The DWmegawad Club plays: Claustrophobia 1024

brick · August 30, 2023

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

MAP30 - “Thanatophobia” by Jodwin
In many ways this is a typical IOS map. The spawn points are helpfully indicated with player or zombie corpse inside some nice-looking sector-symbols. There are a bunch of switches around the arena to gain access to the lift, then it's the good old time rockets as lift goes up, rinse and repeat. Two things that make it less typical: the map is packed with enemies at the start (50+ on HNTR, 100+ on UV), and Romero's head moves along a conveyor. On top of timing the rockets, you have to lead your shots. I admit when I saw the revenants behind the head I was worried the intented way is to use them for autoaim to hit the head; while it's not as onerous, I still found having to aim and lead, on top of the usual timing, to be more a chore than anything.

MAP33 - “Nil” by Mechadon
This is an homage to Russell Pearson's Null Space Jr, itself Pearson's 1024 of his seminal Null Space. I really enjoyed the first half or so, Mechadon really captures the Null Space aesthetics, this little citadel floating in void looks remarkable. True to the wad combat is obviously claustrophobic but I was still enjoying it at first. The tipping point was due to the Lost Souls; there must be almost a hundred of them, and their ability to fly, be everywhere thanks to the map's completely open nature, to silently box me in and allow everything else to tear me apart, eventually got on my nerves. I felt that the entire difficulty comes from them alone, and it made it more difficult to appreciate the map. There's a lot of waiting after pressing switches before you can proceed, and with a map this long I didn't appreciate the artifically extended play time. The last wave is also strangely easy, considering how tough the previous two are. Since this is the bonus slot I can't be too mad at the map, and it's a nice homage to an author that I really like.

MAP34 - “**NULL**” by Mechadon
According to the text this is more a jokemap than anything, and mostly there just to prevent some ports (I guess the original Boom?) from crashing when you exit MAP33. Going around the arena pressing the switches opens up the various quadrants, and uncovers switches to crush the bosses. I initially thought they open the exit too, but that's actually just on a timer, one long (very, very long) voodoo converyor. Taking the exit doesn't end the level and just telefrags a voodoo doll, killing the player. "Thanks 4 Playing Claus 1024" engraved into the arena sections is a cute touch.

Final thoughts
I was more ambivalent about the wad than I expected, I thought I'd like it more. I think part of it is a fundamental design tenet of 1024 that does not sit well with me, namely that only the player is restricted to the 1024. I think I am more impressed by authors who put everything inside the limit (indeed, looking back at my mini-reviews almost all my favourite maps are like this), but I also feel that letting enemies shoot at you from outside considerably increases the difficulty in ways that I do not find entirely fair. I think I do not enjoy gameplay that restricts my movement and dodging too much, and it's hard not to do this in such small maps. To be fair to the wad, my personal circumstances this month were a bit strange, and it might at least partially explain why I seemed to get fed up in that last stretch of maps. Looking at some earlier ones there were many maps that I really enjoyed, even in some of the ones I did not like I still admire the creativity that arose from the restrictions.

My votes:

+++ Doom 2 in spain only
+++ Limit Buffet

+++ 3 Heures d'Agonie

Azure_Horror · August 30, 2023

Map26 - “Aura of Evil” by Butts, Joshy, Jodwin, Mechadon

Aura of Evil is a cool Scythe-ish map. I really like the visuals, despite them using basic hell textures. Revenant and imp snipers were surprisingly fun here: they are threats, and they are also not a chore to clean up. Multiple arena-style fights were fun too. And I love having plasma rifle right near the start. I really like this simple map!

Map27 - “Hell Sewage” by Jodwin

"The boring maze, and then archviles resurrect everything they can" - the map. SSG/Chaingun as much as possible, and save better guns for later - this is the way.

On a positive note, the visuals are really good!

Map28 - “Poison Ivy” by Joshy

Okay, if this was Poison Ivy 1, then I understand, why Speed of Doom map 23 is called Poison Ivy II… Poison Ivy II did indeed improved on the concept, while keeping the fundamentals. Too bad that those fundamentals are quite divisive... After playing Poison Ivy, I have one simple question: Why people think that tediousness + annoyance* are proper spices for difficulty? I expected better of Joshy's map…

* the trickle of lost souls takes the cake as the most annoying part of the map, cause it does drain your hp, but adds very nothing in terms of interesting dynamics. Best solution for this particular part - camp for 4-5 minutes straight, waiting for all lost souls. Such fun, much gameplay...

Map29 - “Magnum Opus” by POTGIESSER, Mechadon

Magnum Opus felt like Poison Ivy, which replaced its annoying parts with baron crowds. Gotta say, this a net positive trade in my book! Yet still, I would have preferred to deal with neither annoyance, no baron crowds...

Map30 - “Thanatophobia” by Jodwin

This is an Icon of Sin map, and a quite nice looking one too.

The Basic idea feels promising: there is an invuln, a final target on a horisontal conveyor, and a small arena to start everything off.

There is a problem, however: it is very hard to spot the alignment of all the platforms. End result: everything feels like nonsense, essentially.

Icon of sin rocket timing is already a separate skill to normal doom gameplay - and now this timing is complicated further! With nothing except 1 invulnerability to compensate! The final task is too complex to complete without dedicated training... And dedicated training for yet another Icon map feels pointless.

To add the insult to injury, there is also 15 second obligatory lost soul encounter at the very start! Seems like most creators of most IOS consider the clunkiness of IOS a feature... That's very odd, but whatever.

Bonus maps and final write up for the whole WAD will be later.

Edited August 30, 2023 by Azure_Horror

Flyxolydian · August 30, 2023

Map 29 - Magnum Opus:
Right... 99 of the enemies in this map (Nearly 2/3) are Hell Nobles... make what you will of that. The funniest part is, this map isn't even much of a slog. I'm not sure how Brandon/Mechadon did it, but the map is actually pretty entertaining throughout. I didn't find any of the secrets (including the BFG, which I would have loved) until all kills had been reached, so you don't really need it, but it does speed up some of the fights. Space usage is top notch here, pretty much every bit of the available space is utilised as the map opens up... very good stuff here.

Map 30 - Thanatophobia:
Ugh... I really, REALLY, hate Icon of Sin maps. It's such a stupid gimmick that should never have been implemented to begin with. The rest of the map is a good old time, and it looks good, but Jodwin gives you a tiny window to shoot your rockets, and this time it's even worse. Romero's head is on a conveyor belt, so you've got even LESS chance of hitting him as you need to lead your rockets through that narrow window... goody. Worst map of the WAD, no competition whatsoever.

As for the WAD, it's a neat concept, but you can only really do so much with it. 32 maps is a bit too much for something like this, as everything started to become same-y/grindy as the WAD progressed. It's not the fault of the mapmakers (for the most part anyway), it's just that conditions being as constricting as they are makes it hard to come up with something innovative without resorting to "hurrdurr teleports lol". That being said, there's some very good efforts from people here, with some great economy of space being shown in the best maps.

bioshockfan90 · August 30, 2023

FINAL POST - Below is maps30-34. Spoilered to condense post length along with final thoughts and top 5. I just wanted to say thank you for allowing me to participate for the first in a long time and I can't wait for next month! Cheers! :)

MAP30: Thanatophobia

Spoiler

43K | 50I | 100S

Wait, what?

I need to explain something that happened on my successful attempt of this real quick.

So, in prior attempts, the romero head took 3 shots, survived, and I died before I could find it again. In ALL prior attempts the romero head had survived at least 1 shot, until the clear. 1 hit and he’s dead. Map beaten. I almost feel like I cheated the map in a way, maybe there’s 2 romero heads in the map and only one of them qualifies for the clear? Or some cosmic bit-flip caused all this to happen? I’m no doom behind-the-curtains expert, so some elaboration would be nice. Of course by the time you’re reading this it’ll have been 28 days since I beat this map so I probably will have forgotten about it until I go to copy and paste this entry. Oh well. Onto the map itself.

Never been a big fan of IoS maps, they just never grab me in a way that feels like a satisfying boss battle or conclusion quite like vanilla E2M8 or E1M8 for that matter. Every megaWAD tries to make it fun, and I think to this day I’ve only played 1 that had a decently fun fight, and I already wouldn’t be able to remember which WAD it was. This is okay, I guess, you run around, press all the switches to open up access, play a shooting gallery minigame with Romero and eventually win, but beyond that it’s just that. A MAP30 in a megawad.

Still more maps to go, including the secret and bonus maps, so we’re not quite done yet and I’m not quite ready to share my final impressions. For now, this is probably somewhere near the bottom. 3 out of 5.

MAP31: Skyscrape IV

Spoiler

100K | 100I | 100S | Used Saves

I don’t know how to feel about this first secret map. I have to respect the hell out of it on one hand for it being easily the longest map in the set I’ve played so far, and incorporating elements of nonlinearity - however, it’s a bit too long for my tastes, and usually that wouldn’t be a problem if the map was more exploratory, but here - there’s lots of traps, ambushes, and archviles waiting to decimate you at every turn. I recommend finishing the map with the Spiderdemon section; that’ll give you plenty of health for the final moments of the map. It really doesn’t matter what order you hiit the first 3 switches in, though.

Overall, I do like this map but it’s just not for me and I feel like I can’t rank it fairly so I’ll just have to pull the “this is my subjective opinion” card and put it somewhere in the middle. I’m sure others will have a blast with this, it just wasn’t for me. Bonus creativity point for the kanji seen throughout the map and arrows for guidance. ??? out of 5.

MAP32: Oil Rig

Spoiler

100K | 97I | 0S

Another map I’m not sure how to feel about. On one hand, it is pretty challenging and fun once you get some weapons, but the start is so unbelievably slow with tons of hell knights and barons that it crawls to a standstill, then there’s a rooftop shootout with a Cybie that just feels like pointless corner-peeking; after that the map starts to get good but that first half is just so weird. I guess it’s far from the worst map in the set, but it’s just so zany and yet bland that I can’t help but kinda push my nose up at it. Sidenote: I had planned on using saves after a point but ended up clearing it on the attempt I placed said saves without dying. So, go me? I guess? 3.3 out of 5.

MAP33: Nil

Spoiler

100K | 98I | 100S | Used Saves

This could’ve been excluded from the main game’s maps for using too advanced of features or wanting a more diverse roster of mappers in the final cut - the exact reason I myself do not know, but this could’ve been a GREAT map29 had it made it into the base 32. It’s a great little challenge, it does the 1024 format well by it being this big arena that continually grows and spawns new waves of monsters in, it’s just really fun and creative. I don’t exactly like that if you go out-of-bounds you instantly die, but it’s not that big a deal once you figure it out. This is just as good as MAP28 in the challenge and fun department, and unique in its own way. Love love love this one. 4.6 out of 5.

MAP34: **NULL**

Spoiler

??K | ??I | ??S

If anyone’s confused as to why they can’t find the level exit, there is none to my knowledge. The doomwiki page states that no matter what you do, the exit teleporter will kill you no matter what.

A pretty fitting final bonus map to send us all off with thoughts of 1024 in our heads, crazy slaughter with hordes of PEs and archies and just all-around chaos. Well beyond my difficulty penchant, but I’m sure a few of you sick fucks will like it. I got until the exit opened and decided I had my fun with the map. Didn’t bother going for 100K. So… yeah! That was Claustrophobia 1024. Oh yeah, should probably rate this one real quick. Erm… 3.5 out of 5, why not.

FINAL MAPRANKS:

Spoiler

MAP19

MAP23

MAP20

MAP28

MAP33

MAP05

MAP21

MAP16

MAP22

MAP29

MAP14

MAP31

MAP18

MAP15

MAP26

MAP07

MAP25

MAP34

MAP01

MAP09

MAP32

MAP06

MAP04

MAP13

MAP17

MAP02

MAP10

MAP30

MAP24

MAP03

MAP12

MAP08

MAP27

Final Thoughts + Top 5 Maps:

Spoiler

Overall, Claustrophobia 1024 is a pretty fun megawad, bordering on really fun were it not for the handful of maps that drag the experience down. In my limited experience, this is really good for what is essentially a community project, especially given the restriction. Community Chest 2 was released just a few years earlier and suffered far more bland maps due to a lack of quality control, among other things. Sure, it led to maps like MAP15 and The Mucus Flow, but for every good map in a project like CC2, there’s a dozen bad ones. Thankfully, the mapset has a fair difficulty curve in most places and it never feels like it gets too hard. The 2 maps that are a bit too hard for me (27, 34) are just minor footnotes in the WAD and even 34 is a bonus map so it has that going for it. Most maps surprisingly don’t feel that congested nor claustrophobic as a result of the limitation; in fact, I’d argue a good 2/3rds of this feel just fine and just like small Doom maps with a bit of creativity. There are some genuinely funny moments in this too, like Jimmy’s Inmost Dens Parody and some of the combat scenarios that made me laugh due to how they worked. Boom format is used to its best here as well, most Boom mapsets are really just limit-removing with added perks to make mapping easier, but here the most is made of the format with teleporting items, conveyors, complex teleport ambushes and more. I would give this project an overall score of 4.82 out of 5.

Now, for the top 5 maps:

#5. Map 33, Nil by Mechadon

Did not expect to like any of these bonus maps but Mek knocks it out of the park with a slaughterlite cramped arena with plenty of monsters to gib, a surplus of ammo and health, and easy secrets to access. That and the void setting it is based in is very cool as well.

#4. Map 28, Poison Ivy by Joshy

Joshy makes my favorite E3 map of the wad with tight, heart-racing combat that wouldn’t feel out of place in a wad like Resurgence or Speed of Doom. I felt so good clearing this without saves, and the adrenaline rush was unparalleled. Fantastic stuff.

#3. Map 20, Refinery by Dutch Devil

1 out of 2 Dutch Devil levels (try saying that 5 times fast) in the top 5, Refinery makes great use of verticality and monsters outside of the 1024 x 1024 space to create a very well-rounded moderately challenging techbase map. I had a lot of fun with this in my first playthrough and it’s one of the most balanced, even experiences in the entire wad. Sublime.

#2. Map 23, Fear No Evil by Dutch Devil

As simple as ‘Fear No Evil’ may be, it is a home run for me, especially in its E4 aesthetic and wide open space essentially using the whole 1024 as a playground to roam around in.

#1. Map 19, Nova Scotia Robots by Esselfortium

Am I really that surprised the Essel map was my favorite? Not really, but I’m glad I got to play it and more importantly that it got in the project. Essel makes some of my favorite Doom maps, and it’s clear she has a clear understanding of what makes a map fun, no matter how she’s doing it. Not one bit of this map feels constrained, and while it may have been rather easy on HNTR for a MAP19, it clears everything else in the WAD by virtue of its seamless, clean layout (ESPECIALLY for 2009 standards) and fun gameplay.

FistMarine · August 30, 2023

16 hours ago, Horus said:

The DWMC played Congestion 1024 back in December 2019 (https://www.doomworld.com/vb/thread/110509), and the club doesn't repeat mapsets that have already been played.

Here is a doomwiki link I find useful that lists all the past iterations: https://doomwiki.org/wiki/The_DWmegawad_Club

Ah, my bad. I looked up the exact same link in past week or so and completely missed the fact Congestion 1024 was already chosen before.

I suppose nothing stops me to do Congestion 1024 on my own sometime during next few weeks/months and maybe write a review on the wad's page (still working on reviewing every single wad I have played so far in a separate text document, should finish reviewing at least 30 wads before Doom's 30th anniversary, which will be the day when I will start publishing my reviews), though my priority should be playing the wad chosen for the DWMC before I start a new one.

Edited August 30, 2023 by FistMarine

elborbahquarama · August 30, 2023

level 22 : diminished apparatus by mechadon, yaaay this is fun, there is a lot of stuff happening i had a great time, many little rooms of different shapes, also a lot of green poison floor that doesn't hurt you thank you very much it's a nice surprise

this wasn't too hard for me and i got to use my bfg on the arch-vile after i heard him resurrecting everybody in the central room haha, the secrets were sooooo secretive oh my god it took me forever to find them i was going crazy, but i like that (i did not find the last extra secret but i went back and i love it)

level 23 : fear no evil by dutch-devil, omg i love this messy ruin architecture, it looks very bad ass and evil, the floating cube with hanging flesh inside it is beautiful, i'm a little bit sad that it is mostly just a sort of simple arena but it's still one of my favorites

level 24 : second assault by spertz, very short and simple level??? it was so "to the point" that i just played as if i was doing a speedrun without realizing it, i am now a pro

level 25 : cabracan 1024 by mechadon, a nice space station with a little set of intertwined sections turned by demons into a fun two-stages arcade game of shooting gallery with lots of barrels for chain reaction (also featuring a breather mini-game intermission where you get to shoot a baron through a little window before the final boss stage) all this running back and forth to press switches must really be exhausting for the local employees, they need a raise!!

level 26 : aura of evil by butts, one of the most challenging levels for me so far because there was a lot of big enemies and the start where you get shot at from every direction is too crazy for me haha, you arrive in hell and immediately set foot in a scary church inhabited by christian demons that are just dancing all night long as silhouettes against the sky to pray to their lord jesus christ, the cross is hilarious i kind of love it, i also like the colors because it's just all red and green! (i like to shoot hidden eyes for secrets)

level 27 : hell sewage by jodwin, a station mysteriously floating in this pretty eerie sky, the zelda music is really funny (in a good way) and i had a nice time because the fights were not too difficult for me

level 28 : poison ivy by joshy, this is maybe my favorite so far because i like the construction, it was really fun to "unpeel" the main building at the beginning and then see it all tumble down at the end, and i love the roots everywhere inside it and on the surrounding buildings because it made me feel like i was in a representation on an old abandonned little town

it was too a bit too hard for me because i don't like when there is too many big enemies like that but it's one of the last levels so i'm not surprised, and to my surprise i only died two times before the boss fight where i died a bunch (i used the little ruin to hide a lot haha) missed the secret and had to star over because you can't get back up after the cyberdemon appears but i don't mind and i played better (also the exit door is cool)

level 29 : magnum opus by potgiesser, i also really like this one, again it was very fun to unpeel all the walls of the level (bitter sanctuary was also like that earlier in this wad) and i find this much easier than the previous one which is good for me (i didn't even die, there was lots of power up and ammo, i could hide from most of the arch-viles and the hell knights pretty much killed the cyberdemon for me)

and i love the surrounding setting with all the candles and the incredible skull skybox <3 i think this is my favorite actually

level 30 : thanatophobia by jodwin, oh my this was a little bit annoying haha, i like to see the romero head going left and right like a shooting arcade game it's funny, but i used idclip and went to kill it with a point blank bfg shot :X ._.' o7 (i went back and beat it the regular way of course!!!!!!!!!!!! no . . .)

level 33 : nil by mechadon, bonus level!!! i like this one because it looks super cool, the faces on the wall are funny and the floating pillars with dripping blood and blinking lights are incredibly beautiful, so ominous!! the exit door is also pretty, and i thought it was fun to play through because it had a good construction in my opinion but it was also a bit too hard for me unfortunately there was so many enemies, i died a bunch of times but it's still one of my favorites!

level 34 : **null** by mechadon, it's an arena in four sections with a very cute thank you 4 playing message, it's really hard i just cheated to finish it haha i will try to really beat it next time, i think it's fun to die at the end instead of finishing the level

i pretty much liked this wad, i won't say that it felt deeply memorable to me or anything and it was also a bit too hard for me but i had a good time and there was a bunch of pretty cool levels and neat ideas in it, congratulations to everyone who worked on it!

i think my favorites were magnum opus, nil, bitter sanctuary, poison ivy, fear no evil and pit of sludge (but i also liked the inmost con'dens'ed, four square, diminished apparatus, transfer base, refinery, weather station and even oil rig! also obviously skyscrape iv is pretty impressive)

the story : an evil wizard has cast a spell upon the world to split it into a multitude of little square-shaped spaces people are trapped in, you must travel through all of them and kill the demons that lie within it to break everybody free and allow them to go out again to recreate connections and live their lives to the fullest ! ! !

i've been playing doom a lot lately and frequently stumbled upon old dwmegawad club threads so it was fun to participate myself and i enjoyed coming here everyday to read your various opinions!! by the way the levels that stuck with me the most in all the 1024 wads were the baby version of null space from congestion and the two levels gggmork worked on with kyka for claustrophobia 2, i would recommend playing them if you are interested because i think they are worth looking at!!

Edited August 30, 2023 by elborbahquarama

Celestin · August 30, 2023

MAP30: Thanatophobia by Jodwin

Another megawad, another awful Icon of Sin.

Step one, press 8 switches to unlock the lift. Step two, call the lift down. Step three, ride it up and locate Romero's head, because it's riding on a conveyor belt. Step four, save-scum.

Of course, the map is small, but its cramped nature isn't the main issue. You have a BFG to cut your way through the monsters. Having to locate your target and firing at it in a short window of time is where the challenge comes from. If the head was stationary, I'd have a much better time here, I had numerous cases where I was on the lift and Romero was out of view, it's an obnoxious waste of time.

Conclusions

First of all, I would like to congratulate all mappers who contributed to Claustrophobia 1024. Even when I was critical of some of the maps here, it doesn't change the fact it's a great achievement to create a fully-playable level with this little area to work with. I now understand why projects like this are popping up from time to time and attract many contributors.

As for the maps here, it's a very diverse bunch. Not only with their visual themes, but approaches to gameplay. This include exploratory maps and slaughter combat, two genres I didn't expected to see here. At its best, Claustrophobia successfully masks the small size of its maps by placing additional objects outside the playable area, transforming a level to repurpose it for another fight or adding verticality. Still, a ton of maps (I dare to say: the majority) relies on two tricks that gets old pretty fast: teleporting ambushes and backtracking. I get the former is an efficient way to introduce new monsters when you don't have a room for monster closets and the latter increase a runtime of a map, often in combination with teleport ambushes. This makes the combat here repetitive and by the end of the wad I had enough of similiar traps in cramped rooms.

In the end, the question is: was I having fun? The answer is: in a way, yes. It was entertaining to see how different mappers would tackle the project and its limitations, but at the same time I felt most contributors were showing off their skills and having more fun making their maps than I did have playing.

TOP 5 maps:

MAP31: Skyscrape IV by Jodwin
MAP05: Subterfuge 1024 by Mechadon
MAP33: Nil by Mechadon
MAP15: The Inmost Con'Den'sed by Jimmy
MAP13: Assault by Joshy

My least favourite map:

MAP30: Thanatophobia by Jodwin

Thank you all for picking this one, it was interesting to try something less conventional. See you next month.

Horus · August 30, 2023

I noticed a few of you mention that the wad got repetitive towards its closing stages, which is definitely true as it reuses the same old tricks over and over, but it never really bothered me (indeed the final stretch of the wad was my favourite) - perhaps just a difference of opinion, I also staggered my playthrough a bit with a gap of over a week between playing map 21 and map 22, so maybe that helped.

I also tallied the votes so far, for wads with more than 1 vote:

4 - Atonement, Doom 2 in Spain Only

3 - Limit Buffet

2 - Lost Civ & 10x10

cannonball · August 30, 2023

Overall thoughts;

Truthfully, I am not a fan of restrictions like this. The size limit (Especially when pushed to this level or even more extreme) tends to bring out tropes that are against the general spirit of Doom. If you want short maps, try to install a max time limit to beat the map etc, but he size limit tends to encourage mappers to squeeze every ounce of gameplay out of the space and in a lot of instances this results in a rather awful experience at times.

However... this wad tended to play better than expected and was overall a rather pleasant experience. Now there were some maps that were not so good and even a couple of stinkers, there were however a lot of decent to good maps and a few that were quite impressive. I am thankful for two things, firstly that the last episode did not descend to the depths I thought it was and in the end it was probably the best episode (The stretch from Map18-26 was all round solid). The second thing I was thankful for was that the most prominent mapper was also the one who impressed me the most. Now most of the maps were techbases with only a few that deviated from this, however there was variety in the approach to creating a layout and general combat. I preferred maps that gave the player room, especially when it meant that rockets could be used effectively. I was impressed by a few maps that try to use the Z-Axis to increase the playspace (Maps16/19 and 31 are good examples of this).

In the end this wad ends up the right side of average to me, with the positives outweighing the negatives. That said I am still no keen to explore further wads in this style, give me some room please.

Overall score - 3/5

Favourite maps - Map07 and Map33

Honourable mentions - Map05, 19. 20, and 25

I did not make any nominations this month, mostly because I am unsure of my participation next month, with the kids going back to school or going to a childminder for the first time along with my wife returning to work properly. It is hard to gauge how busy it is going to be settling into a new normal. We will see I guess.

Edited August 30, 2023 by cannonball

DJVCardMaster · August 30, 2023

MAP30 - Thanatophobia - Jodwin (92%K/100%I/100%S):

As good as an Icon of Sin can be staged, it is quite interesting as the Romero head is placed over a conveyor belt, making it able to somewhat switch positions every time you get up the lift. Apart from that, nothing new is on the table, try to get all guns, kill all the mancubi guarding the switches, which I have to say they look awful and you have little reference to notice if those were already activated in such an action-packed setpiece, even less if you are using the inv-sphere. The area is full of action, so try to eliminate most pests before they fill the entire square and suffocate you. Luckly, as you are facing directly into the Romero head, one or two rockets will be enough for you to finish this map.
You can violate the 1024 rule by arch-vile jumping, and that's why I tell all my mappers for Constriction to set boundaries as impassible if possible, or make those unable to be passed through even with arch-jumps.
After so many bad Icon of Sin maps these months, this one is surely one of the better ones I've played in a long time, even though I agree it is just a clusterfuck of enemies,

(UV - Playthrough/PRBoom+)

Order of Preference:

Spoiler

MAP25 (Great)

MAP22

MAP31
MAP20
MAP09

MAP05
MAP19 (Good)
MAP16
MAP26
MAP29
MAP23

MAP03
MAP07
MAP24
MAP15
MAP13
MAP12
MAP14 (Ok)
MAP21
MAP06
MAP18
MAP02
MAP04
MAP01
MAP17 (Average)
MAP32
MAP08 (Meh)
MAP30
MAP28
MAP10 (Bad)
MAP11
MAP27

Depending on how much time I have, I'll play the two super-secret maps, but I doubt it, as I'll have to make my final review aswell, and university is pointing several guns at me at the moment (And I still decide to waste my time). Tomorrow I will have no time, so expect me to be posting the 1st of September.

EPICALLL · August 30, 2023

I couldn't bring myself to write more level-by-level reviews for this WAD, as I didn't find it worth the pain I put myself through while playing through the set. So, I'll summarize.

Claustrophobia 1024 is unequivocally dull for a set with such a creative concept. Most of the maps are forgettable nonsense, and those that aren't completely forgettable are split down the middle, either being really good or really bad. This whole set has some very high highs, however, I can't forget what most of the set's first two thirds put me through to justify anything higher than a C- for ranking. Difficulty-wise, this was an incredibly varied experience, with some of these maps being breezy and cool, while others were true ball-busters that had me running for my money. A B+ seems appropriate here. Now on for my list.

Valedictorian: MAP16 - Nocturnal Abyss

Salutitorian: MAP20 - Refinery

Class President: MAP31 - Skyscrape IV

and the dunce cap goes to...

There were some strong contenders for this position, however I will give it to...

MAP22 - Diminished Apparatus (sorry Mechadon)

And as for voting for the next wad...

+++ Equinox by B.P.R.D

+++ Lost Civilization by Jaska

+++ Community Chest 3 by Various Authors

Edited August 30, 2023 by EPICALLL

Celestin · August 30, 2023

@EPICALLL Overboard was already played last December.

EPICALLL · August 30, 2023

5 minutes ago, Celestin said:

@EPICALLL Overboard was already played last December.

Oops. Must've missed that one.

Tiramisu · August 30, 2023

MAP28 - Poison Ivy

Flawless map, not a monster out of place nor a single detail either. All the fights were great and distinctly different from each other, it was decently slaughtery yet never boring, and had a lot of individually clever moments to it, like the Lost Soul barrage (great use of them to complicate what would've been a rocket launcher sweep) or the surprise Barons blocking the safe room (I just though "well played, author!" when I first ran into them :p). And while the out-of-bounds areas weren't as painstakingly detailed as in some other maps, I feel like this one just felt absurdly expansive, more so than any other map in the wad so far! MAP09 still beats it in my ranking due to its creativity factor, but this was just a fantastic map - nothing more to add here.

MAP29 - Magnum Opus

While the initial impression of the map was a bit of a step back, both in visuals and gameplay, I got to appreciate it a lot more once I realized what it was going for - basically a larger-scale, late game version of MAP09, where the map slowly opens up with each switch you press. Exploring the unfolding cube of marble was pretty fun, and the battles, while simple, were spiced up nicely with the sniping Imps outside (this may be an unpopular opinion, but if I were the author I'd actually make them immortal via Archviles!). But then midway through, the map kind of lost the plot and started exclusively throwing dozens and dozens of Nobles in safely snipe-able positions, and I just think it's a shame - there's a lot more that could've been done with this layout, especially in terms of larger-scale fights that encompass the whole thing, not just the latest section.

MAP30 - Thanatophobia

I rode the lift with the Lost Souls, awkwardly trying to mind my own business, and all I could think was - "will I hear the voice? will I hear the sounds?". And while upon reaching my destination nobody informed me to kill John Romero, soon enough I heard the spawn cube sounds and went "yep, here we go again!". The map starts innocently enough, with some easy BFG slaughter in a good looking arena. Then a bunch of switches, an invul - I thought "wow, what a nice and easy IoS map, I appreciate that!". And then what followed was some major confusion, trying to figure out what's going on with the Romero head. Once I realized it, I just noclipped there and BFG'd it, point-blank. Yeah, I'm not dealing with that. It was pretty clever, but mapmakers need to realize that the IoS is basically anti-gameplay - whatever gimmick you add will just inevitably make it worse :p

Favorite maps, updated: MAP09, MAP28, MAP23, MAP20, MAP03, MAP07, MAP31, MAP24, MAP13, MAP17, MAP25

Edited August 31, 2023 by sq. Tiramisu

DavitW · August 30, 2023

MAP30: Thanatophobia
So you have this area with all these switches you have to run around and hit while monster cubes keep spawning in enemies and filling the room up. Then you have to ride this lift up and shoot at a John Romero head off in the distance that's moving around on some sort of carnival shooting gallery game. It's important to find some high ground and scout out where Johnny is before activating the elevator, otherwise your rockets will rarely find him. You'll also probably want to try and thin the herd with the BFG in between lift rides as it seemed like there was more than one monster spawner here. Far away from the worst Icon of Sin map I've played, but I feel a natural aversion to these maps will mean most people won't bother past the first few attempts. Not like I'd blame them.

When it comes to the wad as a whole, I'm of two minds when it comes to placing restrictions on art. And yes, I just called Doom wads art. On one hand, placing restrictions on yourself is a great way to learn restraint and bring yourself out of your comfort zone, improving your abilities and creating something you might never have otherwise. And on the other hand, seemingly arbitrary rules can prohibit an artist from reaching their full potential and creating something truly unique. In the end I'm glad this wad exists and respect every mapper that was willing to give something like this a try regardless of end result. It looked like quite a few of us were getting tired of the 1024 restriction by the end, so it would be interesting to see some of these mappers go back with the same ideas for their maps, just without the 1024 constraint. Some of them like Map 20 and 25 could benefit from it, but others like Map 07 and 09 couldn't really exist any other way.

Highlights: MAP03, MAP07, MAP09, MAP31, MAP33, MAP16, MAP20, MAP25, MAP29.

Lowlights: MAP13, MAP14, MAP32, MAP17, MAP27.

1024CLAU30.zip

Edited August 30, 2023 by DavitW

TJG1289 · August 30, 2023

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

Map 30: Thanatophobia - Jodwin

IoS% kills and 100% secrets

Time: 4:24

Deaths: probably like 8

At least this was a unique take on the ol' IoS formula. Once you hit the 8 switches scattered around the area, you can raise a lift to hit the IoS. So far so normal, right? But the IoS is on a conveyor belt, meaning you have aim as you go up. Most of the time, I have no idea where the IoS is before I take the lift, so it's always a crapshoot as to where it's going to be. There's a few walls behind the belt, so you can get some splash damage on it, and other times there's not so you have to hit it dead on in order to do damage. It's honestly not a bad IoS fight in that sense, and I do like this take. It's just the 1024x1024 space makes this tough since the monsters spawned by it are all in this tight area, so you can get overwhelmed easily. Especially, since there's 2 spawns each time, so you get double the fun! I did save-scum through this one a bit. Every time I hit the IoS, I saved. I was doing pretty good initially too, as I didn't die until after my first hit on it. I think it took about 5 hits to take out altogether, tho I think my last hit was a direct hit. In an attempt before this hit, I had damaged it twice without it dying, I died, reloaded, hit it twice and it died. I even got a cool blind shot falling off the lift for my 2nd hit period! That was sweet. There's a decent amount of cells in this map, so I was pretty much just using the BFG every time I went to lower the lift, then switching to the RL once on it. Most of my deaths came from lost souls blocking me, though I did get telefragged for the first time in a long time. I also basically jumped into a baron's arms at one point. Overall, I think I liked this one more than most of the others here did. I liked the moving IoS take on this, as it was a unique challenge to it. I could do with one less monster spawner tho, as that made the already cramped area even more so. It was tough, but doable.

I'll do the extra maps tomorrow. Also, I'm not planning on doing next month's club since I want to work on my own maps, and doing this takes up the time I have before work most days. I'll vote if we need a tie-breaker. I think all of the ones in the running are WADs I've played before, so I'm not going to miss out on whatever gets picked.

DemoGorgonZola · August 30, 2023

Map24 Second Assault
- few waves mid/heavy monsters within somewhat small arena, classic cramped gameplay; would be hard in pistol-start, neutered with continuous but felt okay, standard but enjoyable

Map25 Cabracan 1024
- nice hot start and further fights down the line don't disappoint either; good looking, very detailed even in distant less visible areas;

Map26 Aura of Evil
- another hot start, this time with a bit slaughterish inclinations, a smallish keep and a courtyard

Map27 Hell Sewage
- ah, back to corridors, very nice even if brown :) I like its flow, jam-packed with enemies, monster closets and monsters teleporting in for repopulation keep you on the edge, archies help to keep tension, too

Map28 Poison Ivy
- gradually climbing and unleashing progressively deadlier waves of enemies, very effective usage of monster types - even the lewer tier ones like imp, and geometry - a little too effective even (cutouts in walls/pillars are just enough to be sniped, feels very oppressive in such small arena; overall it's not bad, in fact it's very well made, just felt like a chore at times; used saves with this one

Map29 Magnum Opus
- technically it's "gradually climbing and unleashing progressively deadlier waves of enemies" again but this time with open me up structure starting with tiny area and with walls lowering down to eventually give more and more space; mowing down the monsters felt very good in this map

Map30 Thanatophobia
- the amount of switches required to reveal progression to IoS is a bit overkill, and that's an IoS... with a moving Romero... oh, boy... perhaps I got lucky but I nailed him relatively quickly (and without save-scumming mid fights), so maybe not that bad I guess; overall it's not the worst I've seen (not even the worst with a moving Romero, lol) and the arena itself is frantic but manageable so a careful thumbs up

Playthrough video:

Spoiler

Tiramisu · August 31, 2023

I forgot to play the bonus maps last week, so I decided to leave them for the end!

MAP33 - Nil

I caught enough glimpses from other reviews to know what I'm getting into here - a pair of void-themed slaughtermaps. And with that in mind, I expected some unearthly difficulty spike, especially considering how (relatively) hard the secret maps were - but to my surprise, this one was a lot tamer than it seemed at first. Sure, there were a lot of monsters, but there was always ample room to back up, and lots of plasma+rockets to deal with everything. Not that I'm complaining - it was a fun little slaughtermap, and it sure satisfied my fondness for covering the entire map with a thick layer of dead demons (near the end, I had difficulty telling the live Cacos from the dead ones)! The map looked spectacular, too - I especially liked the heavy-looking, blocky wooden ceiling and the starry exit portal (sky transfer portals are always a hit!).

MAP34 - **NULL**

This one was indeed kind of silly, but still pretty fun in the end - especially once I figured out what the buttons on the center pillar do (on my first few failed attempts, I didn't notice them doing anything so I just kind of left them there for later lol). Even then, with the boss monsters taken care of, the map was much harder than the previous one - mainly due to the Pain Elementals you had to chase down, and the odd rocket to ruin your day if you're not careful. The only complaint I have here is that the seconds-long menu music was a bit of a weird choice - so I ended up switching it to various chill songs from the wad as I played, such as the ones from MAP18 or MAP25. Overall I'm glad I left the bonus maps for last, a bit of slaughtery fun like that is always a great way to cap off a wad!

Favorite maps, updated: MAP09, MAP28, MAP23, MAP20, MAP03, MAP07, MAP33, MAP31, MAP24, MAP13, MAP17, MAP25

I'm probably going to take a break from the club playthroughs next month (especially since none of the top votes interest me at the moment), so I'm not going to vote either.

Edited August 31, 2023 by sq. Tiramisu

Kyka · August 31, 2023

On 8/27/2023 at 11:51 PM, brick said:

I wanted to point out that, of those 4 with your name on them, there's only one I didn't like, and the one you did solo is one of my favourites. Thank you for the maps!

Thank you for the encouragement! Really appreciated. :) Glad you enjoyed them.

Edited August 31, 2023 by Kyka

Azure_Horror · August 31, 2023

Map 33 - “Nil” by Mechadon

Really wonderful map. It has the full weapon progression from the humble shotgun to the BFG. All kinds of scary monsters. Beautiful structures in the void. A little tricks, which blur the lines between the playable area and the background.

Despite being made in 2009, Nil feels like a circa 2016 creation; like a level, which combines Going Down, Vanguard, Valiant and especially Sunlust design ideas. On the Sunlust difficulty scale, this map belongs somewhere between map 03 and map 07. Far from the truly fearsome offerings, but a tough challenge nontheless.

This is my favorite map of Claustrophobia 1024.

Map 34 - “**NULL**” by Mechadon

This is, essentially, an adaptation of map 07 to the slaughter genre. With a slow and corner-camp focused approach, this map is no that scary. But unleashing every monster wave at once creates an insanely dangerous situation, filled with hitscan threats, stray cyberdemon rockets, and countless lost souls. Personally, I don't like this map that much: boring and slow solutions are indeed boring, while high-octane solutions are very hard without the BFG. Still a curious level to experience.

Claustrophobia 1024 as a whole:

The WAD surpassed my expectations greatly. The graphics is good even for 2023, and it is outright jaw-dropping for the 2009. Despite mapping tropes being repeated quite often, there is still an impressive variety: no map felt like a placeholder, every map offered at least a little innovation. And unlike many, many other community projects, there is very little of Magnum Opus Syndrome in the Claustrophobia 1024.

Modern megaWAD designers should really study the good old Claustrophobia 1024. If nothing less, this WAD can offer a plethora of design ideas for smaller maps to balance the bigger levels in long projects.

Favorite maps:

Map 33, Map 05, Map 14, Map 24 (Yes, Second Assault!), Map 26, Map 09, Map 31.

The most technically impressive maps:

Map 09, Map 31, Map 25, Map 32, Map 18, Map 17.

Favorite mapping style of this project: a very hard choice. If I am to chose only one mapper, I think it would be Kyka.

Edited August 31, 2023 by Azure_Horror

TJG1289 · August 31, 2023

GZDoom/UV/pistol start/Blind/Saves

Map 33: Nil - Mechadon

100% kills and secrets

Time: 18:13

Deaths: 7

Not sure why one of the better maps in the WAD is a bonus map, but whatevs. Does this map have the most enemies in it? Feels like it. Heck, this map feels like magnum opus if you could grant that to a map this size. Taking place in a gothic void base, this map is a series of encounters with each switch pressed. Some aren't too bad, while others made me sweat a little bit. Weapons get doled out gradually, which is nice since I had to pistol-start this one due to its map slot. You get more than enough ammo to deal with everything, so no worries on that front. There's a lot of room to move around once you lower the bars at the bottom of the stairs, so the map is kinda open in that regard. The biggest threat in this map are the cacos and lost souls. They are everywhere, and they will pop up in you line of vision out of nowhere. Be careful where you fire rockets! The cyb wasn't a surprise; I figured that was what was in that box, and taking it out is kinda easy with the plasma. That wave in general isn't too bad, since you can retreat down the stairs, take out the 2 hell knights and manc, SSG the pinkies from a safe spot, then go up to take on the cyb. I was surprised there were only 2 archies in the map, and they show up right when the BFG appears, allowing for quick deletion. Overall, this was a fun one! Not frustratingly hard, but it has some nice zing to it, and the void aesthetic is great!

Map 34: **NULL** - Mechadon

207/221 kills and 100% secrets

Time: 3:53

Deaths: A Lot

Another void map, this is just a simple case of each switch opens up another quarter of the map and things teleport in. It's just that there's 2 cybs and 2 masterminds always in eyesight, plus a central manc tower. Oh, and pain elementals come in from the corners and they didn't like showing themselves to me, but they sure liked spawning lost souls! What a bunch of meanies. Once all the walls lower, several archies pop up to revive everything you just killed, because of course. It's a fast and simple map technically, but it's easily one of the hardest in the WAD, especially since there's no BFG and the PEs are annoying.

FINAL THOUGHTS

This WAD was pretty decent overall. The size restrictions did allow for some interesting takes, but it also really hindered the WAD as a whole, just because there wasn't a lot of variety in that aspect. Definitely some good stuff in there, but I'm not sure if having a whole full megawad of them was necessary. Though it's been a bit since this WAD has been released, so I wonder if any new ideas and approaches can be implemented. I do know of a few CPs in the works that deal with these type of map-size restrictions, such as the one DJV is spearheading, plus the new take Moustachio has just started, where the maps get smaller in size as the WAD progresses (I'm signed up for map 2 of that, but the size I have is much bigger than anything here. Here's hoping I can make a fun map!) I am very much looking forward to seeing what those CPs can do and to see if the different mappers bring anything new to the table! So overall, I'd say this is a fun WAD to visit, but I don't think I need to replay it. I'd give it like a 3/5.

dobu gabu maru · August 31, 2023

Did a coin flip for next month's wad—Doom 2 in Spain Only it is! Thread will be up in 24hrs.

Tiramisu · August 31, 2023

Claustrophobia 1024

It's difficult for me to write about this wad as a whole, much less judge it succinctly in a review like this. Not all of the maps were perfect, there were definitely some tedious moments and moments that left me underwhelmed, wishing for more. The lack of direction in theme and texture choice made it feel more like a collection of maps, jumping back and forth from the gritty and hyper-detailed to the humble and vanilla-style. Single-shotgunning Hell Knights in tight corridors was indeed a thing that could be experienced.

But then again - this is a 2009 wad, after all. And it is a 1024-format wad, which as I can attest from personal experience is very limiting indeed. AND it came out only 4 years after, from what I understand, the first ever wad of such kind, Congestion 1024 - so it's not like there was a lot to learn from. I haven't played Congestion 1024. In fact, I have played hardly any 2000s wads (only Alien Vendetta, I think)! What I did play was a bunch of new maps from the upcoming Constriction 1024 project - so you could say I'm spoiled here, because you can take my word for it that 1024-format mapmaking has not stayed behind the overall evolution of mapmaking since the 2000s!

Yeah - I do not deem myself qualified to judge this wad as a whole. So let's stop with the sourpussing and focus on some positives, instead! For one, the highs here were very high. Maps like, oh idk, Poison Ivy, Skyscrape IV, Nil, are borderline jaw-dropping even for today's standards (these three alone are worth playing the wad for, imo). The lows are there, but here's the catch - thanks to the size-restricted format, even if you don't like a particular map you can be sure it'll be over before long! And even if the quality is a bit uneven, there were no real "filler" maps - each one had something unique to offer and stood out among the others. Finally, there's some really impressive sights to see in this wad - if you'd think it's all bland 1024 by 1024 boxes, then boy you'd be surprised after finishing this one.

Do I recommend Claustrophobia 1024? Certainly - but only if you know what you're getting into. If you don't like cramped spaces and fight within such, then stay clear. If you are curious about limitation-focused mapping, then I think this wad is actually a great place to start your journey. If you are a fan of 1024-format maps - well then, why haven't you played this already? ;)

Top 5 favorite maps:

MAP09 (Bitter Sanctuary) - The most ingenious use of the 1024 format. The unique unfolding layout really was a joy to explore!

MAP28 (Poison Ivy) - Best combat design in the whole wad by a mile. So good that it actually single-mappedly put Speed of Doom on the top of my wad backlog :p

MAP20 (Refinery) - Just all-around good fun, with nice DOOM 1 vibes - plus as far as I understand, the trend-setter for out-of-bounds scenery. MAP23 was great, as well!

MAP07 (Dead In, Dead Out) - While not the most visually impressive (that's either MAP25 or MAP33, both also by Mechadon lol), this one's aesthetics were my personal #1.

MAP03 (Break the Chain) - Neat little bitesize punch-fest, just the right amount of action to start the wad off on the right foot!

Edited August 31, 2023 by sq. Tiramisu

DJVCardMaster · August 31, 2023

MAP33 - Nil - Mechadon (100%K/I/S):

Remember MAP31 of Congestion 1024? This one is totally inspired by it, and I wouldn't have been dissapointed if this was the actual MAP31 or 32 slot, as it is, coinciding with what most have said about this one, the best map of the bunch. Sadly, this one got placed in one of the super-secret slots, so most people are going to miss it. This map works similar to that MAP31 from Congestion, not only because of the aesthetics, but also because of the gameplay, where there is an arena that slowly opens up more and more, revealing more battles that go progressively harder. What I did not like about this one was those fucking lost souls, they will never stop spawning! Your space to maneuver, although the arena is big, is quite limited because of the amount of flying enemies that this level has. Luckly, there weren't any pain elementals to spawn even more of them, or I would have skipped this one even though it is pretty enjoyable. This is the kind of map you are expecting nowadays for a 1024 project, totally ahead of its time, as it does not involve in "corridor" gameplay or any kind of tactics used for the most notable mappers such as Jodwin, Dutch Devil or even Mechadon himself.

I suspect this map was placed in the 33rd slot because of the heavy amount of Mechadon maps in the main roster, but I would have moved MAP22 to place this one instead. In fact, this one could have served as a great MAP29, or even a MAP30, as it gives you a great "end-game" feel.

MAP34 - **NULL** - Mechadon (97%K/100%I/100%S):

Damn, even more lost souls, luckly MAP33 spawned me in this map after exiting, so I could use all my bfg shots to cheese this map. Don't even attempt it without that gun, as it will be annoying. I did not like this one, this feels like the least interesting effort by project manager Mechadon, and it totally deserves a slot down under in the MAP34 slot. There are two, far superior takes for an arena map already made by Mechadon, MAP07 and the previous map. So this map is just unnecessary. The arena consists on slowly lowering down some walls, while having to deal with packed groups of random enemies, and also having to deal with 4 big bosses placed in turrets to make you suffer. I suspect you will suffer if you pistol start and you don't have any BFG here, so don't even try playing this map. Not the worst, but I've felt it quite offensive for claustrophobia standards, similar to MAP30, but without it being an Icon of Sin. Nothing much more to say apart that it is the most difficult map in the set, and luckly, not only it is short, but it is not in the main set. Also, vanilla textures makes this one ten times less interesting.

(UV - Playthrough/PRBoom+)

Order of Preference:

Spoiler

MAP33 (Great)
MAP25

MAP22

MAP31
MAP20
MAP09

MAP05
MAP19 (Good)
MAP16
MAP26
MAP29
MAP23

MAP03
MAP07
MAP24
MAP15
MAP13
MAP12
MAP14 (Ok)
MAP21
MAP06
MAP18
MAP02
MAP04
MAP01
MAP17 (Average)
MAP32
MAP08 (Meh)
MAP30
MAP34
MAP28
MAP10 (Bad)
MAP11
MAP27

3 hours ago, TJG1289 said:

so I wonder if any new ideas and approaches can be implemented. I do know of a few CPs in the works that deal with these type of map-size restrictions, such as the one DJV is spearheading.

Totally there are some really interesting takes on the 1024 formula still for Constriction, even more with mid 2010's mapping takes that are implemented usually. Tiramisu himself has submitted an interesting sandbox, key-hunt map for the project, for example.

Nowadays 2048 is a more common restriction for the formula, as maps feel more playable, but still challenging to map with those measures.

Full wad review later.

Edited September 1, 2023 by DJVCardMaster

DJVCardMaster · September 1, 2023

(Sorry for double posting in advance)

Claustrophobia 1024 - Mechadon et al.:

Claustrophobia 1024 is a spiritual sequel to an old, beloved community project with restrictions, that being Congestion 1024. The latter had pretty basic gameplay and premises, and most of its maps involved a heavy use of vanilla textures.
Claustrophobia offers us a new coat of paint with many maps that have new textures (Mostly from The Darkening or those Realm667 texture packs), and a really big attention to detail, mostly from the project's Leader Mechadon and some of his associates, like Kyka and the right hand in this project, Jodwin, which managed this mapset's sequel not so long after this release, and also cared about quality control for this edition of Claustrophobia. We will talk about its sequel some day, but for now, 34 maps of pure congestion are enough for you to get satisfied (or annoyed), by the intricate design most maps have and the fresh ideas some of them throw into the table to work around such a restriction. Better in terms of aesthetics, detailing, gameplay, soundtrack, and pretty much every single aspect than the original Congestion 1024, except for one thing, this one being less memorable than its father. The problem may probably be the convoluted project management that suffered a lot because of old drama, that may have injured the final product overall. Luckly, we did not have only one, but two inceptions of this project, and luckly, Mechadon, Jodwin and others made a great job to finish, polish and update most of the submissions made for it, turning them mostly into great maps, that are for me a joy to replay. In a more personal experience, this is one of the wads I really remember playing back in the day, and I have to say I may be biased about Claustrophobia, as I do consider this one totally underrated, and one of my favourites. I always love to replay both Claustrophobia 1 and 2, and having to play this one in the club is something really joyful. It is a great wad, possibly top three in terms of "mapping with limitations" mapsets (At a similar stance than 1k Lines 3). And for me, again, one of my personal favourites. There is a lot of care from Mechadon to make this spiritual sequel to a classic, and make it right. Most maps are short, and totally replayable, so overall, it is one of the megawads I really like replaying, something I don't do that often, not even with games in general, as I'm getting older and more closed to redoing things. Again, an underrated classic, that most of you will enjoy, even though you don't like cramped maps, but you kind off expect that just because of the main premise of it, so you won't mind about it.

Best maps:
MAP33 - It is sad, the best showcase of the 1024 restriction is inside an ultra-secret map that most won't play because of how shady it is to get to it, nowadays having a 33rd map is common, but still. Great arena map, great visuals, Mechadon's highest point in the wad
MAP25 - Best layout award goes for MAP25, Mechadon yet again pulls out a magnificent use of space with this one, not only that, but it actually feels bigger, because of the detailing added to areas outside the boundaries. Great work of art by him, not only that, but the map is for the most part really good in gameplay (the mastermind ruined the end though).
MAP22 - Similar to MAP25, but with less visuals, although I'm ashamed to say the three Mechadon maps are the best here, and that may be bad for the project's reputation, as no one can surpass the project leader for the most part. Great level that may be a little bit more cramped and that's what makes it lose a little bit of points.

Worst maps:
MAP10 - Boring, symmetric and dull, nothing stands out from this map, not only that, but the gameplay is also a grindfest.
MAP11 - An arena map that ends in 2 minutes, and nothing happens appart from some random encounters. Space was wasted here, and the cyberdemon holding a switch was lame, as he could not move from its place.
MAP27 - This is a lesson on how not to make cramped maps for a 1024 project, enemies are going to bottleneck you 24/7, specially at the end, where arch-viles will revive enemies near doors, possibly even causing some ghost monsters to appear, awful gameplay.

Score: 83/100 (Great)

It deserves the high rating it has in my opinion.

pcorf · September 3, 2023

On 9/2/2023 at 1:06 AM, DJVCardMaster said:

Worst maps:
MAP11 - An arena map that ends in 2 minutes, and nothing happens apart from some random encounters. Space was wasted here, and the Cyberdemon holding a switch was lame, as he could not move from its place.

Yep no doubt one of my worst maps and maybe even worse than WOS MAP06 and MAP09 It looks good but plays like shit. But to be honest 1024 was really not the style for me and I kinda struggled with the limited space esp during a time when my ideas were dry.

Klear · September 15, 2023

...damn, is it 15th the next month already?! Well, I failed to catch up. I've got a ton of worries due to an illness in the family (it's looking hopeful, but still pretty draining) and we're moving at work on top of that, so I have no energy, physical or mental, to finish this run. I'm officially giving up. And I lost some of the footage of a few maps I did complete, since I'm a dummy and deleted files I though I had backed up.

Anyway, here's what I do have:

MAP23 - “Fear No Evil” by dutch devil