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    Tristan
    ZDaemon Thursday Night Survival #282 - No End in Sight (Part II)
    Date: 5 January, 2017
    Euro session: 19:00 GMT / 14:00 EST at [L@P], Germany

    Zandronum Friday Night Fragfest #356 - FFI_Z + Crudreams LMS & Superfast Domination
    Date: 6 January, 2017
    Euro session: 18:00 GMT at Funcrusher, Germany
    US session: 20:00 EST at TSPG-Painkiller

    ZDaemon Sessions #488 - X-Noob Survival
    Date: 7 January, 2017
    Euro session: 19:30 GMT at [SDA], Germany
    US session: 20:00 EST at Dwango United, NJ Head on over to the multiplayer forum for more goings on in the multiplayer scene. Happy fragging!
    chungy

    Chocolate Doom 2.3.0 released

    By chungy, in News,

    Only 18 months after the release of 2.2.0, the next major version of Chocolate Doom is here. You may get it at the usual download location and read the release notes for all the details. Some of the biggest highlights of this version include the pitch-shifting sound code à la Doom 1.2; automatic detection of the GOG.com install of Strife: Veteran Edition; the floppy disk icon's return indicating disk activity; aspect-corrected 1600×1200 screenshots directly from the engine; full Doom 1.666, 1.7, and 1.8 emulation; and extended demo support in Heretic and Hexen, providing longtics and multi-level/multi-life recording and playback.
    Tristan

    Doomworld Multiplayer Digest #44

    By Tristan, in News,

    ZDaemon Thursday Night Survival #281 - Doomworld Roulette: Session 2
    Date: 29 December 2016
    Euro session: 19:00 GMT / 14:00 EST at [L@P], Germany

    Zandronum Friday Night Fragfest #355 - NSDM24 Instagib & Aeon Team Possession
    Date: 30 December 2016
    Euro session: NSDM24 Instagib, 18:00 GMT at Funcrusher, Germany
    US session: Aeon Team Possession, 20:00 EDT at TSPG-Painkiller
    ZDaemon Sessions has not yet been posted for this week, so keep an eye on the multiplayer forum for further updates. Happy fragging!
    Tristan

    Doomworld Multiplayer Digest #43

    By Tristan, in News,

    ZDaemon Thursday Night Survival #280 - H2H-Xmas
    Date: 22 December 2016
    Euro session: 19:00 GMT / 14:00 EST - [L@P], Germany

    Zandronum Friday Night Fragfest #354 - Christmas Extravaganza DM
    Date: 23 December 2016
    Euro session: 18:00 GMT - Funcrusher, Germany
    US session: 20:00 EST - TSPG-Painkiller
    ZDaemon Sessions has not been posted yet for this week, so keep an eye on the Multiplayer forum for further updates. Happy fragging!
    Bloodshedder

    The /newstuff Chronicles #523

    By Bloodshedder, in News,

    Cursed Realms - Path Over The Abyss - StormCatcher.77
    Doom 2 - Single Player - GZDoom - 877.78 KB -
    Reviewed by: Not Jabba
    Cursed Realms - Path Over the Abyss is a single moderately large GZDoom map with nice visuals and an almost purely green/gray/black aesthetic. It's set in a void-like otherworld that's sometimes reminiscent of Quake. It's also full of lethal bottomless pits that you will probably come to hate and fear (but since this is a video game, mostly hate). This isn't to say that the gameplay sucks -- the level is well put together, and the challenges are fair. Be warned, though: much of the gameplay revolves around platforming, and the most difficult challenges come from having to deal with platforming and combat at the same time. It's easy to accidentally strafe off the edge of the abyss, and the level requires jumping to progress in several spots. In and of itself, the combat is pretty moderate, with no hitscanners and few Revenants or Arch-Viles.

    This level is carefully designed, and I appreciate that. Everything about it is deliberate. The author knows exactly where to put those pits, and exactly what to throw at you while you're trying to cross them to make your life difficult (mostly flying enemies, in case you're wondering -- the platforming adds a whole new level to closing in on a Pain Elemental). There's no slow weapon progression here; you're given the SSG right off the bat, your next major weapon is the plasma rifle, and the chaingun is nowhere to be found. I think this is a good choice given the gameplay focus, since you don't have to worry about weak weapons slowing you down and can focus on how to move around.

    There are a couple of additional minor annoyances that could have been fixed. The final yellow key door is marked as red, and one /idgames reviewer points out that the level is completely broken in coop, mainly due to the way the level intentionally freezes when you die. There are a lot of things about this level that will annoy a lot of people. Players who dislike platforming, GZDoom, or heavy use of Lost Souls are all advised to approach Cursed Realms with caution. I have to say though, I am all of the above and I still found this map pretty enjoyable. The port features make this level nice to look at (I particularly like the smoky floating platforms that appear throughout), and the combat is well designed.

    The Mines - FlightPhoenix
    Doom 2 - Single Player - GZDoom - 227.51 KB -
    Reviewed by: Not Jabba
    The Mines is the author's second map, and although it's not the worst beginner map I've seen by any stretch, it has its share of newbie issues. The rooms are all very square, and the map is mostly laid out as a couple of straight lines. Combat is very basic and dull, and most of the tougher moments are easily resolved by herding monster hordes through doorways into narrower halls. Item and monster placement feels pretty random -- you have what you need, but there isn't really any refinement to the design -- and there are way more keys than there need to be for such a simple layout (the yellow keycard is sitting in the open, practically right next to the doors that require it). The architecture is mostly flat walls and isn't very nice to look at. I also noticed some weird scrolling textures in the yellow key supply room due to improper unpegging. The map requires GZDoom, but I'm pretty sure the only reason for this is a bleeding sky glitch that I know can be addressed easily at much lower compatibility levels.

    In its best moments, this map seems to draw a healthy dose of inspiration from Tricks 'n Traps. There's a somewhat interesting rocket launcher grab setup in the blue skull key room, and an Arch-Vile trap that caught me by surprise in another part of the map (though perhaps mainly because all other combat was so unsurprising). The best area is the giant chasm where you have to raise a couple of platforms to make a bridge across. There are a couple of doors there that open much slower than you expect, giving the monsters across the pit a moment of surprise in which to pummel you with projectiles, and patience will reward you with the opportunity to eliminate most of those same monsters without combat. I also noticed some light fixtures in at least one room that shut off when you shoot them, which I thought was kind of neat. I wouldn't recommend this map, but there are definitely times when it feels like the author is on to something, and I hope they'll continue to improve.

    Doom with MIDI-Converted Sound Effects - Jaxxoon R
    Doom/Doom 2 - Single Player - Vanilla - 3.9 MB
    Reviewed by: walter confalonieri
    This is a sound conversion for Doom and derivative IWADs (Doom 2, Plutonia, TNT) made by Jaxxoon R where every sound from the game has been converted to MIDI files, fully working on the Doom engine!

    That's pretty impressive for an achievement, but what's the trick?

    The trick is that these files, as Jaxxoon explains in the text file, have been converted by one of these online MP3 to anything else converters, an MP3 to MIDI converter in this case, and then recorded to a WAV file with audio capture, and then put into this very wad with SLADE3.

    The result is a funny sound replacement, but personally I was bored pretty quickly of piano midis everywhere, and I dropped out even before the MAP01 exit...

    But if you guys want to play a sound conversion with a weird twist and an interesting technical achievement, play it. But otherwise, skip this one!

    Server Doom - Nicholas "Tiger" Gautier
    Ultimate Doom - N/A - ZDoom Compatible - 49.3 KB
    Reviewed by: Not Jabba
    This little mod has just one purpose: it merges all four episodes of Doom together so that you can play the whole game continuously. Whenever you exit the last level of an episode, you're greeted with the map intermission screen for the next episode (this is done properly, too -- you see an unmarked map, followed by a "you are here" sign pointing to the location of the first map). This screen is followed by the intermission text, and the story images at the end of each episode are eliminated altogether. You're probably not going to use this mod for solo play, though -- its main purpose is to allow a continuous coop playthrough. Server Doom has apparently been around for a long time (with the first version dating back to 2008), so I'm not sure if this is a minor update or if it just never ended up on /idgames until now. In any case, it's a very simple but very useful mod.

    Server Heretic - Nicholas "Tiger" Gautier
    Heretic - N/A - ZDoom Compatible - 5.43 KB
    Reviewed by: Not Jabba
    This is exactly the same as Server Doom, but for Heretic. It allows you to play all five episodes of Heretic continuously, and when you beat E5, it loops you back to the beginning of the game.

    Realistic proportions - Eevee (Lexy Munroe)
    Doom/Doom 2 - N/A - ZDoom Compatible - 2.07 KB -
    Reviewed by: walter confalonieri
    This is a little mod made by Eevee for ZDoom-compatible engines that replaces the player heights with the official one given by Tom Hall according to the "Doom Bible" documents.

    In other words, this wad turns into a giant in a world of dollhouses. In other words, in many of the maps (if they don't have a huge ceiling or a large open area like map13 of Doom 2 in my example) you'll find yourself too little for every map, so you're forced to keep crouching to play this map. Is a nice idea but the result is pretty awful; skip this thing.

    Warehouse of the Damned - Carlos Lastra
    Ultimate Doom - Single Player - ZDoom Compatible - 131.4 KB -
    Reviewed by: Not Jabba
    Another nice Doom 1 map by Carlos Lastra, this time occupying the E2M2 slot. This level looks like a standard E2 base with a bit of extra detailing; there's relatively little Hell influence, but some good atmosphere in the darker areas. It tends to have a very open feel, with many possible paths out of the starting area and lots of windows that peek into other areas. Overall it looks very good, though not quite as unique as Big Trouble at Deimos Base.

    The map starts off with a pretty tough battle as soon as you start moving, with enemies coming from everywhere and slightly tricky (but fair) navigation due to the room's psuedo-crate-maze layout. After that, the action is pretty standard Doom 1 fare, with a couple more moderately challenging ambushes and one crusher trap that you'll potentially have to be pretty observant to avoid (I got squished the first time). The combat is fun, just enough to keep you on your toes, and as long as you save your bullets for the Cacodemons, you shouldn't have much trouble. Worth playing, especially if you're an E2 fan.

    Corrupted By Chaos - Entryway - StormCatcher.77
    Doom 2 - Single Player - GZDoom - 108.64 KB -
    Reviewed by: gaspe
    Corrupted By Chaos - Entryway is a short single level for GZDoom. This map is the winner of a mapping contest held on the forum of the Russian Doom Community, where the participants had to build a level based on the first map of Doom 2 and they couldn't modify the lines of the level geometry. This map uses many 3D floors, and the use of the restricted space was well done. Combat takes place in tight areas, apart from the last fight in a more open area, and as said before the map is really short. Nothing too exciting overall, but this is a pretty nice map, and maybe some mappers will also find this interesting for the restriction of the contest.

    The Rooms - VeeTHis
    Doom 2 - Single Player - Skulltag - 39.38 KB -
    Reviewed by: gaspe
    The Rooms is a rather unimaginative and generic title, but it very much fits the map. A series of flat rooms that use Doom Builder default textures where the monsters are just shat into the rooms. Avoid.

    Seamless - Zalewa
    Ultimate Doom - Single Player - Vanilla - 128.4 KB -
    Reviewed by: gaspe
    Seamless is single level for Doom 1. The text files says that the map "makes no 'use' of lines", which doesn't seems very clear, but I guess that it refers to the fact that to progress you don't need to interact with doors/lifts, and there aren't any switches. Gameplay overall is really fun and the flow never breaks, as what you can only do is go ahead. There's a trap at one point that's pretty much instant death, though. Another thing that could probably turn someone off is the '95-esque look of the level. It has some good moments visually and the combat was nice. I guess you won't find this map very appealing if you don't like old-school stuff.

    Quake Style Ending - Massao
    Doom 2 - Single Player - Vanilla - 25.77 KB -
    Reviewed by: walter confalonieri
    A Doom 2 remake of the ending map from Quake made by Massao, an almost-newbie mapper in the scene (he made a pair of maps so far). In layout terms the map is kinda similar to the original; some texture choices like ashwall4 as a slimefall texture doesn't convince me at all. Also, more lighting in the middle sewer section could be better.

    Also the gameplay follows the style of the Quake map, but on a much easier side... sometimes too easy.

    This map doesn't have a lot of stuff to say or criticize, it is just an OK remake. If you want to play it be my guest!

    Star Portal Return - DarkWolf (Steven A. Martin)
    Ultimate Doom - Single Player - Vanilla - 98.93 KB -
    Reviewed by: gaspe
    Star Portal Return is a wad for Doom 1 with three levels. The last two levels originally were made for a project named "Star Portal Crisis" that has its roots back in 2002. The author was also collaborating with another person for this project which in the end was never done, so he decided to edit the levels a bit (they were made with WinDEU) and make a new level to fill the E1M1 slot. The theme is the classic E1 replacement, and the look and the architecture is really clean and simple, though you can notice that the first map, even if shorter, has some more nice details. Gameplay was rather fun; it gets better with every map, though nothing was really notable. Overall it is a nice wad, but nothing too fancy.

    Quarantine Breach - Matt "cannonball" Powell
    Ultimate Doom - Single Player - Limit Removing - 60.92 KB -
    Reviewed by: Not Jabba
    Cannonball is acknowledged as one of the masters of Ultimate Doom mapping, and although this E2M1 replacement seems simple at first glance (and in fact isn't much more than a pair of large set piece battles with a bit of extra corridor running in-between), it shows once more just how good the mapper is at using a fantastic layout to force players to keep moving or die.

    Cannonball cites "Containment Area" as the main inspiration, so of course I assumed going in that it was going to be one big crate maze, but it's nothing of the sort. There's not a single crate in the entire level, so it's a bit hard for me to see just where the inspiration comes in. It's definitely E2 to the bone though: a gray stone base map that's defined by blue tech trim and sheets of red-hot metal.

    The map has one of those eerily silent openers where you see your starting gear (shotgun and mega armor) sitting right in the middle of a large space, and you just know things are about to get rough. And man, talk about going straight from zero to 60. It's possible that you may get enough starting shells to kill all the Cacodemons and melee monsters and establish a foothold in that central starting area, but more likely you're going to want to hit the ground running, find the switches that open up the pathways to the various higher tiers, and try your luck somewhere where you're less of a sitting duck. The layout is nicely open here, with plenty of avenues to allow you to dodge/flank enemies and crossroad-type setups where you can strafe in and out of cover. After you've made it through all of this and enter the final area with the red key, all hell breaks loose again, this time with a lot less room to maneuver, and if you decided to use that shiny rocket launcher to sucker punch the starting Cacos, you may find yourself wishing you'd saved the rockets for later. This map is nonstop challenging action, true to form for Cannonball, and I highly recommend it.

    Moon's Call - InsanityBringer
    Doom 2 - Single Player - Vanilla - 129.5 KB -
    Reviewed by: Not Jabba
    Moon's Call is the sequel to Moonsong, a level I reviewed back in The /newstuff Chronicles #509. The theme is similar to Doom 2's haunted-mansion-style Hell levels, with most of the level made of brick, stone, and wood. The music is an extremely subdued piano piece that takes some getting used to and may feel a bit out of place at times, but there's something pretty eerie about it, especially when the fighting stops and you find yourself suddenly in near silence, surrounded by shadows. The architecture is rather basic, but the lighting (as with Moonsong) is nice and clean, with good contrast.

    Combat is hit or miss. There are many battles that you can easily beat by camping around a corner; in particular, I remember coming back from getting the yellow key to find a horde of imps in the starting area that were really trivial to snipe through a window before I even went back out into that area. The imps all over the wood town area were also greatly weakened by their very limited movement and the fact that they rarely had a good enough line of sight to threaten a player using a hitscan weapon. If you've got an aggressive playstyle, you may not notice any of this, since the battles are all pretty easy to handle out in the open as well. There are some nice battles too, though. The starting area immediately throws you into a fight against Sergeants and Imps from all sides, and with all the hitscanners, it's a little harrowing to pistol your first zombie to get the shotgun so that you can really establish a foothold. The Revenant/Mancubus sandwich in the plasma rifle battle was also nice and deadly, and the entrenched Revenants supporting the final Cyberdemon were a good way to make that fight more threatening. Health seemed overabundant; ammo balance was better, aside from the massive stock of every type you get along with a Megaarmor at the entrance to the Cyber's den, which seemed a little silly.

    Overall, I'm not sure this map has the same je ne sais quoi that Moonsong had. The prequel had a neat contrast between the brightly moonlit exteriors and dark abandoned interiors that gave it its own unique character, but this map feels a little more basic. It starts getting more interesting toward the end with the assault on the strange townlike area, and then the surprise detour into the ending area from Moonsong. Once you reach the exit, you're greeted with an intermission text that sets you up for another sequel, which will take place on the moon. It sounds like an interesting note to end InsanityBringer's debut series on, so I'll once again eagerly await the next release.

    The /newstuff Chronicles is a usually-weekly roundup of new items uploaded to the /idgames archive, and it is written entirely by community members like you. If you wish to contribute, the /newstuff Review Center is the place to do so. Register on the Doomworld Forums first if you don't already have an account, because you need one to submit reviews. Special thanks goes to the nearly 300 users who have submitted reviews over the past several years.
    Tristan

    Doomworld Multiplayer Digest #42

    By Tristan, in News,

    ZDaemon Thursday Night Survival #279 - Killing Adventure 2 (Part II)
    Date: 15 December 2016
    Euro session: 19:00 GMT / 14:00 EST - [L@P], Germany

    ZDaemon Sessions #485 - Jiffy Bag Instagib Deathmatch (Part II)
    Date: 17 December 2016
    Euro session: 19:30 GMT / 14:30 EST - [SDA], Germany
    US session: 01:00 GMT / 20:00 EST - [DUI], USA
    Friday Night Fragfest has not yet been posted this week, so keep an eye on the Multiplayer forum for further updates. Happy fragging!
    Alfonzo

    Doom Turns 23: No End in Sight

    By Alfonzo, in News,

    I hadn't noticed before, but that cake is supiciously stripper. Has anyone actually checked inside it to make sure there isn't anything untoward? Rogue cacowards, perhaps?

    Happy 23rd birthday, Doom. You've run out of milestones for us to make fun of (for now), but here, have some considered cacodemons instead. Eleven for the price of ten!
    Bloodshedder
    DUMP Episode 1: Fuck Time Limits - TerminusEst13 (et al)
    Doom 2 - Single Player - ZDoom Compatible - 14.12 MB -
    Reviewed by: gaspe
    DUMP Episode 1 is the wad that started the series; after it it came a bigger second episode (already reviewed here), and a much bigger third episode, which is getting close to being completed, I guess?! Even compared to the second episode this one is very short, and you can see that the thing started as a group of friends that decided to try to make a map. Among the participants are people who don't have very much experience in mapping, and others that are more seasoned. Overall it's a very fun set to play, and the maps aren't totally serious, and I would say that the mood is rather light-hearted. The maps were made for ZDoom, and many features were used and in a nice way. However I don't think there were any moments really remarkable or that stand-out to others; the maps are short, and the ZDoom stuff made the things more interesting actually.

    MAYhem 1500 AKA MAYhem2015 - A buncha schmucks
    Doom 2 - Single Player - MBF-compatible - 4.23 MB -
    Reviewed by: Csonicgo
    Are you ready for 1.5 litres of Doom action injected straight into your spinal column? No? Too bad, because MAYhem 1500 promises just that. All made during the month of May (allegedly), these maps are restricted to 1500 lines. I didn't even notice this, as most maps worth a damn wind up in that 1000-2000 range anyway, unless you have a hankerin' to Torm it up or spam some Jimmylights.

    MAYhem 1500, because in the sparsest of conditions, diversity truly flourishes. Or something like that.

    These are all Gothic DM-themed maps, so I'm already on board. I've always wanted Gothic style SP maps, and I finally get my wish here. I think.

    Since the maps have to be at or under 1500 lines, the result is a clean set of maps, at least visually. I can tell who could competently work within those limits, and who chickened out too early and made an arena-style slaughtermap. C'mon guys!

    So, how are the levels? All over the place gameplay-wise. Some are fun romps, and others require you to plan your route before you even start playing, because 500 monsters surround you, yet are looking the other way. That's always something. If you stop moving for just a second in those kinds of levels, you can kiss it all bye-bye. There is little room to hide, and as the levels progress, you'll be swarmed from all degrees pretty much all the time. The level of "gothicness" varies from map to map, as expected - not everyone really likes using those textures exclusively.

    Ammo balance can be... what's the word... ridiculous. In all caps, because this is something that could have been avoided. Some parts feel "out of sequence", especially the first map, which throws you a super shotgun but barely any ammo to use it. Oh, and then monsters teleport in from everywhere. Great. It feels like it once was a key trap, but the key door is on the end of the hallway, so I assume some last minute fiddling was done to add a few extra rooms, and those rooms are BRUTAL.

    So in an attempt to prevent this review from becoming any longer, as is always my reviews, here is what to expect: 32+ levels with a limitation that probably didn't restrict the mappers that much. Gothic textures were used. Difficulty ranges from walks in parks to walks in the Apocalypse. Some levels wear out their welcome rather quickly. Some pull the "grab all three keys to open the exit" trope. Some cram monsters into one huge room. Boring.

    What isn't boring is MAP33 - a mansion that tries to kill you. There are no monsters. The level itself hates you. Hit the wrong switch, and the floor turns to poison. Fun! And the next map - A Joemap - it doesn't suck either. (Can't believe I'm saying these things.)

    Verdict? Skip around and play a few, but don't marathon this. I don't think they really play well unless you pistol start each one - else they become way too easy.

    Disaster Area - Maxime "Datacore" Bisiaux
    Evilution - Deathmatch - Vanilla - 24.2 KB -
    Reviewed by: bzzrak
    In June 2016, Maxime "Datacore" Bisiaux released a vanilla deathmatch level for the TNT: Evilution IWAD, Disaster Area. For some reason it has been sitting in the review center for far too long, so I have decided to give this thing a review, although I'm not much of a deathmatcher.

    The level is set in a small techbase built of bricks; everything is mostly brown. There are a few small indoor rooms situated around a medium-sized outdoor area, but that's really it for geometry. Disaster Base is small, but very well detailed, the lighting is decently done as well. It's all really pleasing to look at.

    Datacore has also credited a guy named Oxide for a lift that raises and lowers instantly. Well, Oxide's contribution to the level was an useful one, as it's a handy means of escape from a tricky situation.

    I have been playing this level in ZDaemon with 4 bots, although the level does seem to work in vanilla just as good.

    My impressions on the gameplay:

    The weapon placement is OK. The chainsaw and one of the chainguns are located right next to each other, which might be a problem if you play with auto-switching weapons. The chainsaw is kind of a secret, though.

    The BFG isn't just lying in the open - you have to lower a lift and then run to it - but that allows everyone else to pick it up before you, so you might actually be better off not pressing that switch. Well, I guess Datacore didn't want to make the level become a BFG spamfest.

    The weapons that you'll mostly be using are the Chaingun, Super Shotgun and Plasmagun; therefore, the action is pretty fast-paced and very fun.

    Overall, Disaster Base is a neat little level that you might enjoy if you want to pass some time with a deathmatch game of good ol' Doom 2.

    Disaster Area - Maxime "Datacore" Bisiaux
    Doom 2 - Deathmatch - Vanilla - 32.71 KB
    Reviewed by: bzzrak
    This seems to be the same thing as the Evilution version of the level, but most of the TNT exclusive textures have been replaced with Doom 2 ones, and the music is D_DOOM. Because of that "most of" the level won't work in vanilla.

    Download the TNT one instead of this.

    End of Eon - Overstory_Lover_63
    Doom 2 - Single Player - GZDoom - 353.46 KB -
    Reviewed by: Not Jabba
    End of Eon is a single huge map made for the Vinesauce mapping contest. It requires GZDoom for reasons not really clear to me, and it has... a lot of issues. When I started it up, my first thought was that it has over 600 monsters and very little visual appeal (the starting room, like most other rooms in the level, is large and mostly empty), and it seemed very unlikely that it could hold a player's interest for the length of time required to beat it. However, I quickly realized that this issue is totally beside the point.

    There are a lot of questionable choices in this map, and many are downright confusing. The progression is sometimes unclear -- at one point I hit a couple of switches, teleported back to the hub area, and seemingly couldn't do anything until I realized I was supposed to press Use on a random pillar-like construction to lower it and access another teleporter. The author has a habit of locking you into every room by using doors that only open from one side rather than, say, a one-time set of bars that come up when you enter and are lowered later to restore freedom of exploration. There was one point where I was teleported back into a crossroads room, went the wrong way, got locked in again, and then had to go back through several rooms to reach the teleporter again so that I could go the right way.

    There are three yellow keys in one area of the map: I picked one up off of a throne, then walked out into a previous room and found another one that had appeared there, picked it up, then made my way to the teleport room that leads out of the area, where the third one popped up from a desk. It makes me wonder if it was supposed to be one of those setups where the key keeps appearing and disappearing, and maybe it's just glitched. I'm not really sure. There was another room where, after a Cyberdemon battle, I lowered a secret wall and was greeted with little more than a dozen or so Arch-Viles. The author has defended similar choices as intentional in the past, so although I don't think it makes much sense, I'll just leave it to the reader to decide. After that, there was a room with two Spiderdemons stuck in a low ceiling, an invulnerability pickup, a few Arachnotrons, and a ceiling that starts lowering to crush you as soon as you enter. I think the idea was that the spiders are just obstacles, and you have to kill them quickly to run under their low ceiling and avoid the crusher; however, I was able to get in under this ceiling before killing them and avoid the crusher without effort, making the whole setup pointless.

    The rest of the rooms were only slightly better. Many of them are big, barren rectangles where you have a lot of fire coming at you but basically just dodge around the empty space until you beat the enemies. The author relies heavily on traps and gimmicks, and although I have absolutely no problem with this, I think they still have a lot of work to do before they reach the point where the traps and gimmicks feel really interesting and clever instead of cheap. It never seemed like there was enough ammo, but the setups make me think you're supposed to rely on infighting and maybe luring monsters into crushers and possibly even avoiding some combat. Also, there are a total of nine bloody Berserk packs in this level, so maybe that's a hint that you're supposed to Tyson it? Anyway, one final bug report before I move on to the coup de grace: there was a large HOM error in the big red room with all the crushers, and I think maybe it happened when I hit a hidden switch in the area with all the moving platforms? Unfortunately, cause-and-effect relationships are often pretty unclear in this map.

    Everything I have mentioned so far happens just in the first half of the level. What happens in the second half of the level? I have no idea. Reaching the second half requires the red key. Where is the red key? Apparently nowhere. I did a search for both red keys in Doom Builder and found nothing. It's possible that it's generated by a ZDoom feature as a result of some obscure action that I never figured out, but I have a feeling the level was rushed out the door to make the contest deadline and was never tested. It's a bit of a shame that it wasn't fixed up before being uploaded to /idgames, but its problems run deep, and I would still not recommend it if it were free of the major bugs. To the author, I would recommend starting on something much smaller and taking a lot more time with it. Overstory_Lover_63 has figured out the basics, so this is the point where they can start putting more care and artistry into the layout, use of space, thing placement, and visuals.

    The Wreck - Thomas Nijman
    Doom 2 - Single Player - GZDoom - 2.36 MB -
    Reviewed by: gaspe
    The Wreck is a rather short wad for GZDoom, and it was made for the Vinesauce Doom mapping contest. The maps are a remake of the levels set in the sunken ship on Tomb Raider 2. There's some usage of slopes and 3D floors to make the level look close to the original source, and there's also some nice scripting to recreate (even if not always faithfully) the puzzles. Tomb Raider is a game that focuses on platforming and puzzles instead of Doom's emphasis on action, and a few times the two things are combined well here, but for the most part the gameplay was bland. The levels don't look particularly great, and they lack the atmosphere that was really needed in these levels. I would say that overall it feels a bit rushed, but it's understandable as it was made in a short time for the contest. If you liked Tomb Raider 2 and in general the series, this could be rather interesting to check out, or if you want to see a few levels that do some different things than the usual stuff.

    WOOO 3: Too Good For the Mappers Who Made It - Various
    Doom 2 - Single Player - GZDoom - 48.41 MB -
    Reviewed by: gaspe
    What are we doing, besides forgetting about our worries and, for once, enjoying ourselves?

    You have been playing Doom wads and mods for more than 20 years, when one day, pretty much randomly, you stumble upon something rather weird. It wasn't so different from the usual stuff, but it was something you never thought could exist. The jokewad. Jokewads are for everyone, and in some cases for nobody. And I know of people that are still trying to recover from their experiences and they are just playing scythe.wad for the 100th time... But that's another story.

    "Wooo 3 sucks like the other 2. Is not even a joke anymore, is a fucking cliche" -Gandhi

    This time for the third episode of the series, from the same authors, or at least some of the same authors, we are going for a journey to save Ratchet and Clank from... Anita Jackson???? Or not?! But it doesn't matter that much. Wooo 3 is a bit like I was expecting, with gimmicks, some stupid adventures which were the best part, and the inevitable crappy/nooby maps on purpose. Sometimes it was funny, and the idea of making some stuff going through all the wad made many things more enjoyable, other times it was rather bland. I would say it's a bit like Wooo 1/2.

    So, in the end, does gaspe recommend Wooo 3? Yeah, sure. And in any case you can always press the 0 stars button on /idgames. If the symptoms persist, I guess it's time to boot up scythe.wad AGAIN.

    Toilet of the Gods - Benjogami
    Doom 2 - Single Player - Boom Compatible - 1.87 MB -
    Reviewed by: rodster
    "Toilet of the Gods", is a five-map WAD made by Benjogami and released in October 2016. I played maps 01-04 on Ultra Violence and just IDDQD'd through Map31. I used glboom-plus. Other difficulty settings are supported too.

    The beginning of Map01 already shows you that this is going to be a hard WAD. You start in a pit surrounded by Hell Knights on pillars. The pillars progressively increase in height. It's obvious what you have to do: Kill Hell Knights and make your way out of the pit. Thankfully, a super shotgun and a Chaingun are lying around, with enough ammo and some health packs to take on those HellKnights, but it's no easy task; while you balance on the pillars, you also have to dodge their projectiles. When you've finally reached the top, you realize that this was just a warm up of what's truly awaiting you. You see two swarms of Cacodemons in the distance and know that you gotta move on to have a chance for survival. You roll up your sleeves and load your super shotgun...

    This map might remind you of Sunder Map05, but this one is more forgiving than that, and it isn't as long. We can pretty much break this map down to three main parts. The first part is the starting area with the Hell Knights, which I liked a lot because this situation was quite new to me and it was really interesting and fun. In the second part you see two big swarms of Cacodemons in the distance, and you know that the space you currently occupy won't be enough to survive, so you have to move on to have a chance. While you wait for the platforms to rise up and form a path, you have to dodge the Cacodemon projectiles. After the platforms rise up you run to the other side; there you will encounter up to three Cyberdemons as well as a bunch of Barons of Hell. A good strategy is key here (hint: infight and grab Soulsphere/Megasphere). You might have to redo this area a few times to pull off the right moves for your strategy. After you've done this part you move to the final part of this map. Here, you have to pretty much dance around and dodge projectiles while you try to kill as many monsters as you can to create more room for yourself, but don't fall down, and be aware of the approaching Cacodemon swarm!

    All in all, I like this map. It has good architecture and aesthetics, well-thought out encounters, and enough ammo and enough health to take on all the challenges. Also, the platforming part isn't too hardcore, which gets a plus point from me, because I generally don't like extreme platforming in Doom. Although, there are three points I didn't like in this map: first point is, some of the platforms are still bumpy in glboom-plus, they might actually ruin a good run. According to the Toilet of the Gods thread, everything runs smooth in ZDoom. My second point regards the tall purple waterfall-pillars, they sometimes looked like HOMs to me; what I want to say is, they looked a little bit weird. The third point regards the placement of the two teleporters in the last area which take you back to several areas of the map. Their placement is kind of in the way, because I accidentally ran into them multiple times and I really didn't want to redo the little platforming part.

    Map02 feels like a continuation of Map01, because the sky is dark now. Like, a few hours have passed since you finished Map01, and now you wake up in this map. You look at the great building in front of you, and you kind of feel what awaits you there...

    This map can be also separated in to three parts: first encounter, bridge, last encounter. Infighting is the key word for the first encounter, but you also have to do some of the killing yourself, otherwise you soon won't have enough room to breathe. Before you finally reach the bridge, several Archviles and Pain Elementals spawn behind you for maximum annoyance. The task is simple: kill those Archviles as fast as you can before they revive the whole monster army; the most effective weapon should be the Rocket Launcher, but the Pain Elementals literally make this task a pain for you. After you've finally cleared the first area, you move on to activate the bridge to reach the last area. While you wait for the bridge to raise, Cacodemons are starting to spawn in and they are after you. You don't have much time before they reach you, nor do you have enough ammo to kill them all; the only way is to keep making progress. You run into the last room hoping to find health and ammo; you aren't let down: there is a BFG and enough rocket and cell ammo as well as two megaspheres, but you have to move fast because Imps, Hellknights and the Cacodemons which are hunting you are filling up the room quickly. This is the most fun part of the map; you get to kill a lot of different type of monsters within a short amount of time, but be aware that you don't have infinite ammo. You have to find a good balance between infighting and killing, and also watch out for projectiles. You should at least save one megasphere for the blue key part.

    I really liked the initial first fight and the last fight where you kill those Imps and Cacodemons, those were a lot of fun. The ammo and health in this map is more strict than in Map01; it's almost perfectly measured. At the end I had around 40 extra shells lying on the ground and one green armor and one big medikit as reserve. The first part has an almost typical Slaughtermap architecture but it still feels quite different, in a positive way. The final part is also almost a pretty standard slaughtermap area. The bridge part was the most interesting area in this map, in an aesthetic-way. But again, the decorative pillars in the bridge part looked weird to me, just like the purple waterfall pillars in Map01. Also, in the first room, I found the Archvile/Pain Elemental fight a little bit tedious.

    Map03, one word: Amazing! A very nice slaughtermap.

    Map04, you have to experience this yourself. Don't worry, it's a short map, which won't take too much time. It's very nice, and the midi fits the map very well. Map31 is a remix/remake/rearrangement of Map03, so there is not much to say here.

    Overall, a really nice slaughter mapset. The midis are really nice too. If you like slaughtermaps, I'm sure you are going to like this WAD as well. The fights are well thought-through by the author and they create a lot of fun. I was kind of disappointed when I found out that there wasn't more than five maps; maybe Benjogami will make more, who knows, stay tuned... :D I'd like to see a UV-Max of Map03 and Map31, and I'd also like to see more maps like these.

    The /newstuff Chronicles is a usually-weekly roundup of new items uploaded to the /idgames archive, and it is written entirely by community members like you. If you wish to contribute, the /newstuff Review Center is the place to do so. Register on the Doomworld Forums first if you don't already have an account, because you need one to submit reviews. Special thanks goes to the nearly 300 users who have submitted reviews over the past several years.
    Tristan

    Doomworld Multiplayer Digest #41

    By Tristan, in News,

    ZDaemon Thursday Night Survival #278 - No End In Sight (Part I)
    Date: 8th December 2016
    Euro session: 19:00 GMT/14:00 EST at [L@P], Germany (usually lasts over 6 hours) Friday Night Fragfest and Zdaemon Sessions have not been announced yet for this week, but stay tuned to the multiplayer forum for any updates. Happy fragging!
    funduke
    On December 6th, there will be a bundle of three Bethesda-game related tables for Pinball FX2 on Steam released. One of them has Doom as the theme. The other two are related to Fallout and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The base game is a free download; the Bethesda-table-bundle-DLC price is not yet announced, but 9.99 Euro is a good guess.
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