Confinement 512

Playability notes: The mapset appears to have been tested only in ZDoom, so use that (or ZDoom-derived). Pistol starts are recommended.

Confinement 512 has a number of fun encounters and difficult matchups, but lacks the refinement to do so over its entire length. Veterans will immediately note some missing textures and odd handling of monsters under the floor, laying bare the inexperience of the mapper during this creation, though it doesn't significantly impact the gameplay. Aside from one or two major stumbling blocks, however, I consider this a good first attempt and it shows considerable thought put into the set's progression.

Much like the binary-powered iterations before it, the limitation of this mapset is to only allow the player to move within a 512x512 square, a mere quarter the size of more typical 1024 projects. This tends towards very small arenas  in which fights can take place, but with the right mindset it can be to the mapper's advantage. For example, a map can focus the player into one or two well-designed encounters instead of drawing itself out with numerous mediocre ones. Such appears to be the philosophy behind these maps.

The first four of seven maps are quite amusing, with the player bombarded at every turn. Even barons manage to become semi-interesting at such close range! Maneuvering against various enemies is a challenge unto itself, and yet there's still plenty of action through the progression of a map. Skipping a bit, the sixth map is very rough in its start, but with a few attempts you learn how to play along and it ends up an exhilarating choice of combat.

The biggest issues here are the fifth and seventh maps, for very different reasons. MAP05 is simply too constrained: there's basically one streamlined approach and it ultimately depends on luck. (I'd like to think it was me simply not learning the level well enough, but it's a really awkward map regardless.) MAP07, on the other hand, tries Dead Simple and, while the first half is actually a decent fight, the teleporting of Arachnotrons is completely trivialized (keep in mind this is ZDoom, and berserk fist is quite manageable against large opponents).

It's a small set, and its amateur placements are refreshing under the self-imposed conditions. My recommendation: try to get through it all, but feel free to skip MAP05 if its challenge isn't to your liking.