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Phobia: The Age - Kristus  Last year, high Tech Hell 2 was released,
which was, for me, one of the first wads to really show just how Legacy could be used to
produce a mod of incredibly high quality. It exhibited excellent USE of 3D floors and scripting
in a port that sees few releases. Phobia: The Age takes one final element, GL
lighting, and makes it work right. Kristus uses these 3 elements (scripting, 3D
floors, and custom lighting) to create a magnificent and breathtaking experience for Doom.
 From the very start of Phobia: The Age, you know you are in
for a thrilling experience. Standing on a wooden dock overlooking a large lava sea,
you seen an enormous, ornate castle in front of you adorned by tremendous statues holding
outstretched torches with glowing bulbs. You chose your difficulty based on gameplay
style, thinking or doing, and the gameplay changes depending on your choice. There
isn't a single piece of this wad that isn't legendary quality when it comes to the design.
Castles with marble hallways that reflect a slightly modified version on the floor,
puzzle elements that change your surroundings, and new artwork and sprites which create a
seamless world. Every year, there are released maps for Doom that I play and are
immediate inductees into the Hall of Fame, and Phobia: The Age was one of them.
Foreverhood v1.0
- Skadoomer
Foreverhood
almost doesn't belong on this list; it is as much Doom as Strife or Heretic are. The
only thing validating Foreverhood for the Cacowards is the requirement that it needs Doom 2
and ZDoom to run. Other than that, there is no Doom remaining in Foreverhood.
 This year, a strange theme permeated the
releases, strange worlds that exist in a dream-like state. Oniria, Phocas Island 2,
and Phobia: The Age all create environments meant to make the player believe they are in a
fantasy world; a place that does not exist on earth, but in a fantasy novel or a dream.
However, no project released has captured that feeling quite like Foreverhood has.
Every single piece of the world was hand crafted by Skadoomer to fill his imaginary
world and make it believable. Hopping squid creatures, eyeless floating skulls, and 4
armed oracles inhabit this world and make you believe this is somewhere other than the
Hangar.
The architecture also conveys the same feeling. Without 3d floors, skadoomer has
crafted enormous mushrooms which rise from the ground, overgrown bogs with rotting trees
and vines, and cliff faces which rise thousands of feet over a void. Your actions in
Foreverhood decide whether you will be fighting for good or evil, and your powers change
accordingly. If you have not played Foreverhood, you are really missing out on a
great experience. And for the rest of us, we will stay tuned for the next
installment.
Classic Episode 2: Singularity Complex - Jan Van der Veken
The
community has troubles agreeing on just about anything, but it is almost a unanimous
consensus that Episode 1 is one of the best sets of maps for the original games.
Perhaps this is why so many create their own homage to this episode, or try to remake it
in their own vision; Phobos Revisited comes to mind, as well as the anticipated Knee Deep
in ZDoom. Jan Van der Veken, author of Classic Episode 1, has
released what must be the sequel, Classic Episode 2: Singularity Complex, an episode 1
replacement in the same style.
 Besides Episode 1, which everyone seems to enjoy, Classic
Episode 2 also features hub based gameplay; you will find yourself returning to the hub
map after each level. Much like Equinox and other maps of the same type, your return
to the hub is changed slightly with each incarnation, making it familiar, yet still a new
experience. I believe that mix of familiarity and unexpected is why so many enjoy
this style of gameplay. The maps themselves are very nice, as to be expected from
the author, and are compatible with limit removing and are several notches above the
quality of the original Episode 1. Classic Episode 2: Singularity Complex is one of
this years "Don't miss" projects.
Crucified Dreams - Various Artists
What do
you say about a deathmatch set that has been in development for over 8 years? What
can I say about Crucified Dreams that hasn't already been said? The community has
been following this release since the last millennium and, like so many other projects of
the same infamy, was likely worried a release was never due. Fortunately, the project
has seen the light of day, and the community cheered the release.
 Of course, one needs to be skeptical of a
released project with such a staggering length of development time. Will the work be
representative of current standards, or will levels feel archaic and out of touch with the
expectations of maps of the last few years? Fortunately, before release, the project
leader, Derek "Afterglow" MacDonald, went through and painstakingly modified
levels, adding detail and playtesting to ensure they would meet the quality standards of
the community today. Crucified Dreams can be described as the culmination of the
Gothic series, taking the elements, designs and textures from them and creating what is,
arguably, the best Gothic-themed deathmatch set created for Doom.
Did I also mention the title image is beautiful? |
2006
Cacowards
Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
Other Awards
RUNNERS UP
Oniria
Aluqah
Zen Dynamics
Xaser
Each year a number of levels are cut from the list. Oniria and Zen Dynamics,
despite being omitted, are two terrific levels any self respecting Doomer shouldn't
miss. Oniria takes you through a hybrid of Void and Happy Time Circus, while Zen
Dynamics may be the first wad to incorporate the new ZDoom weapon functionality into a
real project. (In all honesty, isn't mentioning them here technically not omitting
them?) |
