Demtor

I'm only up to map 6 of Ultra UAC but this has been pretty fun stuff so far. Straight forward stuff mostly but very well designed encounters and fun little ambushes.

MAP07 - “Goetia” by Roofi gzDoom – UV – ps/saves This had promise of something interesting with the word walls and puzzle nature with quiet brooding music, but I had to quit half way through when I grew weary of dealing with far off rev rockets and CG snipers. Not a fun design at all at times. Not to mention the AV use behind windows and in little corner alcoves. Ugh. I'm tired and I can't do it. Some other day. Skipping along to try and catch up. I have to plan my free time a little better to handle involved exploratory maps. MAP08 - “Pandemonium” by franckFRAG gzDoom – UV – ps/saves Holy hell! That's one way to go out with a bang. The slow opening with the secret BFG was really well done. Loved the massive art at the end of the long cathedral. What's that from? Seriously awesome art. I liked the side chapels with health and armor pick ups. They looked both creepy and soothing. The view of the tower and area around it before jumping down is quite something to behold. I like the staggered levels to climbing up around the side with slow lifts and tricky rock climbs. The ending came a bit abrupt but was okay with it really. At that point when I finished running past the AV's in the window and three cybies to hit the three switches to open up the teleports... I was pretty much done with this map. So, glad it ended with it did with a floating “FIN,” haha. MAP09 - “Credits” by JCD, Roofi gzDoom – UV – ps/saves Very cool. I like the design of a good credits map especially one with the guts to have so much detail from start to finish. I'm sure they all worked their asses off to make this stuff really come to life. Why not go out with a little style? Bravo to everyone. Good show! Hey, thank you. MAP10 - “Umbreion Nils” by [WH]-Wilou84 gzDoom – UV – ps/saves Huh. I did okay for the first few fights that were fun and was willing to save scum like a mofo a little later. The last half of the map though, blah. It was just one insane set up after the next. Timed door, survival situations with just a RL and a SSG with tons of AV's and revs? No, no, no. Not for me. Secret level is insane and not necessary but when there are only 9 maps... I would hope for something a little more playable. Maybe that's just me though. 2 nd best music track of the wad right here at least. So there's that. Final Thoughts Overall a very impressive collection of maps but as some others have said, the last few maps left a weird taste in my mouth. As much as I enjoyed the craftiness at the start and the craziness in the middle, the end stuff got to be a bit much for my tastes. 7/10 I must say though, this is really something that sticks to an overall theme and aesthetic really well. I loved all the custom creepiness filled to the brim in each map.

MAP06 - “The Forgotten Land” by JCD gzDoom – UV – continuous/no saves Spooky music for another fantastic looking map (look at those steps!) that felt like it would start slow but then throws an AV at you straight away. Whoa! This one had some real punch to it at times. Large hordes of enemies. Some fights were cheesable while others required some real quick thinking and fast footwork. Specifically the BSK fight in the caves. That was a real treat. Loved it. I was handling things alright enough at first with the PG and then I stumbled past some spiders, running out of room to breath. When all of the sudden, what do I find straight ahead of me?? An invulnerability sphere!! Hot damn! Switched to my RL immediately, carved my way through to the AV's and then focused on the cybercow before time ran out. What a blast. Literally. Fun, fun, fun. The ending however, was a complete let down. At first it looks like another huge fight with a big circular area... but I shot a switch and ran inside. That was that. Huh. Guess I shouldn't move so fast?

MAP05 - “Orange Juice” by Chaos gzDoom – UV – pistol start/saves Sorry, not my favorite. Fairly hard with A LOT of rocket ammo in tight spaces. Blah. The pop up rev horde with another AV behind them was probably the most infuriating of the traps. I could handle most of the others, although just barely. I died plenty at first attempts and decided to just go back to pistol starts and saving again. The cyberdemon fight at the end felt out of place and very uninspired. The first half of the map was good but lost me during the last. Still though, things look great. Lots of good detail and a few set pieces that stood out as larger and more open than the rest of the map but I could see this possibly being the weakest of the bunch. Funny exit though, heh.

MAP04 - “Bile Noire” by Jambon, franckFRAG gzDoom - UV – continuous/no saves Interesting choice to drop the sky texture for black. I liked the evil looking towers cropping up from below and peaking out in the background. Good stuff. This map is drastically different for those coming in on a contiuous run as opposed to a pistol start. (That goes without saying, I suppose.) Here I had a head start coming in from the last map. Feeling good and loaded, ready for the worst but I blew it badly. That AV with a pair of revs and space taking demons circling a raised Manc tower... ouch. That hurt. I was so close too. So, I had to suck it up and pistol start like most everyone else and I found out it was almost just as hard even with the knowledge of where to go. So many rev rockets in weird angles! Especially inside where there are lots of varying levels and columns to hide things behind. Not to mention the nobles used almost litteraly as window dressing. The caco horde after the RL was a welcome challenge but lord have mercy if you hadn't taken the time to clear out some of those revs before running around fighting the newly released floating menace. I tucked inside the secret side passage for a little extra cover to blast them as they came on. I completely lucked out in my choice of position but I could picture players struggling with them. Both of the keys had some nasty ambushes I mostly just ran far far far away from. Not the most fun unfortunately. While I like the freedom of choice, I prefer a good set up that forces you to deal with things where they happen. A few times here if felt like there was not a good way of handling things as you found them. The best course was to just hide in a corner and pick off stragglers from safety. I really liked the finale though. Thankfully I saved some rockets for it. Interestingly, in case you didn't do as I did, all of the ammo you need is past the metal threshold behind the horde you'd need it for! Nice touch with the "not so fast!" exit blocker.

MAP03 - “Rain of Embers” by Datacore, [WH]-Wilou84, franckFRAG gzDoom - UV – continuous/no saves The bass on this music track. Holy shit! I loooove it. I bought a new Sennheiser headset and am glad I spent the extra bit of cheese for higher quality. This has to be the best track on this wad. 7 more maps, time will tell. Another cavernous temple base map. The outdoor stuff is visually a treat that meets the high standard of quality so far in these maps. Wow. Great stuff. Inside are lots of interesting texture blends of rocks and gothic metal. I got a kick out of finding the secret back area right away. Always a good design choice for an optional area that lets the player clear out areas ahead of time to make things a bit easier later on. Also the dead marine hint was well done. I didn't pick up on that until after I cleared the map. Tough stuff with the rev and AV use in tighter areas. Met my first death being a bit to slow to back out of danger. Fitting that the wall decoration in that area is beyond creepy. There were a lot of hairy encounters where you felt boxed in but actually weren't if you kept your head about you. The demon rush near the blocked off steps comes to mind in that regard. The gigantic black crosses in the background really stood out visually with the amazing sky texture that compliments everything in that corner section before the end. Very awesome. It was great that you're able to spot them from the very beggining of the map too. Bravo.

Whoa... that intermission art. Looks like something off a Mastadon album or something. God damn! MAP02 - “Molten Desolation” by Datacore, [WH]-Wilou84 gzDoom - UV – continuous/no saves Awesome in map credits given. I like stuff like that. This felt cramped but not annoying thankfully. There was enough room to skirt when needed... just barely. Thankfully the SSG makes it's presence known. The RL is a dangerous get out of jail card as always. Good at dooming yourself out of trouble is never a guaranteed thing. I loved the change of lighting given the enemy placement. and how it really ramps up at the end with the shift to even darker stuff before the introducion of the Baron. Those wings are killer. Love the skulls on the spiders too. A good cave/temple map, simple but complex enough to make you get turned around once or twice. The mancubi use is probably the best part of this IMO. The AV at the end of the hallway and the little pincer ambush with HK's was great but there's something to be said about good Manc usage as it's hard to do and you really have to focus on it design wise I think. *shrug* Fun map.

Tangerine Nightmare Awesome art. Music is fantastic as well. Holy hell, look at that font. Nice touch with "new story." Hell of an aesthetic to start out with in the menus and I haven't even played anything yet! Really sets the tone. MAP01 - “Sombre Venue” by Datacore, franckFRAG gzDoom - UV – continuous/no saves What a welcome surprise this was. Such a cool opening map with lots of neat little touches. The detailing stood out to me. Every rocky wall and nook has something unique about it. Once you get over that the new enemy graphics become quite a shock as well. I mean, zombies with capes?! Lol. sure, why not? Lots of custom resources and what not going on. It all fits together very well though. It reminds me of something I played a while back, Torment and Torture, I think it was called. Tons of new enemies and AI behaviors. Barely a traditional Doom game. This is pretty cool though. Nothing too over the top, just awesome enough to add to the Doom 2ness.

Oh WOW... right off the bat this is amazing. So glad I have a decent set up again where I can play. Just got through the first map and am looking forward to this!!

Hey guys! Is this WAD good stuff? I haven't had time this month to read anything but might finally be able to play some again. If I were to play a dozen maps to get a good sense of what this WAD had to offer; which ones should I play? Or is it really worth it to try and go through the whole thing before next month's wad?

MAP12 - “Toxicity” by Ola Björling gzDoom - UV – pistol start/saves Whoa. This was gnarly. About as wicked as the music. Blaring at times while mellow when not. There were some annoyances that really made me mad. The first was with the green ooze falling. You were able to pass through some of the falling toxins but then when you wanted to next, you can’t! I came out of that small opening, dumbfounded while those imps pelted me as I stumbed forward apparently hitting my head against the solid liquid flow. Huh? I just passed through the same stuff moments before! What the hell, man? If you’re going to let players pass through some liqud, don’t make others solid. Have some consistency, damn it. Same with these fucking doors. Again with this wad! Grrrr!! Is it yellow? Looks like it. Is it blue? Maybe. How could you tell? Do I need a red card? Perhaps, but I don’t know because it’s just another switch. Unmarked, when there are doors that are. It becomes difficult to remember what’s what and which key you might need to find first. Then before you know it, you’re stuck on the other end of a toxic stretch of damage, trying to think of where to go next but can’t be certain because there are no consistent visual cues for appropriate progress hurdles to pick up on and remember. For fuck’s sake. Maybe it's just me and my shitty memory. Oh, then there was this. Thanks for that… lol. Felt like I was playing Demon’s Souls for a second. That didn’t happen the second time! Suck it. Woof, enough of my bitching. This map is pretty stellar after all so don’t get me wrong. Plenty of fun challenges with intense moments in between the bits of mild confusion and exploration. I mostly enjoyed the hell out of this and all of it’s visuals bits and stylings. Lots of good looking open areas over gaps of toxins. I didn’t mind running through damage floors to progress for the most part. Lots of suits around to time things out. Didn’t bother me. Same with the box jumping segments. I nailed it without too much issue. Get it on. Very limited arsenal at first. Hell, I pistol shot two imps, a caco (and a switch!) then ran past a baron before finally wrestling a single barrel shotgun from a zombie. Quite a dicey start. From there it’s almost straight on to a caco horde and mixed assortment of imps and a rev before possibly finding the SSG. It felt like that was it for 70% of the map. The PG past the caco swarm came in handy when the BFG ran low later. Hell of a surprise there when 3 panels opened up and they started piling out. Then, if you ran past them, you had to dance with a baron at the bottom of a stairway! Yikes. Well done there. Finally a map where the BFG gets some solid use though. I mostly ran past the mess at the end but the cyberdemon before it was a solid roadblock. The final caves were slick. Felt good crawling around and getting to the last little temple shrine finale and blasting the AV in his cage. Crazy sequence of stuff there. Interesting choice for an end. Final Thoughts This was great. I had issues with some of the smaller things (read above) so I know this mapset isn’t perfect. You could look past the nit picky gripes but a few of the maps did fall a little short of the mark for me. It is really good stuff though. Damned good at times but those things combined together kept me from giving this a 5. This was a solid 4/5. Perhaps a 4.5/5 if that were a thing. For the maps that didn’t quite stand up to the rest, the bar was so high thanks to the excellent others that it feels almost unfair to compare. It is what it is. Very interested to see what the rest of you thought. I see @Capellan ended up a tad sour on it at the end for good reasons stated. Me, I just really enjoyed this set and am really happy we played the first one before this. Night and day difference and it was fun to see where this went in it’s second offering. Favorites MAP01 - “Outpost Mortem” by Ola Björling MAP05 - “Melt-Down” by Richard Wiles MAP09 - “Hard Core” by Jan Van der Veken, Ola Björling, Anthony Soto MAP10 - “Plasmorgasm” by Richard Wiles MAP11 - “Powerplant” by Ben Davies Weaker few MAP06 - “At the Heart of Decay” by Jan Van der Veken MAP07 - “Waste Processing” by Nick Baker I doubt I’ll be able to write up anything next week and beyond into the new year. Will play and read along when I have time though so I encourage others to do what they can as I do so enjoy it ^_^ Just too much RL shit going on. Happy Holidays everyone!

MAP11 - “Powerplant” by Ben Davies gzDoom - UV – pistol start/saves I absolutely adored the experience of this map. Almost like a mash up of System Shock 2 and Doom. I barely saved once I got in and had a good sense that this map required a little extra tension. So many nice touches. One with bringing in additional imps to places you’ve been before. That was a good way to trigger a player’s attention by using their snarkling sounds to their new presence in order to find the newly open door or general direction to move towards. Fantastic. Another was the moments of recognizable discoveries that that felt very gratifying. "I barely remember seeing that 10 minutes ago! Sweet." Lots of tight spaces with various open areas for larger scaled battles. VERY little health. It was a grueling slog at times where every mistake stuck with you for a while. Those damn hitscanners outside the window up on ledges and in a tower while dealing with 2 barons were quite tricky. I only found one green armor about halfway through after that which carried me to the end. Speaking of the end, awesome. At first I was thinking it was a 1 on 1 cyber battle for a classic showdown finish but then a few friends joined on the platform above to mix things up. Which was great because I didn’t have quite enough plasma ammo to do the job right and quick. I needed just a little help. "OUCH, that was close." "Jeeeezus!" Lol. I liked that half the ground was damage ground as well. Kept things risky when trying to side step rockets and circle around for more space behind. Outstanding finish to such a brooding map. So many dark touches and quiet moments followed by violence. More often quiet moments proceeded it. Lots of little extra details in the wall textures and red blood/lava flows. You know me, I do love window views with outdoor detail. Wouldn’t be a favorite map of mine without one. Thumbs up! I really dug the fiendishly muted music track for a more dark and slower paced exploration styled map as well. It was low beat with slight up key notes here and there on top of a sweet bass line. Minor nitpick… this is a red key door? Meh, if you say so. Now, I can believe that this is a yellow door. So why leave the red unmarked? Come on now. Whoa… where were those secrets? I tried being as observant as possible. What did I miss? I think I’ll play through this again with some different mods for fun. Oh ya, feels good.

MAP10 - “Plasmorgasm” by Richard Wiles gzDoom - UV – pistol start/saves Nice intro through the cell block area. Loved the look of the first shot and the surrounding designs. Very cool futuristic looking prison. Exploring the rest of the interesting looking base seemed like a fairly intricate puzzle with lots of lifts and locked door tricks to it. I enjoyed it a lot. Piece by piece, figuring out where to go and what to do next felt just as challenging as some of the combat. I really like the fascinating ways everyone is coming up with to show their own kind of crate shipping/dock areas. I usually roll my eyes at box themed areas but in this wad they keep kind of raising the bar IMO. Lots of other cool stuff. Never did find out how to get that Soulsphere though it was quite an interesting central set piece to design around. I liked the surprise baron in the tight squeezed corridor. Good shocker. Hahaha, the map named after the ending. Funny. The slow build with giving out plasma ammo throughout the map leads a player to asking themselves, “why do I have all this plasma ammo and nothing to do?” Then, “oh there’s the gun next to the BK but I can see the exit this is practically over so what next? Ohhh, okay. YeeeaaAAHH!! Get some. *LOL*

MAP09 - “Hard Core” by Jan Van der Veken, Ola Björling, Anthony Soto gzDoom - UV – pistol start/saves Lots of legs to this one. It kept going and going with lots of little good encounters and challenges. Three people put together a lot of fun ideas and an interesting variety of places with unique set pieces. My favorite part being the secret adventure through the toxic falls for the blue armor and a chance to sneak in to the base from behind. That felt really cool. Fun secret. Unlike the secret/notsecret BFG which was way too easy and unnecessary. I didn’t even use the damned thing! The crushing box over the dead marine around the shipping area was hilarious as well. Lots of fun detailing in there. Glad it didn’t catch me off guard as thankfully it wasn’t a cheap instakill trick. Fun map, great music, nice looking work. Good, great, grand. Wonderful.