Celestin Posted May 16 MAP08-MAP14 MAP08: Plunge Spoiler I think I just have a soft spot for maps that lets you mow kill a lot of weak monsters. This slime processing plant has rooms stuffed with zombies and imps, as well as couple of larger arenas to run around. I do like this one part with double staircase, where you can see the cave interior through windows and two caverns by the end, it makes the whole thing look more interesting than your average techbase. One thing I didn't like is how Plunge hides the rocket launcher and plasma rifle in secrets. I was missing the former the most, as the fight behind the blue door just ask to fire them at the archvile or wandering arachnotrons. If you wonder why the quality of Jenesis is this scattershot, it's because the initial 11 map release was updated twice. The early batch seems to be made of leftovers from earlier, unfinished wads, with two later releases adding new maps. Interestingly, new levels were in some cases placed between earlier ones - Plunge was added in the second version and the difference in quality is noticible. MAP09: Slime Vaults Spoiler Since I'm a fan of Muse, the rendition of "Undisclosed Desires" stuck with me even if the map didn't. Than again, I played this map way back, when I knew little about what makes a map good or not, so I remembered little besides the slime usage. As the title suggests, Slime Vaults is yet another nukage factory. This one feels more complex and detailed, which is not surprising, since the map was added with the final version. There's a good mix of incidental encounters and some more distinct fights, like the finale, a slowly ascending lift leading to a battle against revenants, imps and chaingunners. If you save rockets it should be fine, the SSG is quite early and aside from the occasional viles and barons, it's mostly weaker monsters. There are odd moments, though. The octogonal grid where you have to press a series of buttons feels like building up to something, only to reveal a single archvile and the map gives you cells but no cell weapons. Slime Vaults is a good map, the most developed one yet and I hope this time I will remember it for something more than having a track from a band I like. MAP10: Ruins Spoiler A cosy map that brings Alien Vendetta to mind (especially Beast Island) with its caves and ruins. Aside from a cramped start and one nasty hitscanner ambush in a tunnel, the combat feels more laid-back than earlier. For once, there's no need to worry about hurtfloors and the opposition, while strong in numbers, is weak in hitpoints and presents itself upfront. The part where you drop into a large canal with buildings on its shores is a part I feel torn about. It's a stark departure from the rest of the map and it's another instance of making the level feel more like a part of a bigger whole. However, when you stop looking it becomes obvious the enemies here are snipers and spectres, but the appearance of a mastermind is just bad. Besides UV-Max runs, there's little reason to kill her, as you can easily ignore her and escape. To make matters worse, Jimmy once again forgot to include a plasma rifle, which is frustrating when leaving a map with 300 cells. This one problem aside, it's one of the better maps yet, definitely a more relaxing one. Just like Slime Vaults, it's a later addition and you can see the quality compared to some earlier levels. MAP11: Devil's Industry Spoiler I'm a bit conflicted about this one. There's an interesting mix of caves, underground ruins and industrial elements, as if the workers of this factory found something they weren't supposed to. It has a hectic start, where you are immediately attacked in the open and forced to look for guns under enemy fire. The combat is mostly incidental, but I enjoyed that part near the red key where you are surrounded from two sides by archviles and chaingunners appear up-close. There are however issues here. The layout is very backtrack-heavy. It's the kind of map where you oftentimes think you're making a progress, only to have to backtrack because you can't go further without a key. There's a number of those doors that have to be opened with a switch like two rooms ahead, which again adds to backtracking problem. Then there's the ending, an archvile on the opposite side of a moat that is a pain if you're out of rockets (there's little place to hide here), followed by a small room with four mancubi. Again, I don't think this is a bad map, but it definitely feels like it needed a bit of polish. MAP12: Highway of Destruction Spoiler I have a vague memory of playing this map. It's a distinct level, starting on a parking lot and leading through an abandoned road under a dark blue sky. The kill count is considerably larger than before and monsters are clumped together in larger groups. It's fun to blast them when a map supplies you with rockets, though snipers placed outside the highway can be awkward to eliminate. I do have a gripe with a mastermind that pretty much requires you to find a plasma rifle to eliminate (the alternative is wasting a ton of shells) and that part where you press a switch to lower a barrier only to be greeted by an archvile with no place to hide is just dumb. Even with plasma, it's a likely he won't get stunned. Generally I think the lack of cover might be a bigger issue here, sometimes it's hard to lose homing missiles or evade projectile barrages. But hey, a massacre of pinkies by the end is a welcomed wind-down in this breather of a map. MAP13: Transporter Station Spoiler This one is okay, I guess, but feels very forgettable. Transporter Station takes place in a very traditional silver techbase, throwing a bit of caves and parking lot to the mix. Some key hunts, some ambushes (I like that one where imps pour out of teleporters, it reminds me of Suicidal Tendencies from AV), but it's mostly incidental SSG and chaingun work. The ending gives you a plasma rifle to kill a mastermind and the map ends. Not much to say here, it's neither good nor bad, it just is. MAP14: Poisoned Ocean Spoiler One of the earlier maps, Poisoned Ocean is probably the most uneven one yet. After a cramped and tense start, it devolves into an SSG grind with the blue key room being the worst offender - two barons, several hell knights and an archvile to kill with two barrels. A lot of doors need a switch to operate and close on their own, even when it would have made more sense to leave them open. I do think there are positives here, I like the aesthetics that invoke Alien Vendetta and the map throws a couple of big crowds at you, the best one being the imps near the red key. The electronic midi is also one I enjoy, Jimmy mentioned Kraftwerk as an imspiration and I can definitely see that. In the end, this isn't a map I enjoyed that much, the boring combat does drag it down. 2 Quote Share this post Link to post
Celestin Posted May 19 MAP15-MAP18 MAP15: Alchemy Spoiler After narrowly escaping a caged archvile and taking care of the monsters outside, you can catch a breath and see what you have to deal with. Alchemy is an industrial complex, where molten gold flows in place of slime or lava. There's little armour here, especially in the early parts and ammo can get tight, but it gets better the further you go. Design-wise, Alchemy's exits are not far from the start, but need 3 keys (collected in a linear fashion) to form bridges over a pool of gold. The red one is the one I like the most, you have to leave a base to a nearby rock formation, where molten gold flows like streams through the hills. This part is mostly populated by imps and hitscanners, making it an entertaining shooting gallery for a chaingun. It is followed by an ambush, where a plasma rifle and infighting will clear the place (though it's very easy to accidentally step on a teleporter and warp outside, it's likely the monsters will group under the ledge you have to jump from). The rest of the map consists of small-scale ambushes, window snipers and group of monsters, oftentimes you'll need to defend from attacks from several directions. The secret exit is by the regular one, just walk through a wall, follow the candles and press a switch to unveil a new teleporter. I like this map a lot, the visuals here are distinct, progression seem reasonable and the combat is a fine mix of challenge and more laid-back encounters. MAP31: Duality Spoiler I have to give Jimmy a credit for in interesting idea behind this level - combining Human BBQ and Well of Souls, second maps of both Final Doom megawads, into a single map. All the familiar sights are here, re-aranged into a completely new layout. Duality does add a couple of new elements, so it's not a complete copy. The cyberdemon in the middle of Human BBQ's courtyard is the most noticible one. I don't think I had much fun here, as Duality is a map where you have to know what to do if you want to succeed. There's no SSG here, so the combat will get grindy with only a single barrel. Sure, there's a rocket launcher and a BFG, but ammo is very limited and those guns have precise roles to play. Rockets are essential in crossing through the invisible bridge from Plutonia's MAP02 (which, just like in the 1996 original, is the hardest mandatory part of the map), where you are not only attacked by revenants and chaingunners, but also a cyberdemon from behind. To obtain a BFG, you need to figure out the telefragging puzzle, except there's an archvile now and it's up to chance if he attack you or not. Even if you know which teleporter to use to eliminate the vile ASAP, it's still a cramped place, where imps wander around and baron projectiles fly. You have one BFG shot, so it's best to use it to damage the cyberdemon, but you will still likely have to finish him off with a shotgun, which is a design choice I'm not a fan of. He stands on the secret exit, a hidden switch near the regular one raises a column so you can jump there. To my knowledge, if you don't press it the first time you reach it, you won't be able to return here. I didn't know that and had to replay the whole map. Foreknowledge made the second playthrough much quicker, but still, it's a grindy map that I don't think fully realise the potential of the initial concept. MAP32: Reprise Spoiler Allegedly a MAP02 demake, but I hardly see similiarities besides both levels being inspired by The Inmost Dens. Reprise has a compact layout, a lot of imps to shoot and some archviles to take out. All was fine, the map flowed nicely, until I reached a cyberdemon. He's in a tiny box that also holds a switch that reveals the red key. People who play without saves will love this one. Ammo here isn't plentiful, so killing him outright isn't an option. It's followed by another questionable spot, a courtyard with no cover and turrets with revenants and archviles. This is another luck-based part, luckily it took me only 2 tries, much less than the cyberdemon squeeze. I don't think it's a bad map, it has its moments, but as far as The Inmost Dens tributes go, I prefer The Canal. MAP16: Crestfallen Spoiler After somewhat disappointing secret maps, the regular levels return with a fun run through a mountain facility. The progression could have been streamlined a bit (there's a lot of backtracking to do here), but Crestfallen finally gives you enough ammo and once you've found a plasma rifle, you can run and spray. I wish I could do the same in MAP31 or 32. Regarding the visuals, it's like Alchemy, but without the gold liquid - techbase with a rocky exterior. I like this one, more entertaining than the secret stages and providing more relaxing combat. MAP17: Deadline Spoiler I don't know if it was the inspiration, but I feel strong Half-Life vibe here, especially On a Rail chapter. You have a subway tunnel making its way through one of those government bases where problems like demon invasions tend to start. I have to say, Deadline has a great pacing. The first few minutes are relentless, as you are trying to deal with a hitscan hell while trying to arm yourself and woner why you are taking damage all the time (the rails are electrified, so don't stand on them). Even once they are dead, the map manages to keep its brisk pace, where you are running from one room to another, mowing down crowds of monsters with a chaingun or blasting them with rockets. The ending has you fighting several cacodemons and an archvile, where you are trying to run around a pillar and nail the vile, it's a fine conclusion to a highly entertaining level. Also, the midi, made in collaboration with stewboy, is great. MAP18: Mineshaft Spoiler Even to my untrained ear, the midi sounded a lot like Chant from RoTT, but apparently it was combined with some other track. I have mixed feelings about this map, the action is solid, there's a ton of monsters to kill and ammo is plentiful. On the other hand, Mineshaft just doesn't look good. I get it's a mine and they tend to look rather bland, but the map feels very square and is mostly plastered with a single texture. Also, I'm not a fan of those elevators, it takes a while to operate them and it slows the map considerably. 2 Quote Share this post Link to post
Celestin Posted May 21 MAP19-MAP24 MAP19: Subterranean Labs Spoiler There's a river of lava early on, I thought the hurtfloors would be prevelent here, but there's surprisingly little of them here - once you cross this place, you find yourself in an overrun facility. It feels like after the secret levels, the maps got easier, unless you get surprised by chaingunners or mishandle the big horde gushing out of a teleporter (which you can also ignore and wait until it thin itself out), there aren't many places to die. It's an okay map, good techbase design and this very classic gameplay, I don't think it grabs me. MAP20: Into the Gate Spoiler There's a change of pace here and I attribute it to one single fight: the big arena with a cyberdemon and a teleporting mob of various monsters (two archviles included, with little places to hide). Two thirds in, I think I can say I'm not the biggest fan of the overall design of Jenesis. It's very classical, almost exclusively consisting of incidental combat and corridor clearing with little individual fights to differentiate. It's not bad on its own, but Jimmy didn't add enough variety (besides the secret maps, where I had other issues). This is why a large infight pit felt like a breath of fresh air. The ending throws a surprise in a form of a new enemy. Dubbed "mutant", it seems like a beefed-up shotgunner, they can be dangerous in large numbers and up close, but at that point I was loaded with cells and had a BFG. A few more arachnotrons and you can reach a portal that closes the chapter, killing the player in process. I think it's a fine conclusion to the chapter. MAP21: The Other Side Spoiler Scythe feels like the main inspiration here, with a very compact layout and artstyle (caves, wood and red sky) that reminds me of that wad's final chapter. The Other Side underequips you initially, with only a shotgun and chaingun to find once you spent all of your bullets trying to leave the starting cave. Then it's an open field, where you dodge revenant missile and mutant gunfire, with imps and spectres blocking your movement. However, if you manage to survive this, the map is pretty much over - with the red key you can raise a bridge to the exit, where a single archvile acts as a final obstacle. The Other Side wraps up in 5 minutes, making it the shortest map of Jenesis so far. It's a departure from Jimmy's usual style, but it adds variety to the set. MAP22: Haunted Halls Spoiler I enjoyed the opening fight, where you start in a small room filled with imps and can use a mancubus to eliminate them. Sadly, once you leave this place, Haunted Halls turns into a grind with berserk pack and super shotgun. I can't say it's an exciting map, the combat more often than not feels like a chore and the only other fight I enjoyed was the rotunda with cacodemons and pain elementals (mainly because I saved a dozen or so rockets, I don't want to think how this would have played out with only an SSG). I can't say I enjoyed this one, though I do like the hints of Memento Mori - borrowed textures and the pentagram in one of the rooms. MAP23: The Atrium Spoiler Once again, the start is the hardest part of the map. With imps teleporting into a tiny room, you have to either run outside into enemy fire for a berserk pack, or try to grab a shotgun from under baron's feet. This whole map feels more deliberate than previous ones, with limited space, snipers firing from the cliffs outside the island where the bulk of The Atrium takes place and some surprising ambushes, like the one by the end, where a vile is followed by a group if revenants and some mancubi. This is also where the plasma rifle is located, but sadly it won't see much action. The map does look good, with flesh making its way though the cracked walls of the fort, but I'm not sure if I'm totally on board with its gameplay. MAP24: Hades' Wall Spoiler In terms of size, enemy count and ambition, it's one of the largest maps yet. After making your way up the stairs, you'll notice a stronghold that greatly resembles that from Against Thee Wickedly. It's not as hard, though. The task here is to explore two wings of the place in search of three keys. Despite a considerable lenght, Hades' Wall plays smoothly, as half of the monsters are imps and you can get a stack of rockets from a secret. I do have an issue with the buttons that lower the yellow and blue key, I ignored them at first thinking they require keys and waddled through lava wondering what to do. While the mostly incidental combat isn't bad, Jimmy saved the best for the ending. The mastermind stains in a large arena, but she can be distracted with other monsters, just so you can unleash a cyberdemon to create the largest infighting setpiece since MAP20. Definitely a way to end a map on a high note. 2 Quote Share this post Link to post
Celestin Posted May 26 MAP25-MAP30 MAP25: The Carcass Pit Spoiler Tricky starts are something I've come to expect from Jenesis, here you have to make your way past a rush of pinkies with revenant backup. Another consistant factor is reliance on low-tier weapons. I used the chainsaw a lot here, as it takes a while for you to get the big guns and I didn't want to kill spectres with a shotgun, that's too boring. The outside part is an uneven one, jumping between incidental combat against cliff snipers, a big teleport ambush in the titular pit and, frankly, awful spam of mancubi at the end. Don't bother with a cyberdemon, he's completely useless and can be telefragged. The Carcass Pit is another average map, though it has its moments. MAP26: The Savage Abyss Spoiler In the original release of Jenesis, The Savege Abyss was the penultimate map and the feel of the ultimate challenge is still present. It's a lenghty trek along the river of lava, periodically interrupted by visits in caves and demonic temples in search of the way to progress forward. The main star, though, is the difficulty. Secret levels aside, the maps weren't getting much harder up to this point, so a considerable spike of difficulty took me by surprise. The Savage Abyss unleashes hordes of revenants at you and it's mean with its archvile use, often putting them in places with little cover. The yellow key cavern is especially notorious, where you need to climb a giant stairs around the place that is full of skeletons. I was luring them out in small packs, as this place can quickly get saturated with projectiles. And the BFG you are given here? Save it for a pair of archviles on the top, where you have little options besides rushing forward and hoping for the best. Also, I was surprised to see a revenant crescent from Alien Vendetta making a cameo, though Jimmy's version is much more compact. Along the way, you'll be collecting keys which are needed to reach the finale - a trio of cyberdemons and mancubi turrets launch a barrage across a fiery pit that you need to cross by barely making a jump from one pillar to another. Save something for the revenants and chaingunners in the final room, and finally you can exit. Well, this was something. The Savage Abyss a standout map of Jenesis and a challenge that the wad has otherwise lacked. At the same time, it comes out of nowhere and I feel like it might not have been received as well by those prefering the more relaxed difficulty of the rest of the wad. MAP27: The Vulcanum Spoiler Right after leaving the starting room, there's a BFG and loads of cells. Cool, but it is followed by a coverless courtyard with cyberdemon and archvile turrets that are awkward to take out. Personally, I'd just ignore them if you don't care for 100% kills and run forward into a network of caves and tunnels. I feel like this the story of the map. There's definitely a larger focus on heavier weapons, but some of the enemy placement is questionable, especially with regards to archviles. There's one hidden behind a lavafall that you have no way of knowing beforehand (this part has another awkward cyberdemon that makes me wish there was a plasma rifle here) and triplets by the exit. Still, the early BFG takes the difficulty down a lot and I like the aesthetics of the map. MAP28: Bephomet's Keep Spoiler There are two distinct parts to this map. The first one is a hellish stronghold that withholds big guns from you for the majority of its lenght, while having you deal with rather tanky opponents. The plasma rifle is at the very end, each of two switches needed to open in releases and archvile. By that point you've been collecting cells for a while, only to dump them into a cyberdemon right after. It's still the better part of the map, as the ending is an aggravating Icon of Sin. While the pentagram formed out of candles suspended in the void is an appealing place, having to run back and forward to catch switches, trying not to trip a line that teleports you back to the start and then having to carefully make your way out of 20% hurtfloor wasn't an entertaining experience. This all reveales a corrupte heart that replace Romero's head, luckily killing it wasn't that big of a deal, as spawning monsters got stuck in one another. MAP29: Mutant Jenesis Spoiler The fleshy tunnel takes the player into a dark and moody techbase, populated mostly with hitscanners. The titular mutants shine here, in large groups they can melt your health quickly. Since most of the monsters are on the weaker side, it makes for a rather brisk playthrough. I could complain about the red key part, where you are assaulted by six barons, but it's easy to just run away. I really like how the map looks, there's a very strong theme of decay and corruption, realised through fleshy growth, damaged tunnels and odd damaging patterns on the floor. It's definitely a visual highlight of the wad and one of the best maps in terms of gameplay. MAP30: Abysm Spoiler It's the second Icon of Sin of the wad. After arming yourself in the starting room, you jump down into the gaping mouth of a giant monster, only to be presented with an excessive spawn cube spam and two challenges that unlock the spot where you can kill the final boss. The first one is a target practice, the other require you to quickly press two switches and shoot a distant switch. In both cases, the main problem is with lost souls and cacodemons that float around and take up space. Completing those tasks will let you hide in a locked room and safely attack the boss. Like the majority of players, I'm hardly a fan of IoS maps. Abysm could have reduced the number of spawning monsters to be less of a problem to move around, but at the end of the day, it's far less obnoxious than many of its counterparts and I don't feel like it's the worst way to end a megawad. Conclusions Jenesis is a solid megawad. Unlike many wads by new designers (in 2011, Jimmy was mostly known as composer and multiplayer mapper), it feels much more developed and polished. Classic megawads of the 90s and early 2000s were the main source of inspiration, this can be seen in the clean visuals and mostly incidental combat. The downside is, I don't think they are memorable. Don't get me wrong, I don't think I wasn't enjoying my time here, it's just many times after completing a map and trying to write something, I struggled to come up with anything. Then again, I'm not that big into old-school wads, so this might be a taste of mine. It's also not a particularly challenging wad, maintaining a consistant difficulty level with two exceptions: secret maps and MAP26. If you're new to custom wads or looking for something reminiscing of classic works, try this one out. 3 Quote Share this post Link to post
Celestin Posted May 30 I was in a mood for something shorter, so I chose Doomer Boards Project 26: The City of Damned Children, a 11+1 map episode lead by Big Ol' Billy. I haven't played it before, but I've seen BugoTheCat praising it a lot, so I was curious to see how it holds up. MAP01: Arrivée (Arrival) by Big Ol' Billy Spoiler First of all, there's a lot of new stuff to talk about. DBP26's use of realistic textures (which reminds me of Bloody Steel a lot), muted colour palette and Doom 64 sprites all create this moody atmosphere that feels like a completely different game. The monsters are an interesting case, aside from using the Doom 64 counterparts, there are some more creative additions. Mini-arachnotrons with a zombie head replace the SS and function like chaingunners, the marine sprite is used for shotgunners (which I approve of, I could never tell them apart in Doom 64), spectres are turned into invisible imps and there's this grim reaper-looking ghost that flies around and revives dead monsters. There's even a revenant, I'm not sure where its sprite comes from, but it fits well. After leaving the ship you start in, you are thrown into a scrapyard, full of discarded machinery. It's a rather open place, where monsters can and will surprise you, attacking from several angles and appearing in places you don't expect them. Arrivée is generous with ammo and guns (there's even a plasma rifle to eliminate hell knights or other tanky demons; the weapons borrow sprites from Doom 64, but are properly animated here), but the hitscanners can quickly waste your health. As an introduction map, Arrivée does a great job hooking the player in with its unique visuals. Can't wait to see how it developes futher. MAP02: La Rue de la Haine (Hate Street) by xvertigox and glenzinho Spoiler This one is shorter and more compact than the opening map, relying instead on tankier monsters. Nothing special until you get the red key, though the new switches textures confused me a bit. Outside is where the map heats up. The alleyway between two warehouses throws monsters at both ends, there aren't enough rockets and you need them for the ending. It's a cramped fight with hell knights and imps, plus arachnotrons firing from the outside. It's followed by an ambush of cacodemons on the rooftop. There's a rocket stash and additional health in secret, but I didn't find them and had to use a super shotgun. While a step down in the gameplay department compared to the first map, it's still a solid level that nails the grimy, industrial look. MAP03: Sécurité (Security) by 40oz Spoiler Sécurité is pretty much a single arena, where you fight against several waves of enemies. It's a very open place, with an optional route that lets you approach it from a nearby roof. It's not a terribly hard map, but entertaining to run around and tackle the enemies that spawned it. The ending unleashes a baron and I like how it's much larger than hell knights, it's much easier to differentiate them. Overall, a brisk dose of action from the DBP veteran. MAP04: La Bidonville (The Slum) by Jaxxsoon R Spoiler A lenghty and exploratory tour through a shanty-town. The combat is mostly incidental, dishing out a steady stream of weaker demons to kill. It's not bad, but I definitely prefer when the map introduces arena fights by the end. The one near the ending is my favourite, a hectic fight with arachnotron turrets, a number of monsters on the ground and a floating reaper. I think it's an okay map, but it does take a while to rev up and by that point, it's almost over. MAP05: Phare (Lighthouse) by Big Ol' Billy Spoiler Phare is a 3-minutes map that mostly introduces a new monster: the evil eye. It's a stationary turret with a line-of-sight attack of an archvile (except it only deals hitscan damage, without the explosion) plus launches revenant projectiles. Round one takes place on a pier, with two revenants as a distraction. Round two, inside the lighthouse, is made of four moving columns with the evil eye at the bottom, a bit of ammo and monsters, again, to distract you and bait rockets. And that's it. I do like the visuals and the new monsters is an interesting one, but Phare feels like a part of a larger map. MAP06: Dans la Machine à Rêves (Into the Machine) by Big Ol' Billy Spoiler Now, this is a map I have few complaints against. Dans la Machine à Rêves offers varied combat, with several distinct setpieces connected by incidental fights. This improves the pacing a lot, as the map constantly switches things up. There's a section where you have to press switches under the cyberdemon fire (don't waste ammo on him, he gets crushed later) and a blue key fight in the graveyard, where you first kill a bunch of monsters, only to release three reapers to revive them. This is probably the best implementation of them yet. Without a ranged attack, they are easy to outrun in spacious maps, but here they fly straight into dead mini-arachnotrons. Probably the single part I didn't enjoyed was the mastermind at the end. Peeking from behind a corner with your remaining cells and shells is something that has been done to death. It's a small part of an otherwise great map. MAP07: À l'Intérieur de la Machine (Inside the Machine) by Zedonk Spoiler Damn, this one was intense. À l'Intérieur de la Machine is a square arena that keeps expanding, adding more and more monsters while you try to not get overwhelmed. What starts with zombies and imps quickly escalates, throwing arachnotrons and mancubi at the player. It's not the end, there's also a cyberdemon and a reaper, making the fight even more intense. It's the most exciting 5 minutes of DBP26 yet. MAP08: La Gare et la Maison Impie (The Station) by gaspe Spoiler Not my favourite map. It starts with a fight against mancubi and cacodemons - despite giving you a hefty stash of rockets, it's best to save them for a pair of evil eyes. Killing them is pretty awkward, they have a high ground and there's little cover, so I was firing a rocket, hugging the tower they stand on and repeating the process. Following this, the map turns into a slow crawl that periodically teleports you back to the starting area. I do believe there are worthy moments. The graveyard is fine, it's the only bigger fight here and it's a welcomed break from incidental combat and traps. The ending once again shows how nerfed the reaper is compared to the archvile. Four of them are releases and, while happily reviving fuzzy imps, they could barely hit me when I jumped down the hole. The somber music is fine, but aside from this, it's probably the weakest map of the whole wad. MAP09: La Mort de l'Innocence (Innocence R.I.P) by glenzinho Spoiler Right from the start, MAP09 throws you into the fight, spawning a lot of enemies around you. Basically, you are making laps around the starting building until everything is dead, as ammo here is not an issue. After jumping down on the train tracks, I suggest going north - while the route here is blocked by the blue door, you can get a plasma rifle here. The way south leads to a freight yard, it's another fight where you have to be constantly on the move. Exploring a nearby building will lead to the blue key, which unlocks the northern part of the map. I think it's the part of the map I enjoyed the most, the space is rather limited, monsters tanky, but rockets are plentiful here. You can find the blue key here, which unleashes a mayhem - reapers bring back dead monsters to life and cyberdemon reinforces them. La Mort de l'Innocence is one of the highlights of the set, with exciting combat and one of the best uses of the industrial theme, but I have one small issue here. I don't get the point of the secret in the exit room. You need to find three hidden switches to access it, but it's only available at the very end and your reward is a supercharge. MAP10: Choisis ton Camp, Camarade! (Which side are you on?) by Big Ol' Billy Spoiler The map starts with a scramble for weapons, while under attack. Once this was over, Choisis ton Camp, Camarade! takes you through an industrial plant and a nearby apartment building. As usual in this wad, the visuals and atmosphere are spot on. The combat mixes tight ambushes and more open spaces, but the kills weren't rising that fast considering the 300+ monsters (more than in the other maps). Well, once you get the blue key, you can unlock the lift to the caves, where Billy stages the biggest and most impressive fight of the wad. A massive cavern with adjacent corridors is filled with enemies, including an army of imps, several pain elementals, some reapers and evil eyes in the side pockets. Fun fact: I completely forgot I had found a BFG secret earlier, so I mostly relied on rockets and SSG. It's a setpiece that truly stands apart from the rest of the wad (maybe excluding MAP07), though it took me a while to find all the switches that unlock the red key. There's one more ambush before the exit, but BFG solved it in no time. I have no complaints here, MAP10 is an exciting map, offering some of the best action of the wad. MAP11: La Tour (The Tower) by Big Ol' Billy Spoiler I feel like MAP10 was the wad's climax and this is more like an epilogue, where you eliminate the last batch of monsters that stands between you and the antagonist. La Tour have you climb the titlular tower and fight crowds in rather narrow terraces. The enemies have a tendency to attack from both sides, making the fights even more hectic. I'd say the middle part is the hardest, as evil eyes limit your movement considerably, forcing you to stay in place and fight in even more confined space. Once you reach the top of the tower, you are handed a BFG to kill two cyberdemons and finally end this once and for all. It's a pretty short map, but a fine ending. MAP12: Notre Heros (Our Hero) by Big Ol' Billy Spoiler A repurposed MAP01, used as progression stopper and credits. Conclusions I enjoy DBP wads in general, they are always built around unique and very distinct themes, while providing accessible combat. The City of Damned Children isn't an exception. Aside from Bloody Steel, I can't think of any other wad with similiar grimy, industrial vibe. When you add monsters from Doom 64 (which I admit, I haven't played much) and a move towards more realistic level design, this creates a distinct look that is hard to mistake for anything else. As much as I love how DBP26 looks, I can't say the same about the music. I get the wad was inspired by a French film, but there's too much accordion for my tastes. On the combat side, I'd say it's an relatively easy wad. Most of the maps are compact, well-supplied and you usually fight against smaller groups of monsters (though there are a couple of exceptions, namely MAP07 and MAP10). I also think splitting the archvile into two enemies (one that resurrects, but lacks ranged attack and other that has the line-of-sight attack, but is immobile) took the difficulty down somewhat, especially since they are used infrequently. Nevertheless, a more relaxing difficulty isn't bad and there are encounters (especially later on) that offer some challenge. As far as DBPs go, The City of Damned Children is among the best ones I've played and represents everything I like about this series: the creative ideas for a setting and exploration of places that are completely removed from stock Doom. At the same time, it's a pretty accessible set of maps, so I strongly encourage anyone to try it out. 5 Quote Share this post Link to post
Celestin Posted June 6 (edited) The wads I've recently completed emboldened me to play more difficult maps, so I chose Plutonia 2, the community-made sequel to The Plutonia Experiment. It would be interesting to experience first-hand a megawad that I previously thought was way above my capabilities. No blind playthrough here, as I watched decino's playthroughs back in the day. MAP01-MAP07 MAP01: Comeback by Gusta Spoiler This small compound is a fine way to start a megawad. While it lacks the shock value of Congo, there's enough traps to warm you up. The deadliest part was the pop-up revenant before the yellow key. Beat this and Comeback hands you a super shotgun to take out an imp teleport ambush and several mid-tiers on the way to the blue key. Comeback is a quick and relatively simple map, but Jimmy's midi adds a lot to its atmosphere. MAP02: Jungle Spirits by Gusta Spoiler Jungle Spirits kicks off with a hot start that gets even hotter if you try to escape or defend yourself (since trying to get more resources triggers more monsters). While the progression is linear, the starting area acts as a hub, giving you enough freedom to tackle the opening. The monsters here are a combination of imps, chaingunners and various mid-tiers, so it's a rather interesting encounter to deal with. With the start done, the map turns to ambushes as its main combat style. Doing anything to progress opens a teleport trap with a heavy hitscanner presence, made worse by a limited amount of armor (there's only green one in an early secret and blue one, practically at the end). Jungle Spirit is a hectic map, once again scored by a great midi track. MAP03: Skull Island by Gusta and Pipicz Spoiler 182 monsters in MAP03 is a large number, considering the only two maps in the original Plutonia to reach a comparable enemy count were Tombstone and Go 2 It. Skull Island plays a lot like Jungle Spirits, as there's an overwhelming start, followed by a trap-heavy and interconnected layout. Chaingunner spam is something you should expect from a Plutonia wad, here they are thrown in large numbers, oftentimes in open areas. Also, archviles debut here. It took them a while to appear. Two aren't a threat, but the one by the blue door can be a nuisance if you're out of rockets. Speaking of the blue door, it holds a standout moment of the map: a chamber with an invisible bridge, sniping arachnotrons, cacodemons closing in and two pockets of hitscanners. It's an interesting remake of the fight from Aztec, even deadlier than before. What I enjoyed less was a plethora of doors closing automatically. I admit, they prevent cheesing some of the fights (like the blue door one), but are so annoying to listen to, especially when the soundtrack, stewboy's rocking midi, does a phenomenal job of hyping you up. To not end on a sour note, Skull Island looks impressive. There's a considerable attention to details, like the numerous cracked floors or a hole in a cave's wall. It's a departure from the original Plutonia, but an enjoyable one. MAP04: Filth by Fredrik Johansson Spoiler This one was okay, I guess. Definitely closer to the original in terms of size and scale, meaning you'll be dealing with tactically-placed mid-tiers and some hitscanner turrets. The start isn't as dangerous as in Gusta's maps, though you'd have to outrun a hell knight in a rather cramped room to get a box of shells you can use for early monsters. I can't think of many parts that stand out, maybe besides the mob of revenants that hides behind the blue door, that's some true Plutonia stuff. My guess is Filth was made earlier in the Plutonia 2's lenghty development period (since Johansson hasn't been active since 2004), which might explain a lower difficulty and smaller scale. Nevertheless, it's a decent map. MAP05: Flooded Chapel by Gusta Spoiler After playing three maps that Gusta had worked on, I think I can spot common threads: hot starts and interconnected layouts. You are under attack from the moment you spawn and running in any direction will trigger more monsters. I started with clearing the central part of the map, it's guarded by a varied combination of enemies and the best strategy is just running around, attacking anything that's on your way and hoping for an infighting. Flooded Chapel is a search for the blue and red key (and also a yellow one, it's picked up automatically on a way to the red key and opens a way out), each one triggers a large ambush that can be easily escaped and tackled from a safe spot. Well, except the archvile-lead attack which appears in the central courtyard once you grab the blue key, this one had to be tackled head-on. MAP05 is another map of Plutonia 2 I enjoyed greatly, thanks to its fast action and healthy challenge. MAP06: Collider Complex by Metabolist and Peroxyd Spoiler You know it's not a Gusta's map, since you are not under fire from frame one. Collider Complex is a four-way hub, where you visit each area in a linear order. The red one comes first, while it's nothing special (a trench filled with pinkies and imps), it lets you arm yourself for the rest of the map - SSG, rocket launcher, berserk pack and backpack are all here. Up next is the blue key arena, which is a series of ambushes. Most of them you can tackle slowly, hiding behind a corner and waiting for monsters to come out, but the revenant mob is different. I just retreated to the hub, bringing the skeletons with me, there's much more room to fight them here. The yellow key is next and it contains arguably the standout moment of the map. Reaching the reactor (a thick column of light panels) lowers the key and unleashes a complete mayhem. Tons of revenants and chaingunners warp in, while imps appear in the room before. It's a stark departure from the scale of the original Plutonia, but damn, it's an entertaining one. After such intense scene, the finale feels a bit disappointing. I managed to find a secret BFG, which sped up the elimination of tanky demons considerably, but I feel like with only plasma and rockets it would feel more tedious than challenging. Despite the stumble by the end, Collider Complex is a map I like a lot. It's a ton of action set in a varied and attractive place. MAP07: Enemy Caught by Kira and Peroxyd Spoiler Enemy Caught is an extended version of Caughtyard, Plutonia's resident Dead Simple clone. The basic premise is the same: an arena with mancubi, walls patrolled by enemies (chaingunners, revenants and hell knights) and arachnotrons outside. The chaingunners are the worst, they can chip at your health from the windows and are awkward to eliminate. With the mancubi dead, you can get outside, kill the spiders with a newly-acquired plasma rifle and this is where Enemy Caught begins to diverge. The first new addition is turning the exit basement into a cave with a cramped revenant ambush. It's not the end of the map, as there's the ending - once you return to the starting arena with a blue key, revenants and hell nobles gets released for a big infight. Now, the original Caughtyard had an annoying teleporting archvile near the start. Enemy Caught has one by the ending, here he warps around even faster and is a pain in the ass to kill. This minor issue aside, it's a good improvement of the original with an energetic midi to propel you forward. Edited June 15 by Celestin 4 Quote Share this post Link to post
Celestin Posted June 15 MAP08-MAP14 MAP08: Harmany by Tango Spoiler Harmany hands you a super shotgun in the starting room and it's the gun you'll be using almost exclusively. This blood-drenched outpost is a constant string of ambushes that teleport stuff (usually revenants, mancubi and chaingunners) to eliminate with a double-barrel shotgun. It's fun in this no-frills way, where you need to be fast, outrun the monsters and keep holding fire. At the same time, it's very easy to provoke infighting or just run away and doorfight. The final room tries to shake things up by adding hitscanner snipers, but they are more annoying than dangerous. While not a bad map, the difficulty of Harmany feels a bit below the Plutonia standard. MAP09: Wormhole Zone by Gusta Spoiler No relation to TNT MAP04. Another map by Gusta, meaning you are likely to die in the opening seconds. The opposition is truly overwhelming and for a while you'll have to deal with only a shotgun. The lack of early guns is an issue here: the SSG is quite deep in the map in a room jam-packed with foes, the rocket launcher is in a secret that isn't hard to find, but releases an archvile (I dislike maps that puts a weapon in a secret, but scatter its ammo around the map) and the BFG by the end have little ammo. Get used to grinding revenants, cacodemons and mancubi with a basic shotgun. However, once you manage to get your hands on a super shotgun and rocket launcher, the difficulty drops down somewhat. Not only you have tools to deal with the monsters, but I feel like the ambushes are less intense. Maybe I should have played more aggressively, running head-first to the SSG, rather than camping and playing it safe? Anyway, I like the non-linear layout of this place and the general vibe of a flooded military base (complete with camo walls and barbed wire midtextures). MAP10: Cosmodrome by Thomas van der Velden Spoiler The first thing to see after loading the map is an imposing stronghold behind a moat of nukage, where the bulk of MAP10 takes place. But first, the standout moment of Cosmodrome and the scene it likely derives its name from: a spaceshit that you need to launch, while defending against a rather large ambush of zombies, revenants and cacodemons. The fortress seem to draw inspiration from Refueling Base, as there's a similiar storage room filled with hitscanners and containers releasing pain elementals. The ending drops you into a rather expanded take on the Plutonia's quantum accelerator, this silver room does look like a chamber of a secret experiment. I have to admit, Thomas van der Velden, a mapper best known for detailed Revolution!, presents a departure from the utilitarian style of Casalis, giving more attention to details and the sense of place. Cosmodrome isn't terribly difficult, but a breather after Gusta's maps is welcomed. Also, this is where Jimmy's "Astral Dreadnought" makes its debut, a track that has been used by numerous maps since. MAP11: Arch-Violence by Gusta and Thomas van der Velden Spoiler Doomworld's 20th most memorable map. The original Hunted is a map that works once and only once - it's shocking and paranoia-inducing when you play it for the first time, but on every subsequent playthrough, it turns into a mindless task in an environment that, frankly, isn't that pretty. Gusta and t.v. embarked on a challenging quest to create a map that would retain the premise of Hunted, while keeping its gameplay fresh. Of course, merely being chased by archviles in a tight maze wouldn't have cut it, so the duo had to expand the concept greatly. There's a larger variety of encounters, including teleport traps, snipers and arena fights. Probably the sole type I didn't like was the hyperactive pair teleporting around four corners of a room, as it's trivial to avoid them, but tedious to fight. You are not limited to the SSG, as there's also a rocket launcher, chaingun and BFG, this definitely add a new layer that Hunted lacked. The goal of the map is to collect three keys, with the yellow one unlocking the exit. First you have to deal with several viles that rush at you, but it's easy to attack from behind the corner. The finale, on the other hand, is the hardest fight of Plutonia 2 yet. A fake quantum accelerator reveals instead a flooded courtyard that gets swarmed with teleporting archviles. There's no cover here, so you have to be bold with a BFG and eliminate enemies as they spawn. This one felt so rewarding to finally beat. However, your reward is death: jumping down a hole lands you on a death exit with 9 more viles around. Another improvement is the visual aspect. Arch-Violence trades flat and monotonous layout for an intricate and varied design. There's a lot of height variation, cracked walls of the maze (which looks especially impressive considering it's a vanilla wad) and distinct areas that make the map relatively easy to navigate. The star of the show, however, is a building that looks like it was put on its side. It looks so out of place here, but it's a unique setpiece nevertheless. I don't know if Arch-Violence suffers from the same issue of being a one-time wonder, however I had plenty of fun on my first run, it's a great improvement over the original. MAP12: Imprisoned by Ebola, Thomas van der Velden, Metabolist, Pagb666 Spoiler A rare breed of maps where pistol-starting actually makes the start easier - continuous players enter Imprisoned with single-digit health, which is a death sentence when shotgunners roam around. With 100% health, you can mow them all down with a provided shotgun. The difficulty evens out once you pass the first door, but I don't think it goes particulatly high. Combat-wise, it's a bit larger than a typical Plutonia map, but pretty tame. The big fights (chaingunner ambush by the blue key, rocket launcher mess hall and a chaingunner bridge) can be beaten by running away and hiding behind corner. As such, Imprisoned feels like a quick break map, rich in details and offering some nice sights. For a collection of outtakes stitched together, it's a solid map. Plutonia 2 showed its edge already, so a breather is very much welcomed. MAP13: Hard Facility by Fredrik Johansson, Metabolist and Gusta Spoiler With a name like this, don't expect a walk in a park. Hard Facility is a lenghty and highly non-linear key hunt through a blood-soaked outpost. Describing the progression misses a point, as this place is interconnected, with tunnels and teleporters giving the player a ton of mobility options. This includes a completely optional red key, which unlocks some additional passageways and lets you grab an automap. And believe me, you'll need this openess, as the map loves throwing big ambushes of imps and hitscanners, where the best option is usually to run away and slowly whittle down the attackers. Even outside the traps, the overall monster density here is much higher than in the original Plutonia, with corridors of imps being the authors' favourite. Two moments stand out in particular, a massive horde that assaults you after unlocking the yellow key and the messy finale. Hitscanner turrets, pain elementals, teleporting mass of imps, revenants and chaingunners, plus an archvile overlooking this place. When you get close to the exit teleporter, two more viles appear, there's no cover here so just grab a megasphere, whip out your rocket launcher and pray for the best. I do have some complaints regarding that one part where you have to strafe-jump into an arrow-marked hole near the yellow key, it's finnicky as hell and breaks the flow of the map. Also, in a megawad with as great custom soundtrack as this, stock Doom 1 midis sound out of place. Those however are minor nit-picks in a map I otherwise like a lot, it's one of the most exciting levels yet. MAP14: Charon Eclipse by Eternal Spoiler Charon Eclipse was very clearly inspired by Genesis, a rather mediocre map that I only remember as a breather before probably the hardest stretch of the original Plutonia. In his first Plut2 contribution, Eternal transforms the original MAP14, considerably beefing up the opposition. Early on you pass through a circular room with imps to kill with a super shotgun. Nothing special, right? I thought as well, until I triggered a secret and it released a pair of archviles here. Same story with the yellow key area, where a vile appears on a pile of corpses. A lot of traps are placed in tight quarters, making them especially hectic. I was surprised when I picked up the red key from a bloody pond and monsters started appearing all the way to the red door. If you have any experience with Eternal's maps (especially his Epic duology), you know he loves exploratory level design. There are 7 secrets here and some are nigh-mandatory. This is because of the ending. You ride down a lift in a full view of mancubi, that was just rude. However, if you want to proceed, you have to unlock a big gate with a cyberdemon on the other side. I doubt you can kill him without a BFG or plasma, both are hidden in secrets. The former isn't that hard if you have a habit of pressing anything that looks like a switch, the latter requires backtracking to an already-cleared room. I just 2-shot a cyber because why not, which was a good idea, as the final obstacle is a pair of archviles. Having saved cells, I could vaporised them easily and finish the map. This is an interesting case of a mapper adding their own style to a project. The visuals are recognisible, the midi atmospheric and overall Charon Eclipse is an improvement over the original in every aspect. 4 Quote Share this post Link to post
Celestin Posted June 21 MAP15-MAP18 MAP15: Where Hate Runs Red by Kira Spoiler In a true Plutonia fashion, Kira turned to the IWADs for inspiration. Aside from borrowing Speed's aesthetic and opening area, it lifts the most iconic rooms from Perfect Hatred and Against Thee Wickedly. I didn't fire a shot in the E4M2 room, as it spawns an archvile and a bunch of fliers and you have no hardware to deal with them. Instead, head north to an area with E4M6-style teleporter column. I'm not sure if it's rigged to telefrag a cyberdemon or I was just lucky, but I'm not complaining, it saved me a ton of cells. He guards the blue key which unlocks the next part of the map. This one is something new, an outdoor area with a revenant mob and a cyberdemon behind a door. It's somewhat tricky to make them infighting, as the place is rather cramped, but it's always fun to watch a cyberdemon kill things. Watch out for a surprise archvile, kill the monsters that spawned in the Perfect Hatred hub and brace yourself for the finale. A trio of archviles rush you from behind the door and besides retreating, there's little places to hide. You can also turn around for the BFG, that should work as well. There's one more vile, right before the teleporter and he's crucial to reaching the secret maps. You have to get him to launch you into a window in the exit room, where a second accelerator waits. I'm not a fan of archvile jumping and if I didn't know beforehand this is how you reach MAP31, I would have killed him outright. Instead, I had to engage in a practice of save-scumming, as jumping isn't something I have a handle on. Besides the secret exit, it's a solid map, definitely closer in style and scale to the original Plutonia. MAP31: Cybernation by Eternal Spoiler Like Hunted, Cyberden is a map where the selling point was shock value of fighting multiple high-level foes. As killing cyberdemons turned from an event to a norm over the years, re-enacting E2M8 four times was more likely to be seen as tedious rather than challenging. I feel like Eternal tried to modernise the Plutonia's first secret map, but I can't say I'm fully satisfied with the results. The central concept behind Cybernation wasn't changed: go to a challenge room on the side of the map, release cyberdemons into the central courtyard, kill them to unlock the next room, repeat. Eternal gives you a plasma rifle and is generous with ammo, but also releases cybers in pairs. Honestly, it's not that big of a difference, as you can cheese this by only triggering one cyberdemon a time. If you know what to do, they are even easier than their cousins from Cyberden and definitely quicker to kill. Other fights aren't bad, the archviles behind fake walls are marked with a different texture, so they are much easier to track, the chaingunner shooting gallery makes a return and the mancubus room was transformed from an excercise in doorfighting into a hectic encounter, where you need to avoid both fireballs and damaging slime. We can't forget about a fake ending - with seventh cyber dead, a teleporter appears in the middle, but instead of ending the map, it unleashes a horde of revenants, additional cyberdemon and a mastermind. It's not that hard to create a huge battle between them, but it's an exciting setpiece. I don't think Cybernation is a bad map, I just think it sticks to the original too closely. MAP32: Go 4 It by Kira and Thomas van der Velden Spoiler The second secret map of Plutonia 2 doesn't attempt to reinvent a wheel. It borrows rooms from Entryway and Hangar, while turning them into a stage of a slaughter. I feel like it relies less on monster closets than the original, instead flooding the map through teleport traps whenever you grab a key. Standard rules of slaughter combat applies: prioritise the archviles, coax cyberdemons into killing stuff and clean up. There's no shortage of ammo, but health pickups feel less common here. Two fights stand out. The first one is the mass that appear when you unlock the blue key, lead by multiple cyberdemons and archviles. It was a great opportunity to just go wild on the monsters. The other is the courtyard with a fountain. If you press switches to unlock the way forward, it start spawning ghost Nazis, acting as a homage to Hatred from Requiem. The cyberdemons were still alive when they started appearing and all died to stray rockets. If the map ended here, I would have little complaints. The small rooms with cyberdemons are awkward to clear, but they were present in Go 2 It as well, so I guess it's more about keeping close to the source material. However, the final trio of cyberdemons isn't then final obstacle. That honour goes to the giant "PLUTONIA 2" sign that starts spewing monsters. Yep, it's an Icon of Sin. You have to press a series of switches to make a bridge that takes you to the teleporter inside the "O" where you can finally blow this thing to pieces. The task is made harder by insane monster density, several cyberdemons masterminds and randomly spawning archviles. Also, cross your fingers nothing blocks you when you make a run for the exit. It's not the worst IoS, even being limited to Plutonia-adjacent projects (MAP30 from PRCP2 was far more aggravating), but putting it at the end of a map this fun was a mistake. MAP33: Chocolate by The Green Herring Spoiler According to the comment left under MtPain27's review, Chocolate was created after finding out that the original .exe can in fact run MAP33. Aside from its historic significance (Plutonia 2 was the first ever vanilla-compatible 33-map megawad) and how deeply its hidden (the text file makes no mention of it, with the only clue being a built-in demo), there's little to report. Chocolate starts promising, with a mud-drenched homage to Well of Souls, only to turn into a sluggish SSG grind through orthogonal rooms. Unless you spot an arrow on the ground that was a bit brighter than the surroundings, you will only get a rocket launcher at the very end, just in time for a cyberdemon fight. This isn't a good map, probably the weakest one yet. While it looks fine (if you ignore how square it is), Chocolate offers boring combat that is far removed from anything in Plutonia. I know it's an easter egg made by an author who, by his own account, had little experience with vanilla mapping and doesn't think of this one fondly, but it just doesn't reach the wad's standard. Good thing it's complete optional. MAP16: Predatorium by Gusta Spoiler It's been a while since we had a genuine Gusta experience, so here's another map that will overwhelm the player early on. Ton of monsters are triggered right from the start plus there's a nasty watchtower overflowing with archviles that has their eyes on the starting courtyard. There's a ton of places to go, in fact the layout is probably the most open yet - only the very final stretch is locked behind three coloured switches, with keys being obtainable in any order you want. Coming in without any plan I was lucky to reach the blue key first, protected by a chaingunner ambush on a narrow stairs, a baron and some additional stuff. This is because it unlocks a BFG. While there aren't as many cells that I'd like, it can be used efficiently to eliminate specific threats. The cyberdemon that appears once you unlock the yellow key is a huge threat, but if you save an invuln (hidden in a closet with an archvile and a gang of revenants), he should die quickly. The red key also spawns a massive ambush, but you can escape this one and fight from a distance. Predatorium has an oppressive start and it's easy to run out of ammo if you don't push forward, but I like this swampy fortress. MAP17: Nuclear Horror by Gusta Spoiler As I've said earlier, one of the defining features that are repeated throughout Gusta's maps is their non-linear nature. However, when you radically increase the size of a level, this starts to become an issue. Nuclear Horror is much bigger than his previous maps, but also feels less focused and more confusing to move around. The start is very similiar to the previous map, giving the player almost complete freedom of movement. Ammo can be tight, discouraging camping and encouraging moving forward, which inevitably triggers more enemies - turn a corner and you can bet something will be waiting. I feel like the threat comes more from constant attrition, rather than big setpieces, though a pair of ambushes near the yellow key surely qualifies as the former. Speaking of the yellow key, it unlocks a BFG, which I strongly recommend going for earlier than I did. Nuclear Horror is short on rockets and lacks plasma rifle, so without the super weapon you'll be grinding stuff with a super shotgun. With its size and complexity, this is a lenghty level where at certain point I just wanted it to be over. I can't say I enjoyed this map, but I do love the midi - "Night Run" is a highlight of an already outstandning soundtrack. MAP18: Buckets of Blood by Gusta Spoiler While the opening minutes of Buckets of Blood aren't as relentless as other Gusta's maps, it's easy to run out of ammo if you aren't careful. Pain elementals are especially troublesome, though you shouldn't underestimate up-close chaingunners and revenants. The yellow key is acquired early on and it unlocks two wings of the map, holding the remaining two skulls. I think the map starts to get easier here. Gusta loves surprising the player with teleport traps, but he doesn't force them into arena fights. In Buckets of Blood, you can always run to the previous room (which more often than not is already cleared) and wait for enemies to funnel through a bottleneck of sort. This is how I cheesed several big fights: the revenant closets by the plasma rifle, two ambushes near the red key and the cacodemon, pain elemental and mastermind gang near the exit. The rocket launcher courtyard was tough if approached head-on, but since the level is interconnected, you can approach it from a different angle and take advantage of infighting. This one is okay, I guess, more concise than Nuclear Horror, easier to navigate and providing big guns, so you don't have to rely on SSG for the whole lenght. 3 Quote Share this post Link to post
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