Deimos: Slight Return [Release]

[ReX]

Deimos: Slight Return is a nine-map replacement for Episode 2 of The Ultimate DooM (DooM I). It resembles the original and is 100% vanilla-DooM compatible, but has more detail, has tougher gameplay, has some extra areas to explore, the logical progression in many maps has changed, and the access routes to many secrets have changed.

Screenshots

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Enjoy!

[Alvas]

lol This is fun! It's almost a prelude to The Shores of ZDoom. Great revamps

[JimmyJ]

I like the look of these screenshots, I will be downloading right away.

[ReX]

This is fun! ..... Great revamps

Thank you. I enjoyed making those maps. And although it may seem like heresy to say so on a ZDooM forum, I quite enjoy mapping for vanilla DooM. Heh.

[SamVision]

And although it may seem like heresy to say so on a ZDooM forum, I quite enjoy mapping for vanilla DooM. Heh.

What's wrong with vanilla Doom?

[ReX]

What's wrong with vanilla Doom?

Nothing. That was precisely my point. Otherwise, why would I bother with a full episode replacement for vanilla DooM? [My second full episode replacement for vanilla DooM, incidentally. Not counting a dozen or so other releases for vanilla DooM2.]

At any rate, my remark was intended to be tongue-in-cheek. People who are familiar with my work know that I am perfectly comfortable with both vanilla Doom editing as well as ZDooM editing. But then, perhaps your post was also intended to be tongue-in-cheek. In that case I just spent the past two minutes blathering on. Heh.

[-Ghost-]

This is pretty good from what I've played so far. My only gripe is that it feels like there are a lot of cacodemons early on when you've only got a shotgun, but it wasn't that big a deal.

[PFL]

Another one? Busy fall. Well, let's Rex all the way to Christmas ))))))))))

[ReX]

..... when you've only got a shotgun...

I take it that you didn't find the (relatively easy-to-find) chaingun secret in E2M1?

The chaingun is found in a non-secret area near the start of E2M2.

[-Ghost-]

I may have, I honestly can't remember. Like I said it's not a big deal. I think Brutal Doom made me like fighting the weaker enemies cause they're easier to gib.

[Blue Shadow]

I just finished playing this on ultra-violence and it is a very good map set overall. However, there are a few things I'd like to mention:

• Some places are a little too dark to actually see through.
• I'm usually a cautious player but somewhere in the middle of the episode, health got a little bit scarce.
• A couple more rockets and energy cells between now and then won't hurt, IMO.
• On one or more occasions, I had to fight a baron of hell in a tight corridor.
• A thing that annoyed me is that maybe 90% of the times I find powerful weapons or ammo for those said weapons, I end up using what little ammo I've just got on a baron(s) of hell (sometimes accompanied by other monsters) right afterward.
• Another thing that annoyed me is the monster teleporting lines, i.e., somewhere in E2M6, I found a rocket launcher. Once I picked it up, a "door" nearby opened. It turned out that there is a baron of hell behind said door waiting for me. On sight, I fired a rocket at it and I missed because, for no apparent reason, it just teleported away before it got hit by the rocket.

When it comes to texturing, I'm probably the last person who you would want to hear nitpicking about, but there is an instance (maybe more) where there is a "splitter texture" that didn't look good in context with what it's splitting, i.e., a "DOORSTOP" texture between "GSTONE" textures.

---

I know that the base is supposed to be under a "demonic influence" and such but still.

One last thing, I'm totally agreeing on what Enjay said on DRD Team forum about the fact that the player is controlling the battle in the last level. As it's now it's very easy. Maybe you could make the monsters teleport in the "arena" instead.

[NovaDragon]

Just finished playing through this episode and it was a nice little bit of nostalgia.
I really am not that much of a fan of episode 2 to begin with but I must admit this was a pretty nice tuneup
to the original episode. Having influence from episode 2 alot of areas were recognizable but still highly
different and I liked that. Secrets were also generally in the same area but often times much more difficult to get.
The challenge was good. I got threatened several times (think in the middle of the episode as Blue Shadow mentioned)
due to little health but never succumbed at all.

The final level was a nice touch fighting 3 cybs but still seemed easy. Probably because the area is large enough you can
cause them to infight for one and two you can often take them out one at a time without being ganged by a second.
There should also be a little more health in the final level because had it not been for the secret, there pretty much would have
been 4 medkits overall and you use those for the hit-scanners.

I enjoyed this thoroughly and would like to see a remake of episode 3 and 4 eventually as well. Thanks for the fun 2 hours
and looking forward to seeing more from you *9 out of 10.

[wildweasel]

While I haven't played terribly far into this yet (only finished the first two levels and haven't started the third), I must thank you for expanding the E2M2 cratemaze. I don't know why I love cratemazes so much, but you've done well with this one.

[Enjay]

I must thank you for expanding the E2M2 cratemaze. I don't know why I love cratemazes so much, but you've done well with this one.

Agreed. I like the way the expanded crate maze plays out here.

As an aside, I once made a map that consisted of nothing other than the E2M2 crate maze copied something like 6 times (sometimes with a bit of flipping or rotating) with a key in each area to provide both a bit of logic and to let you know you had explored that area fully before going in to the next copy.

[ReX]

I just finished playing this on ultra-violence and it is a very good map set overall.

Many thanks for the compliments.

Some places are a little too dark to actually see through.

Yes, I agree that some areas are quite dark. I deliverately set out to make the game darker than the original E2, and perhaps I may have gone a little overboard. When I play on my gamma settings, however, the game is manageable even in vanilla DooM. In ZDooM or GZDooM the lighting appears to be a little brighter than I had intended.

I'm usually a cautious player but somewhere in the middle of the episode, health got a little bit scarce.

This was something that I tried to pay attention to, and was trying to create a health/ammo/armor balance similar to the original E2, where I always felt I was on the edge of collapse. I agree that at UV the balance is a very fine one, and that a mistake can result in damage. I repeatedly play-tested each level, which I designed for pistol starts, and tweaked the health to be "just right". However, I probably didn't factor in my intimate knowledge of each map, and perhaps this has made the game unnecessarily difficult. Let me go back and play Maps E2M3 through E2M6 to test out the health balance.

A couple more rockets and energy cells between now and then won't hurt, IMO.

Agreed. I tend to be very stingy with the higher end ammo. If I do an updated version I will heed your advice.

On one or more occasions, I had to fight a baron of hell in a tight corridor.

You are correct. You'll agree, however, that I usually give the player a back-door escape (or at least enough armaments to dispatch the enemy at close quarters).

A thing that annoyed me is that maybe 90% of the times I find powerful weapons or ammo for those said weapons, I end up using what little ammo I've just got on a baron(s) of hell (sometimes accompanied by other monsters) right afterward.

Correct, again. [But see my response above to having more rockets or cells.] The reason I did this is that E2 often required the player to battle barons with little heavy weaponry, and the player had to rely on shotgun/chaingun attacks. However, I also recognize that Deimos: Slight Return ramps up the difficulty considerably, and it could get annoying to fight multiple barons with just shotguns and chainguns.

Another thing that annoyed me is the monster teleporting lines, i.e., somewhere in E2M6, I found a rocket launcher. Once I picked it up, a "door" nearby opened. It turned out that there is a baron of hell behind said door waiting for me. On sight, I fired a rocket at it and I missed because, for no apparent reason, it just teleported away before it got hit by the rocket.

The reason I did that is to box the player in (which you've already mentioned above). If the baron doesn't teleport, the player can easily escape around the corner and fight from a safe distance.

When it comes to texturing, I'm probably the last person who you would want to hear nitpicking about, but there is an instance (maybe more) where there is a "splitter texture" that didn't look good in context with what it's splitting, i.e., a "DOORSTOP" texture between "GSTONE" textures.

---

I know that the base is supposed to be under a "demonic influence" and such but still.

On this, I'd have to cite "creative license". I realize that my texturing choices are sometimes questioned, but for some strange reason those choices seem fine (even appealing) to me. In the instance of using DOORSTOP, you'll see that I have used it throughout the game. I did so because it looked right to me.

One last thing, I'm totally agreeing on what Enjay said on DRD Team forum about the fact that the player is controlling the battle in the last level. As it's now it's very easy. Maybe you could make the monsters teleport in the "arena" instead.

Do you mean that all the monsters should begin teleporting into the arena after the fourth switch has been pressed? Let me look at the feasibility of that scenario.

...nice little bit of nostalgia..... this was a pretty nice tuneup to the original episode.... alot of areas were recognizable but still highly different and I liked that.... Secrets were also generally in the same area but often times much more difficult to get..... The challenge was good....

You've hit the nail on all the features I was aspiring to accomplish with the game. Thanks.

The final level was a nice touch fighting 3 cybs but still seemed easy. Probably because the area is large enough you can cause them to infight for one and two you can often take them out one at a time without being ganged by a second.

On the other hand, the map progression allows the player to choose not to allow in-fighting. [Incidentally, I tested the ammo availability with no infighting, just to make sure that there would be enough to kill all cyberdemons.] At any rate, let me think about Enjay's, Blue Shadow's, and your suggestion about the final battle.

There should also be a little more health in the final level because had it not been for the secret, there pretty much would have been 4 medkits overall and you use those for the hit-scanners.

Perhaps you're right. When I tested the map, however, I rarely had any problems with my level of health. If I redo the game I'll add in more health. [You have to admit, though, that the secret is very easy to find.]

I enjoyed this thoroughly and would like to see a remake of episode 3 and 4 eventually as well. Thanks for the fun 2 hours and looking forward to seeing more from you *9 out of 10.

Again, thanks for your encouragement.

While I haven't played terribly far into this yet (only finished the first two levels and haven't started the third), I must thank you for expanding the E2M2 cratemaze. I don't know why I love cratemazes so much, but you've done well with this one.

Thanks. I believe what I was primarily going for was (1) to create a similar start area to the original E2M2, but with a twist; and (2) to create little "detours" into the crates without causing the player to get hopelessly confused. I think that the original E2M2 is the perfect model for crate mazes, and I'm glad you think I did a good job.