The DWmegawad Club plays: Plutonia Revisited Community Project 2

[HiMyNameIsChair]

MAP30: Shattered Nightmare by Death Bear

 

(Played on DSDA, UV Pistolstart. 253% Kills / 100% Secrets. Completion Time: 9:06)

 

Well... it's an Icon of Sin map. Can the community as a collective just uniformly agree that we can retire the idea of the IoS? Frankly, when Alm got the idea in 2003 of saying "Fuck the Icon of Sin, I want Map30 to be pure fire and brimstone", we should have followed his lead.

 

I'm gonna say this upfront before I say anything even remotely inflammatory: Death Bear, i applaud you for trying your absolute best to make what is ultimately a flawed concept like the IoS work. Unfortunately... it was not enough. I commend your efforts, and i want to say this clearly: To an extent, It is ultimately not your fault, that it didn't work. There were some choices that maybe uh.. exasperated problems, but, some of it is out of your control. So as I uh.. vent my frustrations, they are not directed at you, they are directed at the very concept of the IoS, and its ultimately unfixable flaws.

 

So let's start with the good: everything up until the showdown with the disembodied monster spawner is pretty alright! The opening fight is chaotic and forces you to keep on the move, and while very easy, the massive room with an army of demons and a Cyber is entertaining. Also, I love the design of the room, with the multiple small islands floating above the abyss, almost as if hell itself has become fractured.

 

But... then it's time for the headlining uh...*clears throat* "fight" and i say that very loosely because... the Icon isn't a fight, and it's not an encounter. That's because an encounter or a fight implies that it's been carefully crafted by the mapper to be a mostly set-in-stone encounter with a number of *controlled* variables.  it's a minigame: an irritating, frustratingly random minigame. Why I ultimately don't blame Death Bear for how this turned out to an extent, is because when you make an Icon of Sin fight, all semblance of control, both towards the player *and* to an extent, even the mapper, go flying out the window.

 

And on paper, his idea is sound, lifts that slowly become available, two switches to shoot that are guarded by archviles, and a cyber-guarded platform. It kind of borrows elements of Speed of Doom's MAP30: Darkness Without End, being a *sort of* endurance test (honestly just thinking about it makes me rather go and play that).  Again, on paper it *should* work. But unfortunately, the icon as a setpiece, never works. There is simply no amount of planning that allows the player, or even the mapper, to account for goddamn spawn cubes that can drop in almost anything from an imp to a goddamn archvile. The Icon has never been a test of skill. No amount of practice or experience will help you. It has always...ALWAYS been about *luck*. pure. blind. LUCK.

 

it's pure luck if don't get hit off the switch platform before they raise. It's pure luck if the archvile ends his walk cycle and decides to yeet you off. It is pure luck if the combination of monsters in the arena allows you to safely blitz the cyberdemon and stand on the platform long enough to finish the goddamn map. It's not tense, it's not you V.S hell's last army. It is always, You V.S Doom's RNG. It always ends up feeling like a frustrating chore, instead of a mountain to be conquered. 

 

I audibly *groaned* when I finally got on the damn platform... and there was a hell knight, directly in the way of Romero's head. My rockets kept locking onto him, and his pathing made it so he just would not get out of way... and i died. So i reloaded a save... went all the way around (because standing in the middle is a surefire way to die), killed him, did the whole song and dance again, and *finally* ended the damn map.

 

My apologies to @Catpho but nothing will ever rehabilitate the IoS in my eyes. It is Doom's equivalent of a Gacha roll, unbefitting of a final challenge because ultimately nothing is within your control, and is not a true test of the skills you've honed. Give me Fire and Ice, God Machine, Ending, Haunting Dreams, or Megiddo any day of the week.

 

Good try Death Bear, but like many who've tried over the years, it is a tall order to make the Icon a fair and enjoyable affair.

 

Grade: D-

 

literally only narrowly avoids the F because the first half isn't a slot machine of random misfortune.

 

Order of Preference

 

Spoiler

MAP11

MAP29

MAP17

MAP20

MAP06

MAP32

MAP26

MAP10

MAP05

MAP15

MAP01

MAP08

MAP12

MAP03

MAP24

MAP25

MAP19

MAP31

MAP07

MAP28

MAP14

MAP13

MAP21

MAP18

MAP02

MAP23

MAP16

MAP04

MAP09

MAP27

MAP22

MAP30

 

Thank god. wrap-up post coming soon.

[RHhe82]

1 hour ago, DJVCardMaster said:

Having Plutonia difficulty levels? My friend, this is mid/late-Sunlust difficulty, if you came here thinking you could have an easy time because you have beaten Plutonia 2 on UV, you are in for a bad time.

 

Coincidentally or not, instead of participating in the club this month I've been playing Plutonia 2 (on UV/PS) for the first time, and having such a good time so far (for the most part - I've reached MAP19, and so far the only really tedious map has been the Hunted-pastiche. I guess there was one ammo starvation map that didn't sit so well, either, but even that was short enough...). Granted, I haven't read the club reviews as diligently as I had hoped, but these last few days don't invite visiting this one soon. Not afraid of difficulty necessarily, but the magnum opus race aspect of it. Or am I putting too much emphasis on subjective takes here...

[HiMyNameIsChair]

Plutonia Revisited Community Project 2 Wrap up

 

Overall, I'd say my experience with PRCP2 was mixed but still fairly positive. I'm always a fan of these kinds of community projects, where going in you don't know exactly what you're going to get from each mapper, and there's a sense of excitement about it. Although the Plutonia set dressing did set a certain expectation. Some maps gave me exactly what I expected, some with some twists, and some that didn't fit the Plutonia mold, but still felt enjoyable. While some maps felt exhausting, or just didn't vibe with me, those were mostly outliers thankfully.

 

I think it could have benefitted from a bit more cohesion, as some maps did stray a little too far from Plutonia's ethos, and instead of feeling like something akin to Cydonia, with shorter, punchier maps, it felt unfocused at times, which is odd given the title of the project. However, I think my time with it was ultimately still a positive one. In a weird way, the more grab-baggy aspect of this project did give me that feeling of excitement and discovery, trying the work of mappers I never encountered before like DJV, Yumheart, and Potatoboih. Also it let me play the first new Eternal map in 4 years... so that definitely counts for something.

 

So without further ado' time for the best, the worst.

 

My Favourites

 

MAP11: Plutonium Rust by Alexander S. (Eternal)

 

The return of one of Doom's most beloved names, and one that's close to my heart. As a kindred spirit who longs to lose themselves in a sumptuously crafted Doom world, playing your map felt like a privilege, well done Eternal.

 

MAP17: The Wolf Hour by Sincity2100

 

An adrenaline rush that wears Speed of Doom on its sleeve, and a clear stand out of the WAD! As usual, I'm drawn to anything that channels one of my all-time favourite MegaWADs.

 

MAP20: Calamity Valley & MAP29: Gehenna by Yumheart

 

one of the only double bills on the top of the card, Yumheart's stunning Calamity Valley with it's chaotic and exciting fights captured my attention, and their commanding control of spacial economy with Gehenna cements them as a name I'll look out for in the future!

 

MAP26: Golgotha by Devon Barnett (Xyzzy01)

 

Maybe the most Plutonia-esc map in the set, and one that perfectly captures the mission statement of the project to crowd-pleasing results.

 

MAP32: Orestruck by Matt Powell (Cannonball)

 

An exhilarating fight for your life in a subterranean arena! The pressure is high, the fights spiked with the right amount of venom, and gets the blood pumping like a Cannonball map should! fantastic work as always! 

 

MAP06: Waters & MAP10: Natural Selection by Diego Villarroel (DJV)

 

Short, concise, and perfect popcorn maps for their early slots~! DJV shows a clear understanding of the goals of the project, and act as the perfect plutonic bite-sized experience! 

 

MAP05: Against the Spirit by DMPhobos

 

The final spot in my top picks goes to DMPhobos whose finely crafted visuals, carefully drawn layout and strong fights floats it near the top of card!

 

 

And now... for some dishonorable mentions... or rather my least favorites

 

 

My Least Favorites

 

MAP23: Wrong Turn by MattFright

 

What could have been a slam dunk is ultimately let down by Matt's dedication to gumming up and making their main arena as difficult to navigate as possible, and detrimental to the gameplay experience. Matt, you're visuals are stunning, your layouts are expertly crafted, and some of these fights are genuinely very well put together. If you had toned down the decorations, and made your arena's a little easier to move around in, this could have been a high point. The final fight dragging on too long didn't do it any favors either.

 

MAP27: Rules of Nature by Potatoboih

 

Potatoboih, you are genuinely an astonishingly talented craftsman when it comes to Doom, which is why I'm sad it's landed a spot down here. I wanted to love it, but it was just too long, too much of an uphill battle, and just far too needlessly cruel. Keep at it, I will look out for your name in the future because even with my gripes, your visuals alone caught my eye.

 

MAP22: Trickster's Lair by Jark

 

Jark... your map is a masterclass in trickery, and I commend how much thought you put into it... but god i was just... not in the right headspace for it. It went on just a bit too long for my liking, and it just drained me by the end. Maybe in time, I'll warm up to it. Also for what it's worth: your Solar Struggle map was really cool.

 

MAP30: Shattered Nightmare by Death Bear

 

Sorry Death Bear... you gave it a good try... but you can only polish a turd like the Icon so much. You wouldn't be the first to fail to revamp the IoS, and probably won't be the last. (P.S.: Lunacy was amazing BTW~!)

 

MAP09: Church of Pollution by The_SloVinator 

 

What should have been a solid map is ultimately let down by odd choices, and the fights never offer the thrills that they appear to promise.

 

 

MAP04: Decayed Redoubt by riderr3

 

A lot of solid ideas that were let down by subpar execution, and that's a shame. You have some nice ideas here Riderr, and you can always revisit and tighten up the concept later!

 

MAP16: Ifrit's Lair by Doomlust

 

A map with some solid visuals that *begged* to be a freewheeling adventure ala Epic 2 or Lost Civilization, but lacked the energy to fulfill that potential. This was a good effort Doomlust, if you had cut some of the fat, it could have been a winner!

 

 

So yeah... that's a wrap on PRCP2. overall i'd say i still enjoyed my time with it, and I liked playing along with the club for the first time, and seeing everyone's differing reactions and i'll probably do this again next month if i have time~! 

Edited July 30, 2023 by HiMyNameIsChair

[finnks13]

MAP30 - Shattered Nightmare by Death Bear:

8:15/7 Deaths
Plutonia has a mixed track record for Icon of Sin maps for me, the one in Plutonia is pretty great (easily the best of the four IWADs), whereas the Plutonia 2 and PRCP1 icons are... less good. This is probably a bit better than either of those, but that's mostly for the fact that there's something here other than the icon fight itself, as the icon of sin itself is not great. The fight for the red & yellow keys is pretty solid, the bumpy floor is a little annoying but after you figure out that the holes leading to the sky are purely visual, it's a fun little exercise of herding monsters into the perfect place to get demolished by your rockets. Wish I knew there was a cyberdemon in the box so I could have invited him into the party sooner, but I suppose that'll be useful for anyone who decides to brave a second playthrough of this. I always like a good bit of sky floor, and it's used very well in this map to contrast against the black void in the ceiling.

 

So the icon fight is a bit crap to be honest. You have to go up two lifts that hide a shoot switch, and that then allows you to hop on a pillar in the centre of the arena to shoot the romero head. While I appreciate the lack of rhythm minigame, the fact that there's not been any attempt at creating a new final boss monster, like pl2 & prcp1 has, is a real shame. Even still, I think I would have absolutely preferred using the vanilla Icon textures than nothing. Also (and this is really just nitpicking) but why does the ending text screen talk so much about the faceless foe we've just slain when said foe is John Romero's head on a stick? That's a pretty big face! Anyway, the majority of the icon fight is BFG spamming your way to the switches and it's alright, but the journey into the centre of the arena surrounded by an inevitable horde of cacodemons, pain elemenetals and lost souls due to the SIX monster spawners that are activated is really irritating, as is getting hit by splash damage from auto-aim decided that you'd prefer to shoot the lost soul that's below the bottom of the screen rather than the romero head in front of your face. 

 

Overall, Shattered Nightmare is certainly an icon of sin map. The Icon of Sin is not an inherently flawed concept, but this map is not helping that case.

 

But what do the teleprompters look like???

Spoiler

MAP30 - 2/10. Poor showing for the last one in the wad, it's bright, doesn't flash and just looks sad. You don't even start on it which is just very upsetting.

 

 

Overall Thoughts on PRCP2:

I've gotta be honest, I really wasn't a fan of this. I'll jump on anything that has the word "Plutonia" in it, but having finished the wad, I think it's name borders on false advertising. Out of interest, I went through the wad to see how many of the maps I thought were making an effort to actually try to be like Plutonia (1 or 2) and, trying to be a bit generous, I came out with 11/32 maps. Now obviously I'm sure there's a few that I'm not counting because of differences in opinion on what "Plutonia" is, but there are a lot of maps here (even by their own author's admission) that weren't even trying. In spite of the quality of the individual maps (which I should stress is actually fairly high), this project is a failure for me simply because it fails to deliver on it's core premise. If I'm being too harsh by expecting something called Plutonia Revisted Community Project 2 to be like Plutonia then I'm sorry but this was a frustrating playthrough because it feels like such a missed oppourtunity.

 

It's just unlucky timing that I happened to play this around the time of a revisit of Cydonia, and the beginning of a mapping project of my own that's aiming to make something like Plutonia, because if I played this last year I reckon I'd have had a much better time simply because I wasn't spending so much time thinking about what Plutonia means to me already. This isn't coming onto the fact that the pacing of this wad is awful, with most of the maps being far too long for their own good and this is a particular problem with the second half which is an absolute slog to play through and would dissuade me from recommending the wad to anyone, even if they're not as fussed with me about the lack of Plutonia. I suppose it's probably better this way than the incredible blandness of PRCP1, that's mostly homages that aren't as good as the maps they're obviously emulating, especially since most of the maps here are actually good when viewed on their own merits.

 

There are excellent maps here - deetee, DJV, Cheesewheel, General Rainbow Bacon and Xyzzy01 delivered excellent maps that capture the spirit of Plutonia, and Cannonball, Yumheart, Jark and tatsurd-cacocaco also made some truly fantastic maps that fantastic on their own merits despite being a large departure from what I was hoping for from the wad. Even when I didn't like the maps, I can see the massive amount of effort that was obviously put into each one and that contributes to a much more polished experience than PRCP1. I'm sorry for being this negative, because I don't blame any of the individual mappers for making the maps they wanted to make, it just feels like the project had a lack of vision from the leaders and that led to a very poor experience for me.

 

Top 5 Maps:

MAP26 - Golgotha by Xyzzy01

MAP15 - Ironclad by Cheesewheel

MAP06 - Waters by DJV

MAP32 - Orestruck by Cannonball

MAP25 - Sting Operation by General Rainbow Bacon

 

But what did the teleporters look like??

Spoiler

This is the only reason I finished the wad, I hope you guys are happy with the result :P

 

OH and if you want to make your own epic PRCP2 teleporters tier list then please do because I wasted so much time on this lol: https://tiermaker.com/create/prcp-2-teleporters-16007856

 

[cannonball]

Overall thoughts;

 

PRCP2 is certainly a mixed bag, though I take the opinion that this is a better product than PRCP, the maps in general are more creative and for the most part don't riff of the original maps in a way that PRCP did and even in the likes of Map24, the map still took on the personality of the creator rather than the maps it was referencing. There were no truly bad maps, but there were quite a few that push the player to the very edge of their patience in terms of map length and difficulty (Or worse both) and overall the experience was more positive than negative. One thing that I will say is that I was surprised by the sheer number of longer maps to the point where I now feel my apologies during the development phase were probably unjustified, on the other hand that singlehandedly resulted in the map being bumped to Map32, it also meant that Yumheart filled the map20 slot which turned out to be praised by almost everyone, so I guess there was an upside there.

 

Overall score - 3/5

 

Favourite maps - Map11, 12 and 31

Honourable mentions - Map05, 15, 18, 22, 26 and 29

 

[Tiramisu]

UV/saves, pistol start

 

MAP30 - Shattered Nightmare

"All right, now there's that mindless slaughter I ordered back in MAP32!" - was my initial thought here, as I gleefully circle-strafed the arena full of hapless monsters, rocket launcher in hand.

 

Indeed, MAP30 starts off strong! There's a great expectation-subverting moment there when a fight suddenly breaks out in the usual weapon-collecting room, then there's a beautiful arena full of monsters to slaughter at your leisure, then a weak Archvile and Revenant trap - "what a great wind-down", I thought! It sure was nice of the author to provide us with such a fun, easy romp at the very end of the journey.

 

That's what I thought. Then I saw that the map wasn't over. Megasphere. Portal. Then a rising platform surrounded by marble IoS faces. Uh oh.

 

Yeeeeeeah, let's just say that the curse of the Icon continues well into the modern day. It is very clear that the author tried - they really did! The arena is very interesting and expands on the original concept in a modern and novel way. For a minute there, I was even having fun, blasting away at the enemies coming from multiple spawners, and then... then... What next? This was the first major hitch I encountered - I had absolutely no idea what to do. And the solution to that turned out to be incredibly obtuse! There's these shootable switches behind the perched Archviles that you have to shoot, but first you need to raise the lifts to get to them, but to do that you first need to drop down into the central pit and ride a lift out of there (?????), then they will sometimes raise but not always. I honestly have no idea what the author was going for there. Maybe the lifts are just timed to raise at a certain point? I honestly have no idea, it was so confusing.

 

(reading the other reviews - yeah, the lifts seem to be on a timer, but I'm still gonna leave that part in just to give an idea of how confused I was lol)

 

Then the second hitch comes when you have to ride the central lift to shoot the Romero head. Maybe it's on me, but I almost ran out of BFG juice at that point, and once you do there is absolutely no way to stem the tides of incoming monsters for long enough to consistently be able to ride that lift up and shoot those rockets - and that's not mentioning the fact that you have to take a good, long look around to even find the target first, as it is really not apparent at first where it is! To add insult to injury, if you're playing without freelook as I did, it's incredibly easy to get cheated out of your shots by some happy-go-lucky Pinky that decided to stroll around on the ground just below the Romero head. All in all, I did that fight with saves in between each major phase (switches, Cyberdemon, Romero), and I still didn't have a good time, owing my final victory to luck and luck alone.

 

So yeah. But whatever, it's an Icon of Sin map so it doesn't count! Like I said, it's clear that the author really tried their best, but what can you do lol, the Icon will claim its next mapper victim as always and all we can do about it is kill John Romero and finish the game in order to avenge them :P

 

Also.

 

That TNT music in the end credits. It's a good song, but it's certainly an... eyebrow-raising choice here, wouldn't anyone agree? 🤔

 

Plutonia memories, MAP30 (The Gateway of Hell) - Still my favorite IoS map - but that's not saying much lol

 

Order of Preference

 

Spoiler

 

MAP22

MAP32

MAP03

MAP17

MAP15

MAP29

 

MAP26
MAP13

MAP20

MAP12

MAP05

MAP07

 

MAP10

MAP25

MAP23

MAP27

MAP02

MAP06

 

MAP14
MAP11

MAP16

MAP24

MAP21

MAP18

 

MAP08

MAP04

MAP09

MAP01

MAP19

MAP28

 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Barrier that separates normal, sane maps from Icon of Sin maps

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

MAP30

 

Edited July 31, 2023 by sq. Tiramisu

[DJVCardMaster]

Hey guys, Abscission and Claustrophobia 1024 are still tied in votes for next month, someone could break the tie, maybe... (?)

[Book Lord]

I did not vote because I will not take part in the next month's playthrough. I am a little burned out and feel my writings this month have been harsh enough to annoy some mappers, but not really on point to spark any kind of useful discussion. My apologies to @waverider, @Gardevoir and @tatsurd-cacocaco, whose great work I have excessively criticized. I am taking a month off as a minimum, I did not even want to post the recap but since it has been ready for 10 days, I just drop it. See you in the future.

 

Final Thoughts

 

As a Doomer who enjoys adventure maps with good atmosphere and a story to tell while you are killing legions of hellspawn, I favour the TNT: Evilution approach over The Plutonia Experiment and its efficient combat routine. According to the preferences in new and old surveys, the legacy of Dario and Milo Casali lives on, and their masterpiece is still the most beloved IWAD in the community. I recognise the stronger influence of Final Doom’s hardest half, but despite its popularity it received only one acknowledged sequel in 27 years, Plutonia 2, developed by a restricted team of mappers that took eight years to get it out of the oven. In 2011 Josh Sealy @Joshy led the first organised community project, with the declared intent to be open to all contributors that wanted to homage and recreate the maps from the IWAD.

 

It is amazing how an apparently clear task led to many different interpretations. Plutonia: Revisited Community Project (PRCP) involved approaches à la Wonderful Doom and attempts to be extremely innovative, serviceable bread-and-butter maps and magnum opus syndrome at its highest. Joshy launched the sequel PRCP 2 in February 2021 to provide a good home for the rejects of the ongoing Plutonia 3 project, and to give newbies and veterans equal chances to create Plutonia-styled maps with a custom resource pack, consisting of textures from the first PRCP and a few new ones credited to Fuzzball. It reached 32-map status in early 2022, it was released on idgames in August, and unlike its predecessor it received only an honourable mention at the Cacoward ceremony of the same year. Mapping standards and priorities have changed in 11 years, along with the community output that grew more than the number of awards. The DWMC July playthrough was a good opportunity to play the whole product and understand why it was not rated among the top releases of 2022.

 

After reading the announcement by the project leader and the flexible standards he set, I expected this megaWAD to have a consistent quality and at the same time to be a mixed bag: a few authors stuck to the Casali formula and tried to emulate it faithfully, others took inspiration from either Plutonia 2 or PRCP, and a third category of mappers sneaked in their ambitious works, trying to steal the show. I was not looking for levels comparable to the original Plutonia since community projects often replaced the devotion to the IWAD with the desire to surpass it, therefore they traditionally featured larger maps, greater detail, harder challenges, and bigger monster counts, eventually losing connection with the source material. My only hope was that the shortcomings of PRCP were known to the participants as they were to the project leader, who compiled a list of prescriptions aimed at preventing them.

 

Sometimes history repeats itself: direct homages have been avoided, though PRCP 2 indeed suffered from snowballing map size and length in the second half. Looking at the list of contributors, featuring many Doomworld regulars and accomplished mappers, I noticed that only the project leader, Tatsurd-cacocaco and waverider were part of the original PRCP team. My first hypothesis was that most participants did not know PRCP and Plutonia 2 in enough detail to understand why Joshy gave these guidelines: “Try not to make large maps. It’s understandable that people are inclined to churn out their large magnum opus in community projects but we’d like for most maps to not be big, save for a few. Try for maps with less than 200 monsters if possible.”

 

I changed my mind after playing the creations of the PRCP veterans, because they were the first and clearest transgressors with the biggest and longest maps of the set. Joshy was less involved with the editor, probably because he was busy with Plutonia 3 at the same time, so he helped Dutch Doomer revise one of his old levels to become the megaWAD’s Inception, then he gave himself free rein with the thematic diversion of MAP31, one of the most memorable creations of PRCP 2, but also one of the least fun to play on first attempt. Most of the levels were unfriendly to blind players, presenting situations that were difficult to read and sudden, lethal ambushes at the end of a long journey, consisting of tons of incidental combat. Most maps (including MAP22 and MAP24) would have been quite enjoyable as standalone, whereas they felt excessive, even unbearable, as consecutive chapters of a 32-map megaWAD.

 

As per my habits, I played continuous on Ultra-Violence, with savegames mid-level (not during encounters to cheat the RNG or to facilitate anything) and using only the weapons provided in the map to get some pistol start sensations. I had no major problems figuring out where to go and how to obtain the necessary equipment in the first half of the megaWAD, but the second half gradually increased the challenge as the maps became bigger and bigger, while resources were rationed or unevenly distributed. The third episode distinguished itself for a strict approach to map exploration and encounters, bringing the Plutonia murdering spirit to the very extreme: a mistake in an unpredictable ambush might cost 20+ minutes of progression if playing saveless. Continuous play saved me from frustration because I could use the BFG in case of trouble, even if it was concealed or absent in the later maps.

 

A notable difference with the first PRCP was the absence of a bespoke soundtrack. Custom MIDIs are plentiful these days and it was reasonable to let mappers choose what they see fit, but this brought excessive variety to the table. The music in the background was a medley of safe choices from Plutonia Midi pack and Plutonia 2 tracks, and borrowed the remaining pieces from the community and the internet. Curiously, only a few PRIMEVAL contributions had been reused here, accentuating the detachment from the first instalment of the series. A few of the music choices were inappropriate (1’25’’ Rise of the Triad midis for maps that last 1 hour) or deliberately irritating, restating what the gameplay already showed to the player.

 

I know most people play pistol start these days, and the structure of a community megaWAD has changed from the continuous adventure to the compilation, with maps being loosely related among them. PRCP 2 notably lacks a central idea connecting the project, and the Plutonia inspiration seemed just an excuse to create large, detailed, and challenging Boom maps. Most authors did not want to use the resources from PLUTONIA.WAD, preferring custom textures that looked contemporary but also “generic”, and some levels even lacked the iconic exit portals. The submissions have been ordered to create a reasonable difficulty curve and to provide necessary breathers, though the experience of continuous play did not suit the megaWAD, which became exhausting in the second half. There is challenge, traps, and punishment embedded in the Plutonia gameplay, but the small scale determined the success of the Casali formula. Like its predecessors, PRCP 2 decided to amplify the scale and the complexity, resulting in a product that can be recommended to strong-willed and hardcore players, and not to ordinary Plutonia fans.

 

Best maps:

MAP 07 – Agarthan Anomaly by Captain Toenail

MAP 11 – Plutonium Rust by Alexander S. "Eternal"

MAP 12 – Close Encounters by Egg Boy

MAP 20 – Calamity Valley by Yumheart

 

Other standout maps:

MAP 15 – Ironclad by Cheesewheel

MAP 32 – Orestruck by Matt Powell "cannonball"

MAP 17 – The Wolf Hour by Sincity2100

MAP 29 – Gehenna by Yumheart

 

Special mentions maps:

MAP 22 – Trickster's Lair by Jark

MAP 24 – Deep in Naraka by Tatsuya Ito "Tatsurd-cacocaco"

MAP 31 – Steel Mill Zone by Josh Sealy "Joshy"

Edited July 31, 2023 by Book Lord

[Celestin]

2 hours ago, DJVCardMaster said:

Hey guys, Abscission and Claustrophobia 1024 are still tied in votes for next month, someone could break the tie, maybe... (?)

I can play either of them, to be honest. I haven't played any one of a number of projects that restrict player's space, besides, it features a broad range of mappers I recognise from many 2010s projects.

 

As for Abscission, this one seems to be very well received, so I'm curious to why.

[Horus]

3 hours ago, DJVCardMaster said:

Hey guys, Abscission and Claustrophobia 1024 are still tied in votes for next month, someone could break the tie, maybe... (?)

+++Claustrophobia 1024

[Klear]

12 hours ago, DJVCardMaster said:

Hey guys, Abscission and Claustrophobia 1024 are still tied in votes for next month, someone could break the tie, maybe... (?)

 

If I can vote despite not taking part in the past two months...

 

+++Claustrophobia 1024

 

I want to play next month and with mapsize limit this should run just fine on the Quest.

[Tiramisu]

All right, PRCP2 is done, time for recap!

 

The bad

 

Yeah, this is not a Plutonia-style wad, not at all. Apparent from the first episode alone, this project turned into somewhat of a kitchen sink set, where you'll get your Plutonia-style maps if that's what you're into, but you'll also have to go through slaughtery maps, adventure maps, long maps, short maps, Sunlust maps, modern-style, classic-style - everything really. And if you do not adjust your initial expectations in time, you are going to have a bad time here.

 

This goes double for the third episode, which really ramps up both the maps' difficulty and length (which reaches up to 500+ monsters per piece, 300+ monster maps becoming commonplace). Which is a bit frustrating to see, given the project's clear guidelines on page 1 - "Try not to make large maps. It’s understandable that people are inclined to churn out their large magnum opus in community projects but we’d like for most maps to not be big, save for a few. Try for maps with less than 200 monsters if possible."

 

Yeah, it's safe to say that has been completely ignored. :P And the result is, to echo finnks13's opinion, one of the most exhausting megawads I've ever played. This problem was greatly exacerbated by the club schedule, which didn't really allow for breaks - so if you're reading this, about to start your playthrough, take my advice and take it slow, especially in the final stretch!

 

The good

 

All these flaws may be there, but there's one thing PRCP2 has going for it. Namely - that it is at its core, a very high quality project.

 

Honestly, looking back, among all these maps there is not a single flop to be found (maybe except MAP30, but Icon of Sin maps don't count lol). All the maps range from good to fantastic in quality, and if you drop your expectations of playing Plutonia-style content and approach them at a comfortable pace, you are sure to find some real gems in there that you will remember for a long time. Yumheart, cannonball, Eternal, MattFright - those are just a few of the mapper names to look out for in a playthrough here.

 

I gotta say - if these maps were mostly the rejects from Joshy's Plutonia 3 project, then well, I cannot wait to see what Plutonia 3 will look like (especially since I'm hearing that it follows much stricter rules as to the map's style and length).

 

Overall

 

I think that the source of all of PRCP2's problems is insufficient communication - between the project leadership and the mappers (which could have prevented it from going off the tracks with its map style), and between the idgames download page and the players. I honestly think that its description on that page should be amended to admit the project's more mixed nature (and especially the presence of long adventure maps within) - this should greatly improve its reception in the eyes of players like me who came in expecting to play mostly short, Plutonia-style maps.

 

But overall - even with my initial expectations and dislike of long maps, my experience with the wad was still very positive, and while I probably won't be replaying it anytime soon, I would recommend it to any Plutonia fan, well to anyone who isn't exclusively a Plutonia fan! :P

 

Okay, now for my list of top 5 lists!

 

Top 5 favorite maps

 

Spoiler

 

MAP22 (Trickster's Lair) - This map's sheer, artistic talent in screwing the player over is something that needs to be experienced to be believed. 10/10, Plutonia on crack.
MAP17 (The Wolf Hour) - Never a dull moment in this rock-solid outing, from the unhinged chaos of its opening battle to the final showdown against the Cyberdemon!

MAP03 (Murder Well) - Pure adrenaline extracted straight from the source material, getting murdered in the Murder Well has never been so much fun!
MAP32 (Orestruck) - I always love a good mine level in a game, and this one just exceeds at everything it sets out to do. I really felt like I was back in Go 2 It!

MAP20 (Calamity Valley) - Yumheart is a genius.

 

 

Top 5 best-looking maps
 

Spoiler

 

MAP23 (Wrong Turn) - A cursed mansion, deep in a murky blood swamp - that's where you'll be heading here, and the map really knows how to sell it for its full value!

MAP11 (Plutonium Rust) - It speaks volumes that the first pure adventure map in this wad managed to win me over with its visuals alone. Go see it, it's worth it!

MAP32 (Orestruck) - The majestic cavern at the center of the mine is one of the best setpieces I've ever seen in a DOOM map.

MAP27 (Rules of Nature) - When it comes to sheer intricate detailing, this map is second to none in this wad. As Chair said, it truly is the work of a master craftsman.

MAP12 (Close Encounters) - Simplistic compared to the other maps in this list, this map's perfect color palette and texturing choices make its compact beauty shine!

 

 

Top 5 most Plutonia-like maps

 

Spoiler

 

MAP10 (Natural Selection) - If you put this one among the original IWAD maps, it honestly wouldn't look out of place at all (MAP06 also comes close!).

MAP26 (Golgotha) - The best approximation of Plutonia-style combat to be found in the entire wad, wrapped in some nice classic-looking visuals.

MAP03 (Murder Well) - Full of IWAD throwbacks and new twists, it nails the classic Casali formula through and through!

MAP13 (Never Safe, Always Sorry) - A medley of several distinct areas, each feeling at home in Plutonia both with its visuals and combat.

MAP25 (Sting Operation) - Probably the best example of a Plutonia-style map modernized to match today's mapmaking sensibilities, without losing its classic feel!

 

 

Whew, that would be all, so that's a wrap on PRCP2!

 

What a nice month - it was my first time ever doing a playthrough with the club, and I must say I really enjoyed it. I read quite a lot of the reviews here, and at least skimmed through almost each one - and it was really fun, comparing experiences and different people's styles of reviewing! So thank you all for playing here together, and thanks to dobu gabu maru for organizing such a great little corner of the forum! <3

Edited August 1, 2023 by sq. Tiramisu

[Veeda Vidlak]

Gotta be brief but here are the rest. Final thoughts coming shortly.

 

Map29 “Gehenna”

 

Seeing Yumheart’s name scared me, but PRCP2’s map29 is not as murderous as map20. Combat is wide open and consists of numerous pop-up monsters, snipings, and teleport ambushes… hard but not as tough as seven time-released cyberdemons. Footing is tricky at times and you really don’t want to slip off the wood/stone fortification most of the map takes place in (how the wood hasn’t burned to cinders is beyond me, demon magic is powerful). I particularly like the vile/chaingunner ambush at the plasma, a lethal trap to guard the critical weapon.

 

The arena fight for the red key with the three archviles is a good warm up for the grand finale, which takes place in the lava moat surrounding the central structure. Three cybers, a formidable gasbag cloud, arachnos, and pinkies teleport in while the rocky pillars lower to provide us with the supplies to fight them. We get a BFG and many radsuits so it’s more stress relief than challenging, though random rockets can ruin your day as always.  Once everything is dead head to the exit located to the northwest to leave.

 

Gehenna looks great, plays great, and is actually kind of short. I appreciate that Yumheart held the difficulty back from what it could have been and appreciate even more the penultimate level not being a massive epic. Thank you.

 

Map30 “Shattered Nightmare”

 

And we have our IOS map. Death Bear gives us some good fights but the ending is still an IOS and thus I did not have a good time.

 

The initial cramped arena and the slaughter in the (good-looking) outdoor area precede a red cavern with an icon setup that you’ll like if you enjoy IOS chaos and find frustrating if you don’t. The lifts that allow you to shoot the eye switches needed to open the central column are time delayed, allowing monsters to accumulate and preventing a quick clear. What results is a very RNG heavy maelstrom of mayhem that is as likely to result in facerocketing off some stray idiot as it is a victory. I’ll commend Death Bear for concocting something legitimately interesting but this is not what I wanted to see to finish an already contentious megawad.

 

Edit: I just realized I never did the secret maps. Fixing that before final thoughts

 

Map31 “Steel Mill Zone”

 

The first secret level and the lone solo entry by project leader Josh Sealy. I’ve played this one a couple times and sadly it is among my least favorite maps of the megawad. There are three reasons I’m not a fan.

 

1.     Its long, Steel Mill Zone is a contender for the second longest map in the set after Deep in Naraka (with Plutonium Rust and Rules of Nature).

2.     Its navigation unfriendly thanks to a complex design and unclear progression. I mentioned in map21 that I sometimes like and sometimes don’t like this trait and this is an example of seeing it as a negative

3.     There’s damaging floor everywhere. This is the primary reason I’m against the complexity in design.

 

Mazes, long runtime, and hurt floor mix about as well as ammonia and bleach, producing a map that’s frustration and fatigue overshadow its strengths. There’s a lot to like about Steel Mill Zone, superb atmosphere, highly skilled interconnected layout, some sizzling fights (love the double vile pit drop on damaging floor)… Take away any of the above three reason and my opinion of Steel Mill Zone would assuredly be positive. Unfortunately, all the wandering around in blood acid wore down my enthusiasm just as much as Doomguy’s footwear.

 

I almost always enjoy Joshy maps (I’m unironically a big fan of Poison Ivy 2) and think this one tries to do too much. At the very least it was smart to put it in a secret slot, the TNT homage definitely fits there in a (ostensibly) Plutonia wad.

 

 

Map32 “Orestruck”

 

Cannonball’s orestruck isn’t a Go 2 It reference but it is a violent slaughtermap I was happy to see following Steel Mill Zone.

 

The entirety of Orestruck consists of big brawls interlinked by quick-playing connecting segments. Right away we grab an SSG and drop into a big cavern with an army bearing down on us. We get an invul but save it if you can. There’s two in the map and they’re best used for the two ending fights.

 

We get plenty of ammo but management of heavier munitions eases Orestruck’s difficulty. Make sure you have rockets for the blue key ambush, you won’t reach the archviles with just the plasma. Same thing with cells following the BFG fight, a bunch of viles teleport in upon your return. Have even more cells for the baron/PE arena to the east, if you can’t drop the vile and the elementals quickly you’re a goner. Finally, opening up the yellow key (and taking it) unleashes actual hell, I’d recommend bailing immediately, running for the teleporter in the lowered pit, and BFGing the crap in the way before rushing for the invul that is (hopefully) still available in the center.

 

The final battle takes place in a circular nukage pit around a metal drill that challenges the player to clear the arena before radsuits run out. I could do without some very annoying chaingunner placements but otherwise like the setup. The second invul greatly simplifies the encounter, you won’t have the full time but can charge the viles and wipe out most of the revs immediately. After killing everything (including the cyber/viles revealed by some switches) we’re done.

 

A tough but fair slugfest that’s tons of fun, Orestruck is exciting, good-looking, and has a great name.

Edited July 31, 2023 by Veeda Vidlak

[Firedust]

Seeing everyone's favourite picks, it warms my heart that so many of the members loved eternal's contribution, and I really hope we'll get to see more of his creative output in the near future. That map was a total slam dunk.

[Veeda Vidlak]

Final Thoughts

 

I will start by saying that I, personally, had a great time playing these levels. I liked them earlier this year, I liked playing them again, and I’m sure I’ll enjoy them should I revisit the megawad in the future. That said, it is clear PRCP2 was wearing on the club, and I certainly can’t claim otherwise given I was behind for the entirety of the third episode. Let’s take a brief look at the megawad’s timeline.

 

The first episode presented a very mixed bag of styles. Difficult (Murder Well), unusual (Church of Pollution), opus (Agarthan Anomaly), actually Plutonia (both of DJVs maps)… It’s a community project. While associations to the original Plutonia Experiment were questionable, most maps showed at least some inspiration from a maplist bearing Plutonia’s name. More importantly, most maps were of modest length, and the longest ones did not savage the player.

 

Then we start the second episode with a superb but definitely not Plutonia behemoth by Eternal. It’s atmospheric, it’s brilliant, it’s immersive… but it’s also long, the second major adventure of the set and we’re barely a third of the way in. For the most part, the rest of the episode represents Plutonia quite well. Close Encounters, Corpseflower, Ironclad, Acid Bath, Never Safe Always Sorry, and The Wolf Hour all feel appropriate in an “inspired by Plutonia” megawad. They’re spicy, fast-paced, and (mostly) fair outings that punish the player without taking an exorbitant amount of their time. And then we take a turn into Sunlust with Calamity Valley, which is a pretty damn good map to end the episode on. With Plutonic combat sandwiched by two outstanding (if radically different) setpieces, I’d consider the middle third the high point of PRCP2.

 

And then we reach our third episode, in which any connection to Plutonia vanishes with the exception of a couple mid 20s firecrackers. Instead, the final leg was a stomping ground for grand creations. Deep in Naraka, Trickster’s Lair, Rules of Nature, and Crimson Realm are all examples of authors pushing their craft and are all, individually, very impressive maps. The problem is these maps combine length with grueling difficulty, hammering players with wave after wave of backbreaking ambushes, arenas, and combat setpieces. Suffice to say this is going to grind gears when it’s the norm day after day, especially for those playing the levels blind (which is the vast majority).

 

PRCP2 has some excellent entries and no real bombs but is terribly exhausting. Whatever your opinion of @MtPain27, I would like to reference his very negative review of Hell Revealed II, because I’m seeing the same sentiments for PRCP2. Blind unfriendly, frustrating, too long… abrasive. Making big levels with multiple fights that crush unfamiliar players will not endear them to first-timers and the final episode has waaaaaaay too many of these. Crimson Realm is a good map but playing it after Trickster's Lair, Deep in Naraka, Sting Operation, and Rules of Nature... all within a week's time... that's gonna influence its reception and not in a positive way. Plutonia Revisited Community Project 2's main issue isn't map quality or even a lack of Plutonianess, but this overabundance of maps that mix Plutonia's fierce combat with magnum opus runtime. At the end of the day, people play Doom because its fun and enervating the player will drain that enthusiasm to a point no amount of mapping skill can offset.

 

My favorite maps, in no particular order

 

Map22: Trickster’s Lair is among my favorite versions of this style of level. It’s just really well made.

 

Map11: Obviously. Eternal is a big reason I latched onto this mapset before the club did and Plutonium Rust delivered on expectations.

 

Map12: Egg Boy’s Close Encounters is perfectly positioned after Plutonium Rust with its adrenaline pumping combat.

 

Map27: Working my way through the fights in this one felt very rewarding.

 

Map15: I’ve always liked The Twilight and this is a very good homage map.

 

Honorable mentions to map20, map32, map17, and map26. Really about 2/3s of the set could go here.

Edited August 2, 2023 by Veeda Vidlak