this week
in doom is my attempt at keeping you abreast of all the goings on in
the DOOM community and, as you will notice, a busy community it is. It's
difficult to believe that after 20 plus years this game's community is still as
active as it is but, of course, ID Software has helped by releasing Doom 3
10 years ago (or thereabouts) and is now in the process of the new DOOM game
(sometime in Q2, 2016?). Can't wait to see the beta shareware, or whatever
it's going to be.....
Thanks to "Fonze" for taking up the mantle of
responsibility for TWID and doing the research and writing up TWID for us.
Also, Thanks to you, the reader(s), and Community, which have kept Doom
alive and relevant for all these years. And, thanks to ID Software, without
whom, all this could not be possible. Keep on Dooming!
This Week in Doom: 11.15.15
Doom was ground-breaking back in the 90's. While most people would not
say the same for it today, mappers and their maps have been getting
better over time. I suppose part of it could be the newer, easier way to
do things in the editors, as well as the limit-removing capabilities of
many source ports and advanced features of zDoom-based ports, but I
think that most of it comes from the precedent set by the maps that came
before. More and more, mappers try to break new ground and while many
succeed, only a few really pull it off and make something truly great.
Even maps that do not strive to break new ground have gotten so much
better over time. Many mappers make scenery that is just gorgeous to
look at, let alone bloody-up with the corpses of demons from Hell. The
mechanics of map-making has also gotten so far advanced that anything is
possible with the right mind behind the work and we are fortunate to
have many of those minds with us today in the Doom community. It's truly
a great time to play Doom with all of the talented mappers we have
nowadays, plus the combined works of all of the talented mappers of
yesterday!
Funny as it may be, after a couple weeks without that much happening in
the Doom community, here comes a big week. This week we have 6 new
submissions coming in to the archives and while that doesn't sound like
a lot, I can assure you that it'll keep you busy for a while.
This map runs in zDoom under the Doom 2 iWad, though it is best run in
GzDoom for many reasons... just trust me on this.
This is a massive map that contains many, many puzzles. At first I
wasn't sure what to think, as most of the map is covered in massively
mono-textured walls, but to be honest, the more time I spent on it, the
more I enjoyed it. It had some really cool puzzles and some really cool
effects, like this teleport:
Still, despite the walls, there were a lot of really cool-looking spots.
I think screenshots and the first five minutes don't do this map
justice. One bad thing about this map, in my opinion, was the sound
effects. It's like the author just switched 'em around and it's not for
the best.
I wish I had more time to spend on this map. It seems like it'd be just
a ton of fun to play all the way through. Give this map a try when you
get the chance!
This megawad was made fore Boom format with the Doom 2 iWad.
Now, before you go running off all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, know
that this megawad was made with speedrunning in mind. Actually, maybe
you should run...
Most of the maps are small, which is nice, but expect to spend a few
hours here, as they certainly are not easy! Add to that the pressure of
trying to speedrun them yourself and you may never finish 'em, heh.
All-in-all, this megawad was just a ton of fun to play and I will be
keeping it for quite some time. Maybe one day I'll finish a demo for
each level. As it is, I tried many levels, but I did best on MAP02.
Wasn't my fastest run, but at least I got to the exit door. I got hung
up on a corner right there at the end, though, so call it an epic fail,
heh.
"Lightbearer" was a first map at some point and in many ways still seems
a bit that way. Still, it's a short map, so I played through it and I
had fun.
The author says it was designed to be speedrun-friendly and after
attempting that last set of maps and getting my mind into it, I can
kinda see it here, too, though this map was much easier and more simple
than the last set. Still, at 60 monsters and being Vanilla-compatible,
why not give it a shot?
This map is Vanilla-compatible and runs in the Doom 2 iWad. Give it a
quick go.
This map runs in Boom format (not zDoom-based ports!) under the Doom 2
iWad.
Invasions maps are maps where you face hordes of monsters that come in
waves. Kinda like Horde mode in Gears of War or that zombie thing
everyone seems to like so much. Doom takes Horde mode in very well and
it just feels right when you play a map as well-done as this.
I love the way this map was made; it's a pretty map with tons of dynamic
architecture and is also great fun to play! Give this one a go with a
few friends today! Or strap-on your boots and plunge in head first by
yourself!
The first map in this wad was put out in 2012 for the First-Try Demo
Contest #8. Both are pretty darn big, pretty darn beautiful, and tons of
fun to play through. I can't imagine the frustration of those who
participated in the contest that failed; I get angry when I have to
repeat 15 minutes worth of gameplay.
Not much else to say here, aside from saying once again that these maps
were awesome and more fun than a barrel of monkeys. Get to it!
The last map we have coming in this week was just used recently on the
First-Try Demo Contest #16 (held on Oct. 31, 2015)! That means it's
fresh and new, and boy was it just as good as the last. This map is
called "The Last Sanctuary" and is found here:
http://www.doomwadstation.net/idgames/doom2/Ports/s-u/tls.zip
Oh man I just love this map. It's a massive beast with almost 1,000
monsters, but boy is it non-stop fun. It's also really beautiful. Even
the new PLAYPAL (color pallettes) is just great. What really stuck out
to me was the beautiful blues of it.
Perhaps one of the best maps I've ever played, this is one of those maps
that makes you say, "I think I may have found my new favorite mapper,"
or something maybe a bit more reasonable like, "I need to watch out for
this guy's next map." If this map doesn't get a few votes for the
Cacowards this year, I will be surprised. Though I must say, the
gameplay has been altered slightly to give players a bit more of a edge;
stuff like a faster firing pistol and a quicker weapon-switch, which I
assume was done to aid players participating in a First-Try Demo
Contest.
This map did not work for me in zDoom (though it seemed implied that it
did), but that's a minor issue as it was designed for (demos) Boom
format. It runs in the Doom 2 iWad. This was my favorite map this week!
Give it a go and make it yours!
Wow, what a fantastic week for the Doom community! Great job to assm0,
franckFRAG, JCD, Memfis, Roxas, and Cybermind; y'all produced many maps
for the Doom community to really sink their teeth into this week and I
personally thank each of you for eating up what has become 4 nights of
my week playing through these beauties! I wish I had another month just
for the maps this week.
Over on the Doomworld forums, there are a few more gems to be had:
Marnetmar put up an interesting (joke) wad called "Doomguy Shoots at
Clouds" which does not need any screenshots because, well, there's
nothing to see. Basically just open it in your wad of choice and go to
town. I decided to see how far the insanity goes and loaded up different
iWads, all to the same effect (it works). I then loaded up Ultimate
Doom, which for me also means Simpson Doom, also with the same effect. I
was pretty happy to see it take precedence over the Simpsons' sprites. I
then loaded up Heretic... but this time it didn't work. Not surprised
about that one, but can't blame a guy for hoping, lol. Unfortunately for
this wad there is one (somewhat major) pitfall: the weapons are not
selectable, so it's basically broken. Still, one bug in a sea of
hilarity isn't so bad. Hopefully Marnetmar fixes that soon, but until
then you can still give it a shot and see what it's all about. Check the
thread here:
https://www.doomworld.com/vb/wads-mods/84691-doomguy-shoots-at-clouds/
This map was another one of those just awesome-looking maps that is also
good fun to play. The kind that makes you want to attempt a demo...
Here's my blind, failed FDA, up to the red door: ***INSERT TOXFONZ1.LMP
HERE*** I know y'all can do better than me, so let's see some good ones!
Yep, franckFRAG is having a good week... and so are the rest of us for
it. I love seeing maps like this because they spark my interest and make
me want to see what's around each corner. I also really liked how the
map was laid-out, with plenty of pressure from every angle just about
through-out the map. Once you start to clear things, well, things clear
up. But that doesn't mean they always stay clear...
This beauty of a map was designed to be run in Boom format with the Doom
2 iWad. Check it out asap!
This is one of those times that your head spins with questions of how
that is possible in Doom. Doomero is really pushing the bounderies on
this one. I am just about speechless on this, so all I can say is just
watch the video and keep a big eye on this!
There's a cool-looking Hexen DM mapset coming out soon over on the
Zandronum site. It's still a WIP, but the screenshots look like some
sweet places to kill a friend or five.
The name of this wad is "Hexecution" by Decay, however more may join the
project soon.
Unfortunately there's not much more I can say about it, as I do not own
Hexen, but I bet that many people will enjoy these maps. Decay has a
good knowledge of both DM levels in general and good balancing of those
levels. So grab a friend and give 'em a go right away!
Skulldash is such a great wad; an absolute beauty to play and a
speedrunners paradise. It runs in Zandronum with the Doom 2 iWad. If you
still haven't played this megawad yet and need more convincing, read KMX
E XII's awesome review and get hooked today!
There's a new post in the blog of the Doomsday team, talking about some
more upcoming changes to their webspace. Seems like they got a good plan
to put into action; check the blog here:
http://dengine.net/blog/2015/11/consolidation/
"No Rest for the Living" is one of my favorite additions to the iWads
and regarding it as part of them now, I'd rate it as my second-favorite
iWad, right behind TNT: Evilution. Scanning the DoomWorld demos section,
I found a thread with demos for "NRftL." There's a brand-new demo from
Cyberdemon531 of a Tyson run on MAP04, "Hell Mountain" in 25:24. That's
awesome dude! To be honest, I hadn't thought of trying to get that wad
out of the Xbox game, but now that I know I feel I must. Thank God I
went with Xbox years ago... lol.
Back on topic, check Cyber's demo, as well as the rest of the really
cool ones posted up, here:
Doom 3 is quiet, yet again. Maybe it's just trying to be scary; waiting
until we don't suspect a thing and then pouncing upon us like a leopard.
Or maybe that's just the sauce talkin'. Either way, get back to Doom 2
and record some demos this week!
Thanks to everybody in the community for their constant hard work and
dedication; take care!
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