dobu gabu maru Posted March 1, 2022 (edited) What is the DWmegawad Club? This is a place where we settle down, have a cup of tea (or drink of your choice) and take a month to play through a megawad on our own, together! Any keen observations, criticisms, or frustrated ranting about it goes here in the discussion. As long as you want to say something about what you've played, feel free to speak your mind. Can I join? Sure. The only rule is that you have to play at least some of the levels in our monthly megawad to contribute, but you're generally encouraged to finish the whole thing, even if you've played it before. What levels am I allowed to post about? Whatever day of the month it is, is the upper limit for the map you can post on. So if it’s the 6th, you may discuss up to MAP06. Do I have to post an entry every day? Nope, not at all. This is only for our more enthusiastic members. As long as you play through it with us you’re part of the club. When do we vote on the next month’s megawad? Voting begins on the 25th of the current month. Remember to add one “+++” before your vote to make it easier to count. For example: +++ Ultimate Doom Note that you can only nominate up to three separate wads for a single month, and the wads must contain at least three maps each. The winning wad must receive at least four votes for a thread to be made. Ties will be decided by RNG. ---------- >>>DOWNLOAD COMMUNITY CHEST HERE<<< What? You’re saying we haven’t played the original Community Chest yet? Well let’s remedy that! Released in 2003, The Community Chest Project was spearheaded by TeamTNT’s Cadman. It was intended as a place for good mappers that weren’t part of a dedicated team to submit their maps… which was more of a rarity back then I suppose? Anyway, let’s get to it—it’s time for another generation to experience Magikal’s (RIP) MAP29 tour de force! Author & Maplist: MAP01 - “Pistol Panic” by The Ultimate DooMer MAP02 - “Nullth Precinct” by Thomas van der Velden MAP03 - “Ground Floor” by Alex Parsons MAP04 - “Outer Base” by Bad Bob MAP05 - “The Forgotten Prison” by Black Void MAP06 - “Goin’ Down” by Magikal MAP07 - “The Boardwalk” by Gene Bird MAP08 - “Battery” by Bad Bob MAP09 - “Flow” by Bad Bob MAP10 - “Termination Center” by Kaiser MAP11 - “Mandrel” by Alex Parsons MAP12 - “No Tomorrow” by Use3D MAP13 - “Another Dead Hero” by Use3D MAP14 - “Substation” by Metabolist MAP15 - “Internal Reaches” by Kaiser MAP31 - “Mt. Chaos” by Volteface MAP32 - “The Citadel” by Gene Bird MAP16 - “Methods of Fear” by Andy Leaver MAP17 - “Infliction of Hate” by Andy Leaver MAP18 - “Sudden Death” by Rex Claussen MAP19 - “Monster Mansion” by Gene Bird MAP20 - “Technodrome” by The Ultimate DooMer MAP21 - “Avenger” by Sphagne MAP22 - “Future Grave” by ravage MAP23 - “Blood Runners” by Sphagne MAP24 - “Bring Evil Upon Thee” by Torn MAP25 - “Blood Demesne” by Archvile46 MAP26 - “Breakout” by Kaiser MAP27 - “Afterlife” by Sphagne MAP28 - “Necrophobia” by Gene Bird MAP29 - “Citadel at the Edge of Eternity” by Magikal MAP30 - “Evil Itself” by Thomas van der Velden BONUS CONTENT Doomwiki DSDA Capellan's Thoughts -------- OLD THREADS Spoiler The DWmegawad Club Metathread 2012 BF_THUD! Community Chest 4 Jenesis MAYhem 2012 2013 Memento Mori Interception 2002: A Doom Odyssey Hadephobia Coffee Break & Fava Beans & Double Impact HYMN Stardate 20X6 & Monochrome Mapping Project Realm of Chaos Back to Saturn X E1 & Favillesco E1 Kama Sutra Unholy Realms & Zone 300 Vile Flesh Ultimate Doom 2014 Whitemare & Sacrament Scythe Epic 2 Whitemare 2 Sunder & Countdown to Extinction Doom 2 the Way id Did MAYhem2048 Stomper Back to Saturn X E2 Going Down Rylayeh & Crimson Canyon & Azagthoth Serenity & Eternity & Infinity 2015 Resurgence Requiem ConC.E.R.N.ed & Draft Excluder Doom 2 Reloaded Valiant Scythe 2 NOVA II STRAIN Icarus: Alien Vanguard Sunlust Plutonia 2 Revolution! 2016 50 Shades of Graytall & Erkattäññe Hell Revealed Vanguard, Hell Ground, Bloody Steel Eternal Doom Japanese Community Project Ancient Aliens Bloodstain Estranged Alien Vendetta THT: Threnody & No Rest for the Living Hellbound Echelon & Mutiny 2017 TNT: Evilution TNT: Revilution No End in Sight Speed of Doom Urania Newgothic Movement II & Deus Vult II Slaughter Until Death & The Evil Unleashed & Obituary Moonblood Crumpets & Stardate20X7 & Rush Plutonia Revisited Community Project 3 Heures d’agonie 3 The Darkening, The Darkening 2, & Crusades 2018 Reverie Tangerine Nightmare & UAC Ultra & Realm of Shades Eternal Slumber Party Super Mayhem 17 99 Ways to Die & The Troopers’ Playground & The Talosian Incident Dimension of the Boomed & MAYhem 2016 Struggle Disjunction, Scythe X, Counterattack Heroes’ Tales Doom 404 Memento Mori 2 Deathless 2019 A.L.T. Dawn of the Dead & Earth & Classic Episode Eviternity Avactor & Deadly Standards ESP 2 SIGIL & Nihility & Back to Basics Whispers of Satan Witness of Time & Monument & Unwelcome Bloodspeed MAYhem2019 & Alienated Plutonium Winds & Master Levels for Doom II Congestion 1024 2020 NOVA III Hellscape & Preacher & Deadly Standards 2 Doom II: Hell on Earth Hell Revealed II Mars War 25 Years on Earth Akeldama 1000 Lines Community Project MAYhem 2020 Demonfear & 1000 Lines 2 Three is a Crowd Doomer Boards Projects 26, 7, 19 2021 Plutonia Rowdy Rudy’s Revenge! & Rowdy Rudy II: POWERTRIP! 180 Minutes Pour Vivre Heretic Doom Zero Bourgeois Megawad Base Ganymede Zone 400 SKULLTIVERSE KINDa Interception II 1000 Lines 3 2022 Ozonia Doom the Way id Did Edited April 23, 2023 by dobu gabu maru 21 Quote Share this post Link to post
Capellan Posted March 1, 2022 My map by map comments on Community Chest are over here. 8 Quote Share this post Link to post
NiGHTS108 Posted March 1, 2022 (edited) (I apologise for the following words this month, I'm sure all you mappers for this project are very kind people) Each map gets 2 grades Quality: A>B>C>D>F Difficulties: X>A>B>C>D>E X for extreme, E for easy (Just like MtPain27) - PLAY INFO - Spoiler - GZDoom 4.7.1 source port - Boom (strict) compatibility - Ultra-Violence difficulty - Pistol start every map - Saves are allowed - I've played MAP01 - 07, and I know what's coming next, call it "blind" - I try to get 100% kills sometimes - Using mods Autoautosave and IDCLEVer (Improves GZ autosaves and auto-forces pistol starts) and a few other mods that don't change gameplay (Doom II Minor Sprite Fixing Project, widescreen hud, DSDA-Doom hud in GZDoom) - Using Doomkid et al's ".MID The Way Id Did" MIDI pack to, again, cut back on the monotony, it fits! I swear! MAP01: Pistol Panic By The Ultimate Doomer Kills: 100% Items: 100% Secrets: 100% Time: 11:30 Hoooooo boy... Well... uh... it's a fitting start??? I know none more wads that give a worse first impression than Community Chest, unfortunately I do not enjoy the thrilling and wonderfully designed Doom pistol as much as UDoomer does, I also don't necessarily enjoy buggy, unnecessary and out out-of-place room over room that makes Hell Revealed II blush, and most of all I don't enjoy these horrendously ugly voodoo dolls polluting the base, if anyone has any reasonable explanation as to what these add to the map, I'd love to hear it! Parts of this map remind me of Attack from the Master Levels, specifically the outside area and bleeding symmetry, also the name isn't accurate as you can get a secret berserk and chainsaw in secrets and a shotgun with little ammo later on! I mean I appreciate it for the Hell Knight, Cacodemon and Mancubus but, 1. In what alternate reality is pistolling all of those things fun??? 2. Doesn't this completely betray the purpose of calling it Pistol Panic????? I have played this map thrice, any potential qualities for it are completely lost on me, Pistol Panic is unnecessary, incompetent, and unfun Grade: F Difficulty: D+ 28 days left. Edited March 1, 2022 by NiGHTS108 11 Quote Share this post Link to post
DJVCardMaster Posted March 2, 2022 DISCLAIMER: MAP29 is possibly the longest regular map in any community megawad, don't expect to finish this in less than 2 hours. Most maps are long enough for you to play the first maps in one sitting so you save some time. 3 Quote Share this post Link to post
LadyMistDragon Posted March 2, 2022 Playing on UV with the Japanese Community class of the Final Doomer wad. I might change it for next map. I wasn't gonna play vanilla mainly because some maps are supposedly incredibly tedious. I'll also be switching between various music packs Map 01: Pistol Panic by Stephen Clark, youngest nephew of Gene Clark Accompainment: Mark Klem "Hidden Anger" As the thrashy and possibly Metallica-influenced rhythm of "Hidden Anger" start off, I only can say, "moood" with how it conjured up those pearl jam "once" vibes.The Ultimate Doomer kicks off this collection with this simple circular techbase containing a tribute to Underhalls no one asked for and a general cobbled-together feel that makes this come across like a myfirstmap. And perhaps it was, because Stephen proved in his later career to be a much more creative mapper than this. Two of the secrets were obvious and found in the first minute and a half of playtime. I went by a barrel blocking the way to the third secret several times before thinking the ruined wlal behind it could be opened. and I never bothered to see if there was a way into the outside courtyard at the beginning. This opening map spend much of it's time limiting you to a pistol. Which makes me glad I played with a mod with a slightly faster firing one because in the room with the crusher and yellow key, there's an Archnotron that you can't exactly dispose of with the berserk pack or chainsaw (katana sword in my case) that you find at one point in the central Underhalls courtyard. Yet even here, you can see Stephen has a flair for creative setpieces. The above bit with the crusher will also release a horde of Imps from a nearby closet which seems like it could be incredibly hairy. But lucky you, a crusher has been activated which will greatly reduce the pressure you're feeling. Not to mention the katana is a frankly overpowered weapon, making this section easier anyway. There's also this bit with some former humans around a barrel you can destroy fairly easily to make them all go boom! A nice easy little trap for you to feel joy! Stephen also utilized a talent for fake 3D bridges that you can potentially fall through if usual collision checks fail which probably won't happen, but might be annoying. All the same, the last sequence where you acquire the blue key isn't bad at all. You're traveling back and forth between side rooms and the surrounding courtayrd to hit switches and avoid shotgun guys (carrying fusion rifles with the Japanese Community class) while hitting switches. I guess it feels a little arbitrary, but this area's small enough that it's really not such a big deal. Pretty soon, I'm sure things will get a lot worst. But for the moment, we're being eased in and it will take some time before the trickster crushes all our hopes and dreams. 6 Quote Share this post Link to post
Thelokk Posted March 2, 2022 Yeah, not looking forward to MAP29, honestly. It inaugurated the long-honored tradition of 'can I be the one to stuff the longest, most dickish map in a community project?'. A tradition that, may I add, still continues to this day! Aaaanyway... MAP01: Pistol Panic Maybe it's because I'm an old fart, or maybe because I enjoy maps that slightly troll the player, but I actually did not mind this opening map too much. Sure, it's kind of a slog as long as you only have the pistol, and the voodoo dolls are clearly there in hope you'll make a mistake and off yourself with friendly fire, but once you get the chainsaw the map does a 360 and turns into a rather fun romp of 'how much meat can I get through in as little time as possible?' It's not everyday you get to give mancubi and arachnotrons some dental surgery. A masterpiece? certainly not, especially by 2022's standards. Still, personally I had some fun with this one. I love the sound of revving in the morning. 8 Quote Share this post Link to post
Capellan Posted March 2, 2022 1 hour ago, dobu gabu maru said: The Community Chest Project was spearheaded by TeamTNT’s Cadman. It was intended as a place for good mappers that weren’t part of a dedicated team to submit their maps… which was more of a rarity back then I suppose? I suspect "weren’t part of a dedicated team" was code for: "you don't have to be in TeamTNT to be in this, and being in this does not make you part of TeamTNT". 7 Quote Share this post Link to post
NiGHTS108 Posted March 2, 2022 44 minutes ago, LadyMistDragon said: The trickster Mm, yes, good choice of words 0 Quote Share this post Link to post
NiGHTS108 Posted March 2, 2022 (edited) MAP02: Nullth Precinct By Thomas Van Der Velden Kills: 100% Items: 20% Secrets: 33% Time: 4:55 A surprisingly strong yet physically weak MAP02, Nullth Precinct is a nice little Doomcute attraction, the compact layout, police sign, escape attempts, flipped over tables and papers strewn, and chilled out MIDI make for a breezy experience here, TV presents an impressive use of Doom II vanilla textures, this is probably the prettiest map in the whole megawad because of it, however the action here isn't super exciting still, mostly consisting of zombies, Imps, Pinkies and a few Doom II heavies you'll have to SSG in a flat area, it doesn't bug me a lot, but it's not necessarily great either, all in all, not bad, nice recharge after MAP01 Grade: B- Difficulty: E 27 days left. Edited March 2, 2022 by NiGHTS108 8 Quote Share this post Link to post
DisgruntledPorcupine Posted March 2, 2022 I'm honestly pretty excited to play this one, I rarely ever delve into the more polarizing (to say the least) projects tending to stick to more lauded stuff, so I'm interested to see how this goes. MAP01: "Pistol Panic" by The Ultimate Doomer UV, pistol start, no saves 100% kills, 5/5 secrets This one starts off on a bad foot just from the implications of the title, which it sadly lives up to in the pistol department (panic is arguable). Visually it's an odd sort of mishmash between the Doom II's first two maps, which I found a bit charming. The level seems quite fond of its 3D bridges as well, almost to the point that it seems to be using them just for the sake of doing so, but if it plays into the vision the mapper has for the layout I guess it might be uncharitable for me to read it that way. It does kind of date the map a little bit in my mind though. The combat was not fun at all for me personally. The entire level essentially restricts you to using the pistol and melee attacks to take care of its 84 threats, which include an arachnotron (which can luckily be crushed if you're feeling nimble), a mancubus, and a cacodemon. The map is also seemingly taunting you with shells for its entirety, but only deigns to give you the shotgun once you're through 83/84 monsters (provided you've taken care of everything in order). That last monster is a hell knight, which I just felt like berserk punching anyway. The biggest threat in the level for me was not making errors out of sheer boredom. Also, the map places voodoo dolls in a few random corners, presumably as an obstacle for you to avoid hitting, but I never really found there was a threat of hitting one. Just seems like a weird choice for the sake of it. Despite the map's "quirks" the 5 secrets were all relatively mundane "that wall looks different in that spot" secrets, which were pretty easy to find. An odd map, and not very enjoyable. 5 Quote Share this post Link to post
BluePineapple72 Posted March 2, 2022 MAP01: Pistol Panic By The Ultimate Doomer Kills: 79% Items: 50% Secrets: 0% I love the visuals of this level. I've got a soft spot for these classic dense tech bases. However, I don't think the level is all that fun. Namely, the lack of progression with weaponry does not give me any sense of scale with my adventure. I'm not stalking around the level searching for things to better arm myself or make myself more powerful, I'm looking for a way out. The aforementioned dense tech base feels stuffy and congested; the various floor and wall detailing are prone to stick to me when I'm trying to run through the level. The lack of any real enemy variety and the incidental nature of every fight makes me feel like each monster is more of a roadblock rather than a challenge to fight. The pistol is a shitty weapon. That's all I have to say really. It isn't fun to use. The voodoo dolls are bizarre. I imagine they would have made more sense in a time before mouse usage was a more popular thing, but eh... they were just... weird. It was a nice nostalgic look into Doom past, and I am thankful that these mappers walked so we could run... but lordie did they ever walk so slowly. 9 Quote Share this post Link to post
Astronomical Posted March 2, 2022 Well I always had this on my list so this is a good excuse. Sourceport: Woof vanilla compatibility. Difficulty: UV People who care: 1 (My mom, thanks mom, love you!) Map01: Pistol panic Why are there so many voodoo dolls everywhere? Other than that I liked the, well, panic engendered by the pistol. Trying to avoid the tougher enemies fireballs when you can't kill them because of the lack of firepower. The map looks like a combination of levels from episode 1 of doom 2. The voodoo dolls do nothing in the map but I don't care. The map is average at worse. 9 Quote Share this post Link to post
Dusty_Rhodes Posted March 2, 2022 I love this wad! Happy to finally join you fine folks: Played on PrBoom+\UMAPINFO Ultra Violence Here's Map01 Pistol Panic by the Ultimate Doomer. I have to say, this level used to be one of my least favorites due to the missable secrets, tedious Mancubus fight, and late berserk power up. This time round however, I actually didn't mind it. I love the visuals, very classic. American McGee's Underhalls is one of my favorite maps in all four IWADs, so the references are nice. Either way, I found some enjoyment in this cozy little level. It would benefit from something other than D_RUNNIN though. Can't wait to get to the maps by Bad Bob, @Use, and Sam Woodman as those are my favorites (shoutout to Andy Leaver as well). Either way, decent start to an all time (though rough around the edges) classic. Tagging @Gibbon, the only other fanatic of this wad I know. Interested in playing? 52 minutes ago, Astronomical said: Sourceport: Woof vanilla compatibility. This is actually a Boom wad, some things in a couple maps won't work otherwise, despite only vanilla linedef actions being used. Just a tip. 3 hours ago, Capellan said: I suspect "weren’t part of a dedicated team" was code for: "you don't have to be in TeamTNT to be in this, and being in this does not make you part of TeamTNT". Yeah pretty much. I'm glad this site preserves old content so well, as you can see how Cadman formed the whole thing. It definitely seemed like he wanted the mappers to not be on Team TNT heh. 9 Quote Share this post Link to post
RHhe82 Posted March 2, 2022 Well, it looks like I can save my impressions on Glass Messiah for a later date and enjoy this instead. I'll just say I enjoyed that level somewhat more. MAP01: Pistol Panic. DSDA v0.24, HMP-PS. 100% kills and secrets. Completion time 14:55 I have played CC1 before. Namely, the first map back in October, and then I had enough. I remember hating the voodoo dolls being there, but this time I had no problems with them. Maybe it's because I choose to play HMP here. I guess the voodoo dolls are not the real issue here, but rather uninspiring Underhalls-homage where you are equipped with a pistol against imps and eventually a cacodemon and a mancubus. Oh, and an arachnotron, although it can be dealt with a crusher. (I didn't, I savescummed it with berserk punches). Uninspiring isn't enough, pistoleroing mid-tier enemies isn't enough, D_RUNNIN isn't enough, but I also don't really like the use of 3D floors, especially when they bug on me in the secret sewer area, where there is a clear path forwards, but an invisible wall simply blocks me. I get these fake bridges must have been a cool gimmick back in the day, but I find them off-putting unless they are used as decorative purposes, like support beams you might not even realize gimmickry is involved until you stop to really look at it. Not off to a great start, are we. If only I had played this in the 90s, or at the very least the time of release. Whatever, I think I'll be playing this wad on HMP to make it easier to linger on. 6 Quote Share this post Link to post
RHhe82 Posted March 2, 2022 MAP02: Nullth Precinct. DSDA v0.24, HMP-PS. 100% kills and secrets. Completion time 8:09. Now we're talking: this one's actually quite good! Nullth Precinct is a solid, fun map that falls into the category of realistic doom design that I found appealing in the 90s when I tried recreating my school in Doom. Nullth Precinct fares far better in that regard than I ever did, and while it doesn't go all-in with 2020s sensibilities (I think all textures are stock Doom 2 textures, right?), it has a lot of nifty details that made me think of Going Down. It starts with the POLICE signpost on the rooftop, broken bars, garbage bins, toilets, desks, chairs in front of desks, papers on top of desks, target practice sheets (I don't know the english word for them). Maybe there is hope for CC1 yet! 6 Quote Share this post Link to post
ReaperAA Posted March 2, 2022 I was afraid CC was gonna win. Guess I will have to sit out again. Anyways, goodluck and godspeed to all those who go on to tackle CATEOE. Because of that map, I would suggest Dobu to not enforce this rule for this month: Quote Whatever day of the month it is, is the upper limit for the map you can post on. So if it’s the 6th, you may discuss up to MAP06. Because map29 would require at least 4-5 days for some folks. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post
dei_eldren Posted March 2, 2022 MAP01 Pistol Panic (HMP, continuous, blind): K 100%, I 100%, S 100%, D 2, T 28:05 Grade: B+ / Difficult: B- Spoiler This is without a doubt one of the most universally reviled (opening, but not only) maps i know of. So i went in expecting an experience of unpleasantness and tedium. Virtually the whole map must be gone through with only a Chainsaw and the lowly pistol as weapons, while the enemy roster includes even a one-off Mancubus, but consists mostly of Imps, Pinkies, and zombies. Spoiler The level takes place in a cramped and intricately layed out techbase, that has also some architectural trickery that i thought was neat. Barrels are everywhere, as are voodoo dolls (a non-factor mostly but still novel and not at all bothersome), and i obviously jumped into the one inescapable pit of slime lured by the Green Armor (it seemed like a good idea at the time,,.) The progress is achieved through a key-hunt, all three are required, and by far the nastiest to acquire was the YK, because it was guarded by an Arachnotron along with some Imps. i died once by her fire, and don't know what activated the crusher. In fact, on my first visit i merely pressed the switch, missing the YK in the opening monster closet where the Imps came from, ending up just running the hell out of there. And while looking for how to proceed, i discovered the northern secret tunnels. Spoiler Behind the YKD was the surprise of a Mancubus, and also a Cacodemon guarding a switch, that was a must-kill as she wouldn't come out of her closet. The final BK was acquired by very cool bridges, switches and bitches (the Cacodemon..) The shotgun was available really only for the final Hell Knight guarding the exit, and my biggest regret on this map isn't my stupid death (i love those pits, i always jump in them at least), but taking a useless hit from him. No much matter, i had found and saved the secret medikit, and had also couple of stimpacks around. Spoiler After the map was cleared, i still had the southern sewers to find, as well as the secret Blursphere. My biggest complaint about the whole map is that the secrets were made far too easy by everything being indicated in the automap. i literally liked everything about this map - from visuals to gameplay to secrets to layout to architecture. The level was not difficult per se, but i justify my difficulty grade by the added pressure of needing to be somewhat careful around barrels while pistolling enemies and the necessity of being somewhat more cognizant of the environment than usual due to the cramped spaces. i found the map to be inventive, quirky and unique, and not only fun to play, but also inviting exploration. But that's just me, the only valid explanation for this aberrant deviation from consensus can only be underlying neurodivergence... ;) Spoiler Who's Who Spoiler MAP01 - Pistol Panic - B+ / B- 5 Quote Share this post Link to post
Ludi Posted March 2, 2022 14 minutes ago, dei_eldren said: MAP01 Pistol Panic (HMP, continuous, blind): K 100%, I 100%, S 100%, D 2, T 28:05 Grade: B+ / Difficult: B- Reveal hidden contents This is without a doubt one of the most universally reviled (opening, but not only) maps i know of. So i went in expecting an experience of unpleasantness and tedium. Virtually the whole map must be gone through with only a Chainsaw and the lowly pistol as weapons, while the enemy roster includes even a one-off Mancubus, but consists mostly of Imps, Pinkies, and zombies. Reveal hidden contents The level takes place in a cramped and intricately layed out techbase, that has also some architectural trickery that i thought was neat. Barrels are everywhere, as are voodoo dolls (a non-factor mostly but still novel and not at all bothersome), and i obviously jumped into the one inescapable pit of slime lured by the Green Armor (it seemed like a good idea at the time,,.) The progress is achieved through a key-hunt, all three are required, and by far the nastiest to acquire was the YK, because it was guarded by an Arachnotron along with some Imps. i died once by her fire, and don't know what activated the crusher. In fact, on my first visit i merely pressed the switch, missing the YK in the opening monster closet where the Imps came from, ending up just running the hell out of there. And while looking for how to proceed, i discovered the northern secret tunnels. Reveal hidden contents Behind the YKD was the surprise of a Mancubus, and also a Cacodemon guarding a switch, that was a must-kill as she wouldn't come out of her closet. The final BK was acquired by very cool bridges, switches and bitches (the Cacodemon..) The shotgun was available really only for the final Hell Knight guarding the exit, and my biggest regret on this map isn't my stupid death (i love those pits, i always jump in them at least), but taking a useless hit from him. No much matter, i had found and saved the secret medikit, and had also couple of stimpacks around. Reveal hidden contents After the map was cleared, i still had the southern sewers to find, as well as the secret Blursphere. My biggest complaint about the whole map is that the secrets were made far too easy by everything being indicated in the automap. i literally liked everything about this map - from visuals to gameplay to secrets to layout to architecture. The level was not difficult per se, but i justify my difficulty grade by the added pressure of needing to be somewhat careful around barrels while pistolling enemies and the necessity of being somewhat more cognizant of the environment than usual due to the cramped spaces. i found the map to be inventive, quirky and unique, and not only fun to play, but also inviting exploration. But that's just me, the only valid explanation for this aberrant deviation from consensus can only be underlying neurodivergence... ;) Reveal hidden contents Who's Who Hide contents MAP01 - Pistol Panic - B+ / B- I like how Doomguy dicks around with a pistol on the title screen demo, since it wasn't re-recorded for the new maps haha 4 Quote Share this post Link to post
Book Lord Posted March 2, 2022 2 hours ago, Dusty_Rhodes said: This is actually a Boom wad, some things in a couple maps won't work otherwise, despite only vanilla linedef actions being used. Just a tip. Yeah, be careful and use complevel 9, otherwise you will have big problems with some maps later on. I wrongly assumed this was a vanilla Doom 2 wad, until I was forced to break my continuous run and pistol start MAP06... 3 Quote Share this post Link to post
Capellan Posted March 2, 2022 Also, much though it pains me, you probably should turn infinitely tall things OFF. The mapset was clearly not playtested with them on. 5 Quote Share this post Link to post
Book Lord Posted March 2, 2022 (edited) 2 hours ago, ReaperAA said: I was afraid CC was gonna win. Guess I will have to sit out again. Anyways, goodluck and godspeed to all those who go on to tackle CATEOE. Because of that map, I would suggest Dobu to not enforce this rule for this month: Whatever day of the month it is, is the upper limit for the map you can post on. So if it’s the 6th, you may discuss up to MAP06. Because map29 would require at least 4-5 days for some folks. The rule is about the maps you are allowed to post on, you can play at your own pace and finish the megaWAD in 3 days, if you so wish (not recommended, unless you write down your comments as you progress). Moreover, this month has 31 days and allows for some extra time towards the end, which is spot on for a big penultimate map. After playing MAP06, I am dreading MAP29 as well, but that's part of the pleasure of playing non-optimised megaWADs from the past... Advice: there are many short maps in the first 11 slots. Play ahead a bit now, if you can. Edited March 2, 2022 by Book Lord 4 Quote Share this post Link to post
Gibbon Posted March 2, 2022 (edited) Ok, so I won't post every video (see playlist which will be updated: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLq1zK5ZKJvGFIUj_uRmiScZvkYF8kYlCP) RZDoom - HMP, Continuous, no saves. MAP01 - Pistol Panic. My ultimate hated map out of all doom wads. Starting off a megawad with the most unbalanced map in Doom history is.. weird, to say the least. Even on skill 2, you don't get enough ammo and are forced to punch a few pinkies to conserve it while only getting stimpacks and a berserk to get your health back up. Facing off with a caco and mancubi with only a pistol and fists isn't my idea of fun, it would have been better if this was a map 15 or 20 slot. Hopefully I won't have to play this map ever again. MAP02 - Nullth Precint. A gorgeous and amazing MAP02 that should have been the MAP01, tons of doomcute, set pieces and great fights that are balanced and fun. Love the mancubi fights with the super shotgun and those laser beams guarding the exit is just pure gold. Great action, great visuals. Edited March 2, 2022 by Gibbon 6 Quote Share this post Link to post
Book Lord Posted March 2, 2022 (edited) MAP 01 – Pistol Panic by Stephen Clark @The Ultimate DooMer PrBoom+ 2.5.1.4, UV, Continuous, blind run w/saves Community Chest began with a level bearing the self-explanatory name of Pistol Panic. Who likes using the standard Doom pistol for more than a few minutes? Nobody, I guess, though the author believed that forcing the player to stick with that weapon could work as an interesting gimmick. The use of only Former Humans, Imps, Demons, and a few mid-tiers made sure that the situation lasted for almost the whole MAP01. Spoiler An interesting layout was put together to host this compulsory pistol abuse: an octagonal tech-base, rich in fake 3D bridges and reusing texture schemes taken from the first two maps of Doom II, littered with barrels that must be detonated with precision to conserve bullets and thin out the foes. When the proper switches were pressed, a chainsaw and a Berserk pack became accessible in the central room, giving melee alternatives to the pistol. The same location held the YK. Spoiler The player must be careful with the Arachnotron behind the yellow door, but it might be fun to run for the switch, activate the crusher and release the mob of Imps guarding the RK. The situation behind the red door was a bit less exciting, with a Mancubus placed on a podium that made melee combat a bit too risky, so I resigned myself to chip away at his health with the pistol. I ran out of ammo and must chainsaw a Cacodemon in a cubicle, before I finally grabbed a shotgun, coming in handy for the exit room that was finally accessible. The secrets were easy to spot, and the entire map was simple, despite the Pistol Panic moniker. It was not a great level, especially for its ridiculous display of voodoo dolls, but not a lacklustre MAP01 either. Spoiler Edited March 2, 2022 by Book Lord 6 Quote Share this post Link to post
Book Lord Posted March 2, 2022 (edited) MAP 02 – Nullth Precinct by Thomas Van der Velden PrBoom+ 2.5.1.4, UV, Continuous, blind run w/saves A police station, and a really (Doom)cute one! The amount of detail put into sector-based things and furniture, including bathroom fixtures, was amazing and I am always delighted by this kind of creativity. Thomas Van der Velden had already an entire megaWAD under his belt when he worked on his Community Chest entries, and here he showed his experience. The challenge was low, even lower than Pistol Panic, but the most interesting features came from the depiction of the Nullth Precinct, and the exciting ways intended for progression. Spoiler The main entrance was locked, so the only option was to climb a pile of supplies, including a toilet, and find an open air duct, leading inside. The police station was messy and fully controlled by hellspawn, though a quick exploration offered plenty of resources to deal with them. I made a detour through the shooting range and a weapons warehouse to collect the BK, then I entered the detention wing to kill some Cacodemons and the Pinky convicts. The broken walls were hilarious to see, and one of them led me to the outside, where the exit was visible behind laser beams. Spoiler To deactivate the lasers, I explored a small computer room to the north. The mini ambush with Demons and the Hell Knight was enjoyable; I was totally surprised to see the noble walk straight towards me, regardless of the staircase. Another mild trap was in store just before the exit. A simple though memorable MAP02, Nullth Precinct lacked only some real challenge, considering that it was stuffed with resources like two Megaarmours (one should have been tagged as a secret), 2 backpacks, a Soul Sphere, and an SSG that made short work of the beefier monsters. The secrets were generous, and interesting to uncover, in a map that was very fun to explore. Spoiler Edited March 2, 2022 by Book Lord 5 Quote Share this post Link to post
Gibbon Posted March 2, 2022 (edited) Quote Gibbon thought it was March 3rd Edited March 2, 2022 by Gibbon 2 Quote Share this post Link to post
dei_eldren Posted March 2, 2022 MAP02 Nullth Precinct (HMP, continuous, blind): K 100%, I 100%, S 100%, D 0, T 19:09 Grade: A- / Difficulty: B- Spoiler A police station inhabited by demons.. what else is new? (disclaimer: not to be considered a political statement, but more in terms of combination of horror-classics They Live and Attack on Precinct 13) The text 'POLICE' in large ugly garish blue letters on top of the building really won me over from the start. The front door is locked and the building must be infiltrated by accessing the the ventilation channels (larger than in Die Hard) from the roof, which surprisingly are quite harmless and give an opportunity to kill a Mancubus from total safety, which i took the advantage of. Dropping down to the small rooms, the opposition consists of zombiemen and Demons. i am not usually partial to 'realistic' environments full of doomcuteness (sometimes, but usually not), but here i thought everything really was executed to perfection, from the offices to the shooting range and the toilets - all just perfect. i won't use the word charming, because that's belittling and misses the point, but all that effort really made a positive difference in how the map felt, turning it from a generic abstract location to an actual precinct, by use of simplified, even abstractified, elements. That's artistic. Spoiler The combat mostly is light, even if there is some danger from hitscanners aided by Pinkies. There is a secret Soulsphere (which i foolishly collected immediately, it would have been quite easy to save it for end of map and exit with full health), and non-secret secret Mega Armour. But there's a couple of ambushes, one in the toilet, where upon pressing the switch opened up the closet-doors unleashing a few Pinkies, but their number was not great enough to be a threat. The other one, of two parts, was in the room with the switch to allow entrance to the exit area, where at first i was attacked by two Cacodemons from left and right ascending the central staircase into the room, and when operating the switch, there appeared some Pinkies along with a Hell Knight. These were nice little encounters in the obstructed and limited space, where exiting the room was prevented before finding the switch to open the laser bars by the door. i survived everything, but the threat is enough so as to die it would only take sloppy play, for example getting stuck on something for a couple of seconds. The exit was guarded by a Mancubus, and there was a slight trick in how to get back to collect the loot. Spoiler i am impressed by the design and inventiveness of the first two maps, they feel unique and i can draw no parallels to the wads i've played before. And this reminds me how much i enjoyed playing earlier WADs such as Serenity-trilogy and Realm of Chaos, that may be less sophisticated, but also less-streamlined and freer in their experimentation than their modern counterparts, just like this one seems to be. Who's Who Spoiler MAP02 - Nullth Precinct - A- / B- MAP01 - Pistol Panic - B+ / B- 6 Quote Share this post Link to post
sincity2100 Posted March 2, 2022 Oh Boy, I wish all of you who are playing this game a safety return, especially Map29.. 4 Quote Share this post Link to post
DavitW Posted March 2, 2022 MAP01: Pistol Panic This set might just have some of the most maligned maps of any pwad in the doom community, and we're off to a strong start with a gimmick map where the pistol is your primary source of firepower for the vast majority of the map. Now I love the pistol as much as the next guy, which is to say not at all, but you know what? Wasn't all that bad. Even the egregious amount of explosive barrels and voodoo dolls littered throughout the cramped halls couldn't bring me down. This one must have caught me in a good mood, because by all logical accounts I should have absolutely hated it. MAP02: Nullth Precinct This is basically Doomcute: The Map. We have a ventilation shaft, a shooting range, some sort of call center, overturned desks and tables, a toilet... it's just adorable. The whole thing plays out a bit like an action movie. You know, the one where the main character breaks into a police station, kills a bunch of people, and then leaves? Yeah, that one. cc1.zip cc2.zip 9 Quote Share this post Link to post
finnks13 Posted March 2, 2022 Oh boy, I have heard very mixed things about this wad. I'm interested to see if my experiences will match what I've heard or if I'll have a better time, knowing where the rough parts are going in. In any case, I'll be playing with dsda-doom v0.21.0 -complevel 9, on Ultra-Violence, with pistol starts. I'm going for 100% kills, but if I miss a couple in a random secret, I'm not too worried. I'm also perfectly happy to look up a walkthrough for these maps but I'll only resort to that when I'm stuck. MAP01 - Pistol Panic by The Ultimate Doomer: This is a weird opener - it resembles a very cramped re-imagining of Underhalls for the majority of it's run time with the ending being quite similar to the final room of Entryway. I don't really understand why there's voodoo dolls everywhere in the central part of the map, I suppose they're there to stop you going completely nuts with spraying ammo everywhere but this doesn't make much sense when you're limited to the pistol which is not the weapon I tend to do that with. I did like the more elaborate secret moat, and outside area - even if the ultimate reward is a blursphere which was more funny to find than anything else. After finding the berserk pack in the red key room, I basically stopped using the pistol for the rest of the map, save for one tedious arachnotron encounter. The progression in the final room is really weird and I got confused since I didn't spot the door to the outside area for a while. The use of the fake 3d floors here is pretty ugly and seems unnecessary when instantly raising and lowering sectors could have been used instead. Overall, it's alright, I wish the map was a bit shorter but it's not the worst opener I've played. MAP02 - Nullth Precinct by Thomas Van der Velden: This map is absolutely adorable, I love all of the doomcute here - from the Police sign, to the flipped over tables and doors, it's just great. Starting off by jumping on some lights to get to the roof and crawling through an air vent to get past a locked door is a really cool opening to the level, and the progression continues this way. The shooting range leading to a small storage area was incredibly neat, and I really liked that the hole blown through the wall in one of the rooms near the start of the map functions as a handy shortcut from the final area to here. I will admit that the fights aren't anything special, the cacodemon duet followed by a hell knight after the blue key door was probably the best "fight" this map had, and I also liked the demons being released from the cells. I expect that being an incredible combat showcase wasn't this map's focus, as armour and health pickups are abundant throughout the level (well, that and the whole doomcute police station thing). I really enjoyed this map, it reminded me of the most fun parts of Thomas Van der Velden's "Revolution!" which I also really like. Rankings: Spoiler Really Liked: MAP02 Liked: The Boring Zone: MAP01 Didn't Like: Really Didn't Like: 8 Quote Share this post Link to post
Astronomical Posted March 2, 2022 10 hours ago, Dusty_Rhodes said: This is actually a Boom wad, some things in a couple maps won't work otherwise, despite only vanilla linedef actions being used. Just a tip. That's really weird, I swore it was listed as limit removing, the weird thing is that I checked the doomwiki page and saw it's listed as boom compatible. Well anyway, Sourceport: Woof Boom compatibility. Anyway Map02: Nullth Precinct. Thomas Van Der Velden's mastery of doomcute would be impressive in the era of Doom Builder, or at least modern doom builder and it's wealth of features. Not much to say, beyond that. The fights are all very easy and none of them gave me any issue. The progression is simple. But Velden's style couldn't come through any clearer. Everyone who likes this map should go and play Revolution! as all of the maps have the same level of doomcute in that wad. 5 Quote Share this post Link to post
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