This week in doom - week ending February 7, 2016 (doom date 22.8093)

Well, faithful followers of "This week in Doom", here we are in the year 2016. As I have been doing for the majority of the history of Doom's existence, I will continue to bring you new doom wads, new reviews, updated news and much more. This particular page is my modest attempt to keep you abreast of all the current goings on in the Doom community - new Doom wads, new Doom 3 maps, updates on projects, Doom engines and more. Enjoy and Keep on Dooming!

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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: 02.07.16

Id did a truly great job when they made Doom, as 22 years later it's still one of the most fun games to play. If there ever were a need for proof, the vast mapping community that is still very active is more than enough proof of that. Little of that would be possible without the invention and commonization of the internet, as well as well-run websites for fans to gather. Today, we have a pretty good number of websites that all serve the community in their own way, from source ports' websites to editing tools' websites, places to upload Wads and places to review them, and even general forums for chat.

Doom Wad Station is one such site that has been serving the Doom community for 17 years now. It's creator, Bob Larkin, was inspired by Romero's decision to make new maps and has decided to get back into mapping as well after an over 10-year-long break. The first map of what might become a series is already done! It's called "Claustrophobia" and can be found here: http://www.doomwadstation.net/Cphobia/

This level was made for The Ultimate Doom iWad and runs in most ports, including Vanilla! It was made for the E1M1 mapslot.

This is a fairly short level, coming in with 28 enemies, but it had its tough spots! I found the level to be MUCH easier in a port which allows for lighting to be cast off of the torches and such, such as the dynamic lighting found in GzDoom, Risen 3D, and such. This level is a good amount of fun to play through and is so quick it can easily be done on a coffee break. Great job here, Bob; I look forward to M2!

Let's now jump into /idgames!

This week we have an astonishing nine (9) new wads coming into the archives!

Up first is "Tramplak" by KJS; found here: http://www.doomwadstation.net/idgames/doom2/Ports/s-u/tramplak.zip

The text file says no advanced engine is needed, but also says it was tested only in zDoom... so I used zDoom. Run it with the Doom 2 iWad. Turns out there are textures on the floor/etc. so yep, zDoom it up. Still, this was actually a pretty cool little map. Somewhat high monster count at a little over 100, but it went pretty quick as many monsters were in one trap. There were some neat things done here; my only gripes were some misaligned textures that really should have been fixed with a tiny bit more time from the author and some other little things (like a couple support columns that could be walked through to reveal HoM's), but aside from that this was a nice little map. Give this one a go!

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Up next is a wad called "Nevasca" by Deadwing and can be found here: http://www.doomwadstation.net/idgames/doom2/Ports/m-o/nevasca.zip

This Episode One-replacement runs in zDoom with the Doom 2 iWad. Deadwing did a great job on this mapset! I really like the custom assets that he used and his minimalist style of detailing. Lotta cool-looking spots in here and from what I played this is a fun set of nine maps. Oh, and there's a freezegun; rejoice! Try this wad out today!

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Our third wad of the week is titled "Village DeathMatch" by IMMODIUZ; find it here:

http://www.doomwadstation.net/idgames/doom2/deathmatch/Ports/v-z/vildm.zip

There's something special about that door on the far left, but there's no way to know without looking at the map.

This DM wad runs in GzDoom and Zandronum under the Doom 2 iWad. It also showcases some really bad DM habits. The BFG is hidden in a well, only reachable through jumping from the ground/possibly running off a building. There is only one way to get on top of the buildings, which is a "use"-able door that looks exactly like the rest of the doors, so that's basically something that only the author is gonna know about/be able to exploit. And to top it all off everything is flat land surrounded in a giant wall for no real reason, save the one guy who figures out the door-teleport and camps the roofs. I wouldn't DM on this map.

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In the fourth slot is a map titled "Debrecen" by HUNdebLeonidasX and can be found here:

http://www.doomwadstation.net/idgames/doom2/Ports/d-f/dbcen.zip

This map runs in GzDoom and probably zDoom as well. Text file states that it does have 3D floors though, so that cuts out a good amount of ports right there. Run this thing with Doom 2. You know, this was a fun city map. The author did a pretty good job with it and despite the actual ground being flat there was still a decent amount of height variation thrown in here. There were definitely some flaws in this map, such as some of the mid-textures bleeding through a few floors, but the good certainly outweighed the bad! It was pretty-looking for the most part and fun to boot. Give this one a try if you like good, realisticly-styled maps!

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Next is a couple of maps titled the "Same Linedef Challenge Example" but Royal_Sir which can be found here: http://www.doomwadstation.net/idgames/doom2/Ports/s-u/slce.zip

This wad requires Boom and the Doom 2 iWad. These two maps has a cool palette, but also had some screwed up skies with HoM's in them. There were more visual errors in this map than in the previous ones, but the two maps in this wad were still fun to play. Give 'em a go.

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Following that is a map called "Trick or Treat?" by Federico Milesi (aka MrFroz); find it here:

http://www.doomwadstation.net/idgames/doom2/Ports/v-z/ztricky.zip

All it says is it was only tested in zDoom with the Doom 2 iWad. This level was really just okay. Some cool effects in here, but I didn't even finish this map because of the section with the water and having to run through it multiple times while being slowed down by the water. It just got boring very fast for me. Whatever. This map was otherwise okay.

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"Savior" is a map uploaded by Zack aka.DeF1LeR and is found here:

http://www.doomwadstation.net/idgames/doom2/s-u/savior.zip

Apparently no advanced engine is needed, but it won't run with vanilla versions. So whatever that means; says it was tested in GzDoom with the Doom 2 iWad. This map was not good. Still, keep trying, dude, and maybe next time spend more than a pitiful hour on your map.

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In the eigth slot for the week is a map called "Outpost HW" by Topi Hattukangas, which can be found here: http://www.doomwadstation.net/idgames/doom/Ports/m-o/outhw.zip

This map runs in the E1M1 slot of the Doom iWad and only says it was tested in GzDoom. This wad was okay, being about average in terms of gameplay and aesthetics. I also noticed Topi's last wad, "Big Circular Room with Cybie," was present in this map as well. Lol at that, but there were a couple changes made to that map when it was added to this, which is nice. Namely no SM, heh. Good job here, Topi; keep practicing!

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"Voldesad Crypt (e2m2)" by Richy Walsh is our last wad this week for /idgames; find it here:

http://www.doomwadstation.net/idgames/doom/Ports/v-z/volcrypt.zip

This wad was tested in GzDoom with the Doom iWad; mapslot E2M2. There were some really cool effects thrown in here! I loved the lights at the very end of the map, though there were some other cool lighting effects elsewhere. This map wasn't the most beautiful thing, but it was definitely worth a shot. Give it a chance when you can!

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Brutal Doom has a a few new screenshots up demonstrating its new light system for candles and torches. Check them out at its FaceBook page here: https://www.facebook.com/BrutalDoom

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One Man Doom has 1 new review up. It's about the Ultimate Doom, following last week's article on the first Doom. It's really an interesting read and I always enjoy KMX's insightful comments on the Wads he reviews. Read KMX E XII's full review here:

http://onemandoom.blogspot.com/2016/02/the-ultimate-doom-doomwad.html

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Wads In Progress has a few changes going on; let's check 'em out!

First up, "Lich Haven" by Saiyan_G has received an update. I'm not sure what, but it's back up top again so I assume that means it's been updated somehow. That's cool to see, because I think that the screenshots look interesting!

Deadwing put up two new WIP's. One is called "Nevasca," which was released to /idgames this week. The second WIP up from Deadwing (and last this week for the WIP page) is called "Revclipse: Eclipse Revisted." I'm not gonna lie, that title let me down. After reading the first word I thought it was gonna be Eclipse, but with tons of revenants... but I guess this is good, too. "Eclipse" didn't get many great reviews on /idgames, so the author decided to revamp some of the levels. The screenshots look okay; check it and these other two out today!
Then see what else they got! http://wadsinprogress.info/?a=listwads&game=&status=&mode=
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There's another blog on Doomsday over on their site. It's called (and about) "Designing a New Home" (screen UI). It's cool to read about how ports are developed and the thought processes of the designers. It also sounds like the new Home screen UI will streamline a few things and just flat-out make other things easier. Steps in the right direction, I say; keep up the awesome work, gentlemen! Doomsday is a lot of fun to play with!

Check the blog here:
http://dengine.net/blog/2016/02/designing-a-new-home/
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I saw a video on YouTube of King Dime speed-running Plutonia; upon further investigation I found a faster run from Dime coming in at 26:46 and I gotta say it was a pretty darn cool watch, despite being a bit old now, heh. Great job with the run, Dime; I look forward to seeing more! Check it out here: https://youtu.be/qG8F5yaTRwE

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Nothing new for Doom 3 this week.

Thank you all for your support and let's keep the Doom community alive and thriving for another 22 (or hundred) years together! Cheers 'til next time.