Thy Flesh Consumed has humbled me

[DollarStoreChili]

I beat Doom 1 early this week for the first time. I thought I was a certified pro doomer for playing all the way through on ultra violence only dying to the final boss.

 

Smash cut to me getting reamed out by the first map of thy flesh consumed over and over. It takes only a minute into this map to realize this isn't going to be like the other episodes. Took about half a dozen tries before I limped through on ~30 health. I felt triumphant. Until the next level loaded.

 

I've got work to do. The second map is killing me harder than the first, but I get a little farther every try. It's stressful, fun, exhausting, and rewarding all at the same time.

 

Just thought I'd share part of my doom journey. Happy dooming.

Edited August 6, 2021 by DollarStoreChili

[Biodegradable]

Once you beat McGee and Romero's cruel double-teaming, E4 gets surprisingly easier. Stay strong, marine.

[Faceman2000]

Don’t expect it to stay hard.

[Teo Slayer]

Just wait to see how hard it's in Project Brutality 3.0

[Clippy]

One two and six are maybe over the top mean. The rest aren't bad at all 

 

I did beat them all on pistol start & was going to share the videos with you in case you needed help but I guess I'm not allowed to do that...

 

Anyway good luck in your adventure buddy but don't feel like you're alone they are hard and it took me many attempts

Edited August 6, 2021 by Clippy
I forgot that map 5 was actually map 6

[King Know-Nothing]

The first map in TFC really is ridiculously mean and was the only one I didn't 100% on my last playthrough, but I will say I found an admiration for Perfect Hatred in a way I didn't expect I would. Its very satisfying to beat and honestly it is fun as hell. However, I can't say the same for Romero's other map, those mandatory hurt floors will be the death of me.

[hybridial]

Perfect Hatred is an awesome map, Hell Beneath... is not, I kinda don't like it. There's nothing very interesting about it other than it's difficulty on UV and I think playing Perfect Hatred from pistol start is a more fun time. 

 

And really it's not the most balanced mapset, it's kind of all over the place, but Against Thee Wickedly is great. John Romero did all the best maps in Doom 1 and 2 imo, it ain't just hype. Just a shame he didn't do more of them. 

 

Also ah, to break the news to you, I've done Doom 1 and 2 on UV, and I'd seen user mapsets that are harder than that on Hurt Me Plenty. If they got Plutonia in the title is a good clue on some of them :P

Edited August 6, 2021 by hybridial

[Boaby Kenobi]

@Clippy Don't you think maybe it's a wee bit disrespectful to hijack someone's thread to promote your own channel?

[Clippy]

21 minutes ago, Boaby Kenobi said:

@Clippy Don't you think maybe it's a wee bit disrespectful to hijack someone's thread to promote your own channel?

 

Wow that's not at all what I was trying to do buddy but since you feel that way I removed the link 

 

 

 

...

[7Mahonin]

I found the first two maps to be the hardest of E4. The rest were somewhat underwhelming in difficulty for the most part, at least compared to the first two maps. Map 6 being hard makes a bit more sense to me as it’s later in the episode and by map 3-4 in an episode typically it should start getting harder per map in my opinion. 

Edited August 6, 2021 by TelicAx7

[Steve D]

If only all of TFC was as hard as M1, M2 and M6, though I personally had serious trouble with M3 when I first encountered it back in the day. M2 and M6 are the true classic maps in that set, IMO, indeed, among the most brilliant maps in all of the IWADs. Hail Romero!

[Gore]

Next, Doom II, Hell on earth!

[Arrowhead]

That's funny, I've always considered the second level far easier than the first.

 

That's not to say the second map isn't hard - I just found it easier to deal w/ than the first map. :)

[OniriA]

6 hours ago, DollarStoreChili said:

It's stressful, fun, exhausting, and rewarding all at the same time.

 

That's life.

[Wagi]

2 hours ago, Arrowhead said:

That's funny, I've always considered the second level far easier than the first.

 

E4M2 is one of those rare cases where a pistol start actually puts you at an advantage.

[PsychEyeball]

Perfect Hatred is one of those maps that get a whole lot easier when you know where the secrets are and what to do. Having it pop up so early and right after the utterly unforgiving Hell Beneath just give off a very bad first impression.

 

Hell Beneath wouldn't be as bad if it didn't have these shotgunners hidden behind fake walls shooting you and if it had... well, health pickups. You know, more health pickups than those few health vials.

[al_zera]

 

I don't wanna promote myself but, I ended E4 on Nightmare! with 100% Secrets, and on UV+Fast Monsters+Pistol Start+No HUD with 100% Kills & Secrets. I believe that this videos can help some players that having problems in some parts of the episode (if someone feel ofended, I'll remove the videos with no problems):

 

 

Edited August 6, 2021 by al_berserker88

[DollarStoreChili]

59 minutes ago, PsychEyeball said:

Perfect Hatred is one of those maps that get a whole lot easier when you know where the secrets are and what to do. Having it pop up so early and right after the utterly unforgiving Hell Beneath just give off a very bad first impression.

 

Hell Beneath wouldn't be as bad if it didn't have these shotgunners hidden behind fake walls shooting you and if it had... well, health pickups. You know, more health pickups than those few health vials.

 

Oh damn, there are hidden shotgunners. I thought it was a bug or I was going crazy.

[LadyMistDragon]

I'm not sorry to say, I haven't played through Thy Flesh Consumed for an extremely long time. Too much brown and pea-soup green textures for my tastes, it has to be said. It would be nice to actually play through Perfect Hatred without saving, but until I start recording demos(read: if I can find a program which doesn't throw their watermark in the corner and shorten your video length because you won't pay), that's not happening.

[PsychEyeball]

1 hour ago, LadyMistDragon said:

I'm not sorry to say, I haven't played through Thy Flesh Consumed for an extremely long time. Too much brown and pea-soup green textures for my tastes, it has to be said. It would be nice to actually play through Perfect Hatred without saving, but until I start recording demos(read: if I can find a program which doesn't throw their watermark in the corner and shorten your video length because you won't pay), that's not happening.

You could record using OBS. It's foremost a streaming program but it can also be used to record videos locally. It's fully functional and freeware.

[Maximum Matt]

E4M6 is actually the greatest level in KFC TFC, IMO

[BaileyTW]

I remember beating the first 3 episodes with fast monsters (or i think episode 2 and 3 and part of 1 at that point) before beating thy flesh consumed. Those first 2 maps and map 6 still tested me. Takes some doing but good luck with e4m6. If you could do these you can definitely do doom 2 as well since I think episode 4's hardest is harder than doom 2's hardest.

[DollarStoreChili]

Update:

 

I haven't played the map since my initial post, but today I've made it as far as the cyberdemon after a few more trial runs. I've gotten good at avoiding the enemy damage and rationing the ammo for my heavy weapons, but my careless strafing has me falling into the lava pit multiple times a run. If I could avoid that I'd be in good shape. I found a few secrets that'll help out in the future.

 

I can taste victory, I'm very close. Thanks for all the advice.

[Doomkid]

One things that’s funny to me is seeing people criticising E4M1 for it’s difficulty (not just here, but it’s common to see in general). Among people I knew, that map gave E4 a similar vibe as Nightmare! does as a difficulty - the sort of “this is just for the gods” vibe, and that made it a thing of legend. The first map being anything less than cruel would strip the entire point of the episode away - remember, this is expansion material, sought out by thrill seekers who wanted more cruelty than can be found in the base games of doom 1 and 2.

 

I guess that context is lost today because UD just became the standard and most people don’t realise E4 is “optional bonus content”. The only shame is that the rest of the episode doesn’t follow the same level of Hellish meanness!

 

It makes me extremely happy to hear you documenting your progress, DollarStoreChili.. If you continue loving Doom and get into some Megawads here and there, you may end up looking back on TFC like a cakewalk!

[DollarStoreChili]

1 hour ago, Doomkid said:

One things that’s funny to me is seeing people criticising E4M1 for it’s difficulty (not just here, but it’s common to see in general). Among people I knew, that map gave E4 a similar vibe as Nightmare! does as a difficulty - the sort of “this is just for the gods” vibe, and that made it a thing of legend. The first map being anything less than cruel would strip the entire point of the episode away - remember, this is expansion material, sought out by thrill seekers who wanted more cruelty than can be found in the base games of doom 1 and 2.

 

I guess that context is lost today because UD just became the standard and most people don’t realise E4 is “optional bonus content”. The only shame is that the rest of the episode doesn’t follow the same level of Hellish meanness!

 

It makes me extremely happy to hear you documenting your progress, DollarStoreChili.. If you continue loving Doom and get into some Megawads here and there, you may end up looking back on TFC like a cakewalk!

 

If I had been playing in a vacuum without these forums I'd be under the assumption that TFC was base game material that wasn't crafted similarly to the other episodes. Knowing it's an episode specifically designed in the manner you describe puts things in perspective.

 

Also for those reading I want to make clear that I don't think the levels I've played thus far are unfair. They're more demanding for novices because the easy tactics (circle strafe, doorway choke points) I've used so far aren't as viable given the level structure. It's almost like they're designed to use your preconceptions against you and punish you until you realize you need to do something different.

 

Maybe I'm over thinking it, but that's how it seems to me.

[Koko Ricky]

E4 is ridiculously hard in the first few maps and then lets up. But man, those first two in particular are just so punishing. Getting past those on UV is definitely worth a pat on the back. I would say they're probably harder than any of Doom 1 or 2's maps.

[sh-h-h]

While Sigil is pretty close in style to E4M2 and E4M6, I think it's far easier for most parts. Except maybe that catwalk in the second half of E5M7, that was punishing.

[al_zera]

I forgot to mention but, I made E4 on Project Brutality too, on the hardest difficulty "Last Man On Earth". 

 

[doom guy66]

I thought Thy Flesh Consume wasn't too difficult after the first map and maybe the 2nd, but I'll have to replay it

[DollarStoreChili]

Completed it last night. Didn't know how close I was when I made it to the cyberdemon platform the last time. I did cheese him a bit by fighting him so his rockets were hitting the right corner of his container, but my plasma rifle was able to deal damage. I don't feel too bad about it, play testing could've revealed the weakness of his placement. I'll return later for a cheese free run in the future but I'm ready to move on now.

 

The next level was much easier by virtue of having enough room to move and having the appropriate amount of resources (albeit a bit too forgiving in that department). It felt awesome being able to stretch my legs in a larger map after the previous two, and the difficulty of the previous two levels seem to have sharpened my skills somewhat.

 

Thanks for reading.