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Salt-Man Z

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About Salt-Man Z

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  1. Salt-Man Z

    What are you playing now?

    Knocked out two WADs this weekend (rest of the family was gone, so I could just play games as much as I wanted!) Auger;Zenith by DBP was great, I'd love to see that texture pack used again. Even the weaker maps were really punched-up by the visuals alone. Definitely worthy of its Cacoward, but I'm not sure it would even make my Top 10 DBPs. (Don't ask me what they'd be.) Cyberpunx by Nic Monti was also really good, but the end fight is positively indefensible: you face off with a Cyberdemon and a slow-drip of heavies teleporting in, including more than a couple ill-timed arch-viles. Oh, and the way to exit is to ride a narrow-lipped, very slow, and very high lift up to the exit switch. Almost impossible, you say? Well, what if we also threw out the game's contract with the player and made the cyberdemon invincible without signposting it in any way? I still love Monti's mapping--his creativity and use of verticality are unparalleled--but I'm getting really tired of how mean his levels have gotten...
  2. Salt-Man Z

    The DWmegawad Club plays: Solar Struggle

    Played over a handful of sessions this weekend, so my memory will be worse than usual when trying to recall these maps... E1M5: Mining Complex (GZDoom/HMP/continuous) 34:55 | 100% Everything This was a fun one, cramming a lot of gameplay into what appears at first to be a relatively small footprint. Only after finally getting to the exit and then spending some time sniffing around for the last couple secrets did I stumble across the route to the alternate yellow key, and holy crap! That was quite the (completely optional) journey! Loved it. E1M6: Visitor Center 15:20 | 100% Everything The cozy little reception area to start out is very cute, but after that it's all run-and-gun, with numerous (always low-tier) baddies sniping you from windows and springing out of closets. It's a convoluted little maze of a map, but fortunately getting from A to B is always a quick trip, so even if it's easy to get lost in all the brown rooms and corridors, it's also hard to stay lost for very long. No real standout encounters, but this is exactly my brand of gameplay, though as previously mentioned, I probably would have enjoyed UV a tad more, as I was rarely ever in any real danger. E1M7: Traffic Control 20:54 | 100% Everything An adorable little ticketing area, complete with luggage belts and metal detectors, gives way to a boringly-symmetrical map that makes up for its relatively-uninspired geometry by just absolutely stuffing itself with monsters. Just an absolutely blast from start to finish, though the final ambush in the end-area train station that came down the stairs behind me after I had found the exit was a bit of a head-scratcher. So too were the "insta-pop" ambushes in a few rooms that were triggered such that the baddies didn't pop up until I was already literally walking on top of them (a GZDoomism, I'm sure, of being allowed to walk on monsters' heads, but then is the intended behavior that I slam into an invisible wall as a shotgunner pops up in my face? Seems both options could be avoided with a little better execution.) For some reason I quite enjoyed taking elevators up to the surface and entering the buildings there to grab the keys; that design really scratched the itch of feeling like something you're note supposed to be able to in Doom. A fine level whose highlights far outshine its weaknesses, including a waste of some good sector bathrooms. :( E1M8: Huygens Spaceport 7:53 | 100% Kills | 100% Items | 0% Secrets Once again we have a nice bit of continuity between maps: the train we got on to end the previous map has now crashed (or been attacked, or something.) In fact, the entire facility has been blown to bits, with craters and fires everywhere, and doors jammed in a half-open state. You have to circumnavigate the entire complex twice: once to grab the red key, and another to use it, and on the second trip shortcut doors open up, along with brand-new teleport ambushes to keep you on your toes. The final battle is a standard Baron Fight times X, made more frantic by the wealth of damaging flooring and the addition of airborne enemies to harry you. Great atmosphere for an E1 ender, and a decent take on the final fight, even if the map ends up being rather insubstantial. I never found the only secret... On to Episode 2, in UV this time...
  3. Salt-Man Z

    The DWmegawad Club plays: Solar Struggle

    E1M4: Mineral Processing (GZDoom/HMP/continuous) 30:41 | 100% Kills | 98% Items | 85% Secrets On the one hand, I started this map immediately getting my health whittled down due to far-off snipers, and spent a few minutes at 35% before running into any healing packs. But once the initial gaggle of imps and shotgunners was dealt with, and I had picked up the secret soulsphere, the combat in this map was a breeze, bordering on too easy. The finale itself was a major disappointment: hit a switch, and wait as a bunch of low-tier chaff is funneled at you for easy pickings. (And I did so using just my shotgun and chaingun, completely ignoring the launcher and million rockets the map handed out.) What a waste of a very large, imposing arena! I will definitely be moving up to UV for the next episode, though I'm guessing it wouldn't have changed the ending to this map much. (Heck, if I have time, maybe I'll run through this one again on UV, just to see!) Anyway, I really dug the map otherwise. Looks great, nonstop run-and-gun action is my jam. The map itself flows...okay; to be honest, I initially found myself getting lost among the samey-looking elevated ramps for a bit. I did manage to miss a single secret with (I assume) the last item in it; I think at least 2/3 of my playtime was searching for it after finding the exit. I have to assume I missed yet another of those tiny switches (I found two of them.) Oh, and I absolutely love this MIDI, one of my favorites by Jimmy!
  4. Salt-Man Z

    The DWmegawad Club plays: Solar Struggle

    Hey, it's been too long, Clubbies! (Clubbers? Doomers!) I didn't play a ton of Doom last year, but have gotten back in the habit the past couple of months (mostly playing some old faves--Rylayeh and Sacrament--and trying to play catchup [ha!] on the DBPs; I've knocked 10 out so far getting me up to Auger;Zenith.) Anyway, thought it would good to drop back in on the Club and see what was up, given the month's just begun. I'd never heard of Solar Struggle (even as an avid Cacowards reader, it's hard enough to remember the winners these days, let alone the runners-up!) but it looks like something right up my alley, so let's goooo! Playing GZDoom/continuous/saves as usual. I usually play modern WADs on HMP, but Ultimate Doom WADs I'll often go with UV... let's give HMP a try for now and see how it goes (I can always adjust at the episode break!) E1M1: Detention Facility 13:25 | 100% Everything We start in a kind of prison break. I love all the little jail cells, with the peeks outside and the light shining through the bars onto the floor. (Unfortunately, I also noticed the lefthand brick texture on the inside edge of every cell window in the eastern cellblock was misaligned... oops!) Fairly short and sweet, a nice opener with some great visuals and more teeth than you'd expect with a number of surprise ambushes. The secret with the tiny little switch in the window was tricky to find--I only found it on account of the automap--and all it gave was like 3 imps and 12 shells? Sheesh. A good start to the WAD. E1M2: Admin Offices 11:58 | 100% Everything First off, I gotta say that I love how the maps keep continuity between exit and start areas. Especially as a continuous player, that always really sells the story, and really helps a community project like this keep a cohesive feel. Secondly, this sure is an office building! Love all the DoomCute going on here, tons of cubicles with computers and coffee mugs and bananas (!) Also some, uh, creepy closets that don't bode well for the future. The layout here looks great with the lovely fountain area in the middle of everything. It looks like the blue key is optional, you can either hike all the way around the office to said key, or you can access the ventilation shafts to bypass the blue door; either way, you'll have needed to search the cubes for the red key. (I just happened to end up taking the shortcut.) Hitscanners are the main danger in this map, as they have ample opportunity to potshot you from a ways away. E1M3: Barracks 21:18 | 100% Everything More hitscanners, more DoomCute (OMG that weightlifting room.) The first couple of areas seem to take a considerable amount of real estate just to get you kitted out with a shotty and chaingun (in case you didn't already have them.) Then it's a couple lifts down into a much more typical Doom-abstract level than we've seen so far. A quick circle around to get the red key, a little annoying you have to backtrack, well... back. In a kind of silly state of affairs, the red door and yellow door lie across the room from each other, and entering the former basically just hands you the yellow key. (It's slightly more complicated than that, but still.) I was stumped on the final secret for quite some time (hence my time to clear this map is the highest by far.) I also thought it was rather goofy to have an exit teleporter right next to your classic exit door. (But then, I always forget which Ultimate maps have the secret exits!) The automap again was my clue to solving the last secret and thus accessing my fourth level of the day... E1M9: Excavation Site 10:59 | 100% Everything This is a very small-feeling map, seemingly both in its footprint and its aspirations. There a couple of quick missions to collect the blue and yellow keys, both very cramped and forgettable (except perhaps for those crushers: RIP imp ambush.) The map really only shows its bite in the titular dig site, particular in the pitched key battle, which nonetheless is almost entirely negated by just running in a circle and letting infighting handle most of it. Which is not to say I didn't still get a rush out of it, mind you. The perfunctory nature of the map really betrays itself in the way the red and yellow doors are just slapped onto the walls next to each other, and the final ambush past the red door feels like a half-hearted attempt. Not a particularly good map, IMHO; as a secret map, though, it's probably fine.
  5. Salt-Man Z

    The DWmegawad Club Metathread

    I think I prefer the idea of a "revisit month" (I like the idea of a spin-off series, but who has that kind of time?) I like Book Lord's idea of holding it in August as an anniversary thing. And I definitely agree with Catpho on a minimum X years since it was last played.
  6. Salt-Man Z

    wadsmoosh and custom iwad midis

    I found this old post on DW a couple months ago when I was wondering the same thing, worked like a charm:
  7. WADs I'm playing in 2023

     

    Previous lists:

    2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015

     

    2023 Activity:

    ► currently being played

    ✓ finished

    ✕ gave up

    * indicates a WAD played (at least partially) for the DMWC

    (all WADs played continuous with saves unless otherwise noted)
     

    TO FINISH FROM 2022:

    ✓ Cyberpunx (HMP) (from MAP04)

    ✓ The City of Damned Children (HMP) (from MAP04)

    ✓ Atonement (full release) (HMP/UV) (from MAP27)

     

    TRY TO FINISH FROM EARLIER:

    Urania (HMP) (from MAP09, started 2017)*

    Struggle (HMP) (from MAP32, started 2018)

    ► Eviternity (HMP) (from MAP28, started 2019)*

    The Wayfarer (HMP) (E1M8, started 2019)


    TO PLAY:

    ✓ 2022: A Doom Odyssey (UV)

    anything DBP

    Avactor

    ✓ Alkylation (HMP)

    Alpha Accident

    Ancient Aliens

    Maskim Xul

    Deathless

    Diabolus Ex

    Doom 2 in Spain Only

    Eternal Doom IV

    Faithless

    Knee-Deep in Knee-Deep in GZDoom

    Legacy of Heroes
    Return to Hadron

    Rupture

    ✓ Strange Aeons (HMP)

    They Flesh Turned Into a Draft Excluder

    ✓ 10 Day Vacation (HMP)

    ✓ Fear and Loathing (HMP)

    ✓ Morbid Autumn (HMP)

    ✓ The Magnificent 5 (HMP)

    ✓ Santa's Outback Bender (HMP)

    ✓ The Given

    ✓ Tomatomania! (HMP)

    ✓ Rainy Days in Casablanca (HMP)

    ✓ Luminous Gloom (HMP)

    ✓ Stroggman's Tundra (HMP)

    ✓ Aquatic Wonder (HMP)

    ✓ Auger;Zenith (HMP)

    ✓ Solar Struggle (HMP E1/UV E2-4)*

    ✓ Chronicles of Ghost Town (HMP)

    ✓ Sigil II (HMP)

     

    TO REPLAY:

    ConCERNed

    Doom 2 Reloaded

    Exomoon

    Moonblood

    Plutonia 2

    Heartland

    The Long Trek Back Home

    ✓ Rylayeh (UV)

    ✓ Sacrament (UV)

    ✓ Master Levels for Doom II (UV)

  8. Haven't been on DW as much this year, so I missed that this was a thing! Sorry to hear about your personal troubles, hope things have picked up since earlier in the year, but I'll send some good vibes your way regardless. :) Screenies look delicious, can't wait to dive in once this is finished and I'm done getting my butt kicked by Cyberpunx. :D
  9. Hey, congrats on the writeup in this year's Cacowards! I'm currently on the new maps (low 20s) and enjoying them quite a bit.
  10. Started replaying this sometime last week, loving it as usual. I did just get into an odd softlock on MAP15. I see there's an updated version, so I'll check that out, but just in case: I also left with a very large monster closet chock full of baddies, which I hope/assume was also fixed in RC2. (The level was sorely missing the big outdoor fight it's named for!)
  11. Salt-Man Z

    The DWmegawad Club plays: Ad Mortem & Wormwood 1/EU/3

    +++ Moustachio's "Atonement" has finally released, one of my favorite wads in recent years. (I've played the first four episodes already, including 1-3 twice.) It would fun to run it through the Club for that last layer of polish.
  12. Aaah, can't wait to dive back into this!
  13. Salt-Man Z

    Doomworld Musicians, serenade us with your beautiful music!

    The first post is 6 years old; I think at this point the thread is for music-makers of all stripes.
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