Took me a while to play the mapset myself, mainly 'cause I had to sort out a HDD crash among other IRL finagles, but
wow.
It's hard to say exactly why I quite like the mapset, 'cause half of it feels like spoiling what happens as the player goes further in the set. It gets a bit
funny, I'll say. I can't really clippost the same way I would in the HDest Discord here (where I go more in-depth about what I think), so for here I suppose I'll first start to mention how gorgeous the architecture can be. Yes, the layouts are remixes of familiar vanilla maps sometimes, but the way they're recontexted be it in both Doom Redux and Warmup here really stuns me at times. Really glad that there's zero mandatory secrets, too, even if it takes a bit of learning to figure out how to use the retscans/PCs.
Lots of interactibles in the first map alone, like the wall cabinets that seems to be randomized per-run, the aforementioned retical scanners that can be used in multiple ways, the typewriter where you can make saves with, the list goes on. It made me wonder if that's why the full versions never came to be. The thought of extending the sheer amount there to some of the more... deviating maps would be quite the tall order. The unfinished nature starts to hit once I hit the "chapel", the ambush not going off even after crossing the linedef. But still, even just exploring the rest of the empty corridors and rooms got me saying "that looks way past cool" every now and then.
I appreciate that combat isn't toothless, but it can be a bit too mean at times. I mentioned it before in my
HDest mapping not-to-dos, something like "HDest's mechanics ain't an excuse to put nothing but low level mooks for the entire mapset", but it's also hard to agree when a trap suddenly pops 2 hellknights at nigh-point-blank range. I got lucky 'cause I ran outside when I thought the computer raised the bridge, but I can see some players not getting the same courtesy when balefire starts covering their faces. Did like needing to avoid the lasers, atleast.
I suppose on the bright side, OP has specifically mentioned that the textures and stuff are fine to use. I imagine other mappers might be able to, if not take the mantle, then atleast create something that's aesthetically similar in the future. Whether or not it may be enjoyed in HDest as well is an entirely different ballpark, but that's a follow up quiz for when the main question is answered. Thanks for releasing this to the public, in any case.
