The DWmegawad Club plays: Solar Struggle

[LadyMistDragon]

E1M5: Mining Complex

by RataUnderground

 

Now this is more like it! Starring a midi from the Revolution! Midi Pack composed by Varis Alpha, we're certainly propelled throughout the map Starting in a cave that's seemingly what the exit gate of the last map has led us to, we're taken a series of 'processing' facilities that definitely contain equipment, not to mention signs of digging. Verticality is not that impressive for the most part, but still works to give us some nice views.

 

And the combat, while showing the strains of the imposed limits, is easily the best out of any so far! Challenge level is almost there, but thankfully, barrels are everywhere so destroying everything shouldn't be too much trouble. Perhaps we shouldn't go as wild with our rockets, just to fight off the pinkie horde in one of the traps. Actually, we suffered our first death here after running back and finding opposition much stiffer than expected! Teleport traps are at basically every key. On the down-side, the only noticeable piece of Doomcute we found was that pieced-together abomination in the office that....probably is like machinery.

 

To be honest, this really wasn't that hard to navigate. At the same time, the areas of interest helped us find 3 out of 5 secrets! Such as the hidden chamber with a rad suit that takes us to a little nook with armor overlooking the slime-filled area we would've ended up anyway with the other nearby teleporter. At the same time, seeing that inaccesible outdoor area with hitscanners off in the distance, not to mention the military base homage was a little annoying, to the extent we spent extra time looking for switches in areas we'd already gone over pretty well.

 

But the verdict? Pretty good, ultimately. Grindiness can easily be avoided by the veteran player, despite the enemy count being 200+. There is something to be said about the lack of Doomcute, I don't think we're quite at the stage yet where the challenge is at a point where that doesn't matter anymore.

 

PS  - Of course the secret was just as cool as I suspected, but the intial acces to it is - a misaligned section of grate in one of the first secrets? yeah...it's now THE BEST.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 5, 2023 by LadyMistDragon

[TJG1289]

GZDoom/UV/Pistol-Start/Saves

E1M5: Mining Complex - RataUnderground

100% kills and secrets

Time: 16:40

 

RataUnderground is someone I see post quite a few playthroughs of WADs here on Doomworld. If someone posts a new WAD and I see Rata in the thread, it's usually with a playthrough and some feedback. As for their own maps, they don't have a lot out there, but I have played their map from Skulltiverse. I don't really remember it though. Looking at my writeup for it for the club, I liked the map overall, with the atmosphere being the highlight. This map is a little different atmosphere-wise, as it's one of the closest to the IWADs so far. This is an interesting one, as you can find a secret path pretty much immediately. I know I did. Having played this map before, I knew what this part ended up heading to, so once I grabbed the backpack from just outside the secret cavern, I headed back to the beginning since I wanted a chaingun before going through that. Finding that secret path is pretty cool! The main path is pretty fun. It's mostly one long corridor to get to the yellow key, but once you approach the switch that allows access to the soul sphere by the exit, a wide ambush happens. Monsters teleport in all throughout the area, and an area opens up that takes you to the yellow key. You'll have the rocket launcher by now, so you can get some use out of it. Going through the yellow door is a small area with the blue key, so there's not too much here. This was when I went back to the secret path. I don't think I found the lift in a canal that takes you up to the cavern door so I had to noclip to it, but I saw it this time! Behind the door is another yellow key which is nice, and then we descend. We're taken to a giant dark cave filled with spectres and lost souls (hey, these aren't supposed to be here!). This is a pretty cool area that has a few goodies around it, such as a soul sphere. Taking the lift at the end brings you back to the yellow door area, and you'll get a good chunk of ammo for your weapons. Cool little side area. The blue door area opens up a teleporter to the red key and spawns an imp ambush that I just shotguned through. Red key in hand, it's just a quick jog to the exit. Overall, this is a pretty cool map. It feels like a natural evolution of the IWAD's E1 to me. Maxing it isn't the most streamlined thing, but it's not a huge deal. The secret cavern is a cool locale too. Solid map!

[Capellan]

E1M5 & E1M6

First death.  Enjoyed both of these very much.

 

 

[Book Lord]

E1M6 – Visitor Center by @Shawny

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

 

Maybe a ‘perfect’ Doom level does not exist, as its existence would generate countless arguments about its alleged perfection, and lead to the conclusion that worldly creations cannot be defined that way. Visitor Center was what I consider close to (my personal idea of) perfection: a compact level with an interconnected layout and superior detail, allowing for exploration in multiple directions, leading to different combat scenarios depending on the chosen path. The secrets were masterfully done as well, a joy to uncover.

Spoiler

The texturing was different from the standard tech-base, using primarily Doom II assets and displaying Shawny’s signature props I noticed in both Hellevator and Skulltiverse, such as carpets, benches, armchairs, and sofas. The guests visiting Titan for work or leisure found everything they needed in Visitor Center: a lobby, lounges to sit down and rest, a reading room with well-stocked bookshelves, a swimming pool, a garden, and a recreation hall with billiard tables. Obtaining any of the three keycards, all required for the exit and scattered throughout the place, immediately granted a rocket launcher from a nearby locked room. Such user-friendly arrangements, coupled with constant though moderate aggression, turned the exploration into a free-flowing stream of entertainment.

Spoiler

Now that hellspawn had taken over, Doomguy could not walk around with impunity; every corridor, room or staircase was trapped, ready to release monsters from carefully placed monster closets. Playing with -fast monsters turned a relaxing UV playthrough into a more challenging experience, but it did not detract anything from my enjoyment. I have a bias for Shawny maps, and I loved every second in this place. I was having such a good time that I forgot to save and was killed just before obtaining the last key. Good that I had to replay Visitor Center again, since it was too short for being so good.

[DJVCardMaster]

E1M5 - Mining Complex - RataUnderground (85%K/57%I/0%S):

This map starts out following a somewhat "cohessive" conection to the last map, while not seamless just like the first three levels, it has a "cave-like" starting area, similar to the areas found at E1M6. After that, it abruptly changes to a brown level, just like the ones you could find in Doom II/TNT, or even 1996 maps. This map screams 1996, as the layout may be a bit confusing, and mostly undetailed. It has that Memento Mori feel. It has some nice moments like the outside areas in the mountains.
I've felt like I missed a lot of stuff about this level, as there was many monsters that I could hear from behind some walls, walls that I feel I could open in some way, but, even with many tries of searching, I could never find a secret at this map. Looking at other reviews on the map, my thoughts were right, there is an extra area, and other hard-to-find secrets. I may give this another playthrough, but my playing time here is limited, and I did not find this level as amusing as most of the past ones.
It is quite a solid improvement from his entry in Skulltiverse.

 

Order of Preference:

Spoiler

 

E1M4

E1M2
E1M3
E1M1
E1M5
E1M9

 

 

[Ralgor]

E1M6 - "Visitor Center" by Shawny
MIDI: "Goldrush" by Stewboy
dsda-doom v0.25.6 cl3, UV, Pistol start, blind run
100% kills and secrets
Deaths: 0
Time: 13:48

This map is a visitor's center sporting a lobby, pool tables, library, an in-ground pool, and sundries. The map looks pretty good, but what I really like about it is that it's compact and interconnected. There always seems to be multiple paths to get to any place you might want to go. Each area is fairly distinct, which is helped by the fact that half of the level is mostly grey, and the other half mostly brown.

 

Spoiler

The lobby at the player start

In order to exit, you need to collect all three keys, but you can get them in any order. The map is very non-linear. Each key also enables access to a room with a rocket launcher, so you can get it after getting any key. The actual progression in this map is very smooth. That's pretty rare for such a non-linear map!

 

Spoiler

Take a quick dip if you need to remove the flaming imp snot off of you.

This is probably the easiest level in a while. The hardest part is the beginning until you have your shotgun, chaingun, and rocket launcher. The shotgun you have to get off a shotgunner, but there are at least two chainguns available pretty close to the start depending on which way you go. That makes this map pretty blind friendly. The secrets are fairly easy to find as well.

 

Spoiler

Someone passed out on the pool table again...

Overall I had a great time with this map. I ended up playing it twice just to see if my hunch about it's nonlinearity was correct, and I ended up having a great time again! It almost felt like a different map when I intentionally played it in a different order. It is pretty short, but when it's designed this well I don't mind that. I will say that the level relied maybe a little bit too much on monster closets; it might have been nice to have a bit more teleporting monsters instead. This is still a fantastic map though. I'm going to have to see what else Shawny has made.

 

P.S. @Book Lord, your first screenshot was nearly identical to one of mine. You forced me to go take another! :D

[DisgruntledPorcupine]

E1M4: "Mineral Processing" by Death Bear

UV, pistol start, no saves

100% kills, 5/7 secrets

 

Here's one with some size to it. A tall techbase nestled in Titan's cliffs, with an ocean of toxic waste beneath it. You have some cool antenna-like structures in the waste, crates no doubt full of rocks, and some crushers that add some moving machinery to this mineral processing plant. The closing area has a stopped conveyor belt that looks like it was feeding some material into a crate. I wasn't able to get a good view of this except by id-clipping, but maybe I missed something. The midi is a Jimmy track which I hear quite often, and you won't find me complaining because it is catchy as hell. The map itself is likely to take you the longest so far, probably around 15 minutes. My first run got a bit prolonged because I had trouble noticing the red key... I killed a corpse in a weird position where it obscured my view of it, which lead me to not search for the way up there. Combat felt on the easier side so far, we're back to only using lower tier monsters (former humans, imps, pinkies). Shells are extremely plentiful and you also get a fair few rockets, which I didn't use until the final encounter. There are lots of secrets and I found most of them, with 3 being given to you in one swoop near the beginning. Great map though, I liked the setting a lot.

[Catpho]

E1M2 - “Admin Offices” by Peccatum Mihzamiz

A strong contrast in visuals styles compared to M1. Myolden, for all his flavorful representationalist detailing at certain points, relied on a ruthlessly pragmatic Scythe-ish floorplan and styling strategies, using a mixed palette of gritty textures (with some contrast) and small architectural motifs (row of cells, light fixtures, blocks) to bring to life the clean polygons that made up the level's architecture. There's a strong balance of game-y readability and utility, and locational verisimilitude that defines "Detention Facility". Mihzamiz, on the other hand, goes for complete fanciful decoration. It's in the Doomcute that everyone is rightfully infatuated with, but it's also in the macro play of shapes and colors. From a layout point of view, "Admin Offices" lives up to its namesake, but actually looking at the rooms tells a different story. Right from the start, we see a small pattern of blue and red carpetry, and the rest of the level revels in the joy of drawing attractive shapes and patterns, converting a nominal workplace into a gallery (that the map places so much emphasis on framing its textures as paintings is not an accident, imo). The result is a world of pure phantasmagoria:

 

Spoiler

 

Add to that is the upbeat, wondrous Stewboy track, which is always a good choice for musically transporting people to faraway lands.

 

And yeah, the fighting isn't this level's strong suit. Demons are a delicate monster to use in UDoom mapsets due to how easy it is to fall into three-shot grinds, which is a gameplay niche I admit I'm not that into :P Granting that, "Offices" trades in a lot more open spaces, and one of the risks of that kind of design is that trash monsters can be fairly harmless and aimless, and makes the combat mechanics and aesthetic look pretty barren. With this in mind, I think the giant YK ambush doesn't really work. The monsters just all get bunched up and slowly picked off. It is not game-breaking, however, just not very memorable, and that's enough for me to just focus on drinking in the lovingly crafted sorroundings. I wouldn't be surpised that, despite the aformentioned weakness, this ends up being among my E1 favorties.
 

Video playthrough:

Spoiler

 

 

[Helm]

E1M5 - Mining Complex 
by RataUnderground

the midi is "The Antrax Solution" by Varis Alpha

First of all, hi RataUnderground, never played anything by you but I really enjoyed this! Thank you for making maps on your free time for random people on the internet to play!

So what' this? A sprawling, huge ultimate doom stage that gives you a completely different, optional scenic route through the whole level? I love ambitions like these. Here's what recommends this map: even though you can do that, and I did that, what I didn't do is *get lost*. I found my way through the side path, all the way to the end and I doubled back to clear up more enemies and explore more and even though I escaped with stats in the 80% I had a feeling of 'completion enough'. I also find maps where I end up with like, 80%, 80%, 80% are exactly at the sweet spot where they say 'oh, you almost did it across the board, try again, one more time!'. It's different if you end up for example with 100%, 35% and 50%, if you get what I mean.

The secret path, as mentioned, is scenic. It's on the outside periphery of the thrust of the level, so I presume if I went straight first I would be seeing a constant sidecontent path that I would never get to unless I traced all the way to the beginning. It's a cool concept because it makes a medium sized map feel huge and alive, and it's very well executed in the moment to moment of its combat it as well. This one's a bit more spicy than what we've had before and therefore the difficulty chaining of the early levels is *chef's kiss*. The consistent skybox really ties the level progression together excellently as well I thoroughly enjoyed myself and also kept my ass alive once more. Footage

 

[LadyMistDragon]

E1M6: Visitor Center

by @Shawny

 

Here's a map that certainly keeps the form of its location, if hardly any of the Doomcute tendencies of the previous maps, save for some occasional pool tables and perhaps an office or two, like the blue-carpeted one in the opening room, a sight we must drink in because the vast majority of the map is brown, brown, brown.

 

But setting aside the snarkiness, it's probably the hardest map so far, if not the best. From almost the jump, we're assaulted on all corners and constant movement is the only way to get out without sustaining significant damage and there are hitscanners everywhere so some damage is inevitable. Especially since ammo's quite limited until at least 3/4/ths of the way through the map (which makes any pistol-starter who doesn't find the obvious secret chainsaw probably feel foolish). But the saving grace here is the vast amount of room to move in most locations. And at the same time, there's a highly interconnected design a la Mechadon which makes picking up an earlier-spotted rocket launcher after acquiring the YK that much less trouble. Speaking of, this map's also notable for its essential lack of teleport traps with Shawny preferring instead to use monster closets which granted make a little bit more sense with the whole Central Processing rocket ending. And honestly, pressure doesn't ever feel that it slackens so there's really little room for complaint Although this is also the first map without any slime barrels, which also makes complete sense because this isn't exactly an area one would put rad suits in. There is no climatic encounter in general, though the amount of monsters faced will increase toward the end.

 

Side note: it was weird to hear the Warpspeed intermission music playing here. Certainly a choice, but then, someone picking an Eternal Doom track was really nice!

 

 

[continuum.mid]

E1M6: Visitor Center (Shawny)

Woof 10.5.1 (Debian 12), Freedoom: Phase 1 + Antaresian Reliquary Mod, Extreme Carnage, practiced, pistol start

Kills: 100%, Items: 89%, Secrets: 66%, Time: 12:37, Save Count: 5

 

Visitor Center is a return to the beautifully detailed maps, though it's somewhat unclear how the techbase, wooden house, and moon themes can coexist in this building. I recall this being easy when I first played it, but I do not recommend attempting this map with Antaresian Reliquary's weapon mod. The modified zombieman makes it harder, and thanks to the faster chaingun it is way easier to run out of ammo. I had to strategize, saving lots of enemies for later, focusing on the shotgunners and zombies, and making a beeline to the keys.

 

Were it not for those problems this would be one of my bigger favorites of the episode. Many of the secrets in this map are quite easy to find due to a non-secret automap, and it's a run-and-gun that's quite fun to explore.

[Celestin]

E1M6: Visitor Center by Shawny

Spoiler

I've got killed in the first room, so yeah. Even after finding a shotgun (in the hands of a nearby sergeant), I was overwhelmed and died. With that embarassment out of the way, let's talk about the map proper.

 

Visitor Center is a non-linear search for all three keys in an interlocking place, connected together with incidental combat. The more keys you collect, the more the map opens, allowing different routing depending on the order of collection. The red key is the easiest to get, it can be grabbed with no issues after clearing the opening area. Protip: look for a hidden switch nearby, it will open a secret with a partial invisibility. It helps a lot with the blue key fight, accessible through a nearby red bars. This place is full of hitscanners and making them less accurate relieves the pressure considerably. The yellow key fight locks the player in a tight room with spectres, whith imps behind their backs. It's too tight for a rocket launcher and the rest of weapons feels a bit slow, but it's not that hard of a fight.

 

Overall, a pretty solid, exploratory map. 

[Alaxzandarz]

DSDA-doom, pistol-start, UV

 

e1m5:

I really like all the usage of the tech textures. Some of the ashwall used doesn't really fit the objects that it's aplied to (stairs in front of the blue key room). Overall the level looks good. The ambush by the soulsphere is well made, I like how large scale it is spatially. The diorama in the room locked with the blue key is nice. And the music fits the map well and is good.

 

e1m6:

I love the openness and the flow of this map. It just feels really good to play. The detailing is the best yet. I like how this project alternates between sorta realistic and more abstract maps. The map is centered aroud the chaingun, which I really like compared to shotgun centric maps and the ammo balance is really well done. The fights and the incidental combat is in general really fun, but the yellow key trap is absurdly underwhelming. This map is definitely my favourite up to this point.

[finnks13]

Catching up...

 

E1M5 - Mining Complex by RataUnderground:

10:46/0 Deaths
This map was alright, it definitely felt like the work of a newcomer with it's often bizarre texturing and weird secrets. There are two(!) secrets that can be accessed in the first room by lowering the two waterfalls on either side of the area, both of which contained supplies worthy of a Knee Deep in the Dead map - I counted six whole armour bonuses and a stimpack in one and six health bonuses in the other :P The secret on the left has two more secrets (one marked, one not marked) inside it that require you to walk through a window and perform a tightrope walk round the edge of a building, and coming to the thread to post this I read about an intended shortcut that lets you skip almost the entire map? That's some impressive commitment to optional stuff in your map! 

 

I like the waterworks theme with all the rocks & waterfalls around the map, though I was surprised to see custom textures at all, even ones so basic as waterfalls since I assumed the whole project would be vanilla textures, barring skies, though I guess they're a pretty understandable addition. Once again there's not much to say about most of the combat, it does the job of an Episode 1 map as you'd expect it to, the notable exception for me was the soulsphere fight which unleashed quite a lot more pinkies & spectres than I was expecting and very nearly got me (that being said, I'm not sure why the monster closet that releases them doesn't open up all the way to the sides, surely that defeats the point of the monster closet being that wide?). The small model showing what a switch does is a cute little touch, even if they're close enough to one another it's probably unnecessary. It's a fine addition to the episode and I think it's odd styling & mad secrets would lend a lot to replayability. 

 

E1M6 - Visitor Center by Shawny:

7:49/0 Deaths
Out of nowhere we have an absolute banger of a map that manages to capture what can be done with the shareware arsenal to near perfection, there's such a wonderful sense of speed to it. I'd say this is largely thanks to the excellent layout that allows you to go pretty much anywhere on the map from the start, triggering one of many traps that await you. None of the ambushes are particularly challenging and you can get quite the supply of rockets to your name to blast away the small hordes that are released upon grabbing the keys but the flow of this map is unparalleled in the wad so far. There's so many routes between areas and so many little shortcuts you can take, I'd be surprised if two people playing for the club managed to get through it in the exact same way as one another, and I think this level of non-linearity in such a short level should be applauded.

 

I think the map looks great too, it fits the title perfectly. I really respect maps that use a lot of the STUCCO textures and still look fantastic because I've never been able to get that texture to work well for me, and that's not even starting on the lovely little details that are sprinkled around - the highlight of which is definitely the snooker tables which look perfect. I wasn't expecting a moonrock texture to show up in the little cave area with the yellow key, it looks good but is a bit of a departure from the brown outdoor theme that the rest of the maps (apart from E1M1 I guess) have set up. Even though I don't think the Ancient Aliens MIDI really fits the visuals of the map (despite it being an absolute banger), it certainly fits the pace of combat so I think it was a good choice. This is one of those maps that make me want to immediately go and find other maps by the author - it's that good.

[DJVCardMaster]

E1M6 - Visitor Center - Shawny (92%K/77%I/66%S):

Here is the Shawny map I remember playing through at the playtesting sessions, the one that is similar in style to E1M2 and goes well with Shawny's style of offices and lobbies, just like we saw in past ViolentBeetle's projects. His style, as for E1M2, is pretty reminiscent to Going Down, with the Doomcute and the said office aesthetic. I did not play through all maps while playtesting, but I feel like this may be the best map in the entire megawad, as it is really well crafted, being short, but having so many ways to tackle. It, being a non-linear keyhunt, with a level that circles itself many times, could work greatly for deathmatch in my books. I believe you have several ways to replay this one, in comparison to other levels, and that's why I enjoyed giving it a second playthroug.
Contrary to other Shawny's maps, that were criticized by my for them being SO hard, this one may be one of the easiest so far, as I did not have a difficult time with it, and that would be my only grippe with this one. Nonetheless, great level, but I hope there are maps in the future that can top that or be at the same level.

 

Order of Preference:
 

Spoiler

 

E1M6

E1M4

E1M2
E1M3
E1M1
E1M5
E1M9

 

 

[Shawny]

Day is slowly coming to an end when I am so some insight for those who care:
I would like to thank all of you for your kind words, I am happy to hear you have enjoyed playing my map.
(Also, I do apologize for A LOT of fluff but I feel like I want to cover as much as possible.)

Regarding general contributions to community projects:

Spoiler

 

I will confess a lot of times I use community project as test bed for various map ideas I have.
Some of them work, some don´t. Regardless... good portion of ideas get reused/build upon

in my other contributions or my personal project.

 

Regarding the idea/map structure:

Spoiler

After Skulltiverse, in which I was more focused on ideas based around combat.
This time I decided to "go back to my roots" and do something more relaxing, built around map layout with combat being secondary.
I always prefered to make (and play) maps focusted on exporation and map flow rather than challenging combat.
Maybe one day I will be able to struck "perfect" balance between combat set pieces and exploration, but for now it is usually one or the other.
Comparsion to my Hellevator maps are extremely accurate due to this theme being my comfort zone and I specifically wanted this map for that reason.

("Fun") facts:

Spoiler

 

I have, mostly for dumb reasons, built the map in Boom format and just after VB informed me the map doesn´t work I realized I should have double checked what
-cl3 ACTUALLY is. MOST of the conversion process was pretty painless, with some workarounds few encounters were nerfed and notably the blue key lock-in
became very janky as a result.

There was a time when I really wanted to use few lost souls and maybe a caco or two for the blue section and was considering asking VB to for permission,
but ultimately decided not to.

I made the pool tables for Hellevator and are compied from there. MAP01 specifically. They are also used in MAP10 of my personal project.

FrancisT218 once said (something along the lines) that if a map have decent amount of STUCCO textures there is a good chance it is made by me.
I fully embraced that, especially considering that STUCCO/STUCCO1 are definitely my most used textures.

2 things I would have changed if I could is having less caged monsters or them being able to TP out when player leaves the general area.
Moving/adjusting the yellow key rocket launcher areas to be located between the windows with hitscanners. That way the yellow key

route would have been more viable and hitscanners more effective (in theory).

The "button that does nothing" is for coop purposes and it raises the bars leading to yellow key. In case player takes the key and gets killed.
That would have been a softlock since the area doesn´t open without player input.

 

 

Edited May 5, 2023 by Shawny
Added spoilers for better space usage

[TJG1289]

GZDoom/UV/Pistol-Start/Saves

E1M6: Visitor Center - Shawny

100% kills and secrets

Time: 12:38

 

It's been a minute since I've played anything by Shawny. He contributed 4 maps each to both Hellevator and Skulltiverse, and I remember really enjoying them! I somehow missed his Cacoward runner-up from last year, so I'll have to remember about that. This map is very much his style in terms of layout and setting. I saw the first room and was like, "Yup, this is a Shawny map." Curved areas, seating alcoves, bookcases - little touches that make it feel more real. Oddly enough, that's my biggest complaint about this map. It feels too similar to some of his previous maps to me, such as Hellevator map 13, and Skulltiverse map 32. There are differences between the 3 of them in their settings, but the texture use and general layout construction just reminded me of those maps the entire time I played this. However, this map is much easier than those. I mean, Skulltiverse map 32 is one of the hardest in that set. This is an E1 map, and is limited to the E1 monsters. It's gonna be easy. And thankfully, that doesn't make it less fun! The hardest part is the start, since there's a lot of imps and no guns. You can find a shotgun and a chaingun if you head up the stairs to the right. After that, this map basically becomes "Take Your Chaingun To Work Day." The fodder will just fall to the ratatat of it. There's a few spots where the rocket launcher can clear some things quickly, like the courtyard fight that lowers the blue key, and the switch by the yellow key with the imps behind it. This is a non-linear map, but finding the red and yellow keys first will open up areas with the RLs and more goodies. I spent a good chunk of time looking for one last monster, and never could find it. Even using IDDT didn't show me anything that appeared to be alerted, so I used console commands for the first time to see if it would at least tell me what was still alive when I killed all monsters. It didn't, so I still don't know what I missed. I got all the secrets, including an actually useful invis. Who knows? Overall, this is a fun level to blaze through. Looks nice, and has a good layout, but may be a tad similar to some of Shawny's older stuff. Still, very much a good map. 

[Bugslide]

DSDA-Doom 25.6, complevel 3, UV, blind then speedrun

E1M6: Visitor Center by Shawny

Not my favorite, but I like it. It continues Solar Struggle's love of setting. I particularly like the opening room, that is definitely a visiting center foyer. The music track is also pretty great. I check who made it and of course it's stewboy, he just don't miss. The combat itself is a little weak, I think it's too easy, particularly since it comes right on the heels of a map that I thought was fairly challenging. The chaingun just tears through all the opposition. The nonlinear concept is nice, but I think it could be done a bit more carefully. One critique I definitely think is a problem is signposting. A lot of doors/switches have blue lights on their edges, but don't require the blue key. On my first playthrough, I literally thought I softlocked myself and restarted the map because I didn't realize that the switch that lowers the blue key didn't require the blue key. Overall, certainly not a bad map, but does feel like it was made as a proof of concept more than anything.

Routing was pretty simple. I'm not sure if grabbing the blue key is faster than grabbing the yellow first and, at least for right now, I don't particularly care to double check. Grabbing the red key last is (probably) fastest, since it's right next to the exit door. 

sstruge1m6-56.zip

[cannonball]

E1M5 - “Mining Complex” by RataUnderground

 

Whilst this was a little rough around the edges and the perched monsters in windows was a little overkill here, the general impression from me was that this map was quite fun to play through. There is enough going on to keep the player interested and the visuals are solid enough. Not to mention that the midi is one of my favourites from the AV Midi pack.

A solid effort overall and the first map to claim a pelt from yours truly.

 

E1M6 - “Visitor Center” by Shawny

 

The map is compact and contains plenty of fodder to mow down. You are pretty free to explore the level at your own leisure, just watch out for traps left/right and centre that trigger at various points in the level. Overall the thematic generally follows a mix of techbase and a more comfy wood/brick, though it is perhaps a little too varied for its own good at time.

That said the combat is solid throughout, another decent and upbeat map.

[Celestin]

E1M7: Traffic Control by LoreCaco37

Spoiler

The best way to describe this one is like making a slaughter map and replacing all enemies with E1 fodder. You'll be mowing down whole corridors and courtyards crowded with zombies and imps, mostly using the shotgun and chaingun - rockets aren't plentyful, but they can decimate bigger groups. Subtle gameplay this is not, but I can't deny it's pure, shameless fun. The music choice helps a lot, borrowing a midi from an equally high-octane MAP32 of BTSX E1.

 

On the visual side, it's somewhat subdued, but there are enough details to sell the place as a spaceport - a check-in area with body scanners and lagguage conveyour belts, a train station at the end and that one secret which allows you to enter a rocket inside a silo. Solid stuff, but it's the combat that makes Traffic Control one of the high points of the episode.

[Ralgor]

E1M7 - "Traffic Control" by LoreCaco37
MIDI: "Atomic" by Jimmy
dsda-doom v0.25.6 cl3, UV, Pistol start, blind run
100% kills and secrets
Deaths: 0
Time: 16:37

 

Spoiler

The doomcute metal detectors and luggage scanners

Holy hitscanners, batman! This map stands out by having just large groups of very weak enemies standing around waiting for you to shoot them. This ends up being kind of a boring map because of it, despite the huge monster count (342 on UV!) The exception is the security station in the beginning of the map. The pop up surprise when you trigger the metal detectors was expected, but still nice. There is a lot of chip damage you take from all of the hitscanners, but there is enough health to deal with it. For the most part the enemies have a hard time hitting you because the other enemies are in their way. Just hold down fire for a while and you'll eventually win.

 

Spoiler

Outside of the station are some tanks of toxic sludge

The level is also very symmetrical. Some of the details are asymmetrical, and there are a couple rooms that break the symmetry, but that's about it. It's also is very linear. It uses keys to enforce a specific order to the map despite the fact that it looks like it should be nonlinear at first.

 

Spoiler

The bathrooms are sadly devoid of any anything

Despite all of my grousing, this is still a decent map. It's just disappointing after the last couple of maps. The details that are here are very good, and the doomcute is nice. I do wish there was something in the bathrooms and train cars, but they are nearly empty. The secrets are well done. The best part of the map is honestly the midi track.

[RHhe82]

E1M6: Visitor Centre. Played on DSDA v0.25.6, UV, PS. 170/170 K, 3/3 S, 98/99 I. Comp. time 10:12

 

The start isn't hot, but definitely the hardest part for me! Maybe I'm playing it wrong, but I remember from my earlier playthroughs that this is where I'm gonna die, if I am to die. Anyhow, this one is akin to E1M2 in that it resembles an actual place. Doomcute is perhaps less prevalent, but we do have pool tables and such at display :P I also did find (and remember finding earlier) the hidden author signature :P

 

The map itself is non-linear, I think you can go about the locating the keys in any order as you like. Many of the paths give you rocket launcher (can't remember if chaingun is present at each branch or just the rightmost one). The soundtrack should be very familiar to anyone who participated in the club last month or has played a certain ancient blockbuster wad :P The track is great; if anything, it now feels like it belongs in a set that utilizes AA-tex :P

 

*

E1M7: Traffic Control. Played on DSDA v0.25.6, UV, PS. 342/342 K, 4/4 S, 87/87 I. Comp. time 13:08

 

Where have I heard this music before? Some wad I've played just recently. Scythe 2?^* Anyway, Traffic Control is another change like E1M3 was to E1M2: this feels more classic or TNT-like, just with a lot of enemies about. Mowing down low-tiers is, of course, fun. Some minor detractments here is in the "check-in" area, where enemies seem to rise from solid floor. It looks a bit goofy.

 

Other than that, Traffic Control is an enjoyable romp, perhaps a bit basic at times. Like the final area feels like just some area that's there to house the rest of the enemies.

 

I don't think I've played anything else from this guy. I remember playtesting this one, and I remember there was a softlock early on with the soulsphere secret, but now it works perfectly. I'm pretty sure the secret with backpack was accessed some other way, although I can't remember for sure: the hidden-in-plain-sight blue light switch felt fresh somehow.

 

^{* Oh, someone mentioned BTSX1, that could also have been it.}

[Spectre01]

E1M6 - “Visitor Center” by Shawny

 

This one visually reminds me of the earlier e1m2 with its realistic and livable rooms. The pool tables above are a nice touch and good alternative use of the grass flat. The cave area using grey Moon textures is also cool, though I can't think of any similar outdoor terrain in this Titan episode. Gameplay is generally fun but very trap heavy, especially with all those monster closets. I do like those main fights around the keys. Good combinations of perched and roaming enemies. 

 

E1M7 - “Traffic Control” by LoreCaco37

 

While I enjoy mowing down hordes of weak enemies, this map has a few things working against it. The layout is highly symmetrical, which includes the monster placement. So even if clearing out one outdoor area is fun, it becomes less so if you have to go and do that again on the other side. Most of the gameplay is incidental and involves a lot of holding down fire the the Shotgun, as the prevalence of Sergeants supplies you with infinite shells. This is also the least detailed map in this episode, at least when it comes to the techbase. The natural terrain looks fine but the base is flooded with monotexturing, like the grey startan above. The standout part is the destroyed subway with the broken train and nukage flooding. Other areas could really use some more decorating.

Edited May 6, 2023 by Spectre01

[DisgruntledPorcupine]

E1M5: "Mining Complex" by RataUnderground

UV, pistol start, no saves

100% kills, 5/5 secrets

 

Another cliff techbase, this time with more water than nukage (although we still have some of that as well). This one looks quite nice, the visual highlight probably being the cute little model of the area you are in past the blue key door. Funnily enough you can interact with the blue key door on this model and it will make a door sound, although I don't see the model shift. The midi by Varis Alpha is just awesome, very complementary to the action in this map which is also pretty lively. Of course, the map's most notable factor is probably the secrets which are both hard to find and very fleshed out, providing you with alternate ways through the map as well as access to big areas you wouldn't see otherwise. See: the dimly lit and spacious cavern full of lost souls and spectres. I had to consult Doomwiki for the secrets here, and also use UDB to find a sort of unmarked secret-within-a-secret to trigger a pinky teleport. I'm not always huge on secret hunts to get all the kills, but this map does make them rewarding. This one is really good.

Edited May 6, 2023 by DisgruntledPorcupine

[Book Lord]

E1M7 – Traffic Control by @LoreCaco37

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

 

The author of Traffic Control was LoreCaco37, a name I heard for the first time when playtesting Solar Struggle. Apparently, he did not take part in other projects, and it was a shame because if this was one of his first published maps it was not bad at all. He received feedback from the project leader and others, who gave suggestions to solve visual issues in the outdoor areas. Every part in the final version seemed to look good and play smoothly, providing some entertainment despite being overstuffed with weak monsters that stood in front of the player, either infighting among them or dying like flies. Lost Souls and Cacodemons were allowed but did not add much to the encounters.

Spoiler

I remembered this map to be easy end somewhat underwhelming. This could not be said for the UV-fast playthrough, since both hitscanner and Pinky groups performed better and forced me to adopt a cautious approach in the large outdoor areas, where I used to run around undisturbed on normal UV. The passenger control area with the body and baggage scanners was visually sound and hosted a violent first ambush. Things calmed down a bit in the hallways, getting hairy again when emerging to the outside. Besides the unconventional door, which might not be identified as such, the eastern area contained mobs of self-destructing shooters on UV, much deadlier with -fast thanks to the accelerated Pinkies that applied a lot of pressure. I preferred the more varied situation found in the western courtyard, featuring monsters that shot projectiles from strategic positions. Both outdoor areas contained a building to collect a key, were watched by sniping Sergeants inside a turret, and ended with a secret sector on the southern ledges overlooking the start area.

Spoiler

After obtaining the BK first, and then the RK, the player must plough through an army of zombies, Imps, and Demons, deployed between the exit from the spaceship terminal and the adjacent train station. An underground monorail (designed by @The Kingslayer, the author who originally claimed E1M8) was still in operational status, and trying to enter it summoned one last wave of enemies. Traffic Control was playable, also on UV-fast, and the visuals were pretty, although they relied a lot on Doom tech-base tradition for the texture choices (STARGR1, ecc…). The secrets were also nice to uncover, and I especially liked the secret space rocket in one of the silos. While it lacked something from the gameplay standpoint, this map was good enough to avoid being put in the shade by the other quality offerings of the Titan Terror episode.

Edited May 6, 2023 by Book Lord

[Doomy__Doom]

E1M7 - Traffic Control

 

No nightmare demo, not grinding this one. Gave it a fair 30 attempts, >20 of which died in the vicinity of security gate. Not fun, not recommended.

 

First you have to get yourself a time window to even attempt to get past the gate. That already is an annoying shotgunning effort. You kinda have to try and get shotrunners/imps to help out with pinkies, somehow make sure that you're on 100 after both medkits and find a moment when everything's dead to grab RL and go for it. Hopefully without an "imp respawn in the face as you fire a rocket" accident. TeChNiCaLlY you can glide on the side and only open the door with caco without raising the floor posse, but good luck with that on NM lol. Pinkies don't care. I've seen 3 respawn on the same frame once.

 

Going for it involves rocketing one side (pray that pinky dies in 1 rocket), then immediately killing the caco (pray he doesn't get flung and lives through 2 rockets), and then a rush into right tube... straight into a pinky ahead AND behind. Oh and if you're below 60% after all of that, including the hitscan horde in the face - just don't bother, you'll die in the next part anyway.

 

Now you get to grind down outside of BK while constantly watching for respawns in the tube. It's not feasible to clear the outer area, the sheer volume of enemies = respawns at all times. Somehow make it to the secret without losing too much HP and rocket the pinkies... who am I kidding. The worst I had to go into BK building was 17% HP and somehow making it to full stack secret with 3%. 99% I'll die from anywhere <50.

 

Treck back to the other... oh hello Caco. Your best bet is to quickly dive back and pray pathfinding leads it and every other demon you reawaken by switching tube side forever into the walls in the security room. Otherwise you'll have to kill the Caco and probably more than once. The other side's open area is equally bad and RK room has no healing. Instead you get the obnoxious chainsaw autoswitch to deal with while trying to be quick and not lose ALL of your stack.

 

There's no refill, and you have to dive headfirst into 2 pinkes blocking path to the next area. I suppose you could try to raise them during side switch and pre-rocket on return... Then 2 more pinkies on the sides and go for the secret (a medkit, some rockets but 3 shotgunners in the face) while the carnage behind red door happens. Final stretch is to rocket through pinkies behind door to train station... with 0 cover... standing next to half the crowd and elevated imps...

 

This level could be significantly more viable if the doors operated in 2 ways, rather than just open.

Edited May 6, 2023 by Doomy__Doom

[Klear]

Sorry for not being able to keep up, both in posting and reading. I actually recorded all of episode 1 ahead of schedule to prevent exactly this thing from happening, but then I forgot to export the videos one day, had no time the next and then I found out E1M4 was somehow recorded without any sound, so I had to re-do it. I'll hopefully catch up over the weekend, in the meantime...

 

E1M4 - “Mineral Processing” by Death Bear

QuestZDoom, UV, practiced, pistol start, saves

 

Spoiler

 

I see what's going on here. Death Bear obviously went through all my videos and writeups from PUSS IX and then went back and edited this map to make it perfect for playing in VR. The windows and sniping opportunities! Large chasms! Focus on the shotgun! Early chainsaw! Platforms and bridges that are large enough not to cause issues! Opportunities to shoot enemies below ledges, fish in a barrel style! This is perfect. Thank you so much for making this map for me. Hope others will still enjoy it in flatscreen mode.

 

My favourite part is the buildings in the central area. There isn't any room-over-room trickery but it still feels like there is. Really cool design.

 

My second go at the map felt pretty much the same as the first one which was continuous, the only difference being that I let loose with the rocket launcher more liberally since there was no point in saving up ammo. The only gripe I have with the map is that the music started to feel a bit repetitive on my second playthrough. Everything else pure awesome.

 

 

 

 

[Klear]

E1M5 - “Mining Complex” by RataUnderground

QuestZDoom, UV, blind, continuous, saves

 

Spoiler

 

So far the maps have been really great for VR play and this one is no exception. The verticality in the first area is great. Shooting enemies from the ledge is always awesome in VR, and the voxel graphics make it look good to boot. I completely missed the secret dark area others mention - I'm tempted to give it another go just to experience it myself.

 

What I enjoyed the most I think is the plentiful barrels everywhere. Should have called it Barrels o' Actual Fun, with some many gibbing opportunities. 

 

On 5/4/2023 at 12:02 AM, RataUnderground said:

-For some reason, no one sees that the items in the nukage area are fully available to anyone who wants to pick them up because they seem to be behind a locked fence, which is something I find very funny.
-Nobody understood my failed attemp at "doomcute", coping, pasting and resizing the map to create the area model with the obstacle in red color. Sad.

 

Found the items, but the scale model got me stumped. I think my brain jumped to the "ruined machine" interpretation and refused to think about it any further. I did spend some time examining it, but in the end failed to make the connection =/

 

 

 

 

 

E1M6 - “Visitor Center” by Shawny

QuestZDoom, UV, blind, continuous, saves

 

Spoiler

 

First two things that immediately came to my mind: I've heard that MIDI somewhere before, and oh my god, what a great looking reception! The detailing here is amazing, I think it even beats Admin Offices in this regard for me.

 

There's a final door requiring all three keys to open and there are coloured doors throughout the main hub. At first I thought this meant each key will be locked away behind doors opened by the previous one, but as it turns out those doors are there to allow you to quickly return to the hub area. The map is delightfully non-linear and interconnected, and each wing you explore has its own unique personality - I think my favourite it the yellow one with the white rocks.

 

This one was awesome. I'm quite tempted to go through it a couple more times to try the various possible routes.

 

 

You'll note that there's a few pauses in the video - I had some trouble with tracking when recording it.

 

 

 

E1M7 - “Traffic Control” by LoreCaco37

QuestZDoom, UV, blind, continuous, saves

 

Spoiler

 

Yet another map with really cool details, especially the metal detector room (the ambush there was exactly what I was expecting given Doomguy's arsenal) and the wrecked train near the end. It also offers plenty of opportunities to take out groups of weak enemies with rockets, which I took full advantage of.

 

One minor gripe is that a lot of the map is mirrored and it often holds true to the enemy placements, robbing half of the encounters of any sort of surprise, but it's not a big deal. At least I knew where to switch to the rocket launcher ahead of time. Gibs are fun.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[continuum.mid]

E1M7: Traffic Control (LoreCaco37)

Woof 10.5.1 (Debian 12), Freedoom: Phase 1 + Antaresian Reliquary Mod, Extreme Carnage, practiced, continuous

Kills: 100%, Items: 91%, Secrets: 50%, Time: 12:32, Save Count: 0

 

A well-guarded base complete with metal detectors, Traffic Control feels big and it's monster count is high, but it's easier than it seems, especially if you've carried over the rocket launcher from the previous map, which trivializes some of the early fights. The layout is fairly symmetrical, with four branches full of enemies and health and armor bonuses, two guard towers with shotgunners, and two outdoor areas with large crowds of enemies. LoreCaco has, naturally, placed a few Cacos, but they're not very threatening even if all you have is a shotgun. Once you've defused the two outdoor fights, there's one more mini-slaughterfest before the final area, a train station with triplets of Pinkies on either side of the ground floor, and several hitscanners.

 

Traffic Control is a bit symmetrical, but that surprisingly doesn't translate to difficulty of navigation. Its verisimilitude rivals E1M2's, and it's a blast to play!

[DJVCardMaster]

E1M7 - Traffic Control - LoreCaco37 (100%K/I/S):

This is one of those "Man's first attempt" kind of maps that we will encounter in Solar Struggle, as I remember more levels like this during playtesting. I did not enjoy my second playthrough from the time I tested it. One thing that changed here I think, is the area at the end with the trains, which I guess it wasn't here previously during testing, and was added just to add a more "seamless" connection to E1M8.
This map looks ugly, and is one of the most symmetric maps I've seen in a while. It has some good ideas here and there, but the map looks simple enough. The gameplay here is as grindy as you can have in E1 with all the hitscanners and demons being bullet-sponges to block you from attacking hitscanners. It is fun to blow them up in packs if you have a rocket launcher, but I think the gameplay here is off the gameplay style we've already seen in previous levels, it was also pretty short.
I've felt, at times, playing KINDa (Remember when we played KINDa in the club?). Pretty similar traits here and there.
Pretty inoffensive map, works as a stress reliever if you like to mow down hundreds of low-tiers with chaingun or rockets, it also works more as an intermission to M8 from M6.

 

Order of Preference:
 

Spoiler

 

E1M6

E1M4

E1M2
E1M3
E1M1
E1M5
E1M9

E1M7