of hiding secrets, so if you find one of their secrets, add the general technique to a mental list of things to look for in their maps. An example of a general technique is that when a mapper links a secret to one red torch among many green torches, in further maps you shouldn't look for just setups relying on different-colored torches, but pay attention to repeated detail in general. If a mapper places a tiny switch in a corner somewhere, you should keep your eyes open for not only hidden switches but also nooks and crevices and corners. It also helps to be aware of methods that many mappers use: like the aforesaid hidden tiny switches, pass-through liquid falls, switches concealed on the backs of large switch faces, and so on. This might be a good subject for a DoomTropes entry, if anyone is willing to put in the effort.

 

When you don't know a mapper's tropes, or when you are dealing with a very sneaky mapper, or even just generally, play the anticipation game. Try to get into their heads; think about where and how you'd disguise a secret if you were tasked to it. Most mappers (1) want you to be able to find their secrets in theory; (2) don't want their secrets to be ultra easy. So try to think of concealment methods that are a bit tricky but, at least at first, don't imagine anything too convoluted. (Sometimes you're dealing with someone like @dobu gabu maru, and you might eventually have to open up GZDB and Ctrl+F 'sector effect 9'.)

 

Edited April 23, 2017 by rdwpa

[galileo31dos01]

I use the automap a lot, and try to observe the details. I always play the maps to reach 100% everything, and that means never exit a map until I find every single secret. I'd say I'm good at finding them without cheating, but sometimes I end up searching on videos or wiki pages, or IDDT. For example, Harmony has very very hard to find secrets, Hacx has a lot of "shoot to this random wall and see what happens" and unrecognizable ones. Speed of Doom and Urania have very pleasant secrets. Mandatory and severely-punishing secrets are the worst. 

 

If you want to improve your secret-hunting skills, start studying your automap, analyze the kind of secrets of the wad, and do "sightseeing".

[drygnfyre]

13 minutes ago, rdwpa said:

Most mappers have pet methods of hiding secrets, so if you find one of their secrets, add the general technique to a mental list of things to look for in their maps. An example of a general technique is that when a mapper links a secret to one red torch among many green torches, in further maps you shouldn't look for just setups relying on different-colored torches, but pay attention to repeated detail in general. If a mapper places a tiny switch in a corner somewhere, you should keep your eyes open for not only hidden switches but also nooks and crevices and corners. It also helps to be aware of methods that many mappers use: like the aforesaid hidden tiny switches, pass-through liquid falls, switches concealed on the backs of large switch faces, and so on. This might be a good subject for a DoomTropes entry, if anyone is willing to put in the effort.

 

When you don't know a mapper's tropes, or when you are dealing with a very sneaky mapper, or even just generally, play the anticipation game. Try to get into their heads; think about where and how you'd disguise a secret if you were tasked to it. Most mappers (1) want you to be able to find their secrets in theory; (2) don't want their secrets to be ultra easy. So try to think of concealment methods that are a bit tricky but, at least at first, don't imagine anything too convoluted. (Sometimes you're dealing with someone like @dobu gabu maru, and you might eventually have to open up GZDB and Ctrl+F 'sector effect 9'.)

 

When it comes to disguising a secret, I recall one map that used a random tree as a switch. It worked... It never crossed my mind that an ordinary tree could be interacted with. Part of me finds that brilliant, another part of me think it's bad level design.

[leodoom85]

1 minute ago, galileo31dos01 said:

I use the automap a lot, and try to observe the details. I always play the maps to reach 100% everything, and that means never exit a map until I find every single secret. I'd say I'm good at finding them without cheating, but sometimes I end up searching on videos or wiki pages, or IDDT. For example, Harmony has very very hard to find secrets, Hacx has a lot of "shoot to this random wall and see what happens" and unrecognizable ones. Speed of Doom and Urania have very pleasant secrets. Mandatory and severely-punishing secrets are the worst. 

 

If you want to improve your secret-hunting skills, start studying your automap, analyze the kind of secrets of the wad, and do "sightseeing".

Oh yes. ALWAYS check the automap for a different color of a wall. Or if you use GZDoom for example, enable the texture display option for some non-visible sectors :D

[Spectre01]

As other have said, I tend to check the automap often and look for any anomalies that stand out or interactable objects that show up as white lines.

[Voros]

TBQH, I don't look for secrets at all. For example, my first playthrough of E1M3 and I didn't bother trying to get the soulsphere. I still don't, even though I know how to get it.

 

I also dont really use the automap, except for maybe checking out the map layout and giving it a rating out 10 or I just check how many monsters, items and secrets are left, for fun.

 

But when I feel like a secret is near me, the clues usually stand out to me because Doom taught me to think outside the box.

[StoneMason]

I usually find them either by accident, or through noticing something that sticks out, like a texture, decoration, or nearby sound. Unless its a Jim Flynn or Bob Evans style map, I don't normally try to find secrets for the sake of it, and specifically have level totals on the hud/automap disabled. 

[Deleted_Account]

Use the automap, pay attention to any wall textures that seem 'off', watch for a flickering light. Or if push comes to shove make love to every wall.

Edited April 24, 2017 by Piper Maru

[idbeholdME]

Just paying close attention while normally playing, looking for anything suspicious from a different texture, spotting a shootable switch across the map or a sound cue. If that doesn't find all secrets, then comes the automap. Look for anomalies, differently colored walls suspicious empty spaces. If any secrets still remain, walk through the level again and try the less common secret methods, using any decoration object, shooting most walls etc. If all this fails, proceed to the last resort - wall humping everything madly while shooting wildly everywhere and insulting the map maker for being such a horrible person for exploiting your weakness of having to have 100% secrets and kills on any map you play before ragequitting the map only to repeat the process the next day all over again whichsucksespeciallybadonlargemapsthattakeforevertogothroughormapswithsectionsthatcloseoffpermanentlyonlytowastehoursofyourlifetryingtofindthatonestupidsecretthatcontainsonestimpackandanarmorbonusGRRRRRRRRRRR. (Draws breath: "Yes, I have a problem.....")

 

Needless to say, this method practically always works.

[NecrumWarrior]

I just occasionally click on stuff that looks like it might do something. I don't try very hard to find secrets.