[Vanilla] Hell Under - An E4M1 inspired single level

[Endless]

E4M1: Hell Beneath is my favorite Doom level from the originals, and it holds a dear place in my heart both for its gloomy visuals and simplistic yet bloody difficulty. I felt the itch of replaying it and then the inspiring fumes got to me and decided to make this little level as a tribute. It's also an exercise for a future project I'd like to do with a similar concept.

 

With this level, I hope to capture the spirit of the original, while also expanding and adding some new encounters and areas that still fit with it. And, as you can expect, it is also pretty challenging on UV.

 

Hope you guys like it! And be sure to leave a comment and let me know what you think :)

 

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Info:

• Ultimate Doom
• Map slot: E4M1
• Vanilla-compatible
• Tested with: Doom Retro, Chocolate Doom and GZDoom
• Skill balanced: Yes, UV can be a little choking
• New resources: No
• Duration: Around 5-10 minutes

 

Screenshots:

 

You can check my other released maps at my Doom Wiki page: https://doomwiki.org/wiki/Christian_Blair_(Endless)

Edited July 4, 2023 by Endless
Updated version.

[Arrowhead]

A very good homage to a very good map! Pretty difficult for me on UV, but I enjoyed it.

 

Glad I got to playtest this!  :)

[Pseudonaut]

Nice map.

 

 

Spoiler

The cyber is pretty uncomfortable to fight; I had a failed attempt where the last of my health was chipped away by splash. Ammo is tight, but the map is straightforward for a casual max, unlike the original where you have to go out of your way to group up barons to maximize rocket splash if you want to avoid running out of ammo. Had a good time.

 

[Biodegradable]

Devious, delightful and downright vicious. McGee smiles upon thee, Endless.

 

 

[plums]

Neat map. Comes a little close to feeling like a bootleg version rather than an homage in the non-key areas, but after the red key it was different enough to give it some of its own identity.

 

After you get the red key, if you don't shoot until you're behind the next closed door, the barons won't teleport in. If this wasn't intentional you should leave it in anyhow though, because that was the only way I was able to get through the map without finding any secrets. I played a second time through where I went secret-hunting and that made things in general much easier. Still with such little health the rocket launcher is a mixed blessing!

[Endless]

7 hours ago, Pseudonaut said:

The cyber is pretty uncomfortable to fight; I had a failed attempt where the last of my health was chipped away by splash. Ammo is tight, but the map is straightforward for a casual max, unlike the original where you have to go out of your way to group up barons to maximize rocket splash if you want to avoid running out of ammo. Had a good time.

Thanks for playing! The cyberdemon fight is indeed pretty uncomfy and I designed like that to encourage players to run away rather than fight him, but he is indeed doable still, if a little hard.

 

3 hours ago, plums said:

After you get the red key, if you don't shoot until you're behind the next closed door, the barons won't teleport in. If this wasn't intentional you should leave it in anyhow though, because that was the only way I was able to get through the map without finding any secrets. I played a second time through where I went secret-hunting and that made things in general much easier. Still with such little health the rocket launcher is a mixed blessing!

Good point! I think it works like that too. I made the rocket launcher secret (but quite essential for some of the tighter fights) in a easy-to-spot area since I assumed that most people familiar with E4M1 would find it right away.

[Gentlepoke]

Excellent map, although I admit I couldn't find that Rocket Launcher. I definitely liked the expanded sections of the map, as it put a nice spin on how the map flows, and thus removes a good amount of complacency.

[Endless]

7 hours ago, Biodegradable said:

Devious, delightful and downright vicious. McGee smiles upon thee, Endless.

lmao your death reel at the end is the best. Glad you had quite the sadistic experience Bio! Like the original, if you don't find that rocket launcher you are in for a ride :P Would you say I should make it a little more obvious where the secret rocket launcher is?

[Biodegradable]

14 minutes ago, Endless said:

Would you say I should make it a little more obvious where the secret rocket launcher is?

 

If you could find some way to help add just a little bit of a visual hint, that would be nice. Something subtle. ;^)

[Gentlepoke]

In my case, it was a case of knowing how it could be reached, however not wanting to jump into the hazardous environment to experiment. A decoration like a candle might potentially work, although the map itself was great. I was surprised you were more generous with the health, although it was greatly appreciated.

[plums]

Yeah I also thought the RL was just a bit too well hidden. I assumed "push on a wall while you're in nukage" would be required *somewhere*, but a little more to go on wouldn't hurt.

[Trar]

But is there a secret tribute to an industrial metal band?

 

Looks good though, I'll give it a runthrough.

 

I gave it a runthrough on HMP because I'm not pro enough for UV. It's good, and it is indeed quite tough! I agree with Plums that the rocket launcher secret perhaps needs a little more telegraphing - maybe a misaligned wall texture will do it. I ran through it again on UV with god mode to see where the cyberdemon was and boy, he sure makes it tough to get the blue key. You'd need the rocket launcher on that difficulty, for him and the extra barons. The U-shaped area where the red key is might be a little too similar to the vanilla E4M1, but honestly I think you achieved your goal of a proper homage.

Edited June 17, 2023 by Trar

[Clippy]

I never would have found that rocket launcher if not for @Biodegradable

 

I mean I get it - as per the homage it could be expected to be in a similar spot

 

but still

 

super pivotal asset

 

nice tribute map - the best part was the blue key grab area that was unique but it was also the worst part cause I kept dying lol

 

ass kicking map bro

 

 

[Endless]

Thanks for the feedback. I did some slight tweaks and made the secret rocket launcher area a little more noticeable while still being subtle enough. Misaligned the textures a bit and changed the lightning. Should make it a little more noticeable.