Nine Inch Heels

(Ramble) Slaughtermaps and prejudice...

I did not want to derail the Major Arlene's Doom WAD Reviews threat any more than already has happened, so I decided to ramble a bit about slaughtermaps, and why I personally feel some people would do well not to simply pass general judgements like "tedious", "difficult" or "mindless BFG spam", let alone use these terms to describe a genre that has become something like a staple in doom-mapping ever since maps like "go 2 it", the legendary Casali slaughtermap, were made.

What aches me is how quick people are to judge. Doubly so when said people can't be bothered to even provide something that remotely resembles an informed opinion to begin with, and instead dispense their misinformed prejudice (there, I said it) as much and as often as they see fit. From the perspective of someone like me -who can enjoy doom in most, if not all of its different facets- it sometimes seems like an illiterate is trying to give classes on reading comprehension, when some people describe slaughtermaps by way of blanket statements.

Are slaughtermaps "tedious"? No, they're not. They are objectively not tedious, at least not all the time. If you look at maps in sets like "Newgothic movement 2" and perhaps watch a few demos, you will come to realize that quite a few slaughtermaps can be cleared comfortably in less than 10 minutes, sometimes even in less than 5 minutes. If you think that killing about a 1000 things in less than 5 minutes is tedious, have a look at the other side of the spectrum, and play some Urania where maps usually take about 30 minutes each, if you kill everything quickly.

Are slaughtermaps more difficult than "normal" maps? Nope, they're not generally more difficult. Slaughtermaps can be a lot more difficult than your average modern map simply by way of monstercount (which demands consistency on the player's end) and lethalty, but there are enough examples of welcoming slaughtermaps out there which are in no way "hard". So why do people think the genre is more difficult? It's because slaughtermaps require a different approach to them than other types of maps do. The methods of hiding in a corner, or doorcamping a room until everything is dead do not work in slaughtermaps most of the time. Well made slaughtermaps demand that players adapt to them in some way and to a varying degree. Sets like "phmlspd" consist of slaughtermaps which usually offer easier solutions for less experienced players, and faster solutions for more experienced players, to some extent, mind you. The blanket statement that slaughtermaps are more difficult "because slaughter" is objectively false, it always depends on the map(set) in question. The subjective perception that slaughtermaps are more difficult if the "tricks" people have gotten used to don't work is understandable, but objectively wrong.

Are slaughtermaps mindless BFG spam? Some maps are just that, others are not. Some slaughtermaps keep the BFG away from the player until relatively late into the map, others don't even have a BFG until the very last encounter, if at all. Again it depends on the map in question, and how the mapper intended their map to be played.

All things considered, these blanket statements oftentimes are kind of dismissive, and devoid of any actual relevant information for the supposed reader. Rarely, if ever, do I see someone say "I played slaughtermap 'X' of wad 'Y', and I didn't enjoy myself while doing so because:..." A blanket statement is so much easier, right..?

...End of ramble...

If you find any spelling errors or whatnot, I'm sorry, but I just can't be bothered to proofread this at the moment.