The /newstuff Chronicles #212

I, DD_133, am here once more to shower you with the last pre-Christmas week presents. Some of these are coal, the others may be the gifts you've always wanted and been waiting for to find out just if they live up to what your expectations were. But no week is complete without a couple DM wads, a handful of oddities, and a couple great releases for different ports, so without further ado, on with the show!

• AD Coop - andymun89 and m0rgZ
  Doom2.exe - SP/Coop - 109k -
  Here is a coop level that to put it simply and effectively, it really is a piece of shit. First off there's a player 1 voodoo doll at the start if you try to play this in SP in ZDoom, and the next thing is that say for instance, on the first level, you get a SSG and try to fight off a cyberdemon with that. However, I don't think it's possible to kill a cyberdemon in 8 SSG shells. So, moving right along, the wad is FULL of HOMs and misaligned texturing and simply bad texture and gameplay choices. This isn't even worth downloading. Save your time.
  
  
• Catacombs - Daniel Tanguay
  Doom.exe - SP - 54k -
  One of those simple 1 level somewhere in the E's and M's replaced, but surprisingly, it was a good play, detail and architecture is relevant to that of the just-after-doom bang of levels, but the gameplay is pretty good for its time, puzzles are enough to keep you playing, and a good few secrets, but the challenge can quite possibly get to the frustrating point if you run out of ammo, which could happen due to lack of ammunition around the level. In spite of those little issues, it is a worthy download.
  
  
• Catwalks - Blackfist
  Doom.exe - SP - 51k -
  Just like above, this is another 1994 wad, but it is nowhere near the style of fun gameplay the above offers, compared to this. This is the most tedious wad probably ever created due to it's very slim walkways (hence the title) and not only when you fall down are you simply eaten alive by Demons you can't see, but it's nearly impossible to actually find the teleporter to get you back to safety. And even if you don't fall down a Imp fireball might just come out of nowhere and smack you off the catwalk anyway! I highly advise against downloading this, unless you are the type that loves these kinds of WADs.
  
  
• Chase Me - Andrew J. Hulme
  Doom2.exe - DM - 16k -
  Lo and behold, a Deathmatch map! Although it is only 1 map it does hold a varied theme, based mostly on tech. The architecture and texturing does need work, and if you try to play this in single player, you'll be faced with a slew of monsters, as the author decided to put monsters in his map to make it work with Single Player as well. But hey it's a '94 map, what did you expect. Basically, the item, weapon, and player start placement is pretty horrible, and finding a second player could take a while due to this map being quite the maze and chock full of hiding places. Not a recommended download unless you like games of weird hide and seek.
  
  
• CoDead II - Emil Harold Brundage
  Boom compatible port - CTF - 289k -
  All right, you might be wondering why this is a CTF map in a Boom compatible port. Simply because it was made to be played in Coop mode and with 4 people (obviously concerning CTF that would probably mean 2v2) so don't try to think that this is a DM map or SP map of any kind. A pretty good map actually, detail level is acceptable, with a few tricks and traps here and there, and enough hiding places to hide the flag carrier. Meanwhile the weapon placement isn't all that great considering today's standards, since for a good weapon you might have to go hunting in the corners. Although it is a little too complicated for my tastes I'd say this is a pretty good map and a worthy download.
  
  
• Dark Wispers - Kevin "The Solution" Robinson
  Vavoom + Doom2 - SP - 1,866k
  Here's a demo map showing off Vavoom's static lighting and 3d floors! Not really much to say about it, since it's a demo map. Although the effects demonstrated were somewhat good, the map itself I didn't really find to be that attractive. If you want to see a couple of Vavoom's abilities, download this.
  
  
• Decapitation CTF - Mephisto
  Skulltag - CTF - 1,471k -
  An extremely outstanding WAD by our resident mapper, Mephisto. Now it's tough where to start, but here's something: 9 CTF maps made for Skulltag, both compatible with the normal CTF and the CTF spin-off gamemode 1 flag CTF. Designed for 4 players (2 on each team) in mind, these maps can offer great quality and gameplay along with some funny moments. Detail is some of the best of Mephisto's work I've ever seen in a wad, along with the great texture choices that fit in very nicely with the theme set for the map. Item placement is also great, making you move a bit so you can grab a reasonable weapon, instead of spawning on a plasma gun or the like. The only gripes I have with this is that it seems the later maps in the pack lack detail and gameplay fun unlike the earlier maps and map32, take map05 (Gray) for instance. It's not that detailed and the gameplay basically sucks because it pretty much says 'Whoever rushes to the other flag first' wins. That aside, if you like Skulltag maps, of even if you like detailed maps of any kind, you should download this and give it a spin.
  
  
• Extreme Measures - WildWeasel
  ZDoom - Weapons Mod - 2,961k
  And this week's weapon replacement is Extreme Measures, a pretty good wad from WildWeasel, and offers a brand new array of nicely assorted weapons, along with an inventory system. One of the most notable is the BFG, which can do some pretty amazing damage when it doesn't overload and kill you off as well! A good weapon replacement and a worthy download.
  
  
• Firebrand / Red Arremer Gargoyle skin - CheapAlert
  ZDoom/Legacy - Graphics Addon - 55k
  Here's a rather interesting skin. A monster from Dungeons & Dragons makes its appearance in ZDoom and other skin-supporting ports. A surprisingly well draw out skin however you can tell that the gib graphic blood was made in paint. Still worth a download in my opinion.
  
  
• Halo of Wonders - Samuel 'Kaiser' Villarreal
  Boom/ZDoom - SP - 1,399k -
  This is simply a 'wow' map. Kaiser was clearly at a peak of mapping skill when he constructed this beauty. Even the beginning room is filled with techno detailed wonder. For starters, the detail. It is simply mind-blowing the amount of detail put into this wad. Headbeams, towers, lights, many detailed things are in here, and it looks absolutely stunning, one of the best wads in terms of detail I've played, and certainly takes the cake in detail this week. The difficulty is honestly rival to that of Torment and Torture, and monster overkill cannot be understated more. Entire rooms filled with Imps, Shotgunners and Demons teleporting in what seems to be infinite amounts, hundreds if not close to or over a thousand monsters in this single level. The weapons and ammo come at good times, that is if you can survive long enough to use them to punch a hole through the monsters, because you certainly won't live long if you try to kill them all. Watch out for traps too, as some of them will be very lethal, with probably like 5 revenants waiting for you. An awesome play for the reckless and the people who love a good challenge, and a definite must download.
  
  
• Halogen - Dennis "Exl" Meuwissen
  Doom2.exe - DM - 20k -
  A good average DM wad, suited for doom2.exe so it will play on any port that supports Deathmatch. Detailing is decent and the gameplay flows very nice, the only thing missing which might sadden some DMers is a lack of a BFG, which would honestly make this map a bit more treacherous in terms of hide and seek, as there are many corners and little nooks anyone can hide in. The weapons placement is also nice, although, I think there should be more SSGs in the map in case someone is at the end of a map stuck with only a chaingun, but then again, it might be for the best, who knows if you can dash and get it before your enemy can jump out! Anyways, a good DM wad and a worthy download.
  
  
• Return of the Order - Samuel 'Kaiser' Villarreal
  Strife.exe/Strife-supporting port - SP - 435k -
  Now here's something you don't see that much, a Strife map and a pretty big one too, at that. There's a good deal of puzzles and traps here, along with the usual shoot em up here and there. The storyline is also good, and enough to have kept me involved for the rest of the map. Detail is quite good, as you got little lamps here and there, candles and bottles on the floor, and the occasional computer screen, this is no slacker, but then did we expect nothing else of Kaiser? ;) I found the challenge pretty good, so this isn't too hard or too easy, for those of you leaning either way, but still, it's a worthy download.
  
  
• StrifeGuy skin - MasterOFDeath
  ZDoom/Legacy - Graphics Addon - 112k
  The player sprites in Strife have been ported into a skin wad for you to use in Doom, Hexen or Heretic in ZDoom, Skulltag and other skin-supporting ports.