Maximum Matt Posted October 17, 2020 (edited) The Pandemic. Civil unrest. Wildfires. Tornadoes. Miley. A lot of shit has been going down this year, and what better way to see out the end of it than watching long-form walkthroughs of inarguably the greatest shovelware collection of a twenty-five year old game, Maximum Goddamn Doom. For some reason known only to Satan Himself, TWO video series of this classic have sprung up in the past few weeks, for the consumption of connoisseurs of only the crappest of crap amateur wads. There's Kes' Completionist Project, in which this otherwise level-headed dude has tooken it upon himself to be the first person on Youtube to have played through ALL of Max Doom. This of course is completely batshit insane and I sincerely hope this does not break him, but I'm enjoying it anyway. And then on Twitch there is the mighty Tarnsman, the nutcase who previously did a series going through the Doom II folder of Max Doom, among other crazy stuff (like a LITERAL BLIND RUN through Doom). Well he's back and he's pissed, with the sequel nobody ever asked for - Great Shovelware Extravanganza II: The Revenge, in which him and his collection of goons go through the Doom I folder for some reason (so it's a prequel really). Which leads me to ponder: is there some sort of Maximum Doom Renaissance happenning?? Are there people out there who are beginning to realize the historical significance of this collection? Some of the big names in Doom lore have their first mapping efforts represented on here, people like Jim Flynn, Scott Harper, Tom Mustaine, John Anderson, Tim Willits, Theresa Chasar, American McGee and The Innocent Crew. There are levels and episode replacements that made it onto Doomworld's top 10 WADs of '94 and '95 like Doomsday Of UAC, Galaxia, Return To Phobos, Eternity and Infinity (but not Serenity for some reason...), and Gather2. There's historical stuff like the DWANGO collections, the H2H 'ultimate doomer' competition levels, NJDoom, The Apocalypse Project, The Thud! series, the original Cleimos, and of course, Yak World. You witness the very nuecleus of Doom "homebrew" mapping, and how all the potential of being able to create your own maps resulted in an explosion of creativity - you'll see all kinds of techbases, caves, castles, spacecraft, ships, submarines, churches, armories, movie theaters, football fields, baseball diamonds, mines, prisons, sewers and more. There's mapper's rendering of their own houses, offices, warehouses, hotels, supermarkets, streets, towns, downtown(tm), simulations of multilevel buildings, and various combinations of all these. There's thrones, mess halls, meat lockers, cars, trucks, forklifts, drop ships, stalactites, helipads, television sets, the Starship Enterprise and even a huge-ass personal computer. There's all manner of custom graphics and sounds, alternate title screens, status bars, and custom music MIDIs of everything from Led Zeppelin to NIN to goddamn Michael Sembello. You'll see the Doom engine pushed to its' breaking point and beyond, which can be fascinating to behold - Hall Of Mirrors effects, Medusas, Tutti-Fruttis, sprite limit overloads, visplane overflows, you name it, this thing's got it. Also some hilarious amateur mapping fails like unaligned textures galore, teleporter pad linedefs around the wrong way, unaligned teleporter pads, having enemies stuck in walls or outside the level bounds, sequence breaks, accidental use of one-time-only buttons etc. It offers a fascinating insight to the psyche of the (mostly) teenage (almost always) male Doom mapper circa '94/95, and what they think of you as a player - expecting you to memorize endless, featureless mazes, take on unreasonable hordes of enemies with nowhere near enough ammo, expecting you to tolerate strobe-lit areas for extended lengths of time, and of course the mandatory wallhump. Some tropes are plain sadistic, such as starting the player surrounded by chaingunners, putting items in inescapable pits, and of course my favorite, the button on a wall that does nothing but drop the ceiling down on you. Assholes. Max Doom also contains a depressingly huge number of duplicates or near-duplicates - sometimes you'll see the exact same level literally a dozen times or more - a major hurdle for completionists. There's a ton of levels designed for Doom I converted to run in Doom 2, with the added bonus of randomly changing OG Doom enemies with their D2 'counterparts' (shotgunner to chaingunner, caco to pain elemental, baron to hell knight etc) which of course does nothing except shatter the level's intended difficulty balance. Oh well, at least it throws the super shotgun and Megasphere in there also. There's also a crapton of retexturings of OG levels (mainly E1M1), a hangover of the earliest days of level editors where 'editing' a level meant just that: changing the wall textures/thing placement/wall and floor heights but not being able to change the geometry of the map yet. Interesting in it's own way, but yer gonna get sick of oldschool Hangar, believe me. You'll also get the pleasure of trudging through a load of the lamest excuses for deathmatch maps you'll ever see. Seriously, there's a bunch of small, square rooms where the mapper just threw in two guns, some player spawns and called it a day. The lack of effort can honestly get offensive, especially compared with the decent ones on here. But yeah, all this and more in an afterthought bunch of bonus content for The Master Levels, and somehow people are still interested in it. Will there be a further increase in it's popularity? Will more people become aware and dissect it's unique shittyness? Will more of these levels be included as secret content on the inevitable next release of Doom? Will there be an official XBox release? Will Romero ever playthrough any of it? Is Jay Wilbur an asshole for not performing any kind of quality control on it? Or is he a secret genius because of it? Should I finally stop promoting and obsessing over this pile of crap and finally get back to finishing Requiem like I should be doing? All these questions and more.... such is the mystery, and allure, of Maximum Doom. Edited October 17, 2020 by Maximum Matt 26 Quote Share this post Link to post
Doomkid Posted October 17, 2020 Maximum Doom needs a dedicated video on YT explaining it's historic significance similarly to how you've done here. Those D!Zone posers can eat a bag of dicks! (rofl) 19 Quote Share this post Link to post
Maximum Matt Posted October 17, 2020 That's why it's called D!Zone :-) A Max Doom documentary would be quite cool and you should get on that immediately. 6 Quote Share this post Link to post
AinuTheTaken Posted October 17, 2020 11 hours ago, Maximum Matt said: Some tropes are plain sadistic, such as starting the player surrounded by chaingunners, putting items in inescapable pits, and of course my favorite, the button on a wall that does nothing but drop the ceiling down on you. Assholes. It doesn't sound very bright of them, from how you describe it. 2 Quote Share this post Link to post
Maximum Matt Posted October 18, 2020 Oh, there was thought involved, dude 2 Quote Share this post Link to post
P41R47 Posted October 18, 2020 20 hours ago, Maximum Matt said: Should I finally stop promoting and obsessing over this pile of crap and finally get back to finishing Requiem like I should be doing? From my experience, its better play Max Doom and lol about than yawn to Requiem... save for the music and some maps. Memento Mori II is even better. 3 Quote Share this post Link to post
Maximum Matt Posted October 18, 2020 1 hour ago, P41R47 said: Memento Mori II is even better. Yeah, that's next on my hit list 2 Quote Share this post Link to post
Doomkid Posted October 18, 2020 (edited) 5 hours ago, P41R47 said: From my experience, its better play Max Doom and lol about than yawn to Requiem... Poor old Requiem. The prime example of refinement to a fault, to the point of sterility. It sucks because the maps are pretty nice looking and there clearly was love put into it. The design philosophy being (seemingly) so rigid was the Achilles heel of that wad. I don't know if it was ever a possibility, but not calling it Memento Mori 3 was a smart move since it doesn't feel like a sequel to the gameplay you'd come to expect from the first 2. Edited October 18, 2020 by Doomkid 4 Quote Share this post Link to post
Maximum Matt Posted October 18, 2020 So you mean I should've played it AFTER MM2? Goddammit 2 Quote Share this post Link to post
Walter confetti Posted October 18, 2020 (edited) On 10/17/2020 at 6:35 AM, Maximum Matt said: American McGee American McGee was already employed in ID software the time he made ID MAP01, making him the first official ID staff employee to make a free map for everybody in the net, years before Romero and some other guy, maybe Shawn Green? I don't remember... Tim Willits (?) and Dr sleep are been hired after they became famous for their works, as well as Team TNT and Casali brothers. Anyway, I don't see a huge revival of Maximum Doom and other shovelware software in these times, but just as a niche interest from few users in the community, such as @nicolas monti Back to 1994 episode and that Joel video where he plays a random shovelware Doom wads CD, but this last one is kinda old (it's from 2 years ago), so... No, I don't think there's a brand new revival for 1994/95 maps imo, but I could be wrong... Edited October 18, 2020 by Walter confetti 5 Quote Share this post Link to post
P41R47 Posted October 18, 2020 (edited) 7 hours ago, Doomkid said: I don't know if it was ever a possibility, but not calling it Memento Mori 3 was a smart move since it doesn't feel like a sequel to the gameplay you'd come to expect from the first 2 Well for certain its not THAT bad, but yes, its feels lacking for the one so called the last great megawad. It has great visuals and all, but not even Keränen, Casali and Capellan could save it. Not because its bad, just because its goddamned rushed. And about the name, Memento Mori 3: Requiem would me more fitting, as a requiem and a memento mori are both arts that remind humanity the inevitable end but also celebrate the end. 5 hours ago, Maximum Matt said: So you mean I should've played it AFTER MM2? Goddammit naah you don't lose nothing in the process, i tend to play things chronologically, too. But as a kid i played them as they come, now that i'm older i try to do the things ''in order'', even play them in order hahaha. But yes, MM2 is the better of the three. So maybe its better that you saved the greatest for last ;) The later maps are some of the most monumental maps i saw (The Silos & Corporate Hell). The only thing that Memento Mori 2 lacks is the heavy use of fake 3d floors. But well, there are some. Edited October 18, 2020 by P41R47 2 Quote Share this post Link to post
Kes Gaming YT Posted November 30, 2020 On 10/17/2020 at 12:35 AM, Maximum Matt said: There's Kes' Completionist Project, in which this otherwise level-headed dude has tooken it upon himself to be the first person on Youtube to have played through ALL of Max Doom. This of course is completely batshit insane and I sincerely hope this does not break him, but I'm enjoying it anyway. "Otherwise level-headed dude" Hehehe. Also, Tarnsman and I doing a series on this at the same time is no coincidence. I might have planted a tiny little idea in his mind that he did not in fact, actually complete Maximum Doom fully. And he might have also responded in the following way:https://clips.twitch.tv/MoldyDarlingCasetteResidentSleeper 5 Quote Share this post Link to post
TheMagicMushroomMan Posted November 30, 2020 (edited) I never realized how many prolific mapoerss got their start in this shitty collection. You should write an article about every map in the collection, after you UV-MAX them, of course. "Maximum Matts's Maximum Maximum Doom UV-MAX Map Reviews: 1,830 Maximum Maps Mostly by Males - Straight from the Gluteus Maximus - Maximalist Edition" Edited November 30, 2020 by TheMagicMushroomMan 4 Quote Share this post Link to post
Maximum Matt Posted December 1, 2020 (edited) ^^ Maximum hell no 21 hours ago, Kes Gaming YT said: https://clips.twitch.tv/MoldyDarlingCasetteResidentSleeper LMAO that is classic!!! Did you message him or something? Edited December 1, 2020 by Maximum Matt 3 Quote Share this post Link to post
Dark Pulse Posted December 1, 2020 (edited) I'm just here to enjoy people torturing the shit out of themselves, really. Please, carry on. *Grabs the Vaseline* Edited December 1, 2020 by Dark Pulse 6 Quote Share this post Link to post
Doom-X-Machina Posted December 1, 2020 I've still never actually played it... 0 Quote Share this post Link to post
Kes Gaming YT Posted December 1, 2020 2 hours ago, Maximum Matt said: ^^ Maximum hell no LMAO that is classic!!! Did you message him or something? He was streaming on Twitch, and I left a message in the chat, something basically stating that he had yet to do the Doom 1 folder of Maximum Doom. He then said that he thought that everything in that folder was in Doom 2. I then replied and said much of it was.... but not everything. He wasn't happy. I'll link to the stream archive that that was from if I can find it again. 2 Quote Share this post Link to post
ReaperAA Posted December 1, 2020 BTW is every single map in Maximum Doom amateurish? Are there any decent maps (as in maps that can compete with the likes of Memento Mori wads or Icarus etc)? 4 Quote Share this post Link to post
Mystic 256 Posted December 1, 2020 (edited) I actually like exploring the weird shovelware doom level collections like Maximum Doom and DZone and such Even if the wads might not be the best they do have a lot of weird surprises and oddities in them and sometimes actual hidden gems Edited December 1, 2020 by Mystic 256 1 Quote Share this post Link to post
xvertigox Posted December 1, 2020 I don't know that it's a renaissance as much is it is a few people coincidentally taking interest in it at a roughly similar time. Personally, I'm a big fan of playing through Maximum Doom (and other shovelware discs). It really changes your perspective on what a 'good' map is. If I see a map with doors using a door texture AND lighting then it's probably 'a pretty good map'. Here's a link to a load of shovelware discs (extracted and ready to go). 2 Quote Share this post Link to post
Andromeda Posted December 1, 2020 9 hours ago, ReaperAA said: BTW is every single map in Maximum Doom amateurish? Are there any decent maps (as in maps that can compete with the likes of Memento Mori wads or Icarus etc)? There's some decent levels in there looking at the list, most are... not very good as you probably expect. If you fancy (a lot of) reading, check out this post to get an idea of the standard of quality at hand: 1 Quote Share this post Link to post
Captain Toenail Posted December 2, 2020 Before I discovered online Doom I used to play through the wads in this collection. I still have the CD somewhere. comcon2 is my favourite. A really good clean techbase. I would argue it stands up today. I started Doom mapping be editing that map just experimenting changing things. There's also some weird wads on there. One with Daleks. One with Monty Python sounds. One where the demons are having a wedding. There's Zeus of course which has the Geiger textures. There was a city map on there with an Icon Of Sin fight that I remember being good but I can't remember what it's called. Most of them are crap though compared to the wads we are spoiled with today of course. 2 Quote Share this post Link to post
Kes Gaming YT Posted December 2, 2020 On 12/1/2020 at 8:46 AM, ReaperAA said: BTW is every single map in Maximum Doom amateurish? Are there any decent maps (as in maps that can compete with the likes of Memento Mori wads or Icarus etc)? While I haven't played Memento Mori or Icarus, I have played about 600 of the maps in Maximum Doom so far. I can assure you, there are good levels in there. Some that were very well done and not so amateurish. But, I must also say that they tend to be the exception. If I had to make a very rough estimate, I'd say maybe 10% of the levels are good. 30% are awful, and 60% are mediocre. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post
ReaperAA Posted December 3, 2020 8 hours ago, Kes Gaming YT said: While I haven't played Memento Mori or Icarus, I have played about 600 of the maps in Maximum Doom so far. I can assure you, there are good levels in there. Some that were very well done and not so amateurish. But, I must also say that they tend to be the exception. If I had to make a very rough estimate, I'd say maybe 10% of the levels are good. 30% are awful, and 60% are mediocre. Well truth be told (from little of what I have seen of Maximum Doom on your channel), none of the levels compete well against the likes of Memento Mori (1 and 2), Icarus, Perdition's Gate or Requiem, all of which are among the better 90's wads. But then again, I am too spoiled by modern wads like Eviternity, Ancient Aliens, BTSX E1 and E2, Valiant, Struggle: Antaresian Legacy and other wads that even the best 90's wads don't hold a candle. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post
Maximum Matt Posted December 3, 2020 On 12/1/2020 at 10:47 PM, Kes Gaming YT said: He was streaming on Twitch, and I left a message in the chat, something basically stating that he had yet to do the Doom 1 folder of Maximum Doom. He then said that he thought that everything in that folder was in Doom 2. I then replied and said much of it was.... but not everything. He wasn't happy. It's great you're such a nice guy to point that out to him, Kes, and I'm glad he took it so well :-) 2 Quote Share this post Link to post
Vic Vos Posted December 3, 2020 On 5/28/2020 at 4:11 PM, Dark Pulse said: And then you played Maximum Doom, and all that therapy swirled down the shitter. On 5/31/2020 at 1:53 AM, Vic Vos said: I'M GOING TO PLAY ALL THE COMPILATION CD'S AND NOBODY'S GONNA STOP ME. It still stands, I just haven't found the time to start doing it. 0 Quote Share this post Link to post
Kes Gaming YT Posted December 3, 2020 15 hours ago, ReaperAA said: Well truth be told (from little of what I have seen of Maximum Doom on your channel), none of the levels compete well against the likes of Memento Mori (1 and 2), Icarus, Perdition's Gate or Requiem, all of which are among the better 90's wads. But then again, I am too spoiled by modern wads like Eviternity, Ancient Aliens, BTSX E1 and E2, Valiant, Struggle: Antaresian Legacy and other wads that even the best 90's wads don't hold a candle. The last 2 of the 3 part Serenity series are in there. Those were probably a couple of my favorites. But it's true, we've been very spoiled by newer levels, so Maximum Doom couldn't possibly hold a candle to both. But, for me, I must ask "Why not play both?" 3 Quote Share this post Link to post
Kes Gaming YT Posted December 3, 2020 12 hours ago, Maximum Matt said: It's great you're such a nice guy to point that out to him, Kes, and I'm glad he took it so well :-) Yeah, I'm a peach. 😂 2 Quote Share this post Link to post
Dark Pulse Posted December 4, 2020 15 hours ago, Vic Vos said: It still stands, I just haven't found the time to start doing it. Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit mining blue diamonds. *Grabs Vaseline again* 1 Quote Share this post Link to post
therealdrgray Posted December 22, 2020 Maximum Doom is practically the Action 52 of classic Doom. The only difference is the few gems in Maximum Doom. 3 Quote Share this post Link to post
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