FireWarden1000

The madness returns with the next release of IMPROVISED, which used to be called FACTORUMRESTORED-F1000, but was a difficult name to spell every time I have to write the map release documents, and the map now has a new name. The main priority of the 1.04 Release of IMPROVISED was rebalancing the level difficulty, because testing challenging DOOM2 maps repeatedly becomes more challenging over time, which is the reason why the Starting Area, and the Lobby Area were merged into 1 area, to create a larger area to explore. There is more room to move around in the Starting Area, and the additional space will provide me the resources I need to add more resources to the Starting Area of the map. Adding more resources to the Starting Area of the map will create a smoother level progression experience from the Starting Area of the map to the Mid Section of the map. I had to remove areas from the map, because I ran out of time. I had to increase the development cycle for the IMPROVISED 1.04 Release to 16 hours, because I didn't want to upload a map that was half finished, and I do not know when I will start developing the next update for IMPROVISED. That last time I developed IMPROVISED was FEBRUARY 3RD 2023, and I decided to merge the IMPROVISED Storyline with the EVADED Storyline, which makes developing the map much more easier for myself, because I am working with a theme that I am familiar with. Map releases will be farther apart than before, because I am developing content outside of the Doomworld Forums, but the content will usually involve the Doomworld Forums. DOOM content that I develop will not always mean more DOOM map releases from myself, but the content will still involve the Doomworld Forums.

I completed Earth Invasion earthinv.wad with GZDoom using the Brutal Doom Community Expansion brutalv21.14.0.pk3 DOOM mod on Ultra-Violence, outstanding DOOM2 WAD, 92/100. Certain maps were rushed out the door, but Earth Invasion is an action packed adventure that is full of tech bases to explore that are dark, and atmospheric. MAP01 - OPERATION CENTER Excellent attention to detail, and balanced gameplay with very dark level designs full of locations to explore, which brings a level of realism to the maps. My complaint is the amount of "Doomcute" implemented in the levels, because not every piece of furniture is well designed. If you do not know how to design a certain object, I recommend not adding the object to the level. MAP02 - THE LAB MAP02 will include outdoor locations with an excellent level design once again, featuring well designed enemy ambushes, and a large sized map that is difficult to navigate which will cause the player to search the entire map to understand where to go next. MAP02 is an overall, very well designed tech base. MAP03 - WASTE TREATMENT CENTER The worst map in Earth Invasion, because most areas in MAP03 were narrow corridors or ventilation shafts. The player will travel through the ventilation shafts to use lifts, which will take the player to the next area, and nothing special happens in the map. Travel through the tunnels, ride the lifts, press the buttons, find the keys, then exit the map. MAP04 - STORAGE FACILITY The best map in Earth Invasion, because this map has everything, explosions, close quarter combat, long range combat, the map will feature larger areas to explore, various level themes, well designed enemy ambushes, the list goes on. MAP05 - THE SOURCE The not very dramatic ending to Earth Invasion, because the boss fight was a completely forgetful experience. The previous levels were significantly better than this map, because nothing special happens in this map. I did enjoy the platforming sections of the map, but overall the map feels unfinished, and rushed out the door. RECOMMENDATIONS: Add more powerful enemies to the levels at least for HARD mode, because I didn't take that much damage from enemy encounters in the maps, and the maps were not very difficult to complete. Remove explosive barrels that are placed close to enemies, because enemies have a chance of attacking the explosive barrels by accident which reduces the gameplay difficulty or even consider replacing explosive barrels with Rocket Ammo. If you are not sure how to include an area of a map to a level, you should either remove these extra locations from the map or block off these areas of the map to reduce level development time. Overall, Earth Invasion is a highly recommended DOOM2 WAD.

dmnwizard, excellent playthrough of BRICKLANDS.wad in the EXPANSIONWADS-STRIKE DOOM2 MAP PACK, because you only got hit 1 time in the entire map. This is very surprising news for me, because even I have to admit I had a difficult time completing BRICKLAND on Ultra-Violence. I was playing BRICKLAND with DOSBox with DOOM2.EXE, and I would always take a beating in the last area. I though I made these maps more challenging than most people will be able to handle, because I had a difficult time testing most of the maps on Ultra-Violence except for FORTRESS1 which is the shortest map in EXPANSIONWADS-STRIKE.

I have released the last 2 maps for EXPANSIONWADS-STRIKE DOOM2 MAP PACK which is designed to be played with DOSBox, the MS-DOS X86 Emulator with DOOM2.EXE. EXPANSIONWADS-STRIKE will be compatible with any DOOM Engine source port, but the gameplay will be untested with all DOOM Engine source ports. EXPANSIONWADS-STRIKE was designed to include only 4 DOOM2 maps, and I will release more EXPANSIONWAD MAP PACKS eventually, possibly yearly because I prefer to build DOOM maps over a longer period of time instead of proceeding with monthly map releases. There are times where I cannot release a DOOM map, because the quality of the map will be on the lower end of the chart, and I am only taking advantage of the customers if I decide to disguise the incomplete map as a full map release. The development of EXPANSIONWADS-STRIKE was very challenging, but I am completely surprised by the quality of the maps, because the maps started out very small in size, but eventually became full sized DOOM2 maps. Balancing the difficulty of the maps was the main problem with EXPANSIONWADS-STRIKE, because adding more areas to the maps will only extend the development cycle of the maps, and I did not track the development time of each map, which was a significant problem with the 1.00 Release of EXPANSIONWADS-STRIKE. Anyone should consider the 1.01 Release of EXPANSIONWADS-STRIKE the actual 1.00 Release, because I did not add any improvements to BRICKLAND.wad or FORTRESS1.wad. The next time anyone will see an update for EXPANSIONWADS-STRIKE will probably have to wait a long time.

Heartwrath Islands: Shrine of Kalgadar has nothing to do with DOOM, and appears to be a dungeon crawling mod for DOOM2. No one has to build the biggest, craziest DOOM map that anyone has seen before, but if you decide to stop building DOOM maps, that is entirely up to you.

I completed Four Zero Zero.wad with DOSBox, and DOOM2.EXE, excellent DOOM2 map, 85/100. Bri0che strikes again with another well designed DOOM2 map which will not disappoint anyone. NEGATIVES The map is light on resources, and I had to use Berserk to conserve ammo, which is not exactly a negative remark, but this increases the level of suspense in the map. Provide the player with more Health Kits, or provide the player with more weapons earlier in the map to balance the map difficulty. POSITIVES Excellent level layout which takes the player all over the place. The player goes from outdoor locations to indoor locations, and overall excellent map theme. The enemy ambush locations in the map actually caught me by surprise.

I completed FiveUAC.wad with GZDoom using Brutal Doom Community Expansion brutalv21.14.0.pk3 DOOM mod, basic Ultimate DOOM map, 70/100. The greatest flaw in the map is the visual qualities with nothing to look at in the entire level, but the gameplay is top level. NEGATIVES Missing textures or the same textures repeating in the rooms, door tracks move with the doors, and the door tracks are not textured either. Textures are out of alignment, but I will leave the visual qualities alone, because you are new to building DOOM maps. Most areas of the map are completely flat, and needs more elevation variety. POSITIVES Gameplay length of the map was was closer to 30 minutes and I prefer gameplay variety, because gameplay variety catches the player by surprise. Teleporting enemies, switches to press, keys to find, branching pathways etc. I look forward to the next DOOM map you release.

I had to attend my Dad's funeral in Fort-Worth, Texas, which lasted for 2 painful weeks, because he passed away unexpectedly, and may he rest in peace. I have even more news for everyone, remember that accident that happened last year which caused me to relocate to temporary housing? Well here is the truth, my home caught on fire when I was working on my car, which was an accident that I caused. I have good news to share with everyone, I should be getting money from my Dad's side of the family to pay for his funeral, which I payed out of pocket, and the repairs to my destroyed home should be starting very soon. I didn't say anything about the fire incident back then, because I wasn't certain how the events will unfold, and I would't want to disappoint anyone. I got promoted at my job out of nowhere, because supposedly I am a great writer, I am excellent at math, and I present excellent ideas to the company according to my boss. I am under the impression you guys said something, and now everybody knows I build DOOM maps as a side project. Anyhow, EXPANSIONWADS is a DOOM mapping project I launched for the classic gaming community on Facebook, which will feature DOOM maps that I normally would not release on the Doomworld Forums. Back then I didn't have a reason to release these unreleased DOOM maps, because I was not interested in maintaining the maps long term or expressed any interest in expanding the maps. The EXPANSIONWAD maps will not be the Transformative maps that I release on the Doomworld Forums, because the Transformative maps take at least 100 hours to build. August 2023 was a very challenging month for myself, but I have returned to building DOOM maps, and I have continued writing DOOMWAD REVIEWS on the Doomworld Forums. I have only released 2 maps out of the 4 maps that I initially planned for the STRIKE MAP PACK, because the maps are taking longer to build than I anticipated. I was not able to track the development time of the STRIKE MAP PACK, because I had to setup the SLADE DOOM Editor software, and understand how to use the software. The instruction manual for the SLADE DOOM Editor program is very vague about how to use the software. I prefer to use the Eureka DOOM Editor over the SLADE DOOM Editor, but I have to admit the SLADE DOOM Editor is easier to use.

MAP PACK TITLE: EXPANSIONWADS-STRIKE MAP PACK VERSION: 1.01 LEAD DEVELOPER: FireWarden1000 EMAIL ADDRESS: hateatinghat@hotmail.com RELEASE DATE: 1.00 09/14/2023 1.01 10/04/2023 EXPANSIONWADS-STRIKE MAP PACK was made using data from DOOM2. DOOM ENGINE EDITOR SOFTWARE: Eureka DOOM Editor, and SLADE DOOM Editor Eureka DOOM Editor website: http://eureka-editor.sourceforge.net/ Use the latest developer version of the Eureka DOOM Editor: https://github.com/ioan-chera/eureka-editor SLADE DOOM Editor website: https://slade.mancubus.net/ SLADE GitHub website: https://github.com/sirjuddington/SLADE Free image hosting provided by the ImgBB website. Upload and share your images. ImgBB website: https://imgbb.com/ EXPANSIONWADS-STRIKE MAP PACK was uploaded to the MOD DB website. Games and mods development for Windows, Linux and Mac. MOD DB website: https://www.moddb.com/ EXPANSIONWADS-STRIKE MAP PACK DOWNLOAD LINK: EXPANSIONWADS-STRIKE addon - Doom II - Mod DB https://www.moddb.com/games/doom-ii/addons/expansionwads-strike Watch the development of EXPANSIONWADS-STRIKE MAP PACK on the Doomworld Forums. Forums: Doomworld https://www.doomworld.com/ EXPANSIONWADS-STRIKE - Classic DOOM2 Map Pack - WAD Releases && Development - Doomworld The EXPANSIONWADS-STRIKE MAP PACK is compatible with DOSBox MS-DOS X86 emulator, and DOOM2.EXE. DOSBox, an x86 emulator with DOS. DOSBox website: https://www.dosbox.com/ Map Description: Single player DOOM2 maps. Maps includes Easy, Medium, and Challenge difficulty levels. Maps Included with The EXPANSIONWADS-STRIKE MAP PACK: Installation Instructions: Copy the contents of EXPANSIONWADS-STRIKE to the DOOM 2/doom2 directory in your installation of DOOM2. In the MS-DOS terminal use the commands to load maps with DOOM2.EXE: BRICKLAND.wad C:/CD DOOM2~1/DOOM2 C:/DOOM2~1/DOOM2/DOOM2.EXE -FILE BRICKL~1.WAD CHEMICALS.wad C:/CD DOOM2~1/DOOM2 C:/DOOM2~1/DOOM2/DOOM2.EXE -FILE CHEMIC~1.WAD CONTOUR.wad C:/CD DOOM2~1/DOOM2 C:/DOOM2~1/DOOM2/DOOM2.EXE -FILE CONTOUR.WAD FORTRESS1.wad C:/CD DOOM2~1/DOOM2 C:/DOOM2~1/DOOM2/DOOM2.EXE -FILE FORTRE~1.WAD Start a new game in DOOM2 to access the EXPANSIONWADS-STRIKE MAP PACK maps. Files included with EXPANSIONWADS-STRIKE.zip: BRICKLAND.wad CHEMICALS.wad CONTOUR.wad FORTRESS1.wad GAMEGUIDE.TXT STRIKE1.01.TXT EXPANSIONWADS - STRIKE MAP PACK GAME GUIDE Screenshots: BRICKLAND.wad CONTOUR.wad CHEMICALS.wad FORTRESS1.wad UPDATE OCTOBER 4TH 2023:

I completed Lance of the Soul LotS.wad with GZDoom with Brutal Doom Community Expansion brutalv21.14.0.pk3 DOOM mod on Ultra-Violence, visually impressive DOOM2 WAD, 89/100. The level of detail in the map took me by surprise, because the theme of the map feels very believable, and the map is built to scale. NEGATIVES: The enemy traps are challenging to survive, because there is not much room for the player to move around until the monsters move out of the way. The map layout is relatively linear, because there are no side locations to explore except for secret locations. There is minimal texture variety in the map, which will cause most areas to appear the same. POSITIVES: Superb visual design, because I am used to seeing numerous boxed shaped rooms from DOOM2 map developers. Excellent monster traps that are difficult to survive, because the player will be required to develop a strategy to escape the monster traps. RECOMMENDATIONS: Add more contrast to texture placement instead of using the same textures for most of the map which will improve the visual quality. Give rooms more personality, and define each room in a map a certain function, for example build a kitchen, build a guest room, build a garden, etc. Provide the player more space to move around in areas to reduce the map difficulty, because the monster trap locations will have minimal space for the player to move around. I would say something about invisible floors, but they have a place in the map theme. In terms of quality, this is probably 1 of the best DOOM2 WADS that I tested this year.

I completed Horrendous Concoction / Space Base.wad with GZDoom using the Brutal Doom Community Expansion brutalv21.14.0.pk3 DOOM mod, this is a completely pointless DOOM2 WAD, no rating. This map would be considered shovelware with interesting features to explore, but completely pointless features regardless. POSITIVES: Interesting features to explore in the map. NEGATIVES: What is the purpose of releasing this map on the Doomworld Forums, because I see no purpose in this DOOM2 WAD? RECOMMENDATIONS: Start with the basics of building a DOOM2 map instead of prioritizing adding extra content to the DOOM Engine, because awful level design cannot be saved with added game content. Play more DOOM maps to understand how to build basic DOOM maps before attempting to build more complex DOOM maps. Let's start out small, and next time build a DOOM2 map with at least 3 minutes of gameplay.

I completed UAC Deimos Facility UACDeimosFacility with GZDoom using the Brutal Doom Community Expansion DOOM mod brutalv21.14.0.pk3 on Ultra-Violence, excellent DOOM2 map design, 91/100. This DOOM2 WAD is a remaster of Episode 2 of The Ultimate DOOM that redesigns the maps without moving far away from the original map designs. NEGATIVES: The map is based on Episode 2 of the Ultimate DOOM, and if the player has completed Episode 2 of the Ultimate DOOM, the map layout will feel very familiar. The improvements to the visual qualities of this DOOM2 WAD in comparison to the original The Ultimate DOOM levels are much appreciated, but adding more original designs to the map would be more preferred. This is not really a negative criticism, but you have to remember, the original The Ultimate DOOM map designs are still in the map. POSITIVES: This is a large sized map with numerous areas to explore, and includes numerous well designed areas in the map. Great attention to detail with changing the lighting values of Episode 2 Mission 2 of The Ultimate DOOM area, and this was my favorite part of the WAD. Recommendations, the map is relatively linear in exploration, and I recommend Increasing the size of the map locations, because the map consists of numerous narrow corridors or small sized rooms. Add more ambush locations for enemies instead of placing enemies out in the open to increase the level of suspense in the map. Overall great DOOM2 map design, and I recommend this DOOM2 WAD to anyone.

IWAD: DOOM2.WAD SOURCE PORT: GZDoom There are only 8 enemies in the map, and no exit, which means I will not be able to review the map. The map is detailed with monster traps, but the map is incomplete. You will have to try again, and include at least 3 minutes of gameplay in the next map release. Let's start out small.

I completed xp tech base.wad with Woof, basic DOOM2 map, 70/100. If the WAD is compatible with the Boom source port, you do not need to include GZDoom as the main source port. As a DOOM2 map that was made in 2 hours, I am very impressed with the overall quality of the map. Several DOOM map developers can't even build a basic DOOM2 map in a month. NEGATIVES: There are no health kits in the map, and add at least 1 health kit in the map to balance the difficulty. There are no side locations to explore, and the map layout is relatively linear. There are numerous textures out of alignment, and doors have moving door tracks. POSITIVES: The gameplay is very challenging with minimal ammo available to the player. There is a Secret Area in the map, and was well designed, but finding the Secret Area is necessary to complete the map, because of the low ammo amounts. Map layout was well designed with elevation, and functioning elevator. My main complaint was nothing to shoot after finding the Red Key even though you will have plenty of ammo at the end of the level. This map is a basic DOOM2 map, but I had a great time playing the map, and I prefer to see larger DOOM2 maps.

I completed 60Minute.wad 60MinuteMap with DOSBox, and DOOM2.EXE, challenging DOOM2 WAD, 85/100. This DOOM2 map was made in 60 minutes? I have seen people build a DOOM2 for months, and not have the same level of quality as this map. NEGATIVES There is minimal map detail, the map has details, but nothing very noticeable. There were no Secret Areas or optional areas to explore in the map, and short map length. POSITIVES The floor traps were actually crushers, and are useful against enemies once you know how to use the traps. Map item placement is well distributed without overpowering the player. Map difficulty is well balanced without overwhelming the player with enemies, and there is plenty of room to move around in the map. RECOMMENDATIONS Build a larger map to increase the map length, and include more gameplay variety, because larger maps means more enemies with additional areas to explore. Overall excellent DOOM2 map, and release more quality DOOM2 maps.