Roofi

Map 04 : Sewers If you want a scale to measure how crappy the fourth map was in the original version, it's as if Cammy were a video game company trying to make the "Superman 64" game decent. Ugly, too dark and, above all, unfair when it comes to the arch-vile you meet after the elevator, Jim Bagrow's first playable map is nothing more than a wart that hurts your foot. I really wonder how this map was accepted into the project. I'm willing to believe that the standards weren't that high, but there are limits. It's really rubbish. Now, I can only applaud Cammy for improving a map like this to do justice to the basic idea of venturing into sewers, which, while not exceptional, has potential. And honestly, that's what I really like about this remaster: the art of reworking mediocre maps to make them more acceptable by today's standards. Turning shit into gold should be the primary goal of a remaster, whether in Doom or in other games. Nonetheless, I think it's interesting that the spike in difficulty has been retained, as it's now possible to protect yourself from viles thanks to solid walls. Grade : D- (4/20) - Old version Grade : B (13/20) - New version

And my videos of map 21 to 25 are here ! I don't really have much to say about these maps, consider it good news because it means everything's going well, apart from the saves problem which you can't do anything special to fix, vanilla Doom is cruel about that. Steve Duff's maps generally belong to my favourite ones in the set even if I have to play several of them on HNTR due to save buffer overflows issues haha I'm really enjoying the slaughters-like combat found in some of the maps, for a megawad with a strong 1990s flavor. Map 21 is one of the most difficult maps in the megawad from what I played, I can't remember if the original version was just as tough. One special mention for the caco cloud which slowly invade the available space near the BFG. :)

Map 03 : "Mars Base Alpha" The improvements brought to map 03 are more considerable as the original version suffer of underdeveloped parts. The red key has now its own quest in the sewers at the nothern section of the map and not just a tiny room with nothing to explore. In addition to the expansions, tougher battles than in the original version are also added to reinforce the adventure aspect of the map. It's a detail, but the caged hell knights have been replaced by barons, encouraging players to find an alternative to the SSG to kill them. I personally killed them manually. Likewise, small switches unlocking secrets are visible, a sign of modernization on one side. As map 01, map 03 benefitiates of more detailed light gradiants and rounded angles which considerably help making the visuals a lot less abrupt. The work on the lighting help making this map (and lot other ones in the anniversary edition) more moodier. Overall, that's what I expect when I play this wad, but we'll see in the next map how some maps had to be extensively reworked to reach a minimum tolerance threshold. Grade : C+ (11/20) - old version Grade : B (13/20) - new version

Rather Heretic than Doom but still cursed heh Also, Eternal Doom guy and the giant ladies from one of Walter Confetti's wads.

Map 02 : Outpost 27 Apart from a few texturing tweaks, the level remains identical. Tiny and fun, though unremarkable. Grade : C+ (11/20) - old version Grade : C+ (11/20) - new version

Year 2 Month 09 Day 14 I play until I die or intentionally stop. I don't comment the wad where I died/stopped. [1] Twelve-1 by TwelvePac (1995) Brown rock textures are so omnipresent that I feel like exploring a giant chocolate cake. The layout is spacious and it's comfortable to navigate, but probably a bit too large for Deathmatch as some areas are devoid of any content. [2] SSARENA.WAD by Brian Drake (1995) A sort of colosseum built with rusty startan in which there is a nazi swastika-shaped building at its center. A pure demonstration of good taste as we can witness. Most of the weapons and ammo are perched on the tribunes and you have to jump from the windows of the building in order to get teleported. If you don't want to enter the building, some RL are available between the branches of the cross. And at last, you can battle against a pair of cyberdemon if you don't have a friend who would desire playing this wonderful forgotten DM map. [3] Year 22 -A Rock and a Hard Place- by Eric "The Green Herring" Baker @The Green Herring (2009) Whereas the natural environments are very cozy to look at, the first encounter announce the tone of the map in terms of combat design and a sort of recurring "gimmick" consisting to make a swarm of revenants appear by surprise between bunch of popcorn low-tier monsters. More generally, TGH seems to love ambushes involving lot of monsters teleporting at the same to the point discourage people with heart diseases to play this map ! The level is therefore pretty spicy but TGH decided to be generous with ammo and health : you can find shotgun shells and medkits everywhere; Talking about shells, "A Rock and a Hard Place" is a very SSG-centric level. I've no negative opinion about this kind of gameplay but this seems to be considered too "grindy" by more modern standards. Moreover, the metal midi tends to bring some HR2 vibes to me (which is a wad I really like) For me it was a pleasurable passtime with clean "classic" visuals. Grade : B (14/20) [4] Fragagon by Tom Sanner (1995) There is a great emphasis on heights in this map as the arena consists to a pit containing stairs and crates with goodies on top. You have to climb the ledges in order to jump on them. Some imps can be fragged. I stop here for today.

I initially planned to only playtest this wad but since it got selected for this month, I will write some little reviews on each map and grade them as well. :) I'm actually at map 21 in my testing and I will not replay them. However, I decided to play the original RoC maps in order to do a sort of comparative study, specifically in terms of layout. Here are my self-imposed rules : - I play on UV with some exceptions. - I pistol-start each map. - I don't save in original RoC's videos. My videos about the anniversary edition are recorded for testing purposes so I allow myself to save at will. - I play on Doom2.exe - I try to keep my steady approach as much as possible, I don't like running without purpose - I'll compare the two layouts, with the old one always on the left and the new one on the right. Map 01 : Dropoff Cammy decided to keep this opener simple so the changes are quite minimal in terms of gameplay. The most notable improvment resides in the star-shaped bridge which is a nice idea since it matches with the title pic's logo. More generally, he has reduced the number of right angles, making the visuals slightly more appealing and less rudimentary, especially about the small outdoors surrounding the green armor. They still remain anecdotal but this natural part is now a bit worthy to look at. Mention should also be made of the work done on the lighting, with gradations in the corridors bringing the map up to date. As far as music is concerned, RoC's maps are often not striking enough to require a specific soundtrack. Cammy's music in this map engages the player in spicy little encounters with hitscanners, but it could fit perfectly into other megawads. I liked this map in both versions, but the improvement remains superficial overall, unlike the infanmous map 04, for example, in which the anniversary brought a lot of fixes. Grade : B (12,5/20) - About the new version Grade : B- (12/20) - About the old version

Year 2 Month 09 Day 13 I play until I die or intentionally stop. I don't comment the wad where I died/stopped. [1] JAX FOLLY (jfolly.wad) by Jack Valero (1996) Jax Folly seems to follow the cute concept of "Myhouse.wad" at the beginning : you start in a garden and the first rooms are filled with some doomcute such as a simplistic blue sofa and a red chimney in which some cacodemons are trapped. However, the map gets a lot more abstract and multi-themed once you enter in the basement made of green marble. The house part acts therefore as a lure because it represents an insignificant portion of the map. Nevertheless, I like the simple "doom-y" visuals, and the strict ammunition balance encourages players to keep their attention and not rush. Some areas present more challenges than the others : there's a specific hellish fortress which contains lot of deadly but easy-to-dodge crushers for instance. But above all, the exit is guarded by a monster spawner you can't defeat as there's no romero head accompanying it. However, there's a "simple" tip to deal with IoS used outside map 30 in cl2-compatible wads : let the monsters spawn until they get stuck each other (monsters can't telefrag except in map 30). Even if the house is more enticing than the other sections, the fact that they're "hidden" behind it gives the impression of exploring a magical world a bit like Veddge's wad, but much more old-school and less immersive. The IOS at the end, however, remains a stupid idea. Grade : C+ (11/20) [2] Skypack 2 by Stian Skjondal (zsignal) http://members.xoom.com/zerosignum http://doomworld.com/securitron @zsignal (1999) This old 3D will always give me a strange feeling of isolation, which is reinforced by this view of the horizon on certain skies. These skies really give me the feeling of being on an uninhabited planet. I would like to use one of them in my future maps. [3] An Affinity For Pain by @Tolwyn (2004) Tolwyn was mostly prolific during the 90's as a musician but he was a competent mapper as well. Indeed, I really the episode "Insertion" released in 1998. Whereas containing a lot more details that what the vanilla compatibility may bear, I feel a strong 90's feeling in "An Affinity for Pain". First of all, the theme presented here is both classic and unclear. It's a sort of mixture of a beige tech base and a hellish castle. Tolwyn's maps are very "iwad-y" and don't really to manage to remain carved in memories. I can say that Tolwyn did a clear usage of the stock textures in this map but I don't feel that the map in general stands out all that much because of its classicism. I really like the diagrams in order to show you how some puzzle work though. The second aspect resides in the puzzley progression, especially materialized by the numerous switchs you've to press. The progression tends to confuse me in that map and it's sometimes a bit tough to understand the roles of each switch. The evolution of the map is also rather sandboxy, and it's not easy to understand what you're actually trying to achieve. In fact, knowing how to find your way around seems to take the lead over the difficulty of the combats, and this is a recurrent situation in old-school levels. And at last, the overall architecture seems rather random to me. This is neither a compliment nor a reproach, but I get the impression that Tolwyn wanted to take greater advantage of the improved capabilities of limit-removing ports to offer more open and detailed scenery. However, these don't seem to fulfil any particular function such as guiding the player or making specific locations that would be impossible or very difficult to achieve in vanilla format. In this case, An Affinity For Pain could be a typical map from the 1990's, with a extra details to bring it up to date. So, I have a fairly positive opinion about "An Affinity For Pain" but it's nothing less than a decent 1990's map with more polished and enriched visuals. The music is good too. Grade : B (12,5/20) I fell in the black void in Dark City Oblivion

Here are my videos of Map 16 to 20, with secret maps. The wad gets considerably spicier and I really like the unexpected slaughter-lite tone of some combats. Map 18 and 19 became my favourite maps in the anniversary edition now , even if I had to play them on HTNR because of their size and high monster count. Map 31 is also an highlight, it has the ability to radiate such serenity when there's lava everywhere. Now here are my remarks and bugs I found : - In map 31, you can permanently lock some rooms if you press the switch that close the door and quickly get out of the room. Check at 12:41 and 12:52 for exemples. - My video of map 19 ended with a crash, probably because of a VPO regarding to the extreme openess of the boat's area. DOSBOX crashed at the same time, so it didn't explain why the game crashed. Excuse my laziness, but I didn't feel like starting the whole level again. I was near the end anyway. - spotted some tutti-fruttis on the steps surrounding the yellow key in map 20. - The last fight in map 20 is.... really hard. It's not a reproach, but I'd like to point out the difficulty spike of this place. Nevertheless, I haven't played the two previous UV maps. I tried without success to reach the soulsphere's and blue armor's secret.

Year 2 Month 09 Day 12 I play until I die or intentionally stop. I don't comment the wad where I died/stopped. [1] React by @cycloid (2004) React is a medium-sized boom-compatible brown base set up at the top of the mountain. The Doomguy had to take the helicopter in order to reach it ! It borrows a realistic tone , materialized by the large presence of hitscanners, the blocky architecture, the warehouse with its suspended crate made with mid-texs and unwritten scenario which ends with a reactor to blow up. The map features "SSG guys" which more or less consist to slightly stronger shotgun guys : they walk slower and deal slightly more damage, which is quite surprising regarding the incredible power of this weapon when it's in your hands. Doomguy is not like the other marines afterall. In spite of this, the map difficulty remains very tame and exudes an old-school charm that's easy to appreciate. At last, two fun facts I want to share : - the reactor has the shape of a vagina. - blowing it almost gave me a heart attack ! Cool map. Grade : B (14/20) I thought I could go through a window in FIREBALL.WAD but I ended up in a deadly lava pit instead because of an impassable linedef.

Year 2 Month 09 Day 11 I play until I die or intentionally stop. I don't comment the wad where I died/stopped. [1] POISONS.WAD by Richard K. Thomas (2010) POISONS.WAD is an old Ultimate Doom map made in 1994 taking place inside in a marbled bunker filled with monster closets and harmful liquids. I really expected unfair traps involving exploding barrels after reading the short description but it was fortunately not the case ! Some rooms are actually full of barrels but only reckless players may blew themselves up. If you're steady like me, they will serve to turn some gangs of imps and zombies into bloody pieces. Always fun to do this ! I wouldn't say that POISONS.WAD is tough but the relevant usage of the monsters combined with the heavy presence of damaging slime and lava oblige me to keep on my toes. Richard always knew how to make monster closets and didn't hesitate to show us. Making traps is more than an acquired knowledge nowadays but this was much less the case almost 30 years ago. The last good thing resides in the open layout , which allows you a bit exploring the level at your free will. Solid map for its time. Grade : B- (12/20) [2] BLINDSIDE2! (BLSIDE2.WAD from BLSIDE2.ZIP) by Scott Harper (aka. MadMax) (1996) I already played that map a long time ago but somewhere else. It appeared in a old compilation of 90's maps. If this map managed to stay a bit in my memories is due to the weird shapes the author attempted to make : the yellow arena with the endlessly teleporting cyberdemon, the huge diagonal staircase leading to a part made of large hexagonal lifts. I like all the variety but the progression ended irritating me because of all the surprise unmarked fast lifts which sometimes trap you in front of a small gang of hitscanners, which can be really painful when you're unarmored. The other weak point of the map is that it doesn't resemble to a singleplayer map since the level doesn't give you clear objectives such as obtaining keys for instance or taking more remarkable paths. You just have to find some scattered switches instead in order to unlock the multiples doors in front of the exit. BLINDSIDE2! looks like a repopulated big DM map. Grade : C (10/20) [3] AQUILA.WAD by Daniel Jenkins (1995) A hommage to probably one of the most popular DM maps from the 90's. Ledges is a map known for its tall and large circular courtyard surrounded by curved stairs and ledges. I don't remember what the original LEDGES looked like but that one definitely contains more vines. The few monsters act as popcorn here and you'll find all the ammo you need to beat in the caches accessible via the teleporters near the barrels. [4] Camp by Dan S. Hadley (2003) A monsterless map in a log cabin and its surroundings. The first thing you"ll notice are all the furnitures (and some useless commander keens). So cute ! But now, where are ennemies? There are none and their absence doesn't match with remix of The Legend of Zelda's main theme which is the kind of music telling you the beginning of an adventurous epic journey. The absence of monsters doesn't bother as long there is a purpose for it, which isn't the case here. Moreover, the map is poorly crafted with doors you can't open but can go through and an unmarked exit. For a map starting in a house, I would have hoped for something similar to Hell Revealed's 'The Siege' map 21, but in the end it was a huge disappointment. I planned to give a F but the house is pretty nice to visit and I like Zelda's tune. Grade : D- (3,5/20) [5] NewDoom Skys - Doom Version by Sparky of KISS Software (2000) The author gives the impression that there are 4 skies, but there is only one for the 4 episodes. The sky is pretty but it's still a scam. [6] Deimos Revisited Version 2 bug fixes by @Sniper109 (2009) A small mapset I had to play on gzdoom due to inadequate testing from its author. "Vanilla Doom"? My ass ! A floor was stucked in map 01 ! Anyway. This map mostly uses stock assets but also contains dehacked weapons : - Your pistol has been replaced by a rifle which has a higher fire rate. Cool ! - The chaingun also has a higher firerate so it now acts as a true chaingun ! Even more cool ! - The chainsaw has been replaced by beefier assault rifle which fire 4 bullets in each shot. Why not but it was useless for me. The wad also features a final boss which I have no remorse spoiling you about what it is as it sucks ass : a sort of failed reproduction between a revenant and the icon of sin. It can fire revenant missiles and summon monsters. He's easy to beat in the last map because he end up being bullied by the monsters he just invoked... What a failure. So, the main interest of the wad resides in the three first maps. Sniper 109 follows a classic formula : the first level is a classic tech-base filled with nukage, the second a hellish fortress with some stylish rocky passages and map 03 sends you in hell with its giant lava-filled caverns. Among the three maps, map 03 is my favourite since it has the most ambitious visuals and appears to be the least corridor-like. The wad takes 30-45 minutes to finish, which would be ideal for a longer coffee break. Nevertheless, in the end I found this wad rather boring, with its repetitive architecture and unimaginative combat. Overall, the gameplay remains simple and enjoyable, but I'm not asking for additional maps. Grade : C+ (11/20) [7] Tele Mad 1 by Jason Root (Hellbent/Grotug) @Hellbent (2003) This isn't the first Jason Root's DM map using this green noisy texture I explored. I've nothing to say about the gameplay because it's totally ordinary. However constantly running in this map with the original Doom's small resolution feels like watching a snow screen. It's funny for a few seconds but I'm afraid prolonged play on the .EXE leads to serious headaches. I stop here for today.

I don't think talent matters a lot in Doom mapping. The hardest part to accept is the fact that's a really a time-consuming activity. You don't need that much skills or talent to make a good map but you need patience and lot of time. You just have to know how Doom works in order to create fun maps.

+++ Realms of Chaos 25th Anniversary Edition +++ Garrulismo +++ Abscission

Hi everyone, The RC2 is here ! Here are the new things : - Flesharmonic has now its own custom STATBAR made by @Duskolos - A new section exists in Map 02. - Some bugs were fixed - More details and ammo were added on Map 04. - More things were added/moved at the beginning of Map 17. - All maps were tested on Co-op and now are fully playable with your friends. (...) Download the RC2 here : FHC_RC2.zip (the OP has been updated as well) If everything is fine, the wad should be uploaded in 1-2 weeks on idgames.