Back to Saturn X E1: Get Out Of My Stations

The Good:
1. The music is fantastic.

2. The levels are absolutely beautiful.

The Not-so-Good:

1. The levels get pretty repetitive and overlong towards the middle .

2. The super-high detail level makes it really hard to find secrets.

3. The texturing makes it really hard to pick out doors or lifts for me, which makes navigability hard.

4. The hitscanner usage can be rather frustrating (A lot of them are hidden in dark balconies or surround you immediately after walking through a door.)

These complaints are somewhat minor overall, but they serve to exemplify why this WAD has a reputation for dragging.

Favorite Map: 19 (Different in a good way, I love the challenge)
Least Favorite Map: 15 (Might just be a symptom of having the secret exit. I spent too much time wandering around this map completely lost)

Too many stations, amazing music and barrels.

Back To Saturn X is an imperfect megawad.  The texturing and color pallet changes are only matched by Ancient aliens, and on the texturing front Esselfortune helped with the AA texture pack as well.  The first chunk of the wad is brilliant, and so is the final 3rd.  But the middle portion is long and somewhat mediocre, I would spend days pushing through a single map.  The wad is recommended with an asterisk that you will need to power through some maps that could have done better if cut in half.

This megawad is like a good music album. It is clearly evident that a musician organized the project - the quality and also the "progression curve" of the MIDIs is outstanding and makes the megawad not just a videogaming but a full-fledged art experience. Visuals are great and the gameplay is varied and not too difficult. Classic!

Is rly gud.

The art, the layout, the gameplay, the music. Pretty much top quality right here.

Incredible megawad. Instand classic for me.

Now, that's more like it. A very beautiful, balanced and challenging megawad overall, enjoyed almost all maps at UV. This is how a set of maps should be done, easy levels at first and increasing the difficult on next maps. The best maps for me were = 06, 10, 11, 12, 15, 18, 32 and 24. I only didn't like the map 19. Certainly worth a shot!
 

- Above average and interesting map design!

- All maps keep the theme of the episode, thus constant. I can remember every unique map. New custom textures were used in all maps, which resulted in a beautiful look throughout the whole megawad. A few maps are just empty, because they were designed to get you out of their stations connect the levels as a hub area, giving you an interesting experience with progression.

- Designer had a great idea to finish the wad in MAP25, which is phenomenal under vanilla limitations.

- Above average gameplay. Trying to create a great gameplay experience, the designer put A LOT of interesting, but challenging encounters.

- Such a memorable ending. Seriously, just download this wad and check it out for yourself.

- Below average and boring map design!

- All maps looks similar to each other, thus boring, I can't remember any distinct map. Same textures are used in all maps which resulted in a boring look after playing a couple of maps. Many maps are just empty, no monsters no anything, just head to the exit.

- Designer ran out of ideas and stopped at map 25, didn't finish the rest.

- Below average gameplay, Trying to create a gameplay experience the designer resorted to traps, and A LOT of them, many of them are really deadly.

- Anticlimactic end, Designer will kill you and throw you into the deep ocean :(

"Get Out of My Stations!"

You heard me, demons, why are you still here? I suppose I'll have to use force, very well. Back to Saturn X E1 has been finished, played through GlBoom+ 2.5.1.5 on UV difficulty. Looks like there's no more bases in sight, so let's see what this is all about.

BTSX E1 is a 27-level (25 main maps, 2 secret levels) megawad built by multiple authors of the community with a gameplay style similar to that of Plutonia or Scythe. It comes with a new menu background, fonts, status bar, intermission screens, music, textures, and ENDOOM screen. The action appears to take place exclusively on techbases in various locations and it's split in multiple episodes.

The difficulty curve is mostly traditional, the megawad starting relatively easy and getting harder as you progress. AV was initially used as the "guideline for difficulty", and although it is nowhere near extreme, it most definitely presents a good challenge, relying on good enemy placement to take down the player and surprising, but not unfair traps. It was primarily designed for pistol starting, but a continuous play of the megawad proves not to trivialize the experience, as it sometimes can happen when carrying your equipment from one map to the next. The maps do not offer large amounts of ammo, with the only exceptions being the more difficult parts, but even after those are finished the player isn't left with lots of ammo in their inventory. As it turns out, ammo management in very important in BTSX, as mismanaging your resources might screw you up when you really need them, particularly the plasma and rockets considering you're offered only as much as you need, therefore the instances you're left with any are pretty rare. Additionally, the backpack appears to be a rarity which is more often than not found through secrets as opposed to regular play. Despite this, it does not descend into resource starvation since a simple, mindful usage of the ammunition is enough to prevail over the enemies. Suicide exits as a way to reset the player's inventory are therefore not missed, and had no place in the megawad in the first place since other than a means to reset the player's inventory they are usually used to mark a major thematic change (ex: from Earth to Hell, or somewhere in space) or a ramp up in difficulty, none of which are present here. The difficulty is also more akin to Plutonia and the first 2 episodes of the original Scythe rather than AV. 

Perhaps the most interesting thing about BTSX, particularly in the first and second episode, is the number of barrels. A lot of early maps feature large amounts of barrels, and they prove to be an efficient (and fun) method of damaging or easily taking down enemies while spending very little ammo as resource management proves to be even more important in these maps. They are, however, excessive in some cases, serving no real purpose. The maps themselves are beautiful and detailed, with a gorgeous sky that can be seen on many maps and look pretty futuristic, some more than others, although not on the same level as, say, Stargate of Deus Vult II, which was also enormous and very complex. This is vanilla compatible after all, and yet, impressive in its own right. Others seem to be slightly touched by decay, and these are also the more underwhelming maps since they can be slightly confusing at times. It is impressive to see that the quality is very consistent though, despite being built by different authors, yet this can also be a problem on its own. They somehow manage to remain a bit too consistent (as strange as it might sound) since there's not much to differentiate them. I could easily tell which maps were made by skillsaw or which ones were touched by him since I could probably recognize his signature gameplay anywhere after playing (almost) all his works, but even so, that's the only thing that stood out, since visually, they're the same. Or to be fair, MAP19 "Bingo Hall Pool of Blood" easily stood out from the crowd since the gameplay and design of that level is completely different from the rest of the maps, but it's hard to say what led to this. This is also why I can't say I have a favorite map, but don't dislike any either. The megawad ends with a final battle against Mancubi and Arch-Viles on MAP24, which also presents some slaughter influence.

All things considered, BTSX E1 is a fun and challenging modern megawad that's neither too long nor too short. The only problem on the technical side of things is that some maps have a nasty HOM effect in places (under bridges for instance) when played in GlBoom+. Haven't tested in other ports to see if it's specific to some of them or not. Well worth a shot.

Some very cool techbases with a nice texture set and pallette.  The music is pretty epic.  And it all runs in vanilla! (Or so it is said, I played it in GZDoom)

I honestly can't believe that this whole megawad is 100% vanilla compatible and its only the first of THREE episodic megawads! Esselfortium and her team of creative energetic mappers has done an amazing job from the unique texture set, the music, the maps & even the tweaked color palette that fits the mood of the whole thing. 

100% highly recommended! 5/5 

The WAD that showed me how vanilla maps can be just as amazing as anything else in the right hands.

Made an account just to rate this mod.

Mmm, cool tweaked Doom palette... And the colourmap makes the game pseudotruecolour...

Back To Saturn X E1 features amazing texture work, varied map design and a surprisingly incredible soundtrack. I especially enjoyed the empty intermission maps, where you just walk around, soak in that atmosphere and think about what you did the previous maps and where it will all go from here. I did have some problems with later maps, which just threw hordes of enemies at me, yet BTSX is one of those packages, that make you easily forgive, because everything else is just so damn awesome.

This is a solid contender for being the absolute best Megawad that I've ever played. 

BACK TO SATURN X E1: GET OUT OF MY STATIONS REVIEW:

The Good:

  - Stunning visuals

  - Great monster placement

  - Lots of (clever) secrets and they are rewarding

  - Enough ammo to keep you going

  - The names of the Maps LOL!

  - Loads of fun

  - Awesome music!

The Bad:

  - Not long enough. LOL! I loved it so much, I didn't want it to end!

In Short:

I've actually played this fantastic WAD at least 6 or 7 times. Why? This is my second favorite WAD of all time, only bested by its successor, BTSX Episode 2: Fountain of Sparks. I remember the very first time I played it a couple of years ago like it was yesterday. How many times can you say that (in a good way) about a game?

I remember being completely blown away by the architectural designs at the time. I even remember giggling as I sunk in the ocean on the final Map, only to read something like "To Be Continued..." and thinking, "Awww....it's over." But I admit that, like everyone else, I had loads of fun with this. 

There is lack of a "customary" final boss (I wasn't certain if this was a "Good" or "Bad" element of the game, hence why it's in neither category above - it really will depend on the player so I kept it neutral). But don't let that deter you! The final "stage" in the last (playable) Map is as memorable as it is wicked, and it'll keep you on your toes just like any other customary boss!

Play this WAD if it's the only WAD you ever play. Definite replay value.

Well deserved Cacoward. Thanks, Team, for making it!

5 out of 5 stars with me.  ~ dylux

This is one of the best map packs ever! The levels are cool, that i want to keep playing it, and you play the map pack with your favorite gameplay mods, for even better experience. I really love the map pack, and you should too.

With the final (I assume, and HOPE) version out, I can feel comfortable reviewing this WAD.

Some have called the game's aesthetic design and theme redundant and yes, most of the levels are techbase, but remember that [the full versions of] Episode 2 and Episode 3 are coming soon, so I can accept this. What makes me completely forgive the mapmakers for using this theme for almost 27 maps is that most of them are great: they have great layouts, great traps, great music and fantastic balancing. There are a couple of bollocks maps in the set, but they are completely overshadowed by the better ones.

What I like about this episode more than its sequel is that there's a range of sizes in the maps: there are short and simple ones ("Postal Blowfish," "The Room Takes Shape" and "Failed Experiments and Trashed Aircraft", for example) and massive, expansive levels ("Underground Initiations" and the awesome "Tricyclic Looper"). The sequel had WAY too many large levels, and thus felt like Hellbound 2, just with a different theme. Also, no death exits. Yay!

The wide range of mappers also brings a lot of variety to the map design and layouts (as mentioned before, Mechadon's Map15 is easily identifiable by its huge layout), but also mappers like Skillsaw, Esselfortium, Tarnsman and the like all have their own ways of making a level around their design ideas, and I love this WAD for that.

I haven't played this on multiplayer, or solo-net, but I understand that there are more monsters to coincide with the additional players. All modern WADs should do this.

I mentioned this earlier, but the music is fucking brilliant. Tracks like "Quicksilver," "Conductor," "Drilling By Night" and "Entering" are all great on the ears.

However, what doesn't make this a full-stars WAD is that there are a few maps that I don't like a lot. Other than those few annoyances, I fully recommend this WAD to anyone who likes Doom.

Additional Notes:

Favourite Maps: 02, 03, 12, 15, 32

Least Favourite Maps: 05, 14, 19, 31

Final Rating: 3.5 / 4 (rounded to 4 / 5)

Excellent megawad. Great level design, cool new textures wisely put together. Difficulty comparable to TNT I would say. It is the wad I have been playing the most for the past 4 years, doesn't wear off much. No ultimate boss fight in this megawad, but the last level gets very tough in the end. The ending made me feel awkward. Like I was disappointed that it's over, some feeling like that.

It was very nice and entertaiment to play this megawad, the maps have a very nice design, it has a good effort for creating good quality maps, also visually is very interesting, it has its own set of textures that makes it look very futuristic, also custom sounds and music that fits with the setting and despite being done by various mappers, there is coherence between maps.

Only thing I didn't like on this megawad:  it gets tiring some levels with so many ambushes, like, we drop you in an closed room with many and powerful monsters, go help yourself... and it becomes really annoying on map24, which turns into a real slaughterfest.

After having now played this gem dozens of times, because of the sheer quality and immersiveness of it, and only recently realising that this was uploaded on here, it obviously deserves a rating.

I can't think of anything interesting or descriptive to say that hasn't already been said by other reviewers here so I will keep it brief.

This is, simply put, one of the finest works of doom editing that has ever been released in all of it's history.

The design and gameplay are both first-rate, with the textures being of a particularly high quality.

Music is always fitting, thing placement is well thought-out, and there is bundles of atmosphere and a sense of adventure to be had throughout. And it works equally well in single or multiplayer.

Inspiring, unique, and extremely re-playable.  An absolute must-have.

Done on HMP/continuous/saves.

This wad is beyond greatness. Visuals are incredibly awesome, I love the palette used especially the liquids look really good. Music is so fitting and, even if it isn't very "Doom-ish", for this wad is perfect because it really made me feel immersed into the atmosphere of the game.

Combat in general is medium, more or less like in Doom 2 and TNT, there are all levels of difficulty maps without exaggerating on monster placement. I didn't find any cheap traps or unfair situations, always fun stuff. 

Secrets at first looked confusing to find but as progressing I could spot them better and they are all very rewarding. My only tiny complaint would be about the super-secret exit in map 31, I didn't see anything intuitive that could make me think there was a secret path there, you know where (I won't spoil). If there were any clues then I shut my mouth but I don't think there were any. 

My favourite maps were 7, 19, 31 (despite what I said), and there're no disliked maps. Also the ending really blew my mind, neat as fuck.

So yeah this is a top quality mapset in terms of visuals/music. Literally beautiful palettes. Right now this is 10/10.    

Back to Saturn X. or as I like to call it, The Darkening Episode 3

basically, it's a large, but not full 32-level megawad done with completely different texturing, as if you were playing Doom in a completely different limelight. nothing is wrong with that. the similarities between this and Darken2 are quite apparent, neither are full megawads, both are made by a group of elite mappers, and gameplay is completely consistent throughout. you'll obviously notice the weird level titles, and despite them being named after songs and seeming ludicrous, they actually do pertain to some sort of concept the levels are on. Underground Initiations? yeah, prepare to deal with some underground caves there. Postal Blowfish introduces the rocket launcher, so that makes sense. Tough Skin River obviously has the river, plus the big arena battle.

this really is just another really snazzy megawad to go through, and that's perfectly fine.