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Everything posted by cannonball
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(The Ultimate) Return to Hadron (IDgames)
cannonball replied to cannonball's topic in Map Releases & Development
Well that is just embarrassing from my behalf. Yes those should definitely be impassable and will be fixed in the next update. I pondered this for a while but I felt that it felt a little unnecessary to make a new thread given that this was the planned update from the last one. -
(The Ultimate) Return to Hadron (IDgames)
cannonball replied to cannonball's topic in Map Releases & Development
Update; So here is the first draft of the full 4 episode compilation https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/izsthxnpzr75lwl983zqv/uhadronrc1.zip?rlkey=nlqep9axiwjuo1v9e01y0oa4f&st=q6y7b7ys&dl=0 Changelog I also revised the midi choices throughout I have played through all of the maps to make sure 100% of everything is possible on UV, though knowing me I probably did something unconsciously to break something. -
The DWmegawad Club plays: Doom 2 in City Only [vote now]
cannonball replied to dobu gabu maru's topic in WAD Discussion
MAP26 - "Welcome to Nothing" by NeilForshaw I guess I should start by calling out pacing and difficulty curve because after being violently abused for several maps on the bounce, we are then greeted with... one of the easiest maps in the entire megawad. Not an over-exageration, the monster count is below 100, most monsters come from in front and the only way I think you can die (Aside from giving yourself to the eternal void) is to get to cocky with rockets and face-rocket yourself on one of the few minor traps this map has. As for the map itself it has quite a few flaws, first off the green ruins near the start, you can get stuck in these and as such softlock yourself, secondly the red key requires you to run back through the entire segment, and the ambushes on the way back are pretty weak. It is worth noting that there are a lot of little areas to explore, but have slow lifts that cost quite a bit of time. The map improves once you reach the red door where the progression becomes pretty direct. Overall, this wasn't that bad, but the map tries firstly to be this surreal/spooky experience, but then drops some tepid fights that result in the map losing a little bit of its identity in the process. The one plus point is the relaxed gameplay to the point where it felt like a breather. However this is probably one of the weaker maps in this set. -
The DWmegawad Club plays: Doom 2 in City Only [vote now]
cannonball replied to dobu gabu maru's topic in WAD Discussion
Map25 - Eternal Dis Author comments; I wouldn't want to try and persuade the above, but I will say that the length of this map is a lot less than the monster count would suggest. However I am also aware that whilst the difficulty and length is lower than preceeding maps, this one will give players a good pounding. This was the first map I made for this project, being the last level of the episode I knew that I needed to go towards the high end in terms of difficulty, but I was also wanting to keep the playing time low(ish). As such this is more blunt force trauma than a sophisticated hardcore map. Think Scythe 2 level difficulty and how the fights tend to pan out. The crucible where you start was the first part I developed and then the rest sort of came in bits and pieces over a series of days. As such the blue key carries more clout than the red in terms of combat and probably difficulty. I made the yellow key optional to keep with the mission brief. The main part of the map has two floods, the first when you reach this part of the map (Mostly imps and demons) and then after both red/blue keys are grabbed (Revenants). In the end I suspect a lot of this is more bark than bite in terms of difficulty, the lost soul flood idea was one that I kind of curious as to how this would pan out, it turns out to be a lot less obnoxious than I thought it would be. In the end I think this could have turned out better, however a lot of the issues stem from being blindsided by some of the other entries in the final third of the megawad, as such it feels less significant than other maps, deposit packing a punch. I did enjoy making some that was very much more blunt than a lot of maps I tend to make and this is one where you will need to keep moving to survive. That said out of the maps in this episode, I don't know whether it feels like a closer to the episode given some of the other behemoths. This is another map to use the AV Midi pack, I honestly thought I would never use a Knightrider of Doom midi, but here we are and in fairness this one did need something heavy to keep you pumped. Oh the map name is a pun… naturally. -
Forsaken Compound [DOOM Episode 1 Replacement]
cannonball replied to ivymagnapinna's topic in Map Releases & Development
E1M8 - Some strange looking computer pillars near the start, this whole map is essentially about the final fight, which is strange to say the least, a massive wall of barons. Not sure how I feel about this. It is an absurd amount of barons but I don't know whether I consider this fight to be fun. One option would be to make the barons come from more than one direction and potentially add a cyber turret or two the generate a secondary threat/help. Overall - This was an interesting set of 9 maps. This was harder than you usual Doom PWads, but I wouldn't overall say that it lays on the punishment too much. The wad peaks in the middle (E1M4 to E1M6, with E1M6 being my favourite). The final two maps are a little underwhelming, E1M7 is too low key and the final map feels like too much of a throwaway fight. However you made this episode feel different and that is clearly the selling point. Overall I liked this set and well done for having a clear vision and executing it well. -
The DWmegawad Club plays: Doom 2 in City Only [vote now]
cannonball replied to dobu gabu maru's topic in WAD Discussion
MAP35 - "The Great Gib in the Sky" by Danlex I must confess that so far the secret maps haven't exactly stood out from the crowd (The lego level was cute though), however this map absolutely delivers, lots of rockets, fodder with some mid tiers sprinkled around. This is just the treat you want after going through an absolute gauntlet of a map that precedes it. Despite the high monster count, this one goes by swiftly with lots of cute details thrown all around. All in all a great secret map. MAP24 - "Blur Affinity" by Scionox Did not finish..... Struggled and toiled to clear most of the central area, encountered the blue key area with 4 archviles with no cover and considered that this was not worth continuing. Personally putting a gimmick like having to rush to blur sphere s to stay alive is an interesting idea, but coupling it with such difficult scenarios is going to alienate a lot of people. I don't think I will comment further because it would require me to play the whole map, which I guess by the point I was at was probably impossible due to taking too long. I guess I could play on a lower difficulty, but considering the scope and concept of this wad, we probably shouldn't be pushing well into X tier difficulty. I guess other maps have pushed towards this level but again the other maps don't have the timer waiting to insta-kill the player if they stray from the rules of the gimmick. -
Would anybody still enjoy a Doom 1 MEGAWAD?
cannonball replied to Baron T. Mueriach's topic in Map Releases & Development
As someone who has made a couple of UDoom maps in my time. I have always enjoyed the limitations compared to the Doom 2 bestiary. At the end of the day it is how you use what you have that counts and as others have said you can remove a large amount of the limitations if you wished. There are many maps that I have made that would likely be less fun if revenants and chaingunners were peppering the player. In the end I think the UDoom mapping still has a place in this community and it is surprising what people can come up with (Example being the recently released Foresaken Compound), that has a fresh feel even after 30 years of wad making. In short to the op, just make what you want in your own distinct vision, you never know, you might have the next classic UDoom Megawad to be discovered by the community. -
Forsaken Compound [DOOM Episode 1 Replacement]
cannonball replied to ivymagnapinna's topic in Map Releases & Development
E1M6 - Okay this was the best map so far, the texture usage really compliments the palette and the combat is fast and frenetic. It is a great map to blast through and the 700 or so monsters pass really quickly. Not very much to say, this is just good fun. E1M7 - This was somewhat low key, I do like the visual again and the silver techbase is a nice juxtaposition to the browns/pinks and reds that dominate the wad so far. However I must confess that the combat was a little underwhelming, especially after the last map. -
The DWmegawad Club plays: Doom 2 in City Only [vote now]
cannonball replied to dobu gabu maru's topic in WAD Discussion
MAP23 - "Idumea" by taviow Yeah this was exhausting. Like others there were a lot of performance issues to the point where clearly mass deployment of archviles would prove to be game over. As such the yellow skull was a horrific experience, especially when the second switch was pressed, honestly this felt far too luck base as I was literally set alight from every conceivable angle. The rest of the keys are fine to be honest, we get an iteration on the trap seen in Map21 too, this was well executed. The end fight I kind of just passed on, again the mass of monsters caused my laptop to melt. I didn't do the fight for the secret exit, so cannot comment, but I did find the secret exit boat fight, the crawling through the caves and the candle rocket hell was cool. In the end this felt more extreme than Map20, which at the least kept a steady performance, on the other hand each fight felt different and was more to the point, which is a plus.. However this is a map where I just had to throw in the towel and leave without getting anywhere near all of the kills. I am going to leave the secret map for tomorrow. -
Forsaken Compound [DOOM Episode 1 Replacement]
cannonball replied to ivymagnapinna's topic in Map Releases & Development
Continuing on E1M9 - This map is what it is, it is a secret map and one where you can just blow off some steam. I have no real issues with this one. The start and red key fights can easily be solved by infighting, or you can just blow everything away, the blue key is the only one with a little bit of risk because you do need to clear the walkway quickly to avoid being swamped by cacos. The only real issue is accessing the exit via those switches because at this point it is just killing time. E1M4 - I really liked this one, first off it is nice to see some natural landscapes, and it this one is nicely fleshed out, I also like the fact that you get this compound that has multiple points of entry and this doesn't really hinder the progression or combat at all. Another point for it (And I say this as someone who is in the "Rocket launcher is the best weapon" club) is that there is plenty of stuff to blow up, the red key trench is fun to blaze through, but with the expectation that you only have limited time with the radsuit, the yellow key is just one of those messy fights that offers enough pressure without being too over the top. Probably the best map so far. E1M5 - Heh I completely missed the fact that the plasma gun is available early if you go the right way, funilly enough I think I only used this on the baron near the yellow key. I like the slower paced mood of this one and actually this is completely fine with just the chaingun and shotgun. The red key trap is well executed too, there is enough cover to make this section not feel like too much hard work but put sufficient pressure on the player. Hopefully I will get through the rest over the next couple of days. -
The DWmegawad Club plays: Doom 2 in City Only [vote now]
cannonball replied to dobu gabu maru's topic in WAD Discussion
MAP21 - "Cruels End" by Shawny This one has its moments, now lets get some good points in, the big fight for the red key is great once you know how it works mechanically, you need to hit switches periodically to keep the archviles covered and survive the rest of the ambush (The viles are killed automatically after a certain amount of time), the yellow key house looks good and puts up a bit of a fight. However it is hard to ignore that some many parts of this map feel oversized for the opposition you face (The outdoors sections feel very empty), a lot of the fights just sort of happen without too much thought into defeating and the whole blue key section was to be honest rather dull, there is another little put the blocks together section but you can handle this section piece by piece, which is slow, there is a cyber that is just annoying to face and the follow up fights lack any kind of bite. This was a mixed bag and honestly I struggled in parts to keep focussed, there are some clever parts to this map, but unfortunately they often require quite a bit of work to yield the reward. I can't help but feel that this map would be far better in a condensed form. Shawny is a smart cookie, but there is too much padding to make this feel light a high point of the wad. PS - I know this is biased, but the midi choice here also feels off, "Arrival" feels like such an "Endgame" midi, so hearing it at the start of an episode feels wrong and honestly for such an awesome track and I even got a little tired of hearing it. MAP22 - "Lifeless Sanctum" by Snaxalotl A flawed masterpiece...... This truly is Sandy's City, a city built from flesh, brick and tech, strewn together in a way where there was little care taken as to whether it makes sense at all. At close range some of the sights look kind of garish, but the crazy thing is that when put altogether in the whole broad picture, this map is truly a sight to behold. The combat is very different to the last couple, the first few minutes are harrowing, you have essentially nothing to work it except your fists, there is a shotgun you can get too with a bit of dexterity, but you will be leaning on berserk until you get the yellow key essentially. I had over 100 kills down before I had anything that could hold its own in a proper fight. Finally with the SSG (by the three key switch), you can go to the upper structures to get the blue keycard. Now when I said this map was flawed, the biggest one currently is here because the railings are passable. There were also a couple of spots where I got softlocked, inconsistent damaging flaw usage, a lot of misalignment in the texturing and some nodebuilding issues that create slimetrails (I really hope these get resolved by the way). Something odd happened at the red key, I couldn't escape but I am not sure whether I didn't wait long enough or I managed a linedef skip, I nocliped to the other side of the fence and reentered this area and everything seemed to work fine? Beyond the red skull you can traverse the rocky terrain to get a blue skull that I am not sure of its use (The blue keycard works on everything). Well behind the three key switch is the BFG and the final set of fights, the first is pretty straightforward infight fodder, but the last fight carries some serious bite, not only that but the switches are haphazardly placed (In a good way), lots of damaging floor and the centre is covered in arch viles. This was nasty and I loved it. This map requires more work because the flaws can lead to some highly frustrating results, however this level feels so alien and hostile and at the same time it doesn't on the whole revolve around big bloated fights, you are naked and being shelled at the start and it is only towards the end where you can let loose a little bit. This map might be the second map in the hell city episode, but this is the one that makes you feel that you truly in hell. Worth noting that the death exit on the previous map was completely necessary because starting with weapons absolutely removes the a huge proportion of the experience. This episode is probably the most controversial and the one with the biggest arguments of rearranging the map placement, now there is one map (foreshadowing) where there was discussions of moving, but I would argue that this would have been a great map to open the hell episode with. The mood and atmosphere are pitched perfectly. -
Forsaken Compound [DOOM Episode 1 Replacement]
cannonball replied to ivymagnapinna's topic in Map Releases & Development
Thought I would give this a go; E1M1 - Like pretty much everyone else, the palette alterations add to the shores of hell/Doom 64 element of horror in a good way. The combat is spicier than your normal UDoom openers (Especially for an E1 replacement), mostly serviceable with a mix of narrow corridors and a few more open location. This was fine. E1M2 - This felt easier than the first map, most mosts you can line up with ease and dispose of. Not much else to complain about because you get the rocket launcher and enough rockets to deal with the barons with ease. E1M3 - Okay this was a good one, the platforming towards the end was surprisingly audacious and was a great way of using the same area for a second time. The fight that follows is quite nice to blow through to. Again the atmosphere is top notch here. -
The DWmegawad Club plays: Doom 2 in City Only [vote now]
cannonball replied to dobu gabu maru's topic in WAD Discussion
MAP20 - "A Wilted Clover's Lullaby" by eater29 Holy moly, okay this map really goes over the line in regards to this project. This magnum opus feels like it has a lot of the chemistry seem in the likes of Miasma and other huge exploratory murderfests. I think this one goes a little too over the top in terms of length and difficulty, I wouldn't have too much issue if this was a solo map, but here this could prove to be a major showstopper for many. As for the map itself, oddly the big fights (Yellow skull, the automap fight and the final fight) felt easier to beat than many of the smaller scale fights, mostly because ammo/health and movement were more forgiving. As such a lot of the preamble fights felt a little repetitive and often frustrating, that said you do get major payoffs with the big fights that allow you to blow off major steam with the BFG. I won't go much further, I don't think a map like this suits a community project such as this, however as a singular piece this is well worthy of being placed on the pedestal that includes Miasma, Entropy etc. It is a top notch map but I must confess to feeling exhausted after finishing this. -
The DWmegawad Club plays: Doom 2 in City Only [vote now]
cannonball replied to dobu gabu maru's topic in WAD Discussion
MAP19 - "Silent Submergence" by JacaCaca A very quiet map with some very violent episodes, most notably the red key fight. I ended up in the yellow key segment and struggled to the point where killing the viles was enough and returned later for the hell knights. The red key I visited next and this fight is the standout fight, a mass of mid-tiers couples with imps that you can circle the arena until the mancubi move onto dry land, then it is a case of using the mancubi as meat shields and blasting everything away with rockets/plasma. The blue key is the most low key affair, though the door that flies away is a neat little trick. After that there is the exit trick where a mass of revenants will descend on you. This map has some thrills, however it also feels a little clunky and doesn't quite manage to draw you in enough to cell the more horror elements. Not a bad effort though and the run time is fairly short once you know what to do. -
The DWmegawad Club plays: Doom 2 in City Only [vote now]
cannonball replied to dobu gabu maru's topic in WAD Discussion
MAP18 - "Reservoir of Muck" by PRO-RC This one is a very different beast compared to the last level. To be honest slavering the entire map in essentially one texture is not really a winner, but it looks okay on the most part. The combat is pretty open ended and actually quite easy, it is worth noting that you can get two of the keys without firing the shot and only the red requires effort. I managed to find the rocket launcher and plasma gun and in all honesty that is all you require (I found the SSG very late and never needed it). The map is fun and a good decompression after the previous map. The secret exit requires essentially beating the map (Or at least obtaining all of the keys and finding the not very secret switch near the megasphere secret. MAP34 - "Bricked Up" by BluePineapple72 I really wanted to like this map, but unfortunately there are design elements that don't really work. Now for the most part the first two thirds of the map are fine, okay the gameplay is at times straight out of the Hell revealed or even Jens Nielsen brand (The cyber in one of the houses for instance), but it is serviceable and I was able to get monsters to infight here and there. The issues begin essentially when you enter the jail, first of all the cells tend to hinder monster movement to the point where the fight here is very simple, then comes the big splurge after grabbing the red key, well you can just camp here and the cybers will do most of the work, given the compatability in play here this should be avoidable (Or at the very least the cacos should be able to pose a reasonable threat because cheesing the big fight feels like a no brainer. Oddly the map starts very stingy on just about everything, yet after the half way point you are given a glut of just about everything, in the end the map feels uneven and the city design seems to hinder a rather combat-focused map to its detriment, that said I will rate this above the other secret maps so far, it offers something different and does offer a fair amount of bite whilst not being parody level unfair. However the map is flawed in its current state. -
The DWmegawad Club plays: Doom 2 in City Only [vote now]
cannonball replied to dobu gabu maru's topic in WAD Discussion
MAP17 - "Colossal Wreck" by Weird Sandwich I wanted to like this one, because it has a lot of things to like, the open-worldness and the fact you can go for either the yellow or blue key to access the red key that is required to finish the map. However the gameplay was sluggish, grindy and at times not very fun at all. The start has you working with the shotgun/chaingun until you get a better weapon, unfortunately these are well guarded. The blue key is easier to get, but a longer, grindier sequence to get whilst the yellow key is a simple fight that looks cool and can be cheesed by using the corner cover. The red key is pretty awful and yes the secret BFG looks almost mandatory to give incentive to kill everything in here, simply put I didn't want to kill four cybers in an awkward arena or take out one by one from the sides. I have to be tempted to say that the BFG should be presented in this room and as such the secret is a reward to make the earlier sections easier. Now after a couple of attempts I did escape, but seriously this area isn't fun despite a lot of cool transformations. In the end this one ended up a disappointment, if only for the fact that this clearly had the potential to be a real highlight, but at the moment at least the combat lets this one down a little. -
The DWmegawad Club plays: Doom 2 in City Only [vote now]
cannonball replied to dobu gabu maru's topic in WAD Discussion
MAP16 - "Ex Nihilo" by myolden Another Myolden map to start and it is another good one. The grungy bricks work well against the underground locale and there is another offsets to spice the visuals up. The combat is pretty much on point too, tougher than Map11 but nothing overwhelming, though I will say that you need to save cells in the final fight because running out before hitting that switch is going to leave you pretty screwed. Not much else to say, this was another good one. -
The DWmegawad Club plays: Doom 2 in City Only [vote now]
cannonball replied to dobu gabu maru's topic in WAD Discussion
MAP15 - "Sunlit Promenade" by taviow This one is nasty, however many complaints that could have with this would be entirely hypocritical (HF2 Map15 is arguably even worse that this). The big sour point is the optional backpack segment, tough luck if those archviles decide to all count low numbers in their chase states because you will be barbecued with no hope of being saved, I know that the premise is still essentially the cybers can one shot you at any time, but for an optional area that contains the hardest fight, I might suggest a little more slack. The rest wasn't so bad, the blue key section effectively guarantees that you will probably tank a hit from the archvile, but that is what the soulsphere is for, it isn't too bad. The yellow key when it is unveiled is probably the best fight overall, the tight space and deployment of enemies is solid, the red key isn't too bad where you have to survive the two wings exposed to rocket fire, the revenant/caco one being the nastiest (The double archvile isn't difficult, again garner enough recovery items and you can safely tank an archvile blast. The final fight is good fun, just draw the cybers into the centre and careful movement/BFG placement to kill these swiftly. Now aside from the backpack area, the final cleanup felt rather slow, yes I could have spent the remaining cells on the guard tower spiders but it still felt like wasted time. I can't help feeling that there could be a more elegant solution that could be deployed once the exit is available, at ground level the spiders are hardly a threat. This map does enough to feel like an episode closer but will probably rub some the wrong way, there is also a "Missed a spot" moment in regards to the sky transfers, it is right by the exit. -
The DWmegawad Club plays: Doom 2 in City Only [vote now]
cannonball replied to dobu gabu maru's topic in WAD Discussion
MAP14 - "Takamet Baphomet" by senpaigru This map has its moments, it is a little too big in terms of space and a lot of the early parts are a little dry with the shotgun/chaingun only combat. That said the SSG chamber offers quite a bit of nuance, especially when the third section lowers to reveal two archviles that you need to juggle with the SSG. The rocket launcher optional fight is pretty good to blow off steam too. It is a newbie effort and the strokes are a little broad and lastly the secrets are incredibly obvious. But there is quite a bit to like and when the combat steps up, it does deliver some thrills. -
Community Project concepts that you would like to see?
cannonball replied to DoctorNuriel's topic in WAD Discussion
Okay here is a pitch and it is an extension of a couple of projects done in the past. Now a lot of great megawad were made by two authors (Plutonia, Hell Revealed, Kama Sutra, Speed of Doom, Sunlust and possibly more). So how about a project where people put their name forward and are randomly paired together and can then make a short episode of maps. This is an extension on the single map premise where both work on the same map, here the maps are made by one or the other and are combined into a short episode of maps. -
The DWmegawad Club plays: Doom 2 in City Only [vote now]
cannonball replied to dobu gabu maru's topic in WAD Discussion
MAP13 - "City of the Dying Sun" by Death Bear This would be getting an easy A+.... But I got softlocked in the red key area. Turns out I was trying to be too clever but in a way this was an obvious symptom of a map where the author is begging you to explore and find little knooks to clamber across. So I love the fact that you can chose to either storm through the front or sneak in through the back using the perimeter channels and natural terrain. As such you get a much lighter start and pick up supplies. The secret exit is also on this alternative path and discovering it is all you need to do because collecting all three keys raises the trench to this path. Despite the huge size, this actually felt quite easy to explore, there are lots of exciting fights, I am not even sure that I handled the yellow key correctly, but I made a big nope to the plasma gun and squeezed through the cacodemons using the rocket launcher. This works quite well, especially if the other rocket wielding monstrosity plays ball and takes shots at them too. The blue key is such good fun, and probably the easiest fight I have seen that uses that many archviles. The red key fight, or in particular the fight at the red key is probably the weak spot, not only that but I sequence broke the section as you can jump from the platform with the key switches and meander across the rocks to the fight, which of course skips the previous fights on the red key path, and crucially the one that opens the entrance/exit to the red key area. The fight itself is hindered by the design, you get closed in by the key and the monsters are allowed to infight significantly before you can even get in a shot. I was a little bummed out after nocliping to the rocket launcher fight on this path and subsequently had low armour that made the preceding fights a bit more deadly than they could have been. The secret exit path was surprisingly chilled out, though I guess a leisurely stroll to the exit felt appropriate, you had after all earned it by beating the rest of the map. Overall I will say something right here, this surpasses pretty much every map of this style, including the obvious inspirations that we know and love, it is a joy to explore and has some cracking fights to boot. The perfect marriage of the mysterious and all guns blazing action. A fantastic map, just resolve the soft lock issue, please. Just to add an extra note/digression - @Celestin thoughts are ones that I definite agree with. It might seem very contradictory to give overwhelming praise to one massive map that is non linear and has lots to explore, but then dunk on another. When you make a big magnum opus type of map, you absolutely have to nail the setting, grabs the player from the onset and holds their attention for the entire length of the journey. Anyone can make a large map, but it takes a hard earned skill to be able to translate that into something that will remain etched in your mind for a long long time, that is what was achieved not only here, but also in the techno-scape of Map08 and the alien spaceport setting of Map10. MAP33 - "Wanted in 12 Systems" by Death Bear This felt a little under-powered, the setting is clean and quite interesting, however the combat is mostly corridors with mostly low tier monsters and a few mid-tiers. The outlier here is the end fight because there are three archviles here, though you can leave at the moment where the last two arrive. This was a better map than the other two secret maps, but the bar is pretty low here. It's okay and I guess you can use it to decompress after the magnum opus map you traversed to reach this. -
The DWmegawad Club plays: Doom 2 in City Only [vote now]
cannonball replied to dobu gabu maru's topic in WAD Discussion
MAP12 - "Princes of Wadi" by Sikreci A slower paced map on the whole and the first I believe in the whole set that do not even have the rocket launcher and plasma gun in open play (The rocket launcher is in a secret). As such the SSG is your workhorse here, luckily on the whole the opposition will not be too grindy, that said the blue key trap will absolutely zing you, especially if you go for the SSG before triggering this because an archvile (From the three in the SSG room) will teleport into one of the closets and make this trap significantly harder, I believe similar happens with the yellow key room too. This creates a rather interesting little map, plenty of optional key switches to find for extra routing idea and supplies. It adds a layer of mysteriousness to the locale that I actually quite like. Overall, a slow burner but a fitting one for the episode, the combat is obviously not the highlight but actually this wouldn't have been pitched too badly if it wasn't for other maps offering significantly harder maps than you would expect in E1 and E2. Overall this is a solid map. -
The DWmegawad Club plays: Doom 2 in City Only [vote now]
cannonball replied to dobu gabu maru's topic in WAD Discussion
MAP11 - "Sons of Belial" by myolden The opening map to the ancient city episode is a short and moderately difficult map, full of little ambushes and a three key hunt that allows the player to run around swiftly. All of the weapons are covered by traps, so obviously getting armed is probably going to be one of the hardest parts of this map. The end fight is a little bit awkward because you probably want the cyber to be alive to distract other high priority enemies here (notably the archvile). This is a good map, a welcome short map after the large and stunning Future city closer. Also it appears that virtually every fight in this map comes with a side of meatballs.... Or meat shields in a few of them. -
So great to see this fully in release candidate. I will say right away that the overall artwork is stunning and creates a wonderful immersive atmosphere and was so prevalent in the first Pirate Doom. I haven't been able to fully get into the maps outside of briefing going through them with IDCLEV, but there are a couple of maps that I might have some issues with (Lets just say the numbers in particular may match the name of an American convenience store chain :P), as the maps are short I might be able to give more extensive feedback in the coming days. PS, this automap made me smile;
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The DWmegawad Club plays: Doom 2 in City Only [vote now]
cannonball replied to dobu gabu maru's topic in WAD Discussion
MAP10 - "Upon the Brink of Trancendence" by muumi You could say "It's a Muumi map" and that would be sufficient to tell you exactly what is going to occur here... Never have such contrasting colours looked so good together, a generally blue thematic is interrupted with red and gold in way very few have handled before, it is truly a sight to behold, the vast expanse of cold brick and tech, this is by far the most striking and most beautiful map encountered so far. The combat is solid, most of the traps are more cinematic than hard, but will keep the player engaged from start to finish. The yellow key will take the longest to find, but once the first key is obtained, the the rest of the progression flows very well. The moment when you can reach the exit area is a real moment when you know that you are going into the central portion of the map and that things are going to go down big time. The final fight isn't hard and arguably the BFG makes it an easy victory if you can get to the archviles before they cause a nuisance. The map is arguably over-stocked, I found zero secrets but left with almost full ammo for everything and 200% health/armour. That said this is a special moment in the wad and for me the first big highlight of the set, but as the first line says, it isn't a surprise given the author.