should i beat wolfnestein 3d?

[Noiser]

Blake Stone and Corridor 7 are definitely improvements on the Wolf 3D formula. 

I would say that Wolf3D gets better on the three last episodes though (the Nocturnal Missions). Episode 1 is the weakest of all and leaves a very bad impression of the game. Episode 4, 5 and 6 have more interesting enemy placements, design choices and also more textures. The same for Spear of Destiny, which is pretty good.

Edited March 21, 2021 by Noiser

[Midnight_00]

If your goal is to play through the most prolific FPS games, then obviously yes. Episode 6 actually does have a fair few tedious levels, but you still might as well finish it if you're already that far.

[[McD] James]

23 minutes ago, Noiser said:

Blake Stone and Corridor 7 are definitely improvements on the Wolf 3D formula. 

I would say that Wolf3D gets better on the three last episodes though (the Nocturnal Missions). Episode 1 is the weakest of all and leaves a very bad impression of the game. Episode 4, 5 and 6 have more interesting enemy placements, design choices and also more textures. The same for Spear of Destiny, which is pretty good.

 

Blake Stone suffers on account of its enemies rarely entering into hitstun, meaning you can only take on a few at a time, and very slowly at that. It doesn't help that the protagonist is a piece of shit who belittles his own friends when they try to help him. It's not a terrible game but it doesn't hold a candle to Wolfenstein 3D's magnificence. 

 

Corridor 7 is irredeemable shit. 

 

edit: Come to think of it, I don't think Blake Stone's enemies had any hitstun animations at all, but I'm not certain. 

Edited March 21, 2021 by [McD]James

[Noiser]

You mean pain state? I never paid attention to this but I imagine it would make the combat more challenging tbh, since these games are already too easy. In any case, the variety of gimmicks (traps, switches, NPCs) make Blake Stone a very entertaining game imo.
 

40 minutes ago, [McD]James said:

 Corridor 7 is irredeemable shit.

I don't think so. It's better than Wolf3D in any conceivable way.
I will not enter on this discussion again, but I will leave some of their features here:
 

Spoiler

It have a lot of interesting mechanics for the time: computer terminals, alarms that changes enemy AI, shape shifting aliens, infrared, mines, teleporters, health chambers, powerups, pickups on walls and levels that requires kill counts to proceed. Visually, It was also one of the first shooters to use light diminishing, "brightmaps" and it would be the first to feature transparent walls if it was not Doom. The later version also have multiplayer support (deathmatch) and an option to randomize enemies every time you start a level.

 

Edited March 21, 2021 by Noiser

[Murdoch]

I got to side with James on this one sorry Noiser. Corridor 7 was one of the most painful gaming experiences I can remember. It was ugly, glitchy and clunky to me. No denying it had a few interesting ideas but if the whole is not cohesive and fun to play then that does not really amount to much. I am glad someone enjoyed it, but it's better in every conceivable way... to you. Everyone's different. I do on the whole enjoy Blake Stone but I had to tackle it in small bursts.

 

As for the underlying question of the OP, I think the question you should actually ask is - are you actually enjoying it? If the answer is yes, then go hard but maybe tackle it in bursts. Complete an episode, do something else, then come back to it. Just by the simplistic nature of it, it can get repetitive and there are definitely no shortage of dickish design moments.

 

4 hours ago, jamondemarnatural said:

As the original Game does not have strafing,

 

Actually not true. It had a strafe toggle.

Edited March 21, 2021 by Murdoch

[Noiser]

5 minutes ago, Murdoch said:

but it's better in every conceivable way... to you.

Yep, as it is for you as well. We are all talking about subjective tastes and I'm glad people are starting to understand this instead of going into the universal zeitgeist joke.

Edited March 21, 2021 by Noiser

[Stupid Bunny]

1 hour ago, Noiser said:

 

Blake Stone and Corridor 7 are definitely improvements on the Wolf 3D formula. 

 

Hell yeah it’s hot take time

 

also MEDIC

[Obsidian Plague]

what kind of insane human being ever willingly finishes wolf3d

[Rudolph]

Doom has made Wolfenstein 3D obsolete in every way for me.

 

If anything, you are better off playing a Wolfenstein 3D total conversion instead.

[Duke of Pathoris]

I never completed it until I played WolfenDoom recreation. The maps really helped. That said, I completed SoD.

[Tony_Pepporoni]

1 hour ago, Obsidian Plague said:

what kind of insane human being ever willingly finishes wolf3d

me, with saves, i also think it makes the experience better when you play grindn' by the clipse

Edited March 22, 2021 by Tony_Pepporoni

[Tony_Pepporoni]

i got back up to epsidoe 5 boss

[[McD] James]

On 3/21/2021 at 5:38 PM, Noiser said:

You mean pain state?

 

Yeah, though it's pretty much the exact same thing as hit stun. The only difference being the term "hit stun" is usually applied to fighting games. 

[Jello]

I did get all the way through Wolfenstein and Spear of Destiny back in 1996 or 1997 (had the shareware in 1992, but never had the registered version until much later), but by episode five of Wolfenstein I was cheating my ass off because it became so tedious. I didn't have to do that with Spear of Destiny, the level design seemed more interesting so I didn't feel like I had to cheat to relieve the tedium. But the original Wolf gets so damn boring.

 

So short answer: If you want to. 

 

It's iconic, but I really don't think it aged well. Despite having more weapons than the Catacombs series, the environments and enemies are far more dull 

Edited March 23, 2021 by Jello

[Kurogachii]

I recommend Brutal Wolfenstein for some satisfaction.

[[McD] James]

I can't help but scratch my head when people say that Wolfenstein 3D hasn't aged well. Hovertank 3D, sure, but Wolfenstein 3D? That game has aged like a fine wine. 

[Liberation]

I'm playing through wolf3d atm and it is a great game. Episodes 4-6 is when it gets more interesting, alot more enemies in the maps, so you can get piled on pretty bad and that makes you change tactics when going near big rooms with multiple doors..

Also, going on a rampage with the mp40 and having RNG on your side for a change (and with a dash of luck) is so satisfying still to this day.

[[McD] James]

25 minutes ago, Liberation said:

I'm playing through wolf3d atm and it is a great game. Episodes 4-6 is when it gets more interesting, alot more enemies in the maps, so you can get piled on pretty bad and that makes you change tactics when going near big rooms with multiple doors..

Also, going on a rampage with the mp40 and having RNG on your side for a change (and with a dash of luck) is so satisfying still to this day.

 

I highly recommend checking out Coffee Break and Spear Revisited if you're looking for more.

[Aaron Blain]

I just checked in DosBox, and indeed the original version of the game allows mouse movement with instant acceleration.

 

- Use the default settings, in which Strafe is set to RMB.

- Turn the in-game mouse sensitivity all the way up.

- In the game, hold the RMB and move the mouse left or right.

 

By strafing almost instantaneously in and out of cover, most of the retail levels will be trivially easy. The only difficulties will be posed when you have to kill a handful of mutants before you find the SMG, and in a handful of fights near the end of E3 and E6 when you are fighting so many enemies at once that the chaingun can't kill them fast enough, and the enemies behind can magically shoot through the ones in front.

 

Wolf3d is fun and challenging when enemies are approaching you from more than one direction, and you can't cover every approach, and when you don't know where all the active enemies are. This virtually never happens in the retail levels.

[Demion]

I like SOD more than i like Wolf3d. Episodes are shorter and more rewarding and it has more variation in textures. Play SOD. And maybe Wolf3d E1, which is a classic.

[ReaperAA]

12 hours ago, [McD]James said:

I can't help but scratch my head when people say that Wolfenstein 3D hasn't aged well. Hovertank 3D, sure, but Wolfenstein 3D? That game has aged like a fine wine. 

 

The levels in vanilla Wolf3D haven't aged well. The levels get monotonous after a while due to samey visuals and the convoluted layouts.

 

With that being said, there are a few mods that definitely have much better level design. I would definitely recommend OP and any Wolf3D fan to try out Operation Serpent.

 

[[McD] James]

I personally thought Operation Serpent's level design was awful. Everything was a bloated mess with large, open areas filled to the brim with hitscan enemies you couldn't see. It's to date the only Wolfenstein 3D mod that I didn't enjoy playing.

[ReaperAA]

47 minutes ago, [McD]James said:

I personally thought Operation Serpent's level design was awful. Everything was a bloated mess with large, open areas filled to the brim with hitscan enemies you couldn't see. It's to date the only Wolfenstein 3D mod that I didn't enjoy playing.

 

I admittedly haven't played it (I don't play Wolf3D but do enjoy watching videos/playthroughs of Wolf3D mods). From what I saw, yes the maps are big and some enemies are well camouflaged. But I liked that the maps had more varied visuals and the gameplay additions (more weapons, that includes shotguns and more ammo types)

 

But as someone who doesn't play Wolf3D, its the one mod that almost made me play the game (again, as I did once play Wolf3D's E1).

Edited March 25, 2021 by ReaperAA

[Aaron Blain]

I installed ECWolf and played a bit of E2.

 

ECWolf doesn't have Strafe bound to RMB by default. If you are only strafing with WASD you'll take a lot more damage. Trust me, Wolf3d has insanely responsive movement. BJ is like a shmup ship. You move your character as quickly and precisely as you move a mouse cursor.

 

When you start Operation Eisenfaust, don't hug the left wall or right wall (as I normally do to keep my bearings). Go straight forward from the start, go around the red swastika wall section and the two wells blocking your path, and there's a room with an SMG and a bunch of ammo just waiting to get you started. You don't even have to fight one mutant with the pistol. If you are using mouse movement/strafing, you can easily spot the edge of a baddie around a corner and start shooting them safely because they have to shoot from the center of their sprite. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

 

Really, once you get the hang of the mechanics, retail Wolf3d is like popping bubble wrap or playing solitaire. It just sort of keeps your hands busy in a satisfying way.