gaspe

I played the 2 episodes and I have very mixed feelings about the whole wad. I think this wad has an identity crisis that it doesn't know exactly what it wants to be. At first I thought it was the inconsistency of the visual themes that was jarring (E1M3 and E2M6 don't help because they totally feel out of place) but there are many other wads I really like that aren't so consistent on that. Here there are maps that are very vanilla and while other maps feature more heavily the custom stuff so LoR sits in a weird spot of trying to be classic with just some cheap nods to the iwads and the new content that feels more like a tech demo of some ideas stitched together. I think that making a vanilla episode and then making the other episode as a partial/total conversion with more thought put into how use the custom monsters would have worked better. The gameplay overall felt very bloated, on top of the vanilla monsters there are also the new ones used and more often than not they just add more meat in the encouters and nothing else. At times it felt quite similar to play a zdoom wad where the modders just put into their maps random monsters taken from realm667. The new enemies are bad per se, the vassago is the most used and it's also the only that added something really different. The banshee is just bad and it doesn't have its niche in the gameplay, its explosion is very weak look at the suicide bomber of Valiant how this kind of enemy is done right, I guess that's why it was used so rarely. Contrarily to many others I really liked the incinerator, it isn't somethiing to use at point blank like the plasmagun but the flames can easily put the monsters in pain state. Now for the maps E1M1 and E1M2 are very nice. Especially M2 with the dam even if the combat in the starting area was rather annoying with multiple revs and pinkies while you only have the sg. E1M3 is just terrible, the new theme looks nice at first but the whole level is an endless parade of variations of the same room done with the same 4-5 textures. The gameplay is such a boring slog and like others have suggested you could add more rockets (and fuel if you carry the incinerator from the secret level) so you can speed up the combat instead of having at best the SSG to clear more than 400 enemies. E1M4 was my favourite of the first episode, the gameplay was on point and without much flaws and I really liked the Doom 2 aesthetics powered up with some custom textures. I liked E1M5 overall but near the end it started to drag on for too long. E1M6 focuses on using only the new monsters and sort of forces you to use the incinerator but so it lacks the variety of Doom 2 combat. But the real problem of this level it's the layout that simply isn't suited for having good fights. E2M1 is like a puzzle that was fun to unravel, it could just be a bit more forgiving with the resources it gives you. E2M2 is another map that goes on forever, it's not bad but it could be trimmed down a bit. E2M4 was (again) my favourite of this episode. Sexy Doom 2 browns all over but it's done very well and I like it. E2M6 is the sister of E1M3, another map with its own custom textures used only here. Personally I'm not a fan of this kind of monotextured levels. Then let's spam the curve tool to cover the layout that it's just a linear corridor to follow. The gameplay at least flow fast and isn't unpleasant like E1M3, there are plenty of fuel around so you can quickly burn every horde that comes. Low point is that in the marble area there's a pack of avs in a place whre you don't have cover and unless you are prepared in advance to shoot them you are dead. I wonder if you actually tested this. E2M7 has a cool castle scenery and the maze with the vassagos was the best part. The rest of the level was made with the calamity blade in mind that it's really fun to use for the first 2 minutes then it gets repetitive. It's a weapon that it's very limited with its usage and the encounters you can design for it so you can only have mobs in a flat area. Another thing I liked of this level was the storytelling done with arming the missiles and the escape from the portal you came in E1M1, wrapping up the story.

Here are some demos attempts for the rest of the maps: 30years_gaspe_fdas2.zip Those are recorded with the version RC1 as I already finished to play the wad before the new version came out. At least I didn't encounter serious stuff that would prevent you to progress. Didn't like so much the first part of MAP16, slow and long introduction, it got more fun when you drop into the water canal and from there I liked the rest. MAP17 took me like 1 hour but I was able to get through this. Good non-linearity as you are free to explore the buildings how you want and it can create some interesting situations, I found the heavier weapons late in my exploration and I had to deal with a cybie and a spiderdemon with the SSG but it was fun. The breakable windows were a cool touch. MAP18 would be one of my favourites visually, a true representation of hell on earth with lots of details. The gameplay is alright, when I died in the demo I made the mistake of being too cautious and let the revs to trap me in that room with. I liked the return of the snow in MAP19, it reminded me of the previous Whitemares. About the trees I think you should do them like Lainos did in his map, adding also an additional line to create a more circular area so you don't get stuck so much in them, also the monsters had some problems. MAP20 and 21 are both well done levels by Shadowman, 20 is the easier while 21 was more tough also with the management of your resources. On MAP22 I didn't find the secret RL and PR but I was able the almost reach the exit switch. MAP23 was kinda rough but I liked the big scale and the sense of adventure it gives. I was doing well overall and I was also near the end but trying to get some cacos to fight the cybies didn't go so well for me heh I'm pretty sure MAP24 and MAP25 were made in previous speedmapping contests right? MAP26 theme with the oasis in the hellish desert is nice and that was the only good thing of the map for me. All the map is basically flat, at first you have all those sniping hitscanners that can be annoying but the worst part is after the yellow that it's mostly a monotone maze. Overall I liked the concet of MAP27 and the marble structure floating in the sea of blood at the end was cool but there a couple of chea moments near the end: when the chaingunners appear in the staircase and the archvile that can most likely kill you unless you know it will teleport in advance. Near the RSK there some wrong sky-trasfers. MAP28 was giving some Plutonia vibes initially with its small but tough encounters. The area with the mountains of flesh looked very cool. MAP29 was good overall, but kinda strange too. The hardest part is the whole level before the final big fight with the tighter spaces where you have to be more careful. MAP30 was a nice conclusion for the wad. The actual Ios was more silly but I'm glad it wasn't the focus of the map, the actual big epic fight with "waves" was very fun.

Hey there, have some fdas for the first half of the wad recorded with dsda Doom: 30years_gaspe_fdas1.zip I am very happy to see some mappers that I haven't seen from a while returning with this project, and I hope they'll continue to release maps. I really liked the code to access the secret on MAP01 and how it's also used in some of the next maps. I think some of Chaingunner's maps in the first episode are harder than some later maps in the set. Not sure if you want to have these difficulty spikes but MAP05 and MAP07 could have some more health and ammo around because now they are very hard, and this is also a bit embarassing for me because I aleady played those maps and I remembered them :S I was happy to see that MAP06 made it again, I think I saw it used in other 2 or 3 wads now. On MAP09 I thought I was pretty ingenious the trick to block the rising sectors with the monsters height so you are forced to kill them. I guessed immediately who made MAP10 and I was correct :) I think it was challenging map in it's own way, maybe harder than the other Lainos' maps but it's also been a while since I played some of them. I flee from the cyberdemon encounter because it looked too troublesome and I didn't want to risk. On MAP11 I also recognized BeeWen's style quickly. Stock textures and few monsters used well in tricky encounters, it wouldn't feel out of place in Relyctum. A mancubus, thing 18, is stuck in the walls. On MAP12 near the end a mancubus, I suspect it's thing 252, teleport inside a sector where it gets stuck. MAP14 was kinda rough but it's a likeable level overall. Initially on MAP15 I thought the "Wormhole" reference was just a little standalone thing but it ruined the twist for when it happened. Maybe I was just expecting something different to happen but the atmosphere and the feeling that something bad was going to happen later was very well done. MAP31 imo did a better to subversing something familiar. It's cool how the normal maps and their ruined counterparts are linked together. I forgot about the chainsaw secret on E1M2 so I gave because I didn't really know how to continue. MAP32 was strange. It was able to really evoke some feeling of nostalgia, it's like a remake of E4M6 with a huge scale and I remember how Doom levels seemed to be so big the first times I playes them. But after that it hasn't a good gameplay and feels like a generic map.

Here's a pack of fdas recorded with dsda doom :amorphous_euph_gaspe_fdas.zip Interesting concept and a good thing imo is that it doesn't overstay its welcome. Favourites maps would be MAP04 and MAP05. It took me a while to understand how to progress on MAP07, and of course the solution was something really simple heh. On MAP08 I stopped to record so early because I was expecting the map to keep going with trial and error gimmicks but I guess I picked the worst part to start as the other rooms were more doable on a first try.

Continuing with some other maps: Relyctum_gaspefdas6.zip MAP31: Had some bad luck against the av at the backpack, I think that I would have survived and keep going in the demo if the av died even 1 sec earlier. Interesting the spiderdemon at the RK that looks like you can easily skip but I guess it can give you some problems if you missed to pick the BFG. The BFG looks also very important against the cyberdemon at the normal exit, it's a tricky fight in that cramped space. I would add some ammo in this part, I was only able to go through by abusing the infighting: MAP24: Didn't last log in this one heh. The big issue after the floor lowers is that for a while you won't find health while you have to understand what to do without getting hit by the cyberdemon or other sniping monsters. I would remove the caged spiderdemon at north (where there are some revs initially), it's not hard to take down using the nearby piny pillars as cover. This is a minor thing but here the cyberdemon can still hit you and you can't see the rockets coming: This was the only map so far in E3 that doesn't have ammo issues and you have a more fair balance everywhere. The action for lowering this platform should be repeatable, if you drop down before opening the way for the YSK (like I did to go back to grab a couple of medikits so I could get 200% health with the soulsphere) you can't progress: The "secret cyberdemon" doesn't get crushed, the crusher needs to be bigger. MAP25: My favourite map so far. Imo flesh parts aren't so easy to make but I really liked how the flesh caves were done here and how they are combined with the techbase that it's starting to get swallowed by this hellish monstrosity, or whatever it is. The room with SP_FACE1 is also worth mention, quite a unique use of the texture and it was rather spooky too at first. Good use of the cyberdemons as snipers that make also harder some platforming parts and it's a cool scene when the tower raises from the blood. I'm really sure how you can kill them tho, they are in wakward positions so you need a good ammount of ammo (even with the BFG that comes late and it's a secret) that I didn't had when I reached the end of the map and they were the only monsters remaining. 2 chaingunners (things 335 and 336) are stuck into the wall. This chaingunner (I guess it's thing 563) was so annoying because you can alert it but it's hard to notice where it is: MAP26: My bad that I didn't realized at the start that you can pick the weapons. I would add a switch to lower the lift from this ledge, now you have to drop down into the blood pool and do a long backtrack to get just to the starting hub: And always in this area at the top of the stairways there's a lift that lets you go to visit the eastern part near the exit and I would remove the monsters (av thing 124 and the rev thing 101) because they'll likely make you miss the lift so you have go back all the way to the switch to trigger the action another time. I got stuck here since I went there before lowering the pillar with the soulsphere, being able to open the door sector 586 from that side should be enough to fix it: The red rocks that obviously blend well with the sky are a good looking touch for the scenery. I think this level is scarce of rockets, thankfully I was able to save a couple of BFG shots for the cybderdemon at the exit but I also relied on the infighting (especially at the big fights at the BK and at the north-eastern area to spare ammo).

Good job from every participant, this session was very good and every map has at least some endearing qualities whereas in past sessions there were maps that showed more that they were quick affairs done in few hours. I recorded some fdas (and as requested by Chainie I also included the version of the wad I used to play): https://www.dropbox.com/s/slgb4pg3eapu4wm/spd24_gaspefdas.zip?dl=1 And here are my votes, even if they are also included in the zip anyway: MAP01: Basic gameplay but it's the kind that can work with maps like this that make the atmosphere their strong point. I really liked the theme with the buildings buried in the snow, all topped with a fitting moody track. 7/10 MAP02: Not a bad start, overall simple gameplay but it works. I liked the sort of ruins to explore of the theme. 7/10 MAP03: Very good effort visually and it gains some points for it, especially the caves. The gameplay was underwhelming, the main area is a big flat arena and only the arch-vile in the church make things more thrilling. I think it needed something more going on to create a better sense of adventure that can make up even for the lacking gameplay. 7/10 MAP04: Looks rather messy but it's a fun map overall and the little trap at the BSK was nice. 7/10 MAP05: Not a bad concept, descend into the darkness to discover this odd Egyptian temple in the ice. But I think the execution is just passable and not as striking as it should be. I think some effort was put into the gameplay even if I didn't think the repetitive task of hordes coming in the main area was so interesting. 6/10 MAP06: Good looking and very well detailed map with a deadly gameplay that knows how to give a good challenge to the player. 10/10 MAP07: The music from TNT is so fitting for this classic techbase in both looks and gamelay. The snow and winter give a nice different touch to a theme we already know so well. 8/10 MAP08: This is another very good effort that gives you some variety, starting outside in a snowy landscape to end in a dungeon with underground temples that store the keys and some fun battles. 9/10 MAP09: Very interesting theme combining snow and flesh/blood for red and white visuals. Not bad also the gameplay that makes a good use of the layout with its open areas putting monsters on the ground that can reach the player and snipers in higher positions. 8/10 MAP10: Epic fail vs the cybie in my demo. Pretty locations (snowy forests, huts inside the cave) even if simple. Gameplay starts so-so but it gets more interesting when the layout get some transformations and the various areas get connected. 7/10 MAP11: Pretty nice "lite-slaughtermap", the gameplay that reminded me of that style of maps but the encounters don't have really big numbers resulting in some faster action. 8/10 Keep it up!

Played some of the new maps resuming from when I stopped since the last update from2 years ago. I recorded some fdas (cl9 with dsda-doom): Relyctum_gaspefdas5.zip Some features are the same that I remember from the maps I played previously, like the complicated layout that are so fun to unravel, and a stinginess with health and ammo that I must say it has become very troublesome in some levels. I see that @galileo31dos01 already reported some issues that I also found in the maps so I'll avoid to repeat them. MAP13: I advanced quite far into the map, I didn't noticed where the cyberdemon was and I took lot of damage from a rocket. I thought that the maze at the end would be very long and tedious but thankfully it wasn't the case MAP15: I liked that you don't need both the BK and the RK to exit. I noticed this bleeding effect in the long corridor at the left of the starting area MAP16: Very tricky start with the ammo, managed to pass it in the demo but even with saves later I risked to remain without ammo. I don't like how the secret with the cell pack (sector 99) can put you face to face with a rev in a tiny 64x64 space if you don't go down the stairway before picking it. I also agree with galileo about the spiderdemon but I wouldn't know how to improve it without removing it. If you go down to grab the BFG you have some long backtrack to do on top of having to pass through lots of damaging nukage, or retry until the nobles infight with the spiderdemon. MAP17: An homage to Tricks and Traps? Anyway this looks like it has many ways you can take to solve it. Linedef 1708 and 1756 needs to be WR instead of W1, a couple of demons didn't teleport into the map. I noticed 2 chaingunners were missing at the end and I saw that they were in these closets in the bottom-right corner, I think the suspects are chaingunner 725 and 726 but I'm not sure what's going on there. MAP18: I died anyway but I was able to finish the level, technically ^^. Sure needs more ammo near the end, the cyberdemon at the BK is a mandatory fight and will drain you a lot of ammo. And I skipped the second cyberdemon and the last horde of cacos, I'm not sure if you have enough resources to kill everything. MAP19: I liked the Plutonia vibes of this level. I also think it was very interesting and I woud like to know how other players tackled the starting areas. I don't think I would have gone so far in my fda if I didn't jump so early in the courtyard with the invisibility, during with saves I tried other thing but always had huge problems of ammo shortage. I was also wise to run out immediately from the BK pit, killing those revs it's a waste of ammo. The only thing I have some doubt on is the cyberdemon, I don't think that part is doable if you don't get the hidden BFG and the secret invulnerability. MAP20/21: Didn't played these because I recognized them and they looked familiar but I don't remember where I have played them, were they in different slots before or are maps taken from other wads? MAP22: Didn't go so far with the demo, I tried another attempt but I quit because I thought I was stuck in that area. I think that having to shoot that switch more times add more confusion to an already confusing map. I get that the idea is that there ar multiple BKs that you can't take. I completed the southern and eastern parts of the map until I reached the top of the building where there are the crates and the cyberdemon and I was able to pick the BK there, then the other keys were available too. It can get annoying at times for all the 64 wide passages with revs or other monsters you can't avoid, like if you drop down at sector 976 and have a hk in front of you that will certainly kill you if you have low health. The most troublesome area is the western building and I agree with galileo that multiple backtracks on lava are a big issue. These chaingunners were so annoying to kill with the autoaim Also in this area you have to take a teleport so you can press the switch that unlocks the exit but if didn't killed the spiderdemon before it means certain death. And there could be at least radsuit in the spiderdemon area since there's some backtrack on the lava to do, or add more health near the crates. MAP23: Included the fda anyway even if isn't worth watching, I tried a bit a the first areas but I gave up quickly. No health and ammo around and it looked like it was set to be tedious for a first experience. I would add some health in this area, climbing up the stairs was hard because there are those chaingunners that can kill you easily, and those pain elementals are too much imo I would remove them, or at least add some more ammo. Going into this room is pointless for the progression, I get it it gives you a shortcut for the BSK even if it isn't necessary but there's no ammo there so I wasted them for nothing by going there, also the revs are all stuck with imps: I see that on at south there's an early berserk pack which can be helpful a little but in my run I locked that area because I went to the north so I could only get a berserk pack way late into the map when I grabbed the BSK. Finally made it to the locked doors somehow and this happened: I had 0 shells, like 30 cells but 200 bullet to kill mancubi and avs, like yeah. And I also skipped to fight the cacos that teleport after you visit the building that unlocks the exit and the pain elementals there. The cyberdemon and the spiderdemon don't teleport into the map, there's no action that opens the "door" to realease them but anyway you don't have really ammo fight them. I think the part where you cab waste most of the ammo was at the pentagram near the invulnerability, I discovered only in the editor that you can avoid to trigger some of those fights but adding more cells packs there and swapping the single rockets for boxes of rockets would be a good starting point to give a better balance. The BSK area could reward you with some ammo too.

I'm always late lately heh but at least I can remedy to it. Fdas and some 2nd attempt recorded on dsda-Doom with cl2 cyberpnx_gaspe_fdas.zip Had a lot of fun and I finished with saves the map I couldn't beat in the demos. I liked those electrical devices that damage you, adding and interesting hazard to the usual damaging liquids and I thought it was a very nice visual touch to have some lifts with midtextures on the sides and not just covered by walls like usual. MAP01: It introduces some features that will be prominent in the next maps too, like the electric hazards and most importantly the cramped combats which imo are the defining style of this set. The generous barrels were appreciated to allievate a bit the difficulty in some parts. MAP02: Couldn't miss the classic city-esque level. Not a fan of those HKs near the lifts inside the last building you have to visit, it felt too cheap against the player. MAP03: I liked the somehow creepy atmosphere, and the alpha textures really shine to create this feeling of "something went wrong" with the mix of Doomcute realistic details and gritty environments. The BK fight was my favourite, with that surprise teleport in case you think to roomsnearby the secret plasmagun are a safe place to use to camp. MAP04: Another cool theme with locations that have a more realistic presention but put in the spooky and almost surreal forest of tech and pipes. This one was nasty in particural because every outdoor area is divided by the brown damaging river so you always have a limited space to use. Didn't like so much the YK fight and the ambush in the "hotel room" where you open the exit since it's almost necessary that you prepare yourself with the right weapon and right position in time if you want some chances of surviving. MAP05: The demos aren't much worth to watch for this map because I didn't go so far. At first I tried to clean up the streets but it's very hard (you have to look for supplies while escaping the mastermind with monster roaming the streets and snipers from some buildings). Then I decided to try to explore some buildings before and it was working at first but you are fucked once you have to return outisde. I think it was an interesting suggestion to put the mastermind at the start because it spiced up what otherwise would have been to usual clean up of the street before starting to explore the buildings. It's also a very manageable map after you pass the start. MAP06: Died in a stupid way think I could exploit that position. Funny start a bit different from the usual. Overall it's a very chill map and somehow a breather, apart the fight in the "restaurant". MAP07: Solid gameplay, the RK is a very nasty fight and rather than the RL the SSG/CG work better. Visually the all grey-ash caves can look rather dull compared to the other maps. MAP08: It looks very intimidating and it does a good job at being the climax of the wad. It's not as hard as I thought with a couple of moments that can be very troublesome. First at the right side of the start after you take the lift in the storage room and suddely you're facing few revs without cover, and then the RK trap that similar to some ambushes in MAP04 it falls too much into a trap where unless you have the right weapon ready you can't survive. The BK part is somehow easier if you advance carefully and anyway the traps are more forgiving, tho I killed the spiderdemon since it was giving me troubles to enter the area. For sure the most memorable part is the YK with the slaughter battle and I think the dechaked pinkies make a great job there, always appearing in front of you and blocking the way while the normal ones would likely make more easier to just circle strafe around. MAP09: The opening fight is one of the hardest and more annoying in the wad. You can't afford to lose health to the electric hazards that cover most of the area while you have to avoid revs missiles and making sure that pinkies don't trap trap you. I found that hugging the walls worked rather well to reduce damage while going up and down, until finally I was able to pass. I was a bit bit baffled that I couldn't trigger the last fight without having to pick the soulsphere, I was already at 200% after finding a secret. The last fight was doable with some good old circle strafe while you let the cyberdemon everything, intervening only when the avs come in. It was okay as an ending.

Hey! Looks like I'm a bit late with my fdas but I hope you'll find them useful anyway if you want to give a look. Pretty concept with the islands maps and the overall aesthetics gave me some autumn vibes. Iirc you already experimented with similar gameplay changes in your last wad, and these fit well with the claustrophobic spaces. Pinkies are a real threat now and also harder to hit due to the smaller hitboxes that made me waste quite some shots against the monsters. Or maybe I'm just more rusty than I thought, I hoped to be able finish more maps in the demos. I also included the version I used to play since I saw that you updated the wad Doombeach_gaspe_demos.zip Now some comments on the more memorable parts to me: MAP02 RK area is tough, you really have to be quick to advance and kill the demons because it looks like it's very precise with the timing of the radsuit and you can't waste time. MAP03 has another cool setpiece at the RK, didn't like so much how you can barely react when you teleport into the warehouse. MAP04 I liked a lot the creepy atmosphere underground and the non-blocking hanging bodies are a nice touch to detail the rooms. MAP05 harsh start that is quite hard to pass, probably the part that gave me most troubles in the wad. Then the level is more forgiving. Only I didn't liked in this set how often the forests albeit nice looking they can hide the projectiles that come at you. MAP06 good job on the city part that isn't very big but it gives you many way on how to tackle it. MAP08 cool atmosphere and setting. I was able to mess up the BK tower, I triggered the line that reveal the cybie and the cacos but I was also able to escape outside and due to a hom on the untextured line 1518 I didn't realize the bridge went down. MAP09 another rather harsh start with the part after you pick up the Plasmagun was the peak of the map and the "sewer city" was something chill to do with a very cautious playstyle. Now I'm going to check the new yet unnamed thing you are making ;)

Well this was fun. Not sure if my guilty pleasure can be properly categorized as a "Doom wad" but it's the most fitting thing I could think of.

Have some prboom+ fdas for the wad: tntgb_gaspe_fdas.zip , the first 2 maps were recorded with complevel 2 instead of 4, leftover from my previous play. It looked promising at the start but I must say that I got disappointed in the last maps. I liked more the first levels because they are very good revisitations of the originals as they are still recognizable but there's also a lot more of the author personal touch to make the levels feel more fresh. Human BBQ and Power Control are my favourites and I liked Open Season starting area with a rather hot fight and how Prison is subverted. The maps later on become more simple redesigns of the originals without much unique touches, ironically Metal was the worst offender to me. Other levels were even less interesting than the original like Stronghold that was turned into something more simplified and lacking the layout plenty of interconnected parts that made it fun to explore the place. Or Storage Facility where the outdoor part is longer and it's a basic flat area without an interesting gameplay, then the storage area is another flat part without the 3D spaces that the original made with the crates. I liked the secrets and the progression that is playful with lots of switches or other tricks which is very fitting for TNT.

I would say yes. id iwads are still a very good introduction to the game, its mechanics (and I think this is often overlooked in favor of the gameplay but getting familiar with stuff like teleports, keys... is as important), the monsters and tropes that are still used in pwads nowadays without being too overwhelming for the newbie players. I feel similar to @Doomkid and I think that it's weird for someone to want spend time and effort into modding a game you don't like. On the other hand I can understand who think otherwise and there's likely the difference of perspective between doomers who started in the 90's or at least were long time fans of the game and those who discovered it only in the past years. I think it's almost guaranteed that nowadays before starting to play Doom people have already played more modern games and the iwads can look rough in comparison while the mapping scene with more detailed works can be more appealing. Though I'm optimistic because I see that 90's wads and older stuff is still played and loved these days. A thing that I would strongly argue in favor is to beat at least Plutonia, not necessarily on UV, before going to tackle harder wads and a good chunk of pwads but I read of people who started directly with HR and related stuff so, what do I know. That's a very bad advice. I'd rather have mappers doing flawed things like Nirvana and trying to do something unique that they like instead of cynically copying whatever thing is popular or the newest trend.