Endless

Warcade4 | Sam Ketner | 1999 Well this is a very interesting and nice surprise. Warcade4 is a single-map WAD for Doom 2, designed by Sam Ketner who seems to have created a greater series of small maps, this one being the fourth and last entry according to /idgames. From the start you can tell the mapper already has some experience with design; it looks and feels good, and while it does have some typical 90s quirks, like random damaging floors in the shape of stars made out of blood, it still plays quite nicely thanks to its fast-paced layout and very tight combat that goes room-by-room until you reach the final end. Surprisingly, it seems there's only one main weapon: the chaingun (unless I missed the others) and yet it works well, although it does get a little bit annoying with tankier enemies, such as the Hell Knights, most of the map is filled by low tiers which can be easily killed, and on HMP, it wasn't a major problem. The first area of the map does feel a little cheap do the copy-paste sections at each side, but it allows for ease when navigating and makes it feel more like a circuit rather than a linear, go-straight kind of map, which is an interesting choice. I particularly enjoyed the design work with this one. It mixes brown brick structures with lovely hellish landscapes made out of marble and wood, with some sprinkles of techbase textures here and there. The author tries its best to make an eye-candy from it and I would agree that he made a good job. The oddest part about the map, though, is the starting area. A single room with four doors in all directions, but there's way too many doors for some reason, some of which are not opened intuitively and some of which close right in you face and you end up confused as to watch switch does what. It makes it feel claustrophobic and just for a tiny bit discouraged me about finishing the rest of the map, yet once you are out, it gets much more fun. Area 51 | Keith Hickman, Garth Donovan | 1997 It's 1997, you just got back from school. You left your PC early in the morning downloading a curious Doom WAD called Area 51. You love The X Files and UFOs so you know this is going to be your jam. You boot up your PC, you start Doom, and then the Mission Impossible theme welcomes you. Life is good. Area 51, to me, encapsulates the greatness of the 90s era. Janky, unpretentious, full of personality, whimsical at times, and extra fun. This level is a great reminder that sometimes the past is worth remembering. Ok, leaving melodramatic shit aside, I loved this small set of 2 maps for Doom 2. Themed around a secret base, you'll feel right at home if you are one of those gov conspiracy, black project, UFOs, etc, kind of nerds that loves that shit, because I do and this one felt like a ring to my finger. Simple in terms of what it tries to do, but it does so extremely well and full of charm thanks to its sincere and unique usage of custom textures, sprites, new sounds, and music choices. It is a fun journey back in time to what I feel was an era of exploration and discovery. I loved how the maps were filled with these neat little details that while not exactly Doomcute, felt very charming due to the simplicity of it and how great they look on low res. If there's a comparison I can make to a better-known level that would probably be the Invasion... levels, which are also quite detailed, sci-fi themed, and make heavy use of custom assets. On the other hand, Area 51 goes for a more simplistic, almost minimalist kind of approach. The layout of the maps are very easy to navigate, linear at times, and force to keep moving constantly. Gameplay feels intense yet simple, with plenty of enemies but also more than enough ammo and weapons, all carefully positioned, that it feels rewarding. On HMP, I had no major troubles but could also feel the intensity thanks to clever enemy positioning and good level design that goes hand-in-hand with the gameplay; you can expect monster-closets, ambushes, teleporter traps, sniper nests, and more. There are no puzzles to solve, no secret doors to find, or hidden keys, it is all laid out right in front of you and it is up to you to decide the pace. You can take a few minutes to enjoy the scenery, explore through tight and dark tunnels, and look at the cute custom textures that shine with charisma. Both maps took me around 20 minutes to finish, and I thoroughly enjoyed them. Some things could have been done better, sure, I think some areas needed more polish particularly the way the geometry feels too flat at times, and some rooms too large and empty, but I didn't mind, that didn't affect my enjoyment of the WAD at all. By the end of it, I was smilin. This is a must for any old-school lover out there, and still a fun WAD to play even with modern standards. I am actually quite surprised to have discovered just now, and personally, I think it should have earned a spot in Doomworlds Top 100 of 1997.

PIK (Please, it kills!) | Cosmic Wraith | 2001 Can't sleep so I decided to play some Doom. Got lucky (or not so lucky) and landed on a 7-level episode WAD for Doom 2, from the era of the decline, 2001, this little piece of crap has some interesting and not so interesting qualities. For one, by this point it had already been proven that you could made quality WADs despite the still rudimentary tools from the era if you took some time and had some patience, and for two, by this point it was generally understood what made a good Doom WAD, or at least what made it work. PIK is more or less a very amateurish attempt at trying to create an episode, but it fails due to its very poor execution despite some interesting ideas. There's a very noticeable lack of detail, terrible texturing, very rare layout design, and odd choices of floor/walls that at times make it feel more like a fever dream. It does seem to have an idea of proper mapping, but doesn't really follow through and fails at it. You can even tell that the mapper was getting better and more experienced with each map, as the last maps start sporting more interesting gameplay and neat tricks (such as instant-floor monster ambush or monster-closets), but still, doesn't quite land the mark and we end up with a, sadly, forgettable episode. OUT OF PHASE 3: ONE CLOUDY AFTERNOON | Karthik Abhiram | 2002 Only one year later and we already can see a staggering difference in quality and style; as the saying goes: less is more! Out of Phase 3 is a superbly small and compact single-level WAD designed around close-quarters combat and a tight layout. As it is apparent from the get-got, you are welcomed to a flooded demon-infested techbase in the middle of a cloudy afternoon. Despite its rather simplistic design and usage of stock-textures, it manages to convey a palpable atmosphere thanks to how well it balances the realistic appearance of its level with the gameplay philosophy. Not only is it small in terms of geometry/size, but it is also very low on enemy numbers, with only 26 monsters on HMP. Yet despite that, as a /idgames reviewer rightfully said: "a compact watery techbase that feels larger than it is, because the design is very intricate." Intricate is a good way to put it. There's plenty of detail without feeling overwhelming. This is the kind of level I really enjoy. Short but challenging, enjoyable, atmospheric, and fast-paced. I also tend to enjoy very tight maps, it gives the game a sense of urgency, however, if there's a minor complain I have with this particular map is the over-usage of elevators. It adds some depth, yes, but it does get a little annoying having to press E and wait and wait and wait for every lift to come down. Still, an enjoyable and very good experience that I wouldn't mind playing in larger format, such as an episode full of maps like these. Simple Map 1 | @ARMCoder | 2022 Very simple yet very good. A Simple Map 1 is, despite the rather unassuming title, an enjoyable vanilla experience that takes around 10 minutes of good fun from your time. Starts in a very closed and dull room, but soon opens up to reveal a satisfying chainsaw-massacre corridor, and starts expanding more and more with rooms to explore that develop the level with a proper style. Rooms are connected smartly through intertwined corridors that allow for fast backtracking, with a very easy layout to follow that entices fast gameplay. And while it is small in size, this one has a respectable number of enemies, rocking more than 100 demons in HMP, yet it is very well-balanced and understand the thin line between challenge and enjoyment. Plenty of ammo and weapons to go around for the basic doom rooster. I really enjoyed the way it also evolves visual styles with a certain degree of subtlety, like the dungeon-like basement with a flesh-corrupted room, and the rusty and brown exterior filled with mancubi paying tribute to Dead Simple. A solid effort right here and a savory meal for any Doom fan out there, particularly vanilla enthusiasts. Go take a bite. The Crush | Matthew Parrish | 1995 Welp, my good luck ran out and now I have to play a 90s deathmatch map. Well, here it is, The Crush. A single-level WAD designed for multiplayer fun. Frag the fuck out of your friends in an extremely dark map with a circular layout that resembles a surprised face. As usual back then, most DM maps didn't even come close to being balanced, lacked a proper understanding of gameplay and flow differences between SP and MP, and well, looked rather ugly. The Crush is no stranger to such idealizations from the 90s, and suffer from the archetypal mistakes every other map does. This one is more of a curiosity, and wouldn't recommend to anyone. An interesting thing is that most vintage DM maps, despite being made explicitly for multiplayer, were still balanced for SP. I don't know if it was just because of the way mappers thought back then, but the majority of maps from the 90s made for DM have monsters and an exit, and this one even has keys and an attempt at progression. Still sucks though.

recycled.wad | 2014 | reality 2.0 Extremely simplistic and dull. A 90s map made in the 2010s, which is a shame. Not a lot of detail, or rather, no detail at all. Extremely simple in pretty much everything and the only really good thing I have to say about it is that at least it works, and it's not a troll WAD. Other than that, well, that is it really. Three big rooms joined by corridors and separated by locked doors, find the keys, kill enemies with little ammo and just two weapons, and enjoy. Hellpost | 1995 | Owen Already better than the previous one. Hellpost is a WAD from 1995, the era when people were starting to get some sense into their brains for logical level design. While this one does prove to have the basics down in terms of layout, with a cohesive and easy-to-follow design, it still lacks a lot in the visual department. Pretty apparent since the start of the level, it has some nice little ideas that are well-executed for the time, but lack a lot of polish. Texturing is pretty dull and while some areas have some weight to it, I can't help but feel the mapper was still a little stuck on its Wolf3D era. Still, more acceptable. We are slowly getting there, boys.

EvilDead | A. Gartland | 2008 A simplistic but effective short level that goes quite well with vanilla gameplay in all sense. Designed for Doom 2, it doesn't actually use any of the Doom 2 features and seems to stick to the rudimentary style of the OG; Few enemies, mostly zombies and imps, and a few surprising cacos near the end. It flows well and has a nice design. Marble textures are always going to be a win for me no matter what; they look and feel just downright doomy, and I love that, even if it could have been better detailed, and have more work taken into the lightning, it works good enough. The combat is super easy and there's nothing much to worry about, except perhaps low ammo, but other than that, a good fun of some 3 minutes. Oh, the ending seems to be slightly broken. It seems the intention was to lock you behind bars before you reach the exit, but if you strafe-run, you can bypass this. Hell 77 N°02 | Gillibert Raymond aka (Ramon_Demestre) | 2018 Hot damn, this one is an absolute monstrosity in every sense of the word. Gigantic, brutal in scope, devilish designed, extremely well detailed, and full of awesome combat. I started with UV but had to lower it down, it is quite the challenge but endurable if you have the patience. However, what truly makes it stand out is the awe-inspiring architecture, the great flow of transitions between different areas, and the innate creativity to its satanic presence. It is a powerful level and all aspects. My only problems with, as is usual with a lot of huge maps, is that it is very confusing to play at first; very open areas and multiple paths that seem to lead to even more paths that diverge more and more. While the overall layout is circular, it does take a while to find the right path. Still, the level is so awesome and beautiful to admire, it is worth it. Play it right fucking now. It is awesome.

World of Warcraft. Las time I played was in 2019 iirc, and using the Altoholic addon, I checked the hours and said around 1,200 hours in total. Haven't played since. Second is actually Doom 2, which I started keeping track of with Steam some years ago. Currently sitting at 740.1 hours. Third place is the original Skyrim, clocking at 520.4 hours. However, I believe games such as Diablo 3 and Starcraft II have more hours, but they don't have a ''time played'' feature so I can only guess.

The bot is not some sort of automatic being that easily fills the gaps, it must be first operated by Xymph, plus it doesn't fill multilevel-WAD articles, only single-level WADs or individual maps. For that, you can also use the {{subst:map skel}} template. I believe it's better if you don't do this manually, unless you are 100% sure of what you are doing. The automap screenshots follow a set of proper characteristics that are better left to automated tools IMO.

Lava.WAD | SnipeR | 1996 Very small, square arena-like DM map for some quick action against the pals. Despite the rather simplistic and rustic style of the map, it does seem to show a lot of care and attention compared to other contenders from the era, the average ones at least. It suffers a bit from odd item placement, but other than that the map actually functions pretty well for a DM map, it is balanced, symmetrical, looks good, and the level design is pretty open, allowing for constant movement.

Yes! There's like 4 or 5 of us ;) Excited to see this project come to fruition.

I don't remember who was the Dungeon Master, but I recall their game included some sort of super weapon, and how one of the players exchanged it for Earth, allowing demons to conquer the planet, and the first roots of the story took place.

Been a while, would love to contribute to this one. I'll take E1M1 please!

I just want to say this is the most impressive WAD thread presentation I've ever seen in all my years in Doomworld. @4MaTC @Nikoxenos check this shit the design is badass. Even if the WAD sucked (which doesn't!) this thread alone is worthy of commendation.

The Doom Wiki is a volunteer effort, so first someone needs to manually create the article following the proper instructions. Second, the Doom Wiki has certain notability guidelines which help with deciding what deserves and wiki article and what doesn't. For WADs, however, it is very flexible and open, so it ultimately comes down to who has the time and skills to create the article. Megawad pages tend to be very large and have multiple other pages for each map.