Xeogred

Good to know! Curious what port do you use then? I haven't dug too much into the newest GZDoom yet but I'm guessing it still doesn't have some kind of simple pistol start option. So I'm always using the console to manually restart a map if I'm doing PS runs. Which has been more and more common, guess it finally clicked with me in recent years and now I'm extra picky when a map doesn't seem to be balanced for it... lol

E1 is so awesomely iconic and atmospheric. But yeah sometimes you want a little more challenge going back to the classics haha. Still though, could be my favorite for nostalgia sake. After that it's either the awesomely refined E4 that's brutal early on and has grown on me a ton, or my liking to how weird E2 is in spots. I've always liked E2 more than E3 overall. But both of those have some weaker maps to me. I guess it might not 100% fall under the Ultimate canon, but it'd be interesting to see how people would rank E5 and E6 among these now too.

idclev is for Doom 2 Try this in the console: "Map E6M1" etc Never thought about this with difficulty though. I'm guessing if you just pick a random episode on HMP, then use Map it'll carry over HMP... This is all for GZDoom at least.

I did HMP first and then UV, honestly I didn't think it was too bad that way at least. But not sure exactly what you guys are doing, 100% or whatnot. I did pistol start but allowed myself a few saves per level. Once you know some routes/secrets, I was having fun on UV. Remixed the experience too playing with the mp3 OST that time. That said yeah, a full blind first run on UV is probably nasty. Going back to Sigil 1 for a replay on UV was almost comical. It does have a few tough maps in the back half, I somehow missed ALL secrets on E5M7 and that was freaking brutal ammo/health wise. But other than that it was kind of a cake walk in comparison, even going back into it a few years later without remembering some secrets and what to expect. So yeah I guess Romero took it personal that Doom players have gotten better haha...

A zombie being tucked away in some of the secrets is really amusing. That and some of the cybers seem like Romero is definitely toying with the 100%'ers out there haha... Maybe that's why there's some really out of the way weird armor pickups sometimes too.

I started chipping away at Double Impact, since Sigil II has me in the mood for some more Doom 1. It's an awesome beefed up Episode 1 for sure. I'm not sure if it was intentional but I like how there's always a few rooms that look like remixes of the original E1. Difficulty seems pretty high, definitely choked on health and ammo at times, but I guess I appreciate that going against the base E1 enemies. That said I was happy to see Caco's pop up in map 3. With giant maps and hundreds of monsters, these are taking awhile to get through so I'll probably just slowly chip away at it. Sigil II kind of has me itching for more quicker tightly paced maps right now. But I never want to sound like big maps are a negative. Just depends on the flavor of the day for me. So far the first three maps of Double Impact have been really good, so I'll keep playing it. I think I might hit up Sigil with the Buckethead OST this weekend, I never did play it that way before. It'll be cool to compare it to Sigil II now back to back as well.

It's been fun watching decino's playthrough of this now and re-experience it this way. Still one of the coolest wads I've played in recent years.

After beating it on HMP the other night, I just finished up a full UV/PS per map run tonight. Sparse saves here and there. Just like classic Romero, a little trial and error along with knowing some of the secrets, everything feels so fair and awesome. I'm still not sure how much I love the first three maps and this M1 seems so obtuse for an M1, but it's growing on me. I also bought the digital release to check it out with the THORR OST this run. Vitriolic Vendetta was my favorite jam. Not sure I have a favorite between the two OST's. The THORR tunes kind of crank it up like it's Quake II stuff haha. I dig it but the Jimmy OST is amazing too and I think gives it a darker vibe. I like M9 myself. It reminds me a lot of some of the one off maps Romero did over the years. E1M4 Phobos Mission Control and E1M8 Tech Base Gone Bad. I'm always a sucker for E1 and techbases, so it's nice to see Romero still mess a little with that aesthetic. Weren't there some nastier crusher traps in the first Sigil? It rings a bell thinking of that haha. Not too bad here. Lot of damage floors though and opportunities to fall off some of the thin ziggy zaggy platforms as some mentioned. For me I still think E6M5 might be my top favorite. I still couldn't find all the secrets but it's such a perfect map though. There is much of this wad that makes me feel like Hellion is going to be more of Romero's Plutonia, rather than Doom II. At the same time, M7 is still an odd one and feels like something that would have been more interesting in Doom II with the full enemy roster. Maybe a case of Romero having several map ideas so he jammed them all into that map? I still dig it though, just a bit longer than his usual style. M4 and M6 are up there among my favorites as well. M6 kind of gave me Alien Vendetta vibes. It was a big adventurous map but far more focused than M7. M8 is surprisingly easy and brief now, especially finding all the secrets and loading up. It feels like a cool conclusion to this chapter but maybe could have gone a little harder. No real complaints though. 30 years later and Romero still cooks up some amazingly cool maps with their own personality even among the hundreds of wads out there now. We are spoiled that the legend himself keeps dishing out new levels! So freaking awesome. A lot of hype is riding on Hellion but I bet it'll be killer.

30 years and they're still fighting. :) DOOM IS ETERNAL!

Definitely, even seems bigger than his Doom 2 maps, or at least more complex with the frighteningly claustrophobic styling of Doom 1 heh.

Hit up M4-6 tonight and oh buddy, this is the evil Romero I know haha. I was getting pretty stubborn on some of M6's secrets and ideal pathing. Freaking amazing maps, the Hell infested tech base aesthetic was awesome in M4 too. M7 seemed huge so I saved midway in for now and will get back to it.

Huge fan of Romero myself here but yeah, not sure what to make of the earlier maps so far and his newfound obsession for the shootable door triggers. I have been off DOOM for far too long at about a year, so I'm easing back in on HMP but then I feel disappointed missing the Cyberdemon in M1 haha. I saw decino is already uploading his runs so that'll be fun to watch after I clear a map. Saved at the hell tech base M4 to jump back into tonight and I bet I'll love this one. Looking forward to the rest. Sigil was a blast to run through for a few playthroughs and I'm sure it'll be the same here. Naturally I'm playing the free midi version for now and James Paddock/Jimmy always delivers for me. Awesome tunes so far. I do hope his Doom II project is legit. I love his Doom II maps but they're so sparse and all these years later he's still stuck to Doom 1, which is fine. But I'm always anticipating what Romero could cook up with bigger maps if he wanted, the full monster roster, and the super shotgun. Loved the interview with the John's the other night. All in all, a fun 30th indeed. Been playing it since the beginning and will never stop. Doom is eternal!

I also recommend Hellbound. Huge city maps in a lot of it with immense details.

Great vids BlueThunder. Looks like such an awesome way to revisit PSX Doom.

EDIT: Nevermind, seems to launch fine now. haha phew.