*. Fusion of Realities (2016 / 2019).
https://www.moddb.com/mods/doom-64-fusi ... doom-64-ex
A little-known wad that began its history in 2016, at a time when the release of any creations in the Doom 64 theme, on the one hand, was a rare occurrence, and on the other, as a rule, the matter was limited to single maps. FoR version 0.2 was something similar at the time of publication on iddqd. I tried to run version 1.02, released three years later and consisting of 10 maps. The name is justified by a small plot plot:
Doomguy got too far. After the death of the Motherdemon the great Demon Lord Marbas decided to stop the main hero by putting him into the illusion created by memories of the past. Now you must relive all those brutal battles mixed together like in a bad dream.
Settings and features:
* DOOM64 Super EX+ V1.0.0.6 / DOOM64 EX+ 3.6.5.8. In its original form, the wad is tied to the original EX port and has not been really tested by anyone on its modern variations. Testing on both variations was unsuccessful - the game crashes on startup.
Therefore, FoR remains to be skipped for now and moved on.
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148. Ethereal Breakdown (2022).
https://www.doomworld.com/forum/topic/1 ... s-out-now/
Screenshots:
https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachme ... ng.297636/
https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachme ... ng.297637/
https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachme ... ng.297638/
https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachme ... ng.297706/
https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachme ... ng.297727/
https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachme ... ng.297728/
https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachme ... ng.297776/
https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachme ... ng.297777/
https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachme ... ng.297817/
https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachme ... ng.297857/
https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachme ... ng.297863/
https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachme ... ng.297864/
Wad of 31 levels (taking into account the fact that some are occupied by the introduction or credits), of which 3 are bonus. From the hub 27 are initially available, while access to “Blood Temple” is initially blocked, which, apparently, is a bug. Noclip won't help here. because the teleport doesn’t work either, you need to enter the code “idclev21”, which will move you to level number 21. And enter it not in the console, but simply on the keyboard. In addition it is worth keeping in mind that if some artifacts have already been collected by this moment, they will disappear - you must either complete the level before collecting them, or save the game in a separate slot for the purpose of a purely separate visit.
EB is the collective work of several authors who came together to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the original game by releasing something iconic. Looking ahead, I’ll note that the initiative was a success. There is a background:
The Mother Demon was slain... you laugh as you think about it so long ago; how you thought it was the end. You laugh as you think about how far you were from the truth, and how far you've come now. Hell is no more... Where are you? The last thing you remember was a violent collapse, the head had swallowed it's tail... You look around, but there is nothing, just laughter... Suddenly, you laugh so hard your abdomen bursts, and a blinding light bursts forth, absorbing you and nothing else in it's wake. You're covered in gross sludge, and wipe yourself down. You clean your visor to find yourself inside a fountain. Wherever you are, it's somewhere strange. Outside creation itself; yet within it at the same time. Amidst your confusion, you can feel something evil lurking amok. Now you know why you're here. There's one last demon who's escaped. A powerful one, a master of minds. What was it your commanding officer said all those years back? "The brain is the next battlefield." Yes, this wretched mastermind needs to be utterly destroyed. This is why you were put here. To venture forth through all of creation, and hunt for the power to stop this beast. The Creator uses many things for a greater purpose; it seems that you're real fun to work with.
The three parts of your soul, Spirit, Mind, and Nous have been scattered throughout the universe and your memories. Find them and slay the best which torments you!
The style, structure of the maps, as well as the time required to complete them, varies significantly. From typical, but intricate, tech. bases and huge fortresses to the first levels of Wolfenstein 3D and Duke Nukem 3D, fog-filled locations, an ice arena, somewhere in another world and pure, otherworldly surrealism. Levels can be visited repeatedly, the main task is to find three artifacts.
Settings and features:
* DOOM64 Super EX+ V1.0.0.6, difficulty "I Own Doom!".
* Levels can be completed in any order.
* Because the central hub is used, collected weapons are not saved.
* If before exiting the level you enter the code “noclip” in the console, ~, then you will not return to the hub and you will be able to see the following image:
https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachme ... ng.297778/
* Complete completion requires ~11 hours.
* I didn’t find a way to directly get to the bonus levels, so the commands “idclev2”, “idclev3” and “idclev4” were used.
Artifacts.
I counted the numbering of levels from right to left, if we take it from the initially blocked central passage, starting from the level in the style of Wolfenstein.
1. The first artifact, without any problems, can be found on M4, "Switchless". Hidden in one column.
2. The second one is on M9, "Dark Retrospect", where you need to press the switch in the room in front of the cave with teleporters, and then quickly run into the second one in order to pick up the artifact before the wall near one of the platforms closes.
https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachme ... ng.297729/
3. Third on M13, "Castle of the Damned". Quite not easy. First you need to find a small room and press the switch in it - the artifact will drop into the dungeon. Having reached it at the end, you will need to press the switch - the artifact will move to the starting point. Returning to it, you will notice a small hint - a white texture. By going back and going around the nearest rooms in the mansion, you will find a similar background behind a candle - you need to shoot at it, then go back again and click on the portrait. You can finally pick up the artifact and head out of the level through the gate. Artifacts can also apparently be found on other maps, but in my opinion, these three are the easiest to find.
Pros:
+ The Ethereal Breakdown compilation is probably one of the three best megawads for Doom 64 ever created, along with Community Chest 64 and The UnMaking, as well as one of those in general, if we talk about the global top, including Doom I / II, Heretic, Hexen.
+ Variety of styles.
+ "Frostwave".
+ "Hollywood Holocaust". The first level from Duke Nukem 3D, transferred without any special changes to the reality of Doom 64.
+ "Death Gate".
+ "Castle of the Damned". The name speaks for itself. You have to explore a gloomy castle full of secrets, where occult research by the owner of parallel worlds did not end well, and paintings like Alone in the Dark (1992) can come to life... Among the shortcomings, can note the finale of the level, where, having a low HP reserve, passing the trap system without cheat codes actually becomes impossible, and with 100 units in stock you can still die from one shot.
+ "Visions of Hostility". A good map in a technogenic style, not overloaded with unnecessary elements.
+ "Living Walls". Interesting combination of color palette.
+ "Templum Mortis". A tomb with many ingenious traps and a pile of enemies. There will be two protracted battles in the arenas. In the case of the final one, three bosses are applied in succession.
+ "Override". A good example of branched technogenic corridors.
+ "The Mephitic Aqueduct". "Arena" type location. Structurally, it is one of the most interesting, at the same time, the easiest in the context of passing due to the excess of cartridges and items. Here, in one place, there are 3 artifacts at the same time, but I haven’t figured out how to pick them up.
+ "Blood Temple". A gloomy temple, lost somewhere in the caves.
++ "Consumitur Insania". The final level, combining several aspects at once. Platform elements, interesting puzzles, traps, battles both regular and in arenas. At the end, a protracted battle and a colorful boss awaits.
+ "Deja Vu". The map, which begins as another variation on the theme of the original E1M1, turns into a long journey through a mixture of man-made bases and demonic inclusions. Other familiar elements will also appear. Among the shortcomings, a certain repetition can be noted - in the final, once again, you have to fight four bosses. If you do not use items very wisely, without knowing this feature, as well as if you miss the secret with artifacts, then the battle promises to drag on. As a result, I entered the cheat code "god".
The fragment with puzzles was not included in the video due to recording problems, so I will describe it briefly here. You need to solve several puzzles while avoiding unkillable ghosts. In particular, run under the presses, from catching missiles, and also, in another place, to the switch. Walk correctly on the tiles to avoid activating the trap. Consistently, but quickly, block the mother of demons on four sides so that you can activate the next plate with symbols.
Not far from the gate that leads to the exit from the level you can see the inscription “Exit” in a column, blocked at the time of the finale. If you return to the level again, it will be open, the exit returns to the hub and, apparently, does not affect anything.
Contras:
- "Haunted Eye". Wandering in the dark looking for switches, unkillable ghost monsters and not the most logical puzzle with platforms make this map rather tedious rather than interesting.
- "Map Not Found". A map consisting entirely of references to the Internet phenomenon "behind the scenes". What in theory may sound interesting to one degree or another, in practice sometimes turns into a protracted wandering with the question “where to go next?” - finding the right portal often turns out to be quite problematic and in this regard the map is conceptually inferior to clearly more interesting solutions, like the ones I considered in the surrealist cycle.
- "Residence of Evil". An attempt to implement a potentially iconic level in the style of the first part of RE1 turns out to be a complete failure due to the unknown reason for the changed control scheme - it is almost impossible to pass the map in this form. After a couple of attempts I gave up and moved on.
- "Ring of Fire". Another arena, another battle with waves of opponents. The map does not stand out in any way from the others presented in the selection, incl. two other bonus ones, one of which occupies the same niche. The only difference here is that the degree of hardcore here is significantly increased - a shortage of ammunition and a protracted battle with opponents cannot be avoided, and in the end you still have to dodge homing projectiles for quite a long time. In a word, it may be of interest only to those who have not had time to get tired of this kind of activity, incl. time to complete the main content.
