Degree23

Fun theme with this map. It feels like there could have been a few more enemies (UV) earlier on in the map, and maybe I just missed it, but the exit didn't seem to be signposted in any way. Minor details though, and overall it felt like I could have been playing an early map of a well designed MegaWAD.

I was very reassured by this, and by the title. Imagine my surprise to discover I'd been lied to on the Internet. Fun map!

Just played this on UV. Really good fun! I was a little unsure on having so many RLs/PGs lying around, particularly in the final arena. Often there's usually just one per map (excluding secrets), though if you have multiple pathways then having extras dotted around to make sure the player is equipped even if they don't take the "correct" path is often done. Just felt like a few of them could have been ammo instead. I also ran across the MegaArmor before I found any Armor, which did feel slightly odd. The final fight felt a little bit "cheeseable" in the sense of the switch to release the Cyberdemon could be hit fairly quickly with only the AV to really worry about, and it took care of a lot of stuff for me. But that said, you don't necessarily need (or want) to make the final fight any harder than it is if you're not gunning for a full-blown slaughtermap ending. Really enjoyable map overall, and great MIDI to boot.

I didn't say the map couldn't be criticised for it. What I'm saying is that the map teaches you, as the first possible meaningful action you can take in the level, that switches are going to be this weird texture. You don't have to like it, you can criticise the texture choice for being atypical and hard to find in the single-texture map, however from a level design point of view, there is nothing wrong with what has been done here with switches, and it is in fact good practice to alert a player to something of importance in this manner. The doors aren't so clearly signposted admittedly. I never said anything about the size of the map, so this doesn't really address anything I said.

You're playing a WAD that advertises itself as having an extremely restrictive ruleset. The doors took me a few seconds to work out, but the switch was instant since, as I already said, you can't even play the map without working out how the first one works. The OP even states you will need to clearly pay attention to the details. It's not going to be for everyone. That's more a matter for the player's personal taste rather than the design of the map itself.

The only way to get out of the starting area is to interact with one, so especially on a map with a theme such as this one, it does signpost that these are things you are going to need to watch out for, which feels like fair game. Nice map - I'd swap the positions of the Armor and MegaArmor though I think.

That's generally my feeling too - I love the SSG and extra monsters so much. But Return to Hadron was by far the most enjoyable Doom 1 WAD I have ever played, so I will definitely be getting stuck into this. What an unexpected present!

I managed to enter the drop-down fight without picking up the RL, which feels like something that shouldn't happen based on how difficult that fight is. Doable with just the SSG, but not sure if that's what was intended.

I played in Zandronum. Map 1 - The Shotgunner and Chaingunners on the pillars don't do anything for me. Even when I'm right in front of them they don't shoot. If I shoot them then they wake up, but it's a bit odd that they're looking right at me and don't do anything. It's helpful for the exit switch to be signposted. Map 2 - There's also a HOM on the side of the exit switch. The hidden fight feels like one of those we all like making early on in our mapping career. (Having the MegaArmor in front of the MegaSphere isn't great since you may accidentally pick up the MegaArmor, which the MegaSphere gives you anyway) It's fun to throw a whole bunch of enemies into a single fight and have a bunch of infighting and craziness, though it can often feel very random. In terms of problems you might run into with this fight, the main one is that although you've placed a PG/BFG, you can't get them initially. It's very easy for the Cyberdemons to overpower everything in the room and barricade you in the initial room where you can't get to those weapons. The RL alone isn't enough to cope with that many Cyberdemons. Giving the PG in the first room may help with this. There's more to making slaughtery style fights than just chucking a bunch of enemies in a room. I was able to beat it by inching forward to not wake up the Cacos, but letting a Cyberdemon and Spider Mastermind get a whole bunch of infighting going while waiting in the MegaSphere alcove. Once this had died down there was enough space for me to get the BFG and clear the rest up. I don't think this is how you intend for the fight to be played though. Map 3 - With layouts like these, having some different heights can make even simple layouts look a whole lot better. Overall, not bad for your first maps. It's definitely a good idea to not make too many at once, and instead focus on only a few like you did here. Perhaps even just one at a time, taking on board any feedback you get before working on your next one.

Well it's a base... with Imps. I mean you can only do so much with a single enemy type, but the length felt just about right as I didn't really get too bored. This was probably aided by the fact I did find the SSG, and for the length of map that helped to keep it more on the enjoyable side of things. A fun little map.

There is a lot of luck needed to survive the start of this, regardless of the strategy I think, and this makes it a very frustrating map to get into. The hitscan at the start just tears you to absolute shreds, even if you pick up the Armor. (Which I missed in my first few attempts) And from the video above, you can see running into a new area also provides a low chance of survival. I tried a few times but then just gave up. I would move the player back and place a MegaArmor just in front of the player to help survive the initial onslaught. This might help the randomness of the start.

Did we play the same map? It's not Sunlust, but when I read "extremely easy" my thoughts are "very early Doom 2 map", of which this is definitely not. There are a whole bunch of mid-tier monsters, as well as a couple of traps that could easily wreck your health if something goes wrong. Very enjoyable and a well designed level, I just wouldn't call it extremely easy. Edit: Ah, I think while I played on UV, you didn't. That makes sense!

Fun little map!

The only comment I have is to echo what everyone else is saying, which is that this is a really solid first map!

The CG being inefficient isn't so much a problem really. I was saying that you get less damage-per-ammo with the SG than with the SSG, so the Shells don't go as far and that's why I was running into ammo problems. And also the PG being a secret is also not so much a problem in and of itself, only that when there is so much ammo for it lying in the Cyberdemon room, it can give the impression that the player has missed something they were supposed to come across normally. (Rather than a secret) The Cells may be better located with the PG itself.