Cheapest Traps in the IWADS?

[Ant1]

So upon me getting more into the game and getting better, I wanted to take a trip down memory lane and invite everybody to join me! So, out of Ultimate Doom, Doom 2, and Final Doom, which "traps" or cheap set-ups were the worst? I would share mine but I don't remember the exact map. To describe it though, it's in Doom 2 where you get teleported into a room filled with imps and pinkies, leaving no space. The first time I got there I almost shit my pants. Once I knew it was coming it wasn't bad, but it definitely stood out.

[Starduster]

Lol man it's that part in Go 2 It where like 10 archviles open up outside after grabbing a key.

[Ant1]

8 minutes ago, Starduster said:

Lol man it's that part in Go 2 It where like 10 archviles open up outside after grabbing a key.

Yep.

 

(That's all I can say about this. It's so blatantly awful there are no words.)

[Pirx]

inescapable nukage pool at the start of e1m3

[Uni]

Off the top of my head:

 

MAP12: The Factory where you're being teleported right into a small confined room surrounded by 4 Imps point-blank. 

 

MAP09: The Pit has a quite cruel trap that takes advantage of weapon switch delay and puts you in a very tight, dangerous situation.

 

Edited August 1, 2020 by Uni

[Dexiaz]

From my childhood experience: PSX Doom 2 Map 08 ending room - inescapable "nukage" pool where you can only die (and restart map from scratch, because there are no saves on PS1 version).

[Toilet_Wine_Connoisseur]

the teleportation "puzzle" in Unholy Cathedral. I normally enjoy Sandys tricks and traps, they are usually a barrel 0' fun but that one falls flat on its face.

[Big Ol Billy]

9 minutes ago, Toilet_Wine_Connoisseur said:

the teleportation "puzzle" in Unholy Cathedral. I normally enjoy Sandys tricks and traps, they are usually a barrel 0' fun but that one falls flat on its face.

 

Yeah, you might say there's quite a chasm between his best and worst traps

[Dimon12321]

Map 1 from HacX features 6 big toxic tankers where you can fall down and there's no way out. That's what I call the cheapest trap.

Edited August 1, 2020 by Dimon12321

[Doom-X-Machina]

E3M9: Warrens.

 

You spend the whole map thinking "WTF? Why am I here again?" Backtrack all the way to the start and then BAM! Nope, Cyberdemon mofo!!

Edited August 1, 2020 by Doom-X-Machina

[Morpheus666]

map 15+ of Plutonia, absolute Masterpiece of a asshole level design

Edited August 1, 2020 by Morpheus666

[Final Verdict]

1 hour ago, Pirx said:

inescapable nukage pool at the start of e1m3

 

I was just about to mention that one. This gets my vote as well.

 

I absolutely hate being stuck in a pit with no way out, kill me multiple times and throw everything you can muster at me. I'll get past it eventually with a little persistence.

 

But don't toss me in a pit of nukage/lava with no escape. It's just frustrating and cheap.

 

[SchwTrdLeenW]

Doom II MAP12: That lift surrounded by imps, you know what i'm talking about. It's one of those traps that gets defused by foreknowledge tho, like pretty much every other "cheap" trap in the IWADs.

[Deadwing]

The invisible bridge trap in plutonia's map 2.

[pcorf]

First time I played MAP08 of Doom 2 it took me about 20 attempts to reach the damn exit with all those lowering steps into the slime. I was playing with the keyboard with the shift held down by masking tape for autorun, good thing for savegames.

Edited August 1, 2020 by pcorf

[dmslr]

2 hours ago, Uni said:

MAP12: The Factory where you're being teleported right into a small confined room surrounded by 4 Imps point-blank. 

This was worse than any Plutonia traps.

[The_SloVinator]

The beginning of Map 25 from Plutonia & when you teleport to the last part, there are hitscanners behind or all around you.

On UV Fast, you are very vulnerable because you freeze a bit after teleporting.

But it's manageable.

[⇛Marnetmar⇛]

The red key trap in Aztec is pretty stupid

Edited August 1, 2020 by Marn

[Wagi]

No mention of TNT MAP30? I mean come on, who walked into that level the first time and thought "I bet these crazy random torches at the start tell you where to step to not instantly die"? Nobody, that's who.

[tamara mochaccina]

2 hours ago, The_SloVinator said:

The beginning of Map 25 from Plutonia & when you teleport to the last part, there are hitscanners behind or all around you.

On UV Fast, you are very vulnerable because you freeze a bit after teleporting.

But it's manageable.

I second this

[Z0k]

For me as @Wagi said the only cheap trap for me in the classic iwads is just that one, i though they were just decoration and bam instant death. then after that i realized every block have a torch color so have to write down the colors order. i guess nobody comment about it because new sourceports show teleport triggers so everyone can just cheese it by just using automap

Edited August 1, 2020 by Z0k

[Dark Pulse]

Plutonia MAP11. The entire goddamn map. Basically if you don't know what invisible linedefs open what doors, you're absolutely boned, especially if you're no longer able to break line-of-sight from the Archviles. And no health pickups until the very end, either, so even tanking it isn't really an option.

[joepallai]

PSX Doom that inescapable crusher trap in The Marshes

[galileo31dos01]

7 hours ago, Wagi said:

No mention of TNT MAP30? I mean come on, who walked into that level the first time and thought "I bet these crazy random torches at the start tell you where to step to not instantly die"? Nobody, that's who.

 

That'd be me, I think, I can't remember whether there was a bit of trial and error for a good minute until it crossed my mind that those two rows of torches were actually hints of the puzzle, but that it clicked without having to watch a video or read a guide is true, I remember I wrote down the order of the colours on a paper. And this was playing on DOSBox so no colorful automap. I thought the concept was cool and certainly not cheap at all (:

[Pirx]

7 hours ago, galileo31dos01 said:

 

That'd be me, I think, I can't remember whether there was a bit of trial and error for a good minute until it crossed my mind that those two rows of torches were actually hints of the puzzle, but that it clicked without having to watch a video or read a guide is true, I remember I wrote down the order of the colours on a paper. And this was playing on DOSBox so no colorful automap. I thought the concept was cool and certainly not cheap at all (:

 

The nice thing about this riddle is that I saw it as a riddle and never as a trap, not to mention an unfair one. And as it was such an unique concept back then, I remember exactly how I got the first 2 pillars right by chance, then inevitably got telefragged. took some time to admire the scenery from the floor view and realized that the torch colors had to indicate a path. And when I respawned I had that row right before my eyes. Wrote it down, tried it, and it worked... Couldn't quite believe when I was on the other side of the chasm but it felt like an accomplishment, as good as or even better than beating the moooh for the first time, or figuring out what the icon's weakness was, with no internet tutorials to show me the trick. Of course, had I just jumped somewhere and got splattered repeatedly, my memories of this would be vastly different.

[VGA]

On 8/1/2020 at 7:29 PM, Deⓧiaz said:

From my childhood experience: PSX Doom 2 Map 08 ending room - inescapable "nukage" pool where you can only die (and restart map from scratch, because there are no saves on PS1 version).

Exactly, the Tricks and traps map on the PSX port !!

 

It is a rather easy map but then does the stupid trap at the very end ... just to kill you cheaply!

[baronofgibbitude]

The trap with all the Cacos and Shotgunners at the end of E3M9 is awful if you didn't find the BFG.

[Master O]

On 8/1/2020 at 10:32 AM, Starduster said:

Lol man it's that part in Go 2 It where like 10 archviles open up outside after grabbing a key.

 

The funny part about that particular trap before the level exit is that you can trap all the archviles in that little room and BFG them to death (while dodging their flame attacks, of course).

Edited August 2, 2020 by Master O

[EANB]

The slow crusher in Map 19 has caught me a few times.

[Doomkid]

On 8/2/2020 at 7:54 AM, Z0k said:

For me as @Wagi said the only cheap trap for me in the classic iwads is just that one, i though they were just decoration and bam instant death. then after that i realized every block have a torch color so have to write down the colors order. i guess nobody comment about it because new sourceports show teleport triggers so everyone can just cheese it by just using automap

"Things I just learned about Doom Source Ports"

 

I honestly had no idea teleport lines were visible in more modern ports..

 

The Final Doom Map30 intro bit isn't cheap or hard at all though, the start of the map literally tells you which colors to choose and in what order.. Mario games, which are notoriously not-that-hard, have puzzles that make this look like baby stuff! You don't need to write anything, just follow the order of the torches that you see in the starting hallway.

 

I also can't complain about the E1M3 nukage pool at the start. It's right at the start and so easy to avoid, if you fall in I just have to ask, did that nukage really look that appealing to swim around in?! So long as you saved right at the start of the map (which is a great habit to have!) you won't lose any progress. Unless you go for the secret.. But even then, just walk straight across and shotgun the lone imp that comes out onto the bridge that raised up.

 

Now, the nukage/slime pit at the end of MAP08 is a totally different story. That's just fucking mean. Oh, you slipped up a tiny bit on your controls? You don't just get hurt, you go pack to start and all your progress on the map is undone... Right at the damn exit!

 

Map11 and Map32 of Plutonia are two of the least cheap, imo. SSGing Arch-viles around corners is nothing, and BFGing giant walls of helpless meat when I have nearly infinite cells is not hard at all. Basically the rest of the megawad other than those maps can go on here imo!

Edited August 3, 2020 by Doomkid