The DWmegawad Club plays: NOVA II

[dobu gabu maru]

MAP10: Another beautifully put-together map. This one has a much more gentle shift going from techbase to hell than MAP05, and is a pretty standard corridor-shooter map which you can play cautiously or wildly. It is also a very switch heavy map which means the chance to get lost is somewhat high, but hopefully the action more than makes up for it (it’s hard for me to tell considering I know exactly where to go). My big complaint is that the map needs about 10 more rockets in the “hell” section where you pick up the rocket launcher, as the following warp-in near the fake exit drains you of ammo on pistol start (also the last AV needs to not be deaf as the fight is pretty simple without him, and I’d make those two imps by the exit into revs). It’s not one of the best maps of NOVA 2 but it’s no slouch either.

[Budoka]

scifista42 said:

Or the map was meant to be played in PrBoom-plus -complevel 2 in the first place, and it's a fact that projectiles fly through decorations in vanilla and classic ports that don't change actor heights / retain infinitely tall actors.

I forgot about that. I use GlBoom+, but I didn't notice that the rockets flew through the trees, since I didn't try to hide from the Cyber but instead used him to dispatch all the surrounding snipers without wasting ammo. Also, the tree object isn't placed frequently, so I've never payed attention to that, although now I remember that there was a discussion about it in the Requiem club thread.

[Andrea Rovenski]

Kind of late, but this is my first chance to check the thread here. My original version of MAP05 was made for a tnt themed project, and that's why the theme and texturing is abstract and clashes a lot. I did like dobu's visual improvements quite a bit though, too, and it made it fit in to Nova II a lot better. Also, I just enjoy 90s style maps a lot more than most people, so my style is pretty heavily based around them.

[mouldy]

MAP10 - "Canyon Halls" by Impboy4 & KevinHEZ

I've already mentioned in the project thread about how this map suffers from the corridor based combat, where most of the fights involve turning a corner and shooting whatever is standing there. And to an extent the layout dictates that style of play, but still I think a bit more imagination could have gone into monster placement. The most interesting part of the whole map was right at the start, an open area with enemies surrounding you on different levels. After that the only real challenge I found was running out of ammo, I must have been squandering it or something. Some more rockets would be cool. So yeah, there is an attempt at some surprises along the way, but opening out some of the areas and adding a few more traps might have kept the journey interesting. As it is it feels like the monsters were something of an afterthought. I can forgive it though cos it looks nice.

[Jaxxoon R]

Tactical Stiffy said:

http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk192/dylan_jarvis1/Screenshot_Doom_20150710_004153_zpsld4plzch.png

Also There is this Imp that was inside the ground not sure if anyone else came across this?

Everybody know about this :p almost everyone that's played the map has pointed it out. I think it's just a very nasty node builder error of some kind.

[Pinchy]

I'm making small updates to my map along with these updates, everything has been addressed so far.

[gaspe]

MAP11 - A Plague o' Both Your Shotguns

Kills: 99% | Items: 93% | Secrets: 100%

A really interesting map with a strong Plutonia vibe, but it has many personal touches.
Gameplay it was good, with some bits of slaughter. Really cool secrets. A bfg takes us to a red-hell section that it reminded Deus Vult to me, especially for its toughness.
There are some weird things that I liked: that "useless" secret, the white room, the long bridge with the torches. Some flats are used in a odd way though, but for color-purpose they work. Cool music. Kudos!

Edit: typos.

[Demon of the Well]

Map 09 -- Husk of What Once Was - 100% Kills / 100% Secrets - FDA (uses beta D3)
Right, I of course remember mrthejoshmon's stuff from the original NOVA, and I've seen bits and pieces of his work in the intervening period between that project and NOVA II, and I feel that of all the returning NOVA alumni he is quite arguably the one whose style has grown the most.

I quite liked this map! I said earlier that I felt that map 04 and map 08, despite their very different approaches, were really gunning for the same angle of having atmosphere/mood be the main driving force of the map, and this too seems to have similar aims with its fairly detailed, representational aesthetic style and its moody BGM (I didn't recognize it as Duke3D track until someone pointed it out, but listening closer I guess it's the track from 'Lunatic Fringe?'), but it takes things a step farther--it doesn't just bank on establishing a moody setting alone, it also fills that setting out with enough substantial gameplay to make a proper adventure out of it, so when all's said and done you feel like you've properly explored/experienced the place, as opposed to having simply basked in its ambiance for a few minutes.

From a build/decor standpoint it's both practically functional and thematically coherent enough to develop a definite personality without sacrificing gameplay on the altar of preferred aesthetic, as map 04 in this set does, and as mrthejoshmon's stuff in the original NOVA most certainly did--it's never cramped, varies its sense of scale from location to location in sensible ways (most pronounced when comparing the big blue lagoon to some of the tighter techbase areas, of course), and does a pretty credible job of marrying two very geometrically/topographically/thematically different areas (apparently it's actually two maps dovetailed together, as opposed to something conceived as a single piece) with two markedly different styles of combat together in such a way they feel like they comprise one layered location, as opposed to two largely divorced areas. This is partially achieved through thing balance, which prompts the player to leave the clusterfuck in the outdoor area behind and perhaps return to it later on after clearing out the base interior, but the role of the visual presentation shouldn't be discounted in this regard either--there is a very strong color scheme (blue/grey/tan) at work, propped up by tasteful texture selection, which unifies the setting without suggesting that color is a gimmick for the map in any way, certainly an approach that works well with the representationalist angle (dig the shower/locker room, by the way, classier than a bathroom any day). There are also small hints in the outdoor area to the existence of the indoor area, and vice versa (small windows in a couple of places, the slime-pipe near the first rocket launcher, etc.); this is one aspect that ideally could've been emphasized more than it was, but what's there does count for something.

Gameplay was not particularly complex, but the big shift in pace/scale between the outdoor/indoor areas, and the sort of equipment/strength-gathering subtext that is brought into play via the interplay between the two adds a lot of interest, e.g. you initially retreat from the mess outdoors until you've conquered the indoors, whence you return outdoors, ideally with BFG in hand, to finish routing the marauding hellspawn, adds a touch of narrative to the gameplay itself, to complement the setting. In places the base interior does still show little signs that it has its origins as an older/newbie map--it's very door-heavy, so moving through it is fairly choppy (much more noticeable when you're backtracking), and it does play out as something of a 2D room-clearing affair in spots (most noticeable when rooms are filled with mid-tier monsters), but it features enough little traps and jabs at the player to keep them from getting too complacent--I particularly like the caco-fountain fight, and the arch-vile just casually chilling out (with some rotting lackeys en tow) in the hallway leading to the water sampling pool--and so the impression is positive overall. In a more general sense, I'm also pleased that a significant chunk of the gameplay turns out to be optional; it's a subtle thing, but the inclusion of stuff like emergent sidequests (e.g. 'do I want to man up and deal with that infestation outside?' or 'do I really want to know what's in that lockdown room?') and an easily available exit that surprises you by showing up halfway through the map in some psychological way helps to cement the sense of location/place, and thus the sense of adventure, I find.

Other little talking points/observations:
-- As might be presumed from my comments above, I guess for my part I don't really have a problem with the 'backwards' nature of the battle pacing, on the contrary, I think the way the progression path is set up totally owns up to this nontraditional setup and makes it work, and any pacing downsides to it (e.g. the cleanup) are mitigated by being almost wholly optional. I guess from an efficiency standpoint it's not really ideal for maxing, but give those speedsters out there some credit, they don't all demand (or even wish) that every map ever be a custom-crafted racetrack.
-- My biggest complaint about the presentation is that it's really, really easy to flat-out fail to see the tiny little teleport-diamond that initially takes you into the lost base, especially once the air starts filling up with projectiles from all over the place. If you're watching my FDA and wondering "why doesn't this dumbass just move on already?" as I waffle about outside for approximately 37 years, well....I was trying to move on, I just didn't know how to! I would suggest doing something to call this teleport pad out more--maybe mark it with some more (sector-based) beacons, or perhaps put it on a little plinth with stairs leading up to it, something like that.
-- I'd kinda like some extra combat during the backtrack to the BFG, but this is not a make/break deal.
-- The hole in the roof over the dormitory just simply looks like it doesn't belong there (no rubble, no disarray to the room itself, all of the marines appear to have been slain quietly in their sleep, etc.). I'd suggest ditching it and going for some mood-lighting or something in there instead.
-- I will agree with Dobu that the health balance, while perhaps a bit tight, is fine as is. Mistakes being relatively costly is something that does help out the gameplay (and the mood) inside the techbase section, I feel.
-- On the other hand, the cycling texture bug that has been mentioned a few times has absolutely no place as a Leave It In (TM), IMO (sorry Dobu). I saw it in one of the Twitch streams, and to me it doesn't look like a surreal/nightmarish corruption of our reality by another--it just looks like a bug.

Pleased with the map overall, nice work mrthejoshmon.

[NuMetalManiak]

MAP11 A Plague O' Both Your Shotguns 5/5

okay so there's some new differences in this one map that was practically the last one to be refurbished (lol). but that being said, the changes to difficulty made eventually made the map much much MUCH MUCH more enjoyable. the room after the SSG no longer has an archie on easy difficulty (makes sense). No pain elemental in the blood fountain with health bonuses. I see the redundant teleport was removed. Thank god that hellish area got a huge facelift, and is actually doable. the radsuits, teleporters, and BFG helped out a lot. one hellknight was stuck near the red door however until I shot him.

other than those major changes, this is a slow-paced, combat-oriented, Plutonia-styled level. it's quite steady overall. The death exit at the end is good enough, but ITYTD players can survive it at 200/200 health and armor, something I decided to test on purpose. still, this map gets a solid rating for me, especially since the changes to difficulty were very well done.

[Demon of the Well]

Map 10 -- Canyon Halls - 106% Kills / 100% Secrets - FDA (uses beta D3)
Spotted the influence from 'Canyon' out of the Master Levels right off the bat (the start area is a dead giveaway, especially the little lift/canal setup), but the much more obvious 'Halls of the Damned' influence totally eluded me until someone else pointed it out. You'd think I'd have picked up on it with the fake/too good to be true exit if nothing else, but no, losing my touch.....

This was about what I would've expected from KevinHEZ after playing 'Deep Water' earlier in the mapset, for good or ill. Not to discount Impboy4's hand in its creation, of course, but having no familiarity with his other output (if there is any), the stuff that most stood out to me were things I recognized from map 03 (interesting room shapes, very tasteful border/trim/cornice/etc. work, generally very direct/2D combat, etc.). For what it's worth, I would agree with other posters that it is pretty difficult to tell that 'Canyon Halls' is a collaborative effort simply by playing/looking at it; given that this was apparently the intended effect, I don't see any need to view it as a problem, although I would be interested in knowing who specifically built the core design for given parts of the map, simply as a matter of curiosity.

Best thing I can say for the map is that if you break it down into its components--particular rooms, particular corridors, things like that--and look at them individually, it is actually quite visually attractive, in an understated way that should appeal to both fans of modern and more oldschool visual design. All sorts of classy, unobtrusive trim work (that generally does not intrude on player/monster movement, at that), a panoply of curves and angles, generally tasteful directional lighting (although for my part I don't quite care for the little cones of light coming off strip-fluorescents that don't actually meet with the physical light source), and an eclectic texture scheme that gels better than it seems like it has any right to given how frequently/persistently it shifts; making this old-fashioned 'coat of many colors' look work requires that individual rooms please the eye without ever drawing all attention to themselves, and this map generally does this well. Visually I would say the weakest part is the most hell-ified area (so, the one where the blue keycard is found, IIRC), mainly on account of a potent stroke of the 'ol Christmas Syndrome, likely a result of pairing the starkly green walls with the starkly red ceiling. Generally, though, it's aesthetically effective, even if it does lack a centerpiece--I personally feel like it would be improved if it were darker/gloomier in some parts to play up the light contrast (which would also fit the disarmingly sinister custom BGM track better than the mostly non-threatening look to the surroundings in the current version, incidentally), but given that somebody apparently keeps convincing you fine mapper folks to make your levels brighter instead of darker I don't suppose that'd be a particularly popular suggestion (not that this has stopped me from making it anyway, as you can see!).

As to the gameplay, well, I can be relatively brief: it has all the same problems as map 03, and arguably a worse case, owing to the significantly longer runtime. The start area leads one to surmise that there might be more of an element of verticality and/or attacks from more than one angle in this one, but it's sadly not the case, after leaving this area things quickly settle into a groove of basic corridor-shooting vs. clots of HP loafing around ahead of you from which it essentially never deviates. I suppose it's not time-consuming enough to be really offensive (the thing balance heavily favors the player after some brief/early ammo concerns), but it's the sort of thing that you play through and then have forgotten everything about 10 minutes later, because there's so little variety in either pace or style. Damning with faint praise, I suppose, but I did at least approve of the way the map handled combat in the context of backtracking segments, including the first one to the fake exit after getting the yellow key, where there is no combat at all. Generally speaking I feel like including at least some light incidental combat into a backtracking segment is appropriate more often than not, but sometimes a silent section does work well, and placing one before the fake exit here was a good decision--synergizes with the BGM, and since the section comes so early it plays well into that uneasy 'this is too good/easy to be true' feeling that precedes the false exit. Overall, though, pretty dry from a gameplay perspective, and as someone else has already observed, the map's nigh total lack of any substantial vertical component in its layout starkly limits options for really improving/changing it much, and so what I say here is more something to consider for future maps. As far as improving this one goes, I'll go with the same suggestion I made for map 03--heavily cut down on the mid-tier monsters except where they're important for a specific encounter (e.g. the door blockade in the 'bridge' area during the second backtrack) and staff the map with bunches of weaklings instead, goobers that the player can feel powerful slaughtering by the dozen while spending very little time to do so.

Oh, yes, and I absolutely agree with TheOrganGrinder on a tertiary (but very significant) point: seriously guys, come up with a better name than "Canyon Halls." Don't sell yourselves short!

[Jaws In Space]

Jmickle provides us with a nice slower paced map with very little Doom or Doom 2 textures providing for the most unique looking level yet, but some texture usage is quite questionable, specifically the really ugly start room. Though most other areas of the map look much nicer, especially the rooms mostly made up of Plutonia textures which are always great. This is the first of the moody maps that I felt really worked, gameplay was nice & slow and I could just look around at some of the weird stuff going on in this map. It also seems to be quite the explores paradise, I found a few secrets, but I left the map with less than 50% kills.

[Dylan Jarvis]

Budoka said:

I think it's meant as more of a tool than a threat in this particular scenario.

He was the last thing I killed in the whole map considering I didn't pick up the plasma rifle until I went monster hunting, he should have made the cyber spawn in when you grab the soulsphere or something instead.

[dobu gabu maru]

Just a warning that with -cl2 it's impossible to get max kills on MAP11—real sorry about this guys, the blame falls on me for not properly testing the map (seems to be a common fault ;_;)

MAP11: Before I begin, I forgot to point out that MAP09, 11, 19, 26, 31, & 32 were all named by me in case anyone feels that this title isn't particularly fitting (it was one of the first things that came to mind). Anyway, this is one of the roughest entries in the set. I have somewhat of a soft-spot for it because of how decidedly amateur it is, but it honestly plays well all things considered—the AV battle with the pinkies and specters is probably my favorite E1 encounter. There is a bit of awkward progression, like trying to find the blue key “door” once you grab the key, or how tricky it is to find the super secret hell battle; you can also thank me for the BFG there, as it was originally a PG with almost no cell in the proceeding section (the mastermind lava pit was both non-damaging and inescapable, curiously enough). Texturing is spotty, inconsistent, and unflattering, but I think that's about the worst of it—combat remains fulfilling, and I feel that's what's important for E1's closer.

Getsu Fune said:

ITYTD players can survive it at 200/200 health and armor

DAAAAMN I thought I had accounted for that ;_;

[Budoka]

MAP11: A Plague On Both Your Shotguns by Jmickle

Yet another tranquil mood piece. I'm not sure how to describe the visual style of this map, but regardless it's absolute eye candy. I approve of the dead-quiet, Eternal-inspired beginning, although that missing texture under the bridge is a blemish. Excellent use of mid-tier monsters, such as the Revenant starting the hostilities (although not a threat thanks to the bridge pillars), that Archvile behind a wall of Demons (excellent!) and the Arachnotron you can harness to wipe out the two accompanying chaingunners. That sneaky Pain Elemental also got me good. The Archvile guarding the
rocket launcher on the other hand is kind of useless. Compliments also for the Rev skirmish behind the yellow door, but less so for the Arachnotron guarding the blue key - I would have expected something with a little more bite.

The armor bonus secret is very silly, like something out of a jokewad. While having it spawn additional enemies makes sense from a UV-Max standpoint, it's very arbitrary on an organic level. Although, those enemies are admittedly an interesting combination to fight, and they are redeemed further by serving as the ingredient for a downright brilliant Archvile confrontation later on. The one with the shotgunners was... okay, I guess. The green armor secret is fine, though very basic. The supercharge secret on the other hand is absolute genius. Like really, really clever. (I mean the supercharge outside of course, not the one in the marble area which is just sitting there). The Hellknight/Manc skirmish is a perfect little bit of Doom, requiring quick-thinking and using verticality in a way that makes things tricky without being irritating. That slaughter wave after the bridge is cathartic but little else. I guess it could have been more intense had I fallen for that teleporting Caco trick (didn't get me). Maybe teleport a few more monsters along with it to ensure the player can't run back too easily ? One huge downside: there's a switch after this section which I'm pretty sure is the exit switch, but it doesn't seem to work. Requires an urgent fix I'd say.

Also, and most importantly, unlike MAP09, this is non-linear progression done very, very right. This is my favorite map yet. Hey Jmickle, please map more.

EDIT: Looks like it's not the exit switch after all. Anyone else encountering this problem ?

[scifista42]

MAP10 - "Canyon Halls" by Impboy4 & KevinHEZ

OK, obviously a beginner map with applied visual + gameplay polish. The start area was cool, but had underdone gameplay, much better combat situations could have been featured in that place. The rest was mostly a corridor crawl and switch hunt without any distinctive feature, besides the occasional change in aesthetic theme. Monsters were mostly just lurking behind corners or in closets on plain ground, combat was never particularly exciting or unique, and the journey was pretty straightforward (even the switch hunt sections). In the end, a lot of backtracking was involved with hordes of medium-tier monsters blocking the way, their elimination was no harder than a trivial door/corner camping. On the other hand, neither gameplay nor visuals were downright terrible at any point, and the quiet music and prolonged gameplay complemented each other and created a certain atmosphere. Still, I see this as an average map - even though a polished one.

[Demon of the Well]

Budoka said:

MAP11: A Plague On Both Your Shotguns by Jmickle

EDIT: Looks like it's not the exit switch after all. Anyone else encountering this problem ?

That switch lowers the wall it's planted on, which allows access to the exit a few feet away. It's broken in -cl 2 in the current version (usepresses are blocked/eaten by a different linedef directly in front of the switch), meaning the level is unfinishable without IDCLIP under 'target' settings. Until a later beta where this is fixed, playing the level in most sourceports or in PrBoom+ at -cl 9 or default complevel will allow passage without significantly altering the way anything else in the map works for the time being. I'll probably post an "SDA" in -cl 9 later today, for instance.

[mouldy]

MAP11 - "A Plague o' Both Your Shotguns" by Jmickle66666666

Mysterious map, has quite a mixture of themes throughout, but its put together in such a way that it all gels somehow. I think there might have been a few improvements since the last time I played it, it seems to work better now anyway. The hell section in particular has been sorted out gameplay-wise and is a blast. That lock-in trap with the revenants still doesn't work though, they appear before the door closes so you just end up fighting them through the doorway, and then entering the room you get locked in for no apparent reason. May as well not bother with that door, you could just teleport one of the revs behind the player to make camping in the corridor more difficult. There was another bit earlier on where you press a switch to reveal a switch next to it that operates a lift, seems a bit redundant (unless its a meta-gag like the armour bonus secret). Minor quibbles aside its a great map with a lot of quirky character. I noticed some texture alignment problems in the caves at the beginning.

Think it just needs some lower/upper unpegging

[jmickle66666666]

Just like to point out: map11 was made almost 2 years ago. I barely touched it up from the original, only to make fixes etc. While there are a few things I still enjoy about the map, it is mostly Not Something I'd Make Today. Hopefully my more recent work is more enjoyable :)

Should I do a dwmc review of my own map????

[Budoka]

Demon of the Well said:

It's broken in -cl 2 in the current version

Fair enough, thanks. I clipped through it for the time being. Gotta say, that second intermission text is a lot better.

@jmickle: Yes you should. Technical crudeness aside, I loved it. I am rather curious as to what you'd be so critical about.

[obake]

Map11 : A Plague O' Both Your Shotguns by Jmickle
Played on HNTR, HMP, and UV, 100% secrets and kills on each. Average time: 27 minutes, deaths: over 30

This one took a lot more tries than I was expecting. That secret red key area, as awesome as it is, takes some practice. My main strategy was to quickly head into the lava and get rid of all the Revenants first, and once that was done, clean out the Cacodemons and Hellknights on the left side. I pretty much ignored the Cyberdemon for the majority of the time, until the rest of the monsters were cleared out.

Asides from the red key area, this map is not actually too difficult, save for a cheap Archvile that teleports back into the area with the first Vile, which made descending down that elevator really annoying, as resurrected enemies were all over the place.

The last encounter before the exit takes some time and patience when you don't have the BFG yet, which I didn't on UV.

Overall, this is not my favorite map. It has some cool stuff to it, and it looks nice. I also chuckle at the single armor bonus secret, and how elaborately it is set up. For me, this map is just not my personal taste, but it was still fun.

[TheOrganGrinder]

MAP11: A Plague o' Both Your Shotguns

This one didn't do a lot for me. Can't really put my finger on why. There's a combination of really cool an interesting areas, and stuff that just utterly leaves me cold, and I found the latter detracted from the former, more than the former enhanced and compensated for the latter. Maybe it's a stylistic thing. Anyway, I left this map at 145/230 kills (fun with pain elementals and arch-viles) and didn't really feel like giving it another shot.

[dobu gabu maru]

Author reviews/notes are always appreciated when their map comes up, as the thoughts that went into the design can be quite enlightening.

Demon of the Well said:

It's broken in -cl 2 in the current version (usepresses are blocked/eaten by a different linedef directly in front of the switch)

Actually the switch itself is a boom-only switch, hence its uselessness in -cl2. We admittedly got a lot of submissions that were -cl9 (for instance, all of KevinHEZ's maps only used Boom triggers) that we either had to tell the authors to fix or fix ourselves. Stuff like this and joe's map breaking in -cl2 for the beta are things that you'd expect the authors to iron out, but consequently falls upon my shoulders once the megawad is out in public beta. Apologies for the inconvenience.

[Capellan]

jmickle66666666 said:

Should I do a dwmc review of my own map????

Generally we do author's notes: what we were trying for or experimenting with, why stuff came out like it did, what we think worked, what we think didn't.

Or in cannonball's case we post entirely new versions of the levels :)

[Demon of the Well]

Map 11 -- A Plague O' Both Your Shotguns - 100% Kills / 100% Secrets
Again no FDA, the version of the map I played could not be finished in the intended complevel. Here is a totally slow/casual/unremarkable UVMax demo from my second fling with the map earlier today. Yes, I am indeed a total nimrod for attempting that telefrag, but once in a while fortune smiles upon the stupid, as you'll see.

JMickleAndSeveralSixes is yet another author whose work I have little or no prior experience with, beyond this map and some eye-catching screenshots in the W & M picture thread. I believe he has much more recent stuff available (that he'd probably rather show us all than this), but most of it's either in speedmapping comps, which I tend to pass up (likely irrationally), or in special birthday comps (which seem private/sacrosanct, somehow), and so again, I had no preconceptions going into this other than perhaps the anticipation of some colorful visual design.

And APOBYS does indeed have that, with a pronounced early Plutonia texture scheme married to fairly spacious, perhaps vaguely Petersenesque shapes and architecture. In terms of level of 'concourse' sensibility on display (texture alignment, transitions, stuff like that) it is likely the most 90s-looking map in the set up to this point, even moreso than Joe-ilya's map. There are some very strange texture combos in places (e.g. the vines/mulch walls paired with the immaculate checkered tile floors in the room hosting the arch-vile + pet demons fight), some areas seem markedly overscaled and/or starkly unadorned (e.g. knights + rockets cave), alignment is in and out, some flat/texture transitions are extremely abrupt (for example, muddy water flat to hardwood flooring near the teleporter into the TNT2 homage secret), and so on and so forth. However, while it is rather, shall we say, 'rough-hewn', it's not something I'd personally describe as being actively ugly outside of one or two small spots (the skin-pillar near one of the shotguns just doesn't belong!)--it simply looks decidedly old-fashioned. The overall color/texture scheme works well enough (tried and tested as it is), the importance of lighting has been grasped and acknowledged (if not necessarily evenly applied), and I for one am kind of partial to areas that are bigger than they need to be just for the sake of the sense of scale. The custom music track helps to fill out the aesthetic as well, not one I'm familiar with, presumably something of the author's own making.

Despite the initial impression created by the general theme, the gameplay is really more Memento Mori (2-ish?) or something like that than it is Plutonic, brief exploratory periods interspersed with straightforward but hearty encounters versus a lot of the mid-tier range of the demonic roster. Not a trivial map (I did die once in my actual FDA, making a really bad decision right at the start of the hidden red Hell area), most of its trickiness elides from the nuances of initial placement rather than traps or surprises (again, the arch-vile with a pack of demons in front of him while the player is stuck in a little nook with the SSG is a good example), but a few snares show up here and there, saving the action from coming off as too one-note. Again, though, something of a 90s characteristic in that the real draw of the map is not in the fight-by-fight progression as it is in uncovering its various tricks and secrets and perhaps references, the most notable of these being the huge fiery red quasi-slaughter area tied to finding the BFG that culminates in a brief flash of 'Heaven' (perhaps a Deus Vult reference or something?) upon completion. It's whimsical stuff like that, in combination with its distinct look, that lends the map most of its real flavor.

The amateur nature of the map does show through in a variety of ways--there are some very questionable placement decisions (e.g. the useless but potentially infinitely-tall-obnoxious specters in the acid pit near the blue-locked switch), some encounters are highly prone to malfunction if the player does anything even remotely unorthodox (if you watch the demo above, for example, you'll notice that the teleport repopulation wave tied to getting the yellow key totally fails to spring unless the player makes noise in a small, specific/remote part of the map, something fairly likely not to happen on a blind run, and very likely not to happen for a player who knows the map), etc.--but there's a distinct character on display as well, certainly not too ignominious for a very early effort.

[gaspe]

MAP12 - Hop 2 It

Kills: 100% | Items: 93% | Secrets: 100%

There isn't so much to say here. A really short and small map, but very cool. Monsters are placed very well. Pretty tough start with the low ammo and all those mid-tier enemies all around. The secrets are nice. Nice touch on the height variations of the buildings. Sure you won't get bored here.
Also bonus points for the Journey to Silius music track.

[Magnusblitz]

MAP11: A Plague O' Both Your Shotguns
92% kills, 7/7 secrets

A level that I'd posit definitely feels a bit 'amateurish' in that it lacks a cohesive theme and swings around both aesthetically and gameplay-wise. The level begins with yet another "atmospheric" feeling, with low-key music and large, relatively empty areas. Unfortunately, that rock texture is ugly as sin, and the really bad vertical alignments that mouldy pointed out make it look even worse. I also greatly dislike using liquids on raised surfaces without a waterfall texture, why does the water stay up? (I know scifista will disagree with me on this, but, he's wrong). It also looks bad here, again, the sludge just makes a nice even straight line? It's not an infinity pool... anyways, floor textures changing (in violation of the Romero Rule) crops up often in this map, I'm not saying it always needs to be adhered to, but it definitely looks bad in spots.

But I digress. Anyways, there's a bit of an exploration through some interestingly abstract areas... but also some that just look bad like this one (checkboard with vines? All those right angle corners?) Texture usage stays somewhat in the Plutonia green/brown wood/metal vein for the most part before falling apart near the end, such as the random techbase hallway. A fairly large segment of the map's population sits in a secret with the BFG, I found this sudden swing towards slaughtermap gameplay to be a negative, even if it is in a secret... in any event, after grabbing the blue key the map repopulates with more knots of monsters, in a very uninteresting fashion too, as they basically just become walls of meat to carve through on the way back to the beginning because... well, I don't know, because that's where the monsters are? There's nothing else to draw the player back to the exit, which is hidden until the very end, another failing in my book. Which brings us back to the aesthetics because that exit is straight up classic Joe-ilya.

In the end, the map is somewhat interesting just because it's somewhat random and the player doesn't really know what'll come next, but gameplay is pretty flat/boring and the aesthetics are all over the place and amateurish. I do like the secrets, for the most part (except the silly lone armor secret). In any event, jmickle has noted that this is a map two years old, so likely his work has advanced since then.

[Hells Kitchen]

Damn, I've fallen behind big time. Just lots going on at the moment, I'll try and catch up. Hope I'm not too far behind :)

Map 5 Broken Outpost

Already from the opening shot I can tell this is going to be a good map. The Imps on the ledge caught me by surprise while I was mowing down the trash funneling in through the doorway. Love the visuals and architecture of this map, especially those candles surrounding the demon face cube at the red key trap. The hitscanners in the central courtyard can fuck with you but a couple rockets and barrel splosions take care of that.

Highlights were the red key and yellow key fights. I've played the map a couple of times before and that red key trap, fuck, it still surprises. It's not the Baron/HK/Caco combo that will fuck you, it's the spectres who can very easily corner and block your movement allowing the bigger guys to shred you. Flipping the switch in the RL ditch releases a couple Mancubi and Revenants with TWO Pain Elementals for good measure. Fast, intense action with no mercy.

Good use of Mancubi blocking the escape route near the switch which raises the walkway to the yellow key. The yellow key fight was just nuts, my method involved rocketing the initial 3 Arachnotrons, running into their cubby and then hosing the AV down with plasma. Was that 3 Pain Elementals I counted here? The path to the exit featured ANOTHER 2 Pain Elementals in the initial circular hallway. While chaingunning the pricks, I get hit by a Caco out of nowhere.

Even the secrets are dangerous, especially the Soulsphere one. After all that I was expecting something horrible at the exit, that lone shotgun guy was an almost ironic juxtaposition lol. All in all, a great map.

Map 6 Water Main

A simpler map both in architecture and gameplay than the previous one. Right off the bat one can hear Archville purring. Ominous.The trap at the red door was completely unexpected and actually jumped when that Revenant popped up in my face, only to turn around and fall into the arms of a HK. The trickiest section was the nukage room. That bloody chaingunner on the ledge and his shotgun toting mates get me every time. Flipping the switch lowers a bunch of chaingunners and shotgunners and can take a fair chunk of health if you aren't prepared. The secret didn't help much! Grabbing the key unleashes a Revenant and an Archvile, I died here on my first playthrough as the AV roasted me while I was dodging a missile.

Second try I was better prepared and escaped largely unscathed. The jump across water in the starting chamber to the yellow? key will happily land you in the mouths of a pair of cacos. The blue door was another surprise, while you deal with the chaingunner, another one teleports in behind you off to the side ready to kick your ass while you aren't looking. The finale AV fight was a little hectic, mainly due to a Revenant that trolls you while trying to hit the vile. I got roasted once in my panic to escape as I ran into a wall looking for the escape. The AV got into a fight with the revived Mancubus and a chaingunner which was entertaining to watch.

Decent map. Good use of creativity in some of the traps. Actually most of the maps in this set actually had effort put into the traps to make them less predictable and still make you jump even after a couple playthoughs.

[Hells Kitchen]

Map 7 Dry Well

That row of Zombiemen at the start are just asking for a rocket! Mmmm gibs. Fairly short map, largely orthogonal like the previous map but visually pleasant. Flipping the switch where the shotgunner was releases a mass of imps and a Caco. Perfect RL action, let those gibs fly! The revenant placement in the little tunnel near the start is awkward as the entire top half of the monster is clipped into the ceiling. Interesting use of a chaingunner which teleports into the start room while you wait for the lift to rise with that little hole through which he can see you.

The entry into the main courtyard with the bridge is another clever trick. You have an Archvile, a few hitscanners and cacos so you might be tempted to camp just behind the opening, but as soon as you step into it, you are teleported right into the middle of the yard! Now that freaked me out, out in the open with an AV and several hitscanners. I hid under the bridge and cleared enough to finally get some shots at the AV. Ofcourse, later I discovered an odd gimmick. When you are on the bridge, all the monsters ignore you so they are essentially harmless. Was this intentional?

Opening the red door and gunning down the Imps and Arachnotrons, I discovered a lone Hell Knight that must've teleported in, patrolling the main courtyard. Seems kind of pointless as there is no reason at this point to return there and isn't any real threat whatsoever as I am on the ledge. That fucking Pain Elemental nearly did me in at the end, trying to stun the bastard with the chaingun while mowing down those cock blocker souls while the chaingunner pelts me. Pretty enjoyable map overall, but I won't complain if I never see a Pain Elemental in this mapset again!

[Budoka]

MAP12: Hop 2 It by Breezeep

This feels as though it could have been made by a certain well-known french mapper (or by Joshy), with constant high level opposition, forcing the player to improvise frequently. This is a good thing. And once again, I didn't get a chance to figure out the red key mystery because it's existence, combined with how short the map is, made me think the exit switch was fake. This is a bad thing. Not much else to say since this map is really short.

[Hells Kitchen]

Map 8 Demon Trench

Visually, this map was somewhat bland, although the music, lighting, setting and the tight hallways create an ominous atmosphere and a sense of loneliness. I like how you can see out into caverns and other nooks and crannies of the map from the starting indoor area.

Gameplay was far more relaxed than the last few maps, mostly just corridor shooting imps, hitscanners and a few heavyweights with some ledge shooting thrown in. The secret accessed from the SSG platform curiously provided no items at all, but on the otherside of the bars were a bunch of imps and barrels. That alone was reward enough! After the initial claustrophobia it's some passageway and ledge shooting of imps and eventually we get to a big ditch with a few imps and a Revenant. Here the outdoor cavern area suddenly gives way to a techbase which to me, represents a lonely, abandoned facility dug into the side of a mountain. Just grind through some more hitscanners, a few lost souls, Revenant and reach the exit. Those two chaingunners flanking the entry to the exit could do some damage if one is unaware of their presence.

The Baron accompanying the Hell Knight in the exit room served no real purpose whatsoever. A couple of extra Knights would've presented more danger for the same HP. Final thoughts.... I like the atmosphere of the map, but I never once felt threatened which was disappointing as areas like the hallways at the start could've used some monsters that say silent teleport in at random places in the starting hallways and stalk you creating tension and a sense of urgency.

Bug report - there is an Imp stuck in the ground in the underground cavern section.