Worst Maps in Your Favourite Megawads?

[Arbys550]

I don't really enjoy map13 of Sunder. The ammo is too tight and some of the pain elemental fights are awkward.

Edited November 25, 2020 by Arbys550

[Starduster]

The Plutonia Experiment: 

Map19. This would be an okay map if monsters couldn't teleport all over the map. It gets really obnoxious.

 

Stardate 20x6:

Map05. There were a few setpieces in this map that I really enjoyed, but the tight ammo and flying enemies room (yes, anyone who has played this map remembers that room) kinda ruined it for me. It's a shame because I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the mapset.

 

Sunlust:

Map20. I'm scarred for life after trying to deal with the seemingly infinite cacodemon cloud on HMP for the first time. The four cyberdemons that would normally help you out in that fight are replaced with some useless mancubi. Someday I'll revisit the map and give it a proper run on UV.

 

Scythe:

Map27. On a pistol start, it feels like you're walking on eggshells for most of the map. Not much action going on, either. 

 

Eviternity:

Maps 21 and 30:

For 21, I just didn't have enough ammo. Having to run past a lot of the monsters at the end just felt cheap to me. 30 could have used more cells. The boss ended up being very frustrating to deal with. Heh, I savescummed the hell out of that fight. 

[GarrettChan]

1 hour ago, Starduster said:

Stardate 20x6

This is not a MegaWAD :P

 

1 hour ago, Starduster said:

The Plutonia Experiment Map19

I guess back then they didn't really think this through, or probably got rushed by time. The funny thing is that they setup a teleport linedef in front of a real teleporter-looking teleporter to surprise the player at a point, but they also put a Zombieman behind that linedef and the Zombieman can easily use up that one time teleporter quota for some reason...

 

1 hour ago, Starduster said:

Scythe Map27

I think Erik went too far with that "no Armor" kind of design for Ep3 in Scythe IMO, and that trolly Cybie fight with forced Invis is just... don't know what to say.

 

1 hour ago, Starduster said:

Eviternity Map30

I guess they want you to use infight more, but I also would say having a bit more cells feels nicer.

[David Asaad]

Sunlust map 17 is a snoozefest. Hey see this cool puzzle? Well do it 50 times itll be great! At least after the puzzle theres some good fights. 
 

Hell revealed 2 map 9. A little square is all u get to move around as ur surrounded by revenants pain elementals and cacos. Its very repetitive but at least its like 4 mins and the previous two maps are amazing

 

Hell revealed map 7. ssg vs arachnotrons for several minutes and the whole room is nothing but red. 
 

Alien Vendetta map 21. Just look at it
 

Stardate 20x7... oh wait that wad is perfect :)

[OniriA]

Basically Map30 of almost every megawad.

[Toilet_Wine_Connoisseur]

The last 5 or maps of SCYTHE really shit the bed when they start turning into slaughtermaps instead of the clever, bite sized and well paced experiences they were up until that point

 

Plutonia: Go 2 It and Odyssey of Noises, while Odyssey is not bad, it feels incredibly out of place compared most of Plutonias other maps.

 

 

[whybmonotacrab]

4 hours ago, Toilet_Wine_Connoisseur said:

The last 5 or maps of SCYTHE really shit the bed when they start turning into slaughtermaps instead of the clever, bite sized and well paced experiences they were up until that point

 

Plutonia: Go 2 It and Odyssey of Noises, while Odyssey is not bad, it feels incredibly out of place compared most of Plutonias other maps.

 

 

Honestly I like the way Scythe ends. Because there's a difficulty curve, those last few levels feel earned and epic. I still think they're quite clever and well designed for the most part, just different to what came before.

[DOEL]

@leodoom85 I love Epic 2 but I don't care for map 28 either. Maps 13, 16, and 26 are the biggest stand-outs for me and map 16 is one of my all time favorites.

 

@GarrettChan Plutonia map 11 is one of my favorite maps ever. It was the first map I ever recorded a demo of. Arch-vile vs. SSG is so satisfying. 

 

@David Asaad Maaan, I love Hell Revealed map 09. It's such a unique map.

 

I agree with others on Scythe map 28. It's an interesting concept but no thanks.

[leodoom85]

50 minutes ago, DOEL said:

I agree with others on Scythe map 28. It's an interesting concept but no thanks.

Funnily enough, Zdoom ports are MUCH harder for map 28 of Scythe. It's almost near impossible to clear that map in those ports. It's easier for me in other ports like Pr/GLBoom+ though.

 

You said your favorite map is 16? Mine is 31.

[GarrettChan]

11 hours ago, DOEL said:

Plutonia map 11 is one of my favorite maps ever. It was the first map I ever recorded a demo of. Arch-vile vs. SSG is so satisfying. 

It's understandable. Plutonia Map11 is very unique in a way, but it just doesn't click with me... I feel like I'm playing Wolf3D, so why don't I just play Wolf3D lol (BTW, I like Wolf3D, so it's not a problem of the Wolf3D)

[Starduster]

On 11/24/2020 at 1:25 PM, GarrettChan said:

Fav WAD: Plutonia

Worse map of it: Map11 - Hunted

 

Hmm, I found Map11 a LOT more enjoyable after memorizing the route for the maze. It's not as complicated as it seems, just make sure you know where to find each key and how many archviles should be in each part of the maze. I'd say it comes with experience.

[SupremeBioVizier]

i feel exhausted, just got done with trying to get threw evilution in one day...first 2 episodes/chapters were great...then it just became grueling, same thing, over and over, so I noclipped and flew threw all levels...which seemed to never end...then I came to the icon of sin, and there is some weird stuff out of bounds...anyways...I need to go walk around ha.

[Budoka]

On 11/24/2020 at 8:35 PM, Yugiboy85 said:

Ancient Aliens: Map 28. I just hate this map. This map left a really bad taste in my mouth tbh. 

 

 

It's my favorite in the set, unrepresentative though it is. Well, my enthusiasm for megawads was rekindled by Resurgence at the time it came out, so I guess I'm extremely biased towards Joshy's encounter setups. I've enjoyed just about everything Doom he's put out, even "The Killing Fields" from 50 Shades of GRAYTALL, which in my opinion does not tarnish the gold pile that is the MAP08-MAP12 stretch one bit.

 

Speaking of which: From 50 Shades, MAP07: Adress Unknown. The ugliest map in the set by far, and just all around annoying.

From Resurgence, MAP07: Gauntlet. Just because it's MAP07 doesn't mean you suddenly have license to waste my time with filler crap. Even his obnoxious MAP07 from the prequel is more compelling by comparison.

 

From Ancient Aliens, MAP29: The Ones Behind it All. Hilarious plot twist, but the slaughter setups feel horrendously lazy juxtaposed to Floating Arena. I'm fine with Illuminati Revealed, it's a great time, even if I see why some people might find it too stressful.

 

Regarding Run From It: yes, the execution is horrendous, especially on UV, but the concept itself is fine. Perdition's Gate does a pretty good job with it. The rest of E3 of Scythe besides that map is by far my favorite part of Scythe.

 

Poison Ivy II is also fantastic, although there is that one Archvile near the end that's a step too far beyond the reasonable. That one I'll concede.

 

Stench of Evil is exhausting to go through, but I still admire it as the capstone of what I call "the epic triad" (no points for guessing the other two members).

 

From a megawad that's not quite a favorite but which I still like, Evilution: the entire MAP21-MAP26 stretch. Wait, we all hate that part. Why am I bothering.

Edited November 27, 2020 by Budoka

[Yugiboy85]

On 11/24/2020 at 9:08 PM, whybmonotacrab said:

Are you talking about Bingo Pool Hall of Blood? Because that level kicks ass and is one of my favourites of the set. 

 

 

That would be bingo pool hall yes. 

[Juza]

MAP17 of Alien Vendetta. Such a slog. Clearly the one most inspired by Hell Revealed.

[Andromeda]

10 hours ago, Juza said:

MAP17 of Alien Vendetta. Such a slog. Clearly the one most inspired by Hell Revealed.

I take it you mean MAP18? MAP17 is fairly quick to complete.

 

On 11/27/2020 at 7:59 PM, Budoka said:

Poison Ivy II is also fantastic, although there is that one Archvile near the end that's a step too far beyond the reasonable. That one I'll concede.

Actually I don't mind that arch-vile, my problem with the level are the two sniper Cyberdemons that can't be reasonably two-shotted with the BFG and thus are really boring to kill. I do want to take back what I said about that level since I gave it a replay yesterday and enjoyed it for the most part, I guess MAP02 is my least favourite now - atmospheric and challenging levels can be great, this one unfortunately tries and fails in both regards.

[Silhouette 03]

Momento mori 2 map 19:the shaft. Annoying platforming sections over damaging sectors and very little ammunition.Need I go on?

[Doom OG]

Scythe Map22 - I mean what the heck...pardon the pun.  Why is there barely any FRIGGEN ammo.  Frustrating.

[Lewonx]

Plutonia:

Bunker - boring slog, hard in unfun ways.

 

Community Chest 3:

Atlantis Rising - overly cryptic, filled with pointless backtracking, pointless platforming and awkward fights. Not being helped by the fact, that it comes right after probably the second worst map in the wad.

 

Valiant:

Bane Capitol - annoying enemy placement and the last fight relies on rng.

 

Knee Deep in Zdoom:

Penultimate Evil - i spent half the time in this level hunting enemies in stupid overly complicated crate maze.

 

Doom the Way id did:

Foundry - this unfair garbage doesn't even remotely resemble an id level. It honestly reminds me way more of 1994 D!Zone shovelware.

[LadyMistDragon]

180 Minutes Por de Virvre:

 

Map 16 - Sur de la Cheme de Satan . This map pushes things enough already with a certain slime-filled chaingunner room, but turns into the most ridiculous bullshit ever when it decides to park a Cyberdemon in the very narrow hallway leading to the exit, hoping that somehow Revenants will infight when you're really not likely to have much ammo by this point. F

 

Alien Vendetta

 

Map 26 - Dark Dome. I can not get down with these No Chance style of overwhelming odds from the get-go at all and this map is no exception. One Flew Over the Caco's Nest may be boring, Map 06 may draw a Hell Revealed style Hillside Siege, but this was easily the least fun, besides the similarly-styled but less annihilistic Map 32.

 

 

[Gougaru]

Dehydration. Eviternity 

[Makedounia]

Speed of Doom: Map 21. I love the idea of the first map in the final episode being a tyson map, but why on earth would you put so many arch-viles and mancubi in it... I really think with a little tuning this could've been a good map.

 

 

[Graf Zahl]

For most megawads it's hard to tell as few were able to hold my attention over their entire span, especially community projects where it is often just a random collection of maps without an overarching theme. So I will concentrate on some of the ones I did play through more than once in their entirety.

 

Doom 1: Toss-up between E2M9 and E3M8. Both are uninspired and uninvolving arena fights, in the latter case it won't even take a few seconds if you go in fully armed.

Doom 2: That'd be MAP21 for sure. By far the ugliest map in the whole package with frequently annoying gameplay.

Plutonia: MAP31. Its gimmick of releasing one cyberdemon at a time wears thin after the second time and it just becomes tedious once your energy cells are exhausted.

Perdition's Gate: Not a single map, but close to the end there's a string of extremely short maps that feel like the game had run out of steam.

Hell To Pay: Actually a variation of Perdition's Gate: The maps aren't just as small, but it also feels like the game could not deliver where things should have gotten interesting.

2002ADO: I think it's E4M6. The fourth episode has well paced levels throughout, except for this one endless slog that on top of being too long is an exercise in perfect linearity.

Kama Sutra: Actually most of the final stretch which became to slaughter-ish for my taste.

Scythe: MAP28, hands down. A gimmick level of the worst kind that should have no place whatsoever in the regular map progression.

Scythe 2: The original release was fine, but the 3 final levels that were released later as an update did absolutely nothing for me. Speaking of the original release, MAP31 takes the cake.

Plutonia 2: MAP21 - the 'Slayer' clone. Up until that point the levels had been great but this took a bad idea and amped it up to the nth degree.

BTSX1: MAP19. This feels totally out of place gameplay wise and should have been just a secret level.

BTSX2: MAP31. No need for slaughter stuff in such a project.

Valiant: MAP31 (the cyberspace level)

Eviternity: MAP32, which simply was wayyyyyyy too large and took forever to complete.

[UncleTito]

ED: I'll update this post as I remember more maps

 

Alien Vendetta - MAP11

 

What a giant fucking turd that map is. Too much effort for something that plays like a chore and finishes on a fart. I think my first time playing it I accidentally exited the map without picking up a single key.

 

Hell Revealed - The entire first episode

 

While some of the maps here have a cutesy and quirky nature to them, it's very obvious that Yonatan made the mapset linearly, in order. As such, the early maps' definition of "hard difficulty" often ends up with having a slog of pinkies to punch through.

Edited October 11, 2022 by UncleTito

[Budoka]

1 hour ago, UncleTito said:

Alien Vendetta - MAP11

 

What a giant fucking turd that map is. Too much effort for something that plays like a chore and finishes on a fart. I think my first time playing it I accidentally exited the map without picking up a single key.

I do believe that isn't possible,  as in the exit is locked if you have no keys. Granted, it's certainly hard to notice with how unstructured the level progression is.

 

@Graf Zahl Agree on Doom 1, Doom 2 and the first Scythe. Not so much the rest of your list, I see dome big favorites of mine in there.

[DeletedAccount]

Map 27 of TNT is the worst map in the entire megawad.

Its very less health pickups, poor enemy placement ( long range sniping hitscan enemies), and poor map design gives the map a solid F grade definately.

 

Map 22 is also the 2nd worst map in TNT.

Ugly ass map..

 

[Thelokk]

Sunder - map17. It just doesn't vibe with me. The outside area is one of the worst I_G has ever designed, and the indoor area is just one giant blob of the same texture over and over. 

[Devalaous]

I havent beaten as many megawads as most here, due to 32 map fatigue, but some stand out as having asshole maps I never wanted to play again.

 

No End in Sight's E4M9 rubbed me entirely the wrong way, and was the lowest point in an other wise fantastic megawad thats one of my favourite wads ever played. Its not a bad map by any means, it just makes me irrationally angry.

 

2002 ADO's E3M3 was fine up until the end, where you get locked in with 9001 cacodemons. Your supposed to to do a mad dash to the exit, but with Doom Launcher tracking my stats, I don't leave without 100% kills. I think there should have been a secret in there that lets you teleport back out and pick them off in relative safety behind the bars

 

Memento Mori's Cesspool lives up to its name, and is widely maligned. The 30 second secret abuse definitely pisses me off whenever its used, and its used egregiously here.

 

The final map of Daedalus ruined my otherwise largely enjoyable playthrough with stupidly overpowered final bosses, and the most insulting ending to a megawad ive EVER seen.

 

Map 25, Blood Demesne of Community Chest was a 'never again' kind of map. I would happily play Going Down, Use3D's maps, Sphagne's maps and Cital at the Edge of Eternity again over that one. (None of the maps I just listed I actually consider bad, but the community at large dislikes them for being exhausting monsters)

 

Perditions Gate and Hell to Pay both have the same problem in that presumably to get the megawads ready for release on a deadline, short filler maps were crapped out en masse and shoved into the remaining E3 slots. Theres no clear winner in the loser department there.

 

50 Shades of Graytall began its downward spiral with Joshy's slaughtermap. The megawad has gameplay styles from all kinds which causes a lot of clashing, and this map was the souring point. I eventually finished the whole thing with 100% everything, but I will never like the slaughter stuff in it.

 

And finally, Revilution's Map 32 gets an honourable mention, since I have not played that megawad 'properly'. Originally Revilution was supposed to have an ice map in its supersecret slot, it was planned from the very very beginning, and later it was planned to be a spooky 'empty' research base in the darkness underneath Europa's ice sheets, similar to Map 12's atmosphere. This all got lost in translation as the project jumped hands after my departure, and the final result was Kyka's TNT2 magnum opus having its starting area chopped off and the entire rest of the map deleted, and then the starting area was mirrored Womhole style, with its mirror section being based off an earlier colour scheme that was changed because the map looked like christmas. As one of the people that got to play through the full original map that was meant to be the final leg of TNT2, a Kyka-as-Drake O'Brian monstrosity that took most of a day to get through for playtesting, the final Map 32 for Revilution feels like a slap in my face. Thankfully you'll all be able to play that map in some form when 'Convilution' (Forever) finally launchs, but I do fear for it being cut up.

Edited October 11, 2022 by Devalaous

[Antkibo]

Surprised that few people have mentioned Eviternity MAP19. With respect for the author (which was not Dragonfly), it's not that is bad or ugly, but that it's very very very overengineered and felt like three maps condensed in one. By the end you're just shambling to the exit like a drunk in a pub.

[yakfak]

ALT MAP10 "The Clairvoyant" feels too normal to be part of the pack? maybe that's me. map is still gnice

 

gawd if I ever made a megawad and saw people doing this stuff I think I'd die