[Release] Kill, a 25 year old megawad for Doom 1 (v1.2.1)

[Remilia Scarlet]

Basic Info

• Singleplayer only.  Made for continuous play (you can try pistol starting if you want, but it may be unnecessarily hard)
• Ultimate Doom IWAD
• 26 levels
• A limit removing port that supports BEX is required.  Tested with Doom Retro, K8Vavoom, Doomsday, and (briefly) with GZDoom.  Crispy Doom and DSDA-Doom are NOT recommended.  Reportedly works in PrBoom and Eternity, but this is not officially tested.
• Mouselooks is allowed (maybe even encouraged).  No jumping, no crouching.
• I recommend a port that doesn't have infinitely high actors for this one, but it's not required.
• README file

 

Description/Info

 

This is not a normal release for me.

 

Back around 1995 or 1996 (I don't remember the exact year), my overly-ambitious teenage self started working on a megawad for Doom called Kill.  It's about a female space marine (Doomguy's fiance) who is sent out to rescue Doomguy after he's kidnapped by demons.  The vast majority of the work on this was done between 1995/1996 an 2002 while I was in high school.  After that I continued to work on it into 2003, though much more slowly due to college and work.  However, I never finished it.

 

Truth be told, I always did intend to eventually come back to Kill and finish it up properly.  I just never did.  Then not too long ago, a friend of mine learned of these levels and started to pester me to finish them up and release them.  Finally, after her most recent pester (thank you!) I figured it was time to finally do it.  And so, after about 25 years of development, Kill is finally ready for release.

 

As I said, this is definitely not a normal release for me.  The vast majority of these levels were built in DOS using a slightly customized version of DEU called KillEd that I had made to practice programming.  The levels are old and definitely show their age.  While I could have cleaned them up and "remastered" them, so to speak, for the final release, I decided not to.  These levels have a huge sentimental and nostalgic value to me, so it didn't seem right to dramatically change them.  These are my history as a mapper, and I with how old they are, I wanted to keep them as close to their original states as possible.  As such, the only things I bothered to fix for the release were minor bugs/softlocks, a few texture fixes, and some enemy placement.  So expect misaligned textures (I was really bad about this when I was young, partially thanks to how cumbersome DEU was), funky layouts, a bunch of experimentation, and a few "what the hell was she thinking?" moments.

 

Level/Episode Notes

Spoiler

Kill was always experimental for me, and Episode 1 probably shows the experimental nature best.  It also has some of my earliest maps ever in it, which should be very evident from their layouts and visuals.  These were built in the order they appear (except E1M9), so E1M1 is the oldest, then E1M2, and so on.  E1M9 is of special note because it is actually my absolute earliest surviving map (the original version didn't even have properly closed sectors because I didn't know how to make them).  You may actually recognize E1M1 as the secret level from my Shadows of The Nightmare Realm map set, where I included it as a nostalgic throwback.

 

E1M2 is of particular note because it has three separate hallways at the very start labeled "E", "M", and "H" for Easy, Medium, and Hard respectively.  Only one of these needed to be completed to finish the level, and the idea was that the player could choose their difficulty for that level specifically.  Someone recently asked if it was inspired by the Quake start level, but this isn't true.  I honestly don't remember where I got the inspiration.

 

Episode 2 feels a bit less experimental and more consistent than episode 1.  There's a definite step up in difficulty due to the fights (it is called "Kill", after all :-P), so expect more chaos and brutality.  Unfortunately it's also quite confusing in places because, for some ungodly reason, I enjoyed switch hunts back int he day.  So apologies ahead of time ^_^;

 

E2M3 is the one that stands out the most to me because of the concept behind it.  The level is supposed to be in a UAC Virtual Reality Training Center of sorts, and so about half the level is supposed to take place inside a combat simulation.  Unfortunately I still hadn't quite figured out how wall textures worked yet, and so only the floors and ceilings have that (primitive) VR look.  In hindsight it was likely just too ambitious of an idea for both my skills, and the vanilla Doom engine.  Still, it's fun to reminisce about that level.

 

There is a secret level for episode 2, but know that it is simply a gimmick.  It has no exit.  You have been warned.

 

Episode 3 is the least well-realized of the episodes, imo.  I used to be really bad at making Hell-themed maps, and IMO it shows.  Gameplay wise, E3 is meant to be the most difficult of the episodes, and so it might get a bit dicey at times if you aren't careful.  It's also the least tested.  Save often.

 

E3M1 through E3M3, as well as E3M8, were the last levels I ever built using DEU (well, my custom version of DEU).  E3M4 through E3M6 were done with the original Doom Builder, as well as part of E3M7.  However, it should be noted that E3M7 is where development stalled for the longest time, and so it sat unfinished in development limbo until just a few days ago.  For Kill's release, I finished up E3M7 in UDB, trying to blend some of my more modern knowledge and tricks in with my classic style.  To be honest, it probably plays better than any of the others thanks to this, and I can safely say that it's now my favorite level in Kill.  Or at least I sure enjoyed pistol-starting it.

 

E3M8 was actually a leftover map back when I toyed with turning Kill into a 4-episode megawad instead of a 3-episode ordeal.  All that was ever done for E4 was this level, and a small three-room prototype for E4M2.  For the release, E4M8 turned into E3M8, and E4M2 was removed (I have the wad still, but it'll probably stay unfinished forever).  So E3M8 was actually done with DEU.

 

Final Bits

 

So yeah, I hope you all enjoy this.  Compared to what I make these days, it's incredibly primitive.  Don't expect awe-inspiring vistas or ultra-tight gameplay.  But that's not the point.  Kill is special to me because it's my own personal mapping history, my roots.  This is where the hobby started all those years ago for me.

 

Enjoy!

 

Links and Downloads

Download: https://mega.nz/folder/MxMWDRIB#QOPIuiYqcRSnzNvAaqPCPw/file/YpNAFT5L (1.5 MB, SHA1: fb30a2ce76ce5738acd0c4214135f54621eb8237)

Screenshots

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Changelog

Spoiler

v1.2.1 - 8 October 2021

• Fixes a regression introduced on E1M4
• Update README

 

v1.2 - 8 October 2021 (Expected final release)

• Fix some textures in E2 that should be misaligned to hint at secrets
• Fix a missing texture in E3M4
• Mark the lift across from the yellow door in E3M4 as blocking monsters, as intended
• The credits for the music in E1M1 are now know and are in the readme file

 

v1.1 - 7 October 2021

• Fixed missing map names in BEX data E2 and E3
• Fixed blocking wall on E1M6
• Fixed texture by red key in E1M4
• Changed where the teleport line is after getting the red key on E1M4
• Aligned textures in E1M8's portal room
• Fixed possible wallbump for yellow key in E1M7
• Fixed softlock on E1M2 (technically it was by design, but I don't like it)
• Changed pathway over baron pit that's reminiscent of The Chasm in E1M4 to be a lift, as originally intended.
• Fixed BFG not shooting a fireball (it's actually a "Super Flamer")

 

My Other Releases

Spoiler

WMC02 (MAP12)
WMC01 (MAP06)

The Unending

Oops! All Greyboxes! (community project)

Halls of The Goat Child

Freaky Panties 2: Boxers or Briefs

Freaky Panties

Umbra of Fate

Shadows of The Nightmare Realm

Extreme Terror

One Doomed Marine

 

Edited February 13, 2024 by Remilia Scarlet
Update to v1.2.1

[Endless]

A piece of history from one of the most amazing mapper ever!

[Remilia Scarlet]

1 minute ago, Endless said:

A piece of history

This is how I see it, and how I hope others see it.  This thing is like a time capsule.  Aside from a demo I released two decades ago, and a few times I sent it to curious friends, it's never properly seen the light of day.  It's not Me from Today.  It's Me from The 90s.

[Teo Slayer]

A cool WAD from a cool person that I see as a friend

[Gaia74]

A new megawad, seems like this is going to be fun, congrats for the release remilia! n.n

[Maes]

Well, still better than what I could churn out at the time by torturing DEU :-p

Edited October 6, 2021 by Maes

[Cammy]

Congrats on winning this year's Mordeth award!

 

In all seriousness I'm going to have to give this a try, always liked the classic stuff and those are some pretty good-looking screenshots. Congrats on the release!

[CBM]

pretty cool!

I also released levels I made in the 90s some years ago. Not everybody believed me when I told them they were from the 90s, despite the file dates though.

 

Personally I also kind of like the vibe that exists in all those older levels from the 90s...

 

They were pioneering in a way, since they were made when doing custom doom maps was a brand new concept.

 

I like that you did not remaster the levels so they can continue to accurately reflect the time where they were made.

 

However, you can always consider to select some levels from this release that you absolutely love above all other levels and then remaster those in a new release at some point...

 

Then you can have the same level back then and now and be able to compare. That might be interesting...

 

You would then be able to combine your creativity from the 90s with your current skills while also be able to see how much you have evolved since then.

 

I am still pretty green at mapping, despite having mapped in the 90s, but I did also take a very very long break from doom and doom mapping... I hope that I too will get there, some day... :-)

 

Atleast for me, it has been an interesting experience to remaster some of my 90s levels and update them to UDMF and with the things I can do in UDMF now, despite that I still have MUCH to learn about all the cool stuff that UDMF supports.

 

Still this release of yours, also makes a lot of sense as a time capsule, but remastered versions in another release at a later date in addition to this release

would also make sense I think.

 

 

Edited October 6, 2021 by CBM

[Archfiend]

Holy shit, this looks badass. Doomguy's fiancé? How does anyone come up with that, even? As an aspiring map maker, and one who hopes to give his maps some real corny story setups, I hope I can make it to the level of teenage you. I'll probably have to take notes on your visual design, because those screenshots are stunning.

 

I haven't played any of your other maps, but just by reading their titles, I know I gotta. I mean, come on:

Quote

Freaky Panties 2: Boxers or Briefs

That's fuckin' awesome!

 

 

 

 

 

 

... Also, obligatory "where's your profile pic from"?

[princetontiger]

No $*&^ing Way!

 

The prodigal daughter returns!

[princetontiger]

5 hours ago, Remilia Scarlet said:

This is how I see it, and how I hope others see it.  This thing is like a time capsule.  Aside from a demo I released two decades ago, and a few times I sent it to curious friends, it's never properly seen the light of day.  It's not Me from Today.  It's Me from The 90s.

Where was the demo released? Back in usenet days?

[Arrowhead]

Well, this is a pleasant surprise. Can always use more Doom1 mapsets - the more the merrier, I say.

 

Will be checking this out thoroughly when I have the time. :)

[thiccyosh]

I'm havin' a blast with this wad. It stinks like 90's and E1M5 has a jank Barbie midi while you run through gore and guresomly kill imps with a shotgun while shotgunners guresomly kill you. Even when you play as Doomguys GF (Or fiancé were you forgot the 'é') and it should feel girly, but it does not fit at all and I love it.

 

I'm really curious how this mapset evolves to the further I play this, only at E1M6 right now...

[Korozive]

Well well, a new DOOM 1 megawad for a change. This is a pleasant surprise. 

[Remilia Scarlet]

4 hours ago, CBM said:

However, you can always consider to select some levels from this release that you absolutely love above all other levels and then remaster those in a new release at some point... 

I was considering this! Some of the levels feel like they could use a modern touch to really bring out what I was wanting to do with them back in my teenage years. Perhaps for Eschatology.

 

3 hours ago, Archfiend said:

.. Also, obligatory "where's your profile pic from"? 

It's Remilia Scarlet from Touhou Project. This picture in particular is by s_Vileblood on Twitter.

 

2 hours ago, princetontiger said:

Where was the demo released? Back in usenet days? 

On some Angelfire website I had that doesn't exist anymore.   I never uploaded it to idgames, so it's effectively gone forever.

[princetontiger]

So there I was with my Big Mac and Snickers bar ... playing like it was 1995! Damn.

 

This is cacoawards material. What fun.... just completed episode 1 (a few deaths), and I'm onto episode 2

[kalensar]

It has a few brutal traps. I was thinking they were bugs, but nope. This wad was definitely meant to be unforgiving and force level restarts just purely off of timing and missteps.

[xdude_gamer]

This is great stuff, especially for 1996 standards. Ah, if only this was released back then. Avant-garde level design fans would've creamed our pants about stuff like this back in the 90s.

[Remilia Scarlet]

5 minutes ago, kalensar said:

It has a few brutal traps. I was thinking they were bugs, but nope. This wad was definitely meant to be unforgiving and force level restarts just purely off of timing and missteps.

Yeah, depending on your skill level and the difficulty setting, it can be pretty brutal in places.  Just with testing it for release, I noticed myself thinking "wow, I must have been a lot better at Doom in my youth than I am nowadays."  There were a few places, mainly in E2 and E3, where I smoothed it out just a tiny bit because it was just absurd or plain unfair.  Like E3M1 originally had three teleporters next to each other, and one of them led to a death trap that you couldn't escape.  I removed the death trap, a change I had planned for many many years :-P 

[kalensar]

1 minute ago, Remilia Scarlet said:

Yeah, depending on your skill level and the difficulty setting, it can be pretty brutal in places.  Just with testing it for release, I noticed myself thinking "wow, I must have been a lot better at Doom in my youth than I am nowadays."  There were a few places, mainly in E2 and E3, where I smoothed it out just a tiny bit because it was just absurd or plain unfair.  Like E3M1 originally had three teleporters next to each other, and one of them led to a death trap that you couldn't escape.  I removed the death trap, a change I had planned for many many years :-P 

E1m2. I got soft locked in the tiny little room where the Rocketlauncher was. lmfao

[Remilia Scarlet]

Just now, kalensar said:

E1m2. I got soft locked in the tiny little room where the Rocketlauncher was. lmfao

LOL I must have missed a softlock.  I'll add that to my list of things for v1.1, thank you!

 

Hopefully v1.1 won't take another 25 years to be released.

[kalensar]

5 minutes ago, Remilia Scarlet said:

LOL I must have missed a softlock.  I'll add that to my list of things for v1.1, thank you!

 

Hopefully v1.1 won't take another 25 years to be released.

 

Oh so it was a bug! =) 

 

The maps are small enough I  thought that it was intentional, especially given its geriatric Doom age. Even Romero had unintentional/intentional soft locks and death pits.

Edited October 6, 2021 by kalensar
editing mistakes

[Astronomical]

For a wad mostly developed in a pre-doombuilder world, it's alright.

[Archfiend]

40 minutes ago, Plank_Guy_89 said:

For a wad mostly developed in a pre-doombuilder world, it's alright.

Damn, I didn't even consider that Doom Builder didn't exist at the time. It'd be hard enough to create anything this good-looking with Doom Builder, haha.

[xdude_gamer]

1 minute ago, Archfiend said:

Damn, I didn't even consider that Doom Builder didn't exist at the time. It'd be hard enough to create anything this good-looking with Doom Builder, haha.

Especially by 90s standards! Stuff like WadEditor was fricking hard to deal with, especially harder now that we have grown up with good old DB2, DBX, and UDB, but that stuff might've been ridiculous. Imagine the dudes over at TeamTNT making Evilution, and the Casalis making Plutonia. Just as hard, probably harder!

[Remilia Scarlet]

10 minutes ago, Archfiend said:

Damn, I didn't even consider that Doom Builder didn't exist at the time. It'd be hard enough to create anything this good-looking with Doom Builder, haha.

Yep, almost all pre-Doom Builder.  Imagine using Eureka (which is based on Yadex, which was a Unix port of DEU back in the day, so it's DEU's descendent), but in DOS and without a 3D mode.  And your workflow is: insert vertices, select them in proper order (clockwise usually), hit insert to create linedefs, select linedefs, hit insert to create sector, adjust.  And sometimes you gotta edit the sector references on sidedefs manually because you had to split something or messed up.  That's basically what DEU felt like.

E3M4 is around where I started using the original Doom Builder, which was used for E3M4-E3M6.  I also started E3M7 with it, but never finished it until this week.  So E3M7 is a mix of DB1 and UDB, so that one likely feels the most modern both due to the editor, and because I built about 1/3rd of it new in the past few days.

But the rest... all DEU.  Well, a slightly customized build of DEU that I wrote to practice programming, but it behaved the same.

Edited October 6, 2021 by Remilia Scarlet

[Archfiend]

20 minutes ago, Remilia Scarlet said:

Imagine using Eureka (which is based on Yadex, which was a Unix port of DEU back in the day, so it's DEU's descendent), but in DOS and without a 3D mode.  And your workflow is: insert vertices, select them in proper order (clockwise usually), hit insert to create linedefs, select linedefs, hit insert to create sector, adjust.  And sometimes you gotta edit the sector references on sidedefs manually because you had to split something or messed up.

So basically, if mapmaking had a NM difficulty.

[Widosm]

Looks like we found the Mordeth award recipient.

[Remilia Scarlet]

42 minutes ago, Widosm said:

Looks like we found the Mordeth award recipient.

lol, if I'm not mistaken, this is about one year older than Mordeth.  So if I can get this out after 25 years, hopefully Mordeth will follow :-P

[Argenteo]

 

Love that chess. I had a good time playing through e1. I played pistol start with no problems. Thanks to that secret berserker pack. :)
Some things:
 

Spoiler

 

I wall grabbed that red keycard in the room with the imp pillars and then feel weird the progression.
I fell over the yellow key. (wall grab accidentally).
There's some invisible blocking geometry there in that corridor.
The portal ending looks strange.

Also got stuck in that closet with the rocket launcher.
I played in EE.

 

Edited October 7, 2021 by Argenteo