The DWmegawad Club plays: Overboard & Running Late 2 & Fractured Worlds

[finnks13]

MAP02 - Skeleton Coast:

5:29/0 Deaths
Seems like we got off the ship at the perfect time, as it sinks to the bottom of the sea in the distance at the start of the map, with an imp bailing out into the ocean at the last minute, which really made me laugh! I suppose killing all of the crew didn't particularly help with keeping the ship afloat, but they had it coming if you ask me!

 

The island is filled with traps and I really like the ones that start off with a bunch of doors opening one after the other, it's such a little detail, but I found it very charming when it happened. The combat still isn't particularly challenging, you're given plenty of health with some fairly easy to find secrets topping you up if you decide to eat a rocket or three, but it's very hectic and very fun.

 

A short way into your exploration of this island, a ship full of revenants docks near your boat and picking up the fuel can (our goal for the next five maps) releases them onto the island, wreaking havoc. The hardest part of the map comes when investigating the small lake after the revenants have started to spawn in, as the water level suddenly drops and you're confronted by zombies and revenants in front of you, and whatever else is still alive will gladly take pot-shots at you until you can get into the tower to safety. Mopping up the rest of the monsters is pretty simple, and you can fuel up the boat and leave. This map, like the first, is fantastic - I have no complaints.

[RHhe82]

MAP03: Depth Charge. Played on DSDA v0.24, UV, PS. 140/140 K, 0/0 S, 3/3 I. Completion time 4:49.

 

And when the submarine rose, I burst out laughing. It's a marvel. Just how Mouldy made a submarine rise out of the sea, with intricate linedef trickery to teleport player to the interior. I'm sure it's all simpler than it looks.

 

Depth Charge is another fun map, a short assault on a enemy sub that holds much needed gasoline for Mr. Doomguy's boat. Fun, and really funny, too: another burst-out-laughing moment when you find the toilet and deliver a "depth charge", it kills some poor imp on a lower deck (probably).

 

So far Overboard hasn't been "hard". Not a pushover, either. It doesn't have to be hard, because the most endearing qualities of Overboard are that it's fun and that the map design is both exceptionally creative and dare I say original with a soundtrack you don't find anywhere else than Going Down (which is for the better; these tracks feel like signature Mouldy, and using them anywhere else would probably feel just wrong). It's like Overboard takes the core design philosophies of Going Down, and improved upon what already was great and fun.

 

I love Overboard.

[DisgruntledPorcupine]

Oh hey, one wad I've played (Overboard) and one wad I attempted but got thoroughly shellacked by (Fractured Worlds). Will be my first time playing stuff I'm familiar with in the club, should be fun.

 

MAP01: Cruis'n UAC

UV, pistol start, no saves

100% kills, 1/2 secrets

 

As the tagline reads, "Doom guy has taken a holiday from hell, but it turns into the holiday from hell.". You begin in the bedroom of a cruise ship, staring out the window at an island in the distance. Dip into the bathroom and remember the rule to always interact with toilets in this wad. This one gives you an invisibility secret, which actually helps a bit. If you're familiar with Mouldy's work either inside or outside the Doom community, the jarring sounding midi will not come as a surprise to you. Always gives his maps an idiosyncratic feel and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

 

Combat is kept low-key here. For the most part it's fodder enemies, with a few hordes next to some very conveniently placed barrels. You will be surprised with a cyberdemon when you venture below deck (possible with some keen invisible teleporter usage), he'll be nicely confined below a crusher that you can immediately trigger. The cramped room does flood with enemies after you make a sound though, so still definitely the most dangerous part of the map.

 

Nice little introduction to the set's humour and general energy. Prepare to have lots of fun.

[Book Lord]

MAP 03 – Depth Charge

DSDA-Doom v0.24.3, UV, Continuous, blind run w/saves

 

A delightfully animated sequence initiated the next chapter of Overboard. This time Doomguy visited a submarine, dropping at the centre of the main deck and immediately engaging the zombie crew. The views of the previously seen life buoys and of the motorboat’s keel from the portholes were an exquisite touch of realism, counterbalanced by the trademark toilet of wonders. Flushing it terminated an otherwise unreachable Imp for 100% kills.

Spoiler

The humorous and easy-going start soon turned into a more dangerous affair, with monster closets spicing up the way through the steel bowels of the vessel. The group of Barons appearing behind me while I was already under Arachnotron and Imp bombardment was arguably the hardest part. The bulky Hell Nobles effectively blocked the escape route, which could be exploited in all other situations, and rockets were the only option regardless of the tight space. Once through this, the rest of the encounters were nothing more than a good pastime, accompanying the pickup of gasoline and the return to surface. Depth Charge was a nice variation to the island theme, confined to a short and less challenging map only by the boundaries of realism. It was impossible to shove more than this inside a submarine, and I think mouldy did his best to make it memorable.

Edited December 3, 2022 by Book Lord

[DFF]

Overboard: Map02-Skeleton Coast
FDWL (Prboom+), UV, continuous
K: 103 | I: 100 | S: 100

A map that is a bit more of my preferred pace. The player is treated to a very pleasant, bite sized island but its not time to relax yet as evil lurks behind the jungle vines. 

This map much like the previous map is designed with flow in mind, both for the player and for enemies, making combat feel very natural and fluid. Despite the attention to making terrain that demons can easily maneuver, the detailing nor design suffers at all. From the various boats and temples having just the right clarity and crispness in their design, to the little details like the stone walkway near the fuel shack; I don't know why but it just looks so well done to me that its an instant eye catcher. On top of all this the map uses the space extremely well, with several boom tricks to keep the small space ever evolving. I appreciate both large maps with plenty to explore, and those that can make great reuse of areas and generate a sense of map progression/evolution.

An excellent map that is probably one of my favorites in the set, everything present just hits the right spots while being a 5-10 minute adventure. I'll have to study many of the boom trickery in this map for my own designs.

Rankings:

Spoiler

Overboard:
Map02
Map01

 

[rehelekretep]

map01 fda

what a brilliant little opening map, setting the scene etc

the cyber was hilarious - genuine shock moment. apologies if youre watching the demo. i went afk while the crusher did its work - fast forward the demo :)

only thing i didnt like was the restocking of enemies - where are they coming from?! i think the realistic setting clashes with that doom conceit.

 

map02 fda

a more typical doom-cave map here, but that doesnt detract from its excellent use and reuse of space. i loved the fact you can see the fuel can right at the start almost.

best moment was the d-day skeleton beach invasion.

 

map03 fda

excellent map. ran out of ammo and had to be quite creative with barrel use for the skeles at the end. got a 2nd scare of the mapset when i almost crushed myself - cruel!

Edited December 7, 2022 by rehelekretep

[finnks13]

MAP03 - Depth Charge:

4:26/0 Deaths
What a fucking cool map. The presentation, setup and execution of the concept are done to perfection. You're stranded in the middle of the ocean, but don't worry, a submarine full of demons (which they presumably stole off of some hapless UAC deep sea research team) has come to exploit your lack of fuel. Unfortunately, instead of destroying your boat with torpedos they try to kill doomguy the old fashioned way which doesn't often work. The submarine setting is great, I love the underwater vistas that you see through the windows in the submarine, and I love that you can kill an imp by flushing  a toilet.

 

Even moreso than normal for a mouldy map, this is all about claustrophobic combat. You barely have space to move, and the lack of good weaponry at the start, and constant stream of monsters appearing in front of, and behind you pushes you to sprint through the map for supplies. This is especially true in the rocket launcher fight, which spawns a small horde of hell knights and barons behind you, forcing you to push through the arachnotron snipers and imps in front of you. This is the most challenging fight in the level (and wad so far), as grabbing the plasma gun early will also unleash an archvile which can become stuck very inconveniently behind the barons. Try not to get crushed by the very mean slow crushers that help with dealing with the revenants that appear after picking up the fuel can. This was my favourite map on my first playthrough of Overboard, and I loved it just as much this time around.

[DFF]

Overboard: Map03-Depth Charge
FDWL (Prboom+), UV, continuous
K: 100 | I: 100 | S: 100

 

A snappy but mostly linear undersea romp, Depth Charge continues the charming gameplay of overboard with another unique map premise. The transition between above water and underwater is very seamless, with even more boom trickery that serves as a great learning tool (never knew that the silent teleport to lines, same angle preserves player height). The AutoMap is cute and the submarine details are all around splendid (especially the compact crew quarters). 

Combat is restricted but well done for the restricted space, having the player constantly fighting through the bowels of the sub in order to siphon some sweet engine diesel. Its finely done but the linear nature of the map doesn't make it terribly engaging despite Mouldy's best efforts (this is mainly gameplay preference and the style of the map way more than his specific map or design). A lot of combat revolved around funneling monsters through one corridor or another, grinding kills with either a RL, Plasma, or crusher.

These maps so far have all been exactly what I expect from the author and have all been enjoyable breaks in the day. Even my criticisms about combat are rather minor as ultimately im enjoying all the maps.
 

Rankings:

Spoiler

Overboard:
Map02 - Skeleton Coast
Map03 - Depth Charge
Map01 - Cruisin' UAC

[NiGHTS108]

MAP02: Skeleton Coast

Kills: 100%

Items: 100%

Secrets: 33%

Time: 3:34

 

Skeleton Coast was a blast. Although it lacks in MAP01's gorgeous detailing by just a bit, this map more than makes up for it with the combat. The start is really good, the Imp running off the (for some reason) sinking ship is great detailing, and the map continues from there with gorgeously timed scripted sequences that reveal enemies very nicely. I also like the teleporter the wad's first fuel tank sits on. These fuel tanks are kinda the same thing as the elevator keys in Going Down, you pretty much always know what you're looking for in every map. The first one here will teleport away right before your very eyes, but you can go back to the pond in the middle of the island and grab it thankfully. The combat here as a whole is exhilarating, I love the balance of ammo here and the Revenants, naturally, really compliment the map too. Every fight slaps really hard and there's overall a nice consistent feeling of danger and action. Skeleton Coast is very short but very very enjoyable.

 

Grade: A

Difficulty: C+

 

 

MAP03: Depth Charge

Kills: 100%

Items: 100%

Secrets: 100%

Time: 3:26

 

Depth Charge sees us in one of the more unique themes of Overboard, a submarine you can enter through good old silent teleporters. This is another map that's a blast to run through, the layout is effectively a straight line so just hold down the left mouse button and don't stop moving. Another map that's great with the rocket launcher, this is gonna become a theme if it's not obvious. Lots of enemies next to very conveniently placed explosives here which rises the death per minute count greatly. Depth Charge isn't subtle at all but I had a blast with it, constant gibs and constant ammo all the way.

 

Grade: A

Difficulty: C

 

 

[RHhe82]

MAP04: Cacotoa. Played on DSDA v0.24, UV, PS. 175/175 K, 2/2 S, 5/5 I. Completion time 5:41.

 

The name of the map alone filled me with expectations on the first playthrough. More clearly than Depth Charge, the volcano of Cacodemon erupting is a micro-slaughtery map, the sort of I really like. It's short, punchy, and also it's a clear difficult spike. I completed Cacotoa saveless this time (definitely didn't the first time), and I had to attempt it several times (although that's partly because me not remembering the invuln secret very well).

 

The way volcano interior seems to open at seemingly random reminds me of Going Down, although I guess there's a method to this particular chaos. And I'm sure it's less random than it looks like, but credit where credit is due: Cacotoa manages to make it feel like everything unfolds in totally unexpected fashion.

 

I love Overboard.

[Book Lord]

MAP 04 – Cacotoa

DSDA-Doom v0.24.3, UV, Continuous, blind run w/saves

 

The rocky island seen from the boat resembled a volcano, and as a Doom level Cacotoa was set to erupt as soon as the player entered its inner recesses. After reaching the fuel can on top of the cliff, I was astonished that I finished this map, scoring both secrets, in less time than any previous level in Overboard. The reason behind the quick completion was the option to trigger almost every monster at once, which I did inadvertently when scrambling to find some cover and resources to fight back.

Spoiler

The lava caves had everything I needed, including a Megasphere and a secret Invulnerability that I found way too late. The central pool regurgitated a flock of Cacodemons, prompting my acceleration towards the internal caverns where I activated more and more enemies, generating a widespread mess that I sorted out in the most chaotic way. I hesitated to pick up the Megasphere, so I triggered the last hitscanner ambush with about 30% health and they killed me like game. Another death came from the fiery hands of an Arch-Vile, attacking me from behind in a tunnel. Cacotoa was exceptionally fast and a constant rush of adrenaline; I would not mind replaying such a map on pistol start and give it some serious attempts to max it in a shorter time. More good fun!

[D4NUK1]

So, I played like all first 3 levels of Overboard, but needed to replay as it's finish in my Personal PC, so... I’ll say I’m playing on 2 source ports.

 

-Played on DSDA 2.4 and GZDoom 4.9.

 

MAP01: Cruis'n UAC

DSDA 2.4 -comp 9

UV, continuous run, no checkpoints.

100% kills, 2/2 secrets

 

Very fun and moody level to start, the set piece of the island where i presume DoomGuy wants to chill, and attacked by behind by demons, using a little of waters to dodge various ugly bullets from zombiemans, sink the front part of the ship blowing a little too much of barrels covered by pinkies, and to destroy the main motor of the ship (I’m sure the Cyberdemon was the horse power there). 

 

Grab the red ked, and if you eye are trained for secrets from Going Down, you can easy see the blue armor behind the barrels and the blue potions, go to the surface of the ship and go full chaingun to the zombie soldiers that stop you from go to vacation.

 

MAP02: Skeleton Coast

DSDA 2.4 -comp 9, GZDOOM BOOM STRICT COMP

UV, continuous run, no checkpoints.

100% kills, 2/3 secrets.

 

 

Good details to see the explosions of the Cyberdemon and the barrels just made a UAC Accident again, prepare to look out for Fuel as nobody recharged the small escape boat by the intermission screen.

 

A little Caribbean and abandoned island, I expected full Revenants by the name of the level, but they keep the map relatively normal by the end, but when you get to get the fuel, it's like everybody found you stealing and go from every place to catch you, The rocket launcher it's perfectly positioned, as also does the Arch vile and the groups of Barons and Revenants, keeping you busy, I’m sure doomguy made like 5 or 6 full run circles around the island catching demons and recovery health until i remembered the Berserker at the start of the level, i was really close to die but i got saved by the map layout.

 

After all the chaos, i easily found the supercharge and the mega armor secret that would made the battle really really easier, but I got the fuel, got the boat, let's run.

 

MAP03: Depth Charge

GZDOOM BOOM STRICT COMP

UV, continuous run, no checkpoints.

100% kills, 0/0 secrets.

2 Deaths

 

 

More humor as our boat is stuck in the middle on the sea, but lucky ours, a Submarine stopped by to catch us, go across the safe ‘sea uac floaters and enter to the submarine that feels like it's was not prepared for the DoomGuy, clean up the Capt. rooms (and the dirty chainguner toilet) and grab the invisibility sphere to catch up all those hitscaners and see what's powering up the submarine (more that the fuel).

 

A coal and fire line of work kept by hell knights and arachantrns it’s where my first death occurred, as it's was not expecting a lot of trouble in that room because the hidden arch vile messing up my plans.

 

After this, going to catch the fuel and exploding the barrels that covered the mancubus i died again on the trap of the literally skeletons closets and imps. More focused in my third try using the plasma to kill the mancubus i keep all those barrels for the lines of revenants and it's was an easy work. 2 Switch to go again to the surface and escape the depth submarine.

 

MAP 04 – Cacotoa

GZDOOM BOOM STRICT COMP

UV, Continuous, no checkpoints.

100% kills, 2/2 secrets.

3 deaths. 

 

 

This map goes a little harder that before and reminds me a lot of MAP 2, but with more traps that feel time based instead of items. Entering the name of a sleeping volcano, where we see the fuel right on the beginning. Droping by close to the chaingun to grab the armour, the first backpack and the soul sphere wake up a group of lava tomatoes, but we got it easy with rockets, the real stuff begings grabbing the plasma and getting cornered by a lot of enemies in a time based events i presume, where pains elementals, cacodemons and arachnatrons are you first type of wave, with plasma will be really easy, but then it's open again the place will full attacks of folder enemies, , a group of 2 places of revenants, hell knights and barons, and like 3 archvilles. Most of my 3 deaths where there as i can't escape the place with the plasma as fast.

 

But going in a little space of lava where the revenants exit to attack you will get the invulnerability sphere, going jam with the rocket’s launcher and the group of 200 enemies in a little space make the level super fun. The most fun of the pack as I played until now. Grab the fuel, the berserker if you are low after the powerup and if you are looking into the high ground outside you can keep the mega armor. And out we go!

 

 

Edited December 4, 2022 by D4NUK1
Fe de erratas.

[finnks13]

MAP04 - Cacotoa:

3:42/0 Deaths
The only map in Overboard that I don't absolutely adore, Cacotoa is only pretty great. I don't think mouldy is capable of making a map that I don't find fun, so this map still has the excellent hectic combat that's in the rest of Overboard but the theme doesn't draw me into the world quite as much as the other maps. It's odd because an active volcano seems like an incredibly cool setting for a map, but the events that happen in the map feel more like the volcano is collapsing than erupting, though I have no idea how you'd simulate a volcano erupting in boom format!

 

Don't get me wrong, I still like the main fight, which is timed to not let up the pressure but is still very forgiving. If you rush up to where the cacos and pain elementals appear from, and grab the cells & rockets you can take control of the fight very quickly and kill everything before the second wave opens up. An invulnerability becomes accessible at the same time, and makes the rest of the fight a breeze. The hardest part of the map comes as you're making your way back to the boat as a bunch of zombies have spawned in on the beach and getting all confident and running out to deal with them without a second thought very nearly got me killed! All in all, while I don't love this map as much as the rest of Overboard, it's still a fun map to blast through.

[Monsieur E]

Alright, time for Overboard. Playing on dsda-doom, -comp 9, aiming to get 100% kills, and for the regular difficulties of OB, will be doing them without using saves and reloads. Let's get started!

Map01: "Cruis'n UAC"
108/108 kills, 1/2 secrets, 1 death

I was floored by how much of a blast I had with Cruis'n UAC. Moment to moment I was engaged in combat, hurrying for cover and resources, setting off conveniently placed barrels against fodder cohorts, all while being wowed by the doomcute presented. This cruise ship is absolutely amazing and the various mapping tracks particularly the nearly seamless invisible teleporter to the lower decks are all excellent. I loved the odd MIDI selection, much in the vein of standard mouldy tracks. I loved how the cyberdemon is used due to the crusher at the end but not compromising its lethality against both you and the demons. Finally, I love how this map basically ties all maps in the wad together by letting you ride the speedboat you use throughout the wad. This is basically a perfect opener, I love it so much!

Map02: "Skeleton Coast"
133/133 kills, 1/3 secrets, 1 death

Continuing where we left off, the map greets us with the UAC cruise ship sinking taking the hopes of doomguy's vacation with it alongside an unfortunate imp jumping into the water, maybe they shouldn't have tried to ruin the ship :P. For a map called skeleton coast, there weren't many skeletons there (or so I thought!) and I was going around this island on the hunt for the fuel can which replaces one of our keys and is basically the exit key in every level. The map gradually unravels as you press forward and the quietness in this level does help build anticipation. The only secret I got in this level gave me a sneak peak into a much later ambush and that was a neat detail. As you think you're almost done with the level, the titular skeletons finally make their debut seemingly ambushing you from their own ship and pouring onto the island. I love this fight since the large crowd is actually dangerous and can overwhelm you, the map geometry itself helps out in this regard. All around, this was another great map. 

Map03: "Depth Charge"
140/140 kills, 0/0 secrets, 1 death

First of all, there's a very cute automap fish drawn right next to the submarine. I loved the entire opening sequence with the submarine rising and the submarine itself is stunning. There's this feeling of claustrophobia in the submarine, it feels compact and is furthermore packed with enemies (and conveniently placed barrels return!). The "undersea" view beyond the windows helps set the atmosphere too. I loved the combat here as per usual, the tightness in space lets large crowds of midtiers push you back. Infact, to my shock, mouldy managed to make a compelling baron crowd fight since the restrictiveness of the submarine actually gives them the upper hand and limits your movement, but you are provided enough rockets and later plasma for the job, the latter sprinkling in an archvile which can really mess stuff up. I love the conveyor belt carrying rockets and the general look of the submarine, while modest and using common metal structures, is great. I don't know what else to say, Overboard just keeps landing hit after hit. 

[RHhe82]

MAP05: Archi-Pelago. Played on DSDA v0.24, UV, PS. 222/222 K, 1/1 S, 3/3 I. Completion time 7:54.

 

We sail onto another island, the title of the map hints of what's to come. The second half of Overboard is indeed a bit harder than the first half. This time I was slightly helped by the foreknowledge of the secret, which is fun to figure out when playing for the first time (and I'm not talking about the help modern ports' automaps can give, but an actual hint).

 

Admittedly my knowledge on modern PWADs is limited, but I have never seen the "level in the ceiling" trick so nicely done. I mean sure, small-scale stairs and crates, but here the craftsmanship commands respect.

 

This time the arena is much more open, and facerockets are easy to catch, especially when the second wave of enemies barge in. Mouldy is generous with the megaspheres, and the three archviles performing black magics are relatively harmless, it's the hordes they summoned that are the meat of the map.

 

I love Overboard.

[Book Lord]

MAP 05 – Archi-Pelago

DSDA-Doom v0.24.3, UV, Continuous, blind run w/saves

 

I was dreading Arch-Viles as the main antagonists in this map, and there they were, performing a ritual around a pentagram at the centre of the rocky islet. However, mouldy floored me again with the course of things, starting with the amazing transformation of the place into a hellish group of surreal blood islands surrounded by the sky. Above me, I saw the island as I left it, complete with the upside-down anchored motorboat. This parallel world shift was pure genius, a great idea and execution within the limitations of the Doom engine.

Spoiler

The gameplay was Overboard’s habitual chaos, with hosts of enemies emerging from the ground or teleporting. They demanded both rapid fire and constant movement, as the openness of the layout offered only a few safe spots, patrolled by the previously met Viles. They must be prioritised to conquer the best positions to deal with the Cacodemon swarm and avoid being hit by stray projectiles and distant hitscanners. Dropping on the damaging sky floor was possible in case of emergency, and it saved my skin when I was trapped by Hell Knights. The missing Arch-Vile was found trying to sabotage the motorboat and worked perfectly as a comic relief. As MAP04, Archi-Pelago encouraged aggressive play and was an intense, compact burst of violence, counting on a great visual and world-building concept.

[DisgruntledPorcupine]

MAP02: Skeleton Coast

UV, pistol start, no saves

100% kills, 1/3 secrets 

 

In the distance you see the UAC cruise ship sinking, with a poor imp running for his dear life. As the level completion screens show, your fuel gauge is empty now and you'll have to look for a gasoline can so you can continue your adventure. You'll be searching for your first one on this small island with ruins and caves, and you can actually see it right away in a small shed up ahead.

 

Of course though, while the island seems peaceful at first you'll find that you can barely sneeze without a trap being triggered and chaos ensuing. Just about every weapon here will see you met with some resistance, including the set's first archvile appearing when you go for the rocket launcher. You'll want to kill him right away, because he can get up to no good pretty easily due to how easy it is for monsters to move around this level because of all the stairs and that frequently moving stone lift. Approaching the shed that holds the gasoline will teach you why the level is named what it is pretty quickly, as a cargo ship full of revenants (and our imp friend!) will pull up, and attempting to grab the gas results in it teleporting away and the ship's doors opening.

 

This map is a great example of the things there are to love about this wad. The mix of cute details like the sinking cruise ship and the arriving cargo ship, and how the regular rotation manages to keep an accessible difficulty while being trap-heavy and chaotic.

 

MAP03: Depth Charge

UV, pistol start, no saves

100% kills, 0/0 secrets

 

Uh oh, you've run out of fuel in the middle of the ocean this time, and a submarine slowly raises out of the water beside you. Using some silent teleporter trickery, you drop down inside and find it to be a high-tech sub manned by former humans. This is the map that really sells the creativity of this wad to you. The automap being a silly drawing of a submarine shape with a fish outside instead of a "true map" is great, and it's really cool how you can see outside into the depths. There's another toilet you can interact with, this time you'll hear it kill an imp inside the wall. If you don't trigger this, you'll find him trying to hijack your boat at the end of the map.

 

Always found this one to be one of the harder maps. It's quite cramped inside that little sub, and the monster population is quite high. Once the map stops with the hitscanners and starts throwing the mid-tier threats at you is when things get especially dicey. There's a rather funny trap at one point, where you predictably trigger a few doors on one side of the hallway one-by-one, and then on the final door the wall behind you opens instead to reveal a bunch of hell knights. The trap with the barons and arachnos with the archie thrown in once you go for the plasma can be a tough one, as is the big group of revenants at the end. There are some crushers you can use on them though, although I did forget about them.

 

Such a damn charming map, I love it.

Edited December 5, 2022 by DisgruntledPorcupine

[dac]

1 hour ago, Book Lord said:

The missing Arch-Vile was found trying to sabotage the motorboat and worked perfectly as a comic relief.

 

I'll do a writeup on Overboard once I find time, but I just want to mention this specific vile is bar none the funniest moment in 2022 video games. To be more accurate on what this vile is trying to do:

 

Spoiler

This vile is in "nah fuck this shit" mode and is trying to run away with your boat. He's got the fuel, and he's got a nice suitcase with all his vile clothes in it. Thank god you got there in time!

 

[Book Lord]

3 minutes ago, dac said:

 

I'll do a writeup on Overboard once I find time, but I just want to mention this specific vile is bar none the funniest moment in 2022 video games. To be more accurate on what this vile is trying to do:

 

  Reveal hidden contents

This vile is in "nah fuck this shit" mode and is trying to run away with your boat. He's got the fuel, and he's got a nice suitcase with all his vile clothes in it. Thank god you got there in time!

 

 

The Arch-Vile moving back and forth gave me the impression that he was messing about with the boat, but the evidence would suggest he had other plans. I misinterpreted the meaning of the suitcase. Thanks for pointing it out.

[DFF]

Overboard: Map04-Cacotoa
FDWL (Prboom+), UV, continuous
K: 100 | I: 80 | S: 100

 

Map04 takes us to a small but still active volcano in search of that precious but scarce fuel. Visually the map in line with the rest of the WAD, nothing hugely wrong there, but the map suffers from a bit of monotone design. The cave is compromised of mainly just one shade of rock and the only textures to break up the grey monotomy is the lava flows that start seeping through the walls as the volcano "erupts". The exterior of the cave doesn't suffer as much from this but some extra variation in the rock would have been appreciated. 

Aside from small detailing gripes the combat comprised of an expanding arena scheme, with a voodoo script running a controlled sequence of expanding passageways and increasing monster opposition. This works as intended and is fine and dandy, but the overall experience can be summarized by the changes in the map itself: not quite a true eruption of chaos, more a hot sizzle but thats about it (the volcano never truly erupts aside from some cracks and exposed lava drips). For now this map felt unfortunately a bit more like filler than feature, however i have a feeling i'll appreciate this map and its design more in the NG+ variant

 

Overboard: Map05-Archi-Pelago
FDWL (Prboom+), UV, continuous
K: 100 | I: 66 | S: 0

Archi-Pelago follows Cacotoa in being a semi timed arena slaughter but I feel this map does what map04 did but in every way better.
The slightly spooky ritual site is really cool, but the simplicity of the initial island in this case is what allows the map gimmick to really shine. The inverse-world arena looks super frickin cool, and the attention to detail here I found really impressive. The upside down island looks extremely close to the regular map, and even went as far to feature an inverted sky texture and custom upside down ceiling skull poles. Superb stuff

The combat also flows a lot better, with the player having to dodge several monsters from all angles while trying not to fall in the damaging sky. I found often that taking some chip damage and running through the sky to get out of crowded situations was very helpful here. The combat is hot and great, just overall feels like a great arena map.

Overall a superb memorable bout. The arch vile kill requirements are great boom trickery, and the last archie trying to run away with your boat as many mentioned is a great little cherry on top of this map.

 

Rankings:

Spoiler

Overboard:
Map02 - Skeleton Coast
MAP05 - Archi-Pelago
Map03 - Depth Charge
Map01 - Cruisin' UAC
MAP04 - Cacotoa

 

[rehelekretep]

map04 fda

thoroughly enjoyable map. the viles were inevitable but still extremely worrisome. i managed to get lucky as the barged their way to the front of the hordes and i was able to blast them. only criticism was the secrets seemed designed for repeat play, as i dont know how you would notice or utilise them in a manic first playthrough - which makes sense as the invuln is completely unneeded.

 

map05 fda

oh boy - we're not in idyllic paradise any more :O

tip-toeing around, the viles got me once! i actually found them less threatening than in map04, but i loved the stowaway at the end :)

the spiders are the scariest; there are big sight-lines across the whole map

Edited December 5, 2022 by rehelekretep

[finnks13]

MAP05 - Archi-pelago:

5:53/0 Deaths
The spookiest map in the set, we begin Archi-pelago by interrupting some sort of horrible ritual. The centre of the ritual transports us to a version of the island that is upside down, with you having to run across a bloody marble structure to defeat the necromancers that sent you to this spooky place. It's another very cool concept for a map, and seeing the little island with your boat the wrong way up above you is really cool, the flipped versions of the props & sky texture is another cute detail that really brings the map to life.

 

The arachnotrons will be your biggest enemy in this map as the arena is very wide-open and you can get shot at from pretty much anywhere. One thing that definitely helped me out in this playthrough is the foreknowledge that the sky floor is only 10% damaging and very easy to leave, which makes it a very viable escape route if things get a bit too full on where you're standing, especially because of the bountiful health refill areas. Killing both the archviles spawns in a small horde of hell knights and revenants in the centre of the arena with a ring of cacodemons encircling you from the outside though these aren't too threatening. Thankfully, we manage to escape the upside-down dimension fast enough to interrupt the archvile who's packed a suitcase and is trying to nick our boat! The cheeky git.

[Monsieur E]

Map04: Cacotoa 
175/175 kills, 0/2 secrets, 3 deaths

Our trip takes us to a volcanic island which gradually erupts into a great rush of chaos. I have never played maps that so perfectly encapsulates this feeling of increasing intensity. As you keep pushing against the opposition, the volcano keeps crumbling releasing further enemies. No doubt there's some boom trickery afoot but its implementation is so fluid that it seems completely natural. You will inadvertently stir up further action while trying to survive which keeps increasing the pressure. The floating demons who seem to have made this volcano their home keep pushing you forward since they often move in packs which block your path and can tank a fair amount. Maybe the secrets here make this map easier (particularly one about the invulnerability I found about reading here) but frankly, I wouldn't trade the rush of excitement for an easier time.

Map05: Archi-Pelago
222/222 kills, 1/1 secrets (activated it at the end when the map was basically over), 3 deaths

The demons have resorted to... demonic rituals; on second thought, that's fair game to them; as three necromancers decided to cast you into some kind of upside down dimension. The atmosphere here in general is pretty cool, the flipped island in the sky looks great and I love how it hints at the secret. The entire setting of this blood soaked arena in the sky works pretty well. Combat here feels like map04 but dialed up even further. Your opposition packs the paths and the maps keeps deploying heavier and heavier opposition as you advance through the level. The complete openness of the arena makes it perfect for projectiles to fly around, particularly by the several arachnotron sentries and crowds of imps. You will often be overwhelmed at the paths and have to rush past on the skybox floors with a small tradeoff of health. This seems to be accounted for as there are several small stairways on the sides of parts of the path to let you easily take shortcuts and make your way around. If I could complain about something though, it's that despite the archvile being provided central stage in regards to the theming of this map, they don't actually stand much of a chance if you immediately decide to prioritize them and in general didn't really stand out much here, the exclusion to this would be the final archvile trying to steal your boat which I found pretty funny. Cacodemons close in on you once you had crushed the two archvile sentries in the arena and they again work to hound you and force you to move, considering they can fly makes them perfect for this arena. Overboard simply does not miss, it has consistently been delivering hit after hit!  

[RHhe82]

MAP06: Seaside Siege. Played on DSDA v0.24, UV, PS. 463/463 K, 4/4 S, 12/12 I. Completion time 16:51.

 

Not a hillside siege, though, although the fort is on small island with a hill. This feels like the most sandboxy (pun more or less intended) of Overboard maps, and slightly less intense than I remembered from my first playthrough (although I might confuse the NG+ version of the map with this one).

 

There is another revenant boat just along the shore, and imps rise out of the sea to avenge their poor fellows you have manhandled previously (and for some of us, all the way from Going Down days).

 

I don't know if it serves Overboard right to call it microslaughter, sounds like a trendy term stemming from MSCP, but I nevertheless enjoy imp-gibbing, my only regret is that I didn't remember soon enough how to obtain BFG (which was helpful dealing with the cybers as swiftly as possible)

 

We haven't had quite so many laughing-my-ass-off moments lately, but on the first playthrough I couldn't help but smile at the toilet teleporters :P I also smiled at something doomcute on my first playthrough, where I missed one item (missed on NG+ too, where it would have been useful).

 

I love Overboard.

 

*

 

MAP07: C U Later Suckers. Played on DSDA v0.24, UV, PS. 1/1 K, 0/0 S, 0/0 I. Completion time 0:06.

 

I winned the game, bruh! Now here's one final burst-out-laughing moment.

 

... and I love Overboard.

 

I'll probably skip NG+ -- I have played it before, but as I was supposed to have a break from the club this month, I'll save a couple of days to work on Running Late so as to avoid stress and hurry when christmas time unavoidably keeps me away from Doom for a few days, and I suspect I can one Fractured Worlds map per day at best. Let's just say that some of the NG+ maps will have difficulty spikes flashing in the caribbean night.

 

Even without the NG+ maps though, Overboard is a sort of wad I love, if that's not clear by now, and it's a perfect example of why PWAD does not have to be full 32/36 maps long. Not that I wouldn't have loved to see more of Mouldy's creativity that complements (rather than distracts from) the gameplay.

 

Have fun, see you on the 10th, though I'll be reading your posts in the meantime.

Edited December 6, 2022 by RHhe82
clarification

[NiGHTS108]

MAP04: Cacotoa

Kills: 100%

Items: 80%

Secrets: 0%

Time: 4:28

 

Cacotoa is probably my least favourite map in Overboard but, thankfully, it's not anywhere near actually bad. I really like this theme, this volcano allows for a cool visual where the cave will start to fill up with lava after some time near the end, and also in reality it makes sense this place would kinda collapse. The Cacodemons rising out of the lava early on was also a cool visual, but as a whole there's a bit less "showmanship" in this map if you ask me. Unlike all the other Overboard maps, this one doesn't really try anything super creative with the visuals and layout the same way the other maps do.. That said though, it's still pretty good. The combat is surprisingly easy I find, not really was I ever in serious danger and as long as you eliminate AVs and Pain Elementals quickly, you probably shouldn't have much of a problem either. I guess Cacotoa feels like a midway break map to me, and between the previous 3 maps and the 2 coming up, my god, Cyriak earned it.

 

Grade: A-

Difficulty: C-

 

 

[Book Lord]

MAP 06 – Seaside Siege

DSDA-Doom v0.24.3, UV, Continuous, blind run w/saves

 

The finale must ramp up the difficulty and the substance of the offer in some way, so we got a larger island to explore and a fortified manmade installation to infiltrate. A former luxury beach resort had been transformed into a hellish keep, strictly guarded by large groups of zombies and Imps, patrolled by a gunboat on the western side, and featuring numerous surprise attacks by enemies emerging from the ground, springing out of crates, and sometimes even teleporting. This happened regularly near to the crucial resources and became more frequent while approaching the island’s inner sanctum, a gothic conference room with four oversized chairs, necessary to give some cover from the Arch-Vile attacks.

Spoiler

The YSK collected from the central structure could be used either to access a toilet, working as a teleporter to the other WC in the seaside bar, or to unlock the gasoline storage in the south-western tower. A large supply of canisters, enough to fuel the motorboat for the journey back home, was defended by two Cyberdemons and an army of other monsters, mostly Imps emerging directly from the sea and storming the island from all directions. The large-scale invasion was exciting, but the broad spaces allowed to outrun the hordes even when the mayhem reached its apex. My only regret was not finding any of the secrets, which were fascinating but either too obscure or too easy to access, so that I automatically dismissed the possibility without even trying to press the wall, e.g., the Blue Armour and the hidden beach with bucket and spade. The secret BFG cave where you emerge in the lighthouse was delightful, but it belonged to the hidden treats that I usually miss on my first playthroughs. If I must nit-pick, the fast elevators around the central structure often caused the enemies to remain stuck. Knowing how mouldy operates, this might have been intentional to create humorous situations and cannot prevent Seaside Siege from being a magnificent closing map.

Spoiler

MAP 07 – The End (a.k.a. C U Later Suckers)

DSDA-Doom v0.24.3, UV, Continuous, blind run w/saves

 

You’ve winned the game!!!!! Summer 2022 has been plagued by drought in many areas, but I did not know it went to this point. Funny animation with the surfing Imp and the boat explosion!

 

Contrary to expectations, I played NG+ and will submit a small commentary the next days.

Edited December 6, 2022 by Book Lord

[NiGHTS108]

MAP05: Archi-Pelago

Kills: 100%

Items: 66%

Secrets: 0%

Time: 4:48

 

Archi-Pelago is a delightful return to Cyriak's unique brand of mentally insane map making as seen in Going Down. This one isn't afraid to get like, really weird right off the bat. It's not on the same scale as Icarus' Wartemple, but I can't imagine how long it took to make this island upside down and then actually work with that for the combat. It's simply astonishing. The combat, too, is naturally really really good, It's very short but you get tons of rockets, plasma and anything else you might need to tear demons to shreds. There's an incredibly natural flow to this map I really really enjoy, you're practically bouncing from fight to fight and it's all just really really fun. The ending is also great, summoning a ring of Caco's around the map and reigniting the party at the center of the map. Similar to every map in this wad, it's not super deep or long, but this is one of the most sheer fun maps I've played in quite some time. Amazing work, Cyriak. (Also I didn't get what was happening the first two times I played this map but I love the Arch-Vile trying to escape, lmao.)

 

Grade: A

Difficulty: B-

 

 

[Monsieur E]

Map06: Seaside Siege
463/463 kills, 2/4 secrets, (ended up dropping the no-save rule since this map is relatively lengthy :( )

The demons ruined the beautiful island beach by constructing their gothic fortress right in the middle of it, I really find the whole setting of this map funny with how much the lightheartedness of the beach contrasts with this ominous castle. Mouldy has taken his gloves off in the final map of standard Overboard, the fights here can be pretty devious with how the opposition is centered around your resources, the rocket launcher area stands out as being a bit of source of trouble for me, particularly due to the archviles and arachnotrons. The doomcute continues to be spectacularly, love the bar right next to the hell installation and the both commandeered by captain revenant with a fun method of clearing the crew. I love the BFG and invulnerability secret sequences, they feel very satisfying and tied to the level rather than just existing for you to collect your goodies (I left that invulnerability for later but never used it in the end :P). I love the explosive action of chewing through fodder again aided by conveniently placed barrels but the pressure the enemies exert here still forces you to strategize on the fly, rush for resources at the risk of compromising your position and further releasing more enemies, all extremely exciting stuff. Of course, this map reaches its climax with the massive imp army emerging out of the ocean for a final attempt to alleviate your siege. It's actually pretty easy and I never felt threatened, but the sheer spectacle accompanied with the RL gibbing action compensates for it. Even if it didn't, most of the map prior to this is perfect for the final slot. In the end, you end up taking the castle's entire fuel depot to finally make your way home.

Map07: The End
0/1 kills, 0/0 secrets

This is my favorite gag in all of Overboard, maybe we should've just chilled with the imp enjoying the waves; and I like the large vista of the city. Oh and, I like how the death exit ties into Map08. Perfect ending map to a perfect wad.

Final Thoughts on Overboard

I went into OB with the expectation of having a fun time, similar in quality to Going Down which I loved. But even with these high expectations, mouldy managed to toss my expectations overboard and deliver an absolute treasure. I loved every single map in Overboard, they're the perfect mix of high intensity combat packed into snack sized maps (with the exclusion of map06) and every single one of them land perfectly. Even when I would have preferred something to what was actually laid out, what I got still managed to be great. I hope NG+ manages to be just as exciting!

Edited December 6, 2022 by Monsieur E

[rehelekretep]

map06 fda

sorry to be a downer but i found this a bit tedious! the island is so big there is never really any particular pressure on the player, and due to the open nature there isnt much of an opportunity to go to town with big weapons mowing everything down in a cathartic or power-trip manner. even the imp swarm, well, swarms around rather than concentrating into a splatty mob.

it ends up being a little like an island-clean-up

[finnks13]

MAP06 - Seaside Siege:

11:46/2 Deaths - Was hoping to complete the regular lineup deathless, but alas, I could not resist the facerocket for more than five maps!

Seaside Siege is pretty great, the concept of beseiging a seaside fortification is a really cool idea, it reminded me of past visits to old artillery batteries while on holiday, though I'm unsure if this was the specific inspiration behind the map. The first part of the map is my favourite bit, climbing the fortress clearing the little and large ambushes that lie in wait as you grab weapons, some highlights being the imp + shotgunner party that charges off of a ship docked a few hundred metres of the island when you dare to pick up an SSG, and the surprise archvile that guards the lighthouse rocket launcher.

 

Having played this map once before, I knew how to get the BFG secret, which makes the finale a lot easier but also a fair bit less fun. Since the vast majority of the foes in this ambush are imps, and because it's quite hard for them to navigate up the cliffs surrounding the castle, with the BFG it's easy to kill both cyberdemons atop the wall and grab the fuel, at which point you've got 200-odd imps scattered around the island which makes the final part of the wad a bit of a tedious cleanup job as you search for the stragglers who are likely lurking in some toilet cubicle somewhere. I re-did the fight with just the plasma gun, and it's much more fun that way since you can't kill the cybers easily and have to spend more time frantically clearing space without getting smushed by a cyberdemon rocket, so to all of you being upset that you didn't find the BFG - don't despair! The finale is much more enjoyable without it!

 

Don't take this slight disappointment with how OP the BFG can be as me disliking the map, it's a fun, hectic finale that I think is the most obvious candidate for being improved by a NG+ difficulty spike! This is also the only map that I have ever played that has toilet teleporters in, and I think that's just great.

 

MAP07 - C U Later:
Wow! I winned the game! Oh, I'm dead. Serves me right for shooting at an imp innocently surfing behind me.

 

~~~
I'd like to write about the NG+ maps, though I'm unsure how much I'll have to talk about. Only one way to find out :P