Nimrod: Project Doom - Team Future

Three years ago, Nimrod was released to resounding praise, even garnering a spot on the 2002 "best of" compilation.  Now kristus and Team Future bring the exciting gameplay of Nimrod to ZDoom and Skulltag in one of the best deathmatch sets this year.  Best Deathmatch is always difficult for me to gauge, and I always have to defer to the deathmatch community for insight.  This year, the best I was told were Submerge's DM Pack, the Skulltag Last Man Standing set, and of course, Nimrod DM.  In the end, it was the gorgeous new artwork, unique weapons, and phenomenal mapping that pushed Nimrod over the top.  I should mention that no matter how good Nimrod: Project Doom is, nobody in the deathmatch community will stop playing DWANGO5 anyways.

Worst Wad

1994 Wads - Too Many to Name

When a category is "Worst Wad" that seems to imply that there is a single, outstanding level that is worse than all the rest.  This is often a hard case to prove since so many bad levels are made, and as the community dwindles, all that remain are authors who are skilled in the mapping craft (but the crappy mappers still manage to surface time and again).  This year the most outstanding new addition to the community for bottom of the barrel crap, filth you would never let your Doom loving friends see for their own safety, has been an influx of bad levels from 1994 and 1995.  "But Steve, the community had to start somewhere", and this is true; many of the most important and infamous levels were made early on.  Now, ten years later, we look back on many of those years with embarassment, like digging through your childhood works thinking "Jesus christ, that's terrible!"

With old wads, the fact that they're old isn't the problem. After all, idgames IS an archive, and strives to do just that, preserve levels like some kind of Doom Library of Congress.   But just like the Library of Congress, we need standards.  Levels that were terrible in 1994/95 are all the more painful 10 years later; where is the quality control?   Slime trails, 20 foot doors, tutti fruity, vast wooden rooms with nothing but 40 barrels and a plethora of BFGs and cell packs leading to a room with 30 invulnerability spheres face to face with an AASHITTY textured room full of Cyberdemons and Arch Viles.   We all made them (Doom jr), but we like to pretend we didn't... and let's keep it that way.

Mordeth Award - Released project with the longest development time

Jägermörder 02 : Terra Nova - Afterglow

Another year, another no show for Mordeth... yet I, nay WE, still hold out.  Some day I expect to fill this space about Mordeth, but not 2005 I'm afraid.  Fortunately, Afterglow's Jagermorder 2 is almost as ancient, and a worthy recipient.

Started in 1999 just after the release of Jagermorder 1, six years later Afterglow felt it was finally time to give us the sequel... which had resided on his hard drive all that time.  With six years worth of time to develop one single level (that amount of time is usually reserved for megawads), it's only fitting that the level be great.  Which I am glad to say it is, a fantastic map capable of running on all ports Boom compatible.   Jagermorder 02: Terra Nova, despite taking over half a decade to complete, is a worthy map to any collection.  Who knows, if we're lucky, we may only have to wait until 2010 to play Jagermorder 03: The sequel to Jagermorder 2.

Mockaward - Best comedy wad of the year

Kama Sutra - Adolf "Gusta" Vojta and Jakub "_Method_" Razak

This year, there were no real "Comedy" wads released, but that doesn't mean there were no comedic ideas.  It just so happens that one of the best wads released this past year also had one of the most hilarious moments in Doom.

With a name like Kama Sutra comes a heavy burden of expectation, something a mildly pornographic title screen just won't provide.  Fortunately, the authors knew this as well, and created Kama Sutra Map 30, which will no doubt be the only thing people remember from this wad in years to come.  There is only one wad in the history of Doom where the player must fire rockets wildly into a giant vagina in hopes of defeating the final "boss".  While most vaginas (that I'm aware of) don't fire demonic cubes that summon demons from the foulest depths of Hell, you will encounter that here for the first, and only, time.  All of this in vanilla glory, boobs and all.

Mapper of the Year

AgentSpork

Is it really any surprise?  Spork began by releasing Temple of Chaos 2, and then proceeded to release a new level every week for about 8 weeks until they became condensed into Simplicity, and is hard at work on another map.  Off the top of my head, only one other mapper recently has been that ambitious: Sitters; however, he was unable to deliver the consistency of greatness that Spork did.

Map after map, AgentSpork demonstrates a unique mapmaking style which sets her work apart from many others, and the ability to adapt well to criticism.  When the community asked for less linearity in her maps, she responded with several offerings (which were later integrated into Simplicity) which displayed a robust map with variable directions.   Her architecture is very unique, using transparency to great effect and a powerful grasp of ACS scripting which is used to generate creative traps and visuals.  Few ZDoom mappers have Spork's ability to meld port specific abilities and classic Doom gameplay as well as she does.  Mapper of the year indeed.