Arrowhead

Sounds like some kind of European pastry.

I love map02 - I think its the best of the bunch. Map03 was pretty fun, even w/ the teleporter 'puzzle' - once I looked at my automap, I was able to figure it out. Map01 isn't terrible by any stretch of the imagination, it just feels too spacious. I like the light structures you put in the main room. One suggestion I have, is that I was able to just exit the last map without having to engage in the last battle against the mastermind. Maybe some bars or something in front of the exit would help? It looks like a fun fight, it is just really easily skippable. The aesthetics in these maps are nice, I played UVMAX on Doom2 for the record. Took me about 22 minutes to play in total. Great work, keep it up! :)

I know, I was super surprised that they have 300,000+ books. I could spend a year in there. XD

Haslam's Book Store of Doom [Doom1 version] - 5/30/1995 - played via GZDOOM 4.1.2 Haslam's Book Store of Doom is a Doom1 WAD created by Andrew Haslam. From what I understand, there are 3 different versions of this WAD floating around. The first, being this one - the second being the Doom2 version on /idgames, and the third being a "manly", (more difficult?) version of the Doom2 WAD hosted on the author's website. I believe the Doom1 version to be more obscure than the Doom2 version, as I could only find it hosted on the author's website. The Doom1 version is dated '95, the Doom2 version '96, and the "manly" version is from '97. The WAD comes packaged w/ a batch file that overwrites your Doom.wad w/ new graphics. I highly recommend you make a back-up of your Doom.wad if you plan on importing the new thing sprites the author selected. There are 3 new sprites in this game: 2 different types of trees, and a book display. I ended up playing without them - you don't end up missing much, as much of the level's atmosphere is accomplished through new textures, than new things. I didn't want to risk messing up my Doom.wad - the only difference really being that there are the usual exploding barrels in place of the book display graphic. The use of exploding barrels might have made the level slightly more easy, than if I had just imported the graphics. I swear I've seen this sky graphic somewhere before, but the author makes no mention of its origin. Anyway, the new graphics and new sky really ground this map as a real place. There are multiple black placards around the map w/ book genres on each - I'm pretty sure the bookshelves are a new graphic, too. Fights in this map are a lot of fun, but are not especially difficult - the first half of the map consists of clearing out the outdoors area first, and then the inner rooms of the book store, one by one. Once you kill all visible enemies, you may be stuck on where to find the red key. The red key is hidden in an unmarked secret - that may sound awful, I know - but it really wasn't that bad. If you take a glance at your automap, there's really only a few places it could be. I don't like to recommend maps that have progression flaws like this usually, but what's here is really worth experiencing. Once you find the red key, you will trigger an awesome teleporter ambush, where the entire map is essentially repopulated. You'll find new enemies in many areas of the map that you'd visited earlier. This is my favorite part of the map - it is fun revisiting and clearing out familiar areas. The map culminates in a final showdown against a mastermind. This had the potential to be a difficult fight, as there is little cover available in the outdoors area. This fight can be cheesed a little bit, if you can get the baron and mastermind to in-fight. This will allow you to snag the plasma rifle and go to town on the spidermomma. This map takes maybe 12-15 minutes to play. It is definitely worth it to see the early homemade textures - this map is reminiscent of 'Photon' by Steve Mavronis. It has a similar vibe for sure. Very cool map based on a real place. Download link: https://bit.ly/3EJm22J

TCSAS.wad - 11/28/1995 - played via GZDOOM 4.1.2 TCSAS.wad is an enjoyable WAD created by TomCat. This is TomCat's only single-player release on /idgames. I don't know if this was TomCat's first WAD, or not, but what's here is good. You will enjoy this map, if you appreciate a slower kind of combat. Much of the gameplay involves clearing out hitscanners. These hitscanners are often positioned at numerous different heights, which means standing in the open in this map a bad idea. The only other monsters present in this WAD, (other than hitscanners) are a few pinkies, and a 'boss' archvile. This map is set in a large concrete 'vac' complex. I'm not sure what 'vac' is in this context - I assume it has something to do w/ space, though? Sounds like some kind of sci-fi type thing. I wish the author provided more context, all they say is this: " A large vac storage facility has been overrun by terrorists. " There are around 125 enemies in this map, and there are no secrets. There are many custom assets in this WAD, but none of them are textures - this WAD entirely uses stock Doom2 textures and flats. The WAD includes quite a few custom assets, including a custom titlepic, a customized 'credits' page, (I included a screenshot, as credits alterations are quite rare, even now) a custom MIDI, and many custom sounds. I like the sound of the teleporter, and the sergeants that yell 'Freeze!'. Texturing is pretty good in this map - very few visual anomalies. You still see the occasional misaligned texture near a staircase, but things are pretty clean other than that. Much of the map is concrete / silver textures. I think it looks quite good, though. Definitely nice for the time, no doubt there. Combat is eerily similar to Kurt Kesler's style of combat - many groups of monsters are released elsewhere in the map, and slowly make their way to you. I like this style of combat - it feels oddly natural, and the area that the monsters can roam is quite expansive. You'll often have enemies coming up behind you, simply because they decided to walk the other way around a building from their start point. Makes for fun, surprising encounters. This map will be difficult if you don't take your time. It can be easy to die from errant chaingunner fire, or shotgun blasts. I really like the presentation in this WAD. The only small complaints I have, is that the blue doors aren't marked, and there are no 'official' secrets. Fun map, though! Check it out. Recommended for fans of slower paced combat - traps are nearly nonexistent in this map, but the author makes up for it in other clever ways. :) Download link: https://bit.ly/3tTOk5s

Some weird looking detailing in this one - I especially like the 'Shane' embedded in the floor - always love kitschy stuff like that lol. Will definitely be taking a look at this one. Nice review! :)

This is awesome. So they were all the same person? Makes sense. Thanks so much for compiling all this for us. :)

mancubus.wad - 08/12/2000 - played via GZDOOM 4.1.2 Mancubus.wad is a 4 level map pack for Doom 2 created by Turdburglar aka Shitbag. I found this WAD on DoomWADStation - it does not appear to be on /idgames, or any of the usual archives. This is a competent 4 map minisode w/ some odd gameplay twists, and tight aggressive combat. Combat feels modern in this WAD - it does not feel like this WAD is 21 years old. This map set features perhaps the most hectic custom titlepic I've ever seen - I included a screenshot of it. Texturing in this map is great, w/ no major misalignments - there are also a ton of custom textures in this WAD - many of which I have seen before. These custom textures really do add a lot to the maps - especially the new midtextures. There is one midtexture that looks like 'missing bricks in a wall', I think this was used to cool effect. Maps are lushly detailed w/ missing floor tiles, wood planks, and bricks all making an appearance. There are threats around every single corner in these maps. The entire set feels boobytrapped to the gills. Tread very carefully on your first run-throughs of these maps, as not everything is as it seems. You may want to save whenever you encounter voodoo dolls, *hint hint*. Trickery is the name of the game in this WAD, I don't want to spoil too much, but expect to face some especially devious traps. I was impressed by a lot in this WAD - I'm surprised its not better known. Map01 is bar far the easiest of the four, but is still a fair challenge on UV. I recommend playing this set continuously, but it seems like the author, even this early, made considerations for pistol starters, as most of the maps have most of the weapons in them. Map01 has a very cool secret inside of what I can only describe as a 'maintenance area'. Secrets in general in these maps are great - and quite well hidden. There are even a handful of unmarked secrets in the maps, which adds to the exploration and sense of discovery greatly. Map02 has an especially mean archvile + hitscanners fight. I really enjoyed it though, was cool to see such careful monster consideration in a WAD 2 decades old. There is also what I call a '3 choices' section in this map - I won't spoil the 3 choices, but make sure you save in this area. The map ends uniquely by crushing a Romero head. Map03 is fun, but has a mean start - this is due to the large amount of medium class monsters in tight places. Once you clear this out though, the map softens up a little bit. Map03 has a very small bug right at the end of the map - that will allow you to exit slightly earlier than you are supposed to. The exit switch can be pressed on the left side without lowering the blocking wall first. Like I said though, this is at the very end of the map - so it didn't bother me too much. You skip maybe 3-5% of the map by doing this - no big deal. Map04 has 250+ enemies, and only 1 secret. There is a cool series of switches that give you weapons / power-ups. Once again, though - save whenever you see something suspicious. ;) Map04 also has a neat Cybie fight, where you essentially have to race the clock to access a teleporter. There is a large wall that lowers very slowly in front of said teleporter. This means you have to fight the Cybie until the teleporter is accessible - its hard to describe this situation to others - its best to be played! You'll see what I mean! Map04 has large outdoors areas - and this helps to balance the more tight confined spaces of the earlier levels. Map04 ends in an E1M8 type fashion. These maps took me about 35 minutes to beat in total, although I think someone would be able to get an hour+ out of this if they focused on UVMAX'ing. Fun WAD pack, I was unclear on if the author produced anything else, as when I search the name, Shitbag, I get 'Ray "Shitbag" Schmitz' on /idgames, but this WAD is 3+ years older than Schmitz's first published WAD - so I don't think they're the same person. Plus, I couldn't find the name 'Turdburglar' as an author anywhere on /idgames, or even anywhere in a textfile. I think there are two doomers that went by the alias 'Shitbag' around the same time - this author, (who also went by Turdburglar) and Ray "Shitbag" Schmitz... certainly is confusing. If anyone else knows any other WADs by Turdburglar, please let me know - their style is very endearing and experimental. I'd like to play more from them, as this seems too competent for a first WAD - I'm sure there are other works by this author floating around the internet. Anyways, play it, you won't regret it!! :) Download link: https://bit.ly/2VUnFZQ

What do you call a cow w/ no legs? *drumroll*

Yeah, I had seen those 2 wads on the site too, I think they're just the normal versions of TNT: Bloodlands, and TNT: Grievance. They could possibly be older versions than the ones on /idgames, I haven't actually checked yet. I wasn't able to find any more Doom WADs on that site, (Hobbes OS2) but there were a couple of OS/2 specific Doom utilities that I've never heard of before. I just find the 30 or so WADs they selected is really weird... Its mostly deathmatch w/ a couple single-player levels thrown in. Also, it seems like the 30 pack was uploaded in 1997 - which means the readmes were lost even by that time. I still think most of these levels are elsewhere, and just known under different names - especially the 'month' WADs...

Hello, yes I found it as 'doomwads.zip' on a site called 'Hobbes OS2 Archive' - I couldn't find 'massive' on idgames, but there were a couple wads like 'August' that I recognized, (it is a very popular deathmatch map) as well as a few others. I wasn't able to find 'xmassongs.wad', or 'p.wad' anywhere else, either. Unfotunately, that's all I know right now :P

massive.wad - 12/31/1996 - played via GZDOOM 4.1.2 'Massive.wad' is a WAD I found today in an old OS/2 html archive. I've tried to search every common place for this WAD, or for more information on this WAD, but I haven't been able to find anything - not even a readme. That means that this is currently by an unknown author. I think its possible that this WAD could be known under a different name, and that this may be the old version. The map name for this WAD does not fit it. The map isn't tiny, but it certainly isn't 'massive'. The map consists of a small square courtyard in the centre of the map, w/ a raised hallway on all sides around it. The first half of the map's action takes place in the tight corridors of the courtyard's exterior ring - the second half takes place in the middle of the courtyard, where you will encounter a particularly oppressive hitscanner teleport ambush. This final fight probably contains half the monsters in this map. Oddly, there are two blue keys in this map. One is hidden in a secret, and I think it is there as a failsafe, in case the player fails to grab the 'original' blue key in the nukage pit included as a screenshot. I like the hot start in this map, you are immediately thrust into the action. Everything about this map is quick - the combat, the flow, the dodging in and out of corners to nab hitscanners... all of it is fun. I'd like to know if anybody recognizes this map - as I found it in a very odd place. If this is by a well-known author I apologize, I had no way to know! Regardless, stellar map w/ some fun combat situations. Not too hard, not too easy, just right. :) Takes about 5 minutes to beat! EDIT: Download link: HAD TO REMOVE DOWNLOAD LINK - there is a copy of TNT Evilution's map01 in map slot 2 of this WAD. I will rip the first level out, via Slade, and re-upload the download link. The consequences of WADArchaeology sometimes! :) NEW LINK: https://bit.ly/3Cm9uMu

Looks sick, can't wait to give it a listen! Loved the last album! :)

I'm a little weird - I tend to almost completely design my geometry / architecture, and then I add in gameplay elements. I often have no idea of the encounters I wish to have, until I ultimately make them - usually as a consequence of my own geometry. I then play through my map over and over, taking different routes if possible, keeping a tally of the amount of ammo I have at the end of the map, and adding/subtracting when necessary. I never think out 'monster placement' ahead of time, while initially designing the map - the monster placement kinda just ends up fitting whatever geometry I've created already, and I'll rarely change existing geometry to accommodate fights - usually the other way around... I've tried to think up fights ahead of time, and then create a map around that, but I always find that this ends up feeling a bit stilted. I find multiplayer mapping allows for a bit more freedom - as you don't have to take the time to consider how your monsters will interact w/ your level... If I'm mapping for multiplayer, I always know ahead of time where I want weapons to be placed, I often 'plan ahead' a little bit more when mapping for deathmatch, than normal singleplayer. I'm still fairly new to the mapping game - there's always more to learn, maybe as I progress more as mapper I'll plan things out better - but until then, I like to fly by the seat of my pants.

The Bastard Guru (BSTGRU16.wad) - 10/25/1998 - played via GZDOOM 4.1.2 'The Bastard Guru', (weirdest name I've seen yet in this project...) is a first map by Jim Oldland. This is an interesting WAD - there is both a fight w/ a Cyberdemon and a spidermomma, as well as a somewhat surprising amount of archviles. Traps are quite abundant in this map - you will often find that new areas have opened up upon visiting an old area - this keeps you nervous at all times, as often it is an archvile that is released from these new cubbyholes. Combat in this map is a little tougher on average for a map from this time period. The author likes to throw many medium class enemies at you, whenever he can. That's not to say there aren't hitscanners - chaingunners appear quite abundantly - and can often surprise you. Curiously, the author gives many of the weapons in the game to the player quite quickly. All weapons are present in this map, but you won't see the BFG until around the third third of this level. Another thing to mention is the large amounts of power-ups in the map. This makes many a fight quite trivial - but that's not to say it isn't fun to have a slight bit of a power-fantasy. Texturing is haphazard at best in this map, w/ the texturing being misaligned in many places - this map looks visually older than its actual age. There aren't any particular architectural effects that blew me away in this map - it is very utilitarian in the aesthetics arena. The map comes w/ an upbeat custom MIDI - I don't know if it fits this map that well - it doesn't sound bad by any means, it just seems a tad 'happy' for Doom... I'm not sure where the odd name comes from - one /idgames reviewer posited that it may come from "Tricks of the Doom Programming Gurus" - they mention this, as there is apparently some recognizable architecture visible from that book. Pretty fun map, lots of abstract room design, its quite large, traps are decent, enemy placement is good - give it a shot! :) Download link:https://bit.ly/3nwjFdk

@drjpeg Oh, my dad had sent it into a guy back in like 2006-2008?, and he did some kind of softmod that allowed for you to play emulators on the xbox - he also put in a 500 GB harddrive - I've since reset the mod so that I can submit Project Gotham Racing times on score sites. Oh, this is a bowlatronic: Probably one of the largest 'handhelds' out there...

2 Atari 2600s, an Odyssey 2, 2 PS2s, 2 PS3s, a PS1, a PSP2000, 2 DS Lites, a GBA (first model), a WonderSwan, a GB, a GBC, a Gamecube, 2 NES, an SNES, an xbox 360 w/ a harddrive, a modified original xbox, an N64, a Model 1 Genesis, a Dreamcast, a broken GBA-SP, 2 Wiis (including the awful red 'canadian' model) and a Coleco Bowlatronic. Used to collect, but I've significantly slowed down.

Can't believe we posted at the same time, lol

E1M1SAS.wad - 05/28/1994 - played via GZDOOM 4.1.2 'E1M1SAS' is a WAD created by Scott A. Smith. I found this WAD while searching shovelware discs for edits of original id levels. This is a definite hidden gem. There are none of the standard 1994 errors in this map - everything is really carefully textured - doors are marked properly - pits are escapeable - it truly is a nice surprise for a map that appeared within the first two months of WAD editing. You initially start off in a prison cell, but the map quickly turns abstract after that. Room design is great with very little boxy, or orthogonal rooms in the map. The secrets in this map are meticulously constructed. There are often cool features like crushers moving, or monsters involved - something quite rare for a map this early. There is a cool section where you're required to do a really precise running strafe to get the blue key in the centre of a pedestal - I included a screenie of the area. Other sites to see include a subterranean demonic temple of some kind, and a large expansive cavern. Combat in this WAD is fun, but not overly complex. Often, monsters are simply guarding important items, and traps are quite rare. You'll pick up a key sometimes, and not get punished for it - would have been nice to see some more dynamic traps, as a lot of what's here is incidental type encounters. There are about 160 enemies in this map, as well as 7 inventive secrets. Definitely recommended for fans of Doom1. Download link: https://bit.ly/3npMAzC

Entryway for me! Easily the best default deathmatch map in both of the 2 iWADs... I like the 'opening shot' of the map better, too.

Anything that is inevitable is not worth worrying about.

Claustrophobia - 05/16/1995 - played via GZDOOM 4.1.2 Claustrophobia is an intentionally cramped map by William Sullivan. This is perhaps one of the earliest precursors to the whole '1024' WAD genre - the map is larger than 1024x1024 - but it doesn't feel this way. Most of the map takes place inside of a suffocatingly tight base complex, w/ the exit being situated outside of the base. Your goal, essentially - is to find the red key somewhere in the map, and escape. This is easier said than done. On your claustrophobic journey, you will encounter more archviles than you would think - there are also a ton of shotgunners. The shotgunners are less effective than in other maps, as they have far less distance to hit you from - most of the action in this map takes place right in your face. Architecture is surprisingly good for the time, as well as the texturing. The outside facade of the building you escape from is truly a nice sight to behold - and I have included a screenshot of it below. Much of the map is dark, but not so dark that you cannot see. Unfortunately, there is one small bug in this map that really is an eyesore. There is a certain section that contains 4 short platforms that are untextured on all sides. I think this is because these sectors raise out of the ground, and the author forgot to texture them. Normally, I wouldn't recommend a map that has multiple HOMs, but I chose to still review this, because the rest of the level is so much fun. This map is not very large, but is still a riot to explore - if exploring is your kind of 'thing'. Much of the maps progression is hidden behind concealed doors. This might sound like it would be super annoying - but the progression is actually pretty intuitive. Usually doors are at the end of suspicious dead-ends, or other obvious tells. This makes the map feel a little bit 'Indiana Jones-y' - w/ each successful discovery yielding further discoveries. Another thing to keep in mind playing this map, is that the ammo can be tight on occasion. I recommend using the Berserk pack to the best of your ability, and save the SSG ammo for the archviles. This map is not quite a 'Tyson' map, but it can definitely be played as such - the tiny hallways in this map make it far more effective to get close and punch hitscanners. This is a great map - with extreme attention to detail - many many line actions as well for a map from '95... Has about 130+ monsters, w/ 4 secrets - took me about 10-12 minutes to beat, but might take longer for others depending on how quickly the hidden passages are found. I strongly recommend this map to fans of the '1024' genre of mapmaking - you won't regret it! :) Download link: https://bit.ly/3nfOLWw

Pat's 1st WAD - 10/09/1994 - played via GZDOOM 4.1.2 This is an early large level assembled by Patrick Farabee. The map is quite expansive, w/ many meandering corridors and passageways - the map, however, is not mazelike - it seems like the author took proper care to keep backtracking and wandering to a minimum. This is essentially because you know immediately where two of the three locked doors are. This makes it easy to know where to come back to, upon gaining further keys. The map has around 320 enemies, and makes for a fairly long experience. I spent about 15-20 minutes on this one. The combat can be so frenetic at points, that you'll find yourself holding the mouse1 button down for what seems like minutes at a time. There are two 'twin' 6-door rooms that contain two of the best fights in this map. Many shotgunners are released, as well as pinkies to further limit you in an already cramped place. These two fights are very anxiety inducing, as it is quite easy to get cornered by pinkies. Most of the enemies you'll encounter in this map are standard low-tier Doom mobs. Expect to see lots of shotgunners - meaning you have essentially limitless shotgun ammo in this map - this doesn't make the map too easy though, as there are a few devious traps and decent enemy placement. All of this level is in some kind of an underground base. You barely see the sky at all in this map, most of it is subterranean. Architecture is rudimentary, with flats misalignments galore. There are a lot of wall textures that are misaligned too. This is a map that you play predominately for the gameplay. It is far from the most unattractive map I've played, but it is still very '1994'. Secrets are fun to hunt - although, I think some of them are maybe hidden a bit too well. I searched for quite a while after I had killed all visible monsters, but I only found 2 / 8. The only complaint I have for this map really, is that the blue key and red key trap are essentially identical. Differing these encounters could have resulted in a more dynamic map. Regardless of any small aesthetic complaints, this map really ended up being an enjoyable time. Recommended to anybody who likes more combat focused WADs over more 'exploratory' ones... :) Download link: https://bit.ly/3hh8lhn