10 Levels : 10 Monsters Each (Doom 2 wad)

[RonnieJamesDiner]

As a creative exercise of sorts, I challenged myself to make 10 levels with only 10 monsters each. The aim was to find a way to make the levels fun and challenging, given the severe limitation. These are quite short – sometimes being no more than a single room – however, they lean towards the difficult end of the spectrum, especially the later maps.

 

I deliberately avoided the use of Pain Elementals, and made sure that there were no points in which an Arch-Vile could resurrect a dead monster. Both of these just felt disingenuous toward the entire concept of a strict 10 monster cap. You will face 10 enemies in each level – no more, and no less.

 

Feedback, comments, and criticism would be greatly appreciated, and I hope you enjoy!

 

Game: Doom 2

Maps: 10 (slots 01 – 10)

(Tested with) Source ports: PRBoom+, GZDoom

(Tested with) Mods: None

Difficulty settings: Yes (made with UV in mind)

Pistol starts: Yes

Mouse look: Yes (but not necessary)

Jump/Crouch: No

Resources: Vanilla, other than the music (each level features a track from the Plutonia MIDI pack)

 

(v4 update) Download Here

 

 

Screenshots:

 

Spoiler

 

Edited July 29, 2019 by RonnieJamesDiner

[baja blast rd.]

Awesome, these are pretty fun. Make more. I think my favorite was 07, and then 05 and 10* after that.

 

*In 07, platforming and no-cover from projectiles coming all over the map was a neat match. 05 is better without the BFG imo, since fighting the cyb with the PR forces you to move around on that thin safe spiral and grab those awkwardly placed bulk cells on the key podiums. 10 is very straightforward conceptually, but I can't complain about the content.

 

Some casual playthroughs of those three. 10C_Stuff.zip

 

As far as ones that could have been improved, 06 and 09 felt pretty half-baked.

Edited July 16, 2019 by rdwpa

[noisebloom]

Sounds like an awesome idea - will check this out soon.

[Poncho1]

Shouldn't it be 10 Maps: 100 Monsters? :P

[RonnieJamesDiner]

@rdwpa Thanks for the feedback! I'm glad you enjoyed the maps. I felt the same way about maps 06 and 09, to be honest (I especially struggled with 06). Both were attempts at building something around the Spider Mastermind, which is my absolute bane. I'm definitely going to re-work those two. I also considered making the Cyb fight in 05 a PR battle, but I wasn't sure if this would have felt too grindy - I might make the BFG a secret. 

 

I loved the demos, really appreciate those. You make the last map look so easy! I think my Doom skills need major improving :P

 

24 minutes ago, Poncho1 said:

Shouldn't it be 10 Maps: 100 Monsters? :P

 

Hey!! I can't do those kinds of maths...

[noisebloom]

I played the first five, and they were a blast for the most part. I really loved the first two maps, which honestly felt like maps from a high quality/really good megawad (like an even smaller version of Scythe). During the second map, I was pretty convinced that this was one of the best episodes I've played in months.

 

The vibe changed to a Doom II "what can I get away with" sort of thing afterward, which allows for more interesting scenarios, but I was more in love with the "no strings attached", pure gameplay of the first two maps.

 

Really like this concept and interested to see what you do with it further.

[RonnieJamesDiner]

@noisebloom Thanks for trying them out! Glad to hear you had fun. I think I understand what you're saying about the change in vibes. Part of the challenge I ran into with, say 04-05 and onward, was finding ways of balancing the gameplay with an arsenal that now included the RL and PR. Hopefully, if I make more of these, I'll be able to capture more of that earlier level vibe.

[RonnieJamesDiner]

MAP06 has been re-worked completely, with a new layout that I feel is a lot more interesting (and challenging!). The DL link for the new version of the WAD is below, and I'll also update the link in the original post.

 

(v2) Download Here

 

(new) MAP06: Threat Hierarchy

 

[baja blast rd.]

It feels too easy to just exit. If you stand on the RK platform on the half that doesn't wake up the mastermind, you will inevitably get either the chaingunner or the mancubus to distract it, as in my demo.

 

(You can gamble by grabbing the key without worrying about that, but you can be gunned down if RNG doesn't fall in line. On the other hand, with the distraction, exiting should be almost perfectly reliable.)

 

Maybe just bar that off at first, because it's a fine vignette otherwise. I like the layout and terrain. 

 

 

10Cv2_06.zip

Edited July 18, 2019 by rdwpa

[RonnieJamesDiner]

Hmm... despite that not quite being what I had in mind, I must say, an absolutely beautiful run! Haha. I really appreciate you taking the time @rdwpa, you've helped tremendously. I took your advice and barred that red key plat off at first, and actually re-positioned a few of the monsters (moved the Arch-Vile to the right side of the arena, most critically). Now, even if the player decides to avoid dealing with the SM, they absolutely have to deal with the AV.

 

Here's the updated version. Updating the OP link, as well. 

Edited July 18, 2019 by RonnieJamesDiner

[beast]

This is a great idea. I like your concept a lot. It is still bloody hard to beat. Here have some demos :)

 

 

10Challenge_v3_beastlmps.zip

[RonnieJamesDiner]

Thanks for the kind words, and the demos! Perhaps I should have made the first map a little easier on HNTR :P

[Krull]

.

Edited September 2, 2023 by Krull

[beast]

17 hours ago, RonnieJamesDiner said:

Thanks for the kind words, and the demos! Perhaps I should have made the first map a little easier on HNTR :P

You did place the chainsaw on the NTR skill, that is something. My play is not up to par.

[RonnieJamesDiner]

@Krull Glad you enjoyed it! I've never played Swift Death, I'll have to check it out.

 

@beast In retrospect though, the chainsaw doesn't really do much to help against 2 perched Chaingunners and an HK. I still appreciate you giving it a shot!

[DecoyZulu]

I hate you for dropping this into my world.

 

That's high praise, though. I hate you because you make me want to tear my hair out for my own failures, not those of the mapper.

 

Terrific WAD in concept and execution. Bravo, my friend.

[RonnieJamesDiner]

8 hours ago, DecoyZulu said:

I hate you for dropping this into my world.

 

That's high praise, though. I hate you because you make me want to tear my hair out for my own failures, not those of the mapper.

 

Terrific WAD in concept and execution. Bravo, my friend.

 

Spoiler

 

Thank you for the kind words, I really appreciate it. Glad to hear you're hating enjoying the WAD!

[DecoyZulu]

15 hours ago, RonnieJamesDiner said:

 

  Hide contents

 

Thank you for the kind words, I really appreciate it. Glad to hear you're hating enjoying the WAD!

I'm on map 7 now. I will beat this thing. You'll see. You'll all see!

[Sir Hattington]

You can bypass map03 completely by running beside the spider mastermind and pressing the button, then you run back to cover and run beside the spider mastermind again into the exit teleporter. I was able to beat map03 in 13 seconds.

[RonnieJamesDiner]

39 minutes ago, Sir Hattington said:

You can bypass map03 completely by running beside the spider mastermind and pressing the button, then you run back to cover and run beside the spider mastermind again into the exit teleporter. I was able to beat map03 in 13 seconds.

 

Oof… that's actually an awesome discovery. I tried doing that while testing the map, and in my first few attempts the Spider Mastermind tore me to shreds, so I just kind of shrugged and said "ehh this probably isn't possible". I just went back and tried it a few more times, and I actually pulled it off! Thank you for finding this :D

 

Now I'm wondering if I should adjust it, or leave it there as the super-sneaky speedrun strategy...  

Edited July 27, 2019 by RonnieJamesDiner

[Unitron]

Played through the first six maps, and damn it's hard but fun. I really liked MAP06, it comes off as insane when you first go in, but once you take out the small monsters and the Baron of Hell, it's simple to find good places to take cover while you slowly take out the larger threats and provides a fun and fair challenge. I'll try and beat it tomorrow, great wad!

 

I personally like the speedrun ease of MAP03, means I don't have to deal with those two Archvilles that have their backs to me right when I enter before I even have the Plasma Rifle. ;)

[RonnieJamesDiner]

@Unitron Thanks for checking these out! I had a great time making these, so, I'm always excited to hear when people are having some fun with them :)

 

12 hours ago, Unitron said:

I personally like the speedrun ease of MAP03, means I don't have to deal with those two Archvilles that have their backs to me right when I enter before I even have the Plasma Rifle. ;)

 

Haha... glad to hear the totally intentional speedrun strat worked for you. I'm starting to play around with the idea of trying to implement speedrun strats in my future maps though, it's kind of an intriguing addition. 

[HAK3180]

Hey, just wanted to mention that I did not read all the comments here before my playthrough, which was actually a couple days ago. The point is I would definitely rework the shortcut in Map 03. I often do leave in speedrunner tricks when I notice them, but not when they're that extreme and obvious. Perhaps something with arch-vile jumping would be more subtle.

[RonnieJamesDiner]

4 hours ago, HAK3180 said:

Hey, just wanted to mention that I did not read all the comments here before my playthrough, which was actually a couple days ago. The point is I would definitely rework the shortcut in Map 03. I often do leave in speedrunner tricks when I notice them, but not when they're that extreme and obvious. Perhaps something with arch-vile jumping would be more subtle.

 

I'm going to take a good look at it tonight and see what I can do. Part of me wants to leave "something" in there, as a neat little speedrun option, but I agree that it should at least be less obvious (or, perhaps simply more of a challenge to pull off). I think your advice on raising the platform would be a good start, the only thing is, it still leaves a viable (and super easy) option of just hitting the switch > jumping down, running that little loop again > exiting. So, I'll tinker with a few ideas. Thanks again for the playthrough! 

[scwiba]

I've only played three of these maps so far but they've been excellent. Love these kinds of small maps with interesting creative limitations.

[RonnieJamesDiner]

3 hours ago, Ryath said:

I've only played three of these maps so far but they've been excellent. Love these kinds of small maps with interesting creative limitations.

 

Thanks for the kind words, glad you've been enjoying it so far! Hopefully the rest of them are just as fun :D

 

=============================

 

So, I've gone ahead and adjusted MAP03. After some deliberation, I just decided to basically remove the speedrun option (unless someone still finds a way to get past the Mastermind, and if so, you're a slippery ninja).

 

Here is the download for the updated version.

The DL link in the original post will be updated as well.

 

I just want to say thanks again for all the support and feedback. I had a lot of fun creating these, and it's been incredibly motivating to receive such a warm response. Cheers, everyone!  

Edited July 29, 2019 by RonnieJamesDiner

[halb]

Just came across this wad and finished it on UV. I didnt expect that much of a challenge, with only 10 monsters. But god damn was I wrong, that was tough! 

Very pretty levels, and the ammount of tough but fair difficulty gotten from so few monsters was impresive. The first fight of map 10 felt a little unfair, but thats probably more on me being bad then the wad.

[RonnieJamesDiner]

@halb Thanks man, I'm glad to hear you enjoyed them! Yeah, map10 has been a bit of a wildcard. Some players struggle with it, some make it look like childs play (*cough* rdwpa *cough*). It was meant to be a challenging finale for the set though, for sure. And I can say with all honesty, I struggled quite a bit just trying to test it!