Stardate 20X6

Maps are ok, some of them are really cool, along with some extremely cruel and punishing set-pieces (supposedly harder than swtw!) Though map06 and map07 have some design choices that I really really don't like.

From today's perspective it's a good wad, but I can't recommend it over stuff like Fractured Worlds or Occula.

i can't give more... sad...

this mapset is awesome from top to bottom, some of the fights are a big fuck you and die but that's just ribbiks style and i love it!

played with GZ, UV difficulty. It was hard to get through some fights, i actually had to cheat once because of something that i would a slightly flaw in the progression in map 6. i basically went through all the map without getting the plasma rifle but i had tons of cells, said rifle wasn't mandatory to get but it was freaking mandatory to use^^

Once i realized i didn't get it i cheated to go back and then i finished the map.

Anyway this is a pure gem and it's really inspiring. Now to the next stardate!

Done with these settings:

- GLBoom+ 2.5.1.4. complevel 9.

- Hurt Me Plenty

- Continuous combined with a pistol start mindset. 

- Saves every 10 minutes or so.

Beautiful demanding set of fabulous maps. First time I got my hands into something made by this author, and I'm not disappointed at all. A colour scheme consisting of shades of brown/grey and primarily purple inclined to magenta, which replaces all greens if I'm not mistaken. There's a lot to experience in terms of design, part is because of the colour selection, both contrast perfectly with each other in many ways, all positively: aesthetically pleasing to the eye, no overdose of the strongest shades nor monochromatic rooms; giving new visuals or at least the feeling of wandering in an unique world, outside of hell or the tech-bases we all know; the level of detailing, the complexity of the terrain you step, all outstanding; easy to recognize the texturing and environment the player's in, which is closely connected to the extensive variety of geometry that can be seen and felt (physically, above all). In gameplay, this combination seemed optimal to me, as it gave each section a bit more personality. A bunch of atmospheric midis to emphasize the spaceship theme of the wad, casually fitting even in the most punchy situations, can't say anything negative of them to be honest. 

I found the gameplay to be strong and consistent, most of the time. The offerings are varied but the overall style is what I'd characterize it as an "arcade game". To be more clear, the action/progression is setpiece-centric, non-linear, and sometimes multitask-based. The player isn't instantly thrown in the heat of the battle, but they're asked to make decisions and plans in order to claim your resources and thus, victory. These decisions include not only what to do but where to start and how to stay steady, something that usually differs from the incidental, mostly frontal combat style. A mistake won't necessary cost your entire life, though, depending on the difficulty the person chooses (HMP can still be highly demanding for less experienced players, and forget about UV on a blind first try), this sort of gameplay can be perfectly studied at the moment of playing them, one can anticipate and prepare themselves more or less for what's going to happen. Some clues are sheer silence, creating suspense, and checking the automap regularly, whatever suits you. So, in basic words, traps with lock-ins and some incidental surprises, composed of a variety of monsters in determined places in order to be efficient if the player is caught off-guard. They generally have one more than solution, the usual is some sort of gimmicky infighting scenario involving an enemy or various to call the attention of others, since in some cases they appear in idle state on purpose, this while you need to keep an eye at everything, grab the ammo and health if necessary, plus the way out via switches that might unleash more opposition... ergo the multitask I mentioned above. Monster count can be low or high depending on the composition, the slaughter ingredient is regularly present, but the "cherry of the cake" is usually kept for the finale or near it. Progression being non-linear means that, after a chill or hot start, the maps open up and you can choose where to go, as far as available. Mobility and stability is also important, the environment can become an extra enemy too (curvy shapes that can provoke elastic collisions, combat on stairs which means bumpy floors, platforming on thin pillars while turrets attack, darkness and spectres, etc), which in this kind of wad I found to add more seriousness and fun, that is excepting the platforming, in map 06, just, no... not for me.

Secret-wise, standouts are the secret arenas that reward the player with, combat first and then cool pickups, or viceversa in case of new weaponry. A thing is for sure, once I figured out the most used hint from earlier maps, they were all much easier to find later, that is with extra help of the automap, but this is one of my favourite ways to hint a secret so all cool. For favourite maps, I can pick maps 05 and 07. Only one I didn't enjoy myself much was map 06, I have yet to replay it to find something else to do in that finale. The other maps were really fun too, with 31 being a funny kind of "joke" bonus map.

Overall, fun is guaranteed, anyone who hasn't tried this before should stop by and take a look. Pick skill 2 or 3, if you feel intimidated by the description file, this is fabulous Doom after all, nothing invented to be mad at (; . My rate is 9/10.

And thus, Stardate 20x6 is finished.

Stardate 20x6 is a 8-level wad consisting of challenging levels with enemy placements and encounters in the vein of slaughter, with an actual slaughter level featuring 1000 enemies at the end.

The wad is centered around the color purple. This means that a number of textures and effects have been replaced and purple plays a major role in creating the mood and atmosphere of the levels, but isn't overused so that it becomes an annoyance. Besides a new set of textures it also features a new soundtrack similar to the one heard in Sunlust, but with a slightly more emphasis on the atmosphere rather than epicness while still very much keeping you and the action going (Sunlust did include a few "battle" songs which were used in a few levels, and in another megawad as well, I think), a new menu background, and intermission screen. It does not feature new enemies, weapons, or sounds.

Considering these levels have been created by Ribbiks, there are many similarities in terms of gameplay and design with Sunlust. One of the easiest similarities that is immediately noticed is the enemies who are in plain sight in a couple of levels are in a sleeping/unalerted state with their backs to the player. As I assumed in the case of Sunlust, it was likely done in order to allow the player to observe his environment and create a strategy of sorts before jumping into the action. The difficulty is also designed the same way, with UV being reserved for veterans and highly skilled players, while everything else is for less than stellar players. I have completed Stardate on HMP.

The maps are solid, combining challenging gameplay with good architecture and atmosphere, and also include a few ingenious traps which are less cruel than what could be seen in MAP29 of Sunlust (or should I say the Arch-Vile room instead?). The action takes place mostly on various space bases and every now and then a breathtaking sight might catch your attention when you find yourself outside. My favorite level is going to be MAP03, and the trap with a Cyberdemon on one end and Revenants on the opposite was damn fun. It might look threatening at first, but really, all that needs to be done is avoiding potential damage caused by their infighting and taking care of the incoming waves of Imps and Hell Knights until they're done slaughtering each other. As about design flaws, there are some dark rooms in certain levels where it's pretty difficult to navigate. The enemies are always visible so the problem is not that you don't know where you're taking damage from, but rather the room itself because it's so dark it's difficult to see what's in front of you sometimes. I did manage to hurt myself with the RL as well as get killed by a Cyberdemon because I accidentally ran into a wall. I would not advise using that weapon in these rooms. Use the Chaingun, SSG, or Plasma Gun instead, and always be aware of your environment. It's always good to rely on the environment as much as possible to make things more interesting and challenging, after all, many of the later levels also include some really tricky platforming sections, but the use of lighting could be more efficient. For this reason I would definitely not advise using the Software of your port of choice either.

The final level, as previously mentioned, is once again a slaughter map with a couple of nasty but highly creative enemy placements. Ever seen pyramid-like structures with Chaingunners on them? Me neither, until now. No Icon of Sin boss, and once everyone's dead you have to destroy a reactor (or, I think it's a reactor anyway) which ends the journey. A great level, but the existence of the said reactor is a bit questionable considering the location. I think it was just fine without it.

And I think that covers everything. It's short and sweet, go check it out, it's worth your time.

This mapset should be 2.5/5 if not because of the design of levels(visuals) and monsters placement but...this kind of gameplay just give me more frustrations than fun...even with my usual save/load abuse, or maybe I shouldn't try this at all since it's not my taste of tea, but still, using cheats and go through every levels still have fun as the architecture in every levels just beautiful.

Since I can't give 3.5 so just give 4, but it doesn't mean I love this mapset, because my frustration overflowed and I just rage-quit by those stupid Archviles and Revenants in Map02. :(