WADs you could describe as 'resource puzzles?'

[spineapple tea]

Almost a year ago now, @RED77 posted the first version of their submission, Fear Factory, to Alphabet Doom (alpha is currently available if you're curious). The general consensus was that version one was short on health, ammo, and was generally way too hard for UV. They've since updated it to have more resources allowing it to be a bit more generous towards the player, but I played the original version when it was first posted. Here's a video of my shitty UV-max demo I recorded after 121 attempts (mind you I suck at Doom).

 

Out of all the WADs I've played in recent memory, this one still stands out as some of the most fun I've had playing Doom in a long time. There's only 38 monsters in the whole map with an archvile being the highest tiered enemy you'll find, but the amount of ammo placed forced you to play the map over and over again to figure out exactly what to spend it on and when in order to not run out. If you spent enough time figuring out this balance, you could end up having excess ammo by the time you're heading for the exit. After spending many hours grinding away at the map, just seeing my cell count above 100 was a satisfying reward in and of itself.

 

I could end the post there allowing this to just act as an appreciation thread for a single old version of a map (RED77 is really a great mapper though), but I've been wanting to experience something similar to that initial playthrough. I'm not just looking for maps that are difficult despite a low monster count, nor am I looking for maps that are difficult due to a short amount ammo. What made this map specifically enjoyable was the feeling of chipping away more and more of the map in order to really understand every aspect of its layout, monster placement, and resource budget despite the map itself only being about seven minutes long and no larger than maybe MAP01 of Doom II. There's almost certainly a better term for this style of map I'm thinking of, but please feel free to recommend any maps you can think of that fit this description or even just maps you had a similar experience with. [note that I'm about to go to bed and have school tomorrow so I apologize if someone replies to this and I don't respond for a bit.]

[Insaneprophet]

The first map of Irregular Entropy feels like it fits what you describe almost perfectly. It starts with you not having nearly the ammo needed to kill anything and takes maybe 10 minutes of exploring/hiding and dicyphering exactly where you can go before you begin to have a toe hold and can start clearing areas. But that feeling of do I have enough ammo to do this and oh cool theres some shells or bullets, I can press on stays with you the entire map, even when and especially with the decision made to chainsaw any of the many many spectres you will encounter. My playtime was somewhere over the hour mark, possibly closer to two hours and the entire time I was managing resources including health while slowly puzzling out progression and the something like 15 secrets. I enjoyed the feeling but it is a beast of a level and you're opinions may vary but I hope this helps.

[spineapple tea]

I'll definitely have to check that one out when I have the chance later.

[Esperpento]

Yesterday just finished playing map24 (replacement of The Chasm) of Abscission and I think it may suit what you are seeking, I died a lot until I found how to progress and correctly spend the ammo. Map13 of the same megawad is also interesting in a similar sense and requires a lot of trial and error.

[Master O]

On 12/4/2023 at 1:38 AM, spineapple tea said:

Almost a year ago now, @RED77 posted the first version of their submission, Fear Factory, to Alphabet Doom (alpha is currently available if you're curious). The general consensus was that version one was short on health, ammo, and was generally way too hard for UV. They've since updated it to have more resources allowing it to be a bit more generous towards the player, but I played the original version when it was first posted. Here's a video of my shitty UV-max demo I recorded after 121 attempts (mind you I suck at Doom).

 

Out of all the WADs I've played in recent memory, this one still stands out as some of the most fun I've had playing Doom in a long time. There's only 38 monsters in the whole map with an archvile being the highest tiered enemy you'll find, but the amount of ammo placed forced you to play the map over and over again to figure out exactly what to spend it on and when in order to not run out. If you spent enough time figuring out this balance, you could end up having excess ammo by the time you're heading for the exit. After spending many hours grinding away at the map, just seeing my cell count above 100 was a satisfying reward in and of itself.

 

I could end the post there allowing this to just act as an appreciation thread for a single old version of a map (RED77 is really a great mapper though), but I've been wanting to experience something similar to that initial playthrough. I'm not just looking for maps that are difficult despite a low monster count, nor am I looking for maps that are difficult due to a short amount ammo. What made this map specifically enjoyable was the feeling of chipping away more and more of the map in order to really understand every aspect of its layout, monster placement, and resource budget despite the map itself only being about seven minutes long and no larger than maybe MAP01 of Doom II. There's almost certainly a better term for this style of map I'm thinking of, but please feel free to recommend any maps you can think of that fit this description or even just maps you had a similar experience with. [note that I'm about to go to bed and have school tomorrow so I apologize if someone replies to this and I don't respond for a bit.]

 

You want puzzles?

 

Here's a WAD full of them:

 

 

 

This has some of the most obnoxious puzzles ever seen in a Doom 2 custom wad.

Edited December 7, 2023 by Master O

[rita remton]

hi! perhaps this fits your description. the level of playing skill required to complete it, inclusive of resource management, is simply too high for me as an amateur doom player. anyway, best wishes :)

 

 

Edited December 8, 2023 by rita remton

[Crusader No Regret]

Map 24 of Requiem and map 20 of Deus Vult 2 take some tight ammo management to clear from scratch without busting out the cheat codes.

 

Several TimeOfDeath maps give just enough cell ammo to 2-shot every cyberdemon with no extra.  The Brookhaven hospital remake stands out as one where routing also matters to prevent encountering a cyber when you don't have the 80 cells and the BFG to deal with one.

 

Map 10 of Sacrament is somewhat longer than one would expect for a resource puzzle map but it's one where in continuous, I exited with less ammo than I started with.  If going to try this one for resource puzzle aspects, make sure to grab the original release and not the updated one.  DSDA might have it or I could try to dig it out of a backup on a flash drive.