seeking out platforming WADs

[msx2plus]

what it says on the tin - looking for platforming WADs not by ribbiks. i enjoy his approach to platforming, especially the stuff in frog and toad, and am seeking additional perspectives in approach and design. cl9 preferred but i'm very open to other weirdo shit too. cheers.

 

to get ahead of at least one person, this is not a thread to post "i hate doom platforming" in, thank you.

[Andromeda]

Here's a list of wads whose textfile contains the word "platforming": https://www.doomworld.com/idgames//index.php?search=1&field=textfile&word=platforming&sort=time&order=asc&page=1

[msx2plus]

there are a couple on there, but i'm not certain most heavy platforming-centric stuff would end up on idgames and instead just be attached to forum posts like other experimental or "gameplay-only" maps. stuff like that tends to be a bit buried.

[akolai]

Archvile Jump has ~spicy~ platforming and puzzles

[msx2plus]

8 minutes ago, akolai said:

Archvile Jump has ~spicy~ platforming and puzzles

 

"Anonymous" leaves a 0 star review: "This is not a game . This sleight of hand. meaningless, boring. unnecessary . 0/5"

 

this is how you know it's good (it is very good)

[4shockblast]

Seconding AVJ Megawad, it is very fun.

 

TOTG map 4 (very tough).

Project X map 12 (quite easy).

Italo-Doom Map 7 (Ribbiks is one of the authors, but not the only one, and it's not part of frog series, decently hard)

sliw all maps (very hard).

Axolotl maps 2 and 5 (medium difficulty)

Noye maps 3 (medium hard) and 31 (hard). Arguably, 12 and 33 as well (both medium hard). 21 technically too, but it is very short.

Meowgi's Practice Hub map 1 partially and map 6 (easy to medium hard)

NoSp2 Map 31 (easy). I believe also 33 (should be very hard), but I think it is intended for Zandronum only, so I hadn't really played it and can't comment much on it. :)

NoisyDiarrhea Map 31 (easy).

Plutonia 7 Map 26 (easy-ish). I feel there may be others in this wad, but I cannot recall off the top of my head.

Sunder Map 5 (has monsters, but you could always pass -nomonsters of course, and it's a fun experience, easy).

 

I'm not really familiarized with the ZDoom/ZDaemon landscape of these wads, so someone else might have to comment on that. LA World, Jumpmaze, and various ZDaemon RJ wads by ToD and others are usually what I've heard of in this vein. There may be platforming-based maps  (or at least platforming-reliant) in Dark Tartarus? IIRC, there were at least some fairly gimmicky things in it of a similar nature. Also, check out Skulldash map 29. Admittedly, I have not played the entirety of Skulldash, but this one is good.

 

I should probably also note Scythe map 28 at least; it's not platforming, but it is adjacent in terms of appeal I think due to the movement-based challenge. Some of the above are also more primarily focused on ledge-walking than platforming, but all should be interesting I would expect. :)

 

Also self-promotion for my maps :^).

Abyssal Speedmapping Session 16 Map 17 (involves combat, easy to medium).

Abyssal Speedmapping Session 20 Map 32 (easy).

Abyssal Speedmapping Session 25 Map 27 (medium, mostly a speedrunning map than platforming).

Abyssal Speedmapping Session 46 Map 17 (medium).

Abyssal Speedmapping Session 52 Map 17 (very hard).

Half Moon 2 Map 32 (involves some combat, very hard).

D5DA MAp 29 (involves some combat, not too easy, but short).

 

I'm certain I'm missing stuff, and tbh, some wads I just have not played (e.g., Cyberdreams, figure it probably has stuff like this, but none of the runs I did really had any platforming), but there you go.

Edited January 15, 2022 by 4shockblast

[msx2plus]

nice, thank you! i've played noye, meowgi's hub, plutonia 7, and bits of sunder (what i can lol) but a lot of these are new to me (and some are just beyond my paygrade lol - i love TOTG but whoof)

 

i'll look into the z* recommends as well, it's definitely outside my realm of knowledge since most of what i play is boom despite working on a gz project with heavy gameplay modifications lol

 

will absolutely peep your abyssal submissions too, cheers!

Edited January 15, 2022 by msx2plus

[Grain of Salt]

I agree with 4shock that sunder map05 is fun on nomo

 

The italo-doom platforming map might be my favorite platforming map ever, and definitely my favorite italo-doom map. It's pretty accessible with saves imo.

[akolai]

Dimensions map 02
Zzul Bases map 31

Both have some interesting ideas, especially the latter

[Jacek Bourne]

.

Edited January 18, 2022 by Jacek Bourne

[Doomkid]

I'm not an expert on the subject -- but I remember the first Golden Souls wad having a lot of platforming, and generally being a very enjoyable romp, while doing a good job of keeping just a touch of the "core Doomyness" in tact. The sequels got a lot cartoonier which is fine of course, but the first one still has that "No Doubt It's Doom" vibe, idk how else to put it. It was fun!

 

 

[smeghammer]

Not really Doom though based on Doom Legacy port, but most definitely platform-inspired:

 

Sonic Robo Blast:

https://www.srb2.org/

 

It's really professional-looking and plays really well, and feels like OG Sonic, even though 3D (kinda).

Edited January 15, 2022 by smeghammer

[msx2plus]

srb2 is certainly impressive and cool, but a far cry from doom - mostly looking for stuff that is still primarily "doom", as doom platforming itself doesn't really get any spotlighting because people tend to hate it LOL

[galileo31dos01]

I Hate My Neighbors map 32 is inspired in the chasm, if it's what you're looking for, not easy at all imo

 

Fragport map 32 has at least two platforming sections, one like chasm and another combined with thick sticks, both relatively easy

[Nine Inch Heels]

On 1/15/2022 at 10:26 AM, msx2plus said:

cl9 preferred but i'm very open to other weirdo shit too

 

On 1/15/2022 at 4:03 PM, 4shockblast said:

I'm not really familiarized with the ZDoom/ZDaemon landscape of these wads, so someone else might have to comment on that.

I guess I'll be the someone else who comments on weirdo shit like ZDaemon RJ maps in this case, which.... don't necessarily have much to do with the kind of platforming that you would see in more traditional boom-compat maps or suchlike, but they might be worth having a look at nevertheless, so here's a thread where some interesting RJ maps as well as demos are being linked, too (hoping most links are still live, also note that not all demos may play back properly with the most up to date version of ZDaemon, so expect to see some redscreens where there shouldn't be any)
 

 

If you want something along the lines of difficulty progression as far as material from the thread is considered:

RJUMPQ is the beginner's section. Nothing in that WAD will require any advanced tricks, but knowing them is how you get these very fast clear times. You can beat all maps from that set with a little bit of patience and experimenting around to learn the basics, provided you employ some common sense... These maps are also short, so therefore they're more palatable for those new to the genre...

 

And this is also where the entry-level section ends...

Moving on to RJSLOTH: There are 2 maps which are relevant, one is the oldschool RJSLOTH that wasn't built with advanced tricks in mind. It is still a somewhat challenging map regardless, and there is also something to be said about its length, because the oldschool sloth version is already considerable in size when you compare it to any of the RJUMPQ maps (IIRC the respective map occupies slot 02)...
The modernized version of RJSLOTH is found in slot 10, if memory serves.  That one is even bigger, and it requires a whole load of advanced trickery to beat. You definitely want to save this one for a rainy day, unless you're the type of player who loves to bash their head against something with reckless abandon. It can be fun, but I wouldn't recommend it.

Now there's RJSLAB, which is what I did demos for. Difficulty-wise, I think these maps are all over the place, from medium difficulty up to somewhat brutal in terms of what tricks those ask for. Having said that, nearly all of those maps are also rather short, so they make for a good "entry level tricky stuff" kind of environment for when you want something you can play to work your way up towards RJSLOTH's modernized iteration...

RJSPACE9f: pretty huge map, but overall easier than RJSLOTH from my point of view. Things worth noting here are that this map can also be "maxed" by collecting all armour bonuses, which requires a fair bit of skill and patience, as well as some exploration, and if you're content with just getting all the keys and making it to the end, this one's alright to play after getting your feet wet with RJSLAB... Unlike other RJmaps, this one also features a modified plasma gun as well as a modified BFG that kind of allows you to fly, which makes checking it out more than worth it, and the PR you get here also makes a reappearance in RJSLOTH's modernized version, for that matter...

So here's where I'd recommend the modernized RJSLOTH, or at least slot it in, but then there's also...

Masterjumps9y... This one ranks high on the difficulty scale overall, has some variance, and maps overall are shorter than space or sloth. If small to medium sized stuff is more your ballgame, skip sloth, and proceed with this one... Think of it as RJSLAB, but a (fair) bit harder and a bit bigger...

Other RJ maps and sets worth noting are RJdowntown (not linked in that thread, but should be possible to find regardless), which is also a harder map of considerable size, with some optionals included. Definitely worth checking out, if you need more air time in your life.

 

There's also a smaller compilation floating around that's called RJNEIS, or RJNES - one or the other... That one's a short series of maps of increasing difficulty where, instead of having a traditional start and finish, you run and jump laps around any given map until you exit, or the exit section unlocks... Despite the difficulty ramp, I wouldn't advise beginners to play this, because any map in this set ends with a climb up a staircase where you have to be consistent in order not to fall down and be put at the beginning of said staircase... The last iteration of this WAD that I remember playing had like 4 or 5 maps of increasing difficulty, and map 4 and 5 of the set really were tricky. So if you've been drawn into the event horizon of ZDaemon RJ maps, these may still be worth your while...

There are definitely other things and versions of maps out there that I didn't mention here, but what's the point anyway..? Go ahead and see if ZDaemon RJ is your cup of tea, and if it is, you have at least some material to comb through to begin with...

Edited January 16, 2022 by Nine Inch Heels

[Dexiaz]

https://www.realm667.com/index.php/en/projects-mainmenu-50/144-projects/abandoned/520-pogostick-doom-platformer

 

 

P.S.: Still wanting to create a whole mappack or Metroidvania addon based on this. But I'm too lazy.