Book Lord Posted May 30, 2022 MAP 29 – Amethyst Citadel DSDA-Doom v0.24.3, UV, Continuous, blind run w/saves Wow. Amethyst Citadel was by far the most ambitious creation by Rayziik, and not because of the traditionally high monster count and considerable map length. I guess he took advantage of the 2020 lockdown to work hard on Judgment’s last maps, with MAP29 becoming the crown jewel of his eight-year-long efforts. A violet gem with masterfully cut facets, an unforgettable scenario of tall glowing spires, towering fortresses, purple ponds, waterfalls, all standing out against the dark stone and metal that formed the bulk of the alien landscape. The best feature was the excellent use of space and height, achieving great perspective from one side of the fortress to the other, allowing for far-reaching vistas that were just breath-taking. Spoiler The techno soundtrack “Nebula” by Gubble was perfect for this action-packed chapter, bordering on the 800-monster quota and spreading it into a ton of encounters. I spent the first minutes clearing the large outdoor area from annoying snipers, especially faraway Shock Troopers, and collecting the scattered equipment. Every weapon or valuable pickup was protected by a trap, as the author made sufficiently clear by now. I only found one secret out of four, but I think the ones I missed were very obscure, especially the rocket launcher requiring the BK. I located the exit behind a series of three locked doors, and I decided to explore the round structure nearby. A series of manageable ambushes led me to a Berserk pack, to a Megasphere, and to a teleporter that plunged me into the crossfire of 12 Arachnotrons, and with 4 Cyberdemons at ground level. I used the carry-over BFG to thin out the enemies and endured heavy floor damage to hide behind the spider pillars. At the second attempt, I managed the hairy situation and acquired the YK. Spoiler Regardless of continuous play, I was constantly low on ammo, so I checked the optional “generic key” door behind the waterfall. The welcome party was a bit of a shock, and the cavern inside contained lots of enemies and teleport ambushes, but at least it restocked my ammo. I decided to attempt the BK battle, as the northern section of the map looked bigger than the rest. I died so many times in that cramped square, and even when I finally succeeded, it was by pure chance. I could not find a reliable strategy to survive the Cyberdemon splash damage, the deadly hitscanner attrition, and the occasional scratch taken while elbowing my way through the crowd. There were just so many zombies teleporting in my face, and I was just spraying plasma or chaingun bullets like a madman. I assumed that killing the Cyberdemon quickly with the BFG was a better idea than leaving him alive. In any case, it was an RNG-dependant battle, nearly impossible without mouse look. Spoiler Obtaining the RK was a much longer affair, requiring a multi-stage trip to the north, inside the huge structure with windows that might be the eponymous Amethyst Citadel. I enjoyed the battles in the first courtyards, thanks to the use of Archons and Azazels, while at the upper floor I found the hitscanner teleports, accompanied by Pain Elementals, a bit irritating. The northern neon walkway reserved an amusing ambush with infighting propitiated by the Partial Invisibility, just before entering the big arena. The large hall was stormed by all kinds of hellspawn, but it was not exceedingly difficult once the wave sequence was known. The flying monsters coming from the eastern windows were the main concern: first the Nightshades, then the Pain Elementals, and the Fallen coming last. These were the only enemies that could violate the terrace with the BFG. I am sure that Rayziik considered it a good hiding spot, otherwise he would not have placed so many cell packs there. Wraiths managed to teleport up there, but the rest of the horde was trapped at the bottom of the stairs and was busy at infighting. I only made a couple of raids to kill the incoming flyers, gather some supplies, and keep the demons’ hatred flame burning. Spoiler I was expecting Arch-Viles to teleport in at some point, but they thankfully did not take part in the big set piece. They featured in the last attack just before the RK, an icing on the cake that was not necessary at that point. I am still asking myself the reason behind the Invulnerability in the exit room. Except for a couple of rough edges, mostly related to hitscanner abuse in slaughter-type combat, Rayziik gave his best in Amethyst Citadel, which was a grandiose visual setting for the most epic battles in Judgment. 3 Quote Share this post Link to post
finnks13 Posted May 30, 2022 (edited) MAP29 - Amethyst Citadel: Wow. The opening shot for this map is just... wow. If nothing else, the final episode of Judgement is a testament to Rayziik's incredible eye for visuals because holy shit this map is breathtaking. I'm really intrigued to see how the palette for this wad was done, because I didn't know it was possible to get a range of purple this good without heavy compromise to one of the other main colours. This map, and map26 I would be perfectly happy to just explore without any combat - maybe a puzzle here or there. The only aesthetic part I didn't like was the MIDI which feels a bit at odds with the visuals and has some incredibly annoying trumpet parts (to the point where I just turned it off to listen to something less hectic). Gameplay wise, I'm not as sold on the map. The grand set-pieces are excellent, the highlight being the blue key fight but the incidental combat can be a bit of a slog in places (if I'm sounding a bit like a broken record here, I wouldn't be surprised as this is the largest issue I have with this wad). The map doesn't give out a rocket launcher until you've got at least one key, and opening the door to see an archvile, a few barons and hell knights nearly made me skip the fight as I couldn't be bothered to deal with them because it wasn't that hard, just a dull waste of time. I didn't like this whole area to be honest, SSGing 3 Archons to death isn't fun and I didn't like that a load of pain elementals spawned in after getting the rocket launcher itself. The red key fight is suprisingly tough, I saw the cyberdemon and square shaped arena and thought to myself "ugh, another easy circle-strafe fight" but it's definitely not that since space here is very limited and you have to be constantly on the move killing hitscanners that get in your way while keeping an eye on the cyberdemon because it's very likely to be infighting with a random hitscanner. The blue key section was overall my favourite part of the map, a few tough ambushes to get you warmed up, where the lack of space is the the main threat due to the Azazels. The enourmous blue key fight is really good, I did laugh when I initially saw the horde of barons, but it gets better than that! This surprised me with it's sheer length, you have to keep total concentration for at least three minutes since health is very limited in this arena, pain elementals and hitscanners are plentiful and one cyberdemon rocket can spell doom. I was expecting something grand from a room this ominous and large, but the sheer scale of this fight really caught me off guard. The yellow key area is the weakest of the three, the ambushes don't lock you in so you can clear them very easily by leaving the fight arena and rocketing everything at the door. The key fight itself is exactly what I was hoping the red key fight wasn't. It feels like a repeat of the finale of Map26 and the BFG fight from Map27. I was expecting to dislike the lack of a non-secret backpack but the scale of the fights really combo well with that and I genuinely didn't miss it. It's a worthy Map29 and while it's not my favourite map in the wad, I respect the hell out of it. RANKINGS: Spoiler Really Liked: MAP02, MAP05, MAP33, MAP13, MAP28 Liked: MAP06, MAP07, MAP08, MAP09, MAP12, MAP14, MAP15, MAP31, MAP17, MAP20, MAP22, MAP23, MAP24, MAP25, MAP26, MAP29 Mixed Opinions: MAP03, MAP32, MAP19, MAP34 Didn't Like: MAP11, MAP27 Boring: MAP01, MAP04, MAP10, MAP16, MAP18, MAP21 (Don't take these as an objective measure of quality, they're just reflections of how much fun I had with the map after completing it and this could vary wildly for various reasons.) Edited May 30, 2022 by finnks13 pressed post by mistake so needed to finish writing the post 3 Quote Share this post Link to post
tonytheparrot Posted May 30, 2022 (Played continuously on UV with DSDA-Doom, saves are allowed) Map 29: Amethyst Citadel 100% kills, 81% items and 25% secrets Time: 27:01 I originally thought that after maps 26 and 27, this wad couldn't surprise me as much as these 2 entries did, but Citadel is the prettiest and most detailed level in the wad. The lighter purples work perfectly with the darker colours, the midi suits the map perfectly and the architecture is gorgeous. The downside is that all of this detail can cause performance issues, so I had to turn on the FPS cap. Citadel is about getting 3 keys that can be grabbed in any order, as always for Judgment. Combat-wise, the level generally has some awesome fights, despite some of them not being that great such as the (optional?) annoying encounter with the 3 teleporting archons or the disappointing circle-strafe to win yellow key battle. However, Citadel is still full of fun and memorable encounters like the entire red key path or the fight for the blue key with the teleporting grunts and the centrally-located cyber. But nothing beats the fight for the red key, a crazy sequence of teleporting goons inculding 2 cybers, a lot of arachnos sniping you, and lots of flying enemies and grounded hostiles including azazels and revs blocking you, it is simply glorious. This level is the best penultimate map Judgment could've gotten due to it's really fun fights, pretty visuals, awesome midi and mastered atmosphere, even if it has a few weaker moments. Rankings: Spoiler Love: Map 26 Map 32 Map 29 Map 20 Map 5 Map 27 Map 10 Map 6 Really Like: Map 17 Map 13 Map 15 Map 33 Map 19 Map 31 Map 23 Map 12 Map 21 Map 9 Map 24 Map 16 Map 22 Map 8 Map 2 Like: Map 25 Map 14 Map 7 Map 28 Map 18 Map 4 Map 1 Mediocre: Map 34 Dislike: Map 11 3 Quote Share this post Link to post
kalaeth Posted May 30, 2022 Ended up not having time to play on friday, so it's 4 maps today! MAP 26 - Cerulean Depths : We've fallen under the water! The view is impressive at the start, there's some imps and zombiemen, and even a HK I'm not armed to fight yet, so I move in the zombie direction, hoping to find a shotgun or so, nearby. No such luck there, so imp-side then. There's a jump to a plasma but moving forward the SSG waits. Oh god, nop, not ready for this. Second run. Went for the plasma, that went well. Then died to the RL ambush. Next try I pick up the manc guarded soulsphere before going for the RL,and this time managed to survive. Next, pick up the minigun, survive the ambush, and now I can't postpone it further, so I save and go for the SSG cybercow ambush. Death to cow counter : II. Then I managed to press the switch, exit the pit and then finish the cow from afar. Then it's blue armor, switch, jump? No, stairs. Rockets, cells, megasphere and a switch.. That was a lot of imps, but plasma solved it. Now.. Another switch, some super-shotgunners and pinkies and a 'port. More switches, barons, hks, cacos, some steps up and a HK is guarding a lot of rockets.. And of course it's another cow. I managed to survive, and the cross a 'port to a blue key locked door. So 'port back and go into the bluekey themed teleport : kill spiders, press switch, kill HK and grab the BSK. Blue door, switch, kill revs,climb, switch. Baby cacos! And pinkies. Then it's an up or down choice.. I go down first but up is the best choice to go and grab a BFG. I end up dying three times before I even realize that there's 2 more switches to press. After that it was just a case of working the right approach and then finally grab the BFG and end the fight. Then, down and another switch, that opens the way to another switch that opens the way to the teleporter. Kill the revs, go grab a bluesphere, kill the remaining revs and imps, save another bluesphere for late, save, press switch one, kill cacos, press switch two, kill more cacos, 'port. Kill imps, save, switch. And then die. And the.. Now I can leave. With secrets and monsters still missing... I went back, BFGd every living thing in the room and now.. For the secret hunt. Soulsphere secret (and a manc) found. Backpack secret found, one missing and one enemy. Secret berserk found, and now.. IDDT to find where the living monster is.. A,h, a spider on the blue key area. Go there, kill, go back to the exit, pick the final megasphere and exit! 100, 98, 100% K/I/S, 8 deaths, 35:23 minutes So this new episode won't be a stroll in the park! MAP 27 - Emerald Machine : The tone switched to green, and after wandering around a bit you must chose to jump into one of two toxic sludge pools. I try the one closest from the start first. Cacos show up and a path going up too. And that one leads you to the other sludge pool taht you must cross to get rid of imps a rev and a spider. Then one of two corridors entering a huge building. Switch, outside, other corridor, switch, rocket revs, cross sludge, deal with the ambush, careful with those side mancs, restock on rockets, switch one, kill ambush, switch two, kill ambush two, go pick the yellow key. Kill the barons and be ready for another cross sludge ambush. After killing the cow, step back outside, kill a few imps, specters and HKs, find the yellow switch and press it. Remove spiders, revs and the azazel, pick the plasma, shoot a rocket to the face of a specter in your own face, die. Retry from the yellow key, game crashes. From the yellow switch, again. After picking the plasma I dive into them, kill everything, then it's onward! kill some pillared revs, an AV, some more spiders and then a evil invisible minigunner trap, save and go inside the building. Start platforming, press a switch, don't die, rinse repeat, pick up the blue key, the bluesphere and head out to the blue switch. But first pick up the rad suit to go pick up a megasphere, press the blue button and wonder what it did, find the yellow switch and go up the steps, kill a cyber, grab the 'sphere, go down, pick up red key, and you now have 3 keys. Go back to the blue switch, discover you have no idea how you could have missed what it does, go up. Another spider, another switch. It's a 'port to inside. A lot of revs and 4 neon-barons after, teleport again. Grab the BFG and go kill another cyber. Now.. Find the SSG and the secret bluesphere, then find one of the multicolored doors and step inside. Kill the neon-barons, save, switch. Grab the megasphere and then BFG the shit out of everything that moves. Then teleport and BFG the wall of spiders, restock, go kill another cow, and the exit is there. However. I'm one enemy short and three secrets to go.. Ah, found another one and the final enemy, one more secret, useless now that I killed the revs, and finally! and invisibilty is the last one. 100, 99, 100% K/I/S, 2 deaths, 1 crash, 45:04 minutes MAP 28 - Crimson Oblivion : So, red now. We start with cacos, both sizes, a side step for some imps a pinkie and a plasma another side step for the SSG and an HK and then I fall down and splash dead. Restart, same drill then go inside, pick the blue armor and the only open path, follow the trail of armor bonuses and get ambush from behind by skels, punch holes in some mancs, press the switch. Back up, enter the newly opened path, find a useless secret, press a switch, kill the PE, grab the BFG and pick a side. I pick a platform with 3 switches. First one pops up a baron and a rev, second one, too, third one a caco, fourth one a single rev.. This is a puzzle? Oh, one of the switches is gone. Ok, all switches gone and the path back reopened. Room two is a door opened elsewhere so room three it is. Some imps, platforming, a lot of rockets a megasphere and a switch. A pair of HKs and a huge caco-swarm with tons of the little fellas! Kill them all, and the exit is open. I'm two enemies short and one of them is a cyber in a dark platforming area. I kill him but then die to a fall. Another death, this time to a cyber rocket and on the third try I kill him and reach the rocket launcher room. Press switch, kill the azazel, grab a leftover megasphere and exit. 100% K/I/S, 3 deaths, 12:55 minutes MAP 29 - Amethyst Citadel : And we are off to purple! And a heavy start, that keeps me on my toes until I reach the exit door, then some revs and an AV and finally the yellow key is here. Save, switch, revs, knights, yellow key. Going back I find an arena with rockets, potions, a switch. Press it, revs and a neon-baron, another room another switch, two neon-barons, cacos, another switch. Next room the ambush comes before the switch, then a lift with 4 barons in it, kill them all, lift up. Big room, small fry, a BFG on the top, a soulsphere too the side, more small fry, and then it's down again, on the other side. Invis, switch, kill all, new lift, another big room, with a megasphere on the middle, lot's of ammo and the BFG. Save, switch. So,a ton of barons, those flying annoying plasma shooters, two cybers then imps, revenants, cacos.. A bit of it all. I die once to them, second try I go up and kill the cybers first, back for the BFG ammo, and end up dead on the middle of the floor while searching for health. Next time I die to the cybers. Another try, I managed to get outside, but ran out of rockets and cells and eventually die to a azazel I was trying to SSG. deaths : IIIII II, and then finally, I managed to escape to the right side, grab the red key and teleport out of there. Then I find the anykey door, open it, kill several flavors of hell nobles, grab rockets, deal with the tomatoes, grab a megasphere and I believe my job here is done. By the time I get back to the big fight, most everything is dead. I reach the exit but I'm still one key short.. Ah, found it. Also, two secrets on the way there, a potential third one.. Ah, yes! some armor bonuses and a RL. Now, I'm one secret short of finishing.. Oh, it's a rad suit. Nice. So, exit. Blue door, red door, invencibility (why?) exit. 100, 93, 100% K/I/S, 7 deaths, all in the red key arena, 36:53 minutes. Map 30 will be played tomorrow. 3 Quote Share this post Link to post
cannonball Posted May 30, 2022 (edited) MAP28 - “Crimson Oblivion” A much more focused and concise effort here. The hellish red hues are back among the void backdrop, it makes a pretty scene. The combat is pretty straightforward for the most part. The most aggravating is probably the cyberdemon fight with the platforms. It is one of those "Get in his face" type fights that would drop like a lead balloon in other circumstances. However being a short map it can be forgiven somewhat. The rest is pretty fun to be honest, nothing spectacular but just solid. The swarm of cacodemons that arrive when you hit the red key switch is fun, though it too me finding the rocket launcher to actually beat. Again the section to grab the rocket launcher is probably the only bum note here for the cyber and the fact you really do need the rocket launcher for the final stages. Overall a solid effort, short and tense, but not overly difficult and breaks up the longer maps nicely. MAP29 - “Amethyst Citadel” A flawed masterpiece..... There are some great fights within this stunning citadel. Both the blue and red key fights are a lot of fun. The red key being the big spectacle of the map with multiple waves of enemies that you need to get distracted by the cyberdemons, in fact the entire build up to the red key is great. The blue key is the quickest to reach and isn't too difficult to accomplish. The big flaw is that the map presents itself as a non-linear map, yet quite clearly the map is pretty strict in respect to the order of events you need to take - Blue key - optional area with the rocket launcher - red key - yellow key. If you defy this logic you end up out of ammo and resources and you die, however if you get the blue key and beat the rocket launcher area then the rest of the map falls nicely and isn't actually that hard. The yellow key is by far the weakest in terms of combat, the spider/cyberdemon combo is easy to navigate without too much trouble. The biggest shock after getting the yellow key was that I had zero monsters left, behind the three key doors was nothing but the exit and a invulnerability that was pointless, almost as if there was supposed to be something here. Overall I found this to be the most enjoyable map of this episode, however I can't help but feel that this could have been a proper showstopper with a few tweaks. It is still one of the highlights of this wad though. Edited May 30, 2022 by cannonball 3 Quote Share this post Link to post
TJG1289 Posted May 30, 2022 GZDoom/UV/Blind/Saves Map 28: Crimson Oblivion 100% kills and secrets Time: 12:56 Deaths: 4, all from pits We get some nice red volcanic rock to offset the grays and blacks of the natural stone environment here. This map is much easier than the last several, which is nice since I bet the next map is gonna be difficult. Fights aren't too bad throughout, and it's mostly incidental. The biggest threat is platforming, as falling into the pit is instant death. I learned this the hard way when I saw a window thinking I could jump to it. Oops. The only real monster threat that pops up whilst platforming is a cyb, but you can just stay put on a bulk cell platform and plasma it to death. There's 2 main set-piece fights. The first one I did was when I went to hit a switch not knowing it needed the red key. Just attempting to hit it spawns a mixed caco cloud, babies and parents, plus 2 azazels. Try to open up a way back to the fortress so you can bottleneck the cacos in the entryway. The red key fight is kinda interesting. There's 3 switches, each need to be hit 3 times. Each hit will spawn 1-2 enemies. Some aren't threats, but there is the occasional archie and archon that need BFGing. When you grab the red key, some fallen appear as well. Nothing too dangerous. Overall, this map was a nice breather and looked pretty nice. Map 29: Amethyst Cathedral 100% kills and secrets Time: 35:45 Deaths: I think 5? Maybe 6? And I thought map 26 was pretty. This one looks straight out of the Stardate maps with its purples. This map is pretty non-linear, with several paths you can take. You'll need to take all 3 paths to grab the keys, and there's a 4th path behind a door that needs any key. I went to the path to south first and delt with the blue key fight. This one is the one I died the most at, as it's a center cyb with hitscan and more teleporting around the area. The hitscan will chip your health down, so focus on them first and let the cyb hit the other monsters. Make sure to peek out the window to find a shootable switch that slightly lowers a nearby teleporter to the mega armor. Now, you can open the key door. This optional area is where the rocket launcher is, so if you're pistol-starting, make sure you do this path. You'll also get a mega sphere, but several waves of baddies pop up here too. I then took the north path. You'll have some mini-set pieces that aren't too bad, but then you get to the biggest fight of the map. You'll be in a giant arena where a balcony stores a BFG. Hit the switch in the center to reveal 2 cybs, and wave after wave of demons. Focus BFG blasts on high priority monsters like pain elementals, and as a way to carve out an escape path. Eventually, everything will be dead. Somehow, I didn't die here, but I did have single digit health at the very end. Head out to find a plethora of monsters on perches, including archies. Rocket them back to their crypts. When you hit the switch lowering the red key, I believe it also opens a secret soul sphere. Now I took the final path to the west. Look for the one strip of purple lights that are blue. This is a blue key switch that opens a small side area with armor bonuses and a rocket launcher. The final key path takes you around this colosseum. I did die in the final ambush before teleporting into the structure, as the revs, hell knights and chaingunners in a small area is a tough fight. Inside, you'll deal with 4 cybs and an arachnotron firing squad. This is another tough one as the spiders will hit you as you run around, and dodging 4 cybs is not easy. With all 4 keys, you can now exit. Random invul at the end. Overall, this one was pretty good, but I think I prefer the mini set-pieces of map 26 more. Looks gorgeous tho. 4 Quote Share this post Link to post
Book Lord Posted May 30, 2022 MAP 30 – The Grand Conjuration DSDA-Doom v0.24.3, UV, Continuous, blind run w/saves The colours tour would be incomplete without yellow. As typical for Aberrant Chroma-Death, The Grand Conjuration took place in a brown tech-base surrounded by total blackness, enlivened by bright yellow spots, ranging from golden liquid to flashing lighthouses. The visual theme was reminiscent of MAP13, flames included, while the gameplay tried to bring the challenge to the highest level seen in Judgment. As a continuous player, I carried the equipment to quickly destroy the opposition, if I was so inclined; pistol starters must earn every single weapon in the first section, beating some of the most obnoxious traps conceived by Rayziik. The Spider Demolisher in the crossroads hub was a pain in the neck. I tried to play as intended and evaded him, firstly heading east through the Arch-Vile photo-finish lane. This section was extremely punishing without weapons, as pushing the green switch prompted aggression from Revenants, an Arch-Vile, and other rabble, while grabbing the plasma gun trapped poor Doomguy in a flaming tunnel with a Cyberdemon in the escape path. The courtyard with the SSG was a brainteaser; I would never have guessed to use the solid pillars like lifts, an action that angered hidden Chaingunners, Brutes, and Lords of Heresy. Three SW1STON2 switches unlocked secret compartments in the Spiderdemon room, but I only found one of them. Spoiler The western branch was less annoying, offering the rocket launcher to handle the welcoming group of monsters. I escaped to the yellow switch terrace and shot from there. The trigger granted access to the upper level, ending on a purple switch with an easy Arch-Vile, Pinky, and Imp attack. The bars in the Spider Demolisher room were lifted, but in no way was she crushed or disposed of in a quick manner. I must slowly and carefully kill her, just like the Cyberdemon, who remained alive in my playthrough. It seemed a strange omission by the author, but he demonstrated on many occasions that he did not share the commonplace mapping etiquette. The Spiderdemon joined the final battle if left alive, as I learned when revisiting the map. It was time for the endgame, taking place in a metal arena with plenty of supplies. Flipping the switch initiated the mayhem and revealed the Icon of Sin, modified to spit thundering meteors instead of spawn cubes. Monsters were teleported in waves, throwing the full Judgment roster in the mix, except Arch-Viles. Many hitscanners were part of the horde, and it would have been wiser to leave them out. The damage they dealt was uncontrollable, and the two dominating Spider Demolishers would have sufficed. There were two ways to win the battle: either kill all Spiderdemons to trigger Tag 666, or resist the onslaught, grab the YK, and backtrack to the yellow switches to start the self-destruction sequence. I did not enjoy myself very much during this BFG-oriented fight: it was manageable until the Demolishers appeared, but afterwards it was too easy to receive powerful hits, either originating from them or from the incoming hitscanners. I cannot tell if the Icon hit me sometimes or if it were BFG tracers that turned me into a bloody pulp. I used two mid-fight saves to get through. Spoiler Fighting so many demons to be sucked into nothingness, as narrated by the ending message, was not the best fate for Doomguy. I also hoped that the classic endgame sequence included the full assortment of monsters, but apparently MBF21 does not allow to extend the parade beyond the usual 18 sprites. The Grand Conjuration did not lack a proper MAP30 challenge, though it was very punishing towards blind pistol starters, and the final fight was too chaotic to be beaten with confidence. I expected Jugdment to end on a higher note. 4 Quote Share this post Link to post
NiGHTS108 Posted May 31, 2022 MAP28: Crimson Oblivion Kills: 87% Items: 43% Secrets: 0% Time: 5:13 SCYTHE????????? Judgment takes a calm before the storm approach to the finale, I'll probably keep this a short review, as my time should indicate this map isn't particularly long. This map feels a bit like an extreme version of 02/03/04. The room with the three switches and four pillars is a bit of a strange, but I dig how you can take it at your own pace, and also the cluster of Cacos taking up like a third of the map is a little dopey and obnoxious, but overall I like this map enough. Feels like being in the eye of the storm with a simple layout, fights and visual. Nice. Grade: B+ Difficulty: C 4 Quote Share this post Link to post
DisgruntledPorcupine Posted May 31, 2022 MAP27: Emerald Machine UV, pistol start, saves 100% kills, 2/4 secrets Our second map of this monochromatic void episode serves up a green themed techy map. The name seems to be a combination of maps 27 and 30 from Sunlust perhaps? It's another fantastic looking map, especially love those tall helix-shaped decorations. Really adore the midi in this one, almost gives me an IDM vibe, and it's surprisingly groovy. Thought it sounded familiar, seems like it's a very commonly used midi but I probably recognize it from Sunder. So this is quite a long map, and honestly one I have mixed feelings toward. First off, the beginning stretch is a bit of a slog. Monsters are very spread out, and ammo can be slightly tight as you progress so you might want to get the later cyberdemon to infight as much as possible, which makes an already slow section even slower. After this beginning stretch I do enjoy most of the fights (a few grindy ones aside), but it does feel like there's a fair bit of dead air in this map. For some highlights, I do like the fight on the way to the optional BFG with the archons surrounding you and the revenants in the middle, very chaotic and fun. The second-last fight is great too, and can be quite difficult even with the optional BFG. I think I found the fight for the plasma rifle to be the most difficult fight, those archviles can be very tough to deal with among the rest of the chaos. The final fight with the demolisher was an interesting one, a bit frustrating but I like the neat concept of stepping on pressure plates to raise the cover. Looks and sounds fantastic, gameplay is a bit of a mixed bag though. MAP28: Crimson Oblivion UV, pistol start, saves 100% kills, 0/1 secrets The red map of the episode sticks to something a little more typical, but no less easy on the eyes. This one brings a dimly lit red and black cavern. Below are the black voids you've seen throughout the episode, but this time you can fall in for an instant death. Nice having a death-pit that you don't have to wait out or just IDCLEV when you fall in. Some nice Metal Gear Solid music too, fits the atmosphere nicely. This one isn't as hard as the other maps we've played lately, elected to do a saves run though since it is still a relatively challenging map and I don't wanna doddle too much. The monster count is dialed down from the mid-hundreds that we've seen to a more manageable 122. SSG and plasma are given at the start and will be your main weapons of choice in this map as you navigate its many ambushes. The fights with those raising and lowering pillars triggered by a bunch of switches are pretty neat, and as much infighting as possible is advised, as ammo is not plentiful in this one. I actually finished this map with 0 of everything! Also notable is that cyberdemon before the rocket launcher, you'll have to do some rapid platforming to get past him and kill him from behind. It's not too bad, but RNG can definitely be your enemy here and blow you into the death pit. Cool little map with a great atmosphere. I'd call it a breather, but really that's only in comparison to the other stuff around here. It can still bite hard if you let it. 3 Quote Share this post Link to post
kalaeth Posted May 31, 2022 and so we reach the end of the month and the end of the judgment. MAP 30 - The Grand Conjuration : Once again, I have to listen to the appropriate soundtrack as I play it, so let's fire up Opeth and the game. The big bad spider is there, dominating the level. I could BFG it right at the start but decide to run past. Eventually I find the plasma gun and trigger the cow, kill it, move onward and fall down to a open space with pillared stuff. Picking one of them up triggers a small ambush that I deal with fast, and back inside I go. Cross the SMM fire line, reach a corridor with rockets. Switch, skells and a fire boy, and now I have to run past the spider again, and then land face to face with a manc only to realize way too late that a RL is not the best weapon for that fight and end up dying to a fireboy I can't even see. Restart from the skel+AV switch, run past the spider, enter the other room, find a corner, plasma the PE, manc and nobles, rocket the AV, switch, kill the new baron, lift, switch, cross, 'port. Kill imps and pinkies, switch, head back, go pick up the starting megasphere, and then jump down across from the spider. And now there are a LOT of cells, a BFG, a megasphere...Tons of rockets, invunerabilities, soulspheres, more megaspheres.. I admit to being kinda scared of what's comming. Ok, I survived a lot of time (212 of 218 monsters..) but then died when I realized the IoS was shooting at me but I couldn't land shots on him, autoaim wasn't cooperating. Second try I kill the damn thing (not quite sure how) and finish! 100, 42, 0 K/I/S, 2 deaths, 10:17 minutes for a grand total of 11 hours 6 minutes and 7 seconds! And that's it! A really cool wad, I will surely replay it someday! 4 Quote Share this post Link to post
finnks13 Posted May 31, 2022 MAP30 - The Grand Conjouration: As far as closing maps go, this is a pretty good one. We start in a techbase, similar to that found in Map13 and the slight theme clash from the previous stage initially threw me a bit, but we're still firmly in the void as stepping outside you'll be confronted by the vast nothingness of the sky. The first part of the level is a small obstacle course with a spider demolisher watching over you. It took me a while to figure out how to lower the SSG, I didn't expect the pillars in that room to just be lifts and my reward for figuring out this puzzle is barons. The cyberdemon fight after picking up the plasma gun was a bit lame since there's not much threat unless you decided to pick up the secret blursphere which makes this fight pretty much a dice-roll. The finale is pretty cool, the icon of sin is revealed and timed waves of enemies spawn in. The enemy density is suprisingly low, but I'm thankful it isn't more hectic because you'll be constantly taking damage in this arena since you'll always be surrounded on all sides - the pain elementals that spawn in every so often are particularly threatening due to the lost souls' increased aggressiveness. I didn't particularly like the spiderdemons in this arena, they're quite annoying and randomly dying to an infighting spiderdemon that decided to BFG is a bit of a bummer. I did think it was cool idea that killing the spiderdemons is what causes the icon of sin to take damage (and presumably) die, but grabbing the yellow key also allows you to kill it through the sheer power of pressing two switches. I guess this is a concession for pacifist speedrunners, but it's a pretty lame way to kill the final boss and is way too easy to find. Definitely one of the better finales that I've played, it's certainly better than most Icon of Sin maps and I think it ends the wad off on a good enough note. Overall Thoughts on Judgment: I'm really not sure about my overall feelings on Judgment, from looking at my individual rankings of the maps I'd have thought that my opinion on the wad would be incredibly positive, but I feel much more mixed. As an overall experience, a lot of the maps blend together in my memory of them, and I think this is because of the aesthetic and gameplay similarities between the majority of Judgment. Episodes 1, 2, 4 and (some of) 5 are themed around hellish fortresses of some sort, and while the specifics of how they're textured differs between the episodes (especially episode 2 which goes for a more wooden approach for it's hell fortresses), I feel like more emphasis should have been put on different themes. Episode 2 has these really cool overgrown fortresses in Maps08 and 09, but this is abandoned in Map10 and 11 and Episode 5 has the really cool CEMENT techbases but half the maps in this episode also take place in red marble fortresses. My point isn't that these maps look bad, because the aesthetics of Judgment are easily it's best feature, but the CEMENT maps in E5, the pink secret maps and Episode 6 show that Rayziik is capable of doing really interesting themes and I wish they were more common. Gameplay is something I've complained about a lot here, and most of my complaints have been about the incidental combat, which is far too plodding and slow for my taste and this feels at odds with the frantic and fun set-pieces. These set-pieces are great, but they take up much less of the map than the incidental combat (which isn't a bad thing) and my enjoyment of these set-pieces is lowered by not particularly enjoying the map between them. I also feel that because Judgment gives you all the weapons too frequently, and doesn't switch up what monsters it throws at you very much until the final episode, which makes a lot of these maps feel very similar to play. The death exits between episodes pointless as you'll have all the guns you did before it within a couple of minutes of starting the new episode. I feel the difficulty curve contributes to this, while Episode 6 is definitely the most challenging episode, I'd have a hard time calling any given map in Episode 4 or 5 much more difficult than a map in Episode 1 or 2. I really like the new enemies that are introduced, for the most part. The new zombie enemies (with the exception of the SSG zombie) feel rather unnecessary but the rest of the new monsters in Judgment are very creative. MBF21 lets you do a lot of cool stuff with monsters and I think Judgment manages to get the balance right of adding in loads of new stuff, without it becoming overwhelming and impossible to learn. I think that introducing new projectile attacks is a risky move for monsters since everyone knows what to expect from the existing ones so well, but Judgment adds in just two new projectiles to enemies that you'll commonly encounter which are easy to figure out because the baby cacodemon's attack is probably a less damaging version of the cacodemon's attack and the Nightshade's attack is memorable because it's bouncy. The Fallen were my favourite new monster by far, they're the best iteration of a flying, glass cannon enemy I've seen and I think this is because of their large size, very obvious sound cues and the use of the revenant missile which I especially think was an inspired choice. I also like the Azazels and Archons and they fulfill different, but interesting roles in combat - the Azazel is brutal up close because of it's cloud of mancubus fireballs and the Archon works really well from a distance because it fires attacks in a wide arc that can differ in behaviour. The Wraith is a really cool idea but was not particularly effective in practice - I never got hit by one until Episode 6! The changes to existing enemies are interesting, and with one notable exception either work well or aren't impactful enough to be offensive. The imp using a cacodemon for it's attack is a very good idea, and makes it a bit more threatening while immediately communicating how much threatening it is. The pain elemental's changes make it much more threatening and the lost souls' increased aggressiveness contribute to that, but the buffed chaingun works well as a counter to it which makes Pain Elementals not feel unfair, mostly. The biggest change is to the Baron of Hell, and while adding a second projectile to them doesn't seem like a huge change, I think it impacted how much they were used in combat. This is purely speculative, but I think that the change to baron has made Rayziik feel that they're much more interesting and threatening to fight and therefore has made him use them in his maps significantly more than what he would have done were they not changed and I think this is one of the biggest contributors to how sloggy Judgment's incidental combat can feel - either that or Rayziik is secretly Yonatan Donner in disguise :P Overall, I think Judgment is a good wad that I want to like more than I do, and that's why I've been very critical of it in places (especially in these overall thoughts) - it's so close to being an all-time favourite for me but misses due to design choices that just don't work for me. Judgment has certainly put future work of Rayziik's on my radar as his set-piece design is really great and I feel if he were unburdened by the intent of making a classic-styled, fairly low difficulty wad, then he could make some truly superb combat puzzle or slaughter maps. Episodes 3 and 5 were my favourites overall, with Episode 6 being pretty close behind, as they offered the most interesting themes, with the most consistently fun gameplay. The polish and presentation of this megawad are great, and for being released so soon after the MBF21 standard, it integrates the new things allowed by it very well. I like Judgment, but it's not a wad that I'm likely to want to replay very soon. Top 5 Maps: Map33 - Neon Crater Map05 - Incised Path Map13 - Combustion Map28 - Crimson Oblivion Map02 - Blood Mountain Overall Rankings: Spoiler Really Liked: MAP02, MAP05, MAP33, MAP13, MAP28 Liked: MAP06, MAP07, MAP08, MAP09, MAP12, MAP14, MAP15, MAP31, MAP17, MAP20, MAP22, MAP23, MAP24, MAP25, MAP26, MAP29, MAP30 Mixed Opinions: MAP03, MAP32, MAP19, MAP34 Didn't Like: MAP11, MAP27 Boring: MAP01, MAP04, MAP10, MAP16, MAP18, MAP21 4 Quote Share this post Link to post
tonytheparrot Posted May 31, 2022 (edited) (Played continuously on UV with DSDA-Doom, saves are allowed) Map 30: The Grand Conjuration 101% kills, 64% items and 33% secrets Time: 10:01 A lot of megawads, even modern ones go out with disappointing, weak or unbalanced maps but I am happy to report that Conjuration does not belong in that category. As always, the visuals are splendid as the yellow structures pop against the empty void and the midi supports the aesthetics and action perfectly. Speaking of the action, the combat is really fast-paced, starting off by a linear course of pressing switches, killing enemies and dodging the centrally-located mastermind, which is more fun than it sounds as you're bascally sprinting from one room to the other during the entire section. However, this is only the appetiser before the main course. The final fight of Judgment takes place in the area outside of the starting building, it gives tons of supplies, but pits you against waves of enemies teleporting one after the other for some minutes, all while a projectile-spewing icon of sin has a view on you during the entire battle. Around the end 2 masterminds also appear making the arena even more chaotic. After that glorious moment, grab the yellow key, kill the masterminds, press the switches and watch the icon explode to cap off an awesome wad. Final Thoughts: Judgment was my first exposure to MBF21, and it definitely showed very well the possibilities of that new complevel, thanks to the advanced dehacked andthe good use of MBF21's features. I am also impressed by the fact that all of these changes are not as overwhelming as I thought they would be, espcially during the first 2 episodes in which lots of new enemies were introduced. Speaking about them, I generally like the new enemies, but some of them are not great in my opinion, the baby caco is rarely used and unthreatening, the fallens were only dangerous once in map 17, the shaman was only used 4 times in secret maps, and out of those, he was only threatening once, and I dislike the 4th lost soul that spawns after the pain elemental dies. Despite my complaints, the dehacked is a big part of what gives Judgment it's identity and I really appreciated the rest of the new enemies and changes, even the brute who I thought I was gonna absolutely hate. About the levels, All of them looked good, had a fitting midi and the quality was consistent during the entire playthrough. Even if the wad's incidental combat can be a bit boring sometimes, the levels make up for that with setpieces that are really fun and satisyfing to clear. My biggest problem with the levels is that outside of E6, the wad doesn't have as many standouts as some other megawads in my opinion. But despite all of my criticisms, this wad is a labor of love and a worthy result of 8 years of work. Final Time: 6:55:40 Final Rankings: Spoiler Love: Map 26 Map 32 Map 29 Map 20 Map 5 Map 30 Map 27 Map 10 Map 6 Really Like: Map 17 Map 13 Map 15 Map 33 Map 19 Map 31 Map 23 Map 12 Map 21 Map 9 Map 24 Map 16 Map 22 Map 8 Map 2 Like: Map 25 Map 14 Map 7 Map 28 Map 18 Map 4 Map 1 Mediocre: Map 34 Dislike: Map 11 Edited May 31, 2022 by tonytheparrot Added final time 5 Quote Share this post Link to post
NiGHTS108 Posted May 31, 2022 (edited) MAP29: Amethyst Citadel Kills: 86% Items: 62% Secrets: 0% Time: 19:26 STARDA- okay sorry lmfao Amethyst Citadel is probably the grandest map in Judgment, a beautifully shining purple citadel at the edge of the void. There is definitely a lot to talk about with this one, so let's go sequentially through the map. First, a little after the start, for the love of god get the plasma rifle before the blue key or you are going to have a BAD time in the ensuing fight for said key. The shotgun and minigun simply do not cut it here. Even with plasma the fight can be a little frustrating truthfully, this map peaks out a little later on. After this you can make your way to the cave area near the start, beware of the sudden Arch-Viles and hell goats at the door, and look out for the Archons inside, as you probably won't have enough health to deal with them, however a rocket launcher is near which allows for a pretty traditional rounding up of enemies. I like it well enough. After this you'll be able to enter the titular structure. I love how freeform the combat is in the middle third of this map. You can basically ricochet from setpiece to setpiece, leaving a trail of complete destruction. This leads to probably my favourite fight in the entire wad. A grand, ominous room that drops in... whatever goes. It knows perfectly how to raise the pressure by dropping in the right monsters, and this is boosted by several Cyberdemons and a full BFG. Lock 'n' load. After this you are basically done with the map, there's a gimmicky fight atop the castle, and from there it's just the path to the yellow key and a net of Arachnos on the way out. This map kicks so much ass, the combat works extremely well and it constantly crescendos right until the last demon bites the dust. Grade: A Difficulty: A MAP30: The Grand Conjuration Kills: 95% Items: 72% Secrets: 66% Time: 11:08 COMBUSTIO- MAP30 of Judgment isn't too huge or has a whole heap of stuff to talk about honestly. I think this one peaks out early on, what with the surprise Demolisher right away and how generally chaotic this area is, swarming with Arch-Viles and other high tier foes. I think the western path is my favourite, there's a lot of fire here, and I mean literally with those Archies and flames bursting from the ground. To get to the final area, you'll have to traverse both wings to open the bars leading to it. I think I generally LIKE the final fight as a whole? I mean, the huge rocks from the IoS are neat but can be a little annoying, but I do seriously enjoy the ensuing mosh pit of demons, the fight feels very progressive. Excellent ending fight. However what I'm not too wild about is trying to kill two Demolishers after the flames die down with a limited supply of ammo to end the map. Feels like it takes way too long and kinda killed the mood. Or I'm overzealous with the BFG. Who knows. The ending drags it down a little but I think this map is still very largely enjoyable overall. Bravo. Grade: B+ Difficulty: A - FINAL THOUGHTS - Total time: 5:27:46 Okay, so I'm on record of calling Judgment the "missing 2010's megawad", I looked at the DeHackEd usage, visual stylings and 6 episodes and grouped it in with the likes of Valiant, Sunlust and Eviternity, to name a few. However, now that we're here, I don't think that's a great way of describing it. Sure, it follows similar stylings to those wads, but overall, I suppose Judgment feels almost like a "bridge megawad" of the community, saying that at the risk of coming off as pretentious. I don't think Judgment is "missing" from any period of the community in particular. Instead, it is a celebration of the past, while constantly looking towards the future. Kinda literally with those great MBF21 elements. My final grade for Judgment as a whole is an A. It may not hit the highest highs ever, but I'll give you one thing for sure. It's sure as hell consistent. For overall difficulty, I think I'll call it a B-. Apart from the ending, it feels like Judgment's difficulty mostly peaks out around episode 3 or so. Whole playthrough Now for the grand ranking! Spoiler 29: Amethyst Citadel :) 26: Cerulean Depths 19: Mourning Palace 12: Chemistry 14: Metallosis 31: The Shaman's Grove 22: Watershed 06: The Stronghold 32: Walk With Me In Hell '21 33: Neon Crater 13: Combustion 08: Rotting Garden 23: Plateau Of The Beheaded 20: Ruination 09: Hanging Death 17: The Slayer's Tomb 15: Dawn Of The Machine 05: Incised Path 30: The Grand Conjuration 25: Flooded Archive 16: Harlequin Vale 28: Crimson Oblivion 24: Devil's Orchard 03: Ritual Grounds 02: Blood Mountain 04: Temple Of The Lost 21: Entrencemperium 10: Cenotaph 18: Forgotten Abbey 01: Pit Of Fire 27: Emerald Machine 07: Arcanaeum 11: Shrine To Madness 34: Circle Of Druids (Finally, I don't have to spell it like that anymore, I always preferred "judgement") Oh yeah also the rejects or something, because I played those MAP01: The same fight twice, one with plasma, one with rockets, C-, E MAP02: Somehow boring and exhausting, D, B MAP03: Pretty neat fights but kinda slow, B, B MAP04: Pretty neat fights but repetitive copypaste layout, C+, B- MAP05: It's like the ending of Heartland MAP06 but awful, F, E MAP06: "Fumbling In The Dark" is literal, F, D+ Overall grade: C-, overall difficulty: C- K see you in Uprising byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Edited May 31, 2022 by NiGHTS108 5 Quote Share this post Link to post
cannonball Posted May 31, 2022 (edited) MAP30 - “The Grand Conjuration” In all fairness this was a decent closer to the megawad. Some tense and tight encounters to start before the big fight in front of the "Icon of Sin", that instead of spawning monsters chucks out fiery rocks at the player that can deal significant damage. You have three demolishers eventually in this arena where you face several waves of monsters in a small(ish) space. Tough, but not over the top is the only way I could describe the fight. Once you have killed the demolishers then the level is over. Out of all the maps in the final episode, this probably had the weakest visuals, though it was solid enough and the combat is generally well put together. A solid effort overall and doesn't leave a bad taste in the mouth that other map30s have done (Even in the big name releases). Overall Judgement presents a number of questions for me, what is the best way to create a one-man megawad? Personally I think that one of the most important things is that you need to be quite brisk in terms of the development cycle and not have the project stew for several years where your opinions on what makes a good map could very well change. Judgement shows this quite strongly with a start contrast between maps that were made back in 2013 and those made just a year ago. It raises the question as to whether it is better to cut away the older maps and focus on a shorter but easier to accomplish mapset. I say this because in general Judgement does get better as you progress, especially the last two episodes, which seemed to show better map design and much better world building. Judgement has a habit of wrongly trying to straddle the line between incidental combat and proper set piece events, as such you kind of don't get either of them done overly well at times during this wad. You can do both, even in the same map, it just needs to be carefully woven. I do feel bad in a way because I can't help but feel that I am giving this too much of a hard time for a couple of reasons. Firstly I am playing this after being blown away by Haste last month, the second being that the closest comparison to Judgement is Valiant (Which is probably my all time favourite megawad) and it is hard to not compare the two. For the most part i feel Judgement is weaker in terms of general design and also lacks the ability to create strongly distinct themes that carry through the whole adventure (Again the last third is better), there is kind of a "Default to hellish fortress" mantra that carries for a lot of this. Despite this, I did enjoy this wad overall and I wouldn't describe too many of these maps as being "Poor", most are average to above with a few showing the potential this wad could have offered. This is clearly a labour of love that actually implements some of the MBF feautres well (I didn't dislike any of the new monsters, well except the shaman perhaps), I think the helper dogs are an interesting idea too. Overall a solid wad overall that worth a playthrough, however I suspect many would leave at the end thinking that this could have been much more than this and is brought down by some of the older maps and the design philosophy that surrounded them that leaked even into the newer maps to some degree. Overall - 3.5/5 Favourite maps - Map33, 22 and 29 - The first two were far better at getting the general flow of the level right, whilst Map29 is a real stunner and the combat is on the whole very good. Edited May 31, 2022 by cannonball 6 Quote Share this post Link to post
TJG1289 Posted May 31, 2022 GZDoom/UV/Blind/Saves Map 30: The Grand Conjuration 97% kills and 66% secrets Time: 19:47 Deaths: 3 from plasma cyb, 1 from small hallway with revs and archie, a few from the first demolisher, and a lot in the final battle This map seems like it would be an IoS map, but thankfully it's not. Your first goal is to open the gates to the final area. You'll have to take 2 side paths to find the switches to open it, plus all the weapons. The central demolisher is annoying, especially if it BFG snipes you. These mini set-pieces aren't too bad all things considered. Once you get down to the final fight, you're presented with several waves of enemies, all while the IoS spits high damage meteors at you. If you didn't take it out already, the demolisher teleports onto the yellow key now. I'm still not sure what the point of the yellow key is, as I couldn't figure out a way back out of the arena to use it. 2 more demolishers will pop up on the sides eventually, and in order to finish the level you need to take them all out. Easier said then done. You'll have to make sure you can easily grab one of the 8 soul spheres and 2 mega armors when need be. I just had the BFG out the entire fight. I like the touch of having all the cell ammo in this arena being small cell pickups, that way you don't accidentally waste a pickup with they were bulk cells. Overall, this is a nice final map with a pretty nice challenge. Killed me a lot, that's for sure! 23 hours ago, Book Lord said: I also hoped that the classic endgame sequence included the full assortment of monsters, but apparently MBF21 does not allow to extend the parade beyond the usual 18 sprites. They all showed up for me in GZDoom! FINAL THOUGHTS This is a map where I think the whole is better than the sum of its parts. There's not many maps in this WAD that I'd say are mind-blowing. There's nothing bad in here, but not much that I would describe as "excellent." Lots of "good" and "great" maps tho. I'm not sure what exactly it is that's missing from these maps as a lot of them tick off the boxes of things I enjoy in maps. Nice set-pieces, fun fights, and great visuals. I really like the new additions to the monster lineup. In fact, I think that's the best part about the WAD. These new monsters add new interesting components to figure out while engaging in combat. I liked how a few of them have different modes of attack, and can stop attacking if you hide from them. The new rifle is nice, and the minigun is a better chaingun for sure. I like the MBF21 features, especially the fact that secret levels can be accessed from maps outside 15 and 31. It's a nice change that allows for some really cool surprises if the secret exits aren't mentioned in a txt file or something. The Dehacked content in general is also well done, and has some cool elements to it. So to sum it all up, this is a 3.5/5 for me. The new additions do most of the heavy work here, as there's something missing that I can't really pinpoint in the general level design and combat. Maybe more compelling incidental combat? The set piece fights are pretty well-tuned, so maybe that would work better as I do enjoy incidental combat. Maps looks great as well, especially maps 26, 29, and 33. Though some maps seem just to be a visual continuation of a previous map. I'm assuming we're doing Uprising next month. I probably won't replay it since I just beat it a few weeks ago, but I do think this WAD is pretty similar to it. Lots of new monsters is its biggest similarity. Though I would say I liked Uprising more than this. The general map design is more varied, and the styles are different. You've got some smaller maps, giant exploratory maps, and intense combat maps. It's pretty fun! 5 Quote Share this post Link to post
Azure_Horror Posted June 1, 2022 (edited) Being one of the first MBF-21 WADs made, Judgment piqued my interest quite a bit. But I was busy with IRL stuff and other WADs, so I was not able to play every level of the megaWAD. I played only some levels, mostly from epsiodes 1, 2 and 6. My impression from the levels played is quite good. One level in paticular really, really, really stood out to me: Map 11. Map 11 - Shrine to Madness This map mainly focuses on three things - rocket launcher, Pain Elementals and super-fast melee imps. Yeah, that's sounds absolutely horrible... But in practice this map is much less obnoxious than it may seem at first. How is this possible? The main trick is the design of the fights. The fights happen in pretty spacious rooms, which allow you to strafe freely. With a lot of space to dodge, you get plenty of opportunity to hit PEs with rockets. And the rooms also have some notable geometry, which can stop some of the fiery skulls zipping around. The changes to Lost Souls also help. Forgotten Ones, the Judgment version of Lost Souls, are less bulky and more aggressive. Is this good? Surprisingly enough, yes! Big clusters of Forgotten Ones tend to self-destruct pretty quickly due to infighting! To top things off, Shrine to Madness also offers a chaingun as a sidearm. You won't be able to fill each and every demon with lead, but you have enough bullets to snipe quite a few particullary annoying hellspawn. Oh, there is also a Spider Demolisher on Shrine to Madness! The fight against Spider Demolisher is less of a proper bossfight, and more of a teaser of a new scary enemy. The Spider is immobile, and the arena has convenient columns to hide behind. So a sudden apearence of a giant hitscan spider is not that scary. But the Spider Demolisher is not your usual Spiderdemon! It also shoots rockets and BFG projectiles! Rocket splash damage in particular can easily clip the player if they are not careful. The resulting fight is rather easy to win, but it showcases the powers of Spider Demolisher very well. The player clearly understands that without lots of convinient cover this foe will be really terrifying... Shrine to Madness looks like a clear homage to Hunted from Plutonia. Both maps occupy map 11 slot. Both maps focus on fighting a particular type of enemy under a clearly defined set of conditions. Both maps deliberately spook the player with uncomfortable gameplay. And both maps are pretty minimalist in their design. I think that Shrine to Madness is the best reinvention of Hunted I have ever played. Due to its minimalism, Shrine to Madness is a much better homage to Hunted than, say, Archviolence from Plutonia 2 (in my opinion, of course). Overall impession. I didn't play all the maps from Judgment. But I quite liked the maps I have played. Three particular traits seem to be very abundant in Judgment: 1) The maps do not feel too grindy, despite individual fights often involving quite beefy monster compositions. 2) @Rayziik deliberately blures the line between incidental combat and setpiece fights. The resulting gameplay reminds me of the original IWADs and modern pWADs at the same time. 3) Many setups do not provide the player with an obvious way to win, but they also do not instantly destroy the player. Feels like an intersting departure from a prevalent modern approach, which loves to add elements of combat puzzles to fights. (I like my cute little combat puzzles, but it is intersting to see an alternative approach.) Judgment is a labor of love, and has its own distinct style. But it is very hard to describe Judgment in a few definitive statements. I think that @NiGHTS108 is right on the money: Judgment feels like a "bridge megawad", which brings together elements from different eras and schools of Doom mapping. The mapping convetions are often defied in many little ways, which together make the WAD feel unique. I will definitely try to play more of this WAD. I would love to read a deatailed review of Judgment by @Demon of the Well or @Roofi. They both have a keen eye for different infuences from different eras of Doom. Sadly, neither of them joined the club this month. Edited June 1, 2022 by Azure_Horror 6 Quote Share this post Link to post
Roofi Posted June 2, 2022 Quote I would love to read a deatailed review of Judgment by @Demon of the Well or @Roofi. They both have a keen eye for different infuences from different eras of Doom. Sadly, neither of them joined the club this month. Thanks for the mention! But I'm busy with the "Endless Random Wad Adventure", writing all these reviews takes a while hehe. To be honest, Judgment doesn't interest me more than that but I greatly respect all the work done. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post
Book Lord Posted June 2, 2022 (edited) I am late for the wrap-up, and I am missing the June DWMC, since this month is typically too busy for me to follow a tight schedule. I'll leave my extensive thoughts on Judgment here and say goodbye for a while. Final Thoughts Once again, I was invited by the DWMC to play a single-handed effort, this time without breaks from guest mappers. Judgment underwent on and off development over almost a decade, thus acting as a showcase of the author’s stylistic evolution. The most intriguing feature was the late implementation of MBF21, a 2021 mapping standard aimed at broadening the options available for Doom editing. The specification allowed to tweak some hard-coded effects in the classic game, such as the use of Tag 666 or the exit to secret levels. It also gave extra freedom to adjust enemies and their interactions with the others. As a result, Judgment boasted 4 in-game-accessible secret levels, contained several effects triggered by the death of specific monsters, and added 11 brand new enemies without giving up any of the standard 17, who in turn received some reskinning or significant changes in behaviour. Our trusted Doomguy went on a journey around 34 maps, divided into 6 episodes that might be accessed from the menu or played in succession. The subdivision was more arbitrary than usual, with themes varying considerably between episodes and in the middle of each episode. The author proposed his finest texture combinations and most successful layouts more than once, and as a result, certain maps shared the same visuals, sometimes in the same episode, sometimes at such a distance that the association might go unnoticed. I take as examples the green nukage tech-bases of MAP14-15 and 27, the yellow & brown of MAP13 reappearing on MAP30, or the pink weirdness of two secret maps, shared with the regular MAP16. In contrast to the consistent Episode 1, featuring temples and shrines inside lava caves, the other episodes ranged from tech-bases (Episode 3) to the monochromatic black void maps (Episode 6) that have been trending in the last years, with unpredictable variations in between, like the CEMENT tech-bases and the flooded library of Episode 5. The rest of the megaWAD was full of marble fortresses, lava caverns, and stone temples, all competently done and visually entertaining, but not so conspicuous to stand out against each other. I noticed that the first 21 maps, designed between 2013 and 2015, followed a recurring pattern: an area, called the “crossroads hub” in my writings, connected the different sections of the map and was crossed multiple times during exploration. While this created an illusion of non-linearity, the progression rarely included optional areas and usually avoided multiple paths to the same place. The crossroads hub gradually disappeared in the last third of the WAD, which was produced at a slower rhythm between 2016 and 2021. The recent maps clearly received extra polish and attention to details from an increasingly confident author. @Rayziik (or Rayzik) is best known for his contributions to the Slaughterfest series, popular community projects with self-explanatory titles and intents. There were traces of habits originating from slaughter gameplay, but Judgment was conceived as a set piece-based megaWAD, with good incidental combat in between. As a reference for this, the author cited Plutonia and said it was “painted with a modern brush”. I must say that I slowly came to disagree with that statement. While the set pieces became more extensive and demanding for the player skills, I was seldomly caught off-guard, unlike it sometimes still happens with Plutonia, and with PWADs inspired to its gameplay. The type of combat was more quantity than quality, and with this I mean that not every single monster mattered. Terrain rarely played a major role, maybe only in the last episode. The encounters were defined by the enemy assortment and their number, and the teleport arrangement allowed for some randomness. Moreover, the second half of Judgment increased the difficulty by not providing the required weapons: it placed them either in secrets or in branches that must be explored before attempting the crucial fights. With maps increasing their size in the last episode, and with every pickup featuring a complimentary trap, this posed an additional challenge to pistol starters. I played continuous on Ultra-Violence, with savegames mid-level (not during encounters to cheat the RNG or to facilitate anything). I think this was a good measure against frustration, even though the death exits between episodes forced me to pistol start anyway. It was not a big deal, except on MAP26 for the reasons detailed above. Throughout the levels ammo was not always plentiful, as I was frequently forced to switch weapons even with carry-overs; on the other hand, health was not an issue and there was enough to make up for mistakes. Judgment was remarkable for the MBF21 implementation, which added novelty in the enemy department and allowed some effects that were not everyday things. However, Rayziik did not design his creation around this complevel, which was integrated at the last minute. As a result, not every new enemy mattered and only a few of them were properly introduced. The first time a new monster was shown, the situation should have been designed around its abilities; unfortunately, most of them appeared out of nothing, among other creatures that engaged the player and diverted his attention. Helper dogs were another quirk I had never tried before, though carrying animals around levels not designed for them was cumbersome. The secrets were moderately difficult, and I started missing lots of them as the maps became bigger. Optional levels were worth the visit to get an early or exclusive glimpse on some new enemy; MAP32 might be an exception, a not very enjoyable trip down Rayziik’s memory lane for some protracted, chaotic, and large-scale slaughter. One last word should go to the custom music, an afterthought that was prompted by Doomworld reactions to stock midis. The author did a good job at selecting the tracks among the countless options granted by the huge community output. My final judgment verdict on Judgment is positive for the author’s dedication and perseverance to work on a project for 8 years, and especially for taking the time to revisit it again to accommodate MBF21. On the other hand, not every ingredient mingled well in the formula; there were rough edges, like unremarkable or repetitive combat, or some enemies (mostly hitscanners and Hell Nobles) used in annoying ways that should be accepted because there was health and ammo to cope with everything. The constant improvement of Rayziik’s style was evident and accompanied the player throughout the megaWAD, and it accentuated the dichotomy between the earlier and the later maps. The final streak was memorable and gave good hopes for future work from this author, in case he is willing to further explore MBF21 and create from scratch with that standard in mind. Best maps: MAP 07 – Arcaneum MAP 19 – Mourning Palace MAP 22 – Watershed MAP 25 – Flooded Archive MAP 29 – Amethyst Citadel Other standout maps: MAP 06 – The Stronghold MAP 14 – Metallosis MAP 17 – The Slayer’s Tomb MAP 33 – Neon Crater MAP 26 – Cerulean Depths Dehacked changes commentary: - Weapon Changes: Pistol - Replaced with a Rifle, it fires faster and is perfectly accurate. A change seen in most megaWADs with modified weapons, much better than the regular pistol and the only sniper weapon in the game. Chaingun - Replaced with the Minigun, it fires much faster, but the bullet spread is higher. It acts as a good close/medium range weapon, but it eats a lot of ammo and cannot keep crowds at bay like the plasma rifle. Good against small groups of mid-tiers, flying monsters, and big hitboxes. I found it erratic and inaccurate to target zombies and other low tiers, because their small size caused many bullets to miss. Plasma Rifle – I am a big fan of the silenced plasma gun, though I do not share Rayziik’s love for the “sleek” projectile sprite. I prefer the standard one. BFG-9000 – Only a cosmetic change to the sprites, giving it a more important look. - Monster Changes: Dark Imps (replace Imps) - they shoot lightning balls like Cacodemons, with increased damage. They also have different death animations with three possible corpses. Demons/Spectres - they move slightly faster and their attack's damage happens earlier in the animation. The Spectres were almost invisible in most levels, due to the dim lighting and the less bright palette; this caused several self-rocketing accidents. Cacodemons - they spew two projectiles in quick succession, but this change did not affect gameplay as much as expected (dodging was unaffected). Lords of Heresy (replace Barons of Hell) - they launch two attacks in quick succession and are smart enough to cancel an attack if the target hides. A skillful player will learn to time their movement accordingly to exploit the improved AI. A good change to differentiate the monster from the standard Baron and from the Hell Knight as well. They are frequently used and not always with the strongest weaponry available. Forgotten Ones (replace Lost Souls) – Similar to Doom 3 Resurrection of Evil eye-less skulls, they are faster and will immediately attack on sight (like -fast Lost Souls), but their health and damage are lowered. I think this configuration was balanced and made the enemy less annoying. Arachnotron - Their width has been shrunk down to 100 to squeeze it into tighter spaces, but the change was perceivable when shooting at them from behind a corner. A practical tweak for the mapper, less relevant for the player, but good nonetheless. Pain Elementals - They now have a 50% chance to immediately attack after their pain state and will spawn an extra Forgotten One upon death. Considering how much Rayziik loves these creatures and the significant changes to their spawn, I think the changes were a bit excessive, especially in the first third of the megaWAD where they appeared more often than usual. Spider Demolisher (replaces Spider Mastermind) – The final answer to the low-threat, cumbersome, and uninspiring vanilla Spiderdemon. Twice as tough as the normal boss, with shrunken width, it carried a full arsenal of weapons: dual chaingunners, rocket launcher, and even a BFG. The chainguns are deadly if cover is unavailable, and the BFG tracers are devastating like the player’s (the ball has reduced damage, but she will have a hard time hitting Doomguy anyway). A nasty boss that added spice and danger to every fight it was featured in. Icon of Sin – Instead of spawn cubes, the final boss shoots giant meteors, making thundering noises when they hit the ground and probably dealing a lot of damage. The final arena contains so many other ways to get killed that this one felt rather unnecessary and ineffective, except for thematic purposes. - New Monsters: Former Marine - Tougher Former Human who fires repeatedly while the target is in sight. These are annoying in the middle of a large group of other monsters. Former Captain - Tougher Former Sergeant who fires repeatedly while the target is in sight. Not very different from the Nazi SS, except for the low infighting tendency (maybe due to MBF21 granular control), this guy was rarely a protagonist in the megaWAD and I barely noticed its presence. Former Shock Trooper - Tougher Former Human who fires plasma bolts repeatedly (and cruelly slow) while the target is in sight. Good way to make them different from an Arachnotron with less health. Former Brute - Tougher Former Sergeant who carries an SSG; I like the threat they pose and how they were used in the megaWAD, except on MAP32. The best new hitscanner enemy in Judgment, I find the name hilarious as they are still brutes, as opposed to the other zombies. Baby Cacodemon - A small Cacodemon with a smaller and weaker projectile attack, they hilariously bounce back when hit and make squeaking sounds. A funny enemy that unfortunately sees not enough use in Judgment. Fallen - A fast, flying demon who launches Revenant missiles: a very effective enemy that is both dangerous and easy to gun down. Azazel - A bulky goat demon that launches two powerful barrages of four wider spreading Mancubus fireballs. It infights less than expected, and it can create problems at close range. I think this is one of the most interesting additions to the roster. Wraith – A Doom 3 rip-off demon that uses slicing melee attacks and can teleport at short distances. Very confusing in the first encounters and in tight spaces, it is easily handled once his attack patterns are known and the correct weapons are selected. Nightshade - A slow floating demon with a unique bouncing projectile attack. Very tough to be ethereal enemies, they do not make much of a difference for the gameplay. It leaves no corpse, so no Arch-Vile respawning. Archon of Hell - A strong and bulky Hell Noble with multiple attack patterns that are very difficult to dodge in close quarters. He is smart enough to cancel an attack if the target hides, and explodes on death, though I never experienced the damage it deals. Surely one of the iconic monsters of the megaWAD, his presence is felt in every encounter. He leaves no corpse, so no Arch-Vile respawning. Shaman – A highly-modified version of the Arch-Vile found only in a few secret maps, the Shaman has multiple attack patterns: at range he shoots both a spawn cube and a strong projectile, but the highest threat come from telefragging; in melee, he blasts and knocks the target applying an Arch-Vile attack after the distance check. He also becomes temporarily invisible after an attack, and it lasts longer if in pain state. There are only four of them in the whole megaWAD, but it was a good example of MBF21 monster tweaking capabilities. Edited June 2, 2022 by Book Lord 4 Quote Share this post Link to post
DisgruntledPorcupine Posted June 3, 2022 Have had a tiring couple days so I'm late to the party finishing this one up, let's just do MAP29 tonight, it's a big one. MAP29: Amethyst Citadel UV, pistol start, saves 100% kills, 0/4 secrets The opening shot of this one is a real looker. This is the purple map of the episode, and while the colour matches the Stardate duo, its visuals are still pretty separate from that sort of vibe, at least in my opinion. This one takes up a fairly large area, giving us black cliffs and large structures with purple techy accents. In this large technoscape, you have to hunt down the 3 keys in whichever order you please, and once you have all 3 you may exit the map. The music is a track from Gubble, a game I heard of due to its track in Stardate 20x6. That game must have quite a soundtrack, as I really enjoy this track and the Stardate one is probably one of my favourite uses of a midi external to the Doom community. This map is challenging, lengthy, and a great adventure from start to finish. Really enjoy the layout of this one, just a very fun level to navigate through and it looks fantastic. Lots of nice incidental combat, and you won't have an easy time getting any of the three keys here either with their tough arena-based fights. The blue key is quite close by the start but the fight to get it is a big pain. A cyberdemon pops up in the center of this cramped room, before hordes of hitscanners and imps start teleporting into the area to join in on the fun. Grab the plasma and don't let go of the trigger, hitscanners take priority and among them you'll want to really get rid of the shotgunners quickest. Apart from if you catch a stray rocket, they'll be dealing the most damage. Once you start seeing barons, that means you're almost free, and you can take the blue key and either finish everything off or get the hell out of there (the latter in my case). Past a large number of teleport ambushes lies the yellow key, and this is probably the easiest of the key fights in my opinion. Still, you have a circle of arachnotrons and a whopping 4 cyberdemons to deal with, so there's no shortage of action. Really just circle strafe around, get the arachnotrons and cyberdemons infighting, and you won't really need to fire a shot until the arachnotrons are dead. You can try and finish off the cyberdemons afterwards if you want, but I chose to save them for the very end and just leave with the yellow key. Much easier to kill them with BFG in hand. Branching off the yellow key path a bit is the red key path. It features some fun setpiece-y combat scenarios, before pitting you against the map's most chaotic fight for the red key. You get a BFG here, and you'll be putting it to good use as a ton of monsters come at you in waves, with cyberdemons in the back overlooking the whole onslaught. They'll get some infighting done, but you'll still have to do most of the work yourself. The flying monsters are the absolute worst here, both the pain elementals and fallen can make things hell if you leave them alone. The azazels can also burn you to a crisp in an instant as they cover the room in fireballs. Possibly my favourite map in the set. As a penultimate map it delivers and then some. Very tough challenge, great sense of adventure, and the visuals are fantastic. 2 Quote Share this post Link to post
DisgruntledPorcupine Posted June 6, 2022 MAP30: The Grand Conjuration UV, pistol start, saves 90% kills, 1/3 secrets Hey, Opeth reference? The wad comes to a close with a yellow and brown techbase, flowing with damaging golden liquid. Go down the two starting paths to hit two switches and open up the way to the final boss of the wad. The music is real cool, from a game called Nightmare Creatures that I've never heard of. Very metal and intense. This one was quite hard. I failed to get 100% kills and decided against trying again since forcing one to get 100% kills seemed a bit against the spirit of things. You will likely want to go down the right path first, as it contains a rocket launcher that makes dealing with the swarms on the left path much easier. Both of the paths may be the hardest parts of the map though, that cyberdemon that surprises you when you get the plasma is extra mean. The final fight consists of an Icon of Sin that launches fireballs at you instead of spawner cubes, and scattered waves of enemies. If I'm interpreting right, either killing the spider demolishers or getting the yellow key that eventually lowers and hitting two switches will cause it to eventually die. You get a lot of BFG ammo here, but there are so many demolishers that it can get quite tough. Pretty nice closer. Not as grand as the previous map, but a worthy challenge to be sure. Overall impressions: I have to agree with the folks that said there's a bit of a "bridge between eras" quality to this one's gameplay that's charming. Despite using a shiny new compatibility, the wad doesn't feel like it fully shoehorns itself into either modern or classic play, toeing the line between setpiece-focused and incidental combat very nicely. The difficulty curve was pretty nicely done, most of the wad is very accessible but the heat gets cranked up pretty high towards the end. Didn't too often feel like a map seemed out of place. There were some maps that missed a bit for me in the combat department, but overall this was a fun play. I think I would have liked to see a slightly lower focus on hellish/demonic themes, I did feel a bit fatigued by seeing it later on, but otherwise visuals were nicely done. The custom monsters and their usage were one of the things I think I appreciated most about this set, despite rather major changes to the roster things felt like they fit together quite nicely, so was happy to see that. My favourite map was most likely MAP29, visuals and gameplay were both at the absolute peak in that one. Some honorable mentions include MAP33, MAP26, MAP05, MAP19, and MAP20. 2 Quote Share this post Link to post
General Roasterock Posted June 13, 2022 I know I'm late, but I was in part requested to finish this out, so you'll have to excuse the bump. Map 27: Emerald Machine This is more of what I expect from the last leg of a substantially difficult WAD. Emerald Machine is a whole tier meaner than Map 26, specializing in how much of an open playground the majority of it ends up being. It's another scramble for guns that are pretty well hidden to the point where I didn't find the singular Super Shotgun until the very end of the map, after all the big fights were cleared out. Yes, it would've been incredibly helpful to have whenever I was charging through big hordes of free roaming monsters when I otherwise didn't have better weaponry. The pitch black sky worked in Cerulean Depths since there was so much vibrancy in everything. Here, most of the greens aren't terribly bright, and I feel the sky is kind of empty due to that. I do think that most of this map being on a circumference is very unique, and really difficult to do with editing tools available. I can truly appreciate how well the layout is put together. All of the fights within it, on the other hand, are incredibly tough, tougher than anything I've really seen so far. The BFG fight sticks out specifically, as I could neither scrounge up enough ammo to make it worthwhile against the massive horde that I allowed to group up with my inaction, nor get enough space to run away in a direction that didn't eventually end in a sharp corner. Secrets are a huge crutch for the survivability for this level, and I found that every one elicited an "oh fuck off" whenever I found it (I'm looking at you, shootable switch). The Demolisher fight with the button operated cover was neat, but it is exactly the definition of cover shooting, so I can't be too happy about it. The rest of the fights felt very manageable, even if I did have to come back later to clean everything up, and I have to say that it feels good the throw so much BFG around in a green map. This is my least favorite map of the episode, which should absolutely speak volumes of how good these are. Map 28: Crimson Oblivion Despite being such a simple visual setup, Crimson Oblivion's void is striking. The way the red rock descends down into darkness is something that Emerald Machine absolutely needed. While the former feels like the empty space is creeping in to the rest of the formation, the latter just kind of exists in a full black skybox. With a much lower monster count and greater focus on ambience, this map really stands out from a streak that already make their names loud and proud. The combat is nice and tight, done mostly to encourage a good understanding of the death pits and Azazel choke points. I was a bit confused at the arena where you hit a switch multiple times to release multiple monsters, because it felt like after a certain point the columns were just opening on their own. It made it very easy for monsters to flood into that tiny space. I wish I had a good deal more to say, but this map was really small and didn’t bite as hard as the others, so I’m simply happy with it. Map 29: Amethyst Citadel Gonna be honest, I played this one at a bad time. Amethyst Citadel joined me with a headache, which made me struggle with taking in a lot of what the map had, especially in the combat department. My experience had a negative sway due to that, but it would be unfair to deny all the objective greatness in this one. If we’re going with the rest of the trend here, then the Stardate inspiration is prevalent, and very well built upon. The pink is the obvious point of reference, but the way that the metal and rock soars into the sky and comes into either points or domes lined with torches is very much in line with that same WAD. Everything feels so vibrant. I specifically like the pink crystals that line most of the natural landscape, as I imagine that the limitless power of MBF21 allowed for a lot more exact uses of decoration for levels that have a rigid theming like this. The combat is no holds barred, unrelenting mania for every inch. Guessing which route will equip you better is honestly a coin toss, I chose North first by managing to squeeze my way into the northern fortress from the start, and paid the price heavily as I was mowed down by Archons and the like without any weaponry at all. I wouldn’t agree with this map being nonlinear though, as there is pretty clearly a directed path, especially in the second half of the level. When I WAS at capacity and able to fight back, I loved the Arachnotron fight, and the bit at the far north along the stone walkways was a nice visual marvel that allowed me to see the windows of the castle. Otherwise, I got beat down a bit more than I could handle at the time. The obligatory WAD “random bullshit go” BFG fight dragged on about a minute too long, and the well rationed ammo around the room was increasingly hard to reach as bigger and bigger demons rolled through. That same Archon fight still beat the shit out of me, as even with my weapons I didn’t have the cells to take out the Arch-Vile on the one platform. In fact it really felt like the turret monsters weren’t included in the total ammo consumption, which I mostly drummed up to a speedrun mentality of “just deal with them later”. I was so exhausted that I simply closed the port after I grabbed all three keys. As pathetic as not being able to muster up the courage to walk to the exit teleporter sounds, that’s simply the state that a little more than half of the fights put me in. I can accept that there’s a good portion of the pain that is my fault, and am able to say without doubt that Amethyst Citadel is an awe inspiring map. It doesn’t striked me emotionally like Neon Crater or Cerulean Depths, but I’ll have to play this again some time. Map 30: The Grand Conjuring Thank you for not making this map only the boss. While the Icon is an impressive piece, and a really simple implementation of another layer of pressure, the singular ending fight would have been a rather dull ending to a mapset that clearly knows how to lay out a level. The Grand Conjuring does suffer from the same issue as Emerald Machine where it feels like it simply exists in a large black box rather than the endless void. A lot of the metal hanging out in the distance feels really bright, as if something else other than the copious boiling slag is illuminating it. It’s definitely a nitpick but it’s almost distracting when I think about it too hard. I really like the rest of the choices visually being a sympathizer for Sunlust recommenders. It’s a step above Combustion when it comes to acting as a blistening machine, and symmetrical Map 30s are a guilty pleasure of mine. The intro combat is quick, but punchy. I was worried about having to run directly towards a Demolisher to get the map going, and she mowed me down before I could get around the first ime, but I won the coin flip on my second life. The amount of heavy hottest that get thrown into the start, including a stuck Cyberdemon, really push the player towards getting their shit together. The Arch-Vile hallway was ribbed, not for my pleasure, but in a way that made every sprint past the bastards nail biting. I don’t think I’m a fan of every secret being a shoot switch, or in the same room as the monster that has the strongest hitscan attack of the past decade, but it’s all means to an end, and that end certainly delivers. The final fight, despite being simple in concept, has a ton of great qualities to it. First of all, thank you for actually using Cell Charges instead of packs. Every other mapper on the planet would simply throw down packs and call it a day, which would lead to so much wasted ammo in an arena like this. Cell Charges with a BFG make sure that every bit of Plasma goes to good use. Second, accounting for both Pacifist and NoMonsters routes in a boss map with the use of the Yellow Key is a generous consdieration, and one that doesn’t go unnoticed. I’m glad the Fallen gets another shot at fame in this brawl, and I didn’t feel like I had substantially little health every time I ran through the fight. I normally am not a fan of throwing more than six or seven monster species together, as it turns maps into waiting sims, but this one handled it well. This map is impressive visually, mechanically, and it just feels damn good, all things that this WAD strides in. Final Thoughts: Judgment is a very individualized experience. There’s copious amounts of speed demo DNA in it, and watching the maps evolve from Blood Mountain to Amethyst Citadel feels like a journey across time. There’s not a single map that left me miserable, and very few that I mostly didn’t enjoy. The brevity, vibrancy, and non-destructive changes to Doom’s work horses give a ton of replayability value. I will absolutely be coming back to many of these maps, specifically 32, if only to pay my respects, if not take the challenge to a new level. Power Rankings: Spoiler Neon Crater Cerulean Depths Amethyst Citadel Watershed The Shaman's Grove The Grand Conjuring Crimson Oblivion Harelquin Vale Emerald Machine The Stronghold Metallosis Rotting Garden Devil's Orchard Plateau of the Beheaded Chemistry Forgotten Abbey Ruination Pit of Fire Arcanaeum Flooded Archive Dawn of the Machine Cenotaph Incised Path Entrancemperium Combustion Ritual Ground Hanging Death Blood Mountain Circle of Druids Temple of the Lost The Slayer's Tomb Walk With Me in Hell Shrine to Madness Mourning Palace 4 Quote Share this post Link to post
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