Flesharmonic : a violent and sanguinolent 20-maps megawad (now on /idgames)

[Roofi]

                                                                                              

                                                                                 

 

Hello Doomworld, 

 

We are proud to announce the release of our violent and sanguinolent doom II project : Flesharmonic ! It's a 20-maps megawad of raw and  grilled meat to satisfy your insatiable appetite for wads!

 

This wad is served by the following team: @datacore (project leader) , @Alephany, @Duskolos, Jambon, @Nixx and me.

with the help of its fabulous testers: @Gr0mat, @WH-Wilou84 and its talentuous artist : @franckFRAG

 

The wad also uses resources made by the valuable Doomworld community, check out the read me for more info about the megawad.

 

You'll need a limit-removing port (-complevel 2) such as crispy doom or higher in order to run this wad.
 

                                                                                IDGAMES LINK

                                                                                                 ET BON APPETIT 

 

 

 

 

Here is the link of the development thread if you want to see additional and outdated screenshots : 

 

 

Edited January 11, 2024 by Roofi

[Alephany]

And "bon appétit" of course.

[Endless]

The French will rule the Doomworld!

 

[Gr0mat]

Hi people !
That was very fun to playtest the wad, I hope doing it again with you guys in a near future !

[Noiser]

Yummy! Nice to see this project fully realized, looks very stylish

[Firedust]

Bonjour!

Il me plaît greatly that the French Doom community is thriving!

[Hasamnas]

Looks good, well done!

[Biodegradable]

It's finally here! Time to fondle thy flesh ;^)

[Gothic Box]

All these puns are going to make me turn vegan. Nevertheless very interested in this set's art style, will update comment after playing 

[Datacore85]

Bon appétit Doomworld !

[slowfade]

This thing is so good. I couldn't stop playing until 2 AM last night and I was supposed to go to bed much earlier. I'm going to continue playing right now. I'll write my actual review later.

[Roofi]

10 hours ago, slowfade said:

This thing is so good. I couldn't stop playing until 2 AM last night and I was supposed to go to bed much earlier. I'm going to continue playing right now. I'll write my actual review later.

 

Nice ! Glad you love it :)

 

Edited October 11, 2023 by Roofi

[Nixx]

Hi

 

I've heard that there can be performance issues on large maps (especially MAP02).
It is possible that this is due to the use of a GZDoom type sourceport or derived with OpenGL. Try with an optimized sourceport like PrBoom+/DSDA or CrispyDoom, it is mainly with these that the maps have been tested.

[apichatpong]

I confirm slowfade feelings : really difficult to stop playing this one !

Great atmosphere, first six levels are top notch (sometimes reminded me of my recent trip through the eye by Mouldy). Some tough encounters (at least from my point of view) but an impressive way to manage the timepassing factor : these maps are smooth in the best way, I mean, perfect balance between running, fighting, comtemplation and exploration. Great job !

 

I've been through the first eight maps (plus beginning of 9th) but I had a problem with 7th and 8th... not because of the maps, they are really cool ! No... because of the Korn midi who took me a bit out of the "ambiance". A bit too campy for my taste (but it's my taste, not necessarly the other's)(or maybe it was the fatigue).

Anyway, I was a bit off during map 8 and will play it again.

 

At any rate, wonderful first half and i'll play the second one with appétit !

 

 

 

 

[Roofi]

It's really delighting to read reviews like this ! Thanks for playing !

 

 

[DreadWanderer]

Despite paying close attention to the words of kmxexii and MtPain27 on how the French Doom community doesn't screw around when it comes to difficulty, I refused to believe it.

 

I played a few maps. It's a very cool set, very original, but a bit beyond my skill level, at least in terms of UV pistol starts. I'll probably return to it once I get better.

[DeafPixel]

After checking out the first 5 or so maps, I am really in love with this WAD.
The hell aesthetic is unique and detailed, and every map has great interconnectivity and combat design.

[Bri0che]

Mais comment je n'ai pas vu ce thread plus tôt ?!

 

I will absolutely give it a try :D

 

 

[Bri0che]

Ok I'm mind blowed. First map for the moment is an absolute exploration adventure, the level of detail is amazing, and the mechanic of the cards (how ironic, "cards" while the real cards are called "keys"…) opening the path is original, this is really only complevel 2 ? Wtf... I do guess dummy sectors do miracle ;)

 

edit: I'm on MAP03 and it's getting even better, very nice job !

Edited October 13, 2023 by Bri0che

[Nixx]

@Vile streamed the wad, I watched the replay to see how he was doing (too well) and to know the first hot feedback on my maps (10 and 14):
he speaks too fast and me not being a native English speaker, it was difficult, but overall I think he enjoyed it, so I'm happy for my first maps created and published

 

Thx for playing it @Vile :)

Looking forward to seeing the end

[Datacore85]

@Vile

 

Sorry for my all-consuming passion in using Archviles.

Edited October 13, 2023 by Datacore85

[Vile]

Haha, now I feel bad for ragging on it but no, I had a great time with this wad overall.  It looks great across the board and the challenges towards the end suitably ramped up to where I was hoping it would go.  Congrats on the release!

[Hellektronic]

I feel like the first map (Embryon) needs a bit of additional fleshing, as it feels a bit incomplete. The architecture and landscape are very impressive, but I'd argue it ventures into the realm of being so uneventful its boring. I might recommend adding a population of weak monsters such as zombies or imps to offset the monotony of hunting cards in a more or less completely empty level. And then balance the monster placements to the difficulty, obviously. Maybe lead the player towards the cards using the monsters, kind of like hints.

Just my opinion, but it's stylish otherwise.

[Nixx]

Among those who played wad, did you notice any problems? Any inconsistencies or anything that will help us perfect the final version?
Your feedback will be welcome

[Datacore85]

I created a server on zandronum with TSPG for those who want to play coop or survival.

 

[TSPG] Doom II - Flesharmonic_RC1e

104.128.58.120:10775

[apichatpong]

Not so much to say after my first playthrough, no blatant problem (but i didn't get all the secrets, for instance missed 3 of them in map 05 and sometimes missed two or three kills (on ITYTD). I plan to play it again on HNTR (maybe pistol start...) to feel a bit more some ammo starvation problem  but it might not be significant since the royal category is UV.

 

The only thing I can think of now is totally anecdotical :

At the end of map 31, when approaching the window texture there is a not so beautiful effect depicted below (speaking of map 31, the pitch black part is nasty (maybe i've missed a light switch...))

 

Oh, and also, some gargoyle switches appeared only half-complete (but it might be a choice and didn't bother me at all)

 

I play on GZdoom, this might be part of the reason ?

 

 

EDIT : tried on zdoom, when approaching the windows you can see the whole sky without any trace of the window's barriers but no brownish--grey invasion.

PLUS : trying on zdoom, I realised that the pitch black section is not supposed to be pitch black, you can see a little playing it in zdoom... compared to not able to see anything in gzdoom.

Edited October 15, 2023 by apichatpong

[Bubbinska]

I really enjoyed playing through this wad. Some fantastic decoration to look at in between punishing fights. Standout memorable levels were MAP10 (Castle Fleshenstein), MAP14 (Hypothetical Gates), MAP31 (Muddy Flesh). So many unsettling vibes. 

[Roofi]

Thanks for the reviews folks !

 

Those are encouraging. :)

[apichatpong]

OK… after having spammed this thread and some of the mapper’s message box, here are my final thought :

 

Trigger Warning : for veterans or just good players, you’ll find here some stuff non-necessarily relevant for you because I mostly play on ITYTD. I’m not good at analyzing fights… Sorry.
Also sorry, it’s long, sometimes repetitive, sometimes a bit delirious…

I'm no doom encyclopedist so some of my comparisons might be heavily questionable...
English is not my native language so grammar is not mastered and vocabulary is sometimes redundant.
Some minor spoilers can be found below but the real reason I use Spoilers system is because my stuff is quite long...

 

Spoiler

Map 01 :
Great idea to start with an atmospheric, puzzly map.
It seems to be a thing for modern wads to open with expository landscape but, here, there is a « je ne sais quoi » (something unsettling like bubbinska said) that work differently, especially when you consider it with map 02.
Troglodytic, ruinish, small fortress that lead to steep and wide exploration playground, good monster’s choice - lonely lost souls are the saddest thing you can imagine in doom -, this level, at some points, reminded me one of my first emotion in Doom re-discover last year : the climbing of eagle’s nest in deus vult II.
For people like me who like to play continuously, you’ll find everything you need to start the fights to come !
The secret is in the spirit of this great exploratory map ! And a bit twisted, when you think about it - at least for the pistol-starter - since it gives the most dangerous thing to face the majority of demons in the place… and maybe the only way to die… (ok, I’m overthinking a bit…)
Wonderful opening !

 

 

Map 02 :
Alephany, in the readme file, seems to be disappointed with this map. I can understand… and at the same time I don’t !
I can because, apparently, he had much more ambition for the map and it’s not difficult to imagine the frustration of not being able to exactly accomplish what you have in mind… BUT… the map is really good !
Opposite to the « climbing into the wild » of the first map, but consistent with the atmosphere, here, the lifts and stairs only lower (in spirit). « They » really live and move below ! And when you are teleported to the top of the map, it’s only to convene, at the surface of a parking lot, an impressive « six feet under » mayhem.
One of the reason I really like this map is that it feels like a purgatory (or maybe hellish limbos) after the first map. There is something absurd with the big fight mentioned before : You start viewing it from above, then you jump into the action… but the right way (at least to me) to play it is being a spectator ! You run, turn, circle, try to avoid the ground blocks, and watch these guys kill each others. Of course, you can berserk a bit, you also may use your arsenal, but I felt something wrong doing so (except to kill the pain elementals….).
Nice last part as a transition to hell ! Really dig the flesh tunnels texture.
There is something spooky and hypnotic in this map.

(My first death came from the parking fight ! At some point I thought I had killed all the pain elementals and then, one of them appeared high in the sky… and I was like « Oooh » and « Heeeww », very contemplative, almost as if my eyes looked above my computer… and then I received a bunch of revenant rockets.)

 

 

Map 03 :
Referred as a « filler ».
OK.
But what a filler !
Entrance to anti-deist hell in an ecclesiastic place viewed through a metaphoric mirror like the one in John Carpenter’s Prince of darkness.
Great balance between gutsy corrupted monastere’s underground (loved that there is a library part) and open cloister, vivid and continuous action, nice details, bad arch-viles : you can almost hear echo of distant monster’s growl in every room.
I’m not a specialist so there must be much more precise comparison than the one coming but, I felt there like in a (quite) smaller version of Harlot’s garden from Sunder (regarding the evocative decorum, not the fights).
Love this map !

 

 

Map 04 :
You start in a long thieve which, due to the double meanings installed by the map name’s pun, feels as claustrophobic as a right-angled cacodemon’s intestine. At any rate, nothing more satisfying than chaingunning a wide bunch of imps to begin a good map.
And it’s a good one ! For the beginner I am, some close combats in tight spaces were challenging (I am a running away kind of guy) and you’ll find here your first mean trap (avoidable on second play but of the kind you can forget after some days and fall into again and again).
A compact energetic map, more action oriented (but a bit more explorative for the secrets) than map 2 and 3, with a great variety of encounters (every area has its own signature combat (chaingun slaughter, less chaingunnable monsters in tight corridors, spectres in the dark, snipers, traps, big room with predefined straight fights*).

* I think here about the blue key’s room and have difficulty to describe that classic kind of fight… they are a bit bossy but not really bossy… a bit puzzle but not really puzzle. Anyway, for the joke, first time I played it I died because, before starting the fight with the switch, I convinced myself it would be a mess, studied the place and choose the pacifist running approach… but… when the first wave is only barons, not a great idea (and the second wave monsters easily block your way around). I let them infight the second time but in a much more organized way…

 

 

Map 05 :
What a map !
First : the opening. At first sight ? not that original. But, man, I loved to try the multiple routes you can follow. There are some high-tier monsters to play with… and « play with » are the right terms. Do you really have to kill those hitscanners just to offer the next-to-come arch-vile to resurrect them ? This cyberdemon, friend or foe ? Etc, etc.
Nice and Intense !
Then : lot of differently (but consistently) stylized areas, with great equilibrium between indoor and outdoor, beautiful details on a narrow string separating classicism and modernism. A tiny touch of platforming. Very satisfying to explore !
Finally : speaking of exploration, you’ll be in here for your money. The secrets hunt goes from easy to really hard but always give you what you need (two secrets are especially tedious, got one of them by a « lucky-look » and the other with the help of a wad’s contributor (even though, after having it, I must recognize it’s a classical doom mechanic)).
Bravo !

PS : Combatwise, I had a lot of fun !
PS2 : great use of the descent midi.

 

 

Map 06 :
Small room start but, directly after a welcoming short fight « à la démoniaque », you enter a wide and beautiful open ground surrounded by vertical hellish frontage, something in between medium sized cliff and city fortress.
There is something instantly threatening in here : from snipping monsters to what you can imagine is hidden behind those walls… And the exploration is going to be of the step-by-step kind : frightening closed doors, switches hunt, walls lowering, traps, teleports… the genra of map I love ! With a « story », intense (but approachable) action and this sense of picking the leaves one by one to reveal all the concealed layers.
This is one of the nice things from Flesharmonic : you won’t find here oversized harassing maps (even though I love some of that kind…), only compact to medium(+) sized ones, but with great interconnectivity between and inside them. Blind runs might take some time but, other playthroughs, beyond still being enjoyable, could be of different energies : you can speed, you can purposely lost yourself and contemplate… (blah blah blah, « this is the point of every doom map » some might say… yeah, of course…).
 

Map 07 - 08 :
You continue, here, the realm of Datacore ! After 6 maps with 5 different mappers, maps 6, 7, 8 and 9 are all from the project leader.
I’ll speak generally and honestly here, but read me ’til the end !

The sequence from map 01 to map 06 included is, IMHO, one of the best wad’s opening ever.
Because of variety and consistency, because of what I’ve tried to say about the installation of the atmosphere (starting with map 01 and 02), because of different approaches in fight design…
After map 06, the two following ones might feel like show stopper. For some reasons that are personal and that i’ll try to explain :
First - when you’re hooked by controlled variations, apparent continuity might disturb a bit.
Second - when entering a level, I always (when it’s possible) spend time looking around trying to get some atmosphere, with the help of the midi and what I can imagine will come. From that point of view, map 07 and 08 are - seemingly ! - the first claustrophobic and oppressive ones.
Like map 13’s one, map 07 and 08 midis are renditions of elementary and repetitive riff oriented heavy metal (no offense ! I grew up with and still love Korn first album and Rammstein), the opening area are a bit crushing… so my first impression was mixed.

Buuuuutttt sometimes you have to throw your first impression by the window ! I’ve played more postmodern, abstract wads parallel to Flesharmonic and it happened that, when restarting FH after that, directly on slot 7 or 8, I felt a deceptive « grand écart »… yet, when the action start, all is forgotten !!!

 

Map 07 is great fun ! And when I say « fun », I don’t mean stressless fun !
Once again, you’ll find traps and lowering stuff revealing not so good friends who will bully and harass you… something in the mechanic reminded me my far away discovery of the movie Cube (but without the puzzles).
It’s really strange to feel your way along a map (because of what’s mentioned above), and, at the same time, to get a real sense of fluidity. This intricate snare map does it !

Just one negative thing to say : I know that people who play ITYTD are… too young to die (even though I’m sure to be older than, at least, 75% of the forumers) but they deserve to see the opening zombie’s disenbolwment (even if they don’t need the ammo it gives you) ;-).

Map 08 is great fun ! And when I say « fun » I mean « sadistic fun » !
Not at all the hardest map, it’s one of some that I’ve tried on HNTR or HMP, pistol start. On continuous playthrough, you don’t feel it but, pistol starting, you have to fight for your weapons and ammo !
It might be the closest FH map to be considered an acquired taste since I’ve had to read the text file to discover that you’re supposed to be/feel « like inside a barbecue grill ». Didn’t get it at first play, but when known (and verified on second look), it really add a dimension to this map !

 

 

Map 09 :
The saddest and most atmospheric Datacore map… and one of my favorite from the wad.
The difficulty, here, is different. Not that it is much more extreme than the last two entries, but the way to land the fights is something else. Map 07 and 08 had stressful fights but overall energetic, with lots of adrenaline… on Map 09, you quickly feel numb because of the rampantly dark atmosphere and when fighting bunches of cacodemons or revenants, or just by hearing the sound of the arch-vile coming behind you, you instantly get overwhelming depressed vibes.
The guts and flesh texture is sufficiently well dosed to question yourself : is it an invasion, a corruption, or was it always here, hidden below ?

 

 

Map 10 :
Maybe the hardest map so far ! To be honest, it felt more difficult than map 14, the other Nixx’s one (at least on ITYTD, I can’t imagine what happen on UV…)(and map 14 is difficult)…
But once again, what a map ! The first half consist in the exploration of an infested smorgasbord of textured rooms (after all, isn’t Frankenstein’s creature some kind of smorgasbord of flesh ?) and, at some point - very personal feeling - it turned Japanese. For the better. We are not at the level of rational madness JPCP map 29 attains but some general looks to the landscape Nixx organized reminded me of something called, in Japan, Thomason (If I remember well), from the name of an US baseball player who went to play in Japan, was greatly awaited there… but got wounded and never really start to play on Japanese league… Thomason are now the name given to supposedly useful manufactures that reveals themselves to be totally useless… and you can find stuff like that in some Tokyo’s streets, for instance : staircases that leads to nowhere, useless doors etc.
Well, I’ve got Thomason vibes in the first part of map 10 !
Anyway, every stairs, tower, bridges, holes are guarded by mean mean guys !
And when entering the castle, it’s more or less the same ! What a f…..g great and SADISTIC idea it was to put respawning arch-viles on the ammo’s rooms for the last fight !
Not perfect but really impressive map !

 

 

Map 11 :
Map 10 was a deep change of atmosphere after map 09. Map 11 is at the extreme opposite of the spectrum. Map 11 is austere, and even more : sovietic.
I love this idea, this non-politically correct idea. The red from the blood and flesh, the hellish red mixed with the red from USSR communism.
You wander on a grey and red, minimalist, right angled version of some hellish east Berlin.
The anxiety is once again different ! You feel observed, spied on, and the big guys that come to arrest you all wears KGB uniforms.
There’s no revolution in gameplay, but the concept wins it !

 

 

Map 12 :
The midi is a rendition of one of my favorite Pantera’s song, great start !
One more digression about midis in this mapset : I tend to naturally appreciate mysterious and atmospheric soundtracks, but also some energetic midis, and felt, at first, a bit perplex seeing so many midi’s version of rock and metal songs in this wad. But it’s a grower ! As an echo to the difficulty I have to classify this wad between classical, modern, old-school, explorative, action-oriented… the soundtracks vary from very atmospheric and expressive midis to down to earth, unilateral ones. But the fact is : they are well-chosen, and in the end, I dig the 90’s tracks, because of nostalgia, and also because it discreetly infuses an old school feeling in a limit-removing project… not so obvious.
Back to the map : sorry but, once again, it’s a great one ! With one of the most satisfying moment in the wad : the horde of imps’s slaughter in the northwest area. You can choose between chaingun or rocket launcher and it’s a small and welcomed pause between two hard fights. You have to go from ground to rampart walk and back, with the pleasure of some distant surprises (not only hitscanners) and the obligation to constantly stay on guard because threats are everywhere !
The only choice I’m not convinced by is the « tribal » pattern on the ground of the central court…

 

 

Map 13 :
Another moderately modern map by Datacore. As it is the last map I wrote a review for, I can tell it now ! Every time I play one of Datacore map from this wad, I say to myself : « Ok, this is his best map ! ». There is no « that map ! » effect with Datacore (maybe map 09?) but a sense of « force tranquille » that lead to a corpus of uniformly high-level stuff.
I learned to love his oppressive starts because, like in this entry, you’ll always find at least a little bit of sky ! I especially dig the reinvigorating, small but central, outside part of this map.
The Datacore « tour de force » is right here : Looking from far away, some maps feel close to each other, esthetically and from mechanics point of view, but when inside the house, they all deliver different expression and impressions.
I’m sorry to go back and forth, again and again, on this subject… the reason is : that kind of maps are the most difficult to talk about, let’s compare to movies : when you watch a de Palma, Scorsese, Tarkovski, Tarantino movie, you can easily rely on the climaxes or the obvious and ostentatious identity of filmmaking  to review things… when confronted to Renoir, Lubitsch, Pialat, Risi, Wilder or Robert, their style exists and are deep, but also much more hidden and difficult to surround. It’s more a question of discrete sense of rhythm, overall dramaturgy or comedy etc.

PS : Sorry Datacore, I won’t say you are the Pialat or Wilder of Doom, but your maps are really good !!!

 

 

Map 14 :
Another banger from Nixx !
The beginning’s difficulty depends on how you play : continuously ? The horde of pinkies can be less a threat, and so is the snipping cyberdemon (and the barons), but, to put into perspective what I’ve said above about map 10, on pistol start, it’s not the same shit !
When reaching the first refuge room, you’ll be welcome by a (manageable) arch-vile. After that, it will be a succession of mean areas you could reach through different routes by running or playing with teleporters. This is maybe (for what my opinion worths) the most abstract map in the wad and it’s (again) a great one ! Once again, especially in the western area, non-unity in textures dominates, but in a less anarchic way compared to map10, every area is greatly stylized (with one unmissable « clin d’oeil » nicely included in the decorum !)(there is another reference in map 10 but, since i’m not a Plutonia connoisseur, I missed it) and combat design is really good.
Speaking of combat, another personal viewpoint : you may find in this map a sort of sadistic YIN to the sadistic YANG of map 10. I’m thinking about the second cyberdemon encounter and what directly follows. The cyber preside in the center of a room with four columns that’ll reveal arachnotrons, revenants, mancubus and hell knights…. A priori : frightening ! But playing it pacifist is easy and you will enjoy seeing the cyber kill one by one the other species (at least the ones who didn’t already killed each others)… when job’s done by your ally, you will take your time circle strafing and (normal) shotgunning him. On the next room, sadism applied to monsters continue : four very small cages containing two cacos and two pain elementals. First kill the cacos and then, once again, take your time, because the pain elementals don’t have enough room to throw lost souls, they are armless… so wait… wait… for what ? For the midi to arrive to the refrain ! At that point you’ll hear in your head Rob Halford singing : « he… is… the PAINKILLER ! » (maybe the lost souls blocking is due to GZdoom, I hope not…)(I don’t wanna know).

Map 15-16 :
Some punishing ones !
Considering difficulty, the wad progression is usually smooth (okay… you’ll face high tier monsters from map 02 ’til the end, but the toughness of the encounters is well-organized)… map 10 was a first level gap crossed… map 15 is another level !
Replaying it with map 16 made me realize that, esthetically speaking, it’s not an unsolvable question of classicism against modernism, the answer can be found in another great wad I already invoked : Sunder.
Let say that some level until now reminded me of some specific « new sunder »’s levels aesthetics (especially detailing), map 15 and 16 both have old sunder fumet (maybe around sunder’s map 06 to 08) !
And since I enjoy both old and new sunder, good for me !!!
Well, these maps are highly challenging and stimulating, non-stop action, close-to the core of evil. On HMP, I had to iddad on some parts, on ITYTD I died a LOT but managed to see the end.
On first playthrough, I didn’t found the secret exit on map 15 and so played the two alongside… and it’s really enjoyable although intense and tough for newbies like me.
The second time, found the secret exit and it was even better ! Map 31 and 32 are sandwiched between 15 and 16 and, as good (and hard) secret maps as they are, they’ll make you step aside for a moment and, starting map16 after them give an intense and tragic feel of « no end in sight » !
Top notch !

PS1 : « Milk it » for map 15 ? Niiiice, the most twisted nirvana song.
PS2 : One advice, Map 15, before the star-shaped room fight, be patient (EDIT : Ah ah ! tried it a bit more on HMP and managed to go til the star shaped fight... my advice is only true on ITYTD! on HMP, don't be patient !!!)

 

 

Map 17
The first multiple entries ending map I’ve played, so : can’t compare to Meggidos and other ones by the French community.
I had to cheat almost all along, maybe because of fatigue but also because these arena are tough ones.
I’ll try again later since I’m sure there is a psychological factor behind my surrender, I’ve beaten some hard fights before, after all…
Anyway, even if necessarily different, the trip through this map under forbidden stamina is very much enjoyable since the areas are very different in esthetic and mechanic… and every one of them has a soul !
The boss fight in the end is a nice idea, well in the theme of the wad, although a bit « two dimensional ».
I might prefer the Sauron’s eye mad climbing from Tangerine Nightmare but this one is a great replacement of IoS.

 

 

Map 18
The French are good for credit maps, and this one don’t deviate from the rule ! Duskolos is back in town with his wonderful and natural detailing talent. Here, the « secret map » is, at the same time, inside and all around. Gives you a joyful and deeply sympathetic farewell !

 

 

Map 31 :
After map 03 and 05, Duskolos confirms how good he is at adventure mapping and expressive detailing !
You’ve got everything you want here : techbase, outside’s cliff, cavern, dark zones, flesh tunnels, storage zone, a touch of library, abstract places etc
And all of this in a map that never give the impression of being too big !
Really a « tour de force », a clever and fun one, with also some mean fights and strained endurance !
On one post above this one I mentioned a nasty pitch black fight… yeah… believe it or not, at that point, the cliché linking French community to cruelty was so deeply accepted by my subconscious mind that, facing this pitch black sector with spectres and chaingunners, I convinced myself that it was a challenge… and tried it x times, always dying (of course). After some « well spent » time, I decided to pray for this area being optional and went the other way. After a few minutes, I entered a twilighted room, spotted a button, clicked it… And there was the light ! But I was so much at the end of my tether that, not only I didn’t link it to my not so distant disastrous moment, but worse : I thought « Oh my God, those French are masters in sadistic irony ! Giving us now a non-necessary lightswitch ! Bravo ! ».
Well…
Once again : wonderful and varied map !

 

 

Map 32 :
I imagine this map might feel very different depending on your skill level choice.
This is a very small and tight map with low monster’s count. On ITYTD it is a well appreciated pause between two hard maps. No real threats, just a nicely designed simple place where you can kill disgusting stuff while smoking the well deserved cigarette after map 31 and before map 16.
I’m sure its was not Datacore’s intent but it fit very well as it is for me.
I took a peek at the UV version, monsters are much more high-tier and dense (but still low count) and it’s another game, pretty sure enjoyable but for other reasons !

 

 

As a conclusion : To extend the barbecue metaphor, you’ll find in this wad, with a nice equilibrium, skewers, ribs, sausages, offals, noble parts — « tartare », « saignant » or « à point » — even some very spicy vegetables. You’ll sometimes feel like a chopped steak, some other times you’ll scream for salt and pepper, just to find them hidden behind the wall (or maybe after a good old exploration)… but in the end of the afternoon trip, the sense of satiety will be intensely appreciated ! And the « sieste » ? delightful and restorative !

 

 

P.S. : I’m pretty sure this is due to GZdoom but i’ll say it :
- on map 05, in the area with the revenants guarding chaingun, just before there are imps… one of them never start to fight.
- on map 06, in the southwest corner with the blue armor, there are two lost souls that never leave their tunnel.

Edited October 22, 2023 by apichatpong

[Nixx]

Thank you very much for your very complete feedback, the mappers are happy to have feedback on their maps.

 

As for pain elementals not spitting lost souls on map 14, thank you for this feedback, it may be a problem specific to GZDoom, no one has noticed this problem so far, it works of course DSDA and Crispy. I will test for my part to see if it is possible to correct without breaking everything.