Worst map in The Ultimate Doom

[NaZa]

Not sure where the disdain for E3M7 is coming from, it's an incredibly intricate and atmospheric map which makes you feel tinier than a grain of sand. Music helps too. 

 

Anyway, E2M3 for me. That is really ugly with all the fulbright corridors, rooms, fully orthogonal architecture barring a metal hallway that loops in on itself. Odd map. E4M4 I also think looks mundane and has a grossly uninspired layout but the gameplay in that map is at least salvageable. 

 

EDIT: Oh, forgot about E3M1. The gameplay of that map is the most awkward experience, with a fully linear layout and pistoling cacodemons and braving it with demons in an undeniably too narrow corridor. I can appreciate the design of the map, though. It makes it seem like a new way, a new area, which is presumably an achieved goal. 

Edited March 2, 2020 by NaZa

[_bruce_]

1 hour ago, Swordofdanu said:

I don't understand the hate for E4M1 & E4M2, I only play on UV and they make for a refreshing change after breezing through the previous episode, you know you have to bring your A game for these maps on UV🤔

 

 

I too like E4M1 - it's such a well made torturous purgatory... albeit it's difficulty used to piss me off in the beginning. There's one BIG negative though and that's the secret/trap with the Barons. It was pretty idiotic to cram such an amount of literal bulldozers into a tiny map where the player is totally underpowered weapons wise.

On amore positive note - along with E4M2 it was a new level of classic Doom in terms of the amount of skill it demanded from the player. E4M2 is also a fantastic benchmark map for old systems, if your 486/586 can run the timedemo on it in a good amount of tics, no other map in the entire set will be able to slow it down.

Edited March 2, 2020 by _bruce_

[pcorf]

Most of Ultimate Doom if pretty good. But let's look at some of the worse maps.

 

E2M9: Fortress of Mystery is a very simple and linear map, a rather uninspired 1 hour job where you can get the Cacodemons and Barons fighting each other and you can just run for the exit.

E3M1: Is rather ugly looking and unrealistic, but the gameplay is very good in this map. You need to earn your shotgun here. I like the music in E2M9 and E3M1, especially on the SNES.

E3M8: Oh. not hard to finish off the mastermind. You have a bit of help. There is no hiding in the middle building, all the doors open. Still had no problems beating the map first try.

[Maser]

1 hour ago, Swordofdanu said:

I don't understand the hate for E4M1 & E4M2, I only play on UV and they make for a refreshing change after breezing through the previous episode, you know you have to bring your A game for these maps on UV🤔

 

I think the consensus pretty much is that they are way too hard of maps for the starter maps.  Then again the same could be said for Plutonia. 

[Vermil]

I can't say there's any map in Ultimate Doom that I consider 'bad'. But I suppose E1M2, E2M3, E3M1 and E4M5 are the weaker maps in each episode IMO.

[seed]

Nice resurrection we've got ourselves here.

 

For me, that's going to be E2M9. No wonder it's a secret level, it's a complete filler map.

[Swordofdanu]

1 hour ago, _bruce_ said:

 

 

I too like E4M1 - it's such a well made torturous purgatory... albeit it's difficulty used to piss me off in the beginning. There's one BIG negative though and that's the secret/trap with the Barons. It was pretty idiotic to cram such an amount of literal bulldozers into a tiny map where the player is totally underpowered weapons wise.

 

Totally agree, I always skip them and the RL ammo saved is such a big help at the beginning of M2. Plus you know you can relax a bit after those 2 maps 😅

[VGA]

2 hours ago, Lila Feuer said:

This made me bring my rating of GBA Doom down a grade for including E2M9 as "Dis" and there being no bosses. Btw, wth was up with those Cacodemons? They hit the coffee or something? Caffeinated Cacos.

Quote

This map also formed the basis of the final level of the Atari Jaguar, 3DO, Sega 32X and Game Boy Advance versions of Doom, replacing E3M8: Dis as the end of Inferno. In the Sony PlayStation and Sega Saturn versions, as in the PC version, it is the second secret level in the game

https://doomwiki.org/wiki/E2M9:_Fortress_of_Mystery_(Doom)

 

@NaZa

The final teleporter is hidden!!

 

[cambreaKer]

e3m5

[Andromeda]

E1M1

[MassiveEdgelord]

4 minutes ago, Andromeda said:

E1M1

But that level is so iconic and fun!

[Uncle 80]

that brown e4 map... don't even remember what it's called or what number it is... eps 1 to 3 are untouchable!

[Vermil]

Could make for an interesting community project; 'remake/re-image the map in Ultimate Doom you think is the worst'. Seems like near every map has been mentioned in this thread.

Edited March 2, 2020 by Vermil

[DiamondDude11]

E1M6.
Tedious, enemy spam at the end... fudge me in the arse.

[Stale Meat]

3 hours ago, Uncle 80 said:

that brown e4 map... don't even remember what it's called or what number it is... eps 1 to 3 are untouchable!

Most of E4 can probably be classified as 'Brown maps', but I am assuming you mean E4M4. It is definitely one of those levels that plays a lot better pistol started, but still not by too much.

 

Other than the obvious E2M9 (which should have been the end of an existing level rather than a complete standalone) I am gonna have to say E4M1 for the simple fact that it is unforgivably ball-busting for an Episode start. Worse still is how it (and E4M2) end up affecting the whole episode by making it a super hard start that only builds down as you get towards the end. A simple change of map order would easily fix it, but alas...

[SirJuicyLemon]

57 minutes ago, Stale Meat said:

Most of E4 can probably be classified as 'Brown maps', but I am assuming you mean E4M4.

Yeah, that or E4M3.

[Wagi]

On 9/1/2017 at 10:03 AM, Da Werecat said:

E2M7. It was the most finished and detailed of Tom Hall maps, and for this it could've been one of my favorites. Then, of course, Sandy Petersen stepped in. It seems that this was either his first conversion, or the last one, made during the crunchiest period of the game's development cycle. It's so fucked up. 

 

This makes so much sense when you realize that the room with the demons and the crates has that awful gray cement texture with red stripes that was plastered on almost every wall in the Doom alphas.

[VanaheimRanger]

E1M8

 

Whose idea was it to let Sandy Peterson make boss levels?

[Da Werecat]

On 3/2/2020 at 3:06 AM, VGA said:

E3M7: Limbo is a frustrating map and especially the last teleporter you have to take is some BS!!

This is accurate in the current "just give me more revenants to shoot" era. Back then it was a mysterious and challenging map that epitomized the unforgiving nature of hell.

 

On 3/2/2020 at 6:06 AM, VGA said:

I don't know wtf is up with the locked doors and the keys near the end, that's just stupid.

Thinking about it, it must've been a way to prevent the player from exiting too fast in such a small map. That's why the way is hidden too - you're supposed to dispose of the monsters, then finally be able to look around and use automap. And if you already know where to hump, juggling the keys before clearing the area may still expose you to a stray fireball - at least in theory.

 

On 3/2/2020 at 9:10 AM, Deⓧiaz said:

Looks like id thought "Ok, we got popularity by releasing the free episode, we can now apply some lazy work here".

Not that far from the truth.

 

Episodes 2 and 3 had a different author, who was just brought to the team and had to use another author's drafts as a base, and with a harsh deadline to top it off.

[Maximum Matt]

15 hours ago, Stale Meat said:

A simple change of map order would easily fix it, but alas...

Put E4M4 first, then swap M6 and M7 around. Perfect.

[Uncle 80]

18 hours ago, SirJuicyLemon said:

Yeah, that or E4M3.

 

It's probably M4, yeah. E4M3 is one of the better maps in E4, in my opinion. The height variations, secret corridors et al in the wooden building makes it seem "almost 3D", if you catch my drift...

[SirJuicyLemon]

7 minutes ago, Uncle 80 said:

 

It's probably M4, yeah. E4M3 is one of the better maps in E4, in my opinion. The height variations, secret corridors et al in the wooden building makes it seem "almost 3D", if you catch my drift...

Oh, yeah in that sense it's pretty well designed.

I thought of it as you refered to the "brown" one, because in terms of aesthetics, I kinda hate them both. They look kind of monotone, boring and even depressing.

But yeah, E4M3 is still way better than E4M4.

[VGA]

8 hours ago, Da Werecat said:

This is accurate in the current "just give me more revenants to shoot" era. Back then it was a mysterious and challenging map that epitomized the unforgiving nature of hell.

The final teleporter is hidden behind a rock formation in some little corner, surrounded by damaging sectors! That's ... "mysterious and challenging"?

[Da Werecat]

It fits the pattern that the rest of the level shows. The only difference is that you can't see the teleporter from the shore, but otherwise it's obvious that the pillar in question has to be investigated. I actually thought it was pretty clever at the time.

 

And I was playing a console version, therefore no free saves to undo any unnecessary damage. But it was a simpler time.

[HombreSal]

e2m9 is good. It was the first time I knew about infighting. It felt like a puzzle where I had to use that mechanic to my advantage. It also gives you lots of cool weapons to proceed with the other levels and that's neat. 

 

e4m4 doesn't have any of that. Bland and unfinished piece of shit that looks ugly with stuck enemies. 

 

I'd also say e4m6 because it's insanely difficult but the layout and cyberdemon fight are so unique that I don't mind.

 

[Gez]

On lundi 2 mars 2020 at 10:28 AM, Lila Feuer said:

Btw, wth was up with those Cacodemons? They hit the coffee or something? Caffeinated Cacos.

Cacoffeine.

 

 

I'm too lazy to check through the previous four pages if I already posted something, but I'll echo E4M4 as just being underwhelming, for the reasons @Doomkid said. The only thing that's memorable about it is that it's made of mostly the most featureless brown texture in the game. Also E1M10 if that counts.

[Maximum Matt]

Goddamn Sewers SUCKS

[Cacodemon187]

E2M9 and the entirety of Episode 3