The DWmegawad Club plays: Base Ganymede

[DuckReconMajor]

E2M3 - prboom-plus 2.6um - skill 1 - pistol start with saves

 

I did see some parts that reminded me of E1M3 (which I guess is fitting), notably the ring of shotgunners around a curved room (above a slime pit)

I love viny areas covered in vines, and hope to see more going forward

Very mean crusher. I got mashed.

Death exits are always exciting. I'll start with pistol anyway but it's cool knowing next time the mapper wants you nice and vulnerable

 

Spoiler

sorry for the long pause in this one, had one of those "hear a noise, look for the source, can't find it, oh well hopefully nothing bad" moments

 

 

[Capellan]

 

[Zirtonic]

 

I adore this map's MIDI. Combined with the low-lit hallways it gives the map an ominous and foreboding atmosphere, and this level feels less like a power fantasy and more like Doomguy has accepted his fate and intends to take as many demons down with him as he can.

[Book Lord]

E2M4

Doomsday Engine, UV-Fast, Continuous, blind run w/saves

 

Oh, great! The early death exit set me ready for some new gimmick, but I was not pleased when I saw that berserk pack and too many Imps for my ridiculous pistol. It was a Tyson map, something I always dread with my UV -fast settings. However, I am halfway through the WAD, and I am not changing my mind at this point. I embraced the cross and faced the ordeal.

Spoiler

I soon realised that I would not have gone far without a plan, so I typed IDDQD and explored a part of the map. I avoided the first Imp cluster, punched two Lost Souls, dodged a second group of monsters, and finally reached a burning chamber where a shining new shotgun was within my grasp. It was nothing more than a temptation for the sinners, though. A Lost Soul immediately teleported in my back to remind me nothing was free, only torture and pain were to be expected aplenty in this Ganymede Hell.

Spoiler

I properly played this stretch and succeeded after some attempts, the Lost Souls being the worst problem because I had no choice but to punch them. After picking up the shotgun, I backtracked a bit and used the steps to carefully hit Pinkies and cause infight with Imps. I killed off everybody until the starting area, because I had to come back to the red door sooner or later. I am glad I did it, but all my ammo was wasted. The big room ahead featured another host of Imps, a Soul Sphere, and a pop-up Baron of Hell. The bonus health was quickly drained during my barehanded assault of the upper ledge. I resorted to infighting for the remaining Imps and the Baron happily collaborated, so I let him live (I was not capable of killing him, to be honest).

Spoiler

I tackled the next part with 25% health, and it was an agony. Firstly, I had to run under an elevated Sergeant’s nose, then charge two zombies and finally zigzag between rows of Imps, under deadly Cyberdemon’s volleys. Even though his rockets blasted most of the lowly monsters, I did not see anything and believed I was trapped in the BSK alcove, with only 44 bullets and barely alive. In fact, only two Imps blocked the escape path, so I shot them and made a backward sprint to the blue door, leaving some stragglers behind (only 87% kills).

 

Not only I had to enter the pit with the Cyberdemon’s crosshairs already on me, but there was also that hideous elevator in front of the door, which locked me in place more than once. Reaching the teleporter behind the Cyberdemon was a maddeningly hard feat, which I pulled off after many attempts and trying different approaches. Telefragging the titan was not a relief, because I got locked in a teleporter chain, that eventually sent me into another hairy situation. I found myself in close quarters with Imps again and I could only make a sprint across the lava, after taking the essential RSK and Medikit.

Spoiler

The torment was not over, though. The final room had an unkillable meat wall consisting of a Cacodemon and three Demons over damaging slime. My only option was to lure the Caco and lose him in the courtyard, then get back to the Demons and CAREFULLY punch them by the door. I could not sustain a single scratch, or else the nukage would have killed me before I reached the pad. Leaving the map was a superb relief. Playing blind on UV -fast was my fault, sure, nonetheless this was an exercise in sadism. Too frustrating for the wrong reasons: ammo and health stinginess, hazardous environment, and spiteful monster placement. I was so busy struggling with and complaining about everything that I passed over the marvellous hellish fortress on display. I am sure standard UV grants a better playing experience.

Edited July 13, 2021 by Book Lord

[LadyMistDragon]

E2M3

 

We are now in a largely underground map. There's still quite a bit of techbase strewn throughout, signs of nuclear waste collection and disposal abound. This music is so creepy. And honestly, it's probably easier for the most part. I do remember being annoyed at the Barons of Hell in my last playthrough, but otherwise, this map's basically new to me. More monster mobs, and the Lost Souls you seem to encounter in only one area hold little threat. I would end up discovering the first secret after running back to the start after seeing the slime river went literally nowhere and going through a fake wall on the left side from the start. I also missed a secret with cells and a medikit in a room not long after the large one with the Barons of Hell which I really only discovered because I was searching desperately for more ammo, as well as the switch which lowers the bars closing off the plasma rifle (it's basically on an upper ledge behind a silver door that I went past and forgot about because of how fast I was going).

 

Demonic corruption shows up much earlier in this episode. A likely innocous pool of water with a curious structure in the middle is now lava, and the structure is revealed to have a teleporter when you've dispatched the enemies in the area. The last room also looks demonic, with crimson red walls, and a curious gate-like structure at the end that is revealed to be a death exit.

 

I mosrly avoided losing health here, but ammo is quite tight especially if you don't discover the plasma rifle. You just don't have enough rockets for the 2 groups of Cacodemons you encounter, then that trio of Barons on the red key ledge will also eat up far more than you'd like. Don't be like me, and use maybe 1-2 rockets on that group that teleports in near that lava pool I mentioned earlier. Still, it really wasn't that threatening.

Edited July 13, 2021 by LadyMistDragon

[DisgruntledPorcupine]

E2M3

UV, pistol start, no saves

100% kills, 0/2 secrets

 

The episode picks up the pace here, with some ambushes that call for a little bit more urgency, and the resource squeeze again being felt a little more intensely. The level kind of gives you a sense of security, almost gorging you on shotgun and chaingun ammo for the initial stretch, but then it throws some spongey fights at you with cacos and barons near the end that can exhaust your entire supply if you haven't been careful. The first problem ambush happens right at the start, as you are trudging along and gunning down fodder, a wall opens up with 7 shotgunners that have a full view of your backside. If you are prepared for it it's nothing too bad, but if you aren't get ready to take a considerable chunk of damage right from the getgo.

 

Much of the level for the first while is taking down fodder as with the previous levels, but some placements that can be a little bit more dangerous if you aren't prepared. The hallway with imps watching you from the top, shotgunners across the way, and some difficult to see spectres can rip a strip out of you. After you grab the rocket launcher and yellow key a large group of cacodemons come to stop you, but using your new rocket launcher on them is discouraging if you remember the 3 barons at the start of the level that you didn't have the firepower for, so I chaingunned them all. The teleport ambush when you hit the yellow key switch is pretty fun, featuring quite a few imps with some shotgunners thrown into the mix. The final fight past the red key door gives you a pretty nice scare, popping up cacodemons right in your face. This is the part of the level where you might be getting really low on ammo, so they can be more trouble than they seem.

 

I did actually only take one death on this level though... I'm sure most of you can guess where it is. Honestly I found that crusher too amusing to be mad at it. In any case, this was a pretty fun level, not very hard if you have an idea of what's coming but more fun than the first two of the episode.

[Soul_Runner]

E2M3 - Refinery
K - 100%, I - 100%, S - 100%, Time: 11:08
Pistol Start, No Saves, UV Max, Not Blind, 0 Deaths
A hot start with zombiemen and a squad of imps overlooking us and a secret in the very first area!. Not hard and when you try to leave the dark room, a closet of shotgunners appear behind you. From a pistol start, more shotgun ammo is always nice.
Heading down the path with an acid river beside, we take down more shotgunners on a raised ledge before opening a door to a large room, one side being a rocky wall and the rest being built into the tech base.
The room houses a chaingun, backpack! and some bullets, alongside a horde of imps, three barons on a raised ledge and a shotgunner for good measure. Not a massive problem if you keep moving but certainly an ammo drain.
Currently, not having ammo for the barons we move on, past two shotgunners and into a balcony walkway with imps above, zombies and spectres ahead and a large acid pit to our left.
In here we can take a lift to the raised imp ledge, grab bullets and invisibility, and then run down, over the wall into the acid pit, down to secret #1.
Dropping down from the walkway after teleporting back, we become surrounded by shotgunners, dispatching them we have the blue door and a corridor with a pinky and imps. This then leads to another room with a large acid pit.
Hidden on the right side is a lower ledge with a switch, a rad suit on the acid and several imps and a shotgunner. Hitting the switch we see a nice acidfall behind a spectre two pinkies and an ambush caco from behind.
Just ahead there is a stimpack surrounded by corpses which shows to be a hidden crusher trap, and to the left a room with an overlook at the back and a central room, guarded by lost souls, imps, a few shotgunners and zombiemen, luckily, we get Blue Mega Armour!
From here we hit a switch, go into the central room dealing with shotgunners and teleport back after grabbing the blue key. The blue room is a large outside area within the tech base, souls, imps, shotgunners and after the yellow key and rocket launcher, a squad of cacodemons!
The Next door has a corridor which houses a plasma gun, up to an outside rocky area with lava and a teleporter, closed off by a switch behind a yellow door. Hitting the switch causes a group of imps and shotgunners to appear.
Quickly heading back we take stairs guarded by souls up to the raised area, hitting the switch and opening the Plasma gun. Teleporting back we get back to the 3 barons, now having a rocket launcher with 17 rockets makes these guys easy as we grab the red key.
Heading back to the red door near the beginning, as we go in we face Shotgunners, Cacodemons and Imps. You may also find out the Red door locks you in!

After this fight the exit is open and the level is done with a forced Death exit!
Not a particularly hard level for me with some nice open rooms but some occasionally repetitive monsters, not helped by original dooms limited monsters. Ammo is abundant also so no ammo issues at all :D

 

Map Stats & Secrets:

 

Spoiler

 

Monsters: 184
Items: 1
Secrets: 2

 

Secret #1:
A rocky wall with specks of blood which you can walk through for a Rad Suit.

Secret #2:

On a platform in the acid pit, we get two rockets, a plasma cell, 2 clips and a medkit.

 

 

[Dazel]

E2M3
(GZDoom, UV, Pistol Start, Saveless)
Death Count: 0/12

Well this was an annoying map. Not one or two but at least three fights are coverless hitscanfests, with the player more or less reliant on luck to not get cut to pieces time and time again. The level's progression is interesting, chasing the player off from a red key by blocking it with more barons than you have ammo to kill, and only giving enough to accomplish the task after dropping them down without the ability to backtrack until they've pushed through the rest of the level. Ammo distribution is a bit annoying, sending in a flight of Cacodemons once you get the rocket launcher you'll want to kill the barons with, but not giving enough ammo to take care of both, essentially asking the player to resort to the shotgun to deal with one of the two threats. Where this map gets annoying is that once you go through the red key door, you have no way of going back for cleanup, and if you missed some monsters or secrets and want to max the level, you'll need to start all over again, which I did. 

Rating: 2 🟊🟊☆☆☆

 

[Thrustpeak]

UV | Continuous w/ Saves | Crispy Doom

 

E2M4
This map sees us enter sans rocket launcher and plasmagun via the death exit and asks us to channel our inner Mike Tyson as we enter this hellish, blood-soaked domain. Sometimes maps like this can feel tedious, but—in this case—I had a blast punching imps and zombiemen into gibs. The novelty did not overstay it's welcome. I'm not sure why the shotgun was included halfway through. It felt unnecessary outside taking out the lone shotgunner on an unreachable ledge, but maybe I will be happy to have it at the start of next map. Again we have zero secrets to find (not something I mind), but it feels notable for the fact that I can't recall many other wads that have gone so easy on the secrets. 

 

 

Edited July 13, 2021 by Thrustpeak

[Doritos420]

E2M4 - Blood Punch

Spoiler

I had heard of the Punch-Out levels before, but this was the first time I actually played one in a wad. Overall I enjoyed it, it was a fun departure from fighting hitscanners all the time. The layout was very linear but wasn’t really an issue, I think it worked out well for this map. I’d say the hardest part of this level was actually right at the beginning since you’re surrounded by imps and one wrong move and you can fall into a toxic waste ditch. For me the best strategy was to circle strafe and pick off any enemies that got close. As long as you can dodge the fireballs this level isn’t too bad. At one point you get the shotgun, but you only have a small handfull of shells so you’d best save them for something important. When the cyberdemon is introduced I was dreading having to take on a cyberdemon with nothing but my fist, luckily you can telefrag him after finding the blue key. In the end I ended up beating the map but missing a kill (turns out a baron only spawns in when you grab the soulsphere). Also I think the music worked well for this level, kind of reminded me of the Dead Kennedys.

Edited July 13, 2021 by Doritos420
Grammar

[TheOrganGrinder]

E2M4

 

I'm not really a fan of Tyson gameplay so this is a map that is very much designed to be appreciated by players who are not me.  And that's fine, Doom is vast and contains multitudes and I hope that players who enjoy knuckle-dusting action (and are better at it than I am) had fun with this one, but for me, it's a level that I endured more than enjoyed.  I skipped out with the Baron of Hell still strutting his stuff because punching him to death sounded like nothing but a timesink.  Other than that, I do like the creative layout and interesting details on display here, a few small fragments of grungy techbase clinging like vestigial organs or pieces of eggshell to the mass of demon-infested dungeons and shattered rock that has swollen within and beneath them, even if the gameplay makes the overall experience not at all my cup of tea.

[DuckReconMajor]

E2M4 - prboom-plus 2.6um - skill 1&4 - pistol start with saves

 

Aww yes it's punchin' time!

As one of the players to which TheOrganGrinder refers I have a great time on maps like this.

I even went back through on skill 4 and did 100% with just the fists (using saves tho)

I was a bit deflated when I first saw the shotgun, thinking turbo turkey puncher time was over, but you get no shells. Maybe it's to deal with the annoying shotgunner I had to bait the Cyber into killing on my 2nd playthrough

 

Spoiler

vids may not be processed yet check back later if so

skill 1

skill 4

 

 

[cannonball]

E2M4 - I am not particularly good at tyson maps, but actually this one would be considered quite easy given the majority of the monsters are imps. The layout is pretty straightforward but coordinates itself quite well. The cyber is a brief threat when in pursuit of the blue key and then subsequently through the blue key door. I do wonder whether it coud have been used a little more liberally to increase the threat.

Overall an okay level but I suspect many would find quick and forgettable.

[dei_eldren]

E2M5 - Secret Nukage and Lava (HNTR, Continuous, Blind): K 100% (154/154), I 84% (12/14), S 0% (0/2), T 20:05, D 5 - This is one of those levels with a complex interconnected layout of basically two sections with a lot of different height-levels in the structures for different routes, and it was hard for me to completely internalize it in the course of the game.  Again, the design for this hell-themed level is very good in all aspects.

 

The combat is truly rough, the ambushes, always consisting of Cacodemons but now increasingly also of Barons, are a constant death-threat, and not anymore only mainly because of lack of resources, at least on HNTR i didn't suffer from that here.  Monsters teleporting behind the player's back are now an annoying commonplace, totally overused and generally in an unfair manner, but surprisingly, usually also an impotent threat, except, to chip away the health by some 15% on average. 

 

It was of course nice to get a BFG9000 finally, first time in this WAD, but i did not expect the Cyberdemon to teleport in on that pathway.  Think i died three times, as my BFG shots were nearly waste of ammo.  Yes, i never found out how to really use it effectivelly...  But in the end it was done, and now i do know how to use it better, as this inspired me to watch decino's technical video on the subject.  That was where i died most, but the hardest part is still to come.  The penultimate fight was hard, as what seemed like insurmountable amount of Imps teleported in when i got the RK, along with a Baron.  Here i died also, and the whole thing seemed impossible in such poor health, so i ran away.  And found more nukage!  What are the odds... But this was a good decision, because going back i was no longer surrounded by them, and was thus able to get rid of them despite my low health.

By the way, instapop-monsters were used to great effect in Kama Sutra and i'll never forget it (i survived them, even on my first meeting), but their use in this WAD is in a different category altogether.  No, thanks.

 

Before the exit-area there is the nukage with some switches, along with some Imps and Sargeants, that are a hazard when health is running low.  Without yet finding any of the secrets (i have a good idea of place for one, though, it's not hard to guess), i climb up the stairs to gaze upon the exit, located in an boxed area with some pillars that must be an arena for an encounter, and the counter shows three more monsters to kill.  i jump in, grab the medikit, and press the switch to open the exit-door.  Three Barons!  Not an easy fight, but still a sigh of relief, as they should soften enough with the plasma i have left, and a few shotgun rounds to finish them off.  Which goes for once exactly to plan!  My health was 12+25, and went down to 5, but i am alive, everything is dead, and now is the time to start hunting for the secrets, and the secret exit!

 

Ffs, that plan did not realize so neatly.  There's no way back up!  Ok, i'm not responsible for this, and will play the secret level anyway.  So, with some cheats, i return to check out the secrets.  The first one is where i thought it would be, in the canyon of lava.. my problem is, who on earth can have the health to go check it out on this level when playing, without a radsuit?  i know i didn't, even if i was sure it would be there, i would've not reached it alive.  The second secret i don't find on my own, and won't lose any sleep over it as it's in a pool of nukage (oh dear), and no matter how hard i look i can't find a clue for it - maybe someone figured it out and i just miss something, but...

Still the problem of the secret exit remains.  Can't find it on the map, and all the secrets are revealed.  Well, it sure is hidden well, but i don't mind, since i take the liberty to play E2M9 anyway, because of the dumb inescapable exit-pit.  i may have missed something, but my motivation is also pretty low.

 

The quality of this map, which is a very fine one, with some good battles, again is brought down by some questionable design-choices, that at least i strongly disagree with. 2.5/5.

 

Spoiler

 

Edited July 14, 2021 by dei_eldren

[Capellan]

Spoiler: I don't like it

 

 

[LadyMistDragon]

E2M4 - Demon Ghetto

 

I was aware this map was coming because I'd read the OneManDoom entry, but I had no idea this was gonna be a forced Tyson map until I read some other posts and was like, aw shit.

 

Let's just get this out right now: I DESPISE forced Tyson maps in megawads. It doesn't matter whether they are like this or Map 21: Indigestion from Going Down. In the latter map's favor, there are crushers that'll do a decent job reducing enemy levels, though monsters do seem to avoid crushers when comp settings aren't set to strict. In THIS map's favor, there ain't no motherfucking Revenants in....you know.:D)

 

Anyways, despite dying twice near the beginning (not far from the first Pinkies) the enemy count sits at 74, so this actually isn't all THAT difficult, mostly, though I'm sure that massive mob of Imps you meet near the Berserk Pack is meant to troll you.

 

I guess it is appropriate though. In addition to being hell, you're in the HELL of hell. I mean the projects, the neighborhoods inhabited by all the cannon fodder, and that's why most of the enemies are demons/imps. You start out with slime on the sides and I'm not even commenting on that, with vined brown walls. Head forward a bit and you'll run into a lava pit with in-air blocks that are probably CCTV cameras. Mostly, though, you'll be surrounded by crimson walls with occasional flesh decorations. The shotgun is located at the other end of a small pool of lava. Don't use it on the Lost Soul that appears behind you. Personally, I used it all on the Baron you meet in the room where you access the blue key door from the lift. It might seem tempting to use it on the Imps in the room with the Cyberdemon drug lord (or maybe he's just the manager at the local McDonald's details shetails), but honestly, they'll mostly get killed by the rockets anyway. Plus, punching Barons is tedious and stupid. I did manage to dispatch him without taking a hit, so I must be getting a lot better.

 

The last room has slime (.....) a Cacodemon, and 2 pinkies. Yeah, some extra sadism for you, since the Cacodemon ended up taking me before 50 percent health. Otherwise, I have no other issues other than the damn E1M1 music. I swear, punching whilst playing keyboard only (yes, that was a thing I used to do) was just so unfun. It's much better keyboard and mouse however. Doesn't change the fact that Tyson maps in megawads are stupid and shouldn't exist

Edited July 14, 2021 by LadyMistDragon

[TJG1289]

E2M1

(UV/Continuous/Saves)

100% kills and secrets

Time: 5:17

 

I think this opener is actually easier than E1M1. There's not as many big groups of enemies you have to worry about, and the only time you really need to keep moving to avoid fire is in this opening room, since there's some sniping imps around, and you probably want to save some ammo. You grab the chainsaw and shotgun in this map, and each are useful. Yes, even the chainsaw, as there's a decent amount of pinkies and specters to deal with before you grab the shotgun, and there's not really a lot of shells here either. Only one trap could be kinda rough, and that's once you lower the wall in the opening room and continue on that path, where a caco, several imps, and a specter teleport in. Other than that, nothing here should shake you. Visually, it's not too much different from what we've seen before.

 

E2M2

100% kills and secrets

Time: 13:50

 

A bigger map that adds some vines and brown to the textures, making it feel like a E2 map. I'm beginning to really miss the Doom 2 baddies, as there's not as much I feel you can do with the limited bestiary we've got here. There's nothing here that even resembles a threat to the player. Even the final fight with 2 cacos and a butt-load of imps is nothing since we've got the space to move, and we picked up a chaingun toward the beginning. Thankfully, the map is still pretty fun, I just don't see a lot of uniqueness coming in the future, so hopefully you don't mind Doom 1. We've got another super obscure secret that the automap in another secret can kinda hint at, but that's about it when it comes to a hint for it. We've got some keys to collect in this level, and 2 paths that need to be completed before you can go through the yellow door, so there's a little bit of choice you can do. I went down the path that raises a platform to the yellow door first. It's a fine level, but Doom 2 has spoiled me.

 

E2M3

100% kills and 50% secrets

Time 13:17

 

A little bit of an uptick in difficulty, as barons return here, and there's more big packs of enemies. I'm noticing that if there's a teleport trap, odds are something will also teleport behind you, blocking you. Smart. Also, there's a shotgunner trap at the very beginning that almost got me, but it thankfully didn't. While there are barons here, they're on a elevated platform and can't really do anything, so you may want to wait and take them out later when you come back with the rocket launcher and plasma. Some red rock and lava textures appear here, making it look a little hellish. I did find one secret easily, but the other I IDDT'd at the end, and realized I couldn't backtrack from the final room. Oh well. Jump in the portal for a death exit. The upped difficulty made this one more fun. Also, weird monster-blocking linedef in the room with the RL, by one of the doors.

 

E2M4

100% kills and secrets

Time: 6:08

 

Looks like we in hell now, and we've got a Tyson map here, which could be some people's version of hell. Thankfully, I'm kinda decent at punching things in the face, but not as much when it comes to avoiding their punches to my face. This could be an issue, but I got lucky for the most part, with the exception of the very first imp that got me for 24 damage. There is a small hallway with a shotgun, but that's all you get for ammo in this level, outside of drops from zombies. The Soul Sphere will teleport a baron in when you head for it, but when I went to do that, it teleported in and teleported out immediately, before teleporting back in. Idk if that was supposed to happen or not. There's a Cybie in the room adjacent to the blue skull which could definitely scam you, especially with imps blocking your path. Try to bait it to fire from the other room, and then position yourself in the area of that room that will hit the imps. You should be able to just punch out one imp as you hightail it to the room with the key. When you get into the actual blue skull room, run like heck to the teleporter up the steps to telefrag it. Only other encounter that can be dangerous is the caco in the exit room. I liked this map, since it changed things up quite a bit.

[Soul_Runner]

E2M4 - Deimos Lab

K - 100%, I - 100%, S - 100%, Time: Forgot to look at the time :(
Pistol Start, No Saves, UV Max, Not Blind, 2 Deaths

Here comes a difficult level, a berserk level! Right off the bat we get berserk and have to deal with a group of imps. Two corridors, one goes to a dead end with a lava pit and imps and the red key across a lava pit. The second heads down into a corridor for a Green Armour and the red skull key door. Nothing but imps so far.
The Stone Green walls soon give way to intestine floors and a red, hellish looking area with rocky walls and a blood floor, after we pass two lost souls, imps and an ambush pinky from behind. In a bloody room we get a squad of pinkies and imps appearing behind us, quite deadly if your movement is bad on a level like this where berserk is really your only weapon.
The next room contains quite a number of imps and zombie men, lucky the last room gave us a medkit. This room also contains a SoulSphere, guarded by a baron who disappears when we get close but re-appears when we grab the soulsphere.
An attached corridor filled with zombies has one room with a shotgun! Going in here gets you blocked by an imp, and after grabbing the shotgun having a lost soul appear. After playing punch-out with a baron, we move onto more red, hellish rooms and hear a cyberdemon! It's watching over a corridor blocked with imps that we must take. Punching a few imps might get you killed here.
Using the cyberdemons attacks, you can kill off a few imps, punch or shoot the rest in the corridor and pass to the blue key. After this we have a risky section where you have to run up right next to the cyberdemon to telefrag it before it fires at you, this easily leading to a swift rocket to the face, which unfortunately gets me twice.
After getting the telefrag successfully, you are taken to the red key, taking out 3 imps and grabbing the rad suit to get back to the red door. Through the red door we get a cacodemon and 3 pinkies on a acid floor which contains the exit, easily usable once you kill the demons.

Overall, an interesting and nasty level if your not expecting it on a pistol start blind playthrough.
The Cyberdemon telefrag is particularly nasty, which i would prefer having it just slightly easier to get to as the cyber has a high chance of immediately killing you which when about to use the teleporter you can't do anything about.

 

Map Stats & Secrets:

 

Spoiler

Monsters: 74
Items: 12
Secrets: 0

 

[Dazel]

E2M4

(GZDoom, UV, Pistol Start, Saveless)

Death Count: 1/13

Now this was fun. A death exit in the previous map forces a pistol start, and once you see the berserk in the starting room, it becomes apparent as to why. It's a Tyson map, and a decently fun one at that, at least as much as a Doom 1 Tyson map can be without the fun of fighting Revenants and the mapper being more willing to splash down Hell Knights instead of being limited to Barons. The progression is decently fun, the traps keeping you on your toes without being unmanageable, and holy moly the detailing for hell this episode has been cranked up a notch and then some from E1, this level is gorgeous. The only real negative I can even think of is that the Cyberdemon can be telefragged basically just moments after he shows up, and it might've been interesting to deal with that threat for longer. That aside, stellar map, very fun.

Rating: 3½ 🟊🟊🟊✭☆

[Biodegradable]

E2M4

UV | Continuous | GZDoom + Dead Marine

 

So this one starts off as a Tyson-lite kind of map, which I'm not normally the target demographic for, but I honestly had fun with it. It had the right balance of challenge that felt rewarding once you managed to make some real progress. Thankfully, Khorus is somewhat merciful and does provide some of your lost tools. This map was also a great change of scenery opting for the more Hell-influenced stone castle with red brickwork and Plutonia vine-covered textures. A welcome change from the dreary grey and green colour palette that's kind of overstayed its welcome, if I'm being honest. Regardless, this one was good fun.

 

E2M5

 

The follow-up to the last map gives you ammo at the start, but supplies become strikingly sparse pretty quickly as Khorus overwhelms the player with large hordes of Imps, has a few inconvenient Barons lumbering around and REALLY loves teleporting bastards right in your face. The strategic challenge of this one basically boiled down to precision targeting, spraying-n-praying and then dancing around the horde before running the fuck away! I'm not a huge fan of that kind of style since I prefer to be a murder-machine, but the challenge certainly pushed me to practice my dodging and strafe-running, which is all fine and dandy for a growing Doomer.

 

 

Edited July 14, 2021 by Biodegradable

[Thrustpeak]

UV | Continuous w/ Saves | Crispy Doom

 

E2M5

The bulk of the encounters in this map can be summarized in one way: watch out behind you! Trekking through the most visually hellish map yet, I consistently found myself beset on both sides as my foes continually teleported behind me. I was doing so well escaping death in trap after trap until the blue key, a teleporter, and a cyberdemon's rocket. I really enjoyed this map and all it threw at me. Though, I'm not sure why nukage is here (in what I assume to be hell) or why they hide secret stashes in it. Also, not a big fan of pop-in monsters that just appear out of solid ground with no pretense. Teleport them in, have them pour out of a closet, or—at the very least—have them pop up out of a liquid. It wasn't used too heavily to bother me this map, but it has me slightly worried that was just the gentle introduction to a mechanic that will become the new status quo.

 

From out of thin air. 

[Book Lord]

E2M5

Doomsday Engine, UV-Fast, Continuous, blind run w/saves

 

I was happy to get back to the usual Doom routine, but after the Tyson mishap I could not even survive the gunfire salute of two Sergeants. I decided myself for a pistol start and got soon back on track. The setting was a blood red building with an unmistakable tech-base layout. Graphic choices and details were reminiscent of some Tom Hall/Sandy Petersen maps from Episodes 2 and 3 of Ultimate Doom, except for the complex architecture and elaborate use of lighting which conveyed a solid atmosphere, as if this place were once a human base and now it had been converted into an outpost of hell.

Spoiler

South of the start a blue door could be found early on, but the author was kind enough to signal that YSK was required as well. Two paths unfolded through the northern half of the map, leading to the keys; there was a single point when the lower YSK route could be reached by jumping down. I got the hint but eventually forgot to check if it led to something. There was a secret to unveil, a scantily marked door in the middle of a nukage tank, not the place where you want to be searching.

Spoiler

Reaching the BSK was a rough affair in a crescendo of combat set pieces. Every monster type was used in sequence to stop Doomguy: dozens of Imps, lurking shotgun guys, Lost Souls, Demons, Cacodemons, a single Baron and a Cyberdemon as the last resort. The bars blocking the BSK room were just a theatrical move and would have been more effective if they sealed the player inside with the Baron, but the previous attacks were vicious enough. As a comical note, I fell into the lava while dodging one of his green projectiles. It was a fortunate accident that procured a priceless megaarmour.

Spoiler

The YSK path had fewer hit points to obliterate but did not move back an inch on the aggro meter. The Imp teleport by the nukage basin was devilish and I could not avoid sudden attacks from all directions. I died once, then reached a small room with three Barons of Hell. I was low on all ammo but rockets and it was tricky to fight them in close quarters with hazardous weaponry. The key was not far, and I acquired it after another Cacoswarm surprise.

 

Time to get back to the blue door! A lift lowered to a former nukage treatment area, with RSK glowing behind yellow bars. A trap, maybe? I was determined not to be fooled around again, so I explored the way ahead before messing with the key. Killing Lost Souls and Sergeants created a vital hiding spot, where I hurried when pandemonium ensued. I eluded the trap and spent little ammo to finish off the Baron and a few survivors from the huge infight.

Spoiler

I shot a not-so-hidden gargoyle face in a niche, but nothing seemed to happen. I presumed this was tied to a secret and I decided to check it later. The final encounter in an escape-less pool pitted me against four Barons with little ammo and not much space for evading. What I missed the most was a way out of there since the only option was to leave the level. The mysterious gargoyle opened the secret exit in the blue door room, which required a long and counter-intuitive backtrack to be discovered. Making the normal exit a one-way was a baffling decision. The secret level ought to be something exceptional to require such a cryptic concealment, or maybe the secrets are not the author’s main strength. The rest of the map ranged from good to great, both in gameplay and visual department, except relying a bit too much on teleporting and insta-pops for my taste.    

Spoiler

Edited July 14, 2021 by Book Lord

[Doritos420]

E2M5 - Fortress of Brimstone

Spoiler

Extremely large and impressive map. Though I do feel like Khorus used the ole “teleport a gang of enemies right in front of you or right behind you” trick a few too many times in this one. This level was a real bitch to complete. First time I played it I somehow crashed my computer (so badly in fact that I had to reinstall windows). After that I had to reinstall gzdoom and redo all my keybindings. Then I played it again to completion, but didn't find any secrets, and of course the last room/pit you can't escape without leaving the level. So I finally played it a 3rd time to get all the secrets. Once you know all the tricks this level has in store for you, it's not too bad, but the first playthrough was a doozy. For me the best strategy seems to be going a little ways down each path to grab each weapon. The 2 most intense fights is probably the ambush with the pinkies and the cacos. If you don’t have a bit of health here you may be toast. For me the best way to deal with them was to retreat behind the pinkies before they get a chance to block the passage. After that you get to the blue key and a hell knight spawns right in front of you. Not too bad, but it’s right after a grueling fight so you may have some low health to begin with and the hell knight may be tricky since it’s in such a small space. Then right after that you have to fight with a cyberdemon, for me this was a hard battle. Even though you should have plenty of plasma if you haven’t wasted much, there is no cover and again you have to fight in a small space. Once you have all the keys you have to jump into a pit to fight a gang of barons. I liked this part of the level. You have a bit of cover, and the space is small, but if you’re careful you can still use your rocket launcher without taking too much damage.

 

One thing I really dislike is the secret exit. I found the switch you need to exit, but it wasn’t even tagged as a secret?

[TheOrganGrinder]

E2M5

 

This is a much more conventional level than the Tyson gauntlet of E2M4, one that's quick to re-arm you with all that you were compelled to surrender at the end of E2M3 and that is for the most part an excellent level with only a couple of things that I'd like to complain about.  We've descended all the way to Hell now if the style of the map is anything to go by; it's not a theme that is remotely new by Doom standards but it's a classic aesthetic that's well-realised here, with castles of red stone giving way to craggy vales and caverns, putrid catacombs, and occasional embedded nuggets of technology that, in their contrast with the overall Baroque theme of the place, serve to enhance rather than detract from that aesthetic, embodying technology as something grimy and primitive rather than smooth and clean.

 

The layout uses convolutions and varying elevations to disguise a relatively simple path of progression that sends you in search of the blue and yellow keys as your earliest objectives, though there's an interesting somewhat "staggered" progression in which the blue key will get you so far but you need both to reach the exit, even if the difference is only really one room and a section of acid-flooded corridor.  I think if you know where the secret exit is you can reach it without bothering with the yellow key at all, though you're hardly going to recognise that on a first playthrough.  As for things I wasn't crazy about, one is the dependence on monsters popping instantly into place around you, whether via teleporters or floor panels, and the other is the lack of a way out of the blood pit just before the regular exit, making it impossible to secure 100% kills if you're going for the secret exit - not game-breaking, just annoying.

[Book Lord]

37 minutes ago, TheOrganGrinder said:

I think if you know where the secret exit is you can reach it without bothering with the yellow key at all, though you're hardly going to recognise that on a first playthrough.

 

This is an interesting consideration that I want to expand further on. If you find blue key first and go through the blue door, you will end your journey by the red bars and maybe notice the gargoyle shootable switch. As a reward for the forced backtracking, you will find the secret exit.

 

Why then did Khorus place a yellow skull sign in front of the blue door? Every folk with common sense will interpret it as "find the yellow key before trespassing, or you will need to retrace your steps" That may be an afterthought, like Khorus noticed that the progression became smoother with that yellow sign, forgetting that with such decision he removed every chance of finding the secret exit. Considering it is NOT a secret, this makes it extremely cryptic and easy to miss. I can fully understand people who did not even bother to find the secret level.

Edited July 14, 2021 by Book Lord

[dei_eldren]

23 minutes ago, Book Lord said:

Considering it is NOT a secret, this makes it extremely cryptic and easy to miss. I can fully understand people who did not even bother to find the secret level.

 

And on top of that, it turned out to be extremely easy to find.  Mostly i was really put off by having found all the marked secrets, which didn't include the secret exit.  But admittedly, as i rechecked it today, there was quite a clear hint in the regular automap for where it would be, which i completely missed when i was somewhat upset at what had just taken place.  If Khorus wanted to simply shake things up by confounding the issue, he succeeded.

[Thrustpeak]

1 hour ago, dei_eldren said:

And on top of that, it turned out to be extremely easy to find.  Mostly i was really put off by having found all the marked secrets, which didn't include the secret exit.  But admittedly, as i rechecked it today, there was quite a clear hint in the regular automap for where it would be, which i completely missed when i was somewhat upset at what had just taken place.  If Khorus wanted to simply shake things up by confounding the issue, he succeeded.

 

Seems I completely missed the secret exit. I should have known since it's an E2M5 replacement, but having found all the marked secrets I just exited the level normally. I guess it's a good thing I save before exiting so I won't have to idclev or redo the map. It really should have been marked as a secret though.

Edited July 14, 2021 by Thrustpeak

[dei_eldren]

1 minute ago, Thrustpeak said:

 

Seems I completely missed the secret exit. I should have known since it's an E2M5 replacement, but having found all the marked secrets I just exited the level normally. I guess it's a good thing I save before exiting so I won't have to idclev or redo the map. It really should have been marked as a secret though.

 

Yeah, very unorthodox design even by Khorus standards :D  This does really seem like an oversight rather than planned deviltry, though.

[cannonball]

E2M5 - This passed without too much grievance. Found absolutely nothing in terms of secrets except that shootable switch of course. 

Some odd use of monsters or in particular how they come about. The pop-up monsters are very of that era (SOD does this too), it doesn't sit too well these days. Otherwise the combat is fairly reasonable and engaging. The demons at the normal exit are a joke though and the use of monster block lines is somewhat questionable.

[dei_eldren]

E2M9 - Deep Inside the Grotto (HNTR, Pistol start, Blind): K 100% (98/98), I 100% (11/11), S 100% (1/1), T 14:58, D 4 - The map begins with a wooden structure that's an entrance into a cave-system.  The beginning is innocuous enough, the structure providing the necessary weaponry and some armor to begin the venture.  In the first room there are a few zombies, followed by a flock of Lost Souls.  Until entering the cave, it's all quite innocuous, designed only to chisel away some of the player's health, when Specters are released in the darkness, causing me significant damage as i could not see anything of the three or four of them.  It's all extremely ominous. 

 

The first major encounter comes quite deep into the cave, in the form of a group of some ten Imps, after whom come a few Demons.  Fortunately, there was enough health to restore it to 100% for what was about to take place.  The room ahead looks safe enough, until a hellish herd of Imps and Demons teleport in, while at the same time from behind comes what seems like an endless swarm of Cacodemons.  i died twice here.  Think i ended up grabbing the available rockets for the Cacos and got rid of them quickly as possible, and then all the rest.  My health still ended up at 3%.

 

Ahead is a lavapit, with an island harboring a plasma gun and a medikit, guarded only by two Imps upon a ledge, and a teleporting Baron.  Still, i end up victorious with 27% health, so i can feel confident about going forward.  Into the bloodfloored cave, harboring Imps and some more Cacodemons, but at least there's no particular ambush here.  The YK is now ours, and the only secret of the level, an extravagant green armor, awaits the clever people who by habit hump random targets in the vain hope of achieving temporary relief, which works for me, at least this time.

 

Going further, before the last encounter, there are some Specters and Sergeants guarding heavier ammo, plasma and rockets, meaning it's going to get rough soon.  Behind the Yellow Gate are some dozen hitscanners, and then it's time for the finale.  The final battle is a bit of an anti-climax on HNTR, to be honest, as the cave holds only three Barons and Cacodemons, all of whom fold under the rain of rockets and plasma without much chance.  Refreshing for a change!

 

Good level, beautiful design, and good combat.  The map is as linear as they come, but i like the fact this wasn't one of those meandering complex normal cave-type levels, but something a bit different from the norm.  Very oppressing ambience throughout.  Am not complaining at all, but was expecting more from the final battle, but i think they never expected me to make that far, and they weren't far wrong, so the demons were taking it easy back there.  The imp of the perverse would have wanted me to name this level 'the Forgotten Nukage' but i resisted its temptation, and instead give a different name and the score of 4/5.

 

Spoiler