Notable 2020 demos

[4shockblast]

2020 is (finally) over, so now's the time to reflect on the notable demos of the year! Since the Cacowards highlighted many of the demos that had the biggest spotlight, I decided it's a good idea to have some additional categories for runs you would like to mention. Specifically, you're still free to mention any notable demos you want in your post, but alongside those, you can optionally specify which demos you consider underrated, either from yourself or other players. With the highest demo count on record for any single year in Doom's history, I think it's especially likely that some runs have fallen under the radar, so it'd be great to see some runs like that get a bit more attention.

 

I'll start with a few picks:

 

Some notable runs that missed the Cacowards deadline:

• Plutonia D2ALL NM100 by JCD in 1:11:39 (demo, video)
• Doom 2 UV-Speed D2ALL by Zero-Master in 17:54 (demo, video)
• Plutonia UV-Speed D2ALL by eLim in 19:21 (demo, video)

Underrated picks:

• Noye Map 32 UV-Max in 27:58 by Lucky_Edie (demo)
• j4rio: Perdition's Gate map 25 Tyson in 12:31 and map 29 Tyson in 24:18 (especially map 25!!)
• Personal pick: Revolution! Map 10 UV-Speed in 0:26 (demo, video). I'm pretty satisfied with discovering this new route, that's always my favorite way to beat UV-Speed/nomo/etc. runs as opposed to just moving better or grinding longer. Actually, the entire beat Grazza demos month was one of the highlights of the year for me because of the sheer number of very interesting maps and run possibilities it provided. :)

 

Previous threads:

Spoiler

2019 demos

2018 demos

2017 demos

2016 demos

2015 demos

2014 demos

2013 demos

2012 demos

 

[SAV88]

2020 was truly filled to the brim with state-of-the-art records. Some of the really memorable demos:

 

Plutonia MAP32 -solo-net (loads of extra cybers) NM100S in 2:03 by @Red-XIII.

Community Chest III MAP31 UV Max in 9:18 by @Aquasa.

Hell Revealed MAP24 UV Max in 6:45 by @Vile.

Hellbound MAP16 UV Max in 15:36 by @NeilK.

Sunlust MAP13 UV Pacifist in 5:10 by @4shockblast.

Reverie MAP08 UV Max in 13:53 by @lirui1001.

Epic MAP05 UV Max in 12:21 by @Veinen.

Ultimate Doom E3M4 UV Max in 3:33 by @Coincident.

Doom II MAP23 UV Max in 1:38 by @Looper.

Plutonia MAP25 UV Max in 3:10 by @NightTerror.

Plutonia MAP30 UV Pacifist in 3:41 by @Pleymo.

Plutonia II MAP23 UV Max in 8:05 by @blob1024.

Nova III MAP11 UV Max in 6:46 by @TheV1perK1ller.

Dimensions MAP32 UV Max in 8:46 by @Daerik.

Akeldama MAP23 UV Max in 15:27 by @numberjuan77 (overall, there are many strong, fast-paced maxes in the table of my favorite 2020 wad).

Edited January 1, 2021 by SAV88

[Pleymo]

Surely 2020 was one of the best years for demos, both for quantity and quality. I like to add a mention to this demos:

Ultimate Doom E2M2 NoMonsters in 0:13 by @depr4vity
Doom II Map 22 NM-100S in 0:32 by @Gurlugon

Plutonia Map 32 UV-Max/Reality in 12:46 by @tchkb

TNT Map 02 NM-100S in 3:59 by @David Asaad
TNT Map 05 Pacifist in 17:34 by @NightTerror 
TNT Map 09 UV-Speed/Reality in 6:43 by @Coincident

And for a personal pick, since @SAV88 already mentioned my favourite demo ever yet (Thanks btw!), I would say my Ultimate Doom Episode 3 Pacifist was the 2nd best I made, finally doing an episode in pacifist after many tries was very rewarding. 

Edited January 1, 2021 by Pleymo

[Starduster]

All the way back in July of 2020 I posted my very first run. Seeing all of the crazy things people were putting out was really inspiring to me, so I feel that now is the perfect time to show them some love:

 

Individual-Level demos

Sunlust Map 15 pacifist by @4shockblast - video

FCFF Map 07 UV-Max by @Daerik - video

Valiant Map 15 pacifist by @NightTerror - demo

Sunlust Map 29 UV-Max by @SKYWARDS - video

Hell Revealed Map 24 UV-Max by @Vile - video

Scythe Map 23 UV-Max/Reality by @GarrettChan - demo 

TNT: Evilution Map 09 NM100s by @David Asaad - video

Sunlust Map 32 UV-Max by @4shockblast - demo

 

Movie demos

Doom Episode 3 pacifist by @Pleymo - video

Doom II UV-Max by @NightTerror - video

The Plutonia Experiment NM100s by @JCD - video

The Plutonia Experiment NM-Speed by @ZeroMaster010 - video

Sunlust UV-Max by @Daerik - video

Doom Episode 2 UV-Max by @Coincident - video

 

Personal picks: Sunlust Map 27 NoMo - I put a lot of work into this demo, taking a few solid days of grinding to push the time as far down as I could manage. Sunlust Map 24 NM-Speed - another demo that took a lot of hard work. The zero-press at the end isn't 100% consistent for me, so I was worried to death that it would end up really slow... the entire thing felt like a lottery. Scythe Map 04 UV Max - yeah, it's only PB but revisiting the first map that I ever ran and crushing my old time felt so satisfying.

 

Ok, let's hope I didn't screw those links up. 2020 was such a tough year, but playing Doom again, improving my skill, learning new things, and conquering challenges that seemed insurmountable when I started was a great way to cope with everything. Amazing demos everyone. 

[lirui1001]

Thank @SAV88 for noting my rv08 demo :)

 

I did fewer demos in 2020 than in 2019 but there are still some personal picks from my demo pack. All of them are individual level max demos.

 

Akeldama Map15 in 7:49-video

Hellbound Map21 in 3:38-video

JPCP Map28 in 17:15-video

1000 Lines CP 2 Map29 in 7:06-video

Reverie Map22 in 7:48-video (yes more reverie)

 

Edited January 2, 2021 by lirui1001

[Shepardus]

@Coincident taking the records for Ultimate Doom Episodes 1 and 2 UV Max is notable to me.

[Teedre]

There has been so many amazing demos this year that I properly forgot to list some.

 

@depr4vity Doom 2 Map 01 (entryway) NoMo in 4 seconds - video

@Daerik Sunlust D2ALL UV-Max - video

@Looper Doom 2 Map 23 (Barrels 'o' Fun) Uv-Max in 1:38 - video

@NightTerror Doom 2 (D2ALL) Uv-Max - demo

@David Asaad TNT Map 09 NM100s - video

@Starduster Sunlust D2ALL NoMo - I'm planning to do that category myself. - video

@ZeroMaster010 Doom 2 (D2ALL) Uv-Speed in 17:54 - video

@JCD Plutonia D2ALL NM100s - video

@Coincident Ultimate Doom Episode 1 Uv-Max in 19:19 - video

@Vile Plutonia D2ALL Uv-Max - video

@4shockblast H2H Xmas D2ALL Uv-Max - video

@eLim Plutonia Uv-Speed in 19:28 - video

@Bdubzzz 32of64-lr Map 01 Uv-Max in 0:57 - demo 

@Kyle McAwesome (i don't know his dw name sorry :p) Scythe Map 01 Uv-Max in 0:24 - demo

@Percy T Ultimate Doom E1M1 NoMo in 0:08 - video

@TheLoneliness flotsam Map 32 Uv-Max in 1:58 - demo

@Pleymo Plutonia Map 30 Pacifist - video

@Hurricaine Jr. Nuts NM-Speed in 0:36 - video

 

2020 sucked but the doom speedruns of 2020 were the best (so far) in my opinion. I've been following doom speedruns since I was 8 years old and I officially started August 1st 2020 aged 16 getting Ultimate Doom 0:25 E1M8 NoMo after seeing ZM amazing discovery. This community is full of surprises and talent and I'm grateful to be part of it :D Seeing these amazing demos makes me excited of what 2021 holds up. 

 

 

[Hurricaine Jr.]

Oh hey, thanks for the mention!

@Coincident TEETH Uv Fast in 7:32 - Lots of great Uv Fast master levels runs but if I had to pick one, this one for sure - video

@4shockblast 32of64-v Map 28 Pacifist in 0:08 - demo
@Zddastan Plutonia Map 30 Uv Speed in 0:20 - video

@NightTerror TNT Map 05 Pacifist - demo

 

There's a ton more that I have to check the dates on, since the beginning of 2020 felt like 2 or 3 years ago.

Edited January 2, 2021 by Hurricaine Jr.
format

[SAV88]

4 hours ago, TomatoTom said:

@Kyle McAwesome (i don't know his dw name sorry :p) Scythe Map 01 Uv-Max in 0:24 - demo

 

His DW name is @kmc, and I would also mention his Dark Covenant UV Speed in 37:18. It's not simply a movie run, it's a fast, brave speedrun through an action-packed 12-level wad.

 

As for a personal pick, maybe it would be my demo from December 31, Akeldama MAP16 max. Well, I hate uploading times like 7:03 (might continue trying for sub-7 in the future), but this is probably my best-looking skill 4 demo ever (for now). Initially I only wanted about 7:45 (didn't think I can beat NumberJuan77's 10:06 by over 30%).

Edited January 2, 2021 by SAV88

[blob1024]

On 1/1/2021 at 8:30 PM, SAV88 said:

2020 was truly filled to the brim with state-of-the-art records. Some of the really memorable demos:

 

Plutonia II MAP23 UV Max in 8:05 by @blob1024.

oh! I'm really honored (and of a great personal motivation) to be named in such a thread! 

 

I thought map32 would be more relevant, but can't say.

I'll try to keep track of the most appealing demos in this year as well.

 

I found amazing Looper's maxes in original doom2, and coincident's doom, but forgot which one was the most exciting

 

[numberjuan77]

Oh hey! Thanks for the shoutout @SAV88! Two notable demos for 2020 that come to mind are @Killer5's Entropy MAP01 UV-Max since it's a personal favorite of mine and @blob1024's Akeldama MAP30 UV-Max for inspiring me to play Akeldama. 

 

As a personal pick, I'm very proud of my Bloodstain MAP28 UV-Max!

 

 

 

[Daerik]

I'm biased towards runs that were streamed. There were a lot of great stories to follow;

@Killer5's Entropy Map01, Stardate 20x6 Map07, and Swim with the Whales Map03 UV-Maxes.

@David Asaad's TNT Map09 NM100s.

@JCD's Plutonia D2All NM100s.

@Vile's Plutonia D2All UV-Max.

@4shockblast and the Sunlust pacifist table-filling. Map26 in particular was a favorite of mine, with a lot of collaboration from people in the community to help with the routing.

@Looper's Doom 2 D2All UV-Speed

 

I'm looking forward to see what exciting runs get streamed in 2021. I think it's been a huge boon to the community to have so many people stream things.

 

Underrated;

@Lucky_Edie's Frog and Toad Map09 UV-Speed shaving 2 minutes off the previous demo to bring it down to 20~ seconds.

 

Personally;

Obviously the Sunlust D2All.

My second choice would be: Finely Crafted Fetish Film Map07 UV-Max. It's an absurdly difficult map, and I found a crazy pacifist strategy to cheese one of the fights.

[Coincident]

Thank you all for the mentions. I've been thinking for a while about what to write here, but it's really difficulty to remember everything.

My memory is shit (as usual), and I have a tendency to remember better the runs that happened at the end of 2020, than those that happened at the beginning of the year. Therefore, disclaimer: this list might be a bit unfair. But anyway, here are the runs that struck my memory the most in the end:

 

These are "repeat mentions", but I believe they still deserve an extra mention:
@Pleymo's Plutonia Map 30 Pacifist: demo, video (the most innovative, out-of-the-box, unusual-strategic-thinking run I saw all year)
@Daerik's Sunlust UV Max D2All: demo, video (in contrast, the most *BALLS OF STEEL* run I saw all year :D )
@NightTerror's Doom II UV Max D2All: demo, video
@JCD's Plutonia NM 100S D2All: demo, video
@Vile's Plutonia UV Max D2All: demo

New mentions that did not appear above (I think):
@GarrettChan's TNT Map 09 UV Max+Reality: demo, video
@tatsurd-cacocaco's E3M2 UV Max: demo && Plutonia 2 Map 25 UV Max: demo, video
And last but not least, @ZeroMaster010 discovery on E1M8 that allowed Doom 1 E1 to be completed in NoMo for the first time in doom history: demo, video

My runs have been mentioned enough; but there's the most *fun* speedrun I did the whole year: Bloody Rust D2All UV Max Co-op with @TheLoneliness: demo, video.

[GarrettChan]

Thanks for everyone who mentioned my demo(s) as they are... really subpar compared to others. It's kind of funny that the one @Stardustermentioned is probably one the worst in "how much effort did I put" department :P

 

Extra mentions:

@Arbys550's Scythe 2 UV Max D2All: demo, video (One of the many greats ones for D2All year, of course)

@Starduster's Valiant UV Pacifist Map19: demo (It's a beginning to some table filling of NM Speed and UV Pacifist of Valiant)

 

Personally:

Of course it's Plutonia UV Max Map03 as that's my first IWAD record, but the performance is... not very good as I fell down in the invisible bridge... Also my Plutonia UV Max Map01 although it's not even close to the record, but it's the one with my most effort.

[j4rio]

I wasn't an avid watcher this time around, so I can at least pimp out a few of my own.

 

Doom 2 map 1 tyson in 0:40

Doom 2 map 10 tyson in 7:21

Doom 2 map 27 tyson in 8:02

Doom e1m8 tyson in 1:28

Scythe map 24 tyson in 66:56

Scythe map 26 tyson in 75:16

PPPP max in 33:34

64lemons map 4 max in 21:12

maps 26 and 27 tysons from the 64kb vanilla demopack

 

[Bob9001]

Guess I'll nominate my own world record, because I see that all the other wads got theirs nominated :)

 

TNT d2all UV-Max in 3:27:06

 

It's not the best demo but thinking about it a bit, it took me a long long time to finally complete that and I put a lot of effort into attempts.

So I guess I'll toot my own trumpet :D

 

Edited January 5, 2021 by Bob9001

[Hurricaine Jr.]

While on the subject of Nuts, @Mephres deserves credit for routing out the left side of the first room (which turned out to be slightly faster and more consistent) - video