ICID Posted March 18 (logo by @4MaTC) ICID, what the hell is this now? Endless Random /idgames WAD Adventures is a small project of exploration, interaction, entertainment and reviews where we meet once every two weeks to select random WADs in search of hidden treasures, lost promises, or our worst nightmares! We use the /idgames archive’s special feature that lets us search for random files. Of course, sometimes the results are resources or unplayable stuff, so we focus on looking for WADs. So, what do we do here? Play at least one random WAD in a two-week period of time. WADs are selected using the Random File feature on /idgames or from the list below. Post a review of whatever you play. Always provide the name of the WAD, the name of the author, and a link to the file. Play however you want, on any skill level, and with any source port, as long as you play the WAD as intended/in working shape. Be respectful. It's okay to criticize a map, but remember that many mappers read these review threads and behave accordingly. Also, please don't tag mappers into a negative review of their work. What kind of WADs are we looking for? Any file on /idgames is fair game, but most of us choose to stick to singleplayer Doom or Heretic WADs that work in our sourceport(s) of choice. If you're worried about finding Terrywads or broken files, I also pull at least five random WADs for the event. Feel free to play them with me if you wish, or look for your own! The point of the event is to encourage you to explore this vast, random world. Recommendations for reviewing: Spoiler 1. Please take screenshots or video of your adventures. 2. Commenting the source port and difficulty level is not required, but provides helpful context to your review. 3. Try to stick to no more than 1 WAD per day to avoid burnout, but this part’s all up to you, champ! 4. Reviews of all formats are valid. Both longform and shortform are good as long as you write with integrity. Endless Random /idgames WAD Adventures of this event: Library The Yellow Key Card Museum I Every Which Way But Out (Heretic map) THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE ARCHITECTURAL Spoiler The Top 10 (out of 72): 1. @Roofi | 8750 2. @LadyMistDragon | 5530 3. @Sena | 2680 4. @Walter confetti | 2635 5. @ICID | 1990 6. @brick | 1890 7. @Endless | 1260 8. @Thelokk | 725 9. @Clippy | 630 10. @smeghammer | 425 Join the Doom Master Wadazine community for more events like this! » https://discord.gg/Q2RKn4J And check the Doom wiki for the full list of past adventures. 3 Quote Share this post Link to post
Walter confetti Posted March 18 1 minute ago, ICID said: THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE ARCHITECTURAL Uh, this is a cool episode, good find! 2 Quote Share this post Link to post
Lisaancelle Posted March 18 18 minutes ago, ICID said: THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE ARCHITECTURAL Started poking at this one and it's easily the best thing I played so far in ER/IWA. Just bloody fun. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post
Roofi Posted March 18 (edited) Happy birthday to Er/iwa! This wonderful series began 3 years ago, on March 16, 2021! Year 2 Month 11 Day 02 I play until I die or intentionally stop. I don't comment the wad where I died/stopped. [1] Lord Roberts Doom 1.0 by Ian Koropatnick (1995) Quote Quote Shaped exactly like my school. LORD ROBERTS HAS BEEN TAKEN OVER BY DEMONS FROM HELL!! Has got a nice ring to it. The question to ask is not "What is wrong here" but rather "What is not wrong here"? And the best answer here is : nothing. Almost no health nor ammo, a stuck mastermind and damn, what happened with the nodebuilding?! The textures bleed into the floor and you can see through some of the walls! It's disgusting! And in case "Lord Roberts Doom" was actually a jokewad, when was I supposed to laugh? And the cherry on the cake resides in the fact you can obtain a blue key in order to unlock several empty rooms but the maps contains no exit. Just no. Grade : F (0/20) [2] RAMPAGE! by Ryan Newton (1996) Quote Quote Why are you even reading this?? Go play the damn thing!! "RAMPAGE!" is a deathmatch-map taking place in a weird remix of "Entryway" from Doom 2. I recognize the TEKGREEN corridors linking to the different areas, the empty grassy courtyard located next to the player's spawnpoint , the point stairs or the exit's room containing some medkits. The author decided to alterate the theme by using lot of marble and other hellish decorations such as a reverted cross. It gives some "Switcheroom" vibes, which I like. [3] Last Blood (dm_dn03.wad) by @deadnail (2001) Quote Quote This deathmatch level is so named because it's most likely going to be the last level I make. As you expect this is another exceptionally fair map but due to design and layout lots of strategy and quick thinking will be needed to survive. Intended with item respawning turned on. I recommend using zDaemon for netplay. The most notable thing about this single deathmatch map is it's probably one of the first wads beside Alien Vendetta that uses the legendary midi "Fight the logic if you can" by Dashiva (the one used in Misri Halek). This music also has the power to transform ordinary brown landscapes into a mystical place. The players are supposed to fight in those large natural areas and the most curious ones may find the hidden soulsphere located in the small marble temple. [4] SKULL.WAD by Doug Drake [ The Buccaneer ] (1995) Quote Quote Arrr matey..... dis level t'was designed fer ya landlubbers dat enjoy a good deathmatch. I look forward to crossin' swords wit da best o' ya. The result isn't really convincing if you look outside the automap but it's always funny when the rooms take the shape of something, it can be a skull here, a hand (Doom E3M2) , or even a feet (Down the Drain map 23). There are some monsters here but they don't pose much trouble. It would have been more "fun" to put toxic liquid everywhere, knowing that the shape of the layout resembles the logos found on dangerous substances. The next wad is Slaughterfest 3 but I clearly not have the time to beat it. (I'll be dead either way...) I stop here for today. Edited March 19 by Roofi 4 Quote Share this post Link to post
LadyMistDragon Posted March 18 (edited) Balcony (1995) by Tim Tracey (Crispy Doom) It's funny how no one I know with the last name of Tracey is an upstanding citizen. That's all I'll say there though because the map itself is actually pretty good. It borrows the E4 orange sky to pair with this snug wooden map that almost has Borgeosie feels to it. It's a touch more classic though, but it plays hardly any less well with 4 players. There's monsters but again, I didn't really bother with them. The guy talking when you pick something up is kind of goofy but the weapon sounds that all appeared in other DM wads really aren't too bad. Easy 6/10 Clinton Doom v2.0 (1994) by Robbie Teagarden Already reviewed another version of this but basically, we now have some funny expressions of Bill Clinton that replaced the mug shot and two sound clips, one of which is distorted. Sam's Genuine Attempt at a Level (2022) by Sam Maccen (GZ Doom) Apparently, this doesn't work in non ZDoom ports because of a graphical patch that....doesn't actually show up in the map, but anyways, this is a perfectly serviceable first map, a little under-detailed perhaps but seems at least to meet the simple design goals it sets out for itself. I have nothing to say on the monster placement, it quickly starts showing signs of pure randomness before long. Well, placing Lost Souls in the corner of a maze was quite shitty 5/10 Spoiler Edited March 18 by LadyMistDragon 2 Quote Share this post Link to post
Lisaancelle Posted March 19 (edited) The Good, the Bad and the Architectural by Douglas A. Campbell (1999), DSDA on UV Now this was a good one! A full UD episode, replacing E2, which showcases all there is to love about early wads then things go right: loads of doomcute, layouts that actually feel thought out and planned, pleasant combat that is occasionally spicy without needlessly punishing the player. One thing I particularly loved, visually, is how well Campbell makes the rugged E2 sky work against the architecture: it really feels like I'm climbing up to a villa up in the Rockies or something along those lines. The other standout is, of course, the loads of doomcute strewn across all of the maps, especially the early ones: E2M2 is a mad dash across Highway 666 completed with pit stops (strong Doom City vibes here), a police block, a rest area and all sorts of amenities on our way to a tour of the local villas. Some stuff shows real creativity, like the midtext vines combined with the large brown tree to create actual foliage. I do feel the episode 'peters out' a bit starting with the fifth map, which is not to say it turns bad, quite the opposite - the latter layouts are much beefier (so is the monster count), complex and probably a bit closer to 'modern' mapping standards; but the doomcute takes a bit of a backseat, which is sort of a shame. I would have totally played a whole episode like the first two maps! A very nice experience overall, scratched a bit of that doomcute itch I've been having for a while. EDIT - random thought: what do you think will happen when the guys who wrote Macarena show up to cash in the royalties? I keep finding that MIDi all over 90s maps. I'd be worried... Edited March 19 by Lisaancelle 4 Quote Share this post Link to post
brick Posted March 19 Brick | 4 wads | 4 maps Library (2004) by Martin Mikaelsson. 1 SP map for vanilla Doom II. At first I found some charm in the doomcuite, the outside facade looks nice with the columns, and the library proper is tastefully detailed with all the bookshelves of course, but also the reading tables and chairs, the little check in counter, and the sector ladders. The gameplay however leaves a lot to be desired, and I got progressively more irritated as I got further into the map. There's one unofficial secret with the chaingun, a Supercharge and Megaarmor, and finding it early (I found it right before the end...) is practically required for enjoyment, lest we find ourselves dealing with knight after knight after knight with nothing but the shotgun. There's an SSG later on, but that's when the map throws baron after baron after baron, none of them threatening but all requiring patient grinding. The library aesthetic quickly goes out the window too, there's the weird marble room that looks more like a catacomb, that high-tech blue area with the yellow key, and the finale in that windy cage area with a whole bunch more barons at the end. I can usually enjoy a map even if the combat is lacklustre when the level design or doomcute redeem it, but the combat here is just too grindy and the map becomes a drag. Spoiler The Yellow Key Card (2000) by Jason Root. 1 SP/coop map for vanilla Doom II. This one gave me the complete opposite impression. At first sight it's a bit ugly and flat, and ha ha look at those misaligned textures. At least it hands us the plasma rifle straight away to deal with cacos and nobles. Then I played a bit and started appreciating the clever ideas and the fun progression. The main gimmick is that the YKC is optional, more or less; there's a string of secret switches early on to open access to it, you don't need it to reach the exit, but there are so many caches of goodies along the way and they all need it, finishing the map without it will be much more of a challenge. The architecture is not very elaborate but some of the individual sections work better than you'd expect, the maze is the most obvious example, I thought it'd be a boring slog but there are some clever surprises (that Archvile for one) and hidden doors that open up a shortcut for the way back. The finale is a clever variation on the Cyberdemon/Barons faceoff, because there's a toxin chasm between them, requiring a bit more strategy than in Tricks & Traps to get infighting going. I was wondering why the name was familiar until I realized this is @Hellbent who is probably most famous for kickstarting the TWID idea. This is one of his very early maps but I liked the execution, despite the bare aesthetics in parts it's quite nice looking elsewhere, and it's just such a fun map. Spoiler Museum I (1994) by Midnight Blue. 1 map for vanilla Doom II. Despite the text file indicating this is E1M5, it's actually MAP05 and therefore for Doom II (and uses plenty of sequel uniques). It's also quite frankly pretty awful, if that opening shot wasn't indication enough. There are discreet set pieces but most of them aren't particularly good. The beginning can be most easily resolved by just running past everything. The blue key has a cage of revenants and another of mancubi, you could get them to infight... or just kill them all with rockets or plasma rifle, ammo is abundant. The Spider/spiders room is almost interesting, but the poor momma stands no chance against the little ones and cleaning them up is trivial. Then there's a room with a bunch of hitscanners to get the yellow and red key (the yellow is only required to leave this room), then it's back to the cages for the red door and the exit switch. It doesn't look like the promised sequels are available, but I'm sorry to say I'm not in a rush to play them. Spoiler Every Which Way but Out (1995) by Peter Guts. 1 SP/coop map for vanilla Heretic. I was hoping we were alternating between bad and good wads but alas. It's a case study in how to not make a puzzle map. Almost every door is unmarked. Random switches are everywhere and do who knows what. Random linedefs trigger something somewhere else, sometimes on a timer, with no hints whatsoever. There's a maze of doors that provides zero challenge or interest but is just tedious. At some point I walked into the small room shown in the last screenshot and could find no way forward or back out and gave up. I can list a long number of puzzle authors from 1995 who are my favourites, but I can understand why puzzle maps get their reputation, bad ones are really bad. Spoiler 3 Quote Share this post Link to post
LadyMistDragon Posted March 19 (edited) Telebooth 2 (1998) by Rick Clark Quote This is another switchable teleport booth. This uses the ceiling and floor lighting effects as well as scrolling textures. I'm not sure what's going on here but basically, it was made for Boom and intended for a particular teleport effect. The ArchVile Temple, 102.Wad (2006) by Logan MTM & Jive (From Doom with Love) A fairly short level, described as 'brutally hard' in /idgames reviews but actually not too bad, in particular if one finds the hidden BFG that's not terribly hard to find. Visually, it's a nice tan gothic temple, but for some reason, the automap is completely blank which doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I'm not sure why I couldn't return from the yellow key area either. Teleport action must be outdated or something and I couldn't be bothered to check the editor to make sure either. Action-wise, it's hard to complain, though the first fight at the first key is quite aggravating indeed without the BFG. That is one creepy solid Arch-vile ending though 7.5/10 Edited March 19 by LadyMistDragon 3 Quote Share this post Link to post
Roofi Posted March 19 Year 2 Month 11 Day 03 I play until I die or intentionally stop. I don't comment the wad where I died/stopped. [1] Simphony of Death by @Sphagne (2002) Quote "Simphony of Death" figures as one the ambitious vanilla-compatible adventures from Sphagne. That one takes place inside a large underground base and your goal will notably consist to reach the surface. I had the chance (or the curse?) to visit some Sphagne's levels before and I can affirm that that one is way more lenient than "Afterlife" from Community Chest for instance. To tell the truth, I was afraid of a serious challenge here because this map makes you start in cramped areas which are indeed full of traps. I was expecting to die either from unfair ambushes and/or critical ammo famine but it was fortunately not the case at all ! The good thing about this map is that it becomes more and more open as you progress. The outdoors courtyards and the large room or rather the "gigantic theatre" bring a welcomed breath of fresh air. But despite all of this, every area remains quite heavily crowded. It's not a slaughtermap or something similar but monsters are not a rare commodity. Actually, this map gave me some Hell Revealed vibes and it's probably why it will not please all audiences. The theatre has several homogeneous groups of midtiers and the cyberdemon acts as a turret. This kind of area gives me the impression of being in a map like "The Path". Another aspect resides in the fact that the plasmagun and the RL are as critical as they're difficult to find. The author didn't really hid them but their placement is to be obvious so that it's very possible to take a path that doesn't lead to these weapons and therefore have to use berserk to save shells or bullets. More generally, this map is cramped, crowded and pretty abstract but not as over-the-top as in HR2, for example. About the visuals and the overall theme, the usage of stock textures is pretty clean like ID software would do but it's still raw, unsauced doom, and the level doesn't really evoke anything special. The music from Doom 2's map 08 announces something tricky will happen. The music from Doom map 08 adds a certain suspense, nonetheless. An appreciable map if you're tolerant of the oldschool feel. Grade : B- (12/20) I stop here for today. 4 Quote Share this post Link to post
Roofi Posted March 20 Year 2 Month 11 Day 04 I play until I die or intentionally stop. I don't comment the wad where I died/stopped. [1] JL3.WAD by John C. Lyons (2006) Quote Quote You are standing at the bottom of a long flight of steps. There is a brass lantern on the floor. No! Wait! You must infiltrate the hated Nazi headquarters...No! Damn... (Find the keys and get out) An old ultimate Doom map designed in 1994 classified as x-rated for no apparent reason. Maybe because I missed a naughty secret involving several naked boobies or perhaps just because old-school Doom looks sexy as hell. Anyway, JL3.WAD follows the classic "three keys, three paths" kind of progression. It transports you in a sort of multi-themed castle at the middle of the night. You can explore some green marble temples, a sort of lab with large pools filled with different liquids or a strange courtyard with a lot of scattered "floating" cubes. The overall is abstract and quite otherworldly. The combat design is surprisingly solid for a 1994 map. It contains monster closets that open behind the player, a cyberdemon you have to bypass to activate the crusher above its head or more generally the items balance remains adequate. No famine or excess. The BFG is virtually useless, as it is obtained at the very end. As usual the addition of a starry sky always increase the charm of a map like this. I originally came for the chicks, but in the end, this adventure ends up with a decent map, which is even better. Grade : B- (12/20) I stop here for today. 4 Quote Share this post Link to post
LadyMistDragon Posted March 20 KILLSPR2.WAD (1994) by (can't read the name) (Crispy Doom) Quote :KILLSPR2.WAD "Da Kills" Pre-Release #2 (8/18/94) Description (Story) :You and your buddies are sent to an UAC WDS-- _________________ Union Aerospace Corporation Waste Disposal-- | MUST READ THIS | to investigate and terminate all so-called | BEFORE PLAYING | "DOOM" creatures. No words from this "dead" | OR YOU WILL BE | place for the last 18.73 days. You and your | CONFUSED WHEN | gangs are ordered to go to UAC WDS. However, | PLAYING MY WAD. | your good old friend, who was the first to |_________________| discover the hell of DOOM, tells you that there are several teleporting openings from hell. They release tons of wild "DOOM" creatures. The UAC Hell Specialists tell you that the only way to block the teleporters is to destroy the site. You also have been told, by the former workers of the site, that there is a red nuclear core somewhere in the station. The core can become unstable--to blow up the plant--by removing its internal blue faced supercharge sphere. This sphere controls the core to keep stable. Anyone who touches the sphere will temporarily become supercharged. Hell teleporters and creatures must be destroyed. To get to the core, you need to access the computer controls and activate a hidden switch--located in a computer room near the core. Lower its "support frames" all the way down (listen to the sounds from them) first, then press the switch to lower the red shielding. Do NOT stay on the hot core platform too long or else you will become dizzy, start seeing weird colors, and lose your life fast. There are security doors that will block your mission. Find the necessary keys and weapons to complete this critical mission. We must stop HELL's respawn before it is too late! Second pre-release? Huh. And he says this massive map is better to play in deathmatch? Hmmm. It's actually not all that bad because at the least, the layout doesn't really twist around itself, despite the presence of a few coherent mazes within this complex. The cafe and kitchens are quite nice, along with some obvious power supply stations and odd little closets, along with a series of rooms that's probably like habitation. Love these flesh couches! Combat-wise, there's not lots to speak of, although the health pool proves to be quite limited. The BFG is easy to find and comes in quite handy against a pair of Barons in a room where the fake? exit appears to be. I don't even remember where the plasma rifle was found, but this layout riffs rather heavily E1M1 of Wolfenstein, although no Wolfenstein textures are used at any point. The Supercharge trap was a nice bit, not unlike the graveyard ambush, although I was softlocked in the latter, probably because something was done out of order but functions do just break sometimes. Find all three keys, head to more base-like wing with a hangar...and something. I couldn't find the exit and I played for more than long enough. Perhaps it's just unmarked because I noclipped and attempted to find it and no such luck. At least the popular MIDI replacement is tasteful to a degree 5.5/10 1 Quote Share this post Link to post
Lisaancelle Posted March 21 Hell Adventure Funtime by @whirledtsar (2018), UV on GZDoom So yeah, the Vinesauce mapping contests, whatever they were - I know zilch about them, and enough about Vinesauce to avoid it like the plague. Nonetheless, from what I understand Doom mapping contests hosted by the streaming group were fairly popular, as I have come across a few maps that were originally submissions. One such map is Hell Adventure Funtime, which I played on GZ to be on the safe side (I think I was right, as I spotted a custom enemy and a 3d floor). Whirledtsar is fairly demure and modest in calling their own map 'pretty amateurish': I found it perfectly serviceable, certainly not a masterpiece but also nothing to be ashamed of. It's your typical key hunt through a techbase with hellish inserts, most combat is incidental save for a few popups. Balance is overall fine, one route one can fall into (brown corridor first) is a bit ammo starved but I made it anyway. Detailing is fine, and so is progression - the YK 'trick' took me a bit to figure out but that's fine. It's the sort of map you could find in RAMP's middle of the pack, which is just fine to be honest. 2 Quote Share this post Link to post
Darman Macray Posted March 21 (edited) The Disparil's Labs (2007) by Walter "Daimon" Confalonieri - Heretic, 1 Map Port: GZDoom Difficulty: Smite-Meister Playtime: 6:04 It's a nice little jaunt through a Doom tech-base buried in a Heretic temple. The level is functional and competent, short and sweet. Some might say it's unremarkable, but I enjoyed the brief six minute jaunt. It's an interesting concept to bring Doom textures over into Heretic, even if it does do weird things to my head to see the blended styles. Rating: 3/5, Perfectly Harmless Edited March 26 by Darman Macray Grammar & Details 4 Quote Share this post Link to post
brick Posted March 21 Brick | 1 wad | 9 maps Adventure | 5 wads | 13 maps The GOOD, The BAD & The ARCHITECTURAL (1999) by Douglas A. Campbell. 9 maps for vanilla Doom. Walter and Lisaancelle saying good things about it piqued my interest. I'm not entirely sure about the wad's date, the files are from 1997 and if that's true then I'm even more impressed. The doomcute is everywhere in the first maps, but there's also an undercurrent of the wad not taking itself seriously that makes everything even more charming. There's long story expositions for each map but they are so playfully silly. The gas station of course brings Doom City to mind, but unlike Shamus, Douglas did not add any custom assets, so he had to create all of this real-world architecture with nothing but the abstract IWAD textures. The result is often incredibly creative; there's the gas station of course, Lisaancelle also mentioned the trees, in the same vein there's the satellite dish (I think?) in E2M3, probably my favourite. I think the only time I've been more impressed with a creative (mis)use of an IWAD patch was when Gene Bird used LITE3 to make a book. And speaking of, Douglas also twists textures to look like bedsheets, just like Gene did. Of course the attempts don't look as realistic as with custom patches, but there's a lot of fun to be had playing guess-the-texture. Later maps seem to tone down the doomcute but the level design seems to improve, perhaps as Douglas shifts the focus from one to the other. The architecture remains impressive throughout, many of the maps start outside a building and each facade is so distinctive and well done, sometimes with an economy of linedefs. The wad has so much charm that it's hard not to like, and while combat is not a strong suit there was enough quality in the level design and in the progression to keep rank it highly. Spoiler 3 Quote Share this post Link to post
Walter confetti Posted March 21 Got some time to spare this noon and played 2 maps from the OP list: The Yellow Key Card by Jason Root @Hellbent - Vanilla Doom 2, SP, 1 map, 2000, played with Woof! 14.2.0 Spoiler A small map sets in MAP20 with a interesting puzzle gimmick and a least interesting maze in the second half of the map, despite the yellow key is supposedly mandatory needed for better completion of the map, the level can be simple finished without it on 100% kills (at least in HMP). Also monsters placements is pretty scarce here, as well as detailing (it feels more like a 90s map), but for a second effort in mapping is not bad. Museum I by Midnight Blue - Vanilla Doom 2, SP, 1 map, 1994 but uploaded in 2012, played with Woof! 14.2.0 Spoiler A medium sized very basic map sets in MAP05 and the starting point of a (failed?) series of maps sets in a Museum of sorts... that looks actually way more to a prison. Despite the 145 monsters in HMP, the level is extremely straightfoward, both in difficulty and layout. Run in corridors, shoot enemies in cages, use infight towards caged enemies, hit switches that apparently do nothing, take keys, rinse, repeat. That's the map for you all. Uploaded by the legendary uploader of pointless wads Perseus, the only relevant thing is that this level is probably one of the earliest Doom 2 user maps? 2 Quote Share this post Link to post
LadyMistDragon Posted March 21 (edited) The Savage Series (1996) by Dan "Creature" Tyrell This guy namechecks Ben Morris and Denis Moeller and doesn't include plasma rifles "because they're cheap" I swear I must have played against this guy, despite the fact that I'd probably be 7 years old at the time and hadn't even heard of Doom at that point :P) In either case, these are pretty simple and monotonously-textured square shaped maps using Dr. Sleep's night sky and featuring a number of Metallica midis, the last one being from Kama Sutra's "Hard Attack!" (Holier than Thou) The layouts are such that I'm sure you can have some fun with a couple of other people but there's nothing too compelling about them either 5/10 Spoiler Spoiler Spoiler Sirens (2000) by Wraithchilde Quote This is a sprite wad. It replaces several sprites in Doom2 with nude or semi-nude female monsters. The rating for this wad is "NC17". You should take precautions to keep it out of the hands of those who should not view such material (children, religious freaks). The mosnters are done so they can be used all the time, not just as a novelty. This is not a trashy naked-chicks-on-walls wad (sorry, but pornography on walls IS trashy). There are 400+ individual frames that I editted to make this wad. I added 6 new weapons. Except for the hyperblaster which is a blatant Quake II ripoff, they are original and the graphic work was done by me. Instructions on how to use the wad are given below. H-Doom before there was H-Doom. Although at least they aren't anime-inspired this time around. And not every enemy is replaced either. The new weapons aren't too bad. My favorite is the Slot 5 replacement. But a lot of them are kind of variances of one another. Also, this shows a lot of thought and care put into the sprites, for 2000 at least. HEXEN_TAG (1995) by David Davison (GZ Doom) Another shockingly solid Hexen DM map from an active Innocent Crew member. Although many things in this map aren't going to work unless you're playing it how it's intended (like tag). But I have no complaints about the layout. Spoiler Phoebus Strikes! (2003) by DarkWolf (GZDoom) Quote You all know who "Phoebus" is. This short movie is about him. On an editing level it's not quite as good as it should be, but I wanted to finish this today. It should still drive the point home. Phoebus was precisely that sort of hyper-sensitive manbaby the Doomer Boards crowd loves to crow on about from what I can tell. Although I don't know if you're supposed to end in the corner like that. Is that what he did to some folks on NewDoom sometimes? Spoiler ' Edited March 22 by LadyMistDragon 1 Quote Share this post Link to post
Lisaancelle Posted March 22 Zelda by Chris Fischer (1998) And we're back into whateverland with this pointless wad... well, pointless unless you are one of those people (and they do exist, I know a few) that cannot utter a sentence without having to stick Legend of Zelda in there somewhere. What's so enticing about a Santa little helper prancing around on a chicken with a sword is beyond me, but whatever. The map itself is primitive even by 90s standard: a bunch of rooms, connected by invisible and unmarked teleporters, spelling out Zelda and a triforce (I think that's what that bunch of triangles is called). A couple zombiemen, a couple SS (ten enemies total), and the exit is literally just an unmarked corner of the final room - I left the level by accident the first time. Zero height variation, zero sense of texturing, the usual drill. Poor man's Doom by all accounts. 2 Quote Share this post Link to post
LadyMistDragon Posted March 22 (edited) MKBIGWAD (1995) by @markklem (Crispy Doom) A collection of 11 maps for Doom II that were initially released separately, it's a pretty solid collection of old school deathmatch maps. Except for REV2 and REV3, the former feeling like an extremely early map and the latter being a collection of copy-pasted spaces. But the first two maps at least leave a solid impression, despite containing no monsters. Which is fine because the Hell Revealed-style gameplay is unintentional, being as these maps were more designed for co-op than a single player. Still, 07 was a bit much. The arrangement of details is a little hard to complain about, though filled with the usual 95 eagerness. The last two maps aren't really recommended for DM probably because of their size and complexity, but it's basically just standard 90s mazes. Although the one in 10 does recall the sort of ugly mazes that appeared later in Memento Mori if nothing else. That skybox rocks though! I do like the random ambushes Mark springs in certain spots. I think that custom status bar as well as the weapon sound effects and powerup effects appeared in Cringe! too. 6/10 Spoiler Spoiler Spoiler Spoiler Spoiler Edited March 23 by LadyMistDragon 2 Quote Share this post Link to post
Lisaancelle Posted March 23 Memories by Memfis (2014) Nice quick Plutonia 2-ish map by memfis, whose stuff I usually really like. This one is no exception - a natural techbase full of those 'I know something will happen, but what?' traps I enjoy. It's a double key hunt, with some popups happening in a different order whether you head to the final area with both keys already, or one at a time. Very lacking in the armor department, but that's more of a memfis (and speedrunner mapping) thing in general, so no point in complaining. I particularly appreciated how memfis went out of their way to detail unreachable areas that are nothing but eye candy - the effort is noted. Cool custom status bar as well. 2 Quote Share this post Link to post
ICID Posted March 23 Library (2004) by Martin Mikaelsson Play Settings Difficulty: Ultra-Violence Source Port: Crispy Doom Sure to be a big hit with fans of the color brown, this dusty series of bookshelves offers little to recommend or differentiate itself. Brick mentioned how frustrating the weapon progression is, and it seems to be even worse on UV, which forces you to poke a small army of imps to death before you even get the basic shotgun. The Yellow Key Card (2000) by Jason Root Play Settings Difficulty: Ultra-Violence Source Port: Crispy Doom Cute, weird little 90s (er, close enough) map with a slaughter-lite feel. Loads you up with tough weapons and baddies to use 'em on. Ammo is precious but you're never starving for it so long as you're willing to explore for it. I actually never found the titular yellow key card and yet still managed to hit the exit - probably helped that I did find the secret with like 6 soulspheres and blue armors in the last room. 3 Quote Share this post Link to post
Walter confetti Posted March 23 (edited) Every Which Way But Out by Peter Guts - Vanilla Heretic, SP, 1 map, 1994 but uploaded in 2012, played with Eternity "forseti" 4.0.2 and DSDA-Doom Spoiler A really tedious wad with annoying puzzles that i cheated the hell out to finish it fast. The only cool part are the rising tombs and the pool area, for the other parts better forget it. Also, the door maze reminded me of a jokewad i played long ago. Library by Martin Mikaelsson - Vanilla Doom 2, SP, 1 map, 2004, played with DSDA-Doom Spoiler A basic map sets in a library with some charming small detailing, doomcute ladders and even a nice maze; what a miracle! It's a pretty cool map, conceptually reminded me of Nirvana done good. Some abstractism, some good stuff and overall a funny map! I didn't find the gun progression here being so weird as the other reviewers mentioned before. The Librarian's Keep by Stefano "Rolpa" Pinti - Vanilla Doom 2, DM, 1 map, 2019, played with Zandronum 3.1 and bots Spoiler A interesting find, a unknown and newly founded small deathmatch arena that looks and fell good in layout flow, but less fun with the dumb bots. Once you (or somebody else) took the plasma gun, everbody's is screwed up badly. Also, another wad sets into a library... how weird. Final Fantasy III for DOOM II by Mark LaCroix - Music and graphic replacement, Doom 2, 1996, played with DSDA-Doom Spoiler A little wad that replaces Doom 2 title screen, logo and music for title screen and MAP01 with serene music that doesn't really fit that well in the game, especially for MAP01... but for MAP02 fits well, actually! Typical mod of the early years, not the worst thing i played but nothing too special. It could be good for some easy, explorative map. 40mm Grenade Launcher from Dtcog12 by Don Tello - Weapon replacement, MBF, Doom games, 1999, played with DSDA-Doom Spoiler A pretty cool mod that replaces the rocket launcher with the badass looking grenade launcher from Shadow Warrior, you know that chaingun-like gun similar to the gun used in Terminator 2. The weapon works excellent and it's fun gib monsters with it. The grenade took a little much time to explode but it's ok. Edited March 23 by Walter confetti 3 Quote Share this post Link to post
LadyMistDragon Posted March 23 Chaos Total 3 (1997) by David Schaeling This isn't a deathmatch map but the tight corridors and vague symmetry, along with the power up/ammo excess in certain locations speak to a map designed primarily for co-op at the very least. Kind of hard as a result, but supplies are never far away, and while David seems determined to go out with a bang in the final dungeon room, it also features lots of incredibly skippable fights. Those two Cyberdemons are cute, but apparently, resisting that temptation that John Romero sure hasn't in recent years was just too much! That one room with the 4 Pain Elementals can just go die though, even though those fountains are cool 5/10 2 Quote Share this post Link to post
Lisaancelle Posted March 24 So how is hell? by Daniel McGann (1997) A STARTAN box with all sorts of enemies (including SS), not enough ammo to max the map, and a Romero head surrounded by barrels that you can kill right away to end the level. This is literally it. Oh, and random voodoo dolls scattered around, just to make an already hideous map even worse. Turned my Doom day so sour I refuse to play any further for today. 2 Quote Share this post Link to post
LadyMistDragon Posted March 24 For Jihad Monsters (2013) by Mujahid (GZ Doom) It's basically just a skin replacer that adds some profoundly explosive sound effects, strips out most of the demonic monsters and just throws in a bunch of generic American soldiers (the Mastermind is replaced with a tank that can just slide off a ledge though). Much as I might dislike America, I wasn't about to play this with a wad to emphasize that. The description almost seemed like a joke at first, and to a degree it probably is. But it's also objectively tasteless 2/10 Spoiler Spoiler Spoiler Earth Core for Doom 2 (1995) by Keith Phipps (Crispy Doom) Quote A secret UAC base under construction deep inside the Earth has been over run by demons. They've been using the large drilling equipment to open up magma chambers in an attempt to cause volcanic eruptions that will devastate the surface of the entire region. A four man team was sent in to shut down the drilling equipment, but contact was lost and they are presumed dead. Now it's up to you to complete their mission... Unfortunately, there is little distinct identity that can be found here, despite some oddball use of dried lava and that tower/cavern combo at one point. Monster placement occasionally has great randomness applied to it and the lack of a Super Shotgun when there's multiple Barons really hurts. The Plasma rifle shows up but late enough that I couldn't wait to find the exit. Maybe less angular walls could've helped, but textural consistency is half-hearted at best and while that's a technique that can work with the right kind of map, it feels like there were a few half-formed ideas connected by filler. That said, it's not really bad, just completely deprived if any genesis quo apart from necessary door camping to obtain 100 percent kills 5/10 2 Quote Share this post Link to post
brick Posted March 25 Brick | 1 wad | 36 maps Adventure | 6 wads | 49 maps Lunar Catastrophe (2019) by Sam McNallen/Miss Bubbles & Derek Pierson/Count651. 36 maps for Ultimate Doom in ZDoom. I've always been a fan of family collaborations, and there are plenty of cases of sibling collaborations, and even a few parent/child ones. I think this is the first time I come across a couple making a wad together, and it's very endearing for obvious reasons. While their stated purpose was to emulate the style of each id level designer, I don't think they succeeded; it's not necessarily a bad thing, but they each have a particular style, to the extent that I managed to guess all the solo map credits (the collaborations were obviously much harder to guess). The unfortunate part is that I liked one of them a lot more than the other. Derek has the unfortunate habit of recycling the same old tricks with swarms of shotgun guys shooting from above, or barons teleporting right behind us in a narrow corridor with nowhere to dodge, far too many of them have to be taken down with nothing but the shotgun. Even with rockets later on, monster-blocking lines are set up to make them way too dangerous to use, in situations where the shotgun is safe but oh so boring. Sam by comparison has a more freewheeling style, which keeps her maps feeling more fresh as she comes up with less difficult but more diverse challenges. Her level design uses obvious homages to Ultimate Doom, but what makes it special is that it goes beyond simply recycling IWAD architecture and adding detail to it, instead evoking the id mapper (usually Romero) but twisting his idea into something new and unexpected. E1 is entirely hers and there are many examples there, the most obvious are the outdoor secrets, two in particular have echoes of E1M2's and E1M7's, but both the way to access them and the items and enemies there are Sam's own thing. One area where both mappers are equally successful is visuals, they capture the id aesthetic well but add a bit of spice to it. It was a bit of an uneven ride but my overall impressions are positive, it's a fun wad and the couple did emulate id's map sizes accurately so most go by rather quickly. Spoiler 4 Quote Share this post Link to post
Roofi Posted March 25 Year 2 Month 11 Day 05 I play until I die or intentionally stop. I don't comment the wad where I died/stopped. [1] HellNite ][ by Peter Van Schevensteen (Sylvie@vub.vub.ac.be) (1996) Quote Quote Pure Single Player DOOM2 level: A simply-conceived castle which contains several hundred of baddies. "Hellnite II" could easily figures among the "old-school slaughtermaps" category. It's also released one year before HR but contrary to what you might expect, HellNite proves to be easier than most of the maps from Doom II thanks to all the available space and the items. There is a cyberdemon at the first area stuck among the barrels but you can either ignore or kill him without difficulty because the author gives you everything you need at the beginning. Actually, HellNite is clearly an underdevelopped map but I like it for its simplicity. Just killing all the enemies blocking your way among this succession of corridors and oversized courtyards was a nice way to decompress. To tell the truth, I sometimes enjoy slaughtermaps for the simple pleasure of generating big massacres without really struggling. Grade : B- (12/20) I stop here for today. 3 Quote Share this post Link to post
LadyMistDragon Posted March 25 (edited) JHCOOL.WAD (1995) by Unknown (Crispy Doom) A complete and total shovelware cliche. Careless enemy placements that mean you might as well run around them because they're only anywhere because they have to be, excessive powerups, quasi-maz-y layouts, abuse of the raise/lower floor action in 2 separate maps, incredibly monotonous texturing in 4 out of 7 maps, random key placement, largely untextured doors, this makes no attempt to adhere to any rules but at the cost of not knowing what they even are. Worst are the occasional examples of outright laziness. For instance, that one door in Map 02 that's stretched out for far long, or how Map 04 is basically just a series of random connected drawings or how certain sections of these maps won't show up for literally no discernable reason. 1.5/10, can not recommend even a tiny bit. Archie (1995) by Tom "Mr DooM" Sanner (Crispy Doom) Quote This is an major revision of an earlier wad I made named Impgod wad. This will also demonstrate the invincible monster bug in DooM 2, but unlike Impgod wad, this is a fully functional solo level. This wad should give you a real test of your DooM skills. PS... Don't forget that there's only one way to kill some of these mothers! Not much else to say, beyond that for a demonstration map, the architecture ain't half-bad. There was also one instance where an Imp ended up taking far more rockets than he should've to expire. There's not really a rocket excess either. Placing the blue key in a slightly different closet texture makes it lose some points though 6/10 Spoiler Spoiler Office (1995) by Gary Marsh of Genesis (Crispy Doom) Pretty simple deathmatch map that's probably more fun to look at than to play in, due to the vast quantities of barrels and desks everywhere. Things get especially weird when the textures start switching up. There's no place for hell brick and I don't even get that room that's using that striped blue tech texture. Is that like, where the heating/ac is stored? But it probably plays fine on the whole 5.5./10 Spoiler Spoiler Spoiler Spoiler Spoiler Edited March 26 by LadyMistDragon 1 Quote Share this post Link to post
Lisaancelle Posted March 26 NiGHTMARE Speedmapping Compilation #4 by various (2002) I want my 90s back. Let's get one thing out of the way, for the sake of transparency: I hate speedmapping and speedmaps. They are, in my opinion, nothing but a lazy man's way to experience the excitement of releasing a map, while putting minimal though or effort in it. Maybe I am wrong, but through the years I have suffered through more than my fair share of speedmaps, and not one ever changed my mind. This here session certainly did not. I am only vaguely familiar with NiGHTMARE and, beside them, Hyena and Magikal are the only other names I recognize- the remaining mappers are entirely unknown to me. On to the maps themselves: six total, with no sky or music replacements, supposed to deal in a 'dark techbase' aesthetics, with the catch that each map was created in a 'relay race' sort of way: 25 minutes each mapper, for a total of 100 per map. Thing is, these maps are awful, even by speedmapping standards. Literal square boxes of monotexture; softlocks so blatant even the excuse of haste doesn't hold; unmarked... everything really, from keyed doors to elevators to exits; literally zero health in some of the maps. Zero secrets except for one single map, but at least the monster count is usually mercifully low (occasionally barely in the double digits), which I guess is cold comfort. One more nail in the coffin of speedmapping for me, and next time I roll one such compilation I'm very, very tempted to just lay low and reroll. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post
LadyMistDragon Posted March 26 (edited) 48 minutes ago, Lisaancelle said: NiGHTMARE Speedmapping Compilation #4 by various (2002) I want my 90s back. Let's get one thing out of the way, for the sake of transparency: I hate speedmapping and speedmaps. They are, in my opinion, nothing but a lazy man's way to experience the excitement of releasing a map, while putting minimal though or effort in it. Maybe I am wrong, but through the years I have suffered through more than my fair share of speedmaps, and not one ever changed my mind. This here session certainly did not. I am only vaguely familiar with NiGHTMARE and, beside them, Hyena and Magikal are the only other names I recognize- the remaining mappers are entirely unknown to me. On to the maps themselves: six total, with no sky or music replacements, supposed to deal in a 'dark techbase' aesthetics, with the catch that each map was created in a 'relay race' sort of way: 25 minutes each mapper, for a total of 100 per map. Thing is, these maps are awful, even by speedmapping standards. Literal square boxes of monotexture; softlocks so blatant even the excuse of haste doesn't hold; unmarked... everything really, from keyed doors to elevators to exits; literally zero health in some of the maps. Zero secrets except for one single map, but at least the monster count is usually mercifully low (occasionally barely in the double digits), which I guess is cold comfort. One more nail in the coffin of speedmapping for me, and next time I roll one such compilation I'm very, very tempted to just lay low and reroll. Not untrue necessarily, but when I rolled this, I liked picking each map apart to see who did what section and it was kind of obvious who did what. Hyena's were basically universally garbage while with one exception, Magikal maintained shocking quality since he didn't really have the time for something too cryptic. And truth be told, while speedmapping back in the day was pretty bad, I can safely say this is probably among the weakest so far. Heck, I even know of one case where one map (by Vrack creator Fredrik Johansen) where one map overshines the others to such a ridiculous degree, it's both unreal and honestly a case where he probably didn't stick so closely to the time limit. Edited March 26 by LadyMistDragon 2 Quote Share this post Link to post
Lisaancelle Posted March 27 (edited) Darkstalkers by Chris Wright (2010) Googling Chris Wright does bring up a certain well-known doomer's DoomWiki article. However, since the actual name does not appear in such article, either it's just a random occurrence; or the member had their name scraped. Either way, just in case, I'll respect their maybe decision and not tag them. All I'll say is, if Chris Wright is indeed who I think they are, I am sort of surprised the map uses D_RUNNIN. The map itself... is a very good one! I had lots of fun playing it. It's pretty much a perfect storm of the stuff I like to see in a Doom map: IWAD textures coupled with good texturing and interesting architecture; difficult but not insormountable combat; a high number of rewarding secrets. Some idgames review criticize the map for relying A LOT on the 'push forward, hidden door opens in front and behind you with enemies', and it sort of does but, I mean, it's classic, limit removing Doom - it's all cool, whatever. Also very good archvile placement, rather dangerous but felt very fair, something you don't often see in classic-styled maps. Not much else to say, really: a good map, that makes things interesting again after my previous, dismal pick. Edited March 27 by Lisaancelle 1 Quote Share this post Link to post
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.