MyHouse.wad

[Napsalm]

Played through this on stream to 

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post airplane exit, then had to come to the forum to see how much I'd missed... Holy ...

This is one of the best iterations of an attempt at something 

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House of Leaves'y (when I saw the Navidson Realty thing, the smile that went across my face was palpable)

that I've ever seen.

Love this map. Good work! More please?

[Jimmy]

https://doomwiki.org/wiki/MyHouse.pk3

 

^^^ HOLY SHIT SPOILY BOIS - DO NOT CLICK IF YOU HAVEN'T PLAYED THIS MAP YET ^^^

 

I consulted with numerous people over Discord to help construct this article and I think I have the main walkthrough nailed, but there could be further optional content I haven't documented, or further specificities to the numerous endings that I've missed.

 

I deeply appreciate any feedback on this wiki page! Been my biggest contribution to Doomwiki to date by far. Thanks Veddge for inspiring me to jump down this absolutely insane rabbit hole of a map.

[Mr Masker]

Judging by what I've experienced so far, this map is just brilliant.

 

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This map is a complete descent into madness, especially on the first go. I actually went through this once without anything happening and thought nothing of it, but when I went in again I accidentally triggered the different map. The way this map subtly eases you into its true form is perfect, from the change to smooth weapons, to the music. Then finally, I stumbled my way into the burnt house ending, it was such a brilliant experience.

 

Stuff like this is why I like this kind of horror. Jumpscares make you jump or whatever, but this stuff sticks in your mind, especially when that fear turns to curiousity... that's when these sorts of projects truly shine: A seemingly infinite amount of secrets and areas to uncover, to the point where I probably won't be able to uncover it all untill someone makes a fancy walkthrough to guide my ape brain.

 

I don't know if I'll be able to go through and get all the artifacts and stuff, that's a bit daunting. But from I've played already, this shows a great use of uneasing horror, replayability and subversion of the player. Good job

Kinda weird how the blue key changes to a skull sometimes... might be a bug. :)

[Tactical Burger (Old acc)]

My_SSN.wad when? good map tho

[Big Ol Billy]

This is art.

[Terrcraft]

Thank you veddge for making this. 
Im sure Tom would be proud.

[ZeMystic]

  On 3/10/2023 at 9:33 PM, Jimmy said:

https://doomwiki.org/wiki/MyHouse.pk3

 

^^^ HOLY SHIT SPOILY BOIS - DO NOT CLICK IF YOU HAVEN'T PLAYED THIS MAP YET ^^^

 

I consulted with numerous people over Discord to help construct this article and I think I have the main walkthrough nailed, but there could be further optional content I haven't documented, or further specificities to the numerous endings that I've missed.

 

I deeply appreciate any feedback on this wiki page! Been my biggest contribution to Doomwiki to date by far. Thanks Veddge for inspiring me to jump down this absolutely insane rabbit hole of a map.

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Read through this article, fucking phenomenal guide for players through progressing through the map!

 

Good work Jimmy et al!

[Bep]

@Not Jabba 

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Regarding the windows in the brutalist area - you can get to at least one of them legitimately, by doing a jump from here. There is a TV in that room, which shows you the very same room with the TV; you can unplug it, and the screen will go black - apparently, you can't move, but it is possible to shoot (but there's no sound or anything). Pressing the use again plugs the TV cable back, but it is now shows only the white noise. Idk if this changes anything on the map - when I was doing this I was already locked on bad ending. The only way out is through the dark abyss/endless staircase - the same story as with the Mega room.

 

[Big Ol Billy]

@Bep

 

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After plugging the TV back in, the same white noise and “CH03” also appears in the ruined house basement TV (IIRC from my playthrough). Not sure if there’s any further significance…

 

Unplugging the TV and having the whole game go black was a real “wow I can’t believe they thought of this” moment, heh.

 

Edited March 11, 2023 by Big Ol Billy

[Jimmy]

 

  On 3/10/2023 at 4:12 PM, Not Jabba said:

Here's an updated list of the unanswered questions that I'm aware of:

 

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• Can you get the Berserk pack in the closet in Fun House? (Note: If you really want a Berserk, you can also get one by dying and completing the hospital)
• I noticed after I triggered the final events by pressing the S+A sign, the item count had gone up to something like 14. What are those, and is it possible to get 100% items on this map? (You can get the Megasphere if you're very careful about how you progress through the map, and you can get the Health Bonus in the airport. The Berserk in Fun House is unknown. Again, the Soulsphere in Regular House 1 seems to be a fakeout that doesn't count toward item percentage).
• Is there anything else in the dark maze beyond the gigantic room with the bottomless hole?
• Is there anything else in the Backrooms/Noclip Place? (Note: I think it's unlikely, since it's a smallish space and we've explored it pretty thoroughly. I keep feeling like that lone computer should do something, though.)
• Can you kill the Slenderman guy in the Backrooms/Noclip Place, and do you gain anything by it?
• Is there any reason to go to Underhalls besides the optional SSG? (Note: If you go to Underhalls before gaining the plasma rifle, you will lock yourself out of getting it, because you can't get the blue keycard after you return to MyHouse from Underhalls. However, you could get the plasma rifle and then exit the map in Mirror House, get the SSG, and come back, and you'd be able to have both weapons) (Note: If you accidentally locked yourself out of an area -- for instance, if you completed Liminal Pool House but missed the wedding ring, and couldn't go back -- then you could go through Underhalls to "reset" Regular House 2 to the beginning. Or you could just restart the playthrough, of course.)
• Is there anything in the Backrooms/Noclip Place in Underhalls?
• Can you get to any of the other windows visible from the Brutalist House besides the one with the Megasphere, and is there anything in them?
• What does the IDCHOPPERS message about "leaving the bathroom entrance unsullied" mean, and what is your reward? Does this refer to the airport bathroom? (Update: There's some way to get a BFG during the bloody airport bathroom sequence, by leaving the entrance to the bathroom as the one place not covered by blood. Will try this next time.)
• Does killing the dogs in Brutalist House change the good ending? (Update: Yes, killing the dogs causes the dog to not appear on the beach)
• Corollary: Is there anything else you can do in this map that affects what you see on the beach in the good ending?
• Are there any other super well hidden places that we haven't even found yet?

 

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• The "unreachable" berserk can be reached if you hit use on the wall behind the closet you see it in. You'll "punch" the wall and dislodge the berserk pack from the shelf.
• I haven't been able to replicate the item count going higher. Nothing in the scripts appears to spawn new powerups.
• The dark labyrinth seems to join a few areas of the map together but that's it. Nothing is gained from exploring it or going down the spiral staircase. It seems to be there purely to drive players to insanity.
• The Backrooms are there to discourage noclipping. The computer is a red herring. You don't get anything in there.
• The Skinstealer is not killable as he has (literally) 10 billion hit points.
• Underhalls nets you an SSG and a blue armor so it's quite useful to visit and come back, but you have to do so early on, as you can't carry artifacts between levels. It's therefore not advised to visit Underhalls after getting any artifacts, and certainly a bad idea to visit sllahrednU at all, as that map actually forces a complete pistol start. It will also start you back at House 2 upon completion, stopping you from accessing the blue keycard and getting the plasma in the Brutalist house.
• sllahrednU's Backrooms also don't seem to hold anything, they're there again to just discourage cheaters.
• Looks like a few windows in the Brutalist house are available to jump into but only that megasphere and that TV screen appear to be what you get out of them... so far.
• The IDCHOPPERS secret does indeed refer to the BFG, and the idea is to leave the restroom entrance clear of blood as you enter. It's a bit tricky to do so but on the wiki page I describe a reliable way to get it.
• The dogs just seem to affect the ending. If you're a dog lover, try and leave them both alive, although the cerberus will definitely cause you problems if you don't know where to go.
• Not sure!
• Also not sure! We might have cracked most of this map by now but I'm sure there's some more little idiosyncrasies.

 

 

[finnks13]

Played this with @Christophine Place over the last couple of days, and I feel compelled to post to say just how much I loved it. It's absolutely superb.

 

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I think we've found something that has gone undocumented so far, if you find enough mementos to unlock the petrol station area in the Regular House 2, but then destroy it via the fuse box in the basement to get to the Brutalist House (we didn't know about the route back to the Brutalist House that didn't involve destroying Regular House 2 at the time) then in the ending after the house has been sold, you can still lower the fence in the same place that would normally go to the petrol station. Instead, it leads to a small clearing with a gravestone that has a QR code on (posted in the spoiler in case you want to find it for yourself)

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(The QR code itself is pretty much impossible to read on the gravestone itself, so we managed to clean it up and get it into a readable form)

 

I must admit, I'm not really sure what to make of the contents of this QR code.

 

In some ways, I think the experience of the wad was improved a lot by playing through it with a friend, since talking about the map, coming up with theories of how to get to certain areas or what the meaning behind certain parts of the map were some of the most engaging moments I've ever had in Doom. I'm not sure I could summarise my feelings towards this in a forum post, but suffice to say that this will stick with me for a very long time.

 

 

[innerethos]

  On 3/11/2023 at 10:13 PM, finnks13 said:

Played this with @Christophine Place over the last couple of days, and I feel compelled to post to say just how much I loved it. It's absolutely superb.

 

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I think we've found something that has gone undocumented so far, if you find enough mementos to unlock the petrol station area in the Regular House 2, but then destroy it via the fuse box in the basement to get to the Brutalist House (we didn't know about the route back to the Brutalist House that didn't involve destroying Regular House 2 at the time) then in the ending after the house has been sold, you can still lower the fence in the same place that would normally go to the petrol station. Instead, it leads to a small clearing with a gravestone that has a QR code on (posted in the spoiler in case you want to find it for yourself)

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(The QR code itself is pretty much impossible to read on the gravestone itself, so we managed to clean it up and get it into a readable form)

 

I must admit, I'm not really sure what to make of the contents of this QR code.

 

In some ways, I think the experience of the wad was improved a lot by playing through it with a friend, since talking about the map, coming up with theories of how to get to certain areas or what the meaning behind certain parts of the map were some of the most engaging moments I've ever had in Doom. I'm not sure I could summarise my feelings towards this in a forum post, but suffice to say that this will stick with me for a very long time.

 

 

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QR Code link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wNdWb4JkdaZn2M5B8MhFLrapsYFYvLOv/view

Really trippy map. Way too heady for me to play, but this is just the kind of thing I would love to see others play through.

 

Really beautiful inside and out. Like nothing I've seen before. 

[Scuba Steve]

  On 3/10/2023 at 7:59 PM, Napsalm said:

Played through this on stream...

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You're playing in hardware mode with software lighting and color banding!?

[Terrcraft]

  On 3/11/2023 at 10:23 PM, innerethos said:

QR Code link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wNdWb4JkdaZn2M5B8MhFLrapsYFYvLOv/view

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Ok so if steve nelson died 9 months ago than who made this?  Who is credited in the .txt and wiki page, who wrote the journal that starts the day after the obituary? Veddge made a post in a different thread asking if the map took the author over, than says in the jorunal that this map did? 

All I have to say is that this ARG/Mystery is very cool.  
And the fact that this all seems so purposeful that he was setting this up in the past and we had no clue.

Edited March 12, 2023 by Terrcraft

[Insaneprophet]

If you look at the end of the OP, the pic linked in "I miss you, Tom" shows Steve Nelson and the Tom that appears to have his own obituary right next to Steve's in the QR code link.

[innerethos]

  On 3/12/2023 at 1:03 AM, Terrcraft said:

Ok so if steve nelson died 9 months ago than who made this?  Who is credited in the .txt and wiki page, who wrote the journal that starts the day after the obituary? Veddge made a post in a different thread asking if the map took the author over, than says in the jorunal that this map did? 

All I have to say is that this ARG/Mystery is very cool.  
And the fact that this all seems so purposeful that he was setting this up in the past and we had no clue.

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Woah I see. 
 

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Well, on one hand, this map might have absolutely nothing to do with the two fellows who passed away on the same day.

 

On the other hand, Veddge might have known Steve well-enough to get the map from him before or after his passing. Perhaps the original credit for the map given to Steve is more appropriate than Veddge putting his name on it after the edits were made.

 

I'm honestly leaning towards the former, but I would just as likely believe the latter.

 

A ghost making edits to maps? No.

 

A ghost afflicting those who try to edit their maps? Perhaps...

 

[Drywtler]

I didn't expect it to be like that at all... Pretty interesting stuff.

Judging by the comments (and the creation of a wiki article) there's a lot to unpack still, I barely scratched the surface on my first playthrough.

This is certainly, one of the maps of all time.

I had a problem though:

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I couldn't get in the plane, I couldn't find what I needed to open the door so I just IDCLIPped

 

[Napsalm]

  On 3/11/2023 at 11:53 PM, Scuba Steve said:

You're playing in hardware mode with software lighting and color banding!?

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Yeah I usually don't use GZDoom much at all to be honest, instead preferring software mode in DSDA. The only times I really use it are for Corruption Cards and @Cutmanmike and @Bytefyre helped me with setting up GZDoom to look as close to software mode as possible but using hardware to allow for some of the more esoteric cards in CC.

Back on topic, I urge anyone unfamiliar with House of Leaves to go read it

[Scuba Steve]

Have you tried the zdoom mod, Vanilla Essence? You can play GZDoom with true color and then press a button to immediately force the hardware renderer into a vanilla appearance customized to your liking.

 

Edit: Yes, House of Leaves is a thrilling read.

Edited March 12, 2023 by Scuba Steve

[kwc]

I've never had a wad give me goosebumps until today.

Edited March 12, 2023 by kwc

[TJG1289]

This is the most surreal WAD I've ever played. So incredibly unsettling. I think I was able to figure out about half of what this WAD had to offer before using Jimmy's walkthrough to make sure I did everything right. It's so complex and cool. I don't really have much more to add that hasn't been said by everyone else. Amazing atmosphere, absolutely haunting, and profoundly sad. 

 

I do wanna talk about the ARG aspects as referenced by the QR code and Google Drive account

 

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Judging from the fact that both Thomas and Steve died on the same day, I would say they died together. Also, I noticed both obituaries mentioned that they reconnected with high school friends/crushes and ended up together, but neither obituary had a spouse or partner listed in the "survived by" part. Plus, their services were at the same time in the same place. I'm going to assume they were actually a couple who died together. I don't know how exactly that affects parts of the story, especially since the way the journal entries initially read seem that the author hadn't really seen his childhood friend in a while. It would explain the wedding ring at least. If this is the case, then this story this WAD/ARG is telling is just absolutely tragic. Just 2 ghosts trying to get their story out. But I also feel that would make the scene in the women's bathroom at the airport not make sense. That seems really symbolic, and wouldn't make sense if this story is about a gay male relationship. I'm probably wrong about this, but the ambiguity is just making me try to make sense of it all. There may be more to the WAD that hasn't been found that could make the actual relationship between them clearer. One thing I am for sure is that this ARG aspect to the WAD was very unexpected for me, and has made an already very interesting WAD into something more. I didn't think I would be sitting here for, like, and hour trying to make sense of the story the WAD didn't tell us. Easily the best storytelling I've seen in a Doom WAD ever. 

 

Small edit:

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Them being together when they died makes the hospital scene make sense, since the emergency switch that brings you back to life is in a room with another person in it: Thomas.

 

Edited March 12, 2023 by TJG1289

[Bauul]

Just got around to playing this.  Not much I can add that hasn't been already said, but this was genuinely one the most memorable Doom levels I've ever played. 

 

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Absolutely phenomenal use of playing with expectations, for example how the start of the map uses only vanilla Doom 2 textures before the custom stuff is slowly introduced later on.  I haven't begun to scratch the secrets of it (I think I did the same basic first-time playthrough as everyone else) but the way the level slowly builds the feeling of dread until I was genuinely jumping out of skin is absolutely masterful.  Simply incredible.

 

[Insaneprophet]

I happen to live just about 10 miles away from where they did and I am trying to do some research on the story. I havnt found out much yet but my gut tells me that it might make sense if they both died in a house fire together.

[TJG1289]

  On 3/12/2023 at 8:29 AM, Insaneprophet said:

I havnt found out much yet but my gut tells me that it might make sense if they both died in a house fire together.

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That would make the most sense.

 

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I also think the whole backstory of the WAD is fictional, since how could a dead person upload this? If you can find some real evidence tho, that would be very interesting. 

 

[Scuba Steve]

  On 3/12/2023 at 10:06 AM, TJG1289 said:

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I don't know how exactly that affects parts of the story, especially since the way the journal entries initially read seem that the author hadn't really seen his childhood friend in a while.

 

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I was thinking the same thing but, rereading all the material, I can't find anywhere it explicitly says he hasn't seen him in a long time... It only talks about "childhood friend" and alludes to their past relationship. I think this is an example of the fallibility of memory; we made an assumption about their relationship and our brains simply filled in the rest. I would wager the nebulous wording was intentional. If this is inspired somewhat by 'House of Leaves,' the love story aspect would make sense, only this time subverting your expectations.

 

Edited March 12, 2023 by Scuba Steve

[Fishytza]

Ok, I've replayed this again and found almost everything except the...

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...backrooms, the hospital, the so-called hallway maze, and I got the "real beach" ending. I am blown away by how much content there is in here. This shit's goddamn amazing!

Also, I'm curious about one little detail.

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When you finish the bloody bathroom segment and get the full pill bottle, I noticed the bathroom signs get swapped. The men's bathroom is now marked as the women's bathroom, and the women's is now marked as the men's bathroom.

What's the symbolism behind that?

 

 

[pavera]

This may be one of the greatest works of art ever conceived with the doom engine, i can't believe what i just played

[Fernito]

This is not just a doom map, this is art in its truest form. After having seen what seems to be everything the map has to offer, I feel as if I had gone through a life changing experience. I have the feeling I just experienced the pinnacle of Doom mapping *_* what a ride...

[Somniac]

I'm still not entirely sure what just happened, but it hit me about as hard (harder, actually) as Grove did the first time round and it got pretty emotional. 

 

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Which is to say, I didn't notice that I had stopped fighting back tears during one particular segment. The build-up to that started normal, then got increasingly

unsettling, before throwing me straight into ruin, decay...."ruined memories". Fuck. That felt as metaphorical as it did literal and I was white-knuckled the entire time. My skin was crawling and I was firing the shotgun in true anger. The immersion factor was extreme here. 

 

(The wiki page tells me I went into an optional area, I feel like I wound up there by accident tbh)

 

I made it to a certain point before a certain large creature bit my head off, and I did feel a bit lost at a few moments.

Seems like I wasn't even close to seeing the full thing either. Just wasn't really feeling like pushing it further at that point. However the sudden ramp down from something very tragic and haunting to something calmer, but drenched in abstract surreal melancholy, was not only very well done, but has assured that I at least won't spend the rest of today feeling like an emotional mess, so thanks =p though I have to say it'll be a little while before I'm feeling entirely myself again. If that's the goal of this map, the hammer met the nail with the perfect balance of subtlety and blunt force. 

 

Been a while since something for Doom had this kind of effect on me. Thanks for reminding me that it is still possible. 

[Catpho]

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I really did not expect that you have to "game" the map (or in this case, the entire .pk3 actually) to make some headway in unraveling the whole thing. I was stuck thinking that it is self-contained. Really feels like that circulated story about how the mystique of the NES Zelda was supposed to be an invitation for players to work out that vast new world. I really wanna see how much I can unravel by myself now that I know this part.