Looking for not so hard WADs!

[Matt Eldrydge]

Exactly what it says on the tin! While I do play my fair share of maps and on occasion even go for a bit of slaughter or harder maps, lately I've specifically been craving for chill maps that aren't that hard and overall offer a nice pace and challenge. Ideally, I'm looking for episode-length WADs, but anything goes!

 

When I think of "not too hard, not too easy, just right", these are the ones that come to mind:

Revolution! - 32 relatively short maps, with difficulty coming more from monster placement and variety than hordes. Easily my favorite megaWAD of all time.

TV1998 - 22 maps from Revolution's creator, which sometimes evoke the maps in Revolution. It's pretty fun, with some nastier encounters than its sibling but nothing crazy.

Chainworm Kommando - 10 maps, with a wide range of themes and lots of doomcute! Some maps here are fairly hard, but you can still shut your brain off and admire all the cool little details after blasting demons.

Kuchitsu - 6 maps, with the first 3 having a very earthy theme and mood while the others try different aesthetics. It has a great reinterpretation of the old Doomcity, definitely worth a play for that alone!

[Somniac]

If it doesn't have to be Doom 2, I can recommend No Sleep for the Dead, a great Ultimate Doom episode by Jan van der Veken. If you like that there's The Classic Episode and its sequel, Singularity Complex, both essential IMO.

 

There's also Fava Beans, an old classic, its almost trivially easy by today's standards but the level designs are nice!

Edited July 20, 2023 by Somniac

[Naarok0fkor]

Try my WAD at the easiest difficulty level...

https://www.moddb.com/mods/gzdoom-launcher/downloads/naarok0fkors-walpurgis-frag-2023

[Daytime Waitress]

11 hours ago, Matt Eldrydge said:

TV1998 - 22 maps from Revolution's creator, which sometimes evoke the maps in Revolution. It's pretty fun, with some nastier encounters than its sibling but nothing crazy.

 

Despite Revolution's status, it's one I still haven't worked my way around to, so I'm unsure how long it would've been before TV1998 hit my radar. But I'm really falling for this one - there are so many ideas per map, and you're constantly peeling back layers of abstraction until you realise what the adorable Doomcute is aiming at. My absolute favourite thing about it, though, is how that detail is piled up and lavishly stuffed into certain corners of the maps, and then connected by nothing but right angles and barren, rectangular corridors: the sheer whiplash you get from traveling between these two styles is mesmerising. Thanks for bringing it to my attention, Matt.

[Treehouseminis]

Lost Civilization is pretty chill Imo.  Maps are bigger and open, multiple pathways, pretty interconnected etc.  Combat can be a little difficult at times but compared to the hard actual advertised hard stuff it's not bad at all.  It's mostly chill cuz the exploration aspect is a huge part of it. 

[Matt Eldrydge]

8 hours ago, Somniac said:

If it doesn't have to be Doom 2, I can recommend No Sleep for the Dead, a great Ultimate Doom episode by Jan van der Veken. If you like that there's The Classic Episode and its sequel, Singularity Complex, both essential IMO.

 

There's also Fava Beans, an old classic, its almost trivially easy by today's standards but the level designs are nice!

 

Fava Beans has been on my radar for a long time (ironically enough, thanks to MtPain27's April Fools video), I'll go ahead and add that to my list now. No Sleep for the Dead is actually very cool, thanks for the tip! Will also check those other episodes!

 

7 hours ago, Daytime Waitress said:

 

Despite Revolution's status, it's one I still haven't worked my way around to, so I'm unsure how long it would've been before TV1998 hit my radar. But I'm really falling for this one - there are so many ideas per map, and you're constantly peeling back layers of abstraction until you realise what the adorable Doomcute is aiming at. My absolute favourite thing about it, though, is how that detail is piled up and lavishly stuffed into certain corners of the maps, and then connected by nothing but right angles and barren, rectangular corridors: the sheer whiplash you get from traveling between these two styles is mesmerising. Thanks for bringing it to my attention, Matt.

 

That's precisely one of the reasons I really like TV1998, as well as Revolution - the doomcute doesn't get in the way, most maps are fairly straightforward and the train maps? Absolutely fantastic stuff, given both WADs are vanilla/limit-removing. I should give both of them another play sometime, I kinda miss them already. :P

 

5 hours ago, Treehouseminis said:

Lost Civilization is pretty chill Imo.  Maps are bigger and open, multiple pathways, pretty interconnected etc.  Combat can be a little difficult at times but compared to the hard actual advertised hard stuff it's not bad at all.  It's mostly chill cuz the exploration aspect is a huge part of it. 

 

I'm yet to actually play LC, but I'll add it to my list. I'm sure it's going to be one hell of an experience!

 

8 hours ago, Naarok0fkor said:

Try my WAD at the easiest difficulty level...

https://www.moddb.com/mods/gzdoom-launcher/downloads/naarok0fkors-walpurgis-frag-2023

 

Will give it a look!

[Nefelibeta]

Shallow World E1 is pretty relaxing and has sick visuals.

[Celestin]

Here's a handful of my recommendations:

• JPCP - I always enjoyed a varied and creative nature of this one.
• Auger;Zenith - no explanation required here.
• Solar Struggle - Ultimate Doom wad, with strong sense of progression.
• Vanguard and Lunatic - a pair of early Skillsaw's episodes, I feel like they were proving grounds for his gameplay style that was later expanded into Valiant.
• Attack on IO and Hydrosphere - a ton of people recommend bri's wads for less experienced players. I've only played those two and can see why. Compact maps of moderate difficulty and good visuals.

[kalensar]

My favorite brand of wad type. 

 

• Ascent of Titan. 
• Good Morning Phobos
• EDay Vanilla 2019
• Stickney Installation
• Lunatic(seconded since already mentioned)
• UAC Phobos Facility
• UAC Vinur Prime Research base Redux
• Doom One

 

 

[LadyMistDragon]

Pirate Doom!

[Matt Eldrydge]

Thanks to everyone who contributed to the thread! I kinda forgot I had made it, will update the OP soon.

[espilka]

Single episodes No Hope for the Living and Arrokoth for Doom (maybe also Favillesco Episode 1 and 2), and megawads KINDa and ICHINICHI for Doom II (on lower difficulties).