Horus

+++ Garrulismo +++ Good Morning Phobos +++ Operation Biowar, Equinox

Map Name: Caceo and Caciet: A Tragic Love Story Author: Horus Music: N/A Resources: Stock Format: Doom Comments: This draft was made a few years ago in my early days of mapping. Part way through, my laptop was damaged in an accident and needed repair. Fortunately it was reparable, but I lost interest in pursuing this map any further. The only change I made was to make it exitable. There is a HOM which I kept in in the spirit of the project. Screenshots:

No E3 recording as audio failed - it starts getting beyond my skill level at that point anyway. Based on my playthrough, I would suggest swapping E1M16 & E3M36, and E2M7 & E3M12. This should help make the first two episodes a bit more accessible throughout imo.

Episode 2 recording here, showing all maps except for E2M7 (couldn't work out how to do it, so ended up trimming it out of the video) and E2M46 (recording failed at this point). Nothing in particular I would change here except perhaps put E2M7 in a later episode. I particularly enjoyed the lost soul raceway map.

I believe they are nodebuilder issues and thus unintentional, but I could be wrong (indeed Nights has already fixed one of them since I recorded that vid)

I have played through all of E1 and recorded my playthrough below (first few seconds are black screen, ignore that it soon rectifies). It was fun to quickly blast through the maps (well, most of them were quick! :P). I played through using RC2.1 Some comments from my side: - Cramped Cargo has a long wait time for the lift to descend, maybe it could be reduced a bit - E1M16 has a couple of stuck shotgunners which I don't think are intended. It's also a big difficulty spike from the others in the episode imo, maybe it could be shifted around - Punch Drunk, Drunk Punch and Craters of the Moon National Monument seemed to have screwy visuals which I don't think were intended - It's a shame that none of the maps have the mappers named on the intermission/starting screen, so I never knew who made each map. I definitely think this should be added for the final release

Here’s another thread of recommendations you may find useful:

I noticed a few of you mention that the wad got repetitive towards its closing stages, which is definitely true as it reuses the same old tricks over and over, but it never really bothered me (indeed the final stretch of the wad was my favourite) - perhaps just a difference of opinion, I also staggered my playthrough a bit with a gap of over a week between playing map 21 and map 22, so maybe that helped. I also tallied the votes so far, for wads with more than 1 vote: 4 - Atonement, Doom 2 in Spain Only 3 - Limit Buffet 2 - Lost Civ & 10x10

Final Thoughts Before I get into the wad itself, I must say it has been great returning to the DWMC after a long break, even if it consumed more time than I expected given how small the maps are (spent almost as much time on writeups as gameplay!). It has been interesting reading everyone else's write-ups and differing opinions. I doubt I’ll be back every month, but more on a selective basis when the wad chosen particularly appeals. And now to Claustrophobia 1024. As I mentioned in my first comment, I played this a few years ago shortly after playing Congestion 1024 with the DWMC, and rage-quit half-way through. But I wasn’t quite satisfied with stopping there for good, and the DWMC gave me an opportunity to replay it, this time to the end, and I’m glad I finished it, especially as on balance I had more fun with its latter half. When one compares it to Congestion 1024, it’s clear that the mappers in this project pushed the restriction to its limit more than its predecessor. Especially Mechadon who clearly put a lot of effort into all of their maps, and Jodwin with their secret map, who created as close to a non-linear adventure as you can possibly get with a 1024 map. However, just because they pushed it more to the limit, doesn’t mean it was always better - rather it sometimes felt like pushing the boundaries made the map worse. However, hits outnumbered misses overall. Another difference to its predecessor was the custom texture pack, which definitely gave it a significant visual edge. However, the texture pack seemed very weighted towards techbase textures – as a result, there were few maps outside of that theme – and when they did exist, they used stock textures (most notably the hell maps). A similarity however was the inconsistency of gameplay, with fun fights sandwiched between grindy fights and unfair fights. Again, here I tended to enjoy myself most in its latter part, where combat was more challenging but also less grindy. Unfortunately, like many megawads, it ended with a whimper. Ultimately, an enjoyable if inconsistent mapset. Final map rankings:

MAP30 - “Thanatophobia” by Jodwin No.

The DWMC played Congestion 1024 back in December 2019 (https://www.doomworld.com/vb/thread/110509), and the club doesn't repeat mapsets that have already been played. Here is a doomwiki link I find useful that lists all the past iterations: https://doomwiki.org/wiki/The_DWmegawad_Club

MAP28 - “Poison Ivy” by Joshy When I played Speed of Doom I wondered where the original Poison Ivy was, and here it is! When I saw the title I expected the worst, because I hated Poison Ivy II and its very oppressive nature. Fortunately, outside the aesthetic, this is nothing like its successor. Much like many of the preceding maps, this map follows the formula of starting in a very small space before opening up bit by bit, with a new ambush each time. For the most part, these ambushes were fun and fair, if a little grindy in places. The only skirmish I didn’t like was the dropdown to the yellow key, which spawned chaingunners immediately behind you and down below, thanks to which it became a hindsight trap. This mapset has been very shy with cyberdemons so far, but we finally see another one here…fortunately you are given adequate space and resources to deal with it. The midi did get a bit annoying after a few loops, but aside from that and the hindsight trap, I enjoyed this one. MAP29 - “Magnum Opus” by POTGIESSER, Mechadon Ok, again I saw the title, and really feared the worst. One should not aim for a magnum opus 1024 map! Fortunately, yet again, it’s nowhere near as bad as I thought it might be. One interesting point to note is that Potgiesser contributed to the original Congestion 1024 (also in the map 29 slot). I believe he was the only one to contribute a map to both projects. The start is very oppressive, with plenty of mandatory damage, which didn’t set things off on the right foot for me. Thereafter, monster placement was cheeky (particularly the archviles, sometimes able to resurrect monsters through the thin walls), but not unfair. It takes the general theme of this mapset of gradually opening up the map bit-by-bit to the extreme, constantly going side-to-side to press switches to open up small new bits of the map. The secrets are basically for free if you study the automap, and are very helpful, especially the BFG – without which I probably wouldn’t have appreciated the closing encounters. Talking of which, the map ends up throwing an absolute ton of hell nobles at you…and a cyberdemon. First time round I made the mistake of killing the cyber early, before later realising that the cyber is your infighting friend, clearing many of the mini-doors with health for you! Aesthetically it is very much a Congestion 1024 map, and could easily fit into the latter stages of that project - which makes sense given that the mapper worked on the original too. Also noticeable is the pentagrams and other hellish symbols on the floor throughout the interior – if I recall correctly, Potgiesser also did this with Magus. Overall, again a surprisingly fun map. Next up is map 30 which I also dread because I never get on with map 30s.

MAP26 - “Aura of Evil” by Butts, Joshy, Jodwin, Mechadon So here we are with our second and final four-person 1024 map. And we switch back to the hellish theme seen on map 23, with copious amounts of marble, metal and redrock textures (must be a dimensions map 1 reference :P). However, it follows the previous map’s hot start, with revenants and imps dotted around the rocky cliffs and a pesky archvile guarding the exit on a marble pillar, one that is annoying to deal with thanks to its turreted position, but one that must be prioritised nonetheless. Following this, you enter into the marble interior, where an ambush and an incredibly loud and unpleasant teleport sequence was triggered, which was not appreciated! You can take potshots at the enemies on and above the ramparts, before needing to retrace your steps for another couple of ambushes back at the start. The secret for this map, a megasphere, was incredibly overpowered, especially when the final ambush already gives you a soulsphere. Still, it was an enjoyable playthrough, and for once you got a lot more room to roam in this map (though the monster placement certainly made me use most of it!). MAP27 - “Hell Sewage” by Jodwin I came into this map with somewhat managed expectations - I knew nothing about how it played, but quickly skimmed the thread before playing and noticed some of you didn’t like it, and it made me curious why. After playing it, I can certainly see why, with it being a very long drawn-out affair full of samey narrow corridor ambushes. And if it had poor difficulty balance, that must have been rough. And yet, I loved it! I was on the edge of my seat throughout, an adrenaline-fuelled affair (thanks in no small part to a highly energising midi!) where every fight seemed finely balanced throughout. Low on space, low ammo, low on health, low on armor – but always just enough. The restrictive space turned what would otherwise grindy affairs into exciting encounters. Not had this much fun since 1000 lines map 16. My favourite map so far and it’s not even close.

As for next month's votes, my three choices are: +++Operation Biowar (19 levels), Equinox (13 levels) Two mapsets from the late 90s / early 00s that I've played before but keen to replay with the club. Equinox I played pistol start and it's quite scarce with ammo, so would be interesting to see how much continuous play changes things. 32 maps which is more maps than days, but 3 of the Equinox maps are tiny hub maps that can be paired with the previous one. +++NJ Doom This for me is a historical curiosity, as according to the Doom Wiki widely believed to be the first solo megawad ever released. +++Limit Buffet https://www.doomworld.com/forum/topic/138107-limit-removing-megawad-limit-buffet-forcing-mappers-and-musicians-to-play-by-weird-rules-rc1/ And finally for something more modern. I think this leads in quite well from Claustrophobia 1024 as another limitation-focused mapset, but this time every map (and midi) has its own unique limitation, an interesting twist that I imagine will lead to a fair amount to talk about.

Caught up for now...but I'll be behind again as I'm out of action until the 28th. MAP24 - “Second Assault” by Spertz Stock textures and stock midi just like the last map…but that’s where the similarities end. This map ramps up the difficulty curve, forcing the player into a series of close-quarter scenarios where it’s easy to get overwhelmed. I tried to get the starting revenant to infight with the mancubus…with mixed success, and a couple of deaths. It only gets harder from there…when the map starts revealing archviles and a variety of accompanying mid-tiers. There’s only 36 monsters but the monster count is deceptive and a reminder that monster count and difficulty often have little relation… Visually it’s basic but just about gets the job done, clearly combat is the focus here. For the most part it’s enjoyable despite the difficulty, though the baron-PE tap felt like a bit of a hindsight trap (pretty easy if you charge the PE, rather more difficult if you don’t). MAP25 - “Cabracan 1024” by Mechadon The last of the solo Mechadon maps and very much to the same theme…this time with an added hot start that would make Gusta and his Plutonia 2 hot starts proud…! It’s absolutely manic, with multiple priority targets scattered everywhere…thank goodness there’s a blue armor because you’ll need it! The barrels also help make quick(er) work of some of the hitscanners, but there’s still cacos, hell nobles, before finally…you can breathe a bit. After that, it very much follows the same pattern as the last few Mechadon maps…tons of detail (8,100 linedefs for a 1024 map…good lord), very interconnected, lots of backtracking and repopulation of old areas as they progressively open up more bit by bit. I think this one stretches things in the gameplay length department even more than the others. The fights are mostly fair, fun and not too grindy…that said I have no idea what triggered the closet with the secret BFG, but I was very thankful for it when that spider mastermind appeared, might have struggled otherwise. Also, the disadvantages of 3D bridges came apparent when I kept getting shot by a shotgunner that I couldn’t see for the life of me! Still, overall, I had fun, and it was a fitting finale to Mechadon’s solo contributions to this megawad. Time to update the rankings:

I was 5 maps ahead at one point, now I'm quite a bit behind, time to catch up! MAP22 - “Diminished Apparatus” by Mechadon This one was seriously impressive, as Demo said a magnum opus in 1024 form (funnily enough we have a map coming up called magnum opus). I decided to load it up in UDB after I finished it…almost 5000 linedefs! Intricate details throughout the ‘CUA’ base and yet I can’t really think of a moment where it hindered gameplay. As with prior Mechadon maps this does a great job of reusing and repopulating space…it means of course backtracking as well but that isn’t too bothersome here. It was fun throughout but the highlight was me was the teleport trap that came with the rocket launcher - you had to be quick to avoid the enemies getting too close to you, rendering rockets unusable. And don’t facerocket yourself as a did a couple of times (hey, Coincident would love this map! :P). The archviles are also quite devious, partially shielded by the meat it resurrects. The MIDI is the one of the more popular Jimmidis, I’m pretty sure I’ve heard it quite a few times before…that said, I believe this is the map it was originally composed to, so one cannot criticise originality here! It’s a little repetitive for me but does the job. It’s tough to choose between this and Map 5 for my favourite Mechadon map so far, but this just about takes it. MAP23 - “Fear No Evil” by dutch devil Another dutch devil map, another stock texture map, one that definitely wouldn’t look out of place in Congestion 1024’s Marbelous final stretch, smothered as it is in green marble. This one has more teeth, mainly due to its annoying sniper archvile. I deliberately didn’t shoot it because I figured it could be telefragged…and I was right, at least eventually. If map 20 gave you imps, well this one gives you more. Somehow, after the initial horde, I managed to get lost…though when I found the way I facepalmed a little internally, the progression is not cryptic! The ambushes and initial onslaught is decently fun (although the archvile annoying if effective), but not as enjoyable as the last dutch devil map, and I did get caught up in the detail a couple of times.

Well for a bit of Doom history, you could try what is probably the very first custom level of this type https://www.doomworld.com/idgames/levels/doom/a-c/castevil

Chain Reaction is a barrels-themed single player WAD for Doom II (Map 01) that I created in the last few weeks, like many of us making use of the extra time at home this past month or so. The central theme of this map is barrels, combining them with other Doom features such as crushers, scrollers, platforming, and combat scenarios. The map is roughly of medium length, and makes use of vanilla Doom II textures only. The map is very challenging, hence you may prefer to start on HNTR or HMP, unless you prefer the extra challenge of UV. All feedback, be it in the form of verbal feedback in this thread, a demo, or a video playthrough, is very much welcomed! :D Map download: Summary: - Source port requirements: DSDA-Doom, GZDoom (complevel 21) - Settings: No jump, no crouch (freelook is down to player preference) - Difficulties: HNTR, HMP and UV are all implemented. Lower difficulties have more health/armor, fewer monsters and more favourable barrel placement (e.g. there is a barrel crusher maze shown in the second screenshot for which timing is less tight on lower difficulties) - MIDI: One of Jimmy's awesome collection of MIDIs, namely Everything Explodes (what can I say, the MIDI name ties perfectly to the map :P) - Screenshots: In spoiler CReaction.zip

MAP21 - “Padma” by KingKill33, Dreadopp Sometimes, I wonder if my change in playing style a few years back from continuous to pistol start has meant I’ve had more or less fun. I think there are maps where a pistol-start has improved the gameplay as it has preserved the intended challenge and avoided the ‘super-doomguy’ effect. There are others where the intended challenge is just not that fun and you ended up wishing you had better weaponry and/or more ammo. It’s hard to know where the balance between the two really lies, because you can only play a map blind once after all. But maps like this tilt towards the continuous = more fun side. At the very least, the map looks stunning, probably the most impressive map so far in that respect. The choice to revert back to custom textures really helps, as does the use of a few highly complementary textures and skybox (without going overboard), and just general attention to detail throughout the map. My praise ends there though, because the midi is extremely repetitive and droning, and the combat is so grindy. So much single shotgunning mid-tiers. The map would be ten times more fun with a super shotgun and/or plasma gun.

A bump after three years as I finally got round to doing what I wanted to do for a while and convert this to complevel 21 so that it would run on dsda-doom (yay for generalized crushers!). Updated link is in the OP.

MAP19 - “Nova Scotia Robots” by esselfortium As with Jimmy, this seems to be an early (single-player) map in esselfortium’s esteemed mapping career, albeit she did quite a lot of multiplayer mapping beforehand. The first thing that really popped out is how much space there was! After the intense claustrophobia of most of this set, it really felt like the shackles had come loose and we suddenly have a lot more space to roam. For a while, it felt more than a 1024. Of course, when you design a map this way, this reduces the lengthy progression opportunities that you see in maps 9 and 31 for example, and indeed this map ends up being pretty short compared to those around it - although it does use verticality and 3D bridges to make it feel a bit bigger. Visually it looks very nice, giving off a slick, clean and consistent impression, without feeling overdetailed (or even that detailed at all really, essel really lets the textures do the talking in this map). The map name is quirky, which is very fitting because it is an essel map after all! A few others have commented on its placement in the mapset – whilst I can see where they are coming from as it’s definitely on the easy side compared to surrounding levels, I personally welcome the breather. MAP20 - “Refinery” by dutch devil Stock textures, it feels like we are back to Congestion 1024 again! Whilst it feels a little bit out of place for that reason, this map has a lot going for it. It very much kicks things off with a hot start, with sniper imps beyond the playable space, together with hitscanners and yet more imps, it took me a while to get a foothold in this one. When finally you take out the initial wave and can have a bit of a breather, you can take a moment to admire the level of detail in this map. What’s most impressive is the amount of effort that dutch devil has put into detailing areas outside the playable space, to the degree that they fit seamlessly with the areas actually within it. The combat continues with its high energy throughout, though mainly through numbers and placement of low-tiers in a small space, with mid-tiers fairly scarce, and no high-tier monsters present. There is also a degree of non-linearity in progression – only a small bit, but since most 1024 maps are entirely linear it does set it out from the crowd a bit.

Haha, I see most of you didn't share my enthusiasm for map 17 :D MAP18 - “Weather Station” by InsanityBringer, Kyka, Jodwin Well if the last map had a few different colours going between the two diagonals, this one is focused on one in particular – green. Which is my favourite colour, so extra points there :P However, the starting hub has quite a disorienting fast side-scrolling sky texture. From this hub you have the standard progression of an unkeyed door and three doors with the three colour keys. As with map 6, combat in the transition areas suffer from being a dull door camping fest, whilst the combat within each area is pretty fun, especially with the clever use of teleporting monsters in multiple directions meaning that you have to regularly switch priorities.

MAP17 - “Transfer Base” by Solarn, Kyka, Jodwin This map is wonderful, I really enjoyed the concept. Basically, the map is split in two visually distinct diagonals, with the starting diagonal consisting of the standard silver/grey techbase aesthetic, and the other diagonal consisting of a somewhat more corrupted base with more of a hellish feel, with browns and blacks, with red and yellow lighting. The two diagonals are kept separate throughout the map, but you regularly teleport between them, revealing bit-by-bit more of each. As you do, enemies repopulate, in ever more challenging, and as ever, claustrophobic, scenarios. Towards the end I really had to consider how to use infighting to assist with my limited ammo situation. The free blue armor at the start is also much appreciated. There was a secret at one point I just stumbled upon, it seemed so obvious that I must have inadvertently triggered it earlier on and not realised. The other two secrets I only found at the end, when it was too late! There was one somewhat BS encounter involving a close-quarters cacodemon but the rest of the map was thoroughly enjoyable and it’s my favourite map so far (dethroning map 33!). The concept also gave me an idea for a new map of my own. Whether I’ll actually make it or not is debatable given how practically non-existent my mapping has been these last two years, but you never know!

MAP16 - “Nocturnal Abyss” by brinks Well after all that, time for a bit of a break, right? Well, for one thing the quiet and melancholic piano-led midi for this one is a radical departure from what we’ve heard so far, and the action is dialled back multiple notches to match. The only weapons this map gives you is the shotgun and chaingun (and bullets are scarcer than shells). It starts off as a casual stroll of hitscanners and imps, before bit by bit revealing its teeth. Unfortunately, its main setpiece is a horrendous grind of single shotgunning lost souls, cacos and pain elementals, which is even more horrendous if you don’t manage to get to the PEs early. This ruined the map for me unfortunately. The ending baron of hell is an incredibly close-quartered fight, but is possible to deal with without getting damaged with optimal movement.