Dark Resolution 2008 - UPDATED VERSION

This wad which seems not extremly popular compared to some other releases stay carved in my memories for various reasons.

Concerning the theme , I really loved the night sky.

About the maps , most of them were very memorable for me: 

How I can forget the awkward switch-hunting in map 01?

Or, the deadly hitscanfests in tight corridors from map 02?

Or, the quite strange item placement and the generous nazi-themed super secret in map 03?

Or, the extremly gimmicky and weird map 04 with its 1994-like design?

Or, the joyful adventure in brown rocky landscapes accompanied with a very upbeat music in map 05?

Or, the very well detailed Map 06 using Quake textures?

Or, above all for my part, the brutal and oniric map 10 using a legendary midi rendition of "Pull me Under" by Dream Theater which give you the feeling to face merciless demonic hordes under a starry sky?

And, of course, the ominous and murderous map 11 which strictly has no armor on UV?

Some maps were not mentionned. They were cool but a lot more conventional.

Done with these settings:

- GLBoom+ 2.5.1.4. complevel 9.
- Ultra-Violence.
- Continuous combined with pistol start mindset. Pistol starts in maps 05, 10, 11.
- Saves every 5-10 minutes or so.

A partially cool map collection from various people. It revolves around the same old story about a newer demon invasion, in this case they corrupted an underground base and spread all around the territory, turning every nook into hell. The maps sort of follow that narrative through the visual design, that at least from the second map and beyond, since the first level is simply an introduction. There are plenty of hellish neat-looking techbases to explore either on surface or underground, including one level in a Quake style with dark rusted metal textures. In combination, some maps present an Inferno-ish look with marble/red/rocky structures and lots of flesh to step on. I dig the latest two in particular, with exclusively clean visuals and great usage of fireblu for portals. The deep blue sky fits in about every single map, giving each an extra touch of spookiness. Well, and a subtle TNT vibe, or maybe that was because of some of the music selections. I really liked the midis in map 10 and 11, too bad there is no information in the text file about them. 

As far as authors styles, it's a varied compilation ranging from traditional easygoing combat to series of lethal encounters, and some peculiar setups involving environmental hazards. I would say, gameplay-wise, the further I got into, the better it turned, mainly because the first half seemed to show the more experimental side of the wad, where the pace is kind of a rollercoaster, and some choices felt tacked on. I mean, the opening map is already questionable, just a dull switch hunt on a quasi-deserted island, not to mention the copious invisible barriers. Printz's map 04 is perhaps the largest and weirdest one. It has a lot of gimmicky ideas, including an outdoors fight where the player's affected by wind, which I wasn't very sold on, aside from slow and unclear progression. On the other side, Craigs' and Stewboy's are peacefully linear and simple to comprehend, and the two by Death Destiny and Butts are as wild and engaging as hitscan-centric maps go, without ever turning into annoyance, unless that's not your thing. The second half of the wad is the section I found more of my taste, aside from having mixed emotions about the last level. The seventh map was a nice short appetizer, and I enjoyed a lot the entries by Icecreamsoldier and Dutch Devil, with an ultimate hitscan hell touch and secrets research. While the increase in difficulty is gradual throughout the wad, the pinnacle might come as a slap in the face to people not used to that particular style in the last two D-D maps, like myself for example. The final map is about tight setpieces involving at least one archvile after the other, while you run around naked (no armor) carrying your SSG. Sometimes there was an escape, and other times things easily went real bad in less than a second. I would suggest to take it on a lower skill assuming you urge a security pickup. His second to last map was actually more cramped, close to unforgiving with the bumpy architecture, but somehow I sorted it out with calm and joy. Guess that makes me a "Doom god"?. I'll pass. 

Secret-wise, I had issues to find any in map 04, one of them wasn't even hinted at all. In map 10 I wasn't able to trigger one of them, probably due to the sector being too small. Other than those, well, depending on your gameplay styles, you might be able to ease up the majority of the mapset if you commit yourself to explore every nook, not that I'm really in favor of the whole idea to be fairly honest, but the design of the status bar misled me. I would suggest to take a good look to map 05 via iddt, just to check some hidden stuff that are out of reach for reasons unknown... Anyway, favourite maps are 06, 08, 09 and 10. The others varied from fun to dull and everything in between.

Overall, Dark Resolution 2008 was, weird, but nonetheless very interesting, save for a few cases. If you're looking for mapsets with varied content, or a die-hard fan of the double barreled, this could be a good place to stop by. My rate is 6/10.