DavitW

MAP04: Legacy of Blood A large crate maze makes up a fair portion of this map. I'm assuming most of the 22 secrets are found in there as well, but it's a lot of wandering around and blindly mashing your face against walls. It's a bit too Wolfenstein 3D for my liking. The rest of the map has some pretty interesting ideas though. I liked the bloodfalls that forced you to get in close so you could see the enemies to effectively fight them. And it looked like there were optional areas you could open with the white key presumably found in a secret somewhere, though I can't say for sure. Just in case you haven't had enough of mazes yet, there's another one towards the end of the map. Though this one is far less visually appealing and dynamic than the last one. This might be as low as it gets in my humble opinion. At least I found a secret computer map in my aimless wondering earlier that helped out a bit. I noticed a few switches at the end of the map that lowered pillars in the starting area. Instead of backtracking through this sphinx of a map, I decided to just idclip there instead and see what they had to offer. Mostly just a few armor and health bonused behind teleporters. Nothing really worth your time. MAP05: Blood and Chaos After a short warm up, you're dropped into a large arena that serves as the core of the map, then it's off through several teleporters that take you through the rest of the map. This one mostly seems to have a focus on bringing the action first, and it does a satisfactory job of that. My only problem is it felt like they might have gone to the arena well one too many times with that archvile trap at the end, mostly because it felt like a chore having to go through all those teleporters once again. It's basically just holding forward down for 20 or so seconds while nothing interesting happens. MAP06: The Abyss A classic bit of map design right here. Give the player the option between several useful items and block the rest of them off. I went with the white key as it seemed the most intriguing. I can't say for sure how useful it was compared to the rest, but it did allow me to skip a rather tedious crusher trap for the red keycard, so I'd say it was a good choice. There's a good bit to digest with this map. Most of it good, but it's also a bit like a rollercoaster. Exciting while I was riding it, but I couldn't give you a vivid description of every twist and drop after it was over. The music for this map was nice and melodic. A bit dramatic without trying too hard to be epic. it really added to the fact this map was a dramatic step up in scale for the wad.

I'll be taking it easy this month, playing through continuously on Ultra-Violence. I probably won't be busting my ass trying to 100% saveless on too many maps either. MAP01: Rooms and Shadow The first map has that void type of design to it which I really like. Fragments of landscape and buildings floating in the void gives it that abstract kind of feeling. But this map is so incredibly 'Map 01' and doesn't try to be anything else, if you know what I mean. That's not automatically a bad thing, but it's just so underwhelming and it's not a great first impression when your opening map feels like filler. MAP02: The Loudest Silence These maps have a bit of that uncanny, dream like quality to them so far. The outside of the map looks pretty good with some fairly sophisticated geometry, though the inside looks like something right out of 1995. Combat here is also really unremarkable without a single encounter of any real significance. It looked like there was going to be a trap behind the bottom red key door, but it only turned out to be nothing more than a bit of spooky writing on the floor. Speaking of red keys, there's a switch outside you can backtrack to for a few armor and health bonuses, though I'm not sure how many players are going to bother remembering or if it's really worth it. MAP03: Dark Lantern I'm not a mapper, so I can't tell you how many fancy boom tricks are on display here, but there sure are a lot of silent teleporters. The map can get pretty repetitive and easy to get lost in after a while. It's mostly open caves filled with enemies and connected by these strange pitch black hallways. The silent teleporters mean the automap won't be of too much use here. My typical strategy I employ whenever I get lost of going to the right until I find something new wasn't working too well either. Once again, silent teleporters. Having only the chaingun and shotgun to deal with all these enemies didn't exactly help to make things any more interesting. Gameplay here isn't too demanding, but you can't afford to get careless. There's plenty of ammo around, though health is a bit scarce, so each point you lose early on could come back to haunt you by the end.

MAP16: Afueras Don't have a whole lot to say about this one. I liked the cliffside area with the yellow key, but you'll definitely want the rocket launcher before going down there. It's in a secret but not too hard to find. And to deal with the ambush in the rocket launcher room, you'll probably want the plasma rifle that's found in another easy to find secret in the opposite corner. Isn't it funny how that works out? Don't let the horde of Cacodemons at the end distract you from the 2 archviles that spawn on the other end of the map. I have to give the demons some credit, that's some good strategy right there. D2ISO16.zip

MAP14: Los antros más íntimos This is probably the most non-linear map you're going to see in a while. Really, it's just too damn confusing for a small mind such as my own. Would probably make for a great deathmatch map if you could find enough players to fill it up, though. There's weapons just lying around all over the place, and if you ever run out of ammo, running away and coming back another day is usually a viable option. Once you get past the first few minutes your main obstacle in this map is likely going to be getting lost more so than the monsters. MAP15: Zona de la industria If I had to say something to put this map in a positive light, I would say it certainly seems rather ambitious and there's a number of unique design choices along the way, though some of them are the kinds of choices that makes you wonder if the mapper knew what the hell they were doing. Fighting off a horde of pain elements rising out of a lava pit with a BFG in close quarters isn't exactly my definition of fun, but at least it was an experience I can't say I've often experienced before, if ever. But making max damage hurt floors an integral part of the maps design and not giving out a single rad suit is just bad design. The fight with the cyberdemon is where I decided the bullshit line was crossed. How exactly are we expected to deal with the cyberdemon and the copious amounts of splash damage inevitably bouncing off the wall behind us? I'll tell you one thing. That blur sphere sure as hell isn't going to help any. The secret exit seems quite absurd as well. It seems you have to take at least 40 hurt floor damage to shoot the switch within a secret within a secret within a secret. I might come back and try another 100% demo later in the month if I figure something out, but I'm not exactly holding my breath for it. D2ISO14.zip D2ISO15.zip

MAP12: La Fábrica I didn't enjoy this one too much at first, but I was starting to come around to it by the end. The encounters here were fairly interesting and presented a fair challenge. Such as the area with the blue hurting light things and chaingunner ambush. It may be tempting to use the plasma rifle here, but it's ammo would probably best be served saving it for another encounter down the line, like the revenant and archvile trap in the rocket launcher area. Taking damage on the hurt floor is almost inevitable, but a tick or two there shouldn't ruin your day. MAP13: Centro de la ciudad This might be the first map that actually kind of looks like something. It certainly looks as much as a city as any of doom II maps did. Architecture is still a bit bland, but the detailing is the best we've seen so far. And the music is a groovy Latin remix of the original soundtrack with added percussion. Unfortunately gameplay has mostly reverted back to opening monster closets filled with chaingunners and revenants right next to you. The trap towards the end after you acquire the red key was pretty entertaining though. It should be no problem if you found and saved the secret invulnerability sphere for it, but it's still enjoyable blasting all those fools away with the rocket launcher at close quarters. D2ISO12.zip D2ISO13.zip

Here's the demo I messed up in the last post. D2ISO11.zip

MAP11: Círculo de la Muerte Another fairly non-linear map. Ammo can be a bit tight here, so there were numerous occasions I had to run away from monsters and come back later on to finish them off. Gameplay may be the most varied we've seen so far, as in every trap isn't a closet full of chaingunners opening up behind you. They're still here too, don't worry, but there's a few more interesting traps of note here. Grabbing the plasma rifle will lead to you being sandwich by a group of revenants and Mancubi respectively. It's going to be hard to get out of there without using all the plasma you just picked up. Grabbing the blue key leads to a gaggle of Cacodemons coming in from over the mountains. That was one of those times ammo was low so I had to come back later once I had the SSG to my name. The spider mastermind has taken up a central possession in this map, but it's pretty easy to stay out of her line of sight if you're aware of your surroundings. It seems like it's possible for her to get out of range of the teleport when you go to telefrag her, so you'll just end up standing in front of her chaingun like a total doofus instead.

MAP10: Base de Reabastecimiento As the map goes on, it slowly becomes more and more apparent what the whole idea behind it is. There's basically no health and armor to be found anywhere past the starting room filled with mega armors and soul spheres. Unsurprisingly, there's no way to get back there once you teleport into the map proper. How many players actually expected a doom mapper to hand out so much free health and armor without a catch? There's a berserk back and green armor accessible once you get the yellow key, but other than that you'll only have a few measly health bonuses to get by on. There's also a BFG available behind the blue key door. Funny thing is, you don't need to open either of these doors or find the respective keys for them as the exit is just right there out in the open, meaning you can easily skip around two thirds of the map if you're not going for 100%. It's a good map, though, so I'd recommend seeing what the rest of it has to offer. D2ISO10.zip

MAP09: El Pozo Some players might find the amount of optional areas in this one annoying, but I quite enjoyed the non-linear nature of it. It gives you plenty of options on how to handle the map. It's not like these areas are really optional, either. You'll probably want the plasma rifle, you'll probably want the rocket launcher, you'll probably want the backpack and secret soulsphere. All in optional areas, but you'll likely have to visit most of these areas if you want to beat the map with relative ease. The crusher in the room with one of the mega armors can easily be broken, rendering the area inaccessible from what I can tell. You don't have to go through there to complete the map, so it doesn't lose too many points for that. Losing out on the mega armor is a pretty big setback, however. There's a cyberdemon in the titular Pozo that spawns in after you grab the blue key, and if you don't take him out then you'll have to do so later to get the red key. When it comes to cyberdemons, I like to ask myself if they actually add anything to the map or if they're just an obstacle to soak up your time and ammo. This one's not too bad, though. His presence added to the overall experience in a mostly positive way. D2ISO09.zip

AP07: Fácil de muertos The barrels are a dangerous obstacle throughout most of this map. But at the same time they can be a valuable ally. You have to be careful with your ammo at the beginning of this map, but by the end you should have more than enough. Especially with all the plasma handed out behind the red door. I liked the room behind the blue door that fell apart as you flipped the switches. Not the first time we saw something like that, but it stood out enough to be unique. MAP08: Trucos y Trampas A step down in size from the last map, though a slight step up in difficulty in my opinion. Appreciate the fact my rocket didn't kill a single pinkie demon in the red key ambush. Doom RNG at it's finest. Though the fact I telefragged the archvile a moment later made up for it. I'm fairly certain my strategy for the blue key room trap was all wrong, but I somehow managed to luck my way through it. Looks were a little bland, but it flowed together well and the gameplay held up. D2ISO07.zip D2ISO08.zip

MAP06: La Trituradora We've found our way into some sort of winery here. How many Doom maps can you say that about? Progression is once again fairly non-linear, and so long as you take your time and explore the area you should have enough health, armor, and ammo to survive until the end. Just like with map 03 and map 05, the rocket launcher is contained within its own separate and (to me) fairly easy to miss area. And just like those 2 maps, I didn't find said area until the very end when I was looking for the last few kills. At least there's a small ambush of Baron and Hell Knights to go with it so I could get some use out of it this time. The worst part of this map was by far the bloody area with the lost souls and practically pitch black chaingunner windows that open up on the sides. That was just annoying. Without that part we'd probably have the best map so far on our hands. D2ISO06.zip

MAP04: El Foco This map started out pretty promising, although it felt like it just kind of fizzled out on a weak note at the end there. A bit like the mapper ran out of ideas early on and just slapped an exit room down in a corner somewhere. Certainly not claiming that's what happened, it's just the best way I could describe it. MAP05: Los Túneles de Residuos A fairly large, open, and non-linear level. I quite liked this one as it basically allows you to go about it however you'd like, with the obvious exception of the few areas locked off behind keys. Being so non-linear can definitely make it a bit confusing first time through, but that's just part of the challenge if you ask me. It can also make it easy to miss a few kills when going for 100%, but I managed it in what I believed to be a reasonable time. D2ISO04.zip D2ISO05.zip

MAP03: Las Vias del Tren It feels like about 90% of the encounters in this one are made up of monster closets packed tight with hitscanners. It got to the point where I was surprised when I flipped a switch or opened a door and there wasn't a trap. The rocket launcher here is probably best left alone unless going for 100%, as you'll need to deal with a spectre ambush and mandatory hurt floor in order to collect it. Speaking of, there's a whole lot of mandatory hurt floor you'll have to traverse. Something else I'm hoping doesn't become common place as this wad goes on. It doesn't necessarily make the map bad, but it does make it a pain in the ass. Not a bad map in the end, but not great either. After the SSG ambush it pretty much turns into trivial combat taking place in bland rooms without much rhyme or reason. D2ISO03.zip

MAP01: Entrada & MAP02: Salas de debajo Putting these first two maps together because they're both short and play out relatively similar. First thing's first, both maps are incredibly ugly and incredibly brown, though you won't need me to tell you that. Apparently it's supposed to be part of the charm, but we'll see if that holds up for 32 maps. When it comes to gameplay, nothing too challenging here. Looks like a few players missed the semi-secret shotgun at the beginning of the first map, so that would definitely make things a bit more difficult. This El Pederson fellow really loves opening up monsters closed fill with shotgunners and imps right on top of you. I'm pretty sure this kind of trap plays out at least 5 times in these first two levels alone. I'm hoping for a bit more varied gameplay down the line and colors other than brown and slightly different brown. The music so far is enjoyable, though I'm not exactly cultured when it comes to Latin music so I can't tell if they're originals or not. Either way it's nice to have something different for once. D2ISO01.zip D2ISO02.zip

MAP30: Thanatophobia So you have this area with all these switches you have to run around and hit while monster cubes keep spawning in enemies and filling the room up. Then you have to ride this lift up and shoot at a John Romero head off in the distance that's moving around on some sort of carnival shooting gallery game. It's important to find some high ground and scout out where Johnny is before activating the elevator, otherwise your rockets will rarely find him. You'll also probably want to try and thin the herd with the BFG in between lift rides as it seemed like there was more than one monster spawner here. Far away from the worst Icon of Sin map I've played, but I feel a natural aversion to these maps will mean most people won't bother past the first few attempts. Not like I'd blame them. When it comes to the wad as a whole, I'm of two minds when it comes to placing restrictions on art. And yes, I just called Doom wads art. On one hand, placing restrictions on yourself is a great way to learn restraint and bring yourself out of your comfort zone, improving your abilities and creating something you might never have otherwise. And on the other hand, seemingly arbitrary rules can prohibit an artist from reaching their full potential and creating something truly unique. In the end I'm glad this wad exists and respect every mapper that was willing to give something like this a try regardless of end result. It looked like quite a few of us were getting tired of the 1024 restriction by the end, so it would be interesting to see some of these mappers go back with the same ideas for their maps, just without the 1024 constraint. Some of them like Map 20 and 25 could benefit from it, but others like Map 07 and 09 couldn't really exist any other way. Highlights: MAP03, MAP07, MAP09, MAP31, MAP33, MAP16, MAP20, MAP25, MAP29. Lowlights: MAP13, MAP14, MAP32, MAP17, MAP27. 1024CLAU30.zip