Lorenz0

MAP23 - Inca Interesting map. The layout is pretty fun to traverse, due to all the ledges and multiple ways to access each area. Visually it’s also quite striking, however for the majority of the map I thought that the gameplay is a bit too easy. It’s more of a relaxing stroll than anything else, at least for me. I was 8 minutes in and noticed that I never even felt a need to save. So yeah, I thought that the map was too easy for its slot, but then came the cyberdemon fight and it kicked my shit in. I tanked two rockets and used all my bfg ammo on the different enemies flying from everywhere, but I somehow managed to survive without dying. That lack of bfg ammo made the 3 archvile ambush later on quite a bit harder. Cool map overall, though I would’ve preferred some more challenge in the first half as well. MAP24 - Berragem The opening sight in this one is really nice. Snowy landscape in a red void is a cool aesthetic, but to my disappointment, most of the map takes place in a pretty generic cave base. It doesn’t look bad at all, but I’m a bit tired of that look at this point. On the other hand, the combat is seriously challenging this time. The large open spaces are heavily inhabited by monsters that throw projectiles at you from many directions, and there are quite a few threatening ambushes in smaller areas too. Good stuff overall.

MAP21 - Inferno Deadwing’s depiction of hell as a red voidscape with ancient looking buildings suspended in the air is one that I like quite a bit. This kind of texturing works really well. Anyway, this map really tries to get across the point that you’re in hell and things are not so easy now, by sending an apocalyptic number of revenants at the player in the main encounter. In a megawad full of low monster counts, this is some great contrast. The layout is fairly straightforward this time, but that’s a good thing. The focus is clearly on the atmosphere this time, and that aspect is pretty much perfect, due to the things I mentioned above, as well as the unsettling music, which is a good fit. MAP22 - Velas I thought I recognized this layout from playing the demo a long time ago and it seems that I was right. It was repurposed into an episode 3 map and it seems slightly out of place, but I think it’s a decent fit overall. It’s not nearly as grandiose as the previous map, but it has a lot more content. The non-linear layout is, as always, fun to explore and the separate areas are pretty memorable. The cyberdemon duel was the most challenging for me, since you fight him on a pretty tight ledge. The other 2 monsters in that room are just nuisances and they’re generally not worth making infight with the cyb.

Well I fell behind. MAP18 - Torres This map is a handsome looking space station with 3 separate areas that you teleport between. I’m normally not a fan of using teleports, instead of a more organic progression between areas, but it works pretty well here. The visuals are pretty nice throughout, but I wonder if it would’ve been a good idea to make the 3 stations more distinctive on their own by using some kind of color coding. The combat contains a few nasty traps with a focus on revenants and hellions, but it’s manageable overall. We’re in the second half of the megawad, but the gameplay isn’t that much harder than what came before. I suspect that will change eventually though. A very solid map, I like it a lot. MAP19 - Gerador Another good one. Coincidentally the thing I addressed in my previous comment, was what I got here. A space base with a more organic progression than teleports, which is also a bit more hostile and challenging than the last map. I could never find a way to avoid the archviles’ attacks quickly enough, and my doom intuition failed me numerous times, since every time I entered a new area I found that I had the wrong weapon out and took damage as a result of that. The final fight was the hardest for me though, to the degree that I skipped it and went straight for the exit. 2 Spider Masterminds and enemies frantically teleporting everywhere is a bit too chaotic for me. I just made the 2 spiders infight and rode the elevator to the exit. The last thing worth mentioning is that I think the map looks quite pretty, even more than usual. The red lights and accents work really well here. MAP20 - Moonblood II Another transitional map, that’s mostly comprised of the same hub area we traversed last time. Not before you fight 4 cyberdemons though. I don’t really get that fight. It seems a bit pointless.

MAP16 - Cidadela I What the hell is this. Why is half this map just running from switch to switch or waiting for elevators to lower. If this is an attempt for a puzzle map, it’s not a very successful one. The other half of the map is some decent combat, with some very mean cyberdemons at the end. They can easily kill you the first time you face them, when they teleport away. Most of this map's positives are unfortunately overshadowed by how irritating the player movement is. Visually it’s a continuation of the theme introduced in map15, but not as detailed. Overall, not a very impressive map. MAP17 - Cidadela II This map also contains some annoying puzzles, like the last one, but it has a bit more substance outside of that. It has a large amount of trap-like encounters, much more than what we’re used to. They’re never too hard, but can be quite punishing if you skip some of the secrets. The red key fight is the hardest in my opinion. The layout splits into 3 paths with keys at the end of them. A basic formula, but it works. The architecture and texturing can be pretty unpolished at times, but I wouldn’t say it’s ever straight up ugly. I think one thing to improve would be to lower the light level on sectors that contain snow flats, as they are really bright. This is clearly the work of a different author, noticeable by the things I mentioned above, as well as tighter areas and a different approach to secrets. It’s not as good as Deadwing’s best, but it’s a competent map and there’s some fun to be had for sure.

MAP31 - Rooftops I'm not a fan of this one. There's much more empty space than usual, and the hitscanners are also more annoying than usual, hitting you from far away while you're running through those large areas. It's not particularly hard though, just time consuming and kinda boring. The techbase aesthetic doesn't really fit this megawad either, which I guess justifies this map's secret slot, but it looks kinda generic otherwise. It's noticeably less detailed than what came before. Now that I've read Deadwing's post about this map above, I understand why it's this way, but I still dislike it. After finishing it I wasn't really in the mood for a 500 monster long adventure map from Antares, so I'll probably save map32 for another time and stick with the regular maps for now. I do have pretty high expectations for that one though, so I'll try to come back to it soon.

MAP14 - Caverna Quintessential Deadwing map. It has everything this mapper is known for: a hot start, non-linearity, lots of enemies sniping you from afar, and a few mean traps in between the incidental combat. The cavern on display here is particularly unfriendly, with its damaging water spilling everywhere. There’s also some platforming, but it’s not hard at all. The open-ness of this map is probably my favorite aspect of it. I like how you can approach areas from a few different directions. The combat here is not very memorable though, maybe except for the triple archvile ambush, but that also happens twice for some reason. Visually it’s also not much to speak about. It’s a nice looking cave, but can’t compare with the unique aesthetics of the previous heaven maps, as well as the next one. Makes me think it should’ve been a part of a different episode, since it doesn’t fit that well where it’s placed. MAP15 - # Spectacular work. Well made city levels impress me on their own, since I find them really hard to make, but this one is particularly eye-catching since it’s suspended in the sky. (an orange one this time). The non-linear layout is once again fun to explore, but I think the combat in this map displays more creativity than usual. The cyberdemon area where you have to force him to walk under a crusher is really cool, and a unique challenge. I also like the trap at the end where a horde of Hellions is released and you have to quickly use your rockets and plasma if you wanna have a hope of surviving. The music also adds to the atmosphere and makes me feel like I’m on an important mission of some sort. I found about half the secrets on my own, and had to look for the other half at the end to reach the secret exit. I usually don’t bother with that, but I wanted to give this map special attention. In the end I didn’t figure out how to get one of them and noclipped to a switch that lowered the bars leading to the final encounter - a simple bfg fight with 2 cyberdemons. Cool stuff. My favorite map so far overall.

Pretty much the worst advice I've ever seen. I play on co-op quite often and there's nothing that wants me stop playing more than lazily added cyberdemons. My tip would be to simply ensure there's no softlocks, and that's usually enough. Players will find their own ways to increase/decrease difficulty by using various mods, so you don't really have to do much, although if you want to do something extra, then adding some co-op only monsters is fine. Just remember that co-op session vary in size, so sometimes your map may be played by 2 people at once, and sometimes by 15 people at once.

MAP12 - Céu A nice introduction to the white void aesthetic that I assume is going to be prevalent through episode 2. It’s quite a departure from the plutonish browns, but a welcome one. The megawad gains a unique flavour thanks to that. This map is quite a bit more linear than Deadwing’s usual creations, but there’s nothing wrong with that, especially since it’s the first level of the episode. It also seems quite a bit easier than many previous maps. I haven’t had any trouble with any of the traps on the way, and the cyberdemon at the end can easily infight and be skipped as you rush for the exit. MAP13 - Observatório Another circular spawn area, but it branches out in more directions than the one in the previous map. There’s clearly more to explore here, since this is most likely the largest map so far, which can also be noticed by the increased monster count. It’s also a step up in difficulty, but all the fights were still manageable for me. The surprise hellion at the exit was a bit of a dick move though lol A pretty fun map to go through overall, but this is the first time when I didn’t really like the music. I switched to the deluxe version last map to try it out, but I mean it for both versions this time. It’s just not my thing for some reason.

MAP10 - Aranha This map works well as an episode closer, being the most difficult one of the first 10. It starts with a duel against a teleporting spider mastermind, which is sure to damage you at least a few times, but the fight can be simplified by hiding down one of the staircases in the arena. Then you’re free to explore the outer ring of the map and small paths that branch out of it. Your movement is not restricted by anything, but there are so many roaming archviles and revenants that it’s surprisingly hard to stay alive amidst the chaos. I also have to complement the visuals on display here. Among the brown and beige walls you can find numerous red vines that contrast very well with the scenery. And I can say the same thing about the blue evil eyes and torches at the outer edges of the map. Those are simple things, but they do a lot to make the level more visually appealing. The music is once again very atmospheric, and combined with the texturing and the interesting layout, made me enjoy the map a lot more. It’s definitely one of my favorites so far. MAP11 - Moonblood I This nearly monsterless level is a really cool transition between the episodes. The combination of a total void with some kinds of research facilities is intriguing and makes me want to keep playing. Cool breather map.

MAP09 - Subterrâneo II So this is my map. I made it more than a year ago and it was my first time working with boom, as I’m usually a udmf guy. I think the map turned out decently, but I kinda regret I wasn’t able to do more with it. The layout turned out to be more linear than I would’ve liked, since there’s only one area that contains more than one path, which is the big cave. All the fights are also pretty simple, made from basic line actions, due to my unfamiliarity with boom. The one with Hellions on the left side of the cave will probably give players trouble, but the rest is really not that hard. Still, I think the map flows fairly well despite some imperfections. The cave section is my favorite both gameplay-wise and visually. The level most likely fits well into the megawad, but I just feel like I should’ve been more ambitious and made something more creative and distinctive. Oh well.

MAP07 - Satelite The name suggests that this level doesn’t take place on Earth, which you wouldn’t be able to guess just by looking at the familiar rocky textures and man made buildings. However, looks can be deceiving, because the atmosphere is quite otherworldly. The music contributes to that feeling a lot, and the radioactive water is certainly not something a doomguy from Earth is used to! I like how the island you move around on is structured. It’s a pretty unusual environment and I enjoy it a lot. The combat seems a bit easier than in the previous map, though I managed to get killed by the surprise hellions early and by the two archviles at the very end regardless. MAP08 - Subterrâneo I That’s…a lot of revenants. This map is relatively straightforward, containing 3 big fights, each one triggering as you go deeper into the cave. The first one gave me the most trouble, as the revenants can easily overwhelm you if you’re not careful, though circle strafing can alleviate some of the pressure. The reason why I found this fight hard is also the biggest problem I have with the map - the secret I found next to the spawn area is inescapable. You cannot go back to the starting room, which meant that I had to beat the entire map without picking up the blue armor at the start, since I jumped down into the secret first. I think this is something that should be fixed. Players usually don’t expect secrets to be inescapable after all. I have no issues other than that though. The map is pretty cool, with the silent teleporters and exciting ambushes. And the midi is once again very fitting. Much more epic than usual, just how the combat is more hectic than usual.

MAP06 - Altura The beginning of this map is quite reminiscent of map03’s first location. Another tight, cross-shaped ledge where you have to choose a path while avoiding enemies from many different directions. It’s similar enough that I think it would’ve been a good idea to place those maps a bit further apart from each other. The combat here is harder than in that level though. I had to be on the move constantly to deal with enemies all over the place, with few breathers in between. I enjoy the challenge though. If it ever starts feeling too exhausting for me, I’ll just drop down to HMP. Probably the only thing I’d change in this map would be adding a radsuit to the arachnotron pit. The one you get before teleporting is just not enough to kill everything. Reducing the numbers of spiders there would be an alternative solution.

MAP04 - Cerimonia This map embraces the jungle aesthetic, which is nicely accompanied by a fitting midi which I’m quite fond of. It has the least threatening start out of all the maps so far, but the difficulty ramps up later, with a few mean ambushes, like the surprise archvile pair when pressing the third switch after the previous two were just harmless hitscanners, or any time the new monster appears. The Hellion fires plasma bolts while avoiding all your attempts to hit it. It’s definitely a threat that most players will have to take time to get used to. Overall it’s another pleasant map to play through. Using the chaingun to snipe faraway enemies will give you an advantage. MAP05 - Hexagonal What an accurate title. The layout is filled with hexagonal rooms all over the place. It’s a decent visual concept I guess, but the actual visuals of the areas you visit are not that impressive. I feel like the gameplay is also not up to the usual standard of Ozonia. The incidental combat is decent enough, but the big ambushes not so much. The teleporter gimmick is an interesting concept, but it’s annoying in practice. And the trap at the end, where you’re forced to run on a tight ledge while numerous mancubi are blocking your path, is mean enough to be unfun. Definitely my least favorite map so far, though it can probably be slightly excused by the fact that it’s one of the first ones made for the project, as I recognize it from the demo I played years ago.

MAP03 - Circulos [GZDoom/UV] Quite a hectic start with this one. The beginning of “Circulos” is probably its most difficult part. You have to quickly figure out where to go on a narrow path, while fireballs are flying at you from many directions. It’s not nearly as overwhelming once you choose a direction and hide from most attacks. The layout is again, pretty non-linear, however you will have to backtrack if you choose a path without a key at the end of it. The combat is solid throughout, my favorite encounter being the red key ambush, where you have to sprint towards the rad suit and kill monsters quickly after that. In general, I think the map makes good use of damaging floors. This time you actually have decent space to fight a cyberdemon, which is nice. If you lure him towards the center, he can infight with the barons, and after clearing out everything else, you can hide on the platform the cyb was on and kill him from there. His rockets will usually splash against the wall and be useless. The double archvile secret was the only one I found. I like the way it was hidden. Not too hard to find, but satisfying nonetheless.

I was looking forward to this wad for a long while. I'm pretty happy to finally play it. I'll stick to the classic version for now. MAP01 - Ozonia [GZDoom/UV] 25 monsters seems like very little, even for the first map of a megawad, but the gameplay here manages to be pretty exciting despite that fact. Deadwing rejects common thoughts on what kind of monsters a first map should include, and throws a horde of arachnotrons at you right away. They’re fairly easy to combat, but you can back yourself into a corner if you’re not careful. The remaining monsters on the main path are even less threatening, which is not a bad thing, as things are just getting started. The computer area map made it pretty easy for me to find the secrets, but the cyberdemon one confused me a little. It seems like you’re meant to kill him after you find the plasma in the second secret. You don’t exactly have much space for that fight either, so it just seems like an unnecessary annoyance. Or that the cyb is there just for shock factor. Setting gameplay aside, I enjoyed the atmosphere in this one. The midi contributed to that feelling a lot, and the texturing was solid throughout. Detailing was always Deadwing’s weakest asset, but this seems like an improvement from Exomoon, and especially from Moonblood. There’s one nitpick I have however, that I will probably have throughout my entire playthrough of this wad. I feel like some wall textures don’t have matching flats. For example grey walls with black/brown ceilings/floors. I’d always like the transitions to have matching colors, so if you wanna have a black ceiling under a grey wall, I’d add a grey border around that black ceiling to make it look more seamless. One of the reasons why this problem may occur is something I realized in the process of making a map for this project - there’s not that many flats in the texture pack. It’s not a big deal though, and may just come down to personal preference. MAP02 - Renascido Here we have an even better showcase of Deadwing’s efficiency with low monster counts, and the first showcase of one of his biggest strengths - the layouts. The progression path just flows so nicely and you don’t get lost easily, even with some non-linearity. The texturing in this map is very Plutonia-like and looks quite nice overall. The combat steps up a bit and isn’t a cakewalk anymore. Some ambushes are nasty enough to kill you if you stop paying attention. I died at the red key fight from revenant missiles due to standing in place like a dumbass instead of running forward. Overall not a trivial map, and would probably give me a bit more trouble if I hadn’t found that ssg secret.