Why is Episode 1 so good?

[Cruduxy Pegg]

29 minutes ago, Maes said:

Well, it HAD to be. Can you imagine if Shareware Doom shipped with E3 instead...?

The amount of complain threads about lost souls being overpowered would be 10 times higher lol.

[Faceman2000]

7 hours ago, The BMFG said:

episode 1 was actually the last episode that they worked on. so that could be a reason why

That is unequivocally false, lol. Many of E1’s maps were among the very first to be developed.

[Sectorslayer]

11 hours ago, Murdoch said:

I think it has something most of the other levels for the original games lack - consistency

This absolutely.

 

11 hours ago, Xfing said:

For me personally, Episode 1 evokes an atmosphere of unease and tension that I haven't gotten out of any other episode of the game

If I think of what the individual episodes signatures are, E1 (and maybe E3) stand out with some form of consistent design and style. No wonder the other Doom games reiterated on hell infested tech bases...

[TheMagicMushroomMan]

2 hours ago, Faceman2000 said:

That is unequivocally false, lol. Many of E1’s maps were among the very first to be developed.

If nothing else, Hangar was developed last, which is DOOM's flagship level as well as being the first map that most people think about in regards to E1 and DOOM in general. Much of E1's nostalgia comes from Hangar, and it is a big reason why E1 is looked at so fondly by so many people.

[Faceman2000]

29 minutes ago, TheMagicMushroomMan said:

If nothing else, Hangar was developed last, which is DOOM's flagship level as well as being the first map that most people think about in regards to E1 and DOOM in general. Much of E1's nostalgia comes from Hangar, and it is a big reason why E1 is looked at so fondly by so many people.

Considering John Romero’s assertion that “E1M1 went thru several revisions over months before I called it done,” I don’t think it was the last level to be developed. Maybe last finished, but if he was working on it for several months that would imply it was started earlier in production - unless of course one of the “revisions” was scrapping the whole thing and starting over, I suppose.

 

In either case, E1M1 =/= E1 as a whole, and the statement I originally responded to is still false.

 

Spoiler

Source for the John Romero quote:

https://mobile.twitter.com/romero/status/1376479081018109959?lang=en

Edited July 13, 2021 by Faceman2000

[TheMagicMushroomMan]

10 minutes ago, Faceman2000 said:

Considering John Romero’s assertion that “E1M1 went thru several revisions over months before I called it done,” I don’t think it was the last level to be developed. Maybe last finished, but if he was working on it for several months that would imply it was started earlier in production - unless of course one of the “revisions” was scrapping the whole thing and starting over, I suppose.

 

In either case, E1M1 =/= E1 as a whole, and the statement I originally responded to is still false.

 

  Hide contents

Source for the John Romero quote:

https://mobile.twitter.com/romero/status/1376479081018109959?lang=en

Everything else online points to Romero stating that e1m1 was the last map to be created. This Tweet seems to be the result of Romero bickering with Petersen over Petersen's e1m1 which was replaced with the e1m1 actually in the game.

 

e1m1=/=e1, but e1m1 is obviously a major part of e1's lasting influence and nostalgia considering that it was the first map a good majority of people experienced. Also, that tweet is kind of dickish and petty on Romero's part.

Edited July 13, 2021 by TheMagicMushroomMan

[Kokoro Hane]

Considering it was the first episode, of course it had to be good! It needed to make a good impression, so I imagine they put more love and care into that episode (not that the other maps didn't have love and care, but getting the beginning right to any entertainment medium is crucial, and DOOM nailed it). My two cents.

[Vermil]

The engine was built around EP1. EP2 and onward were more built around the engine.

[Buzzerb5x9x]

because tech bases are epic

[Diabolución]

9 hours ago, Xfing said:

Romero's making yet another one?

 

Bare link, since the less I type out, the less there is to pick holes in.

 

https://www.doomworld.com/forum/post/2344212/

[NoahRules]

Because John Romero

Edited July 13, 2021 by NoahRules

[P41R47]

i personally not like it much... or maybe i grew bored of it?

I vastly prefer the more visually appealing and varied look of Ep.2

[Maximum Matt]

11 hours ago, Maes said:

Well, it HAD to be. Can you imagine if Shareware Doom shipped with E3 instead...?

Hot take: it still would've been regarded as an all-time classic, and everyone would be constantly talking about what a perfect opener Hell Keep is

[TheMagicMushroomMan]

3 hours ago, Maximum Matt said:

Hot take: it still would've been regarded as an all-time classic, and everyone would be constantly talking about what a perfect opener Hell Keep is

 

"I remember the first time I booted up DOOM and played Hell Keep. Man, what a way to open up the game. In fact, I'd say it was more of an outright otherworldly experience. The first time I came across the brick wall made out of paper, I knew I was in for something good. Something brand new. Something I hadn't imagined was possible. And the combat, damn, just damn. So intense. Oh, and that map layout! So much interconnectivity and creativity on display. Even thinking about it today sends shivers down my spine."

 

*enter alternate universe where 4000 hell maps are released every week*

 

*Oops, all Hell Keep!*

 

 

[dei_eldren]

Because, like others have said too, more effort was put into its design, and rightly so, because it needed to make a lasting impact.  It needed to be better.  id knew what they were doing.

[Martin Howe]

22 hours ago, TheMagicMushroomMan said:

I never cared for E1 half as much as some people. To me, techbase has almost become a "generic" theme. E1 is nothing more than some consistent and decent techbase maps. E1 also fails to represent the hellish atmosphere of DOOM, which I find to be more interesting. In terms of quality, E1 is just a set of typical techbase maps. People hold it in high regards mainly because it became iconic and it's the first thing they think of when they think of DOOM. As others said, it was free, easily available, and popular. Therefore it was a new experience for people. Therefore people have nostalgia for it. Therefore it clouds their vision. Blah blah blah and so on and so forth.

LOL, this states as negatives all the things I regard as positives about E1 :)

No Hell - check. Lots of techbases - a whole episode of 'em - check. Consistency - check. Just how I like it!

Edited July 14, 2021 by Martin Howe

[sh-h-h]

It felt like an actual episode, not just a random collection of maps by different authors. I never play TNT, Master Levels, TFC and even Doom 2 (aside maybe from McGee's early maps) in an episodic format anymore, because they don't feel like coherent works (Map11, Map17, Map26 and Map29 of Doom 2 feel like a coherent sequel of maps, but well, they aren't placed together).

 

E2 and E3 felt rushed, despite the relative coherence in them. E2 has its moments, but E3 is very boring.

 

Sigil is like E1: a coherent vision and narrative, and steady quality. I wish Romero will remake E1 once in the style of E1M4b and E1M8b. I also wish for a Tom Hall episode without Sandy's touch, and how he sees Doom now. I actually want to see a Sandy episode as well, this time with more time to finish the levels properly. He is not that bad, but his maps with a few exceptions failed to reach the standards of Romero's maps.

[sh-h-h]

17 hours ago, Vermil said:

The engine was built around EP1. EP2 and onward were more built around the engine.

 

Brilliant observation. Romero's levels always feel "canonic" and legit (with a few exceptions like Gotcha or the secret level in Sigil), probably because all the major assets were built around his mapping style, which includes textures and other art, and also weapon/monster balance, movement and pacing as well.

[Firedust]

why is episode 2 even better?

[DRM-MAN]

It's not really that great, I understand why people enjoy it though. It's a solid introduction to the first doom, but outside of that, it's a one trick pony with the same textures with some different ones here and there.

Sometimes it can be rather boring; I won't deny that romero put time and effort into it, but the episode has been beaten by multiple wads over the years to the point of where praising it for being good is redundant and pointless.

[Faceman2000]

On 7/13/2021 at 6:24 PM, Maximum Matt said:

Hot take: it still would've been regarded as an all-time classic, and everyone would be constantly talking about what a perfect opener Hell Keep is

Fun fact: Hell Keep was the first level I played from Classic Doom and I definitely feel like it’s a fantastic opener.

[Skullhacker]

That's exactly why I prefer Doom 1's level design (at least in episode one and most of episode 2) over Doom 2's. I enjoy Doom 2's combat more, but the atmosphere was a little all over the place, and E3's levels are pretty creepy to me. I'd say E1 and E3 are both pretty terrifying. Although E3's maps may not be as pretty as E1's, they are still a nostalgic, blood-pumping point in the game for me. Throughout E3, you're tested by hordes of monsters, you're going through lots of abstract castles and stuff, and its map screen is my favorite of the three episodes; just the spectacular view of the hellscape with the giant bones, oceans of blood, and the buildings is amazing. I'll always get chills when I hear that first chord in Facing the Spider when I'm about to face the spider mastermind, even if she isn't a challenge. On your journey, you see rooms filled with blood and corpses, the music is haunting, and, while E3 can be cruel in terms of difficulty, I like its challenge almost more than E1's. E1 and E3 both have terrifying atmosphere, and I think it's a shame people don't talk about E3's good points. People just shit on it and say the maps are bad and the spider mastermind sucks. But it's still good at creating atmosphere and tension, at least for me. The whole game is an awesome experience, and E2 is actually my favorite episode. None of the episodes are bad, and they are all a great experience for me.

Edited July 14, 2021 by Skullhacker

[out_of_service]

16 hours ago, Martin Howe said:

LOL, this states as negatives all the things I regard as positives about E1 :)

No Hell - check. Lots of techbases - a whole episode of 'em - check. Consistency - check. Just how I like it!

You and me both!

[MidnightMage]

Episode 1 was great for a couple reasons.

Nostalgia: it was the first time I'd experienced anything quite like the FPS genre aside from Wolfenstein 3d. It introduced verticality, lifts, and interactive environments.

Romero's level design was fine tuned and didn't have anything that broke immersion, whilst the later episodes felt rushed and substantially less polished. Not to say that they were bad in comparison but just different.

 

The shareware model really helped introduce Doom to the mainstream and almost everybody that played it was pretty wowed as nothing like it had been done before. The music was also really, really good and helped create an atmosphere of foreboding and mystery.

The guys at Id really nailed this game, and it shows as it still has a legacy and active modding community even decades later.

[Boaby Kenobi]

On 7/14/2021 at 9:35 PM, DRM-MAN said:

but the episode has been beaten by multiple wads over the years to the point of where praising it for being good is redundant and pointless.

 

You have to remember that the original Doom is almost 30 years old now. It was the template for which user WADs were based on for years. Obviously now the levels will feel small and basic compared to maps that are designed for limit-removing sourceports. It still deserves to be praised to this day as it's an important part of computer and video game history.

[Teo Slayer]

It's a good starting episode, it doesn't go so harsh on you

[LadyMistDragon]

It's much more coherent than Episodes 2 and 3. Highlights aside, those maps don't tend to stick in your head quite as much. Yes, E3 maps did share some visual themes, but unfortunately, Sandy didn't have the time to make lots of Halls of the Damned-esque maps. Also, he doesn't really have much of  a gift for visual flair(bright red is kewl in Doom though).

On 7/14/2021 at 1:36 AM, sh-h-h said:

 I also wish for a Tom Hall episode without Sandy's touch, and how he sees Doom now.

As long as it's Boom-compatible or something. If I remember correctly, the maps he did make were modified because their layouts were too boring. If he could pack in more Doomcute stuff in, perhaps they could fulfill some actual potential.

Edited July 16, 2021 by LadyMistDragon