What is the appeal of the Evilution series

[Gibbitudinous]

Not asking this in a "lol TNT sucks" kind of way but as a genuine question: what is the concept that connects TNT Evilution and its TNTquels like Revilution and Devilution (while we're at it, I guess THT Threnody falls in there as well) and makes people interested in them. The more I think about it, the less sense I'm able to make of it, so I want to hear what people have to say about it.

[TheMagicMushroomMan]

TNT was popular because it was a part of Final DOOM. Revilution/Devilution/Threnody were popular because they were sequels to TNT (disregarding the actual quality of any of the wads). If you stick the TNT label on a wad, it's going to automatically have more people interested in it. I don't mean that in a cynical way, either. There are some things in terms of map design and everything that might link the different entries to some extent, being inspired by the original TNT, but it's mainly the name brand recognition. I think the Plutonia series feels a little more "coherent" to most people considering the fact that the original Plutonia had more recognizable tropes and calling cards to build off of compared to TNT.

Edited September 1, 2023 by TheMagicMushroomMan

[Lucius Wooding]

It was an official release, and people revere the official WADs. It has a few fun textures for mappers who crave a bit of variety, and a couple interesting level concepts among a number of turds. Also most people consider it to have some of the best MIDIs in the IWADs. 

 

Aside from all that, doesn't it make sense that the most ambitious and least well executed of the four main IWADs attracts mappers for sequel projects? After all, it's the easiest to improve on and the most incomplete. There's certainly nostalgia at play so people will recognize when you make a reference to the source material, and people are ready to embrace it if your sequel WAD is decent quality.

 

 

[Ravendesk]

2 hours ago, TheMagicMushroomMan said:

Revilution/Devilution/Threnody were popular because they were sequels to TNT

Wow, can't believe you didn't mention the best entry in series, TNT Threevilution. Sorry but I couldn't pass by without correcting you here.

 

To OP - @Gibbitudinous - I guess that's exactly why you couldn't connect the dots and find the main concept of the series - you were missing the most important entry! Please go play it, this playthrough should answer all your questions.

[Maximum Matt]

It's evil

[magicsofa]

It's ution

[Fonze]

Idk what concept really connects TNT to its derivatives but TNT was always my favorite of the iwads, in part for its large, expansive maps that are each memorable for their gimmicks and sights to be seen, and in part for it feeling like as much of a sequel to doom 2 as that was to doom 1. TNT felt like it pushed the boundaries on so many things and really set the imagination going for what could come next. I was def among those who thought wormhole was the coolest thing ever haha, but really most of the maps in TNT stand out to me among the big 'iwad map' list. I also tended to like the more forgiving and loose nature of TNT's combat to that of Plu, while at the same time being ramped up scenarios from what would have been found in doom 2.

 

THT may not fit the mold as well as the other derivatives, as it was more a love letter to the previous archive maintainer, Ty Halderman, and as such several mappers took inspiration from eternal doom as well as TNT, since Ty made maps for both projects. THT was also originally a much smaller project and had very few restrictions on what mappers could and couldn't do; the only cohesive concept I remember to bind any of those maps to even each other in the same wad was just that they were tributes to Ty's work.

[esselfortium]

I think adventurey maps are one of the big things that people think of when they think of TNT, so if you're looking for adventure maps with a generally techy theme, the community-made TNT sequels are a good place to look.

[The_SloVinator]

New music & it's aesthetics is what bring us TNT fans together. And yes, adventurey aspect of it too. And I believe it's middle-ground difficulty is another factor as well. It was harder than Doom 2 but easier than Plutonia.

[Cammy]

It's a treasure trove for techbase enthusiasts, has become increasingly associated with Doom's atmospheric horror roots, and I believe it's also a powerful reaffirmation of the fact that anybody can make a map. The original TNT is a commercially-released fangame made by about two dozen people with wildly different styles from each other, and in its spirit, every community-made TNT sequel I can think of has been a large-scale collaboration.

 

It makes any TNT wad you pick up feel like a broad palette of different ideas, philosophies, and styles. Sampling all those flavors is both exciting as a player in the moment, and also as a fledgling community member just starting to learn who's who. I can attest to that last part, at least - TNT:R taught me that Cannonball maps mean constant pressure and movement the whole way through, Dobu Gabu Maru maps mean confidently-thrown artistic curveballs, Steve Duff maps mean high-ceiling halls with punishing multi-level fights, Eternal maps mean exploration-heavy dungeon-crawls with rewarding secrets and minimal sprawl, and Pinchy maps mean quirky and eclectic detailing with lots of color, hidden passageways, and gibbed zombies.

[Gibbitudinous]

Thanks for all the responses. They make sense, tho watching Decino play thru Revilution got me thinking about how weirdly uninteresting I found the wad despite playing thru most of it myself a while ago (lost interest towards the end tho). It's such a weirdly vague feeling that I can't put my finger on.