The Thing you can’t Defeat - Ultimate Doom WAD for GZDOOM - [8 maps]

[fuzzytrick]

Blasted through it quickly, but nonetheless I have to say: good idea, great execution. Although I've seen dementia portrayed in the video game culture and community before (take this for example), I think that your WAD strongly fits within the contemporary art label. Maybe video games do not see the proper representation in art exhibitions and galleries, but just because you have chosen DOOM for your artistic medium does not make it any less worthy.

Congrats for your creation, your wad is a perspective on just how fragile our bodies and minds are.

 

 

Edited September 30, 2022 by fuzzytrick

[Captain Ventris]

Just sat down and tried this, and wow. The atmosphere was incredible, the sense of dread as things unravel. The ending was high concept and I loved it. You took a swing for the fences with this, and it shows.

[RandomNPC]

What a well-executed mapset! I didn't know about “Everywhere at the end of time” by the Caretaker, so I didn't clearly know what to expect.

 

About the ending: at first, I thought that it lacked a "death state", but after a while it really hit me. It felt as unsettling as a random broadcast interruption, while watching TV in the evening. Sudden silence and nothing.

 

P.S. in E1M6 I couldn't open a door after entering the yellow key room. I thought that it's a puzzle, but from Mercury Spade's walkthrough the exit is straightforward. (I am using GZDoom v.4.8.2).

[astromancer]

I just finished it and I'm speechless. Playing it is a downright physically unpleasant experience.

[TheVanessii]

If anything deserves a Cacoward it's this, genuinely fucked me up 

[Xindage]

i'm the only that noticed that e1m8 (not the slot that crashes the game)but the layout of it at least the bare bones of it exist, in e1m7 when you're walking into the blank, as soon you reach that place with shadows if you really pay attention it is e1m8 just the minimal layout of it and the hallway to the final boss is actually e1m1, your final stage.

[Scuba Steve]

1 hour ago, TheVanessii said:

If anything deserves a Cacoward it's this, genuinely fucked me up 

It came out last year and we certainly talked about it. The Thing You Can't Defeat interested us as a concept, but the technical execution felt a bit lacking.

Edited May 10, 2023 by Scuba Steve

[Memento Mori]

A playthrough video popped up in my YouTube stream today and, despite other pressing commitments I should have attended to, the screenshot alone sparked my curiosity.

 

With about an hour’s play time to complete I thoroughly enjoyed this.  While frustrating at times, this only serves to reinforce the artistic experience you are trying to evoke.  The ending is poignantly executed and as others have said, I reinforce the observation that reuse of E1M1 in perfect clarity before the end, given that this has to be the most played level within the gaming population, is a masterstroke.  All this contributes to excellent storytelling.

 

Sadly I wasn’t able to play with music and I sense that I have missed on a deeper, more impactful experience which wouldn’t be replicated on a second playthrough where my familiarity with the level design would dilute the immersion.

 

Well worth a playthrough though all must be aware this is not your standard Doom experience.  I had allusions to both Layers of Fear and American McGee’s Alice.

[Sneezy McGlassFace]

Oh how much I love these experiences that turn the game on its head. Well done

[smeghammer]

Just played the first few maps. Very cool use of silent teleport. I like the clever use of revisiting the 'same' place to see it slightly different. Even on e1m1 there seemed to be subtle differences, even before you get to places that should have switches.

 

Will have to play more.

 

>>> EDIT <<<

 

Well, that was... unsettling.

 

Spoiler

Very unique Doom experience. I loved the way it wasn't about killin' the demons. The last part genuinely makes you feel lost, and helpless, and WTF is going on.,, The increasingly distorted and disjointed music really adds to the experience.

(spoilered for, y'know, spoilers)

 

Like this a lot.

Edited May 11, 2023 by smeghammer

[houston]

On 7/31/2022 at 10:57 AM, Shepardus said:

• I was playing with "Doom (strict)" compatibility settings, and in E1M6 after getting the yellow key I couldn't open the door to get out of the room. Given the context, it took me a while to realize that it wasn't working as intended and thought to change the compatibility flags.

Do you know which flag it is? I came here because I was stuck on that level, I assumed the yellow key room was just some kind of death trap.

Edit: Set compatflags to 0, reloaded the save, still can't beat the level. What's the deal?

Edited May 11, 2023 by houston

[HumanHardDrive1]

I thought you just had to use noclip. it's no big deal

[Untamed64]

Thank the Youtube algorithm for bringing me here, I nearly missed this gem.

It was uncomfy, but in the best way. Much kudos.

[Zeroandneko]

Even on a second playthrough this set evokes some emotion and sadness on just how disorienting life can be when afflicted with a mental illness like dementia. Really awesome work here 

[GenColossus]

I also came via the YouTube algorithm here (first log in since late 2020) to thank you for this frightening WAD!

Spoiler

• I noticed only three oddities in Map 1 but that was enouth to make it uncomfortable
• Maps 3, 4/5, and 6 were very, eerie and surprising and messing with me.
• Maps 7 and 8 were a psycho trip

 

[siealex]

Watching this on YouTube made me cry... especially in E1M7. It really looks like the last memory (or the last word) before death... recalled EXACTLY like in childhood...

[Gradius]

I was about to reference the genuine existential crisis that is the album “Everywhere at the end of time”, but I see it's an inspiration. MyHouse didn't even get five minutes at the top before being dethroned as "wad mostly likely to trigger a mental health episode".

[WhateverComic07]

Pretty good. Maybe it's just because I listened to the album that inspired this map for the first time less than an hour before playing this map, but it just didn't hit for me in the way it seems to have for others. I searched everywhere at the end of time in the doomworld search bar to try to find a wad with music from it in it, and this is the first thing to come up. Probably would have gotten me if I wasn't so emotionally drained from the album. Jesus Christ that album. you've clearly heard it to have dedicated the mapset to it, so you get the existential crisis I went through a little bit ago. Never before have I cried to music, but god damn those last 6 minutes.

 

Sorry that this is a little incoherrent, just kind of typing as I think. anyway, I enjoyed the map.

 

edit: I realized that the way the beginning is worded it sounds like I'm saying the map has music from the album. It doesn't, and anyone who hasn't heard it you need to listen, and read the description of each stage, to it, as long as your in an ok place mentally.

Edited May 16, 2023 by WhateverComic07

[ReFracture]

This whole experience unnerved me in ways no game ever has before and has led me down the path of experiencing Everything At The End of Time.

I would suspect having multiple family members with severe brain problems makes this and especially your inspiration hit close to home.

 

I'm an emotionally dead husk after experiencing them back to back. Uhg.

 

Well done.

[lulle]

Thats a very nice idea! So I made a mod based on this idea that works with any map and even adds some features:

Into the void

[saladlove]

Amazing! (just finished playing) 

It doesn't touch me with emotions and stuff (I am probably dead inside haha lol), but I love incredibly fucked up things (in a good way), great job!

[TGDavid]

If anyone is still reading this, I have a quick question. 

 

If I'm using FreeDoom, I have to select phase 1 when launching right? Since Phase 1 has 4 chapters and it seems to be the same as Knee Deep in the Dead

[houston]

That's right, but I don't know whether you're going to have a very fun time with it. Due to the nature of the mod you'll get a lot of mismatched, (technically illegally) edited sprites popping in.

[Aeriz]

Absolute masterpiece. Such a great concept. I wish I hadn't had the concept spoiled for me beforehand, but that's what really made me want to play so whatever works, I guess.

I love mods like this that use Doom for purposes outside of just normal levels.

[Devalaous]

Far more terrifying than the OTHER horror wad doing the rounds these days

[Creaphis]

 

I feel privileged that I'm able to fully appreciate this work of art. You really do have to be obsessed with Doom to be able to catch all the subtleties of how things slowly (and then quickly) break down. My dozens of completionist Ep 1 playthroughs have paid off.

[Gentlepoke]

PROTIP: Probably not a good idea to play this at night with headphones and a USB fan blowing air onto you.

[Lonespacemarine]

On 7/26/2022 at 3:55 AM, RastaManGames said:

What with the file size, dude? It is ~350 Mb... Did you included an entire uncompressed music album made by The Caretaker himself?

 

P.S.: Dude, I was joking about this...

  Hide contents

 

That's a lot of music 💀

[YourOpinionsAreWRONG]

8 hours ago, Lonespacemarine said:

That's a lot of music 💀

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeah, I was very new to Doom mapping hahaha

[YourOpinionsAreWRONG]

Just rediscovered my extensive notes for this WAD.