Doom Wadarcheology - To dig, rediscover and enjoy the classics.

[Arrowhead]

Demon's Alley - 07/21/1995 - played via GZDOOM 4.1.2

 

Demon's Alley is a WAD by Doug Erickson; this is a map that comes w/ many custom resources. There is a custom titlepic, a new custom menu cursor, a nice blue HUD, and a multitude of homemade (?) textures.

 

The author starts you off immediately on a high platform over top of a pit. Thankfully, the author was nice enough to include an SSG and a Berserk pack here - this makes falling down into the 'pinkie pit' much more bearable. There is a little bit of Doom platforming in this map - mainly to access the two key doors at either side of the first room. It isn't particularly annoying to reach the key doors, although, you may miss them the first couple times due to the acute angle that they are situated at.

 

Combat is fun in this map. There are a large amount of traps, and they are intelligently placed throughout the map to assist w/ the map's pacing. While these fights are fun, they aren't very difficult to defeat - w/ the exception of the mancubus/revenant fight, and the pain elemental / caco trap. Much of this map is laidback, don't expect to wander into anything too difficult. The average doomer of today's age should have no problem w/ this map's difficulty progression.

 

Texturing will be either a 'love / hate' type thing here. You will either love the kitschy DIY type textures, or you'll hate them. I love these textures - the pink walls remind me partly of Wolfenstein: Episode 2, and the white marble variations on the green marble 'face' textures looks really nice, too. Architecture is certainly abstract in nature in this map - nothing in this map looks like it would feasibly be on Earth, or even Hell for that matter. The level is very peculiar in its setup - it isn't hard to navigate, w/ the exception of one annoying area. I am on the fence about this area, (see screenie 4) because required progression is behind a secret wall. I don't think this is a recommendation breaker however, as the author made sure to put teleporting lines on both areas where you can cross over the muddy water, but not over the middle 'bridge' section - this in turn, emphasizes the blank wall on the other side of the 'crossing'. In the map, that wall is originally closed - and you need to press the wall to open it. I hope I've explained this well enough, so as to make it easier for the next player. It didn't take me too long to figure out, so I have faith in the rest of you!

 

The map ends w/ a unique 'security door' hallway passage. I found this region of the map quite cool - felt like I was infiltrating some secret techbase, or something... This in turn leads to a final showdown w/ two arch-viles. This fight isn't particularly hard either, as there is ample cover available to the player.

 

Overall, a very fun map, sans the hidden door. Hopefully, I've made that part clear enough, it really isn't too bad. Don't let it scare you away! The rest of the map is sure to be enjoyed by most classic doomers. Takes about 10-15 minutes to finish! :)

 

Spoiler

 

 

Download link: https://bit.ly/3mPblVk

Edited November 7, 2021 by Arrowhead

[Arrowhead]

G50.wad - 11/03/1994 - played via GZDOOM 4.1.2

 

G50 is a rather ornate WAD file for its time. This level is currently by an unknown author - I originally encountered it many years ago in a shovelware disc, sans readme. This level is a very open and expansive subway system - I assume in NYC, as that is indicated by the author's file name of: 'dm2nyc.zip'. The map starts off w/ you in a humongous room, w/ subway tunnels to your immediate left. Much of the level is populated by low-tier enemies like shotgunners and chaingunners - the bar section, (my favorite section) of this map is especially full of these types of mob.

 

The level is positively gorgeous as far as 1994 representations of real life go. The initial starting area really feels like you're in some old turn of the century massive train station - the author uses the 'white light' texture to great effect, to represent the big cascading windows of a typical location like this.

 

Enemy resistance is not plentiful here. Even though this map is massive in size, it has very little dangers. You will fight off against around 50 monsters... Not the most deadly of Doom2 arenas, for sure. Perhaps the only deadly encounter is when you battle off against a spider-mastermind - although you are given more than enough plaz ammo, and rockets to get the job done. It is hardly a suspenseful encounter to say the least, (especially when there's a superfluous megasphere behind her) - but that's not really what this map is about. This map is much more focused on producing a cool and unique subway system than it is focused on making a combatively engaging and dangerous Doom2 mission. This might sound like a weak recommendation then, as the combat is so underwhelming. This is where it becomes important to remember that combat is only a single facet of the Doom experience - there are many more aspects of Doom that are just as appealing as combat. One would not be wrong to say that it is the most important feature of a Doom map - yet one would be wrong to say it is the only feature of a Doom map that matters.

 

This map is mainly being recommended for how cool it looks in relation to its time period. Sometimes it's okay to have a Doom map that mainly looks pretty, as opposed to just playing pretty. Check it out if you want a relaxing time, and only have 10-15 minutes to spare - or at the very least, pop in for a couple seconds to experience the scale of this map! Very neat stuff from '94. :)
 

Spoiler

 

 

Download link: https://bit.ly/3bTWfYi

Edited November 19, 2021 by Arrowhead

[Arrowhead]

TIBET.wad - 06/05/1994 - played via GZDOOM 4.1.2

 

Tibet.wad is an early Doom1 WAD w/ a lot of custom altered textures. Tibet.wad was created by Keith Sheehan, who's only other published project seems to be 'K9.wad' an even earlier map, which was also very well received. This map is also unique in that it alters the credits screen - something still rare for single maps to this day. I found this map by searching "New Graphics            : Yes" on /idgames, via the 'whole textfile' option. An honestly awesome way to find ancient WADs that use custom assets...

 

The most unique aspect of this WAD is probably the plethora of altered original Doom1 textures. There are probably 10-12 altered textures that really help add to the mood in this map. The altered computer texture is probably my favorite. This map is supposedly set in Tibet, but there really isn't much in the map to suggest this. A lot of the map is textured serviceably, there aren't many errors, (unless intentional to indicate a secret door, or the like) but a lot of the map is textured w/ 'grey bricks', not the most appealing texture in my eyes... Although, there is enough variance in texture choice that nothing ever seems monotone or boring. There is also a cute little scrolling texture that credits the author. I couldn't take a screenie of this, as the scrolling was too fast / the message was too long. Cool stuff, though.

 

Areas are connected in interesting fashions, w/ many looping / returning paths present. The ammo in this map is slightly tight - it never becomes a problem, but you may find you need to run and retreat from some fights to find better ammo elsewhere in the map. There is a cool crusher section that follows immediately after you pick up the red key - a series of slow crushers opens up behind you, on the paths that you have already traversed. This makes for a cool little sequence, as the road back now has some danger. The author has a real attention to detail in this map, and tries to make each area feel unique - something that can't be said for most maps from '94... There are also no inescapable pits, another nice feature for a map this early - it actually does feel like this was thoroughly playtested - I don't think I found anything breaking in this level.

 

Map takes about 20-25 minutes to complete, and you will encounter a reasonably sized horde of enemies, (150, or so,) plus 11 secrets. The secrets were not very difficult to find, and I ended the map w/ a score of 81%. Definitely check this one out, if you're a fan of early texture work, or just decent old-school maps in general!

 

Fun stuff.

 

Spoiler

 

 

Download link: https://bit.ly/3cjGevb

Edited November 11, 2021 by Arrowhead

[Dusty_Rhodes]

1 hour ago, Arrowhead said:

TIBET.wad - 06/05/1994 - played via GZDOOM 4.1.2

 

Tibet.wad is an early Doom1 WAD w/ a lot of custom altered textures. Tibet.wad was created by Keith Sheehan, who's only other published project seems to be 'K9.wad' an even earlier map, which was also very well received. This map is also unique in that it alters the credits screen - something still rare for single maps to this day. I found this map by searching "New Graphics            : Yes" on /idgames, via the 'whole textfile' option. An honestly awesome way to find ancient WADs that use custom assets...

 

The most unique aspect of this WAD is probably the plethora of altered original Doom1 textures. There are probably 10-12 altered textures that really help add to the mood in this map. The altered computer texture is probably my favorite. This map is supposedly set in Tibet, but there really isn't much in the map to suggest this. A lot of the map is textured serviceably, there aren't many errors, (unless intentional to indicate a secret door, or the like) but a lot of the map is textured w/ 'grey bricks', not the most appealing texture in my eyes... Although, there is enough variance in texture choice that nothing ever seems monotone or boring. There is also a cute little scrolling texture that credits the author. I couldn't take a screenie of this, as the scrolling was too fast / the message was too long. Cool stuff, though.

 

Areas are connected in interesting fashions, w/ many looping / returning paths present. The ammo in this map is slightly tight - it never becomes a problem, but you may find you need to run and retreat from some fights to find better ammo elsewhere in the map. There is a cool crusher section that follows immediately after you pick up the red key - a series of slow crushers opens up behind you, on the paths that you have already traversed. This makes for a cool little sequence, as the road back now has some danger. The author has a real attention to detail in this map, and tries to make each area feel unique - something that can't be said for most maps from '94... There are also no inescapable pits, another nice feature for a map this early - it actually does feel like this was thoroughly playtested - I don't think I found anything breaking in this level.

 

Map takes about 20-25 minutes to complete, and you will encounter a reasonably sized horde of enemies, (150, or so,) plus 11 secrets. The secrets were not very difficult to find, and I ended the map w/ a score of 81%. Definitely check this one out, if you're a fan of early texture work, or just decent old-school maps in general!

 

Fun stuff.

 

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Download link: https://bit.ly/3cjGevb

Those textures are pretty sweet.

[Walter confetti]

My first time reviewing something here!

 

The Last Resort for Doom II by Michael Houston (1994, Doom 2, MAP01-MAP09 Played with Eternity forseti 4.0.2)

 

DOWNLOAD LINK

 

Spoiler

 

I'm not completely sure to talk about this mapset since playing after all these i found is a mixed bag for modern standards (with MAP04 being the lowest point imo) and since i don't know how much unknown to people this wad is, but i want to talk about it: is a solid mapset both in theme choice and level design. This map by Michael Houston have a pretty unique theme of this place sets in a amusement for tough men, warriors, maniacs and other kind of oddballs that travel in the lost land of freshly invaded planet Earth. 9 completely different arenas are here for killing some opponents on the net or some small battles between some former human that replaces the human opponents in DM, with the exception of the final map "Funhouse" where a more wide amount of monsters are against you. Every map have it's own theme and personality, every one different from the above map, with you having to storm small fortresses, a far west abandoned village, a ballroom, the garden of Versailles (or a copy of it) that all leads to the nigthmare-ish Funhouse of the mysterious master of this Theme Park of death, defeat him and find the (probabbly) first time the word "slaughter" has been used for describing (here, even in a much more visual fashion) a very hard wad (or room here)...
New cool textures with a cartoonish edge are here as well with a neat mountain sky texture as well with a small selection of brand new tracks that goes from the ambient terror of MAP01 to the classical\prog fell of other tracks. A really great episode, that was even quoted in one od Auger:Zenith textures. A very enjoyable mapset, maybe too easy for SP? Anyway, still a really great mapset.

Edited November 20, 2021 by Walter confetti

[Arrowhead]

3 minutes ago, Walter confetti said:

My first time reviewing something here!

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Welcome aboard! Always happy to see new reviews! :) This pink face is probably among my favorite things I've seen thus far in this project. Good find, and good to get some more deathmatch stuff on here!

[Endless]

@Walter confetti Thanks a lot man! Glad to see you around here, hope you stick around. :D

[Arrowhead]

ZRAT - 07/26/1994 - played via GZDOOM 4.1.2 + LZDOOM Local Splitscreen Deathmatch

 

ZRAT is a well-designed early deathmatch map by Dan Gannon. This is one of those early deathmatch maps that also has a handful of monsters thrown in. The singleplayer aspect of this map is actually pretty short - there are only just over 20 monsters present in SP, and there is far too much ammo / armor for that small smattering of enemies to be any kind of danger.

 

The actual map is pretty well designed as far as early 1994 maps go. The layout of this map is much more modern than a lot of other 1994 maps made for deathmatch. There are often multiple exits to rooms, and very few dead ends - much like modern deathmatch maps. There are some tight areas that you definitely wouldn't see in a modern deathmatch map, though - namely the boxy area surrounding the new undulating 'worms' texture; one of the coolest textures I've seen in this project so far, it could very easily be used today, and wouldn't look out of place at all in a modern Hell map. But yeah, this area is like 64 units across in some places - it creates some interesting chokes, but also some slight frustration.

 

There is a huge room w/ a giant battleaxe set into the floor, if that's not cool, I don't know what is. The author included an advertisement texture for their BBS, 'Banished CPU'. I don't know what my problem is, but I absolutely love seeing advertisements for BBSes / websites in my Doom maps... I suppose because it adds to the retro aesthetic? I'm not really sure.

 

I took a screenie of the automap, as it kind of resembles a man standing. I actually really enjoyed this map - it plays quite well in DM still, MUCH better than most of the 1994 offerings I've seen. The spawns are not directly on the weapons, but they are usually adjacent, so you don't need to go wandering off like a fool searching for your guns... Something nice to see in a map this old.

 

Overall some good stuff for a 4-man FFA match - I think even the most jaded modern deathmatch fan would see some joy from this map.

 

Quite high quality stuff. :)

 

Spoiler

 

 

Download link: https://bit.ly/30mpPDg

Edited November 14, 2021 by Arrowhead

[Dusty_Rhodes]

49 minutes ago, Arrowhead said:

ZRAT - 07/26/1994 - played via GZDOOM 4.1.2 + LZDOOM Local Splitscreen Deathmatch

 

ZRAT is a well-designed early deathmatch map by Dan Gannon. This is one of those early deathmatch maps that also has a handful of monsters thrown in. The singleplayer aspect of this map is actually pretty short - there are only just over 20 monsters present in SP, and there is far too much ammo / armor for that small smattering of enemies to be any kind of danger.

 

The actual map is pretty well designed as far as early 1994 maps go. The actual layout of this map is much more modern than a lot of other 1994 maps made for deathmatch. There are often multiple exits to rooms, and very few dead ends - much like modern deathmatch maps. There are some tight areas that you definitely wouldn't see in a modern deathmatch map, though - namely the boxy area surrounding the new undulating 'worms' texture; one of the coolest textures I've seen in this project so far, it could very easily be used today, and wouldn't look out of place at all in a modern Hell map. But yeah, this area is like 64 units across in some places - it creates some interesting chokes, but also some slight frustration.

 

There is a huge room w/ a giant battleaxe set into the floor, if that's not cool, I don't know what is. The author included an advertisement texture for their BBS, 'Banished CPU'. I don't know what my problem is, but I absolutely love seeing advertisements for BBSes / websites in my Doom maps... I suppose because it adds to the retro aesthetic? I'm not really sure.

 

I took a screenie of the automap, as it kind of resembles a man standing. I actually really enjoyed this map - it plays quite well in DM still, MUCH better than most of the 1994 offerings I've seen. The spawns are not directly on the weapons, but they are usually adjacent, so you don't need to go wandering off like a fool searching for your guns... Something nice to see in a map this old.

 

Overall some good stuff for a 4-man FFA match - I think even the most jaded modern deathmatch fan would see some joy from this map.

 

Quite high quality stuff. :)

 

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Download link: https://bit.ly/30mpPDg

That is very spiffy for a 1994 map. Love the giant axe and the new textures.

[Arrowhead]

20 minutes ago, Dusty_Rhodes said:

That is very spiffy for a 1994 map. Love the giant axe and the new textures.

I agree, aesthetics were definitely a major focus for this author. Quite an attractive map! :)

[Arrowhead]

Planet Altair1 Base - 08/18/1995 - played via GZDOOM 4.1.2

 

PA1B is a carefully crafted WAD by Kenneth Chirko. The first thing you'll notice right away in this level, is the early lightcasting on display. There are quite a few areas in this map that use lightcasting, something not typically seen from WADs this old. This map is essentially some kind of 3-dimensional 'maze'. Well, it's not really a maze, per se, you'll see when you play it. It is a maze in terms of its design, but not in terms of its progression. I hope that makes some sense... The level is easy to travel around in, despite the multitude of pits, elevators, and cross-overs. I was not once confused about where to go next, excepting one area. There is a gargoyle switch that is already 'lit' and you have to shoot it to open the door next to it. This one is pretty straight-forward, and is not what I consider a 'hidden door' - maybe just a slightly obscured door. I believe that most doomers will try to press it, realize nothing happened, and then shoot it once just for good measure. Regardless, I included a screenie to make one's traversal of this map simpler!

 

The map can be disorienting sometimes w/ its many line-actions and traps. This is a pleasant change from the rote, simplistic progression I've seen in most maps from this period - once again, it is never confusing. You'll find your way out no problem. Detailing is well above average, w/ the aforementioned lightcasting being one of the best visual features - that's not to say the rest of the map is a slouch, though. The best word to describe this map, is visually 'clean'. There are no misalignments visible. There is also a lot of visual variance despite the map being predominately underground in tunnels; there are also many inset details, like computer monitors, and switches, which help add to the level's claustrophobic and foreboding atmosphere.

 

The map has a whopping 11 secrets, and even some more unmarked secrets! However, this is where the one small flaw of the map shows its fangs. The secrets in this map are almost universally hidden in the same fashion as the secret before it. What does that mean? Well, once you find one secret, it's very likely that you will be able to find the mass majority of them - the author was not creative in their secret placement, despite the rest of the map dripping w/ creativity...

 

There are lots of cool fights in this map, I don't want to spoil too many, so I'll just talk about one. The best fight in the entire map is situated on a really narrow ledge over a pool of hissing lava, where you'll be assaulted by a marching group of imps. Imps aren't usually that scary, but this many in this type of combat situation makes for a relatively challenging fight - compared to the rest of the map. The average doomer should be able to wreck this map no problem, though! Also, despite being Doom2, the only Doom2 monsters I remember seeing were chaingunners. This gives this map a very 'Doom1+' feeling... as there are only low tier enemies present in this level. Kind of a unique experience, as there are next to no medium-class mobs in this WAD at all. I don't think the SSG makes an appearance either, unless it's in one of the 3 secrets I didn't find...

 

Fun map! Shows a lot of talent from the author, even w/ the flawed secret placement - the secret placement is never too overpowered, save for the single invulnerability sphere located in one of them, but as you have to navigate through many tunnels, this actually runs out quicker than one might expect - you really don't get to abuse it as much as you'd like to.

 

I'd recommend this to all old-school map fans, there's really not much about this one not to like... This is apparently the first map in a trio of 'Altair' levels. Might be fun to check out the other two maps sometime! :)

 

Spoiler

 

 

Download link: https://bit.ly/3nnLILz

Edited November 17, 2021 by Arrowhead

[Arrowhead]

The Mystery of the Marie Celeste - 03/15/1995 - played via GZDOOM 4.1.2

 

This is a WAD based off of a real ship, by Mark Mackey. This is a Doom1 WAD, so don't expect to see any difficult opposition - there are only around 50 enemies in this map, and 3 secrets. The secrets are hidden quite well, as I didn't encounter any of the three in either of my two playthroughs...

 

This is one of those early WADs that use teleporters to 'move' you between floors in a map. Some people find this effect jarring, I don't - I've always had a soft spot for fake multi-storey buildings. There is a lot of care taken to establish this location as a real place, despite using Doom1's limited stock textures. There are carefully constructed crates, that really do look like maritime type chests. There are also toilets, a galley replete w/ a stove, and many cramped sailor's quarters rooms - a true smorgasbord for DoomCute enthusiasts. That's likely the main draw to this map; if you don't like DoomCute, this map probably isn't for you... but then again, who doesn't like DoomCute? I've yet to find a doomer who doesn't.

 

Combat really isn't worth mentioning here. You fight against 50 or so weak monsters on UV, probably less for the other difficulties. You will also spend much of the level w/ the pistol as your only weapon. This seems intentional, as the author really emphasizes the pistol in their included readme story: "Grabbing the pistol from the emergency stores locker, you pull alongside and climb the rope ladder..." The pistol combat really isn't too bad, w/ the only weird section being where you have to pistol a pinkie. A little tedious, but not nearly as bad as 'baron-shotgunning', in my opinion. As far as I can tell, you can also get a Berserk via a secret, and there is a shotgun in the bottom 'hold' of the ship - unfortunately, it only makes its appearance right immediately before the exit... A bit of a peculiar choice, I think.

 

The sky in this map is bright and cheerful - it really doesn't fit the map's theme - you would think a stormier sky would work better here, than a clear day sky - I agree w/ that previous /idgames reviewer. The sky, as far as I can tell, is the only custom graphic present in this WAD. I included a screenshot to demonstrate the layout of the 'multi-storey' features of this map. Another neat feature in this map, are the 'openable' portholes in all of the rooms - they don't serve any real purpose - they just look super cool.

 

I found this to be a fairly ambitious attempt at depicting a real ship within Doom1. There really is some nice detail work in this level - and for that reason alone, it shouldn't be forgotten. Quite a fun little bite-sized map - as w/ some of the other less combat-intensive WADs I've reviewed, play this one if you want just 5 minutes of Doom, or if you just need a break from your tougher WADs. Nothing wrong w/ playing a map like this every now and then! Sure to be an absolute blast for those who like DoomCute! Fun!

 

Spoiler

 

 

Download link: https://bit.ly/30yMdcH

[Dusty_Rhodes]

40 minutes ago, Arrowhead said:

The Mystery of the Marie Celeste - 03/15/1995 - played via GZDOOM 4.1.2

 

This is a WAD based off of a real ship, by Mark Mackey. This is a Doom1 WAD, so don't expect to see any difficult opposition - there are only around 50 enemies in this map, and 3 secrets. The secrets are hidden quite well, as I didn't encounter any of the three in either of my two playthroughs...

 

This is one of those early WADs that use teleporters to 'move' you between floors in a map. Some people find this effect jarring, I don't - I've always had a soft spot for fake multi-storey buildings. There is a lot of care taken to establish this location as a real place, despite using Doom1's limited stock textures. There are carefully constructed crates, that really do look like maritime type chests. There are also toilets, a galley replete w/ a stove, and many cramped sailor's quarters rooms - a true smorgasbord for DoomCute enthusiasts. That's likely the main draw to this map; if you don't like DoomCute, this map probably isn't for you... but then again, who doesn't like DoomCute? I've yet to find a doomer who doesn't.

 

Combat really isn't worth mentioning here. You fight against 50 or so weak monsters on UV, probably less for the other difficulties. You will also spend much of the level w/ the pistol as your only weapon. This seems intentional, as the author really emphasizes the pistol in their included readme story: "Grabbing the pistol from the emergency stores locker, you pull alongside and climb the rope ladder..." The pistol combat really isn't too bad, w/ the only weird section being where you have to pistol a pinkie. A little tedious, but not nearly as bad as 'baron-shotgunning', in my opinion. As far as I can tell, you can also get a Berserk via a secret, and there is a shotgun in the bottom 'hold' of the ship - unfortunately, it only makes its appearance right immediately before the exit... A bit of a peculiar choice, I think.

 

The sky in this map is bright and cheerful - it really doesn't fit the map's theme - you would think a stormier sky would work better here, than a clear day sky - I agree w/ that previous /idgames reviewer. The sky, as far as I can tell, is the only custom graphic present in this WAD. I included a screenshot to demonstrate the layout of the 'multi-storey' features of this map. Another neat feature in this map, are the 'openable' portholes in all of the rooms - they don't serve any real purpose - they just look super cool.

 

I found this to be a fairly ambitious attempt at depicting a real ship within Doom1. There really is some nice detail work in this level - and for that reason alone, it shouldn't be forgotten. Quite a fun little bite-sized map - as w/ some of the other less combat-intensive WADs I've reviewed, play this one if you want just 5 minutes of Doom, or if you just need a break from your tougher WADs. Nothing wrong w/ playing a map like this every now and then! Sure to be an absolute blast for those who like DoomCute! Fun!

 

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Download link: https://bit.ly/30yMdcH

That looks really awesome. Will definitely have to check it out.

[Arrowhead]

11 minutes ago, Dusty_Rhodes said:

That looks really awesome. Will definitely have to check it out.

It's quite an enjoyable little map! I'm sure you'll love it. :)

[Arrowhead]

RRWARD02.wad - 11/09/1994 - played via GZDOOM 4.1.2
 

"How the hell is this a '94 map?" That's what I said upon loading up this level, and playing through the first couple rooms. I actually double-checked halfway through the map, to make sure I didn't misread the publication date. This is a WAD by Richard R. Ward - one of the RRWARD series, of which I think this is the best. This is bar none, my FAVORITE map I've reviewed so far. It is so perfect, and so anachronistic - not to mention the map is incredibly huge. The author actually makes reference to 'CASTEVIL.wad' in the readme, declaring that this map is big, but not as big as that one. Cool to see another WAD we've reviewed for this project to show up in a readme!

 

Combat in this WAD is incredibly impressive for the time. This is a Doom1 level; I'm quite used to seeing Doom1 maps being extremely easy in the combat department. This map feels super modern for '94. The atmosphere in this map is great, too - it feels very Doom3 in some regards. The author states in the readme that they were "anal-retentive" about their texture usage and alignment. This I can agree w/ - the texturing is the best I've seen in this project thus far. There are a handful of cool new custom textures that really add to the atmosphere in this map - my favorite being a 'zoomed-in' view of the E1 map. Another cool feature is the 'Doomguy switch' - a switch that looks like Doomguy's face - when you press these switches, Doomguy's face turns to a bloody mess; a wicked sweet switch, once again, probably my favorite switch from this project so far...

 

Flickering lights, dark areas, and startling ambushes are the norm here, very similar to Doom3's environments. The base is massive, and sprawls similarly to the aforementioned 'castevil.wad'... Architecture is clean, tasteful, and logical in this WAD - areas flow together very similarly to how I imagine an actual 'spacebase' would flow. There are many interconnections, and many ambushes that use these interconnections - traps are plentiful in this WAD, w/ the best one being when a swarm of about 30 imps rise out of the ground on raised platforms - clusters of pinkies are released as well, which makes micromanaging the many incoming fireballs quite difficult - makes for an extremely fun experience. There is also an awesome fight in what I can only describe as a 'great hall'. This is less open-air, and can make for some hairy situations. There are other awesome fights too, namely the dual caco / imp turret fight, and the final red key ambush.

 

An interesting gameplay choice in this map, is that the rocket launcher, plaz, and chaingun are all hidden in secrets. This makes the player predominately use the single-shotty for most of the map. I think this is what makes the map so much more difficult than the average Doom1 map from this era. I'd give this map a 5.5/6 on the difficulty scale, (out of 10)... Thankfully, there are few barons - the author seems to have an understanding of 'Doom1 tedium' - and went out of his way to dodge this problem.

 

Phenomenal Doom1 map. You'd be mistaken to miss this one - I might even say this should have got a cacoward back in the day, it's that well made, and I think superior to Galaxia.wad and UACDEAD.wad, who ended up receiving far more attention that year. If you play anything I recommend, I recommend this over literally any other map I've reviewed for this project. A true diamond in the rough.

 

Spoiler

 

 

Download link: https://bit.ly/3DHKRLe

Edited November 20, 2021 by Arrowhead

[Arrowhead]

Battlefield - 06/16/1995 - played via GZDOOM 4.1.2

 

This is a very spartan, but enjoyable WAD created by Sander Dee. This appears to be the only level Dee has made. The map starts off w/ you facing a large, well, battlefield... You will want to take off running into the action right away in this one - just remember to do one important thing. Before you venture off into the rest of the level proper, go through the left door next to you when you spawn. You will find an SSG and a chaingun in this section - integral weapons for the rest of the mission - you don't want to miss these, as you will likely have a miserable experience if you don't grab these weapons first.

 

This level's combat is good, w/ much of the main action taking place outside in the titular 'battlefield'. This battlefield is basically a huge room w/ next to no cover available. There is an arch-vile hiding just north of the northernmost building in the map - he can catch you off-guard, if you're not aware of your surroundings - you'll have to be aggressive with this 'vile, as not much protection is available in that area. I recommend physically running into him between each SSG shot, so that he doesn't get the opportunity to get too far out into the battlefield. He's extremely dangerous if you don't go right after him, the moment you see the 'vile. You're going to want to clear out the hit-scanners in the battlefield right away - nothing more unpleasant than getting nailed across the map by an errant shotgunner. Once you clean out the main battlefield you will eventually need to infiltrate the many side-tunnels present in this map - these sections are fun, too, I just wish the author gave more than one radsuit in this map.

 

This map has a really awesome Wolf-3D inspired secret. Just like in Wolf-3D there are many nested secrets within secrets, so make sure you carefully search everything before leaving the Wolf-3D section - there is a very important BFG that will save you some time later... This level is also unique, in that it is a fairly short level, (about 10 minutes) but still has every weapon in its confines, which I think makes for some fun varied gameplay. Interestingly, you get a rocket launcher, but very few rockets... You get far more cell ammo in this map than is necessary in my opinion - but this is useful for the final encounter against 4 barons - I imagine this area would be tedious if one didn't have the BFG. You'll still have the plaz by this point, so I can't imagine it would be too bad.

 

Texturing and architecture are exceedingly basic. That's not a bad thing, always - I don't think the author was too worried about making the map aesthetically pleasing, and instead just focused nearly exclusively on the combat. Don't let the bleakness of the screenies scare you off - the map is really fun to play.

 

Overall, a somewhat visually basic map that gets the combat right. Great for a 10 minute distraction! :)

 

Spoiler

 

 

Download link: https://bit.ly/3kRPco2

[Arrowhead]

FREEK02.wad - 08/09/1996 - played via GZDOOM 4.1.2

 

FREEK02 is a fun and quick 3-key map by Michael Freeth. The map starts you off w/ a hot start; this isn't too dangerous though, as there are only a couple of imps and zombiemen causing you issues. A unique feature of this map is that the red key is given so quickly to the player - it is in the very first room. All the player needs to do is press a single switch, and you're already a third of the way there.

 

Architecture is great in this map, (unlike the last map I reviewed) everything is crisp and clearly defined - there are some especially cool looking areas in this map. Namely the big courtyard w/ the surrounding staircases, and the 'torn roof' of the room that holds the blue key. I included screenies of both of these areas, as I believe they best visually represent the quality of the map. Navigation in this map is a cinch, and there is virtually no backtracking - always nice, (and rare) to see from a 3-key map.

 

Secret placement is a little willy-nilly in this map. Some 'secrets' aren't tagged as secrets in this map - the megasphere secret in this map is exemplary of that. There are also some 'hidden doors' that contain mandatory progression - I'm not even going to bother complaining about these, as it is incredibly obvious where these doors are. Once you find one, you'll have no trouble finding the rest. One can only hide a secret / progression behind a misaligned texture so many times...

 

Fights are fun in this map - namely the courtyard fight, and the manc fight w/ the single shotty. Medium class monsters are rare in this map, you'll encounter a pair of revenants, a manc, and not much more than that. There are only 90 monsters in this map in UV, w/ the vast majority of them being hitscanners + imps.

 

The author only made one other single-player WAD as far as I can tell, (fireball.wad) but what's here is really good! Freeth was really good at setting a scene - there are a lot of memorable areas within this map, and the detailing is pretty damn good too! Check it out, this is a very fun map!

 

Spoiler

 

 

Download link: https://bit.ly/3DrB2kF

[Arrowhead]

Cruel Hell - 07/22/1996 - played via GZDOOM 4.1.2

 

Cruel Hell is an early Ultimate Doom map that plays on E4M1. This map is created by Michael Lundy, an author that mainly produced maps in '95/'96; who took a long hiatus, and published a final 1995 level in 2011. This map appears to be one of his better offerings. This is an enjoyable map in the E4 style - it really looks like a proper E4 map, the author did a great job of getting the theme down for this level. I think this is the first Ultimate Doom exclusive map we've reviewed for this project so far!

 

Gameplay is fun, if not a tiny bit ammo-tight - this can be fixed by retreating and exploring the many other corridors in this map - you'll surely find more ammunition that way. It never becomes too much of an issue, but is certainly worth mentioning. A really weird choice is that there is a supercharge secret right at the start of the map - it is hardly hidden in any kind of robust way, and just seems like a free power-up for no reason... This is really the only slight complaint I have about this map - it is a fundamentally sound E4 map in every other way.

 

Battles are engaging w/ the blue key caco ambush being the best. I like how the cacos seem to rise out of the orange sky - the area that you fight in is extremely tight, so you'll want to retreat to the corridor you entered from once you snag the blue key. A couple of rockets should take care of things, and thankfully, the author is fairly generous w/ the rocket ammo in this mission. There are also some imps in a cage at the start, which really gave me some E1M9 déjà-vu. I've never understood the 'enemies in cages' motif - always seems a bit senseless to me. Combat is a little baron heavy, but like I said previously, there's plenty of rocket ammo - so you should be able to blast those few bruisers no problem!

 

Architecture and texturing are great, I didn't see any visual errors, except one - there appears to be a single small missing texture on one of the wood+marble cisterns deep in the map. This is a pretty small offense though, and thankfully, the missing texture is very small. The author also really nailed the wood / marble look of the final Ultimate Doom episode - I know I say this about a lot of maps, (lol) but you could really insert this anywhere in the current E4 line-up, and it would fit perfectly.

 

Really enjoyable E4 adventure, not too difficult. I recommend any E4 fans to check this out. E4 is probably my favorite Doom theme, after Romero's E1... But yeah, this was a great time! Take a run through it, you'll likely really enjoy it!

 

Spoiler

 

 

Download link: https://bit.ly/3DBzt3B

Edited November 20, 2021 by Arrowhead

[Endless]

That WAD was meant for me. I can feel it.

[Arrowhead]

4 minutes ago, Endless said:

That WAD was meant for me. I can feel it.

Hell yeah, if you love E4 - then there's really no better map. I haven't seen many maps that nail the E4 theme on the head this well. A nice surprise for a WAD this old... :D

[Arrowhead]

Incinerator - 03/08/1997 - played via GZDOOM 4.1.2

 

This is a little WAD that will take you about 5 minutes to beat. This is a map by 'Richard', and is the first of three WADs he published in 1997. The map's titular incinerator is met right away in the very first room of this map. It certainly looks like an incinerator, complete w/ a slot to input matter to burn - this slot, if shot, will open up a secret behind you in the room w/ a blue armor. This secret essentially negates any difficulty this map may have had - that's okay, though, this little map is still fun despite this overpowered power-up. One really shouldn't expect a 5 minute map to be difficult in the first place - there's not enough time to craft properly dangerous encounters in only a 5 minute interval, in my opinion.

 

One thing you will notice in this map is the absolute lack of texture alignment. This is especially noticeable in any area that involves staircases. You'll want to press some of these misaligned textures, but just don't bother - there's not really a point - there are no secrets in the map hidden via these means. Speaking of secrets, I found 2/3, but couldn't find out how to access the supercharge.

 

The map ends w/ a cute little 'fake exit' - I think the map pulls off this part quite well - the fight isn't hard, but it certainly took me by surprise the first time. The yellow key ambush trap is pretty fun, too.

 

Short little map w/ some texturing issues, [but nothing too egregious - if you play old maps you should be used to misalignments anyway ;) ] but hey, this was pretty fun. I enjoyed myself the whole way through. This level only received 1 /idgames review in 24 years' time. I think it's worth it to drag it out of the shadows, as it is a fun enough time.

 

Enjoy!

 

Spoiler

 

 

Download link: https://bit.ly/3kVHvgB

[Arrowhead]

The Kurf House - 06/24/1995 - played via GZDOOM 4.1.2

 

This is a very competently put together 'myhouse.wad' by Colin L. Kurfess. This is essentially a large two storey house complete w/ a kitchen, a washing machine room, a living room, multiple bedrooms, a garage, (containing one of the cutest sector trucks I have ever seen) a backyard, a basement, a 2nd storey deck and a trophy room. Needless to say, this map completely oozes DoomCute. Just like The Mystery of the Marie Celeste, this map uses the classic 'multiple storey teleporter' trick - but it is a little better implemented. For example, if you fall off the deck on the second storey of the building, you will be automatically teleported back to the first floor's yard area. I thought this was clever, as it would have been a million times easier to just make a railing / make the area surrounding the deck impassable.

 

This house has a really dark basement, that contains both a red key door, and a blue key door. The red key door is integral, and leads you to the map's exit. The blue key, on the other hand, just leads you to some light amplification goggles. I couldn't naturally find the blue key in the map, so I IDKFA'd it. It is probably hidden in one of the map's three secrets - I only found the plaz secret in this map, and I imagine most people will also find it - it isn't incredibly well hidden. The outside of the house is extremely basic - I would have thought that the author's careful interior designing would show itself here, too, but that doesn't seem to be the case. The outside area of this map is quite bland in my opinion, but thankfully you only spend maybe 15% of the level's time out there. Going outside is important, as the red key is found out there.

 

There aren't many 'tough' fights in this map, save one. This fight takes place in the super dark basement of this house - there is next to no light present here, which makes fighting the single mancubus quite a difficult time. There is a super-shotty hidden down here, so make sure you pick it up, so you can make short work of the fattie; this mancubus is exceedingly dangerous, because you basically need to be physically on top of it to see it. This made for a somewhat unfair, but interesting challenge. In addition to the three secrets in this map, there is also an unmarked secret - something I generally like, I think unmarked secrets add a lot to a map actually - they always provide a great surprise when you do find one; I find it a bit unfortunate that unmarked secrets have been pretty much been done away w/ in the modern Doom sphere.

 

My favorite detail in this level is the awesome 'head on a board' style trophies in the upstairs living room. There are a couple mancubi and cybies preserved in this fashion here, much like a hunter would mount a buck's head. These graphics, the 'KURF' graphic outside, and the airborne poster are the only new graphics patches from what I can tell. Being a 'myhouse.wad' map, there are far too many power-ups given, mostly in the style of armor type power-ups in closets - a facsimile of clothing, perhaps? There's also a supercharge in the first room you encounter, and if I remember correctly, there's a megasphere elsewhere in the map, too - you also encounter a computer area map in the first room, which is cool to look at while going through any of the multiple multi-storey teleporters.

 

One of the better 'myhouse' WADs I've ever played - nice funny graphics, w/ a great personality and charm. I don't think there even exists a single difficult 'myhouse' WAD on the planet, so don't expect anything too brutal w/ this one. If anybody finds the blue key, please comment and let me know - I didn't have any luck myself.

 

Cute little map, give it a shot when you desperately need a dose of DoomCute! :D

 

Spoiler

 

 

Download link: https://bit.ly/3nwnOh4

[Endless]

Damn man, you're killing it! We'll end up digging all the lost classics in a week at this rate :P

[Arrowhead]

16 minutes ago, Endless said:

Damn man, you're killing it! We'll end up digging all the lost classics in a week at this rate :P

Thanks! Sometimes you just end up finding a good cluster of WADs! Probably won't stay at this pace forever; I just really enjoy writing about old Doom WADs lol

[Arrowhead]

Santa Rosa 8 ASSAULT - 07/11/1995 - played via GZDOOM 4.1.2

 

This is a crazy WAD w/ a ton of new assets by Luis Gerardo Reyes Vega. This WAD has a really unique feel - it feels much like a Doom fever dream - if there ever was such a thing. Assault is right - this map is an assault on your senses, as well as an assault on your hitscanner fighting skills... This is almost what I would call a 'total conversion level' - not everything is replaced, but it sure feels that way. Most of the new sprites are Wolf3D related - and some of them really work quite well for a WAD like this - the 'table' sprite is a good example of this - I always thought Doom was missing a decent table sprite. Chaos is the name of the game w/ this level.

 

You start off in a large open area, where you can really appreciate the new sky. You're gonna have to deal w/ a hot start in this map. It isn't particularly violent though; you should be able to survive, but might die a couple times before you learn the gameplay pattern. This area is stuffed w/ hitscanners, this spot feels a bit unfair at the beginning, until you learn where the closest super shotty is - then it becomes fun. Nearly all the enemies are replaced w/ a Wolf3D equivalent - pinkies have becomes german shepherds, Imps become the 'white coat' enemy from the later levels of Wolf3D; there are a variety of other replacements too, like the medikit, and a brand new pixelated computer screen sprite. I really like the latter, w/ it's crunchy screenshots...

 

Once you get inside the house the map gets a little cramped - the author has tried to detail the inside of the house to his best ability, but this really ends up causing you to bump into a lot of obstructing objects. The 'Michael Jordan' texture and the red Viper texture are probably my favorites, although I also really love the large red arches present outside in this WAD.

 

The readme is a little bit of a trip - as the author gives a lot of additional information about themselves. This smacks of early internet naivete - he even suggests you visit him if you're ever in his city, (Metepec, Mexico) or near his university in Toluca... I find this charming - not often are WAD authors wanting to be so involved w/ their audience. The author states that they made some of these textures 'new', but I wish they specified which. I recognize the tree sprites, but have never seen the computer sprite, or most of the new textures that are used. There are a billion new sounds in this map too, but I liked these a lot less - they become a bit of a cacophony when playing all at the same time... The exit is not hidden that badly, just remember to look in closets - that's a good bet for all maps of this 'house' genre.

 

There are only 50 or so monsters in this map, and once you clear out the outdoors area, the map really becomes a lot easier. I commend the author for making so many of their own textures, even if some don't appear to be very professional - I can only imagine the hoops one would need to jump through to make a WAD like this back in '95 - must have been a total pain to use the primitive programs available back then. While this is not a super pretty map, you have to admit, it has a really unique vibe - unlike anything I've yet encountered - and for that reason, this map shouldn't be forgotten - even if it is a little silly.

 

If you're anything like myself, you'll appreciate this map for its quirks and weirdness - like I said, this is fever-dreamesque - truly worth the 10 minutes or so it takes to complete! :)

 

Spoiler

 

 

Download link: https://bit.ly/3CtQ73S

[Walter confetti]

Cool, i wanted to talked about Kurf House too! Is a really cool map Indeed, one of the best myhouse.wad around...

[Arrowhead]

8 hours ago, Walter confetti said:

Cool, i wanted to talked about Kurf House too! Is a really cool map Indeed, one of the best myhouse.wad around...

I agree, it's definitely one of my favorite DoomCute maps, that's for sure! Some fun attention to detail in that map!

 

[Arrowhead]

Doomsday - 12/01/1995 - played via GZDOOM 4.1.2

 

This is not a very difficult WAD, but you can tell a lot of care went into it. This is a level by David Rotramel and Chris Berger. The first thing you'll notice about this WAD, is that there is a new HUD - I quite like it, the red letters look cool on the gunmetal background. There are also a ton of other custom assets, namely sounds, but there are a couple new textures too. I really like the hellknight death sound, as well as the 'Access Denied / Granted' voice that plays when you press a switch. This kind of attention to detail really won me over - I don't usually like the custom sounds in most WADs, but I like the sounds in this level - I think they really compliment the level quite well. The sounds aren't particularly long, so you don't have to really worry about everything blending together into an awful confusion of noise. The cyberdemon death sound is one of the more interesting sounds I encountered, as it is extremely loud and bassy compared to the rest of the sounds in the map.

 

There are also SS nazis in this map, I'm going to give them a pass in this map's case, as the author changed their alert sound to 'WARNING' - one can now easily pretend that they're just any other enemy... their all blue fatigues really do look like some kind of science-y space jumpsuits - I'll give their use a pass here, as the changed voice clip makes them a lot more believable as a 'standard' enemy.

 

I like the geometry in this map, there are a lot of memorable locations, namely the giant arch-vile reactor, and the nice helipad you see earlier in the level. Levels w/ helipads always seem to be decently intriguing at the very least; an interesting correlation I've noticed. The arch-vile reactor fight is a lot of fun - threw me off guard at first, as you simply wouldn't expect such a massive structure to lower as quickly as it does. The structure lowers and you encounter two particularly angry arch-viles... This fight is fun, but not hard - as there are a handful of megaspheres nearby. It is fun to get shot into the air by an arch-vile, lose 100+ health, and then quickly rush to one of the nearby megaspheres. If you're really unlucky here, both might attack at once, and really doom you. No amount of health will save you from most dual arch-vile attacks. That's why I suggest you 'line them up' when you possibly can; it'll help prevent you from dying so easily, as there is absolutely zero cover available. The starlit outdoors library is also visually striking, (actually scratch that, most of the areas in this WAD are highly detailed and visually striking, even for today's age) - I really liked clearing out the rows of bookshelves here, the new texture looks nice, as well.

 

Fights are a little weird in this map - the author has a bad habit of presenting a decent fight, only to dull it a little bit by giving so many ammo and health power-ups after each fight... This might have been needed back in '95, as the players weren't as good on average as they are now; but still, it does end up neutering the encounters a bit. Sometimes you desperately will need a megasphere, though - so sometimes this type of gameplay structure works out okay - just more often than not, expect to be close to full health for a big portion of the map. My favorite fight is probably the blue key door ambush - this occurs after you leave the arch-vile reactor room. Two sides of the map open to reveal big crowds of enemies - when the monsters reach the door line, they teleport to a different location - makes for a dynamic battle indeed - kind of a 'whack-a-mole' scenario in a way.

 

All weapons are presented in this level, w/ the BFG only making an appearance in the last 20 or so enemies... This may seem like a gameplay mistake, but trust me you're gonna need to use every BFG blast you can - the final encounter in this map involves a teleporting cybie that warps between higher platforms, and the main ground area. It is really hard to hit the cybie correctly w/ BFG tracers, as he keep moving too damn quick. This part has superfluous megaspheres as well, this map's unfortunate crux - luckily, even w/ all this health padding, the map still somehow ends up having a lot of fun within it.

 

The very last encounter, (the map's ending area) I think is a joke, I won't elaborate, but it'll definitely throw you for a loop - one of the more unique endings to a WAD I've yet to see. But yeah, I think it's some kind of a prank... You'll see what I mean.

 

Fun map! Might have been more impressive in its era, but this still holds up pretty well. Definitely worth playing today, even though it is a bit of a cakewalk on UV. Still fun though, and the map's layout is pretty cool too. Takes about 15-20 minutes to complete! :D

 

Spoiler

 

 

Download link: https://bit.ly/3kXIQn7

[Walter confetti]

SKYCITY.WAD by Darren K. McKeigan (1994, Doom, E1M1, played with Eternity 4.0.2 forseti)

 

DOWNLOAD LINK

 

Spoiler

 

A medium sized map that includes new textures and sounds, sets in the titular "Sky City" of the title 1 mile above the , a gray/white structure that resembles some kinda of abstract techbase\temple place, abandoned by long time as shown by some of the spider webs you see around in the hallways, there's also a pretty clever usage of mazes used a some sort of puzzles, especially in the blue-red chees structure this puzzle aspect really shines. A pretty clever map that reminds somehow of good Evilution and Team TNT stuff...

[Arrowhead]

Lodge of the Undead for Ultimate Doom - 01/06/1999 - played via GZDOOM 4.1.2

 

This is a very vertical map made by Dan Patanella. The map says it's for Ultimate Doom, but I was able to play this on the 'registered' doom.wad no problem. This map is set on E3M1 - weirdly, the author neglected to place their map on the E4M1 slot - I'm not sure why he didn't - the map fits E4's wood theme pretty well. There are 75 enemies, and a total of 3 secrets. I actually really enjoyed moving around in this map, it is quite a pleasure to explore.

 

There are a lot of new textures - mainly close-to-monchromatic images. The custom textures must not have translated to Doom's limited palette well... Oh well; they look pretty decent for a turn of the century Doom1 map. There is also some nice detailing in this map - the fireplace is pretty nice to behold, as is the 'Galaga / Demon Attack' arcade machine that you will find a baron playing. I'm a sucker for animated textures, and this one is no exception - upon seeing the arcade machine I actually remembered playing this level years and years ago. It is hard to forget such a distinctive prop. There is a blue key and a Berserk pack here - I think the author wants you to box the baron. I was under the impression that 'baron boxing' was a more new age Doom mechanic, I didn't expect to see this from a map this old. Other cool features include a series of 'cat doors' - doors w/ an image of a fat tabby on them. The main 2 secrets in this map are pretty useful - they provide a series of shortcuts for getting through the level faster.

 

The level concludes w/ an interesting elevator catwalk section + a spidermomma duel. The elevator section is never annoying, and I think most players will find the minor platforming here fun. The spidermomma duel on the other hand is a bit difficult. I think the author really wanted the player to try to dodge around it, as the spiderdemon is also used to shoot you in the back as you wait for a long elevator to lower to get the yellow key required to exit. This area is really dangerous, because to access the key, you essentially have to sacrifice your cover, and expose yourself to the beast's chaingun. It is guaranteed that you'll have little health when you make it past the 'momma, so pay especial care to this end region of the map. I haven't encountered such a well placed spiderdemon since Ohio Edison Offices.

 

Beautiful enjoyable map w/ a great gameplay flow. Sure to be a favorite among any who try it.

 

Spoiler

 

 

Download link: https://bit.ly/30FUfBb