Vae Victus 2 demos [-complevel 2]

[Belial]

DSDA page aka vv2 // vv2.wad

 

Dittohead's latest work is quite impressive. Time to show some love :)

Here's what I have done so far.

Maxes for the first 4 maps.

Map01 - 2:44
Map02 - 2:46
Map03 - 3:34
Map04 - 5:23

Two speed tricks: map05 in 1:43 with some help from the archvile, and map06 in 0:18 thanks to a rocket jump, also pacifist.

Edited March 21, 2023 by Maribo

[Kristian Ronge]

Map 6 UV speed/pacifist in 0:17. 0:16 shouldn't be difficult.

Nice set of maps! :-)

[Searcher]

Outstanding map set and some great demos. Life is good! :)

[Gusta]

I worry if there was the final version of this (very nice) wad as there were found many bugs and so.

[Searcher]

http://www.gamers.org/pub/idgames/levels/doom2/Ports/v-z/vv2.zip

Dated Oct. 27, 2006.

[RjY]

v2uv5229 - first-exit maxdemo of the entire wad. Made because I wanted to see if I could do it, and posted because, as yet, nobody else has ;)

Come on guys, you could knock half an hour off the time with your eyes closed...

[Anima Zero]

2 demos here, both for map 7. UV-Max in 5:53 and UV-Speed in 1:57. Both are improvable. Will send to Ops.

Note: I wasn't sure if Boom compatibility was needed, so both demos were recorded with -complevel 9.

[Grazza]

Anima Zero said:

I wasn't sure if Boom compatibility was needed, so both demos were recorded with -complevel 9.

The txt claims "limit removing" (not always a reliable guide of course...) and Belial and RjY's demos are Doom2.exe compat (the latter a full-wad Max run, which is quite strong evidence), so it seems -complevel 2 (Doom2.exe compatibility) would be fine.

Later edit: Though there is a most unusual error in map06 that means that if you want to record a Doom2.exe-compatible demo you should use the latest test version of prboom-plus, which fixes the incompatibility.

[Opulent]

Anima:
http://www.doomworld.com/sda/dwdemo/vv207demos.zip

[Anima Zero]

Two demos here for today.

First is a nice improvement to my map 7 UV-Speed from yesterday. Thanks to skipping a line in the RSK room, the bars that trap you in the room didn't rise, saving me many seconds from not needing to fight the mancos. Still can be improved, but this is good for now.

Time for that run is 1:37.

Next is a UV-Max for map 6. Another fun map. Time for this run is 3:37. Could go a few seconds or more faster due to a couple ugly moments.

Sending the demos to Ops now.

[DomRem]

I improved Belial's MAP05 UV speed to 1:13. First exit which could still be improved upon.

[Opulent]

Anima:
http://www.doomworld.com/sda/dwdemo/vv207137.zip
http://www.doomworld.com/sda/dwdemo/vv206337.zip

[Kristian Ronge]

The AV jump on map 5 is spectacular, but sometimes, the easiest solution is the best. You can just lower the pillar with the red key through the bars, and straferun into them to grab the key. :-)

[Belial]

Haha, I did try that but couldn't get it to work. Is there any particular side from which you can do that?

[Anima Zero]

I've dinked about map 5 on that RSK grab. I had the best chance of grabbing it from the NW or NE side of the lift.

However, I noticed another trick, although it might be unlikely to be much faster, if any, than this trick...

What about an archie boost into the BSK area? It's possible, just not sure if it'd be faster at all than the RSK grab.

Anyways, I improved map 6 UV-Max to 3:24. Still ugly in a few spots (*Points to the YSK area*), but this is a good 13 seconds faster than my previous run.

Sending the run to Ops now.

[Kristian Ronge]

I only tried it from the northeast (right as you get up the stairs), aiming for the NE corner of the platform. Strafe50 gives you an excellent chance of making it on the first try.

An AV jump to the blue key area ... I'm sure it would be faster if one pulled it off cleanly. The problem would of course be getting around all those monsters cleanly after you'd landed (and without getting killed, as your health would be pretty low).

[Opulent]

an improved demo from Anima Zero:
http://www.doomworld.com/sda/dwdemo/vv206324.zip

[Anima Zero]

Well, after many many many hours of attempts on map 5, I got a rather poor UV-Speed time of 1:00 using the archie jump trick. Several ugly parts, but the ending...well, just my luck eh?

It is a new UV-Speed record for the map, but I don't see it holding up too long, as this demo is more of a visual demo showing how the trick is done than a good run sadly.

I'll send the demo to Ops now. Do improve it please, even if it's using the RSK grab trick (Which I think might be faster if one gets the grab to work on the 1st or 2nd try).

EDIT: But of course, I just can't seem to let it stand as is for long now can I? Stubborn as I am, I kept at it for awhile, trying to get a decent enough demo with the archie jump trick...and got to the exit for only the 2nd time in all the attempts I've tried over this level just about 20 minutes ago. I was quite pleased to see a 0:54 on the results screen. Justice has been served at last for this run :). Now I'm happy with it. Packaged it up, along with the original run and a funny heh demo and will be sending it to Ops shortly.

[myk]

Gusta said:
I worry if there was the final version of this (very nice) wad as there were found many bugs and so.

I wonder; I've watched the single map demos and the ones on Map06 all desyched early on. The rest were all okay. I've RjY's left to watch, but didn't want to start the long demo if it was going to desynch on the penultimate map due to having the wrong version of the wad... unless the issue is an overflow, or something. I'm using Doom2+, by the way.

EDIT: No, it's not the wad. Something's up between the level and Doom2+, because PrBoom+ plays it back fine with or without spechit emulation.

[Grazza]

Desyncs the same way in Chocolate-Doom (switching to automap mode to avoid a VPO). Just to confirm: this is using the new version of the wad, and I tested with vv206324.lmp.

Eternity plays it back OK, and so does "WinBoom" (prboom 2.02), so it looks like some difference introduced in Boom itself. Prboom+'s console text (in stdout.txt) does not mention anything that would explain the desync.

Looks like a bug report is needed... done

[entryway]

It desyncs in first tics. It is good.

[Opulent]

belated reply... some very serious domestic problems. :(
Anima:
http://www.doomworld.com/sda/dwdemo/vv205054.zip

[entryway]

Grazza said:

Looks like a bug report is needed... done

To all appearances any doom-compatible demo on that level will desync with Boom-based ports. Currently.

[Grazza]

Ah, those errors were among those mentioned here and here, but these two, alas, were missed.

[entryway]

This test version has the fix of aforesaid boom bug and can be used for record of correct doom2-compatible demos on Vae Victus.

[Vile]

Heh, I thought I was onto something with an archie blast under the blue door on map05, but I dunno, maybe I haven't looked at it enough. When I did reach the exit line, it didn't end the level because of complevel differences. On the complevels I thought would work, the cyberdemon blocks the player's body or the dead body doesn't get any lift because of the door itself. Feel free to play with that one, it's quite a chore to set up anyway.

Already said it, but great mapset.

[Grazza]

I'd played around with that idea, but thought it would need too much luck, if indeed it is possible. Actually, I thought the best chance was with a stream of arachnotron plasma, as the height from an archie blast would be as much a hindrance as anything else. I'm probably wrong about that though, since I didn't get any slides that ended anywhere near the exit.

I'm not sure about the mechanics of a corpse passing through monsters. I suspect it happens more easily on Boom (I've used this in some demos) than on vanilla (perhaps it doesn't happen at all in vanilla?), but haven't tested this systematically.

I think the comp setting that is causing the problem for you is comp_zombie ("zombie players can exit levels" - a misnomer since it affects corpses, and not just zombies). Set that to 1 or "yes" if playing with anything above complevel 9. With Boom compat (-complevel 9) you should be OK (it was an MBF option, not present in Boom), and also be able to slide through the cyberdemon. OTOH, it feels a bit "naughty" to me to pick compat settings just to get a trick to work when they aren't the ones required by the map, but it would be an interesting demo to see in any case.

BTW, in case anyone didn't read the changelog for test version 2.4.7.1 of prboom-plus (which fixes the Boom bug that was affecting map06 demos), the demos recorded so far can be played back using...
-force_truncated_sector_specials
...in the command line. This retains the buggy behaviour.

[Anima Zero]

I revisited map07 again today to try giving an improved UV-Max a shot. I had one attempt end cause I stupidly forgot to hit the switch which lets me get to the BSK. Oops :P!

Several attempts later (No thanks to lost souls in the beginning or the RSK trap mind you), I ended up with a new exit.

I should mention that it crushes my old record by a huge margin.

The old record...5:53.

Time for the new run...5:20. A whole 33 seconds faster than my previous best.

Great run I'd say with very few mistakes in it. Likely not going to be improved anytime soon since everything went so well here, save for a couple spots.

Sending to Ops now.

[Opulent]

Anima:
http://www.doomworld.com/sda/dwdemo/vv207520.zip

[RjY]

v2uv5142 - embarrassingly small improvement in time to previous, still full of mistakes.

Recorded in Boom complevel to avoid the map06 problem - apologies to Doom-plus users.