UnknDoomer's corner of ultra silence - Short WAD Reviews / Longplays / Hints

[UnknDoomer]

@BeeWen, perhaps. Perhaps not. There might be a specific port or port versions issues, might be something I've missed and so on, but, based on commentary on youtube you have just added, you are a sort of guy that perceives any questions as serious criticism, which is actually not, it's just a questions / moments which I've noticed and which are happen time to time, sometime it's not. As you can see my short review doesn't have "Contras" section, while sometimes it does.

So you might / not add an simple answer / note which I might add on top then, but instead you decide to tell that, well, to put it bluntly - "Your gameplay is shit. End of story.".

Edited October 7, 2023 by UnknDoomer

[UnknDoomer]

Anyhow. If there is a possible hard bet made on that works of yours must have no commentaries / gameplay style that, abstractly speaking, "somebody might not like", well, no problem too, I might avoid them in the future, ever in this case it was originally started by @Isolation, same as actually in the first message of this topic my settled gameplay conditions described quite clear / it's a first time I've got such feedback.

Edited October 7, 2023 by UnknDoomer

[UnknDoomer]

159. Mosaic (2023).

 

https://www.doomworld.com/idgames/levels/doom2/Ports/megawads/mosaic

 

Screenshots:

 

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/mosaic_1-png.303779/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/mosaic_2-png.303783/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/mosaic_3-png.303785/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/mosaic_4-png.303786/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/mosaic_5-png.303787/

 

@Szymanski:

 

 

Quote

Mosaic was a competition to create maps from a fixed template of triangular sectors. The template consists of 1536 isosceles triangles with 64 unit length sides, arranged as a large 1024 unit sided hexagon. Mappers could adjust the attributes (height, texture, tags etc) of the individual sectors but not modify their shape.

 

A wad of 26 maps, the structure of which is built from triangles, giving the maps a rather unusual, angular style. The levels are the same in size, compact, but different in specificity and theme, each map was created by a separate author, for this reason they as a whole were clearly not balanced in the context of “ongoing” gameplay - it is assumed to start with a pistol. A forced start, as in some wads, is not provided here - by the fourth level you can collect all types of weapons, but, for example, the same third or eighth map, considering that I play exclusively on the Ultra-Violence difficulty, remains tough even in this case, I personally am accustomed to the approach.

As in most cases, when it comes to some technical limitations, the main gameplay comes down to the core idea, but everything else fades into the background. Based on this can say that there will be a couple of remarkable maps here, but, as usual, you shouldn’t expect any revelations - there are simply enough typical levels and arenas with packs of enemies here.

 

 

Settings and features:

 

* GzDoom 4.11.3a, UV difficulty.

* Complete completion will take ~ 3  hours.

 

Pros:

 

+ M11 - "Stygian Scrap Stack".

+ M18 - "The Witch's Cabin".

+ M23 - "Metamorphic Mastification".

 

Contras:

? M25. It is not entirely clear whether this is a bug or not, but on this map it was not possible to pick up the red key without noclip - the platform does not lower.

- Unremarkable ending.

Edited December 14, 2023 by UnknDoomer

[UnknDoomer]

160. Sigil II (2023).

https://romero.com/s/SIGIL_II_V1_0.zip

 

Wad by John Romero, released on the 30th anniversary of the original Doom and, like the original Sigil, focused on working with The Ultimate Doom. Positioned as the unofficial sixth episode, it consists of 9 levels (1 secret). Traditionally, in the author's style, the locations are relatively compact, and the number of enemies on average does not exceed 150, and somewhere around 100 per level. Compared to the original, the gameplay has become somewhat more cheerful, but the concept remains similar. The main mechanics boil down to interacting with hidden switches, from now on, at each level you will encounter one, and sometimes two, cyberdemons.

 

 

Settings and features:

 

* GzDoom 4.11.3a, UV difficulty.

* Complete completion will take ~ 2,5 hours.

 

Secret level.

 

E6M3 -> E6M9. On the map you can see a small isolated area. You will need to perform a rocket jump from the nearest ledge opposite.

 

Pros:

 

+ E6M6 - "Vengeance Unleashed".

+ E6M8 - "Abyss of Despair".

[UnknDoomer]

161. Sekhemti (2023)

Quite a high-quality wad, presented by @Shawn, of 6 levels in the surroundings of ancient Egypt. The action takes place in the "Valley of the Kings". Doomguy needs to explore tombs full of monsters and traps, find a mysterious artifact, and then escape safely from the wrath of the ancient gods, expressed in this case by the constant spawning of new enemies on the last map.

 

 

Settings and features:

 

* GzDoom 4.11.3a, UV difficulty.

* Complete completion will take ~ 1 hour.

 

Pros:

 

+ M5 - "The shrine of Shepseskaf".

+ M6 - "The Tomb of Shepseskaf".

 

Edited December 15, 2023 by UnknDoomer

[Shawn]

14 hours ago, UnknDoomer said:

161. Sekhemti (2023)

 

Thank you for playing my Wad !

I really liked your aggressive play-style, it made the video fun to watch.

I hope you had fun !

[UnknDoomer]

2. Phoenix Temple (2023).

A map for Heretic, presented by @alexsa2015sa, notable for two facts. The first is complexity, due to which you will have to rely heavily on the default weapon and time bombs. The second is the complete absence, which is rare, of gargoyles. To exit a level it is not necessary to find all the keys and destroy all enemies. In this sense can say that the choice is subjective.

 

On the other hand, if measure it by the standards of Doom, then there is nothing extraordinary here. For example I managed to pick up a phoenix pod after finding the first, yellow key, and I picked up the third and fourth weapons by the time there were practically no enemies left on the map. Would it be easier with them? Of course, especially considering the number of rounds for the third one. Is it possible to complete it without them? Yes.

 

 

Settings and features:

 

* GzDoom 4.11.3a, difficulty 4/5.

* Complete completion will take ~ 45 minutes.

Edited December 17, 2023 by UnknDoomer

[UnknDoomer]

163. KGZDoom1 (2023).

Screenshots:

 

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/wolfenstein-3d-screenshot-2023-12-17-00-17-39-92-png.304222/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/wolfenstein-3d-screenshot-2023-12-17-00-35-19-86-png.304223/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/wolfenstein-3d-screenshot-2023-12-17-01-03-28-00-png.304224/

 

This two-level wad was not on my initial list for consideration, in particular because it was published a few days ago, and at first glance it may seem unremarkable, if you do not take into account a few “buts”:

 

1. This is the first published work in 18 years by @kdoom, that highly rely on GzDoom features.

2. In addition to custom specifics and textures reminiscent of a combination of Quake II and the first Unreal, the work is notable for its balanced difficulty, although the final boss and the method of its destruction may raise some questions.

 

 

Settings and features:

 

* GzDoom 4.11.3a, difficulty 4/5.

* Complete completion will take ~ 1,5 hours.

Edited December 24, 2023 by UnknDoomer

[kdoom]

Thank you for playing my maps! That was a very good run you did, too. I really enjoyed watching. I have to admit, the ending battle is a bit unfair, but you did it!

[UnknDoomer]

164. Veil of Darkness (2023). Cacowards 2023.

Screenshots:

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/vod_1-png.304253/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/vod_2-png.304254/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/vod_3-png.304255/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/vod_4-png.304256/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/vod_5-png.304257/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/vod_6-png.304258/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/vod_7-png.304259/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/vod_8-png.304260/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/vod_9-png.304261/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/vod_10-png.304262/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/vod_11-png.304263/

 

A wad for Hexen, presented by @Captain Toenail, notable for a number of features. In particular there are:

 

- new consumable items;

- the usual roster of monsters was supplemented with unique varieties;

- several colorful bosses, in particular ettins, driving chariots and a tank in the Warhammer style;

- chests of two types with different utilities; to open them you need to find keys;

- 5 trolls, the first of which can be found behind one of the shelves in the first location; finding all five will give access to the fourth weapon, which would otherwise be quite difficult to assemble (the first part is hidden in the basement of the castle, the second under the mill, in the ventilation, which can only be climbed using the jump panel, finally the third is hidden in the pyramid, access to which will open when saving a character in the starting location; I personally did not get it).

- custom textures.

 

Based on the combination of these factors, wad is comparable to Wolfen, released in the 2000s.

 

According to the plot, the chosen hero will have to confront a demoness named Nox (the reference to the corresponding title is quite direct) and explore a series of locations, from a swamp and forest, to a castle, an ice cave and the huge mechanical basements of a mill (hello Hexen II). Balanced gameplay, interesting puzzles and a patch for compatibility with Walpurgis are included.

 

 

Playlist

 

Settings and features:

 

* GzDoom 4.11.3a, difficulty 4/5.

* Walpurgis 0.96A.

* Complete completion will require ~ 6,5 hours.

* Colored lamps do not have a special functional load and can be used for additional lighting in a particular location.

* The ending is open.

[UnknDoomer]

162. PUSS XXVIII: Quoth the Raven (2023).

Screenshots:

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/wolfenstein-3d-screenshot-2023-12-15-14-28-43-44-png.304025/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/wolfenstein-3d-screenshot-2023-12-15-19-06-11-78-png.304027/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/wolfenstein-3d-screenshot-2023-12-15-23-41-43-86-png.304031/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/wolfenstein-3d-screenshot-2023-12-15-23-44-36-66-png.304032/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/wolfenstein-3d-screenshot-2023-12-16-00-15-53-74-png.304035/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/wolfenstein-3d-screenshot-2023-12-16-00-45-54-76-png.304039/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/wolfenstein-3d-screenshot-2023-12-16-01-38-53-58-png.304040/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/wolfenstein-3d-screenshot-2023-12-16-07-00-02-11-png.304044/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/wolfenstein-3d-screenshot-2023-12-16-07-01-25-79-png.304045/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/wolfenstein-3d-screenshot-2023-12-16-07-07-07-48-png.304046/

 

Wad for Heretic, presented by @Death Bear, consisting of 3 episodes and 27 levels (3 secret). It is a collective work of 17 authors, created, among other things, in a short time frame - no more than 8 hours to develop one map.

 

Despite such timing, the end result is quite solid, the maps are well detailed, not least due to the use of a custom texture pack. In this sense, in general, it can be noted that this element, which 4-5 years ago in the Heretic context was rather a unique event, is now gradually becoming commonplace.

 

The name of the game does not refer to the company that developed the original game, but to Edgar Allan Poe and his famous poem, in connection with which, in particular, there is a related plot. The theme changes from episode to episode - if at first it is the surroundings and various spaces, such as caves and forests, then in the second episode these are combined with the predominance of urban buildings and with a small, or, conversely, large number of enemies. The third is the embodiment of conventionally abstract demonic, or more precisely in this context, “snake” fortresses.

 

 

Settings and features:

 

* GzDoom 4.11.3a, difficulty 4/7.

* Heretical Doom 1.5 + Monsters 0.4.

* Complete completion will require ~ 5,5 hours.

* EXM9 exit is automatic from E1M6, E2M4 and E3M4.

 

Pros:

 

+ Small details.

+ Soundtrack.

+ E1M7 - "The Deep Woods of the Hopeless Morrow".

+ E2M4 - "Clue".

+ E2M9 - "Water Weird".

+ E2M6 - "Crystal Caverns".

+ E3M4 - "Quaff of Raven".

Edited December 19, 2023 by UnknDoomer

[UnknDoomer]

165. Heretic To Hexen Mod (2019 / 2023).

The last work on the current list and which I would like to focus on this year, presented by @deathzero021. Conversion of three original Heretic episodes into the Hexen reality. Everything was replaced - textures, enemies, weapons, consumables. At the same time, the structure of the levels itself remained the same as it was many years ago, but from the standpoint of the surroundings it was also replenished with the possibilities provided by the latest versions of GzDoom, which is why the familiar atmosphere is perceived doubly differently.

 

Otherwise, there is nothing special to say here - the same Heretic, only in different angle. Since I played through the original three episodes more than "few times", and the author does not plan to expand it to five, in general I decided to limit my playthrough only to the first episode, additionally diluting it with a gameplay modification of Walpurgis. As a result the balance became somewhat lame, which is why it is recommended to get acquainted with it without any “additives”.

 

 

Settings and features:

 

* GzDoom 4.11.3a, difficulty 4/5.

* Walpurgis 0.96A.

* The first episode will take ~ 1,5 hours.

[Andromeda]

On 12/17/2023 at 2:30 PM, UnknDoomer said:

163. KGZDoom1 (2023).

 

1. This is the first published work in 18 years by @kdoom, also formerly known as kgsws.

I'm fairly certain kdoom and @kgsws are different people.

Edited December 23, 2023 by Andromeda

[kdoom]

17 hours ago, Andromeda said:

I'm fairly certain kdoom and @kgsws are different people.

I don't know who kgsws is....not me. I didn't catch that lol

Edited December 23, 2023 by kdoom
Typo

[UnknDoomer]

@Andromeda, @kdoom, well, it seems I've got into wrong source then. Fixed.

[kgsws]

On 12/23/2023 at 1:08 AM, Andromeda said:

I'm fairly certain kdoom and @kgsws are different people.

 

On 12/23/2023 at 6:35 PM, kdoom said:

I don't know who kgsws is....not me. I didn't catch that lol

 

On 12/24/2023 at 8:42 AM, UnknDoomer said:

@Andromeda, @kdoom, well, it seems I've got into wrong source then. Fixed.

 

What makes it even more funny or confusing is that i have actually released something with almost the same name ages ago.
https://doomwiki.org/wiki/KGZDoom

[UnknDoomer]

166. Nerves of Steel (2015 / 2017).

 

https://doomwiki.org/wiki/Nerves_of_Steel

https://mikestoybox.net/2017/01/04/nerves-of-steel/

 

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/3317_5ff4ac0fa2f58-jpg.305730/ (poster)

 

About some notable works of a guy under the nickname Impie, such as Strange Aeons and Realms of Dr. Chaos, I told you earlier. Today I would like to talk about another one, this time pure TC, inspired by one of the worst shooters of all time - Nerves of Steel (1995).

 

Quote

199X... Japan fell into the hands of the fascist Red Moon Faction and returned to Edo Period isolationism, cutting itself off from most of the outside world. Visiting foreigners were swiftly booted out and told never to return. Outside communications were heavily censored by the secret police. The faceless leader of the faction, known only as Aniki -- "Big Brother" -- ruled the country with the iron fist of a modern shogun, torturing and crucifying all dissenters. Despite their fearsome campaign, the Red Moon was written off as a candle in the wind, Aniki as a third-rate Kim Jong-Il who would be out of power by the turn of the century.

 

More details in the .pdf attached to the wad file.

 

As you know, “from love to hate there is one step.” Taking this principle as the cornerstone, the author converted all his anger regarding the original title into the creation of a unique total conversion, which, on the one hand, nominally takes the plot of the original as a basis, but in fact is somewhat different in this regard, including for technical reasons, and on the other hand, in the context of the elaboration of details and gameplay, it is many times superior to the unremarkable original and moves it's interesting concept to a completely different level.

 

TC contain:

 

* 2 heroes to choose from.

* 7 guns.

* 16 types of Japanese-speaking opponents.

* 3 episodes of 6 levels, each with unique textures and soundtrack.

 

 

Second video, third video.

 

Settings and features:

 

* GzDoom 4.11.3a, "Senpai" difficulty (4/5).

* Complete completion will take ~ 3 hours.

* Those interested in similar works can be recommended to pay attention to the “spiritual” successors of Operation Body Count (1994), Angst: Rahz's Revenge (1996), Fears (1995, Amiga CD32) and Killing Time (1996) represented by Operation Body Count (2017/2018), Dinomensch (2020), Fears (2020) and Mask of Sobek (2023) respectively.

 

Contras:

 

- E1M6. In my opinion, the teleport sequence is not a good idea. I still couldn’t find the right combination to move to the next section - I used cheat codes.

? E2M9, E3M14. At the end of the level, one of the sections did not open. I couldn’t find any switches that could open it. It's not entirely clear whether this is a bug or whether I missed something. A similar problem occurred on the M14.

Edited January 8, 2024 by UnknDoomer

[UnknDoomer]

167. IronTusk's Diablo 3D (2018 / 2022). Build 1.2.25.

 

https://forum.zdoom.org/viewtopic.php?t=59198

 

About a year and a half ago, I briefly mentioned this TC, made by @irontusk341, in one topic on OG, but it didn’t come to a detailed analysis then - the initial familiarization raised some questions about the context of the gameplay, but a more in-depth study made it possible to select subjectively suitable settings.

 

Diablo The Lord of Terror has invaded the world of Sanctuary to free his brothers Mephisto and Baal. Your job should you choose to accept it, is travel to the depths of the labyrinth and stop diablo before he escapes to free his brothers. This game takes The original Game HERETIC on the doom engine, and transforms it into a FPS/RPG horror game. Now this diablo 3D story will contain, diablo as episode 1, fighting diablo and defeating his essence in hopes his followers will scatter and save tristram. Episodes 2-6 will follow the storyline of Diablo 2 Lord of Destruction. Acts 1-5, plus an additional story which takes place between the events of Diablo 2 and Diablo 3. There are no TRUE open maps, Some maps like Canyon of the Magi, Stony Field, Tristram, most of episode 5, are Somewhat open, but not true open areas like you would expect.

 

I've noticed a lot of players having issues of finding the next dungeon after the Caves. While I did once have a wikia page that explains the mod in complete detail, Trying to stay true to the original diablo Hellfire expansion, After the cave exit, that takes you back to tristram, The town now has a hole in the ground on right of the map, across the bridge. That hole takes you to the level "The Festering Nest" Once completing that level, you are back in tristram again. This time an opening by the Cathedral will allow access to "The Crypts" Map. When you finish the crypts map, the teleporter will transport you to Lazarus's Domain. This game features a ton of puzzles to open secret passages or doors. If played through with every passage unlocked you should be able to get through the first diablo experience plus Hellfire, as well as Diablo II and its expansion LOD. There is a fan made expansion after defeating Baal, which delves deep into Legendary Diablo Lore.

 

What in contain?

 

* Adaptation of the classic Diablo I / II duology, including Hellfire, based on GzDoom, visually and structurally looking like a wad for Heretic, borrowing some elements from Hexen. The narrative is divided into several episodes, covering not only the events of the mentioned duology, but also a fragment between the second and third parts.

* The skill tree here is responsible for an additional modification, Wrath of Cronos, included in the archive.

* There are six classes - barbarian, paladin, mage, hunter (here, apparently, a huntress), necromancer and assassin.

* Monsters, on the one hand, moved straight from the original titles, on the other hand, they are variations from various sets and remade monsters from the original Doom / Heretic / Hexen. Weapons are selected for classes, five for each.

* A basic inventory and trading system is provided - in this aspect the content is substantially closer to Heretic/Hexen than to Diablo I and especially II proper. Although there is enough different loot, consumable items, and armor, there is no full-fledged inventory system that would correspond to the original. All items are used in the same way as consumable bottles, be it pants or armor. The only exceptions are essentially accessories, a small number of which can be found from the seller at the starting location or at levels. Each at the start costs 5,000 coins (the cost can be reduced by increasing the charisma skill), you can carry no more than two with you at a time. Judging by the notes in the topic, this arrangement was not so much a conceptual decision of the author as a general technical limitation.

* Maps are static and do not change from the start of a new game, although in general, to a lesser / greater extent, Doom has been allowing such functionality for quite a long time. In addition, the segments themselves were significantly reduced. The same Hellfire, which in the original occupied 4+4 floors, here essentially occupies only two, and hell is only one.

* There is no monster respawn.

* The quest component was completely leveled down to simply clearing dungeons. With the exception of the sellers, there is no one to interact with here, and all side segments, such as the poisoned spring or the pit with skeletons, are linearly built into the overall structure of the levels. The same applies to side quests in general. So, for example, picking up a black mushroom simply gives a bonus, but there is no witch in local Tristram to whom it could be given.

* I limited my playthrough to the local variation of Diablo I + Hellfire.

* Bosses, including Diablo, are often weaker here than ordinary opponents, like the same dark knights.

* Development of the modification is currently completed and no global updates are planned, as opposed to, for example, The Hell III for Diablo I, a full release of which is expected no earlier than middle of 2025.

 

 

Playlist

 

Settings and features:

 

* GzDoom 4.11.3a, "Hatred" difficulty (5/9). Roughly comparable to Ultra-Violence, Destruction (6/9) is more close to Nightmare - one or two skeletons can kill in a couple of hits.

* To launch, you need to put the files in the Heretic folder, for example E:\Games\Steam\SteamApps\common\Heretic Shadow of the Serpent Riders\base, launch through "iron tusks Diablo 3D - FULL.bat".

* I have a 16:9 monitor, 1920x1080. “Scale factor” was set to 1.0, but with lower values, I usually use 0.75, local small inscriptions become difficult to read.

* I chose the hunter class. It is possible to call a raven and a wolf for help. Certain parallels with Walpurgis emerge here.

* The parts covering Diablo I + Hellfire will take ~ 4 hours to complete.

 

At the end of the day can briefly state that it turned out to be an interesting project in its own way, but there are no really special features that could significantly distinguish it from other large-scale total conversions, and in some places including some wads for Heretic / Hexen I've seen around.

[UnknDoomer]

30. Red, Dead, & Ready (2024).

A tough compact map in hellish style, presented by @Quin. Can serve as a good test of skills for passing on the "Nightmare" difficulty without saving. Of the key elements for a successful passage, three can be noted - provoke the baron to attack the imps at the start of the level, pick up a machine gun in the segment with towers, without which it will be difficult to proceed later, avoid a skirmish with a cyberdemon in the finale, which can and can be dealt with, but one mistake will be aggravated by the start the entire map again.

 

 

Settings and features:

 

* GzDoom 4.11.3a, Nightmare difficulty.

* Complete completion will take ~ 4-5 minutes, not counting unsuccessful attempts.

Edited February 17, 2024 by UnknDoomer

[UnknDoomer]

168. DBP64: The Vast Silence (2024).

The sixty-fourth wad from the high-performance team of the DBP forum, presented by @matador, dedicated, as the issue suggests, to Doom 64. Consists of 14 maps. While the style as a whole inherits the spirit of the original, the actual gameplay here is rather purely inherent in Doom II. If at first there are still some hints of a similar atmosphere, then the vector changes to a generally typical one for the second part, without any particular bias towards horror and puzzles, the classic run & gun.

In addition to the traditional attention to detail, one can note the presence of monsters that were not in the original game - machine gunners, revenants and archviles. At the same time, there was no place for the mother of demons, and, apparently, neither was the unmaker.

 

 

Settings and features:

 

* GzDoom 4.11.3a, difficulty "Watch Me Die!" (4/5).

* Complete completion will take ~ 3 hours.

[UnknDoomer]

169. DOOM: Final Desolation (2024).

The wad is an 8 level chapter starring Joan Dark as she fights against the forces of Hell as it invades the UAC bases and gradually takes over. A powerful demon, code-named only DESOLATION, has risen from the depths of Hell and brought with it an army of darkness that is utterly relentless. DoomGuy isn't around. Nobody is around except the demonically possessed corpses of former fellow UAC military... so it's up to Joan Dark to deal with this on her own.

 

Wad of 8 levels, presented by @Cacodoomonic, in which you will play on behalf of Joanna Dark, whose prototype was apparently the heroine of Perfect Dark (2000). The surrounding area is completely depopulated, the doomgai has also disappeared somewhere, so there is nowhere to wait for help for the young lady, she can only rely on herself. Vad is designated as vanilla in spirit, but at the same time there was a place for two new monsters, and the old ones can fight, among other things. and with their own kind. You can definitely find custom textures.
 

 

Settings and features:

 

* GzDoom 4.11.3a, UV difficulty.

* Complete completion will take ~ 2 hours.

 

Contras:

 

* It was possible to leave three of the eight levels only with the help of noclip. Apparently there is a problem with the triggers, or the switches are located in places that are not particularly logical.

[UnknDoomer]

*. Diablo Monsters (2017 / 2023). Build 52.

 

https://archive.org/details/diablo_monsters/

https://forum.zdoom.org/viewtopic.php?t=3216 (outdated)

 

 

Returning to the topic of Diablo, I would like to briefly dwell on this development. If in IronTusk's Diablo 3D the overall goal was to create a full-fledged TC, which ultimately ended with a rather ambiguous result, then in this case the author emphasized two points - monsters and weapons, extremely close to the original, which can theoretically be combined with any wad where no custom content. The result is quite interesting, but at the moment there are a couple of serious caveats:

 

- balance is lame on "both legs", regardless of the chosen difficulty.

- the work, apparently, is not compatible with GzDoom, you will need ZDoom, the last build of which was released in 2016.

 

To start, just drag the files onto zdoom.exe and make sure that doom2.wad is nearby.

 

Settings and features:

 

* ZDoom 2.8.1, UV difficulty.

* There is a player in the inventory that allows you to switch between different tracks.

* Also, when starting each new level from scratch, it is possible to call on various party members for help, ranging from an archer to a barbarian.

Edited February 20, 2024 by UnknDoomer

[UnknDoomer]

170. Operation: MDK (2023).

A wad of 15 compact maps, presented by @alando1, with a small number of enemies and a large amount of custom content, inspired by various works of the era of the nineties and early noughties. There is a plot exist that, once again, plays out the events of the original Doom in its own way.

 

 

Settings and features:

 

* GzDoom 4.11.3a, difficulty "Hard" (3/3).

* Complete completion will take ~ 40 minutes.

[UnknDoomer]

31. Outpost 13 (2024).

 

A short map, presented by @brullov, which can be completed within 15 minutes, notable for its extreme, pixel perfect level of attention to detail, and at the same time being the first work of the author for Doom, who previously specialized on Duke Nukem 3D. In recent years, the level of detail and elaboration of small subtleties, not so much on individual maps, but on wads in total, has increased significantly, but the height reached in this case is still much rarer.

 

 

Settings and features:

 

* GzDoom 4.11.3a, UV difficulty.

Edited March 16, 2024 by UnknDoomer

[UnknDoomer]

171. Crate Expectations (2024). Build RC1.

A set of 32 (2 secret) relatively compact levels, presented by @Clippy, with a predominance of high difficulty. At first there is some variation in the theme and style of the levels, ranging from typical man-made locations to various spaces with a spirit of surrealism, from elaboration of the smallest details due to default textures to walls drawn by hand in a black and white palette.

Somewhere in the middle the balance comes to naught and the previously consistent, more or less understandable structure of the levels comes down to quite chaotically concocted maps with the same chaotic, tough skirmishes, as a result almost the entire second part of the wad, with the exception of individual maps closer to the final, is not expressive and significantly inferior to the first.

 

As for the boxes themselves (crates). They are divided into two types. Some disappear when you shoot them, others explode and can be reactivated in more than a few seconds.

 

 

Playlist of 8 videos.

 

Settings and features:

 

* GzDoom 4.11.3a, UV difficulty.

* Complete completion will take ~ 6 hours.

 

Pros:

 

+ M4 - "Barely Door".

+ M5 - "Firing Squad".

+ M6 - "Bludgeonator 6:66".

+ M7 - "I am the one who Xornox".

++ M9 - "Caco Accessible".

+ M13 - "Sleep Paralysis".

++ M15 - "Drawing Conclusions".

+ M24 - "Heatwave".

+ M25 - "Panic Attack".

+ M27 - "Wood".

+ M28 - "Exit Land".

+ M30 - "Fat and Furious".

+ An enemy in the form of a soda machine on one of the levels.

 

Secret levels.

 

M15 -> M31. Towards the end you will notice a not very noticeable door.

M31 -> M32. There is an inconspicuous switch in the northeast of the map. In order to open the path to the teleport itself, you need to somehow solve a series of puzzles, which I didn’t understand. However, M32 is unremarkable, just another hastily assembled carnage map.

Edited March 25, 2024 by UnknDoomer

[UnknDoomer]

172. Take A Shower (2024).

A short-lived four-map wad, presented by @Coal_Ore_Steps, that plays on the theme of liminal spaces and dreams associated with them. The difficulty can be rated as low.

 

 

Settings and features:

 

* GzDoom 4.11.3a, UV difficulty.

* Complete completion will take ~ 10 minutes.

[UnknDoomer]

173. Alphabet Doom (2024).

There are 32 levels (2 secret), presented by @aRottenKomquat, each of which is either structurally designed in the form of a particular letter of the English alphabet, or in one way or another somehow reflects the essence of the name for the corresponding letter. The levels are mostly compact and short, with difficulty ranging from easy to hard.

 

 

Second video can be found here.

 

Settings and features:

 

* GzDoom 4.11.3a, UV difficulty.

* Complete completion will take ~ 4 hours.

 

Secret levels.

 

M15 -> M31. Climbing into the tower, you will notice a door that requires a yellow key. If you go outside and jump off the tower from one of the ledges, you can pick one up.

M31 -> M32. Located next to the main exit. You need to jump onto the curb nearby and go around the section.

[UnknDoomer]

174. DoomGPT (2023 / 2024).

 

Quote

The future is now. Bots are taking people's jobs, and us Doom mappers are no exception. Today, we are doing as our AI overlords say. Our beloved Doom II is too outdated, but leave it to Artificial Intelligence to re-imagine it! Water on the ceiling? Sure. Yellow key card locked behind a yellow door? Done. This is DoomGPT.

We were messing around with ChatGPT and found a few prompts that generate amazingly detailed Doom map descriptions, so an idea was born - a megawad where every map is directed by ChatGPT. Every chaotic idea it provided, we brought to life.

Can neural networks dream of their own wads for Doom? Today we can give a clear answer - yes. A group of authors came together to, with the input and guidance of ChatGPT, come up with detailed formulations of what a particular map should look like, ranging from the architecture of a specific room to the location of keys and secrets. The result was a rather interesting project, presented by @iddq_tea, consisting of 32 levels (2 secret). The difficulty increases gradually, the number of enemies varies, from a small number to a value of over 700 on M29, which also applies to the scale of the maps and their elaboration. There are simple and uncomplicated ones, and there are those where you have to wander around or think about how to cope with a tough skirmish in a small space, or, conversely, defeat a horde of monsters.
 

 

 

Settings and features:

 

* GzDoom 4.12.1, UV difficulty.

* During the passage you will face three bosses.

* Complete completion will take ~ 7-7,5 hours. Secret levels. M15 -> M31.

 

After about halfway through the level you can find two fairly noticeable switches and leave M15 without completing it.

M31 -> M32.

 

Pros:

 

+ M31, M32. Quite unusually played levels in the style of Wolfenstein.

+ M17.

+ M23.

+ M26. A map built according to non-human logic.

+ M28. A combination of mysticism, strange architecture and surrealism.

Edited May 12, 2024 by UnknDoomer

[UnknDoomer]

175. Terror Signal (2024).

 

A wad of two episodes and 17 relatively short but tough levels (2 secret + 1 slot occupied by the epilogue), presented by @SeaTree, notable for the presence of three redesigned weapons, three modified enemies and five more types of new ones, two of which are bosses. So the pistol now fires in long bursts, the plasma gun can charge during the process, after which it begins to cause more damage over a larger area, the chainsaw can cause the effect of temporarily stopping a particular monster. As for the roster of enemies. I will briefly dwell only on the main ones. The Baron of Hell now throws two fireballs, there are aggressive, black gargoyles and a new subspecies of lost souls that deal more significant damage and explode when destroyed. In the context of bosses, it will be possible to meet with a ghostly mage and a demon who arrived from Doom 64, but the paths have been modified in the direction of greater destructive power.

 

 

Settings and features:

 

* GzDoom 4.12.1, UV difficulty.

* Monsters on M30 seem to spawn endlessly.

* Complete completion will require ~ 5,5 hours.

 

Secret levels.

 

M3 -> M31. You'll have to do a rocket jump. Nearby you can find an invulnerability guarded by an archvile.

M9 -> M32. When you pass a certain area on the map, a trigger will go off and the area where Commander Keen is located will open for a second. You need to find four in the total mass, after which a section will open at the end of the level, where there will be a switch. Apparently, it should open the passage to the secret exit, but either I missed something, or in my case the trigger did not work - I used noclip.

 

Pros:

 

+ Successfully converted plasma gun.

+ Interestingly designed boss battles.

+ M31 - "Varied Recollections". Man-made base, gothic structural elements, corridor without textures. On this map, which directly reflects its name, everything is mixed into a single, strange whole. The ending contains a reference to "Space Invaders" (1978).

+ M5 - "Power Struggle".

+ M9 - "Revenant Reassembly Program".

+ M12 - "Skullkrusher". A fortress with many traps, made in the gothic style.

[UnknDoomer]

176. Alchemist's Masterpack (2024).

About 10,5 years ago I wrote a spontaneous and, initially, not very informative note, which was subsequently moved to the very beginning of this topic. In a sense, it served as a harbinger of the subsequent, long-lasting direction. Today, there is another spontaneous reason to return to what is known to the general public as "Master Levels for Doom II" (1995).

 

A week ago, a guy under nickname @elf-alchemist posted an updated release, which, unlike the original, turned out to be much closer to the original concept, both conceptually and technically.

As a result, initially many levels literally turned out to be bits and pieces from full-fledged planned episodes, and contact from id Software, apparently, was established in a hurry. In particular, we can separately note the set authored by John W. Anderson, which was supposed to ultimately consist of 9 levels and play on Dante Alighieri’s "The Divine Comedy", which I once talked about earlier, when reviewing one of the wads. The release included 5, without any structural component. Here this aspect was taken to its logical conclusion.
 

Quote

The 'Master Levels for Doom II' were by far the lowest quality official release by id Software in it's classic days.

In short, it is a grab-bag collection of various unstructured, unorganized WAD files, all made by various map authors with a wide variety of styles and design conventions.

Most of the authors involved in the project, made these maps with the intention of them being a part of larger episode or campaign overarching a certain theme even before being contacted by id Software for this project of theirs. John W. Anderson, for example, directing a series of 9 total levels themed around the first third of Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, Inferno.

However, not all maps made by these authors were accepted by id Software, being later released freely by their creators after the fact, with some of them even continuing their work further, beyond the original submitted level sets.

With all this in mind, why should anyone play the works of these masters in their original amorphous format? Why should we accept the way things are? Why should we allow people to miss out on the great works of these authors just because the pieces are all over the place? Why should we be holden by the shackles of someone else's bad decisions? Why are we not allowed to have fun with some of the best level designers of 1995?

This script fixes that and much more, by taking everything made by the authors past, present and future to the original Master Levels release and bringing it together in a single WAD file for your enjoyment. All 45 relevant (plus 1 bonus) map are now fully playable as 5 separate, organized episodes. And with this, you can now properly enjoy the works of Doom's early great authors, some of early Doom's most timeless work.

 

Otherwise, the result was a wad of five full-fledged episodes and 45+1 maps. The first episode, "Inferno" (for context, see https://doomwiki.org/wiki/Inferno_(series)), plays on the above themes.

Despite the changed formula over the years, my attitude towards "Master Levels" has not fundamentally changed - "TEETH" and "Bad Dream" remained my personal favorites, and it was also interesting to see the full compilation of the "Inferno" episode. For this reason, I limited my excursion to the passage of only the first episode.

Some of the compact levels may still look fresh indirectly, but that's about it, and the "Titan" episode, with its penchant for huge spaces and large numbers of monsters, feels tame by both today's and 1995 standards.
 

 

Settings and features:

* GzDoom 4.12.1, UV difficulty.
* There are some specifics to the launch, details can be found here.

* On E1M7 - "Vesperas" I did not find how to pick up the yellow key without noclip. It seems impossible to perform a rocket jump, no switches were found that would raise the platform and not a single teleport leads to the desired segment.

* E1M9 - "Waters of Lethe", according to the wiki, is listed as unfinished, but there is a map in this set. To complete the episode it is not necessary to explore the entire map and its many secrets, just find the way to the center.

* Completing E1 will take ~ 2 hours.

Edited May 17, 2024 by UnknDoomer