The DWmegawad Club plays: KINDa

[dei_eldren]

KINDa - MAP12 Monster Monopoly (HNTR, blind, continuous w/ saves): K 98% (96/98), I 93% (15/16), S 100% (3/3), D 0, T 30:12

 

Spoiler

This map could be almost directly out of Doom II or TNT Evilution, with its complex and vast layout and obscure progression.  It was interesting that i almost never knew where to go next, but the map was extremely intuitive.  The map is basically a classic complex, with some hellish features showing through, with a lot of teleporters to transport you around, and it's very difficult to make sense of everything on a blind run.  What really made me paranoid also were the constant teleporting sounds around the base, and also in many places the monsters teleporting behind my back.  If in Her Keep the underoccupation of the map bothered me, what was missing was delivered here in abundance.  The population isn't dense, but not trifling either, but the foreboding atmosphere and the enemies that are there create the experience.

 

Interesting too, that i did end up collecting three keys, two of which were skulled, but the progression was extremely non-linear, effected with keys and switches alike, and while it's certain that the exit could only be reached last, fact is too, that there was always at least a well-crafted illusion of choice, and likely in many cases a real one.  The combat was largely incidental in nature, and in that the level is alike to Death Delivery.  It's not anything special that makes this map - apart from the progression, which alone isn't enough - but the well-crafted basic Dooming experience.  The most striking combat-scene was the one for the BK, with Sargeants and Chaingunners rising out of the floor when advancing towards it, but i equally enjoyed the combat in the corridors, doorways and open areas.  i also thought i heard the Arch-Vile somewhere but never located the fucking bastard.

 

In the end, i was missing two enemies, and there was some places i suspected they might be in, but could not be sure.  So i merely collected a little bit of loot, and let them be.  My condition was excellent, and also the ammo situation was good enough. The secret Megasphere was a surprise - i'd no idea it was a secret before grabbing it, i can only assume before seeing it i had pressed the right switch to make it available.  i also remember the secret automap, which was nice to acquire.  i don't remember what was in the third one, but i also got that one in the course of the level, just trying a texture that struck my eye, so i guess it's safe to say the secrets were easier than average on this one.

 

The unique and striking sky used also must be mentioned, it certainly added to the atmosphere.  This level was intense, and very enjoyable to go through.  Today i only had time to go through it blind on HNTR, but will try to catch up tomorrow with my HMP run, and for the same reason, no pix today.

 

EDIT: i enjoyed the combat even better on HMP, but needed a bit more looking around for what had happened and how to open the path to the BK.  Nothing i minded, though, enjoyed the playthrough a lot also on second run.  i left the bastard AV, who i couldn't figure out where he was, alive.  Fake walls, check!  He didn't zap me once, though!

 

 

HMP:

Spoiler

 

 

Kind of Top Ten:

Spoiler

MAP10 - Mud and Blood

MAP08 - Deux

MAP12 - Monster Monopoly

MAP09 - Death Delivery

MAP05 - Leak

MAP06 - Cement

MAP04 - Treehouse

MAP07 - the UAC Project

MAP02 - Hell's Cavity

MAP01 - Go

MAP11 - Her Keep

MAP03 - Toxic

 

Edited October 12, 2021 by dei_eldren
HMP added

[TheMightyWhoosh]

4 hours ago, Capellan said:

 

 

This will be my last map for the month.  I was unable to finish MAP13 without cheating, and I don't keep playing if I can't finish a map legitimately.  Further comments on MAP13 in the spoiler.

 

  Hide contents

The YK placement is nonsense.

 

The switch after the blue door is nonsense, too.  There's nothing to make you think it did something in a room you haven't needed to visit since the start of the map.

 

A shame, because I really did enjoy the major theme of the map: blowing up clouds of hitscanners with barrels is great fun.

 

 

That’s a shame mate as I enjoyed your play-through’s. I suppose our ideas and opinions for maps are quite different, but thanks for the feedback for the first 13 maps at least. 

[Salt-Man Z]

MAP12: The Monster Monopoly (HMP/continuous/saves)

20:29 | 100% Everything

For the most part, this map was just pure run-'n-gun fun. Always something to shoot in front of me, often a choice of left or right, and the layout--for as maze-like as it was--always seemed to spit me back out to where I could quickly choose the second direction this time. This got me through probably 85% of the map, and then it was, "Let's check the automap and see what I've missed now." One of the more notable traps was where the chaingunners (or whoever else ended up wandering over) would teleport just in front or behind you; would have been maybe more interesting to see that used a bit more. The teleporting archvile at the blue key scared the crap out of me when I grabbed the key and suddenly heard both sound effects (vile and teleporter) overlapping each other in a loud, bizarre screech. Luckily I was able to quickly sniff out his hidey-hole and dispatch him with a couple of rockets. The use of teleporter flats on the lifts was an odd choice, as was one imp in the northernmost room (with the twin teleporters) who was stuck wandering back and forth to the north of that building outside, giving only split-seconds of opportunity to snipe him through the windows for max kills. But yeah, this one was a lot of fun to play; very IWAD-y. And that sky! I kinda wish we had gotten to see more of it.

[DisgruntledPorcupine]

MAP10: Blood and Mud

UV, pistol start, no saves

100% kills, 0/1 secrets

 

A predominant hellish cavern theme for this one, it feels a bit in MAP03's vein, where the layout and its damaging floors are your biggest foe. While the radsuit placements are a bit more generous this time, the layout felt a bit more obtuse to me personally, with it taking some effort to find the keys as well as what the switches they activate did. Ammo felt sparse at the beginning, even forcing me to dash past some monsters as I only had pistol ammo, but once I got the two shell boxes in the brown cave section as well as the chaingun from the chaingunner ambush nearby, I actually felt myself with a bit of a surplus in ammo. The plasma rifle that I obtained later didn't even see any use, I actually forgot I had it by the end, Health supplies are as tight as ever, although there is a very helpful soulsphere in the hellslime cave section.

 

The combat in this one was quite nice. I especially enjoyed the start, a slightly hot start in an open area, with the shotgun and SSG placed around on top of small pedestals. The SSG is more tightly guarded, so you're encouraged to go for the shotgun first before that one. I thought this was a very fun start to the level, and it actually reminded me of a much smaller and easier version of some of antares031's work. The rest of the combat in the level is pretty strong as well. I enjoyed the escape at the end after hitting the red switch, where monsters teleport in your path. There are even some pain elementals that come in, although they were not able to do much damage in my run.

 

My impressions are sort of similar to MAP03, although I liked the combat in this one more and perhaps the layout a bit less. Overall though I would say I prefer this one.

 

MAP11: Her Keep

UV, pistol start, no saves

100% kills, 2/2 secrets

 

Wood, stone, and grassy textures paired with the bleak Sign of Evil midi define this one. The layout of this one is interesting, with the pillars at the start having switches that each open up different ways to go. There are also small gargoyle faces on the pillars which all open up a soulsphere secret when pressed, which was nice and creative. I wasn't really sure how the different paths interacted while I was playing through it, but I'm pretty sure the side paths with the BFG and backpack are optional while the small corridors opened up are not. Either way if you just keep progressing down the paths and take a different one if you are blocked off, the progression feels relatively clean, so no complaints on my end.

 

Combatwise it felt quite easy, especially if you do get that soulsphere at the start. You could definitely find yourself experiencing an early death with the nasty hitscanners at the start, but once you get past that it's pretty much smooth sailing in my experience. The mastermind (presumably referred to in the title) that pops up when you grab the BFG is a big pushover, as masterminds that you can easily get close to with a BFG in hand tend to be. Apart from her there's no real reason to take out the BFG apart from maybe blasting the archvile at the end really quick if he scares you. In any case, I feel like maybe the BFG could have been taken out of this level, would probably lead to the mastermind being a bigger threat and wouldn't change the rest of the level much I think.

 

This level was a neat concept, but I would have liked to see the difficulty ramped up a little for an episode ender.

[brick]

I've been lurking here for a while, I guess participating in a DWmegawad would be a good time for a first post. I'll try to catch up before we hit the 15th.

My idea of fun challenge is the original IWADs on UV, which means I play almost every PWAD on a lower difficulty.

Doing HNTR continuous, trying to only save a couple of times per level. Using GZDoom with Software renderer. Completely blind run, I hadn't even heard of KINDa until today.

 

MAP01 - Go (missed a single enemy somewhere, 100% items and secrets)

I like the "classic" style of detailing, simple but comforting and doesn't distract from the action. I admit I didn't find the first level too memorable. It gave me a bit of a Plutonia vibe (which I am not a fan of) with the chaingunners and the revenant. If this is any indication, it seems like ammo will be a scarce commodity - I didn't run out, but it's a wake-up call compared to the IWADs drowning you in it. Not hugely memorable but a good starter map.

 

MAP02 - Hell’s Cavity (100%)

I admit the teleport ambushes and closets started grating a bit here. Quite a bit of backtracking but the level isn't big enough for that to be a problem. One of the secrets was quite obvious, but the other was fun to figure out (and is well hinted).

 

MAP03 - Toxic

Plenty of radsuits (at least on HNTR) so the toxic floor adds a bit of tension and planning without being annoying. This is where I started feeling the levels were becoming more thematic and more memorable. Still, there's a bit too much backtracking (and through toxin) and what some switches do is sometimes cryptic, leading to even more unnecessary backtracking. I failed to get to the platform with the revenant and the blue armour and have no idea how to (and I think I missed all secrets).

 

MAP04 - Treehouse (100%)

I wasn't a huge fan of this one either. It's not big but it's confusing, lots of backtracking (especially if you go the wrong way first at an intersection, which I of course did on every single one). It's a distinctive map to be sure and I didn't hate it, but I didn't like it that much either (and I'm not sure if the name is a good fit).

 

MAP05 - Leak (100%)

Fantastic level and made me glad I stuck past the first maps. Other than the teleport rush early on (and the demons near the end) enemy progression seems much more organic. Figuring out the blue key is fun, but what I really loved is the adventure inside the nuclear reactor, very clever use of damaging floors and a good bit of environmental storytelling. The mancubi arena is my favourite fight so far. Now I'm really looking forward to what's to come next.

[TheMightyWhoosh]

34 minutes ago, Salt-Man Z said:

The use of teleporter flats on the lifts was an odd choice, as was one imp in the northernmost room (with the twin teleporters) who was stuck wandering back and forth to the north of that building outside, giving only split-seconds of opportunity to snipe him through the windows for max kills.

Yeah, I did use some odd flats on the lifts; however I kinda like it. There will definitely be some eyebrows raised in a future map regarding usage of textures/flats, for sure… 

 

The Imp/Caco section - I really wish I blocked it so that they couldn’t wander off. The map itself went through a lot of changes regarding layouts and textures and I’m not sure I’ve ever been 100% happy with it. In future I’ll lay off the “stringy” layouts! 

[Book Lord]

MAP 12 – The Monster Monopoly

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

 

After spending half an hour in The Monster Monopoly, I uselessly racked my brains to find a connection between this indoor maze of METAL tunnels and the popular Parker Brothers/Hasbro boardgame. There was no prison, no GO space with some replenishment, no railroads, no utilities, no properties to buy or houses to build. The only feature loosely associated with Monopoly was the frequent taxation of my health, applied by the always ubiquitous hitscanners. All right, I agree it was a hopeless comparison.

 

The starting area gave me a chance to admire the Episode 2 sky in all his majesty. I can hardly see how this oversized and grainy SE microscope shot of neuron-like cells could work as a skybox; it could be acceptable in small views through windows and holes in the ceiling, but not in the wide-open space. The teleporter sent me in the middle of a labyrinth of hallways, fast doors, lifts with weird pentacle floors, and windows overlooking future areas to explore. The graphics tended to a monotone brown colour, interrupted by the occasional distinct area or sector lighting element that prevented getting lost. The objectives were finding the BK and then the RSK, which unlocked the exit. The optional YSK provided a secret plasma rifle and ammo.

Spoiler

I stumbled into the BK area first and got killed by chaingunners and Demons teleporting behind me in the blink of an eye. On -fast I had no time to react, and I had spared the free Megasphere for later. That was a mean-spirited trick I had not seen in a while, and one you can easily counter with foreknowledge. However, I decided to explore the other branch instead and got a glimpse of the entire level, before finding a way back and flipping the switch that unlocked the BK room.

Spoiler

@TheMightyWhoosh must be a fan of the Casali’s meanest expedients to use pop-up hitscanners, followed by an Arch-Vile hidden behind MARBFACE fake walls. I figured out the trap almost immediately, but he attacked so -fast that I took a blast before reaching the cover. He even warped between the two niches, making sure that I wasted some rockets as well. At the end of the day, no combat set piece on this map could be described as hard. Its main challenge was figuring out the way to progress and enduring the inevitable backtracking, prompted by my frequently wrong assumptions. Teleporters were provided to save some leg work, even though ideas like the double teleporter in the northernmost room were confusing. The left pad led to the red door and to the exit, the right pad was a one-way deviation that only wasted my time.

 

The Monster Monopoly had a vintage feel, like it was one of those experimental ‘90s maps, trying to build on an idea but getting nowhere in particular. I enjoyed the exploration, the iWAD trope of the optional yellow key, and especially the visual interconnection between physically separate areas. On the other hand, I found combat to be either irrelevant or irritating. When no cheap tricks were used to create artificial difficulty, the monster placement ranged from pointless (e.g., the excessive number of monsters outside the windows in the northern room) to absurd (e.g., the stone pit in the south-eastern courtyard filled with all but flying monsters). Surely this was the map I liked the least so far.

[Biodegradable]

MAP12 - Monster Monopoly

UV | Continuous | GZDoom and Vanilla+

 

From a visual/progression standpoint, I definitely echo other people's sentiments regarding the D2/TNT vibes. I didn't have too hard of a time navigating the map itself compared to others it seems, especially after I figured out the map computer secret. It's certainly an interesting map with its mixture of claustraphobic tunnels with multiple ways of getting around opening up to larger areas at the end. Lots of chaingunners to whittle your health down if you play carelessly, sadistically placed at times hehe. Combat in general was a little rudimentary most of the time, but there's a couple of funky moments. I'd say the stand-out being the blue keycard trap with the Archie hiding in the walls, constantly teleporting Plutonia-style.

 

 

[TheMightyWhoosh]

MAP 13: Progression spoiler 

 

Spoiler

It appears that the yellow key is perhaps too hidden and I don’t want this to hinder what is quite a fun map. 
 

When you hit a certain switch and two routes belong available, take the left route and take your time through it.  

 

[Doritos420]

Map12 - Monster Monopoly

I really dug this level. The psychedelic new skybox paired with this level feels like you’re exploring some kind of floating base. I’m guessing that’s the KINDA entity, though I didn't read any story stuff in the text file, I’m eager to see how it unfolds. Starting off with the rocketlauncher (a unconventional starting weapon), I ended up finding a chaingunner, blasting him and stealing his chaingun and then quickly finding the super shotgun. Very nonlinear level design here, feels almost like a metroidvania. I relied a lot on looking at the automap to navigate around. I was able to 2 out of 3 secrets. I’m guessing the automap was the last one I didn’t get. The base is mostly guarded by imps and chiangunners so the chaingun was my go to weapon for most of it. A point of highlight for me was when you enter the blue key room and the hit scanners pop in infront of you, then a archville spawns in behind the icon of sin textures. I guess the icon is supposed to be zapping you while you’re in the room. Creative monster trap.

[MtPain27]

MAP 12: Monster Monopoly

 

What's monopoly got to do with it? This is another one of those circuitous, monochromatic hallway crawlers: Monster Monopoly kind of shoots itself in the foot giving you such an early megasphere...I'm torn about it. On one hand, I liked being able to focus solely on exploration, but on the other the combat felt too free of consequence for me to remember much of it. I totally missed what exactly I did that opened the blue key, which consequently ballooned my playtime to 18:44. 

 

Some other decisions that made me double take: 1)  the arch-vile who not only teleports back and forth across the BK room, but is also hidden by demon wall textures...that was just a waste of rockets; 2) the teleporter to the secret automap is single use for some reason; 3) the room with two teleporters that send you to totally different locations, one of which is the exit room. Also, that RK trap with the nine chaingunners is just mean. Good thing I'm conditioned to run when I touch keys, else I'd have been chewed up good. 

 

 

Footnote: I really like the optional plasma room, too bad I found it after I gave all the monsters a dirt nap. 

 

[DuckReconMajor]

MAP12 - Monster Monopoly - dsda-doom - skill 4 pistol start - rewinds used 

 

Starting right off the bat with a big display of the awesome new sky texture.

We get to see this sky off and on throughout the rest of the stone-metal base, with some grassy ZIMMER areas as a treat.

The stone 'bathtub' in the other outdoor area with the revenants/barons was surprisingly difficult

The blue key room not so much, but i did like that area

 

Spoiler

 

 

Edited October 12, 2021 by DuckReconMajor

[DJVCardMaster]

MAP12 - Monster Monopoly (99%K/100%I/100%S):

Another great map in the style of TNTs works like Evilution or Icarus, this one looks like one map of the later mapset. Aesthetic decisions like those made in Icarus: Alien Vanguard, again, Ty Halderman would be proud. This one is not as bad with ammo as previous entries, and finally we are starting to see more berserk packs here. Map has a laberynthic layout you can really enjoy exploring. Nothing offensive about this map, except for the blue key room trap, with the sudden hitscanners that can infinitely tall you if you run quickly, the door closes with a timer and you have to deal not only with them, but with a hidden teleporting arch-vile behind the marble walls.  Thanks to god there are two pillars for you to hide. 
As with MtPain27, I liked the optional plasma gun room, a similar trait to the one in MAP06, sadly, I got it way too late into the map, before I had to exit it.

(UV Playthrough - PrBoom+)

Order of preference:
 

Spoiler

 

MAP09
MAP12
MAP10
MAP08

MAP05
MAP11

MAP01
MAP04
MAP06
MAP02
MAP07
MAP03

 

 

[FragsBunny]

MAP12: Monster Monopoly (96%/93%/100%)

1.       Revenant have a regenerating shield

2.       Baron of Hell will pick up and throw dead monsters

3.       Arachnotron projectiles are partially invisible

 

For our second episode we have a new skybox – one that I do not remember seeing anywhere before. But that’s probably because I never cared about Mechadon’s box of skies or whatever. Anyway, this map is not for people with poor sense of direction, and even I had to constantly check my automap after finding the radar secret. Note that teleport leading to computer area map works only once – was that on purpose?

 

And there was that outdoor area with that blur sphere, which I could grab only on my second try, because it was almost perfectly placed behind those teleport lines. Being a continuous player, I have nearly maxed 3 of the 4 of my ammo reserves, so ammo problem will not be a problem for the rest of my walkthrough. In spite of that, I felt the need to use the chaingun more often than super shotgun – because there were so many chaingunners! Doom Core comes in mind again…

 

Even so, my health or armor never went below 100%, especially with other two good secrets around. Like I said before the layout of this map is rather confusing, and you may end up checking the automap more often that I do. Reminds of old good times with Wolfenstein 3d and BlakeStone – many rooms and corridors, but most of then usually lead to dead end rooms. It took me just a few minutes to find the exit area – I had all three keys on me, but no red door in sight. Then I decided to step in the left teleport instead of the right and got teleported right in front of red door. Geez, who would know that those symmetrical teleporters at north would lead in different locations?

Edited October 12, 2021 by FragsBunny

[dei_eldren]

KINDa - MAP13 Blast (HNTR, blind, continuous w/ saves): K 100% (140/140), I 100% (38/38), S 100% (2/2), D 0, T 27:57

 

Spoiler

A large and to a large extent non-linear nukage facility, but entirely different in style than the controversial MAP03 Toxic.  This has much less nukage to start with, and is more akin to MAP11 in style, only in white dirty nukage facility garb and with double the complexity.  The facility is impressive in layout and visuals, with a lot of machinery in motion, adding to the atmosphere with their noise.  The enemy population consists almost entirely of hitscanners and Imps, up to Chaingunners.

 

 

A good number of them will be killed with exploding barrels, but there's not any similarity to good old Barrels o' Fun.  But in their numbers they are formidable, and there are some instances where the player meets rows of them as they walk out of the secret closets.  Mowing them down is a lot of fun, either with the barrels, or with the trusted chaingun and shotgun.  i entered the map with 200% health/armour, and exited with 118, even with the non-secret Soul Sphere.

 

But, only one radsuit??  In the very least, having two at the place where nukage is entered from would've not compromised the difficulty, only ensured that as one on a blind run will need to revisit the nukage area, it's made possible without taking obligatory damage.  The nukage area itself is very nice, and tricky - my premium suit ran out well before i was done with the area on first visit, and without a hint for the obligatory YK i had to go second time without a suit at all.  i didn't read any hints before playing, and it's true, there was some consternation about it, but for me it's fine.  i realized by studying the map where i'd likely missed something.  But, i would've really needed a second suit.  Maybe a third suit in the other room of the nukage area.  Or, a couple of stimpacks in the nukage would do as well.  But not to make too much of it (that's a lot of text for a relativelly small annoyance), it's not like running through it takes more than a few seconds.  And there's a good amount of health in the level, even a berserk-pack, which i really needed after the YSK with the emerging hitscanners.

 

 

The final room seemed scarier than it was, with the bastard Arch-Vile making a short cameo - and i assume there's more than two of them on higher difficulties.  Neither of the secrets was particularly difficult, but i'm still happy about learning, since i figured out how to get the Invulnerability to make up for needing a hint for the Megasphere in the Treehouse.  To my mind, though, the switch farther away that lowered the two stimpacks would've been a good choice for it, too.

 

 

Substantial map, and very enjoyable.  i actually welcome problematic progression to an extent, and that's why i didn't read the spoilers.  And my only criticism is the one radsuit on offer. 

 

HMP run i'll play tomorrow and then add it here.

 

 

HMP run - couple deaths:

Spoiler

 

 

Kind of Top Ten:

Spoiler

MAP10 - Mud and Blood

MAP08 - Deux

MAP12 - Monster Monopoly

MAP09 - Death Delivery

MAP05 - Leak

MAP13 - Blast

MAP06 - Cement

MAP04 - Treehouse

MAP07 - the UAC Project

MAP02 - Hell's Cavity

MAP01 - Go

MAP11 - Her Keep

MAP03 - Toxic

 

Edited October 13, 2021 by dei_eldren

[TJG1289]

GZDoom/Blind/UV/Continuous/Saves

Map 12 - THE MONSTER MONOPOLY

100% kills and secrets

Time: 14:17

 

The first level of the second episode brings us a very startling skybox. Is that some kinda virus? Or a nerve ending? idk what it is, but it's kinda unsettling seeing it in the sky like that. We've got what is easily the most complex map so far. This one is very mazy, and it can be hard to figure out where to go. Very 90s in that aspect. I think I explored everything I possibly could before finding the blue key. On the opposition front, there's more mid-tiers here then there has been, and that's a good thing. There's a decent amount of chaingunners around too, and they're probably the biggest threat. The most annoying area is probably the trench area that houses the berserk, plus a rev, baron, and a few others. Plasma is the best bet here, as it's kinda tough to take them out quickly any other way. But there's a lot of different areas with unique geometry that can be an issue. The blue key room also unleashes a hidden archie that was a surprise. I found the 3 secrets pretty easily, but I'm not sure why the megasphere was one. I probably lowered it somehow before finding it. Nice solid opening for the second episode, and a much deserved difficulty increase.

[cannonball]

MAP 12: Monster Monopoly

 

This one is a little too mazey for its own good, as such navigation is a little disorientating. The blue key trap was a bit of a surprise with that archvile behind the fake walls, then the yellow key room was monster free. This felt whilst thematically consistent a little disjointed both in progression and combat. The big threat again is the chaingunners that are plentiful. 

[Book Lord]

MAP 13 – Blast

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

 

No matter which of the two horrid MODWALL3 doors is chosen first, everybody will soon learn that Blast is full of barrels and hitscanners to blow up, an activity that usually brings about ridiculous scenes and entertainment. The level lived up to these expectations for a good while, until I came to grips with the intended progression and one curious design mistake, that turned the puzzle into a real brainteaser.

Spoiler

This tech-base was guarded solely by former humans, and the author’s desire to emulate maps like Stronghold was evident in many places. The main differences with pure hitscanner hells were the interesting use of crushers, which were both an obstacle to overcome and a nuisance to the player’s sight, and the presence of nukage, which acted as a movement hazard and put additional pressure, especially in the mandatory section to cross. There was only a single Radiation Suit available and multiple paths through toxic waste to explore, so this assumed either a prior knowledge or that some damage must be endured.

 

I always leave damaging floors last, so I entered the eastern part of the level knowing that there were both a blue and a yellow door. As soon as I bathed into nukage, I cleared the area as quickly as possible, first the right-hand side, then the left one. Attrition damage was inevitable, so when I saw a medikit behind dead chaingunners I dashed towards it. With that move, I unintentionally grabbed the BSK, which was on the other side of the window but too close. Not realising that I broke the progression, I completed the exploration and returned to the twin crusher area, just to be stuck again after pushing a mysterious switch and finding a Combat Armour. The trip into nukage was meant for the YSK and if a mapper wants to avoid complaints, he/she should either give plenty of shielding suits or place the key in a visible spot, not in a niche in one of the two tunnels you might take to leave the area, likely in a hurry.

 

I checked the automap and realised I could have missed something in the nukage tunnels and took my dose of pain to get the YSK. Behind its door, another crusher corridor was in store, with a secret Invulnerability I was not so fond to pick up. There were several problems with that secret: not only it was difficult to hear the opening with the crusher noise, but the crusher inside the octagonal room risked trapping the godmode player for a while. Maybe its purpose was to avoid damage from the widespread ambush triggered by the BSK pickup. Again, putting it to good use required familiarity with the map.

 

When the chaos died down, I found myself without a direction. There was no reason to backtrack to the starting room and to a rightfully forgotten dead end, but since Dario Casali turned a sea sunset sky into a new area in Caribbean, transforming a window into a courtyard porch apparently made sense in this level. The newly revealed area hosted an Arch-Vile teleporting between two towers like in Caughtyard, with the exception that safe cover was granted and both towers were filled with barrels to comfortably blow him up. Opening the exit required more switch triggering and zombie killing.

Spoiler

I did not have a blast while playing Blast. Grabbing the BSK allows to skip half the level if you know where to go, but it left me dazed and confused on this blind playthrough. Good ideas and funny combat were not enough to counterbalance the numerous oddities and counter-intuitive arrangements on display. Not my favourite kind of map.

[DisgruntledPorcupine]

MAP12: The Monster Monopoly

UV, pistol start, no saves

100% kills, 3/3 secrets

 

The level starts with some goodies and a peaceful step onto the balcony to get a good look at the skybox for this episode, which is probably one of the cooler skyboxes I've seen. It's quite strange looking and provokes your imagination somewhat, and is also pretty easy on the eyes as a backdrop. After you've had your look, the rest of the level forward is metallic and mazelike. The level makes an interesting decision to give you the rocket launcher right off the bat, leaving the other weapons to be scrounged up from either enemies or found within the maze.

 

So I've probably made it relatively clear that I've found some of the layouts offputting in their obtuseness in this wad. This one is probably the least clear yet, but it also probably ends up being my favourite layout the wad has presented so far. Rather than the layout feeling like a bit of an obstacle to enjoyment at parts, the confusing layout is worn a lot more proudly and can lead to some pretty transforming moments upon repeated attempts. Will you find the SSG early on, or happen upon it a bit later? Will you stumble right into the heart of the ambush with chaingunners and other threats, or will you first end up at one of the higher windows overlooking the area to get the jump on your foes? I also quite like the automap secret, which also gives you a convenient little spot to peek at the revenants in the high windows and shoot at them with your SSG. The level has lots of little things like that which can lead to quite different experiences depending on how you progress, and as a result I had a lot of fun exploring. The difficulty doesn't end up being so bad at the end if you take things in advantageous ways, but it made for a fun playthrough regardless.

 

Great level, might be my personal favourite yet.

Edited October 13, 2021 by DisgruntledPorcupine

[brick]

MAP06 - Cement (100%)

I'm starting to understand what some of the others meant about the texturing. I like it, it's unusual, it stands out, but I think it does work once you get used to it. Playing on continuous it seems like ammo is a lot less of a problem now. I really like the difficulty balancing, HNTR actually lives up to its name so exactly, it's nice to have a megawad that seems to challenge the pros on UV while still being accessible to filthy casuals like me.

I liked the flow of the level. Like the previous one it has a nice mix of exploration, key/switch hunting and combat, and the combat itself is a good balance of regular run and gun, set piece fight and ambush. The one thing I'm not sure about it the yellow key, granted it's an optional secret but it doesn't seem like there's any hint whatsoever, even after getting it I still don't know what made it accessible. Enjoyable map otherwise.

 

MAP07 - The UAC Project (100%)

Short and fun map. I think I'm starting to get used to the style because I got suspicious before taking that final teleporter :P  I quite liked the Dead Simple variation at the end.

 

MAP08 - Deux (100%)

I did not like this one as much as the last few. Progression through the map is quite fun and it looks quite good (I really like the contrast between the blood-and-marble and the refinery sky), but it relied a bit too much on hitscanner attrition and on vertical autoaim. Not my favourite map but still ok overall.

 

MAP09 - Death Delivery (100%)

Easy-ish but enjoyable map. The warehouse motif is done really well with relatively simple geometry. The first pain elemental took me by surprise. Lots of secrets and they were all fun to hunt down.

 

MAP 10 – Blood and Mud (100%)

A pretty hairy start, but there's good room to maneuver and the pace settles down a bit afterwards. Going blind I didn't always go the most optimal route at first, and as a result I had to use almost every radsuit. The berserk took me longer to get than I would like to admit. Some fun surprises on the way back after getting the red key.

 

MAP 11 – Her Keep (100%)

Another really cool level that emphasizes exploration. I'm not sure what all the switches do in the starting area, as I hit all of them as I saw them and before coming to whatever they I assume open up, but singling out the secret ones was quite fun. The setup with Her BFG is great on paper but the particulars of the engine make the execution a bit iffy; you hear her wake-up sound as soon as you step outside, which removes much of the surprise from her spawning, and that same spawning seems a bit random (I'm guessing due to her not wandering into the teleporter very predictably). Great map otherwise, especially for fans of exploration.

[FragsBunny]

MAP13: Blast (100%/92%/100%)

1.       Collecting keys gives monsters a random card buff

2.       Arch-vile have a regenerating shield

3.       Arch-vile can carry other monsters

 

This is where I had to be careful with my next card choice. Getting carried by arch-vile means getting constantly resurrected by it, and I had to keep them away for other monsters, so I chose a defensive card buff, since I believed that The Mighty Whoosh is not kinda person to deliver arch-viles in high numbers or troublesome locations (and boy how wrong I was!)

 

To my surprise, the only enemies I ran into were zombies! To balance things out, there were a lot of barrels being scattered around, to ease the shootouts. In addition to barrels, there were several crushers, and a section of nukage floors with only one rad suit on the while map. I managed to find yellow key faster than I expected without checking the spoilers). My prime rant was not about the key’s location, but the fact that there was only ONE rad suit and that you had to jump in the sludge in order to find the key.

 

Even so, I believe that this is kind of the challenge that the mapper gave to us! A challenge that I managed to complete – but not with full colors. After losing part of my health to those hitscanners (and wasting the invulnerability without killing anything AGAIN), I somehow ended up being killed by the lone arch-vile, who blindsided me after being teleported to the other side by barrel explosion. Crafty! The repeat walkthrough of the map was rather tame in comparison.

[Biodegradable]

MAP13 - Blast

UV | Continuous |GZDoom and Vanilla+

 

It's the sequel to Barrels O' Fun we've been waiting for! >:^) Blast? I certainly had one playing! The mysterious yellow skullkey placement does indeed kill the map's fun factor for a few moments as I had to stop playing and consult MightWhoosh's spoiler post, so I'm definitely onboard with everyone else with its placement. The fact that he even felt compelled to provide that post proves the yellow skullkey's placement is a bit shit. Other than that though, the hitscanner carnage of explosions and bullets allowed me to feel like I was in one of John Woo's classic Hong Kong movies, so it was good fun. Overall progression is admittedly a tad wonky, but that's honestly been KINDa's MO since the beginning, so it's to be expected at this point. It's a fun, gimmicky map for sure.

 

 

[TheMightyWhoosh]

21 minutes ago, Biodegradable said:

The mysterious yellow skullkey placement does indeed kill the map's fun factor for a few moments as I had to stop playing and consult MightWhoosh's spoiler post, so I'm definitely onboard with everyone else with its placement. The fact that he even felt compelled to provide that post proves the yellow skullkey's placement is a bit shit.

An easy mapping solution would be to have created just one lowering tunnel with the key directly in your path. I’m sad to have made such a mapping boo-boo, but it’s all certainly a learning experience. 
 

Glad you enjoyed the map generally, though! 

[Biodegradable]

2 minutes ago, TheMightyWhoosh said:

I’m sad to have made such a mapping boo-boo, but it’s all certainly a learning experience. 

 

You've got a good head on your shoulders, mate. That's the right attitude to have. ;^)

[MtPain27]

MAP 13: Blast

Blow away! Everybody's got their weaknesses: mine is barrels.* In Blast, shit's gon' 'splode. Keep your distance and aim for the unstable substance receptacles. There's nothing sophisticated here, just take cover when you're shot at and make the most of the barrel placements to maximize ammo and entertainment value. TheMightyWhoosh places only two weapons in this map: the rocket launcher and the chainsaw. Of course, you'll be picking up huge stockpiles of chainguns and shotguns from the slushy piles of their former owners...I just thought it was an interesting detail.

 

I'm partial to this brand of industrial decrepitude: the crushers, toxic waste, and 'Smells Like a Burning Corpse' produce a nice pitiless ambiance. The first big room you encounter, pictured below, is my personal favorite room in the megawad so far (it's even better when it's full of barrels, of course). It's just nicely composed and introduces the map theme brilliantly. 

 

I saw the complaints about the yellow key placement; I agree it's weird, and I stumbled on it by accident, but it doesn't break the level, nor is it inconsistent with this wad's Final Doom flavor. My biggest complaint with the map was the dumb reprise of the teleporting arch-vile. Like, we Doom players have seen it a million times, and I guess it's neat looking, but it only ever wastes the player's time. That aside, this was my favorite map so far by a mile.

 

*Case in point, Valiant MAP 14

 

[DuckReconMajor]

MAP13 - Blast - dsda-doom - skill 4 pistol start - rewinds used

 

I certainly had one. (looks like bio already made this joke whoops) 

Hard not to love barrel-heavy maps, especially when they're set up in exciting ways throughout each encounter.

The side room at the beginning is another great way to view this intimidating blobby entity in the sky. 

The teleporting arch-vile was kind of annoying but the way it was positioned I was able to just hold down chaingun fire which was honestly fun to me.

I'm not one of them there maxxers so I don't think I knew there was a yellow key lol.

Something about this little slime pyramid area I found very aesthetically pleasing for some reason.

 

Spoiler

 

 

[Book Lord]

27 minutes ago, DuckReconMajor said:

I'm not one of them there maxxers so I don't think I knew there was a yellow key lol. 

 

At least I am not alone in having grabbed the Blue Skull Key through the wall.

 

The automap in DSDA is actually very helpful in understanding what the switch behind the blue door did.

[Veinen]

Map12: The Monster Monopoly video

 

A bit of a mixed bag, although ultimately I had fun recording the max for this one. The mazey layout got me very lost in my FDA and like a few others I only found the PG after everything was already dead. But even though the layout is confusing at first, building the route through this wasn't that difficult as location of the keys and the PG kind of drive you to do the areas in a certain order. The first big outside area (with computer map secret) was initially super annoying but a slight detour to grab the bluer armor early lowered the blood pressure levels there considerably. The Mega I grab en route to the yellow key is enough for pretty much for the rest of the level, although near the very end you might drop to red numbers in health (not that it matters any if you just survive). Combat is pretty straightforward for the most part  with a couple of questionable encounters; the AV is a little weird but not an annoyance since you're locked in anyway and the Imps and Cacos on the outside area are fairly unnecessary. They can also wander behind the back wall of the room if you let them do that by e.g. teleporting away for a while, in which case you'll need to wait for them to reappear for 100% kills - that is why I just kill all of the immediately. Visually I like the map a lot, the lighting is especially really good here within the tunnels. 

[DuckReconMajor]

3 hours ago, Book Lord said:

At least I am not alone in having grabbed the Blue Skull Key through the wall.

 

LOL oh snap! As you can tell I had no idea that had happened.

[TJG1289]

GZDoom/Blind/UV/Continuous/Saves

Map 13 - BLAST

100% kills and secrets

Time: 11:54

 

What's more fun than mowing down a bunch of hitscan? Blowing them up with barrels, of course! That's the name of the game here in this toxic techbase. All but one monster in this map is some form of zombie, and since there's a lot of them, your health could get knocked down quite hard. There are berserk packs and soul spheres here, but it's still noticeable that there's not a lot of health. I got boned going back for the secret invul and got stuck under a crusher, which put me down to 8% health toward the end of the level, and barely found any unused health pickups after, so I'm going into the next level pretty low on health. The yellow key placement didn't help either. I thought I had checked that tunnel well enough before, but after checking the spoiler further up this thread, I check again and found it. It is weird placement, and probably would have been better if it was just in the middle of the path, but it's not a big deal in the long run. Other than that setback, this was a very fun level. I pretty much just used my chaingun the entire time, even on the random archie at the end, and still had over 300 bullets left upon exit. Here's hoping the next map will be nice at the beginning so I can get some health back.