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

[Agent Slacker]

E2M6: Foundry
DOOM Retro, UV, Continuous w/saves, played on an 8bitdo SN30 Pro 2

Well, the name certainly fits the level so to speak. Lots of lava strewn around, something I wouldn't expect to see in a foundry (probably melted steel instead, so let's pretend that's what it is). There are also plenty of moving floors and crushing ceilings. I wasn't aware that there was a thread talking about this level's difficulty, because this level isn't super hard at all. I'd compare its difficulty to the secret level. I remember not really liking this map, but I've once again got to give credit where it's due, Alfonzo did a wonderful job with this level's encounters; from the tight battle with some barons, to the teleporting pinky setpiece, to the bullet bonanza in the final room filled to the brim with former humans and spectres. I think I prefer playing through E2M5 simply because there was more room to breathe, but I think the dark atmosphere throughout the level is on par with E2M4.

[TJG1289]

GZDoom/UV/Continuous/Saves

E2M4: Mental Ward - ellmo

100% kills and secrets

Time: 14:29

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

 

I honestly really like the cursed monster cards! I like the idea of one monster having a weird thing applied to it. Can make for some interesting situations.

 

This map I think is an enhanced id map. The general design flow feels like id, but some of the texturing and interior design is better. There's a couple side areas with small rooms that I can see having some sort of actual function if this was to be an actual mental ward. The one hall with the 3 small rooms for example could be where crazy marines are thrown in. I like the one room with the square computer stations all around too. It reminds me a little bit of those dark rooms with small pillars, lost souls, and spectres that I've seen in IWAD maps before (can't place them at the moment, but I think E2 and TNT have rooms like this). Most of map is solid, but I'm still wondering what causes the computer paneled L in the bottom right part of the map by that red door to lower occasionally. Again, most of the map isn't tough. The baron in the waterway can be scary due to how tight the space is, but plasma makes it easy. The lost soul ambush at the blue key is easy, but one of them was cursed and really extended the damaging floor when I killed it. Pretty fun map!

 

E2M5: Deimos Command - Use3D

100% kills and secrets

Time: 18:18

Card: Pinkies have acid blood

 

This card is kinda annoying. When you damage a monster, acid blood spits out at you. It spits out quickly, so it's hard to avoid. And the fact that pinkies have this means that they'll try to get close to you, making it harder to avoid the acid.

 

I think this is the most mazy map of the set so far, which definitely makes it id-like. The mazy aspects are usually hit or miss for me, and there were some times where I wasn't entirely sure where to go. Too many different paths to take. Some elements to the map feel like E2, but some made me think of E4 instead, like the long identical hallways where you can find one of the secrets. Again, no real threats here, though another close-quarters baron can be scary, though the 4 explosive barrels next to it help. The biggest threat to me was the curse card. It effected a shotgunner in the small maze area at the north, and when I killed it, the entire maze became toxic. Factor in a few close encounters with acid-blooded spectres, and I almost died. Got out of there with 3% health, into a nest of zombies. Hooray for the chaingun and some nearby health! Finding the secret exit isn't too bad, but having one of the needed secrets being locked out if you don't find it before doing something specific is kinda lame. Overall, the map was ok. I think it was one of the weaker ones, since it was a little too open and mazy. 

 

E2M9: Nebulous Origins - iori

100% kills and secrets

Time: 14:29

Deaths: 1

Card: Zombie Man haunts player after death.

 

This card just brings them back as a ghost for a short time, or until you shoot it.

 

Got my first death in the WAD here, and it was mostly cause I was an idiot. I went through the blue door at the north, grabbed the mega armor, saw way too many pinkies with acid blood, tried to rocket them from a far, got caught on something, face rocketed on a baddie that was coming from behind me. Oops.

 

OTHER THAN THAT, this map did feel like a late ep IWAD map. Atmosphere was nailed pretty well here, and the exploration wasn't as mazy as the last map, though there are a few different paths you can take. Idk what the long toxic waste part did other than open a baron compartment. Maybe it also opened the armor secret in that room too? I saw it open after I killed the baron tho. Idk. I'm also not sure how I opened the path to the blur sphere secret either. Maybe it opened after hitting the switch below? There was one room where the columns opened up to reveal some lost souls that reminded me of E2M7. The map is pretty big, maybe the biggest so far? Though, like I mentioned a few sentences ago, not really that confusing or hard to navigate. While most of the map is standard fare, the sheer amount of enemies in the crate area was a nice fight. Add in the CC effects of acid pinky blood, and the toxic floor cursed imp, and we've got a really fun fight. Definitely a much better secret level then the IWAD's. 

[RHhe82]

36 minutes ago, Agent Slacker said:

I wasn't aware that there was a thread talking about this level's difficulty, because this level isn't super hard at all

 

It's not super hard, but the thread I was referring to nominates it as the hardest in the DtWiD-wad:

 

 

Difficulty is, of course, a subjective thing and subject to conditions. I have been replaying DtWiD maps in advance, and there have been levels in which I've died more times than I did Foundry.

Edited February 13, 2022 by RHhe82

[Daytime Waitress]

I'm flat out enjoying the Megawad Club less this month - because I have to avoid reading everyone else's stuff before I can post my own! February has totally gotten away from me and I'm way behind, so I'm gonna drop the rest of episode one all in one go:

 

***

 

GZDoom 4.7, HMP, continuous, first playthrough, no saves, optional MIDI pack

E1M2 - Military Bunker by @hobomaster22
Despite being in the E1M2 slot, this one gives off a kind of later epsiode vibe: you're given a multitude of paths and square footage to unravel until you figure out which way you should be going. Much like the first map, then - initially seeming more complex than it actually is. I did however really enjoy the various overlooks and windows and criss-crossing paths that give you a peek at areas you'll eventually get to, whether secret or for progression.

 

E1M3 - Fuel Synthesis by @esselfortium
Without sounding like I'm shitting on the previous two maps too much: this is the first in the pack that truly feels like a lost level. They definitely could be lost levels, but this just has a lot of juice that I personally associate with the first episode of Doom. I think it's the economical use of space and player direction. It still packs in a lot of space like the first two maps, but the way it guides the player whilst encouraging them to explore off the beaten path nails the vanilla feeling for me - that rocket launcher nested secret was just lovely.

 

Moreover, Fuel Synthesis's atmosphere is dead-on. Right off the bat you get an opportunity to scout out a couple of enemies, but at the risk of alerting whatever's on the alternate pathways. Soon after that you get a random line def that pops a closeted monster behind you. And almost immediately after that you're flipping switches with triggers within hearing distance, but still no indication of what further shit you've dropped yourself into. Not just spoopy atmosphere and Plutonia-style combat bastardry - smaller, simpler touches, but the author has you on edge because you fundamentally don't trust the environment itself. That's Doom to a tee.

 

And despite this being the first thing I've truly loved from the set, I didn't fish out all secrets and thus missed out on the secret level. I am a dumb. Sorry, @stewboy - I'm definitely coming back to this on UV at a later date, so I'll catch you then.

 

E1M4 - Treatment Plant by @Hellbent
So many sliding walls and raising floors that I wondered if there was actually going to be any architecture left at the end of it all. A few of the secrets are neat (rocket launcher path again), but there are also a few nooks and crannies that are just... there: neither intrinsically necessary to give the illusion that this plant is something that the UAC uses, nor particularly rewarding for a player to risk venturing into instead of bolting for the exit. The fenced-in catwalk that gave you a popcorn horde to blast with a barrel before the entire area turned into a Touhou was definitely fun, though.

 

E1M5 - Engineering Bay by @ellmo
A very sudden but not unwelcome escalation in combat intensity, this map is also pleasingly more compact than everything that's come before it. Engineering Bay hits that sweet spot for me of not being rigidly linear and including just a handful of puzzles, but also not making you wander too far in service of either, and providing combat that always keeps you on your toes. It was home to a few cute little touches, too, like giving you a point you think you can snipe from if you want to mop up all kills, but spanking you from behind with an entirely different class of monster if you choose to do so. Not as enthralling as Fuel Synthesis for mine, but I enjoyed this shot of adrenaline from Sesame Street's resident mapper.

 

E1M6 - Reactor Complex by @hobomaster22
This map really understands scale and scope - the red key room hammers that in from the beginning. Reactor Complex covers a lot of ground, but there's also a lot to do within its walls. It doesn't feel needlessly complex or convoluted - everything here feels like it's necessary for the player to progress. Moreover, the combat to freedom-of-movement ratio is spot on, especially in the last battle: you're given a cutesy sniping spot and think you can plink things off one by one, but once you get down there, all hell breaks loose and you're given just enough wiggle room to not cock it up completely. I'm gonna try not to make 1:1 comparisons with the original levels because these are intended as "lost level" homages, but this really does feel like a sprawling adventure in the vein of Central Processing.

E1M7 - Logic Core by @iori

A sprawling, hate-filled experience saturated with omnidirectional threats and adorable little touches like the armour being given an in-universe sense of gravitas.  Lovely use of elevation and blind corners and darkness and bastard, bastard, bastard shotgunners - everything I think of when I think of the original Doom. This is how you close out episode one's "regular" levels.

 

E1M8 - Transport Facility by @ellmo
A very nice homage to the classicest of classic boss levels. It makes you work just a little to scrounge supplies, which goes back to the "sense of place" that Essel opened with. I was less of a fan of how the pinkies were handled - while they're not as maligned as their poor brethren in the opening room of the original, you're still free to mop them up before you deal with the big boys, and that feels like a missed opportunity to let them create some chaos in the final battle. I loved the decorations and roofing on the altar at the end, though: not garish enough to not be id's handiwork, but not as... stark as the original.

 

***

So that's episode one dusted and while some of the levels certainly clicked with me more than others, I'm just plain glad that this WAD exists: some authors might have captured the id lightning better than others, but this really does what it says on the tin - a big ol' go 'round on the vanilla merry-go-round.

 

And just like the original, episode one finished damn strong. While I've definitely come to appreciate the different experiences offered by the second and third id episodes over the years, my heart still belongs to KDITD, and so I'm really keen to see what directions our merry band of modders take it in. I was enthusiastic before starting this megawad, enthusiastic after the first couple of levels... and completely hype to see how it panned out. The Way id Did, indeed.

Edited February 13, 2022 by Daytime Waitress
Grammar

[Book Lord]

E2M6 – Foundry by @Alfonzo

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

 

Alfonzo probably conceived this map with a real place in mind, the titular Foundry, trying to abstract a Doom level from it. As a consequence, the player should look forward to lava, which represented molten metal; he should expect machinery at work, including numerous crushers; he should foresee a long exploration, chiefly happening indoors and in narrow, cramped, and oppressive rooms and corridors.

Spoiler

Even though there were multiple paths to choose, I found my way without much trouble by carefully checking every possible direction. The teleporters created odd disconnections between zones, especially the one-way ones; I paid attention to everything, but I admit I was lucky with my intuitions. The copious secrets were discovered almost automatically, at the first or at the second passage in their environs, leaving little to uncover when the exit was finally reached.

Spoiler

Foundry could be completed quickly if the layout is known, and the player does not bother with secrets. The YK, found in a bizarre room with a star, an Invulnerability and three Barons of Hell, was optional and granted access to the valuable goodies hidden in the northern portion of the map. The normal progression required only the BSK, which could be picked up after crossing the map from the west to the east, until the rocket launcher chamber visible near the start was encountered. A switch lowered the lift to ride back up, but also revealed a door to another room, sealing the player inside with the skull key and its guardians. The way out was characterised by Pinkies teleporting elsewhere as soon as they saw the player; this was a real oddity, as they were trapped in an unreachable area and must be crushed with a switch to achieve 100% kills. The fourth Demon did not teleport away though, and you can bet he caught me off-guard.

Spoiler

The gameplay was entertaining and tough, carried out by traversing claustrophobic tunnels with Pinkies, platforms going up and down, and some lava/blood patches. Sometimes it was required to drop down a hole into places full of enemies, a setup that I usually dread with -fast. I resolved most of these situations by preparing the plasma rifle, but one of the last rooms injured me seriously thanks to close Imps, a Baron in front of me, and no safe escape because of active crushers. I barely survived, then I had to be very careful until the exit, because the way was full of hitscanners and Pinkies at full throttle. I was not sure of the purpose of Lite Amplification Goggles, making their first appearance in the megaWAD.

 

This was an excellent entry by Alfonzo, a map full of mysteries that were satisfying to unveil. The visuals were very accurate though not always pleasing to the eye, maybe a deliberate outcome to obtain a suffocating atmosphere. Homages and quotes from id’s work were virtually non-existent, qualifying Foundry as one of the most original maps of Doom the way id did. Nevertheless, the use of textures was consistent with The Shores of Hell, as well as the richness of the secrets, comparable to Containment Area for the YK and the requirement to backtrack. It was quite a memorable experience.

Edited February 13, 2022 by Book Lord

[finnks13]

E2M6 - Foundry by Alfonzo:
I feel incredibly neutral about this map, nothing really wowed me but I can't find that much to complain about. The texturing does feel pretty episode 2-y and while it's definitely more refined than most of Petersen's work, that doesn't detract from the map. The use of damaging floors here is significantly less annoying than the rest of the episode, you're given plenty of rad-suits to cross them when it's necessary. I liked the secrets and how expansive some of them were, though at points I did find them a bit indistinguishable from actual progression - for example, the crusher hiding an invulnerability and yellow key, was something I assumed was mandatory for progression, but I never actually found the yellow door and having killed all the monsters by that point, I didn't fancy trying every wall to find it.

 

I thought the crushers were a bit annoying, being forced (I think, I did try a fair few times) to take damage getting to the invulnerability secret was a bit crap - though having crushers everywhere is pretty accurate to Episode 2 so I won't hold it against this map. I liked the chaingun room, it's a cool little ambush especially since you're probably going to be running there low on health, with just a shotgun. After opening the blue key the map sort of just fizzles out and ends, there's a fun ambush with some imps and a baron but then you have a massive open room with about 30 zombies in, which is really easy to deal with since you have a corner to hide behind and just felt like an odd and unsatisfying end to the map. Again nothing wrong with it, just not the most fun map so far.

[Azure_Horror]

E2m9 "Nebulous Origins" by iori

DSDA-doom, pistol-start, UV-difficulty

 

"Nebulous Origins"  is a great map, which in many ways feels like a tribute to "Containment Area", the E2m2 from Doom1. Among the first 5 maps of "Doom the Way Id Did" Episode 2, no map combines non-linear exploration with large rooms and long hallways, like "Containment Area" and some other doom1 maps did. E2m9 by iori finally addresses this issue.

 

The visuals of E2m9 resemble a colorful chaotic mess, but a very polished chaotic mess. The map essentially has a polished variant of Sandy Petersen's Doom1 e2 visuals. The map structure of "Nebulous Origins" is a bit weird. It starts rather linear, but has a major fork in the road after Yellow Key. And even the linear start feels non-linear during gameplay, because the actual way forward through the map involves lots of twists and turns. Exploring  "Nebulous Origins" is very fun.

Yellow key fork felt pretty interesting. One way provides a plasma gun, and leads to glorious plasma-fueled power fantasy. And the other way provides a chainsaw instead, allowing the player to bully some pinkies and save ammo.

 

The map structure of "Nebulous Origins" is pretty interesting and notable. "Nebulous Origins" is more linear, than the free roaming exploration maps by Tom Hall and Sandy Petersen. Yet, the map still feels like a "real" location, created for some unknown practical purpose in mind, and not just a set of obstacles for player to overcome. This type of linearity is extremely rare among videogame levels. Maps by Tom Hall and Sandy Petersen typically achieve the same effect, but those maps are notably less linear and organized than "Nebulous Origins". @iori managed to achieve a pretty interesting effect. In this regard, DtWIdD E2m9 brings to mind maps 18 and 19 from @DASI-I's Doom Zero.

 

I think that putting this map into a secret slot was a mistake. The map does not have any special gimmicks, and it is very fun. It is also works like a tribute to "Containment Area" and other Doom1 e2 maps by Tom Hall and Sandy Petersen. Would have made a wonderful part of the main progression!

 

E2m6 "Foundry" by Alfonzo

DSDA-doom, pistol-start, UV-difficulty

 

First things first – this level is very convoluted and spooky. And for those reason, it is felt very memorable to me. I managed to find at least two distinct routes through the map. I would not be surprised, if even more routes exist. The map structure is pretty complicated, and contains multiple one-way passages. On my first playthrough, I managed to find the exit rather quickly. On my second attempt, I reached the exit only at the very end of my playtime. The routes through the map are that distinct.

 

"Foundry" has many weird elements. Some lava pools have weird metal platforms, which go up and down. There is a section, which invites the player to grab invulnerability and chainsaw some barons. There are lots of crushers, some of which are purely decorative. There is a flooded bunker with scrolling walls. There are weird metal fences, which resemble teeth. There is a strange switch, which kills a bunch of monsters behind the wall. There are an extremely complicated networks of passages and teleporters.

IMHO, "Foundry" would be a perfect secret level. It is very unique, mysterious, and even somewhat gimmicky.

 

Ok, enough rumbling. Time to answer the important questions.

Question 1: Is E2m6 "Foundry" a good map?

I think, yes. I think, that E2m6 is a phenomenal map. Personally, I like playing E2m9 a bit more, but "Foundry" is also very good. I think that E2m6 aims for much more ambitious goals, than any other map in the megawad. (At least so far.) The gameplay sometimes becomes a bit grindy, but it also contains quite a number of very enjoyable moments.

Question 2: Does "Foundry" feel like an ID map from episode 2?

Errrm... I would say Yes, but maybe No, but definitely Yes. Ok, let me explain. The gameplay of "Foundry" definitely fits. The map offers non-linear explortion with lots of side paths. This is famous Sandy Petersen and Tom Hall design style. The visuals also fit the Doom1 episode 2 mold. The map uses a variety of textures, sometimes in a notably weird way. So yes, pretty expected "Shores of Hell" stuff. But there is a catch. "Foundry" is extremely polished. And while non-linearity and weirdness in Doom1 e2 maps often feel accidental, all the weird stuff in "Foundry" is very deliberate, and executed with great care. Pretty strange for Id in 1993. Yet, the map feels exactly like something that Romero and Peterson would achieve, if they took one of Tom Hall's map and iterated on it until the map felt almost perfect. "Foundry" feels like an Id's miracle map. Something that could happen, but would need a miracle.

[DJVCardMaster]

E2M6 - Foundry - Gus "Alfonzo" Knezevich *Sandy Petersen* (93%K/94%I/80%S):

A map that feels a lot like E2M2 or Halls of the Damned, but it feels quite complex even for a Petersen map, this level may be difficult mostly because it is easy to get lost, is that kind of "Ultimate Doom" difficulty, where it relies more on its layout, more than an actual enemy threat. Also, some of the layout's hazards can do the trick, like those iconic lifts in the blood hall, which can be somewhat annoying for you to fight there, or traverse. This level feels like a journey, and I liked a lot the optional yellow room for the plasma gun, several things to do here apart from getting lost. Best layout, something not as Sandy-esque as you may see in the original work, but it's an OK representation. There is quite a "going underground" feeling about this map, that will keep on going until the end of the episode. 
Yes its progression may seem quite convoluted, as the exit is heading from a passageway you would understand as a "secret", as there is a narrow corridor behind a crusher, that you can barely see, but I don't mind it though, this is a pretty Sandy move in my books, just like the fake exit in the original E2M6.

IDness ratio: 4/5

(UV Playthrough - Crispy Doom)

Order of Preference:
 

Spoiler

 

E2M6

E1M4
E1M7
E2M1
E2M9
E2M2
E1M5
E1M6

E1M3
E2M4

E1M2
E1M8
E1M1
E1M9
E2M5
E2M3

 

 

[dei_eldren]

E2M7 Ore Processing (HMP, continuous, blind): K 95%, I 85%, S 50%, D 0, T 39:31

 

Spoiler

From the entrance hallway we emerge into a dimly lit room with two Sargeants who are quickly made short work of.  There is another hallway, closed by heavy iron bars, and the only way forward is via an obligatory run through damaging nukage without safe shielding.  At the end there is a skull-switch, and some supplies, and a lonely Imp guarding everything...

 

 

This, as well as the whole map, is very authentic, except that it all looks much better than it would in the OG, and the same goes for the rest of the map.  The best attributes here are the atmosphere and the texturing and decoration, and of the whole, i think i enjoyed the beginning the most.  The combat is mostly sparse, and the couple of encounters with a few more enemies, like the setpiece green marble room with Cacodemons hidden in the caves, are on the easy side - which is a bit of a disappointment after Foundry.  i fired a rocket a couple of times into what i thought would be larger groups of emerging low-tiers, only to find out that my rockets hit noone as there was only 3-4 monsters in the group after all.  And the largest ambush, after (finally) obtaining the YK, was in such an open space with enemies scattered around that there was no danger whatsoever, even with the Baron present.  Well, i guess most of the OG is like that.  There were a couple of echoes from Spawning Vats in the design, and perhaps the increased use of Pinkies was also intended as such.

 

Essentially very authentic, also when it comes to the layout-design and progression, only being much more extended than the OG.  The YK was hidden enough that i had to go through the route behind the BK door the second time to find it - even thinking that green marble room could have been meant to hold it, but accidentally missing on HMP (such things have happened...)  A lot of complex routes and teleporters ensured that navigation for me remained cumbersome for most of the time, and i don't know why, but from different angles i had trouble recognizing the central hub-room from which one would go to different areas - possibly i just wasn't paying enough attention.

 

 

i missed two of the secrets, but really couldn't be bothered to do an exhaustive search with only E2M8 left, as i had no idea where to even begin.  i found two along the way, and the double secret with a light search - the elevator (i don't know what triggered it) that lead to a teleport, leading to a secret passageway with armor and health bonuses.  i liked that one.  And right now i realized it's an homage to E1M1, with the added twist of the teleport. 

 

A decent entry which easily fills the slot of Spawning Vats - which, though alright, never among my favourites in the OG, and one of the visually least attractive.

 

 

Who's Who

Spoiler

Episode Two

E2M6 - Foundry - 10+/10

E2M1 - Receiving Station - 9.5/10

E2M4 - Mental Ward - 9.5/10

E2M7 - Ore Processing - 9/10

E2M3 - Rec Facility - 9/10

E2M2 - Filtration Compound - 9/10

E2M5 - Deimos Command - 8/10 (2-point penalty for design choices)

 

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

 

[DavitW]

E2M9: Nebulous Origins

Challenging map my first time through, but not so difficult once you get a good route figured out. A non-linear map but designed well enough I never found myself lost or fumbling around trying to figure out where to go next.

e2m9.zip

[NiGHTS108]

E2M9: Nebulous Origins

By Iori 

 

Kills: 97%

Items: 65%

Secrets: 50%

Time: 16:11

 

Maybe it's because I waited over a day to write this, which is a habit I should get out of, but I don't remember a whole awful lot about this map, it's probably more fitting as E2M7 than E2M9, given the number of Spawning Vats references, all two of them, I also remember it has a surprisingly impressive and modern layout, even if it turned me around once or twice, the combat is pretty traditional Doom I stuff, again, and I like the texturing, good balance between surrealism and burning my eyesockets, very Sandy

 

Grade: B

Difficulty: C-

 

 

 

[TheOrganGrinder]

E2M3: Rec Facility

 

I think this is the first map of the episode that embodies what I think of as the Deimos aesthetic not just in the environment in depicts, but in the way it depicts that environment; there's a distinctive roughness, a raw quality, to the maps that make up The Shores of Hell, and I feel that particular quality is missing from E2M1 and E2M2, for all that they're more polished levels with more complex layouts - or perhaps precisely because they're more polished and complex.  According to the Doom Wiki, this also happens to be the first map of the episode that reflects a Hall/Petersen aesthetic rather than Petersen/Romero, and I think it's probably fair to point to that roughness and raw quality as Tom Hall's distinctive set of mapping fingerprints, which are certainly all over the lion's share of the original maps that make up Doom's second episode.  Whether "this map feels more authentically Tom Hall than the two that came before," might be a statement of praise, criticism, or neutral commentary, is left for the reader to decide.

 

Many of the map's spaces are fairly anonymous and interchangeable in character, rooms and hallways that exist simply as venues for bloodshed, but the level name, via the magic of the player's imagination, bestows a bit more personality upon certain areas; it's easy to find oneself prompted to read the character of a discotheque into the dark space slashed by ribbons of illumination spilling forth from strip lights beyond the blue door, or to imagine the south-western chamber as a nightclub, with a bar, a dance floor, the centrepiece tall techno pillar standing in for a dancer's pole upon its raised platform and catwalk.  Other areas aren't so readily imagined as standing in for some real-world setting or function, and that's fine, too; it's Doom, not every room has to be thick with detail that clearly suggests a particular function or specific purpose, it's enough to use textures and architecture to suggest different functions for each space, to differentiate one part of the map from another in the player's mind.  The opposition still consists mostly of fodder enemies, with a modest number of cacodemons and Barons of Hell presenting gristlier nuggets of meat to chew through at specific points; it's a fairly flat map, too, which I feel is an authentic Tom Hall trait but does limit the fiendishness of possible combat setups, with only a few threats drawing the player's awareness away from their natural eye level.

 

E2M4: Mental Ward

 

Without exaggeration, I spent like half an hour on this map, and most of that was spent hunting for secret areas that I remembered just well enough to know where I should be looking, but not quite well enough that I was doing more than flailing uselessly at everything but the right trigger.  Inevitably the computer area map was the very last thing I found, too; that's how it so often goes, and I can't help but laugh when it happens, especially when the trigger for that particular secret is right out in the open if the player is paying reasonable attention to the environment.

 

So, this one starts out as an exercise in atmosphere, with the player creeping forward through the lobby of a seemingly abandoned, presumably haunted medical facility, flinching away from shadowy corners and openings into side passages that only grow more threatening as they continually, conspicuously fail to unleash any sort of threat upon the invading marine.  Maybe your first taste of actual combat will come during a brief detour into the dispensary, but the more natural path of progression seems to be to follow the main corridor along its clockwise spiral, where you'll be set upon by spectres and - on the higher difficulty settings - imps raining down fire from an awkwardly elevated position.  From there, it's pretty much a classic Deimos experience of satisfying quality, with the map sprawling out from the reasonably grounded setting of its central starting area into ever more warped and hostile shapes and environments as the player makes progress.  It shares with the preceding map a centrally located starting position and a consequent sense that progress occurs in an outward rather than forward direction, casting the invading marine in the role of a patient escaping from the none-too-tender cares of the ward's demonic doctors and their medieval therapries.  There are quite a few small, optional, basically incidental rooms scattered throughout the map that contribute a fair bit to its sense of place; to the south, you'll find an armoury and a cache of medical supplies in a section of the hospital that's been flooded at some point during the process of subversion and transformation, while further to the north you'll find a trio of chambers suggestive of isolation rooms or solitary confinement cells.  I found it interesting that, even playing in ZDoom and using mouselook, I couldn't look up far enough to see the ceilings of the isolation rooms, so I went in and had a look at the map in Doom Builder, which rather transformed my perception of that particular area: the cells are twice as tall as they are long, with a hole in the ceiling of each, suggesting nothing so much as an oubliette and ramping up the sense of medical horror via primitivism and the spectre of the mental hospital as a place of barbarism, cruelty, and mistreatment.

 

As an aside, I do like that it's possible to reach the exit without collecting the blue key (or indeed any of the keys) by awakening former humans with gunfire and letting them open the way out from the other side.  That said, I'm not entirely sure this is intentional; the imps in the same hallway are prevented from reaching the door by monster blocking linedefs, and there's a solitary sound blocking linedef part of the way down the stairs that suggests that the author might not have intended for sound to reach all the way from the observation room to the zombie guards.

[Agent Slacker]

E2M7: Ore Processing
DOOM Retro, UV, Continuous w/saves, played on a Hyperkin X91 Wired Controller

Talk about a missed opportunity to call it Gore Processing. That might have saved this map. For me, personally, this is the weakest map of the episode, maybe even the whole WAD. Every time I play this map I got oh so lost. I'm not asking for the map to hold my hand, but I do wish that it were a little bit more explicit on where to go next. It doesn't help that the map feels so large and empty, with so much downtime between encounters (although me getting lost has plenty to do with it). The encounters themselves were nothing special, with plenty of space to weave through the fray. I was just a mix of bored and frustrated throughout this map. This might be the first time I flat out dislike a map. Even E2M2 had its moments.

E2M8: Vault

What a neat twist on an Episode 2 boss fight. The setup is great; a great structure in the middle of the map that has to be opened up like a Matryoshka doll only to reveal the big bad Cyberdemon in the middle (what a great way to build up tension). As soon as the Cyberdemon is revealed, the rest of the level opens up, and then the Cyberdemon starts teleporting around the map. It certainly makes the Cyberdemon fight much more engaging as there's a chance it'll teleport somewhere else. It kept me on my toes. 

There's a reason I prefer E2 over E1. Sandy Peterson's levels rarely ever follow a set formula, in contrast to John Romero's rather formulaic approach to level design. When it comes to DOOM, I prefer levels with varying themes and ideas over one static type of level. Once I figured out how E1's levels played out, I got a bit bored because I knew what to expect. I never got that feeling playing through E2. There was always a neat gimmick or set piece that kept me on my toes. I think, overall, that DTWiD's E2 does a good job of mixing various kinds of ideas together to keep players interested. There were a couple of duds here and there, but ultimately I was much more engaged with these levels compared to E1. 

[dei_eldren]

E2M8 Vault (HMP, continuous, blind): K 100%, D 1

 

Spoiler

Tower of Babel is a true classic episode ender, even more so than the brilliant Phobos Anomaly.  To my taste, any complications to the recipe are just that, and just about always detracting from the design that is dependent on the simplicity, so basically, designing a counterpart for it is a thankless job.  

 

i didn't care for this, but of course, if one were playing Doom for the first time, waiting for the Cybie to be revealed would be foreboding, but that's not a good argument when the authors of the WAD have acknowledged we can't play Doom for the first time again. i've no idea how E2M8 could be designed when the map in OG is perfect, needs a particular gimmick and must serve a specific purpose.  It would seem to be even more difficult than designing another E1M1.  For example, if there were two Cybies, i'd be the first to say it's unauthentic.  Or some other monster combination.  Needless to say, teleporting the Cyber is.. meh.  So, not blaming the mapper for me not liking this, as he could have been rightfully called Dirty Harry in this case.  And obviously, it's a well-designed map on the whole.  Looks good, and i liked the Tower.

 

Serves me right for disliking this map, i got blasted by the Cybie once.  On the other hand, i still have enough respect for Cyberdemons to think that it was a fitting first death in the hands of a monster.

 

 

Who's Who

Spoiler

Episode Two

E2M6 - Foundry - 10+/10

E2M1 - Receiving Station - 9.5/10

E2M4 - Mental Ward - 9.5/10

E2M7 - Ore Processing - 9/10

E2M3 - Rec Facility - 9/10

E2M2 - Filtration Compound - 9/10

E2M5 - Deimos Command - 8/10 (2-point penalty for design choices)

E2M8 - Vault - 6.5/10

 

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 14, 2022 by dei_eldren

[Book Lord]

E2M7 – Ore Processing by @Megalyth 

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

 

I confess I was not very fond of the first minutes of Ore Processing. Being forced to cross damaging floors multiple times, without the benefit of a Radiation Shielding Suit, was not a great idea from Megalyth. However, I bit the bullet and went on, clearing room after room, finding the secrets as soon as I stumbled upon them, as happened in Foundry.

Spoiler

I began liking the level when I reached a backpack in a dead end that slowly sunk into a cavern made of SP_ROCK, where I shot enemies in almost total blackness. I readied the plasma rifle for the warping Demons, which was a bit overkill even with -fast monsters, but the dark cave was ominous, and I feared the worst. I arrived in a 64-unit wide server room overlooking a large zone covered with vines, and with an eerie atmosphere that I knew very well.

Spoiler

That place ignited my passion for Ore Processing, giving me the original E2M4 vibes I missed in Mental Ward. The research area imitated my favourite sections of Deimos Lab: a GRAYVINE area with dim lighting, the COMPBLUE hallways with a MARBFAC3, the tall computer banks ready to release monsters or to conceal fascinating secrets, like the three-step Soul Sphere.

Spoiler

The map structure was convoluted, with rooms overlooking other rooms, accessed through remote and concealed paths. Some players might find this labyrinth mind-boggling, even annoying, but I really felt at home here. Megalyth delivered me the adventurous search I was longing for, without blocking my advancement with obtuse designs, requiring me to pay attention at every section that opened instead. There were many surprise attacks in the level, frequently relying on multiple closets, culminating in the three-way assault unleashed after picking up the YK. Enemies were flawlessly placed, as they could see me while I could just hear them, making relatively small groups a respectable threat, and not only because I chose to play with -fast monsters.

 

The map paid tribute not only to Deimos Lab, but also to areas of Refinery, Command Center, and Spawning Vats, whose exploratory nature successfully impregnated this level. There was even a series of four crushers inspired by Containment Area, conveniently placed in a bending hallway to make the crossing harder. Nothing tried to evoke that this facility used to process mined ores, but the abstract environment only reinforced the feeling that this could have been an authentic out-take from The Shores of Hell. Ore Processing was the epitome of the second episode of Doom the way id did: rich in nostalgia, faithful to the work by Hall and Petersen (flaws included), a long and rewarding key hunt in novel, though still familiar places.

[Spectre01]

E2M1 - “Receiving Station” by Xaser

Rather than just emulating the style of id’s mappers, this map feels like a remix of Deimos Anomaly. It certainly looks better and the layout with all the windows peeking into other areas is more interesting. I was expecting the token Plasma Rifle as well, since I found some cells earlier, but there was a Berserk pack instead.

 

E2M2 - “Filtration Compound” by esselfortium, Xaser

This map’s layout seems a tad too intricate for a TWID-style level. Especially the winding staircases and that fancy secret where you straferun through a fake wall. Regardless of authenticity, this is a solid Doom 1 map with a nice Radsuit to pain sector ratio. Perhaps the PR/RL choice should’ve been placed earlier? I feel like I shotgunned all the Cacos before grabbing one of them.

 

E2M3 - “Rec Facility” by Captain Toenail

This is a good map with some intuitive secrets and generous ammo balance past the opener. It’s also the first one in the set to encourage some melee combat, assuming you grab the Chainsaw early on. I like the design of the room with the bridge leading to the RL as well as the dark “showers” area past the blue door. Is the main area supposed to be an outdoor pool with changing rooms to the sides?

 

E2M4 - “Mental Ward” by ellmo

The creepy music slot is occupied by a fittingly dark and gloomy map. I like the bit of monsterless exploration at the start. That Soulsphere + RL secret is also quite tricky. The lowering platform is triggered from far away and it’s not instantly clear that shooting that switch opens the window. Still, it’s very useful for blasting away the Barons, because otherwise this map is very heavy on the Shotgun gameplay. I found the Chaingun quite late as well with how I progressed.

 

E2M5 - “Deimos Command” by Use3D

Not a fan of some design decisions in this level. After searching for the remaining 2 secrets, it appears that both (including the secret exit), are permanently blocked off if you approach the door from the “wrong” side of the map. As there is no clear communication of the failure state for this one-time secret, all it does is waste the player’s time. Also, the regular exit is incredibly painful to walk out of through the nukage maze without a Radsuit, and you only get one. I don’t really mind the rest of the map, but the above has soured my impressions.  

[Book Lord]

E2M8 – Vault by @Marcaek, @esselfortium

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

 

This short & sweet showdown with the Cyberdemon was surprisingly entertaining, a quasi-miracle considering how insipid a one-on-one battle against this boss could be. A joined effort by Marcaek and esselfortium succeeded in the impossible mission, designing a simple layout that appropriately referenced Tower of Babel, though improving its gameplay by a long shot.

Spoiler

The enormous chamber behind the door was stocked up for an arena fight. After killing the Imps and Shotgun guys inside, the player might collect a decent supply of rockets, and four not-so-useful power-ups. Pistol starters suffered strong weapon limitation, equipped with only shotgun and chaingun, and no other option than to unlock the Vault. The procedure was long, requiring three switches before the hot core of the structure was exposed, though this created the proper anticipation. The burning heart of this hellish sanctuary held the essential rocket launcher, and with it the Cyberdemon, of course!

Spoiler

The arena underwent a huge transformation, with the perimeter walls sinking and exposing a lake of damaging blood, above which 8 Lost Souls were floating. The darting skulls, paired with an effective mechanism that sent the boss around the place in unpredictable ways, forced me to move constantly and keep an eye on the enemies. The broad spaces allowed for good rocket and LS dodging, though the fight lasted more than normal because the octagonal podium at the centre had the perfect height to stop projectiles. I must move closer to the Cyberdemon to aim properly, so I decided to kill the flying demons first, then finish off the boss. The authors did a wonderful job at making Vault an enjoyable last level, even for seasoned Doomers. Not easy to pull out.

[Daytime Waitress]

Yesterday's flurry gave me the inspiration to rattle off another few levels tonight, though I'm sure the rest of the work-week will see me backed up soon...

 

***

GZDoom 4.7, HMP, continuous, first playthrough, no saves, optional MIDI pack

E2M1 - “Receiving Station” by @Xaser

A densely-layered introduction to E2's teleport shenanigans, less abstract than its namesake, but still leaves you wondering where the heck you are. Rather than the angular corridors of the original, this has a flowing serpentine motif throughout, with some winding staircases that looked pretty darn elegant. HMP features a rather underwhelming introduction for a lone caco floating over a wall, but then just as quickly traps you in with another meatball and some bipedal buddies that you have to box your way through - that right there gave me my first definite panic moment for the wad.

 

I didn't mention anything about @Mr. Freeze's MIDI pack in the first episode, because nothing really stood out as good or bad. But right off the bat I'm torn on this track - it's definitely got that Bobby Prince spring in it, but it also feels just a little bit too jaunty for your introduction to this altered reality.

 

E2M2 - “Filtration Compound” by @esselfortium, @Xaser

A devious, sprawling funhouse that thoroughly fits the episode, though combat isn't as hot as in the opener. Tonnes of neat small touches, including sniper nests that you can eventually find your way into to recoup ammo (always appreciated); a bare supply closet with nothing but a lone skullboi and a pipe leaking blood onto the floor (super cute detailing!); a choice between weapon upgrades that cruelly locks away the remaining armament; and a blue key that instantly shits you out in front of the blue door in one of those "oh, I'm back here!" moments (I love when games know full well I'm too stupid to trek all the way back). The droppy-downy section at the end was very nearly in danger of wearing out an already long map's welcome, but all told I definitely enjoyed the ride.

 

Mr. Freeze's track here is a little spare, but it has a kind of lilting quality that suits the surreal environment.

[finnks13]

E2M7 - Ore Processing by Megalyth:
I didn't like this one, it's got some cool ideas - a Romero-inspired Episode 2 map being the main obvious one - but I don't think it executes them very well. For a penultimate map, this map is very stingy with ammo and weaponry - I was stuck with the shotgun only for the first half of the level and the only non-secret rocket launcher was found with 10 enemies left alive, and why would you be so exacting with ammo and then hide the plasma gun behind a random shoot wall? I wouldn't have gotten close to finishing the map without happening on both of these, and I probably wouldn't have bothered looking for them were I not nearly two thirds of the way into the map without any weapon better than the chaingun.

 

It definitely feels textured like a Romero E2 map would be - pretty liberal use of the Shores of Hell textures, but a lot of E1 is in there still, it reminds me of Pandemonium a lot. I thought the layout was very confusing, more so than any other map so far, and that combined with my least favourite Ultimate Doom MIDI definitely contributed heavily to my annoyance with the map. There's loads of damaging floors everywhere and again, nowhere near enough radsuits to traverse them easily. There also seemed to be far more barons of hell in the map than Episode 2 normally had, which made a lot of the later fights feel like a slog. For a map emulating someone who never made an Episode 2 map, it really nails what I dislike about Episode 2 from the original game.

 

E2M8 - Vault by esselfortium:
A better episode finale than E1M8, this is probably the only map so far that was easier due to me playing with fast monsters enabled as the cyberdemon never managed to teleport away from it's starting location (I assume it's meant to do this cause the lost souls certainly did). Atmosphere feels like a focus here, and the atmosphere is very well built up but I wish lowering the 3 layers of the Vault didn't take so long, but it definitely builds the suspense. The arena itself worked less well for me than the original, as the mess of lost souls and pillars in Tower of Babel made the cyberdemon a much bigger threat than here where the lack of obstacles everywhere allowed me to circle-strafe him pretty easily. That being said, a one-on-one rocket duel with a cyberdemon is never going to be that hard with an arena as large as this, and the original isn't that challenging either so overall I'd say the two are about on par with each other.

 

These boss maps seem like they'd be the hardest slot to map for (bar E1M1) since it's going to be very hard not to make a rip-off of the original, but this map does pretty well of feeling like it's own thing, and capturing the one-on-one rocket duel that the Episode 2 finale is expected to be. It's not the best map I've ever played, but neither is Tower of Babel.

 

Overall Thoughts on Episode 2:

Unlike Episode 1, I think I prefer this to the original - it definitely captures the same feel that Shores of Hell is known for and I think that's an acheivement in itself. Sandy Petersen and Tom Hall's map styles definitely feel harder to emulate than Romero's since, while I like Romero's maps in Ultimate Doom and Doom 2, they do tend to stick to a general formula. Petersen's maps especially have a much greater variety in what's on offer though this tends to result in a much more inconsistent quality. This episode shares that inconsistent quality, with a couple of my favourite levels in the megawad appearing here, but also some I just really disliked. 

 

I'm not sure if I liked this as much as the first episode, but I definitely had fun here with the levels I did like, and considering Shores of Hell is my least favourite of the Ultimate Doom episodes, I'd say that overall that makes this episode a success for me.

 

Rankings:

Spoiler

Really Liked - E1M6, E2M9
Liked - E1M3, E1M9, E1M7, E2M3, E2M4, E2M5
Eh - E1M1, E1M2, E1M4, E2M1, E2M6, E2M8
Didn't Like - E1M5, E1M8
Really Didn't Like - E2M2, E2M7

 

[RHhe82]

E2M7: Ore Processing. DSDA v0.24, UV-PS-Saveless. 100% kills and 83% secrets :( Completion time 22:37 (in November: 24:30, but I got all the secrets). Death tally: (2+1)+DE.

 

Yet another decent level, E2 really changed its course for my tastes, although E2M7 feels a bit more derivative than E2M6. I get a strong Halls of the Damned + Spawning Vats feeling here. But that's not a bad thing as such. The only part of the level I lament is in the very beginning, where the short stroll in the nukage is forced upon you. There are hurt sector strolls later on as well, but they feel more natural, they lead you to important places and are not just a mandatory health taxes.

 

This time I missed one secret. At the end, if you watch the demo, you see me standing still. That's when I'm trying to look at the automap, but no suspicious places can be seen. The level took long enough time to complete, so to Inferno with UV-maxing everything.

 

rhhe82_e2m7_skill4_dsda-doom_dtwid.zip

 

*

E2M8: Vault. DSDA v0.24, UV-PS-Saveless. 100% kills and all the 0 secrets. Completion time 2:53 (November time lost, but replayed this on the 1st of Feb with time 3:59). Death tally: (2+1)+DE.

 

A short boss level. I wouldn't say it's a disappointment, boss levels that are designed in traditional Doom way are necessarily simplistic in nature. This sure looks better than the Tower of Babel, I have no complaints... unless you count the fact that it takes a while before you get to meet the boss. The shells of the vault are taking their sweet time to lower, and in the meanwhile there isn't much to do, maybe gather some supplies. A decent episode ender, but nothing that I'd look forward to if I decide to do a third playthrough of this megawad some day.

 

rhhe82_e2m8_skill4_dsda-doom_dtwid.zip

[LadyMistDragon]

E2M6: Foundry

 

Xulgonoth is actually a shockingly talented composer, but due to some political nonsense with at least one Doomworld mod, he'll always kind of be on the side. While "A Search for the Soul" seems like it would fit more with Halls of the Damned, it's not like this map doesn't benefit from some extra creepiness, especially as it bursts into a thrashy mess about 2/3rd of the way through.

 

Anyway, this map. I remember enjoying it much more in my first playthrough to the extent that I would have probably given it a B+, but this time.....idk. Other than textures arranged in some Sandy Petersen-like ways, it doesn't feel anything like a lost id map. Lost a ton of health near the blue key for some reason. And I had so much bad luck with hitscanners. Needless to say, there were no attempts at the yellow key. I did discover a little secret behind a red flame wall at the end of a passage that contained some rockets though. Exit felt incredibly anticlimatic. Honestly, this has never been an aesthetic I've liked. I do have to give Alfonzo credit for some nasty Cacodemon and Baron placement. This one room on your left with a Caco and Imp bodyguard can seem incredibly intimidating in the limited space you find yourself in. I still can't agree this is the hardest map here because I bungled rather seriously a couple of times.

 

Grade: B-

Difficulty: C-

 

(skipping Ore Processing because it's not exactly an exciting map; I do like the small rocky passages, but it's not that exciting)

 

E2M8: Vault

 

@esselfortium teams up with Marcaek for some reason to bring us this thrilling finale, set inside a bank vault because there's sure lots of those on Deimos. Beginning hallway doesn't seem like much, neither does the large central room. However, the Deimos textures used all manage to nicely and perfectly complement each other while maintaining enough variety to keep things interesting. Pressing a switch causes the central wooden pillar to lower, revealing a bright red pillar which you also push a switch on and reveal a Cyberdemon. In quite possibly the easiest boss encounter ever (easier than Tower of Babel even) you'll be firing at the Cyberdemon with as much room as you could possibly imagine, room that only increases when the corner walls lower and revealing a large outside pool of blood with scattered Lost Souls. Concidentally, this reminded me of the showdown with the Giant Mantis at the end of Level 5 in Turok. Maniacc's "Dethrone the Tyrant" regardless feels all the sweeter.

 

Grade: B-

Difficulty: D-

 

Episode 2 thoughts

 

So one of the goals of this episode was to emulate the mapping style of Sandy Petersen, whatever that is. There were undoubtedly some attempts to approximate ideas put forth by Deimos Lab, Halls of the Damned, and Deimos Anomaly, but the mappers overall feel far less constrained than they did in Episode 1. The result are maps not feeling dramatically different from an alternate episode 2 but having far more of a sense for visual flair than Sandy ever possessed. It's also clearer here that the mappers here have been at it for a good few years. Even when the maps feel maze-like and confusing, they never feel slapped together. There may be a map or two here that's lacking something, but nothing as boring as the worst maps in episode 1.\

 

Best Map: Nebulous Origins

Worst Map: Ore Processing

[FistMarine]

Hello everyone! I apologize for the long absence and having to skip 3 months in a row, as I didn't feel like doing those wads that were chosen at that time, especially since they were all recent releases and I was personally sick of having to play through a recently released megawad, only to get an update just as soon as I finish it or while I'm already playing through it, instead of playing through the supposed final release. Seeing as 2/3 of those wads played were in RC phase, I decided it's better to skip them altogether.

 

Anyway, I couldn't skip this month because DTWID is one of my favorite megawads of all time, despite the fact when I was a kid, I only had the shareware version of Doom and I didn't get to experience the rest episodes until late 2000s/early 2010s, meaning that E1 still remains my favorite episode from the original Doom, E2 and E3 are just ok and E4 is a mixed bag with a very inconsistent progression containing some decent maps that are better designed than the maps in E2/E3 and the other maps being just bullshit to be honest (I never liked Romero's maps from E4, though I enjoyed his SIGIL episode very much) and although I already played and finished DTWID back in summer 2020 (as well as UDTWID in early 2021) on Chocolate Doom 3.0.1, I decided to revisit both DTWID & UDTWID because they were chosen for the club and I couldn't miss the opportunity to replay these classics! This time I decided to take an extra step. Instead of the usual Continuous playthrough, I chose to do UV pistol starts without saves, while recording demos at same time! I wanted to do something different and so far I have done the first episode, each level was 100%'ed on first try. Now I admit I watched UV-Max videos on YouTube in advance, just to remember the locations of the secrets and such, so I wouldn't have to run around in circles to find certain secrets (although there were times I still ran in circles for finding certain secrets and not remembering exactly how to reach a couple of them). Because of that, I chose PrBoom+ 2.5.1.4 (Ultimate Doom compatibility) for this month, which allows better resolution, controls and the fact I have automap stats enabled so I can check whether I got everything or not instead of potentially missing an enemy/item/secret somewhere. The demos should be compatible with Vanilla and vanilla-compatible ports.

 

Note that these aren't speedruns or anything, considering I end up grabbing everything and even destroy all barrels and play almost as if I was playing on a continuous run. There were also times I was lost or backtracking too much or finding certain secrets, so I apologize if you find my demos boring at times. I tried my best and I think for my first demos recorded (and released on public), I think I succeeded doing some UV-Max demos for one of my favorite wads of all time! If I end up succeeding pistol starting the other episodes (though I don't know if I will be able to do certain UDTWID E4 maps from pistol start without saves, as I remember some were fairly difficult), I may consider doing more often, pistol starting without saving. For now I stick to easier wads I've already played/finished before and I'm familiar with.

 

Without further ado, let's begin this month's challenge!

 

Doom the Way Id Did - PrBoom+ 2.5.1.4 (complevel 3) - UV 100% - Pistol Start (No Saves)

 

E1M1: Communications Bridge

A nice opener. It instantly captures the feeling of the first map of Knee-Deep in the Dead! As some people mentioned earlier, this map is actually easier than the original E1M1 (Hangar) on UV difficulty, because most of the opposition contains zombiemen instead of shotgun guys, although there's still a couple of shotgun guys to be found (again, only on UV difficulty) and as usual, there's a couple imps to be found as well. There are 7 secrets to find and some are quite tricky to find/reach because you will have to be observant and look for every wall that looks different, as well as consult your automap frequently. One of the secrets contains the radiation suit, which should encourage exploration inside the acid, if you still have some secrets to find. I know I was a bit confused for a while how to make that switch show up at beginning (that temporary lowers a secret elevator to blue armor) because I knew its location but I think I had to press on the nearby panel to make the switch show up.

Other than that, I don't have much else to say. I think it's a nice "appetizer" that sets up the rest of the episode very nicely.

 

E1M2: Military Bunker

Another map that captures the feeling of the early E1 maps, this one seems mostly inspired by both E1M2 and E1M3. Some secrets were once again a bit tricky to find and I also noticed the map was quite generous with the armor pickups, as you are given one green and TWO blue armors. As usual, it's an enjoyable E1 style map. I think there's a few inescapable acid pits (at least towards end of map) but I never dared to drop down and find out, so I was just careful to not fall down while crossing the bridge. The secret containing the yellow key took a while to find, so again sorry for wasting your time (for those who watch my demos) and see me walking in circles trying to remember how to access certain secrets.

 

E1M3: Fuel Synthesis

Compared to the previous maps, the difficulty is increased a bit but thankfully the map is still overall easy. There are plenty of resources to keep you alive, so I advice to take your time and don't rush into the fights. This map contains the secret exit, so be sure to look out for the secrets containing it! I noticed the normal exit has a platform that will rise ONCE and if you happen to drop down, don't worry, you can still exit the map through the secret exit! I point that out because there may also be people who might think that if you choose the normal exit, there is no way back but it turns out you are not locked up there, you can always drop down and just look for the secret exit. In fact, while I first reached the secret exit (and turns out I had everything 100%'ed), I decided to go back to normal exit and activate that switch and then drop down (wasting an extra minute for nothing) because I forgot to show that normal exit path as well. It's not a speedrun anyway and I'm not here to claim world records or anything, though I wonder if I can still submit my demos for DSDA or they will be rejected if I don't get a better time? OK, I know I should ask this in a different topic, so back to the map, it was fine. I can't find anything to nitpick...ok maybe that yellow door (in the screenshot below) looks a bit...strangely shaped, not sure how to say that but you can see the screenshot here: https://doomwiki.org/wiki/File:DTWID_E1M3_1.png

Also if anyone is wondering, yes I made that screenshot on that Chocolate Doom playthrough I did back in summer 2020 (though I didn't make an account on DoomWiki until early 2021). I had uploaded a bunch of screenshots from various Doom wads playthroughs I did at that time but some screenshots I took were a bit lame, like some automap screenshots that I wish I could delete and replace with other better screenshots.

Onto the secret map!

 

E1M9: Excavation Site

I can safely say that this map is MUCH BETTER than the original E1M9! Why? Because for one thing, the original E1M9 (Military Base) while was decently designed, it felt like a deathmatch map or a gimmicky map or something. And the second thing is that I never found the secret map as a kid, so when I found it much later (after seeing videos on YouTube how to get to secret map), I was disappointed much like with the rest episodes that didn't impress me compared to the various Doom 2 megawads I was playing on Skulltag servers back in 2009-2010. That's also why I prefer Doom 2 overall to the first Doom, though I should talk about that on a different topic (again sorry for going off-topic).

Now back to the map, the only flaw I can point out is the lack of armor. There is only a green armor available in a non-secret area in the nukage (after you get the red key, drop down to left, grab the radiation suit, armor and other goodies). On a continuous run, this isn't an issue (especially with the blue armor from the previous map). On a pistol start, you have to survive without any armor for a while. Thankfully I was lucky with the RNG, so I didn't get low on health or anything. Plus there is a SoulSphere secret to be found (which will make up for the lack of armor, also the first soulsphere found so far) and the various health/armor bonuses will certainly help early on. And to be honest, it's not much of a flaw because the lack of armor adds a bit of extra challenge without making it too frustrating. If you get lucky with the RNG, you should be fine.

Another thing to point out is having to traverse acid filled areas. Some are part of progression, others are for finding secrets. As long as you have plenty of health and armor (and grab the radiation suit when needed), you should be fine.

As I said, it was much better than the original E1M9 and I highly recommend everyone to find the secret map, it's worth it!

 

E1M4: Treatment Plant

This map is shown in the opening demo, so if you are playing on a vanilla compatible port, you should watch the intro demos. The first demo will show a few parts of this map and it might help you to know what to expect early on. Although the map isn't too difficult overall, there are some tricky parts (and a seemingly lack of ammo early on, which means make your shots count!) and I've had one situation where a spectre took a healthy bite (40 dmg) and I had 57% health left (probably the lowest amount I had in the wad until the very end of E1M8 for obvious reasons). The armor helped a lot (in fact the map is VERY generous with armor pickups: FOUR green armors and one blue!) and I had to look for those medkits that I keep saving. As there were situations I had 99% health and didn't want to grab medkits to not waste them (such as the one positioned directly in front of blue keycard), as I might need them later. Thankfully health is plentiful but it doesn't hurt to save some for later if you really need some at desperate times!

Again, some secrets were tricky to find and I spend a lot of time trying to find a few of them. So much that this is the map took me the longest to complete, even longer than E1M7! I will reveal the times after I say my overall thoughts. And various other details I forgot, in regards to the wad itself. Because there are a couple of details worth mentioning, though I didn't get to read all the 8 pages of the thread so far, I will do that soon, I just have to catch up first, so again sorry for repeating myself.

I will say this map was also slightly better than the ORIGINAL E1M4, though not by much. I mean I have a soft spot for original Doom E1 (except the secret map) but I think this map was a bit bigger and more complex than E1M4. According to the Doomwiki, this map was designed in style of John Romero. But the original E1M4 was made both by Tom Hall and John Romero. I guess it was initially started by Tom Hall and finished by John Romero. Likewise, E1M8 was created by both Tom Hall and Sandy Petersen. I guess once again started by Tom Hall and finished by Sandy Petersen. And then back in 2016, John Romero made E1M8B and E1M4B, so he had the entire E1 done by him. The problem is I can't compare DTWID E1M4 with E1M4B because DTWID was released in 2011 and John Romero's E1M4B & E1M8B didn't exist back then. So I'm not sure what else to say without confusing myself or the readers, I will just stop here. The bottom line is the map was good and I enjoyed it.

 

E1M5: Engineering Bay

This map felt much easier and more straightforward compared to the previous couple of maps. It is also much shorter. If you know where is the secret shotgun at the start, then grab the armor and chaingun, you are set for the rest of the map! There is no blue armor to be found (although there are THREE green armors to be found in total), instead there is a soulsphere secret that can be gotten if you are quick enough and the door doesn't close, otherwise go back, listen to the door opening and rush to claim your prize! After that, the rest enemies easily dealt with.

Fun map and a nice break before the following longer maps!

 

E1M6: Reactor Complex

Another map that nails the classic E1 feeling. Much like the author's previous E1M2, I think it features inescapable acid pits, so make sure to NOT fall into them!

The secrets this time around are easier to find and this map contains both the blue armor and soulsphere, allowing for a 200% health and armor! On a continuous playthrough, you may want to save both for the end. On a pistol start, you should grab them as soon as you can. Thankfully the green armor is given early (like with most maps), so if you can get past the opening and some tougher parts, you should be fine!

The last part is a bit similar to the original E1M7 with the monster closets opening up, so watch out for those monsters suddenly appearing! Some might even appear behind you! Always stay alert for situations like these!

Another nice map.

 

E1M7: Logic Core

For other completionists out there, be sure to grab the two HEALTH BONUSES at the very beginning or else you won't be able to grab them later! Since I always grab items (except when I save important stuff for later) as soon as I see, this wasn't a problem for me. Still, I felt like this needed to be pointed out.

The rest of the map is interesting and has a few tricky parts. One of the reasons is that you will not get armor until a bit later (there is one green and one blue, try grabbing at least the green one as soon as you can). Another reason is the traps. Some monster closets may open when you don't expect them. If you have armor, you should be fine from taking a few surprise attacks in the face. I also made sure to grab medkits when my health dropped to around 70 or so, so I never got in danger of dying. I recall one dark room was filled with barrels, so I had to run away fast and detonate the barrels or else I would detonate while fighting that imp that tried to block me. Ah yes, the main reason why I detonate the barrels in first place in my demos is to not have a surprise barrel detonating near me if an enemy shoots it or whatever. This is a habit that I do in last couple of years and this has probably saved me many times from possible deaths (that may or may not have happened), as I can't imagine if an enemy suddenly shoots a barrel near me that might heavily injure or even cause a death! So I better be safe than sorry.

Other than that, there isn't much to say. There is an imp (the last enemy of the map) that guards the exit and is revealed after you press the fake exit. I find this interesting as even the original Doom had one map (I think E2M5?) that had a fake exit, though it was done differently in that case with the exit lowering you in front of monsters, while here it was just to surprise the player with an extra imp. I know a couple of wads went farther with fake exits inside other fake exits or having much more dangerous threats. I mean in this E1M7 case, it's not much different than just having an extra enemy in the exit room, after all the original Doom did it as well with an imp in the exit room. I don't know, I just wanted to point this out as I found interesting but again, even if the imp surprises you, you wouldn't lose much health anyway.

Overall, the map was fun. It wasn't as hard as I expected.

 

E1M8: Transport Facility

And now for the E1 finale! This map is very similar to the original E1M8. Except that you get a bit more varied opposition (a couple imps thrown in instead of just demons/spectres) and you also get to fight against THREE barons instead of just two!

There's two secrets to find as well and I got a bit confused early on because I didn't remember the exact location of them, you also see me double checking if I killed everyone until I realized the last 4 enemies are the 4 spectres awaiting you after you use the final teleporter. Now since it ends on a "sector 11" type of floor that drains your health until you are less than 11% health and map finishes, most players (especially speedrunners) probably wouldn't bother with getting those last few kills from that last room. I mean the original E1M8 had it worse with imps, shotgunners and demons in the final room where even with 200% health AND armor (the blue armor from E1M7), it was tricky to kill them all, as they would survive 2 direct rockets and require you to use the chaingun to kill them (or finish them off) before the map finishes. Here, it is almost the same situation, just it contains only four spectres. I was able to get 100% everything in my first attempt and if I hadn't done that, I would have probably done other attempts as well to see if it's even possible. I can safely say it is possible and my demo might even qualify as a true UV-Max for the map. The trick is to make sure you get that early soulsphere (from the secret place) and the green armor, never get hit, save a few rockets for those spectres, then as soon as you step into that portal, fire the last few rockets (it seems like I missed most of them), switch to chaingun and you should finish them off before your health is drained. I was lucky and I succeeded doing that, just in last 1-2 seconds.

With all that said, the map is an interesting take on E1M8 and it is more detailed than the original E1M8. I can say it was definitely fun.

 

I don't have screenshots to show this time around, instead I will upload the E1 demos I just did earlier today. They are recorded with PrBoom+ 2.5.1.4 (-complevel 3 parameter) and they should run fine in vanilla/chocolate/crispy/eternity/prboom or your vanilla port of choice. ;)

 

Here are the times for each map:

E1M1: 4:18
E1M2: 7:30
E1M3: 11:42
E1M9: 10:45
E1M4: 17:30
E1M5: 7:24
E1M6: 11:23
E1M7: 16:50
E1M8: 5:17

 

Deaths so far: 0

 

E1 Thoughts: It was great! It felt almost as if I was experiencing E1 for first time. Since KDITD is my favorite Doom episode (and DTWID is one of my favorite Doom megawads of all time), I was very happy to revisit this classic, even if I didn't feel like revisiting DTWID so soon after my last playthrough (and already have many other megawads to revisit or play for the first time) but since it seems like it was never chosen before to be played in the DW megawad club and got finally chosen, I couldn't pass this opportunity to revisit it, hopefully for the last time. E1 felt as great as ever, basically an alternate universe Doom. If any of the original E1 maps were replaced by some or even all of these DTWID maps, I don't think anyone would have noticed. It basically felt like a typical Doom expansion pack released in the 90s. At least that's how I see. Except it's for free! And it is pretty damn good!

 

I must also mention a couple of extras regarding the megawad. I like the new title screen, new intermission graphics (easily one of the best things about the wad), the new demos recorded and various other extras. I am only disappointed that when UDTWID came out, it was a separate wad instead of merged with original DTWID. I feel like it should have been merged, IMO. So the way I'm playing is loading the wads separately, first I play the original DTWID (so I can also see the original title screen) and then load only UDTWID separately once I'm done with DTWID. Since I play in PrBoom-Plus, I don't need to load the separate DEH patch anymore, as the deh is already embed into wad and auto-loaded by most source ports anyway, which will provide new map names when you look at the automap. Of course, when I played DTWID & UDTWID last time in 2020-2021, I loaded the deh patch in Chocolate Doom, meaning I've got the new automap names and such.

 

I also realize that there is the optional DTWID soundtrack, although I never played DTWID with the soundtrack loaded because I heard it was eventually included as part of the Base Ganymede megawad, which was actually played last year (during summer, I think, I know I participated in that one as well) and some people already mentioned that the maps feel better with the original soundtrack loaded. Though I remember one of the songs in one of the maps was replaced, I don't remember exactly what map was, but I know it had a different song playing from a different map. The map might have been E2M9 or E3M9, not sure.

 

To not make it longer (I've been writing this post for about 2 hours!), I will stop here and I will do E2 and E3 later this week, once again pistol started and I might attempt UDTWID (E4) pistol start without saving, at least a couple of the maps, those that I can actually complete, otherwise I will do pistol starts with saves in case of UDTWID. Hope you enjoy my demos!

DTWID_Demos_E1.zip

[kalaeth]

E2M5 - Deimos Command :

 

Not looking forward to finding the secret exit from what I've been reading people here saying.. I enter a random door and it's courtyard with boxes, imps, pinkies and a caco. Nothing to do here yet, so back and pick another door. It requires the yellow key, so again, different door. Imps, vines, a trap room, and the YSK just out of reach. Stairs down, another caco, some more imps and zombies, the blue armor! And a switch. Switch pressed, YK grabbed, yellow door now. Imps inside the vines! Up the stairs, into the yellow bar room, a blue door and the blue key inside a cage. Kill imps, teleport inside, teleport outside. Blue door, stairs, oh the courtyard from before but now I?m on the upper ledge. A switch opens a door and imps come out, more zombies and imps from where I came from, so I go there to find a new path with specters. First secret found. Exit at the end of the tunnel and a new area opened. I step into the teleport, kill, grab the rad suit, press the switch, enter a small corridor with lost souls and a caco at the middle. More steps, a plasma and a teleport and back. I can tell I missed something there, but no idea what it is or how to open it so.. Back to the courtyard, more sludge vines and I reached the exit meaning I can't find the secret level now (without cheating, which I will.) Even with IDDT I can't reach half the secrets. And I'm not in the mood for finding linedefs so I'll just idclip the closed door. (Even if I could find the other secrets, since I've already reached the normal exit, I wouldn't be able to open it. And no restart for me.) SO that wasn't the secret exit. Apparently. And I'm not seeing where it is on the map... Off to lunch, will see it after... Ok, found the secret exit.

 

K/I/S : 100% / 100% / 100% (although only one was found without cheating)

time  : 25:19 / 1:55:08

deaths : 0

 

E2M9 - Nebulous Origins :

I find myself at the door of a strange fortress. Entering I turn to one side and follow a corridor into some steps. There I spot a keycard and a switch. After killing a giant flying tomato I go back, find an armor and a big door. On the other side of it, zombies and some brown demons attack me, so I use my sanity shotgun on then and keep moving, find a flying skull on fire, more brown monsters and then a face in a wall. I touch it, and it opens a pit nearby. Dropping into it, zombies with shotguns try to stop me from pressing the switch up ahead, as do two more of those skulls. Despite their best efforts I press the switch and go back up. A bit ahead some vines block my path but I saw another path back in the face room, so I go there, up some serpentine stairs, press another switch and grab the blue keycard, fall down into a green liquid that hurts me just by existing on it, enter a small room with a square that teleports me back to where I entered the fortress. I now go to the blue door, where a huge demon waits. I use the plasma gun I found in my inventory and kill it. Another tomato and more of those brown things. A blue armor is also there for grabs, but no progression here. I go back to the room with the face and there find another corridor, and at the end of it a secret door opens that leads to another vine-closed passage. Back to another blue door, more monsters and a satanic looking wall ahead. Down some steps and into a small corridor where another switch is pressed, opening some walls back where I was. In this new room is a shinny yellow skull that I grab. To the side is a room filled with that green sludge. Behind a wall I find a suit that prevents the sludge damage and then I wander the sludge tunnels, until I reach a button I press and return back to a door marked with yellow skulls that opens on my touch. Up some stairs and another switch, some more tomatoes and I shoot at one of those faces opening a small room with helmets that repair my aromor somehow. Another switch and I'm now in a room with lot's of crates. From there I found a path back and then return to the warehouse like room, and from there into a room with a huge star shaped blue thing, up some stairs and another of those sigils in the floor that transport me from one place to another, from there a switch lowers the red key that I grab and then I spot a blue ball up there in a room.. Clever thinking and noticing the discoloring of a wall allow me to reach it, it makes me feel like a superhuman god! To bad there are no more monsters to kill now!  

 

K/I/S : 100% / 100% / 100%

time : 22:59 / 2:18:08

deaths : 0

 

(I don't have time to play the rest of the levels today, so more will be played tomorrow!) 

Edited February 14, 2022 by kalaeth

[DJVCardMaster]

E2M7 - Ore Processing - Brendt "Megalyth" Pantley *John Romero* (99%K/100%I/66%S):

Again, we did not have a Romero map in E2, sadly, so here is another take on The Shores of Hell with his design phylosophy. For me, it feels like quite a complex map for Romero to be involved with, again it's one of those cases where saying Romero finished some Hall's work would have suited this a little bit better. This map involves taking long paths around the nukage rivers in a really nice underground tech-base, following the theme previously mentioned in the last map, of "going down", so, nice artistic decision here. You can't even see a single pocket of skybox in this underground tech-base, that, again feels like made by Tom Hall, and Romero just combined a little bit of his design phylosophy on this, giving this map a little bit of life, with the usual vines, areas that look abandoned, and the usual "castle tech-base" feel overall. As said before by others, this map pays some homage to the original E2M3, M4 and M7 at times. Again I feel like this map would have been pretty complex for Romero to make, in comparison to his E1 maps, which, you would expect less verticallity on inside areas, more "diagonal" corridors, and a little bit more care with detailing. This map goes way to far, just like the section inside the mine itself, it feels like quite a long map, and some design choices make it feel like some TNT outtake, but still, as a map itself, I've really enjoyed it. It's length it's good considering all M7 maps in the original Doom were long on purpose.

IDness ratio: 3/5

E2M8 - Vault - Michael "Marcaek" Fraize & Esselfortium *Sandy Petersen*:

The build up for the battle, revealing the beast itself, goes for way too long, the layout is, OK I guess, but nothing much more to say. You can kill the cyberdemon before the walls of the outside courtyard lower, and this is bad, as the courtyard itself makes for an interesting setup for a boss fight, the problem is, the cyberdemon takes way to many switches to appear, and the layout itself is quite wide enough for you to stafe its attacks easily. The original Tower of Babel had its personallity, and an interesting layout where the cyberdemon stalks you from nowhere, instead of just revealing him by switch-hunting. 
It's the only submission by Marcaek that got accepted into DTWID, and also his first published map, interesting, I swear Marcaek made some maps before this...

IDness ratio: 2/5

(UV Playthrough - Crispy Doom)

Order of Preference:
 

Spoiler

E2M6

E1M4
E2M7
E1M7
E2M1
E2M9
E2M2
E1M5
E1M6

E1M3
E2M4

E1M2
E1M8
E1M1
E1M9
E2M8
E2M5
E2M3

 

E2 Thoughts:

The second episode takes some artistic license on what to do, while copying the style of the original mappers. The reddish tone of most of the maps, the "going underground" theme of the last set of maps, the mappers involved, there are weird mixes between Romero and Sandy, or Romero with Hall, where the original E2 only had Sandy working by himself or finishing some Tom Hall's maps. Maps here can be pretty fun, but they often sacrifice some "IDness" in order to make this maps better. There are several Doom PWADs where the design choices for E2 where represented better, but in terms of gameplay, I quite enjoy this a bit more. I won't blame anyone, as I feel the style of E2 went all over the place, and it's actually pretty difficult to replicate it. The artistic license of the underground finale, is something that is welcome to have, as you need somewhat of a "lore" here, and doing it the way ID did, you could change things a little bit, not to make it feel it pays a direct homage to the original work. Funny enough, the map that tries to be ID the most, is which fails the most, at least for me, as I feel it directly copies some things from its original counterpart. 

Edited February 14, 2022 by DJVCardMaster

[NiGHTS108]

E2M6: Foundry

By Alfonzo

 

Kills: 95%

Items: 84%

Secrets: 80%

Time: 13:35

 

This map is pretty interesting actually, one of the highlights for me so far, the texturing is right on point, the layout is cool and it's generally quite eerie, I enjoy the optional yellow key, I always appreciate that kind of thing, especially here in such a down to earth megawad, this map did take several minutes longer than it needed to, for no other reason than I'm dumb and didn't notice a switch with an on texture wasn't on, D'OH! The gameplay is nothing special, you are stuck with the shotgun for an awfully long time but I don't actually mind, this map is swag

 

Grade: A-

Difficulty: C

 

E2M7: Ore Processing

By Megalyth

 

Kills: 79%

Items: 4%

Secrets: 0%

Time: 9:47

 

Ore Processing is boring and vacant, to be blunt, you could say it's nice and atmospheric which at least one person here did, sure, but I don't buy it personally, this map is very dull, the lighting is rather flat and the combat really only feels like it's there because it has to, even though this map has roughly the same amount of enemies as a lot of what came before, you can kinda just run around a lot of it due to how big and open this map is, a lot of space that could be used better here, I also wasn't impressed to find the red key leading straight to the blue key... The "suspense" pays off when like, I dunno, a measly handful of Barons and Cacodemons show up? Yawn... Now I really think this and M9 should have swapped places... At least the texturing is okay

 

Grade: D

Difficulty: D

 

 

E2M8: Vault

By Marcaek + Esselfortium

 

Kills: ?

Items: ?

Secrets: ?

Time: ?

 

Yeah you know how it goes, walk into the room, kill some enemies. enjoy the cool sequence of revealing the Cyberdemon, and hose him down with your rocket launcher, it's dead simple, this is probably the best Tower Of Babel replacement money can buy, sure, but that doesn't really make the map in isolation any fun to play, better than the original, but I'm gonna have to give it a low grade, however that's Id's fault, sorry Marcaek and Essel, I know you tried :(

 

Grade: C-
Difficulty: D-

 

Edited February 15, 2022 by NiGHTS108

[dei_eldren]

E3M1 Abyssal Stronghold (HMP, continuous, blind): K 100%, I 85%, S 100%, D 0, T 13:55

 

Spoiler

After the extremely interesting opener to Episode 2, i was also extremely interested in what would have been created to replace Hell Keep, which is probably my favourite episode opener, coincidentally of my favourite episode!  i like the hell aesthetics of the OG most in it (though the aesthetics perfected in Si666il, but also foreshadowed by creations of many mappers before its release (i always in this context like to mention in particular datacore, whose maps in 180MPV really impressed me as being alike to Si666il, as well as later his solo creations, such as Endless Torture), i like even more.)

 

i just knew from the opening of the map that my expectations would be fulfilled, and possibly surpassed, as the familiar vista opened up in front of Doomguy's eyes.  The combat also does not follow the old formula (not that it should, even if i were just slightly disappointed because in the OG the infighting of the Imps and Cacos is always fun). The map is expectedly fair bit more complex than Hell Keep, but manages to capture perfectly the feeling of the original, with the use of the same elements, and monsters.  i enjoyed practicing punching out Pinkies, which is something i don't normally do, but had fun with, and think i only got some damage from one - yeah, it's not that hard, but literally the last time i remember punching them was in KINDa, in the the most plutoniaesque map of the set.

 

Pretty much a perfect rendition and replacement.  Next up the slot of Slough of Despair one of my all time favourite maps.  i literally remember playing it in the 1990s with a friend, such a strong impression it made on me, but i also try to remember that E3M2 is no longer meant to in any sense replicate the original map in any sense, only the episode as a whole.

 

 

Who's Who

Spoiler

Episode Three

E3M1 - Abyssal Stronghold - 10+/10

 

Episode Two

E2M6 - Foundry - 10+/10

E2M1 - Receiving Station - 9.5/10

E2M4 - Mental Ward - 9.5/10

E2M7 - Ore Processing - 9/10

E2M3 - Rec Facility - 9/10

E2M2 - Filtration Compound - 9/10

E2M5 - Deimos Command - 8/10 (2-point penalty for design choices)

E2M8 - Vault - 6.5/10

 

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

 

[DavitW]

E2M6: Foundry

This is a map that can easily make you humble. No cheap tricks, hordes of monsters or ammo shortages here. Just well thought out encounters and design that makes for a fair challenge. As I hoped for there was a very useful soul sphere and mega armor hidden away in secrets areas that made the map a bit easier the second time through.

e2m6.zip

[Book Lord]

E3M1 – Abyssal Stronghold by @ellmo

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

 

A short and uncomplicated map by ellmo ushered in the third episode of Doom the way id did. The intent to quote Petersen’s opener was evident in the texture choice and in the straightforward progression, but there was also a yearning for a tidier, more polished, and less simplistic presentation. I do not think I am exaggerating when I say that Abyssal Stronghold would have been a stronger preface to Inferno, if compared to the flat, unidirectional, and resource-lacking Hell’s Keep.

Spoiler

The author did not fully forgo the ammo starvation, as the first steps into Hell pitted me against three Imps, a Spectre, and a Cacodemon, with only the pistol and a handful of clips. I am no ammo waster, but I killed the last enemy with my second-last bullet. I sustained serious wounds, as the corridor was narrow and the Caco toughness made me lose my temper when I saw the ammo counter approaching the zero. I entered the second courtyard with the utmost caution, trying to save ammo by promoting infights between Lost Souls and Imps. There was no reason to be parsimonious because the following section had adequate resources.

Spoiler

Beyond the Imp guard house, a traditional SP_ROCK cavern in semi-darkness hosted the last skirmishes, involving the same bestiary as the rest of the map. Two switches must be pressed to lower the warp gate to the exit, but there was another one in a side passage that was easy to overlook. It opened the stuck WOODGARG door in the guard house, offering an early rocket launcher that I will surely use as a continuous player. Abyssal Stronghold introduced the infernal realm in a better way than the shoddy Hell’s Keep, a map that I used to like more for its Pantera-inspired music than for anything Petersen showcased in it. Ellmo paid homage to the simple geometry of the OG Doom and respected its function, paving the way for the more complex design of the next levels.

[TheOrganGrinder]

E2M5: Deimos Command

 

Others have said their piece about the fact that you can close off one of this map's secret areas (and thus access to the secret exit) without any real warning or sense of why that ought to take place, which I think is a pretty significant flaw but not one that necessarily gets in the way of enjoying the rest of the map, if you're accepting of the fact that you won't be going to E2M9, or don't know the map well enough to realise that you've sealed off the secret exit, or just aren't fussy about finding all the secrets or making your way to the secret map.  There's plenty of other content here for you to get your teeth into, with combat environments ranging from the wide-open to the decidedly claustrophobic, and every entrant in Doom's bestiary apart from the not-yet-appearing boss monsters making an appearance and playing a role.

 

I've previously commented on Tom Hall's maps as being fairly flat overall, and I think that's something that's true of Doom in general, compared to the more ambitious and experimental use of the vertical dimension in its sequel.  This isn't necessarily a Hall-inspired map (indeed, the Doom Wiki describes it as being designed in the Petersen style) but that certain sense of flatness persists, as fits the aesthetic of the episode and the game overall; I'll admit to finding some humour in the fact that this is the work of an author whose chosen moniker is one that encourages a mapping element that this particular aesthetic instead quite conspicuously eschews.  To the extent that 3D is used here, it's subtle but effective; consider the control room that grants access to the yellow key, located below the level of the adjacent toxic pit with only the shallow sill of the room's windows holding back a flood of corrosive slime, or the constant variation in ceiling heights throughout, to no particular end other than unsettling the player with dimensions and proportions that aren't quite right or comfortable.

 

The limited Doom bestiary lends itself more to steady attrition of the player's health and armour than the sort of sudden, massive damage that the monsters of Doom II are better-equipped to deliver, and this is indeed a map that, while it features its share of traps and ambushes, is more concerned with wearing the invading marine down, chipping away at the player's health with a stray fireball here, a graze from a bullet or shotgun pellet there, a tick of damage during a dash across one of its many patches of damaging floor.  I did perceive a deliberate echo of an earlier encounter during the dash through slime toward the regular exit, for completion's sake before doubling back and making my way to E2M9; up in the north-east of the map, there's another passage that curls back on itself similarly and is likewise infested by spectres, although that earlier encounter doesn't take place in a toxic tunnel.  I can see that the spectres that the player has to chew through on the way to the exit exist primarily to make the radiation suit a much harder requirement; the corridor is twisty enough as it is, and with beefy monsters around every corner, the player is compelled to spend even more time ankle-deep in noxious sludge, rather than half-sprinting, half-pinballing their way to the exit and trusting to blue armour to see them through.

 

E2M9: Nebulous Origins

 

This is a bit of a weird one, I feel, because it couldn't really be any further from the infighting simulator that is Fortress of Mystery while still staying within the boundaries of the Deimos aesthetic, but if you ask me to describe what it is rather than what it isn't, I'm going to struggle to respond in any but the most vague terms.  Does it feel like an authentic Tom Hall map, an authentic Sandy Petersen map, something that plausibly could have been a part of The Shores of Hell in another timeline than our own?  Yes to all of the above, but I'm not sure what else I can say about the level as a whole; its constituent parts invite comment individually, but they don't gel together especially well into a cohesive and coherent whole.  Here's a church, here's a crate room, here's a toxic sewer network, here's the control room from which some UAC experiment is being monitored; taking each on its own, they're certainly neat enough, but put together like this, the level feels like someone has torn out the pages from a sketchbook of E2-themed map fragments and taped or stapled them together, edge-to-edge, without a directing goal in mind of a "big picture" sense of what the environment is supposed to be.  Maybe the whole is supposed to evoke a sense of the "greatest hits" within this particular mapping theme?  Overall this one just doesn't click for me I'm afraid.

[DisgruntledPorcupine]

Don't really have time to do catchup today unfortunately, but will play the next level + secret.

 

E2M5: "Deimos Command" by Use3D

UV with Corruption Cards, no saves

100% kills, 4/4 secrets

 

Card: Find Daisy before exiting the level, or else...

 

Vines are a predominant visual in this map, which is mostly a techbase that has some other themes jump in from time to time. The layout is non-linear and a bit of a mind-bender for sure, despite having to play through pretty much all of it twice I feel like I never quite got the layout down. The secret exit is unlocked by locating 3 secret areas, each of which will open up a wall blocking off the exit. One of those secret areas is just an open room at a fork in the path, and if you go the other way first that room seals off permanently (or alternatively, if you approach that area from the other direction). I had seen Azure_Horror's warning about this previously, but by the time I played the map I had forgotten, which is why I had to play through the map twice as noted before. Honestly not sure why this design decision was made, pretty much just a nuisance without much cause for it. Might be able to forgive it a bit more if it didn't block off access to the secret exit, which is just an extra slap in the face.

 

The combat in this one is ok, generally pretty straightforward and simple. I did like a few rooms, like the blue key room where you open the center cage to reveal a bunch of enemies, and the outdoor area with the crates and barrels were pretty nice. The most threatening thing in this level is probably the exit area, if you want to get 100% kills you'll need to kill all the enemies on the way to the normal exit, and it's a nukage area with a single radsuit at the start. The timing is quite tight on the radsuit, so if you forgot anything earlier or you want to go to the secret exit you'll likely be taking some damage from the nukage. I just barely got by because of it myself, but the aggravation is mitigated slightly by there being a medikit in the exit room as well as one at the beginning of the secret level. The cursed monster in this level couldn't have been worse, a spectre in the mazy area. Killing him covered the entire area in toxic floor, making damage almost guaranteed. The new card this time is a fun one, Daisy the bunny is hiding in the level somewhere and you have to find her. Not finding her causes the enemies in the next level to be powered up (which I tested out to confirm, it made them partially invisible in my case). In this case she was in one of the secrets, if that's the case in each level it might be a boon more than anything because you can hear her making noises when you're nearby, which tipped me off to the secret. 

 

Can't say I'm too positive about this one, combat was mostly just ok and a couple design decisions were unpleasant.

 

E2M9: "Nebulous Origins" by iori

UV with Corruption Cards, no saves

100% kills, 2/4 secrets

 

Card: Monsters no longer infight

 

Luckily this wad is low on the homages, and we have someone nothing like the oddity that is Fortress of Mystery. The map we do have is an aesthetic hodge-podge, grey brick is a predominant texture but otherwise we see all sorts of stuff here, which does work to the map's credit in the abstraction sense. It's also a pretty large map, and definitely feels like one of the longer maps in the set so far. The music here is Doom's ending music, which works well with the map I'd say.

 

Combat here is again a bit on the straightforward side. I will digress for a moment here, but I find it hard to talk much about the combat in these id-styled (and especially Doom I styled) maps because it feels so "ordinary" to me at a point. Even when I play a map and do enjoy it there isn't always much I can point to as a specifically memorable moment, and the more limited monster roster in Doom I also makes it a bit more difficult. But in any case, this map does its job well. The card is a bit ironic considering the original Doom I E2M9 was meant for infighting, but in this map (and I imagine in the future) it poses no problem.

 

Good map, and a visual mishmash that works with the id aesthetic.