The DWIronman League dies to: Epic

[NaZa]

August, 2020

The yearly leader board

 

Standard Leaderboard

1. 1 - SURVIVED (0:47:10): Bdubzzz - Blitzes through the set. Half an hour for the first four maps is mad impressive. EPIC!
2. 2 - SURVIVED (1:11:31): Arbys550 - Channels his hate for MAP04 into a fourth survival of the year - impressive! EPIC stuff.
3. 2 - SURVIVED (1:13:03): NaZa - Showing my weak spots to the final bosses should've EPICally gone wrong. Thankfully it didn't.
4. 1 - SURVIVED (1:24:41): marver0PS - MAP03 demonstrates things we try last are usually the way out. Didn't give up - for the EPIC first time survival!
5. 2 - SURVIVED (1:28:24): Beginner - Never really looked troubled, not even when he ate a rocket. EPIC stuff as usual.
6. 1 - SURVIVED (1:36:33): Suitepee - Jumps Roofi with the help of the EPIC stream audience. 
7. 2 - SURVIVED (1:51:20): Roofi - Goes head-first into a rocket voluntarily and makes the EPIC finale far more difficult. Perseveres anyway.
8. 2 - SURVIVED (2:14:48): RjY - Almost bottles it on the final fight of MAP01, but stays (over)patient and scores an EPIC green!
9. 1 - MAP04: SSGmaster - Pixel-perfect. Some could say it's divine punishment for cheesing the first wagons.
10. 1 - MAP04: ozy - Yet another gets intimate with the arachnotron. "In your face!" takes on a whole new meaning.
11. 1 - MAP04: dt_ - Dedication: getting dragged by the train for a further mile and still killing a few cacodemons.
12. 1 - MAP04: Pseudonaut - Sends the archvile on a deserved vacation only to get an earful from the baron for it.
13. ? - MAP03: Anima Zero - A rocket lost here, a rocket lost there, a rocket found its way to your face...
14. 1 - MAP03: ReaperAA - You got the super shotgun!
15. 2 - MAP02: Catpho - Demolishes MAP01, but weapons took a mind of their own and forgot how to aim for the snipers.
16. 1 - MAP02: Daerik - Pains me to do this in the end, but not doing it could set a harmful precedent. Keeping consistent with January, too. (DNF)
17. 2 - MAP02: Woolie Wool - Goes excavating all guns blazing; get blazed with guns.
18. 1 - MAP02: NoisyVelvet - Repeats Vrack2 by failing to look behind; missed, but felt Amon-Revenant in his physical form.
19. 1 - MAP02: Endless - Brutally "nailed" by a stealth chaingunner. 
20. 1 - MAP02: Krenium - Fatal aiming errors. Might've been caused by punching the air for a minute beforehand.
21. 1 - MAP02: ragerat - Yikes! Another victim of Amon-Revenant! At least didn't suffer as long as Crusader. 
22. 1 - MAP02: Austinado - Incredible fist heroics. Seth would be proud. (Until the death, of course.)
23. 1 - MAP02: Horus - Egyptians and thy faulty elevators be damned! How dare you betray thy god Horus like that? (DNF)
24. 1 - MAP02: Crusader No Regret - Definitely struck by Amon-Revenant's curse. Ouch!
25. 1 - MAP01: Pegleg - Got flanked by imps. Left, right, dead.

 

Prepared Leaderboard

1. # - SURVIVED (1:02:25): Daerik - At least the "continued" run is a comfortable survival.
2. # - MAP05: Crusader No Regret - Causes himself problems like Roofi, but it's a rogue imp that snipes CNR while looking for health. Almost had it!
3. # - MAP04: Horus - Is that plasma made out of superglue? At least you didn't fall off alive.
4. # - MAP01: Pegleg - Decides befriending revenants is better than exiting the level. Got punched for it.

 

What is the Doomworld Ironman League?

 

The DWIronman League is a monthly competition in which participants aim to survive for as many levels as possible in the given map set, preferably in one sitting. Click the spoiler tag at the bottom of the post for a detailed list of rules. Players of all levels of ability are welcome. It could change the way you play Doom!

 

In August 2020 the DWIronman League dies to Epic, -complevel 9 by Alexander S. "Eternal". Its sequel seems to have become more popular and twice as epic than the original Epic, which we can partly "blame" on the sequel having 6 times as many maps. Whatever adventure you craved in Doom, this epic mapset has you covered - from Inca temples to an Egyptian complex, a trainjack and a bizarre alien tower complex. Epic is quite a fun set as well, and not all too difficult - in fact, I probably wouldn't have put it as an Ironman set had the previous month not been such a killfest (and maybe lulling you into a false sense of security come September? who knows...). Don't only take my word for it being epic, though - the Great Bloodite Krypto called it "revolutionary" and gave it 5 stars on the archives. Probably doesn't mean he'll return for a one-off... This is the second month of the year that we're playing an Eternal set (last time this year though) - some players might want to look at this one as an epic redemption for poor results on Baker's Dozen, perhaps.

 

Essential Info

• Doom II: Hell on Earth as the IWAD selected.
• Compatibility level 9, or "(Boom (strict))" for ZDoom derivative ports.
• Time estimate: 1 to 2 hours
• 5 maps

 

> Download Epic

prboom-plus.exe -iwad doom2.wad -file epic.wad -complevel 9 -skill 4 -record demo_name.lmp

 

Spoiler

 

• There are two competitions: Standard and Prepared:

  • To compete successfully in the Standard competition: your first play of the selected WAD(s) constitutes your one and only attempt for the month.

  • To compete successfully in the Prepared competition: your one and only attempt for the month is determined BY YOU immediately before play and may follow any prior number of active (playing the set) preparation that is strictly for practice/inspection purposes only. You cannot compete in the Standard competition after submitting a run to the Prepared competition. You may submit the first of your practice attempts to the Standard competition.

• UV only (excepting 1CC format), continuous recording. No pistol-starting each level.
• Demos (PrBoom+, GLBoom, Eternity or Chocolate), stream highlights and video recordings are the only accepted proofs. You must link to these runs in the thread. 
• No additional WADs may be loaded.
• No inspection of the WAD(s)'s content in an editor if you are submitting a Standard run.
• No cheat codes and no features that result in behavior beyond what is possible in the intended source port (e.g. freelook, jumping and crouching in a boom set). This includes dynamic lights and brightmaps. If streaming or recording videos using an advanced source port with compatibility options, you must display these settings on-screen before your run. In ZDoom derivative ports, "Doom/Boom(strict)" will suffice.
• If you choose to stream/record your run for video rather than provide a demo and you die before completing a single level, either on the first map of a set OR because a single level was selected for the month, you must display the number of monsters killed/remaining in the level before you quit.
• You do not have to play the secret levels in order to register a complete run. However, a player who finishes the game having completed more secret levels than his/her competitors will rank higher than them.
• You cannot load a game having progressed past the save point.
• You cannot consult Doom Builder during your run to check for map details.
• If the recording of your official run is interrupted due to technical difficulties, you are not permitted a second attempt. Any surviving recording may be used to register a DNF result.
• Accidentally restarting a level before a death exit takes you to the tally screen will disqualify your run.
• If you are competing in the Standard competition, you are required to affix one of three numbers to your run informing the League of your degree of familiarity with the map/set played. Note that your evaluation should only take into consideration the content covered in your run (e.g. if you remember only one part of a level in a set you haven't played before but never reach that level, you should list your run as a [1] instead of [2]):

 

1. This is a blind run. If I have played or watched any of the level/set being played before, I cannot remember any details that would offer a reasonable advantage over truly blind players. *
2. This is not a blind run. I have familiarity with the set - played the level/set before, or watched it being played, and can remember some details that would offer a reasonable advantage over blind players.
3. This is not a blind run. I have passively prepared for the competition - watched the level/set being played via stream, demo or video after it was announced as this month's challenge.

 

* "Reasonable" in this instance asks you to consider whether the details in question are worth committing to memory. As in, you would thank the person who gave you this information with a straight face and not expect to be laughed at for being an utter berk.

 

 

Previous threads:

Spoiler

2016

• 07 - Jenesis (winner: Demon of the Well)
• 08 - Crusades (winner: Ribbiks)
• 09 - Nilla Doom (winner: Demon of the Well)
• 10 - Khorus' Speedy Shit (winner: Bloodite Krypto)
• 11 - Perdition's Gate (winner: Bloodite Krypto)
• 12 - UAC Ultra (winner: Bloodite Krypto)

2017

• 01 - Jade Earth (winner: Bloodite Krypto)
• 02 - Legacy of Heroes (winner: Bloodite Krypto)
• 03 - Back to Saturn X E1 (winner: dew)
• 04 - Mapgame (winner: Bloodite Krypto)
• 05 - Vae Vactus 1 & 2 (winner: Demon of the Well)
• 06 - Disturbia (winner: Bloodite Krypto)
• 07 - Insertion (winner: Bloodite Krypto)
• 08 - Unholy Realms (winner: Bloodite Krypto)
• 09 - Osiris (winner: Demon of the Well)
• 10 - Endgame & Endpoint (winner: Bloodite Krypto)
• 11 - Oscillation (winner: Ancalagon)
• 12 - Doom the Way id Did (winner: kmc)

2018

• 01 - Combat Shock 2 (winner: Bloodite Krypto)
• 02 - Coffee Break E1 (winner: Bloodite Krypto)
• 03 - Warlock's Hearth (winner: Demon of the Well)
• 04 - 50 Monsters (winner: Bloodite Krypto)
• 05 - Double Impact (winner: Bloodite Krypto)
• 06 - Rush (winner: WH-Wilou84)
• 07 - The Darkening E1 & E2 (winner: Veinen)
• 08 - The Plutonia Experiment (winner: Bloodite Krypto)
• 09 - Community Chest 4 - MAP19: Interstellar Sickness and MAP20: Shaman's Device (winner: ledooom85)
• 10 - Doom 64 for Doom II (winner: Bloodite Krypto)
• 11 - TNT: Renascence & TNT: Resistance (winner: Bloodite Krypto)
• 12 - Ultimate Doom the Way id Did (winner: Bloodite Krypto)

2019

• 01 - Hellfire: Dreams (winner: Bloodite Krypto)
• 02 - THT: Threnody - MAP10: Fomalhaut (winner: Bloodite Krypto)
• 03 - Stardate 20X6 (winner: Bloodite Krypto)
• 04 - Base Ganymede: Complete (winner: Bloodite Krypto)
• 05 - The DWIronman League died waiting for SIGIL (winner: John Romero)
• 06 - SIGIL (winner: leodoom85)
• 07 - Vanguard & Lunatic (winner: Bdubzzz)
• 08 - 2017 Collection (winner: an_mutt)
• 09 - Revolution! (winner: NaZa)
• 10 - Monster Hunter Part I & Part II (winner: Bdubzzz)
• 11 - Abcess (winner: Demon of the Well)
• 12 - Scythe (winner: Spectre01)

2020

• 1 - Hellscape (winner: Bdubzzz - prep winner: Archi)
• 2 - No Sleep for the Dead (winner: Ancalagon - prep winner: Anima Zero)
• 3 - Baker's Dozen (winner: Bdubzzz - prep winner: Pegleg)
• 4 - Occult Secrets of the Third Reich & Biotech is Godzilla (winner: joe-ilya - prep winner: Horus)
• 5 - Bloody Rust (winner: Bdubzzz - prep winner: dt_)
• 6 - Vrack 1, 2 and 3 (winner: ReaperAA - prep winner: Bashe)
• 7 - Running Late 2 (winner: Roofi - prep winner: Pegleg)

Edited November 26, 2021 by NaZa
updated

[NaZa]

Instead of taking 12 hours, it took 24 hours. I would acknowledge this a personal victory nonetheless.

 

I was quite happy to see @Roofi snatch a debut win last month - congratulations! It only took, what, three and a half years of solid upper-table running to finally snatch it, and what better way than a blind marathon (however, still an hour slower than DotW's survival of Jenesis - I don't think that's ever going to be beaten), somehow avoiding every obstacle, dealing with every trap the set had to offer. Extraordinary stuff and full well deserved. June's debut winner (two debut winners in a row!) @ReaperAA also had a solid run, proving his win was definitely not a fluke, with @Daerik scoring a personal best in 2nd. This only means one thing - @Beginner, who participated for as long as Roofi, is going to win this month and become the third debut winner in a row. No pressure at all! Warm welcome to @marver0PS and @Pseudonaut, the newcomers last month?

This month is going to be quite... epic, if I dare say so myself.

 

I've also updated the Google Sheets Leaderboards, although not the in-thread standings - that will be updated, both threads, either tomorrow or Tuesday. Coming up with humorous obituaries is easy if you're humorous yourself, so that's where the obstacle lies. Gonna Google "funny" and go from there I reckon :)

Edited August 2, 2020 by NaZa

[Horus]

Softlocked on map 02 with 171/216 monsters killed, annoying as I was doing decently well before that :(

Category 1

00ironman_horus_standard.zip

[Horus]

Prepared run: died on map 04 with 49/78 monsters killed. Probably my dumbest ironman death to date lol

00ironman_horus_prepared.zip

[Pseudonaut]

GLBoom+, category 1. Died a very avoidable death on map04 after about 1:48:25 with 62/78 kills.

 

epicironmanpn148.zip

 

Spoiler

At some point on map03, I had no idea how to progress and spent probably half an hour randomly wallhumping everything. The thing I was missing turned out to be pretty obvious. To anyone who watches the demo, -skipsec is highly recommended.

 

[Woolie Wool]

Hitscanned to death after an incautious approach to the final area of map02. Recorded with PrBoom 2.5.0 -complevel 9, HMP, category 2.

woolie_epic.zip

[Krenium]

PrBoom+ category 1. Died on MAP02 pathetically to a lone monster with 140/216 monsters killed after about 26 minutes.

epic_ironman_krenium.zip

[Endless]

Jesus, everyone dying early is making me ^nervous.

 

 

[NaZa]

 

Survived (category 2) in 1:13:03. Despite tripping on the start of MAP01, I managed to get into a bit more comfortable position for the upcoming maps... then came the literal final minute in which I managed to fail so hard I laughed at myself. Luckily I had more than enough health but that was just funny to witness.

 

I've played this set before; when I was first creating the timetable for the League this year, after a proper playthrough in early January, I've booked Epic for May (which ended up being Bloody Rust) - not standalone, however, but paired with Remain1, a set I've since left out completely. After a few more difficult and long sets, I've tossed it aside thinking it was too short for May but that outlook on things changed after quite a massacre last month.

 

dwironman_aug20_naza.zip

 

EDIT: Horus ran into a softlock so it's worth mentioning: MAP02 - Don't reverse out of the lift in the blue key area.

Edited August 3, 2020 by NaZa

[marver0PS]

Survived in 1:24:41 (category 1). I lost so much time because I thought I got stuck on MAP03 after falling in that side area near the blue key section, besides getting lost in that map too. Overall I found this mapset to be pretty easy, even without finding many secrets.

 

 

Marver0ps_epic_DWIronman.zip

Edited August 3, 2020 by marver0PS

[Beginner]

21 hours ago, NaZa said:

Beginner, who participated for as long as Roofi, is going to win this month and become the third debut winner in a row

You massively overestimate my speed incarnate capabilities :)

Survived the set though, all it took is 1:28:24! Category 2 submission is available here.

 

[Roofi]

DEMO

 

Survived in 1:50:27 , Category 2

 

I almost died at the very end of map 05 because of a wrong maneuver. Great mapset , but I still think that Eternal mapping style's didn't age well. The narrow corridors with a lot of switch-hunting don't make the progression very enjoyable (especially for map 03).

[Pegleg]

6 hours ago, NaZa said:

EDIT: Horus ran into a softlock so it's worth mentioning: MAP02 - Don't reverse out of the lift in the blue key area.

 

You may want to add this to the OP, just to make sure that people see it when they come to the page and download Epic. It's only a few posts down in the thread, but it's possible that someone might start playing and not read further down the thread before starting.

[NaZa]

Good idea. I decided to look at some other areas and I found out if you feel adventurous enough at the very start of MAP05 and go behind the train, there's seemingly no way up - so that's another softlock opportunity. 

[Bdubzzz]

Category 2 Survived in 47:10

I Played Epic somewhat recently (maybe 5 months ago?) - I remember getting lost a lot more in my 1st playthrough but because of that I spent more time in the maps and remembered some of the more obscure progression.

DWIronman-epic-dubz.zip

 

[Crusader No Regret]

I dabbled with this set back in 2010 but don't really remember much in the way of details other than a wariness about map 5.

 

Softened up by the first revenant and whittled down by hitscan before I got to do much of anything on map 2.  Yes, I'm sore about the manner in which I went down.  I'll be erasing the demo from my hard drive right after this post goes up.

 

Functionally a blind run.

 

PrBoom-plus 2.5.1.4 -complevel 9

dwiron_epic_effthis.zip

[Pegleg]

Category 1

Dead on Map 01

Kills: 34/52

Time: 5:53

 

dwi_pegleg_epic_cat1.zip

 

It seems like a good mapset. The first map wasn't too troubling overall, at least through the first half (which probably means I've slotted myself for another last place finish). Monster placement was good. The ammo was scarce, was available, provided you weren't reckless. The texture work was good. I had fun, and I'm looking forward to my prepared run--it should go better now that I know what's coming.

[SleepyVelvet]

On 8/2/2020 at 4:55 PM, NaZa said:

Instead of taking 12 hours, it took 24 hours. ...

Hmm.  I'm gonna wait before I dive into this one.

 

edit: i think i misread the post in this reply.

Edited August 22, 2020 by NoisyVelvet

[Anima Zero]

Died at the BSK trap in map 3.  Probably didn't help I blew a bunch of my rockets before grabbing the key to boot because those rockets would have helped against the rev & baron horde, heh.

DWIronman_Epic_AnimaZero.zip

[ozy]

Died on map 4 to some spidery cargo..

 

This was a really enjoyable mapset. :)

 

Cat 1

 

dwironman_epic_ozy.zip

Edited August 10, 2020 by ozy

[A Rat IRL]

Signed up so I could join in on ironman fun only to die a humiliating death.

 

Ran blind, so cat 1.

epicironmanragerat.zip

[Suitepee]

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/707259155

 

Category 1 run, survived in 1:36:33.

 

Wasn't too difficult a wad really to be honest (despite the close-range Revenant traps), although I needed @Alper002's help to spot a somewhat hidden shoot switch across a bridge at one point.

[SSGmaster]

I died on map 4, category 1
I've never played this one before, it was pretty good.

Youtube Video

 

Demo file

[eirc]

Thought I'd try my first Ironman but that ended fast and unceremoniously. Softlocked in map 2, same place Horus did :(

 

Slowly uploading my no-point-since-tied-for-last submission to youtube.

[Pegleg]

5 hours ago, eirc said:

Slowly uploading my no-point-since-tied-for-last submission to youtube.

 

That would be your tied-for-second-to-last submission, not last place, unless Naza has just decided to ignore my submission.

 

By the way, if you're interested in more Ironmans, there's also the monthly IronEagle (here is this month's IronEagle thread).

[NaZa]

It all depends when you reached MAP02, @eirc. You won't be last anyway as Pegleg died on M1, but if you reached M2 quicker than 8 minutes you won't be second last either. 

[eirc]

Hmmm I also went with HMP which I just noticed is not a thing so the whole thing's a trainwreck lol. Hopefully next month I'll pay better attention to the rules :) I'll go check out IronEagle now @Pegleg thanks for the suggestion, the whole reason I started this was to check out a new way to Doom so that'll work fine too!

 

Spoiler

 

 

[Endless]

Greetings everyone, here I am once more to humiliate myself with my happy trigger finger and constant panic.

@Woolie Wool Glad to know I wasn't the only one nailed by hitscanners.

 

Category: 1

Died on: MAP 02

Gameplay time: About 29 minutes.

 

 

[Catpho]

Live fast, die fast.

Cat 2. Played Epic a while ago so i remembered the first map. Rushed through and got the chaingun in 02. Exactly the triumphant Catpho comeback!!!!!!!

Recorded in glboom+ 2.5.1.4

dwironman_epic_cat.zip

@Woolie Wool @Endless Cheers fellow lost souls.

[SiFi270]

Category 2. It was going so well until a chaingunner anticlimactically knocked me off the train.

sidwi-ep.zip