The Ultimate DooMer

After 5-3/4 years in development, the Hexen project known as Serpent: Resurrection has been released. A brief description of the project:25 fantasy-themed maps.A scripted RPG system.New weapons, monsters and items.Partially dynamic gameplay.A more detailed description (plus screenshots) can be found here. The project can be downloaded here, /idgames link coming soon. It requires GZDoom 1.5.03 or better, but was tested with 1.5.03.

Bloodshedder says: Wow, three /newstuffs in two days! Does it get any crazier than this? Oh well, I'll shut up. Here's UD: Good evening, and welcome to a special DooM edition of the Antiques Roadshow. And a bumper edition it is too, with 25 maps on offer. So dust off that copy of Ultimate DooM, and check out the bargains: Full On (legal version) by Tim Ackroyd 238kb - doom.exe - SP - It's been a long time coming, but this classic episode finally gets a proper release (albeit without it's last 3 maps). It's an E2 replacer with a modern/tech bias. Detail is basic as you'd expect for a classic wad and there's also many texture bugs and a lot of startan3 in places, however the atmosphere is extremely good here. It's even quite hard too, especially with fast monsters on. No shortage of ammo and in some places powerups, but there's some big monsters around. For those who are interested, map 6 is a partly-retextured e1m7 with some big monsters in, map 7 is a mostly-retextured e1m9 with extra powerups and map 8 is an e2m8 with two hollowed-out towers and 4 boss monsters (so you're not missing too much, although map 8 and some parts of map 6 are worth a try). But in any case it's one of my all-time favourite DooM 1 episodes, a must-have for classic fans, and worth playing even if you're not. Wedding by Blackfist 13kb - doom.exe - SP - An E3M1 that's a maze-like green stone passage with a chapel at the end of it. Where the wedding of two monsters is taking place, so gatecrash it. Not very big or very hard (inculding the battle in the chapel). DOOMONAS by JOHN MARES 12kb - doom.exe - SP - One of those maps displaying the haphazardly-shaped areas of the earliest wads, together with the startan3 scheme of the same period. You get a battle in the grey room in the screenie, but not much else (apart from the atmosphere of course). Penze1-3 by Michael J. Penze 37kb - doom.exe - SP - A trio of tiny maps that look like they came straight out of deu 11 years ago. They have no detail except for scenery things and are pretty dark throughout. Texturing is mostly startan3 and while it does have some big monsters (and plenty of barrels too) they can't be killed due to a missing plasma gun. They do give an insight into what mapping was like in the very early days, but apart from that there's nothing else. STAIRWAY by JOHN MARES 26kb - doom.exe - SP - A map that starts off well (with the opening tech room) and falls apart afterwards. It has a couple of steep stairways (hence the name) and is a little puzzling at times. STALAG by Gabriel Basco Guimaraens 65kb - doom.exe - SP - This is more like it, a large outdoor-based map with a sort of theme. It's a military compound-type place in the mountains surrounded by a moat. The buildings are of the no-frills variety, comprising of just rooms, doors and passages, but plenty of them. You'll also have to be used to the classic ways of unmarked doors and lifts to survive here. The atmosphere is great (especially outdoors) although the gameplay suffers a bit due to the monster selection (zombies and imps). Still it's the best classic wad on offer this week, apart from Fullon of course. S.Y.S by Roger Scudder 34kb - doom.exe - SP - A mostly industrial-type map with bits of other themes in too. The other themes are randomly-placed though, and there isn't much detail. Monster-wise there's some tougher ones (including a nice caco section) but there's too much ammo and all the weapons. Still it's bigger than many of the maps in this week. TEMPLE2 by JOHN MARES 16kb - doom.exe - SP - A map with an outdoor temple at the start, but gets rather random after that with a series of rooms and passages. Teleporters offer you shortcuts to places, and there's not enough ammo to kill everyone. utopia by Scott 64kb - doom.exe - SP - A big-ish grey map that's based around an outdoor area. This actually looks quite good to me, and together with the starting area and some flashing effects in the gallery around the outdoor bit makes this map look quite good. Gameplay is a bit harder too, despite the plasma gun and a lot of cells. There's a lot of monsters, and you'll have to watch the middle area as you go round it for incoming fire. There's also a nifty trap around the swimming pool too. In short, a good classic map. WAYNE by Wayne Watt 26kb - doom.exe - SP - A small green map that has a fair number of monsters, but too much ammo and health to fight them with (plus a dark outdoor section full of powerups). You get all the weapons at the start for some reason, and there's not much detail either. Another one to miss. Special Operation Force by Gabriel Basco Guimaraens 412kb - doom.exe - SP - We finish the show this week with a 9-map episode. It's mostly grey-based, and some of it is green too (but these areas I feel clash a bit). It looks and feels like a classic wad, but not sticking to any of the specific Phobos/Deimos/hell themes. I always liked the grey schemes with the Phobos sky, and this makes things feel better IMO. It does have a lot of bare passages, but some parts look good too. But it falls down badly on structural gameplay - an awful lot of doors, switches and lifts are well hidden and it's easy to get lost/confused about the next move. On the monster side it's pretty good despite the lack of barons, it's reasonably hard, there's some pretty neat set-pieces and an interesting final map. It can be a slog at times (as it's shots and chains only before the end with only a small variety of monsters). So it's a mixed response from me on this one. And now back to Doomworld for the new wads section - 6 maps here, including deathmatch, normal and eye-opening: Joker by Dustin Tise (BatteryHuman) 23kb - doom2.exe - DM - An outdoor green stone map. It's 2 outdoor areas with some steps and a narrower bit separating them. Weapons are scattered around, but the plasma ones are hiding in secrets, one of which is really obscure. There's a soulsphere on a switch platform (which makes a good focal point) and some blue armour nearby. It plays pretty well with 6 players, although it's probably suited to more. Cartelli 1v1 by Cartelli 77kb - doom2.exe - DM - A dark metal map comprising of a series of passages (some sloped) and rooms with some nifty triple bridges in. It has a nice new flat and enough weapons and health to go round. There's no rockets and the plasma weapons are hidden. It's too big for 1v1 (as the title says) but it is fun with 16 players. SALAMANDER by Cactus 96kb - ZDoom - SP - A dark brick map that requires jumping. Detail is ok, and there's a good yellow liquid texture that's used well but the gameplay is flawed. There's not enough ammo or health to kill everything, some monsters have to be killed to progress (bad when you have a lack of ammo) and the last fight sees you in a room with an archvile, with a single shotgun and no way out. In short, a berserk cheat is needed or the lack of a download. HeDRoX by Rodrigo Acevedo 502kb - ZDoom - SP - And it might do just that to you, given the amount of detail here. You can't move for it, and could be forgiven for thinking you were on board Vrack 4 if it wasn't for the map's small-ish size and sparse monster count. In fact that's a shame in a way, as if there was more monsters it would've lasted longer and been more memorable. You gotta play it to see the architecture (easily among the best since RTC), and the monsters that are there are reasonably challenging, but I would like to have seen more of them. Quality nevertheless. Total Darkness by evilhomerdoomer 98kb - Skulltag - SP - As it suggests, it's a dark map. Set in an underground base it provides the right setting for a spookathon, but sadly it doesn't really deliver on that count. Still it's reasonably hard in places (mainly due to a tight ammo balance) and the atmosphere is there even if the gameplay to match isn't. It looks quite good too, with lighting effects and some hollowed-out crates too. Not bad, but could've been better IMO. Unit 9042 - Part I "Termination" by Zalewa 1460kb - ZDoom - SP - A hi-tech map with a twist - you're the bad guy. A Terminator (a T-800 to be precise, ZDaemoners) sent to kill Kyle Reece. All the enemies are human, and they carry various weapons. Sadly there's not enough health for an enemy set like this, and if you fail to find the armoury you'll fail it big time. The map looks quite good and has some nice ZDoom effects too (including good use of particle fountains), although the darkness outside can be a trifle annoying. It's a good map that's worth playing, but watch the health and don't miss the armoury.

Cyb Says: It's all Ralphis' fault. Feel free to call him mean names! He ruined your weekends! Here's UD (who was on time, but we were waiting for Ralphis): Coming sooner than expected yet a week later than expected, here's another bunch of maps taken out of the bottomless pit known as newstuff. Everything is on the small side this week (well mostly), with 16 maps and two monsters. So it shouldn't take you too long then: Fear II - The Spawn by Matt Bollier (Fogey) 110kb - doom2.exe - SP - A dark metal map that feels rather Quake-like. There's not much detail on the walls but floor/ceiling effects and lighting make up for it, with an atmosphere to match. Gameplay isn't that hard but you will be without an ssg for a bit. Recommended. ImpHead & UAC tank by Prokop Smetana (NeoWorm) 172kb - ZDoom - n/a - A pair of monsters, one an easy-to-kill imp head on spider legs and the other a hard-to-kill tank from Atomic Duke. Obelisk of Blood by Prokop Smetana (NeoWorm) 48kb - Skulltag - DM - A very odd deathmatch map that's set on a bunch of platforms above a sea of blood. Platforms aren't that big and are connected with springs, so expect a bit of congestion with a lot of players. There's also a lower level half-way down the columns too. Each platform has a different weapon, so plenty of choice for fighting. It makes for a weird, if a little crazy match. Doomgate Training Camp by Doomgater kb - doom2.exe - n/a - Put simply, a long wide room that's designed for practicing wallrunning, straferunning/jumping and rocket jumping. Paddock & Ship by Rand Smith kb - doom2.exe - DM - A pair of old deathmatch maps. One is a big open area with a pit and a couple of structures, the other is a ship complete with sails, a lower deck, a lifeboat and a little island. It's very sparsely detailed but the theme is there and the (green?) sea with horizon effect does create an atmosphere. However that's the best it gets, as the gamaplay is non-existant. Few weapons, some areas cut off from others (linked by weird teleports) and huge open spaces. And the first map is even worse. In short, avoid. RH21A by RICH HORN kb - doom.exe - SP - A small-ish E2M1 that is flat and mostly regular in shape. It has a few rooms of varying sizes, and mostly of a grey modern/tech theme. It's an old wad so the detail is bare, but the old atmosphere runs through it as it does in these wads. Gameplay-wise it's not hard except for the final battle atop a platform with two barons. As with a lot of these wads, only the nostalgia hunters will really enjoy them. RHE2L3 by RICH HORN kb - doom.exe - SP - A small fortress-esque map boasting a cool horizon effect using the old vanilla method. The focus here is on a spider mastermind and cyberdemon battle in the main hall, with the surrounding rooms and passages containing stuff to help you (as well as the outer area). One thing that always puzzled me about this map (it was among the first pwads I played) was the construction: two-sided lines acting as one-sided (seems to be some deu trick, as it always screwed up in wauthor). Anyway the map is short and sweet, and the battle isn't too difficult if you play it right. Steel Cage Match by Robert Fleming kb - doom2.exe - DM - A deathmatch map based around that old cornerstone of wrestling, the steel cage match. Trouble is, someone left the door open for you to escape and battle around the ring and the changing rooms just away from it. And indeed that's where all the weapons are apart from a rocket launcher round the back of the ring. It doesn't play as bad as you might think, and it's also a wallrunner's paradise. It does look bare though but it's worth a look with more players. Shadow by Alex Mayberry kb - doom2.exe - SP - An unusual map based around shadows and lighting. This includes sharp contrasts between light and dark, as well as numerous lighting effects. These are quite good, but it's a shame the gameplay doesn't match it. Seemingly random-placed powerups, big weapons at the start and too much ammo. As a result the map isn't as good as it could've been, but it's worth checking out anyway. Sin by Bjarne Christensen kb - doom2.exe - SP - A small crappy icon of sin map that has you climbing a series of lifts to reach the top of a semi-cirular map, where you can hit a switch or the head. SL-9 by Impboy4 kb - Skulltag - SP - A bunch of 6 tiny tech maps for Skulltag. All the enemies are zombies, but you get no health at all throughout. Which makes it one of those quick-reaction wads if you try to play without saves and/or with fast monsters. Detail-wise there isn't that much apart from slopes. It's a short sharp blast that might be interesting if you play without saves and/or speedrun it, otherwise it probably won't appeal to non-tech map fans.

As I begin adapting to a new way of life (employment), newstuff decides to go easy on me and drop a huge bunch of wads on my desk. A nice round 50 maps in all (not counting the rebranded ctf pack), plus some weapons mods and a bot pack. There's some well-designed and interesting stuff this week, along with some stuff that you won't understand at all. There's also quality and non-quality, some standout wads in 3 different types and a couple of author showcases too. All available right here: 000 EMERGANCY by Paul Corfiatis 87kb - doom2.exe - SP - We start this week with a trio of tiny maps. They all look good, and it's good to see that someone else can make floor consoles properly :p (see screenie). The maps aren't very hard, unless you get caught out by some of the zombies. It's not bad for it's size, which is about 5-10 minutes of play. Barfight DM by Lizardcommando 67kb - doom2.exe - DM - I actually reviewed this wad way back in newstuff 111 but now I can now play DM for real, so here it is again for a proper review. As the title suggests, it's set in a bar, complete with kitchen, bog and storage areas behind the bar, and a car park out the front. The architecture is appropriate to the theme but looks quite basic in places. Gameplay-wise, there's weapons, ammo, armour and health stashed in the various rooms and no powerups to be seen. It's a bit sparse with low numbers and the darkness outside doesn't help, but with a higher number of players it should do ok. And there is the novelty value of course. Decapitation 2 by Mephisto 1290kb - Skulltag - SP/DM - Now this is interesting. A bunch of 9 small maps for Skulltag, but it also comes with a set of single player missions against the new bots. These comprise of duels, 3/4 way FFA's and a 2v1 team match. If you've got a reasonable amount of DM skill you'll make it to the last map, where you'll need to be an aiming god with a bit of luck to win. The maps themselves look good in the usual style, and vary from bases to temples. The maps are perhaps a bit small, but it's good anyway. It's the first of it's kind, and hopefully it won't be the last. CYBERCRIME v2.0 by Dark Linux 4720kb - ZDaemon - DM - And this is also interesting. A bunch of 10 maps for ZDaemon, coming with a lot of unusual stuff. Designed to be ultra-futuristic, these maps take you through computers, cyberspace, futuristic mock-ups of modern places and some things that are almost reminiscent of early computer films. The texturing is highly unusual (compblue in many different colours) but fits the theme well, and many ZDoom effects add to it well, including coloured lighting, ambient sounds (sadly not functioning in ZDaemon atm) fog and some eye-catching skyboxes. All in all it makes for a great representation of a cybernetic future, and it really feels good too. Gameplay is based towards FFA, with plenty of ammo and health/armour too. The only potential downside is that it's prone to spamming, but you get that in FFA anyway. It's an awesome mapset that really stands out from the crowd, fast and fun, and surely good enough to win a place on the ZDaemon servers. Skulltag CTF by Various Artists 4380kb - Skulltag - DM - This wad was reviewed as Ultimate CTF in newstuff 219, so I won't spend too long here. Intended to be Skulltag's official CTF pack (but originally built for ZDaemon as we know), this is 33 maps of the flag variety. A lot of the layouts are similar (which is a downer IMO) but there are some interesting ones too. If you played the original final version, then the differences you'll notice are the Skulltag weapons/items, map 23 has been replaced with another, and some maps have been retextured (and my name has gone missing from map 19's credits). If you've not played it before, then you need to. D00M-57RIK3 by [H4X]PwnH4x 227kb - source port - n/a - A weapons mod that has a few replacement sprites and altered behaviour. The smaller weapons are a bit bad IMO, while the larger ones grow a fast firing rate and a cold (as ice) BFG. Not the best of them. Random Evil by DarkSoul 122kb - doom2.exe - SP - A medium-sized dark metal base map (think Murderous Intent). It looks good but also dark, making it a bit tougher. The rarity of health makes it tougher too, and don't waste too much ammo. A good play. Hidden Lab by Andrew Arsaleno 15kb - doom2.exe - SP - A small map that is basically a brick map with a small metal section in it. Detail isn't too great, and difficulty-wise it's not hard either. Short but not that sweet. The Inner Crypts by Lee Wallis (DoomAD) 304kb - doom2.exe - SP - A dark, brown map that relies mostly on custom textures. They're well-chosen though, and create a nice atmosphere. It's pretty hard, as you have to fight big monsters with small weapons for most of the time, as well as watching your health and your back. Recommended. Labyrinth by Lee Wallis (DoomAD) 316kb - source port - SP - Another dark brown map that uses custom textures, but unlike the previous map does not resemble it's title at all. It's shorter and easier, but still has it's tricky moments with ammo and health. It looks quite good, too. Recommended. Tech Lab by Lee Wallis (DoomAD) 228kb - doom2.exe - SP - A tech map with a grassy surround outdoors. Detail isn't as good here, but some new textures make up for it. The layout is a bit flawed, and has some places you don't need to visit but it is fun to play, and has a couple of massed battles at the end. It's not bad, but not as good as the previous two. Void Space by Lee Wallis (DoomAD) 530kb - doom2.exe - SP - The last of his maps sees us inside a spaceship linked by teleporters. Everything is decked out in regulation grey, but IMO the texturing makes it look more like a bathroom than a spaceship. And the views outside don't really convey a feeling of being in space either. The health balance is also off (there's virtually none) so watch out for that. Not his finest. WackyHQ Botpack 1 by Samuel Horwitz (wacky), Bouncy and Dron 35kb - Skulltag - DM - This wad is basically a set of renamed bots for the new Skulltag. There's also one new skin used, and they each have a set of taunts themed on various things. It's probably for the author and friends only given that some of the stuff is based on them, but it might be funny to some others too. FROM OUT OF THE WAD BIN... 'Awaken' by B.P.R.D (Foofoo) 67kb - doom2.exe - SP - ...a joke wad in two parts: a weird shiny metal lab and a cathedral. You can't kill the monsters, and the only real aim is to reach the cathedral to gaze upon the massed congregation. Which I've put in a screenie anyway. :p FROM OUT OF THE WAD BIN... 'Bdw' by B.P.R.D (Foofoo) 210kb - doom.exe - SP - ...a bunch of 8 maps spread across the start of 3 episodes. They're all small, easy, 1994-looking and a couple of them aren't finished. One of the maps has a neat concept (a tall maze that is one big crusher) but is poorly executed unfortunately. It's a disjointed bunch that will appeal, if anyone, to the classic fans. FROM OUT OF THE WAD BIN... 'Bdw Hell' by B.P.R.D (Foofoo) 98kb - doom2.exe - SP - ...another disjointed bunch, this time of the DooM 2 kind. The first map is a weird metal base that morphs into hell at the end, which follows onto the second map, a short trip through hell with a chainsaw (and no exit). After that it's a mess - a repeat of map 01 with some parts collapsed and no exit, one room with a teleport trap and no exit, an E1M1 with no exit and a teleport trap that looks like one but isn't, and a two-room stone map that's not finished. Play the first two and ignore the rest, if you decide to play it. (it's not that good) FROM OUT OF THE WAD BIN... 'Impo' by B.P.R.D (Foofoo) 244kb - source port - n/a - ...a skin that turns you into an imp. 'Nuff said. Corrupt Dreams by Xaser 1180kb - source port - n/a - A weapons mod, his last one in the old-fashioned dehacked way before new decorate weapons come along (when presumably we'll get a big flood of those instead :p). 11 weapons are here covering 9 slots, and include some from Heretic. The frame sequences are a little buggy though, and some of the graphics are offset wrong too. But that shouldn't stop the fun, particularly if you play it on the insane monster count wads. Simplicity - Take Two by Agent Spork 177kb - ZDoom - SP - Like it says, a small simple map. It's a brick building in hell and has plenty of detail, most of which will have been copy/pasted of course if the map did take an hour to make. Still that doesn't matter, as it looks good, and also carries the altered palette used by RTC and UDM3. Gameplay is simple too but with a ZDoom twist and good battles despite the limited types of monster used. Worth playing. Simplicity - Take Three by Agent Spork 429kb - ZDoom - SP - Another map, but not as small and simple. It's a base and looks extremely good - nice architecture, plenty of detail and good use of ZDoom features (including that nice palette again). There's some new textures based off the originals, a couple of those Hexen 2-style cutscenes, and of course many spawn traps in the ZDoom style. It's a bit tougher too, but not overly-so. In short a great map, and a perfect example of what a CC3 map should look like (if it ever gets going). Demon Eclipse: Episode 1 - Doorway to Abbadon by Eric Ou (Ezxariarch) 1680kb - ZDoom - SP - We finish this week with a 6-map wad meant to be the first part of a megawad. It follows the usual base-to-hell progression, but it's a well-done set of maps. The detail is nice, there's some good touches along the way, and the new textures really help it achieve this. It plays well too, with many big monsters, some big battles and of course tricky moments too. There's too much ammo, and in the big battles too much health as well, but it doesn't spoil the fun too much. In short a decent set of maps, and hopefully the full project will rock just as much.

In a week of interesting developments comes a relatively uninteresting newstuff (albeit largely due to a new megawad being released with bugs, forcing a re-release sometime in the next week or two). A mere 7 maps await, 5 of which are single player and 3 of which are antiques. Still, if you like weapons you won't be disappointed, nor if you like the classic fare. And of course it won't take you long to play them all: The first official weapons pack of Team UnNamed! by Chronoteeth 3460kb - Edge - n/a - It's...wait for it...a weapons mod! 11 weapons, bound to the first 6 slots. They are similar to the original weapons, but show some differences in speed and power (except for the kamikaze weapon 6, which fires a barrage of rocket-type things until your ammo runs out). Reloading is on some of them too. You might recognise some of the graphics, but they're nicely done anyway. Recommended if you can use Edge and like weapons mods, although I recommend playing more difficult wads with it. YaKu Fast DM 01 by Jan Pokrzywinski (YaKu) 30kb - doom2.exe - DM - A small brick/wooden deathmatch map that is slightly reminiscent of the Brit11 series. A medium-width passage with ups and downs encircling a square outdoor arena in the middle. 3 ways into it, and there is some cover out there too. All weapons except chainsaw and bfg are present, but there are some bad spawns - not on top of a weapon, not a super shotgun or even stuck in the wall (wriggle to get free when this happens). This brings a bit of luck into play but despite this it's good for 1-on-1 matches and low-turnout FFA's, and it even looks quite good too. Recommended. EREBUS 2- Penetrating the Darkness by Gary Atkinson 143kb - doom2.exe - SP - A brown map that has you journeying through various browny things (buildings, caves, outdoor bits etc.). Detail is mid-90's, although there are some nice parts and lighting effects. It's pretty dark throughout, and there's not really enough health for all the zombies present. Still it has a nice atmosphere, and the classic hunters will enjoy it. Escape from Devil's Island by Dan D. Luke 59kb - doom2.exe - SP - A small city-like wad set in a bunch of buildings surrounded by water. You might be disappointed when you read the wad description but this is a 95 wad, and the atmosphere is quite good anyway. Detail is 1995-esque and it's not overly-hard to beat, although watch the ammo. It's a nice map, despite you needing a secret to reach the first key. Lab 01 by Brett Johnson 84kb - doom2.exe - SP - Why it's called a lab is beyond me, as it's a gothic castle set in a valley with plenty of cave bits. It's actually quite confusing from start to finish as the way isn't obvious, many of the wooden poles are actually switches and you'll probably run into bits you can't reach or not know where to go next. The detail is a mixture (bare areas together with the screenie) and the action is mostly small monsters with a few bigger ones towards the end. It's not particularly that good, but there isn't much else to play this week. Cyber Wolf by Carmen Bellinger 128kb - doom2.exe - SP - Now here's an interesting one. Take 3 cyberdemons, put them in a Wolfenstein-esque map 31, add a BFG, a megasphere and scatter plenty of cell packs throughout the corridors. You now have this map, where your mission is simply to kill the terrible trio (whereupon the map will exit, but in ZDoom only). It's an interesting challenge (particularly for the demo people) but probably won't appeal to that many outside the Hell Revealed fan club. No Hope for Life Epsiode II: FATE (Demo) by Andy Leaver 128kb - doom2.exe - SP - A two-map demo for the aforementioned episode. As with the original episode, the theme is tech, the detail is good and it's fairly easy, although with some bigger monsters around there are some tricky moments. It is of course the beginning of the wad, so expect it to get harder throughout when the full thing is released. Not bad.

Despite a 3-day break and a temporary deluge of ZDaemon activity, newstuff is here once again! It's deathmatch overload this week with no fewer than 36 (!) of them. There's a few single player maps too plus a touch of Heretic, humour and those ever-popular weapons mods. 54 maps in all, so get playing: Beejay's DooM 2 Deathmatch Party by Beejay 267kb - doom2.exe - DM - A big bunch of 14 maps. There's some nice-looking areas in here, together with two good skys and many themes to boot. However it's littered with stuff everywhere you go. Weapons, ammo, health, armour, powerups you name it. This will affect the gameplay of the maps despite some interesting layouts. It also requires a high number of players to work properly. Hide and Seek by Bob Polmanter 43kb - doom2.exe - DM - A large modern map with a somewhat odd layout. Based around a huge outdoor area, this map 15 replacement has any amounts of passages branching off, rooms full of stuff and nooks/crannies to hide in. Hiding is the theme as the title suggests, and there's invisibility powerups scattered everywhere to enhance this. It would make an interesting final fight against some super-duper boss monster, but as a deathmatch it simply won't work (unless you have 16 players, in which case it could be interesting). Frag_you by David Davidson (Driller) 15kb - doom.exe - DM - A small tech map with a somewhat odd layout. 3 teleporters lead to the middle on one side, with two passages on the other side. It's cramped, pillars get in the way awkwardly and the layout is such that the flow wouldn't work at all. In short, a bit of a mess. Impy1 by Deathx88 309kb - JDoom - SP - One must wonder how this even got into the archive, as it's just E1 stuffed with a ton of imps, ammo and a different starting spot. The only thing going for it is that it makes E1 reasonably challenging. Other than that, avoid. (especially if you're the compiler of the infamous wad list :p) Joe's Deathmatch (Joe's Wad) by Joe (duh) 27kb - doom2.exe - DM -

More happenings in newstuff then, as the new year gets moving. 24 wads with 15 maps await this week including a bunch of skins, patches and those increasingly popular weapons mods. The maps are mostly classic, so fans of source ports won't be interested much by this week's offerings. Day in Hell by Jimi 1800kb - JDoom - SP - A map which was missed by me last time round, and somehow ended up coming back to me after two consecutive reviewers missed it. Basically a small city set in hell, this map is dark, sinister and has the looks, atmosphere and an ambient tune to back it up. Unfortunately once again the issue of playability has been missed - it's virtually pitch red outside, and the missing sky texture makes it unplayable anyway (ah, the wonders of crappy 3D cards and/or whatever causes this strange bug on my system). The only source of weapons/ammo/health is a building on the far side, if you fail to find this first then don't even bother trying to fight. And the final battle is reliant on a powerup, which could easily be grabbed by accident in the battle that lies just before it. If you play it right it will be ok, if not then you'll hate it. 3dsonic skin by Cutmanmike 114kb - skin port - n/a - It looks like Cutmanmike has gone skin crazy, as here's a bunch of 4 from him. This first one is a Sonic one, and isn't too bad (although the status bar face looks familiar). Cactuar skin by Cutmanmike 26kb - skin port - n/a - This one turns you into a running cactus, but doesn't have many frames so it's not as detailed as the other skins. Still, it could be quite funny in deathmatch games. Cutmanmike skin by Cutmanmike 26kb - skin port - n/a - ZDoom forumers will be familiar with his avatar, so here's a skin version complete with the rest of the body. It's not bad actually. Racist skin by Cutmanmike 184kb - skin port - n/a - Not sure about the title, but this is a camouflaged soldier with a white cone on his head. Weird. The Revenge of BoomDoom by Cutmanmike 701kb - dehacked port - n/a - This is a dehacked patch that replaces all bullet puffs with explosions. Good for a bit of volatile fun, but watch out for the zombies. Caverns of Darkness patch for ZDoom by Christoph Oelckers (Graf Zahl) 859kb - ZDoom - SP - This is a patch that makes the aforementioned wad playable in ZDoom, for the XP users among us. DooM II - downgrade from v. 1.9 to v. 1.666 by FunDuke 2200kb - doom2.exe - n/a - This is the patch to downgrade from version 1.9 to 1.666. If you've got antique demos lying around or use soundblaster tunes and like 1.666's better than 1.9's (or if you collect stuff like this) then grab it. Secure Uranus by John A Warren 68kb - doom.exe - SP - This week's classic round-up starts with a small/medium base-style map. The layout has a lot of rooms and passages which aren't compulsory to visit, unless you want the 100% of course. It's not that hard, but watch the health if you play on fast monsters. Not bad, although it will probably appeal to classic fans only. Impzone by John A Warren 34kb - doom.exe - SP - Another base-ish map but split into two parts. Some of the necessary doors are hidden (no-no) but the layout isn't too bad apart from that. The gameplay is a bit better too, with a better density of monsters and a big trap to boot. Not bad. Impzone 2 by John A Warren 72kb - doom.exe - SP - A similar-styled map, but one with flaws. The start is broken (the hidden doors on the east and west sides of the sludge area should open), the layout is a little confusing and you might run short on ammo. Still it's got a good warehouse, and aside from potential ammo trouble the gameplay isn't bad either (particularly the imp flood). Vengeance by John A Warren 61kb - doom.exe - SP - A larger map revolving around a central area. The obscurity count goes up a bit more, with hidden necessary doors, obscure secrets and things that don't seem to work. There's a few mazy bits too, which will put some of you off. There's also a lot of different styles used, which doesn't really work in the same map imo. FRED_DM.WAD for MAP01 DOOM2 by Robert Wilson 39kb - doom2.exe - DM - A couple of old deathmatch maps now, starting with a big tall symmetrical affair. Most of the weapons are up top, there's a very powerful bfg secret down the bottom, and if you're playing with less than 12 people you're gonna find frags a bit far apart. In other words, it doesn't really work. TRISA.WAD for MAP01 DOOM2 by Robert Wilson 53kb - doom2.exe - DM - And neither does this one, thanks to an awkward layout that seems more single-player-like, spread out weapons and lots of tight areas. Meaning another long drawn out FFA match unless you've got 16 players. GJ_E1M2.WAD by George Jewell 60kb - doom.exe - SP - A Phobos-esque base with added teleporters. This one feels reasonably good, and the battles are a bit better than the other classic wads of this week. However there's still some trouble working out where to go next (especially to get the red key) and the teleporters can be a little confusing at times. Still, not a bad map anyway. DRDEATH1.WAD by Dr. Death of The X Organization (XoRg) 73kb - doom.exe - SP - It's largeness next, both in size and population as we enter....a base map. This one actually looks quite good by classic standards, and has one or two areas of note as well. There's an excess of ammo, but this map isn't about surviving on low ammo, it's about killing 351 monsters with possible health problems later on, given the distribution of it. The layout is a simple follow-the-way thing, and is mostly bright grey. Definitely worth a look. ESCAPE by Sebastian Kirke 60kb - doom.exe - SP - We round off the classic section with a neat little map set in some kind of small gothic fortress-type thing. It has machines, dining tables and panoramic views of the outside forest area. Detail is quite nice, and the author seems to have taken advantage of the small spaces to make it so. Gameplay is quite good too, with a tight ammo/health balance and variety of monsters. Definitely the best of the classic wads, despite the fact it's the smallest. Gravity Gun by Andrew Stine (Linguica) 53kb - ZDoom - SP - Back to the future now, with a rendition of the gravity gun from Half-Life 2. If you have a pc that isn't the best thing around haven't got HL2, it allows you to pick stuff up and throw it at monsters. It is quite amusing actually, and of course the scripting is first-rate, however it is map-bound and consequently of more limited use than a general weapon mod. A crappy weapon mod thats basically a skin with no special dehacked work! by Chronoteeth 196kb - source port - n/a - The title is no deceiver, as that's just what it is. Basically a rehash of the countless weapon mods out there (ie. ripped graphics) with a few funky sounds added. Hell on Cheese by Hobomaster22 185kb - doom2.exe - SP - A small-ish brick/sewer map that is pretty good looking and dark in places, too. However on skill 4 there is simply not the health or the ammo to survive, so play with god mode or break F9 (even if you chainsaw you won't make it, as all of the problem monsters are un-chainsawable). The second map is the original version of the first, and is a bit more playable, however there's still no health until after you need it. Under Neith by Owen Lloyd (SargeBaldy) 685kb - source port - SP - We finish this week with a large E1M2 map that uses one of the Nightmare texture sets. A big underground base with various rocky bits, tech bits and many a dark passage. There's plenty of nice detail, both in lighting and in realism, and the texturing changes many times to keep things interesting. Gameplay is interesting despite the limited monsters, and you'll have to punch and saw to keep things going. Without a doubt the map of the week.