The DWmegawad Club plays: 10x10, Heartland, Sigil II

[ReaperAA]

MAP03: Reservoir Dog

As the name suggests, this map seems to take place in some sort of sludge processing facility of sorts. Again like Map02, there is plenty of verticality and room-over-room present in this map.

 

The highlight of the map is the part where we press the switch to lower the sludge. Once you drop down, you have to contend with tons of baddies, both that are revealed from the previously hidden paths and some more teleporting enemies. Probably the single hardest fight in Heartland up until this point. Also, in case if you decide to not drop down after pressing that switch, you will die because a few bombs are released in that room to force you to jump down (this was not in the original RC1 release and was later added to prevent cheesing the fight).

 

This map introduces the Grells, which are small flying enemies that fire a low-moderate damage green projectile and have same health as a chaingunner. We also get the dual SMGs in this map as well, which are honestly quite fun to use but can eat ammo very quickly.

 

For those who are wondering if lost souls have less hp, yes that is true. Their health is reduced from 100 to 40.

[Insaneprophet]

Map 03: reservoir dog

 

I had a good enough time with this level to immediately idclev back to the beginning as soon as I hit the exit. My second play was just as fun and perhaps more rewarding because I knew what was going on and understood the play space of the map better, the multi-storied geometry with raising/lowering sectors tends to confuse my monkey brain that is limited in much the same way as our favorite game engine. I continue to be impressed with heartland despite having played enough skillsaw maps to have known what style we were in for and know that he pretty much makes nothing but good shit.

[Celestin]

MAP03: Reservoir Dog

 

Heartland finally turns towards this one particular combat style that Skillsaw employs a lot in his maps. The one with open layout, large monster numbers but without the density of slaughter gameplay. Reservoir Dog is the kind of map where you have to deal with attacks coming from all side, so you end up running around, eliminating whatever stands in you way and search for health and ammo. To be fair, this reminds me of Struggle more than Valiant, but I'm not complaining.

 

The map takes place in a flooded techbase of sort, set in the middle of a large basin. As the map goes on, the muddy water gets drained, transforming the level and revealing new arenas. It's a highly vertical map, which is why the new flying monster, grell, works here well. However, you are not defenseless. If you enjoyed an SMG, here's the second one. It cuts through the basic monsters, but watch out for ammo, it will drain your supplies quickly.

 

I had a lot of fun here, Reservoir Dog is full of action, with the high point is the huge battle at the bottom level.

[Zirtonic]

MAP10: Lunchlunchlunchlunch

 

This is a strange map and unfortunately it's not for the right reasons. It's not the hardest map, which I think is either 7 or 9. It isn't the weirdest map, which I would give to 1, 3, or 31. Maps 5, 6, and 7 have much more interesting encounter design and map 1 does the techbase aesthetic better. Outside of the archvile team meeting you walk in on and the secret RL fight I struggle to see how this earned the final map slot. Those fights are both great, I'll admit, but 2 fights doesn't make a map finale worthy. The MIDI is quite enchanting, although I'm not sure what it says (if anything) when the song feels more appropriate after all the demons have been killed. Still, it's definitely the strongest part of the level. To be clear I do like this map as a whole, I just question its placement.

 

Final thoughts:

 

This is a very personal wad. All one man wads are, obviously, but this feels like a wad Lunchlunch made for himself and then decided to publish after the fact. Your Valiants and Scythe 2s are solo endeavors as well but you can tell that their creators were making their maps with a larger player base in mind. 10x10 zooms really far in on Lunchlunch's vision and it's stronger for it.

 

The difficulty here, in a word, is rewarding. It's not the toughest level set out there but after playing and beating it (with a reasonable amount of deaths along the way) I think you've earned the right to say you "are good at DooM." I back down from a lot of challenge wads because I think they're too far above my skill level but after beating 10x10 I think I've added a degree or two to my belt. Zzul Method and Abuse Me, Darling deserve most of the credit for that. Sad Bastard as well, which ended up being my favorite map in the set.

 

----------------------------------

 

I'll see you all on the 20th!

[Magnusblitz]

MAP03: Reservoir Dog

100% kills, 1/2 secrets

 

Another map making lots of use of the new vertical elements. I too got a bit confused at first, since I'm just so used to Doom levels not behaving in such a way, but after dropping the water after the red key I was continually bumbling into areas I thought I had cleared only to then remember no, you cleared the upstairs, you're on a different floor now. Thankfully skillsaw put some thought into properly leading the player around, I think I would've completely missed the yellow door had I not made note of it while bumbling around the early part of the map in confusion, so the trail of health bonuses to it from the yellow key is a good move. Nice spicy fight about 3/4ths through with the grenade trap, too.

 

Grells are a decent addition, basically a faster-lighter cacodemon. Because of it's speed its also better at flanking, but gives itself away with its loud noises.

Dual SMGs are sweet.

[Insaneprophet]

Map 04: routine flaring and flailing

 

Another adventuresome level set in a large map where the engines capabilities can make it easy to become lost and turned around but Skillsaw does a great job of keeping enough enemies surrounding us or new traps to spring that the player is never at a loss for what to do next. It was only once I stopped trying to figure out where I was that I was able to just fall into the rythm of the combat and everywhere I needed to be magically fell into place right in front of my very eyes. But thats always how I felt about Skillsaws mapping, if your in one of his maps, just go with the flow, he crafts all of his layouts and fights to just work that way. We also get a flame thrower in this map but I didnt get to use it because I only found it while exploring after everything was dead.

 

 

[RHhe82]

MAP04: Routine Flaring and Flailing

 

It's a decent map - and I feel a little bad saying that this map feels a bit routine? I guess I was expecting new awe-inspiring things here since each map so far has felt very special and different from each other -- and this one feels a bit like retreading last two maps. Then again: once again I find nothing wrong with the map, it has some nice encounters like the end fight on the bridge against three cybruisers and low-tier hordes spawning from behind.

 

At the end I had all the secrets, but a couple of dozen enemies missing. I had totally missed one area in the dark warehouse, easily missable, especially when I had managed to grab the soulsphere by dropping on the ledge from above. I guess the intended way was by entering the place I had missed. And still I was missing something like 8 enemies, no clue as to where they would be.

 

In addition: the last secret with the flamethrower I found only after the map was over, only those missed-area monsters remaining :( At least I got to test it out... still, sad face, because the end bridge fight gave player some fuel.

 

So, a good map; I only sound negative because I liked the first three more.

[Celestin]

MAP04: Routine Flaring and Flailing

 

I don't think I enjoyed this one as much as the previous maps. I mean, the start is fine, it's the same mad run through the map I enjoyed in MAP03. Once this is over, Routine Flaring and Flailing slows down somewhat, using incidental combat more and picking up the pace when you see a key. The blue one is in a dead-end tunnel that unleashes cybruisers and kamikaze zombies. If you manage to run past them, you should be fine. I like the red key encounter, it's a small arena that again uses cybruisers and suicide bombers, but the space is much more confined. Finally, the yellow key drops you into a room with an archvile and a number of chaingunners, but luckily you are given dual SMGs just before this one. Or you can make a jump to a secret flamethrower, but I've only found it at the end of the map, so I can't tell you how useful it is.

 

The ending takes place on a bridge, with three cybruisers on one side and a teleporting mob of imps, shotgunners and pinkies on the other. It's not as scary with a full stash of rockets. I don't think this is a bad map, but I completely missed a rocket launcher, so I was surprised to be running low on ammo. By the time I've cleared the red key part, I had no bullets, two shells and a surprising amount of rockets. No doubt this soured my experiences, because this is a fine level otherwise, but didn't grab me as much as the first three maps.

[Magnusblitz]

MAP04: Routine Flaring and Flailing

96% kills, 2/2 secrets

 

My experience was pretty similar to @RHhe82's - found the map decent, but not as good as the last couple. Most of the fights are unremarkable, with the exception of the yellow key (chaingunner/AV) fight which is a decent exercise in threat triage, and the bridge fight at the end, which I admittedly felt like I cheesed by simply blasting my way through all the small fry teleporting in behind so I wouldn't get pincered. I suspect you're supposed to use the crate for cover from the cybruisers while you take out the other guys, oh well. I also found the flamethrower secret after I had killed everything, so didn't get to use it on anything which was a bummer. And, I also had about 15 enemies remaining, not sure if there's a broken trigger or just an area I missed.

[ReaperAA]

MAP04: Routine Flaring and Flailing

Another generally solid map, but not as memorable as the first 3 maps imho. The general combat here is mostly similar to Map03, but doesn't have "that one big/memorable" encounter that the previous map had. The closest to such an encounter is probably the yellow key fight where we have to deal with a ton of chaingunners and an archvile with dual SMGs...

 

... or you can jump down to the secret area just before that encounter and find the flamethrower. This new weapon replaces the plasma gun and is slightly more powerful in terms of both single target DPS (you can pretty reliably kill an archvile before he completes his attack if you start attacking first) and the flames also do some splash damage. Though the drawbacks include having limited range, reduced ammo pool + less ammo from pickups and also getting damage from the flame's splash damage.

 

As for the rest of the map, it seems to take place in and around some sort of... warehouse? I don't know exactly, but we do enter a building where there's a lot of crates and stuff. Mostly "routine" stuff here. The red key fight with the cybruiser + suicide zombies was somewhat interesting and the last fight of the map just before the exit is alright too, though can be easily dealt with by using the RL to blast your way past the zombies/imps teleporting from behind.

 

Overall, this might be the weakest map in Heartland, but not because it is a bad map by any means. Only that the rest of the maps are even better. Especially the upcoming 3 maps, the 3 big boys of Heartland.

[Celestin]

MAP05: Titan of Industry

 

Okay, so this is going to be a less specific than usual, because 1) I played this map in two sittings, separated by several hours, 2) Titan of Industry is a lenghty adventure map with a ton of incidental encounters. This is why a lot of the level, especially earlier parts, did leak out of my memory. Not that it's bad, far from it. I enjoyed MAP05 a lot, especially the visual aspect. It's a decrepit factory that has this low-tech, industrial vibe I love. 

 

What I do remember is a fight where you ride on a gantry crane towards a wall of rocket zombies. I'm no mapper, but I doubt you can achieve this with less advanced engines. MAP04 teased a flamethrower, but I didn't have a chance to use it, so this is where this weapon debuts for me. If you've played Obituary or Ray Mohawk 2, you can guess how it works - a powerful weapon with a limited range. One thing Heartland's flamethrower does differently is leaving this damaging field that lingers for a few seconds, so rushing forward into a crowd is not a viable strategy.

 

The final stretch of the map throws a couple of setpiece fights, like a corridor with monsters on the opposite end and grells approaching from the sides. Or the final fight, with hell nobles in a tight room and a ledge of rocket zombies behind them. Titan of Industry is a strong contender for the best map of the set, I feel like the gameplay is coming together, combining entertaining combat and great-looking place to explore.

[baja blast rd.]

10x10 and Heartland are a couple of my favorite wads, but as usual, too busy to participate in these. 

 

So I'll drop some occasional comments. 

 

Heartland map04: Routine Flaring and Flailing

 

I love the opening part of this map. It's one of those freewheeling incidental combat setups that would be cool to pull off in a regular map, but managing it with the restrictions of portals (meaning you can't easily change architecture based on testing) must have been quite fortuitous. It's notable how there are almost no "dangerous" roaming enemies in the lower section; save for a few chaingunners and rocket zombies, the heavy hitters among the roaming monsters are sergeants and revenants (which there's a lot of cover from), and there's plenty of healing. It would have been so easy to plop down a PE or vile or anything like that, so the monster choice seems deliberately pacified, and it seems like an intentional cooldown.

 

The DWMC encourages people to put individual maps under the microscope, but it's good to think of how maps fit together as a seamless experience. Right after map03's climactic drop-down fight and right before the back-to-back long maps of map05+, having a more laidback downbeat of a map, understated with both gameplay and concept, is a fair call. (Laidback gameplay is relative -- it's not the easiest map in the wad but kind of a breather for its positioning in the wad.)

 

A little tactical note is that despite cybruisers being splash-immune, if you have the ammo to spare, the rocket launcher is a good choice against them anyway. The rocket launcher has good range, has respectable DPS even with splash immunity (higher than the SSG's), and the splash damage against other targets that wander by will add up in a hurry.  

 

 

[Celestin]

MAP06: Get Shafted

 

This feels like a natural extention of the previous map. Get Shafted shares the grimy, industrial aesthetic with Titan of Industry, but cranks up the action. The pacing is relentless, you are running from one fight to another, moving to new rooms and eliminating anything the map throws at you. The one early encounter that sticks with me the most is when you walk under the grate that held the opening fight, seeing the corpses of enemies above you. This is one of those cases that feels natural until you stop to think that Doom doesn't work that way.

 

If you check the monster numbers, you'll notice there are a lot of them and even with the brisk pace of the map, you may ask where are they. Well, in a couple of setpiece fights at the end. The section where you ride on a platform and monsters appear on the two others than run parallel is a classic video game trope, but it's great seeing them realised in Doom. Then there's the cluster bomb launcher fight. The BFG replacement of Heartlands is a powerful missile launcher that split into a, well, cluster of projectiles after hitting a target. It's an unique weapon indeed, with Struggle's Leichenfaust being the closest comparison - powerful as hell, but also deadly if improperly used. The most effective tactic seems to be finding an opening in a crowd of monsters, so the warhead explodes behind the first line of enemies. It's a great addition to the wad, though there are two downsides. One, it consumes 5 rockets per shot, so you can run empty pretty quickly. Two, there's a huge potential for self-damage, even more so than with the rocket launcher. And let me tell you, the room where you find the gun doesn't make it easier. I'd say it's the hardest encounter of the wad so far, with several waves attacking you in an expanding arena. The unfamiliarity with the cluster bomb launcher is the main obstacle, as you'll be running out of ammo or blowing yourself to pieces a lot. However, once you get the hang of it, it becomes an enjoyable piece of challenge.

 

The ending fight is another showcase of the new superweapon, this time it's an open arena with hundreds of monsters that mostly pour out of a single entry point. This one isn't that tough, I had one dumb death when I accidentally fired a cluster bomb at a hell knight point-blank, but the second try went smoothly. All that's left is to jump into a bloody hole and exit. In the end, if you enjoyed MAP05, you'll also like Get Shafted, it's a similiar kind of map, but grander and even more impressive.

[Insaneprophet]

Map 05: titan of industry

 

I will start by saying that a level set in and around a factory is the logical conclussion of using an advanced game engine that allows for so many different types of moving sectors and multiple floor lvls. We have everything from lifts to presses to conveyor belts, all the way to an actual moving and operating crane system. Im finding on my playthrough of heartland that I really appreciate the mapset the most when I immediately follow every map with a replay of said map before moving on to the next one. As Ive said before, the new mechanics can easily lead to confusion in every map and Skillsaws style of pulling you along with constant fighting can get you further into a map, or even to the end, before your brain has a chance to catch up and piece everything together into a cohesive picture. Its on the second run that Ive been able to really create mental maps and each level shines much brighter, but on that note, I must point out that alot of these maps have one more attribute that dulls the first timer experience. Alot, and I mean ALOT, of the lighting in these maps is very dark with mutted and similar colors used in the texturing leading everywhere to look exactly alike when you still dont know whats what or where you are going. Though that can be veiwed as a negative, Skillsaw is able to overcome any critisism with his immaculate details, indepth designs, clever trickery, genious architecture and energetic combat. I mean really, who could hold it against someone or their mapset, when it couldnt be more true that you will have fun the first time you play but it will only get better and better each and every time you replay... Damn you and you're replay value, a sentence never once said by any gamer. 😝

[RHhe82]

MAP05: The Titan of Industry.

 

It's one titan of a level -- I don't know what my completion time was, but on the end screen it said: SUCKS. To be fair, much of my time was devoted to finding the last secret, which was the one that could have been gotten, I guess, from the get-go.

 

There are some cool set pieces here; First one is the moving bridge with rocket guys welcoming you at the destination. Then there is the oven section with the flame thrower, which was memorable. And one of the (almost) final fights, with cybruisers and pinkies at the end of the corridor, and the slime blobs approaching from above. 

 

Great map, fun map; one where I was aching for health every now and then -- I think the encounters are getting spicier. Still quite chill compared to late-10x10.

*

 

MAP06: Get Shafted

 

The map title sounds like some sort of dirty wordplay that's lost on non-native english speaker... Anyway, another long map, took me 56 minutes to complete - I moved to a contemporary dev version of EE on this map, and the save file tells me playtime. And what a glorious map it is. I enjoyed the hectic fights all the way, and then we get weapon number 7, which isn't a plasma weapon, but some sort of bad-ass rocket launcher with which you don't want to facerocket yourself. I haven't played Struggle - Antaresian Legacy myself, but is it basically the same beast of a weapon there?

 

Actually, the first fight with it I was slightly frustrated because it eats ammo fast. By the time archviles enter the equation I'd always be out of ammo, and switching to flame thrower also spells suicide so easily. And then we get to the final fight, and what glorious power trippy slaughter it is! I didn't even realize how fast the enemies would diminish, there's something like 800 enemies, and aside from a couple window-dressery enemies, clearing the crowds felt much more fun than work.

 

Probably my favourite map so far. The ending fight, the tram sandwich fight... Did I see little sloped floorlights along the way? Does EE support such things?

[Magnusblitz]

MAP05: Titan of Industry

103% kills, 3/3 secrets

 

Like @Celestin I had to play this in two settings, with my breakpoint being right before the flamethrower encounter. So yeah, not as detailed on the first half, although the giant gantry room certainly makes an impression. At first, just visually, as combat in that area is actually somewhat sparse, but the final encounter of it with the rocket zombie wall, replaced by chaingunners, replaced by imps, is pretty interesting as a race-against-time puzzle. Around the midpoint of the map I started having some ammo starvation problems. Learned the hard way about the flamethrower posing a threat to the player, as I first tried to just take out one side of the pincer enemies and immediately rush to fill the new space... oops.

 

Like the other maps, there's a few fights here and there I like with some clever enemy placement, but overall the largest impression I take away is the visuals. All the room-over-room stuff is very impressively done here, and it's still surprising to me to reach the highest altitude of the level and realize there are so many more floors than I realized (since you can't look too far up in this engine).

[Insaneprophet]

Map 06: get shafted

 

I find myself in the strange and rather awkward position of having no strong feelings, positive or negative, after playing this level. It would appear that everything I want and am looking for in a map is present, difficult fighting with both incedental enemies and combat setpieces, puzzling and slaughter elements, vast areas to explore in an enormous world, the new mechanics of the engine are used to enhance the world building and it certianly has a long enough play time to lose myself in immersion. I dont know, I just feel indifferent this time. Thinking about all of the different parts and writing about it makes me think perhaps I like the level more than I thought I did but I know I didnt relish in my replay the way I did with the previous levels in the set. All I can come up with is that maybe I didnt buy in to the story this map was telling as much so it didnt resonate in quite the same way. Being as I wasnt as sold as I may have cared to be, I can still say everything here was top notch and the last two fights with the new "big fucking rocket gun" were a blast to retry again and again and again. The bar is set maybe extremely too high when this is what qualifies as filler and the start of the next map looks epic. 😀

Edited February 18 by Insaneprophet

[Celestin]

MAP07: The Beating Heart

 

Quite a departure from the industrial aesthetic of the last 6 maps - The Beating Heart is a hellish castle, apparently the source of the demons above. The map starts with an arena, where you are handed a berserk pack and an axe, while imps and hell knights teleport in. It's a very satisfying setup, able to kill a hell knight in one swing (if RNG is on your side) and I wish it was used more, because the in the very next section Heartland returns here to Skillsaw's usual formula of large-scale fights with a variety of monsters.

 

There's one thing that MAP07 does different compared to the rest of the wad. Heartland's maps are rather linear with progression, so I was surprised to enter a courtyard with three coloured switches. You can get the skull keys in any order you want, each one will give you an additional weapon. The SSG route is the most involved out of three, it's a long trek where you have to deal with several cramped ambushes - this place really likes locking you in and spawning monsters on both sides. The cluster bomb launcher was fine, with an explosive fight against imp hordes and several dangerous monsters added in for good measure. The dual SMG fight gave me the most trouble, it's a single battle with tons of hell nobles, grells and imps that demonstrate how much the replacements of plasma rifle and BFG alter the combat. See, Heartland doesn't have any weapon that lets you quickly free yourself when cornered or run into crowds, hoping to tear a hole to the other side - both flamethrower and cluster bomb launcher deal self-damage when used up-close, while dual SMGs just don't do the trick against mid-tier demons. As a result, keeping your distance is becomes much more important than ever. The good news is, if you manage to thin out the enemies somehow, you should have more room to use the bigger guns safely.

 

With all keys in hand, there's one more obstacle to overcome: a three-stage boss fight against a giant heart. The task is simple: kill all the monsters, attack the heart until it lowers, repeat. If you are comfortable with using the flamethrower and cluster bombs, it shouldn't be that difficult - run around the arena, attack distant crowds with cluster bombs, incinerate those closer and attack the heart when everything is dead. After round three, it explodes into a fountain of blood and the map ends.

 

The Beating Heart is a full adventure, a map that would work even outside the wad. Being a finale of a great episode elevates it further.

[Magnusblitz]

MAP06: Get Shafted

101% kills, 0/2 secrets

 

I concur that this feels similar to previous maps, although maybe a bit more action to start things off, and keeps inching bolder in scope, this one having a big gaping chasm that the player will eventually drop into for the final fight. It's good, of course, but I think the sameness also made me feel a bit indifferent to most of it. The tram is another good show-off of the advanced engine, but it also felt a bit... contrived? Indulgent maybe? As if it were really just an excuse to keep shuttling the player back and forth, up and over, to cram yet more monsters in. By the time I reached the final fight I was sorta checked out, thankfully it goes pretty quickly despite having something like 800 monsters and half the enemy's total monster count. The BFG replacement is certainly interesting, as the wide splash damage really makes it quite dangerous for the player to use.

 

Good map, but I think would've benefited from having a breather-type map between 5 and 6.

[Cutman 999]

On 2/11/2024 at 7:48 AM, Klear said:

Well, at least I can brag I beat it in VR now.

I'm late but still, congrats on actually completing that thing on mf VR. I'll be watching your playthroughs so I could get an idea of how crazy it can be.

[RHhe82]

MAP07: The Beating Heart

 

Another big boy map that, in a way, feels structurally more conventional. It somehow made me think of Eviternity, even. After the initial fortress area of sorts the idea is to collect three keys in three areas surrounding an elevator that leads you to the very heart of Heartlands. The Beating Heart might be harder than Get Shafted -- there are some tight fights, like the one where enemy hordes pour in on from two doors. I had to attempt that a few times.

 

The beginning of the map makes me sad we didn't get berserk axe action that much -- I think in only one map other than this one; but here you can go quite far with just that. I was also sad we didn't get backpack until the final stretch D: That was a rare pick-up in this mapset. Also: I don't think we ever got one invuln sphere. Not that we really needed... Come to think of it, I guess that hasn't been a thing in Skillsaw's body of work in general.

 

The final fight is a Cluster Bomb fight, just like in MAP06, where we practiced using it. I love the Cluster Bomb, but on the other hand it's slightly frustrating with just how easy it is to kill yourself with it.

[ReaperAA]

MAP05: Titan of Industry

Definitely a "Titan" of a map. The map takes place in and around a ruined factory in the desolated industrial district. We will get to do fair share of riding cranes or conveyor belts while dealing with a variety of incidental and setpiece based encounters in this 30+ minute adventure

 

The fight involving the crane bridge moving towards the wall of rocket zombies is arguably be the most memorable fight of the map and is a great use of EE's features. 

 

There are also some other really good fights like the one where we get a megaarmor & soulsphere to fight a corridor of spectres/pinkies and cybruisers, while grells creeping from the sides or the fight where we get the first non-secret flamethrower of the wad where we fight a variety of enemies from in the furnace looking area.

 

The final fight with hell nobles in a small room and a group of rocket zombies on a ledge behind them is also a neat little encounter. Overall, Titan of Industry is a very ambitious map both architecture wise and also in terms of gameplay and a good step up from the first 4 maps of the wad. Though the next 2 maps have even more to offer.

 

MAP06: Get Shafted

The map name sounds like something that could come from a Ribbiks wad and sure enough this map is plenty of high octane action, though thankfully it is not as hard. If you look at the monster count, you will notice there are 1600+ enemies here which might make you think this is going to be very very long. Well it is long, but not much more than the previous map. Most of the enemies are in the final area of the map, which we will talk about later.

 

The fights are quite a step up from the last map, not necessarily in terms of difficulty, but surely in terms of numbers and carnage. One such fight is the one where we ride a tram and we also have 2 other trams following us on each side and enemies (mostly fodder, but also some hell knights too later on) teleport on those 2 trams and we have to fire rockets at both side while riding our tram. It's moments like this and the moving crane bridge fight of Map05 that I love most about Heartland as it feels like I am in an action movie.

 

The fight beyond the blue door is the penultimate fight of the map and it's also where we finally get the final weapon of the wad, the Cluster Launcher. It replaces BFG and uses 5 rockets per shot. Each shot is a missile that on impact releases a dozen of small grenades around it. Because it releases so many small grenades, it is best to keep a decent distance between you and the enemy to fire it. Facerocket will result in tremendous damage (you can probably die from facerocket even if you have 200/200). It's best used when firing deep into the "pockets" of a monster cluster as you will get maximum mileage out of the weapon. The weapon is not easy to use at first and the difficulty of this fight doesn't do the player any favors, so better get used to the new weapon or face some rough time.

 

As for the final fight of the map, it holds over half of the enemy count of the map (around 800-900 enemies), but thankfully, the fight area is quite big and there is ton of rocket ammo and multiple healing items lying around, including megaspheres. Most of the enemies will be ground monsters (such as pinkies, hell nobles, some cyberdemons etc.) that will be approaching you from one side of the map, but there are also some turret imps and mancubi firing from cliffs and also some grells that teleport at one point. If you can avoid getting facerocket, you should be fine imho. Overall, a great and fun finish to what is probably my favorite map of the wad.

[Magnusblitz]

MAP07: The Beating Heart

99% kills, 0/1 secret

 

A much-welcome change in scenery, now to a mostly red and black demonic castle. Great entrance as we descend, getting to look over the whole thing before we scale it. We also finally get to use the berserk axe, which is fun. After that, back to the more standard fare, with your choice of which order to tackle three keys in. I went yellow-blue-red, and was a bit tired out by the end of the yellow one. Thankfully blue and red are much shorter. I chuckled when presented with a literal beating heart, which turns out to be sort of an IoS type boss fight - gotta climb vertically, damage the heart, it lowers and spawns in a bunch more stuff before rising back into vulnerable position again. I do think it's overall better than the IoS, because the teleports aren't random, and the mechanism isn't quite so finicky.

 

As @Celestin mentions, I think what really makes things different here is actually the player's arsenal - both cell weapon (plasma/flamethrower and BFG/cluster bombs) hurt the player a lot, so they can't use them to escape a crowd, or push into one safely. That strategy is often the solution for navigating big fights like these in Doom, so the new weapons require a different approach. I often found myself firing only one cluster shot then quickly running in circles until I was able to open up another safe line of attack from which to fire from afar, and relying on the dual SMGs to cut through any stragglers that got in my way. In that sense, the pinkie demons are actually some of the most threatening enemies here, since they'll always try to beeline onto your position.

 

Overall, a decently fun set of maps. Not quite my favorite theme or designs, and a little long in parts, but it definitely succeeds in showing off the Eternity engine.

[RHhe82]

MAP08: Arrhythmia

 

And thus we reach the end. Arrhythmia, cardiac arrest, the end... Skillsaw is one my favourite mappers, I don't care if that opinion is original or not. I think I like his traditional Doom sets -- Vanguard, Valiant and Ancient Aliens (Lunatic is fine, too) -- more, and I think Heartland lacks a little bit of replay value of other sets; I guess that's because Heartland feels more like an adventure with its bigger levels that it lends itself a little less for repeated play... well, at least for me. That said, Heartland is nevertheless a grade A mapset and I'm very glad to have played it. The mapset is short, and I don't think it has any misses, the map quality varies from very good to great. My favourite is MAP06.

 

Also: Eternity Engine is a fine source port. It won't replace DSDA-Doom for me, but it's a good alternative.

*

 

Aaaand I'll be hopping off the club wagon for the remainder of the month. I have already played Sigil II twice (for reasons I might get back to elaborate on once the club reaches the end... although I'm sure those points will be covered by E6M2 or so anyway) and I'm not in the mood for a third time until v1.1 or so comes along.

[Celestin]

MAP08: Arrythmia

 

A looping corridor in a void, devoid of monsters. Follow the sound of the beating heart until you die, completing the episode.

 

Conclusions

 

I don't usually enjoy wads that are built around very advanced source ports, as they often add stuff that I find distracting from the core Doom experience. Heartland lacks the features I don't like (chiefly cutscenes and mandatory freelook) and what it brings, it feels like an evolution of the game's gameplay. New monsters and weapons is something we've seen before and a greater emphasis on verticality feels subtle. My impressions after the first maps was that this feels a bit like how Doom would have looked like if it was made two or three years later, with a more capable engine and more realistic texture set. 

 

However, I doubt such hypothetical game would have followed Heartland's combat style. I mostly recgonise Skillsaw from his work on Valiant, a megawad that often went for fast action with a large bodycount, but without the difficulty associated with slaughter wads. I refer to this style as "blockbuster wad", as it aims for a spectacle with broad appeal. Heartland follows this route, especially from MAP03 onward, with the first two maps being more of a demonstration of what Eternity Engine is capable of. One more thing to comment on is the soundtrack, which is probably my sole criticism of the wad. It's not that stewboy's midis are bad, but they arcadey nature felt somewhat out of place in a grimy, industrial environment. They would have worked fine in Valiant, but I feel a more realistic setting would benefit from something more ambient. In any case, I don't see this as a dealbreaker, more like a nitpick to complain about. If you've liked Valiant, no doubt you'll find a lot to enjoy here. I know I did, even when I had to deal with less than ideal performance and a bit of portal-related jank (monsters disappearing from certain angles, or one part where I could see my back).

 

No top 3 this time, as the overall quality is very consistant and the wad lacks obvious standouts. MAP04 is the only one I wasn't totally on board with, but that's more due to me overlooking a crucial weapon that's right in the open - I bet on replay it would have been so much better.

[Insaneprophet]

Map 07: the beating heart

 

"Have fun storming the castle!" This map is truely an epic masterpiece. From the cinematic opening elevator ride down that gives you a grand overview of the upcoming fortress to the slow empty stroll around the battlements that truely imparts the massive scale of the quest you are about to embark on, all the way through to the gargatuan free for all that takes place in the inner courtyards. Everything here proclaims quality, majesty and is a magnum opus of monumental stature. I liked every part of this level, the axe fighting, the mad scramble to arm yourself inside the gates, the three seperate wings to get better guns and the giant multi-staged finale. None of it was paticularly difficult but it was all geared towards giving the player a sense of power despite seemingly overwhelming odds. In whole Heartland has proven to be a near perfect exhibition of the eternity engines advanced capabilities and puts on display all the craftsmanship and inginuity that makes Skillsaw one of the biggest names in the Doom community. Though not my favorite mapper nor my favorite mapset I have nothing but profound respect for him and feel honored not only that he would share his talent but also to have played this.

Edited February 19 by Insaneprophet

[rehelekretep]

fdas for 10x10, cl9

really fun mapset, although i am not skilled enough for some of the situations in map10, and a few others so they ended up feeling a little like trial and error

10x10-fda-rehelekretep.zip

[RHhe82]

1 hour ago, Celestin said:

I don't usually enjoy wads that are built around very advanced source ports, as they often add stuff that I find distracting from the core Doom experience. Heartland lacks the features I don't like (chiefly cutscenes and mandatory freelook) and what it brings, it feels like an evolution of the game's gameplay.

I thought about this as well. Before starting to play Heartland I was afraid I’d be repelled by advanced features despite 100% trusting Skillsaw’s sense of style. Unlike many GZDoom-exclusive wads, Heartland really does feel like Doom 

 

And yet… I’m not sure I crave for more wads that use EE’s features. I mean, advanced features don’t automatically mean ”bad”; And if I had to choose between EE portals or ”3D bridges” as seen in hell revealeds and early community chests, portals would win, easily. (Crumpets 2 did them fine, and I still detest 3D bridges).

[ReaperAA]

MAP07: The Beating Heart

This map is welcome change of scenery after the first 6 maps taking place in industrial areas. This map starts with descending from the lift while you watch the hell fortress awaiting for your arrival. If you are playing continuous, the first thing you will notice is that in order to enter the fortress, you need to submit your weapons/ammo as "offering", thus basically being very creative way to enforce a pistol start without relying on a death exit. Now that you can enter the fortress, the first fight you have to do is against a group of imps, hell knights and mancubi in a gladiator fashion. You get a megasphere, berserk and an axe. The berserk axe is actually very powerful and because it has decent reach, you should be able to deal with this fight without much damage.

 

Once done with that, you can open the gate and enter another arena-ish area with variety of paths, where you have to deal with bunch of various enemies and you gradually gain access to your other weapons. The area concludes with a part where we press a switch to lower a bunch of revenants, imps, HKs, cybruisers and a SMM (the only SMM in the entirety of the wad). You should have a RL and even a flamethrower at this point, so it isn't too bad and you also have decent movement space by this point.

 

Once that is done, you enter a "hub" area where there are 3 key switches and each of them has a weapon on top of it. One has SSG, other has dual SMG and the last has the Cluster Launcher. There are 3 paths to take and each gives the key and the respective weapon. You need all 3 keys to open the door to the final fight area. I would recommend to go with the cluster launcher first, since that path is the shortest and also probably the easiest surprisingly. The dual SMG is the hardest one I think and the SSG path is the longest.

 

Once you get all the 3 key, you can finally enter the "HEART Land" (hehe get it?). The giant heart you encounter is the final boss of the wad and it is basically like Romero's Head in that you need to destroy it to end the level, but the heart is much more durable. Instead of using spawner cubes, there are 4? waves that you have to fight, each triggered when you damage the heart to certain amount, before you finally destroy it. Each wave spawns a ton of enemies and is usually a combination of all of the enemy times except for archviles, PEs or cyberdemons. Though thankfully there are a ton of resources in the area. 4 megaspheres, 4 soulsphere, 4 megaarmors, some medkits and a ton of ammo (more that you will usually need). It's a good final fight to end the wad. Not as iconic as Ancient Alien's ending, but still really good.

 

MAP08: Arrythmia

A small void area with endlessly looping corridors (done via Portals). Listen to the beating heart until you die from cardiac arrest. The end :p

 

Conclusion
It's no doubt that Skillsaw is a very talented mapper and he once again showcases this in Heartland after spearheading 2 megawads that are placed in the top 5 in the Top community wads thread. Although being a shorter wad and especially being EE exclusive means that it wasn't going to be as popular as the likes of Valiant and Ancient Aliens, it still managed to do really good and simultaneously managed to promote the source port as well by becoming its killer wad. I personally think the actual level design quality is even more consistently good compared to those, though I do like Valiant's custom enemies and AA's aesthetics a bit more than this. This is one of my top 10 favorite wads and it was a joy to play it once again.

 

As for my favorites, I think I will go with these:

1. MAP06: Get Shafted
2. MAP01: Subway Sandwich
3. MAP05: Titan of Industry

Edited February 20 by ReaperAA

[ReaperAA]

On 2/3/2024 at 7:45 PM, ReaperAA said:

And Sigil 2 is one which I am not sure if I even want to play yet. I will wait to see if it receives any patches (like first Sigil did) before I play it.

 

You know what? Screw it, I am doing it. I am going to cover Sigil 2 as well.

 

Haven't played Sigil 2 yet, but I just played Sigil 1 just yesterday (I did pistol starts and beat all maps mostly saveless, except E5M7) so to prepare myself for Sigil 2. The original Sigil didn't feel all that hard anymore compared to when I played it back in 2019(especially if you know the secrets and the best route), but I do know that Sigil 2 is atleast a step above the first one and I don't have the foreknowledge advantage here.

 

The only thing I know is that Sigil 2 has at least 1 cyberdemon on every map on UV and every map has 1 secret that becomes permanently locked after 30 seconds.