Is TNT MAP22: Habitat a joke/troll map?

[Hisymak]

Yesterday I played through TNT: Evilution MAP22 (Habitat), and my impression was it was sort of a joke map. It standed out of place among other maps, which at least tried to be more or less realistic or meaningful (i.e. computer labs, storage, hell etc). This one was purely abstract, senseless and quirky map with lot of strange design elements. But most importantly, I had the feeling, that this map was made to troll players. The most notable thing is that whole map is basically optional and you can just simply directly go to the exit, and when you make all the way through it, the switch behind yellow key doors will do nothing but just highlight you way in the nukage pool. I discovered the way to exit by accident when looking for secrets, but returned and wanted to complete it 100%. The next crazy thing is the nonsensical tunnel system, bluke key door design, and many monster traps, including the monster closets at exits which open only when you go through whole map. Hmpf...

What are your thoughts about this map?

[SilverMiner]

Habitat is a totally serious map, otherwise it wouldn't have made its way into high quality map pack named omg TNT.WAD

[Andromeda]

Habitat is a fine level, not sure why everyone hates it...

[Poncho1]

It's called being a bad level. It's as simple as that.

 

Obligatory "just my opinion, of course", btw.

[NuMetalManiak]

The abstract stuff is pretty weird, but I often think of all of TNT as being abstract in its level design. I find the tunnels to actually be the most entertaining portion of the level as it does offer the exploration vibe even though these tunnels do look samey. I'm alright with the level ending early although I'm sure that the trigger for revealing the final area seemed to be a mapper mistake. The blue key area does have a sneaky arch-vile who can attack and teleport from behind a fake wall, and there's another archie somewhere else too. But even then Habitat is still fun for most of its areas.

[Diabolución]

17 minutes ago, Andromeda said:

Habitat is a fine level

 

I have reported your post as it is offensive. /joke

 

As for the topic, I copy and paste this answer of mine (say it once, if at all):

 

In my last attempt of pistol starting (on UV without saves, as usual) tnt.wad that Habitat map destroyed and ruined entirely my mood. And I have not recovered from that yet, I still dare not replay it, it is simply too awful...

 

[The_SloVinator]

Habitat to me looks like the most rushed map or perhaps one of those maps that you can't think of a good layout, so you just scribble something & connect. Though, even that would've had some kind of quality as Habitat can be finished without any keys. lol

 

I don't hate it personally. I just play it the way it was intended & move on.

[BoxY]

Well, the guy who made Habitat only ever released that and one other map, so I'm assuming he wasn't very experienced and on the whole the map strongly reminds me of the kind of thing someone doodles when they're just starting out and messing around with linedef actions in the editor and so on, trying out random stuff without worrying too much about putting everything together into a functional map. You have to remember that Evilution wasn't supposed to be a commercial product until id offered them a deal at the last second, so there was no expectation that anything had to be professional, and it was organised more like a community project than anything as far as I can tell. Hence even maps like Habitat could find their way into the finished product.

[Devalaous]

Quarry is the real POS map in TNT, Habitat is better than a massive amount of maps ive played, and actually has a lot of 'sense of place', so at this point, the hate for it is practically a Doom meme. The same guy's other map is the opening map of Icarus, which is well-liked for being highly imaginitive, and I can see that in Habitat too, just not as refined. I'll aways like that opening with the water being polluted by the nukage.

 

If you want bad maps you have to pay for, go play the second half of Lost Episodes of Doom, or the minimaps that were shat out to finish Hell to Pay and Perditions Gate for deadlines.

[Silhouette 03]

2 hours ago, Andromeda said:

Habitat is a fine level, not sure why everyone hates it...

BURN THE HERETIC! 

[Gez]

1 hour ago, Devalaous said:

or the minimaps that were shat out to finish Hell to Pay and Perditions Gate for deadlines. 

Last time I replayed through that duology, I found Hell to Pay was the superior half. Perdition's Gate has a much stronger start and it doesn't have the goofy-looking resprites from HTP, but it does have a lot of sucky maps after a while.

[P41R47]

Habitat is a damn fine map.

It has tons of mood on it, and develops the progress into the hellship.

Habitat shows how the habitat deck was corrupted to being almost unrecognizable from it original purpose.

The habitat part being the tunnels, flooded and now impossible to live on as every door leads to corrupted areas.

Its not the best map of the set, but it has some neat details.

 

"habitat, bad map" is just a meme by now. Some Sandy maps on Doom2 are less cohesive and really uninteresting (monster condo, barrels o'fun) and nobody say they are bad maps.

 

Come on!

If Ty Halderman approved the map, naming it as a bad map is insulting his aesthetic design. Like he doesn't know what he was doing.

 

And the following applies for every map out there.

No map is bad, its just that you don't like it.

[Master O]

1 hour ago, Silhou3tte said:

BURN THE HERETIC! 

 

D'Sparil, is that you?

Edited February 3, 2021 by Master O

[GarrettChan]

3 hours ago, Andromeda said:

Habitat is a fine level, not sure why everyone hates it...

This could be called "Youtuber celebrity effect", probably same with Mount Pain and the Chasm. :P

 

Habitat needs some sequels! I know there's only one called "Rehab" in Urania, and I am playthrough Urania just to play Rehab... (Oh god, don't play Urania unless you want to torture yourself.)

 

Seriously, the sewer part of the level is confusing and not very fun. That's understandable. However, when people are nitpicking that the *fusion* of the nukage and water at the beginning, or something like that, that's more like making up reasons to make the map look bad instead of actually analyzing the problem of the map.

[Omniarch]

I'm really not sure where all the hate comes from, and this is coming from someone who didn't get past the first episode of Evilution. In fact, I only

played Habitat because of its reputation. And like the last map I played for that reason (Nirvana), I really don't get the hate. Sure the map is odd, questionably paced and kinda unfinished, but it has many interesting rooms and ideas, and a decent sense of atmosphere.

 

Honestly, I'm not sure why people feel the need to pick out black sheep from the IWAD lineup. Seems a little pointless to me, especially since I've yet to see any meaningful criticism come from the practice. Probably a side-effect of brain-dead meme culture, or something to that effect. That's not to say one can't hold or express a partially or wholly negative opinion of any IWAD map (I have nothing good to say about E3M8, E3M9 or the shitty Wolfenstein levels from D2), just that there seems to be a memetic quality to the thing.

 

To answer OP's question, while I don't know anything about the map's creator or the culture of Team TNT back in '96, the map strikes me more as experimental and unfinished than anything else.

[Arbys550]

When I first played TNT and before I knew what people thought of map22, I actually enjoyed it. I still do. I find exploring the sewers pretty fun actually.

[KeaganDunn]

Habitat was truly trying to go for something. A water treatment plant, perhaps? There are some nice little details, but the identical tunnels, empty outside areas, fake walls, seemingly-random secrets, haphazard height changes in the grass, and the literal ability to go straight to the exit truly did kill its reputation.

I have to agree that it's not truly terrible...the author might have just had the wrong ideas or simply wasn't that experienced - and because TNT wasn't meant to be a commercial product this kind of thing should've been expected. It's not hard by any means...just some very questionable design choices were involved. It's a very odd experience.

 

 

[Stupid Bunny]

I never really had any strong feelings about Habitat, it was always kind of one of TNT's filler maps to me.  The nukage-falls at the beginning are a very TNT touch and the only part of the map I could really remember tbh.  Oh yeah the music in this map might be my least favorite from TNT, which counts for more than it should for me anyway.

 

MAP21: Administrative Area is one people also really like to fart on but it's actually one of my favorite IWAD maps.  But then I tend to love ones like Admin Area, Central Processing and Mount Pain for probably the same reason that I love sprawling, exploratory maps that gradually lead up to big open areas and contain lots of secrets.  TNT was always more about atmosphere and a sense of place that could be simultaneously relatable and abstract--think again MAP20, cubicles complete with desks and computers and chairs immediately alongside weirdly lit Hellish rooms with indescribable wall textures.  Some folks find that juxtaposition jarring but it was always one of the things I liked most about TNT.  And I guess Habitat is emblematic of that too: sure, you could just barrel to the exit without firing a shot, or you could...not, and see just how much the level has hidden around.  I personally don't think it was pulled off all that well in this case but still I admire the concept.

[rehelekretep]

you might remember that i really like tnt and i also dont understand the hate Habitat gets. its definitely not very good but its infinitely better than that annoying end room of Metal...

[leodoom85]

This is more of a nitpicky opinion but, the fact that two keys (one of them is mandatory) are behind fake walls is a bit off and players might not like that if it's a first-time playthrough. Someone said that the map felt unfinished and...maybe it's right....looks more of a prototype version than a final version of the map.

 

However, the final part and the blue key area with those barons and that archvile seems decent enough for once, imho.

 

Honestly, Habitat is not good but not bad either. It's an ok map. Not as bad as Mount Pain but...that's another entire separate topic to discuss.

 

Edited February 3, 2021 by leodoom85
I hate writing stuff on cellphones...

[leodoom85]

5 minutes ago, rehelekretep said:

you might remember that i really like tnt and i also dont understand the hate Habitat gets. its definitely not very good but its infinitely better than that annoying end room of Metal...

Oh boy....Metal....

I don't like the midi, at all. And that big final area feels that could have something more menacing but only ends up in disappointment.

[Optimus]

I always loved those underground tunnels. They are pretty atmospheric, they are not square but more round with the sector steps, the lights, then there are triggers that open other passageways behind with more shotgunners, I found it cool when I first played it. I always wanted to explore those. Then I always like a bit of grass outside. But sure, I didn't know you can finish this level so fast without any keys. I did a run at 20 secs. But who would want to make it so fast to the exit and leave the undeground tunnels unexplored? LOL

[Pseudonaut]

I remember being a little frustrated trying to navigate the tunnels that all look the same, but otherwise it's an ok map.

[Bob9001]

Short answer: Yes.

 

Detailed answer: From what I've read Map 22 is supposed to be a filler map between 21 and 23 and come to think of that, it kinda makes sense that you go from an "Administration Centre" to a "Lunar Mining" base. However, as mentioned by others, the one thing I found odd is that you have to explore the whole map and cross certain linedefs to open all the secrets and get all kills. So in my opinion it was supposed to be something else but could have been rushed to meet deadlines?

 

A few other maps in TNT are trying to be something they're not so that seems like a good theory.

[Clippy]

1 hour ago, Pseudonaut said:

I remember being a little frustrated trying to navigate the tunnels that all look the same, but otherwise it's an ok map.

 

Those tunnels are the worst tunnels of all tunnels 

[bfredric]

6 hours ago, GarrettChan said:

This could be called "Youtuber celebrity effect", probably same with Mount Pain and the Chasm. :P

 

Habitat needs some sequels! I know there's only one called "Rehab" in Urania, and I am playthrough Urania just to play Rehab... (Oh god, don't play Urania unless you want to torture yourself.)

 

Seriously, the sewer part of the level is confusing and not very fun. That's understandable. However, when people are nitpicking that the *fusion* of the nukage and water at the beginning, or something like that, that's more like making up reasons to make the map look bad instead of actually analyzing the problem of the map.

 

I think Chasm is a great looking level with a cool atmosphere for 1994. It doesn't deserve to be lumped in with Habitat.

Edited February 3, 2021 by bfredric

[Stupid Bunny]

@bfredric Yes thank you I will defend Chasm to my doomy grave

[JustCallMeKaito]

I did a bit of digging to hopefully shed some light on this, so buckle up and prepare yourself for a wall of pure speculation.

 

To start off, Habitat is absolutely not a troll map. It's also a terrible map, taking the #1 spot for worst TNT map on just about every list out there. However, that's not to say that Christopher Buteau, the man behind the map, was a troll / someone who was bad at mapping. Shuttlecraft, the first map of Icarus: Alien Vanguard, is the only other map that was made by the same guy. The author's style is recognizable, and though progression is a bit strange, it's easy to tell that the mapper was never a troll to begin with, so what's the deal with Habitat?

 

There are 3 possibilities regarding why Habitat is the way it is:

 

• Christopher Buteau came into the project later on and had to rush to get the map done.
• Christopher Buteau was new to making Doom maps, but had experience from somewhere else.
• Part of the map got cut for whatever reason, leaving the blue key in a half-finished room, and the side rooms throughout the sewers unfinished.

 

Honestly, I'd have to say the third possibility is the most likely here. The large, empty spaces between rooms in the sewers just kinda look like something was intended for them. Perhaps the sewers were even expanded upon to make up for a chunk of the level not making the cut. On top of that, the original release of TNT was meant to be November 1995, which was pushed back to June 17th, 1996 following the plans to include it in Final Doom, which would have left plenty of time for revisions to be made to the map.

 

Taken from the Doom Wiki page on Plutonia, this quote is regarding the maps the Casali Bros. submitted to TNT:

 

"Unlike their contributions to TNT: Evilution, which were substantially edited after submission (four being rejected altogether due to being too large), these turned out to be the final revisions of the levels."

 

The above quote would seem to lend itself to the third theory quite possibly being what happened. So, in conclusion, the map may have been trimmed down substantially due to being too large, being even more confusing than the final version is, or something else entirely. However, this is all just speculation unless anyone who worked on TNT can tell us anything.

Edited February 3, 2021 by JustCallMeKaito

[Diabolución]

Apparently, a loose and separate version of that map (LCAVE1CB.WAD) was, indeed, publicly released. But, I guess not even Rambo Mad Butcher, the ultimate fucking killing machine as to preserving old doomy files, would be able to recover it.

 

http://gamers.org/pub/games/idgames/levels/doom2/s-u/time2die.txt

Edited February 3, 2021 by Diabolución
Replace that "can" with the conditional form of be able to.

[GarrettChan]

1 hour ago, bfredric said:

I think Chasm is a great looking level with a cool atmosphere for 1994. It doesn't deserve to be lumped in with Habitat.

I lumped them in because of the "Youtuber celebrity effect", not because it's good/bad.

 

I used to hate Habitat, Chasm and Mount Pain, but later I realized, it's not that bad if you looked at them properly. Chasm in particular, you need some skill to enjoy the level, but mostly the player's attention could be trapped by the "stupid" (relatively of course, I like them though) ledge walking and won't judge the map properly from other perspectives.