The DWmegawad Club plays: Claustrophobia 1024

[Klear]

MAP06 - “Four Square” by @The Green Herring

QuestZDoom, UV, blind, saves

 

The difficulty certainly starts to ramp up, and where the previous map was elaborate, this one is brutally honest. While other maps try to squeeze out as much space out of the limit as possible, this one delights in showing you you're trapped in a tiny metal box. Push the buttons. You will get ambushed, you know you will. Now do it again and again. It has the hottest start we had in the wad yet and even the elevators feel aggressive with their speed. That is not to say the map isn't looking nice in its simplicity and besides detailing on the inside, there are some lovely (if bleak) views to the outside.

 

Had some issues with voxel caco corpse blocking my view, but the hardest enemy to overcome turned out to be the rocket launcher sadistically provided to you even though the SSG would have been up to the job. Well, I'm not one to say no to explosives (especially since this is the first one I got my hands on in this wad) and it caused all my plentiful deaths in this map. Once I ran out of rockets it was smooth sailing.

 

Spoiler

 

 

[DFF]

Map05 - Subterfuge 1024
K: 100 |I: 87 |S: 50 |
Gzdoom UV Continuous, CCards 5.0, Zero Tolerance
Cards: imps take more knockback, nobles use ice physics for movement, demon imps throw out illusions

 

The Imp towers still prove to be the most difficult card so far. The other chosen cards seem to be not as effectual aside from explosive imp projectiles.

In terms of design and detailing this is probably the smartest of the munch so far. The detailing here does almost go comically overboard due to how small of a map this is, making each small definition that much more noticeable in the small space. Combat here was again fine with much more emphasis on sniper support. The red cuard silent baron was a fun touch and the added door sequencing ads some nice flare to the space. I do agree with some that this map maybe tried too hard to get every drop of gameplay it could out of 1024, as the last red switch backtrack felt very unnecessary, as was the trip to get the red key. Having the two switches lower some bars on the exit door and a final fight with the baron and some snipers or flyers in the main courtyard would have felt a lot more succinct.

A very nicely detailed map that has a very strong sense of place. The map didn't feel super cramped and the extra outside detailing was done well to make it feel larger than it really was. Gameplay however did feel like it was trying too hard to justify a longer playtime. If lots of backtracking is utilized, i feel the map needs to change a bit to accommodate aside from monster repopulation.
 

Rankings:

Spoiler

 

Map05

Map03

Map01
Map02
Map04

 

Cards:

Spoiler

 

Imps throw illusions out
Soldiers (CGunners) gain +Fast Monsters
Imps can carry other monsters

Devil Imps fire explosive projectiles
Monsters never infight

 

 

[cannonball]

MAP06 - “Four Square” by The Green Herring

 

A rather blunt map that suffers from there being too many switches and a lot of repetitive ambushes scattered between the 4 zones of the map. There are a couple of nice transformations in the yellow key room, but otherwise the biggest threat tends to come from chaingunners spawning in a zapping your health away before you even get sights on them. I didn't use the rocket launcher in the red key area as the SSG was more than up to the task, good thing too because those 3 worthless barons are easy to dispatch with said rocket launcher.

Overall this wasn't exactly stellar, it does the job I guess but a rather forgettable metallic romp.

[RHhe82]

MAP06: Four Square. Played on DSDA v0.26.2, UV, PS. 72/72 K, 1/1 S, 11/11 I. Comp. time 7:19

 

A nice squarey brownbase map that somewhat outstays its welcome by reusing the same rooms with teleporting monsters a bit too often. I would have loved to see player revisit previous rooms only to see them transformed. That said, I liked the map enough, despite being in a sour mood. The visual style reminded me of Sunlust, somehow, I guess it's just the choice of texturing.

[DavitW]

MAP04: Pit of Sludge
Yeah, that about sums this one up. The whole thing was kind of underwhelming. It feels like the map itself was holding back most of the combat here from being challenging or interesting in any meaningful way. Definitely could have used an Archvile at the very end, and that's not something you should expect to hear my say too often.

 

MAP05: Subterfuge
Now, I get that when you're working with maps this small backtracking might become inevitable, but this was the first map where it really seemed like a chore. You have to backtrack to the beginning of this level twice. First to get the red key, then a second time to actually open the red key door with a switch. Not sure if the second trek back to the beginning added anything to the map besides another 20 seconds or so. There's an immense amount of detail in this map which certainly makes it visually sublime, and there's a fair challenge presented with some of the traps.

 

MAP06: Four Square
This is the first map of the set that seemed vaguely familiar to me. Either that, or I played another map with a very similar opening room. The gimmick here is a bit, well, stupid in my opinion. It's basically Switcharoo, the map. With most switches generally surrounding you with hitscanners that can kill you in seconds. Not exactly clever gameplay here and the gimmick of the map feels like it's just there to artificially drag the map out so it can't be beat in 1:30.

 

1024CLAU04.zip

1024CLAU05.zip

1024CLAU06.zip

[bioshockfan90]

MAP06: Four Square

 

100K | 85I | 0S

 

An okay map bogged down by a weird switch gauntlet at the beginning that barely leaves you any room for timing errors (as simple as it may be). This gimmick appears later in the map, although to a lesser extent and it’s a lot better executed. Monsters will spawn in waves with each new switch you press, and rooms evolve and change around you. Pretty impressive by ‘09 standards if you ask me. On HNTR, the placement on monsters is really nothing to write home about and the RL is really only useful for standing from a distance shooting rockets into the starting room at hellknights unless you’re feeling really ballsy, but nothing felt unfair although I did die a few times. Probably not as good as the simplistic charm of MAP01, but better than most anything else in the set so far. Top 3 contender, 4.0 out of 5. 

MAPRANKS:

Spoiler

MAP05

MAP01

MAP06

MAP04

MAP02

MAP03

 

 

[Pechudin]

I'll do some short writeups:

 

MAP01: HMP No-Save - The warp facility

This map takes the Plutonia approach of spawning hitscanners in a 360 circle around you, at least they are shotgunners. Plenty of health to recover from the ambushes though.

 

MAP02: Return to Darkening

Feels like a small BTSX E1 map. Not much to say, lots of detail, and a grimy feel. Combat is largely un-threatening, with the biggest threat the final fake-out with the exit door.

 

MAP03: Break the chain

A Tyson map with mostly Imps, Demons and Zombies as the ihabitants. Perhaps I should bump it up to UV, since I expected Revenants in close quarters. The conveyors with the ammo were cute, but some of the shells got stuck where I could not reach them.

[HiMyNameIsChair]

MAP06: Four Square by Eric Baker (The Green Herring)

 

(Played on DSDA. UV Pistol Start. 100% Kills. 0% Secrets. Completion Time: 5:53)

 

Well, you certainly can't accuse Eric Baker of false advertisement, because Four Corners is exactly as advertised: 4 interconnected boxes, each taking up a quadrant of the map. As charmingly straightforward an idea as it is... I do find myself underwhelmed by the layout overall. We've already seen some pretty good layouts that make good use of the 1024×1024 restriction in the set. Sadly, Four Corners is not one of them, as it feels mostly flat, doesn't make great use of its limited verticality, and worse of all, pads its runtime with switches to hit, and lifts you have to catch. 

 

It just feels like Baker put as little effort as possible into the concept, making poor use of his allotted space. Making matters worse, the uninspired layout makes the combat sag, as there's very little dimension to it. Baker tries to add some spice to the mix with a reprise of the hitscanner teleport traps he used in MAP01, but here they feel unearned and even cheaper than they did there. The map generally devolves into a lot of door fighting,  and shotgunning Cacos. Baker offers you a Berserk in a secret, which I did not find on my playthrough, and while the top-off is appreciated, his map is definitely not built to be punched through, so even that can't help add an extra dimension to the map. The only saving grace for Four Corners, and the only thing saving it from an F, is the engaging hot start with a crowded room that emphasizes quick footwork, and visually the all-metal texturing looks nice against the blue skybox.

 

Overall... Four Corners is kind of a dud and lacks imagination.

 

Grade: D

 

Spoiler

MAP05

MAP03

MAP01

MAP02

MAP04

MAP06

 

Edited August 6, 2023 by HiMyNameIsChair

[Snikle]

MAP06 - Four Square (HMP)

 

I was punished by pausing at the very beginning due to the hot start, and the imps beat me to the shotgun. They couldn’t wield it, but they did block it off until I led them away long enough to grab it, which is hard in such a small room. Then was a surprisingly annoying switch puzzle where you had to catch the quick-raising platforms in time 4 times in a row. Completing this opens a square room with a chaingun and a lot of shotgunners on the ground and imps on the high ground. Kill them all to get the blue key.

 

Next room is also a square, also has a weapon in the middle to kill the surrounding monsters. This time it’s an SSG and cacos, with some shotgunners thrown in front and behind you for good measure. There’s a sequence of switches and ambushes in this room. By the end, there’s so many caco corpses in this small space… on stairs.

 

The next room again has a weapon inside, and it’s a rocket launcher to kill some Hell knights. I suffered a death here. Next time I grabbed the RL right away and the chaingunners distracted the Hell knights. Easy enough, shouldn’t have died there lol. Another switch and ambush sequence, involving sets of Hell knights and chaingunners, all easily taken out by the SSG. The final fight after getting the red key is back in the starting room with Barons and Hell Knights. I lamentably ran out of rockets before any died. The SSG was less fun here than it was when hitscanners were around too. Had a good time here, although the detailing wasn’t as cool as many of the previous maps. Also the first room’s (admittedly very light) platforming was just a tad frustrating, but it’s not a dealbreaker.

Edited August 6, 2023 by Snikle

[DJVCardMaster]

MAP06 - Four Squares - The Green Herring (100%K/90%I/0%S):

This one I remember being a bit annoying because of its puzzle-like structure, but now that I replay it I can enjoy it a little bit more. Again combat is spicing up even more and more. The Green Herring second and last entry offers us something underdetailed so far for the mapset, but luckly it is less bumpy because of overdetailing present in previous maps. The level consists of four square rooms, so I guess the title is not clickbait. There is nothing much to talk about it as the map likes to repeat itself while trying to give in each room something different. In the end, all of its fights feel similar and add nothing new. 
Also, say goodbye to TGH. As this is his last map for the project. He also made the midi aswell for this one, but I have to say that, both of his compositions sound quite similar.

(UV - Playthrough/PRBoom+)

Order of Preference:
 

Spoiler

 

MAP05

MAP03
MAP04
MAP06
MAP02
MAP01

 

 

[Pechudin]

MAP04 - Pit of sludge (HMP, No Save)

Brown. A spiral design, not anything too hard or notable. Sorry if this is terse, I just found nothing to talk about here.

 

MAP05 - Subterfuge (HMP, No Save)

Now this one is something a bit more substantial. Yes, very cramped, but some fancy footwork is required not to get cornered, especially in the lovely HK/Demon fight by the sludgefall. I loved the small sequence. The detailing is dense, which makes sense for such a tiny map. I guess it reminds me somewhat of ... Struggle, but scaled-down a lot.

[KickAss]

GZDooM 4.10, PB 3.0, HeXeReTiC HUD PB3 v8.3RC2e, Glory Kills v29b, SilentDoomguy, Flashlight, -iwad doom2.wad (ver 1.666), -skill 4 (UV), continuous play, no saves.

 

MAP04 - “Pit of Sludge” by Stewboy, Kyka

I don't know what went wrong here with the autosaving function of GZDooM but I had to play this map to times because of a missing save game from the autosave feature that didn't worked correctly.

 

MAP05 - “Subterfuge” by Mechadon

I don't know why ...

 

MAP06 - “Four Square” by The Green Herring

... but secrets are hard to find in this one and it still feels really crampy.

[TJG1289]

ZDoom/UV/Continuous/Blind/Saves (if needed)

Map 06:  Four Square - The Green Herring

100% kills and secrets

Time: 7:26

 

Well that title's accurate. This map is 4 different square arenas that each have evolving rooms with staggered encounters. The first room is an imp fest with 5 timed switch-based lifts. The 2nd has a few narrow passages you'll need to get up to to find the key. The 3rd has a few switches that raise and lower aspects of the room to get to the key. The final room has switches to hit before a few lift you up to elevated ones for a bit of platforming. While there are monsters in each square, the last 2 rooms will have monsters teleport in pretty much every time you hit a switch. I really should have seen the hitscanners that teleport in behind you coming, based on TGH's first map. The third square is probably the toughest, as chaingunners and cacos are the primary baddies here, tho the fourth room's chaingunner and hell knight cavalry isn't anything to scoff at. Making your way back to the first room sics 3 barons on you, so save the rockets for them. Overall, map's not too bad. The confinement of the small rooms is indeed a challenge here, and the sheer amount of hitscan is an issue. The secret berserk is nice tho. 

[Tiramisu]

MAP06 - Four Square

 

I quite liked this map! The visuals were indeed less elaborate than the previous entries, but I found that the textures in its limited palette worked well as a whole, especially in the rooms where you could see the full contrast between the tan floor, gray metal and blue clouds in the background. And the combat was pretty nice as well - giving the player something a bit different to chew on for each square. Unfortunately though, the map has a bit of a design flaw here - it simply does not do a good job at incentivizing the player to actually go into its arenas and actually stay there for the fight. I decided to play it the "intended" way by rushing in and staying inside the room for each wave (including the final baron battle), and it was actually very fun - so I think that hiding the initial encounters and adding a set of bars at each door would go a long way in a map like this!

Edited August 6, 2023 by sq. Tiramisu

[Horus]

Claustrophobia 1024

 

It’s been a long while since I last participated in one of these. Fortunately, this club is much more popular these days than it was when I started doing it. One of the months I participated in was Congestion 1024, and now finally, we have the 2009 follow-up.

 

I played through half of this a few years ago, before rage-quitting in one of the secret maps. So why would I return to it? Well, for one, I think I’m a slightly better player than before, and if it doesn’t turn out that way, well there’s always lower difficulty levels. Let’s see how I fare this month.

 

DSDA-Doom, UV pistol start, scattered saves here and there. I've also recently started turning off all stats (both advanced hud and stats on automap) to retain the element of surprise during each level. Not fussed about max secrets, but I prefer max kills if possible.

 

MAP01 - “The Warp Facility” by The Green Herring

 

A cute little starter map of hitscanners and imps, notable for its dynamic ‘living’ environment with rocky platforms that move around as you progress through the map. The custom palette change when you pick up supplies was an instant irritation for me, so I turned it off in the settings. That’s not the map’s fault though! Already it is looking noticeably more detailed than Congestion 1024, albeit helped somewhat by the texture pack

 

MAP02 - “Return to the Darkening” by Impboy, walter confetti, Jodwin, Mechadon

 

In terms of theme this map very much picks up where the last map left off, with the same techbase textures used to provide a feeling of continuity. Already this map heats things up a little bit, with some sneaky traps and my first death down to a spectre I hadn’t anticipated. I missed both secrets here, I hadn’t expected finding secrets to be so hard in a 1024 map but there you go. Also interesting to note that this map had 4 contributors, which seems curious for such a small map.

 

MAP03 - “Break the Chain” by Jodwin

 

Sometimes I like to use the berserk as a health top-up, so I ignored it at the start of this map and quickly forgot about it, wondering why I was spending so long using the pistol…whoops. Still, might have made things a little easier for me in the latter half. It’s not entirely tyson as there’s a reasonable amount of shotgun ammo about, but you’ll still need to multitask with the weaponry at hand. Visually it’s a little blander than the last two maps. It uses silent teleporters in the conveyor section, which is too obvious, but at the same time, with a 1024 map you don’t really have any choice!

 

MAP04 - “Pit of Sludge” by Stewboy, Kyka

 

Well unlike map 3 this certainly isn’t shy with ammo or weaponry, giving you the chaingun, SSG and plenty of supplies early on. This also neuters the challenge somewhat, but the corridor with perched hell knights and visiting cacos somewhat kept me on my toes. The spawns in the central area can be cheesed from outside, but to be honest I like cheesing maps when the opportunity presents! Ashwall and metal doesn’t make for the greatest visual appeal, but it’s not too bad. Again, the secrets pass me by, either I’m blind or they’re surprisingly cryptic! :P

 

MAP05 - “Subterfuge” by Mechadon

 

Mechadon is a mapper I’ve heard a lot about but experienced very little. I think I’ve played his map in Eviternity and that’s about it. Nonetheless, this map is very impressive in its detail - it looks gorgeous and is finely crafted throughout. Gameplay wise, as one might expect, most of its challenge comes from its lack of space, with the spiciest encounters being encounters with hell nobles at its lowest depths. There are a couple of mis-steps, namely a bit too much backtracking for my liking and an ineffectual pain elemental encounter, but those are pretty minor gripes on a map I otherwise really enjoyed!

 

MAP06 - “Four Square” by The Green Herring

 

This sure is an interesting one. After a skirmish with some imps, TGH has you on a lift switch race, with some pretty short timings between each platform. After that, the map forms a pattern, with each quadrant containing a number of mini-skirmishes in a very tight space. For the most part, they land well, the problem lies in when you’re in between each quadrant, and you can just take pot shots at the enemies from relative safety. This is especially the case with the barons at the end, which seem to be a time sink more than anything. Still, the positives outweigh the negatives here for me.
Visually the map is monochromatic, but with enough detail not to be dull.

 

MAP07 - “Dead In, Dead Out” by Mechadon

 

Another dead simple map, this one is very hectic at the start, with no real safe space to hide, rather requiring constant movement around the map to stay alive. However, once you clear the mancubi, the arachnotrons feel like more of an afterthought. Simple laps around the racetrack is enough, albeit I carelessly facerocketed myself once while doing so! xD

You get such an extreme amount of ammo that you worry about what the finale will be, but it doesn’t justify the big ammo stash. The two archviles are mean, but clear one early and things become much easier.

As with the last map by Mechadon, certainly can’t complain about the level of detail, it looks very nice, and generally doesn’t get in the way of gameplay either.

 

Map rankings so far:

Spoiler

5,1,6,2,7,4,3

 

Edited August 6, 2023 by Horus

[Flyxolydian]

Ooh nice, I get to join in to one of these. Played on GZDoom, Boom compatibility, UV saveless pistol start etc etc...

Map 01: The Warp Facility (blind, 3:07)
Hitscanners... hitscanners everywhere. I missed the secret armour until the very end of the map, so those ambushes ended up hurting quite a bit. No deaths though, so we move. I like how much use the mapper gets out of each area, using it multiple times like.

[Klear]

MAP07 - “Dead In, Dead Out” by @Mechadon

QuestZDoom, UV, blind, saves

 

Ouch, this one hurt. I had to turn off the voxels, as they were too much for my headset on this map. I stayed in my little blood pit where it was safe-ish for as long as I could, but after finally getting out and some weapons things were not that bad. And I could always just jump right in, intentionally or not. I was slightly dreading the inevitable arachnotrons, but they proved to be easy to deal with, simply replacing the mancubi as they were.

 

I spent the next two minutes looking for what I assumed would be an exit switch, so when all hell broke loose instead I was woefully unprepared and died in seconds. I proceeded to die again again even being prepared, though. So many enemies lead by a pair of archies and pain elementals... so little space to navigate... There was little strategy or skill involved, just hoping for good spawns and getting that pain chance in the right moment. I mentioned in my first post that playing in VR will eventually turn into a burden more than an advantage, well, this is what I was talking about.

 

Still, I wasn't stuck for that long and at least I got to die in a gorgeous environment. Oh yeah - and my favourite part of the map? Those lava pools not dealing damage. I don't think I could handle the final fight otherwise.

 

Spoiler

 

 

[RED77]

MAP06: Four Square by Eric Baker (The Green Herring)
 

Difficulty: HMP
TIME: 10:11

KILLS: 100%
SECRET:100%
ITEMS: 100%

So, this map has a simple gimmick. For square rooms, each with a switch sequence to trigger fights and get a key.

It's ok, but very repetitive.
the secret is not that useful TBH.

★★☆☆☆

[brick]

GZDoom, Boom compat, software, HNTR, blind, continuous with saves.

 

MAP06 - “Four Square” by The Green Herring
TGH's love of teleporting shotgun guys right on top of you is still alive and well. This one felt less like a 1024 and more like a series of four 512 maps in a row, there's no connection between each of the squares. That's not necessarily a bad thing, the squares look similar play different, even though some reuse certain elements (like the timed lifts) they're done differently enough. Timing the lifts in the first room was irritating, but the rest of the platforming is more forgiving. I wasn't as wowed as with MAP05 but it was still fun.

 

MAP07 - “Dead In, Dead Out” by Mechadon
As much as I loved Mechadon's previous map, I did not like this one. For some reason the play space feels tiny and movement feels much more restricted here. Enemies have absolutely no problem attacking from all sides though, I think I took more damage here than in all the previous maps combined. Killing the mancubi unleashes the arachnotrons as you'd expect, but after killing those I was stuck with no idea how to proceed, and spent most of the playtime running around before finding the requisite switches, it's far too easy to run past them and never see them. The following melee wasn't particularly fun, there's just too little movement possible. Having more than just mancubus/arachnotron on this slot is a nice idea in principle, but ultimately it's really just an arena map, though a pretty good looking one.

[Celestin]

MAP07: Dead In, Dead Out by Mechadon

 

The hardest map yet, this Dead Simple replacement is stunning to look, but man, it's brutal. After dragging youself out of the pit, you're greeted by a firing squad of hitscanners, mancubus snipers and lost souls, whose only job is to make navigation harder and discourage camping. The first moments are confusing, after a couple of deaths I figured out I need to run past the barons to get a rocket launcher and a plasma rifle, two invaluable weapons to take down the mancubi. After they are dead, it's the same with arachnotrons and then get ready for the final round. It's a total chaos, the arena gets swarmed through rather random teleporters, including pain elementals and a pair of archviles. I have no strategy for this, just run around, spray plasma and hope for the best.

 

MAP07 is a considerable uptake in difficulty, but the look of this keep drenched in lava is a reward in itself.

[Tiramisu]

MAP07 - Dead In, Dead Out

 

This map seemed a lot less difficult than it appeared at first, but then it turned out to be a lot more difficult than it seemed to be. :p You'd think you'd be safe after killing the Barons in the corner areas, but you'll quickly realize that the Mancubi cover pretty much every inch of space here with their fire, and nowhere is safe - so you just have to keep running, chipping away at the fatsos and never staying too long in one spot. The second Arachnotron wave was much easier (just grab your chaingun and keep moving), but the last wave with the Archviles really surprised me - on my second attempt, I just brute-forced the first Archvile with the plasma gun and ran for the leftover medikits to heal. Overall it was a great map, with some great visuals as well - it really succeeds in obfuscating its boundaries and appearing much bigger than it actually is!

Edited August 7, 2023 by sq. Tiramisu

[Pechudin]

MAP06: Four square (HMP No Save)

The combat is alright, mostly ambushes you can doorcamp (since the doors stay open), the best fight being the opener. The switch "puzzle" was annoying, you are given just enough time, and God forbid you get an elastic collision. I IDCLIP'd the thing personally. The map itself looks competent, if a bit flat. Not much else to say. Not very inspired.

[bioshockfan90]

MAP07: Dead In, Dead Out

 

100K | 95I | 0S

 

Another fun Mechadon map that does the 1024 gimmick stacked with the Dead Simple gimmick well, giving you plenty of plasma fodder to mow down towards the end and a rough-and-tumble start that will have you scrambling for weapons as you make it past the initial barrage. Once you’ve cleared out the Mancubi, everything falls into place and the map is rather easy after that, but will still keep you on your toes if you aren’t making the most of your cells. Thankfully, ammo is generous and you won’t feel lacking on the health front. Pretty damn enjoyable, although by virtue of it being a map07, I feel like it doesn’t deserve the top spot. Map05 is still plenty fun, and since the progression on that isn’t gated by certain monster kills, I have to put that over this one. Still really good though - don’t get me wrong! 4.3 out of 5. 

 

MAPRANKS:

Spoiler

MAP05

MAP07

MAP01

MAP06

MAP04

MAP02

MAP03

 

 

[Snikle]

MAP07 - Dead In, Dead Out (HMP)

 

More luscious details, I’m always a sucker for them. The maps starts in a small pit with health, ammo, and an SSG. Going by the nigh-hidden stairs at the front will awaken a mancubus, and going up unveils many more, along with a lot of hitscanners. Kill the hitscan you can and go into either of the upper chambers. Each one has a Hell Knight, and one has a plasma, the other a rocket launcher. With these the mancubi are goners. I got killed once at the start for trying to hit one of those little orange lights in the doorways thinking it was a secret switch.

 

Killing the mancubi lowers some more gear and then I got a chaingun in a pit opposite the starting area. Was that always open or did it open when I killed the mancubi? I’m not sure, but the chaingun was useful against the arachnotrons. After killing all of them, I took a moment to go secret hunting, and I found it. Extra rockets are appreciated, extra switch is (as of now) confusing.

 

After going to the other side and finding the same open passage and another switch that triggered the final fight, I’m left wondering even more what the secret did. The final fight was fun though, despite me losing my supercharge pretty quickly due to having the SSG out instead of the plasma. I’m not sure what linedef was the exit, because I crossed it. Was the exit open since all the arachnos were killed, and the two switched were secrets, and the last fight was a secret fight? I don’t know, it doesn’t matter, I had fun anyway.

[RHhe82]

MAP07: Dead In, Dead Out. Played on DSDA v0.26.2, UV, PS. 64/64 K, 1/1 S, 44/44 I. Comp. time 8:04

 

So, a Dead Simple, what a surprise... But I like it. Mechadon's style and craftsmanship even in these small maps is top-notch in my opinion, and in any case there is a twist that elevates (if the visual design didn't do it already) it above a standard fare dedsie is that arachnotrons don't reveal the exit, but raises stairs that trigger the actual final showdown. A third phase to a DS fight, if you will.

[DJVCardMaster]

MAP07 - Dead In, Dead Out - Mechadon (100%K/97%I/0%S):

Another Mechadon map, another show-off his technical and detail abilities. Oof, difficulty here escalated as quickly as you get up from that starting area using the ladder. First of all, the areas you have to maneuver are so small, and the terrain is so bumpy, trying to get all mancubi here is going to be a hard task. Luckly you can protect yourself (Kinda), behind walls and in the corners where barons are holding bigger guns. It is an arena map, different to what we have played so far, but suddenly difficulty got ten times harder than we are used to. And yes I do think overdetailing here can get a bit annoying on floors though, but the change of pace is welcome as long it does not get annoying, luckly it doesn't.

(UV - Playthrough/PRBoom+)

Order of Preference:
 

Spoiler

 

MAP05

MAP03
MAP07
MAP04
MAP06
MAP02
MAP01

 

 

[Flyxolydian]

Ok... carrying on. They're quick maps, so reviews will also be quick:

 

Map 02: Return to the Darkening - Yeah I didn't find that secret, without checking the automap anyway. Combat is definitely easier than the first level, the ambushes felt more manageable. Not going to put times on from now on, as I spent an embarrassing amount of time trying to locate the secrets lol.

Map 03: Breaking the Chain - Oh cool... a Tyson map. The conveyor section is cool, but boy do I hate punching out Caco's. Got a little bit dicey at one point, as I only really used the Berserk until the shotgun came up. The Hell Knights at the end are a good chance to test those knuckles.

Map 04: Pit of Sludge - SSG, come to daddy. Probably the most fully fledged in terms of combat so far, but the SSG kind of negates any difficulty. The Soulsphere took a while to find though, good secret hiding.

Map 05: Subterfuge 1024 - The amount of detailing feels like I'm playing a Mouldy level, very intricate level design with some great sight lines. Has to be said, I didn't appreciate having to shotgun a Baron to death at the end. Weirdly enough, Map 01 still feels like the hardest one so far... maybe it was just bad RNG.

Map 06: Four Square - Nah, can't say I'm a fan of this one. The concept of the four rooms is nice, but it essentially boils down to door-fighting central. Save your rockets for the end, Barons innit. The puzzles are kind of annoying too, elastic collision is a bitch. Would it have killed TGH to have put in some armour?

Map 07: Dead In, Dead Out - Wow, talk about a step up in difficulty, and a change in locale! Those Mancubi/Arachnotrons are well placed, there's almost no room for cover. The big ambush at the end was fun though, was a good chance to let loose with the plasma gun.

Map 08: Hex of Depression - A nice little comedown after last map's drama. The SSG secret isn't particularly hard to find, and makes the rest of the level a breeze. Nice choice of MIDI too, fits the castle theme.

Map 09: Bitter Sanctuary - Wow... that's quite the monster count. This one is a bit marmite. It's very pretty (especially that view outside, boy that's cool), and the concept is cool, but it's very repetitive, and only having a shotgun for most of the map gets old QUICK. The ending is pretty hard, and nearly dealt me my first death of the WAD... not quite though :')

Map 10: Mudbath - Quite a hot start on this one, and another teleport ambush ending similar to that of map 09. My PC was kind enough to lag right at the end of the final fight, still didn't quite kill me though. The maps are definitely getting harder!

Ok... that's enough for tonight.

Edited August 7, 2023 by Flyxolydian

[rehelekretep]

thought i had already played this, but that was the original 1024, and that was only 7 maps apparently.

 

prboom+, uv pistol starts, saves, cl9

enjoyable map07

maps 1-6 are fine if forgettable.

Edited August 8, 2023 by rehelekretep

[DFF]

Map06 - Four Square
K: 100 |I: 100 |S: 100 |
Gzdoom UV Continuous, CCards 5.0, Zero Tolerance
Cards: Spawns fake items rigged with explosives, Soldiers throw pumpkin bombs, Prophet troops (Sgunners) are thinner

 

This map definitely was more well suited to the chosen cards a lot better than other maps. The rigged items proved extremely dangerous in the packed rooms, often requiring fast thinking to avoid the grenades. The Soldiers were plentiful and priority #1, as ffast monsters gave them lightning fast attack times. The imps were even spawning their illusiosn that while harmless helped obscure the real threats in the smaller arenas. Difficult but entertaining given the mod set. The secret granted flare upgrade #2 which increased damage of the cluster projectiles from the flare gun (it deals a small explosive and drops bouncing cluster particles that can damage enemies)

I ended up liking this map a lot more than I was expecting. When limited on space, presenting a map that is very directly named "Four Square" would present itself as being a rather generic and straightforward map. What we got was a very feisty arena map that 4 different combat scenarios that all seems to flow very well. The hot start sets the tone well for how the map will play, and height variation is used very well for the indoor space.  Detailing felt just right for the map size. Texturing also felt well done, offering cohesive but varied designs and using more naturally subdued colors for contrast (the brown floors and the dark blue sky windows). Flow bnetween rooms and switches seemed well designed as well, and bringing the player back to the first room to reveal an exit was a nice way to wrap up the map while also keeping it open for (the very limited) re-exploration. Only gripe really was the twitch sequence in the first room was probably longer than needed.

Very fun combat tower. The ending was a little letdown as the barons are a minimal threat especially when being funneled into the small doors (which i think are too short for them to pass through) but the rest was good.

 

Map07 - Dead in, Dead out
K: 100 |I: 100 |S: 100 |
Gzdoom UV Continuous, CCards 5.0, Zero Tolerance
Cards: Barons receive delayed damage, Soldiers throw illusions, Devil imps adjust their aim for moving targets

 

The third wave on this map was brutal with the cards and mods present. I hate to say but this older Xaser modset feels under-equipped to deal with more horde/slaughter style gameplay. It could be my skill aswell, but the reload animations and the weapon damage values felt under-equipped to deal with the limited space, the two archies and barons blocking movement, and the fodder that tends to clog the side rooms. Took about 12 attempts to get a good run from the switch start and this required exclusive use of the cluster grenade launcher that for all purposes is similar to the rocket launcher. I suppose its a similar scenario if using vanilla weapons, as the plasma, ssg, or chaingun would not be able to clear enemies quickly enough either.

A very ornate arena map sits in the dead simple slot. It is refreshing to see some hell mixed into the base maps, since i doubt there is much continuity between any of these. The map does very well to create a larger sense of place, with towers and structures looming over the battlefield just beyond the walls. Detailing here was vey nice, with good use of fake 3D floor effects to add extra detail (the upside down crosses were a fun touch). Flow felt mostly fine, with the side halls being rather cramped and the two lower pits a dangerous place to visit. Considering the size limitations pure one-arena maps need to do a lot to justify their memorability and this one does well for a dead simple map. It does the regular thing of "kill mancs, then kill aracs" which is fine, the final fight5 (while problematic for me) is where the map puts its own twist on dead simple. Combat all around is fine to good. I found the secret on accident but it helped for the final fight.

Very pretty map that was mostly enjoyable. 

 

Rankings:

Spoiler

 

Map06

Map05

Map07

Map03

Map01
Map02
Map04

 

 

Cards:

Spoiler

 

Demon Imps adjust aim

Spawns fake items that spew grenades

Imps throw illusions out
Soldiers (CGunners) gain +Fast Monsters
Imps can carry other monsters

Devil Imps fire explosive projectiles
Monsters never infight

 

 

Edited August 10, 2023 by DFF

[cannonball]

MAP07 - “Dead In, Dead Out” by Mechadon

 

In terms of maps that essentially do the "Dead Simple" routine, this is definitely one of the better ones. There are three waves, the first is a mass brawl from the moment you emerge from the start area, there is a lot of monsters throwing stuff at you and it is quite easy to be check-mated in the corners by the barons. The second wave is the easiest as it is just spiders, however their positions will require some light footwork to avoid being hit. The final wave is another mass brawl but this time involving archviles, however you do get plenty of munitions to deal with everything.

In the end the most notable thing is a spike in difficulty, it isn't horrific but it will certainly awake anyone who was coasting so far. In the end the map looks well fleshed out, well detailed and not overly so to the point of hindering movement. Overall this as a very solid entry and probably my favourite map so far.