Illuminatus v1.0.0

I don't want to be harsh talking of someone else's hard work, but when something is bad - it's bad. I lost patience around Map 6, but i tried to push through a bit further. Map 9 is where i got completely burnt out by it. I guess i have to give the creator some credit since it is his first megawad, but i think for a starter wad he should have been a bit less ambitious and make 8-10 maps, instead of 32. Possibly then the wad could have been more creative and focused.

The very first map leaves a sour tastes, and it shows lack of experience. For UV difficulty, not having at least a few shotgunners and some shotgun ammo is just bad design... have fun dealing with ~50 Imps with just a pistol. Possibly the shotgun was a secret somewhere in that level? Even if it is, It doesn't matter, it's still bad design. You can't make your first must-have weapon, a secret. Take a note from the very first Doom 1 level - if you're playing on UV, the very first enemy you encounter, gives you the shotgun... and the Hangar only has 1/10th of the Imps in the first level in Illuminatus. It was so tedious, i ended up running past everything, and soaking all the damage, hoping to find the exit fast, so i can be done with this chore of a level. At least the second map gives you the shotgun and the super shotgun - good! I'll would have cut out the first map entirely, map 2 would make for a much better starting level.

The maps, from what i've seen, are not the biggest, but they feel unnecessarily stretched out. Going out of your way to solve a small puzzle, to get the super shotgun is cool and smart, but having branching corridors that throw you into a room with 10+ Revenants, before you even have the rocket launcher, is the opposite of fun, especially when most of the time these optional Revenant infested areas have no rewards for you after you clear them - you just wasted your time, ammo and health for no reason. They are not rewarding even for exploration purpose, because they don't offer much visually - no cool architecture or intricate blend of textures. Just look at something like Oblivion, which is a 2015 episode replacement wad for Doom 1. It uses mostly, if not only, vanilla textures, yet it is a joy to the eye. I respect all wads that stick to the classic formula, when it comes to visual presentation, because it takes great creativity to make something interesting to look at, by using only vanilla assets. Illiminatus doesn't deliver in that aspect. Well, at least the first 9 maps don't, so take my opinion with a grain of salt.

Others have already mentioned the switch hunt, and yes, it's bad. It's never a good thing to have switches, which don't have clear purpose. I always loved switches that will trigger a mechanism that is in your line of sight. Having a switch that activates a mystery mechanism somewhere in the map can work too, if it's optional and the level is small and simple to navigate. Having these type of switches and mechanisms in almost every map gets old and tedious very fast.

I'm sorry, for not liking this, but it's just how i feel about it. I don't like wads where things just happen for the sake of it. I like wads that do things for a reason. If i step into an optional area filled with monsters, then there better be some reward or cool architecture for me to see in there. If i flip a switch, i want to know what it does, or at the very least be able to figure it out, without having to backtrack or get lost.

Not a bad wad. Most tedious thing in is the amount backtracking you have to do in most of the maps.

Frustrating to play, You'll spend 3/4 of your time just running around the large

maps trying to figure out what to do next after flipping yet another switch of the so many

switches plaguing the wad. Flip a switch on the far side of the map and run to the other

side of the map to flip another switch and then run to the other side of the map and flip

yet another switch...blahblahblahblahblahblah...no fighting monsters ..just running!!

I reached map 15 and couldn't  complete the rest because all i was doing is

just running across the map for half an hour to find out what the switch i just flipped did.

Not recommend!!!

The amount of backtrack in this megawad is staggering! Even using idclip to somewhat mitigate the backtrack while going to the switchs it took me about 15 hours to finish the whole megawad. This is the only bad thing because the gameplay is very good with huge maps and high monster count. If you like huge maps and don't mind the switching hunt for progress give it a whirl, you won't regret.

A rather solid one-man megawad. I would have rated this higher, if not for a couple of things;

- As others may have mentioned, many of the levels consist of backtracking to-and-from areas. Sometimes more often than needed. This got tedious very quickly. Also, switches are abundant and usually don't indicate what they activate, adding to the frustration.

- Some levels (namely MAP10, MAP11 and especially MAP12) felt like they were not meant to be played with pistol-start in mind. I had to conserve ammo by Berserk punching Barons, Arch-Viles and the like. Though, I am not sure if this was intended by Cory.

- Just a minor thing, but MAP27 can't be completed on -complevel 2 (the metal wall that houses the four red keys doesn't lower properly). Just a heads up.

- Finally, particularly in the second half of the WAD, hanging decorations can become very annoying, due to their placement and numbers. Fortunately, none that I encountered were blocking access to any important areas.

Now onto what I liked about Illuminatus;

- The music. Every map uses MIDIs from Ultimate Doom and Doom II, with no repeating tracks. Very neat, and encapsulates that 'classic' feel.

- The architecture. Many levels 'look' like they could've come straight from the 1993/1994 era, though here it is somewhat more detailed. 

- The fights. The combat in Illuminatus is neither too easy or too difficult. There is also plenty of different scenarios to keep the player on their toes.

- The variety. The levels vary, but some stand out from amongst the rest. Maps 15, 23, 29 and 32 are such examples, for me anyway.

Overall, while this is certainly far from being perfect, it is also far from being the worst. I am giving this four stars, as I could imagine the amount of time it must have taken to create. Not for everyone, but those who are looking for somewhat of a nostalgia trip with fair gameplay, this is the megawad for you.

Illuminatus Review

Let's start with the Cons:

-        Almost too easy combat, even on UV. If you die playing this game, then you must be drunk. TBH, I don’t think the author was going for dogfighting in this wad as much as he was into problem solving.

-        (Almost) Every monster fight comes in pairs. You enter a room, and whatever enemy is on the left, will almost certainly be mirrored to the right.

-        You activate a switch and you’ll find yourself running around finding out what this switch did. I’ve seen HeXen games with less “switch resulting.”

-        Loads of backtracking. Loads of it.

Now the Pros:

-          Loads of ammo, health and everything else to assist you.

-          Large maps, especially after Map 23.

-          Virtually flawless seamed architecture. Nothing fancy, yet nothing bland.

-          Most importantly, Illuminatus was fun.

To me, no matter how well a game looks, no matter how well map is made, no matter how long/short the level is, NONE of these compares to whether the game is actually FUN or not. And I admit I had fun with this wad. Definitely a 90’s feel, which isn’t a bad thing if done correctly - which Illuminatus does.

There’s definitely more exploration and/or problem solving than combat with this wad. The later levels are huuuuuuge and will take up to an hour each to complete because you’re going to be running all around the map finding out what each switch you just activated did. If you like exploration/puzzles more than combatting, then this is the wad for you.

Overall, Illuminatus is not a fantastic wad, but far from terrible as well. Worth checking out at least once, and that's it. I liked maps 24 and 25 the best.

I give this wad 3½ stars out of 5.

Really interesting megawad from Aquarius199, I enjoyed to play it using weapon mod "DudeThe4th" and playing on Doom Touch on cellphone.  It was entertainig that the maps are non-linear and very focused on exploration, you got to check every corner to realize what changed after you activated a switch, can be a bit repetitive, but I like exploration.  The architecture and design, I find it very nice, specially focusing on a tech-like design which is my favorite theme, there was also some interesting puzzles around.  The only downside was I found too many ammo on HMP, I found several times shooting pointlessly just to pickup more ammo.  It was kinda annoying the area on "Six elements" level where you had to deal with a toxic floor and a number of radiation suits and monsters breathing on your neck, lol.  Also, I am not sure if it was a good desicion to put archviles by pairs on the last 3-4 maps and two cyberdemons when dealing with the Icon of Sin ^^;

This is a WAD full of conflict. The good meshes with the bad and the average and it creates a soup with a bitter taste. This is something that I've managed to complete thoroughly in coop, but it was an experience that could only be described as mediocre. If you want to see what's the best this WAD can offer, go play MAP25. Every other map will be worse than this one.
 

The Good

It must be noted that the WAD is correct in nearly every technical aspect. The architecture is of standard Doom proportions, there are only few mistakes and there isn't a place here that would indicate that the mapper lacked technical knowledge on Doom mapping. This isn't perfect, though. One thing that bothered me were the hanging corpses, strewn in some places above otherwise unobstructed floors where, if you play with infinitely tall actors, they will block you. This makes me doubt if this was tested thoroughly in Chocolate Doom, because this problem should've been caught and fixed.

Another good thing are the ideas - at least for some of the levels. The Trench is a level that shows an interesting idea but with mediocre execution. However, this point is also disputable because there are many levels that are just the same as the other levels stuck in their map index vicinity. There's much repetition in gameplay.

The architecture, from visual standpoint, is decent. There's not much detail but it is there and it does its job nicely. The visuals are sufficient.

The Bad

The layouts. By Crom, the layouts are fucking sadistic. Not only there's lots of backtracking involved, ALL levels consist of running around hunting switches. When you find a switch, you are doubly screwed because now you don't know what it did. More often the switch will trigger something on the opposite end of the map. And the maps are HUGE! I used "turbo 255" console command for MAP28 and MAP29. Sometimes there are many potential places that can be triggered (almost always these will involve metal bars), and you will find yourself thrashing from one place to the other, growing more and more aggravated with each passing second. More often than not the layouts will either consist of room-corridor-room progression or huge, empty landscapes (or very long corridors).

The fights. It can be noted that the fights go in unison with the layouts and the repetition. When you walk into a room, and look left and see a chaingunner, it's highly probable that there will be another chaingunner to the right, mirroring its colleague, both of them ready to strike you in a scissor-like fashion. Arch-viles will very often pop out from the ground and usually be completely threatless. There are very few fights here that can be actually dangerous to your continuous play and if you die it will probably be because you lulled yourself into auto-pilot gaming.

The Summary

This WAD could be considered as a treatment for insomnia, or as an example of very problematic layout design. If you're a mapper and you want to know what to avoid, you can use this WAD to learn.

However, on a more positive note, if the author were to design the layouts differently and the fights weren't so easy, I'm pretty sure his maps would be more than decent.

A masterpiece of Doom mapping.

Nice megawad. I like exploring more than shooting but I did find these maps to be of enough variety to keep me entertained. Still playing about a map or so every few days. Thanks for making it.

having played the previous two episodes, I knew what to expect, so the secret levels and maps 21-30 are all new stuff. anyways, what I expected from this one-man megawad was pretty much the same thing as before, mostly classic gameplay that is marred by some rather bad decisions in pacing. the biggest issue is, of course, the backtracking. there's tons of it throughout the set, some are considerably more blatant than others. most players including myself are not fans of backtracking at all unless you can make it interesting by adding plenty of combat opportunities or perhaps some extra shortcuts for getting back where you need to go. as a result many of the levels tend to take longer than intended and will likely bore players who prefer the more fast-paced stuff.

for the new maps, MAP31 appears to be a Cyberden-inspired map with spiderdemons at the core, not to mention a death exit coming before a secret exit which is certainly something not seen before. and MAP32 takes after Go 2 It with a few other map homages for some slaughter goodness. many of the later maps from MAP21 onwards provide some similar combat experience to the previous episodes, although MAP23 and its voodoo doll puzzle-centric aspect is surely unique. thankfully each puzzle has their own solution shown so its possible to screenshot each one for reference. loved MAP25, didn't care too much for the wide open spaces in MAP28 and MAP29, the big spaces make dodging really easy. MAP30 is mostly standard for an IoS fight. so if you are looking for some unique things, this level DOES have some of them, but it's more or less standard Doom combat and design with a lot of backtracking. it may not suit your taste as much as you would expect. by modern community standards this would be an average wad, some will like it, some won't. i tried to be neutral in this grading.

This was a pretty fun megawad. I died a few times but I didn't really have any issues with it. I wasn't a real fan of the backtracking of many of the levels and after going through about the first five maps I could see certain mapping and set piece patterns repeated in later maps but those are just personal niggles. It didn't stop the fun I had. Four stars from me. <3

Such Quality, very wow.

A fun treat worth giving a whirl for lovers of oldschool map sets, probably not too interesting for those looking for highly detailed maps and landscapes choc full of custom textures.

Texturing reminds me very much of the techbase maps in the iwads and generally retains that "quality wad from 1995" feel the whole way through. The level design features a few too many cramped hallways for my liking, but this is only an issue in certain areas as there's a good mix of large rooms and outdoor areas as well. Unfortunately it can get repetitive as the wad doesn't really deviate from the E1 techbase theme all the way up until map21, unless you find the two particularly enjoyable secret maps. Level aesthetics remain interesting enough for those who still love the 90's feel but will probably not be enough for those seeking something new or innovative.

The music consists strictly of tracks from Doom1 and Doom2. Enhances that 90's feel, but a part of me would have enjoyed custom music instead, although I understand that it can be hard to find music from other sources that fits well with Doom so it's not really an issue. If you're like me and still enjoying this after map04, you're probably not the type of player who minds reuse of iwad content anyway. I can't comment on compatibility as I tested this in ZDoom, but I can't imagine anything here realistically needs more than Boom compat to work properly.

Regarding difficulty, I found I had an abundance of ammo and health throughout the entire wad, more or less. This is the one area the wad let me down - Some of the later maps require you to focus a bit, but overall this is not for those seeking any kind skill tester or hardcore challenge. Difficulty rarely goes above anything that Doom1 throws at you, despite this mapset (obviously) featuring Doom2 monsters.

It looks like Aquarius199 made this entire mapset himself which is impressive in it's own right. I know from experience how difficult it is to make one-man megawads - My largest mapset is 21 maps and that took what felt like an eternity to make, so a full pack of 32 must have been pretty damn intensive. As far as multiplayer goes, this would probably be too cramped for co-op unless you enable the "players can pass through eachother" DMflag.

If you like OS stuff and aren't bored of the 90s Doom feel, I urge you to give this one a spin. It even features and ENDOOM screen, I thought that was a really cute touch that put the bow on a nice oldschool package. If you're looking for something with fancy, brand spankin' new visuals such as Ancient Aliens, BTSX, Stardate etc etc, you're not going to find it here.

I'd give this wad a 3/5 overall, mainly because I would have liked something that asked more of me as a player on the UV difficulty, but I have to bump it up to a 4 for all that effort coming from one Doomer alone. Well done.

This Is Not That Bad But In Some Levels You Can Lack Ammo But Still Its A Great Megawad And I Recommend It

i Would Rate it 4.4/5