The Ultimate Long List of Keen Hunts

[TMD2003]

Those of you with your fingers on the pulse of Doom II WADs might be able to add to this one.

For the past few years, when I've decided on a bit of Dooming, I always find myself drawn to the WADs that have some kind of "hunt the Commander Keens" embedded in there somewhere, so I thought I'd make a list. Note that this does NOT include the original Grosse, or any other map where the Keens are all in plain sight and there's no challenge involved in finding them - such as Map 32 of the recent(ish) Realm Of Chaos: 25th Anniversary Edition (with 11 Keens) or the original 1996 version (with only two). There are others I would discount, such as where there's one hidden Keen used as an event trigger (example: Speed of Doom, map 27, Hais Temple - the hidden Keen spits out of a wall when killed and reveals an energy cell pack).

I'm looking for maps where hunting the Keens is (a) not entirely obvious and (b) optional, in that it's to open a secret bonus area, or the exits to maps 31/32.

I have six so far:

- Plutonia 2, map 29: Ticket To Eternity
- Speed of Doom, map 31: 1010011010
- Hellbound, map 31: Diabolus Ex Machina

- Japanese Community Project, map 15: Nandeyanen

- Japanese Community Project, map 27: A Resplendent Emerald Green (although the automap reveals all the locations for this one...)

- FreeDoom Phase 2, map 11: Infinite Plain (where the Keen shows up as an alien in a red jar)

I'll be interested to know how many more there are.

[Not Jabba]

Doom 2 in City Only, map 28: Village and Void

[Insaneprophet]

I was just gunna post D2ICO map 28 and you beat me too it 😝

[bioshockfan90]

Zone 300 MAP31. It's as ambitious as you could get for 300 linedefs, and the map itself is one of the weaker ones in the set. But it does fit your description.

[Celestin]

Doom 404, MAP31: Nazi Shooter! Two secrets with Keens that are needed to unlock the secret exit.

[Cilian]

Realm of chaos 25th anniversary edition map32 (didn't notice "optional only" before posting, but I guess the sequence is fun)

Edited April 30 by Cilian

[NinjaDelphox]

1 hour ago, Not Jabba said:

Doom 2 in City Only, map 28: Village and Void

 

1 hour ago, Insaneprophet said:

I was just gunna post D2ICO map 28 and you beat me too it 😝

 

Lol since one of my maps was posted already I'll put my other maps with Keen hunts here:

 

Map 16 of Project Unity 

Map 16 and 29 of Corruption

Map 30 of 200 Line Massacre

Map 22 of 150 Line Massacre

[Cammy]

Cool to see RoC25 being shouted out a couple times here! Even if I would personally label that as more of a Keen racing track than a Keen hunt.

 

For more proper submissions, Hell to Pay map32 makes you find and destroy 16 fuses (which replace Keens and I believe are exclusive to this map) to cut power to a self-destructing facility you're trapped in. Cool map.

[TMD2003]

Looking good already.

If I was ever going to be a WAD builder - which I'm not, I'm about 30 years behind the curve - I'd always put one Keen in every map, even if it's just for decoration. There's a cathedral-esque one-level WAD out there somewhere that has one hanging from the ceiling above the door, and I've long since lost track of what it was.

I tend to compile these lists at the same time as looking for Officially Awesome Music. @Cammy - you may be pleased to know that three of the music tracks in the first 15+2 maps (1, 9, 15) made this list.

Edited April 30 by TMD2003
Added another paragraph.

[Gez]

MAP32: Self-Destruct (Hell To Pay) is another, with a reskin of the Keens to look like glass fuse thingies, and the added complication that you have a limited time to blow them all up to escape before the place self-destructs (hence the level name) and your voodoo doll gets crushed.

 

... and I just see now that it's been mentioned already.

Edited May 1 by Gez

[Chookum]

Shamelessly self promoting here:

 

Headless Chicken's MAP31 A-1: Barfly. Kill all the chickens present in the four arenas to get access to MAP32. You can always hear them clucking to aid with the search, and ones present on the map try to find their way to you. The chickens are DeHacked'd Commander Keens and keep their door raising logic when none are left.

[elborbahquarama]

there's level 25 of going down, forbidden fruit, and wood simple by toooooasty features a pretty tough optional one

[RaRu Des2122]

Dark Resolution 2008, Map03: The Hunt.

 

You must kill a total of 6 Keens. One manually in one of the secrets, five will die simultaneously during the explosion caused by flipping the switch. After that it will be possible to get into the secret that is hidden in another secret that we found earlier. This earlier secret is also made in the Wolfenstein-style.

 

[TMD2003]

On 4/30/2024 at 1:59 PM, TMD2003 said:

I'm looking for maps where hunting the Keens is (a) not entirely obvious and (b) optional, in that it's to open a secret bonus area, or the exits to maps 31/32.

I have six so far:

- Plutonia 2, map 29: Ticket To Eternity
- Speed of Doom, map 31: 1010011010
- Hellbound, map 31: Diabolus Ex Machina

- Japanese Community Project, map 15: Nandeyanen

- Japanese Community Project, map 27: A Resplendent Emerald Green (although the automap reveals all the locations for this one...)

- FreeDoom Phase 2, map 11: Infinite Plain (where the Keen shows up as an alien in a red jar)

It has recently occurred to me that, technically, JPCP map 27 violates my own rules because the hunting the Keens is required to open the gate to the end of the level - it doesn't lead to a secret. However, it is much more likely that a Keen hunt will reveal a secret area, whether or not it's marked as "official" (Plutonia 2's isn't, for instance), so I'll be prepared to let those like JPCP27 off the hook.

Doom 2 In City Only's map 28: Village And Void certainly fits all the criteria I had for a Keen hunt, and I've now fully analysed it. It isn't half hard, though!

On to Zone 300...