STONES.WAD
1994
By Michael Kelsey
We all know the first fan-designed WAD in our history. The iconic origwad. A single level consisting of two rooms and a door. That's all. Origwad, despite its extreme simplicity, was a WAD designed during a time when there were no design tools or anything like that, so the author, Jeffrey Bird, had to do it all by hand. Origwad deserves its own separate article but going back to STONES.WAD is where we find the first WAD that truly exemplifies the development of the fan-designed map community. Created with DEU 5.0, this single-level WAD manages to create a quite admirable design that, had it been the mold of most 1994 WADs, would have changed history.
You may feel a bit alienated by the fact that this is one of the first WADs ever created, and you may have the idea that it's probably just a meaningless union of rooms; more experimental than formal. Luckily you have me to tell you that you are wrong! This map is very well designed, considering the date, the circumstances under which it was made, the truth is that it is much larger than one would think. The 1994 WADs, in general, don't look this good, which is quite special for this little piece of work designed by Michael Kelsey. Of course, it's not a modern WAD with the quality-of-life that many get, but it's a level that offers an excellent layout, great visuals, and fantastic performance, which puts it on par with the IWADs, something that would take the community years to overcome.
The level has a fairly simple and short layout, with a straightforward progression without much loss, and even contains optional areas that you can explore, either out of curiosity or to get that exquisite 100%. The map is pretty impressive all things considered. It has solid visuals and good use of textures, as well as a great variation of areas, which manage to give us an experience as nostalgic as it is enjoyable. Particularly the area with the nukage, looks like something that would come out 4 or 3 years later, not on the original date.
Even if you are not a fan of the old days, you owe it to yourself to play this WAD just to enhance your perspective on the history of this community and its content. Particularly if you consider yourself a wadarcheologist, then you should play it! It's a great WAD that presents a unique specimen.