The DWmegawad Club plays: Base Ganymede

[DuckReconMajor]

E2M5 - prboom-plus 2.6um - skill 1 - pistol start with saves

 

Lovely map, with start that reminds me of Alien Vendetta MAP12, but covered in lava.

That crazy caco ambush made me glad i'm abusing saves. Seems if you go down there with no rocket launcher you're pretty much done

The BFG blast-a-thon at the end was awesome

 

Spoiler

 

 

[LadyMistDragon]

E2M5 - The Suburbs

 

After passing through the mean streets of Hell where weapons are very tightly controlled, you pass into the suburbs, full of red brick buildings, red caves, some gray caves connecting certain areas and yes, some slime as well, even though there is absolutely no need for radioactive slime in this primary realm of pain and torment. Unfortunately, this is one Mr. Freeze track that doesn't quite do it for me. The organ doesn't really go anywhere.

 

This is one of those maps where the yellow and blue keys are on entirely separate paths. Getting to the end of the yellow key path triggers a Cacodemon ambush that you ever-so conveniently have enough rockets for. You really shouldn't be using rockets  on Imp mobs anymore. Khorus really turns up the density of the stronger monsters, with  two quads of Barons assaulting you, one near the regular exit, and one near the yellow key path, with a demon pair thrown in for good measure at the former. Also, there are enough Cacodemons that you'll realize why I'm saying to save rockets. Speaking of them, the constant pop-up ambushes feel thrown together like nobody's business. That's fine because the combat isn't really all that finely calibrated and you should learn to expect that (though an ambush you encounter on the way back from the yellow key was quite underwhelming. However, the teleport trap on the stairs with the red lava ground should have had its sized reduced because, as I'm sure you'll know, enemies tend to come in drips and drabs, making things more tedious than difficult. I don't think that's as bad as the ambush behind the yellow/blue door was particularly ridiculous. Like, there's already a group of Imps in a pool of that green stuff, and suddenly, you just throw more in front because?? Needless to say, you should always look behind you when this happens, though in one case, there was nothing else.

 

The secrets were relatively easy to find, though I did have to go back once for the one with the Computer Map/Berserk Pack, much to my frustration(located in a slime-filtration device you can see from the red key path but can only properly access from the blue key path). Health is VERY tight basically everywhere, and while I mostly avoided damaging attacks, Caco fireballs and one particularly unlucky shotgun shot hurt me quite badly. Oh, that's right, the Cybderdemon you encounter while heading back from the blue key was annoying. At least I still had plenty of armor at that point, otherwise, I'm not sure I would've survived.

 

Opening the secret exit isn't very hard. Just shoot a switch behind a torch near the switch you need the red key for toward the end. You should probably go back however, because not long after this, you'll drop into a blood pool from which you can't get back from and Khorus...didn't put a teleporter here for some reason. The secret exit is not hard to find. It's basically toward the opposite corner of the room with the yellow/blue key door from where you first entered (where the platform is raised).

 

It was ok, but the truth is I wasn't quite feeling it. The Cacodemon ambushes were pretty nice, if i'm to be honest though.

Edited July 15, 2021 by LadyMistDragon

[Book Lord]

E2M9

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

 

I have already clarified what I expect from secret levels. After this second entry, it is obvious the author has different ideas. At least the environment was a little different from what we have been accustomed to, being this an expansive, meandering and dimly lit series of caves. The texturing showed a lot of SP_ROCK, the bulk of all natural landscapes seen in Base Ganymede. Apart from some out of place crates and supplies, it seemed like a pristine antrum on the hell-invaded Galilean moon, not yet explored by mankind.

Spoiler

The atmosphere did not engage me right at the beginning, because the “wooden shack” interior with fireplace had no special charm and gave me a dejà vu (possibly E4M7 from Ultimate Doom). The frontal combat in semi-darkness was more annoying than difficult, until the tunnel widened into a big cavern where a memorable ambush had been arranged. There was enough room to run around the dozens of Imps and the Pinkies, then one of the biggest Cacodemon swarms to date emerged from a closet behind and turned the cavern into a high-speed bowling alley, with me as the only targeted skittle.

Spoiler

The underground exploration went on, featuring an insta-pop Baron by the plasma rifle and a small flock of Cacodemons guarding the YK. Halfway through the level, the slow but inexorable wearing down of my precious combat armour was the fact that impressed me the most. The last room required to jump down a ledge and lose the opportunity to retreat, before a close by cluster of hitpoints was alerted. 9 Barons and 3 Cacodemons awaited by the RSK, in a cramped sort of homage to Fortress of Mystery. The prevailing number of Barons ensured I could not rely on infighting but must barrage them swiftly and carefully with rockets, to maximise splash damage since the survivors must be finished off with basic weapons.

Spoiler

I beat the secret level and my health and ammo were lower or the same as before. My megaarmour was depleted, and the secret green armour behind a demon face was a shameful mockery by the author. Before I dismiss E2M9 as another irritating take on the secret level concept, I would like to express that I liked the combat it offered and the overall journey experience. There was something to these caves, like they existed on Ganymede before UAC came and built its installation. Demonic engravings on marble slabs, tucked away in dark and hidden shrines deep beneath the rocky cliffs… maybe UAC reached these forsaken recesses and stirred an ancient evil? I hope these are the emotions Khorus wanted to convey with this secret map. If that is not the case, he is lucky I have been fooled into believing so by a linear and pointless descent in a network of shadowy caverns.

Edited July 14, 2021 by Book Lord

[DisgruntledPorcupine]

E2M4

UV, pistol start, no saves

100% kills, 0/0 secrets

 

The E1M1 midi returns here, marking a nice change of pace. The reason for the previous map's death exit is made clear, this one is a Tyson map. I am horrible at Tyson maps so I probably have some bias against them, but I'll try and take this map for what it is. Aesthetically, it's a big change from the previous maps, starting you in a marble fortress with overgrown walls, and transitioning to red cliff sections with hellslime and red brick fortresses. The atmosphere is less dark and moody, and more in line with your standard demonic looking Doom map. I dig the look though, so no qualms here. 

 

Gameplay is, as stated, Tyson style. You'll be relying on berserk punches pretty much the whole map, only having your starting pistol ammo with a little bit more from zombiemen, and a single shotgun found in a small optional area. You'll be up against a lot of small imp hordes, and I always manage to catch an unfortunate fireball or two. There's also a baron ambush when you pick up the soulsphere, but I like getting him to infight with the imps in the same room so that there's less risk of me getting whittled down. The most notable threat though is the cyberdemon, which it's made pretty obvious you're meant to telefrag due to the lack of resources. He can be quite an asshole, as the teleporter to kill him is right next to him and clearly in his view, and you need to take an awkward staircase to get to it. I got destroyed by him multiple times, until I managed to be speedy enough where he doesn't have enough time to get me.

 

Not a ton to say, it's a Tyson map, and not a particularly interesting one, but it looks good and plays well enough.

 

E2M5

UV, pistol start, no saves

100% kills*, 0/2 secrets

 

This map continues the visual themes of the previous map, laying more predominantly into the red brick side of things. I encountered a funny little mishap  in my very first run at the beginning where I actually skipped the linedef to trigger the shotgunners to lift up. I was wondering what the hell was blocking me on half of the doorway, until I realized after going the other way what had happened, with the other shotgunner being easier to spot beneath the map. They were perfectly shootable luckily, but a funny occurrence nonetheless. Subsequent runs made what happened perfectly clear.

 

Luckily the little mishap wasn't a bad omen, because this map was very fun. The ammo squeeze is definitely real, especially felt when I came face to face with 3 barons of hell and had no rockets, so I noped out of the path that I chose and went back down the other path. When I came back I didn't have ammo but the baron's had wandered out into the open area, leaving me to go back to their starting point and find some rockets to take them down with. This map in particular loves applying pressure with barons of hell, containing 9 of them, which is a much bigger number than it looks when you don't have a super shotgun. I've said in the past that barons are my least favourite monsters in Doom due to their ammo sponginess, but this map really weaponizes that factor in a way that creates a sort of tension that I really appreciated.

 

Apart from the baron craziness, this map loves teleport ambushes, especially with imps and cacos. It feels like you can't turn a corner without their being a sudden threat to your life. The nastiest caco ambush happens when you grab the yellow key, which raises columns in the pit of hellslime you've fallen into and unleashes 4 cacos to make your life miserable. They converge on you very fast, and I was able to just squeeze by them and run across the columns to escape. Think I got really lucky, but I thought I was a goner for a moment. I also have to highlight the cyberdemon, he is a nasty SOB. He pops up in an area where you just barely have the space to manoeuvre around his rockets while frantically spraying him down with plasma, praying for his quick demise. Just a great cyberdemon encounter, the most thrilling brush with a boss monster in the wad so far.

 

The one big flaw this map has though: once you get to the non-secret exit you can't go back. You also need to come down here to get all the kills, so it looks like you can't actually get 100% kills AND go out the secret exit (which is very easy to find by the way). The asterisk on my kill count is because I went down to get the kills, and IDCLIP'd my way back up to leave via the secret exit. Real shame, that ending baron encounter is a real thriller. But oh well, a small blemish on an otherwise great map. My favourite so far.

 

 

[ElPadrecitoCholo]

Yeah!, Episode 2 :)

 

.

.

.

 

E2M1:
This beginning of the episode is actually quite interesting because of how the map is presented to us, since the map begins first in a kind of bridge or something similar where below there is only toxic soil, but at least the interesting thing about this map is the fact of being a place that still has a bit of freedom in an area and not only focusing on a closed place, apart from that, the map is short, so there is not much problem in trying to complete it, although something If it should be noted here, and it is the fact that there are quite a few Hitscanners, Imps and Pinkys throughout the area, and that apart from that, the ammunition here is truly scarce, and that a lot is relied on the Chainsaw to survive, that by the way, this is the first time we have access to the Chainsaw, since in the previous episode we did not see it anywhere, but hey, my opinion about how the map looks... well, although it is not as beautiful as I would have thought it, it really meets being something that still has some fit with Episode 1, since it still seems to be part of the technological and lunar facilities that were there, also that the end part was a little more interesting than the beginning, because of how the Shotgunners and the Last Imps to kill with a view of a huge planet. And with regard to combat, it was fine, nothing out of the ordinary, everything was simple, fast and a bit efficient if it weren't for the shortage of initial ammunition.

 

E2M2:
This next map was much better than the previous one, not only because it was longer or because of the different areas to explore, but also because it offers better combat than the previous one, with the occasional exception of areas that they become tedious just using the shotgun, but they were also very entertaining. Let's start with the visual, because as I said before, the map is really long, to the point that it gets you a bit confused by what is happening, but despite this, certain areas that this map has are very interesting because they really bring decorations varied, and there are some traps that can take the Marine by surprise, while there are truly curious places such as the area that has only toxic soils or the area that has a small pond of water but is adorned with things taken from Plutonia, they are an example of interesting places, but hey, not everything is open space here, since there are also several areas with really closed spaces, and many of the traps can be somewhat annoying, but they can still be predictable if attention is paid to the surroundings. As for the combat, here it is more entertaining than the first level, since the enemies come in lots and they really make you react quickly to avoid receiving damage of any kind, without a doubt, a very good map to use. enjoy and play.

 

E2M3:
This map is really hard on the player from the beginning, with all those Hitscanners that start attacking the Marine without warning, fortunately there is a green armor at the beginning of the level and that really helps a lot, and there are also enough Medikits scattered there that do not let the marine die quickly, but now we will talk about the design of the map, and this map is one of the most interesting that I have seen so far, since the structure is not linear at all, and You get confused just a little with what to do, besides that you go around a lot in certain areas in order to find what would be the keys to progress, and if that was not enough, there is also a Plasma Gun waiting in an area specifies so that it can be unlocked, that by the way, as with the Chainsaw, the Plasma Gun makes its first appearance in this second episode, and that with this provide better help against some demons, and the use of portals here if it is quite frequent, because it goes from one point to another but in different areas, and it can also be said that at this level we have access to the Rocket Launcher again, a truly useful weapon here due to the constant appearance of strong enemies such as the Cacodemons. Finally, I will say that the combat was great and varied, although a little rough at first, but that they still made the map entertaining and not boring, so this map is acceptable, it has good secrets that are easy to find, and a very good environment. For the fighting, although the only thing I did not like, was the death exit, which according to me, was something that only worked in Doom 2, but it seems that the same play can also be applied here... how horrible.

 

E2M4:
Well, this map has been quite an experience that anyone who loves to play fighting video games would love to try, since at the beginning it is made clear that there are enemies, that there is no ammunition anywhere, and that you only have one berserk. in front of you, so the real action begins when you grab the berserk, because the enemies begin to go after the marine to try to kill him, but it turns out the opposite, and thanks to the powerful punches that the Marine can give, He ends up defeating each of those enemies on the spot, and by the way, I certainly found it curious that this map included what would be a shotgun halfway through, because there were no cartridges anywhere to use it more often, so, again to use your fists to pass any enemy that comes to the front, but hey, it's time to talk about how visual wad is, which in my opinion is completely out of the question the Episode io 2 with being set in technological areas to make them hellish, but hey, this has already been seen with some level of Episode 1, so I can't complain about it if it was decided to include another map with that same theme, but the truth here is that there are again mixtures, a little Plutonia, and a little from Episode 3, but anyway the visual aspect on this map was really great. Now moving on to the part of the combats, because this is where this map best stands out, since the combats in this boxer mode are very intense and hard, therefore, it is not surprising that many of these enemies are placed strategically to see what the player did in the face of such obstacles that interfere with the path, for example, put several Imps in one place and leave a health sphere in a corner and then find a baron of hell and have To kill all of them using only your fists, besides that, putting a Cyberdemon in the part of the blue key was a challenge to use your head, because in truth it was not going to be an easy task to cross there with obstacles intervening the way, and that by the way, this is the first appearance of the Cyberdemon in this episode, although at least, what I liked about his combat is that there is a very fast way to defeat him, but that requires a lot of ingenuity and speed to make it, going up some steps to a teleporter to make a phone call to that monster, and finally we are left with the exit area, with only 2 Pinkys and a Cacodemon and voila, time to leave that site. A really interesting map with a dose of difficulty and entertainment combined, I could say that it is a good map, since at least it offers you direct action and not so tedious.

 

→Again the video with the evidence:

 

 

Edited July 15, 2021 by ElPadrecitoCholo

[Thrustpeak]

11 hours ago, LadyMistDragon said:

You should probably go back however, because not long after this, you'll drop into a blood pool from which you can't get back from and Khorus...didn't put a teleporter here for some reason.

 

I missed the secret exit, but since I always try to save before exiting I figured I could just backtrack upon loading it up. Apparently that is not an option here, and I had to idclip back up. Both the lack of a teleporter and the odd choice to not mark anything as a secret feel like an oversight.

 

UV | Continuous w/ Saves | Crispy Doom 

 

E2M9 

Continuing the trends of the previous map we see both pop-in—guess that's here to stay—and teleporting monsters. I enjoyed the early bits mowing down demons in the cave with the darkness illuminated by your gunfire. Right after that comes a teleport encounter. A horde of cacos appears from behind, and probably would have gotten me had the previous map not ingrained in me to always check my back. After that it's a short trek to the yellow key, and through the yellow bars to the final encounter. No teleportation tricks here—just a whole heap of barons and their friends. While that last encounter was a challenge, I was actually expecting to see a cyberdemon or spidermastermind as the final hurdle, and was surprised to see the map end so quickly. Short, bloody, no nukage—a fun map, but (similar to E1M9) it didn't particularly have the feeling of a secret map to it. The difficulty felt like a natural progression from E2M5 (or maybe even the same), and not something to truly test or dazzle you for having uncovered the secret exit.

 

Pure luck I was able to squeeze through without dying.

[Soul_Runner]

E2M5 - Command Center
K - 100%, I - 100%, S - 100%, Time: 21:46
Pistol Start, No Saves, UV Max, Partially Blind, 0 Deaths

Continuing the red hellish areas, we get a shotgun and two sudden shotgunners at the start as we move around the large red walls, imps and more shotgunners around this starting area. Shotgun ammo is nicely supplied at the start with a box of shells just around a corner.
Starting with the lower corridor, we find wooden platforms with imps on top, a spectre and a chaingun waiting for us, also being able to see a door which requires two keys. Picking up the backpack in the next room we get on set by a large number of imps, both on the same path as us and on the raised acid platforms.
Just around the corner we find some imps that can't really move and a rocket launcher behind them, which when grabbed teleports in cacodemons where the shotgunners were on the raised wooden platform. The large red staircase next to this has a cacodemon near the bottom, which when firing spawns in a large group of imps behind us.
The next small room gives us more rockets but contains 3 Barons. I managed to lure one out of the room and shotgun him down, using rockets on the next two. Here the scene takes a quick shift from a red hell structure to green and white rocky walls. Some red remains however it is not all we see. Shotgunners, imps stop us before we find the orange skull key.
Grabbing this key can be a nasty trap as 4 cacodemons spawn in an can quickly swarm your platform in the lava unless you come equiped with a high damage weapon and enough ammo.
Heading back to the start we now take the upper path, some imps here as we did not see them when using the lower path as well as secret #2. On this side the area momentarily also loses it's mostly red asethetic for some more wooden walls and areas before we head outside, fighting through more imps and shotgunners to get there, as well as grabbing a plasma gun!
In this outer area we see some more techy textures that fit with the hell theme and as we approach the door on the blood floor, 3 cacodemons appear around us. The next room, fighting some imps we hear the alert of a cyberdemon!
As we walk in, some lost souls come from above, and hitting the switch unleashes cacodemons and a horde of pinkies from a closet. I quickly rocket through the pinkies to avoid being crowded from several sides. Through the caco door we find secret #1, we get a few shotgunners and a baron with a nice amount of plasma to take. Heading back with the teleporter, we find the cyberdemon guarding the switch to get back.
Raining plasma on him should be enough to stun him a reasonable amount so he can't fire to much. Avoid splash damage and it should be fine. Now with the blue and orange key, we can head back from here to the locked door.
Heading through the blue door we get imps and shotgunners, but once grabbing the red key we get a horde filled with cacos, imps and a baron guarding the way we came in. Taking the Acid We find shotgunners and imps, as well as a switch hidden behind a shootable switch behind a torch that reveals secret #2!
After hitting the red switch, we come into the final room, shotgunners and after hitting a second switch, 4 Barons at once with two pinkies guarding the exit. With rockets and plasma, this isn't much of an issue, which the exit then becomes accessible!

A pretty long level with some dangerous areas and well designed rooms with good looking aesthetics. The Cacodemon ambush at the yellow key can be dangerous with a shotgun or chaingun as they may swarm you and with infinite height, you may get blocked in, The cyber could easily kill you as well.

Please see secrets for Secret Exit

 

Map Stats & Secrets:

 

Spoiler

 

Monsters: 206
Items: 14
Secrets: 2

 

Secret #1:
In the Lava at the staircase room with shotgunners and baron as you approach the blue key. Hidden around the side, Medkit and Blue Armor.

 

Secret #2:
When heading to the Blue key, jump to the acid floor which was inaccessible that had imps stood on it. Go to the wall closest to the door on the entrance to the room and open it, revealing a berserk, Medkit, Computer area map and ammo.

 

Secret Exit:
Hitting the hidden switch behind the imps near the red key switch, a wall opens up just before you go through the blue key door which has a teleporter to the secret level for episode 2.

 

 

[Biodegradable]

E2M9

UV | Continuous with saves | GZDoom + Dead Marine

 

Much like the secret map it replaces (Fortress of Mystery) I found this one to be pretty underwhelming and lame. While it's nowhere near as tedious to play as FoM, it's pretty drab to look out with its abuse of the same rocky texture and the map's progression was also pretty boring as well. It manages to start things off in an interesting fashion, but then just gives up after the first area and feels uninspired for the most part. The combat is well challenging as usual with Khorus's penchant for surprise teleport ambushes but I've watched my own footage back several times trying to find more to mention in a positive light, but all that comes to mind is tedium. It just stinks, I'm sorry.

 

E2M6

 

Thankfully, this map's up to par with its predecessors and Hell's influence continues to add some much needed colour and variety to the green and gray motif we've all come to know with this WAD. This was the map that truly made me feel like I was flying by the seat of my pants as health has never felt more scarce and the ambushes the most daunting and dare I say, mean-spirited at times. Combat still doesn't feel needlessly sadistic, but we're definitely not getting a strong glimmer of Khorus's cruelty and I suspect it's only going to grow more apparent as we progress hehe. A pretty nasty map that just fucking LOVES to throw a thousand Imps at you, the map's got the spikey sods oozing out of every conceivable orifice and goddamn do those pesky Cacoboys love to teleport in at the worst moments. Definitely not the kind of map to underestimate.

 

 

[Spectre01]

Because I've recently watched a few videos by @MtPain27, it seemed like a fun idea to play something new and grade the maps using a similar system. Grade is "ABCDF", with C being middle of the road average. Same story with Difficulty. DSDA-Doom, pistol starts etc.

 

E1m1 (Grade: C, Difficulty: E)

Short and simple map with Shotgun gameplay and E1 enemies. Visuals are closer to E2 than E1, with a lot of grey bricks and metal. The night sky texture is atmospheric and Jupiter looks great.

 

E1m2 (Grade: C, Difficulty: E)

Like e1m1 but with higher monster density and Chaingun combat. Nice detailing with the lighting and windows overlooking the outdoor nukage spill.

 

E1m3 (Grade: D, Difficulty: D)

Much larger enemy count than in the previous maps, but it does little more than feel like padding. This is most evident in hallways clogged with Imps and especially the nukage pit full of Spectres, the latter existing to infinite height you if you feel like jumping in to Berserk them down. Since none of the encounters lock you in or otherwise pressure you, the monster density is unnecessary for simple Shotgun/Chaingun gameplay. Remove half the Imps/Pinkies in the map and the gameplay remains intact. Barons and Cacos exist for some modest RL/Berserk action.

 

E1m9 (Grade: C, Difficulty: D)

The opener is less exciting than it appears, as the only “threat” are Zombiemen and their potential for chip damage. I like the design of the final room where you weave through the nukage and then fight some Cacos on the way back.

 

E1m4 (Grade: C, Difficulty: D)

Ammo is starting to feel a bit tight, though I had a bunch to spare near the end due to liberal Chainsaw use and monster infighting. The final area is just asking to be door-camped.

 

E1m5 (Grade: C, Difficulty: C)

The intro had me scrambling for resources, but the rest wasn’t as tense. Both boss monsters showing up was surprising, but neither were in a space which made them difficult to handle. Special mention goes to the nukeage path to the right of the exit door. The instapop Pinkies were lame and the questionable follow-up trap broke on me as the lock-in bars and teleports triggered after I ran back out. Didn’t seem to be a way to lower those bars again from the outside either.

 

E1m6 (Grade: C, Difficulty: D)

New hellish detailing is a welcome addition to the grey nukebase theme. Ammo for the fun guns is still rather sparse, so skipping some early enemies that pose no threat is a good idea. The Cyberdemon is just asking to be door-camped. The 2 secrets here are also underwhelming, more so than usual. Just a suit and Berserk right before the exit.

 

E1m7 (Grade: C, Difficulty: C)

Doom 1’s limited enemy roster is on full display here. The author is clearly attempting to make mid-scale, orchestrated fights, but once again withholds rockets and cells in favour of Shotgun/Chaingun gameplay. Look at the opener, 17 Imps, 1 Pinky, and just the Shotgun. It’s… not engaging. Neither is the Baron usage. Since good ammo is at a premium, I feel forced to either run past the Barons in the hope that they infight with something or shotgun them down like I’m playing Hell Revealed from a pistol start. And let me tell you, watching 8 Barons infight a Mastermind is about as fun and time consuming as just shotgunning them yourself. This is the episode’s best attempt at combat yet, but it’s just not working for me.

 

E1m8 (Grade: D, Difficulty: B)

It’s a mini puzzle map where you die until you figure out the puzzle. Straightforward execution thereafter.

 

Final Thoughts

I did not enjoy E1 of Base Ganymede. Here's the thing, Doom 1's core combat is not terribly exciting. Your enemies are either "shotgunner or demon who shoots slow projectile straight at you". Since combat isn't Doom 1's forte, a good Doom 1 map focuses on other aspects: puzzles, exploration, or secret hunting. These E1 maps do not have interesting or rewarding secrets like in the Doom 1 IWAD, nor are the layouts intricate to explore. What remains is rather dull combat, where the biggest threat is running out of ammo. I'll have to pass on the rest of the wad.

 

[Doritos420]

E2M9 - The Secret Passage

Spoiler

This one almost felt like a breather level after that last one. Starts off in a wood chip looking mansion area that tunnels down further and further into the ground. A lot more linear of a map, which I enjoyed as a change of pace. Starts off with some sparse enemies, and then at one point in the map you turn a corner to see a ton of imps (surprise). Very fun, I liked the midpoint mini slaughter area with tons of imps, cacos and pinkies, you can even conserve ammo and make them infight. The ending area was a bit more challenging, a ton of barons can easily box you in if you’re not careful and ruin your day. Only one secret in this map which isn’t too hard to find.

[LadyMistDragon]

E2M9 - Ranch House of Hell

 

Well, I'm not sure what's going on here. You start in what seems to be a mansion of sorts (a continuation from the secret exit, perhaps) but detailing is incredibly minimalistic, and shadow use is extensive. Most of the map is spent in marble caverns, with nary an opening to the outside. Despite the chamber with the plasma rifle with some green marble textures, you can't see the skybox(incidentally, you may not have enough cells for the pop-up Baron that appears, which seems like an oversight).

 

This is essentially a hit-the-ground running style map. Enemies always come in large groups, be careful where you use your big guns and terminate everyone with maximum prejudice. The large cavern where Cacodemons teleport behind you with some Imps on your ledge to the right is one of the highlights. Perhaps infighting is intended to a point here, but I don't play these kinds of maps to take my time. The general health and ammo stinginess continues. The last huge fight takes place in a stupidly small room, kind of right angle shaped with a lava pool with a demon portrait backdrop and red key on one hand, and red bars with a Cacodemon and wooden platform that acts as a teleporter back to the map's beginning on the other. Also, there are more Cacodemons and Barons of Hell than you can shake a stick at. You're not going to able to depend on infighting here, and you can't exactly circle around anyone here, so just stand, sidestep, and shoot. Frankly, it's all a bit much, but you may have enough ammo for this.

 

The exit area is kind of strange. The first sign of outdoors you see this whole map, the red floor texture and a crate for some odd reason. Definitely seems quite continous.

[dei_eldren]

E2M6 - Heavily Guarded Fort (HNTR, Continuous, Blind w/ saves): K 100% (163/163), I 100% (6/6), S 100% (2/2), T 24:42, D 3 - Short this time, it's so hot i'm sweating just sitting here half-dead.  Three bosses on this level on HNTR.  Their placing wasn't particularly mean, but it's still three bosses - all of them i killed with the BFG.  There was one particularly lethal ambush of Cacodemons, some after killing the Cyberdemon lording over the lavapit area.   Other than that, the map was good design for exploration, and visually very attractive fort of hell.  i only remember one of the secrets, in the building behind the Spiderdemon, but it was well placed, not too easy to find.  The most normal secret of the WAD so far.  i only released the second Cyberdemon after killing the Mastermind, so wasn't able to benefit from infighting (as i saw someone do later on YT, obviously though it's not something one knows to do on a blind run).  In fact, for a while i was perplexed as to what to do after going through the cave and the RK section, before realizing i must proceed behind the Spidermom, and there was no way i was trying that without killing her.  Also, Barons seem to be used in increased numbers now.

 

The start of the level, with the Mastermind guarding the entrance and having a good view of the whole courtyard area, put fear into me, and really made me wonder if i'm going to be able to get through the map.  But luckily for me, it was actually interesting design, with enough cover to explore the options on what to do and where to go, while killing the Imps ambling around.  In hindsight it's obvious, but i didn't realize the central area was an arena for a later Cyberdemon, on whom i was able to practice my newly acquired knowledge on the BFG most, now managing to kill him with three blasts!  It was scary and fun.  Died in the Caco-ambush, once on blast-damage by the first Cyberdemon, and also once by the last one.

 

Good level design with good combat, but i don't like the overuse of bosses in sets like this... but the question remains, if you start with them early on E1, how will you proceed?  Thus can only give this 3/5.

 

Spoiler

 

Edited July 15, 2021 by dei_eldren

[DuckReconMajor]

E2M9 - prboom-plus 2.6um - skill 4 - pistol start with saves

 

Decided to say screw it and go in on Skill 4. Was a good decision for this map as it was the right good amount of difficulty to savescum through. 

The baron trap after grabbing the red key was especially fun.

 

Spoiler

 

 

[cannonball]

E2M9 - Start in room where the exit is directly behind you. Go in a figurative straight line until you grab the necessary key, return to start and leave. It doesn't get much simple than that. 

So visually weaker than other maps, the gameplay is pretty straightforward, the red key fight needed a denser cluster of barons as it is too thin to pose much of a threat. The rest is very easy, in fact the trickiest part from pistol start is probably the first cluster of lost souls and you are light on weaponry at this point to easily deal with them.

Worst map of the episode so far, a general comment but the secret maps so far have felt like leftovers rather than being something that stands out in a positive way. The giveaway is the rather primitive layouts compared to the main roster.

[Endless]

Got a little behind because of real life, but here I go. Hope I'm not breaking the order (honestly looks like everybody has done it one way or another lol)

 

E2M3 | UV Continous | GZDoom & DOOM Retro

 

Bloated with lots of hitscanners and a fair share of heavy enemies. This map introduces a much more complex yet straightfoward path that allows for some very rapid gameplay while enjoy a much appreciated layout that increases in detail. All weapons but the BFG are included here, and for good reason; there's plenty of demons to shoot around and combat is pretty much non-stop during this whole section. Thanks to a welcoming arsenal and just the right amount of ammo, we can pretty much blaze through this if we pay enough attention and point well. A good map that shows some lovely detail plus nice gameplay. Honestly, the only thing I dislike is the death-exit at the end. Something I was not really expecting at a E2M2 level, feels quite rushed but pistol-starts are always an interesting twist.

 

E2M4 | UV Continous | GZDoom & DOOM Retro

 

Welcome to Thy Flesh- uh, E2M4! This one isn't joking around. After the forced death-exit at E2M3, we are now thrown into the action with only our trusty pistol and fists, with a berserker-pack nearby to aid us in our quest. This is a very tight and slightly challenging map. The change of pace is one that I was not expecting, yet I enjoyed quite a lot. Lots of enemies that we must carefuly face with almost no ammo at all. Very little as a matter of fact. This is the equivalent of a Tyson-run. I can see some players hating this change of pace, but I kind of like it. It is different and feels refreshing, offering a new challenge that while difficult at first, is not that overwhelming. And, the map is, of course, quite fun and very easy to navigate, offering a very fast playthrough with little problem regarding the layout. Fascinating stuff!

 

E2M5 | UV Continous | GZDoom & DOOM Retro

 

And here the most hellish things begin. I think it's a fantastic idea how the episode evolves progressively towards the visual theme of hell. Many WADs tend to make the jump immediately with E2M1, but in this case each map has been combining aspects of the themes until it reaches its boiling point, in this case, E2M5. A hot, fiery map with lots of red bricks and lots of blood to spill. The enemies are bigger, the weapons are smaller and the items start to be less numerous compared to the first episode. This makes the difficulty certainly feel much higher, but it still offers a certain quality of balance that doesn't bog me down yet. What it has actually done is force me to play with more precision and care, creating a tactical element that I enjoy. The visuals, of course, are much more hellish and this goes hand in hand with the gameplay, increasing the number of enemies and creating tighter encounters; for example, we have a 1vs1 against none other than a Cyberdemon in a pool of blood, all epically, of course. E2M5 is a more challenging map that gives us a taste of what's to come, being a good example of how to gradually evolve a visual theme along with gameplay. Fantastic.

 

E2M6 | UV Continous | GZDoom & DOOM Retro

 

Now we really have a good challenge to face. While this map doesn't throw us into a pistol-start or a forced Tyson-run, it does elevate the difficulty by having high numbers of enemies in tight quarters with a design that evokes quite a bit of verticality at times, making precision a necessity to survive these fights. Just as we would expect from a level themed in hell, or part of it, this level starts off hot. We have a Spidermastermind guarding a path and a multitude of low-tier demons all over the map. Back traps become quite common as well, and curious: sometimes we have hordes of enemies spawning behind our backs, and other times it's a single shotgunner or Cacodemon that can ruin our game without us realizing it. These traps can be a bit irritating at times, but I find them more funny than anything else. The map is a more challenging map that despite having a smaller layout in size, adds a bit more complexity with multiple paths and several areas to search, creating a good scenario for exploration and fighting. Quite bloody and sinister, just the way I like them.

 

E2M7 | UV Continous | GZDoom & DOOM Retro

 

This map can be summed up in two simple words: straight and fast. Probably the shortest map of the episode, it follows a practically linear path without the use of keys, creating a progression in which the player will not stop pressing the W at any time, well, almost. It is an unexpected and interesting change that creates a rush of adrenaline, evoking us to move forward without stopping and keep the balance between combat. The surprises have become a bit more tedious, with multiple monster closets and traps at our backs, but they can be handled easily. One thing I realize is that having spatial perception helps a lot. You have to be constantly watching all sides of the map to know when a new demon will teleport in. It keeps you on the edge of your seat. I like it.

 

E2M9 | UV Continous | GZDoom & DOOM Retro

 

Just like E2M7, this is a very straightfoward map with no major complexity or depth, apart from well, being in the depths. A cavern-themed map that follows a very linear path with lots of enemies to make you some company. Combat is much more simpler and a litte bit tamed compared to the rest of the maps, with the map design also looking slightly less impressive and overall, more 90s than anything else. Is not bad, per se, but is not on par with the rest.

Edited July 15, 2021 by Endless

[Book Lord]

6 minutes ago, Endless said:

E2M8 | UV Continous | GZDoom & DOOM Retro

Isn't this E2M7? And yes, it's about one day earlier than it should be discussed.

 

Not a big issue if you do it once in a while, but since most users are respecting the rule and discuss one map per day, on the given day, it is nice to comply. 

[Capellan]

 

[Book Lord]

E2M6

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

 

That Spiderdemon under a porch right of the starting point was a good calling card. Pistol starters have no chance to kill her and must move to other sections to find ammo and weapons. I took my revenge as a continuous player and happily spent all my remaining shells and plasma to silence her early on. The exit was in the starting room, protected by three metal slabs. Three separate paths left from the courtyard, and it was easy enough to put three and three together.

Spoiler

I chose the north-western route first, since it was an open tunnel populated by dozens of Imps and some shotgunners. There was a single difficult spot where a Cacodemon appeared behind me, just as I was entering a new cavern plunged in extremely harmful lava. I died miserably, but as with most teleport ambushes knowing it was enough to avoid a second bad outcome. The cavern ahead offered no marvels, just a totally unmarked secret Medikit that I missed.

Spoiler

 

 

 

The second branch stretched to the south-east and revealed itself as the largest segment. It was a corrupted tech-base area, gradually transforming into a hell keep, infested with demons and featuring countless teleport ambushes and insta-pops. The first objective was the RSK, found in an outdoor area with a Cyberdemon overlooking a moat I must traverse. The sheer ranks of Imp marksmen gave me the most headaches because they denied me the entrance, until I picked them one by one with the chaingun. Eliminating the big rocket freak and the surprise Cacoswarm were less dangerous and more entertaining tasks.

Spoiler

The RSK unlocked an imposing structure in the same wing, which hosted only a small room with a switch part of the exit puzzle. I was expecting something bad to happen once inside, but I retreated as soon as I saw a Baron of Hell teleporting in. After killing the stranded noble, I hit the real tripwire and released no less than 48 Imps (4 dozen) between me and the escape route. This horde was easily camped by the bottleneck, but things would have slipped out of hand if I triggered the Imps together with the Baron inside.

Spoiler

Lastly, I went northwards, climbing over the Mastermind carcass and casually picking up the YSK, which unleashed some Cacodemons and a Baron in a very narrow space. I fled to the starting area and handled the enemies easily from there. The key was optional, as it granted access to a Supercharge not far away, guarded by dozens and dozens of Imps and many Sergeants, the bulk of the substantial enemy forces deployed in E2M6. The switch lowering the exit slab triggered multiple teleports on the way back, culminating with a Cyberdemon that dealt a devastating blow on me, because I was not aware of his arrival. Rockets devilishly passed just under the Spiderdemon porch and I did not see them coming. If this was intentional, it was an exquisite example of clever cruelty from Khorus. After the third boss fight in the same map, the exit was finally accessible. It employed a pair of nasty tricks, but I had a great time playing this level. I consider it the best of the second episode.

Spoiler

 

[TheOrganGrinder]

E2M9

 

This is a straightforward map and one that's not especially challenging by the WAD's own standards on Hurt Me Plenty; there's the big ambush at about the midpoint of the map and I think if the author is going to claim a pelt, it'll be there, but I found myself stocking up on plasma in anticipation of having to strafe circles around a hypothetical Cyberdemon that never actually puts in an appearance.  Secret levels tend to distinguish themselves by their challenge, or their obtuseness, or their focus on high concept, and I'm not sure which of those holds most true here; maybe it's the deliberately linear nature of the map, versus the more labyrinthian levels we've been confronted with lately.  It's not an unenjoyable map by any means.

[Biodegradable]

E2M7

UV | Continuous with saves | GZDoom + Dead Marine

 

Much like Endless, I too found this map to be very rudimentary and straightforward with combat bordering around more tedious than fun. It's as visually distinct as its predecessors, but feels a tad uninspired if I'm being honest. It's just more of the same established tricks that, while still surprising at some moments, feel predictable in others. A big fat "Meh" of a map for me, personally.

 

 

Edited July 16, 2021 by Biodegradable

[Thrustpeak]

UV | Continuous w/ Saves | Crispy Doom

 

E2M6
The sparse resources and my HP regularly sitting at under 30 made me approach this map more cautiously. When I never know what is going to trigger pop-in or teleporting monsters, ammo for the big guns is few and far between, and health resources are limited (not even a berserk in the secrets), I'm left with no alternative but to take it slow. It felt like the limitations of original doom weapons and monsters really showed itself here. The room with the imps and the cyberdemon guarding the red key didn't feel particularly dangerous with a cautious approach, but it felt exceptionally boring. Standing in the pit beneath the cyberdemon turret slowly taking out each imp with just a shotgun lost it's appeal after about the 3rd imp, but I'm not about to waste plasma or rockets on imps (especially with barons, cyberdemons, and spider masterminds becoming commonplace). It almost feels like this map didn't get the memo that the super shotgun is contained in another IWAD. I believe this was the most enemies we've seen in this episode yet, but there was no encounter where it felt like I really just got to cut loose like in the other high body count maps. The end with the cyberdemon felt particularly tedious as I ran out of plasma—despite generally trying to conserve it—and had to finish him with my shotgun. With so much space it was doable, but it just felt like it was wasting my time rather than posing a threat. It feels like the BFG—if only for this last encounter with the cyberdemon—should have made an appearance here. 

 

Can you just die already so I can lea—FINALLY!

[DavitW]

E2M4
It's all about the berserk in this map. You get a shotgun about halfway through but not enough ammo for it to actually be useful in any significant way. I just don't find punching enemies very enjoyable so a map like this is more of a chore than a challenge. Still killed me once though getting stuck on an imp while running away from the cyberdemon.

 

E2M5
Not too bad design wise, a nice fortress type of map. But gameplay wise it feels like over half of the encounters are just pop up style traps at this point. Or just spawning a bunch of monsters around you. Some areas of note were the Cyberdemon trap in the tight blood pool area and the red key trap. The cyberdemon trap may spook you but the fight isn't as bad as things might seem just as long as you saved enough plasma from all the cacodemons and barons you've had to fight up to that point. The red key trap is fundamentally the same as most of the other traps just placing a bunch of monsters behind you. But it was an interesting combination of monsters and also expected that picking up the red key would lead to a trap. Unlike walking down a nondescript hallway and having two shotgunners pop up in front of your face.

 

E2M6
I finally figured out what song this midi reminds me of. Police Truck by the Dead Kennedys. It's really only vaguely similar at the beginning but that's enough for me. This is another map that looks cool but is also filled with jive pop up traps and large groups of monsters to slowly blast through. But a number of nice moments as well like the red key area guarded by the cyberdemon. Getting him to infight with the imps here is useful so you can grab the key in relative peace. I do enjoy the attrition sort of difficulty this wad brings with the relative lack of health although most of the damage you take comes from the pop up monsters. It feels like most wads these days just kill me by dropping a load of archviles and revenants on me. I enjoy the survival aspects here and how death slowly comes by succumbing to the overwhelming might brought by the forces of hell. This was my favorite map of the wad so far.

[Doritos420]

E2M6 - The Corpse Ruins

Spoiler

Alternate title - Imp city. The amount of teleporting imps in this level is crazy. I enjoyed the opening vista, this level straight up gives you most of the weapons at the start, be careful though since it’s cheap with health and ammo. I liked the beginning area since you’re dodging from cover to cover to avoid the spider mastermind, while picking up weapons. To me it seems as if she’s guarding the northern building.

 

The first area I explored was the lava area on the left side. Really annoying teleporting caco here that gives you no chance to react. The secret in this side I didn’t get (I’m finding the secrets getting more and more obscure as we go, not enough telegraphing for my tastes).

 

Next I went the South Eastern route down a bloody passage. Here is a great little battle outside the red gate, very fun. Then an encounter with a cyberdemon guarding the red key. Pretty fun little area, I like how you need to take cover and avoid the cyberdemon. At this point I didn't have enough ammo to take him out so just had to play hide and seek and then finish him off later. Crossing the threshold to the red key gate spawns in tons of imps to take out in a mini slaughter sort of fight. Luckily a lone baron spawns in too so you can have a bit of infighting occur.

 

After that I had enough plasma ammo saved up to take out the spider mastermind guarding a northern techbase area. This area was probably my favorite of the map. It’s compact but large enough to have enough movement for the fights, I like how it wraps around itself. Also I was actually able to find the secret here.

 

At the ending you go back to the start and fight another cyberdemon, at this point I only had a bit of rockets and plasma left so I used all of that up, and then used up all my bullets as well. I ended up killing the cyberdemon with only 39 shells left, and 17 health! I think the maps are getting cheaper with their health pickups, a bit cruel considering all the teleporter traps and hitscanners around. I actually really liked this map but again the teleporting monsters right behind or infront of you trick is wearing a little thin at this point.

Edited July 16, 2021 by Doritos420
Moved map

[DuckReconMajor]

E2M6 - prboom-plus 2.6um - skill 1 - pistol start with saves

 

Welp. I spent 20 minutes trying to squeeze through this one on UV. Nope. Went back to skill 1. Much smoother and more fun experience there.

So many hitscanners and little health! I know that's been a motif of this wad so far.

I liked the progression path of this map but I did get a bit frustrated with it bucking the trend of "grab a key and go back" instead, the door you need is forward. One of those things you get used to right as the map stops doing it lol.

 

Spoiler

might still be processing. so sloooow

edit: ok it takes forever when you're an idiot and cut off the upload LOL

 

 

Edited July 16, 2021 by DuckReconMajor

[LadyMistDragon]

E2M6 - Fort of Pain

 

258 monsters. And practically all of the pop-up ambushes are solid (other than the one with Lost Souls are on the way to the red key). About the only issue I had was the lack of ammo boxes, which gets rather annoying when constantly confronted by Imp mobs around every corner. As Ronnie Van Zant once said, gimme back my bullets! Sorry, my dad used to say it all the time when he played this game. Anyway, there's supposedly a way to squeeze around the Spider Mastermind you see in the starting courtyard, but I don't know what it is. All I know is that I lost close to half my health here, from the shotgunners and probably the Imps as well. It's a cool starting area though, some column-esque strcutures with finial flesh on the top, apart from one. The passage leading to the northwest leads through a cave passage with lava, in which an ambush with a Cacodemon and Lost Soul killed me twice. At the end, kill the shotgunners/Imps and press the switch I never bothered to learn the function of. It's probably smart to do this before entering the red key wing, though. Those grayish-brown textures with the symbols are in one corner, so this is probably important somehow. Do the fleshy ceiling textures mark this as some sort of demonic supermarket.

 

Continuing, the red key wing to the southeast largely consists of wooden textures, with some of that demonic tech look. You'll definitely want to pick up the plasma rifle in the blood for use against close-quarters Cacodemons. They undoubtedly make up the nastiest pop-up ambushes you encounter. There are Barons to be sure, but they're never more than 1 at a time, which I guess may have something to do with their density in the secret map. At a certain point, you'll emerge into a red-walled outdoor lava pool with Imps on the sides everywhere, a few sergeants to your sides, and a Cyberdemon sitting on the highest platform in the middle. I died once, and I honestly never quite figured it out, beyond perhaps plasming the Cacos and running when it looked like I might not have enough cells for the Cyberdemon who was busy mopping up the remaining Cacos. You also get the red key here, and you'll have to be seriously fleet-footed to get out of here without the Cyberdemon hitting you.

 

Anyways, there's a red-floored courtyard with a switch requiring the red key raising a barrier with a switch and some somewhat scary stuff. Unfortunately, I kind of fluffed this area, as I didn't realize the delay in the Baron teleporting was so large, but things went ok. I ended up rocketing the massive Imp mob that teleported in.

 

With seemingly little else to do, I used plasma to dispatch the Mastermind, headed into the area behind her and upon picking up the yellow key, triggered a nasty ambush involving Cacodemons and a Baron that seemingly appeared out of nowhere from the left. So I died here again. Continue on into a marble-bricked structure with vined-walls in the middle which seems to be a fort of sorts and keep going. At the end is a switch, as well as a plasma rifle which triggers a sergeant ambush. Return to the start, dispatch the Cyberdemon, then press a switch behind the barrier that lowered here to lower the teleport here that takes you to the exit.

 

I think I mostly like this, but I did find the rather severe resource deprivation with the bullets in particular to not entirely fit with the modus operandi of this wad. The Barons seem rather sloppily-placed, but on the other hand, the Cacodemon fights were some of the best so far. I guess this may be a reason why you shouldn't play this in one sitting.

[Soul_Runner]

E2M9 - Fortress of Mystery

 

K - 100%, I - 100%, S - 100%, Time: 7:09
Pistol Start, No Saves, UV Max, Blind, 2 Deaths

 

Starting in a more wooden hell area this time, we start face to face with 4 zombies and see lost souls down a staircase ahead of us. We are also given a shotgun straight away which is helpful. Behind us is also a locked red key door.
The two doors to our sides, one contains lost souls and a chaingun, the other shotgunners, a spectre and some green armor. Heading down we move into a large cave area with shotgunners and spectres down a large and very dark staircase with a visible rocket launcher.
Finding rockets, and more ammo, we come across a large group of imps, followed by more ammo and as enemies wake up, the room fills with imps, pinkies and cacodemons. I decided to run around a little bit and make them infight to conserve ammo.
Up ahead we get a plasma gun surrounded by lava, as a baron spawns in and two imps watch from behind. More dark corridors ahead, one with a red floor that contains imps, shotgunners and cacos with the yellow key and Secret #1!
Moving on we have more dark, cave corridors, spectres and shotgunners, zombie men and pinkies all spread around the corridors. Ahead we find an area with several barons and cacodemons, which if you back up and they close in, several barons may close you into a small area, i died here twice.
3rd attempt i get past the barons and cacodemons at the red key area, a very dangerous room due to lack of space and very tanky enemies. Rockets can easily splash you can the barons can easily surround you. Grabbing the red key, you can turn around, open the red barriers and teleport back leading to the end of the level!

 

Map Stats & Secrets:

 

Spoiler

 

Monsters: 113
Items: 11
Secrets: 1

 

Secret #1:
In the room with the yellow key, press use on the large green fact texture for Green Armor.

 

 

[cannonball]

E2M6 - So a mastermind at the start, an interesting concept where there is the illusion of free will, but clearly you can only take two of the three paths on offer to start with. Of the wings, the red cave feels rather underwhelming in terms of challenge (Aside from the damaging floor perhaps). The other two offer quite a challenge, which makes this one of my favourite maps so far. However again some strange uses of blocking lines and monster clusters clearly designed to block the player pushing ahead (There are several groups of imps that can only move of the one stair the are placed on. Ammo is on the short side throughout and I had to finish off the mastermind and final cyber with bullets. 

Overall a decent level full of quite challenging traps.

[dei_eldren]

E2M7 - the Lava Fort (HNTR, Continuous, Blind w/ saves): K 100% (68/68), I 100% (6/6), S 0% (0/1), T 13:25, D 2 - Here i found myself upon a cliff, by side of a pool of lava, surrounded almost immediately by Imps firing endless projectiles from the far side of the pit, as well as some zombies firing from above me upon a brickwall, and Sergeants on my level.  A single Cacodemon flew in from somewhere.  It was surprisingly overwhelming, there were about a baker's dozen enemies perhaps, but i died in the crossfire, even having decent health at 87% going in.  i just couldn't prioritize properly on first try, and played without any determination.  This level i think would have been ok on pistol start too, though perhaps ammo would've been sparse?, as a Chaingun and a box of ammo is given right at the start.

 

Coming to the end of the cliff, there is below an entrance to a cave, as well as a green armor, given in kindness, confusion or mockery, who knows at this point.  Entering the cavern, first attackers are Spectres, whom for some reason i still can barely see on Crispy Doom in most lighting conditions, like here, and soon thereafter the entrance into the infernal fortification complex is upon me.  There are first some Pinkies, and an ambush of Imps teleporting in.  Personally, i'd prefer monster closets, but of course, this method gives the opportunity of placing the monsters however.  Regardless, this was a fun one, if not altogether surprising.

 

Across a small damaging floor section i enter to be greeted by more teleport-in Imps and Sergeants, and this is a good opportunity to point out i dislike it when there is no way to collect ammo from fallen foes, those shotgun shells left upon the alcove really annoy me - it's the legal birthright of every Doomer. After a couple of Lost Souls there is yet another ambush, of Imps and Cacodemons.  This over-reliance on ambushes has lost its lustre long ago, and seems like either a thematic choice or lack of imagination, but the combat is still really enjoyable, throughout this whole level to be honest.

 

And next the obviously final room of the map is upon us.  It is a nice setpiece, with pools of lava, some light platforming, complex layout, and a switch which i think opened the exit door close to the start, to which the teleport returns us to avoid backtracking (i know most people appreciate these, but personally i wouldn't mind backtracking, as adventure and exploration are for me an important aspect of Doom maps.)  Here i died second time, because of the teleport-in Baron, falling down into the lava while trying to back away and dodge his green slimeballs.  Not sure if i died, actually, but i loaded rather than lose all the health.  Ambushing the player before the expected event, like here pressing the switch, is often effective, as the attack comes thus more unexpectedly. 

 

The secret gave me a lot of trouble, looking for it isn't included in the time, as are not the deaths incurred by going through the lava.  i didn't find it, and checked with iddt.  But as i could find absolutely no clue to its existence from the architecture, nor any obvious switch (i had tried all the walls and torches and other decorations, and tried to listen to any line def opening it up, before resorting to iddt), it still took me a good while to get into, with a desperate run into the wall from the upper floor.  i've no idea how that is supposed to be figured out, again i saw no clue whatsoever, maybe someone else will? - and what about the fat reward?  A medikit! 

 

Great map, in fact, probably my favourite of whole Episode 2, and fact is, in couple instances it reminded me of John Romero's Greatest Megawad Ever, Si666il.  Yes, the layout is entirely linear, except for the teleportation back, but sometimes it just works.  And i really like the way Khorus often weaves together seamlessly an alternating layout of inside and outside areas - this is one aspect i think that reminded of Si666il, and other than that, i don't think anyone could do it better than Khorus, and he's done it just as finely throughout this WAD.  The incessant teleport-ins along with the poor secret drop half a point off, but still a highly engaging level, 4/5.

 

The pictures were taken while hunting for the secret.

 

Spoiler

 

Edited July 17, 2021 by dei_eldren
edited away mistakes caused by poor editing

[Capellan]

 

[Book Lord]

E2M7

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

 

When the soundtrack is “Facing the Spider”, a player usually assumes he is about to play a rather short map. There is no self-delusion à la Plutonia MAP12 in this E2M7, because the size is indeed small, and monster count is the lowest in the episode, not considering E2M1 and E2M4 which were both pistol-start setups with strict resource regimens. The 103 enemies were largely Imps and zombies, including Troopers that had gradually disappeared throughout the second episode.

Spoiler

The action began in the open air, around a terraced pyramid structure with a sealed entrance. My UV -fast playthrough required a lot of careful chaingun sniping of Imps, which were constantly shooting from the distance or from the ledges, closets, and nooks where they suddenly appeared. I had witnessed so many Imp teleports by now that I could fully predict them. The other monsters were used to put pressure or to induce errors while dodging fireballs. I recall the spiralling staircase as the most dangerous area.  I saw a lone Baron behind a corner, then hell broke loose from all directions, including a Cacodemon who emerged from a fake wall, thus revealing the only secret compartment. I retreated to the bottom hall and thinned enemy ranks from there.

Spoiler

The last infernal chamber looked empty and beguiling at the same time. What could possibly happen in such a hideously charming demonic shrine? The WAD has trained the player to expect continuous pop-ups and closets, to the point I was entering areas walking backwards, just to see the enemies behind me first and immediately try to break loose from the grips. The room included multi-staged attacks, with the caged Imps causing me the most trouble, because they made me fall before time in the central “bowels” pit, an unusual damaging floor.

Spoiler

I was expecting one last trick in the now accessible pyramid, but it was just the exit. Maybe this map was conceived as a breather in preparation for a challenging boss level. It had its own share of hairy situations, but I was not impressed by this take on the last episode level. Shorter than expected, it probably serves as an anticlimax before a harsher version of Tower of Babel.

Edited July 16, 2021 by Book Lord