The DWmegawad Club plays: Doom 2 Reloaded

[Capellan]

map09
I suspect it is not supposed to play out this way, but in my run pretty much all the teleporting monsters ended up on the bridge (sector 124). From continuous, that’s pretty much just a recipe for wood-chopping as you spam rockets and plasma into a jam of flesh. If it happens on pistol start, you’re probably going to need a lot of patience to use infighting to thin them out. That, or find the secret-within-a-secret BFG.

I was going to praise an AV encounter I thought was really well set-up, but it turned out to be luck of the teleporter draw, so I won’t. :)

[Memfis]

09 - here is my experience with it so far...

First attempt: I reach the area behind the blue door, there are lots of monsters and I don't have enough ammo to kill all resurrected stuff, fail.

Second attempt: I reach that part again and prepare to kill the arch-viles quickly but... uhh, where are the monsters? Did I break something? Oh, now they start teleporting? I kill everything on my side, go to the water area and come back. Again lots of monsters welcome me and I have no ammo... Here is a nice view I screenshotted shortly before I died: http://i.imgur.com/6eJ0eiz.png

Opened Doom Builder: Oh, I guess it's a speed oriented map and I'm supposed to hide in that small room and activate a crusher. Okay. I didn't quite get that from the messages at the start, maybe my fault for not knowing English well enough (in particular, I didn't recognize the word "imminent" at first).

Third attempt: I go as fast as I can, reach this small room, monsters are starting to get crushed, all good... OH YOU SON OF A BITCH http://i.imgur.com/juVMHlX.png

I don't know if I will try again. Using arch-viles together with crushers like that is just not cool and very difficult to forgive, especially coming from an author who is well versed in vanilla Doom.

[scifista42]

Map09 - “Phobos Subversion”

A concept map of sorts. Many nice visuals and structures, but unfortunately, gameplay was totally subordinated to the "realistic" aspect of it, on which it relied. It involved lots and lots of waiting, wandering long distances without opposition, and camping. I didn't particularly like it. On the other hand, I can accept this map as a "breather map" where you get a break from typical Doom-styled combat that's been repeated over and over for some time already. But still, I can't forgive the abovementioned faults. Under-average map, IMO.

[VGA]

scifista42 said:

Transfer of extreme energy that cannot be efficiently converted to electricity. Perhaps it's used to dissipate matter in experimentation chambers, to heat a device that requires extreme temperature for its function, or to lead heat away from an overheating reactor. Or perhaps the tunnel actually creates electricity out of the beam. Either way, it's a cool location for Doomguy to visit.

Yes, but it's not damaging so it's disappointing/unconvincing. For a moment I thought it might be some puzzle, like using switches to redirect the beam or something :-D

[scifista42]

The beam is damaging, unless you have a Radsuit.

[Magnusblitz]

MAP09: Phobos Subversion
97% kills, 1/4 secrets

Much like Memfis, took me a few times to figure out how to play it. I guess I understood that it was supposed to be a "race against the clock" map right away, but wasn't sure how it would play out. First time I took my time and only got to the east side of the map only to see a giant horde had teleported in the bridge and the west sludge and I had no ammo, so figured I screwed up.

Second time, I made it all the way to the reactor, and was making my way back when... all the shit teleported onto the bridge, creating an insurmountable blockage. I suppose if you're playing continuous you might not even notice and just figure you can blow through it with all your rockets and cells, but if you're playing pistol start and don't find the extra weaponry, it's clear you gotta be faster!

Third time I made it back to the yellow key room just in time to watch everything die in my happy little crusher death trap. No ghost monsters, thankfully, haha. Along with MAP07's possibility of AVs making the exit unreachable, it seems like thinking about possible AV bugs wasn't really the author's strong suit.

So yeah, interesting concept map... not sure if the execution is all there, but interesting attempt.

[VGA]

scifista42 said:

The beam is damaging, unless you have a Radsuit.

Aaaaahhh, that explains it :-)

[Memfis]

Actually both Map07 and Map09 arch-vile problems are mentioned in the txt I believe (there are impressively detailed descriptions of bugs in various ports). Maybe eschdoom considered them minor enough not to change anything.

[Magnusblitz]

Memfis said:

Actually both Map07 and Map09 arch-vile problems are mentioned in the txt I believe (there are impressively detailed descriptions of bugs in various ports). Maybe eschdoom considered them minor enough not to change anything.

Good point, I stand corrected.

[mouldy]

Map08 - “Waste Processing”

That was an interesting pistol start, and by interesting I mean somewhat harsh, but not impossible. But it did require a fair amount of luck. The use of barons where there is not enough ammo to even bother attempting to deal with them, makes me wonder if pistol start was even tested. As it was I had to scrape for every last bullet and shell even when I just left the barons alive, and precious little health considering the whole map is set on narrow walkways - hard enough to dodge stuff, but then revenants start appearing. Seeing as we are only on map08 i'll be interested to see how the difficulty progresses. Inching my way through using every pixel of cover I could scrounge, I eventually got to the rocket launcher, and things started getting a little easier. The bfg secret was a nice interlude, finally some space to move around and a big gun to kill stuff with. It has a creepy and tense atmosphere this map, helped by the music (if you play with the music wad). Not a map I would enjoy playing again though from pistol start, just not enough space and resources for the opposition given.

[NuMetalManiak]

MAP09 Phobos Subversion

as stated by the description at the start, this ain't no ordinary Doom map. it's a concept map, where you need to move quickly to get certain things (namely the blue key), as a fuckload of monsters start to show up in one particular area and there's not enough firepower for conventional killings. therefore, I had to run through the rest of the map getting the blue key and other things, killing only small monsters thankfully. then I do two things to get rid of the big horde, raise the walls to block off the chamber that they teleport into, and trigger the crusher in the control room next to it. I had to wait quite awhile for all the enemies to get crushed; in the meantime there was another wall opening with zombies and the other key. an okay concept map, no SSG but it's better without one.

of course my first time playing this I didn't know what to do, even with the monitor explicitly stating so. I really hate those kind of maps that offer a playstyle of sorts, but the only way to figure it out is to keep trying the map (i.e. failing the map a few times before finally realizing what to do, where to go, where the necessary items are, etc.) this is actually how I am with many modern mapsets in general. luckily, for this map, ghost monsters don't seem to be hardcoded for my ZDoom port, for this wad anyways, even though I had the flag set to on.

[Sui Generis]

Map08 - “Waste Processing”
Hmm, I'm not so sure what to make of this map. It's both a step forwards and backwards: rather than divorced areas without interconnection as have been common in previous maps, the layout travels round the edges of large open rooms a la the Living End which, to me, helps increase the sense of place. On the other hand the path round these areas is even more corridor-ish and bland. And the thing is monotextured with a vengeance, though I can cope with that given that the texture suits the feel of a dark techbase - especially with the choice of music in the new d2rmus wad. (ie. not the oldmus)

Overall I didn't mind this map. The final area with the sniping enemies was like a kind of puzzle to work out how to take out the monsters for the lowest health loss. I found all four secrets, including the megasphere one at the end which was well advertised. I was pretty taken back by the amount of resistance that came in there, like the monster population jumped 50% just for visiting that secret, when I could just as easily have chosen to end the level. I'm honestly not sure what the rationale behind this is. Secrets ought to reward the player rather than punish them, and though I don't mind the idea of including a few monsters in secrets, the ones here more or less negated the impact of picking up the megasphere, so what was the point? (I guess it gives pistol starters something to waggle the BFG at, but then I'd already snagged one in a previous map)

[SyntherAugustus]

So I played MAP09. Just wasted 6 minutes of footage trying to figure out what the west area was supposed to be for even though I found the exit.

On a lighter note, imagine if iD used this gimmick for Doom's MAP06.

Edit: Nocliped to it. So all this fuss was over a bfg secret and a megasphere?

Edit2: Well I decided it. This map is a bit dreadful to play over again. Here's two videos. One shows me playing it the first time in full, while the other is me getting all the secrets and discovering the intentional way of playing this map. Whoopie!

Note: Second attempt is half as long as the first, fyi

First attempt playing this map. Was trying to figure out the gimmick but ran into it accidentally after b-lining to the shelter (didn't even bother reading the monitors. go me). "Oh hey, I'm in a room where I need to crush monsters!" I say as I finally figure out what the hell is going on.

Afterwards I realize the exit's available but the west area was still needing to be explored (yes, you can bypass it). After playing 5 minutes of peekaboo elevator (From 11:25 onward, as a warning) I gave up.

Accidentally recorded this in streaming quality so the video's a bit blurry.

This attempt shows how to more or less complete the level as intended. If you rush your ass though the megasphere/bfg sections before the mob appears, you pretty much have the level beaten.

Yes blatent crouch-dive happens. I got sick of this level after making various video attempts. After getting to the shelter the point of the video was pretty much done anyway.

Here's hoping the next map is better.

[Demon of the Well]

Sui Generis said:

Map08 - “Waste Processing”
I'm honestly not sure what the rationale behind this is. Secrets ought to reward the player rather than punish them, and though I don't mind the idea of including a few monsters in secrets, the ones here more or less negated the impact of picking up the megasphere, so what was the point? (I guess it gives pistol starters something to waggle the BFG at, but then I'd already snagged one in a previous map)

I reckon the fight itself is the real reward--you finally get to cut loose in a larger and less restricted combat space against a larger group of monsters than anything the level had fielded previously, it makes a nice contrast with the small numbers of inconveniently-placed monsters that defines the level's main route. In most cases, the real point of eschdoom's secrets is that they are fun to look for and find; and that he occasionally includes substantial bits of combat in them is an extension of that outlook, I think. The actual material reward itself, by contrast, often seems either slightly overblown or, from some perspectives, untowardly crucial to completion of a level. Neither of these is something I see as a serious problem for the mapset, but nevertheless I do appreciate that he occasionally puts stuff in his maps that gives you some chance to spend some of the piles and piles of prime goodies he tends to stuff into secrets.

Map 08 -- Waste Processing - 104% Kills / 100% Secrets
Incidentally, I remember having an argument with a Doom-playing acquaintance a few years ago about whether or not this level is beatable (on UV) from a pistol-start without finding any of the secrets (he was/is a subscriber to the dogma that making the player expend real thought/effort in locating stuff s/he needs to complete the level is "bad design"). It most certainly is; I've done it before (which is how I won the argument, incidentally). It can be quite the ordeal that way, though....what defines most of the level is powerful monsters placed to stymie your progress by virtue of their ability to choke off your generally narrow and precarious path through the guts of the processing facility, as evidenced from the word go by the very first Baron, who has to be juked in a tight space so you can continue past him in search of some kind of real weapon, lest he leave you with no other option but to plunge into the ooze below. Ironically, if you know the map, taking the plunge is by far the best option since it quickly sees you kitted out with an SSG (there is none along the main route, IIRC), whereas if you rely on your agility and austerity tactics you will find yourself making very slow/grueling progress through the level, ignoring monsters not directly in your path in order to make best use of your limited supply of ammo and weaponry (just shotgun and chaingun for most of it, essentially).

The level CAN be done that way, although it takes some practice and being able to kill everything along the way is pretty unlikely (to say nothing of true maxkills, which is impossible without finding secrets simply because there are monsters in the secrets, of course). My interpretation is that eschdoom made the pistol-start as potentially grueling as it is precisely to encourage the player to take a step back and ask "okay, what am I missing here?", thereby prompting them to pay more attention to the environment, perhaps leading to discovery of some secrets (which are intoxicatingly goodie-laden in this context) and a resolution to keep a closer eye out for them in future maps. Intentional or not, the stark balance differences between a secrets/no secrets run are probably the level's most interesting feature, followed closely by the fact the map is also the first time where the environment itself (as opposed to the monsters that inhabit it) starts to seem a mite hostile, what the narrow footing, hot crossfire points, and pervasive nukage. Good thing too, as from a layout/flow standpoint this really is just a one-directional corridor as opposed to the hub-type setup that most previous maps have used; the hostility of the trek, which seems like the point of the level, is well-served by the unswerving linearity in this case precisely because it demands that you cope, and quickly.

As has been the trend so far, aesthetically this is certainly nothing to write home about, although the shift in theme away from a spic/span techbase of concrete and brushed metal towards a more dour subterranean setting dominated by greasy black metal is certainly appreciated. Good to see some real color finally, too, almost makes me glad the place is awash in toxic waste. The choice of BGM here is certainly unorthodox given the setting (if it sounds familiar to some of you, it's likely because it appeared in one of the desert tomb levels of Epic II back when we played that) although it fits the gameplay more than one might initially think, a nice bonus.

[Demon of the Well]

Map 09 -- Phobos Subversion - 114% Kills / 100% Secrets
Right, a heavily concept-based map, and not the first in the megaWAD, at that. Both the textfile and the monitor instructions at the start of the map give you a basic idea of what you're supposed to do, although how well the actions/places described therein are credibly represented in the Doom engine is open to debate, I suppose. For my part, I remember the first time I played this I spent a few failed attempts before getting it right, mostly because I was spending too much time on tertiary tasks that were no of no particular immediacy (e.g. clearing out all of the level's initial occupants) rather than paying attention to what I was actually doing in progression terms. Once I started paying the environment itself more attention I got back on track soon enough....a lot of the level's interstitial areas are anonymous/Doom-abstract enough that I can see someone getting flustered about being unsure whether or not they're actually achieving key objectives (e.g. "restore power", "reroute the teleporter", etc.) as they go along, since it is very difficult to directly convey things of that nature in this engine, but I feel like "drain the reactor" at least is an objective you will immediately know you've reached once you've reached it, and refining the rest of the process to the point where you can succeed in the level's main task is only a matter of time from that point. I think it's really interesting how D2Reload's generally representationalist style collides with a necessary bit of practical thematic abstraction here, makes you wonder what eschdoom might've made for this level if he hadn't been committed to making sure the game would run in doom2.exe as well as most/all ports.

On that point, one extremely poor choice in the design that I will make absolutely no excuses for is the presence of several arch-viles in the huge wave of monsters that eventually bursts forth from the aether. As other players have already pointed out, in several port/.exe setups these will promptly ghost-fuck you and possibly cause you to fail the map (there's an element of luck in what gets ghosted, how many ghosts are created in total, and how many end up attacking at once) even if you had aced the core challenge it presents with flying colors, and it is a real pain in the ass for speedrunners and the like to boot. The author does acknowledge this with a sheepish grin and a little shrug in the textfile, which is a pretty fucking lame copout given his avowed commitment to cross-port/vanilla playability. The most frustrating thing about it is that the viles are patently unnecessary--replace them all with hell nobles or mancubi or the like and failing to subvert the teleporter destination in time is still going to be just as disastrous as it currently is; the danger with not completing the tasks in time isn't that you are unavoidably/decisively killed as a result, but rather that you will lack the ammo/resources to proceed further, essentially constituting a dead game, an outcome to which the viles are utterly superfluous.*

Other than that issue (I just turned the ghost functionality off in Eternity for the duration of the map, and then turned it back on when I'd finished), everything else functions smoothly (I particularly like the extra bit of interactivity in opening/closing the crusher's shutters) and provides you the tools for a decisive success, provided you are willing to engage with the map on its terms rather than just trying to play it like you do every other map. I think many players (esp. those who were displeased with Scythe's map 28!) will appreciate that eschdoom created a cinematically tight time window for completing the objectives without demanding second-perfect execution; once you figure out the proper itinerary you should be able to succeed without too much trouble (and indeed, once you know what you're doing, this is one of the easiest maps in the WAD).

*Actually, maybe you can fail to subvert the teleporter and still win/max the level if you find all of the secrets (esp. the BFG and cell cache), but I've never tried and so am unsure.

[cannonball]

Map09 - “Phobos Subversion”
Interesting map, certainly a unique experience in trying to push the story firmly into the level progression here. There are problems obviously with ghost monsters in vanilla ports or other ports which you have altered to give the vanilla experience. I guess the question is are the arch viles necessary? Probably not in the end.
There is enough weaponry for the rest of the monsters, plus the plasma gun secret is pretty obvious to figure out.
It is a decent map, though not without its flaws.

[TheOrganGrinder]

MAP09: Phobos Subversion

This level gets major props from me for at least trying something very different, and although I'm not quite sure it succeeds, there's enough complexity at work for failure modes of its central gimmick to provide entertainment in their own right.

Other have already covered the mechanics of how the level operates, and I think I have a decent grasp of that also from dissecting the teleports and various lowering walls in Doom Builder, so... here's how things worked for me:

I completely failed at the "drain reactor, restore power, redirect teleporter" stage of the objective, largely (I think) because I initially missed the presence of the lift opposite the blue key's corner shelf and thus didn't get started on that particular sequence of switches until much later in the level. Not knowing how or when I was intended to get into that western portion of the level I instead ended up sitting inside the sealed, inactive crusher listening to monsters emerge outside its northern door; once the horde had build up a little I flipped the switch to open that door, dashed to the crusher control room, stomped the crusher control button, and just hunkered down letting the monsters blunder into it of their own accord. Eventually those that had teleported down into the lower level were all paste, and those who had instead teleported onto the upper level (above the slimefalls) were sufficiently distant not to pose a threat. It ended up being the case that I could exit the level without really having engaged with most of its objectives at all... but I think that's actually kind of cool, the way a solution emerges from the tools and mechanics you're given even if you don't necessarily follow your objectives exactly or tick all the boxes. I ended up heading over to the western section anyway, once I spotted the switches near the blue key and realised how I was supposed to get to them, because hey, monsters to kill! But it's interesting how the most carefully structured gameplay in the WAD thus far can be subverted like that to still produce a successful and entertaining result.

[yakfak]

I wonder what people's thoughts are on whether all maps should be transparent to them on their initial play - one of the reasons I love MAP 09 of this set is that there is a very forceful failure condition, which you will likely meet on your first few attempts, whereupon you discover you have to RACE around the rest of the facility rather than playing it safe just to stand a chance... personally, maps you have to study and respect are my favourite type of map!

[Havoc Crow]

MAP09: Phobos Subversion

This map confused me initially, as it seemed something buggy was going on with the teleport ambush triggers--some ambushes failed to trigger the second or third time I played. Only after finishing the level I checked the text file and found out that it's not a bug, it's a feature; apparently, there's a timer before a grand and nigh-unbeatable demon assault begins (nigh-unbeatable because you'll find yourself stuck on tiny lifts), and you can screw up these brilliant plans by teleporting the no-gooders into the crusher instead. Run into the control room, close the giant doors, then run the crusher and enjoy from the complete safety (or is it?) of the room. Pure, unfiltered fun, though I get the feeling it'd become monotonous if it went on for a moment too long.

Visually, I'm really glad the author finally dropped the gray techbase look. This dark metal motif is easier on the eye. There are a number of striking cinematic moments, such as: looking out onto the bridge for the first time; looking across the giant nukage lake from one ledge to the other; and, of course, the deadly trap that, for once, you get to spring on the monsters. The contrast between the dark, choking confines of the reactor building and the sunny day outside is a nice detail too.

The level begins with something resembling a storyline, with two screens displaying mission objectives. I think most Doom players don't usually care about story elements, they just press whatever switches come up and as long as the exit door shows up at the end, everything's fine. But this is a great example of a map where you need to have some understanding of the story in order to make it out alive. (A nice thing about these maps so far is that they're small, quick and breezy enough that replaying them from the beginning when you die is not a chore.)

One tiny but confusing detail is a small square of metal beyond the western door at the very start. Is that some sort of a secret trigger or what?

[TheOrganGrinder]

yakfak said:
I wonder what people's thoughts are on whether all maps should be transparent to them on their initial play - one of the reasons I love MAP 09 of this set is that there is a very forceful failure condition, which you will likely meet on your first few attempts, whereupon you discover you have to RACE around the rest of the facility rather than playing it safe just to stand a chance... personally, maps you have to study and respect are my favourite type of map!

I feel that MAP09 here is pretty transparent about the danger and the steps required to mitigate that danger; the player is told, up-front, "the usual rules don't apply here." You definitely need to respect the fact that the map is giving you information (I wonder how many players, used to conventional Doom gameplay, might regard the instructions at the start of this map as a narrative device rather than as gameplay direction?) but the map is never opaque about the consequences of failure; you can't really die to the invasion and not quickly realise that you messed up somewhere. :)

[Never_Again]

JudgeDeadd said:

MAP09: Phobos Subversion
One tiny but confusing detail is a small square of metal beyond the western door at the very start. Is that some sort of a secret trigger or what?

It's just a piece of floor detail, it doesn't do anything.

[Memfis]

TheOrganGrinder said:

I wonder how many players, used to conventional Doom gameplay, might regard the instructions at the start of this map as a narrative device rather than as gameplay direction?

That's kind of what I thought. "Invasion... Ok, so there will be many monsters or something I guess?"

If you watch skepticist's Map09 FDA, it seems that he doesn't pay any attention at all to the text and regards it as just a piece of decoration. I found this funny and very characteristic of "hardcore" players.

[scifista42]

TheOrganGrinder said:

I wonder how many players, used to conventional Doom gameplay, might regard the instructions at the start of this map as a narrative device rather than as gameplay direction?

I comprehended it as a kind of both. I thought it was a preview of the map's story, which will consequently be told through its gameplay, in the form of pressing switches next to some realistic-looking machines, perhaps even interacting with them. However, I still believed that the gameplay will be primarily standard. "Invasion imminent! Subvert teleport destination!" didn't make me realize that I'm supposed to actually rush, because that's not how Doom's gameplay normally works.

[Never_Again]

Memfis said:

If you watch skepticist's Map09 FDA, it seems that he doesn't pay any attention at all to the text and regards it as just a piece of decoration. I found this funny and very characteristic of "hardcore" players.

I watched his and Heretic's sets many times and that part never fails to amuse and irritate me at the same time.

[yakfak]

has anyone but confirmed speedrunners gotten a decent pistol start UV-MAX on map 06? my only successful playthrough of it so far came in at something like sixteen minutes, and now I'm aiming for 10 mins and getting destroyed every single time without fail =P I didn't see many people mention just how hard it was...

[scifista42]

Map10 - “Adminisration”

Decently good level, with all traits for which I've praised most of previous levels. Still painfully linear, but at least the path interweaves itself, so that you actually revisit locations for a brief amount of time, which was actually comfortable. Varied journey through varied locations of a thematically unified techbase, mostly easy in continuous playthrough, also campable, but I've found it fun anyway. The 64x64 square light textures were rather overused, but they didn't spoil anything, and I admit, I liked them. The most memorable parts - even though they lacked a particularly good combat - were the ledges with stacked lifts in the big western room, and the Matrix-like room with chaingunners lurking behind pillars.

[NuMetalManiak]

MAP10 Administration

fairly straightforward. no real trouble, although I remember the rather bad placement of archvile in the room with the lifts. plus the lightening catwalk with imps. the invulnerability secret near the end makes the entire end section a cakewalk.

[Capellan]

map10
Another linear techbase level. It’s actually reasonably fun on the most part, it’s just very corridor-esque in nature: a frequent failing of the set, at least in these early levels. I’m not a fan of the secret use we’re seeing, either: I prefer secrets that make the map incrementally easier (a bit more ammo and health) rather than which transform the gameplay (like the BFG + 200 cells one in this map). It’s also possible that if you find and use one of the secrets immediately, you will miss a necessary switch to advance and have to backtrack a long long way to flick it.

Not a fan of the bright white tile texture at the end of the map.

[Salt-Man Z]

MAP06: Comms Station
Fun. Lots of good combat. The crate maze was actually a lot of fun, and the secrets hidden there were pretty cool. I actually managed to get 100% everything here, and felt really good about it.

MAP07: Witch Space
Oh, wow. It is just Dead Simple, isn't it? Hunh. I didn't find the secrets until refilling my ammo after everything (ha!) was dead, and then all the secrets are just lying out there. Of course, that triggered the Archies, which I could have just run from, but y'know, gotta catch 'em all...

MAP08: Waste Processing
Not bad. A crampy little linear run through dark techbase over nukage. Looked nice, and really reminded me of another WAD/level I can't put my finger on. But yeah, that megasphere secret was kind of a joke: I almost immediately lost everything the sphere gave me. Oh well, it was fun anyway.

[Surreily]

Sorry about being ridiculously late with these maps. Headphones broke, had to finish my paper for my university course, and was helping my dad with gardening. I have to keep the reviews short this time 'round, otherwise I'll be typing forever...

MAP03: Phobos Overdrive - 100% kills, 100% secrets
The maps are improving, but there are still some criticisms I have. I got stuck here for a while, not realizing that one of the switches was shootable. Also, there was another switch that does not do anything. The map looks decent though, and there's nothing wrong with the gameplay. Also, bonus points for the key that gets flushed down the sink - it's a pretty neat little detail!

MAP04: Alpha Base - 100% kills, 100% secrets
Lots of copy+paste hallways on show here. In fact, most of the map is hallways! I do think that this is one of the weaker maps so far - a few more open rooms and some additional interconnected areas would have made things more interesting. Also, some more memorable encounters would make this stand out more.

MAP05: Lockdown - 100% kills, 100% secrets
I really like some of the detail that has gone into making this map feel like a real place with a real function, instead of the usual random hallways and rooms. Specifically, the area with the conveyor belts, crates, and the giant crate-picker-upper thing (I don't know what it's called). I spent ages finding the last secret here, but I didn't give up, and eventually I got myself a beautiful BFG9000 :)

MAP06: Comms Station - 100% kills, 100% secrets
After the small crate maze room (which houses most of the map's secrets), the map's texturing gets a little bland - most of it is just grey. However, I did like the central room with the huge spiral staircase and all the windows surrounding it (one of which is used as a secret too). I even got to use my new BFG for the blue key room's painfully obvious trap! Good map, but a bit more texture variation might have helped it be even better.

MAP07: Witch Space - 100% kills, 100% secrets
I don't really like MAP07 stuff all that much, and this just seems like a slightly harder version of Doom II's MAP07. Kill the mancubi, kill the arachnotrons, flip the exit switch. The only thing that makes this one different is the additional arch-vile ambush, but that is an optional fight.

MAP08: Waste Processing - 100% kills, 100% secrets
A dark metal map that consists mainly of green slime, which makes sense given the name. The first half involves going across bridges and ledges above the slime, and some nasty revenant traps are used, making the gameplay tough but fun at the same time. The second area was pretty chaotic - projectiles flying everywhere, lots of revenants, and a pretty nasty secret! I liked this one.

MAP09: Phobos Subversion - 99% kills, 100% secrets
Oh what fun this one was. For the first time in my Dooming career, I had to restart a map due to flubbing it up the first time 'round. But damn, it felt satisfying finally murdering those arch-viles in the crusher! An interesting idea for a map, but I feel it would work better in a Zdoom-based WAD where you could include a time limit and provide the player with more information regarding the mission. That being said, I love seeing what authors can do with vanilla Doom, and I hope to see some more maps that make use of unique mechanics soon!
Also, I missed one kill because an arachnotron didn't teleport in for some reason.

Sorry for my half-arsed reviews. Kinda in a hurry to write another paper for another course. Seventeen thousand words, fun fun fun!