The DWmegawad Club plays: Japanese Community Project

[kuchitsu]

Oops, I didn't realize that "weird" characters can ruin playback. I'll stop doing that.

Nice to see burabo here. :)

23 - demo. This is one of these magical levels that look very primitive on the automap (just rectangles and stuff) but somehow are still pretty enjoyable. I guess the ROTT midi helps (one of my favorites), and it's fun how from time to time you find some rockets and can think how to use them in the most effective way. It's a stylish level, good for some mindless fun. The best part is making the imp horde fight that spiderdemon at the end. :)

Floating items (this seems to be a theme in JPCP...):
http://i.imgur.com/JscJutc.png (only changes position after you activate the nearby lift I think)
http://i.imgur.com/l4Pklag.png

[antares031]

MAP24 - Probably Maybe Certainly
ZDoom, UV - Pistol Start, KIS(%): 100/64/72

Remember one of the early levels, considered as a beginner's work? The author of MAP09 now presents his second contribution with some expected features, such as texture misalignment, mid-90 style texture selections, etc. But you know what? If you forgive these novicelike architectural flaws, this level is actually fun to play. The opening section was exactly what I didn't expect from this author; spawning more than 30 monsters in the small room. The next section is similar to the MAP09, a hub with doors to unlock. But this time, compare to MAP09, each sections are quite enjoyable to play, and I did like some adorable details, such as computer room. The yellow keycard will lead you to the container depot. Make sure to observe the surroundings since this room offers lots of secrets, and even a super secret which requires a good-old vanilla trick. After you acquire the blue key, you will eventually reach the puzzle room with doors. I'm actually not against this part, but I would be better if the first switch(Linedef 3261) allowed doors to remain opened, just like the second switch did. In conclusion, despite some quality-related flaws that I mentioned earlier, I'm so glad that this author managed to design the level which is actually enjoyable and fun.

P.S.: One critical flaw here. The arch-vile who is guarding the yellow keycard(Thing 250) can throw you to the void, where two cacodemons and a pain elemental are hiding, with no escape. Since making Linedef 1223 impassible will also block those flying monsters, I suggest to make an escape teleporter inside the void with blocking monsters option.

[KBlaney]

My computer kicked a PSU and so now I'm way behind on updating this thread. Luckily I took notes and play Doom on a flash drive (so I can play at work... shh...) and had a bit of a buffer. Sorry in advance if this one gets long.

MAP 18: Bleh! After MAP 17 this is such a let down. Super frustrating, huge mostly undetailed map. Hit scan hell and has massive sections that are almost completely in the dark (I cranked the brightness to make it even remotely playable). The entire map is solved by hitting two secret buttons on the trucks. I sprinted around for a while before guessing that. Nothing is all that interesting about wide open, dark spaces with hit scanning chain gunners.
MAP 19: “Damn, another bland level?” I think to myself at the outset thanks to all the gray. Thankfully, no. This is a well detailed level with a giant cave structure and really sells the original Doom setting of science being conducted in a makeshift area is attacked, mostly destroyed and then hell itself starts coming though. No where is this illustrated better than the void teleporters which eventually culminate in a cyberdemon boss fight. This is a slow burn of a level to be sure, but it is nice to have a detailed, non-slaughtery significantly more fair level after the previous one. The last fight gave me a bit of trouble, but with a bit of strategy it is doable. “Cyberdemon on a pedestal in the middle of a room” appears to be something of a theme in this WAD.
MAP 20: Damn, another one of these open space base levels. Thankfully this one is more forgiving on the chaingun snipers letting the level have a lot of fun catwalk-to-catwalk fights. The final room is probably the most memorable to me here. It locks you in with a bunch of revenants (I hate revenants) and a lot of really strange architecture. The solution to me was obvious: Run through and hope for the best. I like this map better than the previous floating space base themed map, but both gave me a lot of trouble. Also, I'm starting to wonder about the order of the levels here. I wonder if, perhaps, the levels are being placed out of order storywise for the purpose of building a difficulty ramp. I'll have to look back at everything to see if I can rearrange the levels and make a single coherent journey out of them.
MAP 21: I ended the last map with little health, so that made the beginning of this map a real challenge. After getting past the imp ambush and archvile at the beginning I was able to find some health and get things moving again. The next bit involved a bunch of running around causing monster infights which is always fun, but then we get to the double whammy of the mancubus ambush and dancing around avoiding the Cyberdemon's attacks looking for switches. I was actually rather surprised that after the Cyberdemon really was the actual exit. I kind of thought there was something worse in store for us. So, I double backed and grabbed the secret blue armor at the end which I otherwise thought I was saving for the hard part.
MAP 22: The beginning of this map is dark and annoying. I was worried it would be the whole thing. Then we got to the hellish lava castle populated with Hell Knights (I see what you did there) which is a super fun and challenging layout. Lots of way to get vantage points to fire off some rockets and the run behind cover. I know that must have taken a bunch of work to build, but I found myself wanting more... like an entire “siege the castle” sort of level. Which would make a great gimmick for a multiplayer level come to think of it. (This is why it is great to play other people's WADs. You get neat ideas for levels which you probably don't have the expertise to actually pull off and that encourages you to get better.)
MAP 23: This is a really fun level for monster infighting and all of the open spaces with the variety of enemies are specifically designed for it. In some cases, even the monster positions are set up like that. This becomes a really helpful skill in the final room vs the mastermind since you will need the mastermind to take out some of the revenants and imps to give you space to move. The two wings that you can do in any order is an interesting gimmick which I have seen elsewhere. I think it would have been perfect if this level was instead designed to look more like a spaceship than a warehouse because then it gives you the “unlock the bridge, kill the captain” narrative with a ship that, vaguely, suggests something like the Enterprise.

[Magnusblitz]

MAP16: Forlorn Defense Line
98% kills, 2/4 secrets

I admit I wasn't expecting much since the first area looks a bit blocky, but this was a pretty fun map (and good looking despite the grungy color scheme). Does a really good job of using enemies in a smart way to make some interesting/challenging fights without just throwing huge waves at the player. My favorite was the red key fight, I died a few times but it always felt like me being stupid or bad than the level being unfair. The last fight with the SMM is well-designed too, good use of walls raising up behind the player. My biggest negative for this is the music choice, never liked that Heretic track.

[kuchitsu]

24 - demo. Well, two demos actually as on my first attempt I got stuck between some computers, so you might want to look into that. It's another lighthearted level with fun music from the author of Map09. The gameplay reminds me of Hell Revealed, which is kinda cute I guess. I enjoyed exploring the crate area wits its numerous secrets (there is even an arch-vile jump secret apparently). The 3x3 area almost killed me with these pesky revenants.

Little problems:
http://i.imgur.com/SQ9tseV.png - misalignment
http://i.imgur.com/JvnvEXe.png - I'm shooting but the shotgunners don't notice me

[Capellan]

Map24
Not a lot to recommend here. Lots of square rooms connected by square corridors - even in the ‘flesh’ section - lots of misaligned textures, and lots of door-opening. The 3x3 grid of wooden boxes was a particular section of tedium.

[Demon of the Well]

Map 22 -- A Den of Vice - 108% Kills / 100% Secrets - FDA
This was pretty cool, reckon it spoke to me a bit more than the last couple of maps by Burabo. The setting initially seems to be a military bunker in the grip of an electrical blackout (somewhat reminiscent of one of HR2's best maps, come to think of it), but in search for an exit to surface we only find ourselves going deeper and deeper, eventually emerging into a great molten cataract in which soaks the grim basalt stonework of a towering hellish bastion. Like the last couple of maps by the author, the sense of claustrophobia and congestion that defined his earlier maps is here limited/situational, and generally you've a more 'normal' amount of movement space available. No playspace here is truly large or open, mind you, and it's a deceptively short level given the amount of ground it covers, but there's somewhat of an illusory sense of it being more open than it is, ala the tower-scaling segment in the cataract, which is roofless and allows you to see the vast lava-cavern housing the structure you're actually climbing, striking a gut-level contrast with the more confined setting of the techbase prior. The differences in ambient light level between the two major halves of the level also play up the sense of moving into a grander space--for my part, I think the heavy darkness blanketing most of the techbase segment is a perfectly valid and welcome aesthetic/gameplay design choice, but all the same it's probably for the best that it gives way to practical lavalight as the action starts really ramping up. I also quite liked the reworking of this particular Evilution track, daresay I'd probably pick it over the original in any map of any significant length.

Fights start out quite basic but scale up consistently the farther in you go, mixing en route skirmishing with a few more specifically designed scenarios. None of these struck me as being in need of any significant change--I think the terrain in the BK fight is just fine (and I like the arch-vile who tries to trap you by the elevator during the return trip), the mess with the PEs and lava-wells upon teleporting into the Hell-bastion proper seems to be balanced well (I suspect the key here is to act aggressively from the outset, which I didn't do, but I was able to clean up after myself well enough since I had found the BFG and thus had that trump card to fall back on). I did feel like action in the BFG's area needed a little something more to it, I suppose, and I reckon a few triggered flying enemies closing in from the sides could add some extra zest to the final ascent past the Lardo Legion towards the exit gate. I wouldn't see the cyberdemon's cheeky-ass placement changed for the world, he is delightfully intractable where he is. That deep into the FDA I didn't have the balls to try to two-shot him through that narrow aperture, but I also didn't have the patience to play SSG peekaboo or the like, hence my kamikaze move to finish him off after wounding him.

I did find the soulsphere secret on my own, incidentally, although at first I thought the floating target which apparently opens it was actually a bug (it seemingly gives no visual or auditory reaction when it's hit, hence why you see me shooting at it twice from different heights even though in engine terms the height of the bullet's path relative to the impact linedef doesn't matter--I thought I had simply missed!). One other minor nitpick, I reckon the piece of wall that is lowered by the switch in the cyberdemon's tower could probably do better with having one of wooden door or metal gate textures on it, rather than appearing like an unbroken section of the stone wall if you come there early.

Map 23 -- Thermal Disposal Place - 100% Kills / 66% Secrets - FDA
Hmm, great music track, probably my favorite from RoTT. Won't likely see me complain about this one being chosen regardless of whether or not it seems to fit the map.

Similar to map 09, this is pretty clearly the work of a relatively inexperienced mapper, as the layout is more or less an upscaled Wolf3D-style plan of orthogonal corridors and box-chambers connected in linear sequence, albeit with a handful of small/mostly cosmetic raised areas here and there (the 'command module' in the central chamber of the western/RK path, etc.), and some basic (but appreciable) element of player choice expressed by allowing the two keys to be gotten in either order. While it is far from top-shelf material, I did find it a lot more palatable than map 09 from earlier, as it is much easier/more pleasant to move around in, and the effort to make a respectable Doom level with real pacing and a variety of fight setups (as opposed to relying purely on homagery or gameplay non sequiturs or the like) is evident.

Aesthetically, this is neat and inoffensive but mostly uncharismatic, looking like a more spacious take on the squeaky-clean w/wall-detail 'prefabs' look made famous/popular some years ago by Simplicity and Ultimate Simplicity and their imitators. While I half-suspect Simplicity is indeed the likely point of material inspiration here, ironically, the overall impression is something like WolfenDoom meets the first half of Hell Revealed (esp. considering the BGM selection), which in fairness may also have been the design goal, as from a play perspective this almost seems like it could fit in neatly to the first episode of HR. There's not much to remedy the level's general flatness at this point in its development, but a more principled approach to lighting contrasts could probably still help out a bit in simulating environmental depth, as well as 'diorama' detailing (read: unreachable/unplayable scenery) off of some of the side corridors.

The supply balance here is probably the most notable gameplay point; from a pistol-start, failing to find the RL secret in the first room (which again is fairly easy if you're actually consciously looking for secrets, in fairness) seems like it could lead to some significant measure of austerity in the mid-game (particularly if you don't take the BK path first, as it has a plasma gun ladled out at its conclusion), compelling players to handle a goodly share of the monster encounters with evasion, infighting, or perhaps the berserk pack optionally available midway through the RK path. There are a lot of monsters here, with a more or less even spread between cannon fodder and more significant foes, but overall threat is mostly low due to the guileless simplicity of most encounters and the availability of running room (not that I didn't still get roughed up in a few spots due to the crappy play which seems to have characterized this latest session...). The spiderdemon finale is probably the most elaborate of what's on offer; I felt like it wasn't as toothsome as it was trying to be, and so I would suggest either using more of the extant monsters (more revenants/more imps) to crowd the player more insistently, or experimenting with Capellan's suggestion to have flyers swoop in from the sides, some pain elementals here might be just the ticket.

[baja blast rd.]

Man I love the original Death's Bells.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iiXOqgeXF8

(Not the best quality audio, but it's the best I could find on YT with the Correct Official Dooming Soundfont.)

Favorite parts:

1) The slight variation to part A's ostinato around ~0:36, small but quite sexy.

2) That syncopation in the drum part from about there to about 0:46.

3) The harp part that complements the bassline of part B (beginning 1:08), especially at the end of periods (e.g. 1:18-1:21).

4) The key shift around ~1:50.

plums said:

Yeah that's pretty hard to make out all right. Are you using GLBoom? What sector light mode are you using?

I think I spotted it from a different vantage point at first, making it easier to tell that there was actually something there.

Yeah, and gamma one for that shot, though I crank it up to four earlier.

[baja blast rd.]

Demon of the Well said:

Map 22 -- A Den of Vice - 108% Kills / 100% Secrets - FDA

This is one of the FDAs I watched. Nice horizontal auto-aim moment -- I'm surprised there was no mouse shake. Maybe that gesture is played-out now? :D

Also I find the pain elemental lava tube death traps oddly hilarious. Not in the sense that it's a bad design decision or anything, but it's more the fact that one has to go out of their way to get killed by one. There are a lot of blocking torches situated below that prevent a simple jump from the revenant ledge (even though it looks possible, purely by appearances). There is, however, a small diagonal opening here:



It's not in fact possible to make the jump via SR40. Well it might be, but I tried a few times and didn't quite get there. But it's possible with SR50! Oh man.

Also the secret area is ridiculously gorgeous.





Looks like a cute version of an area Ribbiks might make. Burabojunior you should make an entire level with a similar theme!

[mouldy]

MAP23 - “Thermal disposal place” by Guna

Very flat and rectangular journey, the automap almost resembles a game of dominos. The large spaces, subtle details and uniform lighting makes it feel a bit unfinished, or at least unimaginitve. But it works, I mean its functional. The fighting would be mostly a methodical shooting gallery of corridor clearing, were it not for the stringent ammo supplies on pistol start, making me have to run past stuff and leave monsters alive, which made things a bit more interesting. And the final room had some decent action in it, i didn't actually try running out and shooting through the doorway, so dunno if that is an option, I can imagine that would dull the experience a bit. Anyway, well constructed but a bit dull in comparison to other maps in the set.

[Magnusblitz]

MAP17: UAC Energy Plant
100% kills, 1/3 secrets

No surprise this is by the same author as MAP12, as it's another tiny-ass space station stuffed to the gills with monsters. Almost to a comical point here, 500 monsters on UV, but most of them just exist to turn into red paste ejected from their meatbag bodies from the chains of high-ordinance barrels nearby. There's still some thought necessary in the proceedings though; early on ammo is scarce and requires knowing when to make the leap of faith to claim weapons from the corpses, later on there's some nice revenant fights in close quarters. Fun map, good length for the concept.

[Crusader No Regret]

Map 16: 100% kills, 2/4 secrets

It may appear strange to praise, of all things, that not once does the map forcibly enclose the player in an area for a setpiece. It is something I like about this one; the player is free to choose an approach and bring the battle wherever he or she likes.

HMP is nowhere near as rough as UV for this map; the difference is probably on the larger end of the spectrum. There are a few trickier surprises like the archvile that appears when taking the plasma rifle and the revenants that appear to clobber anyone taking the red key but the challenge is restrained on HMP. The secret in the cave section I found particularly satisfying to access.

No spider mastermind at the end; it's a pack of mancubi on HMP. Though riskier, I felt satisfied in luring them into taking out the trench chaingunners for me.

Map 17: 104% kills, 3/3 secrets

Ha, this is the comical experience blowing up lots of demons with barrels and infights. The monster density relative to player accessible space is probably the thickest in the set though with all the explosives (with or without the rocket launcher in the first secret) it can go by rather fast. Maximizing infighting is probably more trouble than it's worth but I found a way and it entertained me. Playing on continuous made things even more comical with tons of ammo along with the corpses littering the ground. There's also some monsters that one can take potshots at early if desired which adds to the fun.

Difficulty takes a step up relative to the earlier outings, throwing archviles into the mix. I suppose it was bound to happen with the way monster density has been escalating. I found the BFG secret find but didn't clue into its existance straight away; it's a neat setup there.

[NuMetalManiak]

MAP24 Probably Maybe Certainly

The author of MAP09, so it's a much more amateurish work than the ones before it. The first water-filled room seems to have seperate paths, and it looks like this seems like a very coop-oriented level. I'd probably fare better against that ambush with some extra help. Or maybe I'm just talking. the office spaces where the yellow key is located is quite immaculate, a bit overdetailed though. The crate area seems a bit more inviting, but man those secrets are everywhere. the blue key took awhile to figure out as well. One of those secrets needs an arch-vile jump, I think. The village area is pretty bland, but the worst of this exists in the square rooms you teleport into later on. There's like no hints on which doors will open, and then the fences in the middle get in the way of everything, oh and that BFG secret is an outright headache. This area can fuck off. For that matter though, there's also the secret pickups that I totally do not need and even worse, the teleporters can take me to several destinations I've already been in. One is in one of the opening rooms and I just hate taking the long way back. Annoying level.

[TheOrganGrinder]

MAP24: Probably Maybe Certainly

This one doesn't do a lot for me; it's technically competent but unexciting, lacking in a unifying theme, and the hubspoke section of teleporters to random-seeming destinations - a school, a warehouse, a Hellish little hamlet - just further increases the map's sense of being a guddle of different ideas that clash rather than smoothly blending into a delicious whole. I feel like most of this map's sub-areas could have been taken and expanded, physically and in gameplay terms, into something more satisfying, but put together as they are, it doesn't really work.

I'll agree with Capellan that, toward the end, the little matrix of wooden rooms is an area that just doesn't grab the player at all.

[rehelekretep]

MAP22 - “A den of vice” by burabojunior

no demo for this one. i am falling behind a little, and the teleport into the castle was killing me every time. that's my chief complaint with this map - the bits before the castle warp take a while to get through, and it was quite frustrating being able to do those bits with ease, while instantly failing on the same particular section. i would be inclined to reduce the PE's by 1 or 2, OR, make the first section in the techbase harder so the difficulty curve is a bit smoother.

+ lovely atmosphere, texturing, reveal of the castle that can look at from the teleporter vantage point
+ one of my favourite MIDIs (although i slightly prefer the original)
+ the cyberdemon & mancubus' on the exit staircase are both very memorable encounters

- difficulty curve is too steep between the section before teleporter, and the section just after
- i didnt like the revenant/HK encounter in the BK room - i ended up running round and round the perimeter, doing driveby shooting on the revenants. i know doomguy is a speedster but it felt a little bit silly (like Arachnophobia in HR as you run around the arachnotrons)

MAP23 - “Thermal disposal place” by Guna demos here

also lost patience with this map after i (1) had a chaingunner resurrect into a wall and become invulnverable, (2) ran out of ammo versus the mastermind, made a break for the exit switch and missed it by millimetres. its not actually a bad map, but these two incidences soured the experience

+ balancing ammo, both total amount (apart from the above incident) and also what to use on which enemy, is quite a challenge
+ simple design adds up to a fun map

- ammo ran out versus the mastermind - perhaps add more in, or make it slightly easier to make a break for the exit?

MAP24 - “Probably Maybe Certainly” by Tyousen121 FDA here

a lot easier than 22/23, this is still a fun map.

+ i liked the MIDI, even though it repeated quite abruptly
+ the enemy encounters are fun/challenging enough
+ the first room and the archvile maze were pretty cool

- slightly dull texturing/height changes (aside from in the crate area, which was quite cool)
- the end-room was anti-climatic. from the revenant noises i was expecting a crazy assault but instead i could simply lure the enemies out one-by-one

[Demon of the Well]

Map 24 -- Probably Maybe Certainly - 100% Kills / 72% Secrets - FDA, 1 death
Got me once with the first trap. I think I might've been able to scrape by there if I'd tried to use the SSG instead of the chaingun....or maybe not, given the generally poor play I was displaying in the m22/23/24/25 session. Decided to just camp out the encounter on the second attempt instead, which seems like the intended approach. Unfortunately.

I'm afraid there's not much of anything I like here, by the by. In contrast to the author's previous level, here we see more ambition in the level's construction--the boxes and spokes remain (as is clearly evident from that very first area!), but cosmetic presentation effects have become more developed in places (e.g. the cage/waterfall corridors off of the first hub), and a few staple Doom sector-playsets show up here as well--a village, what seems to be a 'MYSCHOOL' iteration after the first teleporter, a spot of 'natural' terrain, and of course the all-time classic, a crate room. If we look at individual screenshots or the like, I think it's fair to say that basic concourse and texture utility has improved significantly since the author's first map--there is more light variation, a more considered (if still vivid) treatment of color, textures and other assets are being used in more inventive/less haphazard ways, etc--but the level's manic ADHD vis-a-vis theme and style, cartwheeling wildly from abstract/gamey to fidgety representationalism and back again, simply doesn't appeal to me. Some may be inclined to interpret this as indicative of 'innocence' and find it cute; to me it seems like a pile of dead-end workshop scraps trying to pass itself off as a complete map in the absence of any real inspiration.

Gameplay here is bland at best and dire at worst; in this regard I think I actually found map 09 more palatable in its utter simplicity. The very first trap is the biggest jolt of excitement that's on offer in "Probably Maybe Certainly", after that things go downhill fast. The school-building segment is a textbook example of why the MYHOUSE/MYSCHOOL/MYOFFICE approach is so dicey from a gameplay perspective, presenting nothing but squidgy, repetitive room-clearing through narrow doorways (uh, never mind my gaffe vs. the arch-vile....). This basic form, of fighting blobs of HP through (narrow) thresholds, continues through the rest of the map, with only the first 30 seconds or so of the crateroom to mix things up. The final skinner-box segment floating in the red sky-void takes this intrinsically very limited concept to nigh caricaturial levels, where you SSG groups of monsters of increasing strength in a series of 6-foot X 6-foot boxes with unplayable centers, one box at a time. The movement and pathing restrictions here degrade this segment from merely boring to actively aggravating, an example of a setup where concept should have been reigned in in the interest of practicality. Also note that on -cl 2 there is a disconcerting potential for ghost monsters here should a player get intimidated by/retreat from the viles in the last box (since several corpses will almost inevitably be crushed by the many doors), which does not seem to have been considered or properly balanced for (both of the level's rocket launchers and the vast majority of the level's rockets are in secrets).

[mouldy]

MAP24 - “Probably Maybe Certainly” by Tyousen121

Very quirky old school kind of map. This feels very much like a newbie effort, with the chunky doors and all, so I'll try not to be too harsh on it, but there were a few crimes against gameplay for me. Firstly a lot of the areas are really small, not only awkward to navigate and fight in, but having my face so close to the scenery all the time really makes me feel nausious. The gameplay itself is is a bit dodgy in places, for example the warp in at the start which pretty much forces you to cheese the encounter by hiding round a corner. And that door maze needs to be taken to the vet and put to sleep. Sorry to say, out of 24 maps so far played this one is my least favourite.

[Capellan]

Map25
Many maps lock you into too linear a path. This map may actually give you too much freedom to explore. I spent a lot of time puttering about, not feeling like I was really accomplishing any progress, before keys finally started to appear. I got the blue first, which took ages, and then the yellow - again, after some time of fruitlessly searching for how to proceed. The problem here was that I missed whatever cue there is (if there is one) for what had opened up.

No such problem with the yellow key at least, since it opened a teleporter in plain sight.

This is a nice looking hell fortress and - my “where I am supposed to go?” frustrations aside, it was often quite enjoyable just to soak in the decor. Not everything works perfectly I think. I’m still not a fan of the deliberately tiled scrolling skulls, or of the white and red texture used for some of the lifts. But on the whole it was very nice looking, with some good combinations of light and shadow, and enclosed spaces vs open vistas.

Plenty of good set piece battles to be had too, though the incidental combat seemed fairly light. You were either engaged in a big structured brawl, or you weren’t really engaged.

Not convinced about the actual end game of the map, which I simply avoided by racing to the exit. Still, this is a map that grew on me as I played it and I liked it a lot more at the end than I expected to after my initial frustrations.

[Demon of the Well]

Map 25 -- Cakravartin's Miscalculation - 100% Kills / 100% Secrets - FDA
Man, that opening shot is cool. So simple, yet so striking. Must compliment the BGM selection again as well, this is not a tune I recognize from anywhere, but it seems to suit the level just fine.

C(h)akravartin's Miscalculation appears to depict some sort of necromantic engine of unknowable design and unimaginable applications, a sort of infernal singularity generator apparently powered by the occult energies concentrated in the three ritual skulls and cooled by a massive vat of pitch. Again, the overall garb of the level positively smacks of CC4 (here notably using the ash-colored marble alongside its bloodred counterpart, in contrast to CC4's own tendency towards the taupe-colored marble), and yet the theme here struck me as something really fresh and different, a unique take on a sort of HellTech aesthetic so evenly blending the palatial marble temple assets with an undercurrent of sinister-looking circuitry and other tech trappings that the overall impression is of something at once incredibly ancient and yet vastly beyond man's own means. Really cool! Everywhere one turns in this strange place there's something interesting to catch the eye, from the immediately domineering scenery of the huge vaulted spaces comprising the core to subtler concourse effects, ala the use of glowing sectors, extreme lighting contrasts, and bits of cosmetic midtex and other decorative elements to add a sense of malevolent life to the place. A thematic element that also really stood out to me for one reason or another was the wide variety of artistic cut-throughs partitioning the various areas (of which the opening shot is one of the smallest examples), meaning that no two vistas over the central core are quite the same. With a presentation this involved, it's no wonder there are some slight glitches to be seen (most notably the HOMs visible in a couple of spots around the core while it's in its half-opened stage), but of course there's time yet to polish these away.

This is the sort of map that it's very easy to get lost in. I like to think I usually have a pretty good head for direction, but I found myself getting all turned around here on more than one occasion; the map's layout is complexly crafted along both the lateral and vertical axes, and some of the interchanges and intended 'traffic lanes' are elaborate to the point of dizziness, especially on your very first pass, and getting from point A to point B can also be rather arcane during a few key points of later progression. However, I want to stress that while playing, I did not interpret this challenging layout as a negative trait and the only sticking points I felt might be worth looking into were the Keen-shooting bit (might be better allow the player to hit it conventional arms rather than having to use infinitely-tall rocket splash for the aural feedback element) and the start of the RK path, where it may not be intuitive that you have to activate the blue and yellow 'master switches' first (in most levels with the 3-key quest each key is totally independent). For the most part, though, the setting is engrossing enough that I was happy to be lost. I think the layout is enjoyable enough to move through at speed (particularly the light racetrack/platforming flavor of the upper levels) that having to wander around a bit to get back on track when you get turned around is not a real problem, and combat is segmented in such a way that you can generally tell what general direction you need to head in by the growls and murmurs of hellspawn if by nothing else.

On that note, the action element is suitable enough, though I admit I was surprised at how relatively gentle it was after seeing some of the sterner stuff NK showed in map 15 earlier--this is not quite "Remind" levels of leisure, mind you, but most of the battles are fairly modest, with most threat where it exists coming from small close-range traps in odd parts of the level and the like. Things were put together well enough in this regard that in combination with the wonder of the overall setting I was still solidly entertained throughout the playthrough, though I reckon if I had my druthers I would like to see more intense monster surges at key points in progression, most notably after getting each of the two keys (good opportunities to repopulate the layout with a smattering of baddies to maintain the bloodletting during the quest for the next key or switch) and especially during the final battle. The rapid-phasing arch-vile there being framed as a 'boss encounter' of sorts is a worthy attempt, incidentally, though in practice it's really easy to just smother him in rockets from afar until the law of averages sees him dead, given the level's generally generous rocket/cell balance (though shells were oddly spare, interestingly enough).

Despite a few nitpicks, though, on the whole I thought this was a really engaging level, easily my favorite by Nanka Kurashiki in the set, and likely 'top 5' material come the end of the month.

[Spectre01]

'aight, since it's the 25th here I'm gonna vote for Bloodstain.

[Crusader No Regret]

Map 18: 100% kills, 4/6 secrets

About a week after playing this, I had no memory of this map. Is that a bad sign?

IDCLEV18

Oh, this one. It has that 90's map flavor using stack textures to depict an location both realistic and abstract. The layout has some shining moments such as the usage of light contrasts and the trucks outside. It also has 90's quirks which include silly secrets (one has nothing but a monster, another is totally empty on HMP, bug?), easily broken progression (blue key is unnecessary to exit the map), and token secret invulnerability because why not. Might want the thing too since it's easy to trigger all sorts of demonic hordes quite early on without weapons to combat them.

Highlights are the monster placement. The dark interior makes it really easy for chaingunners to rip people up and the archvile can definitely be a troublemaker if released without yellow key in hand. I didn't care for this map that much but it's OK in the end. Some polish and a bit of tightened gameplay would make a difference.

Now I'm getting this silly idea to tweak the map so that keyless is possible with a lava run to skip red key and a glide to squeeze into exit chambers without yellow key.

Map 19: 100% kills, 5/5 secrets

Unless one runs into ammo troubles (which I did when trying this from pistol start), it's a laid back outing with the emphasis on atmosphere. The blue key guardians were mildly memorable in that standing one's ground rewards the player by fighting the fewest monsters at a time. Several combats are prone to exploitation by monster blocking lines as well. I'll echo enjoying the contrast between the tech areas and the stone temple. Gray with colored torches just works in this setting. There's another secret here with a prerequisite of other secrets to access, like in map 15.

Without knowing in advance, after taking the red key, ended up running right into the spawning archvile's face BFG at the ready. That was wacky; rarely do I predict when and where a monster will teleport in.

Minor issue: When reaching the base with the blue key, there is an overlooking room with chaingunners and a hellknight. The hellknight has no way of harming the player from that position. It's still has some worth as a psychological factor since the player is likely more focused on the turret arachnotron.

[scifista42]

Voting for Ancient Aliens.

[kuchitsu]

Voting for Endgame + Insertion + Slayer.

[Havoc Crow]

Once again, just some quick scribbled notes, I don't feel like writing up anything more.

MAP24: Probably Maybe Certainly

I have no idea what to make of this map. First you're in some weird place, then in what looks like a school. I fell and got stuck in one place, see screenshot. The place's very easy because the enemies mostly come at you down long, long corridors.

There is a secret lite-amp in the warehouse but it's completely useless as there's no darkness, the invisibility in the same secret is useless too as there's no significant hitscanner presence.

Overall the level is made with a lot of enthusiasm but feels distinctly amateurish. Some visual concepts are original but the gameplay isn't too fun. I got killed by revenants in the part with lots of identical squares (very annoying BTW, with a door opened by a distant switch, that closes itself after a while) and had no patience to restart the level, I used a cheat to resurrect myself, first time I did so in this mapset.

MAP25: Cakravartin's Miscalculation

If my calculations are correct, this has only a 0,01% chance of summoning Hell itself into this building! -- Cakravartin

The plasmagun trap doesn't seem to work half the time, apparently you need to cross one specific line or something?

The teleporting arch-viles at the end are very annoying to kill. It's also annoying how you can fall into the black pits in the central area without being able to get out.

HOMs can be seen in the giant structure from the key balconies, see screenshot.

[TheOrganGrinder]

MAP25: Cakravartin's Miscalculation

Oh, man. This level, man.

Okay, layout and aesthetics. The level is dominated by red hues with a smattering of grey and various brownish shades of metal, flesh and blood and tight-packed corpses erupting through (or intertwined with) the overall structure to give you a sense that you're crawling through the spacious cavities of some vast infernal engine. Taking a look at the map, with its concentric circles, gates at the cardinal points, lotus-petal radiating device emblazoned upon the towering central pile of interwoven rotting bodies... the opening shot might be your inverted crucifix of classic, satanic Doom imagery, but the level itself is some sort of gigantic, profaned mandala design. The combination of very non-standard religious imagery (by Doom standards) and just enough use of technological elements to suggest the presence of a giant machine, without crossing over into the well-trod grounds of a subverted techbase, creates a really unique and memorable atmosphere. Navigation is helped by the fact that, for all that it sticks closely to both its texture theme and the constraints of the mandala layout, there's very little unnecessary symmetry or duplication; every chamber, corridor, and intersection is its own unique little pieces of architecture that helps the player quickly build up a sense of each each interconnects with the others.

Gameplay, at least on Hurt Me Plenty, is relatively laid-back, with some vicious traps and an early paucity of health that encourages careful exploration until the player has more resources in hand and can afford to take risks and suffer mistakes. I think this works rather well, allowing the setting to come to the fore as a character and an opponent in its own right, and letting the player set their mind to the task of puzzling out the intricacies of the map's convoluted layout, over-and-under paths, and other quirks of navigation. I think there's a risk that additional enemies at certain points would feel less like a challenge and more like a frustrating distraction from what is first and foremost an undertaking of exploration and investigation. The vast scale and intricacy of the map, especially its central chamber, contributes a sense of threat all of its own; when crossing the central chamber, for example, it's big enough, and the various balconies, windows, and perches that overlook it are complex enough in arrangement, that you can't be sure you're not exposing yourself to distant sniper fire from some unseen and unknown enemy standing its lonely vigil until quite late in the map's progression, when the enemy count has been substantially whittled down. I really liked the cyberdemon fight at the map's southern gate; is this, perhaps, the cakravartin's throne, wrested from him by the usurper that now stands between the player and the red key, or is it more of a sub-reactor chamber, dominated by the looming infernal device around which the player dances with the cyberdemon and successive waves of infernal fodder?

Top-notch stuff, and the sheer breadth of Nanka Kurashiki's imagination and talent continues to impress.

[rehelekretep]

+1 for Ancient Aliens

i didnt play it when it was released as i was hoping for a DWMC vote :p

[Suitepee]

rehelekretep said:

+1 for Ancient Aliens

i didnt play it when it was released as i was hoping for a DWMC vote :p

This. Well that and I decided to focus on mapping for May, figuring that the DWMC would pick AA for next month anyway.

[gaspe]

+1 for Memfis suggestion.

[NuMetalManiak]

MAP25 Cakravartin's Miscalculation

Glad to see Nanda Kurashiki again, and even glader to hear some Breaking Benjamin music (It's the song So Cold, Demon of the Well). This is a big hellish map, but fun to run around in recklessly without a whole lot of punishment. Sure, the big monsters are there, and they'll crowd whenever possible, but this amount of space to run around in plus the carnage I create make this another favorite. Yet despite all this, it's a three key map. the notable thing here is that I kill most everything before I even start scrounging for keys. The worst part is, you need two keys to get the last one, and go to where you're supposed to put every key in, to realize a teleporter opened up after two of those switches get pressed. I never liked this idea, I think Zones of Fear also had it in one of its maps. At least the red key fight was an interesting one, with potential infighting to kill some of the cyberdemon's health and friends. More trouble starts after that in the circle, with enemies, notably a continously teleporting arch-trollile, before I press that last switch to open the exit. It's quite an interesting level, as I'd expect from Nanda.

oh, and certainly giving the vote to Ancient Aliens. more fun than anything I've ever seen this year.

[Masa]

I personally updated my map28 HeLLport.
Please test-play this version of this map28
I've updated this again, to the version_6_0, from my post here version_5_3, because of bugs.


I would be very pleased with your feedback!
Thank You :)

http://www.mediafire.com/download/6huf3wy2khvb1dz/map28_masa_v6_0.zip



Masa