Endless Random /idgames WAD Adventures #085

[ICID]

^{(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?

1. 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.
2. Post a review of whatever you play.
3. Always provide the name of the WAD, the name of the author, and a link to the file.
4. 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.
5. 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:

 

1. Green Inferno
2. Mission: BADV
3. JAX04
4. Cliffs
5. Callisto Anomaly

 

Spoiler

The Top 10 (out of 73):

 

1. @Roofi | 9050

2. @LadyMistDragon | 6035

3. @Walter confetti | 2725

4. @Sena | 2680

5. @ICID | 2105

6. @brick |2090

7. @Endless | 1260

8. @Thelokk | 725

9. @Clippy | 640

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.

[Walter confetti]

Nice, i played Green Inferno quite long ago, cool map!

[LadyMistDragon]

StartLit Map1 (2005) by Jodwin (GZ Doom)

 

Quote

StarLit is a hard solo map designed to be played with the Immoral Conduct weapon mod (IC). StarLit is a survival kind of map which requires more brain than braw to get through the battles. This map has been designed so that it is almost impossible to finish without using the special features of IC weapons, such as flares. Starlit is meant to be played on Ultra violence, however the easier difficulty settings are also supported.

 

Unfortunately, I couldn't really find Immoral Conduct in anything my computer recognized as a safe link so I choose the Final Doomer: TNT class instead. This is described as being 'survival' but it just feels like running around a whole crowd of Imps that block us thanks to being alerted. Which is why something that boosts the pistol is going to help a lot since we won't get a shotgun until we enter the cave. Which turns out to be the most generic maze ever, as it happens, and also pointlessly dark, leading to most of my deaths, which is quite problematic for efficient completion. The house is nice, though the center room riffs off the opening room of the Gantlet for some reason. The map lamely concludes with two Barons of Hell in a large enough room that they can be dodged fairly easily, despite the sharp corners. Decent attempt at something different (with the mod IC) but the cave is annoying and design overall is not very good. I certainly would've never guessed that this mapper would go on to make Jade Earth as well as several stiff-challenge maps. 6/10

 

 

 

[brick]

Brick | 3 wads | 7 maps

 

Green Inferno (2017) by AconyX. 1 SP map for The Ultimate Doom in Boom.

I have no idea why I had this already saved in my wad folder but apparently never played before. No matter, it was a pretty enjoyable if short map. It's an E4M1 replacement that draws heavily from the aesthetics of the original, though perhaps not so much from the gameplay (this one actually has health for a change). @AconyX apologizes for the copy/paste detailing and the symmetry but honestly I didn't mind so much, the symmetry fits well with the aesthetics and is restricted to the looks, so the layouts are not repetitive. If the megawad this is supposed to be part of gets released I'll definitely play, this was a short but very sweet experience.

Spoiler

 

Mission: BADV (2021) by Benoit C./AggroBen79 (Original), Roebloz (Remaster). 5 SP maps for vanilla Doom.

According to the text file AggroBen made the original 4 maps back in 1994, and frankly it shows. They are completely flat, with monotonous texturing (forget about alignment), flat lighting (the one attempt at a light cone in E1M2 just exists there without any light source that should be casting it; this makes me realize just how much care some mappers put into their lighting), and they are all tiny, each can be completed in a minute or under. The finale in E1M3 against the barons with barely enough space to move was not hugely fun either. Many years later Ben's son Roebloz found the maps, made one extra map and sent the full package to the archives. I thought that the new map was a remaster of the first, but it actually remakes all of them into a single longer map. It's not that long, in fact still beatable in just over a couple of minutes. There are attempts to add more detailing, to improve some of the encounters, but it doesn't do much for the originals' almost complete lack of elevation. The wad is not very good but it's hard for me to be mean about it, there's something inherently sweet about a son finding his father's 25-year-old maps, adding an homage to them and then uploading them for eternal online preservation.

Spoiler

 

JAX04 (1996) by Glenn Jackson. 1 SP map for vanilla Doom II.

We played another one of these Jax maps last year (or was it two years ago? time flies) and I was thoroughly unimpressed. This one started me with mixed feelings; any map that puts all the weapons right in front of me makes me instantly suspicious, but there was also the promise that it would be much more substantial than our previous Jax venture (the bar was pretty low though; I completed that one in 10 seconds). Forget about architecture or layout or puzzles, it's just straight blocky corridors with hundreds of monsters to kill; Glenn claims to have built this to vent frustration with work, and I could see playing it being equally good for releasing tension. I have to once again dispute the claims of this being tough, there is a cornucopia of ammo, invulnerability and Megaspheres that makes grinding through the hordes pretty easy actually. Even for someone as lacking in skill as myself, the only obstacle wasn't the combat but a (potentially intentional) softlock, I got to the red door before finding the red key and that was that.

Spoiler

 

[LadyMistDragon]

Porno Doom: The Ultimate Fucking Hardcore Porn Doom Wad (2007) by Deeforce (GZ Doom)

 

Quote

The level consists of big rooms with naked women everywhere. Shoot your way through the demons and experience those varied rooms.

The 'variance' Deeznutxforce speaks of is hardly apparent. There's like maybe 3 different texture selections, tons of massive rooms, walls stretching up practically as high as possible and monsters scattered in such a way that speedrunning it isn't really too much trouble. Like most of these wads, there really doesn't appear to be too much point to it, beyond the nude pictures. Although at least the picture to right of the exit seems to show some girl on girl action :)

 

 

 

Phobos Nukage Base (2005) by John @bejiitas_wrath Cartwright (DSDA Doom)

 

This is an important moment in John Cartwright's mapping career because it would establish most emphatically the template that characterized his later maps: massive, open-ended layouts, courtyards filled with trees probably kind of pointlessly in most cases, some occasionally impressive use of vanilla texturing with some custom stuff mixed in every so often and large hordes of monsters. I dunno if this was John's only map for Doom 1 (I'd have to check) but while it can be cool to blow up groups of turret Imps, it does start to wear thin in a map of 785 monsters or so and there are perhaps two areas too many of these. But despite the presence of a particular packed cross-shaped room with Imps and shotgunners and an Invulnerbility in the middle near the Boom-conveyor belt that's otherwise useless, this really isn't slaughter. And if you hate searching for weapons, I've got bad news for you because all of the heavies, as well as the berserk pack, are in rather obscure locations with basically zero pathfinding. But here's the plus side. There are hardly any useless or empty dead-end areas, when the same really can't be said of the arguably better Supply Station. Even the crude and pointless bathroom isn't too bad. All the same, the Doom 1 limits show in yet another Cartwright map that's just as expansive as much of his previous/later work but stretched awfully thin here. 6.5/10

 

PS: What is up with the bragging in the text file? I don't even think he'd submitted a run in years at this point(edit: oops).

 

 

Spoiler

Spoiler

 

 

Spoiler

Spoiler

 

Spoiler

Spoiler

 

Edited May 15 by LadyMistDragon

[brick]

Brick | 2 wad | 6 maps
Adventure | 5 wads | 13 maps

 

Cliffs (1995) by Gregory Korzuchin. 1 SP/coop map for vanilla Doom II.
The warning about falling off made me dread the platforming, but there isn't actually much, if at all, staying on the walkways is very easy. That doesn't make the map very good though, it's a big room with little variety, clashing texture choices, attempts at "camouflage" with sector setups that instead create HOMs. Falling off is indeed a one-way ticket, made more annoying because there are a couple of places where it doesn't look like there's another way forward (and one spot where falling down is indeed the way to go). Not recommended.

Spoiler

Callisto Anomaly (1995) by Vince Russett. 5 SP maps for vanilla Doom.
This has such a good premise but doesn't live up to it. At first glance there's a good attempt at capturing the look of the historical periods depicted, especially with the tools of the day, but the gameplay leaves a lot to be desired. M1 is infuriating with its long corridors that run all around the map, and that have to be traversed back and forth (and double the amount if you make the wrong random choice at the very beginning). M2 is even worse with a maddening use of impassable linedefs, including one right at the exit, which cannot be reached despite the clearly empty space in front of us, because reasons. The way to it turns out to be incredibly convoluted, including an invisible teleporter in the corner of a room (because why not), and a gotcha later on that will force another several minutes of backtracking. It's a shame too because the architecture is so cool, it definitely looks and feels like an accurate recreation of the Roman baths of the city of Bath (fun fact, Vince is not from Bath but from Cheddar), a couple of the more spacious baths look great for the time, though the effect is slightly ruined by impassable linedefs right there in the main outdoor area. It seems like those were not entirely by design though, Vince had to deal with HOMs and couldn't figure out a better way to get rid of them; certainly some blame can be placed on the nodebuilder, even on GZDoom there are several obvious problems in software. The next couple of maps lose any attempt at architecture but unfortunately keep the tedious gameplay, there's lots of combat in tight (very, very tight) long dark corridors with incredibly obscure and illogical progression. M5 seems promising at first, with some attempts at good lighting, but then it turns out the exit is right near the start and already accessible, and the entire rest of the map is superfluous. After 150 enemies, 3 keys and more obscure progression, it ends on a switch that does absolutely nothing, but the exit is still patiently waiting for us (or you could go for a damaging-exit floor earlier, which is just there for no rhyme or reason). I had hopes for this wad but unfortunately nothing came of it.

Spoiler

 

[LadyMistDragon]

Omniversal Doom #1 (2001) by Shawn "Ominiverse" Huckabay (GZ Doom)

 

Very bad. Random pool of water with Lost Souls above is pointless, there's nowhere near enough ammo for the monsters here and most insultingly, the berserk pack is placed right before an incredibly narrow final hallway where it's best not used at all. It's basically just a collection of ZDoom feature tests and while going through the bloodfall at the beginning isn't such a bad move and there are some little light effects probably belonging in demo scene, the combat insults and the design is awash with complete blandness. Worst ending ever too 1/10 

 

 

 

[LadyMistDragon]

Abyssal Speedmapping Sessions #50 (2021) by Various TheMionicDonut, et al From Doom wtih Love

 

To wash out the taste of the last drivel, I immediately hit 'random' again and got this. I would not normally be doing this, but I decided I might take a slightly more liberal attitude toward something that seems to be fading as a Doomworld legacy and in any case....let's just get a move on! Firstly, the themes though, copied rote from the ASS 50 text file. Note: not all of these had to be used

 

Quote

                          1. Scrolling floors
                          2. Copious amounts of barrels
                          3. Poison floors
                          4. Circular architecture
                          5. Mandatory stair building
 

 

 

Map 01: Oh Fuck, The Red Key's Melting - Redead-ITA is responsible for this one. Like a lot of his speedmapped stuff, it's pretty short, may be not as dense as it could be on monster encounters but still have a moment of two of satisfying progression. Like going up a circular stairway to get at a red key where a Revenant is also located for one

 

Map 02: Stupid Wendel's Bathroom World - Alper002 made this one. So there's a few different buildings, barrels scattered everywhere (naturally) and a few different buildings with some mildly fierce enemy placement. Perhaps I'm missing something though but the only way to reach the exit is to walk across the opposite direction on scrolling floor.....very.......fucking..............................slooooooleeeeeeeeee. Lame

 

Map 03: This guy was involved in Community Chest and incidentally, he hasn't had any map credits since one of the later ASSs. Pretty cool though! The parking garage climax was a nice setting and the overall construction and commitment make it probably the best map here! Plenty of health and not-insignificant amounts of health either. People that shot everything will be punished at the end by not one but THREE Cyberdemons and not enough ammo to take them out without infighting. 

 

Map 04: Alper brings this sewer map, barrels on individual platforms and fierce Revenant placement that makes things pretty treacherous. The big room with the single Cacodemon can go die though. While better than Alper's other entry, this room is a pain to deal with since you have stay in the dark area while navigating scrolling floors

 

Map 05: Hugo Weaving's Dumptruck Emporium: You've seen one Obsidian map, you've seen them all. Although his use of scrolling floors and gimmicks is far more intellgent than anything seen thus far. Ammo is tight until the point two shell boxes are located at least. Deliberate enemy placement is noted no matter how you look at this. Damn Hell Knights.

 

Perhaps I'll play more later

 

 

 

Edited May 18 by LadyMistDragon

[ICID]

 

Green Inferno (2017) by ArconyX

 

^{Play Settings}

^{Difficulty: Ultra-Violence}

^{Source Port: Prboom+ via Delta Touch, complevel 9}

 

Could have sworn I played this for a previous ER/iWA but I searched high and low and can find no evidence of doing so, so I guess E4 riffs just all look the same. This one is specifically inspired by the notoriously ammo-starved E4M1, but it's much better than that map - a little more generous with ammo, a little more clever about monster usage, and much, much better-looking.

[LadyMistDragon]

Corrupted Citadel (2021) by Genius Bandit or Doomboy1999 (GZ Doom)

 

 

Quote

A small, compact, evil map set in and around the titular Corrupted Citadel, with 3 bonus deathmatch maps. Play with Co-op monsters for a REAL challenge!

 

I can't say I really care too much for cooop monsters but as to the map being evil, that's not really true. There's just a few places where chaingunners can shoot you from a million miles away, though plenty of places to hide all the same. Map itself has atmosphere up the ass, with a piano accompaniment and a nighttime setting amidst the ruins of some long-abandoned citadel. Although the great hall here has remained remarkably well-preserved over the years, with an arched entrance and an utterly immaculate array of columns. There's also a cute little outdoor garden of sorts at one end.

 

Combat is as hinted at earlier quite hitscanner-heavy, with precious little health that can be recovered so it might seem a little unfair in spots. That being said, the pistol and chaingun both have a basic speed increase applied to their firing rates which makes handling the Lost Souls in the Great Hall not a terribly annoying proposition. The map concludes with a trip into a mausoleum and an encounter with 2 Arch-viles that seems to guarding an inescapable blood pit and if you guessed this was a blood pit that exits you after health drops to 10 or so, you'll win no points!

 

How to review this alternate prologue to Doom 2016? It undoubtedly has a great sense of place, with bits of vanilla detailing that perhaps recall the efforts of notorious challenge mapper xdarkmasterx who apparently gave some advice during the development of this, but at the same time, there's a certain lack of refinement in the layout and quite apart from cheap hitscanners, it's not exactly what one would call above plodding in the combat department, even counting the Arachnotrons which can fire at you from the other end of the garden while still inside 6.5/10

 

 

 

 

ASS #61 (cont)

 

Map 06 - It's ok, I guess. At least combat isn't exactly anemic here. Although placing a Cyberdemon at the other end of a section of scrolling floor with teleporters scattered about randomly for no other reason than the memes was a pretty garbage move and I'm not talking about the liquid here either. Speaking of which, that's a concise way to vaguely acknowledge the custom color schme.

 

Map 07: A Well-Worded Transvag Convo - Don't think about it too hard. It's ok though. Fletcher has brought us the second best map in the set so far! Quite apart from the excellent midi choice that seems be listed as Unknown (it sounds like something from some Japanese game though) the gimmicks are used in a way that doesn't really enhance the experience but neither does it take away from it in any aspect. Like sure, groups of barrels are scattered around every which way but you know what, we know Fletcher was having fun here! Though perhaps the pathfinding to the exit could've been better, the monster compostion works out!

 

Map 08: A Hastily Arranged Counterqueef - Well, the metaphor speaks for itself. But anyways, this will be most notable for what's initially a profoundly spiral layout, like that Doom 64 map, but with a serious dickishness to the overall combat here. Ammo is quite limited and worst, Revenants will fire from a million miles away in the second spiral while Pain Elementals emerge from the bottom of the abyss and Spectres terrify our attempts at escape. Despite such complaints, it might still be good. And at least the exit, which is in a massive area that was basically taken from the previous level while also taking you through the beginning of this one, is easy enough to find!

 

Map 09: The Tale of Sir Explosive Circles - This map on the other hand, is a simple open rocky circle with switches placed in obnoxious locations. Barrels are cool, but it's pretty hard to distinguish tasks here and the way keys just cause actions is annoying obligatory nonsense I've never liked in Doom maps

 

 

 

 

Edited May 19 by LadyMistDragon

[brick]

Brick | 1 wad | 9 maps
Adventure | 6 wads | 22 maps

 

Return to Phobos (1994) Michael Kelsey. 9 maps for vanilla Doom.
Michael's Stones is often regarded as the first substantial PWAD map, the one that started it all. Return is more famous, an entire E1 replacement, something for which Michael apologize profusely to id (he's too harsh on himself; the wad still adheres to id's wishes and will not run on shareware Doom). I really like Stones, and not just as a historical curio, it's small but with an interesting layout, it has some very cool experimentation with detailing (the famous marble arch) and almost half the map is optional puzzles and secrets, just for fun. Return has a similar approach to layout, here too most maps have huge optional areas and secrets, in some cases the exit is seconds away and the vast majority of the map is optional. Unfortunately I found the wad frustrating in ways that Stones was not. Puzzles are incredibly obscure, with many many hidden doors and hidden switches, obligatory secrets (some of the progression steps are not officially marked as secrets, but they're better hidden than most actual secrets), and in general layouts and one-way doors or drops that needlessly increase backtracking. The optional segments compound this problem, especially combined with the way secrets are marked, it's often impossible to tell if what's being done is progress towards the exit or just more secrets. There are also some mapping missteps that result in annoying softlocks, such as the exit in E1M5 becoming inaccessible without the player doing anything or even knowing what happened. Bugs aside there's definitely an improvement in the later maps, the puzzles become more interesting and less about humping every wall hoping for a not-secret secret, the maps become better at both hinting at the hidden doors and at actually marking secrets as such, it makes the "most of the map is optional" gimmick much more fun. It's not the best of 1994 and it's not the best set of puzzle maps, in fact it encapsulates pretty accurately the spirit of a 94 map, both in the things that I love about them and those that make that naming a pejorative for so many doomers (and I will admit that I agree on at least some of these points). It's probably still worth checking out, if you get frustrated with the hidden doors remember that you can throw the towel at any time and just hit that exit switch, no shame in doing that!

Spoiler

 

[LadyMistDragon]

Escape from Slime City (2023) by @kwc (Nugget Doom)

 

Quote

Escape from Slime City is a short and linear Boom-Compatable singleplayer map set in the titular urban environment of SLIME CITY.

Fight hell's legions as you weave through urban streets and buildings while keeping your feet out of the toxic slime overtaking the city! Can you survive as you make your way back to your car parked on the other side of town? Can you find all of the Doomguy dolls scattered throughout the city?

Features:

Secrets and Easter Eggs! (some too subtle for their own good) Destructable Trash! Optional Doll Collectathon! Edible Junk Food! Interactable Light Switches! Arcade Games! A Mysterious Stranger!

Recommend against game-altering mods for this one.

 

 

 

Our favorite tribal warrior really seems to like the realistic spaces! This is a map I almost was going to play but due to the acclaim it got (as well as a Cacoward mention!), I basically kept putting it off and not touching it.....until today! 

 

I'm just here to say this map is entirely deserving of its praise! Showing a marked increase in difficulty over kwc's previous effort The Old Bean Factory, this isn't a terribly hard map regardless, with the only proviso being that you should probably learn the spawn points of some seriously nasty enemies. The ending is kind of hard, but truth be told, I was a clumsier git than the massive pools of slime everywhere so that actually doesn't mean too much.

 

But of course, the main draw is the setting and immersion which this map delivers in spades. To start with, there's a new custom enemy, the Slime Imp (really, probably just mutated humans) who throw an incredibly damaging slime attack that seems to have the same power as nobles' flames roughly, meaning things can turn deadly quite quickly if they aren't taken care of.

 

Moreover, the sheer detailing is quite impressive. Bowling pins crash around when you touch them, bumping against an unflushed toilet will produce a disgusting exhumation of gas, and most especially, you can eat food to restore tiny bits of health, like AMC Squad which is the only other place I can remember seeing thse food sprites. As a sort of light collecting activity, you can even collect Doomguy dolls scattered around the map. Are there prizes for finding them all?

 

Not sure, but this is the easiest 8.5/10 I could give. It might even be a 9 to be quite honest. I don't mind sleeping on this map but safe to say it's well-worth your time!

 

 

ASS #50 (cont)

 

Map 10: Not too bad. Nice amount of openness and a decent, but not unfair, sense of danger. Although the scrolling floors needed to reach the exit are kind of whatever. Blow up some of these barrels and make things easier.

 

Map 11: Just a decent Breezeep map. It's a little less of a pressure map than anything from Scythe. Though the little bit with the AV and Revs and the end will prove quite nasty

 

Map 12: A single shotgun for a gajillion Imps at the beginning? Hitscanners in the windows to punish players who wander carelesssly. Spawning barrels on a flowing river? Revenant appearing in front of the key here? It's actually better than Obsidian's other map here but I'm too over this crap right now

 

Map 13 - ASSazon Werehouse Holiday Special: Pasokon Deacon's kind of an obscure community contributor but his maps tend to have serious flair and style and this one is no different. Mostly appearing to be in a parking garage, it's somewhere around 4th best. Probably. The way he hides Arch-viles away in harmless small room is pretty funny. At least we get to telefrag a Spider Mastermind at the end! Was that teleporter active the whole time? I doubt it. And what made that one large crate bit with Imps on it lower?

 

Map 14 - Don't Piss off Barrels: So Worm sure understood the assignment, didn't he? A fun map to speedrun and one that seems far more confusing than it actually is. Take note of the lack of radsuits though. Perhaps the yellow switch could have been better indicated though.

 

 

[LadyMistDragon]

ASS 50 (finish)

 

Map 15: It's a Mionic Donut map and you can kind of guess what that means. However TMD ups the cruelty factor quite a lot with the multiple Arch-viles, a possible AV jump secret (idk but it would make complete sense here and, get this, fuckng barrels surrounding a mountain with a voodoo doll near the top. Maybe this would be fun to try some other time, but there's enough happening here that it can be said TMD was seriously pushing the limits of playability here. But someone with enough patience could figure out the trick here.

 

Map 16: Speedmaps and not Eviternity, should really be the reason Dragonfly is so respected as a mapper! Like his much cruder Tenth Gear entry, this Piss map 6 provides a basic but still incredibly challenging combat setup, comes up with a nice kind of memorable layout that's a colosseum of sorts, integrates the gimmicks in so smooth a manner Obsidian would probably be proud and best of all provides plenty of things to kill for the relatively small amount of real estate! Try to escape after hitting the switch though, you'll need to lure a good chunk of hell knights onto the conveyor belt heading down the main arena

 

Map 17: This map is called L, the letter some tuxedoed dude wearing the ugliest skull mask imaginable, is holding in the title screen. It might be a bit much to say TMD is up with zoomer slang perhaps but regardless, it does feel like something of a taunt that anyone would waste their time with ASS madness. But this map is a touch more conventional than his other entry here. It plays a touch like an Egg Boy map with its combination of fury with economical space, although I think Eggboy's visual sense is perhaps a bit smoother. A celebratory message can be seen on the floor in the center, along with a Cyberdemon. It's quite an overcooked map, an appropriate send-off to the set, and that's not fully getting into how mean this gets at the exit. Here's something to think about: it's nearly impossible unless you can find some secrets because the rocket launcher is hidden behind so much bullshit, it approaches HR levels.

 

This has been a solid mapset for the most part. Though there are a few areas that live up the ASS reputation for Boom gimmickry abuse, it's mostly not too bad, the only trouble perhaps being the lack of keeper maps. Dragonfly and Obsidian certainly bring their A game, TMD isn't too far behind, and Pasokon and Fletcher also make respectable contributions 6.5/10

 

 

 

[brick]

Brick | 1 wad | 6 maps
Adventure | 7 wads | 28 maps

 

Shadows of The Nightmare Realm (2017) by Alexa "YukiRaven" Jones-Gonzales. 6 maps for Doom II in GZDoom.

 

In general I'm a big fan of Alexa's work. Like many of the others, this is heavily atmospheric, with a framing story that hints at madness, scripts and portals that put in doubt the reality of the map (cross a corridor and go through a door, find nothing in the room, come out the door into an outdoors that definitely wasn't there), very moody (and very excellent) music composed by Alexa herself and that leans into Quake-like ambient, and a similar Quake-ish approach to aesthetics and architecture. The gameplay is traditionally Doom but with some twists, there are a lot of scripted ambushes and traps (more like Hexen than anything) and several custom enemies. I think all of these are from Realm667 but they fit well, if not side by side with the usual beasties then definitely with the atmosphere Alexa has created. Graphically the maps are very pretty, there's maybe a bit too much darkness but the architecture is beautiful and the (coloured) lighting is used very well.

 

Unfortunately I didn't find the gameplay to be as good as the presentation. The first two "real" maps (there's a purely atmospheric one before that also doubles as a skill selector - as I said, the Quake influence is there) are not so bad, but difficulty takes a very sharp spike at the halfway point. Each map forces a pistol start, and this is a serious problem in MAP03 where taking the "wrong" turn (which is both the more obvious, the more logical, and the one that actually is the way forward) means missing the SSG, and having to contend with cacos and barons and everything else with almost nothing but the shotgun. This is also the map with some very difficult fights, some in the darkness to boot. There are some very dickish traps, most of which are instakill, and are difficult to see in the dark (the one where I was also trying to shotgun a baron, in the dark, left me very dead and very much not amused). The worst is the Soulsphere, it looks so easy to reach but is protected by the kind of invisible impassable linedefs that I saw so frequently in Callisto Anomaly, and here this means a drop into inescapable lava; it turns out there's a series of secrets to reach it... at which point, as far as I can tell, there's no way to go back and the only way out is death in the lava. I was already feeling irritated when I reached the final map, which ends up being an arena fight where you're supposed to... I'm not exactly sure, either wait it out, or keep killing enemies, or doing something specific? whatever causes it, at some point 4 teleporters briefly (very, very briefly; I don't know how many times I missed it, but even the first time I saw it I almost didn't because I blinked) open into mini side adventures, doing 3 of them (I'm pretty sure I didn't miscount) unleashes the final boss. This is followed by an E1M8 ending (side question: why are "actually you lose and your struggle was pointless" stories so common in PWADs?).

 

It's interesting to see that SOTNR shares many designs with Umbra of Fate, but I liked the latter a lot more. UOF had even better graphics with the more advanced GZDoom features available and all the custom shaders, similarly excellent pseudo-ambient music (seriously; I can criticize some things Alexa does sometimes, but that music!), but it also had much better balanced combat, traps that could be tricky and clever without being annoying, and a smoother difficulty curve. UOF also went with a mega-map approach, still splitting it up into individual segments (each about the size of a SOTNR map, or maybe a bit smaller), and I think that worked better for flow, and made the storytelling more compelling. Despite my criticisms I don't think SOTNR is bad, far from it! But I do believe UOF improved on the formula in every way.

 

Spoiler

 

[Roofi]

Year 2 Month 11 Day 25

 

I play until I die or intentionally stop. I don't comment the wad where I died/stopped.

 

[1] Demons Just Wanna Have Fun by Walter "daimon" Confalonieri @Walter confetti (2005)

 

Quote

 

 

 

Quote

:My 3rd release inside the Doom community, this is a level set inside a stoney base whit fountains, prisions, offices, a fast food, toilettes, a little hospital and a armory; and a hellish-skinnish zone in the ending part of level...

 

"Demons Just Wanna Have Fun" is another exemple that first baby maps from etablished mappers should not be overlooked. "Demons Just Wanna Have Fun" doesn't feature an elaborated level design for sure, but damn it exudes so much childish creativity that it's hard to dislike it.

 

First of all, the combination of poorly aligned textures, rudimentary but cute furnitures and the minimalistic midi of a band song transport you at the middle of the 90's and the custom textures and the custom textures serve above all to give the map a comic tone. Some jokes get edgier if you find some secrets, just some anime and political stuff! You have to flush a toilet in order to get the yellow key ! For some reasons , Walter replaced the original SSG with a sawed-off one and I find it classy for a map like this. Above all, it shows that the author had fun importing resources for fun, without any real concern for consistency. Mappers tend to take their hobby too seriously after all.

 

About the map itself, the layout presents nothing outstanding. I felt like exploring an old wad except you have to use zdoom in order to launch it. This map has few perilous parts such as the collapsing bridges leading to the exit or the few arch-viles living in the complex but except those things, it will not challenge your skills.

 

Overall, I liked this map way more than I should. Well done.

 

Grade: B (13/20)

 

[2] The Big Temple by Thierry VERMAT (1994)

 

Quote

 

 

Quote

You are entering the big temple of DOOM. This is the second and last version of TEMPLE

After some reviews, I changed some rooms, added some others...

I think it's a good single player WAD. It couls be a good Cooperative WAD ('cause I think it's a little harder than ID levels), but an experimented DM player said me it was too big to make a good DM WAD.

I enjoyer to build it... Hope you'll enjoy play it...

Thanx. (and excuse me for my bad english...)

 

I had the good feeling that Thierry did his best at creating a quite ambitious exploration-level but you"ll spend 80% of your time navigating among a collection of cramped labyrinths of different colors. However, some areas managed to catch my eyes more than the others.

 

As simple as they are, I appreciate how the author put vine textures everywhere for the exteriors. These give the appearance of a temple without resorting to the timeless green marble texture. The eastern area of the map features a sort of gigantic shrine and efforts were put in order to create an elegant curvy stairway. And at last, the pedestal holding the red key is a a skull-shaped sector surrounded by a strange mixture of harmless slime and lava. Probably the most remarkable landmark in this map.

 

Without surprise, "The Big Temple"' doesn't need specific skill to complete but the overall was not unpleasant, although rudimentary. Despite not being worthy to play in 2024,  this map shows the importance of landmarks to avoid total boredom. The 10% valuable zones save the 90% insipid corridors. A decent 1994 map.

 

Grade : C (10/20)

 

The next file is Thrice Doomed , a full vanilla ultimate doom megawad. I say "Oh yes !" but I don't have the time to play this so I stop here for today.

Edited May 21 by Roofi

[LadyMistDragon]

Rainbow Software Doom II Wad 2: releas e9/99 (1999) by Ondrej Zary (Crispy Doom)

 

A fairly short map but good enough I'll quit while I'm ahead. This takes around 10 minutes and is mostly pretty unextraordinary, but regardless has a fair few rooms that contribute a strong sense of place. Like a room with a panel and a tank or the outside yard with the crates in the corner and a Cyberdemon because of course there is. Although there is that stupid passageway running along the outside that accomplishes nothing and just makes it seem more likely Ondrej was riffing off Habitat as opposed to Underhalls. Hey, it's not like you can prove me wrong. Lots of this map is kind of underdeveloped though. It's also not terribly difficult either. Still, there's nothing bad about it. Anyway, the key hunt doesn't feel obligatory when compared to other maps 6/10

 

 

[ICID]

 

Misson: BADV (1994) by AggroBen79 and BADV Remaster (2021) by Roebloz

 

^{Play Settings}

^{Difficulty: Ultra-Violence, continuous}

^{Source Port: dsda-doom, complevel 3}

 

Contained in a single /idgames upload is a set of four maps by AggroBen79 that were seemingly never released to the public and a one-map remake that combines all four by his son, the uploader. Constant readers will know I love a WAD with a story behind it and this one's awful sweet.

 

What I genuinely like about both sets of maps is that they're charmingly amateurish in different ways. The original is your typical "baby's first maps" type thing with simple, square rooms and trivial combat - they can all be beaten in under three minutes. MAP03 is one room with an instantly-accessible exit and MAP04 is just text that says "MERCI HEROS". The remake, on the other hand, tries to make up for the original's simplicity by over-detailing nearly every area to within an inch of its life while still keeping more or less the same gameplay - it feels very 2000s despite coming out in the '20s. Neither is a truly great WAD but they're short and cute and I enjoyed visiting with Roebloz and his father.

 

 

JAX04 (1996) by Glenn Jackson

 

^{Play Settings}

^{Difficulty: Ultra-Violence, continuous}

^{Source Port: dsda-doom, complevel 2}

 

I have a bad day at work and I come home, play Doom, drink a little too much and pass out at 21:00. Jax had a bad day at work and he came home, fired up Doom in the editor, and invented the slaughtermap. Sure, it's not nearly hard as the rambling text file suggests (though I made it a little more challenging by running into each new room as soon as it became available instead of clearing each one methodically) but it looks nice enough, the scope of the rooms is at times impressive, and there's a good deal of fun to be had holding down M1 and blasting away.

 

 

Cliffs (1995) by Gregory Korzuchin

 

^{Play Settings}

^{Difficulty: Ultra-Violence, continuous}

^{Source Port: dsda-doom, complevel 2}

 

An obvious riff on The Chasm, not only because it contains those nasty little platforms we all love to hate, but because of its emphasis on exploration and goofy, overpowered secrets. I actually quite like the Chasm but didn't care as much for this - the actual path to the exit is quite linear and the final areas are frustratingly choked with high-tier monsters before ending with a typically annoying Icon of Sin battle. No thank you.

 

[Roofi]

Year 2 Month 11 Day 26

 

I play until I die or intentionally stop. I don't comment the wad where I died/stopped.

 

[1] HARDCORE.WAD for Doom II by Predator and Rambo (1996)

 

Quote

 

 

Quote

HardCore.wad is a medium size level that is excellent for 2,3, or 4 players. The first wad was totally designed by us. We added some graphics and some sounds that are pretty cool. The other 3 levels are new wads by the ultimate wad designer "Dweller in the Cellar". I have not edited the 3 dweller levels in any way, except for the sounds, of course, but this should not effect gameplay. This wad has really cool lighting that we spent alot of time doing. We spent alot of time picking cool textures that are appropriate for the wad.

 

Hardcore.wad is a collection of four well designed and quite compact DM maps. Those don't get too quirky but all the custom resources brought here contributes to that cheesy but charming 1990s look. I can only recommand this wad if you want to hear cute midi renditions of Nirvana songs or/and sounds coming from some notable movies for the guns. The three later maps seem to be quite popular for its time because I had a strong feeling of deja-vu...

 

[2] Short 'n Quick by Varun Abhirama Krishna (2002)

 

Quote

 

 

Quote

I started building this level almost a year ago, but with all my school work, I didn't have the time to finish it. I added some rooms and refined some of the areas and there you have it... a new map!

Note that this is NOT my best work so far. My 9th Gate maps will be better.

And by the way, this is a tech-styled map taking place in a warehouse (sort of).

 

It's probably the very first time I play and review a map made by a person from India and I have to say that the experience was convincing! As the title indicates, this is a short n' quick limit-removing base garnished with details and a high density of monsters regarding its size. Close-quarters combats win over exploration here, as the corridor-y and cramped strongly affects the fluidity of the progression here but it doesn't surprise me for a wad released at the early 2000's.

 

Anyway, I had fun fighting against the enemies presenting in my way and the techno soundtrack from Descent never fail at accompanying a punchy map like this. यह एक अच्छा नक्शा था!

 

Grade : B (13/20)

 

[3] Clear Focus by Mr. Chris @Reisal (2011)

 

Quote

 

 

 

Quote

A small base level to get your focus cleared. The level kinda follows the DTWID rules so it feels more like an id level but isn't. Any minor alignment errors found were intentional and should not be of any concern.

 

Clear Focus is a brief and modest vanilla Ultimate Doom map, just a bit more substantial than the original E1M1 as it contains a key to obtain which is located near the exit. A few more traps and a more linear progression can be noticed too but Clear Focus could easily be a good starter for a hypothetical episode for UD. Anyway, even as a stand-alone release, this map will help fulfilling your endless appetite for Ultimate Doom maps.

 

Grade : B- (12/20)

 

[4] AFRO.WAD by Tim Scott (1994)

 

Quote

 

 

Quote

Deathmatch fun. Lots of multiple entrances to most areas. Great for doubling back on your opponent.

 

While the author qualified his own map as "okay, but not great" for singleplayer and coop modes, AFRO.WAD doesn't resemble to a deathmatch map to me.

 

Actually yes, this map isn't great for solo, it's just a random release from Doom's prehistory afterall, but I doubt the level design is better for deathmatch. Most of the areas are linked with straight corridors and I think therefore Tim poorly interconnected the different rooms. Nevertheless, the map doesn't really suffer from dead-ends in which it would be easy to camp, but AFRO.WAD doesn't have much to shine for a DM map.

 

[5] Some Old Level  by Nuno Correia (1996)

 

Quote

 

 

 

Quote

This is one of those unreleased levels, dating back to 1996 (I was twelve by then).

I happened to find it in a backup floppy. When I tried it the level seemed fairly good, and as such I'm releasing it for public consumption.

 

Idgames's machine think I'm in desperate need of ultimate doom maps for today so it gave me "Some Old Level", which like "ClearFocus" I just played before, offer a breezy old-fashioned doom experience. Unlike Mr Chris's map, you have to find two keys instead of two but the level remains tiny and you can complete it in 3 minutes and even less. The secret chaingun located in the empty courtyard seems to be a direct reference to E1M2 but the misaligned door giving the access to the yard is way too easy to spot and the secret weapon annihilates the already minimal challenge.

 

I liked this map as much as "ClearFocus", but even for Ultimate Doom, something a little more beefy wouldn't go amiss. The original maps from the IWAD were harder.

 

Grade : B- (12/20)

 

I stop here for today.

Edited May 22 by Roofi

[ICID]

 

Callisto Anomaly (2006) by Vince Russett

 

^{Play Settings}

^{Difficulty: Ultra-Violence, pistol starts}

^{Source Port: PRBoom+ via Delta Touch, complevel 3}

 

Looking at screenshots of Callisto Anomaly - particularly the impressive recreation of a section of the Roman Baths in E1M2 - you might think of Vince Russett as someone with a passion for architecture and history. That might be true, but playing this WAD will show you that his true love is tiny, dark corridors. Slog through those and your reward, as brick described in greater detail, is progression so perplexing I bailed on most levels about 2/3rds of the way through the monster count - that's about the part when even the frustrating combat dried up in favor of a switch and door hunt where switches and doors can be literally any texture in the game, to lower invisible walls that don't show up on the automap. It really is a beautiful-looking mapset that does a lot with simple vanilla textures but as I've said in the past, beauty in Doom is usually secondary to fun.

[LadyMistDragon]

New Order (2006) by Moniac (GZ Doom)

 

Quote

This is what Gunsmoke was supposed to be. I.o.w lots of improvements.

 

Talking about the Western oh mohney mohney? Probably not but it's really pretty good. It's basically a facility with lots of eaves and overhangs, a little receiving station for equipment, a rather odd and confusing silver corral of sorts and one I was careless enough in to overlook a switch opening the location of red key near the start. I also narrowly missed a secret with a Megasphere overlooking a chasm that eventually leads to the exit. Speaking of, the Invulnerbility in a certain yard secret is pretty useless because the Cyberdemon is far enough away, he can be taken out easily enough if the encounter isn't fluffed. Things are open-ended enough though that it might take some time to locate the keys and quite possibly end up running low on shotgun shells as a result for a bit.

 

The hardest confrontation is probably around the blue key at the receiving center, in part because an Arch-vile and several Revenants teleport in, as well as a couple of Pain Elementals in a cage as soon as we get near the key. We get an Invulnerbility that arguable neuters the challenge but honestly, it's a narrow and rectangular wall so it's actually fine here. The combat is kind of there perhaps but this was pretty good in all aspects 7.5/10

 

 

[Roofi]

Year 2 Month 11 Day 27

 

I play until I die or intentionally stop. I don't comment the wad where I died/stopped.

 

[1] VOLT3.WAD by High Voltage (1995)

 

Quote

 

 

Quote

This is an abandoned mountain fortress

 

A deathmatch map centered around a sort of airstrip located in a mountainous area. I like how the author attempted to create a pseudo-realistic area, you can see several red stripes painted on the floor (This area actually comes from a wad called CLAWSON7.WAD, check the credits of the wad). However the areas orbiting around the runway are much less fancy as they are cramped and dark. Moreover, whereas most of the places seem to belong to a hi-tech base, a specific passage was made of rustic marble. Don't ask too much questions, this is the 90's !

 

You need to warp to map 10 in order to play or just visit this map.

 

[2] tripn.wad  (1995)

 

Quote

 

 

Tripn.wad just consists to a rectangular arena but the megasphere trap is particularly goofy. If you enter the area of the megasphere, the ground will drop instantly, allowing your opponent(s) to kill you from the surface. If you're on your own, you'll just be stuck knowing that the ground doesn't do deal any damage. About the other weapons, you can find a RL and a plasmagun hidden behind unmarked doors located at opposite corners of the combat area. The wad also contains fun sounds and a country-style soundtrack to disguise the map's blandness.

 

[3] DeHackEd v3.1 by Greg Lewis (Tree) (1997)

 

Quote

DeHackEd v3.1, the best Doom exe editor available! Improvements over v2.4 include Ultimate Doom support, along with cheat code, code pointer and other misc data editing, along with numerous other improvements. Load the included patch for an incredible arsenal of super weapons! Includes mouse support and works with all versions of Doom from 1.666 to Final DOOM (DOS).

 

A legendary file. One of the first portals to wizardry in the Doom community.

 

[4] Guardian by darren morris (1997)

 

Quote

 

 

Quote

-some good light effects -some good architecture -good ammo to monster ratio -note- -5 secrets -best if played on u.v.

 

A short and easy stronghold to plunder. It replaces map 06 and it needs a bit less 5 minutes to complete. Although banal, the ensemble is well crafted, with detailed light gradations and visual coherence throughout. While being straightforward from A to Z, the author implemented several little traps just to maintain you entertained. Obtaining a SSG make several pinkies coming from their closets the fear factor is set to zero, but makes the map a little more dynamic. The "biggest" fight in this map resides in the courtyard where a mastermind is accompanied by a pair of arachnotrons. The author placed a RL and boxes of rockets behind a low wall so that you should have no problem winning the battle.

 

The author has also tried to create a bit of exploration by adding secrets (which I didn't find) and setting several doors requiring the same key to reach the main courtyard. It's nothing sensational, but it avoids a map that's far too linear, even if it remains so.

 

Guardian won't stay in my mind for long, but this map is just the thing for a moment's relaxation.

 

Grade : C+ (11/20)

 

I stop here for today.

[LadyMistDragon]

OHM 2 (2022) by Various (Nugget Doom)

 

Basically, the second in a series of beating maps, then making them for the next person to repeat the process. Pretty solid collection I saw some streamer like Stxvile play before. Anyway, nevermind the bollocks because I don't have the energy for that. As such, expect very short descriptions (hopefully of each map but I make no promises). And where's the credits file, ehfuckit

 

Map 01: A short thing probably taking off the Killer Colours concept, but not as difficult, although still plenty claustrophobic

 

Map 02: Solmyr did this one. In some ways it's a little bit easier than some of his other effort, partially because there's plenty of ammo and also because one can move through with some effort.

 

Map 03: By Knifeworld. Big, open, and brown. Probably not quite as hard as some of the shit he's done but anyway

 

Map 04: A fort. And pick a shorter name

 

Map 05: A sewer map by El Inferno. No surprise, I failed to clear the first room. Anyways, the next map....

 

Map 06:....is by Yumheart and to little surprise, it's the best of the maps played today! Basically an island of sorts with action like something from microslaughter CP but plenty of room to move at the same time. Nice and green too!

 

Map 07: Another knifeworld map.  Not quite a misfire but teleport traps into the same tiny room is like, totally something we've seen before breh

 

Map 08: Pasokon Deacon contributes this one, arguably among the easier ones thus far, but follows a fairly standard style to that of Antares and BTSX with an open-ended layout with some intelligent enemy placement

 

Map 09: A chainsaw-only map. It's a bout as fun as it sounds. Looks really nice however with a stately wooden aesthetic! But perhaps the mapper was wise to be credited as anonymous

 

Map 10: Smaller than Solmyr's other map, this is kind of a series of fights in the same square surrounding a square but it was nice. Enemy hordes have some calculation to them.

 

Map 11: Kind of like that Emblem map I played from Aethel, although monsters here are basically trash for the most part. Some nastiness can be found but expect kind of standard action.

 

I'll still play through this but it will take some time

 

 

[Reisal]

Yeah, Clear Focus was meant to be simple and straightforward. There's a harder version of it but still below say, E2M6 in difficulty.

[LadyMistDragon]

CAVE.WAD (1994) by Chris Tierney (Crispy Doom)

 

The one /idgames review is entirely devoid of exaggeration and salt as it happens. There isn't lots here, but the layout makes zero sense, the signposting is close to non-existent when it comes to anything and the fact that not everything shows on the computer map that'll be missed if one doesn't wanna fool around in another bloody maze is just even worst. And why would there be 2 rooms off the main layout stuffed with enemies for no reason? Didn't lower the exit either, but to be honest, fine. The ceiling and floor textures are horribly blatant in their lack of inspiration. Not to mention most rooms here are horribly cramped. Like go around a corner in a few areas and run into a shotgunner instantly 1/10

 

 

 

 

One Hour Mapping (cont)

 

Map 12: Since the name is so long, it's impossible to get a gander on the author's name and thanks to forgetfulness we'll never know. Anyway, the name that belongs in some ASS set is self-explanatory. Combat is kind of so-so, but gets pretty fierce at the end. The exit does come up suddenly though so if you miss some weapons who care

 

Map 13: Another Knifeworld map, I would almost call this my least favorite one of his here but idk. It's certainly quite intimidating at first, the Cyber-spawning is respectfully dangerous and the factory building is a good outdrop. Placing pinkies behind it in a narrow corridor was probably not one of Knifeworld's better idea. But be grateful, we get  a shotgun here

 

Map 14: Yumheart again! The layout here is not unlike their map Coughing Crag although perhaps the threat is more spread out and fairer. It's no less deadly though, chaingunners are absolutely evil here and ammo is quite tightly controlled. And it's not practically over by the time we reach the ramparts either. But at that point, I'd spent entirely too much time on the map

 

Map 15: A Death Bear techbase. Some attempts at twists but this is the easiest one in the set quite noticeably.

 

Map 16: I'm vaguely aware of Ninth Burn. They bring us this cool crater map. Although I sort of guessed what it was about quickly and that's why not much time was spent on it. It's probably running kneck and neck with the Yumheart map for best so far

 

Map 17: Hey, Jacek Nowak returns! Features his design traits of curving walkways and some deadly enemy placement but to be honest, combat felt a touch less concentrated and it's spread out in a way to make it not quite that compelling, despite a number of deadly encounters and lack of generosity with a rad suit for the lava here

 

Map 18: Pro-RC enters the chat! The so-called 'spokesman' for the Afternoon Crew (a group I'm really not allowed to talk about so I'll leave it there) made a rejected DIY submission that wasn't half-bad. This leans more on the Plutonian cruelty end of things, but it isn't so difficult. Just don't assume it's over when the exit key is found:)

 

Map 19: Gothic Box brings us this mansion with some obligatory switch pulling, boring teleport traps, and an even more boring monster closet ambush after pressing a nearby switch. Ending is respectable I guess.

 

Map 20: Ok, this is probably easier than Death Bear's. Not much to really say here, it's a nice map with a decent secret or two but I've talked about it too much already.

 

 

 

 

Edited May 24 by LadyMistDragon

[brick]

Brick | 1 wad | 10 maps
Adventure | 8 wads | 38 maps

 

Earth (1999) by Roger Ritenour. 10 SP maps for Doom II in ZDoom. Played with GZDoom.

A year after the initial release, Roger Ritenour remade his vanilla Earth wad for ZDoom, adjusting it to allow for jumping and freelook, adding some of the special linedefs, and prettifying the maps beyond what the static limits had allowed. The linedef specials were not immediately obvious, but some of the other enhancements are; some detailed sights look like they would crash the original exe, and jumping is definitely required in more than one map. I like the way Roger sets up his progression and puzzles; there's a bit of switch hunting but nothing excessive, finding them may require careful exploration and looking around but they're not so tiny or hidden that they feel like a hidden object game. I also like his peculiar take on combat, with enemies teleporting away from our location and very aware of our existence, so that they haphazardly hunt us down across the map, it makes for more organic encounters. Unfortunately this is marred by Roger's love for dark (very, very dark) passages, and fighting in the dark 80% of the time gets annoying. The title and the opening vista (one of the most memorable level openers) really give the wrong impression, the wad takes place under the Earth far more than above it. This is the main reason I prefer his Phobos (and Pleiades, its remade/expanded version also for ZDoom), the darkness is not as prevalent and the maps are a lot more memorable as a result. It's a bit of a shame because some setpieces are remarkably ahead of their time, the most memorable was an arena fight against a horde of pinkies that require the kind of funnelling and management that we expect in modern combat challenges, not in a 25-year-old wad. The special effects are also excellent, the careful synchronizing of successive linedefs to create the look of waves rolling and crashing on the rocks is a must-see.

Spoiler

 

[LadyMistDragon]

OHM 2 (final)

 

Note: I cleared all of these maps, believe it or not, except 1

Map 21: Ninth Burn rides again! Simple sort of square opening up like a kachina gun setup but respetively nasty. Mansion gives way to rock in quite a predictable fashion

Map 22: Boring marble map. Some attempts at nasty traps but they're so-so.

Map 23: So I may have complained about Death Bear's last map. But a color scheme with something out of thirteen, chaingunners you've really got to pay attention to and one last surprise nasty vile at the end all make a map much more fiercesome

Map 24: Another Axuris techbase, though perhaps with some more teeth. Not like putting a Rev next to a staircase in an open outdoor area is quite the way to do it but...

Map 25: Well, "No Room for Error" is kind of a lie, but there isn't lots of room to move around and monster placement is pretty vicious but it's not like there's lock-in fights necessarily. The kind of map all 25s should be perhaps

Map 26: I'm actually not sure I finished this one because as the title indicates, it's a little unclear where the exit is. Well, I think you open the exit sign but anyways, one can potentially loop-de-loupe around and with a central courtyard and red-brick building, probably has at least more character than EagerBeaver's other effort. Despite its moments though, it was a little irritating to navigate around

Map 27: Proves even shorter than the other Axuris map. Moving on.....

Map 28: Yumheart brings us another inspired effort! Naturally, evading enemies will reward one with more traps and enemies are arranged in such a way that one can't let their guard down for a second! At least we have the BFG for the essentially easy finale. Tiny story: I somehow evaded the two Arch-viles that spawn when collecting the red key without being aware of them

Map 29: Another death Bear map but he may have had a vaguer idea if what to do because the action all basically takes place in the same series of bookshelves, increasing in intensity and placing an Arch-vile on top of the exit just because he can. Although the exit's large enough it probably doesn't matter! It's probably not as speedrunner-friendly as the last map though

Map 30: Caves and stuff that are quite narrow. It's also not terribly difficult

Map 31: Kind of on the short and brutal end of things

Map 32: Lunchlunch brings us this small gothic-themed map that still packs in plenty of brutality and chaos! Cyberdemon is something to keep in mind all the time whilst playing. Traps unleash more monsters. Probably only second to Yumheart's map but I sound like a broken record at this point

 

So in conclusion, it doesn't really have the same amateurish charm as Tenth Gear and things like that but also contains a higher degree of professionalism with really hardly any bad maps, whatever you may think of Axuris' efforts and some other stuff.. In the end 6.5/10

 

 

 

The Last Bastion (1995) by Jim McColm (Crispy Doom)

 

Quote

After dispatching of the master brain behind the onslaught of hellish gouls and such, UAC has found a last stronghold of the hideous incarnations that have reeked so much havoc on our beloved planet. The few remaining bosses have gathered the surviving remnants of creatures and modified a large building in down- town San Diego to withstand any further attempts of irradication. You thought you were through but this last bastion must be secured. Word has it that all remaining bosses have hunkered down here and this will not be a walk in the park. Good luck marine, and may the BFG be with you!

This is a large wad that is quite challenging (IMHO) in ultra violence. It is definitely action packed! I especially love the end simply because it's a lot of fun. (there is a trick to it though but it's not hard to figure out). If you get stuck, or want any tips, feel free to E-mail me.

 

 

A rarity these days is someone uploading ancient maps. What's even more rare is seeing a top-shelf map from that time showing up. That is indeed the case with the Last Bastion, a map that makes no real visual innovations, being entirely based in the tan and base tropes generally used by maps of the time with little sign of deviation. However, there are some truly forward uses of combat that can be witnessed here. Quite apart from the pointless and annoying mass teleporting at the beginning that I suppose might be a concession/jump to those who take it slow and don't charge into every room, the red key room is honestly quite brilliant. Sure, there may largely be zombiemen in the middle but chaingunners and Imps, and even an Arch-vile can be found in the side rooms and stairwells. What's more, some of these guys can teleport downwards, although it probably shouldn't happen too often, but regardless, this is just extra incentive to keep moving. Please rocket the chaingunners when possible and you'll thank me later.

 

The red key wing seems to be a tech area at first but then gives way to another dirt temple, oddly mazy and packed with some rather annoying pinkies, along with an Invulnerbility, which is a sign something big's coming. Basically, we'll pick up the yellow key at an alcove at one end, then the walls here will all lower and reveal 3 each of Cyberdemons and Spider Masterminds1 In truth, this isn't that intimidating because they'll all infight nicely and there are pillars to hide behind, but it's obvious why the green sphere's here. It would have gone better if less Masterminds had died the second go-around. Wasn't sure how to exit this room either. Oh, and there's also a Cyberdemon in the exit room.

 

This is an ignored classic. Secrets and other layout bits kind of feel like Jens Nielsen but that's not really what the design centers around. Despite the odd and inconsistent use of enemies in symmetrical areas, it's still pretty nasty all the same. Out of words 8/10

 

 

Edited May 26 by LadyMistDragon

[ICID]

Thanks for playing, everyone! We've had our first movement in the top 10 for quite some time: brick has finally succeeded in surpassing me as #5! (For now...)

 

Here is the new thread for your edification and delight: