This week in doom - week ending November 29, 2015 (doom date 21.8024)

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.....

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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: 11.29.15

This Week in Doom: 11.29.15

It's funny how gaming has changed over the last 20 years. Games back then were designed to have more lethal environmental hazards where the player was his own worst enemy. Nowadays, we get upset when we fall into an inescapable pit, fail a one-time deal, or reach an instant-death scenario. But at the same time, with control-schemes being better, players being more fluid, and less own-worst-enemy scenarios maps have been ramping up the difficulty in other areas. Areas like thing placement (monsters, items and health) have become less forgiving over time. Maybe it's just that nowadays player are expected to be able to not only skip a baron, but to also be too impatient to kill one unless it's absolutely necessary whereas back in the 90's a baron was a more threatening presence. Perhaps it's that assumption on a player's skill level that has led to such a change in styles of mapping. Though this trend is also present on other games. For example, when's the last time you fell into an inescapable pit in Gears of War? More and more we expect those little impassible lines and safety nets to be there if death means more than five seconds of replaying the same thing.

There is an interesting thread about catwalk maps on the DoomWorld forums here: https://www.doomworld.com/vb/post/1528742

After a great last couple weeks in Doom my hopes are high for another awesome week. From a quick scan of /idgames this week I can safely say that two wads I was excited about on the forums made their way over to /idgames. That's sweet! Then again, now I gotta do some more forum searching... heh. But first, let's hit up /idgames and see what kind of goodies we'll find this week!

Up first on /idgames is a troll-wad... It's called "Azumanga Daioh Doom" by racingman3000 and is found here: http://www.doomwadstation.net/idgames/doom2/Ports/a-c/azumanga.zip
Doom2\Ports\A-C





As with most troll-wads, this one is a giant waste of time and highly annoying, aside from the funny song the guy with the glasses sang. So I'm just gonna leave it at that. Run it in zDoom or better under the Doom 2 iWad.

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In the second slot we have a wad coming in titled "Knee-Deep in the Money: Episode 3" by Canofbacon & Calmperson, found here: http://www.doomwadstation.net/idgames/doom2/Ports/j-l/kdim03.zip

Doom2\Ports\J-l





This wad was made for zDoom and runs with the Doom 2 iWad... I'm just gonna say that I hope this joke wad was totally a joke wad because there were some disturbing, hidden messages in here. Aside from that, on the more overt side of things, it seems the author had some problems with a few websites and copyright issues and whatnot. That part and a couple others were pretty funny in a juvenile sense, which is fine with me because I'm pretty easily entertained anyway. Still, some decent scripting in here.

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Following that is a mod by RaphaelMode called "MRAndom sprite replacements" which can be found here: http://www.doomwadstation.net/idgames/doom2/p-r/rm_mrand.zip

Doom2\P-R

This wad runs with a DEHACKED lump, but can be run in Vanilla. It runs with the Doom 2 iWad under map slots 11 and 12.



This wad was just okay. It had a politcal story to it, which I could do without. On the other hand, I did like the sprite replacement for the green armor, as well as the armor and health bonuses and a couple of the encounters in the map were genuinely fun.

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Fourth, we have a wad called "The Grand Arising 1.1" by Zeratul 982 / Lutarez here: http://www.doomwadstation.net/idgames/doom2/Ports/g-i/helix11.zip

Doom2\Ports\G-I

I assume this wad runs with limit-removing ports, though the text file doesn't say... It runs with the Doom 2 iWad.



Ah, finally a map worth writing about! An average map in terms of aesthetics, this map was fun to play. It also had some pretty cool looking spots...



I liked the way the main area of the map opened up as I progressed and I felt like the general progression of this thing was pretty nice. Give this one a download.

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Up next is a wad by Gustavo6046 called "Castle Library - Castle Dasböurg Bonus."

Eh. Pretty basic map, but hey, at least they're getting better. Just keep at it and one day...

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Sixth is a full episode replacement plus one for Heretic! It's called "The Realm of Parthoris - 2015" by various authors, headed by Egregor. Find it here: http://www.doomwadstation.net/idgames/heretic/Ports/rop_2015.zip

Heretic\Ports

Wow, what a fun set of maps to play! Despite being from a mixed bag of nuts, these maps were beautifly detailed for the most part and tons of fun to play.



The mappers did a great job here balancing out what enemies went where and what kinds of supplies were to be found. I really liked some of the secrets in these maps as well, both in their design and in some cases, how they looked. Nice to see secret areas that also look cool. Speaking of which, there were some really beautiful outside areas in this map set!



I love how the mappers here detailed their creations. I really wish I could go on and on with the screenshots but if these aren't enough to convince you, then I don't know what is; this wad is great and worth a download!

These maps run in a limit-removing port such as Boom, though the text file only states that they were tested in zDoom, so I'd go with that. So what are you waiting for?! Get over to /idgames and check it out right away!

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In lucky number seven we have a megawad coming in called "NOVA II: NEW DAWN" by another mob of madmen, this time headed by Dobu Gabu Maru. You can find it here: http://www.doomwadstation.net/idgames/doom2/Ports/megawads/nova2.zip

Doom2\Ports\Megawads

This megawad is made for any limit-removing port and runs in the Doom 2 iWad.



NOVA is a project that aims to "give new mappers a chance to flex their mapping muscles and develop their abilities with the help of veteran mappers." That's a really cool concept for a megawad and this megawad has a great team of veterans on it, too.



Being from a mixed bunch, this megawad has some okay maps and some astonishing maps. I could go on for days about how beautiful a good chunk of these maps were, but I'll just say that these screenshots you see were whittled down from about 30 and that's just the spots that looked awesome, never mind all the other cool detail-work put in! To match with the beauty of these maps, the chunk that I played through was a lot of fun. With so many maps and mappers, the gameplay (and everything else) varried from map to map, but for stuff like this that's to be expected and welcomed. Variety is a spice of life and this fantastic megawad does not fail to deliver on that.

This megawad is definitely worth a shot and if you happen to run across a map you don't like, don't worry, there are fantastic maps throughout, so a great one will be coming soon... Give these awesome maps a shot today!

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Next up is another map from Gustavo6046 called "UAC's Deep Quarry" and can be found here: http://www.doomwadstation.net/idgames/doom2/s-u/uacqry2.zip

Doom2\S-U



I will say, they are getting a bit better, but oh my God that music made me want to cut my ears off. It's got a more obscure meter to it than most of the experimental/off-the-beaten-path jazz songs you can get your hands on. My best advice to newer mappers is to pick out a few mappers from different categories, such as gameplay, level design, mechanics, and detailing, then try to focus on what it is that makes their work so great. From a gameplay standpoint, how do they make the monsters work with the environment and each other; how do they make the player work with the environment, the monsters and their supplies? Focus on what makes each monster tick and play, play, play as many wads as you can to study what makes Doom fun, both for you and for the average player. The more you play and read what others write, the more you'll understand the average player as well. From a detailing standpoint, what makes areas beautiful? Note the importance of POV (point-of-view). That will also aid with screenshotting. Note also the importance of an attention to the little things throughout a map. When I play many of these maps I am in such awe of how beautiful many mappers make their maps that I take notes for myself to use later. Look at the concepts of what makes something beautiful rather than trying to simply recreate what you've seen. Mix some dull, neutral colored walls with some eye-popping trim/detail-work and it looks really good. Especially when you accentuate it with lighting to make the colors brighter and pop out more while the neutral colors are darker and more interesting. Also, spend more than one day on a map. Spend a couple weeks, or a couple months. Really make sure that every square foot of the thing looks good, with a few spots that look so awesome you just have to screenshot them. Then focus on making the gameplay fun to play through. Research what others think about gameplay elements and try to create some really interesting encounters with the Doom monsters; they're a great bunch, so I know you can do it! Just keep on mapping...

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Our last submission this week is called "Violence" by Brayden "AD_79" Hart, found here: http://www.doomwadstation.net/idgames/doom2/Ports/v-z/violence.zip

Doom2\Ports\V-Z



This wad runs in Boom format (.OGG support needed) under the Doom 2 iWad.

So, many mappers ask for maps on their birthdays, AD_79, on the other hand, decides to give out maps for his birthday. What a novel concept! Heh, I joke, but seriously happy belated birthday AD! I'm a fan of your maps and wish you all the best!



What can I even say about these four maps? The new color palette is awesome to look at and the detail-work in these maps is something to be admired. I loved the shootable switches. The general progression of these maps was fantastic as well; from the guns to the enemies. Thing placement in general was nicely done and the traps had teeth, but were still fair. Not much else to say aside from that I absolutely loved these maps and you should download them and check 'em out right away!

The maps these last few weeks should be enough to keep any Doom'er busy for months! Lotta fantastic stuff coming out of the community and I for one am greatful to be able to enjoy these things. Thanks to all the mappers that released stuff this week for their hard work and to those who have set the foundation for such great maps to be possible today!

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Checking the DoomWorld forums we have a map by Pinchy called "The Powerhouse" which can be found here: https://www.doomworld.com/vb/wads-mods/84870-jim-jimmy-jim-jim-jimmy-jim-jim-jimmm-jimroo-i-made-this-cool-map-just-for-you-ou/

This map was made in celebration of Jimmy's birthday; Happy Birthday Jimmy! Jimmy makes some sweet music and for those who haven't played The Adventures of Square, what are you waiting on?!



Pinchy did a great job with this little map and I'd highly recommend it to anyone! Run it in Boom or better under the Doom 2 iWad.

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A look over at the zDoom forums gives us a glimpse of a map that I've been looking forward to for a little while now. It's called "Warp House" by Ed C. and can be found here: http://forum.zdoom.org/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=49089

Some people may remember Ed from his previous map, "Smothered Hope;" if you don't, it's a map that I thoroughly enjoyed and I'd recommend it to any fan of the iWads! As for "Warp House," it's looking like we won't get to see it by the end of the year, but hopefully we'll see it early in the new year!



Warp house will run in GzDoom with the Doom 2 iWad. Ed is using only stock textures to make this thing, but his use of them is proof that you do not need fancy new textures to make something truely beautiful.



From the hints so far, I can only infer that this wad will be a little trippy at times and other-worldly at others, which I think will lead to an awesome experience that will be a sure-fire nominee for a Cacoward next year! Keep a big eye on this!

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Sergeant Mark IV has put up a post on his Facebook stating that a Brutal Hexen is coming after v20b is released. He also stated that a Brutal Heretic is possible, so all 4 other Heretic fans unite and ask for a Brutal Heretic!

Check the page here: https://www.facebook.com/BrutalDoom

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A glance over at One Man Doom yields 3 cool reviews:

First is a review about "Abyssal Speedmapping Session 3" which was headed by Obsidian. Read KMX E XII's full review here: http://onemandoom.blogspot.com/2015/11/abyssal-speedmapping-session-3.html#more



The Abyssal Speedmapping Sessions have become a staple in the Doom community, for good reason. Check out the review and then look into these awesome maps today!

Up next is a review for a map titled "Big Woodchip" by Phobus. Read the awesome review here: http://onemandoom.blogspot.com/2015/11/big-woodchip-phwdch3wad.html#more



Phobus is an awesome mapper who produces maps that are consistently great-looking and fun to play. Read the review then try this map out!

Last is a review for the most extreme weapon pack ever created.



The mod was made by Doggo120 and is called "Extreme Weapon Pack (pi edition)" Read the review here: http://onemandoom.blogspot.com/2015/11/extreme-weapon-pack-ewpackwad.html#more



This mod was a lot of fun to play with. Each weapon is its own surpirse. Get on over to One Man Doom and read KMX's full review on all of these sweet wads!

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At Realm667, Tormentor667 put up a nice review of the Skulldash Community Expansion Pack. If you've gotten the chance to play Skulldash, you know it's an awesome mod that's all about speedrunning. If you haven't played it, it's a ton of fun and the difficulty settings are well used, so don't worry if speedrunning ain't your thing; you'll still have tons of fun.



Skulldash's Community Expansion Pack project has already had many awesome-looking maps submitted, but there is still room for some more. If you enjoyed Skulldash this is your chance to get in on some of the fun of creating your own map for it. But first, head on over to Realm667 and check out Tormentor's review!
http://realm667.com/index.php/en/community-news-4545/1756-skulldash-expansion

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"Nova 2" is hot off the grill and already has its own thread in the speedrunning section of the DoomWorld forums. Check out some of these awesome demos here: https://www.doomworld.com/vb/doom-speed-demos/84858-nova-2-demos-complevel-2/

It's awesome to see so many great demos coming in for something so new! Keep them sweet things rolling in guys!

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No news this week for Doom 3. More time for Doom 2, then!

That's it for another week for the Doom community. Great job to everyone who worked on keeping the Doom spirit alive up to this point! Let's keep it going for another 20 (or 100) years! Also, Happy Birthday to both AD_79 and Jimmy! I hope y'all each have/had a great time! Take care and God bless!