The DWmegawad Club plays: 50 Shades of Graytall & Erkattäññe

[Demon of the Well]

Map 15 -- The Serpentine Lemniscate - 100% Kills / No secrets
Towers. Spirals. Shadows. Grayness. Tallness. Firey blue, and bluey fire. Infinity....Xaser(XaserXaserXaserXaserXaser).

A conceptually and thematically fascinating piece from Xaser, boasting one of the most vibrant uses of the limited texture set seen yet. The map is a looping track in the form of a lemniscate, just as advertised, that continually restructures and reorients itself through the level's duration, allowing access to different layers of the serpentine core. The track flows freely in both directions, and from what I could tell early on there was a choice of route (e.g. do the PEs vs. RL fount room first, or do the sergeant/revenant spiral first, like I did); there is a sense of a lot happening around you, and the persistent bombardment from countless cacodemons gassing through the shadows on the perimeter may perhaps present a bit of a red herring for one's combat priorities, but in truth all you ever have to do is literally keep moving forward, while the complex web of triggers sees the path undulate before you as needed. Simple as it is, I still managed to screw it up somehow, of course...I suffered no proper deaths, but I ended up having to restart about halfway through at one point because I fell off of the track while grabassing around looking for weird/hidden stuff and could not for the life of me find a way back up (note that none of the liquid in the big bowl is harmful). The end impression is really quite a bit like an amusement park ride, and the glowing and blinking of FIREBLU spires twinkling through grooves in cold concrete sheaths while storms of ball-lightning float in from the cacos out in the inky darkness blanketing the expanse beyond the spire instills a certain sense of wonder, again complemented by a tasteful BGM selection, which I can only assume is of the author's own making.

Conceptually fascinating and technically impressive though it is, however, as a play experience it's really rather, well......shallow. You are always heading in one direction, plowing through clots of hapless monsters ahead of you with rockets (though you do likely need to use the shotgun for a bit in the eastern spire, simply for the sake of practicality), many of whom are string-file surges of pinkies, not a particularly satisfying target for the weapon. There are something like 4 or 5 soulspheres along the route in addition to the megasphere at the start, so most players should be unstoppable here unless they do something really, really stupid, so there's not much tension or sense of accomplishment eliding from the survivability issue. There are traps of sorts at a couple of places--fighting PEs with rockets in the western spire and the little chaingunner trick later on (which can be disarmed beforehand with infinitely-tall rocket splash if you think quickly)--but for the most part the gameplay is literally just 'walk forward, hold down trigger, win', and in truth I've come to expect more from this author. A particular gripe I have is that there's no real climax; the final 'pincers' wave falls flat because the opposition is far too meager and the track far too vast for any kind of legitimate two-front pressure to develop. A 'zerk pack early on would've tickled my fancy as well, I love punching imps and other trash up/down stairs and off of high places.

Mindlessly blasting monsters off of the path is still entertaining enough for the map's short duration given the spectacle of the environment itself, mind you; I just reckon this one won't prove very replayable, perhaps except for engineering scholars looking to glean insight from Xaser's trigger wizardry.

[NuMetalManiak]

MAP16 Mr. Graytall

One of the reasons I adored ESP was his apparent music selection, with Playstation game MIDIs like this being used gives that calm but false sense of security. What the hell am I babbling about? Even I don't know.

as for this, well continuous is how I run through this, to be honest, as I've seen how hard this is on a pistol start. Lowest difficulty settings make it a bit more normal for a level so I switched to those. No cybers on those skills, but then again no BFG all the same. The map's basically TimeofDeath's version of setpieces, with a cage match to the east and some hitscan pincers and other enemies to the west. All of them test my abilities to evade and utilize ammo and it's got a kick to it. Ultimately it culminates in one of the possibly cruelest and saddest endings (as said in the text after the map) in the wad, but then again, there's at least one more level to try.

[scifista42]

MAP16 - “Mr. Graytall” by TimeofDeath

Many exciting moments, punishing, but in a way that almost always made me think "I would have succeeded if I only moved slightly differently" after I died. Looked awesome, once again I managed to forget about the wad's texturing restrictions. Good music choice. I liked the map.

[Budoka]

Alright, this is ridiculous. My OS updated two days ago, with unforeseen consequences as my explorer keeps resetting itself. I'm going to look into it, but suffice to say I can't really play Doom in those conditions, so don't be surprised if I fall behind for now.

[Naan]

MAP14 - “Astral Nausea” by dobu gabu maru
MAP15 - “The Serpentine Lemniscate” by Xaser

I grouped my review of these two maps because they are very similar in their abstract one of a kind concepts and the fact they are not remotely UVMax-able.

Astral Nausea presents a linear suite of 4 survival challenges where you battle your way through enemies in a surreal, twisty environment until the next one. Picking up and saving as much ammo as possible to make following parts easier. Sometimes, doing some exploring would just make things harder, and thanks to the automap and the pillar "code" you know where to go and not waste time, mostly in the zombieman inferno that the third part is. The last zone was about getting suffisent cells to take down the spidermind and rush to the exit afterwards.

The Serpentine Lemniscate is a bit less obvious in what you are supposed to do, as it is very easy to get lost when you fall down from the serpentine stairs to get eventually killed by wandering chaingunners, I didn't found any way to recover from falling later on. It is also less linear as you can complete either the "hitscan" sergeant side or the "rocket-punch yourself" lost souls part. I took the "latter then the first route" though I suspect the reverse might be easier.

Designwise, the two maps are almost opposed to each other as dobu gabu maru eschewed completely the three textures limitation to use none of them and rely on the sweet purple skybox I eventually got used to walking in and twisted darkness zones to magnify it, while Xaser made a pretty infinity themed map using even more advanced trigger technology than we have already seen in action in MAP02 and MAP10.

These maps were unique on their own, and they are perfectly at home in 50shades imo.

[Gez]

A few people have mentioned not finding their way back to the looping stairs after falling from the lemniscate, so I'll point out that it's possible, but there's only one place where you can do so, and it's on the westernmost edge of the figure-eight.

[dobu gabu maru]

MAP15: A dizzying, rad adventure by Xaser. Gameplay-wise it’s… mostly passable, but the layout here is sublime; the way he uses the outer staircase to cover three different heights is sheer genius. The inner areas make great use of the space provided—I’m keen on the RL/PE skirmish myself—and the rapidly blinking lights make the snaking complex feel like it’s some extraplanar outpost (perhaps the Old Ones decorate their houses with FIREBLU?). It’s a good map to showcase Xaser’s mad genius, though it’s personally more fun to admire than to play.

MAP16: Our journey closes out with TimeofDeath’s curious contribution that demands quite a bit from the player. From the cybers in close quarters to the AV gangbangs that occur throughout the station, Mr. Graytall’s Play Rooms will mercilessly spank the sub if they’re not prepared. The layout of the map is smooth and creative—the red to blue key alteration was my favorite part—and it packs quite a punch for being such a condensed map. Only disappointment was that I wish I could’ve blasted off Mr. Graytall’s wang instead of his Romero heart, but I can’t expect everything to go my way :P

Oh and this midi is goddamn amazing.

MAP17: Funny enough, I like this more than Marcaek’s other entry, since I’m a big fan of monsterless intermissions/endings. Where I would’ve expected something simple like a symmetrical mansion, Marcaek gives it a fun little layout with some cute furniture dotted about. A cool and silly way to formally end a cool and silly set.

[Gez]

MAP17: The End -- wtf is this map, there are custom textures in there, it's completely contrary to the spirit of the project, 0/10

:p

I like the cheeky way the secret level is revealed and accessed. If you notice one of the photos in the gallery shows a place you have no recollection of visiting, that's something to investigate more closely!

[Marcaek]

Map17 also has another feature for coop players, heh. You can try it in Solonet but it doesn't work so well outside of multiplayer ports.

Xaser's map does have a way to get back up if you fall off but it isn't exactly intuitive. Perhaps the lift could have used some banding like the one in Noisyvelvet's castle.

apologies to magnus for slight irritability earlier

[Demon of the Well]

Map 16 -- Mr. Graytall - 145% Kills / No secrets
Of all the mappers participating in the project, TimeofDeath is the one I might've pegged as being most at home with its aesthetic gimmick--in many of his normal maps (if you can ever really call a ToD map 'normal', that is!), he tends to make large/robust areas out of only a scant handful of textures, using lighting tricks, null/blank planes, and solid colors stenciled in simple designs on both floors/ceilings and on vertically elongated surfaces to construct his distinctly abstract 'cartoon-noire' visual style (although I've seen him try his hand at representationalism too, ala "Alchemilla Hospital" or that one wacky CSI-themed map) which somehow always makes me think of something like a bondage-themed Lego set, something like that. Lo and behold, this map looks like a totally natural/off-the-cusp ToD piece (albeit a particularly compact one), like he barely broke a sweat working with these textures--maybe a little more monochromatic than the norm, but of course the occasional FIREBLU gallery or, uh, 'pet kennel' livens this up a bit, as does the 'carpet' detailing prominent in the main hall and in the initial observatory room, where you'll be spending a lot of the runtime. The BGM selection drove me batshit, but I tolerated it in the spirit of fore...uh, I mean, fair play, to the sardonic delight of the eminent Mr. Graytall himself, watching me sweat and strain and squirm from a lordishly coy distance throughout the proceedings.

Speaking of, my torment was kept to a relatively polite minimum in this session; I was splattered once by the cyber-gimp who instantly springs out of his greasy sarcophagus at the end of the western hall when you step out of line (it puts the lotion on its skin...), but beyond this was able to remain unspoiled and upright throughout. The map's gameplay is heavily prescriptive, centered around staged battles in the context of zentai-tight surroundings and a consistently strict ammo balance where spending BFG shots as efficiently as possible can heavily influence your momentum from fight to fight; being able to toss off two shots versus one (or even one versus none!) can make all the difference in how well you'll fare in some of the more orgiastic moments, particularly when the harems of arch-viles come out to giggle and candle-singe and enthusiastically erect previously ruined slaves' flaccid forms. The rigidity of this fine balance is maintained via frequent insertions of rocket-slinging hellmeat into whatever clammy little box you happen to be fumbling around in at a given moment; if you're going to come out on top as the cream of the (riding) crop, you need to be able to two-shot these guys pretty consistently. Supposing you can't or don't, disposing of each cyberdemon in turn is not so much the issue in and of itself (shells and rockets are scattered about along with the drip-feed of cells to serve as a latex-thin layer of protection between you and an overtaxed budget of juice for your biggest toy), but if you blow your load of cells prematurely on too many sloppy shots versus the big guys, you'll soon enough find yourself surrounded by predators in the deeper dungeons, with no way to put your back to a wall and nothing but an exhausted tool in your hand--so be bold, and prioritize that money shot!

That being said, provided you're aware of the map's general theme and willing to play along with it, you'll find that you can make an invigorating evening of things without need of stammering out your Safety Word too often--the aforementioned buffer of lighter ammo, if bolstered by good BFG usage, can be a real boon in teasing out certain situations where a more delicate touch is required (if you preserve enough rockets, the last big cluster of viles is really easy to handle from afar), and there's a surprisingly generous supply of Spheres and other healing items to keep you feeling refreshed. That being the case, like some of ToD's other maps, this is probably actually a pretty good/palatable practice ground for the technique du jour (e.g. two-shotting cybs) if you feel your skills could benefit from a few reps, but there is the rub--for my tastes, while I always enjoy seeing what's in store in a ToD map, his marked propensity for mechanistic repetition of certain combat tropes will at some point inevitably make me feel like I've stumbled out of Doom and into some weird workout video. In this case it's most pronounced in the one-by-one-by-one chain of lone cyberdemons in the main hall as you work your way towards the yellow key (with a slightly shorter but largely similar segment for the BK across the way), which are 100% identical, totally straightforward 1v1 encounters testing you to perform the two-shot each time (and in the least tricky part of the map for doing so, at that!), which I guess could be tense if you're no good at the trick, but gets a mite overbearing if you're proficient at it. Belabors the point a bit and bogs down the flow, IMO, although in a short map like this it's fairly minor, especially in comparison to what's in some of his older maps, where the effect is far, far more severe. This repetition-series thing is a staple of ToD's style, and I don't expect him to change it any time soon, but nevertheless I almost always come away from his maps with a feeling like "that was cool, except for that one tedious bit", and I guess 'Mr. Graytall' hasn't turned out to be any different in that regard.

Nevertheless, my impressions are certainly more positive than negative, and I'd say the map makes a nice kinky closer to a quirky mapset indeed.

[NuMetalManiak]

MAP17 The End

I touched everything trying to find an exit, but I found there was none. cool credits but that's about it, hey who is this Argentum fellow? anyways, level cheat.

MAP18 Killer Color Blindness

A map with separate paths leading to separate things, with a hub that gets progressively dangerous. Oh, and a FIREBLU SEA! Which is toxic, but hey, SOMEBODY needed to make a rad damaging floor in this theme somehow. also the cyber and knights can be "Tricks and Traps"d in a way. to be honest though, there's lots of things that piss me off too, the barons are just getting in the way more often than not, also that cyberdemon just before another teleporter in such a confined space. in fact, all these high-tier enemies, in such confined battlegrounds is overwhelming. No wonder it's in the bonus slot also the post-MAP30 text plays after you beat this.

[dobu gabu maru]

MAP18: What a bunch of congested bullshit this one is. I quit at the part where the elevator descended into a pit of mancs with no cover—c’mon, seriously? The map is entirely linear and clogged with way too many enemies, and AVs are used every other step to just make the map last longer. I mean there’s no cover in that main room so you’re better off fighting the AV reinforcements from the starting room any time they pop up, which is boring and frustrating to do. And having to rocket down a mastermind? Really?

This isn’t even worthy of being a bonus map in this set. It’s one novel idea is the midtex FIREBLU sea, but other than that it’s an exercise in drudgery, obnoxiousness, and patience.

Goddamn chaingunners everywhere too.

Overall: Ignoring MAP18 entirely, 50 Shades is an extremely wonderful set. The gameplay holds up in each and every map, and I enjoy how each author set about using the textures in their own ways. It’s admittedly ugly, but it takes that ugly theme and runs with it, crafting some truly breathtaking experiences (MAP06, MAP10). Given the limitations can’t imagine how a better series of maps could’ve come together—well done to all!

Favorite was MAP08, least favorite was obviously MAP18.

[Suitepee]

Well now that I've cleared my schedule a bit with Freudian Slipgate and SgtMarkIV's Starter Pack done, I've decided to join along with the DWMC for covering Erkattanne on my next livestream.....mostly so I can find out why it got a Cacoward over NOVA 2 to be honest, as it didn't seem too impressive from the glimpse I got of it from Tarnsman's stream.

Still, perhaps it's better than it's Maximum Doom-esque looks....

[scifista42]

MAP17 - “THE END” by Marcaek

The end? But there's one more map yet to come... Nevermind. So, what's the essence of this map? I've got an impression that the essence was to showcase modern-mapping-esque abstract architectural style for the sake of impressions from seeing modern-mapping-esque abstract architectural style. I liked BTSX E1's take on this thanks to unique realistic elements put to it, but on the other hand, BTSX E2's and 50 Shades of Graytall's intermission maps were just way too abstract for my likings, which made me more conscious about the fact that their only gameplay quality was to make me somewhat confused, and I didn't like it. And so the whole "credits" aspect of the map ended up "discredited" for me, bad pun intended. To discover the credits, I had to explore the map, which didn't turn out to be satisfying as I said above. Sorry, I just didn't like this kind of "ending".

[gaspe]

So let's start with Erkattäññe.

MAP01 - First Matters

Kills: 100% | Items: 80% | Secrets: 60%

The music was quite strange at first, but after a while it gave a cool relaxing mood. There was quite some pistol action but it wasn't excessively boring, the map trows only former humans with some sergeants and imps. The secrets were kinda cool though the computer map one is really overdone for no reason. Overall there wasn't anything remarkable in this map.

[Magnusblitz]

MAP15: The Serpentine Lemniscate
80% kills, no map secrets

I agree with dobu's assertion that this is "more fun to admire than play" as it's pretty astounding when you realize that the whole level is moving to create the (semi) infinitely winding staircase, and then continues to move and unfurl as the level progresses. Lots of technical impressiveness here. Aside from that, though, I wasn't having too much fun playing it - the encounters didn't quite grab me, as most of them are just clusters of one enemy type (and the Pain Elemental/Rocket Launcher encounter is equal parts diabolical and frustrating). Not my cup of tea playing, but certainly cool to look at. There's a missing texture here.

MAP16: Mr. Graytall
DNF

I was having fun with this map until I got to the yellow key corridor... two-shotting Cybers is not something I'm good at, so I was ignoring them and just continuing into the corridor, grabbed the yellow key, won that fight, and then was basically unable to proceed because I just didn't have enough ammo to get past the 3-4 cybers safely (especially with the additional instapop one on the megasphere at the end of the next hall). Turning on IDDQD so I could see the rest of the level, I got the three skull keys and opened the door but beyond was just a big DOORTRAK wall that doesn't lower or anything. So... I dunno. Does god mode break the map here or something?

[Lingyan203]

Well, I finally finished 50 Shades of Graytall!

Overall, this mapset was very good. There were some maps that gave me a lot of trouble, like map12. I still liked it though. There were many tricky moments on other levels as well.

My most favourite maps: Map09, Map11, Map12, Map13, and Map08
Maps I didn't like: Map18, Map14, Map07, Map06, and Map10

[TheOrganGrinder]

Things have gotten busy and I'll likely have to pick up with this later in the month, 25th/26th or so. I'm half-tempted to take a pass on the last few maps of 50 Shades (or come back to them at a later date) and jump straight into Erkattanne once I can get back to Doom. :)

[yakfak]

Erkattanne map 1 is so strange and organic, like the innards of a primitive creature. Love how it loops. The music and the texturing is ugly as sin but I buy it as a Doom location. Nicholas Monti could probably make an entire megawad dedicated to homages to The Pit and I would play it quite happily - his natural sense for shape helps him to create maps that trivialise all my other expectations.

that's my review for every level after map 1 as well. Love all the weird secrets too.

[dobu gabu maru]

Erkatanne time! Haven’t played this before so it should be fun.

MAP01: I remember when I first booted this wad up my initial reaction was to raise one eyebrow and go “ohhhhhh?” It’s been a while since I’ve played anything with an intentionally classic design (Favillesco was the last one I think?) so it’s kinda fun to jump back into this oldschool philosophy. Thankfully the layout and enemy placement here is strong—it’s one of the few times where imps felt threatening in MAP01—and Monti doesn’t disappoint with how well his map interconnects. The textures serve their function for the most part, so no qualms from me. Definitely gonna be a peculiar mapset!

[scifista42]

MAP18 - “Killer Color Blindness” by Argentum

Hey, this map was neither bad nor quirky nor otherwise special, so why does it not appear among the other maps? I even checked the Graytall development thread on Doomworld for possible clues, but I didn't find any references to the map at all (except by Suitepee in his playthrough of the almost-final version of the whole project). I considered this map on par with Mechadon's map, just less modern-styled / non-linear / fancy-in-plain-sight, but similarly entertaining gameplay-wise. My favorite fight was the one in the small box room with teleporting Pinkies + Mancubi + Arachnotrons, quite intense and exciting. Some other moments were decent too, others were spam-camping oriented, but the experience as a whole was entertaining and alright for me.

[Naan]

MAP16 - “Mr. Graytall” by TimeofDeath - "HMPMax" on first try without saves

Woohoo, finally a map I have beaten on first try, I am so good at Doom... Not. Well, to say the least, HMP is an almost inoffensive map compared to the UV monstruosity, even harder than MAP12. I would've appreciated a better regular challenge on HMP, even though the map was made primarly for veteran doomers that could two shot a cyberdemon in the dark, which I'm not (yet?). On UV I basically dodged all cybers until I got the yellow key and got stuck with 280 cells and 3 cybers on a small courtyard. Well... HMP is just your average map with lots of ammo supply provided but somewhat appropriate health for the light level of opposition throwed out.

At least the map is pretty well designed and by itself, I liked the dark/light effects and the general level detailing. Even if it played mostly smoothly, this is the least obvious map when it comes to progress. I did believe I had the red key the first time I grabbed it.

Interesting stuff, so bad there's not a middle ground difficulty between HMP and UV.


MAP17 - “THE END” by Marcaek

I expected a The DOORTRAK's this is the end joke in this. Gah. And Gez did the other "wtf custom textures" joke. Fine, I'm out of the competition.

[baja blast rd.]

Map01: "First Matters"

This map might look easy, but beware: with the trooper BOSSES doing mad damage and there not being much in the way of healing supplies around, you might be hurting in a hurry if you play too cavalierly. So pepper that peashooter around with caution. Secrets. A crapton of them are visible on the automap, but I didn't find a single one on my second playthrough. Urghghrghrhgrhghrg. Insult to my ego.

Visually, this map is absolutely gorgeous. Just kidding. It's ugly as hell (or even, arguably, heck). But even though it looks like a five-year-old could make this, it isn't quite so easy. There's a certain uniformity to the ugliness that belies a deep familiarity with Doom aesthetics passed on over the generations from one dad to another. Or whatever. I have no idea what I'm talking about.

[gaspe]

MAP02 - The Scorpion

Kills: 100% | Items: 97% | Secrets: 100%

An improvement from MAP01, I like the big metal structure you see from the start. The layout was also more complex but it was easy to navigate and it loops in a nice way. Also the layout reminds a bit of a scorpion for its shape, and mainly for the tail of the eastern section. There are quite some hitscanners that will make the things harder than the previous map. Cool secrets, I was able to find all of them while progressing.

[Lingyan203]

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgS1ZoidySwN1jYL7YuUFytrxsWl2oEWs

Playthrough of Erkattäññe has just started! I only have the first level up so far. This map I think the visual design needs to be improved. Difficulty wise could've been lowered though. I had a lot of trouble getting one of the secrets. The secret where the passageway to the right of the exit was kinda tricky to hit with the pistol, but the shotgun worked beautifully.

[NuMetalManiak]

MAP01 1st Matters

two things I know about Monti, the strange yet endearing music selection, and the strange layouts. I seem to like these more than anything. Anyways, gameplay is pretty much standard Entryway, so I don't really find it as interesting, but that's more or less expected. Those secrets though, he's pretty fucking tough on them. I sometimes get the feeling that I couldn't jump through things, or find tiny ledges, but at least he's not too unfair on them. I mean screw precision jumps and all that jazzeroo, even though I know I'll find some later.

[Salt-Man Z]

All right, so I played through entire Favillesco series last year (they were fantastic!) and so had Erkattatnannewhatever on my shortlist to get to this year. So here we go! GZDoom/UV/continuous/keyboard-only.

MAP01: First Matters
15:28 | 100% Kills | 100% Items | 80% Secrets

Right off the bat, I know part of Monti's levels' charm is their looping organic layouts and devil-may-care texturing. Having said that, this map alone takes everything he did with the Favillesco sets and cranks the Monti-ness up to 11: everything's even more swoopy and curvy, and the texturing is more haphazard than ever. The triangular sectors and lifts in particular jumped out at me. Not sure I like it, like it's taking things just a bit too far. But it's a lot of fun to play, and I'll forgive a lot if a map's fun. As usual, there's an extended pistol start, which I'm used to seeing in his M1s (though as a continuous player, that's the only place I see it) but getting the shotgun here seemed pretty quick compared to previous WADs. Not going to complain. And in typical Monti fashion, there are some majorly obscure secrets; the green armor eluded me entirely. Oh, and the music gave me a chuckle. Fun stuff.

MAP02: The Scorpion
19:25 | 100% everything

Hey, I found it all! But first things first: that music. LOL. I can dig it. This level's a bit more mazey, but still fairly straightforward. Seeing chaingunners in a Monti WAD was a weird feeling, but they didn't really pose any threat as positioned—except for that red key area, which was the closest I ever came to dying. And speaking of which, that was pretty seriously irritating having to scale those little wedge-ledges—especially with two secrets depending on the climb. Gah. Otherwise another fun romp, but I do find myself longing for a wee bit more orthogonality. But that could also just be the difference between the Doom 2 texture set used here, and the Doom 1/Alpha textures used in Favillesco...

Speaking of which: is anyone actually playing the Ep1-textured version?

[gaspe]

I tried to see how it was the version with the Ep1 textures but imo it was even uglier. I'll stick with the Doom 2 version.

[NuMetalManiak]

MAP02 The Scorpion

yay, more joyous music accompanies a rather joyful level, or so I seem to think. And if you haven't noticed, it's clearly shaped like a scorpion, hence the title. the red key area is quite a headache though (it's at the tail) due to the incredibly odd-angled ledges. I'm afraid of this style of platforming, especially if it's timed in the case of one elusive secret. I guess I challenge myself when I play this in terms of getting the 100% flags on everything.

[Lingyan203]

Map03: The Islet

A fairly decent map. The monster count is pretty low, but with the chaingunners it becomes a bit amped up. The Doom 2 version looked much better textures than the Doom 1 version. However, I don't know if it's possible to reach the backpack secret. Is it actually possible to reach it without using the noclip cheat?