"Never in the history of dooming has so much quality been made from so many lindefs by so few." - Winston Churchill, on playing KDiZD.
I just completed my second play through of the release version. Sure, I've spotted some minor things that could be improved (eg lost souls that spawn behind a blocking line (which were put there to fix an older bug)) but these are nitpicks, nothing actually breaks the game and overall the quality is top notch and comparable, even exceeding that of a commercial release. Compare this to most WAD releases - where you can almost always find a missing textures and misalignments by the dozen when you start looking. Seriously, these maps are a cut above the rest. They look good from every angle and everything seems to be thought out and then thought out over again. Other maps seem plain and dull in comparison.
The gameplay is superb - totally Doom but taking it to another level. Every fight is enjoyable IMO.
Zdoom effects have been used intelligently, well and often in subtle ways so that they almost go unnoticed - despite the claims of some people. Scripting is used intelligently to make the levels far more interactive than normal levels and the heaviest scritping has been kept for enhancing what the engine normally does rather than interfere with the gameplay. The intermap is, quite simply, a masterpiece.
Detail is for the most part realistic - the real world is far more detailed that a typical Doom map and the detail in KDiZD generally looks believable and doesn't usually interfere with gameplay. Obviously care has been taken to make sure that the detailing doesn't interfere with the play.
The new monsters are great and are very much needed in a mapset of this size. Imagine playing this through with only Ep1 monsters to battle.
To me, this feels exactly like it was supposed to: What id would produce if they were in some strange technology anomaly where in 2007, rather than making Doom3, they used Zdoom to make a new Doom game. To me it is 100% spot on.
Do I have any gripes? Well yes, a big one. There isn't enough of it. After my bug testing plays from the last couple of weeks and now the final release, I want more. I want to send away and get the next 2 episodes, just like I did in December '93. Will there be an Ep2 and 3 (even 4)? Who knows? Right now, it seems like too much to hope for, but I will keep hoping and I will keep playing KDiZD.
Oh, and one day, I plan on figuring out how to get to map10 without cheating. I think I must get to it from Z1M7, but I've left that map with 100% secrets and, as far as I can tell, explored every area in the map yet I haven't got to Z1M10. Must... go... back... and ... look... again...
So, from me, a big thank-you to the team. This is a major and magnificent work. I know it took a lot of blood sweat, tears and heartache to get it done. It was worth it, and then some.
