Endless

MAP30 'cause I'm just a big disappointment.

Oh these ones deserve a hunt. Perhaps @Doomkid has some ideas?

That's probably the most controversial aspect of Final Doom. From what I know, instead of TNT: Evilution, we were going to have Perdition's Gate, which I think would've been better! but the id guys ultimately closed the deal.

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.

Some of you know that, during modern day, Final Doom tends to have a generally good opinion, mostly on the side that everyone seems to agree that Plutonia is cool, but TNT Evilution kinda sucks when compared. But how was the general opinion back during its premiere year? What did the Doom fans think of it? What was expected? New levels? New maps? New gameplay? While it's pretty easy to find magazine articles about the original Doom and Doom 2, it's a bit harder to do so for Final Doom, so I'd like to know better. I'd love to read from any Doom veteran here that actually got to enjoy the game during it's initial release, or at least close to it.

SATAN'S CASTLE II 1995 By George Fiffy There are not many WADs from the 90s (especially 1994 and 1995) that can be said to have survived the test of time, however, that doesn't mean that we can't appreciate a bit of the beauty of those times under certain unique specimens that maintain a solid foundation of retrospective quality. This small single-level WAD is the perfect example of a 1995 map that manages to hold up excellently. Created by George Fiffy, as a sequel to his original (which doesn't hold up so well), this level managed to bring with it new qualities that make it a solid, respectable example of the time. As you might expect with that wonderful name, this map is set in a gothic castle of green marble, a texture as moldable as it is attractive, which exemplifies very well the fantastical part of the golden age. The map has a solid structure and variation of areas, combining different scenarios under a uniform presentation, which makes the progress feel natural and organic, progressing as we advance through the bowels of the castle. We can find courtyards, warehouses, dungeons, acid pools, altars and more. All of that done in a way that feels dynamic enough to contain itself within itself, maintaining its own boundaries and exploring a great combination of areas. The visual aspect is decently handled thanks to its modest but well-applied use. You don't find excessively repeated textures, nor mismatched color palettes. This makes it feel like a real treat for the eyes, especially when despite the variety of settings, the theme manages to stay the same and area changes are well blurred, which makes it feel natural on its own. The gameplay is pretty tough at times, considering the age of the WAD. While it’s not slaughter-styled, it does pose a threat thanks to the usage of tight corridors, high density of enemies and monster positioning, which requires to pay a slight degree of attention to avoid getting ass blasted into oblivion. This is a good balance that strikes me as perfectly medium. Medium-rare if you will. Satan’s Castle II is a cool WAD that really exemplifies the fantasy-esque style of the 90s, alongside the obsession for some edginess as exposition, which, I gotta admit, I just love! It has an innocent charisma of its own that shines through the years. Give this map a try, it’s a good trip down the rabbit hole of the bygone years.

Some insane preservation and archiving efforts done here! I'll be glad to link it.

Blessed day when a Heretic WAD drops.

hey hold on now

Wish I could give you an exact deadline! Unfortunately, the graphical design department has been quite tight for a while now, and while there's plenty of written material, it takes a while for it to be processed. After 17 free issues of this size and quality, it's a miracle we're still going! I do recommend you to check out our website: https://wadazine.com/ You'll find some good reading material there in the meantime. And thanks for the kind words!

By pretty much just playing. The more you play, the more points you earn. iirc, it's +5 points per WAD played, and you get extra points for doing crazy stuff, like Roofi, who plays until he dies.

Absolutely! I've been playing L4D2 for a while now and the custom maps are amazing. I've also have played lots of Unreal, Unreal Tournament, UT2004 and UT3 maps. The Unreal saga has amazing capabilities for custom maps. Also a bit of Quake and Duke3D, but like, 5 maps for each game probably. And maybe a dozen or so Heretic WADs. I've always wished for FEAR custom maps, but looks like those are extremely rare to come by.