Pierrot Posted September 19, 2021 Thanks for the review of joyraid, @Roofi! 2 Quote Share this post Link to post
LUISDooM Posted September 19, 2021 The maps I've played today are for Doom. They were played with GZDoom g4.6.1, HMP difficulty and Doom (strict) compat mode. The first map is called "MELANGE.WAD" from 1994 by Kenneth S. Forte. Replaces Doom E2M1 This one is a small and simple map in every aspect, texturing, boxy and undetailed rooms, but compared with other maps from the same era, it is pretty well done. It also has some confusing progression, since the blue key is hidden in a secret, but there is a little hint that can help getting it. The other secrets are not that generously hinted like that, and they are a bit well hidden XD The monster placement is not that hard too, since you'll find lots of Zombiemen, Shotgunners and imps with a Baron and Caco here and there, but they dont bring too much challenge given the generous ammo count. A short and simple early map XD Screenshots Spoiler The start point Some square-y goodness XD The exit. Oh, and a baron. The second map is called "Mike's 1st" from 1994 by Mike Lata. Replaces E1M1 A nice old map that, given the time, is pretty good for a first attempt. The architecture is simple and mostly boxy, like most maps from the time, but the texture usage is a bit random, but gives some variety to the different sections. The progression can feel a bit confusing with some unmarked doors and the most important, a unmarked hidden lift (that happened to be just behind the starting point) that was essential to progress. Despite that, it has it's moments, like a section where an horde of Imps start teleporting into the room, it quickly gets crowdy in there XD A bit confusing but fun early map :O Have some pics: Spoiler The start pioint Lotsa skulls XD 0 Quote Share this post Link to post
Sena Posted September 19, 2021 Day 14: Press Conference https://www.doomworld.com/idgames/levels/doom2/p-r/prscnfc Playing this map did put what I said a few days ago about repetition into perspective. At its core, playing the same game for this long is a repetitive action, it is all the same - kill the same enemy types with the same weapons to unlock doors and finish the level. The reason I do not find all maps as infuriatingly repetitive and boring as 40oz's (hope he can forgive my melodramatic rhetoric) map is the fact that despite being the same core experience, they can provide me with new experiences and encounters. The reason I bothered to give this pointless and drawn out preamble is because Press Conference has an excessively samey map design, to be more exact, the whole thing is made up of square rooms with no height variation, which is normally a bad thing, you can probably expect at this point that I'm going to disparagingly compare it to Wolfenstein 3D, but I'm not going to do that, because it's actually good. The map is made up of two halves, the Earth part, where given the title, it's probably a press conference in the White House, a name taken very literally, with every single wall and floor being the same white texture, and the Hell part, which looks a lot better, probably because it's a lot easier to decorate something to make it look like Hell compared to the earlier part in which just about everything has to be white, which unsurprisingly limits the available number of textures to decorate the map with. Even ignoring the visuals, the map feels to me like it's very clearly divided into the 'good half' and the 'bad half', and the good half is the Hell one, because the other one is basically thoughtless, walking through small square rooms with a shotgun and pushing buttons to get through, with the enemy placement and level design, it does not warrant any actual consideration, you don't have to think about if you'd rather fight them here, or move into a previous hallway wherein you'll have better room to dodge, chiefly due to the fact you encounter them in such small numbers, whereas later on they're willing to actually challenge the player and throw some stuff that makes you think, never would have guessed that I played this game because I enjoyed thinking rather than satiating my bloodlust, so I guess this was an educational experience too. Even at its best, I can't describe the design as perfect, I can overlook it here since it's only done once, but getting ambushed by 3 revenants in a small room with no cover is far from my idea of an exemplary combat encounter, and at one point I ran out of shotgun ammo and had to pistol a pain elemental, who's placed behind a wall of lost souls, and pistoling one lost soul would have been bad enough. Also, the enemy has about 120 enemies, but only about 60 of them are de facto enemies you fight, the other 60 are imp corpses used in a room with an archvile, which is a good encounter, but you get there instantly, so he can only resurrect about 10 of them, at best, and that one room would have been very easy if I didn't have to learn in real time that trying to kill the imp and archvile with the same SSG shot doesn't actually work and you'd probably have an easier time trying to kill him by throwing golf balls, but anyway, it's actually a fun map, not that long, would be better if it just started you off in the Hell area from the onset. 6/10. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post
Roofi Posted September 20, 2021 Month 5 Day 1 I play until I die or intentionally stop. I don't comment the wad where I die/stop File 1) Deathrow by Kris Daley (1995) Spoiler Quote Same as most levels, kill all the monsters and find the secrets to win. A very amateurish level for obvious reasons. You can collect litterally TONS of ammo and health and easily get all the weapons as well. All the potential challenge is killed by this blatant overabundance. Also , most of the areas feel extremly empty due to the lack of detail and consistency between the rooms. However , I enjoyed some parts , like the giant grassy outdoors (as many doom maps) and the huge circular room with red pillars and hanging corpse textures. The worst part of the map is when you have to collect the mandatory red key. You indeed have to find a switch hidden behind an unmarked door in order to lower the pillar holding the red key. Anyway, I had fun on this map nevertheless but no worth playing today. File 2) Tower of Mutilation by @Deathmatcher (Ingmar Derks) (2003) Spoiler Quote A Small Deathmatch-Level for Doom. I made it for Doom's 10th birthday! A cute DM map using a midi-rendition of the famous "Happy Birthday" Music. Besides that nothing special. You can explore 4 small sections centered around a square "arena", which look pretty great. There is also an oddly placed mastermind hidden behind a middle texture. File 3) PN Slime Base by @PirateNipple (2008) Spoiler Quote The Doom guy is going to the store to buy tacos, but on the way home the monsters steal them! He follows them to the fabled PN Slime Base, maintained by the evil PN Corporation who for some reason works for the UAC and they have some of their crates in there. The Doom guy asks for the tacos back, because he could never bring himself to harm a monster. They give an apology and return his tacos, then invite him inside to play Scrabble! The Doom guy says he would love to, and that he will see them there soon! The truth is, though, that the Doom guy was lying and he wants to destory all the monsters. The tacos can wait. There's Hell to pay. A sweet rocky vanilla map full of slime taking place in a kind of tech-base. This level is according to me a tasty mix between a map of Alien Vendetta and TNT Evilution, because of the music used from this iwad. The advanced details as well as the chosen textures remind me a lot of "Toxic Touch" from AV , without the depressing atmosphere. The author has a great sense of progression. I especially enjoyed all the outdoors parts. The tech-base look more generic in some areas but there was a little crate maze I enjoyed a lot. The map is not difficult and you can find some very rewarding secrets containing especially two soulspheres and a plasma gun ! However , ammo tend to be a bit tight, I had to create some infights in order to be a bit confortable but nothing really frustrating otherwise. Slime doesn't harm you too. It's not really obvious until you have to pass a mandatory pathway full of nukage. Very good little find for vanilla addicts. File 4) Heartless by @Doomguy93 (2009) Spoiler Quote A map reminiscent of the original E2M4 of Doom, but from scratch and with a different name. Do not be be confused with "Earthless" , a Doom 2 Episode by James Paddock ! Heartless is an obvious boom-compatible tribute to Doom's Deimos Lab. The remake is also for Ultimate Doom and replaces E2M4 as well.Also, it was Doomguy93's first mapping attempt , which is kinda impressive. So, while playing this map, we have a huge feeling déjà-vu because of the very similar texturing and the absence of music replacement. However, there are notable differences contrary to the original map. First of all, the whole level proves to be more combat-oriented and sometimes drift toward slaughter. The lab now houses more than 450 monsters! You can't find areas without at least one enemy. On the other hand, the majority of them are concentrated in certain rooms or traps where they teleport massively to create particularly slaughter fights. Due to the absence of SSG and the more intensive use of "strong" monsters such as the baron or the cacodemon, the gameplay turns out to be more grindy although enjoyable. On the other hand, we have the opportunity to meet a cyberdemon and get a BFG, which is also new. Obviously, beyond the gameplay, the aesthetic has been greatly improved with a more advanced detailing. However, some textures are strangely used, including switch textures as a means of decoration. On the other hand, I think the original iwad map had a better layout with more varied shapes and more interconnectivity. Heartless is larger and more adventurous but the layout is much more corridor-like and boxy. Also, I think the high number of monsters tends to reduce the mysterious atmosphere of Deimos Lab. A great map in any case. File 5) Waste Disposal Inc. by @cyber-menace (doomsrt@yahoo.ca) (2003) Spoiler Quote This being my first DM map, I think it's actually pretty good. I use props such as trees and drain pipes to spruce up the look a bit. The BFG is also a bit harder to find than usual in this DM map. Enjoy! A sort of sewage system that empties into a forest. I really digged the aesthetics and especially the forest made of sector trees .A rather joyful atmosphere also comes out of it thanks to the upbeat music. I believe it's very large for a DM map though. I think the two sections should have been separated into two different levels. As it is, I probably would have preferred the author to make a singleplayer map. File 6) Judas (DOOM ][ Deathmatch) by brian vannatta (Stragenl on IRC) (1996) Spoiler Quote Judas21a.wad is a REVISION of judas21.wad - ALL of the deathmatch starts are now active (this greatly improves the overall flow of the level). GET THIS PWAD *INSTEAD* OF THE ORIGINAL JUDAS21.WAD! A small wooden mansion populated with some zombiemen in order to distract your weapons. Very small and compact map but great aesthetics. Nuff Said. Next ! File 7) FORT DOOM by MARK TISSUE (2005) Spoiler Quote Main Entrance to the DOOM Fortress! A 1994 map uploaded in 2006. Actually , the level is divided in two parts : a brown fort with some narrow corridors and rooms inside , and a more hellish part including a small puzzle with teleporters and hexagonal rooms. I think the first part has the most interesting scenery. I like the height of the ramparts and the towers with the barrier textures. The second part annoyed me a bit because the small puzzle didn't add gameplay value. Also as many old doom maps , you have too much ammo and you can obtain an overpowered BFG in an easy-to-find secret. Pretty good 1994 map but don't want to replay it. File 8) 8-bit Binary Addition by @Xtroose (2010) Spoiler Quote A voodoo doll powered 8-bit binary calculator. It only supports addition. A boom-compatible test map , which shows you all the potential of Voodoo dolls. I can't make a long comment about this though. I don't know how a 8-bit binary calculator works in real life. However , it's technically impressive to create this on Doom. The second level has nothing related to the calculator but it's not less outstanding. It's just a kind of pixel-art of the iconic fish used on Doomworld ! File 9) Title:SAM & MAX Sound wad by BoneZai_B (1996) Quote A total sound conversion for Doom v1.2 and up. When I got a program to extract the Sam&max sounds ,my purpose was to make a sound wad less than a meg, and that replaced all the sounds. And i did! A compilation of sounds extracted from the videogame "Sam and Max". This one isn't bad at all contrary to (many) other sound wads. It definitely helps making Doom more toony without being too silly and above all totally unbearable.It reminds me a bit of Chex Quest. I stop here for today. 3 Quote Share this post Link to post
ICID Posted September 20, 2021 "Look around you, marine. Everyone is dead, and soon, you will join them." A new adventure awaits! 1 Quote Share this post Link to post
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.