Endless Random /idgames WAD Adventures #055

[ICID]

^{(logo by @4MaTC)}

 

ICID, what the hell is this now?

Endless Random /idgames WAD Adventures is a small project of exploration, interaction, entertainment and reviews where we meet once every two weeks to select random WADs in search of hidden treasures, lost promises, or our worst nightmares! We use the /idgames archive’s special feature that lets us search for random files. Of course, sometimes the results are resources or unplayable stuff, so we focus on looking for WADs.

 

So, what do we do here?

1. Play at least one random WAD in a two-week period of time. WADs are selected using the Random File feature on /idgames or from the list below.
2. Post a review of whatever you play.
3. Always provide the name of the WAD, the name of the author, and a link to the file.
4. Play however you want, on any skill level, and with any source port, as long as you play the WAD as intended/in working shape.
5. Be respectful. It's okay to criticize a map, but remember that many mappers read these review threads and behave accordingly. Also, please don't tag mappers into a negative review of their work.

 

What kind of WADs are we looking for?

Any file on /idgames is fair game, but most of us choose to stick to singleplayer Doom or Heretic WADs that work in our sourceport(s) of choice. If you're worried about finding Terrywads or broken files, I also pull at least five random WADs for the event. Feel free to play them with me if you wish, or look for your own! The point of the event is to encourage you to explore this vast, random world. 

 

Recommendations for reviewing:

Spoiler

1. Please take screenshots or video of your adventures.
2. Commenting the source port and difficulty level is not required, but provides helpful context to your review.
3. Try to stick to no more than 1 WAD per day to avoid burnout, but this part’s all up to you, champ!
4. Reviews of all formats are valid. Both longform and shortform are good as long as you write with integrity. 

 

Endless Random /idgames WAD Adventures of this event:

1. KaiRezh
2. Tricks
3. kuchitsu
4. The Machine
5. Temple of Reflection

 

Spoiler

The Top 10 (Out of 60):

 

1. @Roofi | 6155

2. @LadyMistDragon | 2980

3. @Sena | 2445

4. @Walter confetti | 1915

5. @brick | 875

6. @ICID | 865

7. @Endless | 815

8. @Thelokk | 725

9. @Clippy | 510

10. @smeghammer | 425

 

Join the Doom Master Wadazine community for more events like this! » https://discord.gg/Q2RKn4J

[Endless]

BORIS's Death Chasm for DOOM II! | By Arlo Aude | 1995

 

 

Terrible, annoying, confusing and ugly to look at, play, and live. There's really nothing that's worth checking out from this map unless you just really enjoy shitty 90s maps that tried to be... unique? I don't know the real word for it. It has a sense of surrealism added to its vibe by the sheer fact that it is so bad, it makes you question reality. Ok, there's perhaps worse out there, but this one stands for its cryptic nature and weird layout. And it is supposed to be played in DM!

 

STAHL1.WAD | By Hanno Kaiser & Sven Haul | 1995

 

 

Well, not much to say about this one. It is a rather simple DM WAD that follows some of the most basic principles, but also fails at others. It doesn't look bad for the date and manages a good balance with the items and positioning. Only issues are its rather angled rooms, multiple doors, and hiding spots where you could camp. Other than that, not bad. It has that signature "forgotten but fun" style of 90s.

 

Fear Island | By Gurkha Boy | 1999

 

 

Ah this was better! Little fun map set in a fortress island surrounded by a giant lava ocean. The atmosphere here feels like the true platonic ideal of the 90s. It is very simplistic but stylized and makes well use of textures. The gameplay is also quite hot. You start in a dangerous pit surrounded by hell knights and have to carefully avoid it and look for weapons and ammo. As the map goes on it gets slightly easier but still a little troublesome due to high number of demons. It is very simple yet it succeeds in my book; does what every Doom map should do: being fun. Plus, if you like scouring for forgotten little pieces of entertainment, this one is worth checking out.

[brick]

No way am I playing an obvious terrywad, so I skipped KaiRezh.

 

Brick | 1 wad | 1 map

 

Tricks (1996) by Michael Eastwood

I got a bit excited when I read the wad description, it made it sound as if the map would be in the style of Jim Flynn or John Landis, both of whom I really like. Unfortunately this does not compare well with their maps. There's the little things, like the obvious HOM that is impossible to miss and would've been so easy to fix, the exit door that is too big for the texture, that row of switches that's supposed to be a puzzle but that I accidentally brute-forced without even realizing it. But there's more serious things, like a yellow-marked door that doesn't need the yellow key, hitscans in a very dark room, a switch in another dark room, and frankly the almost complete lack of any traps and surprises promised in the text file. Other than that hidden switch (and I wouldn't call that a very good "test of brain power"...) the map is incredibly straightforward, the only trouble I had was being able to get inside the blue key room and being completely stuck when the door closed behind me (I'm not even sure how it happened, there are no triggers anywhere in the room). I'm sorry to say it's a pretty poor map, though I'll end on a positive note by saying I liked the sky texture and the way it looks in the outdoor area.

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

 

1 minute ago, Endless said:

if you like scouring for forgotten little pieces of entertainment, this one is worth checking out.

He changed his author name later on, but this is one of Rex Claussen's earliest maps. It's fun to see he already had an eye for stylization and good encounter design, he'd perfect both later and would go on to make some fantastic maps, I'm personally a big fan.

[Walter confetti]

4 hours ago, brick said:

Tricks (1996) by Michael Eastwood

Wait. I kinda remember to have played this map before!

Spoiler

Especially that GSTONE1 outdoor with that sky

Did this have 4 non blondes "What's going on?" midi in it? If yes, this makes 2 already played maps in the OP list (second one is Temple of Reflection, played in ER/iWA #52)

[brick]

6 hours ago, Walter confetti said:

Did this have 4 non blondes "What's going on?" midi in it?

It did! I wanted to comment on that but forgot to. I like the song and it’s a good MIDI. Interesting that when you've played so many wads you start seeing many of them again!

Edited March 21, 2023 by brick
typos, damn you autocorrect

[Endless]

9 hours ago, brick said:

He changed his author name later on, but this is one of Rex Claussen's earliest maps. It's fun to see he already had an eye for stylization and good encounter design, he'd perfect both later and would go on to make some fantastic maps, I'm personally a big fan.

Ah! That explains it. Wasn't aware he had a different name. Always fascinating to learn about the roots of famous/veteran mappers.

[LadyMistDragon]

Contraband (1995) by  Ray Dana (Crispy Doom)

 

Wait, I remember you from one of the very first adventures of particpation! Took a while, but....we've got a total of 8 maps put together into a collection, some with some rather.....unique texture combinations. Shoot it out in a warehouse or a deep blue azure castle or a circular pit with red rock in the middle, or a strangely generic sort of NUKESLAD place with good height variation, a la LEDGES or something. And the sound effect replacements are so goofy! Chaingun sounds like a pop-gun, plasma rifle sounds like one's shooting bubbles, and weapon pickups are greeted by some kid shouting "YEAAAAH!" Some of them are entirely inapppropriate of course, but it could be much worst. And these are all excellent examples of deathmatch maps. 6.5/10

 

Spoiler

Spoiler

Spoiler

Spoiler

Spoiler

 

[Roofi]

Year 2 Month 03 Day 03

 

I play until I die or intentionally stop. I don't comment the wad where I died/stopped.

 

[1] Bludgeonator II: Ultra Bleeder by @Clippy (2022)

 

Spoiler

 

Quote

Bludgeonator II: Ultra Bleeder is the long awaited sequel that brings double the pain, double the blood and almost 8 times the monsters - get your raincoat on cause you are in the spalshzone of this ridiculous slaughter map - so much blood so little time - prepare to get DRENCHED etc

 

When after launching this wad, the first thing I see is three arch-viles facing me, I was like "Oh shit, another day where I die in the first wad."  I also saw the monster count and I therefore expected a merciless slaughtermap with ton of arch-viles.

 

My prognosis was totally wrong because Bluegeonator II proves to be a really indulgent map wite quite a lot of ammo and easy as pie to find rewarding secrets. The level mostly takes place in the giant red square arena with the cute and tasty laying on the grounds, as well as the sector drawn paper clips and happy smileys. I thought Clippy does a creative use of the stock textures whereas the theme of this level makes no sense.

 

I guess the unique objective of Clippy was to create a fun level and he suceeded at it. I found the joy of playing easy slaughtermaps where you can blast large homogeneous armies of weak enemies in giant closets or watching a giant brawl between revenants  and hell knights with a cyberdemon participating in it as well.

 

I never played Clippy's map before but I foreknew something extremly quirky and somewhat light hearted. It could be qualified as a jokemap in some ways , but a good one that makes you smile.

 

Grade : A-

 

[2] Sunrise Way Final Remake Redo! by Omegalore (2013)

 

Spoiler

 

Quote

Sorry for the last time I did this. Reduced the demons and ammo. Also did some

 

If you think Myhouse.wad is the weirdest thing ever released by the Doom community, you maybe don't know the idgames enough. It seems that Omegalore downloaded all the available monsters and weapons available on realms667 and incorporated them in his map without a single care. 

 

About the level itself, you're exploring a kind of neighborhood and to finally reach a house with oversized and far too dark interior decorations. The map is so ugly that 1994 maps look like a work of art beside this. The texture usage is rudimentary to stay polite and the author makes the sky looks very glitchy. SWFR resembles to a weird dream.

 

However, the totally chaotic use of custom enemies was what striked me the most about this map. The absolute lacks of common sense in monster usage paradoxally results to an amusing experience, considering you've plenty ammo and health at disposal. Well Choregraphied combats are a proof of high-skilled mapping but I sometimes enjoy maps where I can pulverize affrits, custom cacodemons, suicide bombers, wasps, spiders with overpowered Skulltag items.

The map still seriously stinks though. And it's a catastrophe techinal-wise. Small bonus point for the cozy earthbound music.

 

Grade : D+

 

I died in a very crappy fake exit from SSTlevl1.wad

 

Spoiler

 

Edited March 31, 2023 by Roofi

[Celestin]

Kuchitsu by Memfis

 

In a world of hard-as-balls maps, it's refreshing to play something that was designed to be quick and simple, ideal to relax after a day at work. Kuchitsu is a 6-level set, which combines a laid-back gameplay with cozy atmosphere. I especially enjoyed the first 4 maps, with a pleasant combination of green grass, blue water and brown buildings. MAP05 moves the action to an urban, seemingly inspired by Doom City, while the final map is a toxin-filled techbase.

 

I like the gameplay style on display here. Kuchitsu relies on low-tier enemies (mostly hitscanners and imps), but at the same time is not generous with health and ammo. I think Memfis struck a great balance here - I constantly felt I was running on fumes, but had enough resources to make it to the end. Each stimpak and bit of ammo felt deliberate.

 

I strongly recommend Kuchitsu as a quick break between harder maps.

[Walter confetti]

The Machine by Jacek "Illdo" Dobrzyniecki - Vanilla Doom 2, SP, 2005, played with Eternity "forseti" 4.0.2

Spoiler

A small and pretty basic techbase with some nice and simple doomcute and few interesting points like a lowering nukage sector that lowers a bigger pool and some other room designs. Overall, the map is pretty raw and amateurish looking, but it's a interesting map overall.

 

The Second Death by Matteus - GZDoom, Doom 2, SP, 2022, played with GZDoom 4.10.0

Spoiler

 

Another small sized map sets in a hellish structure, the cavern area is very well done and the level is fun. Gameplay is fluid and somewhat entertaining, some simple puzzles are sets in. Only problem is some misalignments in the final area but overall is another fun map.

[brick]

Brick | 1 wad | 6 maps

Adventure | 2 wads | 7 maps

 

Kuchitsu (2013) by Memfis

I've rolled a few wads by Memfis in previous Adventures, but I think this is the best one of those I've played. I definitely didn't find it as easy as Memfis seems to have intended it, or as relaxing or laid-back as Celestin did, but it's definitely on the less-challenging side especially since difficulty settings are not implemented and (according to Memfis) it's balanced for UV. I felt ammo starvation in other Memfis wads, this one is a little more generous but still well balanced to provide what you need without ever letting you fill up. Health was a bit more tight, not enough to be a problem but it does add a little bit of thrill, and I've never been so overjoyed to find a stimpack. It's also given me a completely new appreciation for health and armour bonuses. Most fights are against low-tier enemies, which is good because you only have the shotgun and chaingun for most of the wad, even the SSG makes a late appearance; in fact gameplay almost feels like something between Doom and Doom II, with only chaingunners being an early and constant reminder that this is really the latter (though most of the sequel's bestiary does eventually make a cameo). The atmosphere is what definitely nails the relaxed and chill feel, there are cute trees everywhere, a dark blue night sky, the colour palette is unchanged but uses mostly cooler hues. The last couple of maps are full of doomcute, the city has a lot of it and I loved the stocked shelves and all the items in the 7-Eleven, and the shuttle that justifies the last map's name looks pretty good. Lighting is very nice, with some great contrasts, some dark areas (but not too dark), the relaxing vibes are almost subliminal and kept lulling me into a false sense of security just before I'd open a door and be greeted by a shotgun to the face. The first map is so short I maxed it in 5min, later ones get a bit longer but always under 15min. It's a lovely wad, all the elements (combat, music, lighting, architecture, resource management) seem to click together perfectly.

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Clippy]

@Roofi thank you for playing my map and giving it such a high grade 😄 

 

I keep sending my stuff to the archive increasing my chances from almost done to kind of none of getting picked haha 

 

So if I understand right you will quit the moment you die even at the start? I seem to have a thing for hot starts or putting the hardest fight in my map at the beginning to wake people up. Also for the saveless people let's get that hard fight out of the way at the beginning I'm weird like that lol 

 

But yeah I had fun with making this and I don't really do slaughter maps so this is kind of my bad attempt at that. I'm super happy that you had fun though thanks buddy!

[Endless]

MyHouse2.wad | By Noah Haskell | 1995

 

 

Not the current MyHouse.WAD going around, but still a house. Proper 90s DM madness right here. What better template to use then your own house? This fella must be pretty damn rich 'cause that's a bigass house too. Now, the point: it is terrible, of course, it's not balanced at all for DM play and it is filled with texture misalignment and weird geometry. On the other hand, it has a proper dose of Doomcute that some of you would enjoy.

 

Skroom | By Josef Griffiths | 2001

 

 

Another DM WAD, but this one wasn't so bad actually. It has a lot of potential. All the maps are quite tiny but seem to be designed around duels. Some of them even show a sense of balance with symmetrical geometry and well placed items. Not exactly the best looking WAD, or most balanced, particularly for 2001, but it is pretty interesting and I would be interested in playing it just to try it out. According to the text file, it was created by a 13 yo kid from a college in NZ (isn't college a university? Damn genius) so not bad all things considered.

 

Annex Of Death | By Ryan McGrail | 1994

 

 

Nothing really worth mentioning. Forgettable. Typical 90s crappy level without much fanfare.

[SuyaSSS]

When All Hell Breaks Loose - genocide (Eric Simpson)

18 February, 1999

Played On: Nugget Doom (UV)

 

A city map that starts dull but gets better later.

 

This level, as stated in the description, is a non-linear level. Sadly, the beginning of this map falls into the big pile of "where the hell do I go" type of non-linearity. The buildings are huge and the only way to get to the top of them are through some lowering pillars. A nitpick here is that some pillars lower with a switch while some have to pressed. I didn't get confused because I pressed those pillars on reflex but it can be confusing to some.

 

What I didn't like about those switched pillars is that they didn't lead to important progression areas. I think it would have been better if the switch enabled pillars actually lead to keys or some other type of progression.

 

Also, this map makes you carry a pistol for way too long, something which I'm not a fan of at all. The best thing you get is a shotgun from the shotgunners which only lasted for 1 cacodemon kill. So, finding where to go while holding just a pistol wasn't that fun for me.

 

What was fun, however were the indoors building sections. There are a few building to explore (All being locked behind keys). And those insides were my favorite part. Also, they finally give me some health and ammo. HELL YEAH! Also, this area features one of the few use of some boom features (conveyer belts). There is also a cool looking room with some nice lighting effects. Honestly, this map just gets better after finding the blue key. Also, broken buildings are very fun looking.

 

 

There is still some questionable things here such as some non secret rooms being tagged as a secret. (Funny thing. I was playing this map without the "A secret is revealed" indicator and I didn't realize that I somehow found 3 of the 5 secrets by complete accident until I got to the lighting effect room. I then turned the indicator on.) But, honestly, this entire end part makes up for the lackluster beginning. It is also very fun to kill the enemies in the outdoors with your more powerful, newly founded weapons. 

 

 

Overall, this map looks very good and does the city corrupted by hell theming well. And the end gets very good. So, I will give this the rating of B because of the weak beginning and the good later part.

Edited March 24, 2023 by SuyaSS

[Celestin]

Rock My World by Derek Altamirano

Spoiler

If I had to describe a mid-90s rookie map, it would be something like this. Each new room uses a different theme, some are spacious, but contain few enemies. Also, the info file promises an upside-down room, so I was curious how it would look. Well, it just swapped floor and ceiling textures.

I hope the author did a better job later on.

 

The Seventh 04 Defragmentation by Mike Prower

 

Spoiler

I can't recall that many maps with a single-digit kill count, so here's one, a micro-map (or perhaps nano- or maybe other, even smaller prefix) with 9 enemies. The goal is to get to a teleporter and escape to a place that isn't going to explode. The opposition includes 4 imps in the starting room, an archvile guarding a berserk pack and required switch, 2 barons on the ledge next to the yellow key and 2 revenants as the last ditch attempt to stop the player from escaping. With a secret SSG, nothing poses a threat, only the barons are somewhat tedious, as it's the best to lure them down, where there is more room to move.

 

Size aside, it would be a decent room of a larger map. I like the details like the teleporter or the rails on the ledge. 

[Endless]

Lynx Up! | Nostromo | 1996

 

 

An interesting and relatively well done level with an even better concept: the map layout is based around the Atari Lynx, an early hand held console that was launched only two months after the Gameboy, and technically it was superior in almost every sense. It never really managed to caught unto popular culture, probably because it was twice the price of a Gameboy and lacked severely in game variety. Oh, yes! The WAD. Uh, it is pretty fun and it looks like an Atari Lynx! Not bad.

 

Not Another E1 Wad | Kaiser | 2003

 

 

Another E1 WAD! The title is a little misleading, it is actually just a map replacement for E1M9, and a good one at that. Shot, fast-paced, a little tight and has a slightly higher body count than your average E1 map, bu it is also very well done and flows nicely as you go killing some classic Doom demons. Not much to say, it is a Kaiser level, as such, it is gud.

 

WALDETH.WAD | Unknown | 1994

 

 

The .txt file describes this map as a Walmart, so I was quite excited to see it. In reality, if you don't splash the Walmart title on top of it, it has nothing to do with Walmart, or anything close to it. It's just a massive dungeon with a cube spawner from the IoS but without Romero head, so infinite spawning monsters, and it is meant for DM, btw. Pretty yucky.

[Walter confetti]

kuchitsu by memfis - limit removing ports, Doom 2, SP, 2013, played with Eternity "forseti" 4.0.2

Spoiler

 

Boy, how i miss memfis, he was a talented and prolific mapper until some years ago, known for a clean and simple layout strongly reminiscent of classic 90s map and first Scythe, especially in the mapset I've played this evening the inspiration from these two sources are strong here. The square-ish green structures with some cavernous areas in the middle really gives that strong first Scythe vibes and that's also a pretty good theme for a mapset. Even i have a idea for water themed mapset for Doom in these days (but i didn't did anything yet)! Anyway, the levels are all pretty well crafted, lots of interconnectivity, doomcute and neat designing tropes. The levels are all sets in this seaside place where water treatment plabts are done and then progressing in a small town strongly inspired by Doom City and Shamus Young design in general. Difficulty is similar to a mixture of original Doom 2 maps + early Scythe maps. Pretty neat episode, very fun stuff!

Usual map-by-map review:

MAP01 (Ikuwayo): A simple, fast paced and fun starter that gives you the first sight of what are you going to meet in the future: water, nature and rusty techbases. Enter the base, solve the simple puzzles and exit. New stuff appears like green keycards replacing the yellow one plus some green trees sprites. The title means "Let's go" in Japanese. Being a weeb helps in life, kids, remember that!

MAP02 (Lotus Island): A slightly evolved version of the theme seen in the first map, sets in this abandoned "castle" like place with caverns, boats and a waiting room before the exit? Another thing that you'll see as some sort of gimmick in this map is the red key are been locked using the red keycard board, but for all the time you use the red skull key, why?

MAP03 (Mechanical): A larger map with more monsters in it stands in the middle of the mapset, presenting good looking mazes, burned radioactive corpses in nuclear waste contained waters, slightly complex puzzles and more variety are present in the map. The level reminded me of Alien vendetta "Toxic Touch" without all thetoxic waste part, replaced by water tunnels, but keeping the green bricks\metal textures combo usage. Music doesn't really fits the atmosphere of the map but it's ok.

MAP04 (Water Leak): I didn't really enjoyed this map both in visual and gameplay feel of the map. It's still a neat map in the end, mind you, but nothing too exceptional for my taste.

MAP05 (Doom Town): The inspiration for this map is pretty well visible, both in the title and map fell, is a charming little tribute to the classic 1995 map Doom City, really enjoyed this one.

MAP06 (Have a Nice Flight): Final map sets in sprawling techbase with a sewer maze and a small fraction of a town, very good ending map, i'd enjoyed it.

Edited March 24, 2023 by Walter confetti

[brick]

Brick | 1 wad | 9 maps

Adventure | 3 wads | 16 maps

 

Spire Complex (2011) by Callum Guy Oliver aka phobosdeimos1

 

This is a 9-map Doom II wad with what seem to be vanilla maps, but using an extended Dehacked patch to change several enemies and add a new one. Despite being for Doom II the maps have a strong E1 feel, whether in the techbase look, the complete lack of cell weapons, and just the general design of the maps being closer to Phobos than anything else in the iwads. Even most of the music is lifted from the Doom iwad, with a couple of sequel exceptions. To top it off the SSG doesn't appear until halfway through, and almost all the enemies in this first half are zombies, imps and demons, though the abundant chaingunners will be a constant reminder which game you're playing. The over-reliance on hitscans grated a bit but I found much to like about the maps. Compared to Callum's earliest maps these have a better grasp of lighting (it's really quite nice in parts) and great use of verticality, combined with his love of windows, passages coiling around each other and switches having a visible effect. The early maps are short and very small, but they get bigger and some towards the end are quite elaborate. A couple of times I found myself surprised to hit the exit switch with large parts left unexplored, there are many optional passages and a great feeling of exploration.

 

The custom Dehacked changes the Baron and Arachnotron into proper bosses, each only appears once and they're both much more dangerous now. Unfortunately other parts of the DEH brought the experience down. First, zombiemen now fire immediately upon seeing you, and since they're frequently hidden around corners or in darkness and there are so many of them, they're the most dangerous enemy and the biggest source of damage, which is a problem because most of it just feels cheap. The Arachnotron boss also just has way too much health, and because of its firing pattern and immunity to pain stun fighting it is just tedious. The final boss is a brand new enemy that's basically a rocket-launching marine, but he's bugged and impossible to kill.

 

Unfortunately this bug means the wad ends with a bit of whimper, not helped by the constant irritation of those zombiemen cheap shots. It's a shame because the map design itself has some of Callum's best work. I don't think it's that visible on the screenshots but despite the pure techbase texturing every room is distinctive and navigating the maps is very intuitive, they look and play like high quality 90s maps (some misalignment notwithstanding). I'm personally a fan of Callum's mapping style and so enjoyed the wad despite some of the annoyances.

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Endless]

11 minutes ago, brick said:

Spire Complex (2011) by Callum Guy Oliver aka phobosdeimos1

That skybox looks lovely. Reminds me of the good old Counter Strike days.

[Clippy]

Here we go again lol  - u TRULY never know what u gunna get

 

 

Today's ep has MVP @Dark Pulse who is now just in every Id Games roulette if he likes it or not lol - also an upgraded @thelamp and our good buddy @Dubbag + Surprise visitor @sandwedge who dropped out of school to be here

 

What happened well...

 

First pick was Xdoom an Erotic Conversion (wow2mov1) by https://www.doomworld.com/idgames/themes/x-rated/i_am_old_enough_to_look_at_this/wow2mov1

 

This was horrible lol - made by a lonely horny bored teen? We're talking no monsters, crude as hell - all roads lead to a switch to reveal a pornographic gif  - which the author took the time to animate ..... why does this exist and how did it get on IDGAMES lol

 

So ... we tried again and got

 

CROSSFIRE (#1 in a continuing series) by Don Schuster: https://www.doomworld.com/idgames/levels/doom/a-c/crosfr01

 

An old map that was made before the beginnings of doom? what. It's doom 1 so you know we have to voxel doom it up. Honestly, its hard but you have to consider the means and editors of the time - for what this was when it was - I actually find it impressive - there is a lot of map here and a lot to do - overall - wacky thoughts and concepts maybe some ahead of its time - annyoing maze gotta have that right and just well check it out

 

There is more to this series???

 

night

 

 

[Walter confetti]

Something in the way by @A.o.D. - Boom compatible, Doom 2, SP, 2022, played with Eternity "forseti" 4.0.2

Spoiler

 

A pretty good looking remake of one of the least favorite map from Doom 2. No, not The Chasm, the other one. Yes, Nirvana. The remake is well done visually and fixes some of the most typical bugs from that map and setting everything to MAP01 for some reason, including some great scenarios like the starting area, the caverns and the secret megasphere room. The only two things that i didn't enjoyed is the fact that now this map fells and plays more dragged, taking over almost 30 minutes to complete it in HMP, mostly searching for the keys and leading us to the greatest mistake of this remake: after checking out in Ultimate DoomBuilder the map, i noticed that keys are only present in hard skill, wtf? Overall, a good looking remake ruined by some easily fixable mistakes.

 

Jookey Stuff for Doom 2 by Glang Phan - Gameplay modifier, Doom games, played with Eternity "forseti" 4.0.2 and Plutonia for a change

Spoiler

It's pretty similar to the Dehacked mod called Super Weapon, a mod where health and ammo become almost infinite and with a extremely fast fire rate, making this the perfect mod for slaughtermaps. Over this, the mod contains a pair of changes from the previous mod like:

• Plasma guns now fires barrels, including splash damage from barrel explosions.
• BFG now becomes kinda similar to the beta BFG, using arachnotron projectiles and leaving the big BFG attacks standing in the way, this activates a some sort of shield projectile that gibs and kills some monsters
• New sounds and graphics from Quake, Dark Forces and other 90s wad.

DEUSF is needed to add a modified sprites for chaingun and rocket launcher. Nice mod overall.

 

WOOD.WAD by Ryan Shephard - Vanilla Doom, SP, 1995, played with Eternity "forseti" 4.0.2 and Jookey Stuff mod

Spoiler

 

I think that i see this already this wad title used elsewhere... maybe 1994 Tune-Up or some other wad compilation? Really, this name rings me a bell... Anyway, this is a pretty neat map for 1995 standards, especially the stairs construction and the general layout, well interconnected and with many routes branching into a main room. Monster placements is kind of sparce, there's way too many invulnerabilities but it's a overall really neat and fun map. Few sector glides but doesn't broke the experience.

[LadyMistDragon]

Some Maps from Some Episode of Some Megawad (2007) by Melissa "Agent Spork" McGee (GZDoom

 

I've rolled two other wads produced by Agent Spork, all featuring a minimalistic design with some rather cramped combat. Which is when I see a megawad titled "Simplicity", it's a no-shit moment. But anyway, Melissa's output had already declined quite noticeably at this point. Despite the release of Ultimate Simplicity earlier in the year, she'd attempt yet another addition to the megawad before it became clear she'd have no more time to make another full episode. After this, she'd manage to release one more map more than a year later with a rather grim-sounding name before going completely silent on the mapping front and disappearing around 2 years later.

 

These maps can generally be said to play like something that possibly could've used an extra pass or two. But at the same time, they still feature the same sleek and clean minimalist visual design that would influence later mappers like esselfortium. And like the other Agent Spork maps I'm familiar with, they're all tech-themed. Along with this is a stirring and energetic sci-fi soundtrack, courtesy of the celebrated Shmup Tyrian 2000! There is also one custom monster that seems to be from Simplicity: the nightmare demon that runs really fast and will fire an extremely painful blast of green fire when up close.

 

Map 01: Possibly the second-best map here, but nothing too dramatic. There are some very nicely atmospheric moments though, such as when a Hell Knight fades in Doom 64 style near a critical progression switch. It's also here that we encounter the Nightmare Demon for the first time. Learn to depend on the chaingun here, although the SS might be better in other situations. Also, be careful when opening doors because Melissa does not hesitate to put enemies behind them, although largely not anything too threatening. There was a little situation with some Revenants in a courtyard that proved annoying with only a chaingun but it wasn't so bad! The true test comes in a rectangular courtyard with some chaingunners in a depressed pit in the middle, along with some Revenants in the back and some Cacos. There's not really lots of room to move, so be careful!

 

Map 02: Humorously referred to as a "non-linear attempt" by an author largely known for linearity, there are no weapons stronger than a chaingun (no SS). It's not too bad for the most part, other than the part near the red key where you'll likely end up fighting at least 4 Cacos with nothing more than a shotgun. With the same sort of visual stylings (chain-link fences and large open courtyards) in most other maps, this doesn't amount to a whole lot in the end. Although there are a number of decent ambushes, the enemy fade-in feels particularly gimmicky here. And you do sort of have to do at least 1 or 2 things in order.

 

Map 03: In contrast, this map is referred to as "extremely linear." This is better than the last map, although there's also more room than Agent Spork is known for. The Revenant traps are still deadly as ever, and the RK fight in the grassy outdoor courtyard against some teleport enemies in a nearby metal hallway several Cacodemons and a Lost Soul or two proves quite fun due to the amount of rockets you're given! It's very easy to be taken by surprise with the many closets at the end, although the ending Baron fight is laughably easy because there are so many rockets, blowing them up is completely effortless!

 

Map 04: Hmm, 18 monsters? Was this abandoned halfway through development? Oh no! See, Melissa is employing the ZDoom trick of concealing enemy counts that comes partially from the placing of enemies "outside the area" but feels far too purposeful here. Maybe the beginning's kind of a weak joke, but things quickly start to pick up! Chaingun some Revenants up,  grab the Super Shotgun in yet another beautiful outdoor courtyard, hit a switch toward the other end and prepare to do some damage! The Revenants and Hell Knights will likely infight a lot with each other. Hit the switch here (I guess) run out and prepare to deal with a rather non-threatening Caco cloud, the main issue being somewhat tight ammo at this point. For some reason, the door leading here would not open, despite pressing the BK switch. Behind the BK door is a close-quarters Revenant, which prepares you for the transparent nightmare demon that charges from the outside courtyard. But more threatening are the Revenants and particularly the Arachnotrons that will probably not go down with some well-placed plasma shots. It's necessary though to pick up the rocket launcher here. At the far end here, hit another switch and you're raised and attacked instantly by two Arachnotrons fairly close by, then Mancubi surrounding you and Revenants in front, both groups on raised surfaces. Kind of difficult, quite heated for something outside a slaughter context! Picking up the RK opens the way back to the previous courtyard and a Cyberdemon, along with Imps and some Revenants. Try to spark at least some infighting here. Afterwards, start rocketing the Cyberdemon, but he'll start teleporting around after losing a certain amount of health. I was lucky to have just enough cells for him! Cool ending.

 

Good set, more ammo and room than general Sporkiness, but a little hard to attack the overall quality otherwise 7/10

 

Spoiler

 

Edited March 26, 2023 by LadyMistDragon
typo near beginning

[Celestin]

Pump Station by Stocki (2021)

 

Spoiler

Spoiler

Spoiler

 

A monster-dense techbase - what's not to like here? Pump Station in stuffed with low-tier demons that provides for a run and gun action. The visuals are fine, with a decent mix of locations.

 

Two issues. An ugly HOM in one room that is hard to miss and D_RUNNIN as a soundtrack. Otherwise, an ok map that would fit nicely into the first episode of something like NOVA.

[LadyMistDragon]

HexQuake for HEXEN Final 1.0 (1996) by Yves Lauriviere (GZDoom)

 

Generally, I learn to expect the worst from Hexen deathmatch maps, but this one is actually pretty good! Enemy count is fairly low and you're ridiculously overloaded with health, but there are a vast amount of nicely-detailed locations, connected by a rather confusing series of pathways. If you hate Hexen, you probably won't like this, since pushing on bookshelves and certain walls is a requirement to progress anywhere! But really, who doesn't like seeing some bars? Some sewers? Some graveyards??  A large open canyon? Exploring is a touch confusing but is also inarguably nice as well. Cheesily enough, Korax will taunt you if certain things are pressed. For instance, a random wall near the emerald key door will kill you after being told you've lived too long. Probably a little on the easy side, but the traps are quite well-staged. Maybe there might be a pointless area or two, but otherwise, complaining's actually really hard. 7.5/10

 

Spoiler

Spoiler

Spoiler

Spoiler

 

[A.o.D.]

On 3/25/2023 at 5:25 PM, Walter confetti said:

Something in the way by @A.o.D. - Boom compatible, Doom 2, SP, 2022, played with Eternity "forseti" 4.0.2

  Reveal hidden contents

 

A pretty good looking remake of one of the least favorite map from Doom 2. No, not The Chasm, the other one. Yes, Nirvana. The remake is well done visually and fixes some of the most typical bugs from that map and setting everything to MAP01 for some reason, including some great scenarios like the starting area, the caverns and the secret megasphere room. The only two things that i didn't enjoyed is the fact that now this map fells and plays more dragged, taking over almost 30 minutes to complete it in HMP, mostly searching for the keys and leading us to the greatest mistake of this remake: after checking out in Ultimate DoomBuilder the map, i noticed that keys are only present in hard skill, wtf? Overall, a good looking remake ruined by some easily fixable mistakes.

 

 

Goddamnit WHAT?!?!  Damn, guess I have to upload a fix.  Looks like some of the ammo and a few of the monsters have the same problem.  I've fixed the difficulty flag problems and have uploaded the fix to Doomworld.  In the meantime, the corrected version can be found now at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Jb1pybWkiqcTjyeLbrLlQGhnIvtDDhhe/view?usp=share_link

or here:

 

intheway.zip

Edited March 27, 2023 by A.o.D.
good file for real this time

[LadyMistDragon]

Recycled (2018)  by Various (From Doom With Love)

 

This is a seven-map community project that seems intended to refurbish maps a la 1994 Tune-Up but with seemingly no particular restriction on era. I'd say it's a shame we don't see more of these projects, but honestly, it'd be better if such projects had stronger guidelines if they're to be made. anyway..

 

Map 01's by Misty. Admittedly, this isn't quite her visual style, but regardless, her approach to combat's pretty recognizable. Sort of. Two different maps  from the same wad apparently. Marble gives way to dirt, and then tech, although it's all quite consistent within its own bubble. Final room is vined hallways

 

Map 02: A reworking of another map by the author, you get a rocket launcher early and are more than encouraged to use it, though that doesn't mean much should be wasted upon finding the SS. Fun map with a cute sort of jail/intelligence office theme!

 

Map 03: The guy's right. "Show Must Go On" works great! Otherwise, it's one of those standard overly-large '94 maps, but with the ammo woes of the original mostly remedied. Although monster placement was actually much more harmful in spots initially. Map still lacks a certain personality. Go play slightly modified Michael Reed instead.

 

Map 04: A DFF job, this map being from the partial TC Xtreme Doom Not sure if he succeeded in making a version that was less confusing, but it's still filled as ever with lots of crate-detailing in the beginning along with punishing fights. Does it go fast.....think there may be too many narrow corridors for that. The backtracking is pretty bad though and the basically out-of sight Pain Elemental is beyond obnoxious in the YK courtyard. It does its job as an industrial factory though.

 

Map 05: Riderr did this one. An obscure map, this received some quality of life improvements and maybe some cleaner texturing. Honestly, it definitely is less tedious than map 03 at the very least! More claustrophobic though. Frankly, it was probably already enjoyable anyway, thanks to the little visual touches, but riderr did not say what they did.

 

Map 06: A hell map. Polished and plays solidly. Actually, this was played for Shovelware Society once and everyone hated it! This takes care of some of the most egregious decisions (placing the yellow key in an anonymous pit for one), but the basic structure is the same, it's just that progression is streamlined.

 

Map 07: I guess this was a slaughter map to begin with but NIH says it felt much grindier in spots with less firepower. Sounds like an improvement.

 

I don't think any of these maps will light fires under anyone, other than perhaps the last one. DFF's and Misty's maps were definitely good or had strong spots at the very least.  And honestly, riderr's too. But probably half of these maps largely take too long with other things. Also, I dont' care too much for turd polishing unless its ammo balancing. 6.5/10

 

 

Spoiler

Spoiler

Spoiler

Spoiler

 

Edited April 1, 2023 by LadyMistDragon

[brick]

Brick | 1 wad | 9 maps

Adventure | 4 wads | 25 maps

 

007: Licence to Spell DooM (2002) by Stephen Clark aka The Ultimate DooMer. For ZDoom & UDoom IWAD. Played with GZDoom on HNTR.

 

I actually rolled this one at the beginning of the month, but I was going through Fragport with the DWMC and wanted to finish that first. I also ended up playing through Operation Lightning in-between that and starting this one, it's been fun to play the same protagonist, but it's also interesting to see just how different the 3 wads get.

 

The atmosphere departs a bit from the previous Jody adventures and does fit with the theme of infiltration. However this is just window dressing more often than not and many levels eventually devolve into killing everything and blowing things up. I didn't mind so much some of the time, but there were some aspects of combat I was a bit ambivalent about. The wad uses a lot of stealth monsters and I'm not a fan of them; at least here they can still be shot and killed even when invisible (and taking pain actually makes them briefly visible, just like when they attack), but too often they're just used to get int cheap shots. The biggest problem is that combat can get so grindy even on HNTR, there are many caco and baron meat shields, not to mention the superdemon that also has a ton of health (and the lost soul whose wealth is doubled or tripled), and slowly whittling so many health sponges gets tedious (the reduced ammo capacity doesn't help). I've never felt the Doom I bestiary was lacking and often enjoy its different take on combat compared to the sequel, but this is one time where I felt dissatisfied with the enemy variety. Outside of combat there are some good gameplay elements. Mazes still present but less than in Fragport, and certainly not as onerous as in Operation Lightning. There are numerous secrets, some very cool. The way to reach the secret level was a very nice execution of switch hunt puzzle. Clark's favourite use of "manikins" is back, they're everywhere in the secret level and you are guaranteed to take some damage from them, I had some PTSD flashbacks to his previous Shadowcaster.

 

Unlike the previous two adventures, which claimed vanilla compatibility (though with various degrees of Zdoomisms), this one is openly a ZDoom exclusive and makes heavy use of the whole gamut of ZDoom features. In this it reminded me of the (in)famous Assault on Tei Tenga in some ways. Perhaps the biggest difference with Tei Tenga is that Clark wears his Half-Life influences on his sleeves, even moreso than in his previous wads, and borrows heavily from that game including many excursions inside ducts, breaking things (with the chainsaw instead of the crowbar), lack of music and reliance on ambient sounds. Speaking of Tei Tenga, one thing it definitely has in common is the heavy use of scripting. In some ways 007 does it better, they're often used in interesting ways to set up puzzles, but occasionally it falls into the same flaws as its spiritual predecessor with the over-reliance on these scripts at the expense of good gameplay. It's especially frustrating when the game won't let you press a switch because you found it before it expects you to, and the scripts are totalitarian about what you're allowed to do and when, even when it otherwise would make sense to be able to proceed. The further I got into the wad the more frustrated I started getting with the peculiar way in which some of the scripts are set up, including some situations where failing to do something completely unintuitive will result in an intentional softlock, a very poor design decision. There's also some platforming, and several timed sequences, neither of which I'm a fan of.

 

And then there's the final level, which somehow manages to combine all those annoyances into timed platforming (I reloaded more times than I care to count) followed by timed obtuse scripted switch-hunt. The final boss was a completely letdown, he goes down so quickly but his pattern of firing means I brought him down without even seeing him, just blindly shooting in the general direction from which his projectiles came. This is followed by an incredibly obnoxious puzzle that tries to parody the finale from The Man With The Golden Gun: you have to find a body to throw into the liquid nitrogen to blow up the base... except there are 200 enemy bodies and the game won't let you pick up any one of them, but makes you look for a specific one. This is followed by yet another timed sequence.

 

All in all it's a hard wad to sell: it tries to do many things at once but doesn't fully succeed in any of them. There are a lot of problems with the execution, and some really annoying design decisions between the timed sequences and the softlocks. I still found things to like about the wad, there's a lot of craft put into it, some really cool ideas, a pretty particular atmosphere, and I did have enjoyable moments while playing it.

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Roofi]

Year 2 Month 03 Day 04

 

I play until I die or intentionally stop. I don't comment the wad where I died/stopped.

 

 

Blind Alley, Nukage by Gene Bird @Searcher (2002)

 

Spoiler

 

Quote

The monsters have taken over your neighborhood and it is up to you to "MAKE THEM PAY!"

 

It's the second time I fall on a Gene Bird's map in my random adventures, and wanting to spoil too much, it's totally nonsensical but I guess you already watched the Mtpain's videos so I will you learn nothing.

 

It's also the second time Gene Bird's demonstrates his sincere love for the SSG because Blind Alley allows you to test the formidable strenght of this weapon. Most of the rooms are heavily populated by random monsters and I felt a lot of satisfaction punshing them with my two-barrels shotgun.

 

About the aesthetics, it's a passable map for 1995 I would say. I have a fav for the outdoors areas where I could recognize a pool and some stands which maybe sells lemonad. Also there is an upperscaled reference to Doom 2's map 22 central area. I don't know why but that's Doom after all.

 

Overall, Blind Alley was a fun shovelwaresque adventure with a high emphasis on the SSG. Don't play it if you hate SSG spamming though.

 

Grade : B-

A cacolich killed me with its homing projectile in Zaero: Episode 1

Spoiler

[Searcher]

16 minutes ago, Roofi said:

Overall, Blind Alley was a fun shovelwaresque adventure with a high emphasis on the SSG. Don't play it if you hate SSG spamming though.

 

Grade : B-

 

 

A fair review I think..  Thanks. 

All of the maps in the series force heavy usage of the SSG, my favorite tool.

[Roofi]

On 3/22/2023 at 10:53 AM, Clippy said:

@Roofi thank you for playing my map and giving it such a high grade 😄 

 

I keep sending my stuff to the archive increasing my chances from almost done to kind of none of getting picked haha 

 

So if I understand right you will quit the moment you die even at the start? I seem to have a thing for hot starts or putting the hardest fight in my map at the beginning to wake people up. Also for the saveless people let's get that hard fight out of the way at the beginning I'm weird like that lol 

 

But yeah I had fun with making this and I don't really do slaughter maps so this is kind of my bad attempt at that. I'm super happy that you had fun though thanks buddy!

 

Sorry for the late answer 

 

Yep, if I die, I stop the game. It prevents me from suffering for too long. 

However I can be a bit more indulgent with that rule if I die too much in the first wad in a row. My sessions can last from a few hours to a few minutes.

 

About your wad, the viles act more as a jumpscare than real threat, so I actually had few chances to die at the beginning. :p

Edited March 31, 2023 by Roofi