bioshockfan90

i don't need to say anything with this one

i'm actually amazed that not only did he try to pass off OBLIGE maps as his own, but ALSO hide his identity as a Japanese mapper, like... hoping he'd get more attention as a fact? and then he went out of his way to create the elaborate translated OP? i'm at a loss for words. i've abstained myself from commenting on dumpster-fire threads lately but this was just too good to pass up on

MAP03: Dies Irae | 96% kills | 80% secrets | I don't know if I can put this in words, really. The map is so goddamn massive and there's so much going on, each individual building has its own personality and look and level of detailing to it, but just to sum it up: this is a very, very E2 styled level done in the style that only this WAD could deliver on. Also, since we see most of the rest of the D2 monsters in this map, we're treated to some new sounds for them and what appears to be a cool new death animation for the revenant. Progression is INCREDIBLY nonlinear, there are a lot of paths you can take to beat this map but I have a feeling that no matter what path you chose, you're not going to be TOO confused on what to do. I'll admit that towards the end I was feeling a little lost on the RK section but it was just a matter of finding a switch I hadn't flipped yet. I suppose your difficulty experience varies on how you tackle this beast as well. In my case, I got really tight on ammo for a bit but I ended up rebounding after finding a few key ammo cases and shotgun shells. I could go on for paragraphs about each individual building or a lot of the weird mechanics going on, or how the layout tightly wraps around itself and it's just really fucking clever, but... like I said earlier, I wouldn't be able to tell you all of it and doing so would require another playthrough. I don't have time for that today. A few highlights that stuck out to me however would be how the doors open in this strange futuristic manner when you're trying to find which room contains a teleport, the pentagram(?) barrel section with the SSG, and the clock tower building. Definitely not a map you're going to absorb 100% the first time through.

MAP02: Dead by the Down | 77% kills | 20% secrets | After the weird ending to MAP01, we find ourselves in some sort of mountainous landscape, littered with the wreckage of the plane we were just on. (What's with the jolly roger flag? is this a plane or a ship?) Gameplay here is relatively sparse in the first half, just gunning down hitscans and the occasional pinky here or there. However, this changes after you platform your way up to the top end of the map and enter a grey-brick storage base. Here, you'll find hordes of hitscans and pinkies that can kill you if you're dumb like me and wanted to use the chainsaw to kill everything. Even still, health is few and far between so it's best just to take your time and be careful. Some notes about the design of this map: it's still weird as hell. There's these subtle changes made that mess with your head, like doors opening in the opposite direction of how you'd intend them to, textures that make no sense seeing them where they are, and most notably what appears to be a shootswitch revealing itself to be a standard "use" triggerswitch with a hidden Mancubus blocking your path. This is why you need to play with proper compat settings, otherwise you'd just fall down there with the manc. The platforming here is really organic as well. Like seriously, I haven't seen platforming that felt this oddly good since... shit, maybe never? Climbing on top of the plane and wrapping your way around the cliffsides feels really rewarding, almost like you're discovering a secret. Speaking of secrets... I only found one. I also prematurely exited the map before I could do any real exploring, so it's a shame, but I might as well give my first impressions on the map honestly. Anyway, I still have no idea what the overall narrative or theme of this wad is. We went from voidplanes to crash sites and now... alleyways? I guess I'll find out in MAP03. EDIT: After a second playthrough taking my time to explore everything, I can appreciate the atmosphere this map sets up THAT much more. 92% kills, 60% secrets. I'm perplexed as how to get that megasphere, but unless I'm told directly how to, I think I'll save further plays of this map for the future. Also shoutouts to the weird strobe-lit room in the storage facility with the hanging corpses! What a cool addition!

Maybe 2019 will be the year I start participating more in these things. I think I played the first few maps of A.L.T at some point long ago in the past, but was pretty weirded out by it and thus didn't continue much further. Hopefully I can finish the wad up this month and see if I still think it's "too weird" or if it is this hidden masterpiece that some say it is. Either way, I'm excited. GZdoom with proper compat settings, UV pistol starts saveless unless it becomes a major issue. MAP01: Seele | 92% kills | 33% secrets | The word "Seele" in German is "Soul". Interesting. The moment you start this wad up, you can pretty much automatically tell it's not going to be your high-grade commercial map experience with tight gameplay and neatly-made layouts. The map takes place in a plane floating in the void, there's SS Soldiers everywhere, and... the back half of the plane has a portal to Hell? Yeah, it's no big deal, you might even end up missing it like I apparently did on my first time playing this. There's probably some deep connection I can make between this portal and the rest of the map and the wad as a whole, how it sets a mood and does this or that, but... part of me thinks this is just some crazy fucking map design until proven otherwise. I think how WEIRD the map is keeps me going more than anything else. Gunning down hitscanners with a pistol isn't the most enthralling task in the world. Make sure to save your shells for the HK or you're gonna have a real boring experience. Even if you can't stand it from a gameplay perspective, you can't deny that there's something alluring about this map. At the very least, you'll be pretty confused by some of the odd design choices in here. Soldiers outside the plane standing on the wings? The aforementioned portal to Hell? The fact that you essentially shoot yourself to exit the level? Something tells me I'm truly in for an ALTernate doom experience. (Shit, they made that joke in the header image?)

is this that doom 2 mapset you were talking about some time ago? eh, more naturalTvven maps are like super fine with me

Looks really good! Can't wait to play it.

this is going sour fast just put 'er up on dropbox for the time being, christ, no need for the impatience

well, I have to go early! made a weirdass layout anyway, should be fun to finish up outside of the session

You just have to be blazingly fast, if you don't stick around on the platforms and just go for it you'll avoid taking damage. I know it's possible as I've done it once. (and then i turned it down to HMP because.... the rest of the map)

These screenshots look intriguing, very big accomplishment to make a full UDoom megawad. Might give it a play if I get bored with my backlog.

Quick question - Does Romero still make profit off of Doom sales on Steam? Not knocking you or anything, just curious.

hmm, seeing as i'm on break at last, i don't see a reason NOT to join... count me in??

really happy to see skepland up there, one of the first hard PWADs I played and although it kicked my ass tenfold I liked it enough to learn the maps and I ended up a lot better off at Doom for having beaten it. nice picks in the end though, this 25th anniversary just keeps giving!