The DWmegawad Club plays: 1000 Lines 3

[Deadwing]

7-Back to the more "comtemplative" maps. Loved the intricate journey and nice setpiece mixing hitscanners revs or arch-villes (3 in the final setpiece!)

 

8-Wait, what? I finished this map with 47% of kills and no keys! Was I supposed to cross that crusher section?

 

9- 3 cyber in one level? Niice! Loved the way he was used differently each time. Great map!

 

10- Nice map that features larger battles for the first time. It's actually quite easy, since you have lots of space and in-fighting will handle most of the trouble for you. Hardest setpiece was actually the smaller one in the library haha A great one! Loved the map
 

Edited December 11, 2021 by Deadwing

[ReaperAA]

MAP11: "In Kasei Valles" by Aurelius

UV, pistol start, no saves

Kills: 232/232, Secrets: 2/2

Deaths on map = 9

Total Deaths = 10

 

Another banger of a map from Aurelius. This map being even more impressive than Map06. Seriously, how is this vanilla compatible and 1000 lines!!? The detailing and the layout makes it look like a Boom map. Probably my favorite map up till this point.

 

Also fitting for the finale, this map is the hardest map of the episode. I died more on this map than the previous maps combined, to a point where I almost considered lowering down to HMP for saveless pistol-start of this map. But ultimately I decided to stick with UV and also use SLADE to find the BFG secret. Most of my deaths happened at the starting toxic nukage area due to the archvile and the turret cyberdemon. You really need a bit of RNG luck for the archvile to behave well and not miss your limited rocket shots.

 

Once you do get out of that area using the elevator. Things get slightly easier. You still need to be very careful and not loose ammo (as the map has very strict ammo balance). You can go to two different areas, each leading to a key. Another elevator there ultimately leads to the blue key while the other side (where the cyberdemon is) leads to the green key.

 

My pistol start walkthrough strategy is to go to the green key side and just only kill the pinkies + plasma dudes and snatch the SSG + shell box and then head out to the blue key elevator. Bring down the elevator and kill an archvile, but don't go up yet because of a secret you need. Lowering the elevator brings down a secret teleporter near the cyberdemon area for a limited time. This teleporter leads to a backpack, a few rockets and a switch that will help getting the BFG later.

 

Once going to the blue key elevator, You will see many pain elementals and many hell knights, all of which have their backs turned, giving you time to strategize how to kill them. My strategy is to grab the plasma gun + ammo and then touch my back against the wall on the opposite side to the elevator. Fire rockets at the pain elementals, until lost souls start getting too dangerous for RL, then switch to plasma to finish the remaining ones and switch to rockets again for the hell knights.

 

Once that is done, drop down to the arena area. The megasphere should be a good indicator that shit will break loose here. Make sure to grab all the ammo and kill all the plasma dudes and barons before pressing the switch. Activating the switch brings down tons of imps, a dozen revenants and a spider mastermind. My strategy is to camp near the two medkits on the side where the turret cyberdemon cannot see us. Kill all the imps with rockets and shotgun and then wake up the SMM to get it to infight/kill the revenants and then finish it off. Once that fight is done, press the switch, grab goodies and go to the elevator where the barons were, but watch out for the 2 archviles that spawn. Finish them with plasma and you are done with blue key area.

 

After the blue key is obtained, you can leave back to the starting nukage area. But also make sure to get the second secret, which is a soulsphere on a platform. At this point, you should hopefully have decent plasma gun ammo. Go to the area with the switch and press the switch, which will lower the cyberdemon and also teleport an archvile + a few hell knights. A safe strategy (if infighting fails) is to retreat to the blue key elevator side and then safely fire and kill all of them from there. Once that is done, you can kill the archviles that are napping in a tiny cave and press the buttons to raise the platform for BFG and for the green key

 

With both keys and BFG obtained. you can now grab a radsuit and go back to the nukage area and reveal the final fight area that consists of many imps, 3 archviles and 2 barons. BFG them to oblivion and go to the teleporter to... telefrag another cyberdemon? (which played no role in the map before this) and go the the dark void area which exits the map with a death exit. Episode 1 completed!!!

Edited December 13, 2021 by ReaperAA

[FragsBunny]

MAP10: Red Alley (100%/75%/0%)

1.       Arachnotron will try to dodge your attacks

2.       Cyberdemon projectiles are partially invisible

3.       One monster is cursed. Killing it duplicates nearby monsters

 

I think I need to abandon my previously relaxed attitude, cause this level pulls some nasty punches! While it is not as big as I was previously afraid, it still demonstrates a clear increase in difficulty! The numerous barrels scattered around are more of annoyance, so in my best attempts I tend to blow them up first before stepping in the next arena, as most encounters tend to trap me inside right from the start.

 

Weapons and ammo are plenty in this map – even if you pistol start it, you can still end having full ammo supply by the end of it. Just clear arena after arena, collect key after key, and you’re done! The first more arena was tricky but manageable – kill the revenants before stepping outside – then focus your attention on the rest of the menagerie. And as I mention before, I had to clear some of the barrels in order to have any space available to dodge their missiles.

 

The big outdoor yard is easy as long you have plenty of space to maneuvers. The library fight with arch-vile and revenants took me a few attempts until I finally decided to use the rocket launcher. The arachnotron/revenant/2-cyberdemon horde can be circle-strafed to make them infight to death, made different cause those four-legged buggers can fly. The final arena is not a big problem with BFG; but even without it you can still outmaneuver the horde, make spiders and cybers infight each other, and just enjoy the resulting slaughter. I was expecting more than just a simple token arch-vile guarding the final key. Alter could even pull another ambush right behind the exit door, but after getting the purple key, you are essentially done with this level. Still, not a bad climax for the first chapter!

[FragsBunny]

MAP11: In Kaisei Valles (100%/100%/50%)

1.       Arch-vile slides around while moving

2.       One monster is cursed. It must be killed 9 times.

3.       Nazi has increased movement speed

 

Since I don't expect the plasma troopers to appear in other episodes... why not to boost them one last time? Aurelius likes to make things complicated – just flood the starting arena with nukage, drop some rad suits, hide an arch-vile on the side and place a cyberdemon to oversee your suffering from above, not to mention hell nobles body blocking the elevators. A nightmare for pistol starters, I imagine. I just killed everything I saw with my stocked weapons.

 

For some odd reason, some monsters were facing away from me. I believe this was done in order to pick up the weapons first and then start the slaughter. While the purple key path was entertaining enough, allowing me to fire plasma and rockets all way around… I could not understand the purpose of arch-vile closet near the switch that lowers the green key.

 

With all keys in possession, the final encounter was not that difficult – I just killed the arch-viles with rocket splash damage while they were stuck in animation constantly resurrecting the surrounding imps. Oh, and I hope that you were doing the same with your rad suit still active! I was expecting another climax after telefragging a cyberdemon, but no – the episode just ends, stripping me of everything. Looking forward to next episode’s theme!

[dei_eldren]

MAP11 - In Kasei Valles (HNTR, continuous, blind): K 100%, I 77%, S 0%, D 0, T 16:41

 

Spoiler

After the penultimate map of the first episode, the finale was surprisingly a return to average level of difficulty.  Funnily enough, i heard the Cyberdemon at the start, but didn't see one glimpse of him - only once he made his presence known, when i had returned to the nukage near the end and was handling the Bruiser Brothers and the Arch-Vile, as a rocket flew past me.  i didn't even notice telefragging him, as there was no cloud of blood, but kill count shows it certainly happened.  Funny how things go sometimes.

 

The map was certainly challenging in combat from the start, and i died by the sneaky Chaingunners in the nukage pit on first try, but started over managing a deathless run.  The layout is compact and complex, and i still would never guess this was made with 1000 lines - but that's true of every map so far, it really is.  The progression is quite linear, but in this case the combat on the way offers so much action it doesn't even matter - lots of incidental fights against mid-tiers along the way that are challenging but not frustrating - and i enjoyed going through the map as much as anything. 

 

The 'arena fight' resulting in gaining the BK was also, surprisingly enough for me, really fun, and i didn't even die in that one, as hordes of Imps kept teleporting in to provide reinforcements for the Barons, Hell Knights, and Revenants, while i kept blowing them away with the BFG.  All the Arch-Viles in the map i also handled with that one.  Well executed structures built into natural environments, such as on a mountain side, or into a cave are always impressive, and here the gritty installation built into the Martian rock looked great.

 

This all just came together so beautifully along with my own gameplay that happened to be more on point here than usual, that surprisingly the episode ender became my favourite.  i missed the secrets, but as the exit is death there was little incentive to go look for them, and supplies were quite plentiful throughout the map, though i'm not sure i could've plowed down so much of the enemies with BFG if i were pistol starting, as i was pretty stocked up on everything after MAP10.

 

 

Top 1000 maps:

Spoiler

MAP11 - in Kasei Valles - 9/10

MAP06 - a Memory from Earth - 9/10

MAP02 - Tharsis Awakens - 9/10

MAP10 - Red Alley - 9/10 

MAP07 - Back Alleys and Interlopers - 9/10

MAP05 - Martian Vista - 8/10

MAP01 - Dust Devils - 7/10

MAP04 - Monuments of Mars - 5/10

MAP03 - Lower City Grime - 5/10

MAP09 - Martian Midnight - 5/10

MAP08 - Concrete Avalanche - 5/10

 

Edited December 11, 2021 by dei_eldren

[RHhe82]

MAP11: In Kasei Valles. Played on UV, pistol-start. DNF.

 

I wonder if this was the map @Capellan was actually referring to when they said they were no longer having fun? Anyway, way above my skill level. I made it as far as the one arena with the spider mastermind and loads of imps and revenants and some demons. I don't know how am I supposed to survive this. One problem I have with hard maps that I feel I should be aware of prerequisites for each arena. For example, I think I could have gotten BFG before entering this, but that would have required defeating a free-roaming cyberdemon with clearly lacking resources.

 

From what I saw, we're back to layouts that amaze me as to how can they be 1000 linedefs at most. Nothing what I saw hinted of any limit, In Kasei Valles seemed to be a full-fledged modernly detailed challenge wad. Of course that's all smoke and mirrors, but still. I wish I was some day capable of taking on maps like this.

 

EDIT Later on: Played on HNTR, pistol-start. All the kills, 1/2 secrets. Completion time 18:13 (last five at least of which spent on a way for reaching the final secret, but didn't get it).

 

Okay, had a little more fun and success with a lower difficulty. I think I should have tried on HMP first, but whatevs -- there were a couple of tight(ish) spots near the beginning of the map, but the killer fights were much, much easier this time. Perhaps even too easy. One is never happy and satisfied... Anyway, my earlier impressions were confirmed, the map layout itself is great. Am I hallucinating, or did some key items switch places on lower difficulties? At least BFG was now easily accessible.

 

EDIT Even more later on: Played also on HMP, pistol-start. All the kills and secrets this time, completion time 20:17 (again some of which was spent on looking for the final secret, until I read @Azure_Horrors post. This was a sort of sweet spot of hard maps for me: difficult, requires some save scumming, but doable with some persistence. Referring to Azure post, I was actually also thinking of Sunlust while playing In Kasei Valles. I have only played thru first two maps of Sunlust, I'm saving it until I've gotten a little better at Doom, but brown metal OTEX aesthetics and encounter design got me thinking about Sunlust.

Edited December 11, 2021 by RHhe82

[ViolentBeetle]

MAP05: Martian Vista (UV, with saves, pistol start)

This map offers considerable non-linearity which is great, although some areas handle it oddly, such as purple key room where rocket launcher is close to one door and not the other. Hitscan concentration also caused me to cheese some of the encounters, such as a battle for blue key.

Overall, I enjoyed this level.

 

Prefernce order

MAP02

MAP04

MAP05

MAP01

MAP03

[Dragonfly]

31 minutes ago, RHhe82 said:

Played on UV

 

31 minutes ago, RHhe82 said:

I don't know how am I supposed to survive this.

 

 

Difficulty settings are a thing. It doesn't make you a lesser person for admitting you're not able to beat it on the hardest difficulty. :)

Edited December 11, 2021 by Dragonfly

[RHhe82]

22 minutes ago, Dragonfly said:

 

Difficulty settings are a thing. It doesn't make you a lesser person for admitting you're not able to beat it on the hardest difficulty. :)

 

You're quite right; I've even had this conversation a couple of times before, and I thought I had already learned and internalized the notion, that I wouldn't mind lower difficulties after tackling the first three maps of Fractured Worlds on HNTR -- but I guess I had got accustomed to playing 1K3 on UV, that even spikier difficulty spike took me by surprise :(

[Azure_Horror]

Spoiler contains some discussion about the blue key fight on map11.

Spoiler

1 hour ago, Dragonfly said:

Difficulty settings are a thing. It doesn't make you a lesser person for admitting you're not able to beat it on the hardest difficulty. :)

That's true, but you still can be curious about winning seemingly impossible fights :)

1 hour ago, RHhe82 said:

I made it as far as the one arena with the spider mastermind and loads of imps and revenants and some demons. I don't know how am I supposed to survive this.

If you have completed the starting area on UV, you can win this fight too. Basic idea is to shoot the imps with rockets/plasma, until you can move around relatively freely. It is not easy, but it is not impossible. ReaperAA's approach of camping around two medkits also helps. BFG is not needed, but you do need a lot of cell ammo.

 

Map 09 - Martian Midnight by DMPhobos

Played with GLBOOM-Plus, pistol start, UV difficulty, with saves

 

Very impressive layout, given the 1000 line limitation. With careful planning, DMPhobos managed to include quite a number of structural elements. Map progression is also of note. Strictly speaking, the path through the map is linear. Yet, the layout of the map is not linear: during the progression some old paths will close, and some new paths will open. The gameplay on this map feels like a synthesis of Plutonia Experiment and TnT: Evilution. The map has some ambushes, some kinetic incidental encounters and some high-octane setpieces.

 

The setting of this map looks less like a city location, and more like some kind of techbase. Given the fact that most previous maps had a non-techbase settings, the classical techbase theme of map 09 stands out quite a bit in the context of the first episode of 1000 lines 3. Like Concrete Avalanche before, Martian Midnight has some interesting secrets scattered around. But the main attraction of Martian Midnight is its highly effective use of arenas. On most of the arenas, there are at least two different fights waiting to happen. And on the very first arena, the one with the rocket launcher, you are likely to fight three fights: one against mancubi and some low-tiers, one against the cyber and the hell noble squad, and one against cacos and lost souls.

 

Overall, I like many individual parts of this map. I am also very impressed with Martian Midnight very efficient use of space. As the result, the map contains almost a dozen of notable combat encounters, and among them three cyberdemon fights. But this high amount of content is a double edged sword. Due to abundance of high-beef enemy encounters, the map is a bit tiring to play. As the result of this, the map feels a bit less than the sum of its part. IMHO, cutting some setpiece here, or a cyberdemon there could have improved Martian Midnight.

 

Nonetheless, Martian Midnight is a very good map. It is fun to play, it feels great to complete and it also is a major accomplishment in terms of effective use of mapping tools.

 

Map 10 - Red Alley by Alter

Played with GLBOOM-Plus, pistol start, UV difficulty, with saves

 

Big fights in open spaces! That's a welcome change of pace after Martian Midnight and Concrete Avalanche...

 

This map offers 4 big slaughter (slaughter-ish?) fights, and some more compact encounters between them. For me, the hardest part was the lock-in brawl in the tiny library, but luckily you can escape that fight early.

 

Red Alley is a rare beast among slaughter maps, because it does deliver the most fun parts of slaughter gameplay (large crowds, lots of ammo, movement-based approach to fights) while almost completely avoiding frustrating parts (movement restrictions, sadistic projectile patterns, archvile squads). In fact, on top of my head, I cannot remember any map with a similar approach to slaughter-like gameplay.

 

If all slaughter-like maps would follow such design sensibilities, it would be boring. But it is very fun to play a more easy-going slaughter-ish map from time to time. Wish more megawads included maps like Red Alley.

 

Map 11 - In Kasei Valles by Aurelius

Played with GLBOOM-Plus, pistol start, UV difficulty, with saves

 

That is mind-blowing opening shot we've got here. Only map 01 - Dust Devils (and maybe also map 05 - Martian Vista) has a comparable opening shot. The amount of care put into level geometry and visuals of In Kasei Valles is also mind-blowing. This map looks like something made for Sunlust, not for a Vanilla-compat project with a 1000 lines restriction!

 

Speaking of Sunlust... In Kasei Valles is a difficult map, on UV it feels roughly on par with Sunlust maps 06 and 07. There will be ambushes, there will be archviles, and there will be pain. Right from very start, you are challenged by chaingunners, a mancubus, an archvile, and a cyberdemon (!) sniper. On top of that, you need to juggle rad suits duration, limited ammo and hell knights clogging a crucial lift. And that's only the most obvious parts of the very first encounter!

 

After escaping the starting area, you will need to gather some supplies for the big fights later. It is a good idea to pick up supplies lying around the sniping cyberdemon. With 12-20 rockets and a SSG you will be ready to tackle any challenge on the map. It won't be easy, but at least you won't run out of ammo!

 

If you have a keen eye, you can also get a BFG at this point. To do this, you need to notice that the lift, which leads into dark steel building, is synchronized with another rusty lift on the opposite side of the canyon. Go up the rusty lift, grab the backpack and activate the computer screen. This will rise the hell knight lift at the starting nukage pool. Now that lift goes all the way to the cyberdemon platform. Don't worry, the cyberdemon cannot reach you on this lift yet! On top of the platform, you can see a little red switch near the lift. Press this switch, and ride the lift all the way up to the BFG! Beware the revenant. Beware the cyberdemon too, now he can reach you. Have a nice day!

 

With or without the BFG, eventually you will go inside the dark steel building. And here we have some nice Sunlust mascots: 5 pain elementals in a big open room, with sniping monsters as support. That's why we hoarded ammo... With meatball squad destroyed, you can now proceed to the biggest fight of the map: a big lock-in arena containing a nasty slaughter-style encounter against all sorts of baddies, including imps, revs, and a big fat spiderdemon. BTW, if the sniping cyberedemon is still alive at this point, be wary: the cyber can see you on some parts of slaughterish arena, and he will try to shoot you! The reward for this fight is the blue key. And two archivles, who will try to res everything immediately.

 

The green key is less intimidating, but it is more puzzling. You are bound to find four harmless archviles in a corner. What does it mean? It means that four archvile fights do exist! And that's exactly the number of archviles in the final battle of the map! MWA-HA-HA!

 

Ok, it is time to wrap up my rumblings. What do I think about the second Aurelius' map? I think that it is a brutal challenge. I also think that the map is fun to conquer. Finally, I admire the Aurelius' craftsmanship and vision. This map is on the same level as Sunlust or Ancient Aliens levels!

 

That said, I am a bit surprised, that such a difficult map was inclided into the first episode of 1000 lines 3. Yes, the difficulty spike compared to map09 is not completely insane. Yes, this is the episode's final slot. But we are talking about episode one! Now I am a bit afraid of what will come next...   

Edited December 11, 2021 by Azure_Horror

[Deadwing]

Playthrough of maps 7 to 10:

 

 

 

[ReaperAA]

38 minutes ago, Azure_Horror said:

That said, I am a bit surprised, that such a difficult map was inclided into the first episode of 1000 lines 3. Yes, the difficulty spike compared to map09 is not completely insane. Yes, this is the episode's final slot. But we are talking about episode one! Now I am a bit afraid of what will come next...   

 

To give you some good news (as someone who has already played through the wad before DWMC), most of E2 maps are easier than Map11. Even most of E3 maps are easier than this map.

 

The bad news is that there are maps in this wad that are on par or harder such as Map32, 20(E2's finale), 29 and 30.

[Book Lord]

If anybody noticed my absence from posting, I am pleased to inform that I am not skipping the DWMC playthrough at all. I am playing along with you, just I am not posting each day to give myself some relief after the last two months. Many members are already providing a lot of commentary and insight on each map and I do not mean to split hairs even more. I will just post a long one at the end of each episode, as I did for Bourgeois Megawad in June.

 

So, let's start with Episode 1!

 

Episode 1: Mars City

PrBoom+ 2.5.1.4, UV, Continuous, blind run w/saves

 

The first episode was a mix of cyberpunk urban landscapes and tech-base installations, set on the planet Mars. It certainly raised my interest with the simple layouts, made visually stunning by accurate texturing, often brought alive by small details like neon signs and chimney smoke. The mappers chose different approaches to the 1k linedef limitation: some of their efforts relied on big alleys and courtyards with hordes or faraway shooters, while others preferred narrow and confined spaces for their encounters. The difficulty was medium or low most of the time, increasing sensibly in the last four levels, though almost every map showcased at least one tough moment. Plasma troopers were the episode signature enemy, whose inability to infight among themselves was probably necessary but weird to experience. All weapons were introduced, among them the dehacked pistol and the assault rifle (an exciting, ultra-accurate and ammo-eating replacement for the chaingun). The episode was fairly quick to get through, and my overall impression was good.

 

 

MAP 01 – Dust Devils by @Aquila Chrysaetos

An effective showcase for novelties in the first episode and the whole 1000 Lines 3, Dust Devils drops the player near a toxic disposal system, patrolled by spiked Imps and former humans, introducing the dangerous plasma troopers without formalities. Small ambushes with low tier enemies, a brief crossing of hazardous fluid, a lot of cunning secrets and new things, including animated smoke, were used to create a convincing cyberpunk setting. Only the fast-recovery shotgun was delayed to the next map by the easily missed switch, tucked in a place you would not visit twice. Good start.

Spoiler

 

MAP 02 – Tharsis Awakens by @Tristan Clark and @Dragonfly

This MAP02 felt a bit exaggerate for the slot, boasting a high number of monsters and not counting out the hit points, since many of them were Barons, Mancubi, Revenants and even an Arch-Vile placed in a sneaky position. Barring the subjective criticism for the early aggression, the encounters were interesting and used closets to constantly repopulate the tech-base, which must be visited in every part to reach the exit. If some generous pickups had been removed, this one could have been used for a higher slot. The mini hordes of former humans, most notably a platoon of plasma guys in the southern area, and the masses of Imps and Revenants in the final arena, were literally coming out of the “awakening” Tharsis landscape. This slaughter prelude was surely a vision of things to come.

Spoiler

 

MAP 03 – Lower City Grime by @Liberation

Back to Mars City proper, this punchy little map was impressive for the complex urban scenario achieved with line limitations. It felt a lot larger than it really was, and it showcased intense combat action, keeping me constantly alert and busy while traversing the big courtyards, the service rooms inside the buildings, the waste disposal system, and the exit causeway. Plasma troopers, shooting out of the range of my hitscan weapons, were much more effective than in the last two maps. The final Revenant teleport caught me off-guard and demonstrated that the plasma gun was not given just for fun. Excellent map.

Spoiler

 

MAP 04 – Monuments of Mars by @reflex17

Absolutely linear, huge, and mostly empty, Monument of Mars focused on size and enemies coming or shooting from the distance. The resulting combat was generally ok, especially in the large, blocky warehouse with several plasma shooters, Revenants, and an Arch-Vile ready to lead a surprise incursion. The situation may repeat itself in the final outdoor area dominated by silos. This map should not challenge a careful player but may be punishing to those who rush into things. I found a bit irritating there was no way back after dropping in the warehouse, because I left behind three harmless Revenants that popped out on a ledge in a city alley. An ok level under the 1k lines limitation, but not one of the best.

Spoiler

 

MAP 05 – Martian Vista by @Walter confetti (Walter)

One of the simplest levels of the episode, both combat-wise and from a design perspective, it asked me to stop and think only to find the Megasphere secret. The starting lounge overlooking Mars wastes was neat, though a bit undetailed and boxy. Several teleport traps were in store, though none tried to put major pressure on the player. I found the terrace holding the purple key a bit odd: it offered loads of rockets, but considering how the hitscanners poured in without cover, it was better to just camp a door. The Cacodemons were placed in a way they could not see the player until they picked up health, which probably happens when the ambush was already over. The pop-up Arachnotron was very slow and weird, as its infinite height prevented me from reaching the switch for about two seconds. The fireball turret was a novelty, and I was amazed to learn it was done with the monster spawner and spawn spots. Besides this feature and its oddities, not a memorable map.

Spoiler

 

MAP 06 – A Memory from Earth by @Aurelius

Quite the opposite, A Memory from Earth stroke me since the beginning for its narrow spaces and the monster congestion. The level started with Doomguy surrounded at the bottom of a pit, then continued into cramped hallways, culminating in a final monster teleport swarming the centre of the level, a close and personal fight which required some attempts. I cannot tell why this place reminded me of some amusement district, like those overcrowded indoor streets with neon lights seen in Total Recall. There was plenty of glowing signs and funny writings to read, and I think this author obtained the most out of the available lines. Accurate placement of small closets made sure the journey remained exciting, with Arch-Viles, plasma troopers, and Pain Elementals creating the most trouble. The “EXIT” sign seen both behind the Cyberdemon and behind a teleporter misled me, so I killed the stationary boss with the shotgun, forgetting that the mapping etiquette usually provides a telefrag opportunity in such situations. One of the best looking and most fun maps of the first episode.

Spoiler

 

MAP 07 – Back Alleys and Interlopers by @RonnieJamesDiner (Chester)

This one depicted the Back Alleys and Interlopers of Mars City in continuity with the scenarios from MAP01 and 03. It relied much more on Arch-Viles though, always spawned where they could resurrect fallen bodies and put pressure from different angles. There were no rockets available, so plasma gun was the weapon of choice on most situations (available right from the start inside a secret). The map was short but with enough intensity and nicely interconnected areas to create a positive impression.

Spoiler

 

MAP 08 – Concrete Avalanche by @Scotty

A necessary break from cyberpunk urban maps, this one took Doomguy in an abstract, demonic industrial plant, characterised by multiple active crushers, some of them tricky to get past if not timed correctly. The goal was to find two keys, raise a bridge and stop the crusher in a toxic waste channel, all actions that could be skipped by taking some damage and just running for the exit at the end of said channel. Though entirely optional, both the keys and related switches were protected by interesting traps and ambushes, but the secret areas held the real marvels of this level. The Cyberdemon and Mancubi arena, where a Megasphere was not given as a prize, but as a means of survival, was cruel but also entertaining. Surely the author chose an unusual way to gratify his players, not appealing to everyone; to me the edgy design and attitude stood out as particularly original.

Spoiler

 

MAP 09 – Martian Midnight by @DMPhobos

Here we have a map that loved its cramped Cyberdemon fights! Even though most of the ceiling was in fact the sky, the convoluted hallways and staircases gave the whole installation a claustrophobic atmosphere. The first skirmishes with Cacodemons, former humans and Lost Souls should not let down your guard, since DMPhobos planned to pull out a Cyberdemon at every opportunity. The first was predictable, but the Hell Nobles caught me unprepared. I found the secret BFG to dispatch the second, but I was so surprised by his appearance that I fled to the bottom of the elevator and getting up was not possible without being disintegrated. I killed him with the shotgun. The final brawl pit fight was expected, but the timed closets added constantly monsters to the mix, including a third Cyberdemon, so my first attempt resulted in my death. I liked the brutal attitude of Cyberdemon encounters.

Spoiler

 

MAP 10 – Red Alley by @Alter

As far as slaughter maps go, this one surely pitted the player against large groups of monsters, but the locations were ample enough to make sure you never feel really oppressed. Piling a lot of bodies with the help of infighting and of the overabundant arsenal should not require tight strategy or precise movement, maybe only dodging Revenant rockets in the first arena. The bloody journey brought me through Mars City streets, a train station, a great square with a fountain, a library, a bar and a giant basin of water, found where the back of the bar should be. This nonsense, paired with the geometrical, simply detailed landscape, suggested that everything was designed for the fighting experience. The places were roughly outlined, though recognisable; they provided a decent setting for massacring hundreds of demons, but nothing else. For me it was good fun, mostly.

Spoiler

 

MAP 11 – In Kasei Valles by @Aurelius

As opposed to his MAP06, in this case Aurelius ramped the difficulty up, to the point of being frustrating at times. Especially at the start, when I was supposed to jump down in a corrosive pool, grab a Radiation Suit and deal with an Arch-Vile while knowing nothing of the surrounding area, where every nook and cranny could be targeted by a Cyberdemon. Where rockets could not hit me, surely chaingunners, Hell Knights and said AV did their best to drive me out of cover. The rest of the map appeared overstuffed with hitpoints, forcing to use powerful weapons most of the time, but pistol starters must wait until late to put their hands on real ammo stashes. I did not find the secret BFG, and I checked in the editor how to acquire it; I seriously doubt anyone will find it in single player, though I must rely on it in the room with a lot of Pain Elementals and Hell Knights, as any other option seemed risky. The subsequent Imp massacre with the Spider Mastermind was more bearable, as I immediately found a sweet spot to fend them off. Other set pieces, like the last closet filled to the brim with monsters, or the nook with four Arch-Viles near the green key, felt a bit excessive and just ammo spam. The Cyberdemon above the starting point was also an annoyance, whose telefrag came too late for relief. An interesting design with a nice visual setting to close the episode, but not as fun to play as MAP06.

Spoiler

 

[dei_eldren]

MAP12 - Forlorn Hope (HNTR, continuous, blind): K 100%, I 100%, S 0%, D 0, T 15:14

 

Spoiler

As much as i enjoyed the aesthetics of the first episode, a change by now is welcome, and have to say judging by this map this episode is going to be visually fantastic!  i don't often like cutesy stuff in Doom, but the chicken and the sheep really made me wanna protect them :D

 

But this episode is all about saving Bessie Blount!  Umm, no?  Well, whatever the mission is, the new flying gothic custom creatures at least take me by surprise  and i die as i'm more focused on admiring the peaceful countryside scenery.  A new try.  So, the opening encounter consists of those flying devils, hitscanners and Pinkies, and a Mancubus shooting from the courtyard of a fort i am about to enter from the pretty waterpond.  But damn those flying gothic devils are fast.  Luckily, the damage they do is not much at once, but they shoot fireballs rapidly and definitely are a nuisance to reckon with in fights.  Against custom enemies as i usually am, i came to like the plasma-shooting curs in the first episode, and i immediately like these, as undoomlike as they are, changing the dynamics of the game that i know and love.  Whatever, that's a meaningless technicality.  They look really good, too, by the way.

 

Having cleared the courtyard, the task is to collect keys Amethyst and Emerald, and first i enter western part of the fort.  Behind the door is the first Revenant of the map, but in the beginning of the map the shotgun was provided, and on the courtyard was the RL.  Inside the building, there's quite a bit of Imps, and those flying devils, but also a Chaingunner that of course is placed to catch me by surprise.  The total enemy count is at 125, by the way, so there really is a good amount of them all the way through the map.  From here is access to the small garden, glimpsed earlier from the pond below, and the beautiful sheep are there.  The atmosphere on this map, thanks to the cutesies, is really good.  But there's some more enemies, and finally, the Emerald Key.

 

After gaining it, i open the Emerald Gate by the courtyard to find Amethyst Gate behind it.  There's also a sidepath to collect some armor bonuses, but i don't take it yet in hopes of first finding the Green Armor...only to find it last, behind that line of the bonuses, guarded by a Chaingunner :D  Hmmph.  Anyway, through the other unlocked door, there's at first an ambush of Imps, but a neat design touch is the grated window with lanterns in the wall directly at front, behind from which unseen Imps continue firing.  It's simple but effective.  As i went forward, i was attacked by so many of the flying devils that i a) ran out of shells, b) needed to retreat, c) got my health down to 26%.  Somewhat luckily, they die easily enough with the pistol, too, in fact shells turned out to be a bit of a waste on them.

 

After that was settled, the short hallway lead behind the wall to a small garden area, where the Amethyst Key was placed on top of a fountain.  The switch to lower it behind a door is guarded by a few Revenants and a Pinky, but there's plenty of rockets in this garden area.  Pressing the switch causes also an influx of about forty Imps into the garden, but there's more than enough space to take care of them with rockets.  Lastly i collected the Green Armor from the Chaingunner, without any benefit from the Armor bonuses, and looked around for any loot i might have left behind.

 

Short but very sweet.  Pretty easy but not without threat, as even mildly careless play, such as mine, caused a few situations where death was close.  Probably in difficulty comparable to MAP01, or perhaps just a little bit more.  A secret or two would have been nice, as usual.

 

 

Top 1000 maps in three sets:

Spoiler

Episode 1

MAP11 - in Kasei Valles - 9/10

MAP06 - a Memory from Earth - 9/10

MAP02 - Tharsis Awakens - 9/10

MAP10 - Red Alley - 9/10 

MAP07 - Back Alleys and Interlopers - 9/10

MAP05 - Martian Vista - 8/10

MAP01 - Dust Devils - 7/10

MAP04 - Monuments of Mars - 5/10

MAP03 - Lower City Grime - 5/10

MAP09 - Martian Midnight - 5/10

MAP08 - Concrete Avalanche - 5/10

 

Episode 2

MAP12 - Forlorn Hope - 9/10

 

Edited December 11, 2021 by dei_eldren

[cannonball]

MAP11 - “In Kasei Valles” by Aurelius

 

The start of this map is way too mean for its slot and the fact that nothing else in this map comes close to this in difficulty. The fact you have no armour means you are always vulnerable to getting an unlucky damage roll from mancubi, revenants or hellknights that can also hit you in many parts of the sludge area. Luckily the rest of the map is much more palatable, but even here there are some really questionable design decisions.

1) The soulsphere secret is horrid, there is no getting around the fact that you absolutely need the cyber to not fire when grabbing that power up. 

2) There are archviles behind the cyber that appeared to be completely useless, I just rammed a half dozen rockets in their hideaway and that was that.

That said, the blue key fight is very fun and frenetic and the other side was fun when I did the map in the right order. 

 

Overall this was a rather mixed finale that suffers from some questionable design decisions in parts.

 

So what about the episode as a whole. It was on the whole a fun and varied episode where you could see that the authors were able to bring their strengths and ideas to the table. There wasn't a map that I particularly disliked, there were a couple that were a bit "Meh" but the rest were good or very good. Best maps were probably Map03 and 07, but there was a lot of good stuff in here and I hope the other episodes deliver as well.

[finnks13]

MAP 11 - In Kasei Valles by Aurelius:

The finale of episode 1 is an appropriately challenging series of encounters set in the ruins(?) of some buildings around a central sludge pit. As the people above me have mentioned, this map looks fantastic and is very expansive considering the harsh line limit - Aurelius' two maps in this first episode have definitely been highlights in terms of their visuals.  There are some very cool, interesting setups in this map but, much like Aurelius' previous map, I find myself wishing for a bit more space to move, I found the map quite hard to navigate and overall, I didn't really enjoy much of the level.

 

Since lots of this map is covered in slime, the radsuits here are very important to ration and I think this makes the fights taking place around the slime better due to the constant threat of time running out. The SSG fight is fine, and pressing the switch behind it spawns in an archvile behind some hell knights which is probably the best placed archvile in the map (though I also like the 4 in the corner protecting the green armour). Having to SSG the cyberdemon to death is a bit dull, but seems necessary to avoid it being a nuisance the entire time. This map does suffer from a slight overuse of archviles, similar to map 8 - they quickly lost their "oh shit!" factor after being used as often as they are here, which I think is a bit of a shame.

 

I thought the plasma gun area was the best part of the map, the first part where you pick it up is a tricky dance to try to gain a safe haven from the plasma troopers and hell knights so you can take out the pain elementals and the large fight in the sandpit with the spider mastermind and shit-load of imps was fun. I also liked the final attack against the small horde in the sludge pit after hitting the purple switch, I wasted the radsuits and was too stupid to find the BFG so I had to get creative with luring the monsters out to deal with them from above. Overall, this a fitting finale to the first episode and a very impressive map, that unfortunately I can't really say I care for much.

 

Overall Thoughts on Episode 1:

This episode is good, I liked most of the levels in it and I think line limit has not constrained the creativity of the mappers very much at all. I think the visuals are excellent, though very busy a lot of the time and I think this contributed to my difficulties in finding my way around a lot of the maps here, which definitely lessened my enjoyment of a few parts. The busyness of the visuals works well for the cyberpunk-y city that you're going for here, but it overall detracted from a lot of the maps in my opinion - especially when episodes 2 and 3 have had equally excellent visuals without them making it harder to navigate the maps.

 

The gameplay in this first episode is pretty standard stuff, a few more monsters than I think would normally be used in most other megawads, but this fits my taste pretty well and I especially enjoyed maps 9 and 10's gameplay. Importantly though, I did have fun here, and I am going to be more positive as we go along here because in spite of Episode 1 being a pretty great opening part - it is my least favourite of the three. Bring on the second episode!

 

Rankings of Episode 1:

Spoiler

(Favourite)

9 - Martian Midnight

10 - Red Alley

3 - Lower City Grime

2 - Tharsis Awakens

7 - Back Alleys and Interlopers

4 - Monuments of Mars

8 - Concrete Avalanche

5 - Martian Vista

1 - Dust Devils

11 - In Kasei Valles

6 - A Memory from Earth

(Least Favourite)

 

[Maribo]

Notes for Map11: In Kasei Valles

- BFG secret is extremely obtuse to acquire, weird design decision imo.

- Starting room is an interesting borderline combat puzzle, I suppose. I like it, but you really have to corner peek it to make it consistently doable.

- I like the early lack of ammo, but I've always been a fan of maps that make you make every shot count (generally)

- Green key cyber fight is really balls without the BFG. Patient players can get the hell knights + archvile all killed through infighting though

- Agree w/ what Cannonball just said about the corner Archviles, they will never hear you or be a real threat if you don't back right up against them and shoot a rocket or something.

- Fun from continuous play blind (imo), pretty rough blind on pistol start

- Very fun to me from pistol start when I already know the map

- Extremely high quality use of space, really feels like there isn't a 1k line restriction going on in this map at all. The decorum is lovely as well.

- You can skip the death exit line and run all the way to the back of the void hallway, lol. happened to me on my blind continuous playthrough and i was really confused for a minute.

 

Semi-casual UV-Max demo, recorded in DSDA-Doom:

1k311m818.zip

 

Short notes on Episode 1:

Spoiler

I really liked the overall aesthetic, but some of the maps felt a bit more barren than they could have. Sometimes it works in its advantage, I recall some brief instances of melancholy when wandering around in Monuments of Mars and Lower City Grime, despite the midis.

Hopefully the last we see of the plasma trooper. They serve their purpose (and fit the episode's aesthetic very well) but I'm not really a fan of them as an enemy that I see regularly, I usually find them hard to spot when they're on perches or something.

Highlights for me:
Map11: In Kasei Valles - as a whole.

Map10: Red Alley - silly slaughter fun.

Map09: Martian Midnight - the cyberdemon space constriction

Map08: Concrete Avalanche - the megasphere secret fight.

Map06: A Memory From Earth - The cyberdemon + general aesthetic

 

Great job everyone who mapped for this first episode. The aesthetic is very consistent. :)

 

[LadyMistDragon]

Map 11 - In Kasei Valles by Aurelius

 

As you might expect from an episode closer, this one's a real doozy. Aurelius also authors the final map in Tropical Nightmare, while my arch-nemesis Wilou84 authors the second episode's closer. And honestly, I think I'm more afraid of that one.

 

You start out, surrounded by a canyon also inundated with industrial facilities while a somewhat poppy jazz-fusion number with a strong undercurrent of loneliness called "On the Outer" plays in the background. It's almost too quiet in a way but on the other hand, it's easy enough to guess that despite reaching the center of the demonic incursion, you're not anywhere near the end.

 

This is indeed the most difficult map of the episode, but at the same time, there's always room to move around, even if not very much, unlike, oh, other mappers. Though it helps that if you keep complete awareness of where the Cyberdemons are that you can survive pretty much everything through surgical strikes on enemies like Pain Elementals and complete ruthlessness where required. All I know is that I managed to avoid dying a single time (granted, much of that was due to rewinds from a few moments of sloppiness and re-loading before I could figure where everyone was but still).

 

I won't spend too much time on the first 40 percent or so but safe to say I spent far too much time wandering in the pit near the start before realizing there was a lift-like texture near the Hell Knight pair here that lowers. From a pistol-start, you have to be somewhat careful, but the plasma troopers were far less of a threat than they were in previous maps overall, despite the fact you're surrounded by them at the first big fight. This comes shortly after the showdown with the Pain Elementals/Hell Knights. Among other enemies here is a Spider Mastermind whom I somehow evaded though I could've probably played better. The vast quantity of Revenants will cut her to pieces eventually as long as you constantly lob rockets to keep the Imp ranks and their Revenant buddies away. Interestingly, Aurelius has a neon ad for his home country's most famous brand IKEA. I don't know why an industrial area with bars at best has something like that, but who really cares? As you exit the area, the lift will raise you up to a point where you can leap off and jump onto the ledge with the Supercharge you spotted at the beginning. Be quick though. I retried this a dozen times before succeeding.

 

At some point, you'll be able to access the ledge with the Cyberdemon firing at you from the opposite end of where you came from, along with some other assorted trash not really worth discussing. Weakened by infighting with the Barons and others at his ledge, he wend down in less than 100 shots. A nearby switch opens a little cavern with 4 Arch-vile that are not especially threatening, but they aren't that far away so be very careful. Push the switch in their chamber for the purple key.

 

Finally, push the switch behind it to open up the final battle! A massive hoarde of Imps along with 4 Arch-viles yet again and a Baron pair bringing up the rear. Despite the temptation, you'll probably want to use your plasma rifle at first to clear the Imps out, otherwise, you won't have the power to effectively counter the Arch-viles if you haven't picked the BFG up.

 

From here, telefrag the Cyberdemon above the starting location, then follow a path behind him to a darkened hallway with some sword-like symbol at the end, and just as you can identify it, SPLAT.

 

This is the best map so far because while hard, there's actual dynamicism occurring here, unlike maps that restrict your movement to such a degree.....ok, ok, I know there'll be plenty of time for counting when the dealing's done. Anyway, I gotta run and make dinner. Still, let's add in a little something extra.

(Edit: The BFG secret is definitely a little obtuse and a bit convoluted, but it could be much worst. Go play Old Still Life sometimes!)

 

Total Deaths: 10

Edited December 12, 2021 by LadyMistDragon

[Biodegradable]

MAP12 - Forlorn Hope

UV | Continuous | GZDoom

 

Not a fan of those Heretic imps! GET BACK IN YOUR OWN GAME! ACK!

 

So, we're off to a pretty rough start here. Liberation throws a LOT at you right out of the gate with a swarm of flying Heretic imps, a pack of Pinkies, Chaingunner and Imp snipers and two support sniping Mancs. SHEESH! Also, the cheeky bastard skimped out on ammo besides rocket launcher ammo, so you get to risk blowing your own face off in heavy combat scenarios! What did I do to deserve this, Lib?!?! lmao anyways, it's a pretty good intro to the new episode, despite how quickly things go pear-shaped. I like the use of Heretic/Hexen textures to create a medieval setting and I thought the use of sheep and chicken sprites was also rather cute. This map felt like an excited dog that couldn't wait to play with you, jumping and running around at 1000mph and anxious to slobber all over you. The only thing that really annoyed me were the Heretic imps. Putting how annoying they are to one side, I think their new dehacked grey colour palette makes them blend into the background a bit too much, which makes them difficult to make out among their surroundings. I think having them as their original red colour would've been a better idea, but that's just me. 

 

 

Edited December 19, 2021 by Biodegradable

[Book Lord]

2 hours ago, Biodegradable said:

 I think having them as their original red colour would've been a better idea, but that's just me. 

 

I think this will be a widespread idea. That enemy is so annoying (in-built -fast speed, tiny hit box, confusing movement pattern, and medieval camouflage palette) that by the end of the episode I suppose anybody will hate the gargoyles very fondly.

 

And MAP12 is NOT starting nicely, as Liberation tried to make Capellan believe up in the thread. It's one of the roughest starts in the episode for sure.

[Biodegradable]

1 minute ago, Book Lord said:

MAP12 is NOT starting nicely, as Liberation tried to make Capellan believe up in the thread. It's one of the roughest starts in the episode for sure.

 

Ooooh, that wily Liberation. He's a right scoundrel!

[Liberation]

4 hours ago, Biodegradable said:

I like the use of Heretic/Hexen textures to create a medieval setting

 

That is Otex all the way buddy! The tudor stuff hasn't been used much, so I thought it was about time we started using it, hence episode 2's theme!

Map12, is a very heavily rocket orientated map, with a high number of low tier monsters to obliterate. The gargoyles do mix it up abit, so need to keep an eye out for them, but generally speaking it's just a case of prioritising those targets, spam any viles quickly and then just mulch anything else with rockets.

 

I was feeling a tad sorry for you, till you tried shooting the animals.. The gargoyles will know you tried that btw...

 

 

[Biodegradable]

1 minute ago, Liberation said:

 

That is Otex all the way buddy! The tudor stuff hasn't been used much, so I thought it was about time we started using it, hence episode 2's theme!

 

 

You can tell I've never played Heretic or Hexen, can't ya? ;^P Honestly, that's fantastic, mate. This megaWAD's really on a mission to put the entire spectrum of Ukiro's work on full display and I'm here for it. I've only seen OTEX techbases, so this will certainly be a treat going forward.

[FragsBunny]

MAP12: Forlorn Hope (100%/100%/100%)

1.       Chaingunners reflect projectiles back at you

2.       Mancubus deals extra damage if wounded

3.       Mancubus fires bullets instead

 

The second episode’s opening is not easy! Those darn gargoyles ignored all rules set by the mod, and started moving while the card selection was still active (thankfully, an immunity wss given at a moment). And when it comes to a combat, it’s not getting any better. While quick to kill, they move so fast that the quickly take away my personal space! And the rest of the start is not easy – getting to snag the rocket launcher while being harassed to pinkies and mancubi. Oh, and didn’t I forgot to mention explosive barrels? In a medieval setting?

 

During my earlier attempts, I also somehow missed the machinegun and armor, making my life somewhat miserable. There are two keys to collect. Picking up the green key spawns an arch-vile right near the dead chaingunners that demands immediate attention, follow a small horde on the way back. The purple key took me several attempts to beat. It was already hard enough to swat those gargoyles, but one of the switches, in addition of releasing the imp horde and few revenants, spawns another arch-vile in a wrong place and at a wrong time! Sure, you can retreat back, but how you would spam those rockets in a narrow corridor? I know, I’m just trying not to stress myself too much, but still! To think I would use several attempts to finish such a simple map…

[dac]

12 minutes ago, FragsBunny said:

Oh, and didn’t I forgot to mention explosive barrels? In a medieval setting?

 

Actually that might be your fault :p

 

On 12/3/2021 at 8:37 AM, FragsBunny said:

MAP01: Dust Devils (100%/100%/100%)

1.       “Nazi” have increased movement speed

2.       Zombieman can leap at their prey

3.       Add lots of explosive barrels to the level

 

[finnks13]

MAP 12 - Forlorn Hope by Liberation:

A decent opener for the second episode, which contains earth maps set during the Tudor period (never learned about the Demonic Invasion of 1534 myself but maybe I was off ill from school that day) and contains the second custom monster - a flying black gargoyle. I'll be honest, I found these quite annoying - especially in the opening fight where you expected to take in the new scenery and find weaponry while dealing with 6 of them. They aren't too bad here, though I expect they are going to get spammed to the same degree that the plasma troopers are in Episode 1 and that slightly worries me.

 

The map itself is a design I always really like myself, a choice between two paths that net you keys that open the way to the exit and can be tackled in any order. I think I preferred the purple key path which sets you against a large horde of imps in a small courtyard along with an archvile from the entrance of the area to stop you being too complacent, though the main threat here is yourself as it's very easy to eat a few face rockets (not that I found that out here, I would never do that!) due to the large amount of enemies.

 

The green key sets you against some mancubi and an archvile resurrecting some chaingunners stacked high on crates on both sides of you - this was another fun fight, if a bit easier than the purple key one, though this might be because I got pretty lucky with the archvile choosing to not bother trying to zap me at all. Fun opener, has me both hopeful and terrified for the maps to come. Shoutouts to the sheep. They are excellent.

[Azure_Horror]

Map 12 - Forlorn Hope by Liberation

Played with GLBOOM-Plus, pistol start, UV difficulty,

Saves allowed (0 saves used) 

 

New episode means new monster! I will call those things 'Imps Crows', because they are gray and say 'Caw!'. Those little creatures like to zip around and throw fireballs at you. Annoying little buggers! They feel mostly harmless. The only threat is being cornered by them. But Imp Crows are squishy, so that's not likely. As long as you can stay on the move and shoot them with hitscan guns, they do not present much of a threat.

 

BTW, be glad that Imp-Crows have slow moving projectiles. Uprising megawad also has a tiny flying enemy - the drone. And those drones shoot fast-moving plasma bolts!

 

Forlorn Hope is pretty fun, but not that easy. Right at the very start you need to navigate hitscanner snipers, flying Imp Crows, usual imps and two mancubi with only a shotgun and a pistol. Alternatively, you can go for a rocket launcher, but this will add a horde of pinkies to the equation. Even more bodies to punch through. Speaking about map start, I am not a fan of the assault rifle placement. It is the only non-explosive power weapon on the map filled with fast annoying fliers, so why is it hidden in the side room?

 

After you clear the main area, you can go either for green, or for purple key. Green key fight left mixed feelings. The fight is very easy with a correct guess, or some knowledge about the fight structure, but there is not much obvious cover to hide from archvile in the yard. That fight can go very wrong on a blind run. Hello again, 'knowledge tax'. The purple key fight was not that memorable. A flock of Imp Crows, a horde of common imps, quite a number of revs, one archvile. Been there, done that.

 

As I said earlier, Forlorn Hope is a pretty fun map. But for an episode starter I was expecting a bit less beefy action. Something like map 02, 03, 04, 05 or 07 could have been nice. How beefy are the next few maps? I am a bit tempted to follow Cappelan's footsteps and abandon the run, but for now I will continue playing. I am curious about what will come next.

 

At least map 12 has a very beautiful setting. Sheep are wonderful, and the river is very nice too. Those details remind me about Lost Civilization megawad. Lost Civilisation is chill, so I choose to hope that the next map will also be chill.

Edited December 13, 2021 by Azure_Horror

[cannonball]

MAP12 - “Forlorn Hope” by Liberation

 

Two technical gripes to get out of the way.

1) The map has way too much ammo, I left with 50 rockets and there were plenty to spare. 

2) Gargoyles tended to be more associated with Medieval Britain, so to a degree they are a little out of place :P

 

Anyway, onto the map, which is really fun. The start is probably the most stressful part as you acquire the required resources, otherwise there is a lot of fodder to obliterate with your cannon rocket launcher. As the gargoyles are quite quick, they do play a little havoc when using rockets as they have to ability to get in the way, resulting in a rather gory demise. The fights for both keys are more fun than difficult, which is about the right pitch for this point in the megawad.

Overall a much better opener than Map01 was for the Mars City episode, in that this one is probably one of the best so far in the set.

Edited December 12, 2021 by cannonball

[dei_eldren]

MAP13 - Viridical Times (HNTR, continuous, blind): K 100%, I 68%, S 66%, D ~8, T 24:27

 

Spoiler

Though your fins be scarlet...

 

In some levels i've been really surprised at the difficulty people playing even on HMP have mentioned, but apparently now that difficulty is starting to, in accordance with the laws of trickle down economics, seep down to HNTR.  This is the first time the combat in this set started reminding me of Plutonia (which i disliked for a long time, but i am in fact starting to change my mind, as i've also been practicing the old classic on HMP that i've never played through completely inspired by Dario's own playthrough - it really is a matter of skill...) and i died eight times in this map in the two major ambushes, basically before i found which direxion it was a good idea to run to, in absence of plasma which would've made things a lot simpler. 

 

The map begins in a beautiful valley, with some kind of installation built into the surrounding high walls - very impressive, both visually and in layout.  The map starts deceptively easy, but little by little i found myself being sniped at from all kinds of direxions by all kinds of hitscanners located at all measures of heights.  My health was finally taken to less than 50% after going up the lift and pressing the switch, at the first minor ambush, just a few of those flying devils pecking and shooting at me, while i was fighting a hapless Hell Knight.  But seeing the cave open and them fly out was a great visual detail.

 

First major ambush - the easier one - comes upon entering the caves, part natural part artificial - another great marriage of structures and environment - that lead to the ledge upon which the Sapphire Key is placed on display, with Revenants, Hell Knight and Imps, but the main aggressor was this goddamned Pain Elemental whose Lost Souls i could not escape as they whittled my health down to 3% when i was ingloriously killed by an Imp's fireball.  The intensity of this encounter took me completely by surprise, partly it's also due to the complex and semi-dark environment where it's easy to get cornered. 

 

After gaining the key, the next one, that began right after taking the elevator behind the SK port, was much worse, and i lost count how many times i died in it.  But there's an immediate attack of Revenants, in all direxions one can run into to, backed up by caged Mancubi.  i survived eventually by running to the pathway to the left, passing the Revenants on the way and starting my defense from there.  Yeah, definitely Plutoniaeasque.  Also this difficulty was achieved with only 65 monsters inhabiting the whole map - so every enemy has been made to count.  Here is also a tantalizing secret Soulsphere, so near but so out of reach under a rockface, that i spent quite a bit of time trying to acquire once the fighting was done, but without getting any closer to it - the closest i got was a desperate doomed-to-fail running jump towards it.  The other two secrets yielded to my efforts that probably doubled the time spent on the map.

 

These maps are simply getting better and better - it's incredible how much there was also to explore in this visually stunning map.  While searching for secrets, i found this cool waterway area that had quite a bit of supplies that i'd missed earlier, which wasn't even a secret.  Fantastic map, but i look forward to reading/seeing what it's like to play on HMP/UV, as in some levels even HMP has looked UV-worthy. 

 

 

Top 1000 maps in three four sets:

Spoiler

Episode 1

MAP11 - in Kasei Valles - 9/10

MAP06 - a Memory from Earth - 9/10

MAP02 - Tharsis Awakens - 9/10

MAP10 - Red Alley - 9/10 

MAP07 - Back Alleys and Interlopers - 9/10

MAP05 - Martian Vista - 8/10

MAP01 - Dust Devils - 7/10

MAP04 - Monuments of Mars - 5/10

MAP03 - Lower City Grime - 5/10

MAP09 - Martian Midnight - 5/10

MAP08 - Concrete Avalanche - 5/10

 

Episode 2

MAP13 - Viridical Times - 9.5/10

MAP12 - Forlorn Hope - 9/10

 

Come Together

MAP13 - Viridical Times - 9.5/10:

MAP11 - in Kasei Valles - 9/10

MAP06 - a Memory from Earth - 9/10

MAP12 - Forlorn Hope - 9/10

MAP02 - Tharsis Awakens - 9/10

MAP10 - Red Alley - 9/10 

MAP07 - Back Alleys and Interlopers - 9/10

MAP05 - Martian Vista - 8/10

MAP01 - Dust Devils - 7/10

MAP04 - Monuments of Mars - 5/10

MAP03 - Lower City Grime - 5/10

MAP09 - Martian Midnight - 5/10

MAP08 - Concrete Avalanche - 5/10

 

[Major Arlene]

2 hours ago, Azure_Horror said:

Map 12 - Forlorn Hope by Liberation

Played with GLBOOM-Plus, pistol start, UV difficulty,

Saves allowed (0 saves used) 

...

 

I am a bit tempted to follow Cappelan's footsteps and abandon the run, but for now I will continue playing. I am curious about what will come next.

Difficulty settings exist in this WAD