Best of John Romero?

[SavageCorona]

Marnetmar said:

Tom's Wolf3D maps were poorly thought-out messes.

Isn't that most Wolf 3D maps? It's a pretty monotonous and tedious game to navigate.

[cannonball]

Best doom map for me is E4M6, it is a masterpiece in my view.
As for Quake.... an excuse to play the game again methinks.

[VGamingJunkie]

It was probably a bit harder to be creative in Wolfenstein 3D as opposed to Doom since Wolfenstein 3D was locked to 90 degree angles in a locked down grid. They were really proud of how Doom allowed them to essentially make any kind of design that they could envision on a sheet of paper.

[SavageCorona]

That doesn't make it any less tedious though.

[VGamingJunkie]

When your only option is squares, it's going to get slightly repetitive.

[Tritnew]

SavageCorona said:

Isn't that most Wolf 3D maps? It's a pretty monotonous and tedious game to navigate.

Ugh, don't remind me of the amount of HOURS I put Into episode 1, the game literally almost killed me with boredom. I couldn't even get Into episode 2, I was literally tired out by Wolf3D.

[Netherstorm]

Doom 1: E4M6, because of the memories.
Doom 2: MAP13, really like the setting.

Never played Quake enough to determine a personal favorite map.

[Soundblock]

Maes said:

Why, the first level of Daikatana, of course.

You know, he actually did make a rocky canyon prototype, which I guess became indicative for the first episode's rocky theme. It was basically just a rocky courtyard, with a winding canyon leading away from it. Uneven walls, uneven floor. It was brown at the time. Yellow lighting. He mapped very little for Dk after that, if I remember correctly.

EDIT:
My favorites of his would have to be the one-two punch combo of Doom's E1M1 and E1M2. One leads very nicely up to the other. The appetizer and the main course type of thing.

[NinjaLiquidator]

If I would pick something from Wolf3D, then E2M7. Do you remember that one? Like 95 percent of level is behind secret wall. Only thing you must do is open three doors that are close to themselves. I like that idea, but dont know if its Romero map.

[scifista42]

Netherstorm said:

Doom 2: MAP13, really like the setting.

MAP13 is a Sandy Petersen map.

[PikaCommando]

Soundblock said:

You know, he actually did make a rocky canyon prototype

Do you have a source on that?

[joe-ilya]

MAP11 and E1M1, since they're original and have varied obsticles.

[Netherstorm]

scifista42 said:

MAP13 is a Sandy Petersen map.

... True.

MAP20 then.

[Cupboard]

Romero should have made some full maps for E2 and E3

[Tritnew]

TheCupboard said:

Romero should have made some full maps for E2 and E3

I honestly wish he would've made a offcial full episode expansion for DOOM (as In new episodes, maps, all that). It would've been pretty great, and maybe have at least have two other guys work with him on It too.

[Chainie]

UDoom - E4M6
Doom2 - map11
Doom - e1m7

[Soundblock]

PikaCommando said:

Do you have a source on that?

Nope, just memories. Come to think of it, it was made before we had colored lighting in, so I guess the lights must have been white and the rock texture brownish yellow.

[Superluigieth1]

For Doom 1 - E1M9. Best secret map of Doom 1, and really good for both Singleplayer and DeathMatch.
For Doom 2 - MAP20. Great Cybie vs. Spiderdemon fight, really good episode ender, and awesome for speedruns.

[DeathevokatioN]

Ultimate Doom
E1M7
E4M2

Doom 2
Map11
Map20

[InfernalGrape]

On 9/16/2015 at 7:17 PM, PikaCommando said:

John Romero is actually not responsible for any Daikatana levels. He's only the project lead, main designer, and script writer.

The author of each Daikatana episodes are:

Episode 1 (Kyoto, Japan, 2455 AD.): Stevie 'KillCreek' Case
Episode 2 (Ancient Greece, 1200 BC.): John 'Dr. Sleep' Anderson
Episode 3 (Medieval Norway, 560 AD.): Matt 'DaBug' Hooper
Episode 4 (San Francisco, USA, 2030 AD.): Sverre 'Cranium' Kvernmo

You may notice the authors of Episode 2 and 4 are also among the authors of Master Levels for Doom 2. Most regard Episode 2 levels as the best in Daikatana.

Fun fact: Episode 4 levels are the least changed from 1997 until release in 2000.

 

I need to correct you that initially it was Steve Rescoe who worked on Japan 2455 AD maps before leaving Ion Storm in late 1998. Now, it's hard to say which levels were made by Rescoe and which by Case, but at least we might agree that some parts of 1997 alpha Episode 1 maps still look similar to certain parts of what we got in release.

 

EDIT:

 

Also after Anderson left, it was Larry Herring who continued the work on Greece 1200 BC levels.

 

There was also a mention of Rich Carlson, and it's a surprising one:

Quote

I started out at ION, with Steve Rescoe, to help get episode one of Daikatana up to speed for John R. My job was to do e1m1 and I really had trouble with it! Probably just the hang up of "God, this is the first level anyone will see!", as I look back. I rebuilt that map three times and then was called back to work on the game I was hired for, Anachronox. Steve is still working on Daikatana's first episode, doing incredible stuff. My original e1m1 was later replaced. I'm not mad or anything = ) because Steve's style is much better suited to the episode than mine. I am proud to say that Steve did use my cool e1m1 control room in his version of e1m1, so there's still a little bit of me in there. ;- )

 

So it seems that Carlson did an early version of swamp (in 1997), which was replaced by Rescoe's version (in 1998). But was it replaced once more by Case version? Interesting...

 

EDIT2:

 

Okay, there is even more to that after I checked out "plan files" from planetquake.

 

Luke Whiteside - worked on maps for "Official Mappack" and some finishing touches for existing maps.

Bobby Pavlock - finishing touches for existing maps, some deathmatch maps.

Chris Klie - seemingly was a lead/curator in late development period. Also mentions that Case redid e1m4.

Iikka Keranen - some finishing touches for existing maps.

Christian Cummings - seemingly involved with later development of Episode 3 and 4 maps.

Edited September 12, 2023 by InfernalGrape

[Lucius Wooding]

Good thing we got these corrections in time for this thread's 8th anniversary.

[dasho]

Damn, was hoping that "The Best of John Romero" was a new album that was dropping.

[RataUnderground]

Obviously his best work is Doom, duh.

Seriously now, from an objective point of view, probably Romero's best work, at least in terms of Doom, is Sigil.
However, applying other values such as innovation at a time when literally no one had gone down this road before, Knee Deep in the dead remains iconic and a masterpiece.

[InfernalGrape]

Now, what I personally liked the most by Romero...

 

Ultimate Doom: E4M2 Perfect Hatred

Doom II: MAP11 Circle of Death, MAP17 Tenements, MAP29 The Living End.

(to be continued)

Edited September 12, 2023 by InfernalGrape

[baja blast rd.]

Man, 2015 posters didn't know what they were talking about. Not one mention of SIGIL! 

[Xyzzу]

I know, right? I can't believe no one's said Si6il 2 yet! These 2015 posters' tastes are garbage!

[LadyMistDragon]

To narrow it down.

 

Doom: Central Processing, Toxin Refinery, Perfect Hatred

Doom II: The Living End, Industrial Zone, Gotcha

 

Quake: The Slipgate Complex, The Dismal Oubliette, The Ebon Fortress

[Cutman 999]

Doom 1: All of E1, specially toxin refinery, military base, computer station and central processing 

Doom 2: The living end

 

Sigil counts?

 

 

[Cutman 999]

On 9/16/2015 at 3:12 PM, Marnetmar said:

Tom's Wolf3D maps were poorly thought-out messes.

Wolf 3d E6 is a nightmare worse than any unpolished thing you can point in the original iwads.

[OliveTree]

Marathoning these was fun.

 

(note: i didnt play Phobos Mission Control because i forgor 💀)