The DWmegawad Club plays: Doom the Way id Did (& Ultimate DTWID!)

[DavitW]

E2M4: Mental Ward

The most memorable map of the set to me. Several areas of note and the atmosphere as a whole is very strong. May not fit the "lost map" concept as well as most other maps so far but it's still close enough to the original Doom I'm not going to complain about a good map. Demo was a bit of a shambles but after three playthroughs I felt it got the job done well enough.

e2m4.zip

[finnks13]

E2M4 - Mental Ward by ellmo:
I liked this one, it takes on the spoooooky map slot that is E2M4 and while the MIDI "They're Going to Get You" certainly does a lot to create an atmosphere, this map does very well at being slightly unnerving.The low light levels throughout make visibilty very low and this makes some of the combat more interesting, fighting a baron in a thin hallway in the dark is pretty tense - especially without armour. The lack of light worked best near the beginning of the map, waking up 3 turbo spectres and having to pistol them to death in the dark was quite terrifying.

 

I think this map does the best at capturing Petersen's texturing and gameplay style so far, with some odd texture choices and ambushes that aren't mean exactly, but would have been pretty challenging had this been my first time playing the game. There's also some fun little attempts at realism that bring some of Tom Hall's areas to mind - the most obvious being those little rooms with lost souls in, which made me think "ooh, maybe those are some of the patient's cells in this Mental Ward." It definitely feels more intentionally spooky than most of the IWAD Episode 2 maps, and I don't think that's a bad thing. The main thing I didn't like was that I kept finding rockets but never found a rocket launcher which was a bit of a shame. 

 

One funny thing that happened to me was that about a third of the way into my playthrough, an imp that I had woken up in the exit area opened the blue key door from the wrong side, meaning I could exit very early. I didn't end up taking advantage of this because I was enjoying myself with the level and I didn't fancy leaving early. Fun map overall.

[LadyMistDragon]

E2M4: Mental Ward

 

Jacob Zuchowski returns to give us this fairly easy, though very much, tense and atmospheric entry. I don't know why there's a Mental Ward on Deimos. I do know that creey atmosphere is the only thing this shares with Deimos Lab. Very cool design and some occasional tense moments, especially if you don't find any secrets like I did. finishing in 10:04. Dunn and Dunn's "Lost in the Abstraction" is probably a higher level of creepiness than the Mr. Freeze entry, though I'll say the latter's not half-bad with atmosphere. Especially since there's no one starting out and it can take up to 30 seconds to have your first encounter. Just remember to hit every switch the instant you see it, and things shouldn't be too bad. It's vaguely maz-y though, though I mean this is a mental ward. The table with the corpses near the blue key is all too clear of how you're supposed to feel here.

 

Grade: B-

Difficulty: D+

 

[dei_eldren]

E2M5 Deimos Command (HMP, continuous, blind): K 100%, I 97%, S 50%, D 1, T pffft

 

Spoiler

And so ends my deathless run.. thanks to the fuckwitted malicious slapintheface deviously deviced run through a long toxic tunnel with Spectres blocking the way and Imps giving them covering fire, to the regular exit, and radsuit running out.  Yes, there was another one in the middle, but i only saw it on my second try.  Err.  And the fun didn't end there, as there was no radsuit provided to actually go back (let alone to go there the second time if need be).  Shame, because other than that, and the other little mishap, this would have been a brilliant map with great gameplay, and beautiful authentically Petersenian aesthetics and layout.  i loved the map from the first room and thought it were a deserving replacement for the brilliant Command Center.

 

Furthermore, i also fell prey to the design flaw (?) which Azure_Horror brought to everyone's attention, and spend a desperately long time looking for the way to open the path to secret exit.  i found the two secrets that i could, and thought myself extremely stupid (sometimes i get it right!) for not finding the third one (not that i knew it was needed to open the fourth), nor a way to open the fourth.

 

A shame a map this brilliant is this flawed.  i feel a bit deflated and don't really wanna say anything more.  Oh, after the fruitless search, i was forced to run back through the toxic waste to the regular exit.  That was fun.  To be completely honest, right now i feel like not playing this wad further.  Maybe i feel different tomorrow. Sorry. 

 

PS: i would've rated this 9.5/10 before finding out about the secret, and 10/10 if the run to the regular exit had been a bit more sensible.

 

 

 

Edited February 11, 2022 by dei_eldren

[RHhe82]

Spoiler

2 minutes ago, dei_eldren said:

A shame a map this brilliant is this flawed.  i feel a bit deflated and don't really wanna say anything more.  Oh, after the fruitless search, i was forced to run back through the toxic waste to the regular exit.  That was fun.  To be completely honest, right now i feel like not playing this wad further.  Maybe i feel different tomorrow. Sorry. 

 

 

I felt the same way when I first played DTWID and this map - I ran into exactly the same issue as you. That's why I wasn't looking forward to this map at all, although in second playthrough the issue can be avoided, greatly elevating the experience. (I'll post my thoughts in the morning, it's still friday in my timezone).

[dei_eldren]

15 minutes ago, RHhe82 said:

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

I felt the same way when I first played DTWID and this map - I ran into exactly the same issue as you. That's why I wasn't looking forward to this map at all, although in second playthrough the issue can be avoided, greatly elevating the experience. (I'll post my thoughts in the morning, it's still friday in my timezone).

 

Ha-ha, thank you - this really made me feel better at the moment (not that you felt the same but that i'm not the only one...)

[Book Lord]

4 hours ago, Azure_Horror said:

So I played ahead a little bit, and found something crucial.

PSA for everyone, who plays continuous and wants to check the secret level of episode 2.

 

E2m5 can make the secret exit completely inaccessible! See Doomwiki:

  Reveal hidden contents

This map [E2m5] has a total of four secret areas. The secret exit to E2M9 is also one of these four secrets but access to it isn't available until all the other three secrets have been found beforehand AND a certain region/linedef inside these secret areas has been crossed. One of these three secrets (...) will become completely inaccessible if not found before entering a [certain door] (in which case the only solution to find it would be to restart the map).

 

So, if you play continuous, and want to check E2m9 (E2m9 is pretty cool), make a separate save at the start of map 5, or at the end of map 4. Otherwise, you can block yourself from the secret level. In that case, only Idclip cheat code can save you!

 

My experience was reaching the doors, taking a peak to the right seeing a long staircase and no monsters, then checking the door on the left and hearing the other close, nevermore to open. 

 

These are the moments when I am grateful that I save my game at leisure and that I can reload my last save. However, if you go ahead and do not care for the door closing, you are forced to restart the map to find the secret exit. Bad idea from the author, who did a great job besides that flaw. I complained a lot when I realised how the secret maps were "exclusively protected" in KindA, I do not know why I was a bit forgiving in this case. Probably because I sensed it and countered it immediately, learning later from Doom Builder what my destiny would have been...

Edited February 11, 2022 by Book Lord

[Book Lord]

E2M5 – Deimos Command by @Use

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

 

The close ties with its E2M5 counterpart were declared since the choice of the map’s name. A lot of Command Center was recalled by Use3D in his vast corrupted tech-base; the use of textures, especially vines that appeared in all their variations on the walls and as see-through obstacles, the ubiquitous wooden areas and the lion doors, the long one-way sections, and the high number of secrets. I will not denounce any plagiarism though; besides the clear and enjoyable homages, Deimos Command detached itself from id’s formula on many occasions, proposing refined combat setups that kept me on my toes during the long exploration.

 

The starting area had three doors: the northern and the eastern one brought to dead ends with useful resources for pistol starters, while the western door opened on a large outdoor area with the YSK at the centre. A mostly linear journey began right there, obtaining the first key after resolving two low-threat ambushes, the second featuring a Baron of Hell. The nearby yellow door invited to continue in that direction, crossing a hall with an acid pool and enemies hiding behind vine mid-textures.

Spoiler

On top of the raised stairs there were two small doors: I decided to check the closed one first and it proved to be a bad idea, because the other door was sealed behind me. I reloaded my last savegame because I guessed that was a secret room: it was indeed, but it was much more important than the goodies stored inside. It was part of the secret exit puzzle, which required finding three specific hidden areas. Precluding access to the secret exit in that arbitrary way, and without a second chance, would make any player crazy, even more if he spent a lot of time searching everywhere at the end of the level. Am awful idea that marred the otherwise fascinating quest for E2M9, which was diametrically opposite to the rather easy discovery of Fortress of Mystery (the first secret level I found in Doom).

 

The BSK room featured a weird trap, involving a surprise transformation of the “furnace” and monsters teleporting out of the cage. A refreshing setup that I have never seen done that way, neither by id nor in PWADs. There were still many rooms and hallways to cross, characterised by walkover lines triggering the opening of doors, with monsters pouring in your way unexpectedly. There was an optional section leading to a plasma rifle, placed at the end of an extra cramped series of rooms.

Spoiler

Before reaching the exit, the never-ending one-way route arrived in a square courtyard with some crates. That place was connected to the starting area, but I entered it for the first time on my way to the exit. The monsters roaming at ground level, including the mobs released when pressing a switch, could be ignored if maxing the kills is not an issue. However, a blue door in the YSK zone allowed for an immediate return on track for the exit.

Spoiler

If the player did everything right, he will see the secret exit right at the beginning of the nukage-filled, vine-infested last room. The normal exit was located at the end of an excruciating section, where I even managed to get myself killed by the collected damage from snipers hiding behind vines and Spectres biting too -fast, with my Radiation Suit running out too soon. I liked everything in Deimos Command, except the obnoxious exit room and the regrettable idea of sealing an essential secret. Use3D fabricated a map that looked like an id games product, but filled it with dynamic arrangements that modernised the experience. An outstanding entry.

[Book Lord]

E2M9 – Nebulous Origins by @iori

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

 

I cannot tell if Nebulous Origins was conceived as a secret level. Its sprawling layout, the mix of completely different areas, the presence of a crate room and the higher monster count suggested another purpose, maybe an E2M7 tribute. However, iori’s level hit the spot as an unusual E2M9, rejecting any ties with Fortress of Mystery.

Spoiler

Combat became gradually more engaging during the course of the level; it featured more Cacodemons and Barons of Hell than customary, but also bigger groups of enemies if compared to the regular maps of this episode. For the first time, I was forced to use rockets and cells to get a foothold in certain areas, where the combination of hazardous floor and beefy enemies required a quick-witted killing spree.

Spoiler

It was an adventurous key hunt in a labyrinthine complex, including several routes to explore and a variety of environments, reminding me constantly of Spawning Vats. Like in that level, the keys were usually shown in a place and reached later, following paths that could not be imagined beforehand. The level was big and there were always many directions to go, so I never felt stuck and eventually found the way to the exit, surrounded by several inescapable blood pits. I do not understand the urge to place these deadly traps in Doom the way id did; surprisingly enough, most contributors seemed to think it was a sound idea.

Spoiler

The map construction was more polished and convincing than any rendition by Petersen, a faithful revamping of traditional texture schemes with the utmost attention to gameplay. Every area showcased something special: stunning architecture, eye-catching landmarks and demonic signs, good ambush setups and monster placement, tension and constant pressure in the toxic slime areas, and a mystical vibe in the last courtyard with a star symbol and a Soul Sphere treasure trove, which I was only one step away from discovering. It would have been the appropriate conclusion for a secret map that was both rewarding and enjoyable to play.

Spoiler

 

[DisgruntledPorcupine]

E2M3: "Rec Facility" by Captain Toenail

UV with Corruption Cards, no saves

100% kills, 6/7 secrets

 

Card: One monster is cursed. Killing it makes nearby floors toxic.

 

This is probably one of the most "id" entries yet, although part of that is due to some direct homage. Similarly to the original E2M3, this one features a vine-covered introduction and uses the intermission music as its backdrop. Luckily the intermission music here is a little bit more palatable on repeat than Doom's. The visual style kind of dances around a bit like a Sandy map too, you have your vine covered areas, some different looking techbasey areas, and one spot covered in demonic face textures for instance. The layout is less labyrinthine than the Romero tributes but still features branching paths that all connect back to the same starting area. 

 

The combat here ramps the pace back up a tad, with monsters coming in steady and mid-level threats seeing a bit of an increase. There are several cacos in this map, and we also see our first non-boss barons showing up. I was finally able to get the plasma here, I only got the rocket launcher in E2M1 and wasn't able to figure out how to get up to the switch to lower the plasma again (a switch I only found while IDclipping post-run. I can see this card being potentially very annoying. In wide-open areas it seems the toxic floors are a bit easier to take, but if they end up in a network of corridors it can pose a problem. In this instance one of the imps in the invuln area was the cursed monster, I initially killed it close to the window which caused all the corridors in the area to be covered in damaging floor, which was so much of an obstacle that it actually killed me. Next run, I killed it farther away when it was by the invuln and all of the toxic floors just ended up in its own room, much easier to deal with.

 

This one was fun, and quite faithful as well.

 

E2M4: "Mental Ward" by ellmo

UV with Corruption Cards, no saves

100% kills, 2/6 secrets

 

Card: Cacodemon shoves nearby entities away on death

 

A corrupted techbase style map, with lights dimmed and some areas covered in vines and others with some demonic imagery and bloody floors. This one plays at the more atmopheric side of episode 2, with its dark lighting and fitting midi track. We're back to slightly more confusing layouts here too, found myself getting turned around a bit in this one, but could be just me as I feel like returning to look at it afterward made it appear a lot more straightforward.

 

While I enjoy a nice dynamic and quickly paced map, these atmospheric bits are some of the ones I have a more fond recollection of from the original, and this one does a good job pulling it off. Monsters a bit more sparse than before, but it fits what the map is going for. There are a couple more barons again to greet you in some nooks and crannies, luckily playing continuous this time spares me the pain of having to whittle them down with a lower tier weapon. The card here actually prevented me from getting the plasma rifle, as the caco in the same room as it actually pushed it away in a manner that made it inaccessible. Good thing I found the one last map! The cursed monster this time was a spectre in the bright area full of computer panels, he was a bit problematic as his poison did stretch down a few hallways.

 

A good take on the creepier side of Doom, I enjoyed.

[NiGHTS108]

E2M3: Rec Facility

By Captain Toenail

 

Kills: 94%

Items: 26%

Secrets: 57%

Time: 6:30

 

I was concerned at first with this map, seeing those vine covered tan bases with the intermission music in the back, but I think Rec Facility manages to be one of my favourite maps so far! The action is actually pretty exciting, and this map is fun to explore, 2 points above Refinery! Once more you can get my favourite item in DTWID, the computer area map as well! The action is pretty free wheeling and uncramped, yet more refinery on Refinery, this map is fun, I like it, very solid

Grade: B+
Difficulty: C-

 

 

 

E2M4: Mental Ward

By Ellmo

 

Kills: 98%

Items: 69%

Secrets: 50%

Time: 9:50

 

Not a whole lot to say here, it's like E2M4 but less blue and not E2M4 at all just dark, the combat is a little meek compared to last map, but I like the darkness and neat atmosphere, the name "Mental Ward" sounds too cool and ominous for this map in my opinion, but hey, who's to say Unholy Cathedral even looks like a cathedral anyway?! I think there is a rocket launcher in a secret because I had 11 rockets leaving the map, or I just didn't find it, but it would be nice if I did for the annoying influx of Barons and Lost Souls in the bloody pit

 

Grade: B-

Difficulty: D+

 

 

 

E2M5: Deimos Command

By... Use3D... huh...

Kills: 92%

Items: 74%

Secrets: 50%

Time: 20:47 :)

 

Oh Use3D... Whatever would we do without you... I'm already familiar with the work of Use3D, I have seen Community Chest MAP12 and 13 (Have fun on those ones dei_eldren!), I have played CC2 MAP27 and BTSX E2 MAP04, I have used the 3D monolith, however this map pleasantly surprised me! Mainly because it *didn't* take three hours of agony to beat, unless you need the absolutely ridiculous secret exit, this Use3D map is, dare I say, relatively straight forward! It isn't perfect, especially that stupid final room you get one whole RAD suit to traverse through... but I'm just happy to see this map wasn't as bad and exaggerated as it probably could have been, if these oh, oh so luscious DTWID rules weren't so tight 

 

Oh and, no, I didn't get the secret exit, I will play M9 anyway though, thank you for asking!

 

Grade: C+

Difficulty: C-

 

 

 

Edited February 12, 2022 by NiGHTS108

[dei_eldren]

1 minute ago, NiGHTS108 said:

I'm already familiar with the work of Use3D, I have seen Community Chest MAP12 and 13 (Have fun on those ones dei_eldren!), I have played CC2 MAP27 and BTSX E2, I have used the 3D monolith, however this map pleasantly surprised me!

 

:D :D :D

[Agent Slacker]

E2M4: Mental Ward
DOOM Retro, UV, Continuous w/saves, played on a PowerA Wireless GameCube Controller

What an utterly bizarre map. My map identifying skills are getting better as I was able to guess that this was based off of Tom Hall and Sandy Peterson's designs. I take it Tom Hall liked map designs grounded in reality? I loved being able to identify places such as the asylum filled with Lost Souls or the dining area with the shotgunners. I've always been fond of spiral staircases like the one near the red key. The battle for the blue key was a fun idea; I just hate dealing with Lost Souls. This map stuck out to me because of how dark it is as well. It's a neat map overall.

[Spectre01]

This should be fun. Despite my critical /idgames review from years ago, I actually played the Lost Episodes and not the original DTWID. Will be doing Pistol Starts in DSDA-Doom.

 

E1M1 - “Communications Bridge” by esselfortium

Solid opener. A bit more cramped than Hangar but with plenty more secrets to find. I like that the platforms leading outside can be lowered repeatedly from below.

 

E1M2 - “Military Bunker” by hobomaster22

Chaingun secret is quite easy to miss. I found it by accident after mostly everything was dead. Not a fan of the exit bridge pit being inescapable.

 

E1M3 - “Fuel Synthesis” by esselfortium

Interesting layout with some moving geometry and lots of secret areas. Progression and secret hunting feel natural and rewarding.

 

E1M9 - “Excavation Site” by Stewboy

This map seems more like logical progression of the nukebase theme rather than an episode outlier. Whereas Military Base has a simpler layout compared to the rest of E1, this level is quite intricate. The opener is also moderately spicy as you face a decent number of foes before safely grabbing a Shotgun off a Sergeant. If I have one complaint it’s that the secrets all seem to be behind random sections of wall, encouraging the mashing of Use if there appears to be something hidden in the vicinity.

 

E1M4 - “Treatment Plant” by Hellbent

First map in the set that I’d call complex. The layout has a good degree of non-linearity, multiple interconnecting paths, and a solid secret count which can be slightly tricky to max. I found the Computer Map outdoors early on, which was very helpful. Some of the secret areas have prerequisite switches, which must be flipped in adjacent rooms to take full advantage of. My favourite E1 map so far.

 

E1M5 - “Engineering Bay” by ellmo

Enjoyable map for the creepy music slot. Always nice to explore outdoor locations that you’ve seen glimpses of before through windows.

 

E1M6 - “Reactor Complex” by hobomaster22

This is a good map, but I could’ve gone without inescapable nukage pits. The ones by the exit seem like bait. That one lift secret was particularly tricky, as the activation line is a good distance away.

 

E1M7 - “Logic Core” by iori

Interesting penultimate level. The section which stands out the most is when you take the lift to the blue carpet area, hit a switch opening the nearby walls, and must contend with a significant number of enemies pouring in from multiple angles. I didn’t have any armour and not much ammo, so it really put some pressure on me.

 

E1M8 - “Transportation Facility” by ellmo

Very moody opener as you search the dark, monsterless corridors for this map’s 2 secrets. The main encounter with the Barons is significantly easier than Phobos Anomaly, on the count of you fighting 3 of them without the area being full of Spectres. Perhaps those Pinkies should’ve been released when you activate the Barons instead of before?

 

E1 Thoughts

I can see how this type of project is difficult to execute. If you deviate too much from id's formula, you lose out on authenticity. If you stick too closely to it, you can't win over the original layouts that are ingrained in the brains of Classic Doom enthusiasts. DTWID's E1 is well-executed but it's hard to imagine picking it over the IWAD since that nostalgia factor isn't there.

[RHhe82]

E2M5: Deimos Command. DSDA v0.24, UV-PS-Saveless. 100% kills and secrets. Completion time 19:43 (in November: 15:52). Zero deaths in E2 so far (total tally: 2 in E1 + 1 death exit)

 

So this was the level I've been fearing for. This one I remembered, and not well, I tell you. And now that I've replayed it...

 

... I surprisingly liked it? Damned if this isn't the best level so far in E2. It's also the hardest, at least the monster count would indicate something of the sort. There were a couple of close calls in the beginning, and if you do look at the demo and wonder why my playing looks so timid, it was because I remembered ammo being very scarce, and I remembered the secrets would have to be sought in specific order to get them all. As soon as I found the one with the berserk pack I could relax a bit, because that's the one that the player could lock themselves out of permanently - and if the player doesn't reach this secret, they can't reach the secret exit. This happened to me the first time I played the level.

 

That said, now that I was aware of the ill-conceived secrets and didn't have to look for them that much, I had much better time. My megawad club playthrough took 4 minutes longer than my second run on November (my first run was either never completed or the record is lost, so I don't have the comp time for that; it was FAR longer because I'd spent ages looking for the locked-off secrets before discovering the ugly truth from DoomWiki). My only regret this time that I took the normal exit out. Mind you, I found the secret exit as well, but I couldn't believe the one I found first was the secret exit, not even when the "secret is revealed" is flashed on the screen. I should have traversed the nukage tunnel (another element of the level I didn't much appreciate this time, either) back. Stupid UV-MAX mentality.

 

*

E2M9: Nebulous Origins. DSDA v0.24, UV-PS-Saveless. 100% kills and secrets. Completion time 19:57 (in November: 33:06). Zero deaths in E2 so far (tot. 2e1 + 1de)

 

And yet another one I wasn't looking forward to, but I ended up liking this time. Sure, texture work isn't quite up there, some misalignments really stick to the eye, but other than that this level oozes Shores of Hell in every way. Perhaps it is a bit too long; My first playthrough took me over half an hour (but that's probably due to wandering around for secrets), this playthrough took 13 minutes less. Admittedly I still found some of the secrets by accident, for example the shootable switch. If I had to hump the walls for a better of an hour I'd probably be less enthusiastic. A decent E2 map, and unmeasurably better fare than the zero-effort fortress of mystery.

 

rhhe82_e2m5_skill4_cl3_dsda-doom_dtwid.zip

 

rhhe82_e2m9_skill4_cl3_dsda-doom_dtwid.zip

Edited February 12, 2022 by RHhe82

[TJG1289]

Gonna catch up with about 3 maps each for the next 2 posts. 

 

GZDoom/UV/Continuous/Saves

E2M1: Recieving Station - Xaser

100% kills and secrets

Time: 5:18

Card: Zombieman steal items off the ground

 

This card is kinda annoying, and it can cause confusion. I was wondering why there wasn't anything on top of the column in the second secret. Somehow, a zombieman got the Soul Sphere way before I found the secret, and I just thought it was a normal item just hanging around. Odd.

 

Ok, this map looks very familiar. I saw Xaser's post about this map also being in No End In Sight, but I didn't think I had played that. Well, it's in my Ultimate Doom folder with a download date of 2/19/2017, so I guess I have. Even though Xaser said they weren't trying to replicate or reference the specific IWAD map this was placed in, I still think this is very reminiscent of E2M1. The texture use in this first area, along with red damaging floor that's a little lower than the normal floor, is mostly to blame. A secret area with a caco pops up too boot, along with needing a red skull key to get to said secret area. The ambush by the keys and red door is harder than anything in the IWAD M1 though, and will put your shotgun to work. Ammo was a little scarce at first in the map, but I had 50 shells by the time I got here. The map feels more compact and dense than normal. Good start so far.

 

E2M2: Filtration Compound - Esselfortium + Xaser

100% kills and secrets

Time: 17:55

Card: Imp are always focused on the player

 

One thing I didn't notice last time I had this card is that this alerts all of the enemy type it affects immediately upon start of the map. So those imps were hunting me right from the get go. Cue lots of doors opening.

 

Honestly, this map feels more like a E3 map to me. It's not like E2 doesn't use these textures and themes, but I still expected a lot more tech base elements in here. There's a few, but not as much as I would have liked. And the overall map layout doesn't feel very id to me for some reason. Something about its design feels too different. It feels more confident? Like it knows how to weave in and out, how to handle the flow of the map better. There's a few side areas you don't need to go in to get to the end, and somehow the map leads you in a way where you can tell it's optional. Like, half of the maps secrets are in one optional area (I think. At least 2 are). The choice between the rocket launcher and the plasma isn't something id did either. Though I was quick enough to grab both! (I also have jump bound to a button. I could have made it without it if I knew beforehand...). I don't know why there's a random room at towards the beginning with nothing but damaging liquid and a lost soul in it. Maybe a zombieman stole whatever was in there. So for id-ness, I think this map is the one to take the most liberties so far. As for everything else, it's still fun, has nice geometry and texturing going on, and looking for secrets was a good time. Fights aren't too bad, but at least are more difficult than the last ep.

 

E2M3: Rec Facility - Captain Toenail

100% kills and secrets

Time: 11:16

Card: Demon can leap at their prey

 

This should be a fairly dangerous card, but so far none of them have leapt at me. Kinda sad.

 

Alright, this one gets back on track when it comes to id-ness. This felt mush more like a IWAD map in terms of texturing and design. It's a lot more flat and open in long stretches, and the side areas make sense. Barons are popping up now, but I had a full tank of plasma for both of them, which was nice. I'm kind of surprised just how little rockets I have at this point. I have around 25, and maybe used 3 in the last map, and that was it. But I had a full 300 cells, partially due to the bulk cell in one secret. Teleporter secrets are the name of the game here, with one taking you to that cell pack, and another 2 with the secret mega armor leading you to 2 more secrets. All 7 secrets were pretty easy to find, though once again, zombie men liked to pilfer them of their goodies before I got to them (they really like soul spheres I guess). Finally got a backpack, which is very nice. I think difficulty wise, this may be the easiest so far, at least continuous. There's not really any big ambushes (unless you count CC having all the imps swarm me at the beginning), and there's enough ammo to take out everything with ease. The barons are no threat at all too, since they're not together, and there's nothing preventing you from fleeing if need be. It's still a pretty solid map, and feels the most id-like, without actually feeling like a homage. 

[Agent Slacker]

E2M5: Deimos Command
DOOM Retro, UV, Continuous w/saves, played on an 8bitdo SN30 Pro

This map is absolutely gorgeous. It's one of my favorite looking maps in this whole WAD. Sure, the two large hallways look like something from They Flesh Consumed with all of the wood, but that's fine. The room with the rising stairs stands out in my mind as a highlight, probably due to the use of vine textures, nukage, and enemies pelting away at you from the wall opposite of the stairs. The cage with the blue keycard filled with enemies is another fun set piece. It helps that it's a pretty fun map too. At first, I thought the two large wooden hallways were a bit dull because of how empty they felt, and then they quickly became filled with dozens of enemies. It was a very fun map overall.

E2M9: Nebulous Origins

I can see why this was a secret map. I think it's a bit long. There are plenty of interesting locales, such as a larger area of what I can only assume is a warehouse area filled with boxes, or the room right next to it that has the red key. Most of the fights in this map were brimming with enemies, so infighting was a fun strategy to abuse. Other than that, I don't have much else to say. It dragged a bit by the end. I think it was around the point where I went down into the nukage to activate a switch to open up the room with the large star and the red keycard that I thought "alright, I think this map has run it's course". Sure, this is the last keycard to collect, and the exit is just a room away, but man, when I saw the exit the first time, that's when I was expecting the map to end.

[Rujasu]

E2M5: Deimos Command

 

Quite a large level, this one, but also very atmospheric. Fun ambushes and setpiece rooms like the blue key one. The very narrow split corridors were also an interesting choice, but I feel like occasional constrained spaces are a must for Doom 1 since the monster roster isn't as interesting for large areas. Just barely made it out of the nukage before the suit ran out; would have been an embarrassing death right outside the exit room. Also wasn't quite on point with using the barrels against all those barons, but ammo felt plentiful for the most part. The secret level, as usual, remains secret for another time. As does E2M4, now that I think about it.

 

DTWID_Rujasu_E2M5.zip

[Azure_Horror]

E2m4 "Mental Ward" by ellmo

DSDA-doom, pistol-start, UV-difficulty

 

The textures continue to be varied and weird, like in the original "Shores of Hell" episode. The layout of "Mental Ward" combines narrow intertwined corridors and Tom Hall - inspired non-linearity. As a result, "Mental Ward" does indeed look like a "lost" map 10 of Doom 1 Episode 2.

 

The "Mental Ward" is notably different from any of original "Shores of Hell" maps. Despite that, I still strongly associate "Mental Ward" with "Deimos Labs", a E2m4 from original Doom1. Like "Deimos Labs", "Mental Ward"  also has a notable blue section at the strart, dim lightning, and the general "wrongness" atmosphere. Those similarities are not a bad thing, IMHO. After all, there are some pretty notable similarities between E2m2 and E2m7 in the Doom1 itself!

 

Doomers often dislike shotgunning barons. Well, how about gunning a baron with a pistol? Mismanaging shells on a pistol start led me down this terrible path... This was fully my fault however. With proper ammo management there is no need to use pistol at all. Pistol start on original "Deimos Labs" can also devolve into pistol shoot-outs, if the player does not have a proper route in mind. And on continuous playthrough the player is almost guaranteed to have bigger guns at this point.

 

The gameplay on "Mental Ward" is built around exploration and thick atmosphere. The combat plays second fiddle to atmosphere. The fights are memorable for their presentation, with the action itself not being the main focus. The exploration also helps with the atmosphere. The exploration is heavily rewarded, and this goes beyond secret hunting. For example, the chaingun, berserk, and plasma rifle on "Mental Ward" are not secrets, and they are not locked behind any tricky gates. Yet those three powerful weapons are placed away from the main map route. If the player does not commit to exploration, it is easy to miss those weapons.

 

In conclusion, elmo's E2m4 is a very good map. So far, "Shores of Hell" episode of DtWIDD have provided us with four very distinct maps, with each map putting its own twist on the "Doom the Way ID did" concept. However, I really miss "Containment Area" of original Doom1. Would be cool to play a simialr map in "Doom the Way ID Did" megawad.

[finnks13]

E2M5 - Deimos Command by Use3D:
Significantly better than the original E2M5, this map captures some of the classic archetypes of Command Center (a map that this clearly takes heavy inspiration from), but it plays significantly better due to the comparative lack of doors. There are still lots of them here, but they're placed much better so they don't affect the flow of combat so much, which is my main issue with Command Center. I would definitely recommend taking a right at the start of the level to grab the chaingun as you'll otherwise go through the first half of the level shotgun only, which gets tedious quite quickly.

 

I thought the optional trek to find the plasma gun was definitely worth doing as it greatly simplifies the final area making it a breeze, especially if you've not been conserving your bullets - it doesn't remind me of anything from the Shores of Hell, but it does feel like something Petersen would put into a level of his (not sure why). There's a lot of optional stuff here and that helps to capture the mazey feel that Shores of Hell has. I didn't have any issues with the secret exit as I managed to (by what I think is a complete fluke) find all the necessary secrets for it, though having your secret map be fully blocked off is not a design choice I like. Pretty good stuff.

 

E2M9 - Nebulous Origins by iori:
I really liked this one, it has been the map that has felt the most like a Sandy Petersen map so far - though it feels, to me, like a hybrid of his work in Shores of Hell and Inferno. This is because while the map has a large looping layout that could be pretty safely set into a large box (excluding the area right at the bottom of the map), the texturing and combat here evoke Inferno to me. The standard episode 2 textures are used, but while Shores of Hell isn't pretty, it's far less insanely textured than Inferno tends to be and this map has some absolutely mad texture combinations and choices. There's also lots of high tier enemies here, and that, combined with the reasonable difficulty, made this map's combat feel more like a mid-Episode 3 level than an Episode 2 secret map. The best example I have for how bizarre and Inferno-like this map felt to me, was one point where I was fairly worried about stepping into some water in case it was inexplicably a damaging floor.

 

The map is a show of force for the plasma gun, the first map to do so in the wad, and this is nice since the higher presence of high health monsters would be a slog to deal with, without it. The crate maze room at the end of the level is a standout example of a really fun fight, and its probably my favourite moment so far in the entire megawad, there's lots going on and while you could probably camp in the corners, playing aggressively allows you to just go nuts and spam plasma everywhere. It's great! This is a really good map by iori, I'm very thankful he decided to make some non-Romero maps as they are just great - this is easily my favourite map in this Episode.

 

[Womp the Cat]

e2m3 - Rec Facility - UV - Captain Toenail.

Banger, absolute banger, this is my favorite map of the set so far, it killed me three times before I found a good route which included a lucky find of the soulsphere, from then on I had little trouble. I didn't find any of the bigger weapons though till 90 odd monsters were already dead, I punched out the baron with the berserk which is always fun. though the rocket launcher was nice for the last baron. 
I found 4 secrets, the dark red key room was probably my favorite bit. The theme is really setting in here, loved the detail of the two different kinds of keys. 9/10

e2m4 - Mental Ward - UV - ELLMO.

Another great map, Ellmo really leaning into the spookiness and nailing it! the opening is perfect roaming around a quiet seemingly empty dark base, chefs kiss. Not particularly difficult,
  no deaths were yielded. I found three secrets, the floor lowering in the corridor was my favorite. and I didn't even mind shotgunning the baron guarding the red key. it was quite tense for a while, having the baron roam around chasing me down, while I tried to find bigger firepower.
the mood was perfect and the accompanying Midi was also great in this regard. 
9/10

e2m5 - Deimos Command - UV - Use3D.

This was also a lot of fun, though maybe a little more bland than the previous two maps? I died once, right before the exit, my favorite bit was the courtyard where you can enter it on the ground floor or via the ledge the first time I found the ledge and found this route significantly easier than when I took it head on on the ground floor. the progression was nice and easy to follow, didn't get lost once. and probably the shortest of the episode barring e2m1, from a blind perspective comp time was around 9 minutes. but I also found 0 secrets, and thus no secret exit. 

6.5/10

 

Edited February 12, 2022 by Womp the Cat

[LadyMistDragon]

(skipping Deimos Command because it's long and fairly bland; I actually tend to like Use3D maps more than say Mt.Pain, but this would take too long. Not like the secret map, I'm sure...)

 

E2M9: Nebulous Origins.

 

Trevor Primmett brings us this map that proves infinitely better than Fortress of Mystery, despite not really feeling too much like a secret map. Textural choices seem unremarkable but further inspection shows that they actually strongly complement each other. The proportion of tech-like textures is much higher than  Difficulty is harder than OG Doom, but not by as much as you might think. Encounters aren't particularly outstanding but are nicely staged, and it's not terrible difficult to avoid everything if you're not playing keyboard-only. In a stunning reversal of the last map, I found 3 out of 4 secrets. I did stumble a little bit through the areas of slime and spent a minute or two wandering around after pushing some switches between the outside YK door before realizing a passage had just opened up not far from the switches I'd pressed. The little crate room not far from the exit was a nice little reminder of Containment Center. Truth be told, I have no idea how I ended up with 91 percent kills because we'll just say ammo's not so plentiful on this map, and I was trying to not waste time, but I still ended up with a time of 17:49.

 

Grade: B (Honestly, I think E2M2 should probably also get one, but um, yeah)

Difficulty: C-

[Azure_Horror]

E2m5 "Deimos Command" by Use3D

DSDA-doom, pistol-start, UV-difficulty

 

This level left a mixed impression on me, even without the secret shenanigans.

Observation 1 The weaker parts of "Deimos Command" are bland and boring. They resemble rehash of E2m4 without either the delicious atmosphere, or the colorful hodge-podge of textures. Take the map start, for example. You need to deal with some cacos, a baron, and a bunch of low-tiers, mostly imps. Similar mix of monsters as in E2m4, similar weapons, but no spooky atmoshere at all and the rooms are now bigger.

 

Observation 2 The level has many good parts. The map is lovingly crafted. The map has very beautiful down-to-earth visuals. The difficulty, for the most part, feels pretty well calibrated. The bigger setpieces, like the blue key section or the big ambushes in the second half of the map, tend to be pretty interesting and memorable.

The ending nukage run is pretty cruel, but it presents a novel challenge and heavily rewards the player for effective use of weapons. There are many parts to love about "Deimos Command".

 

Observation 3 The map would be better with more rad suits. E2m2 of DtWIdD had the right idea with providing one or two spare suits.

 

Observation 4 - The whole secret ordeal.

The locking secret idea is not explained to the player at all. Thus it is a bad idea.

The only thing it does? It punishes people who want to explore for not knowing the map beforehand!

You want fun? Pick your poison! You can ruin your fun by reading the walkthrough beforehand, or you can ruin your fun by losing the secret for unknown reason, hahaha! That's just plain trolling, and pretty lame trolling as that.

But maybe this particular secret is not crucial, and losing it is not a big deal? Hahaha, it is very big deal!

- Losing this secret locks you out from the secret exit! Dear continuous player, would you kindly jump into nukage, and pistol start E2m5? Surely you absolutely hate using plasma rifle and love shotgunning barons!

- Even putting the secret exit aside, this secret contains a berserk! You did miss the secret? Say goodbuy to fun punchouts!

The secret exit situation is especially jarring, and it should not have been part of the map at all! There is an easy fix - just ignore the berserk room when opening the secret exit! Why this fix was not implemented during playtesting?

 

So yeah. "Deimos Command" has many highlights, and those highlights are pretty bright. But the map also has some very notable flaws. Some flaws are minor, but the secret exit situation is just bizarre.

[DJVCardMaster]

E2M5 - Deimos Command - Mike "Use3D" Alfredson *Sandy Petersen* (92%K/98%I/100%S):

Ugh, this map, I have many mixed feelings from what I remember, but replaying this one, I now have more bad feelings than good ones, but hey, I think this map has quite some personality, though. First of all, the map feels like it has some Tom Hall leftover, without even mentioning it was made by him. It's not as maze-like as the original Command Center, but also does not look like it was made by Sandy at all. This map has its boring parts, or parts of the level I don't feel like ID would have made at all, or maybe yes, for Doom II. This map feels a little bit stale in comparison to other maps' gameplay, but its good point, is the search for its secret exit, which gives it some replay value (And it's going to make you replay so you don't commit the error of softlocking the secret exit because you played wrong without knowing). The secret exit is something we've seen in many MAP15's in community megawads, and it is a really good idea, something Sandy himself could have done, instead of having the easiest secret exit of the entire IWAD family. But the big problem is, there is a secret, in order to access it, you need to know which path to take FIRST, in order to get it (The one with the tall door that closes permanently when crossing a random linedef at the next room). You just have to advance through the southern yellow door, not the one heading north, which is a small yellow skull pillar. This arbitrary rule ruins the search for the secret exit for me, as it may make you go around the map many times trying to open that door without knowing it will close forever. This happened to me the first time I've played, so I tried to find in the wiki how to deal with that particular room. After that, the walls for the secret exit will open one by one, each time you tag a secret anywhere on the map. You know what bugs me the most? Yes, the exit room, save some radsuits before you tackle those nukage pits, without knowing that's the final area of the level, because they are, if you grabbed it before in accident, you'll just have to run for your life to exit properly, this is obviously, if you did not get the secret exit. A pain in the as. As a map, not good at all, the way Id did? I don't think so, the southernmost room with the yellow key and some of its surroindings look more like Doom II, or a random '95 map in a community project like Memento Mori. 
It would have been a more enjoyable map with some little changes, but it decided to be annoying, right until the end. No suit for me, so I could not mow down the caged enemies at the annoying nukage tunnel at the end of it, so, I take the secret exit and proceed.

IDness ratio: 1/5

E2M9 - Nebulous Origins - Iori *Sandy Petersen* (99%K/81%I/50%S):

Hey, not a bad map at all, pretty good secret map indeed, my problem is, again, it has no "secret level" status, yet again, it looks like a regular line-up map, and it generates quite a contrast between the actual secret map, with was gimmicky, stupid and "secret". I don't know why is not in the regular part of the episode, and instead, it is a secret map, as it has quite some similar traits from the original Shores of Hell. One thing to mention here, is that there is some orthogonality in the layout, and things we could easily see from Tom Hall (The crate room, the halls and the layout itself at times), again, without him getting mentioned as a mapper in this iteration. This could have saved some IDness points, as this map feels at times like the original E2M2, which was, for me, one of the best maps from the original Doom. Trying to recreate something similar to that map, makes this level pretty good, but, it does not scream secret map to me.
It's layout is, as confusing E2 can get, there are two forking paths after you get the yellow key, the easy way out from the middle of the map, or the nukage tunnels that would make your Dooming experience a little bit longer. This gives it again, a nicer replay value.

IDness ratio: 3/5

(UV Playthrough - Crispy Doom)

Order of Preference:

Spoiler

 

E1M4
E1M7
E2M1
E2M9
E2M2
E1M5
E1M6

E1M3
E2M4

E1M2
E1M8
E1M1
E1M9
E2M5
E2M3

 

Not going to lie here, I would have switched E2M9 places with E2M5, and I would have taken E2M5 to the lost episodes, making an entire new secret level.

Edited February 14, 2022 by DJVCardMaster

[dei_eldren]

E2M6 Foundry (HMP, continuous, blind): K 100%, I 100%, S 100%, D 1, T 37:13

 

Spoiler

The map begins quietly, like many others in this episode.  Before meeting anyone, i spy through a window in the hallway down to a room where a Baron is waiting with a couple of Imps as his adjutants, and i correctly thought this was a view to what this level will be about when the action begins. On the other hand, the level of terror achieved is not communicated by the modest monster count of less than a hundred.

 

 

From the beginning there is only one path to take, until one arrives at a teleport.  From its destination are three paths, one more hidden than the others, two of them ultimately leading to the same place - a section with lowering/rising platforms over lava, and the third which one should take first, as the BK is needed in the lava.  i took first the hidden route, leading to a lower floor, and ultimately to a small maze guarded by Spectres and Pinkies.  At the end of this there is a teleport, entering into from one side leads simply back to the original room, and from the other, a secret room in the lava section.  If one doesn't go to the secret, this whole section has no other meaning than killing a few enemies and getting a couple of rockets - very clever design.  By luck, i at first went for the secret, which transported me to a circular room guarded by couple of Lost Souls, and offering a few cell packs.  At this point, as i emerged from that room by opening a couple of walls, i actually thought the whole lava-section was part of the secret.  The section is pretty intense, by the way, with the threat high-damaging lava and Lost Souls and Cacodemons.  After getting my bearings and navigating through the lava (there is a station which offers several radsuits for possible repeated visits to this section - thank you author!) i arrived at the final room in which there are BK doors, and an incredibly nasty crusher over a short path through lava at the end of which is opens a teleport.  Here i died, attempting to get to it.  i did find one secret in this room, though, by dropping into an otherwise inescapable pit which had a fake wall (i think) through which i went.

 

Anyway, this map is full of complexity and cleverly designed pathways.  The exit area had a nice homage to the exit in E2M6 in form of a similar dangerous attack of Cacodemons and Imps.  For a moment i thought the author had committed the faux pas of not allowing the player to go back, but obviously in a level designed like this that couldn't be, and i soon found the unassuming way out in the dark room. 

 

i like the original level a lot, even if E2M4-5 are my favourites, but one thing about this map is that it's not very reminiscent of the OG and instead i'd say this map has much more in common with (John Romero's Greatest Megawad Ever) Si666il, which has the classic gameplay and design style but in much more developed form, without the feel of the gameplay being modernized.  The atmosphere in this map can't be beat, and its supported perfectly by the song in the midi pack.

 

 

The YK door is seen near the start, and as it was left unopened by the time i was at the exit, it was obviously a secret, and not just an optional area since i had not seen a YK anywhere along my travels.  After having found 3/5 secrets, it was getting clear the next place i needed to get to was the teleport behind the crusher - after all, a place made so uninviting could easily lead to two secrets, let alone the most rewarding one.  So i venture there (thankfully there was one radsuit left), and somehow, no idea how, survive the crusher with about 5% health left!  i don't know, maybe one could strafe-run through it without getting crushed?  i just ran, though.  At the destination i was immediately attacked by two Barons, along with couple of Imps, and a Cacodemon, and thought that would be my first death at the hands of enemies, until i noticed the finest Invulnerability-sphere i'd ever seen placed behind me.  Admittedly at that point wasting plasma on them instead of a few rockets was dumb, but so it goes sometimes.  The dark hall adorned with a star on the floor they occupied held the coveted YK.

 

Behind the YK door was a hallway, with a view through an inside window way down, indicating there is yet something more to find, and a Plasma rifle (i would not like to think about going through this map without one, to be honest.)  A switch lowers an elevator before the YK door to the last secret down in the sewers, keeping what i needed most, the Soulsphere.

 

 

This is not only the best map in the set so far, but also one of the best maps i've ever played.  To me it plays like an extended map from Si666il, and i couldn't give higher praise than that since that is my favourite Megawad.  Classic Doom doesn't get any better than this (and frankly, not much does.) 

 

PS: Am sorry for missing iori's E2M9, as by all accounts it's again, as his earlier map by my own reckoning, a worthy one, but as am reluctant to pistol start it, can't be helped for the moment :/

 

 

Who's Who

Spoiler

Episode Two

E2M6 - Foundry - 10+/10

E2M1 - Receiving Station - 9.5/10

E2M4 - Mental Ward - 9.5/10

E2M3 - Rec Facility - 9/10

E2M2 - Filtration Compound - 9/10

 

Episode One

E1M7 - Logic Core - 10/10

E1M9 - Excavation Site - 9.5/10

E1M5 - Engineering Bay - 9.5/10

E1M6 - Reactor Complex - 9/10

E1M2 - Military Bunker - 8.5/10

E1M4 - Treatment Plant - 8/10

E1M3 - Fuel Synthesis - 8/10

E1M8 - Transport Facility - 8/10

E1M1 - Communications Bridge - 7/10

 

Edited February 12, 2022 by dei_eldren

[Xaser]

It's been a while since I've played through DTWID, so I decided to give it another go. Had fun -- gonna leave some random thoughts on arbitrary maps 'cause that be how I do:

 

E1M4: Treatment Plant is definitely the star of E1, in hindsight. Very cool layout with a unique "walls open up to previous areas" gimmick to it, and it has a certain "roughness" to the texturing/visuals that makes it feel much closer to doom.wad than the rest of the other nostalgia-goggled efforts. If I had to choose one map from the wad to shunt back in time, this would probably it.

 

E1M5: Engineering Bay is the first map I remember playing that made me go "oh damn, this project might actually be viable." :P -- Prior to this, there were a lot of submissions, but not much organization and nothing really felt like it got close to the mark. ellmo basically saved the project, in more ways than one. :P

E1M8: Transport Facility reminds me how difficult it was to pull off the boss maps. The whole "hey try not to copy anything" idea made it very difficult to fill the M8 slots, since most efforts felt too much like direct remixes of the original map concept. In the end, we ended up choosing the ones that felt "most unique", and E1M8's spooky techbase was definitely the standout. I really dig the effect at the end where the walls melt away.

Some meta-commentary on E2M3: Rec Facility: I ended up renaming a few maps, just to make 'em feel more "doomy" -- this map was originally called "R&R Facility", which didn't really sound right for whatever reason. In hindsight I wish I'd named it "Rec Center" because a) that's what people actually call it :P and b) E1M8 already uses the word "Facility" in the title. Guess it's not quite as egregious as doom.wad's "Toxin Refinery" and "Refinery" name conflict, but maybe having two similar names is very "twid" anyway. :P

I remember feeling very conflicted about E2M5: Deimos Command for much the same reasons echoed in this thread: there's some really obtuse secrets here, one of which permanently closes without any real cause-and-effect behind it. I vaguely remember some other folks on the "team" liking the map as-is so it stayed, but part of me wishes I'd been more stubborn. If it weren't for that one particular secret, this map would probably be remembered much more fondly -- which is a shame 'cause on replay something about this one feels very IWAD-y. Just the general vibe, I guess.

 

Since it's been mentioned a couple of times: there's no explicit crate maze in the set 'cause there's really no way to pull one off without infringing on Containment Area's identity. That map is The Crate Maze. You do see some crates as set dressing in DTWID E2M5 and E2M7 though, so they're not totally absent at least. :P

 

More comments later when folks catch up, I guess. :P

[DavitW]

E2M5: Deimos Command

Felt like the biggest map of the set so far, not the most challenging though as I found it well balanced for the most part. Going through the left door at the top of the raising stairs will shut the door to the berserk secret down the right, making it permanently inaccessible without cheating. I can respect having such blatant disregard for the idea of fairness as it felt like something ID would have done back in the day, but I can't respect the fact said secret is arbitrarily connected to accessing the secret exit and missing it will shut off both. It felt like the mapper deliberately designed it to fuck over as many players as possible their first time through.

e2m5.zip

[TheOrganGrinder]

E2M1: Receiving Station

 

I've got somewhat mixed feelings about the start to the WAD's second episode, which hews a bit too close to Deimos Anomaly than the project's direction (as discussed by its various contributors, in this thread) would seem to have encouraged.  The grey brick that plays such a prominent role in the classic E2M1 has a much-reduced presence here, but in terms of navigation and layout, there are pretty significant similarities, with areas nestled up against and coiled around one another, separated only by thin walls, connected primarily by teleporters that whisk the player from one part of the playing space to another in a brisk and disorienting fashion; even the many-pillared secret plasma gun room of the classic map has its counterpart here, although the loot to be had in this case is a berserk pack.  @Xaser does mention further up the thread that the M1 and M8 maps in each episode were designed specifically for those slot, and maybe emulating the distinctive layout and navigation of Deimos Anomaly was part of the brief here; I also note that the Doom Wiki describes this map as being designed in the style of Petersen and Romero, versus the Hall/Petersen collaboration of the original E2M1, and while I can kind of see this level as a "Romero-fied" version of Deimos Anomaly in some respects, that would suggest a Hall/Romero style more than the indicated Petersen/Romero style.

 

That's a lot of words spent talking about what the map might be trying to be and comparing it critically to the classic E2M1, when taken on its own merits, it's a very enjoyable map that works hard to frontload the aesthetic of the new episode to the player and deliver the message, "you're not in Kansas on Phobos any more."  Much of that is down to texturing, with vines, blood, demonic decorations, and the grotesque commingling of technology and flesh all putting in appearances, but it's expressed through the architecture too, full of bulbous, organic shapes and a sense of shapes and materials being mashed together in coarsely transformative fashion; Heironymus Bosch meets Salvador Dali.  I do like that the secret areas are all sandwiched tightly between other spaces, lending them a sense of cysts or cavities within the overall structure; the metal walls and bright lights of the berserk pack hypostyle suggest a certain technological rigidity, a space that's solid and unyielding and around which the rest of the map has been crumpled as it was subverted, while the rounded shape and blood and vines of the soul sphere chamber suggest quite the opposite, the walls around it bulging out as though it's some kind of swollen, cancerous growth.

 

E2M2: Filtration Compound

 

If this map calls a particualr word or idea to mind it would be layers, a very deliberate sense of spaces nested and spiralled within one another as though Hell's influence has reshaped and subverted this facility along the lines of some vast ammonite or nautilus.  Progression is mostly linear, with some backtracking, and the environment grows steadily more corrupted and unearthly as you advance, stained concrete and the brown end of the STAR* panel spectrum giving way to marble, wood, and flesh.  I don't know if this is something that's confirmed one way or the other in the Doom canon, but I've always had a sense that the Deimos base is the older and earlier of the two Martian moon bases, its structures more primitive and its technology more clunky than the relatively polished and sophisticated environment of the Phobos base, even before the whole moon was swallowed up into Hell and its transformation began.  Whether or not the map author here has that same sense of Deimos being the older of the two bases, or simply considers that to be a part of the Petersen aesthetic rather than a deliberate commentary or observation on the timeline, I think that feeling has been captured nicely here; with the Phobos base fresh in the player's mind, even the uncorrupted parts of this compound feel claustrophobic, gloomy, grungy, and run-down.

 

The combat gameplay is fairly straightforward, with threats mostly appearing dead ahead as you advance through the level; that's fine, we're early in the episode and it does communicate a feeling that you still have the initiative as you drive deep into hostile territory, that your enemies haven't yet had much of a chance to set up traps and ready ambushes in response to your intrusion.  Between shotgun sergeants and damaging blood floors, chip damage will almost inevitably accumulate at a steady pace, but seldom to the extent that you won't have a comfortable supply of health pickups waiting for you wherever you go.  My recollection of the level from previous playthroughs of this WAD was that there were some pretty fiendish secrets tucked away here, hidden in clever ways and occasionally concealing traps that can be effectively mitigated if you know they're coming; the invulnerability sphere is placed specifically to allow the player to grab a box of rockets without taking damage from a crusher, and I'll accept that the dead marines in front of the rocket box are adequate warning of the impending trap and that it's the player's own fault for dismissing them as mere decoration and rushing forward with grabby hands outstretched only to be punitively pancaked for their avarice.  You'll get smooshed and then you'll laugh about it.

[RHhe82]

E2M6: Foundry. DSDA v0.24, UV-PS-NoSaves. 100% kills and secrets. Completion time 17:18 (in November: 19:34). One death in E2 so far (tot. 2e1+ 1e2 + 1de).

 

This was another level I was a bit afraid of. There's a thread on DoomWorld where it is stated that this level is the hardest in the DTWID-megawad. I'm not sure, but it may be. Damaging floors can be quite punishing, and some enemies can get in your face fast. In any case I faced my first death of the episode here, when I clearly took a wrong turn and starved to death from ammo. That, and a little panic when facing imps and close-quarters baron. Next attempt went much better, although it's just my luck that found the most useful secret only once everybody was already dead.

 

Once I picked the better path I had much better time, too. E2's really been growing on me map after map. If you want to find all the secrets, you better conserve some health, because I'm not sure crusher damage can be avoided. If it is, timing would probably have to be very precise. I like it that the level has somehow very defined personality while at the same time very shores-of-helly; I guess the perpetually moving platforms (that are not obnoxious unlike the ones in original Doom's E2M3) does it, I like the look of that area. Some of the "unlike iD" (at least when compared to Shores) features include a switch - I don't if it's considered "secret" - that seems to kill some demons for you. Also no small part of the monster count comes from one zombie man horde that's just big enough to give me the impression of a post-1994 wad.

 

rhhe82_e2m6_skill4_dsda-doom_dtwid.zip

[esselfortium]

3 hours ago, TheOrganGrinder said:

I don't know if this is something that's confirmed one way or the other in the Doom canon, but I've always had a sense that the Deimos base is the older and earlier of the two Martian moon bases, its structures more primitive and its technology more clunky than the relatively polished and sophisticated environment of the Phobos base, even before the whole moon was swallowed up into Hell and its transformation began.  Whether or not the map author here has that same sense of Deimos being the older of the two bases, or simply considers that to be a part of the Petersen aesthetic rather than a deliberate commentary or observation on the timeline, I think that feeling has been captured nicely here; with the Phobos base fresh in the player's mind, even the uncorrupted parts of this compound feel claustrophobic, gloomy, grungy, and run-down.

That's how I've always interpreted it, too. Might be from reading Doom Bible stuff a long time ago. I'm glad it came through in this map!