The DWmegawad Club plays: Sign of Torment

[LadyMistDragon]

Map 16: Them Bones

 

I think it's because like there's lots of Revenants. Doesn't really matter too much, this is another six keys map and the two options we get at the start were entirely groan-inducing. One was a long hallway with the red skull key and no way to hide from the hordes....yawn. The other one was a crusher hallway that wasn't too bad but went on for far too long. Either way, they lead to this beautiful canyon, with lots of boxes on either side, and tons of waterfall liquids in the center. Just writing about this is tiresome, but two areas stand out. One was this set of knolls in a void with lots of jump pads we didn't feel like bothering with and extremely predictable ambushes. The other was an arena of sorts we return to, twice, and press some respective switches. The flavor text is actually quite nice but I'm in no mood to comment on that or the environmental touches. I think I can understand the reprise of the arena though.

 

 

 

[_goofyguy]

MAP14 - Alteration

Sign of Torment may have finally hit its stride. The introduction of a new and more powerful version of the plasma gun, which is SUPER satisfying to use, and a battle with 3 different cyberdemons. This level also focuses a bit more on puzzles, though it certainly does not let down on the combat part, although the fights in between getting the plasma gun and fighting the cyberdemons did feel a bit like padding, especially with the multiple archviles. The decoration is pretty damn well done too. Great level!

 

MAP15 - Rule Of Nines 

The difficulty spike is real. From a game that has 8 archviles in the entire map, to something like 16 archviles in just one level. Fucktons of cacodemons and revenants and everything, and my new plasma gun was put to work. The final section is pretty awful though, a maze of pillars where you WILL get blocked by ten trillion monsters hiding behind each one. Otherwise, pretty good level. I would do the two secret levels in one post, but i'm already behind enough as it is, so i'll spread them out a little.

[Pechudin]

MAP15: Rule of Nines (UV, PS, Saved: Yes)
Unfortunately this has nothing to do with the Nines Rodriguez from the Vampire The Masquerade.

I am writing this one day after playing so I may forget some stuff. The map starts in a room with nine possible "objectives" spelled out on the floor, and the automap. I guess with this a player can plan out what they wish to visit first - an interesting choice. Usually that is conveyed with stuff like balconies overlooking keys, or color themes. This feels less organic, but I do not mind it that much.

I'll start with the bad to finish on a good note. The final part of the map is a very long, TOO LONG corridor with 64-unit wide holes in between 64-unit wide pillars. The pillars are not beveled, so enjoy bouncing around with the Doom's collision. The demons inside this ... labyrinth (?) run the gamut of normal Imps to Revs, Archies, Nobles etc. - dodging Rev missles in this space is especially fun. I don't like it, didnt't like it when I was testing. Also have fun using the RL in this space with the Doom's autoaim.

The good, well, this map has a lot of good. The MIDI is nice, gives the map a nice exploratory feel. The "submerging" into the pools of white ... uh ... milk ... is a neat effect (white tint is less aggressive than the red one), and the hidden pools can sometimes create interesting combat scenarious - is that pool deep? What if I fall into it? My favorite part was the courtyard with doors that each hold a small pocket dimension - silent teleports are used well here, since I expected to emerge on the top of the corner structures. I liked the caco-cloud since it gives you a choice of either holding ground or falling into the streets where an Archvile awaits on either side of the large fountain. I liked the silent teleports and the small staggered teleport ambush. The combat is definitely getting more engaging.

Verdict - a good map, not as good as the last one where the jumppads were used effectively as combat aids, but with a large glaring problem - the entire last part should've been cut or atleast made much shorter.

[Pechudin]

MAP31: Apocalyptic Omen (UV, PS, No-Save)
The lesser of the two secret maps, this one feels like a throwaway map that just did not make the cut. The premise is fairly simple - one long corridor with 666 enemies and the RL being your primary weapon. If it were not for the RL, this map probably would be one of the worse maps of the set. The Imp marinara sauce factory at the beginning was fun in a trashy sense, but the premse wears thin fast. There is an attempt at some traps where mobs spawn behind you but they are mostly Imps, or Demons, and there is plenty of space.

"Share your misery" came off slightly funny in light of the map's characteristics and I did laugh at "Why did you do that?" when I entered the switch room and instantly mashed all the switches. The rudimentary maze that came straight out of D!ZONE is something that could've been entirely cut and felt like pure padding for the sake of padding. Bad, no excuses for that part of the map. Thankfully I found the Map.

Verdict - not a good map, but it passes just for the RL being an awesome weapon.

MAP32: Layers of Time (UV, PS, No-Save)
From a bad secret map to a GREAT secret map. The premise of the map is the old "let's reference Id games" compendium (well, not only Id games in this case). I played a lot of these, the most memorable being the one from A.L.T.

Not sure what Kain was going for but (and this might be just because it's late, I am tired and thus feel kinda sentimental) this map really nails the melancholic and nostalgic feel of reminscing about the first time playing of the classics. The MIDI as well - envokes a feel of nostalgia, but in a way that says "we have to move on". It feels kinda sad, but in a "departing from home" kind of way. Feels dreamy as well.

The maps opens up with a reference to Serious Sam - not something I caught the first time around (since I never played SS), but the Doom E1M1/MAP01/Plutonia MAP01 reference (all mashed together) felt really well put together. Next I caught the Wolfenstein 3D secret (a small room), and the RtCW influence. The references are also substantial in nature, offering more than just mere callbacks - fights are fun, while not being too hard. Except that one Revenant that spawns near a staircase that can box you in - nasty, but I liked it. I wish more enemies spawned in the RSK fight I guess (perhaps throw in a PE or two to create some chaos). Other than that, the fights are mostly linear in nature, but a mixture of Revs, Mancs and Demons/Zombos offer mildly engaging combat - mostly due to Rev rockets being what they are. I feel like I've gotten better at having a feel for where they are at any given moment.

Anyhow, I really like what Kain did here. While the map is a bunch of callbacks to other games stitched together, Kain's very recognizable texturing, the dreamy, nostalgic MIDI, as well as substantial fights give the map a feeling of its own thing. The map is more than just the sum of its references. It feels like being on a bus, daydreaming about good memories you had, but leaving them behind - not because you like them, but because it's time to move on.

Anyway, that was my TED-talk. I really like this map. That's my verdict.

[General Roasterock]

Map 16: Them Bones

 

  If any more maps in this set have a hallway filled with crushers with no way to travel through them besides waiting for the walls to fumble around, I’m skipping them. Stop it.

  To say that the friction floor Cyber fight is the best part of this map should be a bad omen. The one gimmick I was excited to see come to fruition here was the switch selection at the start, but I’m pretty sure I just selected the worst one by chance and only two of them give you any form of advantage in their respective challenges. It’s definitely interesting in the same vein as The Abyss, but you don’t get barred from anything specific for not choosing a certain switch. That, and the gimmick doesn’t save any of the designs outside of the intro.

  If you were to change the texturing in the White Skull hall to anything in vanilla Doom II, you would be looking at a excerpt from Maximum Doom, bending jagged into aimlessness and completely indiscernible from the majority of hallways like it in Surface of Another World. The solid white sector with black bordering has become the new Plutonia sky in substituting for a more intensive creative flex, my worst fear come to pass. Now I get to sit in a completely white room, going through several jumppad trials of different kinds, only to then do the exact same trials again not moments later. They’re still very much queasy here too. 

  I’ll give it one thing, this wad does more with the Cyberdemon theatrically than a lot of other combat focused sets I’ve played, and I’ve enjoyed watching that develop. From having one sticking his head out of a chilled lake, to sitting one in the middle of an icy pit, it makes the supreme rocketeers feel weighty in the narrative. Unfortunately there’s no such love for the Mastermind, who might just be replaced at the end of this for all I know, but that’s the best I’ve got here.

[espilka]

MAP17 Absence of Reality - K: 100% / S: 0% (HMP, continuous)

 

For one of the shortest map by gameplay time (under half an hour, though i unfortunately first neglected then forgot to look for the secret) in the second episode, this has quite a lot going on.  First notable thing is that the whited out voidspaces used to have often black pillars to give some definition to space, but now they are largely white, also.  i remember a good amount of the Blood Fiends in those rooms, but have been lucky with them so far, without having them surround me too badly.

 

First major area consists of platforms surrounded by lava in the void, again traversed by jump pads, that have floors that change from damaging to not.  Getting to the other side and collecting the available weaponry and ammunition, i was for a while at a loss at how to proceed, missing the (obvious if you chance upon the idea!) entrance to the drop to the next area.  We haven't had storied buildings for awhile, and i thought this one was particularly nice.  The drop leads up on its roof, and dropping down there is a door on each side leading to different rooms with different enemies.  One has the device to start up the yet unfunctional jump pad to get back to the other side of the lava-filled area.  And when getting back, the middle platform, inaccessible, higher and larger than the others, harbors now a Cyberdemon, and it's actually fun to kill them with the new plasma rifle.

 

Along the way there is more incidental combat before arriving to the second arena.  Another fighting pit, first harboring Mancubi.  There is a jump pad that needs to be double-activated to gain access to the Exit visible on an above level, which can be facilitated from the two side-areas.  There are rooms with moving floors, quite disorienting, and guarding them are monsters, if memory serves, from Hell Knights to Revenants.  The rooms are beautiful, more complex in layout and have some pillars as impediments, very fun to play, and this time i'm happy to report i suffered no headache or untoward dizziness.  i do think the rooms again are totally retextured from the version i played before.  Anyway, when going from of these areas to the next, the pit repopulated with Arachnotrons (i think.)

 

Just another brilliantly creative map.  Par for the course.  Got rid of my boring tally - died twice on this run, once by the Cyberdemon and once in one of the rooms with moving floors.

[Celestin]

MAP17: Absence of Reality

 

There are a lot of those white rooms here with white obstacles that are meant to warp your perception of reality - hence the title. It is an interesting effect, but I've already seen it a lot here. Other than that, well... There's a fight against a cyberdemon where you have to jump from one platform to another, because the floor turns to lava. It's a good concept and I wouldn't mind this, but once again, the jump pads. I still keep finding them too unreliable to move around, especially in a rush.

 

There are two rooms where walls and floor scroll, it felt nauseating, but I'm certain it was by design. A building that has a different interior depending on the door you enter is also a neat idea. Finally, another new monster appears here: blood fiend, a faster version of pinky. It reminded me of the nightmare demon from Eviternity, but unlike that bastard, it isn't tougher than its regular cousin.

 

I don't think this one left much of an impression.

[Azure_Horror]

Episode 1 "Above Hell Itself"

Episode one is creative, hellish and devious.

Its maps do drag around more than I would have liked, not gonna lie. But I must admit, that this trait fits the overall mood: There is "You are lost in a cursed and malevolent reality" thing going on, after all! Under those circumstances, it is kinda strange to expect a joyful ride among scenic locations!

 

In the grand scheme of things, Episode 1 does it job very well, IMO: it set ups both the overreaching aesthetics and the overreaching mood. It also gradually introduces many crucial gameplay gimmicks, such as:

- room, which became re-filled with new monsters after progression milestones.

- non-Euclidean level geometry.

- Jump Pads.

- And other stuff.

 

Map 12 - “Arctica”

Arctica looks amazing! The combination of gray-and-white color base, black-orange-red-and-green color accents and Heretic texture ornaments is a sight to behold. Arctica also introduces the first apparent de-hacked element: ghost imps. Those little buggers are surprisingly cool enemies to have around: unlike normal imps, the ghost buggers are harder to track, especially in bigger squads. And unlike normal specters, they have a ranged attack. Such a simple concept, but the end result plays extremely well.

And finally, Map 12 continues the non-Euclidean shenanigans from previous maps. Overall, Arctica is a truly wonderful episode starter, on par with Eviternity, or Ozonia ones.

 

 

Map13 - “Destined Ways”

Gotta be quick:

- this map showcases how slippery ice can interact with jump pads.

- zombie crowd at the start was very fun.

- the white void section with 2 ghost imps felt really amazing to me. Like more amazing, than the super-secret section of Fractured Worlds map 06 (If you know, what I am talking about...). This is most likely an accidental brilliance, and a "Lightning in a Bottle" type of thing. Never the less, not mentioning this felt wrong.

- the sneaky gimmick of the map flew completely past my attention: I didn't notice the red skull door changing color.

- overall aesthetics and mood continue map 12 very well.

 

 

Map 14 - “Alteration”

This is my favorite map so far. It combines so many different cool things...

 

1) There is small "platforming while cyberdemons stomp around you" section. It not as scary as it may sound, but the cyberdemons are still cyberdemons, so it does set the proper mood for the map ahead.

2) The loop back to the main area is very memorable: you need to go past a bunch of ghost imps in a canyon. Sound easy? Well, that section is the basement of the cyberdemon stomping grounds! And they can fire at you! Surprise! What I really like about this section, is its placement in the WAD progression. A return to a familiar area, but from an unexpected angle! This felt like a natural development of the previous non-Euclidean silent teleporter exercises.

3) There is also a new gun: Dark-Infused Plasma Rifle. Plasma-tyoe weapons with buffed damage are always fun, and this gun in particular has a really cool firing sound. Arguably, this is one of my favorite plasma gun replacements out there, on par with Ichor Rifle from Vesper and Heavy Machine Gun from Austrian Avian Association.

4) After the new plasma rifle is introduced, there are two run-and-gun sections. The first one allows you to tes the new plasma against all kinds of mid-tier opponents, like mancubi, or archviles. The second run-and-gun section is once again directly connected to the cyberdemon stomping grounds. Watch out for rockets!

5) The is also a cheeky secret rocket launcher secret between the run-and-gun sections. There is an aparrent yellow skull door. But, funnily enough, yellow skull keuys do not exist in this WAD - so the Yellow Skull ornaments are just for show. The door does not need anything special to open. I like this funny idea!

6) And finally, after all the trouble, you return back to the cyberdemon area, ready to fully unleash the power of Dark Plasma. Again, nothing really scary. But still, cyberdemons are cyberdemons, and some other monsters do also appear here. Between rockets everywhere, the coloful decorations, the jump pads, amd the power of Dark-Infused plasma, the final fight felt like quite a spectacle.

 

Overall: “Alteration” combines Spectacle, Aesthetics and Audacious Setups. For this reason, map 14 felt almost like a Ribbiks' map. Not something that I expected to encounter in this particular megaWAD! On top of that, when judjed by Ribbiks-inspired map expectations, “Alteration” felt like an extremely approachable level. This is another nice surprise - typically, the maps of this style are very hardcore. For this reason, a definitely-less-hard-than-Sunlust-and-Stardate map feels like a real treasure in this genre.

 

Edited October 17, 2023 by Azure_Horror

[espilka]

MAP18 Stellar Tombs - K: 100% / S: 67% (HMP, continuous)

 

The first half of the map is a trek through beautiful crypts, from which we emerge into snow and ice.  The combat is mostly incidental, and the point is firmly on the journey, but there are a few traps along the way. From the crypts i found the only secret, a radsuit, but there are so many crevaces and suspect decorations that i kept expecting more.

 

The setpiece of the map is outside, getting the RSK.  A complex area with heavier opposition, height differences, jump pads, and changing environments.  Also managed to softlock myself here, hungry for a secret, trapping myself between a wall of ice and a deciduous tree.  One death i remember for sure, when valiantly fighting against a cackle of Revenants in the voided room.

 

Short review that belies another masterfully crafted map that is quite excellent, which unfortunately finds itself in a wad filled of masterpieces (a rhetorical question: is Thaikovsky's 1st, Winter Daydreams, not a beautiful symphony in itself, worthwhile of attention, despite the existence of his fifth, my favourite symphony of all?)  The crypt-section is my favourite, lightly in the same vein as parts of MAP32 (i could not guess what other clubbers - holding polar opposite opinions to mine on most of the maps - would have thought of that one, and it's interesting to see it has got near enough universal approval.)  Took me about 45 minutes to complete, and that's after trying hard to find the switch for the final secret, a pack of cells atop a pile of crates - no luck.  The name alone, by the way, guarantees this old romantic would love the map. 

[Pechudin]

MAP18: Stellar Tombs (UV, PS, Saves: Yes)

I'm skipping maps 16 and 17 for later since I tried to do them and got annoyed. Gotta remind myself not to play these maps when in a "gotta hurry" mode. So, I'll adlib my impressions since I outran my pre-written stuff.

 

So, the map very obviously is heavily RtCW-inspired, what with the fall into a tomb and the overturned table, and Chaingunners facing Imps - a stand in for Nazis in the OG game. The map is a linear, very tight dungeon, mostly descending. The Red Demons are proper deadly in these tight quarters, as shown by the very deadly "Behind you" trap - some may consider it cheap but I actually liked it. It was punishing but survivable, and I like it how the Entity warned us about the ambush. Not sure what "It does not matter what you think" means TBH, not even with the foresight of having played the wad before.

 

The RSK arena was ... uncomfortable (not as uncomfortable as the E3 will be though), with the jagged edges and corners, and the friction floors (but seeing a Mancubus going WHEEEEEE across ice was funny gotta admit) inhibiting motion. Not much space to dodge attacks that you cannot replenish since there is not a whole lot of health around. The Red teleporter switch ambush got me good though, sandwiching the unsuspecting player between hitscanners and the Turbo-Pinkies (Reddies?); forgot about the silent teleportation to be completely honest.

 

Verdict - map's not too sophisticated. The close quarters Imp/Demon SSG fighting is not very flashy but gets the job done. Some clumsy friction floor usage brings the grade down, and also I wish the final room was a bit spicier. I expected something akin to the flame room from the RtCW but all I got was some Invisi-Imps, Cultists and 2 Revenants. Could've used Archviles!

[LadyMistDragon]

Map 17: Absence of Reality

 

With the reference to the greatest Doom midi that has possibly existed, we're thankfully in for an effort with much greater conciseness than the previous few maps. As the name says, we're not really in any sort of reality for the most part but just sitting outside it. This map also introduces Mauler Demons, a staple of the Realm667 depository that while quicker, isn't too much stronger overall. At one point when we find the white key, we spot a switch just as we're plunging back down, but this needs the red key so we end up going back. Eventually, we're in another blood pit/cum jump-pad arena with constantly over-heating rocks that somehow reform most illogiocally, taking us to another separate area, where pushing against a pillar will deposit us onto the ceiling of a fort. Inside is some switch tomfoolery, where one switch seemingly has no effect, but the other lowers the red key, lowering a teleporter taking us back to the central arena where a cyberdemon has now appeared. Killing him restores power to an otherwise-broken jump pad that takes us back. Anyway, backtracking will take us to a couple of different areas near the white key - a door opened by the shootable switch mentioned above leading to a teleporter that takes us to a blood-filled outdoor area wholly different from the rest of the map with a backpack and some powerups. The other door is guarded by an Arch-vile and leads to an arena with both kinds of non-transparent demons on the outside and Mancubi on the inside. After pushing the switches into the two incredibly odd and geometry that probably belongs in an Icarus simulation map, the arena will be repopulated but thankfully, it's not drawn out this time. That green hallway goes on just a touch too long still though.

 

PS. Very cool midi from Plutonia 2 btw, and I'm really starting to enjoy these flavor text dumps. Needless to say, the inhabitants of this planet got what was coming to them.

 

 

[General Roasterock]

Map 17: Absence of Reality

 

  Simple, stoic, self aware. Cutting into the cold with maps specifically meant to be shapes is hard to pull off, and I’d think with the criticisms I’ve had of this set that it wouldn’t be something that I would enjoy in this set. Yet somehow, the ambience of this map pushes beyond a lot of what the set has been presenting so far. I imagine it has something to do with the midi, arid and poised, feeling like the realization of some terrible occurrence, supported with how the story explains hell as being used by more than just humans for selfish gain.

  This map also had the most astonishing use of the fake buildings I’ve seen yet. Dropping through the curvy shape to reach the housing of the Red Skull was one thing, but to then drop me off the roof right into a multi-dimensional split through several doors caught me off guard for the first time. It’s the kind of shearing through space that makes the ornate interiors mean something. I also really enjoyed the Cyberdemon fight against what my values should be. The communication of the damaging floor is smooth from the start, and the reincorporation of it to a showdown is a fun minigame to take on. I should hate a mixture of platforming and damaging floor, but it balances the difficult of each element with the best use of the jumppads to date. They felt very good to use here.

  Ultimately, I feel like it was good to just take a breath and cut through fewer than a hundred demons in one map. Them Bones was the first in the set to take thirty minutes, and I don’t intend on being elated that any could possibly be longer. The brevity of Absence of Reality alone was enough to boost it, but it had charming ideas and a purpose for its blank slate.

[Crusader No Regret]

Map 14: 100% kills, 1/2 secrets

 

    Straightforward premise spelled out right at the start; find the plasma gun to kill the cybers.  Even with carryovver, I'm not finishing 3 cybers with 200 bullets and 50 shells.  Took a few attempts to complete this without dying or mid-level saves.  It did take a bit of exploring to work out how to proceed.  Using the jump pads is actually not that scary as close cybers won't have a line of fire when up on the platforms.  I suppose one could get infinite height blocked in most ports which is something that I didn't have to deal with in GZDoom.  Died at least once with the shadow imp canyon finding out the hard way that yes, the cybers can shoot rockets down there.  Future attempts have me scurrying around drawing rockets to hopefully hit shadow imps and tie up their attention instead of me trying to kill them directly.  Platforming to the white key was a simple matter of timing since the rising and falling lifts follow a set rhythm.  Black key also proved no trouble once I figured out what to do.  At this point, I believe there was enough spare ammo to slowly grind down the cybers, (using the fire upgrade on my shotgun to burn them down to half heath first) but I opted to stick to the intended path.

 

    In a welcome twist, instead of the plasma being at the very end of the gauntlet (as one may predict with the premise), it's given out around the middle.  Still got to go through the whole map to get into a good position to fight them though.  The long ravine occupied by many midtier monsters and some archviles to put the new weapon through its paces.  When the mod allows me, I grab lightning upgrades to improve the stunlock ability and also went for extra damage.  Also earned a player upgrade during this trek.  Out of the random options, chose Scavenge Blood (killing an enemy has it drop a +1 health pickup) and actually used it for a bit as health is almost non-existent in the ravine.  So mistakes are painful.  Once I reach the megasphere and yellow key door, I turn off Scavenge Blood and leave it off.

 

    I made the wrong assumption about the yellow door at first but realized what I was forgetting later on before I had a successful run.  Some panicked running and gunning being fearful of the cybers sending rockets in my direction.  There's another army that warps in upon returning to the starting area to help soften up the cybers.  I also lure them into finishing off shadow imps from earlier too before finishing them off.  Run through the main path again to top off ammo and snag the megasphere I'd saved for entering the next map at 200/200 and done.  A well done map overall.

[Celestin]

MAP18: Stellar Tombs

 

This is a surprisingly conventional map, which is a breath of fresh air in a megawad this unconventional. Stellar Tombs is divided into two halves. One takes place inside the titular catacombs, which are claustrophobic and dense with monsters. I like this one. The second part brings you back to a familiar snowy surface. You have to deal with some mancubi and slippery floor at the same time. After this, the map is nearly over. 

 

I don't mind a break between weirder stuff.

[LadyMistDragon]

Map 18: Stellar Tombs

 

In contrast to the previous two maps, we're in straight vanilla tan tombs. Yet, there's still little bits of detail like Imp corpses sitting in the coffins and mausoleums and a large frozen outside area with tons of supplies for someone that keep this from just feeling like "one of those maps" It's also notable for freely tossing Mauler Demons in our face, though we've got the SS out so that's not really an issue. The two rampart forks are fairly interesting. Teleportation might be predictable but having them appear before you touch ground on the other side is still a consideration. There was one nasty moment with some chaingunners, a Mauler Demon and a Baron that managed to kill us the first time narrowly. Rocketing everything the second time seemed to work though. The messages are really starting to become disturbing, and it's like we're being addressed as much as the original inhabitants. The ending tomb trap was kind of stupid and throwing in the Cacodemon for no reason before we enter said tomb was just an odd distraction. At least it had the perfect ending of Boney boys bursting out of the exit and all too eager to reduce any living beings nearby to bloody chunks.

 

 

 

 

[Pechudin]

MAP16: Them Bones (UV, PS, Saves: Yes)
While the second episode thus far has been much better than the first one (with some really good maps), this is one of the examples where the quality is a lot more uneven. The map's 240 monsters are not really used too well, with some exceptions. The crate "fight" completely halts any momentum with Chaingunner commandos that cover every angle - feels like you are disarming a bomb. And after you dispatch the Zombo, it returns as a Revenant, and another one after that. And then, after you get onto the other side, you get to experience it again, but in reverese. At least you get the rockets for that.

The crusher hallway was probably the worst type of padding - I'd take a bland hallways full of mooks to smoke with the SSG or RL over this any day of the week. The platforming by the Black Skull Key was also annoying.

Then, there are some good things - I liked the big circle pit with the Revs and an Archvile, and later a Cyberdemon. Both times the strategy is the same - get into the pit, smoke the Big Bad with the Dark Plasma and then shoot down the Revs with the RL. Down there, their rockets can't get you easily if you keep moving. Then there is also the milk pond with the submerged Cybie - scared me good when I could not find out where the sound came from.

Finally - we get some lore. The Entity informs us that "the Demons tried to use us" but "we used Hell to kill them all". UAC not being the bid bad? Instead there is a threat of an even bigger, outside force. Perhaps UAC opened up and even bigger can of worms than the first time around. Is the Red Demon the result of the Dark Corruption?

Verdict - a mixed bag. Bad parts are annoying and good parts are too dispersed. MIDI is fine but I'd expect more action and a far faster pace from it.

[General Roasterock]

Map 18: Stellar Tombs

 

  A straight line, now a bit murkier from all the context that it’s from a completely different game and I can’t tell which parts are original. I have nothing to say for the main chunk of the map, but the process to get the Red Skull was pretty unique, and another point for the necessity of some visual reference when using the jumppads. I always like when an Arachnotron gets the advantage in an encounter, and dropping one up on one of the dismantled turrets is a very cool way of making them threatening amongst so much else. The chokepoint telegraphed by the words is neat, and everything else flies under the radar.

[Pechudin]

MAP19: Broken Mirror (UV, PS, No-Save)
Another map clocking in with only 100 monsters, but they are all used well I'd say. The MIDI and the map compliment each other, giving a sombre yet determined tone. Of the special effects, the deep water (well, blood, lava and milk) and the "run-away key" was a really nice combination. The final fight versus 2 Cybers can scare the newcomer, but doing laps around the central pillar while killing the Arachnotrons with the RL, and then hosing down the cows with the Dark Plasma does the trick. By the way - I like how the fight does not devolve into infighting because of the elevation difference.

This map has one of the best usages of the black-and-whte space as well. I liked the silent teleporter BoH/HK ambush, but the show-stealer is this floral-pattern fight. Cramped quarters means Revs and Red Demons can be quite dangerous, and quick thinking is required to get rid of the Archviles that spawn in before they restart the party all over again.

All in all, a good map, one of the better ones. Kind of a breather, sandwiched between maps with kills nearer to 200+, yet the atmosphere and the special effects take prime spot. Also, I did not manage to crack the secret with the room that changes when you pass the halfway-point. I am intrigued.

 

 

Really nice.

[_goofyguy]

MAP16 - Them Bones

An interesting map. It's fucking huge, and some areas are properly good, and some are just padding. The crusher hallway where you had to go all the way there and all the way back was the worst part of this map. It's pretty complex and damn confusing and hard as hell, but I'd be lying if i said this wasnt my new favourite level. The design is also really well done, with the somehow satisfying bouncy staircase hallways and the room with a bunch of hanging corpses dripping blood being pulled off quite nicely. The banger soundtrack helps.

 

Now would also be a good time to talk about another new enemy. This strange doctor doom lookalike wields a fast firing rifle and dies to a single shotgun blast. Why? If you want combat fodder, just choose a regular zombie. If you want a legit threat but still want it to be easy to deal with, pick a shotgunner. The art design is actually quite good, but the purpose of this thing is unclear.

MAP31 - Apocalyptic Omen

Meanwhile, in an alternate universe, we go to hell (again.) And we are met with a fucking mass of monsters. Like seriously, I ran out of rockets dealing with the first mob. This map seems almost entirely designed to be a fucking joke, with 666 kills, a maze with zero clues of where to go and no quick route out, and almost no way to show where the secret exit is. This map seems to be delving back into old habits, and I don't like it.

[espilka]

MAP19 Broken Mirror - K: 100% / S: 100% (HMP, continuous)

 

The map has a large central wintery area with platforms and jump pads, which interestingly starts next to the exit and thus somehow through the progression ends up back there.  This area works as a large meandering hub, branching off to some of the most visually intriguing and challenging rooms and areas in the set so far.

 

There's an area in the void, at first in a complex room with a quasi-floral quasi-atomic pattern defining the space in white, black and red.  The combat here comes in waves, first Blood Fiends, next Revenants, and then yet two Arch-Viles, quick to bring alive everyone just disposed of.  Thanks to the dark-infused plasma rifle it really sounds more frightening than it is, plus there's also a lot corners behinds which to hide.  After the switches there appears a teleport to the next arena with two Cyberdemons atop a black cube, with an elevated outer edge swarming with Arachnotrons.  My strategy was to kill the Cybies first, and even though the Arachnotrons above have a good line of sight to you, constant running around the cube kept me alive.  After killing them, i focused on the Arax.

 

The final area is a large complex of pools of blood, ice water and lava, over which you chase the RSK, teleporting to a different section every when about to grab it, atop marble pathways - which by the way are filled with the liquid of the surrounding pool, so when it's the lava of the final section, you must balance on the very edge of the pathway not to get burned.  It's this area where i died many times, as my health had gone down to 5%, and the final section proved difficult for the humble Imps that spawn to the island when finally grabbing the key.  No health available, this took me several attempts.

 

This map has also what appeared the most intriguing secret of the set so far - the room whose colour changes - i imagine from winter to summer - when walking to the other side past the cultist statues, but when trying to get the door, the colours change back thus not allowing one to access the door of the altered room.  The solution appeared to be slightly disappointing, as after just circling the room a few times it did not change back and i was able to access the secret door.  Though the mechanism is interesting and unexpected, i would have wished for more decisive action on the player's part to be required.

 

Despite the increased difficulty, a fantastic map.  As an aside, i love the way the author uses that slightly diluted green texture, which i always associate with 'O' of Destruction, in the winter scenery - possibly making the best use of its slightly strange hue ever.

Edited October 18, 2023 by espilka

[Crusader No Regret]

Map 15: 100% kills and secrets

 

  A lengthier journey with enough threatening sections to not feel good about going through saveless.  A new monster make a debut here.  The Undead Hunter (that's what ZDoom calls them if getting killed by one) is functionally identical to the SS from the vanilla game.  Though I believe it is capable of facing away from the player, an improvement on the original.

 

  The first big brawl in the fountain area is what got me to resort to saves.  Between revenants and undead hunters, one can pick up a lot of unwanted damage and/or death.  There also the fights around the white key, both the immediate one and the hitscan gallery right after.  The big cacodemon swarm I cheesed by hiding behind a monster-blocking line and sending rockets at them while they were bunched up.

 

  In general, I've noticed the maps becoming more resistant to door camping.  Doors often are closed by walking over a nearly line rather than a timer and sometimes cannot be closed manually.  This gives monsters prowling on the other side more of a window to slip through.

 

    Not sure when in E2 it started showing up but there's a decoration the drips blood.  Maybe it's a ZDoom only port feature but it's unsettling and contributes to the creepy atmosphere.

 

   The confines after diving into the liquid after securing the red keycard are rather cramped and a bit claustrophobic for fighting in.  It's vital to not allow the archviles lurking down there to get out of control.  At one point, a pack of revenants will get alerted and it's far preferable to rocket them at a chokepoint lest they spread out.

 

   The end stretch was memorable though perhaps not in a good way.  Checkerboard floors, diagonal pillars, and narrow passages.  It's introduced very early in the map but there, I could easily deal with waiting monsters from outside the mess.  That luxury isn't happening at the end; it's way too long for that.  In what I imagine was intentional design, there's a lot of cells provided.  Creating the idea that one is to use plasma to deal with the monsters and running that risk of shots hitting walls and corners instead.  Gets tense when trying to take out archviles and not get flanked by other monsters, particularly revenants.

 

   The computer map at the start and the clue the writing provides allowed me to locate the secret exit without hassle.  The rest of the numbers aren't too important to keep track of, mostly they'll be naturally encountered while proceeding through the map.  The other secret is fairly easy to avoid triggering even if one picks up the relevant reward (or in the case of continuous never bothers to approach it due to carryover).  So quite likely to not trigger it and I only got it because I randomly walked over the secret-tagged sector near the hidden item.

 

   Gameplay mod gave me the lightning upgrade for the chaingun as well as Rapid Fire.  With both, it can reliably take down a lone revenant without retaliation so I ended up using it quite a bit.  Missing that SSG though I suppose I should have used plasma more on revvies, given how much spare cell ammo there was by the end.  Snagged for the rocket launcher my favored acid upgrade and Explosive Death.  Also ended up taking a level of Fragmentation Shots (hits send out hitscan attacks in multiple directions for a bit of added damage).

Edited October 19, 2023 by Crusader No Regret

[LadyMistDragon]

Map 19: Broken Mirror

 

(oh god, I'd rather not do this....)

 

Well, this is kind of a twist! The flavor text has gone from actively hostile to nihilistic and yet, stepping out from behind the starting snowfall reveals some of the greenest scenery that can be found thus far. That soon shift to what we're used to as we arrive in areas more exposed, or when we plunge into the valley below and fight off an ambush at moderately close quarters. Not before we end up in a perspective-shifting room where colors are constantly changing. What seems like mild coloring initially transforms into a more aggressive red color. Seemingly, there's also a secret here. Returning to the main area and going forward brings us to a platform from which two forks can be chosen. One leads into another one of those trans-dimensional areas, in the middle of which is a portal with each outer switch triggering an ambush, we'd better be ready for! Not very intelligent idea to rocket Mauler Demons to be quite honest, but hey, we do fight two AVs at the end of all this. The teleporter that's revealed takes us to a sort of fortress with Arachnotrons on the ramparts and two Cyberdemons in the middle, with the same black and white style as the previous area. Jump pads brings us to higher ground and reveal a white skull key next to the Cyberdemons. There are also two Cyberdemon torsos hanging in the corner that connect to something perhaps more disturbing. After this, we can return to the main area and take the other fork.

 

This contains even more greenery than the opening area, along with an ambush we could've allowed infighting in but didn't care enough to let that process take its course. A nearby jumppad takes us to a ledge with some trees but hitting a switch takes us forward!....before returning. The nearby jump-pads bring us up to a building where we happen to be completely surrounded by transparent Imps, Undead Warriors, a Mauler Demon or two and in the opening on the sides, Arch-viles! These folks know exactly what they're doing, even though it's clear this 'entity' Pechudin refers to might have had enough. The first room we enter seems to be yet another silly series of jumppads.....and this is where I really started to speculate on their purpose. We don't know the civilization's technology level, but honestly, seeing multiple jump-pads powered with Doom vanilla computer metal seems a little bit excessive. I don't know.

 

Anyways, we get a secret backpack here then we head to the other end of the previous room, leading to an open, almost arena-like room with ice, lava, and slime somehow intermingling. It's another case of head to red key, it disappears then we are ambushed. We're being taunted if indirectly. After this, we backtrack a ridiculously long way for the red key door which leads to the exit.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 19, 2023 by LadyMistDragon

[Celestin]

MAP19: Broken Mirror

 

I don't know what to write here, because nothing here sticks with me. Well, maybe except the red key fight. You teleport in and get surrounded by enemies, which got me down to 11% health and there is nothing to heal up here. Then you run from island to island, trying to catch the key, but it teleports away and instead brings some enemies. Also, there's lava here, which killed me several times. Aside from this annoying bit, it's a forgettable map.

[Pechudin]

MAP17: Absence of Reality (UV, PS, Saves: Yes)

Making up for lost time.

 

A breather map with only 85 monsters on UV. Most of the map is set in the white void, and the focus here is on boom features. The best one though is the 3D building that is bigger on the inside than on the outside, storing 4x times the square metre-age than its floor plan would suggest. The trick is done with silent teleporters that snap you to one of 4 copies of the biulding when opening the door. This is seamless and really a good trick (I am hesitant to even call it a trick, it's a really good feature).

 

Combat-wise, the setpieces make most of the combat. The best one is the Cyberdemon one with the islands that turn to lava. If you keep calm, you will be fine. Look at the ground below and jump when appropriate. I ran out of plasma ammo and had to Chaingun him to death but that's okay. The scrolling floor-funhouse was goofy but kinda fun as well.

 

The Entity informs us that "everythin dies, even you". This will probably make more sense in the future. In the end, I liked this map. MIDI is relaxing and gives an otherworldly feel, which is appropriate for the map.

 

EDIT: This may sound like a dig at Kain but I'll shoot. I wish there was a mapset that used these features like these 3D biuldings, jumppads etc. but like ... good looking, looking like a modern-ish wad. Like skillsaw-ish. I know that Kain's particular style sells the sometimes uneasy, alien feeling of the maps but sometimes it really can look rough. Not saying it's not functional, it works and it can look nice in its own way but that's just my opinion.

Edited October 19, 2023 by Pechudin

[espilka]

MAP20 Decay of Disregard - K: 100% / S: 100% (HMP, continuous)

 

First bona fide arena fight of the set, one of many.  Central platform with a Cyberdemon, corner platforms with Manx, and moderate waves of enemies, including Arch-Viles.  It's pretty wild but perfectly manageable, i died once here only. And as usual with this set, like the author said earlier, doesn't go into slaughter (though years ago i would have probably said so...)

 

i don't know why i died so many times in the whited out room with a rather dumbduck Cyberdemon and three Fiends.. it wasn't that difficult, but i just kept focking it up somehow, despite circle-strafing being perfectly perfect strategy for it (ok, i'm probably trying to downplay my poor playing...)  Chin up.  But none of that, or what comes after, is anything at all when placed against the library.  An impeded complex relativelly limited, could not say small, space with TWO FUCKING CYBERDEMONS.  That took some doing, ultimately we got through, one could even imagine it being fun, but it was at the same time tense and gruelling.  No desperation just yet, though, but confidence in getting through it at some point.  Stiff upper lip.

 

The progression here is something else, though, i remember being quite dazed and confused on my blind run at the switching sceneries, but going through it methodically enough everything will be alright, everything necessary will have been achieved, and once one arrives to open the exit everything seems to turn out fine.  Except, there's some enemies one hasn't found, but exiting has been made more exciting than usual, involving five Spidermamas.  Good tidings to those who decide to kill them, i ran past them all as swiftly as i could manage and reached the exit without incident.

 

The map is beautiful (i think once again the texturing has been much improved since the early version i played, even if it was very good looking already then - this being also the case for the couple maps i've played in advance...), the progression is ingenious, and the challenge of combat has reached new levels.  i have no clue what the secret was, seems i grabbed it along the way.  (EDIT: Oh the secret i remembered was in the section i didn't write about, not because it's not worth it, just that other things were more noteworthy - the maze is just 'par for the course' normal gameplay for this map, and there was a little secret passageway i would not have found without the automap.  Note: if i leave something out, as i often do, it's not because there was anything wrong with the sections, just that, in terms of this wad, there was nothing particular about them to say.  More to the point, i'm sure to mention something i didn't like - as i have done, about once so far!) Took me just above 30 minutes.

Edited October 20, 2023 by espilka
secret

[_goofyguy]

MAP17 - Absence of Reality

Set in the white void, this map is bursting with different gimmicks and features. A new type of pinkie (which i shall refer to as a redie, because it's red.) on every type of drug at once that moves at the speed of light, an amazing room which is different depending on which door you enter through, some extremely weird rooms with moving wall and floor textures. A real fun map, and a little bit of a breather since theres less monsters here. As always, great level. 

 

MAP32 - Layers of Time

So how did we go from the last shitshow of a map to this? The level paces itself really well, starting off with scattered doctor dooms, pinkies and zombies before building up to revenants, chaingunners, and cacodemons before climaxing in an epic battle over narrow bridge parkour. There's also sections of vanilla DOOM levels, which is fitting for a secret level. The horrid crusher passageway returns, although it's not as long this time. A great secret level!

[Crusader No Regret]

Map 31: 100% kills and secrets

 

(looks at the monster/item/secret count)  I think this map is trying to make a statement.

 

  There's a teasing mood to the map that gives it personality.  From a secret with no items. to the "why are you doing this" message, a maze where nearly every passage is worthless save for one thing that matters, and going around in circles for a key until one works out the trick to escape the loop, there's a feeling of looking at a checklist of what mappers shouldn't do and doing things on that list on purpose.  One more scare that had me jump while going for the secret exit and, well I'm not going to give that one away.

 

  The large monster count actually goes by rather quickly with most of them being packs of fragiles vulnerable to gibbing by rockets into their ranks.  A fifth of the monster count lies in wait behind the first door ripe for a rocket barrage. (expedited by gameplay mod buffs for me)  The red key took me by surprise even though I ought to have expected it given the mapset has pulled the "enter room, come out somewhere else" bit several times already.  Most of the monster population lies in the passage beyond and there are several equally appealing options for going about it.  Massive infight provocation, keeping the hellknights alive and using them as a roving attack force on the other monsters.  Or a more direct method of chewing packs up with my buffed rocket launcher and triggering massive chains of Exploding Death.  I appreciated the options.

 

  That cyber arena gave me no end of trouble trying to get through it.  There's no recovery whatsoever within the arena itself and I seemed to keep getting clobbered by revenant or cyber shots.  Just going for the switches that bring in more monsters to infight the cybers was tense and I've gotten nailed going for them more than I care to admit.  Only rockets are provided so it's tedious finishing them off.  The low point combat-wise.

[Celestin]

57 minutes ago, Crusader No Regret said:

There's no recovery whatsoever within the arena itself 

Spoiler alert, this is here to stay for the rest of the megawad.

[Pechudin]

MAP20: The Decay of Disregard (UV, PS, Saves: Yes)

I'm beyond no saving because some jumppads can be quite finnicky and I don't want to repeat jump sequences.

 

So, the MIDI gives a pretty clear "this is the final map of the episode" message, and the fights have the same tone. The starting room can give a fright to the unexpecting player but it can be quite easily disarmed by circlestrafing, focusing on the Archvile first with the Dark Plasma. The best fight of the map is undoubtedly the 2-Cybie fight in the library. The space is at a premium and Cybies can wander to the room's edges which makes your dodging much harder - so keep them in the middle. One thing that I wish was different is that there was fewer 90-degree angles you can get stuck on. Thankfully, the Dark Plasma quickly gets rid of the Cyber brothers.

 

I also liked the "decompression room" that gets flooded by milk, even if the fighting in the cave is humdrum. My only death came from the Cyber fight and the Red Demons - they can block you effectively and make you eat a rocket. The jump sequence I could do without though. Another thing I did not like was the E1M6-like maze of identical square rooms, even if there were some goodies in there. Finally, the SMM fight felt a bit like padding - like "oh I forgot to use these, here, have them infight".

 

Well, that was the white episode. A departure from the first episode, a jump in quality (both mapping and encounters), and overall my favorite episode. It feels cozy at times, hopeful even. None of that awaits in the next episode.

[Celestin]

MAP20: The Decay of Disregard

 

I feel like E2 started pretty strong but the energy dissapated as the chapter went on. The Decay of Disregard sadly reprises the issues I have with Sign of Torment: confusing layout and repeating fights that fail to make me engaged. The opening fight is the one I like the most, you are chased by monsters around a pit, trying to nail an archvile and avoiding cyberdemon's rockets. Then you enter a room where flipping a switch takes you to a different version of it, which I actually don't mind. Probably the low point of the map is a small, cluttered room where you have to kill two cyberdemons. Or boring white labyrinth that reminds me of E1M6. There's one more cyberdemon fight, this time it include several blood fiends and I actually wish this was more challenging.

 

The map ends with making a group of masterminds killing themselves, an underwhelming conclusion compared to F.O.A.D.