grahf

Map 11 Barren Keep: This is a very straightforward map with two large open areas with a small cave system between them. I found it short and enjoyable in a basic way. From pistol start, you'll be very ammo starved at the beginning - needing to stir up some infighting and find a safe place to begin to carve out some safety. Then you'll need to continue into the upper part of the second large open area with snipers everywhere, before flipping a switch to open a door in the lower open area. That's it. As for equipment, you get the chaingun and SSG very quickly and the RL a little bit later (and it's not optional, it's an easy find).

Map 10 Deadlands: Do you like killing multiple Pain Elementals, Lost Souls and Hell Knights with a shotgun? No? Does it help if the setting is an ugly cave maze? Not so much? My answers to those questions are "Absolutely not" and "Hell no, that makes it even worse." That kind of tells you how I feel about this map. I don't mean to be negative Nancy but I hate the layout, I hate the equipment given, I hate the enemy placement... Not one of these aspects is really that bad, it's how they compound into an un-fun map. As far as difficulty, none of it is that hard on UV. For the most part, just annoying. The only bit I cared for is the trap after the red key. The lights dim, wow that is atmospheric and then you hear the descending AVs and Revenants... Yikes! A very cool moment. Again there was apparently an RL somewhere that I could not find (saw rocket ammo) but there are no secrets listed for the map. Strange.

Map 09 Torture Chambers: The start of this map bucks the trend and is a very relaxed accumulation of ammo/weapons before everything goes haywire. The best way to describe this map is a series of setpiece trap battles. I felt like it was pretty silly - especially the Arch-Vile traps in the maze section prior to the blue key. I guess you are supposed to run like hell to escape but it felt random, cramped, dark and ugly to me. It was just a 'not fun' sequence. So perhaps the author sticking to incidental monster placement in previous maps is a good thing? Because I did not really enjoy these traps at all.

I run gzdoom with a Radeon R9 290 in 1080p and have had FPS problems on only the largest slaughtermaps (and then it was just slight stutter, like 50fps instead of 60 locked). I really don't think you need to use your Nvidia card, it should work just fine.

Looks stunning! :D

Map 07 Scream: My initial impression is that this is a continuation from the style of Map 06 - several open areas linked by cave systems. It starts out fast, with an open area where you are under constant sniper fire. You do also get a green armor right away along with the chaingun, so you aren't really forced into a super-conservative style. While some of the circular 'cavern' sections of the map are quite simple and somewhat ugly, the overall layout is actually pretty fun. Once again, no keys are used so it's a linear run and gun playstyle. One downside to that is I seem to have somehow missed the RL, which makes the end of the map climax a bit tougher than it should have been. I like the fact that the author changes up his style to teleport all the enemies in for the climax, and that you have plenty of space and cover to encourage lots of infighting. Overall while there is nothing exceptional here, Scream is my favorite map so far from Estranged. It's pretty fun. Map 08 Reptile: Another map that starts out very fast with attacks from all sides without any decent weaponry or ammo. This is a long, complex and non-linear map (the opposite of Map 07!) that I enjoyed quite a bit. The layout is ... odd, and hard to grasp but for the most part it is difficult to get lost. Compared to the previous maps, it almost seems like it must have been made much later - as it seems considerably more advanced than any of them. There is a good mix of traps and incidental combat on this map - which makes it feel more modern. The texturing and detailing is still quite basic, but that doesn't detract from the interesting combat encounters found here. Two favorites: the trap which unleashes about 10 pinkies in a room with a dropoff ledge that looks like you can jump off but you can't. So no escape but to Tyson your way out. I also liked the lava room where you need to hit the corner switch. To do so you need to dodge Revenant rockets while running over tiny raised platforms. I had only shotgun ammo so it was quite a tense battle over the deadly lava! Ammo is scarce for the nearly the whole map but I never did find the RL, only rockets. It seems to be a bit of a theme in this megawad, to have a hidden or optional RL pickup. I'm not sure what I think of that, but I did find the difficulty mostly ok on the level even without the RL. Anyway, definitely one of the better levels so far here.

Was away for a couple of days, starting to catch up. Map 05 Dust and Bones: So here we are in Hell... I'm continuing pistol start for now and that makes for a challenging beginning, with a trap sprung immedietately once you grab the shotgun in the starting room. You are forced out of this room by overwhelming odds and into the level, which is a series of long, open-air halls split by streams of bloody water. Ammo is initially very dry and you'll have to make due by killing Hell Knights, Cacos and Revenants with the basic shotgun. Later you get the RL and plenty of ammo. The layout continues to be rigidly laid out on the 64-unit grid. Most rooms are rectangular. There are some ugly texture alignment issues (particularly with the 'brain' texture near the cyberdemon). Speaking of the Cyberdemon, it's basically an anti-climax as he cannot move at all and you can dodge everywhere. You just need the single key from him and you can reach the exit. The gameplay also continues with only incidental monster placement. I don't think there was a single teleported monster and the only trap was at the initial player start position! In one sense that is a bit refreshing but it also doesn't really bring any surprises to excite with. I like the level in the fact that the challenge has increased and the mapper has started to force us to run and not conservatively snipe demons from afar. But the level is quite ugly and the layout is mazey and basic. Map 06 Razor: This is a relatively short Hell level that mostly takes place in some caverns and a few small open areas. Pistol starters will only be equipped with a Chainsaw to start out and will need to be relatively skilled with it to survive against some initial stiff opposition. Razor feels really front-loaded from a challenge standpoint - it is tricky to start out with almost no ammo, but later in the level I was fully stocked with a SSG and felt like I was breezing through it. In fact now that I think of it, front-loaded difficulty is somewhat typical with Estranged so far. There are no keys on this level either, just a linear travel through the caverns and up a red stone fort. Very few teleporting monsters or traps, once more - I think only a single monster teleports in total! All in all, it is a strange level to follow up the much harder Dust and Bones with.

Map 04 Venom: Here you have to start to question whether this megawad is built for pistol starts. You get a shotgun very quickly but have almost no ammo to deal with an arachnotron and revenant just outside your spawn. Initially you'll be very, very dry on ammo unless you find a secret teleporter in the nukage - which nets you an RL with a fair amount of ammo. But this tele launches you into a fairly difficult trap with chaingunners on every angle. I wasn't too happy about it, it felt cheap that early in the level with virtually no resources to fight back. The map continues on and I can only describe it as a somewhat homely level that is quite maze-like. There are several somewhat empty dead-end areas where I did not find a secret (but I took almost no time to look). One of the final challenges is the blue key ambush, which unleashes 4 or 5 hell knights in a small cramped corridor. Not a huge problem, except the room that you fight them in has small windows that frustratingly impede your movement as you dodge a variety of green hellfire blasts. It wasn't that hard but it felt absolutely terrible. So far the first four maps of Estranged have left me pretty cold both from an aethetic and gameplay perspective. Hopefully things start picking up in Hell - which it appears starts on map 05 just after a death exit. Again, with an early death exit like this I'm really thinking the megawad is meant for continuous play.

Map 03 Survey Center: This map is similar to Map 01 but considerably bigger and more than 2x the demons. It has some interior techbase but most of the level takes place in outside, stone-textured open areas with nukage below. The demons are a mix, with a considerable number of lost souls making an annoying appearance. Thus the level is definitely not as easy as 01-02. But, you have tons of resources to deal with everything, for the most part - in the form of a RL with ample ammo.

Map 02 Waste Treatment: A nukage-laced techbase level that is once again quite short and easy. There are many more sniper spots than Map 01 but nothing difficult to deal with. Also lots of pinkies on this level so those playing continuous will appreciate the berserk at the end of Map 01 - for the rest of us with deal with them using plentiful shotgun ammo.

I'm going to attempt to play along this month, looks fun! Playing on UV with pistol starts and no gameplay mods in GZDoom. Map 01 Outpost: Not much to say here. A very short techbase-ish level with some outdoor nukage exploration. You get a chainsaw very early which helps with a lack of initial shotgun ammo. Later in the level I was overloaded with chaingun ammo, so mostly I finished the level using that. Again, not a lot to talk about, a very quick and easy map at under 4 minutes. Visually, I can't see anything to complain about but nothing really exciting either.

Playing Valiant right now. It's a big change of pace from BTSX ep1 which I recently finished. So much more unsafe, exposed areas that require very aggressive playstyles. And setpieces. Setpiece encounters everywhere. The new guns and monsters are great too. Keeps the game fresh when even Imps are a real threat. Anyway I'm halfway through and really enjoying it.

You're welcome! Interesting. I really like this idea and I'd like it see it used in Doom more on long maps. Some people want to run-and-gun through a map quickly, so having an optional area just for those interested in more exploration seems ideal. Though of course it is a lot of effort mapping all that extra stuff that not everyone will see... Regardless it is a wonderful map and I was waaaay too curious to exit the level without the yellow key :) I read some of the earlier criticism about BTSX feeling 'samey' and I think they have a point somewhat, but IMO it is alright to be 'samey' if what is similar is really good maps and a well-executed style. So for me a style changeup was not necessary but thanks for explaining why you did it.

Hey there, I just finished BTSX1 yesterday and wanted to post some thoughts and feedback on it. I have more to say than can fit in an /idgames review so hopefully it's ok to post here. It's an incredible megawad. The quality level of both the maps and the music is uniformly very high. Thank you so much for all who put effort into creating this in their spare time! Cool:Awesome music. Stuff like James Paddock's Yaw, Escape Velocity or Coal are just stunningly good. Many more good tracks too, those are just the first that come to mind. The difficulty is just right for me on UV. The early levels starts off somewhat easy and slowly ramps up across the entire megawad. The encounters feel mostly fair, where if you are a really good player you have a chance to survive ambushes the first time around. That's not to say things are easy. MAP13: I'll Replace You With Machines starts with an evil Arch-Vile scenario when you have just a shotgun (I pistol start every level). I totally ran dry on ammo on this level, needed to backtrack to find secrets. Great balance of exploration and combat. The structure of the levels is fun to explore all on it's own. There are definitely some longer levels but they are worth the effort. MAP12: Underground Initiations took me 40+ minutes and is one of the most epic Doom maps I've ever played. It is massively sprawling, non-linear and interconnected. When you think you are nearly done, an entire new half of the level opens up! Honestly many Quake 1/2 maps are less impressive from a layout and structure standpoint - it's a mindblowing accomplishment. I also really enjoyed MAP18: Cyclone Utilities (Remember Your Birthday) which is also very long but balances that by the fact that the yellow key is totally optional. If you do go for the yellow key, you need to undertake a massive quest for it. I think this is a very cool case of creating both a large/medium-size level. I have to wonder whether the original plan was to put a secret exit on this level though? Seems like that would be the perfect payoff for the optional yellow key quest. The new textures/palette are really well done and give the megawad such a unique, quality feel.Not-so-cool:Yes, the textures get a bit repetitive as it's mostly the same techbase stuff. The only big visual variant is the overgrown final level. The first half of the set is a good mix of long, short maps. In the latter half of the set most of the maps are very long which can be fatiguing. MAP19: Bingo Pool Hall of Blood does not really fit with the theme of BTSX1 at all. I understand it was a late addition but I really don't know why it's in this WAD. The open cityscape style just does not mesh with BTSX1 from a gameplay or architecture standpoint. I think it would be fine as a secret map but it is extremely out of place in MAP19 slot. I feel like sometimes the encounters are too forgiving in letting players retreat. I mean, often I'd trigger a huge ambush but could fairly easily just run back and safely eliminate many of the demons. I think locking doors behind the player, used sparingly, would have ratcheted up the tension of these encounters. This was used on a few maps, but extremely rarely. It isn't compatible with gameplay mods like Smooth Doom, I think because of the new palette? This isn't a criticism of BTSX1, just a frustration I ran into because I prefer to run everything with Smooth Doom now.

No. I'm using it with Doom2.wad. Tested before and after in GZDoom 2.1.1 Windows 7 and loading Smoothdoom causes the regular SSG to lose audio.

Love the mod, great work Gifty! I read through the thread and I still cannot figure out why the SSG has no audio? Well, if I switch to the Doom 64 skin it does, but not the default. Why?

Absolutely, I agree with you that playing on HMP or even lower is what people should do if they find themselves saving/reloading a lot. But the problem is that people have been playing Doom for a LONG time and each has their own idea of what UV should feel like. And of course over time UV has increased in difficulty drastically since the release of Doom II. I kind of feel like this new 'modern' UV should simply be Nightmare instead (I don't know technically whether this is possible, without Nightmare respawning etc). That better communicates the actual real-world difficulty of these levels, IMO.

The problem I have with very difficult modern WADs is not that they are impossible - they are not, but often that they require lots of saves/reloads which for me throws off the rhythm of playing Doom. Lots of WADs throw in encounters where you will almost certainly die the first time, but the second or third time you'll have the knowledge to prevail. Ideally, I'd like to have more of a chance to think on the spot, react and succeed the first time (not guaranteed to survive the first time, just an honest chance). So for me, playing most new WADs on UV is not an issue of can't do it. It's more an issue of I'm an adult with limited free time and playing this on UV simply takes too long The other thing that I've noticed about modern WADs is that they often have a preferred order of exploration on each level. Like, you can go N, S, E, W at the beginning, but the level is exponentially easier if you go S, E, W, N in that order. On one hand, that helps replayability and gives a non-linear feel. But on the other hand, it creates this huge difficulty disparity for first-time playthroughs, entirely dependent on RNG (which directions you choose first).