Poncho1

Nicely done, mate.

Well I hope this Broadsword Jim does a better job than Kirk Cameron.

*sigh*

Perhaps I'm being really thick, but I assume that Ep. 3 is still vanilla-compatible, and that the necessity of Eternity and whatnot is just so this 5-map demo works, right? My tech knowledge is practically non-existent, as you can probably tell.

"Horribly slow monster teleportation"? Reminds me of Map29 from the first MM.

I shoot them until they die.

Sorry that I've been quite absent from this. Trying to get back into my writing, so for once, I may abandon this month's WAD. Apologies.

E2M1: Piazzi Spaceport Author: Michal Kurowski (Lorenzo) A darker, more brooding intro level. I like it. Difficulty-wise, I suppose it's a little harder than Episode 1's starting map, but only by a hair. The Chaingun is your biggest ally here. There are a surprising amount of Pinkies which makes the opposition seem more beefy because of the limited weaponry, though combining them with a load of Zombiemen, Imps and the occasional Cacodemon makes the combat feel just right. A few Pinkies are hiding in the Plasma Gun secret, the latter being useful against some of the Cacos. Bear in mind that these hidden-away enemies will become a recurring, often-annoying theme in this episode. E2M2: Storage Complex Author: Wavy Containment Area may be a good map from the original game, but I don't know what pretenders didn't understand about it. I suppose, being made later and with more advancements in level design that we all feel the need to make crate mazes either a confusing, jumbled mess, or turn them into platforming challenges that are more chores than legitimately difficult. This map goes for the latter option. Also, the multiple enemies that easily hide among the crates is a bother, mostly since they'll either never be found (in which case, why place them if they do practically no harm?) or are the complete opposite and can come across as cheap. The backtracking towards the end with the Yellow Key feels awkward and looks like the mapper was running out of ideas by the end. Also, stupid enemies in that super-obscure Supercharge secret (the one accessed in the snake-like pathway by the Yellow door) feels unnecessary. The attention to detail's kinda nice, and the merging of tech and the growing vegetation is pure Episode 2 goodness, but the progression isn't what I'd call fun. E2M3: Stock Exchange Author: DFF A hectic beginning by shooting the security button involves a load of Pinkies, Imps and Shotgunners in a confined area. Such restricted combat feels like it's the name of the game with this map, but you can also cheese a lot of the fights. Speaking of, the combat doesn't feel organic because of such cheese methods. The Rocket Launcher chamber can be dealt with by just backtracking and killing the Baron and the few Shotgunners at the entrance. Speaking of this room, I wished that the Barons and Cacos on the pillars could've been designed in a way that made them join the Pinkies on the ground floor. Maybe it would've been too harsh a difficulty spike, especially with all the Lost Souls joining the fray, but it would've been a lot more interesting - and a lot quicker to clean up. Some of my frustration with this map came from unlucky high-damage roles, and also, again, from the secrets. I had to noclip to get the Berserk secret next to the main circular chamber in order to kill the remaining Pinkies because I simply couldn't find how to access it. I know it's a "secret", but Christ... [Continuing to the point I left off, since as previously mentioned, I won't be able to play any Doom for a little while] E2M4: Air Filtration Plant Author: Weird Sandwich In spite of its relatively smaller size, this level can be a little complicated to navigate; however, my recent playthrough of it was rather problem-free, so I guess I got lucky. I enjoy the compact gameplay, the Duke Nukem-esque tunnels (with nicely-telegraphed secrets, thank you) and the early Zombieman massacre. The ending with the four Barons is kinda bullshit, not least since the Pinkies in the tiny tunnels preceding entry into the Baron corners can block you and get you damaged by those pink bastards, but the rest is perfectly acceptable fare. E2M5: Abandoned Tunnels Author: ViolentBeetle Quite a quick map that takes a break from the techbase shenanigans in favour of some spooky crypts. I like the difference in aesthetics, and the smaller enemy count compensates for more deadly encounters, usually involving Cacodemons. The ending amidst the crates can be lethal to non-attentive players, though pushing through and killing the Shotgunners in the back to create some space seems to be the best option. The secrets aren't too badly thought out, besides the one with the Medkits, and the secret exit isn't insanely obscure. It's actually easier finding that exit than that dumb Supercharge secret in E2M2. What gives? E2M9: Artifact Storage Author: Hitboi Starting with a carried-over inventory probably makes this secret map a non-issue, especially if you're as stingey with Rocket and Plasma usage as I am. I suppose that this is a case where Pistol-starting would've definitely given the map the difficult edge it needed, but hey. I try not to save mid-map, so that's my personal incentive to increase the difficulty. Anyway, about the map itself: I don't quite see how it has "secret-map" credentials. The body count's very low, for one thing. Maybe it's the vignette-structure, with completely different areas offering different challenges, but regardless, any half-decent player should get through with breaking a sweat. The abundance of Rocket ammo in particular makes the ending piss-easy. Both secrets are easy to find, not least since they're right next to each other. I guess the mapmakers wanted to give secret-hunters a break after all the obscurities of the past few levels. Good, but oddly placed.

A bit late here, but I'll try my best to keep up. I'll be gone for a week, so if I jump ahead of everybody else, apologies, but it can't be helped. As for my personal rules: continuous run, Ultra-Violence, 100% kills where possible and as many secrets within an acceptable time range (so I won't go for super-obscure ones, say). E1M1: Detention Facility Author: Alex Decker (myolden) Super-easy map that allows just about everybody to ease their way into the WAD. Nothing should realistically kill you, but then again, it's the first map. Very short and snappy, the way I like my "first-few-levels". The secret with the four Imps by the exit feels a little obscure, especially taking into consideration my "kill-them-all" rule, but besides that, I found it perfectly acceptable. E1M2: Admin Offices Author: Peccatum Mihzamiz Difficulty-wise, it's about on par with the first level. Well, maybe slightly more challenging, but the difference is marginal. I think I neglected to pick up the Chaingun for a good chunk of the level, so I suppose I accidentally set myself a challenge, but as said before, still wasn't too tough. I do like the attention to detail in the office block itself to the west, with details such as computer mice, mugs and water coolers. Nice stuff. The ending gives you a teleport trap by the YK, though it mostly consists either of low-grade demon fodder or Zombiemen, so it goes by easily. Personally, I like quick, easy maps like this, since you can breeze through them whilst feeling like an absolute god. E1M3: Barracks Author: Doomlust A somewhat linear slugfest that I personally found to be one of the episode's weaker offerings. There's little that I remember from it. Nothing egregious, but also nothing terribly noteworthy. I like the deformed star symbol at the secret Rocket Launcher, and there's a slightly interesting fight with the Rad Suit, but that's it. Spoilers: the way to get to the secret exit isn't terribly cryptic, and I kinda liked it. Somewhat lacklustre, overall. E1M9: Excavation Site Author: Late Night Person Cacodemons in my Episode 1? Yes indeed. Really enjoyed the gameplay for this one: the rather-obvious Rad Suit secret makes the brief nukage tunnels a non-issue, the hordes of enemies make for fine borderline-slaughter gameplay (if you have the Rocket Launcher, that is), the difficulty progression feels just right (though the map stays on the easy side), and the large teleport trap, while easily circle-strafe-able, is a fun little encounter. The very ending is a bit of a letdown coming off of the heels of the teleport ambush, but eh. When there's this much fun to be had, I can't complain too badly. E1M4: Mineral Processing Author: Death Bear Here's a map that encourages more exploration and non-linear progression than the previous levels. It's a criss-crossing landscape of buildings high above mostly-nukage wastelands that requires some careful movements. The snipers aren't obnoxious (probably thanks to the original Doom's lack of Revenants, for example), and the many secrets are mostly pretty simple to find. I was a little perplexed about how to get the YK, but it just means backtracking to a previously-skipped Blue door. That's what I get for being a numpty. The final trap feels like it could've been harder, but the abundance of cover and Rockets makes it a cakewalk. The atmosphere and the difference in progression are what make this map stand out from the rest. E1M5: Mining Complex Author: RataUnderground Mixed feelings for this one: without taking into consideration getting the secrets, it's a pretty strong outing: the combat is a lot more confined and challenging than anything seen so far - the rush after taking the teleporter to the Imp-infested nukage tunnels is a case in point. I also dig the mix of industrial and water-refinery design. However, getting the last few kills is a pain, mostly since one of the secrets is ridiculously obscure, to the point that I needed Doom Wiki to figure it out. The enormous Lost Soul cavern is also a massive drag, since they get in the way of killing the Spectres, and the exit consists of a super-slow lift. Oy... Pretty good if you neglect going for 100% of anything. E1M6: Visitor Center Author: Peter Blacha (Shawny) Uh, it's actually "centre". Silly spelling aside, looking at the automap, I'd swear that this looked kinda like a skillsaw level. Throw in a few Mancubi snipers, Revs and the odd Archie and it'd definitely look like something he'd make. Of course, those enemies don't appear in an original Doom WAD, but the results are still very entertaining. Non-linear in that you can get some of the keys in any order, I enjoyed the map for its constant action and for it embracing a freedom of routing choice for the player. Due to the small size of each room (and corridor), the enemy congregation makes for ideal situations to let rip with the Rocket Launcher. Though a step-down in difficulty from the previous couple of maps, here's another "god-rush" type of map that I always enjoy. E1M7: Traffic Control Author: LoreCaco37 Episode 1's penultimate map has the episode's highest monster count. It can come across as a little repetitive due to its extremely symmetrical design, and once again it isn't particularly difficult, since the Rocket Launcher - and even the Chaingun - can make mince-meat of the enemy roster. The only annoying part is when one has to ascend a pair of lifts to rooms filled with Shotgunners. Kinda cheap, in my opinion. The only times where symmetry is abandoned are the rooms in the large western and eastern courtyards, though the differences are somewhat marginal. I do like the emphasis on shredding large hordes with the Rocket Launcher, though thinking about it after playing it, the map's flaws do come into sharper focus. Kinda fun, but could've been more. E1M8: Huygens Spaceport Author: Violent Beetle The umpteenth Baron of Hell showdown to end the episode. Much like the original game, the level focuses on building the tension by way of mood: the smallish skirmishs before the big, final encounter set the tone, and the multitude of littered corpses certainly add to the increasing dread. Of course, the final fight itself is a rather routine Baron battle that is admittedly functional because of the room's layout. Only the Lost Souls will screw you over. A decent E1M8 replacement, even if it sticks to the book.

If I'm honest, not many people. Even confined to the gaming community, idolatry is, for me, a daft path to take. That's not arrogance on my part (I mean, I can't map at all, for one thing), it's just something I've never agreed with.

I don't know about the level design, but if you look around the Scythe X development thread, for one thing, Revenants were to appear at the Map14 mark. Also, it's obvious that people playtested at least the unfinished Ep. 3 maps, so they do technically exist. However, to most of us who didn't playtest them, we won't know a thing.

Bravo. This must've been more stressy than revision.

Pretty late to the party, but my take is simply: make the maps - secrets or not - the way you want. Don't feel like you should alter anything, even if you feel like you're being, well, "bullied" - unintentional/unintended as it may be on their parts - by the opinions of Doom's most prominent online figures.

E2M5 UV-Max in 4:42 r2h5-442.zip Only a very slight improvement. Uggh...

Map09 UV-Speed in 0:34 tn09-034.zip Went for all secrets last time (I think), so realistically it's a UV-Max. Oh well, here's a UV-Speed. Maybe 4shockblast could do this in 25 seconds flat, or something...