The DWmegawad Club plays: Doom 2 In Spain Only

[DJVCardMaster]

MAP13 - Centro de la Ciudad - AD_79 (Juan Romero) (100%K/I/S):

How poorly translated is the title? Ok, this one is surprisingly well translated, that's the correct one. You would expect "Pueblo de Abajo" if you really want a bad translation.

We are at Madrid's downtown, but I'm not seeing some iconic stuff like Puerta del Sol or the Oso y el Madroño statue.

Lovely city map in the purest Sandy Petersen map, and what I like about it is its length and size, it is not overwhelmingly big, it has the right size for you not to be bored after playing a while. Most of the guns are awaiting for you behind some nasty encounters, and that's the fun part of the level, specially if you pistol start it. Earn your progress a gun at a time. Well done. The map is also doable, not hard as the previous ones, so I'd have to say this one is quite a breather. As usual with this kind of city maps, there is your usual balcony jumping.
There is an i-sphere, I'd suggest you to wait and use it for the last fight before the blue key if you manage to find it. Really enjoyable and never gets annoying.


(UV - Playthrough/Crispy Doom)

Order of Preference:

Spoiler

 

MAP11

MAP10

MAP07
MAP13
MAP12
MAP09
MAP08
MAP06

MAP05
MAP02
MAP04
MAP03
MAP01

 

 

[Pechudin]

MAP13: Centro de Ciudad (UV, Saves: Yes; Deaths: 1)
The translation is spot on. The map presents us with a corrupted city square with some roaming mosters in the middle (Mancubi being the ones demanding the most attention) with weapons dotted in the surrounded buildings. To be honest, none of the fights really stuck out in my mind. The setpiece fight of the map, a simple Revenant-Archie (+ PE) combo is easily defused if you are wall-hump-happy as I am and find the Invuln sphere.

So ... kinda feels like a filler map? It's fairly small, much smaller horizontally and vertically than the Downtown or The Causeway from D2TWID (which also has a pillar-lowering and a RL-sinks-into-floor trap), but those two felt much more like an adventure and this one felt more like "hey imma go visit the city square and pick up some groceries". Bleh.

[Celestin]

MAP13: Centro de la ciudad by AD_79 (as Juan Romero)

 

Centro de la ciudad is a brisk, 10-minutes city map with a great sense of pacing, a massive improvement over sluggish and confusing Downtown. Here, it's a small square with a fountain in the middle, some buildings that lets you arm yourself (don't expect anything for free in Spain, though) and a linear progression loaded with traps. The climax of the map is an archvile-backed ambush - I saved a secret invuln for an emergency like this and it served me well.

 

One detail I really like is an office with a huge TV you come across at the end of the map. Also, the sky texture - I haven't talked about it in MAP12 because I barely saw it, but here this urban skyline is on full display. 

 

It's a good map that flows nicely. AD_79 is as of now my favourite contributor to D2ISO.

[LadyMistDragon]

Map 13: Centro de la Ciudad

by Juan Romero

 

Another AD_79 joint, this seems not unlike an alternate Downtown, however, it's much more streamlined and ultimately linear despite a structure with the appearance of non-linearity. Barring a point not far from the beginning where a switch lowers a section of warehouse? floor or the Super Shotgun's location, we're kind of funneled from place to place. But despite people kind of crapping on this, it's almost a personal favorite. 

 

That's probably less because of the  still-tasteful visual style - which introduces more custom Spain recolored versions of vanilla textures (a different shade of brick and vined marble of a different color in some buildings - and more because of the combat. True, the first trap where we're facing hell knights with Mancubi near the side and Cacodemons seemingly coming from outside was a little tough to handle with our then-current resources, but we felt equipped for everything after that, regardless of our admittedly-limited ammo stores. The SS trap was perhaps the clearest example of this. It's cool to see a little vined corridor leading to a fireplace anyway, but what's even better is the Arch-vile that attacks somewhere around the time this lowers, necessitating a rocket launcher attack. Elsewhere, AD_79 makes some minor use of rapid closet ambushes, a la Tarnsman, but they're not of significant numbers, one of the only exceptions being a chaingunner quad that punished our slight sluggishness with a death. Mostly however, the monster placement achieves a certain cleverness without cheapness which sort of de-emphasizes rapid reaction in favori of targeting. Well, until the red key ambush, but we trivialized that with an Invulnerbility that we'd lowered by pressing an unlike face toward the nearest side. Otherwise, that Arch-vile could've been very painful and deadly.

 

Regardless of that, I really like how the Doom II vines are used in one of the buildings here and it's that building where things turn straight-up Streets of Doom, a Doomcute office facing a massive plasma screen TV and a desk with zombified execs being guarded by some tanks (mancubi and arachnotrons). Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be any little hidden switch which lowered the Supercharge here, and we must not have felt like going back very much.

 

Yes, Map 10 might have been better, but this is very close to the top of personal favorites.

 

 

 

[bioshockfan90]

MAP13: Centro de la ciudad

 

100K | 96I | 0S

 

This is an interesting one as for the most part it would fit right at home in something like Doom 2 the Way id Did, maybe without the custom textures or some of the more grueling fights but this is pretty tame for what has been a moderately challenging megaWAD thus far. It also has all the great hallmarks of a Doom 2 city map - open layout, lots of places to go, platforming, and the overall *vibe*. 

 

It is still challenging though, don’t get me wrong! After getting the rocket launcher you’ll have to be careful and use it sparingly (as well as your plasma ammo when you get that) and make the most out of the health around you. The red key ambush is borderline cruel, you’re likely not gonna have that much health when everything spawns in and you can EASILY take a bunch of revenant missiles if you’re not careful (like I did). I got down to 2HP in this level and died quite a few times beforehand. It is a flesh-cutter, but again nowhere near the hardest. Should also mention I may be a bit biased here as this is an AD_79 map and I tend to like their maps a lot.

 

Really good, Makes it into the top 3. 4.8 out of 5.

 

MAPRANKS:

Spoiler

MAP10

MAP06

MAP13   

MAP07

MAP11

MAP09

MAP12

MAP02

MAP01

MAP05

MAP08

MAP03

MAP04

 

 

[Roofi]

Map 13 "Centro de la ciudad"

 

 

It's the second map by Ad_79 and while it confirms more or less the recession of the hispanic theme, I didn't feel disappointed at all because, contrary to map 12, I see "Centro de la ciudad" as a modest but competent hommage to the Iwad.

 

You'll be surprised, but D2iso's map 13 reminds me a bit of Hell Revealed's map 17 "Black Tower" in its structure because a large fountain occupies the centre of the map and it's surrounded by some tall towers. Moreover, a rather large battle occurs in the courtyard and it will be either a piece of cake or a pain the ass depending if you unlock the perched invulnerability sphere. Of course, the difficulty and the combats highly differs from HR, knowing that Ad_79 isn't a fan at all of this megawad, contrary to me.

 

"Centro de la ciudad" felt like a reposing level to replay, even if I had to make some mid-tiers infight in order to save precious ammo and the fact that the lava pool surrounded by red viny walls is probably the hottest-looking area I have ever seen in this megawad until now. The minimal doomcute with the chair and the desk is welcomed as well and, along with the fountain, adds a tad of realism in this world of abstractness. I've a small spot for the odd scrolling wall too and the crates which float for no reason in the warehouse covered with armor shards and bottles.

 

Downtown is not a level I really like in Doom 2, but Ad_79's version is much better.

 

Grade : B  (14/20)

 

 

[cannonball]

MAP13 - “Centro de la ciudad” by AD_79

 

Whilst this isn't as audacious as Map10, there are a lot of design decisions that differ from most maps we have seen so far. A lot of scrolling wall textures for a start in places where it struggles to make any sense, but this is something seen in a lot of Sandy's Doom maps anyway. Personally whilst this might not hit like some of the maps so far, this is a well constructed map that certainly improves on efforts such as Downtown from Doom 2. The map flows well and there are a few barbs located within the modest monster count. 

Overall solid and there is enough here to leave an impact, it is also nice to play a map that on the whole doesn't make provocative design decisions that could go either way.

[Pechudin]

It's almost midnight so I'll post this here.

 

MAP14: Los Antros más Íntimos (UV, Saves: No; Deaths: 0)
Translation: "The most intimate clubs"

After the hot start and collecting some weapons, collecting my bearings, it very quickly became clear this map is a huge, nonlinear, sprawling tourist-resort. There is a doomcute bar, receptionists' desk and lovers' quarters (with an Archvile). The map is all incidental combat, I kept playing and saw the kill-count increase beyond the 60%, and I just waited for the big set-piece to reveal itself, yet it never came.

This does give the map a dose of 90s charm (albeit with a much more modern aesthetic sheen), but it's not something I prefer. Even the Inmost Dens had the big Archvile exit fight yet here there's no such thing (I expected one at the YK). There are some homages to the map, namely the brick-and-water theme, the sector diamond near the exit, chaingunners on SUPPORT pillars.

Conclusion? Dunno, it's a cozy map which feels more like the 25 Years on Earth's MAP31 (I think that's the one). I'd prefer if the combat was more fierce but I can respect the well-flowing nonlinear layout.

[espilka]

MAP14 Los Antros más Íntimos - K: 100% / S: 100% (HMP, blind, continuous)

Tally - Deaths: 40 / Secrets missed: 3

 

The Inmost Dens (Madrid mix), with even a Spanish apartment building..  The map is as sprawling and complex, and as difficult and dangerous to traverse through, as any out-of-the-way quarter in Madrid, i'm sure.  It's a very hot start,  with enemies mostly in elevated positions, and in the air, and nearly got killed by snipers, but thanks to playing continuous and having excess health i did survive.  The map continues with non-stop action, often from many direxions, almost throughout but if i remember right, only once was i dead by some errant Revenant who sneaked up on me.  The visuals are mostly timeless  never out of fashion Doom II, but the said apartment building stands out as a visual setpiece.  Also, all coloured keys are required and there's an accompanying fight prior to each of an incidental nature.

 

Nothing flashy in this map, but sometimes that's exactly the required approach - this map's virtues are consistency and coherency, and presenting a punishing but fair combat challenge escalated by the complexity as well as the open expanse of the layout (to give context in terms of my experience: maps broadly in this style in Exomoon by deadwing (a brilliantly designed set) are punishing in extremis compared to this, but i would not call them always fair, ha-ha!, but i think playing that has given me experience to get decently through this one.)  Once again, against all my expectations for maps this late in the set, one of my favourites.  i don't know how hard Madrid gets, but i definitely am worried about the third episode (which DJVCardMaster mentioned is not even hell but some part of Barcelona (ha-ha!))  MAP21 worries me (remembering the gist of it having seen decino's playthrough) but there's be a lot before even getting there (i haven't been able to play ahead on the maps.)

 

Ranks:

Spoiler

MAP12 La Fábrica - 5

MAP13 Centro de la Ciudad - 4.5

MAP14 Los Antros más Íntimos - 4.5

MAP06 La Trituradora - 4.5

MAP07 Fácil de Muertos - 4.5

MAP02 Salas de Debajo - 4.5

MAP10 Base de Reabastecimiento - 4.5

MAP03 Las Vias del Trent - 4.5

MAP11 Circulo de la Muerte - 4.5

MAP01 Entrada - 4

MAP09 El Pozo - 3.5

MAP05 Los Túneles de Residuos - 3.5

MAP08 Trucos y Trampas - 3

MAP04 El Foco - 3

 

[GarrettChan]

1 hour ago, espilka said:

(HMP, blind, continuous)

Background history if you're playing on HMP/HNTR on this map. This map didn't come with HMP and HNTR placement when I tested it. D2ISO is one of the projects that I tested very seriously since I tested all difficulties on all maps, and it happened to be the time I learned to use the editor.

 

Therefore I asked Jimmy whether I can make the placement changes on HMP/HNTR since the map doesn't have it and Jimmy said yes. Thus, that's the first things I did with the editor heh. I don't really remember what I did to the map, but some of the changes from UV could be my decision there.

Edited September 13, 2023 by GarrettChan

[Biodegradable]

10 hours ago, AD_79 said:

I think you may consistently expect a little too much of me. Sometimes I want to make a simple, straightforward Doom map. I'd prefer not to feel additional pressure to make sure everything I create reaches some imaginary high bar of conceptual creativity and quality. That takes a lot out of me.

 

Maybe a little, mate. Mind you, I don't think the expectation I had for MAP13 was necessarily that I wanted it to be as grand as MAP10 so much that I was just hoping I would enjoy it as much than anything else. Whether you've made a map that's epic in scope or smaller and straight-forward in the past, I've enjoyed them thoroughly, so that was essentially the expectation I believe; that enjoyment. D2ISO has been a mixed bag of an experience for me overall so far and I was just hoping I'd like MAP13 just as much as MAP10.

 

I'd hate to ever make you feel pressured though, fam. I'll be sure to tether my expectations in the future, but I'm always going to be excited and supportive whenever I engage with your work.

Edited September 14, 2023 by Biodegradable

[brick]

GZDoom, Doom strict compat, software, HNTR, blind, continuous with saves.

 

MAP14 - “Los Antros más Íntimos” by Jimmy

And just when I was starting to think that the wad's shown me all it has, that the gimmicks are getting tired, that my own writings are getting tiresome, this map happens.

Because I have to find something to criticize, I will complain about a couple of shotgun guys that can reach across half the map and that were annoyingly the source of most of my damage when I couldn't even see them. With that out of the way I can confess every single minute of this map was pure joy. This is The Inmost Dens like I've never seen it before, with some truly beautiful architecture and great lighting, with as far as I can tell just the original map's assets. Combat is incredibly organic, there's the obligatory chaingunner tower of course (this is MAP14 after all) but also so much more: cacos and lost souls slowly meander over from above, spectres surprise you in the water tunnels, imps are everywhere, hell knights peak through windows, and opening a door reveals an angry mancubus right in your face. The map almost completely eschews ambushes and just lets enemies walk (or fly) over and gang up on you without ever feeling unfair or abrupt, everything attacks from all sides but if you're careful about your surroundings you need zero prior knowledge to avoid gotchas.

The most impressive thing for me was the level design and the progression. The layout is so complex, with many passages on multiple tiers criss-crossing past and over each other, and yet somehow, despite the multiple levels and the openness making the automap less than optimal, it is also incredibly easy to navigate and get your bearing. This is in part due to how unique each section looks (the beautiful detailing definitely helps) but also because of the way stairs and lifts are placed to connect everything. So many times I'd accidentally (or purposefully) drop down and think I'd have a long way to go to make it back, only to notice stairs right next to me taking me just seconds away from where I want to be. Every switch sits next to a window showing what it's doing, most of the time you can tell even before finding the switch that something will change eventually (a wall with a different texture, steps that lead to nothing but imply a walkway could and will be there), keys are in plain sight as you try to figure out how to get to them. And then there's the Most Intimate Club, with its hearts wallpaper upstairs, and the bar/restaurant downstairs, it's all so silly but so humorously cute, and almost like a central hub when trying to figure out where to go next.

 

@Jimmy you have outdone yourself even by the high standards you set with your previous work, this is a fantastic map and it's now right there in my Most Memorable list.

[RHhe82]

MAP14: Los Antros más íntimos. Played on DSDA v0.26.2, UV, PS. 158/158 K, 3/3 S, 4/4 I. Comp. time 26:19

 

The start is hot, it took quite some time before I found myself equipped and able to catch my breath. There is a resemblance to Inmost Dens, I feel, but I'm not sure if that's only because I'm subconsciously waiting for such in a MAP14 slot, or like I generally wait for the corresponding mapslot to resemble its IWAD counterpart. MAP13 had the same openness than Downtown, and here is something. At least watery (non-hurting, much to my surprise!) base upon which the structures are built upon.

 

I like this one, too, there isn't much to get annoyed about. Once again my memories were more distressing than the reality -- I was sure there was gonna be a big ambush at the red skull key, but no, it was only the trouble of running fast enough to fetch the key (which I had totally forgotten). At first there is little ammo starvation, but that's only because stuff is scattered around the map and at first you're under constant pressure. In the end I had 300+ cells, a few dozen shells, a dozen rockets and so forth.

[Celestin]

MAP14: Los antros más íntimos by James "Jimmy" Paddock (as South American McGee)

 

The bulk of this map is a non-linear playground with several copies of weapons and plenty of ammo. It's surprisingly fluid, meaning you'll be fumbling your way from one fight  to another without being overwhelmed. To be honest, it was one of the easier maps in a while. The only part I had trouble with was the start, where you have little to defend and no idea where to go.

 

The visuals feel like an extension of the McGee's original (that is, a flooded tan place of an unclear purpose), until you reach a noticeably more detailed building with the yellow door. Yes, I'm talking about the brothel, which I assume is a result of some truly spectacular mistranslation.

 

Probably my only complaint is a confusing layout of the map. It was fun to run through initially, as I always encountered something to kill, but by the end I had trouble getting where I wanted. Still, it's a good map, one of the better in the wad.

[Biodegradable]

MAP14: Los Antros más íntimos

UV | Continuous | GZDoom

 

Oh fuck yeah, a Jimmy map! The community's most hard-working maestro blesses this WAD with a terrific level with really intriguing progression and scenery bursting with creativity and his signature visual charm. No two areas look alike, making things not only instantly memorable but easy to navigate around this small, yet strangely sprawling non-liner number that rewards exploration. There's a skullkey water feature, a library, a cafe and even a brothel with a room complete with a heart-shaped bed and appropriate wallpaper, and even a Doomcute piano! The layering of the Invisosphere secret with the Megasphere secret was very cheeky and definitely one of my favourite aspects. The combat is a breeze, but not boring in the slightest and has a good hot-start at the beginning. I absolutely adore this one!

 

 

[bioshockfan90]

MAP14: Los antros más íntimos

 

100K | 100I | 100S

 

Jimmy must really like “The Inmost Dens” as this is the 2nd month in a row we’ve played a map of his in reference to the MAP14 of fame. This is also a famous map, at least in my eyes, probably being the 2nd most recognizable map from the WAD as it was written in the cacowards about some heart-shaped bedrooms and the funny translation it stems from. This isn’t quite the comedic powerhouse that MAP06 was but it’s nice that we still get some humor and the fun MIDI to roam around this in. And I do mean ROAM. There is a very hot start here, you need to be very careful about how you get your weapons and what order you do everything in, and it can even be a bit confusing to navigate to find the first key, after which most navigation should be trivial. The secrets here are pretty easy for a change, something I like as I was able to 100% complete the map.

 

Difficulty-wise, on HNTR I did not have too much of a hard time but I can definitely see how some higher difficulties could get mean with monster placement. Most threats in the map can be dispatched after you either A. get the SSG or B. get rocket ammo, you do get the plasma gun but it’s kinda pointless on this difficulty. 

 

The layout is superb, showcasing Jimmy’s talents as a mapper and how interconnected he can make layouts play. As I said earlier, just due to the sheer size of the map and how many different paths you can take, it can be easy to get lost but you never feel like you’re stuck in some Spanish maze. I should probably also take the time to mention, although I haven’t written about it the theme of the past few maps has returned to the browns and silvers of the first few maps. Which I am fine with, just interesting that we’re going back to the “E1” theme after getting a new aesthetic in some of the earlier midgame maps. This gives MAP06 a run for its money but at the end of the day I gotta hand it to the wine crusher, yet again. God, what a great map. 4.7 out of 5.

 

MAPRANKS:

Spoiler

MAP10

MAP06

MAP14

MAP13   

MAP07

MAP11

MAP09

MAP12

MAP02

MAP01

MAP05

MAP08

MAP03

MAP04

 

 

[LadyMistDragon]

Map 14: Los Antros las intimos

by South American McGee

 

This translation is....something else. "The Inmost Dens" is really the kind of phrase that doesn't translate very well to other languages so it's easy to guess what could result. "Antro" is a good way to describe inner but ah, 'intimo' is almost literally what it sounds like so let the giggles begin! (and yes, there is a literal example of this, see below)

 

So anyway, this is a good example of a map that is not just an Inmost Dens clone but regardless shares the same basic characteristics of flooded areas, lifts to carry us up at key spots and a couple of the central linear passageways that I don't think are critical to progression. I say that because describing the structure is.....probably best to avoid. We bumbled around to the extent that rewinding frequently was barely concerning. Falling into moats, getting confronted by Spectres and successfully evading a group of Arachnotrons by diving into a teleporter should probably not have been possible but it was.

 

The original map wasn't really known for its Doomcute but at one point, we run into a fancy restaurant, complete with (marble) tables, adjacent to a hallway with some rather brightly colored hallways, one requiring the yellow key. Well, we eventually find the yellow key, although we had to wonder if even the blue key was required because of this bloody layout. A courtyard opened by it has a lift that then raises us to a room with an Arch-vile executive who seems to have been absolutely "burning" for your company. See, there's a bed in this room and the walls are covered with hearts. I have so many thoughts here such as was this inspired by some @Austinado stream? Is this like a Japanense love hotel then? And the jokes practically write themselves but no matter....

 

The rather odd SS placement seemed like some attempt deliberate or otherwise to emulate some sort of theoretical low-grade Doom wad. It was probably good that we didn't discover it for a minute or two.

 

 

I really have no idea what to think of this map. It's undoubtably fun to move around in but the combat is kind of sedate beyond the distant hitscanners and occasional bits of stronger monsters one can easily be unprepared for if they take certain paths. It's probably as least as good as La Trituadora though.

 

 

 

Edited September 14, 2023 by LadyMistDragon

[espilka]

MAP15 Zona de la Industria - K: 98% / S: 57% (HMP, blind, continuous)

Tally - Deaths: 55+ / Secrets missed: 6

 

Nearly every trap in the map got me - but that's alright in itself.  But this map seemed meanspirited in a way no other map earlier has with their traps.  Godknowshowmany Pain Elementals for example, i guess it works as a joke but whatever, then there's the switch with the Baron teleporting and cornering you.. and a few others of similar ilk.  But the soured icing on the cake is the Cyberdemon fight.  i actually thought the YK would only be needed for SE and i wouldn't need to do it, but goshdarnit, i went for the exit (the AV got me once as i ran into the room to be surrounded by the Spectres (i think)) and there was the YK door preventing my access.  Sigh.  So i save-scummed my way through it, as i had used most of my plasma on more pressing matters earlier, and because rockets proved too dangerous (and Cyberdemons seem to eat a disproportioned amount of them!  that has never made sense to me) because my control is not accurate enough, i used the SSG and then the Chaingun to off him.  Even with all the other unpleasantness, that's really the first fight in the set that makes me question my willingness to continue.

 

On the credit-side, there are the secrets which were cool.  For example the switch to open a wall on the other side of the lava pool with a towering structure in between i figured out by looking at the map to find a likely place it could open up.  Also, figured there would be something behind one building or another, and there was (there always is!)  Also got the Megasphere, and the fourth was a Soulsphere.  Didn't bother looking for the rest as was kind of happy with what i'd found and less than happy with the map in general.  On general progression still, after the Dick Elemental fight i was forced to jump into the lava and the bloody trigger to open the wall indicated in the map was oh so cleverly not obvious.  Nice d/tr-ick(y)!

 

i know Romero's Industrial Zone is a bit tricky, but it's also brilliant in its design and really, doesn't feel mean even with its damaging floors (i guess opinions on this may vary.)  Trying to put my displeasure aside, i still honestly don't think this was among the best designs, either.  It's ok, but in my opinion not rising to level of most of earlier maps, nor of the original.  But at least El Foco has been vindicated, and i never really thought it was bad enough to deserve last place in my rankings. :P

 

(Had already planned to skip the secret maps.  Hope things return back to established normalcy with MAP16!)

 

PS: Apologies for posting a couple hours too early.. i simply pressed submit absentmindedly.

 

Ranks:

Spoiler

MAP12 La Fábrica - 5

MAP13 Centro de la Ciudad - 4.5

MAP14 Los Antros más Íntimos - 4.5

MAP06 La Trituradora - 4.5

MAP07 Fácil de Muertos - 4.5

MAP02 Salas de Debajo - 4.5

MAP10 Base de Reabastecimiento - 4.5

MAP03 Las Vias del Trent - 4.5

MAP11 Circulo de la Muerte - 4.5

MAP01 Entrada - 4

MAP09 El Pozo - 3.5

MAP05 Los Túneles de Residuos - 3.5

MAP08 Trucos y Trampas - 3

MAP04 El Foco - 3

MAP15 Zona de la Industria - 2

 

Edited September 14, 2023 by espilka
apology

[DavitW]

MAP12: La Fábrica
I didn't enjoy this one too much at first, but I was starting to come around to it by the end. The encounters here were fairly interesting and presented a fair challenge. Such as the area with the blue hurting light things and chaingunner ambush. It may be tempting to use the plasma rifle here, but it's ammo would probably best be served saving it for another encounter down the line, like the revenant and archvile trap in the rocket launcher area. Taking damage on the hurt floor is almost inevitable, but a tick or two there shouldn't ruin your day.

 

MAP13: Centro de la ciudad
This might be the first map that actually kind of looks like something. It certainly looks as much as a city as any of doom II maps did. Architecture is still a bit bland, but the detailing is the best we've seen so far. And the music is a groovy Latin remix of the original soundtrack with added percussion. Unfortunately gameplay has mostly reverted back to opening monster closets filled with chaingunners and revenants right next to you. The trap towards the end after you acquire the red key was pretty entertaining though. It should be no problem if you found and saved the secret invulnerability sphere for it, but it's still enjoyable blasting all those fools away with the rocket launcher at close quarters.

 

 

D2ISO12.zip

D2ISO13.zip

[bioshockfan90]

21 minutes ago, espilka said:

(Had already planned to skip the secret maps.  Hope things return back to established normalcy with MAP16!)

 

 

Spoiler

It kinda does, but in my experience it's been very fiery... Last third of the WAD is not joking around. 

 

 

In other news, my writeups are going good. @brick was mostly right and things seem to have settled down a bit. I wish all club members good luck on the rest of the WAD, you'll need it. 

[espilka]

11 minutes ago, bioshockfan90 said:

 

  Hide contents

It kinda does, but in my experience it's been very fiery... Last third of the WAD is not joking around. 

 

 

Spoiler

And you're talking on HNTR... :o  If it just gets unfun then i can at least be happy about the large number of quality maps i really enjoyed taking part in this Club (and i'm sure not for the last time!) playing a wad i'd never have chosen to play alone :)

 

[RHhe82]

17 minutes ago, bioshockfan90 said:

 

 

  Reveal hidden contents

It kinda does, but in my experience it's been very fiery... Last third of the WAD is not joking around. 

 

 

In other news, my writeups are going good. @brick was mostly right and things seem to have settled down a bit. I wish all club members good luck on the rest of the WAD, you'll need it. 

 

Personally,

 

Spoiler

on my initial playthrough in 2022 I seem to remember that while the final third is tough, I still somehow found myself going through it faster than the stretch of maps starting from MAP15. Not necessarily easier, but somehow less of a burden. Of course, my memory might not serve well.

 

[Roofi]

Map 14 "Los antros más íntimos"

 

 

"The Inmost Dens", maybe one of the most overrated Doom 2 maps. Indeed, people seem to love this map because I played several tributes of it in various megawads such as Memento Mori or Hell Revealed 2. For my part, whereas I like the browness of the map, I always found this level bland. 

 

What to think about Jimmy's reinterpretation of it? Saying "Los antros más íntimos" is just non-linear is an euphemism. It's a pure open-world where you can choose your own adventure. You can find the same weapon in different places several times, and access each key in different ways. No path is better than another, as the map has no closed traps at all. Obtaining the keys don't even trigger at least one ambush ! Because of the enormous freedom of movement and the absence of real traps, I feel like a criminal killing the inhabitants of a town. I have weird ideas, I know.

 

I can only agree with other participants about the fact it's the exact kind of map where getting lost is a mandatory step but I appreciate the wide variety of colors that work well together and, like the previous map, the little doomcute with the piano and bed in one of the love bedrooms. Los antros más íntimos also benefits from large spaces, which makes me think that respecting the vanilla limits wasn't necessarily the easiest step. Perhaps I'm wrong - Jimmy is far from his first vanilla map, after all.

 

Map 14 was a very good "traditional" exploration map and erases the flaws that I attribute to the original map.

 

Grade : B+  (15/20)

 

 

Edited September 14, 2023 by Roofi

[cannonball]

MAP14 - “Los Antros más Íntimos” by Jimmy

 

Mixed feelings about this one, ironically despite being nearly half way through the wad, this is probably one of the easiest maps and I get the feeling that this is to the detriment of the map. On the flip side this one actually feels more akin to the difficulty of Doom 2 where once you have got yourself dug in that you can pretty easily move around the map without too much hassle. Ammo is plentiful once you figure out that a lot of effort has been made to prevent the player from getting into difficulty by taking an unorthodox route, in a way that does make me wonder whether this map was built to contain tougher opposition that what actually resides here.

This map in a way made me think of some of Gusta's more non-linear efforts and wondered if the map would have fared better with a touch of sadism embedded into the gameplay. It is kind of funny that we are playing a "Inmost Dens" homage map for the second time in two months, of which they were made by the same author nearly ten years apart. The flow and progression are far superior here, yet I kind of wish that the bite of that 1024 map was here too, in a way I think a spicier maps would have kept the mind focused because my main navigational issue was locating the blue key early on and forgetting where it was after killing 75% of he inhabitants sprinkled throughout the rest of the map. 

Overall this is probably the most intricate map yet and is on the whole well designed and looks great for a vanilla map, however the gameplay was a little lacking and this is probably the first map so far that I sort of zoned out of a little bit. I think this one is a lot more subjective a critique than for most of the maps so far and I can understand others loving this one.

[Pechudin]

MAP15: Zona de la Industria (UV, Saves: Yes; Deaths: 4)
This map reminds me so much of the MAP12 (I think) of the D2TWID, especially with the large reactor room and Mancubi in the corners, jumping into one of the Manucubus platforms and the sea of muck around the enormous building housing all of these rooms. The map is fairly linear, but it feels open and expansive. The closest D2 analog would be the MAP10 (instead of the MAP15).

Still, the difficulty is decidedly less friendly than D2. The beginning is fine, circling around the building, colecting some weapons, dealing with the riff-raff. The first big surprise (and what clued me in to the fact that this map is not going to be a cakewalk) was the Archvile appearing beyond the Entryway-like, well, entryway. Thankfully, I had enough rockets to dispose of him with minimal danger. The large reactor room was annoying with the forced traversal of 20-damage floor (without radsuits) which is very mean, but hey, so was Sandy Petersen sometimes. I guess I can respect a bit of mean-ness in a map if I convince myself it's a deliberate bit of 90s mean-spirited mapping.

The mean-ness does not end there, and again I think that this map is the one that should've been named "Tricks and Traps". The switch in the BK room spawns a Baron behind you in a tight as hell room which verges on the edge of bullshit, and similarly with the Revenant and Archvile trap by the RK, although that one is more escapable. The BFG room also felt like peak 90s, reminding me of the PE pit from D2, but even more ridiculous. I survived, but the fact that the floor I was on was a lift was complete ass, how should've I known that? If I was playing saveless, I would probably just quit the map at that point in disgust. I did like the ridiculous factor of 10-odd PEs appearing from the pit though, that one did make me smile.

The final laugh the map has at your expense is a Cyberdemon fight with an Invisi-sphere. It's fine, if you are fast enough the rockets don't have the spread to hit you accidentally.

So .... final thoughts? A mixed bag. On the first sight it looks like a D2TWID-like map but it very quickly shows its true colors. It's not constantly difficult, but a lot of the encounters require foresight to survive, and there are some questionable decisions - please don't make me guess what to do or where to go when surrounded by 20 damage floor. Just have a switch on the other side of the lava pit, ok?

I guess something is to be said about why we don't like inescapable pits or forced damage floor - perhaps that's because we'd like to beat the map saveless, or because there is an expectation that all traps should be beatable on the first encounter with quick enough thinking. But was it always like that? I guess if you embrace saves and treat maps more like dungeons filled with unseen traps then it becomes more acceptable? When did we switch the way we look at what is acceptable in a map? Are there any old farts here who can answer that?

That was a lot of words, but this map did make me feel and think a lot of things.

 

EDIT: I did not go for the secret exit (actually I forgot it was there), but I did watch Decino play it. The route to the secret exit is ... something else. Not in a good way.

Edited September 14, 2023 by Pechudin

[Celestin]

MAP15: Zona de la industria by Tarnsman (as El Pedersen)

 

Sometimes, a map comes along where I can see the talent behind it and can appreciate its quality, but at the same time, I'm having a bad time playing blind and little desire to replay knowing how it works. Zona de la industria is one such map.

 

First of all, it's imposing with its towering structures above a lake of polluted slime (we'll get there, I promise). The combat is a fine combination of incidental encounters, snipers and setpiece fights. I especially like the optional BFG trap, with several pain elemental attacking from below, less so the yellow key fight against a cyberdemon and a forced blursphere. You can exit right after killing him and if you do, you'll probably leave satisfied.

 

However, since this is the 15th map, I wanted to reach the secret levels the intended way. To get to MAP31, you need to obtain the yellow key and find two hidden switches. One was placed in an alcove on an out of a way platform, the other requires you to run repeatedly over a pool of 20% hurtfloor to open a secret that opens another one that opens a hidden wall in the first one. I think I died here more than in any other part of the map. If anyone found this on their own, congratulations, I couldn't and had to rely on Doomwiki. I know secret exits should be a challenge to get to, but if you die by getting your feet burnt hunting for an obscure secret more than the combat in the rest of the map, then you might have a problem.

 

Still, I can't deny it's a good map, just that my completionist's side screwed me over.

 

MAP31: Zona secreta by Breezeep and Tarnsman (as Drug Shuttle)

 

The first secret level of D2ISO is a surprisingly logical puzzle map, where you'll be looking for hidden switches, catching walls before they close and figuring out how to avoid door-closing linedefs. I don't like old-school puzzle maps a'la Jim Flynn or Bob Evans, but this one is small and likes to lock you in one place until you figure out how to progress, so it isn't too bad.

 

What I won't defend is the secret exit, triggered by pressing on the wall behind the regular one. This is just bullshit. I get this is probably a reference to some obscure 1994 map but come on.

 

It's not my kind of map, but it's competently made (for the most part) and many would undoubtedly enjoy this.

 

MAP32: Hotel California by Tarnsman (as Sal Verde)

 

I have to say, the opening moments of Hotel California are probably the most eerie I've experienced in this wad. An empty hotel, with no monsters in sight and The Eagles in the background. There have been few silent moments in this wad, so this one scene stands out a lot. But when you pick up the red key, everything changes. This place, indeed, has a sinister side.

 

Hotel California is the hardest map so far, with strict resource allotment and small, but hard-hitting cast of monsters. Revenants and barons consist of half of the total enemy count, with additional representation of chaingunners and archviles. That part where you are defenseless and have to flee from a group of barons through a corridor that is constantly blocked by doors is probably the most tense part of the wad. It leads to a lava-filled cavern, because you can't have a Tarnsman map without some damaging floors. The hardest combat scenario is undoubtely the blue key route. First you drop down into a room with a narrow walkway over a death pit, barons blocking your way and a mastermind in the middle. Just get out of here ASAP, fighting all this will drain your limited ammo and you need it for the next part: a group of archviles that appear in the hotel. Those two fights killed me the most. The rest wasn't that rough, a megasphere you can find after the archvile trap can carry you to the end and you can find enough rockets to deal with revenants and occasional viles. If you want to kill everything, including the mastermind, there's also a plasma rifle in the last room.

 

In the end, this is one of the maps I won't forget. It offers a unique idea and challenging combat, making it a worthy secret level.

[DJVCardMaster]

MAP14 - Los Antros Más Íntimos - Jimmy (South American McGee) (100%K/75%I/66%S):

How poorly translated is the title? Personally I don't like it, but it's not bad though, The Inmost Dens should be translated to "Las Madrigueras Más Recónditas" in this case, just because of context, I like the word "Madriguera" for "Den", and the word "Guarida" for "Lair", "Antro"? Well it is used in Spanish for places where bad people take refuge (Makes sense), you can use it despectively for places like night-clubs, crack-houses, motel rooms, or in this case lovers' quarters. Also, talking about lovers' quarters, the term "Íntimo" refers more to something that is personal or relates to privacy, so, in this case, context for this "mistranslation" is given properly, with said motel rooms at the middle. You kinda get the point of the title halfway through the map if you are Spanish, so even if "Las Madrigueras Más Recónditas" should be the correct translation, Jimmy did a correct interpretation of the translation.

Wow that's the second time in a row Jimmy covers The Inmost Dens, first in 1024, now in Spanish. What will be next month?

This map was totally overwhelming, and it felt like trying to eat a really good pizza, with the best combination of toppings possible, but the downside is that it is hot. Really hot. The iconic pizza that will burn the top of your mouth, so you won't enjoy as much. This map is big, and has a really intricate layout, that works a lot, but the amount of enemies in plain sight that you will have to face will make you suffer for sure. Most of the combat is (luckly) incidental, so you don't have to worry about doortraps or teleport traps opening up after you proceed with doing some tasks. Tasks that are, hitting a random switch, circling around the same place ten times in different ways, because there are ten paths for everything, getting a key after ten minutes, and repeat three times. I would not say it is bad, totally the opposite, it is quite an experience, but early on, the little amount of resources, specially health, will drive you insane. As every single enemy is incidental, once you mow down everyone in this big complex, you will feel so alone, you'd rather talk to a psychologist. I would have prefered for the combat to place me less enemies at start but making me face more skirmishes against enemies. The map looks a lot like The Inmost Dens at some points, there is a lot of that jumping from balcony to balcony, or jumping to the water, or chaingunners punishing you for your existence, or similar texturing. Still there are some things that are subtle, but will make you remember that you are playing D2ISO. The motel with the heart-shaped bed for example, the little computers and other Doomcute stuff here and there, and things like that.

Massive map, please MAP15 don't be as massive, specially because I'll have to go through the secret maps aswell...


(UV - Playthrough/Crispy Doom)

Order of Preference:
 

Spoiler

 

MAP11

MAP10

MAP07
MAP13
MAP12
MAP09
MAP14
MAP08
MAP06

MAP05
MAP02
MAP04
MAP03
MAP01

 

Kinda off-topic but at the same time on-topic with languages, mistranslations and stuff: I'm now certified (at least officially because of today's University exam) as a B1 English-Speaker, so I won't feel that bad when train-wrecking my English as I write up these reviews, I also have now some authority to serve as a Spanish-English connection for this Spanish-speaking month and I won't be sorry because of  my bad English ever again (No me cuentes tu vida, crack).

[brick]

GZDoom, Doom strict compat, software, HNTR, blind, continuous with saves.

 

MAP15 - “Zona de la Industria” by esselfortium, Tarnsman
This one gave me more mixed feelings. I really enjoyed maybe half the map, it looks great (par for the course at this point), encounters are fun, ambushes are dialed back a bit and more creative compared to some of the earlier maps. But that lava room confused the hell out of me, I kept running back and forth taking damage, trying to figure out where to go next, found 2 secrets, pressed a mystery switch in the second one, and after wasting some more time trying to look elsewhere in the level it turns out the solution was yet another straferun (there are a couple more here). After finding the normal exit I went back to look for the secret. I liked the Evil Eye and thought it was pretty clever (and later realized this is what mystery switch had opened; initially I just assumed I had walked past the dark passage and missed it), but even then I couldn't find the exit. Finally I gave up and opened an editor; turns out there's a second mystery switch I missed, which finally opened the way to the secret exit. I think others might appreciate or chuckle at the PE swarm, which I thought was frankly completely ridiculous, but I guess it's part of the charm of the wad.

 

MAP31 - “Zona Secreta” by Breezeep, Tarnsman
If this was in the regular lineup I would've had some choice words to say about the fact it's constructed entirely out of obligatory secrets, each of which is indeed hidden like a difficult to find secret should be. Considering it's a secret map though I'll be more forgiving. The secrets themselves are pretty varied, some are clever (getting past the closing door, the loop past the yellow doors), but I felt a few too many relied purely on millisecond-precision timing, you'd better be straferunning and no mistakes allowed. The monochromatic encounters early on were a bit meh but they get much more interesting later on, mixing enemies in combinations I don't usually see, but they work well. There's a lot of symmetry but it's frequently imperfect in small ways, the variations might not be immediately obvious but they end up playing into the progression. The secret exit is ridiculously well hidden in plain sight, I don't even know what possessed me to try it out, and I was shocked to find out it even worked.

 

MAP32 - “Hotel California” by Tarnsman
Of course this was going to be scored to The Eagles, but I was almost disappointed when, after the first few bars, it didn't turn into a flamenco version. The map is humorous in so many ways but there's also a very effective atmosphere, there are no enemies straight away as you look around and explore the hotel, which looks so beautifully and tastefully detailed I'm amazed this is still vanilla. Some of the death traps are so blatantly cruel I rolled my eyes, whether the baron swarm or the inescapable crusher, but others are pretty clever and fun. The Spider encounter took me a couple of reloads before she behaved, but getting the infighting going was very satisfying. Tarnsman mercifully defangs the archvile encounter with a HNTR-only invulnerability, everyone else had better learn how to dance and hide behind those columns. There's a great contrast between the more mundane hotel trappings and the hellish caverns (This could be Heaven or this could be Hell, indeed), culminating in a fall down into a pit and an E1M8 exit. Despite some overly cruel designs it's a brilliant map.

[bioshockfan90]

After-the-playthrough notes: I wish I had more to say about 15, but I was just kinda peeved at the secret exit at the time. Sorry!

 

MAP15: Zona de la industria

 

100K | 97I | 100S | Used Guides

 

I really wish I had more positive things to say or more things of note to say about this map, but it’s just not that fun. Maybe it was because half my attention was diverted to the Doomwiki article as I tried to find the secret exit, followed by me not finding one of the switches and having to consult a video to find the switch I needed - and the other half was getting tired of all the damaging floors. Not for me. I can say I got the secret exit though - and I do plan on using guides again in 31 (but I have beaten this map before, after that it’s blind) but this was just a slog to get through. Nothing of note, worst of the pack so far IMO. 3.6 out of 5.

 

MAP31: Zona secreta

 

(forgot to get totals for this one) | Used Guides

 

Now this is more in line for some proper secret-hunting! Almost like E2M9 in UDINO, this map will have you getting 100% secrets no matter what, and the super secret exit is just a simple wall press that for some reason in GZDoom is way harder than it needs to be. I mean, it’s really not much to talk about - there’s some light ammo starvation and you need to make the most of your weapons, but nothing here is particularly deadly. It’s MAP32 that I’m excited for as that marks the beginning of my blind playthrough of this WAD. Middle of the pack, 4.2 out of 5.

 

MAP32: Hotel California

 

80K | 89I | 0S

 

Holy shit, I can’t believe I beat this without saves! This is FAR AND AWAY the hardest map in the set so far, and I haven’t even talked about its infamy in general for being the most memorable map in D2ISO. I remember hearing about this initially in its Cacowards writeup back in 2021, and thinking “well that’s rather silly, how would they transcribe the lyrics of a song to a Doom map?” and I didn’t know it was *this* particular song, which after having played everything does actually make sense as if one were to pick any song to translate to the Doom map medium, it would probably be this one. The hotel is fucked, man. It’s just… fucked beyond belief. You take a teleporter in the empty start, wondering where the hell all the demons are and it just continually gets MORE fucked until you start to figure out what to do. This map is exacting on you, requiring that you know the exact sequence to do things on. I realize this is a silly statement as anyone could play the map themselves and realize it’s fairly linear, but there are certain criteria that have to be checked to survive this map. Getting 100% kills on the other hand, is something that I haven’t thought to do and don’t WANT to think to do.

 

First and probably of utmost importance is killing all the Barons with the crusher. This took me way too long to figure out, as I would just end up teleporting in their hall after the red key and get annihilated. That takes time, so use your chainsaw to bait them over and make sure ALL of them are dead. Then, go grab the rocket launcher. It’s not exactly hidden but you can miss it, trust me, I found out about this the hard way. The mastermind dungeon is cruel, but if you’re like me and don’t care about completionism you can just pray to the RNG gods and flip the switch and get out of there.

 

The archvile/invul fight actually isn’t that bad IF you have the rocket launcher, and the rest of the map eases off the pressure aside maybe from the yellow key ambush, which truth be told I may have just gotten lucky with. 

 

Onto rating the map. I think it’s high up there, but I have to take my own tastes into account and say this isn’t the kind of map for me. I’ve hardly ever been a fan of combat puzzles, I prefer straightforward run-n-gun gameplay and I can handle the occasional trap or two but this is 1 big logic puzzle in Doom gameplay. It’s masterfully designed, it has the added bonus of the MIDI and the references, it looks good, it’s unique… I can’t lie, to most people this would probably be a top 50 Doom map of all time. But for me, it’s not my cup of tea. I am relieved this is over with and will not be looking back, just hoping that the rest of the mapset doesn’t get to this high of highs in terms of difficulty ever again. It’s probably just whining, truth be told the only super hard part of the map is the mastermind dungeon, but I don’t like relying on chance to live. 

 

So with all that said, I put this between 11 and 09. I can’t deny its powerhouse of talent behind it, the powerhouse that the map is, but I have tastes and I can’t go putting it at number one just because I found the concept cool. 4.4 out of 5.

 

MAPRANKS:

Spoiler

MAP10

MAP06

MAP14

MAP13   

MAP07

MAP11

MAP32

MAP09

MAP12

MAP31

MAP02

MAP01

MAP05

MAP08

MAP03

MAP04

MAP15

 

 

[Catpho]

MAP07 - “Fácil de muertos” by Tarnsman

Essentially two big setpieces, plus an amusing coda. The transforming room segment is great, but, as a combat piece, the opening hexagon shootout might be the better of the two. The hexagonal structure ends up creating a lot of blind spots for Tarns to exploit to hide booby-trapped supplies: the amount of information denial ends up making ambushes sting hard, and this compounds with very difficult to navigate terrain coming from the irregular shapes, damaging floors, and height changes. Ironically, the best way to go through all of this is not to tip toe, but to run — because those very supplies are what tips the power scales.

 

The main structure is striking to look at, but 07 is ultimately on the reserved side of looks, carried a lot by the quirky geometry rather than by fine texture or lighting work or particularly ambitious architecture.

MAP11 - “Círculo de la Muerte” by Tarnsman
 

So take what I said about the first setpiece of 07, and combine it with a sense of map-long exhaustion. That's what's at the core of "Círculo": the map can be thought of as one long fight, teething at the psychological limit of attrition and damage floor fueled insanity.
 

One long fight, despite the fact that the map's 2 major "zones" are clearly delineated. The first one's the Spider's desert, where the arachnotron's meaty hitbox and devastating attack, with the support of snipers, ends up denying all of the most spacious of the map's normal floors. The map's other half isn't so carpeted with projectiles and choked by monsters, but there's virtually zero space to rest without turning into ash. The two "zones" are neatly divided by a series of doors and the titular "Círculo", where the "free" paths are one-way, such as going from the damage floor to the start area, or stuffed with dangerous and persistent monsters. The map is also further subdivided into smaller combat zones with the aforementioned elements, most notably an overcrowded tour through a lava lake.
 

The gel of the map is the thing placement scheme within the context of such an elaborate floor plan, which goes out of its way to hide just about every useful supply in barely-not-a-secret corners. I spoke of zones for sake of a clean analysis of the threat composition, but anyone who's played it is immediately hit with a web-like sprawl, hiding threat and malice in its many turns. This is why the map is a long fight: as you end up scouring the whole map to systematically dismantle all of the above obstacles; the harsh balancing means that there is little comfort at any given moment before the very end, as the player's clean execution of fights and movements are more palpable. The SSG placement in particular is a fav of mine, tucked in an innocuous corner in a dense HK closet. Retrieving it requires either quite a bit of leg work or very good RL budgeting, or some combination of the two, and that's it you spot it in the first place. A thousand micro-decisions power this map, and this is the magic of attrition: it creates a sense of tension and fear with means other than large fights or overly elaborate ambushes setups, while making the domination of the map's environment feels that much more sweeter as you milk every possible supply and safe space. Perhaps it is fitting that Tarns detail it as a vast, crumbling city, with sweeping vistas creating a portrait of ruin and chaos, insoluble and incomprehensible.

Suitably climatic.