The DWmegawad Club plays: KINDa

[dei_eldren]

KINDa - MAP14 Death's Dwelling (HMP, continuous w/ saves): K 100% (151/151), I 100% (47/47), S 100% (3/3), D 0, T 27:48

 

Spoiler

My blind run HNTR experience was very poor, it was a combination of being on a bad mood and also the level's combat being a lot of a-runnin' n' a-gunnin' which is not exactly my type.  To be honest, i was also very close to dropping my HMP run, because i thought i likely would make a really bad work of it.  However, five minutes later i decided to try it anyway, to get it out of the way, so to speak, and so i'll write about that instead of my blind run.

 

The map consists mainly of four rooms, around a hub-elevator, a body of water outside, and the exit-area, and is again very TNTesque both in design and aesthetically - only, TNT maps .  Each room has an assortment of hitscanners, along with Hell Knights, Revenants, or Cacodemons.  The fight for the YSK came first, and had Hell Knights, and a copious amount of hitscanners, which all at least i killed before grabbing the key, after which two Pain Elementals were revealed hiding within the structures. From my HNTR run i learned that important is to get rid of the hitscanners first, and once i did that on my HMP run, i really didn't have that hard a time with any of the rooms.

 

 

The room where pressing a switch lowers a structure to reveal a horde of Cacodemons, yielded the BFG - the fight against this emerging swarm was probably my favourite combat in the map.  The last two of the big rooms have Revenants, and are directly connected in space and in purpose.  They work together to effect the last part of the progression - gaining the RSK.  One of them connects directly to the pool outside where it is gained from, the other has the YSK door to the exit area, where the RSK is required.  i must admit that the design of this map is very fine and intricate in all its complexity, but such words are nothing new for this set, are they?  The map also makes interesting use of height variations, as the rooms are all at different floor levels.

 

On my blind run i had no trouble finding and opening the teleport to access the central structures in which the Revenants were housed, as the key to open access to the pool is there.  But i went through the pool without noticing the switch, which would have opened up a wall, and next i spend some time running around wondering where the RSK might be.  Eventually, i had to iddt x2 on the map, and only then found it, went back to the pool, and found the switch.  i should've realized the pool isn't just idle decoration, but, i had had a bad day, which undoubtedly coloured my whole HNTR experience.

 

But on my HMP run, i had sort of forgotten how to access the teleport, and kept running around looking for a switch i thought i'd forgot, because i couldn't find how to open access to the pool... :D  Anyway, at long last i realized how it was effected.  In the body of water, on HNTR run, i thought by the large red triangle symbol that in the closet would be the Spider Mastermind, but instead, it was a mere Arachnotron that i blasted with my BFG - and on HMP there were three of the little spiders.

 

 

Of the side areas, i'll mention the YSK door area.  There's a neat little trap of Imps, which got me good on my blind run.  Also, there's a room empty upon entering, and stepping in it gets filled with hitscanners, Chaingunners, a Revenant and a Baron.  Also, outside of the room, the windows get opened with this door, and Arachnotrons fire into the hallway.  i really liked this whole area a lot.

 

 

i found two of the secrets, the Mega Armor on display in the YSK room and a Megasphere, and the third one on the HMP run.  The Mega Armor was not really needed after the Megasphere, but it would've been a lot of help if i had got it after the first room was done.

 

i'm glad i decided to play the map again immediately, the second run washed away the unpleasantness left by the blind experience.  i should also mention the nasty trap of Chaingunners and Revenants when going down the stairs from the elevator to the northwestern room...not much trouble, when one expects it, but on blind run, worthy of a few fucks and gods.  The map was at first overwhelming and the fights difficult for me to solve, but on second run everything clicked, and i pretty much managed to address everything efficiently.  i actually thought after the first one, there's no way i can add this to my favourites list, and second attempt changed my mind entirely.  There may have been a bit more enemies, but their numbers didn't have much effect on the difficulty for me.

 

 

Blind HNTR run:

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

MAP14 - Death's Dwelling

MAP11 - Her Keep

MAP03 - Toxic

 

[cannonball]

MAP13 - “Blast”

 

Well the map gets a plus point for using a thematic that I am currently using myself. However there are two progression based gripes here. Firstly the Yellow key is seemingly hidden in a nook of that slime lift. Secondly the access to the exit being in the other corridor from the start. The yellow key could have been displayed clearly with a few tweaks and having a blue door at the start could have made backtracking a little clearer. 

Otherwise it is barrels and hitscanners (With one exception). Pretty fun and not too taxing, the archvile was a cakewalk here, the hitscanners at the end however caught me off guard. Regarding the archvile, you can get lucky and only need two rockets to dispatch, as what happened with me.

Overall it is a good map and would rank close to the top of what we have seen so far.

[DJVCardMaster]

MAP13 - Blast (100%K/97%I/50%S):

Mixed feelings with this one, pretty gimmicky, and I think it got a little bit ruined because I carried too much ammo/guns from the previous levels, but hey, if you are placing me a plasma rifle for me to get at the end of the previous map as an optional quest, I may use it, so I don't feel bad for doing it. Map looks samey, and again feels like some random TNT map. The map is full of annoying hitscanners you can mow down with barrels, that's the main gimmick of the map, gameplay is fun, but progression here makes me lower some points, first, the aforementioned yellow skullkey placement, then, the random trigger to open the exit room on a place you would have to check the map exhaustively if you want to find it. It's right at the start, but there is no clear reference to it. Navigating around this map did not feel that good, mostly because of the samey textures used here, no variance. 

(UV Playthrough - PrBoom+)

Order of preference:
 

Spoiler

 

MAP09
MAP12
MAP10
MAP08

MAP05
MAP11

MAP01
MAP13
MAP04
MAP06
MAP02
MAP07
MAP03

 

These kind of maps resembles me to PCorf's Twilight Zone wad, for some reason. I find them pretty similar in architechture and layouts.

[Book Lord]

MAP 14 – Death’s Dwelling

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

 

Death’s Dwelling started off with a bang: an unexpected Bruiser Brothers trap with added pressure by Arachnotrons outside the windows. The cramped room did not allow for much dodging, so I decided to escape to the southern room, populated mostly by former humans and a couple of Hell Knights. After clearing the hall, including the Barons that followed me inside, I picked up YSK and battled the Pain Elementals. This was an unexpected adrenaline rush which I fully enjoyed.

 

The level revolved around the cross-shaped lift at its centre. Three separate areas could be accessed from it, with the upper one on the west being the easiest one to commence with. The eastern section was the trickiest to reach since I had to time my movement accordingly, but it was bountiful with goodies. My exploration went westwards first, down a trapped staircase and then into a large room with many enemies in sniper setup, most notably Revenants inside bunker structures with MIDBRONZ embrasures. I advanced until I found a switch that opened a glaringly misaligned wall I noticed early on, leading to a teleporter and to a secret area on the opposite side of the level.

Spoiler

Sadly, even this map was not exempt from progression oddities. There was a springboard-like stone ledge overlooking another watery area, which I had not explored yet. Since the secret was much more evident than the mandatory path, I was happy with my findings and went elsewhere. I searched the eastern section, finding both the BFG and the secret Megasphere, then I continued and secured the whole level, including the exit pool behind the yellow door. Combat was mostly frontal, with a little variety added by simple but entertaining closet traps and floor pop-ups.

Spoiler

I was obviously missing a red key, but where was it? The automap gave me no hints, because the author was so clever to tuck away the essential teleporter pad, reached by quickly jumping off the stone “springboard” into the central water pool. It was revealed by the same switch that opened the secret in the western part; this was another case of inverted priorities (mandatory progress=obscure; secret=clear). If I could dedicate the same time to gaming as in my youth, I would not mind these things; nowadays I regret any minute wasted wandering aimlessly in Doom maps.

Spoiler

Once reached, the RSK arena in the water pool outside the starting point offered an opportunity to quickly dispatch some stronger enemies. The switch opened a closet with the key and 3 Arachnotrons, while 3 Hell Knights appeared from the same teleporter pad  used to leave the area. In this situation I pulled off my dusty plasma gun, even though the weapon was not to be found on this map (BFG seemed a bit overkill). Backtracking to the exit room was a bit tedious, with a telegraphed shotgunner closet to end the hostilities. Overall, Death’s Dwelling was a flawed but worthy entry in the second episode of Kinda.

[Doritos420]

Map13 - Blast

Fun map, loved the excessive explosive barrel use. Immediately after stumbling into the large hitscanner filled room you get what this level is all about. Very deadly especially with all the long distance chaingunners in this map. Gibbing enemies running around with the chaingun never gets old. The music really captures the mood in this level as well. One thing I can see being an issue (and that others have pointed out) is the yellow key can be easy to overlook since it’s tucked into a corner and players can easily run past it. And the final arena with the archville, I ended up not knowing I unlocked this area, and it just happened to be the first place I decided to check out once I had flipped the switch to access it. The archville fight was pretty fun, but he ended up zapping me down to 25 health before I exploded him. After that the final fight with the rest of the hit scanners was pretty nerve wracking. Ended up only finding the invulnerability secret and left the level with about 10 more enemies left (not sure where they were though). Overall a solid level with a few flaws, probably one of my favs so far.

[TheMightyWhoosh]

MAP 15: Secret exit progression spoiler…

 

This was initially intentional; however it’s a **** move and I know I’m going to get a virtual slap in the face for such a move, so it’s best to pre-warn you guys about it!
 

Spoiler

From the start, there is a switch with a pulsating light nearby that has a 30 second time limit to press before the bars permanently close. If this switch isn’t pressed, your efforts to locate the secret exit will be in vain. 

 

Edited October 14, 2021 by TheMightyWhoosh

[DisgruntledPorcupine]

MAP13: Blast

UV, pistol start, no saves

100% kills, 0/2 secrets

 

A predominantly grey base area filled with barrels with an awesome TNT midi. Visuals are on the plain side, but what's not to love with a barrel map? I did have to check out TheMightyWhoosh's spoiler to locate the yellow key, it is indeed quite unkind in its placement. The mixture of it being hidden off to the side in a dark area, being on a path you can easily pass up for the other door, and it being located in a nukage area with only one rad suit gets a headshake out of me. 

 

That gaffe aside though, the map is good fun. It's downright hitscanner hell where you can find your health depleted surprisingly fast, but obviously there's no enemy more satisfying to blow up with barrels than hitscanners, and there are some mighty satisfying moments with the barrels in this one. The map also likes its crushers, which are a fine obstacle that doesn't annoy too much here. I would have liked more than one radsuit in the nukage area if not only to make the yellow key hunt less painful, but oh well. The ending archvile was a cool little encounter, if not a little bit trivial.

 

Qualms with the key inside, this one was good fun.

[brick]

MAP12 - The Monster Monopoly (100%)

Early on I expected to dislike the map when I thought I'd keep getting lost, but it's actually not hard to find your bearings even without the automap if you pay attention to where you're going and how everything is connected. I ended up enjoying it quite a bit, the fighting is for most part quite fun and there's a good feel of exploration and switch hunting. There's only one switch that I pressed then thought "now what", but I only had to backtrack one room before finding something new had opened up; every other puzzle was well indicated and flowed nicely.

The only room I wasn't a fan of was the blue key - the hitscanners appearing out of the floor look cool but are kinda annoying, and the invisible Archvile feels a bit bullshit. I got lucky and killed him with one blind BFG shot, so it wasn't too bad.

The not-secret yellow room was a nice touch, and I really like that you're not afraid to use keys for optional or secret areas (like in MAP06). The only not-really-problem with it is that it's very likely to be the last room one sees in the map, at which the plasma rifle is superfluous if pistol-starting, and also superfluous if continuous (unless one misses the previous one(s) I guess?) It's a very minor nitpick though, and doesn't detract from a really fun map.

EDIT: I liked the MAP01-11 sky texture, and this one looks even better.

Edited October 14, 2021 by brick

[Biodegradable]

MAP14 - Death's Dwelling

UV | Continuous | GZDoom and Vanilla+

 

This is one of those kind of maps where I had enough fun playing it but it ultimately fails to leave much of a lasting impression overall. I found the central elevator a little annoying, honestly. The combat and monster closets continue to be fun and there is some new gags here and there, like the strange sniper tower things filled with Revs in certain rooms and the general layout and demon placement, so perhaps it's not entirely forgettable, but I feel like I'm going to pull a muscle on my bullshit meter reaching for things to mention. One thing that did catch my attention was a switch that linked both to progression and a secret, which is fun. I also managed to find that secret when I was in a really bad position, so it was quite serendipitous. I guess I will also say that the texturing is a bit lacklustre on this one with it just being various shades of brown that made me feel like I was trapped in a Rubik's Cube made of chocolate for the most part. That's all I've got, honestly.

 

 

[DuckReconMajor]

MAP14 - Death's Dwelling - dsda-doom - skill 4 pistol start - rewinds used

 

This map looked really good to me and had several fun fights (i loved the caco cross room and the revenant islands)

however

13 hours ago, Book Lord said:

this was another case of inverted priorities (mandatory progress=obscure; secret=clear)

This puts it really well. This is becoming one of those mapsets where I literally get angry when I find a secret, because I just want to know the way forward!

I gave up on the red key and found a way to exploit my way out.

 

Spoiler

 

 

[Doritos420]

Map14 - Death’s Dwelling

Man, I had a bad experience with this one. Not that the level is bad per se, but I hit a switch to open up the teleporter to outside, and then didn’t see what had opened, so I wandered around the level aimlessly trying to find the red key for a long time (an easy fix for this would be just to have the door stay open and not reclose). Early on the level is fairly hard for pistol starters, there’s a few directions to go and a lot of them have some beefy monsters you may not have enough ammo to take on right away. I ended up running short on ammo a few times. I ended up finishing the level but decided to try again with a better route (getting the chainsaw and berserk secret early). Still not my favorite level, especially since that one teleporter is easy to miss.

 

One thing I (& @DuckReconMajor)noticed is that you can bypass a lot of the level by diagonal running across the water using the ledge near the bridge that raises up. I ended up recording my first ever speedrun to demonstrate the skip, man my heart was racing after that one. I’m sure there’s room for improvement so feel free try to break my record.

 

 

Edited October 14, 2021 by Doritos420

[Book Lord]

16 minutes ago, Doritos420 said:

One thing I (& @DuckReconMajor)noticed is that you can bypass a lot of the level by diagonal running across the water using the ledge near the bridge that raises up. I ended up recording my first ever speedrun to demonstrate the skip, man my heart was racing after that one. I’m sure there’s room for improvement so feel free try to break my record.

 

Good finding, and a good answer to the concealment of the RSK area. There is no reason for that ledge to exist, but it's nice to see it exploited this way.

[MtPain27]

MAP 14: Death's Dwelling

Oof, this was really unpleasant. Positives first: this was one of the first levels that didn't rigidly define itself with a single texture or classic mapping theme. It's nice to seem KINDa develop a bit in this way. Also, there's a berserk and chainsaw available to help you save ammo...so, that's it for positives. 

 

The effort at height variation doesn't go unappreciated, but this map is incredibly clunky to move around for that reason: the central elevator reminded me of something Chris Klie would draw. The health balance is ridiculous: you get maybe 130 points of health to compensate for baron, spider, revenant, and caco cheap shots, any of which can knock as much as 40 health off you in a single hit, and then there's all the hitscan. My god, man, have a heart. If I hadn't found the megasphere this map would have been an awful grind, worse than Toxic from a health management standpoint. 

 

The BFG is again major overkill. The screenshot below depicts the aftermath of the 'climactic' red key fight...two hits: I hit them with the BFG, they hit the ground. The rocket launcher room with the pop-up hitscan reception is awful, the revenant pens in those two lobby areas are a chore to evade and then dispatch, and those pain elementals are mean, and only barely worth the medikits they compensate you with. 

 

Probably my biggest beef with the map is the switch which opens the teleporter that leads you to the RK opens the berserk secret behind you more obviously than the way forward, which cost me 5-7 minutes of flailing. Like @Doritos420 said above, you might as well leave both doors open, since the berserk secret is pretty obvious to begin with.

 

[TheMightyWhoosh]

I quite like the aesthetics of map 14, so it’s a shame it isn’t playing as well as I thought it would. I feel as though my style of playing which ultimately translates into the map making isn’t how the majority prefer to play. Saying that though, watching these videos and reading the reviews, I’m getting really frustrated at myself for some sloppy gameplay design. 
 

I’ve mentally prepared myself for the backlash for map 15’s secret exit gimmick. Gulp! I highly recommend everybody reads the spoiler above to save yourselves a lot of time. I’ll admit it now, it was an intentional sadistic move at the time which I regret now. 

Edited October 14, 2021 by TheMightyWhoosh

[DJVCardMaster]

MAP14 - Death's Dwelling (100%K/97%I/100%S):

Did not fancy this one either, feels like a Master Levels entry at times, the elevator at the middle, the overly ringed layout with so many paths to take, most of which, look pretty similar between each other, make for a pretty confusing layout. Having a BFG instead of a plasma rifle here was something I did not like, as there are not that many enemies to mow down here. Other problem with not having a plasma gun was that you may end with 20 cells without you being able to use them, enemies are grouped in a way you can mow down them with plasma gun / infighting.
Again, trying to find your way for the red key was confusing.
This map looked as samey as MAP13 did, and started having big problems with tight ammo as the early maps had, some steps backwards for this map.

(UV Playthrough - PrBoom+)

Order of preference:
 

Spoiler

 

MAP09
MAP12
MAP10
MAP08

MAP05
MAP11

MAP01
MAP13
MAP04
MAP06
MAP14
MAP02
MAP07
MAP03

 

 

Edited October 14, 2021 by DJVCardMaster

[Veinen]

Map13: Blast video

 

A relatively drab looking map, thanks to the overwhelming grayness and the dominant filthy bathroom wall -texture that I really don't like much in other than small quantities. There is further visual noise created by the randomly blinking lights and some actual noise in form of the crushers creating an omnipresent wall of loud background hum in the interior parts of the map that is slightly annoying in the long run. I'm almost inclined to believe that it has been a conscious decision to make the map a little bit irritable. But the map does play fairly well though and the gimmick around the barrels works here when literally all of the opposition, other than the spastic AV at the end, are of the hitscan variety and susceptible of exploding along with the numerous barrels. The RL is tucked away in a side room that requires a slight detour and there's frankly little use for it other than finishing off the AV. The Mega-armor is also placed in a puzzling dead end but offers some added insurance for the finale. I'll have to echo others wrt the YK, it's a bit too obscurely placed for a key item. So overall conclusions; not really pleasing to the eye (or ear) but plays well enough and I like how it goes all in with the barrel theme.

[cannonball]

MAP14 - “Death’s Dwelling”

 

That progression to the red key really is something. That is some pretty bad map design there, sorry. This exacerbates the issues with the layout as progressing from missing the door to get back to the switch takes quite a while. It's a shame because I was actually having fun for a while in this one. The start has insufficient ammo but that's fine because you get teleported close to here once the red key is grabbed and subsequently should be better equipped. I don't mind brown bases and I think there is enough interest here. However the revenant cages are pretty annoying to deal with.

Overall I think this is better than what others have thought, however there are some pretty bad design choices scattered through this. Strangely I ended up hitting with switch behind the red door with nothing but BFG ammo (and plenty of it), yes the sound of half a dozen shotgun guys spontaneously gibbing was pretty entertaining. A middling level that could have been a lot higher up the table without that red key progression issue.

Edited October 14, 2021 by cannonball

[dei_eldren]

KINDa - MAP15 Blackout (HNTR, blind, continuous w/ saves): K 100% (126/126), I 96% (24/25), S 83% (6/7), D 0, T 40:16

 

Spoiler

Fearing at worst a one-chance trick used here, fortunately i decided read TheMightyWhoosh's spoiler on the secret exit - pretty brutal, but on the other hand, it's partly also simply a matter of expectation and habit, essentially there is nothing wrong with very tricky challenges, but i grew up in the 8bit computer era, and those games were often extremely tricky and as doomers would say, dickish - they truly were.  Just try Matthew Smith's brilliant Jet Set Willy, or  Ultimate Play The Game's Sabre Wulf (or their other titles, for that matter.)  Or TLL.  i was always a casual gamer, so i never finished them, even if i spent countless hours playing (to be honest, some of those titles are on my to-do list if the circumstances of my life are ever favourable for such an endeavour - right now my gaming is limited to Doom.)  So yeah, i too can bitch and moan at times (it's really a matter of time, unfortunately), but if i can sort it out, it's eventually all good.  Anyway, even knowing what's required, it wasn't entirely a simple matter to get to the switch in time with acceptable health with all the hitscanners, or at least that's how it felt for me - i started the map (guessing) four times.  (As an aside, my best achievements as gamer on 8bit were probably finishing Mirrorsoft's Dynamite Dan, and Roller Coaster by a publisher i forget.  Also i finished some Boulder Dash versions.  The first i finished was probably PSSST!) 

 

 

Judging from the canals and water reservoirs the map is a water-treatment facility in semi-darkness, and filled with demons - for the most part hitscanners, though even the bastard Arch-Vile makes an appearance, but other heavies are also present, Mancubi in particular.  On paper the combat is simple, as the monsters are mostly roaming freely in the semi-open areas they inhabit.  The threat of damage is constant, and the atmosphere is thick with foreboding as unseen enemies emerge from the shadows, or like in the beginning, the player is simply surrounded by dozens of enemies lurking behind the corners.  The one encounter that stands out as mise-en-scene comes right at the end, in form of a two Mancubi and some Imps.  i blew them to smithereens with the BFG, because i was actually expecting much worse after seeing the bastard AV.

 

 

The standard progression here is relatively straightforward, even only one key is required.  To complicate things, there is so far the record amount of secrets, seven!  With some searching, i collected all but the Invulnerability sphere, which i would've not known where to use, anyway, but meaning, that i also uncovered and opened the secret exit.

 

EDIT: Having now played with HMP, the trick with the RK was fantastic, i loved it :D  i honestly wish TheMightyWhoosh would consider planning a spiritual successor to Eternal Doom.  

 

i haven't had time to play this on HMP yet, but will, yet i'll skip both the secret maps on it, and also i'll skip MAP32 on HNTR (i'm sorry, but it really did me in, i simply could make no progress, even knowing where didn't help me find out how.)  So that will be the first map to be excluded from Kind of Top Ten.  This isn't an indictment on its quality, what i saw of it was as well done as anything in this set, but just my personal inability to make progress, and i frankly lost the will to liv... try one second longer. :P  There's also the vast scope of the map and monster count to consider - MAP32s are generally not my type of thing, and i often skip them.  i'll watch any videos of it, though, just out of curiosity.

 

MAP31 Hell's Party was a simple enough mini-slaughter-fest, for the most part, that i won't do a whole review of it.  i liked playing through it, even the slaughter-part was fun and quick enough.  i found the secret exit before the regular one.  After trying out MAP32 i had to actually go back to find the regular one and go through it to get the MAP16 :D  A video for my playthrough is forthcoming.  And by the way, i really loved the first view of the map.

 

 

PS: As for MAP14 Death's Dwelling, despite my troubles with it, i think it plays well - missing the switch at the waterpool for me was entirely my own fault.  It was once again the silly mistake of not realizing the area has actual purpose, was difficult enough to get to!, which bothers me on personal level. :D

 

 

HMP:

Spoiler

 

 

MAP31 Hell's Party

Spoiler

 

 

Kind of Top Ten:

Spoiler

MAP10 - Mud and Blood

MAP08 - Deux

MAP12 - Monster Monopoly

MAP09 - Death Delivery

MAP05 - Leak

MAP15 - Blackout

MAP13 - Blast

MAP06 - Cement

MAP04 - Treehouse

MAP07 - the UAC Project

MAP02 - Hell's Cavity

MAP01 - Go

MAP14 - Death's Dwelling

MAP11 - Her Keep

MAP03 - Toxic

MAP31 - Hell's Party

 

Edited October 15, 2021 by dei_eldren
HMP, RK

[Book Lord]

MAP 15 – Blackout

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

 

This review begins with the last fact someone learns when playing Blackout: if you fail to push a certain switch within the first 30 seconds, the secret level exit will be hopelessly sealed, no matter how good you are at secret hunting. Considering that I spent the first 30 seconds fending off hitscanners coming from all directions, avoiding the barrage of fire from Mancubi beyond a water channel, a first run is guaranteed to bring the disappointing conclusion of not finding the secret levels, without the benefit of a reason why. How this could be considered suitable, clever, or fascinating, is beyond my comprehension.

Spoiler

The setting was another warehouse in a partially flooded tech-base. The low ceilings and the dim lighting brought Doom E2 memories to mind, but also the gameplay felt like in Deimos base, with more enemies and some Doom II intruders, mostly chaingunners. The action developed on a strictly linear path, enforced by the absence of alternative routes, except time-consuming detours or secrets related to the (already inaccessible) exit to MAP31. Flooded room after flooded room, I arrived at another section of the warehouse whose existence was impossible to guess, even though it was adjacent to the starting area. Maybe a stuck door would have made more sense than a bare wall opening and linking the two areas.

 

The second warehouse hosted an annoying welcome on top of the elevator, followed by a confusing ambush teleport with hitscanners, Imps and Pinkies. I was still not understanding why so many rockets were given if the opposition was mostly rabble in narrow spaces; perhaps an invitation to face rocket myself? I was lucky to find the way to grab the RK through the wall without wandering for too long, but it was another baffling decision to implement. If you wanted me to take the RK that way, at least do not hide the grabbing point behind a closet ambush! Leave it in sight please, so I will find it when I first assess the place.

 

The level had a camping test by the red door, then it showcased a wannabe ominous Arch-Vile duo by the gibbet. While the gloomy scene looked cool, it was out of place in this setting; furthermore, the AVs were stuck on the gibbet platform and posed no threat. The Megasphere was a superb reward to find by just backtracking, after dealing with the group of monsters guarding the regular exit. I found all secrets except the Invulnerability, another awkwardly placed godsphere which I could not associate with any difficult combat nearby.

Spoiler

Blackout had a decent setting and some nice moments here and there, but I did not like its construction. When I realised that a 30 second timer was used to shut the secret exit beforehand, all negatives I found during the playthrough soon started to weigh more. Not a disastrous map, still it was full of irritating progression choices, without providing much relief in the combat department. I IDCLIPped to that despicable switch and decided to visit the secret levels as well. They must be truly wonderful to deserve such an exclusive concealment.

Edited October 14, 2021 by Book Lord

[TJG1289]

GZDoom/Blind/UV/Continuous/Saves

Map 14 - DEATH'S DWELLING

100% kills and secrets

Time: 16:04

 

I don't know if I have much to say that hasn't been said by everyone else. I figured out how the get the red key purely through looking at the automap and finding a teleporter I hadn't seen before and realizing it's behind a wall that one switch must lower. I found the secret it lowered super easily, but that took a while to figure out the natural progression. Other than that, the rest of the level was fine. I'm liking the increase in mid-tiers, but the only real threat in this one comes from the beginning, when a switch reveals 2 barons and a few outside arachnotrons. Other than that, eh. It's one of those maps that's just there. *shrugs*

Edited October 14, 2021 by TJG1289

[Haruspex]

I'm playing catch up again.

 

MAP11: Her Keep

UV, Pistol-Start, Saveless

 

I’m going to start with my usual complaint: this level is easier than I would like. Especially since it’s a delightfully ominous location with plenty of mossy corridors and towering battlements to explore. But there’s just no real danger here to match the sense of threat.

Even the boss, the spider mastermind, is ineffectual. We pick up the BFG a short moment before she appears, and she’s likely to die a short moment after. Then, armed with our new superweapon, the arch-vile who menaces us from the end teleport will fare no better.

 

I do like the visuals of this map, especially the battlements, which are quite striking. And the central area which opens up to reveal tunnels to the Keep’s interior is also pretty memorable. I just need a bit more difficulty to keep me engaged.

 

I’ll rank it middle of the pack. Since the map itself is very nice, but the difficulty feels so off.

 

Screenshots:

Spoiler

 

MAP12: Monster Monopoly

UV, Pistol-Start, Saveless

 

Hey. More difficulty! This is what I’ve been waiting for. There’s a fair few chaingunner ambushes here to battle our way out of, and we’re also starting to see more appearances of mid-tier monsters.

The arch-vile is more intimidating than the others we’ve seen so far. He's a difficult target with the way he teleports back-and-forth, but what really makes him dangerous is that he follows hot on the heels of a deadly hitscanner ambush. Left with low health, I was lucky not to get fried.

 

Monster Monopoly is also a very quirky map. Just as we make progress in one direction, we’re liable to find ourselves teleporting half way across the level.

What I found interesting is that—even though I felt I had no idea where I was going—I still found myself making progress. The level almost seems to have a natural flow to it. And so the abundance of teleporters turns out to be an amusing gimmick rather than an annoyance.

 

In fact there's a lot of odd details in this map, some charming, some not. I like the teleporter flats used as elevators, the bizarre sky texture, and the strange pit in the garden where a few enemies are guarding a berserk pack. I'm more perplexed by the pair of teleporters towards the end of the level, one of which sends us back to an earlier room, when it's so easy to assume they should lead to the same place. The yellow key area also seems slightly underdeveloped. You need the blue key to get to it, and I don't know if the diversion really adds anything. Finally the secret megasphere is barely a secret at all. The switch is almost unmissable.

Overall though I had fun with this map, so I’m going to rank it high.

 

Screenshots:

Spoiler

Poor bastard didn’t even pass MAP01. Never mind his $200.

 

Ranking:

Spoiler

 

MAP08: Deux

MAP12: Monster Monopoly

MAP03: Toxic

MAP05: Leak

MAP09: Death Delivery

MAP11: Her Keep

MAP10: Blood and Mud

MAP01: Go

MAP02: Hell’s Cavity

MAP07: The UAC Project

MAP06: Cement

MAP04: Treehouse

 

 

[Biodegradable]

MAP15 - Blackout

UV | Continuous | GZDoom and Vanilla+

 

Once again, trying to get the red key and the map's overall progression is the biggest enemy you'll face. This map is still a fair bit more straightforward and less annoying than MAP14, which is good. There's a shit-ton of hitscanners in this one as heaps of zombies stalk the darkened halls, ready to turn you into a Doomguy-shaped piece of Swiss cheese. I genuinely don't understand if I got the red key according to this map's design or by sheer accident which admittedly doesn't bode well. However, I like how the minimal lighting presents its own challenge and makes the map feel deadly, encouraging you to take a more cautious approach overall. It's a bit hard to comment on the map's design however as the majority of it is shrouded in darkness. It's not great, but I don't hate it either. All I can muster is a charitable "meh" if I'm being honest.

 

 

[Book Lord]

MAP 31 – Hell’s Party

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

 

A party has been set up by the hellspawn for Doomguy to join! What an enticing prospect for a secret level, but the resulting enjoyment would be very different depending on the chosen game settings. The proposed challenge was fighting a mob of 65 assorted enemies (on UV) slowly teleporting at the corners of a square arena, with a 5000-units tall round pillar in the middle taking ages to lower and to reveal the BSK. The monsters were alerted by shooting and a Shotgun Guy acted as the bait.

 

As a blind player, I obviously killed the sergeant and triggered the teleporting horde, which entered the arena in a non-random sequence. Behind the scenes arrangements made sure that low-tier enemies appeared first; unfortunately, with -fast the hitscanners were more obnoxious than anything else in such an open battleground. I died the first time to the deadly chaingunners, against which I tried to use the way too slow BFG. The second time I went around circle-strafing and spraying plasma at everything that moved, switching to rockets when bulky creatures joined the fray. I survived taking a lot of damage and expending most of my plasma ammo. The BFG came in handy to quickly obliterate the Arch-Vile, against which zero cover was available.

Spoiler

The next courtyard had a static Spiderdemon in a cage, surrounded by a half-circle of Imp snipers and a cohort of 12 Cacodemons. I camped the blue door and the boss succumbed under the bombardment of her infighting minions. I used the rocket supply to mop up the courtyard, then I easily found the Soul Sphere and the entrance to the super-secret level. I must be grateful not to have taken the teleporter on the right, since it led to the exit (as signposted) but was a one-way travel not allowing for second thoughts.

Spoiler

That was my experience, neither tragic nor particularly good. As for pistol starters… they have only SSG with 68 shells to deal with the first arena. I do not think they could easily survive with a slow firing weapon and those hitscanners which are so difficult to avoid, with an Arch-Vile coming to finish them off. More power and resources are surely needed to overcome the fight. The rockets in the second area may just be enough if infighting goes as intended, but the best option is to make a quick dash for the normal exit and leave this nonsense. There are no rewards to be missed, just many risks to be taken. If the map structure is known, a third option could be to move towards the bars in the starting room, without entering the teleporter, go have a coffee or tea and come back later. The pillar will have lowered and the BSK might be taken without triggering the horde. Only the shotgunner will tease you with buckshot, but it’s better to ignore him and go ahead, dealing with the other room as preferred (escaping is still recommended).

 

Come on, @TheMightyWhoosh, this could not be the secret level you were so anxious to conceal on MAP15. The gameplay was badly balanced, and the outcome was the waste of everything I have hoarded as a continuous player, definitely not what I want to do in a secret map. The only positive note: Episode 3 skybox was superb, and the map layout looked great under it. A badass hell arena to slay demons and to be slain too. With some extra ammo and weaponry for pistol starters, and a Megasphere to leave the level with a smile instead of a grudge, Hell’s Party could have worked.

 

Edited October 15, 2021 by Book Lord

[DuckReconMajor]

MAP15 - Death's Dwelling - dsda-doom - skill 4 pistol start - rewinds used

 

This one's got a sort of flat horizontality that I actually like. I know that's not a popular opinion but cube-like mazes are fun to me.

The red key I also wondered if i actually was supposed to grab it through the wall. 

 

MAP31 - Hell’s Party - dsda-doom - skill 4 pistol start - rewinds used

 

This is a map I can tell won't be to everyone's taste but I like it! it looks awesome, the first fight is tough and a bit unfair but if you focus on the hitscanners it's not horrible. I am pleased by this one and hope we get some in this style near the end (I think that's the episode 3 skybox? i hope so i love it)

 

MAP32 - The Monster Museum - dsda-doom - skill 4 pistol start - rewinds used

 

This one was decidedly less my taste. The health and ammo scarcity is downright brutal.

Overall I do like the marble structures, the author continues to make good structures that overall play well.

This one had another super cryptic way forward though. i guess i will spoiler this

Spoiler

There's a little marble face hallway that opens by switches around the map. One of the switches is behind the blood waterfall. Not too bad, ideally that would be a secret. However, inside said waterfall there are unmarked switches that need to be shot. There is no real indication that an action needs to be completed here, much less that it's necessary for progression. That's quite frustrating.

My video is split in two as between them I had to pull out the Doom Builder and see what was up.

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[dei_eldren]

 

Spoiler

10 minutes ago, DuckReconMajor said:

 

  Hide contents

There's a little marble face hallway that opens by switches around the map. One of the switches is behind the blood waterfall. Not too bad, ideally that would be a secret. However, inside said waterfall there are unmarked switches that need to be shot. There is no real indication that an action needs to be completed here, much less that it's necessary for progression. That's quite frustrating.

My video is split in two as between them I had to pull out the Doom Builder and see what was up.

 

 

 

Yeah, that's exactly where my progress ended.  Found that place, knew what needed to be opened, but had no idea... :D  Thanks for telling what it was.

 

Oops, no idea how to edit the post not to have the first spoiler, sorry! 

Edited October 15, 2021 by dei_eldren

[TheMightyWhoosh]

Ah, I didn’t realise that the secret maps are played in quick succession. I’ll spoiler the progression hints for MAP 32 as I’ll admit, it suffers from the classic KINDa progression downfalls regarding switches and hidden keys:

 

Spoiler

1) As mentioned above, the yellow key is a switch hunt with one switch hidden behind a waterfall and then the gunshot switches (Thanks DuckReconMajor for mentioning this above too!). 
 

2) The blue key is hidden a little too well, which again was a deliberate sadistic move. Check the Chaingunner hidey-holes… 

 

3) There is a switch in the right-hand building, surrounded by lava with a Revenant guarding it. Please don’t fall in as I’ve forgotten to tag this lava as damaging and there is no way back up! 

I’m really hoping you all enjoy map 16 as its one of my favourites! Fingers crossed! 

[Book Lord]

MAP 32 – The Monster Museum

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

 

A sprawling, visually refined and adventurous level like this would have been perfect for a MAP31 slot. @TheMightyWhoosh wanted to keep it safe instead, like a treasure to show only to the worthiest and truly devoted players, therefore he resorted to the 30 seconds lock on MAP15 and to the dubiously balanced arenas of MAP31. A treacherous hot start was set up for me, but especially for the pistol starters using IDCLEV to cheat the strict safety measures. The action began on an elevated terrace, overlooking an oversized marble fortress surrounded by a blood moat. All the enemies were instantly alerted and started shooting, prompting an immediate reaction. With only a pistol and no weapon and ammo in sight, this would not be a pleasant welcome.

 

Clearing the huge central area from the spread-out enemies was the most challenging part of this level, combat-wise. The chaingunners hidden in cubicles were extremely annoying and I was killed by one of them shooting me in the back on first try. Not the experience I was looking for on a secret map. However, once I began the exploration of the various corridors and chambers in the western part, I gradually enjoyed the casual warfare, even with those hitscanners steadily chipping away some health.

Spoiler

The Monster Museum had some nice-looking marble halls and courtyards, littered with low tier creatures and showcasing tougher demons in enclosed spots and in small numbers. Mid-tiers were almost singled out, like if they were exemplars on display. This was especially evident with the Cyberdemons, trapped inside invisible walls and ready for an abrupt activation, like the Arachnotrons of Pharaoh.

 

Once every accessible area had been cleared and examined, I understood that the south-western MARBFAC2 effigy was part of a switch puzzle. I located three switches and registered some progress, but the remaining areas demanded the YSK. I even found the SSG in an unofficial secret behind the blood fall near the start (a must-have for pistol starters), but I would never, ever have figured out what to do there. There was no trace of a hidden passage, no clues to follow, only an extremely counter-intuitive procedure to be performed, either by consulting your crystal ball or your favourite Doom editor. I am sure to have humped at the blood dripping faces but SHOOTING not less than four non-switch textures in a semi-secret room with no monsters (no chance to do it by accident) to unlock mandatory progression was not something I would think about. I would be surprised if someone did.

Spoiler

It took a while to give a pass to 10 minutes of fruitless search, but I carried on with the journey. Behind the yellow door, some Hell Noble tricks prepared me for the first Cyberdemon, sent to the other side of the central area to meet me by the yellow staircase I just rised. I am not sure whether a pistol starter had the ammunition to bring him down, but I am sure he can be handled from the platform without a single scratch, provided the chaingunners in cubby holes are already dead. One of them concealed the BSK, which could be picked up only by approaching it. I thought the key was optional, but it was not. I am glad to have found it early on because it saved me some headaches.

 

The eastern portion of The Monster Museum was the most interesting one, with a lot of areas interconnected by windows or gratings, offering more chaotic and compelling action. There were several displays of weird architecture and creations, like the terrifying lift leading to useful pickups instead of the expected trap, the lava river with tiny pillars for platforming, the sealed library and the bizarre RSK sanctuary, with a crusher used for creating a curious visual effect. The Barons of Hell could just be left to dance on their pillars if the player wanted to conserve rockets.

Spoiler

 

 

Such an expansive level would not be complete without a long exit sequence. The switch behind the red door raised a bridge to the marble building surrounded by the blood moat, but also released the second Cyberdemon, which could be tackled as easily as the first. The winding staircase inside the building hosted a Hell Noble closet that could largely be ignored, as well as the Cacoswarm guarding the exit.

 

Thus ends the super-secret level, an intriguing creation under many aspects, showing off the author’s design prowess. However, the gameplay was not on par with the visual commitment; most battles were toothless and acted as filler events. The cryptic access to the last YSK switch left a sour taste in my mouth, as well as the absence of a Megasphere and the stingy ammo supplies. When I visit the secret levels of a megaWAD, the last thing I want is coming back to the regular journey with few rockets, few cells, and with much less than 200% everything.  

[Veinen]

Map14: Death's Dwelling video

 

An awkward map. Like everyone else I got a little frustrated by the cryptic progression on my initial playthrough but that's obviously not an issue on subsequent playthroughs. But the map just feels slow, the big lift stops the action multiple times and the turret Revs are an absolute freaking nuisance to kill as you are at the mercy of their unpredictable movement. Ammo balance here is... funny; rockets and especially shells are seemingly plentiful but you'll be running pretty dry towards the end (until the closet full of Sarges) but then there's also the BFG for which I struggle to find efficient use for a few of the shots. The first few BFG blasts in the BFG room, RL room and the revealed Arach trio on the lake are really pleasing though if and when they work as intended, easily the highlight of the map. The map has a similar thing with health as map12 in that you get a Megasphere early and don't need to worry about health for pretty much the rest of the map. So overall a somewhat lukewarm experience, certainly the visual style is very neat and tidy and planning efficient use of limited BFG supplies is always an interesting exercise but ultimately the encounters don't feel quite interesting enough to compensate the slow action (and frustrating Rev turrets).

[FragsBunny]

MAP14: Death’s Dwelling (100%/95%/100%)

1.       Hell knight will try to dodge your attacks

2.       Sludge rain will fall outside, slowing your movement

3.       Hell knight respawns once after death

 

Being slowed by sludge does not bother me, since I tend to chill down while making a quick walkthrough through short maps. This map, however, while not big in size, gave me quite some time to find all secrets and keys. From the moment this first switch is pressed, you are immediately harassed from multiple sides – barons from monster closets, arachnotrons from the windows, monsters from yellow key room and from the elevator side.

 

You get the super shotgun from the start, and you can obtain most of the weapons from the map as well, except for plasma gun, in place of which we have another BFG. The room with the hidden rocket launcher gave me quite a scare when multiple different enemies started to rise from the floor. The secrets, while tricky to find, are very rewarding – it would be very difficult for pistol starters to get their bearings without that mega-armor or mega-sphere.

 

Oh, and get ready for another switch hunt – It took me some time to finally find that red key after discovering that one switch open both secret portal and normal portal – because I went to the secret portal to the berserk pack first. This map is quite trappy, and without knowing its tricky layout, it can be very difficult for pistol starters!

Edited October 15, 2021 by FragsBunny

[FragsBunny]

MAP15: Blackout (100%/100%/85%)

1.       Revenant projectiles travel twice as fast

2.       Arachnotron fires baron of Hell projectiles

3.       Some monsters may have a small pet

 

I have to admit - I did read about that “30 second switch” spoiler that leads to death exit, but by the time I decided with my card selection, the bars to the switch already closed, so I had to quickly reload the map and make a quick choice.

 

Again, this switch will be one of the many that you would be required to press, especially during your hunt for the secret exit. And the level itself is again heavily populated by hitscanners, their biggest concentration in the south part of the map where you search for the red key. The key itself is another tease – seemingly in unreachable location in the cage, but actually being grabbed from the opposite side of the wall. And that is after you push the respective switch to reveal that wall, which also activates another nasty teleport ambush. The most nasty trap came in form of two arch-viles guarding the mega-sphere, further made difficult by my earlier choices of cards. I lost another life against them.

 

I grabbed the blue and green spheres through the strafe run cheat, but I believe that was probably not the intended way, since I completed the level with 6 secrets out of 7, but with 100% items. I guess I did not trigger the secret linedef leading to invulnerability? In either case, I’m glad that I managed to find all the switches that would lead me to the secret level. Overall, a definite increase of difficulty!