The DWmegawad Club plays: MAYhem 2020

dobu gabu maru · September 1, 2020

What is the DWmegawad Club?

This is a place where we settle down, have a cup of tea (or drink of your choice) and take a month to play through a megawad on our own, together! Any keen observations, criticisms, or frustrated ranting about it goes here in the discussion. As long as you want to say something about what you've played, feel free to speak your mind.

Can I join?

Sure. The only rule is that you have to play at least some of the levels in our monthly megawad to contribute, but you're generally encouraged to finish the whole thing, even if you've played it before.

What levels am I allowed to post about?

Whatever day of the month it is, is the upper limit for the map you can post on. So if it’s the 6th, you may discuss up to MAP06.

Do I have to post an entry every day?

Nope, not at all. This is only for our more enthusiastic members. As long as you play through it with us you’re part of the club.

When do we vote on the next month’s megawad?

Voting begins on the 25th of the current month. Remember to add one “+++” before your vote to make it easier to count. For example:

+++ Ultimate Doom

Note that you can only nominate up to three separate wads for a single month, and the wads must contain at least three maps each. The winning wad must receive at least four votes for a thread to be made. Ties will be decided by RNG.

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>>>DOWNLOAD MAYHEM 2020 HERE<<<

Could it be? A MAYhem released in the year it was started? Praise be to Obsidian! Doomworld’s annual MAYhem 31-day mapping-fest this year focuses on a scant 20 sectors decorated with some nifty textures from Doom’s alpha and beta! If that sentence sounds like nonsense to you, don’t worry—it just means that even though the maps were hard to make, they’re guaranteed^* to be fun!

Author & Maplist:

MAP01 - “Wet My Appetite” by Dragonfly

MAP02 - “Nukaged-Powered Clastrocomputer” by Redead-ITA

MAP03 - “Bubble Home Bunker” by DynamiteKaitorn

MAP04 - “Deep Focus” by The_SloVinator

MAP05 - “Wastewater Plant” by DavidN

MAP06 - “Return to Pain Manor” by Arno

MAP07 - “Heavy Lifting” by Arctangent

MAP08 - “Edge of Twilight” by Revenant

MAP09 - “Get Up; Don’t Stop” by Phobus

MAP10 - “Daybreak Station” by TheV1perK1ller

MAP11 - “Toxic Waltz” by Blinds1ght

MAP12 - “The Running of the Bulls” by Bauul

MAP13 - “Hole in the Net” by Worm318

MAP14 - “Dens at Night” by Zergeant

MAP15 - “Urban War” by RonnieJamesDiner

MAP31 - “Kukui” by Galileo31dos01

MAP32 - “Cemetery Lapdanse” by Impie

MAP16 - “Silent Starlight” by Dac

MAP17 - “Lab Rat” by Wydoomer

MAP18 - “Spire in the Cascade of Glimmers” by Obsidian

MAP19 - “The Three Towers” by * Mary *

MAP20 - “Stealth Mode” by Steve88

MAP21 - “Enter the First” by A2Rob

MAP22 - “A Touch of Evil” by Scorpius

MAP23 - “Solitude Denied” by Horus

MAP24 - “Otsegolectric” by 4MaTC

MAP25 - “Monolith” by Natural Tvventy

MAP26 - “Sea of Blood” by sajbear666

MAP27 - “Nepal Bird Massacre” by Danlex

MAP28 - “The Scar” by Xaser

MAP29 - “Halo of Flies” by Aurelius

MAP30 - “Fleshipice” by Kapanyo

MAP33: “The Desert Base” by Walter Confalonieri

MAP34: “Wild Terror at Vacation Station” by Impie

MAP35: “Mystery Mayham” by Hawns Braks

MAP36: “Field Trip” by Joe-Ilya

MAP37: “Cokey-Nuts” by Impie

MAP38: “Panopticon” by Solmyr

MAP39: “The Most Sadistic” by SergeiRocks100

MAP40: “Tei Tenga’s Core” by Gerardo194

MAP41: “Current Issues” by Snikle

MAP42: “Re-Refueling Base” by 4MaTC

MAP43: “Sleeping Giants” by Argent Agent

MAP44: “=D” by Obsidian

MAP45: “Circus Charlie” by 4MaTC

MAP46: “Complexe Militaro-Industriel” by Roofi

MAP47: “Coffee Break Torture Porn” by Nine Inch Heels

MAP48: “Subterfuge” by Obsidian

BONUS CONTENT

TBA

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OLD THREADS

Spoiler

The DWmegawad Club Metathread

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

^{* guarantee not guaranteed}

Edited May 8, 2023 by dobu gabu maru

dobu gabu maru · September 1, 2020

Before anyone asks, no, I have no idea how you're supposed to play 16 bonus maps and/or whether or not they'd fit fine alongside the main set. I figure if you wanted to talk about them, posting about any/all of them after the 30th is A-OK.

Edited September 1, 2020 by dobu gabu maru

TheNoob_Gamer · September 1, 2020

Ah nice, played most of these main maps during its development; I had a good time and can assure its quality (the bad ones have been ruled out - that included mine).

I guess I'll be making comments on bonus maps bi-daily; there are quite some stuff in the last 16 maps I have not touched upon yet, and would be a shame if nobody decided to talk about them until the last day of September.

Edited September 1, 2020 by TheNoob_Gamer

galileo31dos01 · September 1, 2020

Yay finally on the side of the mappers! :D

uh oh...

dac · September 1, 2020

Hey, I made something in that project!

I won't have time to fully participate in writing, even less fully participate in writing for every bonus maps, but when my map comes up I'll get a post-mortem going. But I'll say, the twenty sector limit was both an excellent thing to actually RELEASE a map in a month, and a creative exercise in hammering the wrong peg in a hole.

Obsidian · September 1, 2020

Much like Dac, I'll be leaving post-mortems on my maps when/if they're covered (if in the case of the bonus maps). Here's hoping that y'all enjoy your time with this year's offering.

1 hour ago, dobu gabu maru said:

Could it be? A MAYhem released in the year it was started? Praise be to Obsidian!

Aw shucks~ x3

VanaheimRanger · September 1, 2020

36 minutes ago, galileo31dos01 said:

Yay finally on the side of the mappers! :D

uh oh...

I am worried for you, but just remember, anyone who says your map is bad is just a casual scrub ;)

EDIT: Also, what does Kukui mean?

Edited September 1, 2020 by guitardz

TheNoob_Gamer · September 1, 2020

4 minutes ago, guitardz said:

Also, what does Kukui mean?

A character in Pokemon universe. Pretty fitting for the mapper.

kalaeth · September 1, 2020

rejoining this month (last month I played but didn't post because I only started on the 20 something), I have played a few of this maps on a older version (maybe the beta? not sure when I got it..) but I think I didn't finish.

HNTR, no mods, continuous play :

MAP01 - couldn't find the second secret.. I think I remember I had to find it before the switch? Maybe? It's a pretty map, without any "hard" parts but the constant hitscanners take a byte from your health. Progression is simple, so overall a good map that I don't really like (for no good reason I can find),

death count : 2 (at the end room, sniped by a sergeant from outside + computer decided to install stuff while in the "main" fight, when I managed to regain control was at 5% health and again I got shot from outside the ending..)

edit:

actually in HMP : 100% kills / secrets, 0 deaths. Already knowing he layout and most of the monsters makes it easier

Edited September 4, 2020 by kalaeth

TheNoob_Gamer · September 1, 2020

Alright, let's get the show going.

Eternity, UV, Pistol-starting. Maps marked with X, I have played and given feedbacks in development.

Important note: The extra maps work in Eternity and Doom Retro as well. If you dislike GZDoom, take a look at either of these ports.

MAP01: Wet My Appetite - Dragonfly(X)

It's a Dragonfly map. It plays good, it's short, it's a techbase and doesn't seem to be bound by the 2-fold restriction at all.

I like how the combat plays out, it feels neat and definitely suitable for what you are going into - everything is consistent and the climax of the gameplay is the end battle as expected.

The visuals are nice - I remember Dragonfly messed up with the sky texture so it didn't look right on my PRBoom+ copy. Glad everything is sorted out now.

8/10 - I should stop rating maps.

MAP33: The Desert Base - Walter Confetti

Tried out a bit in development, did not like it much. Retrying has make me appreciate it more, but seemingly not enough.

The biggest issue I had with this map is its lack of verticality and visual appealingness; obviously you could not do much with 20 sectors. Though I guess I should give props to the backpack staircase. The best thing I can say about this map is how it tried to live up to its name, pretty sandy.

On the other hand, the gameplay is definitely what I would expect from a veteran mapper. The Cyberdemon kept me on my toes, and the gameplay definitely feel very classic-styled.

It's best used as an early map. 7/10

klaymeb · September 1, 2020

Woo! August was great, so I'm on board for another go!

MAP01 - “Wet My Appetite” by Dragonfly

UV / Pistol start / GZDoom

This is a great map to get started on. There's mostly low-tier monsters, with a few heavy hitters in between, and you're given enough resources to take them out. Finding the secrets make it even easier, especially the big one which contains both the Chaingun and the SSG. If you don't find the secrets before pressing the penultimate switch, then too bad... I missed one of them and went back to play it again to find them both. It's not that big of a deal, but it was kind of annoying not being able to backtrack and find them. The final fight is a real treat, and it was really cool to lower the whole map and then start spawning in waves of monsters.

The layout is simple, but still interesting to look at. It's a tech-base with a lot of water, so there's not a lot of bells and whistles. It does feel a bit too empty at times, since there's some really big rooms with not a lot of monsters in them.

Decent MAP01. Looks good, and I had a good time playing it :)

RottingZombie · September 1, 2020

Off to a good start on HMP. Had to play twice to get secrets since I lowered the floor before finding both.

Edited September 1, 2020 by RottingZombie

Mr Masker · September 1, 2020

Fun first map! The last section was cool and besides having to shotgun hell knights it was a good time. Haven't found all the secrets though.

Biodegradable · September 1, 2020

MAP01 - Wet My Appetite

UV | Continuous with Saves | GZDoom + Zagemod

^{Special note: This will be my very first megaWAD that I plan on playing on UV all the way through. I've been practicing a lot with the difficulty on pretty much all of my single map playthroughs I've posted over the past month, so it's time for the ultimate test! :^P}

I didn't want to leave! Last year, before I joined the forum, I became an avid fan of Dragonfly's work thanks to Civvie's coverage of the upcoming Prodeus of which our man is a level designer for and I've been drooling over his designs for months on Twitter. Suffice to say, I was excited to see that not only had he made a map for this megaWAD, but he was our opener. Oh, I was in heaven. This is a terrific first map, the design is impeccable. I honestly got distracted with how lovely it looks that I fucked up my progression a little at one point and almost got myself killed haha. This was another fun design that works with the idea of a facility filled with water that itself plays into the mechanics of its progression. It's done in a wonderfully subtle way that is really pleasant and sneaks up on you. The layout and texture work is immaculate, I was mesmerised by it. On top of its beauty, it was also fun to play in its straightforward manner and no faffing about with too many keys or switches. It's short and sweet but leaves an everlasting impression. Perhaps I'm a little biased since I adore Dragonfly's work, but this was my first proper experience getting to play one of his maps and I loved it.

Pirx · September 1, 2020

oh man the opening post picture :D

and the end screen is also glorious.

DFF · September 1, 2020

Having enjoyed 1k lines, i'm ready to jump into Mayhem 2020.

MAP01: Wet My Appetite by Dragonfly (95% kills/100% items/50%secrets) Deaths: 1

Blind Run|UV|Continuous|Trailblazer 1.5

A very nice start to the WAD with a water base. The map itself has very clean texture use and is pleasing to look at. Combat is good for a intro map, not too brutal. This map definitely displays some similar design aspects present in Eviternity, as expected from this author.

The real interesting thing with this map (and all maps in this wad) is the 20 sector limit, meaning where 1K had to be efficient with overall lines and detail levels, this WAD tests mappers on their efficient use of sectors and sector joining. This map is a great example of how much you can get done with so little, where even some cool vanilla effects such as the main water trap at the end are done really well, and works well despite precious sector limitations. Plus the map has a lot of good details thanks to efficient sector usage. It even includes some stairs which I can imagine will be a scarcity in this mapset due to how sector hungry they can be.

My only major complaint is the color palette presented here is decent but a little drab, being mainly blue and grey, but its not a huge issue here and overall it still looks nice and is a fun map. Also a very fitting name, a nice use of word play.

EDIT: Upon further map examination in doombuilder I wanted to give further kudos just to how many clever design tricks were used with this map, a definitely boom treat. Dragonfly obviously has a lot of experience with these limitations and what can be done within the doom engine. I will always appreciate and maybe even learn from maps like this because of how cool the tricks are.

MAP33: The Desert Base by Walter Confalonieri (100% kills/100% items/100%secrets) Deaths: 0

Blind Run|UV|Continuous|Trailblazer 1.5

For the first bonus map the player is greeted to a much simpler map design. It almost feels like a mix between a wolfenstein map, with blocky, jagged sections of 64 height and an assortment of matching wall textures, and a doom 1 map, with some tech ledges, pillared rooms with an umbrella shadow design, and other odds and ends. It also features what originally seemed like an un-killable cyberdemon turret being a pistol start, but was dealt with anyways.

Combat is fine, atmosphere is a kinda odd one, but acceptable. Overall its feels like an ok map. Nothing to bold is done, no secrets, no traps, and average design. Not bad, but not anything special.

Rankings:

Spoiler

MAP01: Wet My Appetite

Map33: The Desert Base

Edited September 3, 2020 by DFF

tmorrow · September 1, 2020

2 hours ago, Biodegradable said:

Special note: This will be my very first megaWAD that I plan on playing on UV all the way through.

I've played through map01-15, 31-32 so far. The difficulty is kind of all over the place but definitely ramps up at the first episode finisher. I've found map11-13 to be challenging and map31 to be extremely challenging. Judging by the map authors still to come, I expect this mapset is not taking prisoners and wants to see your marine bloodied and beaten to a pulp. I see you are playing continuous and with saves so that will help to pull off the challenge. Good luck!

I'm not sure how hard I'm committing to mayhem 2020 yet, but I'm currently working on saveless uvmax'es on uv for now until the difficulty soars like an eagle out of reach, map31 took me 4 hours of attempts to beat and I'm still recovering.

VanaheimRanger · September 1, 2020

VanaheimRanger · September 1, 2020

4 hours ago, Biodegradable said:

Special note: This will be my very first megaWAD that I plan on playing on UV all the way through.

1 hour ago, tmorrow said:

I've found map11-13 to be challenging and map31 to be extremely challenging.

Non-slaughter players will want to think about dropping the difficulty for MAP31 probably. I dropped it to ITYTD and it was still a formidable challenge. I've played up to MAP22 and I'd say other than 31 it's been fine challenge-wise. We shall see what's to come, though.

Capellan · September 1, 2020

HMP continuous, no music, frequent saves.

MAP01

Strong opener. Looks good, and there are only a couple of very minor hints as to the sector limit impacting design. Liked the transformation of the map for the final monster flood, though as usual where there is an open exit in sight, I mostly ignored said flood and flicked that switch.

Biodegradable · September 2, 2020

@tmorrow @guitardz I appreciate the heads-up, guys. Thank you :^)

MAP02 - Nukaged-Powered Clastrocomputer

UV | Continuous with Saves | GZDoom + Zagemod

Interesting for me to play something else from Redead-ITA, as his miniWAD Punishment was one of the very first community mapsets I played back when I joined Doomworld, so I already had a little bit of experience with his style going in. "Clastrocomputer" is a pretty apt name and the use of close-quarters very much reminded me of the maps throughout Punishment that were quaint, yet intricate in their design and combat scenarios and this map feels like it could've very well have fit nicely within that miniWAD. It's a charming little map, though maybe a litte too easy. I feel like more could've been done with the texture work to make it feel more like I'm trapped inside a demon-infested computer like its name implies as what was used doesn't really reflect that too well. While the map's a little weak thematically, it approaches the megaWAD's theme very well. Combat was a little bog-standard. Not piss-weak by any standard, but I felt it was lacking a little "OOMPH!" as I didn't feel too challenged. Then again, it's only the second map, so perhaps that's to be expected. The one hairy moment that stood out to me was the Mancubus andthe Spooky Bone Boy Twins in that one section, that was a fun surprise.

Endless · September 2, 2020

MAP01: Wet My Appetite by Joshua O'Sullivan (Dragonfly)

LZDoom

^{Hurt Me Plenty (I feel weird playing on HMP instead of UV. Feels like a crime man.)}

Who said that 2020 couldn't be a good year? Pff, Doom is here to prove to us that even in these bleak days, we have demons to kill.

We begin with an excellent map, created by an excellent author that needs no further introduction. A medium sized map that works perfectly with the dynamics of ''mutation'', by this I mean that as we advance the map, we reach a point where this change/or opens up to give room to new designs and crueler fights. An excellent opener that undoubtedly establishes its own name thanks to its good quality. Fascinating use of textures (with a palette that combines so much that makes you want to eat it) and even a few architectural tricks here and there that are synonymous with quality and good creative skills. Of course Dragonfly had to open this new adventure, and I'm glad about that.

Curious that while, as we can expect from an initial map, it is small-medium size, we also have to take into account that it has a limit of 20 sectors, which seems perfect for initial maps. In spite of that, this map is big in terms of quality. Quite entertaining and certainly whets my appetite.

Edited September 2, 2020 by Endless

Capellan · September 2, 2020

MAP02

I feel like this map decided that not having sectors for lots of detail meant that the visual excitement would have to come from slathering the walls with ALL the textures.

It's a mite garish, is what I am saying.

The gameplay is fine, if generally a bit too "right in front of you". The RL vs manc-and-revs fight is the stand-out "get your heart pumping" moment. The exit baron, meanwhile, is a joke.

Pechudin · September 2, 2020

Well, my university obligations are nearing the end and the pressure is lower, so I will participate this month. HMP, PrBooM+ for the first 32 maps, continuous and saveless (unless the map becomes really hard). For the rest of the maps I'll use GZDooM with the same goals.

Wet My Appetite (Kills: 82/87, Secrets: 1/2, Deaths: 0)

I really like the use of the Alpha/Beta textures, so many nice textures (especially see-trough midtextures) went unused in the original, what a shame! I take it the 20 sectors are only inside the play area, and the outside can be filligreed to all hell (like the 2048 limitations)? At any rate, this is a standard techbase stuff that would fit right into the Eviternity if it was draped in OTEX. Opposition is light, mainly consisting of zombies, pinkies and imps with a couple of heavier monsters (Revenants, Cacodemons, Hell Knights), and even then you will not even see two of them if you do not find the (admittedly easily found) Soulsphere secret.

The final fight is easy enough since there is a lot of space to run around, only thing to watch out for is getting your health chipped down by the roaming hitscanners. So, prioritize them and then the rest of the riffraff can be easily disposed of with the Berserk or the conventional weapons. Nice if unremarkable map. I do like the new shotgun sprite (or is it the old shotgun sprite?).

Verdict: Modern map in vanilla clothing.

loveless · September 2, 2020

prboom+, no saves, uv pistol starts
map 1
deaths 0

chill, fun opening map. the new shotgun sprite is nice!

myhm20-1-loveless.7z

Pechudin · September 2, 2020

Nukage Powered Claustrocomputer (Kills: 29/29, Secrets: Undefined, Deaths: 0)

It wasn't that claustrophobic to be honest. Main fights, like the Mancubus/Revenant and the Hell Knight fights all had sufficient space for the intended weapon (the RL). Maybe I've just gotten better at such fights since I do like making those types of confined RL-heavy fights in my maps. Visuals are decent enough, but there were some annoying sight-blocking midtextures, especially in the red-wall skullswitch room. Couldn't see the Cacodemons in the room on the other side of the nukage pit at all. The exit Baron felt kinda like filler.

Verdict: Music reminded me of MARSWAR. Also computers, that reminded me of MARSWAR as well.

Edited September 2, 2020 by Pechudin

TheNoob_Gamer · September 2, 2020

MAP02: Nukage Powered Claustrocomputer(X)

At least the map is small and cramped, I feel like a rat in a maze full of exprimental predators.

The texture usage is pretty interesting, it's not ugly but also not exactly excellent. I like the various acid liquid and falls presented though, sticking to the theme and make me wonder why this computer is powered by toxicity resources.

It has gameplay, which is good. The weapon variety presented gives you many ways to take down your foes.

7.5/10, still nice for the limitations but not something I would replay in other context.

klaymeb · September 2, 2020

MAP02 - “Nukaged-Powered Clastrocomputer” by Redead-ITA

UV / Pistol start / GZDoom

Where the last map seemed big for 20 sectors, this map is much more cramped. Fights are easy and there aren't any real traps. The only place where I found myself in trouble wasn't even the Mancubus/Revenants fight, but the one Revenant around a corner that I didn't expect. But that didn't matter really, since there are enough health pickups to make anything but a death practically harmless. Ammunition wasn't plentiful, but sufficient. Then again, it is only MAP02 :)

I didn't find the layout and design to be terribly inspiring. There's a lot of different textures and it's balancing on the edge of "too much". I appreciate that it's not just the same six tech textures that one might expect from being inside the mainframe.

EDIT: Horus made me aware that this map uses much less than 20 sectors, so I apologize for that mistake :)

Edited September 2, 2020 by klaymeb

kalaeth · September 2, 2020

HMP, no mods, continuous play, trying not to save during levels :

MAP02 - It starts by refueling you up, normally a sign that the mapper will be throwing stuff at you soon, but it has a small enemy count so... Ah, I see. Pinkies and a rev just after. And me without the super shotty :(

Second run : this time I arm myself with the chaingun first to clean that first corridor and when I go up again I just ran to the rockets and clear the room. And then, after a bit more rocketing and grabbing a blue key, finally an SSG, for you and me! That blue key elevator is evil.

Third run : all good this one time. I lured the baron into the open space so I could unload him with some rockets and then I finished at top health.

death count : 2

I - second elevator goes up and I get immediately shot by a manc fireball to the face and then punched to death.

II - the dear baron...

total deaths : 4

Horus · September 2, 2020

Regarding difficulty, I played this on its first beta and found 31, 24, 28, 29, 42-48 the most challenging maps.

5 hours ago, klaymeb said:

MAP02 - “Nukaged-Powered Clastrocomputer” by Redead-ITA

UV / Pistol start / GZDoom

Where the last map seemed big for 20 sectors, this map is much more cramped.

Not every map in this mapset elected to use all 20 sectors. This map, for example, used 12 sectors.

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