The DWmegawad Club plays: Operation: BIOWAR & Equinox

[Plerb]

Equinox MAP02 (HMP, continuous, saves):

 

The first of 4 "hub" maps. This is the only WAD I've played where multiple maps pretty clearly take place in the same area, that concept should be used more often.

 

3 hours ago, Celestin said:

About the music, I've heard this track before in Super MAYhem '17, where it scored Aztec Ruins by Killer5. According to Doomwiki, this is a snippet from a soundtrack of Chariots of the Gods, a 1970 Oscar-nominated documentary about ancient aliens (which seem to be classier, though hardly more factual than the slop that airs on History Channel nowadays). I started digging through that movie's OST and I think I found the match. The MIDI seems to be a remixed version of "Return To The Stars", made even more ethereal.

Interesting, I never thought to look for the exact song MAP02's track was based on. I did try to find the source of MAP01's music some time ago though, with my only clue being "Level 1 music is a back-choir of an Enya song that has a beat to it", but after searching through Enya's entire discography up to 2001 I still couldn't find it. The fact that the MIDI was heavily altered from the source makes sense as to why I couldn't find MAP01's music either. And don't even get me started on MAP13... :P

Edited June 19 by Plerb

[Blast_Brothers]

MAP01

 

Now that's an opening shot.

 

The only thing that belies that this is a MAP01 is that the combat is pretty basic. Everything else - the atmosphere, the detailing, the custom assets and (loud) sound replacements - oozes the kind of ambition uncommon in this slot. Being able to turn off lights throughout the complex is a great touch.

 

 

Also I got stuck behind a wall at one point. Ah well.

 

MAP02

 

I see someone is a TNT fan.

 

I thought there would be more to this one...? Just some hallways of hitscan, some optional doors, and a teleporter? Odd. (And yes, I know what ultimately happens here. Doesn't explain why this map is so small.)

[RHhe82]

MAP02. Played on UV, continuous. DSDA v0.27.4. K: 27/27, S: 1/1, I: 5/5. Comp. time 1:53

 

Well. It's clearly an elementary hub level á la vanilla Doom (as opposed to Hexen where you would return to the exact same map, and not just one that looks like previously visited area), there is very little to do and explore. Even the secret just seems to be there for the sake of having at least one secret, which I understand was a thing in the olden times so as to not break the secret tally. As it is, the map is a bit underwhelming, but I guess that's by design.

 

(I played this on pistol start, too. All kills, secrets and items, saveless (awww mah gaad) completion time 0:47)

[DavitW]

MAP01: Equinox Facility
The name rang a bell, and this map definitely seems familiar. There's several new graphic and sound replacements as seemed to be the standard at the time. The pistol is now replaced by some sort of gray tube, and despite still being a glorified pea shooter sounds far more beefier. Seriously, this thing resonates like a damn cannon blast throughout the level. Can't say I'm quite onboard with the new fireball sound effect, however. Is this supposed to be a fireball from hell or a spaceship flying past our heads? Can't forget the MS Paint weather effects, either. Kids back in the day probably felt like they were playing Crysis.

 

Anyways, the design and detail is pretty high quality so far. Gameplay is a bit lacking, though. It's practically nothing more than fighting zombiemen, shotgunners, and Imps in hallways and a few open rooms. Considering shotgun shells are a bit tight, you'll also probably end up spending a not insignificant amount of time slowly plucking through these bastards with the pistol. One of the secrets seems to open up a light switch that casts most of the level in darkness, which I guess is something you might want to happen? The stat screen midi is also replaced with a version of 'When Johnny Comes Marching Home', which I found to be an amusing choice.

 

MAP02: Transport Hub
Welcome to the first hub / transition map. Yeah, I remembered these from back in the day, too. A cute idea, but kind of hurts the flow of the club, doesn't it? I suppose I'll have to let it slide, but wad authors should have really had the foresight to realize a club might end up playing their wad one level at a time well over two decades later and design every aspect of said wad exactly to our varied tastes. Oh yeah, the map itself. Well, it's just kind of there, but not like I was expecting much else. The one secret is literally just going to the left and turning a corner.

 

equinox01-02.zip

[Pseudonaut]

Map02:
A little hub map. It appears we're headed for the Genome Labs.
 

 

Edited June 19 by Pseudonaut

[Naan]

I didn't have much issues UVMaxing most Equinox levels on pistol start. It was definitely a challenge but it feels maps have been designed to be completed this way, unlike other megawads like Daedalus: Alien Defense or Batman Doom, the latter I played very recently and got stuck because some weapons in some levels were completely unavailable.

 

Enjoy Equinox, I played it 2 years ago and had fond memories about how it implicitly and organically tell a story without having to read txt files that accompagny wads at the time. B.P.R.D. is one of my all time favorite mappers.

Edited June 19 by Naan

[NiGHTS108]

MAP17: Sacrilege

Kills: 87%

Items: 73%

Secrets: 100%

Time: 7:48

 

Surprisingly, it seems Chris Harbin actually pulled through for the last, well, serious map of Operation Biowar. I was, in fact, right to trust in his ability to make hub maps. As far as the hub itself goes, I had a good time not waking up the Cyberdemon as long as possible. You have to when you hit the red key switch in the center of the structure though. It's three simple little fast paced challenge rooms. I appreciate how, for the first two, you have to go between them somewhat frequently in order to make progress, though the last one is just a fun little challenge room. The Spider Mastermind was a neat touch to that last part as well. In fact, the whole last room weirdly reminded me of Plutonia MAP30. I think it's the strong reds and little alcoves off to either side. Anyway, this map isn't particularly the fastest map in this wad or anything, but it's definitely up there. Sacrilege didn't blow my mind or anything, but hey. None of these maps really did, to be honest. Strong ending.

 

Grade: B

Difficulty: B- 

 

-

 

MAP18: Die Heuschrecke

Kills: 76%

Items: 100%

Secrets: 100%

Time: 2:17

 

Well, it's not MAP30 but Icon Of Sin time anyway. As far as these go, Biowar's is Perfectly Fine. Go through some micro challenge rooms with a BFG, then it's time for an Icon Of Sin fight. This one gets bonus points for me not needing to mess up timing rockets with the Icon Of Sin's brain. You just simply run around, hit 4 switches, then the cube in the center opens, which in . . . probably actually a really cool plot twist especially in 1999, you head inside the Icon Of Sin's mouth to finish the job. This reminded me of Wormwood AND Disturbia! Good job 1999 Icon Of Sin.

Edit: I looked up the meaning of the name, why is this map called "The Grasshopper" . . .

 

Grade: B-

Difficulty: C- 

 

-

 

FINAL THOUGHTS

Overall kills: 1750/1884

Overall items: 357/627

Overall secrets: 19/51

Overall time: 1:48:15 

(thanks DSDA level table!)

 

As a time capsule, Operation: Biowar is a fascinating little thing in the year 2024. I suppose you could almost say this wad was something of a microcosm for, well, what I percieve to be the community atmosphere at the time. It has a few good ideas here and there, makes numerous thoughtful choices, though it has a bad habit of holding itself back in my opinion. Several maps come *close* to being legitimate 90's classics, though I don't think Chris Harbin really thoroughly realised some of them enough. They're just a little undercooked.  I don't think I risk controversy to say even in 1999, I don't believe Biowar particularly broke any barriers. This wad tends to kind of have a split personality, between its quiet tech bases and loud, sometimes still tech base shootouts, though there's not much here you can't find in spades in The Plutonia Experiment, Hell Revealed and TeamTNT, and even its fairly brisk quality and fusion of these two differing styles would go on to be enormously superseded in Scythe and Alien Vendetta respectively in the next few years. Chris Harbin's a little bit of an interesting character, though in 2024, it's kind of just another Fun And Chill Wad buried underneath the endlessly refilling pile. Having said that, I don't like to really talk about Doom wads in terms of "innovation" anyway, especially when it's a negative. I actually had a Rather Nice Time going through this wad, even if it's just to run around and enjoy Doom's elastic physics. I wanted a relatively no-nonsense little wad to hang out in, and I got it. What more could you want out of that?

 

Final Grade: C+
Overall Difficulty: D+

 

-

 

MAP RANKING

 

Spoiler

31: Juggelo Funhouse
12: Military Center
07: Apparatus
04: The Arrival

17: Sacrilege
08: Biolabs
18: Die Heuschrecke
03: Onslaught
13: UAC Prison
05: Skybase
02: Terror Core
10: Dark Woods
11: Frozen Terror
06: Last Call
14: Absolution
01: The End
09: Security
15: Heat
16: The Killing Fields

 

Oh, and to add a little bit of optimism to this thread, I'm actually very excited to get to Equinox. I have some interesting things to say about that wad. Speaking of which...

 

Equinox

MAP01

Kills: 100%

Items: 82%

Secrets: 80%

Time: 4:57

 

Man, what a haunting opening sight. Equinox gets off to a great start. Combat wise this MAP01 isn't particularly stylish, though the theme here really impresses me. Again even the first frame looks great, just in general I actually really like B.P.R.D's specific lighting style, the way the beams of light stretch out from the facility itself. Equinox MAP01 strikes a nice balance between welcoming and unwelcoming. The music and atmosphere feels distinctly alien and "un-Doom-like" though the interior of the facility is rather well lit and open. This is the kind of map I can really enjoy hanging out in. You know, maps where even after you've got 100% kills you can just enjoy walking around a little bit. Much like the combat, the structure is also quite simple, being your somewhat bog standard two areas on opposite sides of a hub with an area opening up at the opposite end of where you came, though still, I think this contributes to how weirdly homely this map can feel. Also I like the obvious not so obvious secrets, and how you can, for some reason, turn the lights of the facility off and can't turn them on again. Even outside! Also the little secret at the start with the tiny cabin in the mountain and footprints and the sand is great too. I love the confidently bizarre attention to detail here. I don't want to go 100% B.P.R.D. fanfare mode Literally one map into this wad, so I will say it's not the best opening ever or anything. As mentioned, when you strip the map down to its fundamentals, it is a rather simple opener all things considered, though there is absolutely a memorable, otherworldly atmosphere here worth praising.

 

Grade: A-
Difficulty: D+

Edited June 19 by NiGHTS108

[General Roasterock]

Map 02

 

  Equinox at its best is able to bring its narrative elements out. It does this with four levels that are meant to act like a slowly decaying teleport hub, unlocking a new location with each revisit. Of course, this is impossible for limit removing to properly handle, so it has to settle for being a linear map masquerading as many potential locations without power. It does its job, makes the world feel bigger, and ultimately proves itself as the progenitor to the methodology that Back to Saturn X would use to split its episodes up.

  Beyond speculation, it is difficult to put more into an analysis of what is essentially one room with connecting monster closets. It definitely fits the role of a nexus for transportation, with so many work stations lined up on the east wall next to a large screen visualizing the entirety of Equinox itself. Having yet another giant planet in such a small office make the setting feel woefully corporate, braggadocious, almost asking for disaster to fall in the form of a demonic invasion. The singular secret is interesting, likely arbitrary for source ports, yet still valuable in the resources it provides. All of this is capped off by a song that holds back enough to put further mystique into a map that can be fully cleared out in thirty seconds. 

  Combat here only consists of Zombiemen, Shotgunners, and Imps, but the lack of significant protection and powerups, and the fact that the Sergeants assault on all sides is enough to hold an attention span. The wave of undead has a relatively easy time working between the halls to follow anyone looking to hide, and the Imps are beefy enough to keep the Shotgun from being a sickle to effortlessly swipe through the crowd. It’s impressive mileage for twenty-seven monsters, more so to get a plurality of zombies to achieve this. It’s not possible for it to be truly difficult for anyone that plays with any amount of caution, but that’s what was allowed.

[veevil]

Equinox
MAP02: Teleportation Station
(UV, pistol start, K: 100% / S: 100%, DSDA-Doom, complevel 2)

 

It's tiny, it's shiny, and it goes by in a flash. Equinox's hub map isn't exactly noteworthy by itself, but it does provide a thread of continuity through the wad and is emblematic of the set's emphasis on giving you a sense of place. I also love the Equinox intermission screen, by the way - I get the feeling that if B.P.R.D could've made it work at the time, he would've made it a map with progression markers just like OG Doom. Up next, Genome Labs.

 

The map goes by so quick that I never actually stopped to appreciate the decorations here. The signs indicating the destinations of each teleporter I did notice before (each with a distinct but cohesive design, very nice), but I never took a good look at the facility map on the large screen. The thorough approach to custom assets continues to impress.

 

Spoiler

 

Also, LMAO HANGER

Edited June 19 by veevil

[Catpho]

12 hours ago, Blast_Brothers said:

Doesn't explain why this map is so small.

Well, imo there’s three uses to this approach:

 

1. As mentioned by other posters, a breather, or adding a layer of respite and introspection.
2. Mood-building. This is my favorite reason. Think of what this implies of the Equinox corporation. They have facilities and assets so vast that it isn’t reasonable for Doomguy to just stumble on them. Instead, there’s this convenient infrastructure, complete with a map. It drives home thematically the highly corporate nature of the wad’s setting. The presence of the organization itself can never be ignored throughout the setting. Not even the UAC ever felt this pervasive and inescapable, as the highly abstract id levels and the fact that UAC has long fallen for long stretches of Doom 1 (only E1 is a freshly defeated UAC) can make one forget about its power. Not in Equinox, however. Even you are, in a way, a product, judging from the HUD. Kinda cyberpunk-ish despite the glossy silvery spacebase aesthetic. The short length very much underscores the procedural nature of this visit. This isn’t a level — it’s a thing that needs to be done in order to get anywhere in Equinox. A ritual it is, although the music track gives it an enigmatic, detached mood.
3. Last but not least, the “what happens next”, as you said. The contrast of the safe zone becoming… something else is quite affecting.

 

Of course, I wouldn’t mind if it could be made even more elaborate. Even in its simple form, however, it is effective.

Edited June 19 by Catpho

[Lila Feuer]

Time to finish up Biowar.

Operation: BIOWAR
MAP15: Heat (starring Al Pacino and Robert de Niro...wait)
Ultra-Violence / Pistol Start / Nugget Doom / Vanilla compatibility
K: 69/69 (nice) I: 38/38 S: 2/2 T: 13:19

Is it just me or is it kinda toasty in here? Be sure to dispatch that Baron early on when you can with better weapons, as you'll be teleporting up there near the end of the level, risking getting bruised or worse. I like the outdoor section with the lava flowing out of chutes in the mountainside, as well as the visage of a triple human BBQ! The visuals aren't bad but the health situation certainly is. I took some bad hits and wasn't aware until later of a non-secret Berserk just chilling behind a switch in the lava, but I didn't have the health to tank it initially, though it turns out I would've been fine at 19 health since it wasn't the 20 damaging floor like the beginning lava (gotta love inconsistency.) Was very close to dying to the faked Hexen wall shooter (clever Mancubus usage!) being reduced to 6 health, and somehow not being scratched or bitten on the way down to kill an Imp and Pinky. Was honestly not used to seeing Bioguy (yeah) being so hideously bloody for so much time. The ending had the potential to really serve me up with a Pinky pincher maneuver and Arch-vile front and center, but I was able to keep it together. No idea what I did to unlock the secret exit.

Operation: BIOWAR
MAP31: Juggelo Funhouse (cause I don't need your dead body stinkin' up my funhouse! Funhouse!)
Ultra-Violence / Pistol Start / Nugget Doom / Vanilla compatibility
K: 52/52 I: 23/24 S: 0/1 T: 7:32

Well I think it's safe to say Chris Harbin is a Juggalo, it's a funny memory I have seeing this map as a kid, I see dudes in black and white face paint sticking out their tongues and I don't think ICP (because I never seen or heard of them prior) but members of the band KISS. Not sure if anyone mentioned this yet; or cares, but the photos herein are from the Great Milenko era of ICP circa 1997 when Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope had dreads (that look was honestly really fkn dope on them.) They were also just, really crazy around this time too, that album is awesome if you like really angry, violent (typically cartoony) music with some dark comedic dressing about vengeful killer clowns that murder shitty people (like bigots.) Oh yeah, the Doom map, it's really funny to me getting the Berserk and upon going thru the door punching a shotgun guy to pieces before grabbing his weapon without being hit. Other than that it's a very simple level, but it does sorta feel like you're entering a funhouse of thrills and scares, each room having some kind of trick or trap. Also not half-bad doomcute sector art Violent J! I'm assuming the Arch-vile near the ICP sector art is probably the Ringmaster or something, or maybe I'm looking too deep into it. Finale feels like you should be setting the Revenants loose on Mr. Cybie but there isn't nearly enough to put a dent in him, and this is one of the rare instances of having the BFG so you may as well just do it yourself. Also the secret eludes me.

Operation: BIOWAR
MAP16: The Killing Fields (come, come on down, down, you're going to the killing fields)
Ultra-Violence / Pistol Start / Nugget Doom / Vanilla compatibility
K: 174/177 I: 50/51 S: 1/2 T: 23:31

Damn Chris Harbin really is an ICP fanboy, as that's a name of a track off of Riddle Box. Bit of a hectic start with Imp and bigger stronger Imp (HKs) as well as a fake early exit that I'm pretty sure didn't fool anyone even back then. The visage of the titular killing fields is honestly kinda cool...if only this were a take on E3M6: Mt. Erebus, but alas it is not, as you'll be spending a lot of time in very dark areas with a buncha backtracking instead fighting what scant few monsters there are dotted along, because this is a big level, maybe the longest in the WAD, and even with all that darkness there is no light amp to help you see much of anything. My favorite part though is the long L shaped room where you'll detonate a series of barrels, causing all the monsters to fall down like dominos. I kinda see what they were trying to do with the animated boss cube textured maze and the zero light level that causes monsters to appear in silhouette form, I like weird shit like that, but it's played too safe in my opinion and actually would've proven to be a better concept in the Juggelo Funhouse level as a pseudo house of mirrors. There seems to be a number of unmarked secrets throughout the level too, and an actual secret I didn't find, plus I missed monsters. Kind of a bad feeling after such a slog.

Operation: BIOWAR
MAP17: Sacrilege (blasphemy even)
Ultra-Violence / Pistol Start / Nugget Doom / Vanilla compatibility
K: 137/137 I: 24/46 S: 2/2 T: 18:27

Oh, a Cyberdemon on start with its back to you eh. Yeah normally you'd just lay waste to 'em in a continuous playthrough but with a peashooter you're coming back with bigger weapons. I honestly didn't have enough cells by the time I did fight them tho, so I still had to resort to SSG and footwork. The morbid towers along the plane and the particularly striking suspended X with a number of hanged mutilated dead with that awesome Mark Klem goodness has always stuck out in my memory. Took a strategic 20 damage from an Arch-vile around the red skull key by staying close to the low cover when it zapped me, I often forget to utilize this tactic and it almost always catches me by surprise when it happens. You'll get another opportunity to secure the BFG through an easy marked secret, it'll help in fighting the Spiderdemon from a distance as that was about the only real use I got out of it, there is just never really crazy monster hordes in this WAD to justify BFG spam. The platforming was kind of annoying. It's a very by the numbers level, like almost all of them really, and I think perhaps your enjoyability of them will vary by pistol start versus continuous, maybe this would be a good WAD to play with fast monsters for more challenge.

Operation: BIOWAR
MAP18: Die Heuschrecke (who you callin' Heuschrecke? Schweinhund!)
Ultra-Violence / Pistol Start / Nugget Doom / Vanilla compatibility
K: 32/34 I: 3/3 S: 1/1 T: 5:15

Our journey comes to an end, having battled through Hell itself since MAP14: Absolution. The Unjolly is one of my favorite Mark Klem tracks so this makes this level very memorable for me. Another Gatekeeper needs its ass kicked for all-time. You won't have much in the way to distract you on your way to the final battle, except some kinda neat suspended platforms with Revenants and Arch-viles on them and a really cool sky bridge. This IoS taunts you in English this time, pretty sure that voice line comes from some movie I saw a long time ago, but I don't remember the name of it. Bonus points, for this very well may be the easiest Icon in the entirety of PWADs, at least for one with effort put in for presentation. Hit some switches, climb inside it, and nuke its damn heart. Funnily enough I was standing in a bad spot so I ended up instantly dying when I killed it, I doubt this was intentional, but I think it's a darkly fitting end for yet another dead hero like Doomguy before you in this timeline. Operation: Biowar has been terminated!

This WAD was...to sum it up really quickly, not as good as I remember it being, but maybe I just didn't enjoy pistol starting it nearly as much because it's still a little too easy for the most part and you lack some fun weapon variety for later fights. It's honestly a power trip WAD, you're here to indulge in a power fantasy, because it's Doom, it'll knock on your combat boots to get your attention, but it'll never blow your legs off. Its aesthetics first and gameplay second, the presentation is (fairly) strong, I still don't really see the Icarus influence, but it's fine, it's very much its own thing and it does not outstay its welcome, so it's surprisingly bingeable upon returning to it. Minus some of the more whatever maps like The Killing Fields. I give it a B minus!

Edited June 19 by Lila Feuer

[Celestin]

MAP03

 

The ammo famine Equinox is notorious of starts here - while B.P.R.D. loaded the map with hitscanners that let you easy replenish your resources, there's almost no ammunition available otherwise. This can become a problem by the end, when you run through a narrow maze of tunnels, where pinkies lurk behind every corner. I nearly burnt through the shells I had and was elated to find a chainsaw. The ending have several tankier enemies (cacodemons, pain elementals and a hell knight) that are hard to kill with no ammo left. There's also a secret with chaingunners, just like pistol, weapon 4 is replaced with a new graphic. Again, the dual miniguns look out of place compared to stock Doom 2 guns.

 

I like the design of the place, it's a small techbase with a massive ravine in the middle. Also, midtex rain outside. I was confused about the progression and had to wait for the lifts a couple of time, it's a pain due to the map's height. MAP03 is a fine level, the controversial design choices of Equinox don't annoy me too much here.
 

[Crusader No Regret]

More Biowar mini-blurbs

 

map 15

 

  Other than carryover gear (which neuters the start by removing any need to scavenge for ammo), this level doesn't play very differently from conventional play when going for an ironman survival.  My route ends up killing everything anyways either because they're right in the way or to prevent things from sneaking up from behind later on.

 

map 31

 

  Gratifying with carryover.  BFG lets me delete the spiderdemon in 5-10 seconds instead of an extended cat and mouse scenario.  I still skip the 4 barons in the blue key section.  And hahaha, no way I'm fighting the cyberdemon.  I just want the megashpere and ammo in the area it patrols.  So I evade it while hitting the switches to open up the exit.

 

map 16

 

  Don't really recall much about this map since I use the speedrunner shortcut to skip almost the entire map.  From scratch, anything over a minute would be considered slow.  On a continuous recording, I suppose it's fair a bit more generous about what is considered a good clear time in an ironman survival context: somewhere abouts 1:15-1:30 or better is probably good enough.

[Magnusblitz]

Equinox

 

Gonna play continuous for this one since it seems intended.

 

MAP01

100% kills, 4/5 secrets

 

Pretty interesting to play this one right after Biowar, as despite coming out only 2 years apart they both (at least at first brush) seem to have very different design philosophies. Biowar feels very much like a product of the late 90s and all its earnest clunkiness, whereas Equinox's opening level feels much more stylized and detailed, with lots of custom textures putting in work and a very impressive facility facade that still holds up today. The interior is pretty good too (though admittedly I'm a sucker for the silver base + blue carpet theme), really feeling like the entryway to a big fancy corporate building.

 

That said, it's not without its negatives. The sound replacements are a downgrade for me, especially the pistol shot which sounds like the hammer of Thor, but as far as I can tell in terms of damage is still the same old lousy pistol. The gameplay is also very tedious, basically consisting of small fry in hallways and small fry in large open rooms, all flat, and all in front of the player with nothing interesting going on. The only real threat is the lack of ammo, especially if you're missing some of the shotgun ammo secrets. Hopefully the latter maps pick up in this regard.

 

MAP02

100% kills, 1/1 secret

 

The "hub map" choice is an interesting design choice, doesn't quite serve the typical DWMC map-a-day model but I think it's a cool idea to help sell the 'story' of the WAD and make things feel connected from one map to the next, which I really like. The actual map is pretty much over and done with before you can say too much, but I like the preview of things to come with the labelled (but offline) teleporters.

 

 

[E.M.]

MAP03

DSDA-Doom, UV, Pistol Start

 

It's at this point you'll realize that B.P.R.D.'s conception of "fun" involves ammo deprivation and chainsaw combat. I do not like his conception of fun. I do not like it one bit. If you thought you could avoid that problem by playing continuously, you're wrong. You're screwed either way. The dark maze full of pinkies was one of the most horrible forms of Doom torture I've ever endured. That section was deliberately designed to eat up all your ammo. Through autistic stubbornness, I saved up shells, pushed through it, and got the chainsaw hidden in there. Once that happened, the combat became tedious. So tedious, in fact, that I didn't even bother going for a UV Max. I just rushed to the exit. There's some nice detailing, but I was too frustrated by the gameplay to care about any of that.

[Plerb]

Equinox MAP03 (HMP, continuous, saves):

Another nice display of the blue and green carpets and the custom SHAWN2 variants. I'm not a huge fan of claustrophobic dark vent mazes, but this isn't the first time I've played this map, so I got out of that part fine.

[Blast_Brothers]

MAP03

 

I think this spot summarizes my main aesthetic gripe so far - the set feels like an odd collision of stock assets and bespoke ones. Obviously in this spot, the dissonance is intentional - but it doesn't always feel like it is. In a base this smooth and clean, the rusted panels of METAL6 feel like they have no place, and the rock/SHAWN transition textures just look wonky. I dunno, graphical consistency is one of those things that I can't help but assess when playing WADs. Unfortunately, this mapset is from 2001, and BPRD didn't have too much Doom experience under his belt at this point, so I have to keep my presentation expectations in check.

 

Anyway, I should probably talk about this map specifically. The combat has more bite, despite still having one hand tied behind its back when it comes to the bestiary. Health and ammo are scarce, and there are some awkward moments - getting nibbled by a Pinky after jumping off a lift, and the overabundance of pitch-black corridors, feel like low points. The Pinky maze in particular is something I have mixed feelings on. It's the most tense an encounter with a Pinky will ever get, but it's also tedious and forces you to play the section prior in an unfun way to save enough ammo to shotgun everything. There's a chainsaw in a corner but it comes too late, yet it makes the fight after very fun. Honestly, on the heels of Biowar, I'm just happy to play a longer map.

[Devalaous]

Map 2: 'Equinox Transport Facility' - So named as it is clearly a transport hub for the entire Equinox facility, leading to a Hangar, Storage Facility, and Genome Lab.

 

We will be back here three times over the wad's course, as each location activates while the other two are disabled. Unlike BTSX, you get a bit of combat each time you return. Due to the brevity of these, I will be skipping the day dedicated to one andp laying it attached to the next fullsized map, to optimise my time spent.

 

Map 3: 'The Canyon' - Part 1 of the Genome Labs, this map takes place in the entry passages to the facility proper, where an underground ravine divides the area, that gives the map its unofficial name. Maybe I should change it to 'The Ravine'? iirc Canyon was MtPain27's name for it

 

Back in my past, this is where I could get to before the wad got too hard for me. I was wowed by the early aesthetics, the facility torn in two by volcanic activity, with fragments of the floor scattered around and many doors inactive. You get to see outside and see rainfall, which was jaw-dropping back then. Its more convincing than Revolution's version too. This is where you really have to be concious of your ammo and weapon efficiency moving forward. Plot your shotgun use so you dont pick up drops at 97 shells, switch to the pistol or chaingun after two SSG shots on a caco, lining up zombies and imps, etc. I made a fatal error of missing the SSG early on, and had to go through a dark maze full of demons (Brightmaps really helps here, as you can see the eyes and avoid as many bites as you would otherwise) with the regular shotgun, that took me from 100 to 40something. At the end? You get a chainsaw. BPRD knew what he was doing there, he is known for trolling.

 

Embrace your inner psycho and use it on the horde that lies below, there is a secret to get a megasphere to offset any and all damage you take during your rampage. There is also hidden access to the first chaingun, which in this wad, is TWO chainguns, to make that beefy pistol sound worth it. At the end, you come across embryos, thus you have reached the Genome Labs proper.

[brick]

GZDoom, Doom compat, software, HNTR, blind, continuous with saves.

 

MAP02 "Equinox Transport Hub"
I thought The Singularity Complex was the first Doom wad to use repeating maps to simulate a hub structure for an episode, but Equinox had already done it a couple of years earlier. It's a very small map with very light opposition. The map's strength is atmosphere and nonverbal storytelling, giving a glimpse of places that will be visited later. The Jupiter hologram looks great.

 

MAP03 "The Canyon"
This is meatier than the previous maps but still pretty straightforward. The canyon cannot be crossed directly but the sideway passage is pretty obvious, I'm very fond of those zigzag linedefs to create the impression of broken architecture. The air duct maze is a bit boring but thankfully doesn't go on for too long. The lab with obvious nasty experiments at the end is a nice atmospheric touch, especially since we did take the Genome Labs teleport back at the hub.

[RHhe82]

MAP03. Played on UV, continuous. DSDA v0.27.4. K: 169/169, S: 2/2, I: 46/46. Comp. time 14:13

 

A proper map this time. A solid(ish) map I'd say, I really liked the linedef detail in places where the tech base is "broken" by some force of nature. The map isn't too hard -- but I have a feeling that pistol start would have been unkind experience. Which brings me to things I didn't like: the dark pinky maze. Not only I feel there I would have run out of shells there (and would have wished for a berserk or at very least a chainsaw, which you get only near the exit of the maze), I really don't like this sort of mazes in my Doom. I guess Ultimate Doom had some bearable mazes by today's standards, but this one was merely boring, designed to drain you of ammo, and running out of shells wouldn't have exactly improved my disposition. Not gonna try pistol start this one, at least not right now.

 

Other than that, a solid map. The secret area entrance, especially the computer area map one, was a little random, but I'll accept it.

Edited June 20 by RHhe82
Typos

[Pseudonaut]

Map03:
If you've kept your supplies from previous maps, it's a good level with ordinary combat. The dark maze with pinkies is definitely lame in this case, and I actually ran out of shells and started killing them with the pistol. Not quite as impressive as the first map, but a pleasant chapter in the adventure nonetheless.

 

It's a far more interesting level when played from a pistol start. The available ammo can seem inadequate, but with the right strategy, it can all be done in a timely manner with hardly any pistol use. The dark pinky maze is more intimidating when you start from scratch, and for a while, I wasn't even sure if I'd have enough ammo for it unless I took the shortest possible path to the chainsaw. When that path is taken, you might only have to kill about 7 pinkies before reaching it. It turned out that I had plenty of shells, so I took the time to kill more that with the SSG. The amount of time spent waiting for elevators is excessive, but I actually really enjoyed this one.

 

 

[Catpho]

MAP03

Besides its role as the main obstacle of the level, I appreciate that BPRD opted to still give the central chasm itself some character, making the player memorize it as a physical being. The bright lava draws you down instantly, but thorough players can find some supplies stashed in the cavernous dark, with the terraced, vertical design, in particular one long drop to a backpack that somehow also doubles as a minor worldbuilding detail, making it pretty fun to carry out the task. The chasm also rewards inferences about its shape and placement, particularly the symmetry and its roadblock nature, netting a megasphere for those who've stopped and listened to its simple riddle.

[veevil]

Equinox
MAP03: A Chainsaw in the Dark
(UV, pistol start, K: 100% / S: 100%, Woof!, complevel 2)

Switching from DSDA to Woof! from here on out, for no other reason than to give the newest version of the port a spin. Same complevel as before, so shouldn't make a huge difference.

 

Equinox's third map is another simple one, layout-wise. From the starting area (with vanilla rain effects that no doubt blew people's minds way back in 2001) you have a choice of two paths, one that leads to a fiery chasm and another that leads to the same chasm, but from below. After you figure out that you'll just have to take a leap down into the other end of the chasm, it's just a small maze of maintenance tunnels and a few larger rooms on the way to the exit. Simple... but it's going to make you sweat a little bit, especially from a pistol start.

 

Equinox begins showing its hand in terms of gameplay design here, and the map reads a bit like a pop quiz in the skills the set expects from you from here on out. In particular, three elements that will frequently appear later make their presence known here:

1. Ammunition deprivation. Almost all of the available ammo is dropped by zombies, who are thankfully in plentiful supply. You'll also be taking it slow and double-checking your targets, because...
2. Darkness. Several areas are locked in near-total darkness, or have harsh separation between lit areas and the surrounding black. You'll be firing and sawing at a lot of vague silhouettes. Whether you play this with hardware or software rendering will probably make a big difference in how the maps play.
3. Preknowledge recommended. Prior knowledge is of course valuable when playing any given wad, but I find that certain parts of Equinox can be rather awkward to play without knowledge of the secrets and certain aspects of level progression. In the case of this map, knowing the location of the chainsaw in particular will make a world of difference. It's not very modern design - but it's not exactly wrong, either.

The third level is something of a watershed when it comes to player enjoyment of Equinox. I suspect that those who don't get along with the style of play here at all will find the rest of the maps lacking as well. I myself was turned away by this very map before, but several years of compulsive pistol starting seem to have changed my views on things. I find enjoyment here, for I am now habituated to this shabby ammo-free existence.

 

Spoiler

 

I have to say, though: this is another case where I'm not a fan of the music. The melody makes the track sound more silly than anything, and I think this one could've really done with something understated and dread-soaked.

Edited June 20 by veevil

[Magnusblitz]

MAP03

100% kills, 2/2 secrets

 

Unsurprisingly, this one feels very similar in terms of design to MAP01 - the emphasis seems to be on establishing a real sense of place, and the storytelling that goes along with it, though (at least IMO) at the expense of gameplay/combat. The chasm itself is clearly the main attraction, but there's lot of other details that help too like the rain outside, the lifts down to the lava, damaged/destroyed portions of the base, and the maintenance ducts that need to be explored to cross the chasm. It's the sort of thing that in a modern day game, the player character would probably say something like "bridge is out, what now" and your quest log would be telling you to "find a way across." But the detailing here is strong enough to sell that without needing to announce it.

 

The downside is that combat remains very tepid (though apparently if you're playing pistol start there is a sense of ammo deprivation that can spice things up). I'm playing continuous so ammo wasn't a problem, and the lameness of the combat becomes very apparent - lots of skinny hallways, or door chokepoints, and it's just a matter of holding down the shotgun button until everything's dead. Thankfully the SSG helps speed things up, but even then, the pinkie maze is a chore (although it's also the only place where the player ever gets threatened in more than one direction). I'm also a little peeved at the lack of signposts for the exit, though I suspect this was an atmospheric choice (there wouldn't really be an 'exit' sign here as the levels aren't standalone structures like the Doom 1 moonbase buildings). The megasphere secret felt a bit random but also cleverly hidden.

[General Roasterock]

Map 03
 

  Every time I play something suggested to me coming from BPRD, I feel like I’m being punked. I indulge the fawning over the imagination, character, engineering, and overall artistry far outside of the reaches of the community, and I’m left cleaning up a crime scene, rinsing away the gore a mapping paradigm. What happened?

  Immediately, anyone that did not prepare for how little ammo is present will find themselves stuck, maneuvering against monsters they cannot shoot, suffering damage they cannot stop. The overwhelming majority of ammo in this map comes from sources that require ammo to be spent in the form of the zombies, with the map treating the avaricious with a whopping twenty bullets already on the ground. This is compounded by the arrival of Pain Elementals, admittedly contained in isolated rooms yet still allowed to move. The ideas of such horridly tight ammo droughts and Pain Elementals are incompatible. Even if you dedicate yourself to chainsawing the souls that get produced, a weapon that doesn’t even appear until halfway through the map yet is seen as Equinox’s cornerstone, you would have to cautiously lead the Souls away from the Pain Elementals line of sight or risk your effort causing another three or four to emerge. It’s obliviousness, failure to understand the game. 

  The one good thing that can be derived from this map is the custom rain created for a singular room that does not reappear for the rest of the map. It is an effect that does good to give the world character through ambient weather patterns, bettering the scale and separation of the location to which you have just teleported. The rest of the visuals are nearly impossible to describe because most of the map is pitch black. Simplistic stretches of claustrophobic cavern, rectangular ventilation ducts, the majority of the lab building across the canyon, huge stretches of gameplay are shadowed in impermeable darkness that strains the vision of the player simply to be able to respond to singular Pinkies. The tunnel east of the canyon is one of the worse offenders of this, funneling you from damaging floor into a hallway where a Spectre might as well be completely invisible. On its own, it would be a nuisance to take potshots to fight both the visibility and the blockmap in these areas, but under the constraint of the ammo problem, it’s asphyxiating, where every shotgun that glides just to the side of a demon is a pained groan. 

  It doesn’t help that this map is as aggravating to navigate as it is. Not considering secrets or getting all kills, it is essentially a straight line through the canyon, vents, and out the back door of the lab. With consideration to those things, it is a repeated cycle of waiting on the ridiculous lifts that compensate for the size of the crevasse. Anything that requires a trip back to the bottom of the ravine adds another lift ride. Taking the Megasphere requires another lift ride since it teleports you from the north side to the south without any fast way back, and clearing out the east tunnel adds another lift ride because progression is blocked by a random wooden bridge found connected to nothing at the bottom of the gap. This pales in comparison to the drab, orthogonal, unilluminated void of the vent maze. At this point, you are either prepared with enough shells to punch through all twenty-seven Pinkies that take up the entire width of the paths, or you’re forced into a scramble somewhere between pistol, punching, and circumnavigating in the few loops that form in the mess of monochrome boxes loosely put together. It is a gameplay sinkhole where missing a shot with the Super Shotgun for any reason means condemnation to tedium.

  I really don’t know what could be done to salvage this. The best part of a Doom map should not be looking at rain, and yet everything else is abrasive, ugly, and unimpressive. It was hardly worth it just to cross off the list.

[Celestin]

MAP04

 

Get ready for your first true Equinox experience, but not right away. See, I love the first half of MAP04. It's set in a similiar lobby as MAP01 and even more loaded with monsters. It's mostly imps, pinkies and hitscanners, so you'll be recovering more ammo than you are spending, health is hardly and issue and there's a backpack available that you'll need for the second part. It's a blast until you reach the cyberdemon.

 

This is IMHO where the map takes a nosedive. I'm not talking about the visual, as the all-white arena is an interesting choice, but having a free-roaming cyberdemon while you have to ride up on a lift is just a bad design and I have no arguments to defend it. My condolences to anyone playing this saveless, not getting blasted to pieces is a lottery. Also, unless you want to max the map, don't bother killing him, the cyber is a massive ammo sink and you'll need the resources for the rest of the level. Instead, jump down into a hole on the edge of the arena and proceed.

 

The second part leaves the futuristic halls and instead takes place in the utility part of the facility. I have no complaints about the visuals, but the monster roster changes here. There's less hitscanners (and, as I've mentioned yesterday, B.P.R.D. puts little ammo on the map, making scavenged weapons your only source of ammunition), so you have to rely on chainsaw and ration ammo on enemies that can't be killed in any other way. After an action-heavy start, this slows the pacing to a crawl. Save as much as you can for the room where lowering walls unleash a horde of imps and pinkies and the ending: a walkway overlooking skyscraper-sized cloning vats that you have to destroy. What a spectacular view.

 

I have to spotlight the music, a MIDI rendition of "Mars, Bringer of War", despite being a century old, fits a grand, futuristic map like a glove. I feel like this map, and Equinox in general, is an acquired taste, it looks great and offers a sense of place unlike anything else, but man, it's so hostile I wouldn't be surprised it's where many players quit the wad.

[Devalaous]

Map 4: 'The Genome Labs' - Its a nobrainer maptitle that I didn't change from MtPain27's review, because its exactly what it says on the tin.

 

If your playing with my patch, give a big thanks to @Quill for the fixed midi. Without the patch, the midi has massive periods of silence, generally resulting in IDMUSing to something else. As for the map itself, oh boy. First up is one of those impressive swinging doors made from sector trickery, I normally miss these as I often have my overlay map up as I approach them. It leads to a rare ammo stockpile, and you'll need it, for theres a slaughter on the lab floor. There are what feels like hundreds of zombies, imps and demons, mixed in with arachnotrons in a giant hallway connecting various parts of the lab together. Dont go too crazy blasting, as you'll still need the ammo drops, and theres a point where you cannot come back to pick it up again. Once the dust is settled, you'll find your way to the very first occurence of the now-staple 'monster silhouette in a glass tube', frequently featured in Skillsaw's work. These early versions are different though, you can see wires connected to the creatures. There are five switches to press, one of them permanently locks out a secret with a megasphere and the wads first rocket launcher (Not that you'll have any ammo for it), the rest open up various locked rooms in the lab halls. Make sure you save that invis sphere, you'll need it for a rude encounter where your flanked at the top of a viewing platform with arachnotrons on both sides and many zombies. You'll hear a cyberdemon down there, one of the experiments in the facility. The Equinox company is up to no good, as per the usual corporation in the Doom universe. (All universes?)

 

Make sure you have all the pickups you can get from the lab floors now, as you cannot return from this point on. Lowering down into the lifts will give you a rude pain elemental, then you'll be in the 'Plutonian Halls', full of, you guessed it, chaingunners and revenants. This will eat your shells and bullets like mad, and you wont get much resupplying from now on till the end of the map, so make every shot count. Near the end you'll get to the worst point of the map, a lift up to the cyberdemon testing pit, where he can oneshot you at the top of the lift. BPRD's trolling nature is well known, and its on full display here. You get an invis shpere right before, but its not much help. Right before this fight you can get a plasma rifle, but you'll have at most 120 cells, not enough to kill the cyb with, but if you land all 120, he can be taken out with the SSG rather quickly. You can also just run from him, which is likely intended. Back into the Plutonian Halls, you can goad the chaingunners and revenants into fighting each other to help save ammo, and you'll need to, as theres a spot with three mancubi and a hell knight coming up, and I was at 14 shells, no cells, and 200ish bullets at this part. At this point I needed to chainsaw things to save ammo, and I had to chainsaw a chaingunner in a risky move, then get ambushed on all sides and lose a lot of my health and armour while I chainsawed imps, demons, a pain elemental, and even a surprise revenant(!).

 

The home stretch is past here, and I got everything in the last corridor to infight, leaving just a hell knight to SSG (Dont chainsaw a hell noble unless its Doom 64), and you'll be wowed by the vast stockpiles of cloned hellspawn in a gargantuan 'warehouse' of sorts, with catwalks with zombies sniping you from both sides. Run up to the lever and pull it, and you'll set off a selfdestruct after two warnings. Make sure to back up into the alcove, or the explosions will kill you and force a pistol start on he next hub map. You do NOT want to lose your stockpiles in this wad.

 

Very neat map on an aesthetic level, and the midi, when fixed, does set the mood well. The gameplay is not my cup of tea, but it DOES make me play outside the box and think up solutions I'd normally not bother with. I can see why most players quit at Map 4 though.

[Horus]

map03

 

After the short intermission map we reach the Genome Labs, starting with what is actually a very impressive rain effect. It doesn’t take long for a sense of decay to step in, with cracks forming and contrasting with the otherwise clean techbase look, and the canyon separating the two halves of the base.

This level starts off the trend of being tight with ammo – at first it’s really not a problem, but then you get into the dark maze full of pinkies, which is an absolute ammo sink. It wasn’t too dark with my settings, but I can see how it could be worse with other settings / source ports. But in any case, it still wasn’t particularly fun. This map also shares Biowar’s love of egregiously long lifts. There was also one section towards the start where infinite height was a real pain.

However, the rest of the map was fine. I like how the canyon breaks up the techbase, and I thought the path to the megasphere secret was neat (I didn’t get it on my first playthrough).

[Horus]

map04

 

I didn’t use Devalaous’ patch, but I wish I did in retrospect (if you haven’t played it yet, use it!). My solution to the silence was just to close and reopen DSDA lol.

 

Anyway, I remember this map being a massive pain on pistol-start, frequently running out of ammo and constantly dying in the second half. On continuous it’s still tight on ammo but not nearly as crazy, it’s actually reasonable for the most part, with the obvious exception of the cyberdemon guarding the lift as Celestin pointed out. It’s almost as if the blursphere placement was designed for the ZDoom blursphere behaviour (where an idle enemy isn’t alerted with it) but by then the cyber is awake anyway.

 

The first half of the map is hitscanner paradise (or hell :P) and was completely trivialised thanks to the megasphere I carried over from the last map. Had I not found it, it would probably have been a right PITA, even more so than on pistol start.

 

Once you leave the comfort of the green techbase however and descend into the lower tunnels, the gameplay turns into a series of tight corridors and small rooms, with minimal ammo and not a whole lot of health either. I can safely say my experience with enhanced with carryovers on this one.

 

I did think the ending was cool with the massive hell noble cloning facility that you have to destroy

Edited June 20 by Horus

[E.M.]

MAP04

DSDA-Doom, UV, Pistol Start

 

If the previous level didn't make you rage quit, then this one certainly will. The opening room is a complete clusterfuck. It's a giant mass of randomly assorted imps, pinkies, and hitscanners. You can make them infight to save ammo, but it won't really matter in the long run. You can press a switch in the southwestern room to open up a secret, but if you press the wrong one, then said secret will be unobtainable. What a dick move. I had to camp a lot in the northern balcony area, not only because of the hitscanners, but also because of the two arachnotrons in the corners. I had to plink them to death with the pump action because any other strategy was too dangerous. A large portion of the map's second half consists of chaingunners in hallways. B.P.R.D. took all the wrong lessons from Plutonia. The worst part is where you take a lift up and are greeted by a cyberdemon. It's a roll of the dice whether you escape or get splattered. I don't care if people regard you as an avant garde artist. Bad level design like that is inexcusable. I then proceeded to kill the cyber with the SSG just to spite the wad's author. The only ammo pickups you'll get from this point forward will be from hitscanners, so you better hope you found that hidden chainsaw in the southwestern room of switches. I also hope you enjoy the tedium that chainsaw combat provides. The final room looks impressive, but after all the bullshit I went through, I didn't care at that point. I just wanted to get it done and over with.