The DWmegawad Club plays: Nostalgia

[NecrumWarrior]

MAP03

Crispy Doom Demo

A bit of a step up in difficulty! I enjoyed playing this one very much. The rhythm of combat feels really nice with the music.

[HiMyNameIsChair]

Ok, this is one I gotta get in on~! 

 

Sadly haven't been able to join in on one of these for a while between irl commitments, loads of mapping projects, and my laptop suddenly kicking the bucket last September. But...I can't say no, to one of my favourite sets of 2022~! So let's fire off the first three maps shall we?

 

MAP01: Dragonaut

 

(UV Pistol Start, played on DSDA. 100% Kills / 100% secrets, Time: 2:38)

 

 

A quick breezy Hanger-esc opener that really hammers home Myolden's design goals for the set. Dragonaut is modest but attractively clean with its plentiful verticality and tasteful lighting in just the right places, and the deep blue skybox works nicely with Myolden's texture choices. More or less everything you want in an opener: it goes down easy but makes you excited to play more of the set.

 

Grade: B
 

MAP02: Under the Surface

 

(UV Pistol Start, played on DSDA. 100% Kills, 75% Secrets. Completion Time: 4:30)

 

 

 

A clear rewrite of Underhalls that keeps the ball rolling with another quick and satisfying map. As usual, Myolden's lighting and texture usage is very nicely coordinated and it does a lot for these earlier maps. This one definitely gets bonus points for a classic waterfall secret. Also, i do really like how diegetic and effortless Myolden's secrets feel in this set, they're not too troublesome to find and feel great to find. All in all, nothing too sinister just yet.

 

Grade: B

 

 

MAP03: Illuminatus

 

(UV Pistol Start, played on DSDA. 100% Kills / 66% secrets, Time: 4:10)

 

 

Oh now we're getting somewhere~! I always really like the start of this one. Just a nice open courtyard with lots of room to run and gun, and finding the secret chaingun only makes it more satisfying! Also as DJV said: it's nice to get some open space to appreciate the lovely blue skybox. This is about where Myolden's Scythe-like layouts begin to come to the forefront, especially with all the rising platforms. His dedication to spatial efficiency is something I always admire and try to learn from. A solid early map in the set, bringing just a bit more heat while still being very accessible.

 

Grade: B+

 

Order of preference

Spoiler

MAP03: Illuminatus

MAP02: Under the Surface

MAP01: Dragonaut

 

[Spectre01]

map04: Pull the Plug

 

I like the item balance in this map. Nukage levels can get annoying with Radsuit placement, but it felt like I had a new one available as the original was running out. The Chaingun was also useful since it's possible to run out of shells using only the SSG. Plenty of rockets too, which is always fun. I wasn't expecting this wad to pull out an Archvile this early, but there he is.

Edited March 4 by Spectre01

[DJVCardMaster]

MAP04 - Pull the Plug - (100%K/100%I/80%S):

The first challenging map with more serious encounters, like the one before opening the blue door, or the last area. Also, the first av and revenants make their appearance. There are hurting floors aswell, with two ways to choose, one is for the key, the other one will send you back at higher ground. The setup here is more tech-basey, and I'm digging it a lot. Again, TNT:R vibes were given to me. Well balanced map, and slightly more enjoyable than the previous one.


Order of Preference:
 

Spoiler

 

MAP04

MAP03
MAP02
MAP01

 

 

[Celestin]

MAP04: Pull the Plug

 

Another sewer, this time filled with slime, rather than water. There's just enough radsuits to make it through, while at the same time giving you a sense of urgency. I enjoy the fights here, especially the one after you grab the blue key, they aren't big, but in a confined space and ticking clock, they can get tense.

 

With the blue key in hand, you can proceed towards the exit. I was surprised to see an archvile here, he appears with two hell knights after trying to raise the stairs to the exit. I didn't find out how to open the plasma rifle, however I was stacked with rockets, so it ended rather quickly.

[Cutman 999]

MAP04 - “Pull the Plug” (Saveless, Pistol started, 100% Kills, 100% Items, 60% Secrets)

 

Okay this is what I meant when I mentioned myolden's "substancious content". This time around he'll be rough with a bad approach like the one I was having, one of his signature lowering wall ambushes is literally on a poison wall and has a lot less space to maneuver compared to map02.

 

This is actually one of nostalgia's visual showcases, at least for the early game, the iwad inspired heavy contrast lighting makes it look natural in a way, and myolden's texture usage is very sensical, with a lot of border texture to give the map some visual variety without breaking the theme of the map, nor the room.

 

It introduces the vile and the revs in a very effective way, revs are always going to try destroying you in close quarters, the only exception are the 3 snipers at the exit. And that single vile with the hell nobles and limited, but present cover, is a sort of surprise I don't expect too much in a map04.

 

What else I need to say? Just 5 minutes of fun, this time I didn't want to secret hunt though, not comfortable with the idea of going to the nukage again.

 

8/10

[Raith138]

Map 04: Pull the Plug

 

I liked this map, it had a more traditional theme and the combat was a lot more engaging then some of the previous levels. I did end up running out of ammo by the end and there were two chaingunners that were a little annoying so it is not overtaking map 03 in my favorite.

 

Current favorite to least favorite list:

Spoiler

Map 03

Map 04

Map 02 

Map 01

 

[Novaseer]

MAP04 "Pull The Plug" (100% K/S, 61% I, 4:49)

 

Got handed my first death of the WAD here. Them sneaky chaingunners to the east of the nukage pit chunked most of my health before I could react. Just hitscanner things, I suppose. Didn't make a save and thought rewinding was a bit pointless on a map this short, so I just started over.

 

Not a bad map overall, though I think I prefer MAP03. Automap continues to spoil the secrets, although then again it saves me several minutes of aimless iddting so who am I to complain?

[HiMyNameIsChair]

MAP04: Pull the Plug - (UV Pistol Start, played on DSDA. 100% Kills / 100% secrets, Time: 6:58)

 

 

Here we arrive at maybe one of the hallmark maps of Nostalgia, and most certainly a highlight of its early run: Pull the Plug. Myolden has said that for Nostalgia he wanted to dial back the detailing and aim for a simpler old-school aesthetic. So it's a genuine marvel that not only does he succeed in meeting those goals, but that Pull the Plug looks as good as it does under those restrictions.

 

 

Pull the Plug is easily the best-looking map of early Nostalgia and that's evident from the opening room. The deep blue sky matches beautifully with its grey and brown palette, all complimented by a careful light gradient coming in from the large open ceiling. The slime section wears a timeless mix of brown and emerald, all nicely tied together with some well-executed contrast lighting to build a sense of atmosphere. Myolden's attention to height variation and the shape of his layout in the slime section honestly do a lot for it. Despite its construction being relatively simple, it doesn't feel like it, and that's an impressive trick to pull off as a mapper.

 

 

The final stretch of the map only continues that theme where Myolden really does capture the feeling of a Romero-esc Knee Deep tech base, especially with a neatly framed soulsphere, beckoning the player forward. Once again his lighting ties it all together, especially the wide open window letting in light from the dreamy cobalt sky. It makes the whole room feel more open than it really is, even despite the low ceilings. This really is one of the best showcases of Myolden's rock-solid fundamentals in the entire set.

 

 

On the gameplay side, Myolden really starts to take the training wheels off,  having the player juggle radsuits in the toxic slime and also introducing some spooky skeletons to the mix. I also like how a lot of these fights unfold, with a Caco skulking out of a slime drain, while chaingunners emerge from walls to flank you on high-up vantage points. We even get our first archvile of the wad, that finds the right balance of injecting a jolt of danger but still feeling in line with an early slot. As usual, Myolden also spoils those who look for secrets, with tasty rewards ranging from a helpful plasma rifle, extra rockets, a soulshere, and even an extra radsuit for the slime section! 

 

All in all, Pull the Plug is top shelf Myolden. It's a perfect case of how you can do more with less, and how much complimentary textures, lighting, and height variation can do a lot for a map. It's also the first map in the set where the gameplay feels just right. It presents a proper challenge while still feeling in line with its early slot.

 

By a mile one of my favourite maps in the set, and I enjoy it every time i come back to it

 

Grade: A+

 

Order of Preference 

Spoiler

MAP04:Pull the Plug

MAP03: Illuminatus

MAP02: Under the Surface

MAP01: Dragonaut

 

 

[LadyMistDragon]

Map 04: Pull the Plug

 

Nice midi that adds to the rather mournful atmosphere. A nearby shotgun will surely help pistol starters, although the Imp to each side aren't so difficult to take out. In the next room is a slime  moat from which we can go in two different directions, but not before collecting a rad suit. The right path is first and after killing some things, we go up a lift to where some Imps were firing at us, push a button and fart around a little and seem to use up the second rad suit we picked up because when we went down the left (now-accessible) path, the Cyber Baron to our left slowed us down quite a bit! At the end was a blue key and we barely found a radsuit which eased our pain shortly afterwards. Although since an SS can also be found in the slime, the Imp/pinkie trap should not normally be too hard, even with the 1 or 2 Revenants that appear. The Legion mod adds in addition to bare skeletons, jetpack guys that glow red and are annoying to hit! And we run into at least one more of them when we return to the main hallway with the blue door, along with a Cyber Pinkies (well, greenie) and Hell Knight. We did use a good amount of infighting here.

 

The next room proved pretty nasty. Normally, there'd be enough room despite the rather limited space, but the cornucopia of nobles, Cacodemons, Imps, and hitscanners were scattered in just the right positions to cause us pain and since we can't find secrets on the fly, we mostly fell back on the Super Shotgun. We ended up going back to find all the secrets, other than the square room with the rad suit and rocket near the blue key since it was no longer worth the trouble when we had just 72 health at that point. Frost Cacodemons are terrible, take it from me.

 

 

 

[cannonball]

MAP04 - “Pull the Plug”

 

Whilst there isn't much novel about sewer maps, it is hard to argue that this map isn't well executed and the weapon/ammo distribution allows for a rather quick run time. There appearance of revenants and the first archvile are a very welcome addition of spice to the combat, resulting in a brisk but more engaging experience. The best map so far.

Edited March 4 by cannonball

[Magnusblitz]

MAP04: Pull the Plug

100% kills, 5/5 secrets

 

Looks like I was one map too early on thinking about AVs to spice things up. While the monster selection starts to move solidly into the midtier (revenants, hell knights, cacos) I actually found this pretty easy, as we're back to the monsters mostly all just being in front of the player. There's the potential for the slime floor to create some feelings of being rushed, but I never got close to running out of radsuit time. Architecture is still solidly blocky, though I do like the design of the first room with the sludge in it (past the first main door). I admittedly am missing most of the secrets as we go, but they're easy to find with the minimap, or just playing "spot the weird texture." I did like how the plasma gun secret was hinted, though.

 

Edited March 5 by Magnusblitz

[Novaseer]

MAP05 "Poison Godmachine" (100% K/I/S, 8:12)

 

Definitely not as evil as its soundalike, but still a pretty damn fun map all things considered. I can't tell if health was tight or if I just needlessly tanked too many projectiles, but either way it was still rather enjoyable. I especially liked the red key path, with the concealed Imps firing at you from the walls of the corridor whilst you're fighting off HKs and Revs.

 

I will confess here to not being 100% blind - I remembered where the SSG secret was thanks to MtPain27's video which I watched a while back. Granted, the automap doesn't hide it so I'd probably find it anyway, but still.

[DJVCardMaster]

MAP05 - Poison Godmachine - (100%K/100%I/66%S):

This one felt a bit longer, but not that hard overall. Still, the encounter with the mancubi was threatening, as having this little space in the catwalk, and that tiny gap to escape it, not going to lie, it made me sweat a bit. Still no deaths. And hey, nice use of the ugly cement texture. Giving you a bit of a change in the scene. 
This one keeps up with the sewer theme and expands a little bit, I think this one is superior than MAP04 in terms of gameplay.

This one gave me more Memento Mori II vibes.

Order of Preference:
 

Spoiler

 

MAP05

MAP04

MAP03
MAP02
MAP01

 

 

Edited March 5 by DJVCardMaster

[Raith138]

MAP05: Poison Godmachine

 

I don't know exactly why I didn't like this one but this one just does not do it for me. The damaging floor usage felt kind of forced and didn't add to the map and the trap with the two mancubi was pretty unfair. This one is sadly going second to last place for me.

 

Order of Preference

Spoiler

MAP03

MAP04

MAP02

MAP05

MAP01

 

[Celestin]

MAP05: Poison Godmachine

 

I'd just like to point out how the majority of the maps so far took place in a sewer. 

 

I struggle to write about maps like this, because they just work fine, but leaves little lasting impression, even right after completing them. Rockets are plentiful and the secret SSG in the first room (very easy to find - look for a switch in one of the alcoves) helps a lot early on. I like the one part where you are walking on a balcony and walls lower on one side, where you have to push through imps. It's a solid map, but I wish for a change of pace.

 

Since the maps are short, I managed to play a bit further. I know Nostalgia gets much better around MAP10, but damn, the first episode leaves little impression.

[HiMyNameIsChair]

MAP05: Poison Godmachine - (UV Pistol Start, played on DSDA. 100% Kills / 66% secrets, Time: 6:44)

 

 

I think in this map's case the title is a bit more memorable than the map itself. Not that it's a bad map, far from it! I love how Myolden goes about progression in the SSG room, having the pillars realign to create makeshift stairs. I dig the close-quarters imp encounter at the start, and as always Myolden's dedication to Scythe-like, compact layouts and reusing space is very admirable!

 

The L-shaped room where you balance imp fireballs, hell knight fireballs, revenants and hurt floor is a nicely charged encounter, but nothing else here quite brings the same level of excitement. Also while Poison Godmachine is very cleanly drawn, it's not my favorite visually in this early episode. The grimy bathroom tiles sadly don't do that much for me.

 

But overall, still a perfectly solid map.

 

Grade: B

 

Order of Preference 

Spoiler

MAP04:Pull the Plug

MAP03: Illuminatus

MAP05: Poison Godmachine

MAP02: Under the Surface

MAP01: Dragonaut

 

 

 

[cannonball]

MAP05 - “Poison Godmachine”

 

Visually clean and technically solid, this map feels a little too by the numbers, the only real difference between this and the last map really was that the last map left more of an impression with sharper traps and the nukage felt like a proper obstacle, here everything sort of exists, the difficulty in the map unravels if you find the secret SSG at the start.

A fine but forgettable map.

[LadyMistDragon]

Map 05: Poison Godmachine

 

Enemy numbers noticeably increase here, in a nice and snug almost Doom 1-style slime techbase. Things are quite claustrophobic but we can still run around the mid-tiers if we're pistol-starting. We're not and the menagerie of Imps and Revenants that confront us  sort of demand we stop and fight. We found 2 secrets, 1 with the SS and the other with a rocket box. The other rocket box one was not discovered, since it's down the hallway with a teleport it's not necessary to go in and the chamber opened's location isn't terribly obvious. The damaging floor is fine though. The L-shaped room was definitely one of the more exciting bits. It was ever more important for us to keep constant movement with the fury of the custom monsters.

 

 

 

[Novaseer]

MAP06 "Spirit Crusher" (100% K/I/S, 7:28)

 

Had another death here, but it was to entirely avoidable rocket self-damage so it doesn't count.

 

The enemies are beefing up rather substantially now. Chaingunners are still in cheeky spots, and now they have Barons to distract you with. Actually got to use the plasma for the first time, so I guess I'll take the opportunity to comment on how I like the new sound.

 

Also, the segmented crusher was surprisingly scary. Imagine actually having to make me think about when I cross, smh my head.

 

Secrets are still spoiled by the automap, but at this point I doubt that's gonna change later on in.

 

All in all, good map.

[DJVCardMaster]

MAP06 - Spirit Crusher - (100%K/100%I/75%S):

Wait, a Mastermind? Oh yes, it's the crusher, of course. Luckly, it's ten times better than the original MAP06.

We are back outdoors, the maps are getting more and more spicy, for longer time. I love the new plasma sound (could not get mine back in MAP04 so it's the first time I hear it). We are slowly seeing an improvement in difficulty, as right from the start, you will be in an awkward situation, roded by enemies that can deal substantial damage to you, like the mancubi. Nothing else to say about this level. It gives you a shorter map previous to the obvious (or not?) Dead Simple clone, which could be even shorter.

Order of Preference:
 

Spoiler

 

MAP06

MAP05

MAP04

MAP03
MAP02
MAP01

 

 

[Celestin]

MAP06: Spirit Crusher

 

A track from Plutonia Midi Pack is a nice way to signal a certain uptake in difficulty. Spirit Crusher starts with imps firing at you and the opening courtyard is rather packed with monsters. Also, there seems to be a spiderdemon somewhere. I nearly died in the optional blue armor room, it's a compact trap where two revenants distract you from a chaingunner.

 

The map was moving along fine, it supplied a variety of monsters for me to kill and I didn't fear about supplies. When I reached a room with mastermind on a pedestal, it clicked - it's another IWAD reference, this time to The Crusher. Unlike in Doom 2, she guards the blue key and plasma rifle is placed on the side, next to the switch that turns on the crusher. The mastermind dies rather quickly and picking up the key releases an archvile-lead group. Overall, Spirit Crusher is a great map, with brisk combat and nice difficulty balance. More maps like this, please.

[HiMyNameIsChair]

MAP06: Spirit Crusher - (UV Pistol Start, played on DSDA. 100% Kills / 100% secrets, Time: 7:55)

 

 

Much like MAP03, Spirit Crusher kicks off with a fairly hot start although this time with a tighter initial arena until the watery courtyard is accessible. I really do like the start of this one, as Myolden forces you to manage sightlines while you gather guns. Once again Myolden channels Erik Alm in terms of spacial efficiency. in particular, the Cacos that spring once you grab the SSG are a genuine surprise, because they are squeezed in as tightly as they can be.

 

The side passage down in the water locks you into a really devilish fight. Unboxing a pair of skeletons while Barons and Chaingunners assault you from above. I appreciate that Myolden gives you a Megaarmor for your trouble though. 

 

The long hallway reprise with an unleashed horde marshaled by an archvile is a solid encounter, but the Mama Spider setpiece is a bit lacking though. It's a shame because it feels like she doesn't have quite enough reach over the map to be relevant. Once you pass through the room she's in, her job is basically done, and all thats left is to crush her. A layout more akin to Speed of Doom's Cliffside Siege, or Scythe 2's Whispering Winds could have allowed her to exert a bit more pressure. Secrets as usual are quite helpful, with the extra cells being very appreciated and nicely hinted at.

 

On the visual side, Spirit Crusher is clean but a bit lacking. As always, Myolden's command of color is spot on, as the brown and grey mix nicely with the blue sky and water. However it feels like this composition is missing something, and I can't quite put my finger on what that is. I think it's because this midi begs for something less industrial. It wants for a bit more atmosphere and a sense of adventure.

 

Nitpicks aside, still a very solid map, and a nice callback to Doom 2's The Crusher.

 

Grade: B+

 

Spoiler

MAP04:Pull the Plug

MAP06: Spirit Crusher

MAP03: Illuminatus

MAP05: Poison Godmachine

MAP02: Under the Surface

MAP01: Dragonaut

 

[Raith138]

MAP06: Spirit Crusher

 

A step back up for this map. The spiderdemon was a cool reference and the opening was really fun. I am glad that it is not a sewer map and no damaging floors were used. Though the chaingunners in the Megaarmor trap made that fight unnecessarily frustrating. Otherwise a solid map with clean visuals.

 

Order of Preference

Spoiler

MAP03

MAP04

MAP06

MAP02

MAP05

MAP01

 

Edited March 6 by Raith138

[cannonball]

MAP06 - “Spirit Crusher”

 

A solid map with a decent amount of excitement due to a larger number of threatening monsters. There are a few too many barons here and the mastermind could have been utilised a little more, but overall this was a fun map to play and the archvile lead encounter was the highlight alongside the tougher start.

[LadyMistDragon]

Map 06: Spirit Crusher

 

 

yaaaay, Plutonia Midi pack. Anyway, this is a nice sleek map, with one side of the courtyard being filled with water with an Arachnotron in the middle and Mancubi gazing on either side. There's one sort of pit room with a Megarmor but it also contains a double-headed Revenant trap, but it's probably worth it. Anyway, our health was around 28 when we started so things were quite nasty when it came to taking out the hitscanners before being terminated. Nasty electric-firing electrons and Barons with a Meteor-like attack from Final Fantasy cause us quite a bit of pain. Then there's the titular crusher: containing a Mastermind that could've killed us in 1shot or 2 Imps and the Cyber Imp on the other side wasn't exactly helping very much! Activating the crusher in the other room provides some temporary relief before some Revenants and an Arch-vile pair come roaring in after we pick up the blue key! One would hope that the secrets with rockets are located before this. Not like it mattered a whole lot since these were frost Arch-viles and could be avoided a little bit easier. But the only secret we didn't find was the one with the fortress also containing the red key.

 

I just love that redundancy at the beginning of the story screen

 

 

Edited March 6 by LadyMistDragon

[Magnusblitz]

MAP05: Poison Godmachine

100% kills, 3/3 secrets

 

More poison slime, but unlike last map there's really no point you're forced into it for any substantial portion of time, mostly just the dash to the switch for one of the keys. Like last map, too many radsuits, probably could cut the amount in half as you only really use them to grab ammo. Heck, on UV you could probably have removed all of them and it'd still be playable. Balance aside, I do like the general layout here, even if the combat is pretty forgettable.

 

MAP06: Spirit Crusher

100% kills, 4/4 secrets

 

Unsurprisingly there is a Spider Mastermind that you crush. That out of the way, this one gets a boost in the combat department... I was actually taking a fair amount of damage, though there's also plentiful amounts of health to make up for it. The blue armor trap is maybe even a little on the mean side? Overall, another nice tight layout, though maybe a bit too tight in places... the Spider area especially felt constrained and that it could've been expanded a bit more.

[Novaseer]

MAP07 "A Fine Day To Die" (100% K/I/S, 4:42)

 

Truth be told, I've always had a soft spot for the classic-style MAP07, and Nostalgia's implementation is one of the better ones I've played. Combat's fast and fluid, with the gradually spawning Mancubi forcing you to engage with it, and the tight terrain forces you to give the relatively low monster count its due respect.

 

Also didn't even need to consult the automap for the one secret this time - I think I'm starting to cotton on to myolden's tricks.

 

Honestly, might be my favourite map so far.

Edited March 7 by Novaseer

[Celestin]

MAP07: A Fine Day to Die

 

The text screen feels like myolden tried to recreate one from Doom 2 from memory - it is similiar, but you quickly notice something is off. Anyway, the map. I expected a Dead Simple clone, but it's more complex. A Fine Day to Die tasks you with finding three keys in this corrupted base (an aesthetic choice I've always enjoyed, as it adds an additional layer to a map that would otherwise look rather pedestrian). They are used to unlock switches around the map, which spawn additional mancubi - it's a MAP07 after all, killing them unlocks the exit. Solid map overall.

[Magnusblitz]

MAP07: A Fine Day to Die

100% kills, 1/1 secret

 

Bit of a twist here, as it originally seems like it's just a "gather all keys for the 3-key exit door" map, albeit with switches for each key jumbled from the color of the key in the same room (i.e., yellow key room has the blue switch). But hit the switch and you'll find it doesn't open the matching lock, instead it teleports in a couple of mancubi you need to slay since it's MAP07 after all. In this respect, mixing up the switches makes sense since it means the player will explore more of the map and arm up a bit... for example, I didn't grab the SSG until nearly the end. Still pretty easy, as there's plenty of cover - all of the arachnatrons are in very non-threatening locations, and the switch cubby holes will give cover for most of the manc teleport-ins.

 

I came across a lone zombieman in the bloody charnel pit with the red key. Checking the map editor, he apparently was up on the ledge and wandered in by mistake. Shame, I think him just starting in the pit would be a good bit of narrative detail, as if he was thrown in with the rest of the bodies but wasn't quite dead yet... I guess this is the sort of thing I can muse about since the actual combat isn't too taxing.