UnknDoomer's corner of ultra silence - Short WAD Reviews / Longplays / Hints

[UnknDoomer]

186. Legacy of Rust (2024).

https://doomwiki.org/wiki/Legacy_of_Rust

Official wad, released on 8.08.24, a joint work of id Software, Nightdive Studios and MachineGames. Consists of 16 levels (2 secret), divided into two episodes.

Of the characteristic features, several can be noted. Formally, for the first time since Doom II, there are new types of enemies (however, compared to what could be seen in custom wads over the past years, they do not stand out) - two subspecies of lost souls, modified barons throwing fiery clots that cause damage over a small area, spiders equipped with machine guns. There are a couple of new weapons - a flamethrower replacing the plasma gun and something like a slower analogue of the BFG, shooting strictly horizontally.

There are references, ranging from a table with an unfinished game of cards to the use of textures that once appeared in the alpha version of the original Doom. In spirit and specificity, the wad is partly reminiscent of a combination of E4 from The Ultimate Doom and Sigil in the first episode, and E1M7 quite clearly refers to one of the classic maps, but overall the wad has its own spirit. The second episode may seem easier compared to the first, but only until the player gets to the final map - its passage on the Ultra-Violence difficulty will not be an easy task.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gs4xiboNB0s (video)

Settings and features:

* Official re-release on Steam, UV difficulty.
* Full completion will take ~ 6,5 hours.

Secret levels.

E1M2 -> E1M0. As a result of careful exploration of the map, you can find two switches. As a result, you can get the red key, which will subsequently allow you to go to the secret exit.
E2M3 -> E2M0. I personally could not find the exit, I used the console command map map16.

[UnknDoomer]

187. The Troopers' Playground (1996).

https://www.doomworld.com/idgames/level ... s-u/ttp-rp

An old wad included in the classic (created in the 2000s) list of "The Best 100 WADs of All Time", consisting of nine levels, in addition to which another one and a couple of maps for the deathmatch mode are also supplied. In general, this work does not stand out with anything special, except for the presence of a custom monster in the person of a soldier from Wolfenstein, disguised as a conditional friendly party member, although one can note the presence of well-presented, by the standards of 1996, design solutions and an interestingly built work of mechanisms.

At first glance, it is difficult to understand why the developers chose this wad, and not something from the galaxy of recognized classics, as well as, as far as can be judged in general, in some places there were also purely subjective preferences, but in this particular case it is enough to look at the Wikipedia page dedicated to the creator, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthias_Worch, and everything falls into place. Having started with custom levels for Doom and Quake, the author subsequently contributed to the creation of SiN (1998), Unreal 2 (2003) and a number of other projects.

It is worth noting separately that after its original release, the wad was not compatible with modern ports for a long time, until it received an update in 2016, carried out by a completely different person.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cFK-HEsHNA (video)

Settings and features:

* GzDoom 4.12.2, UV difficulty.
* Complete completion will take ~2 hours.

Pros:

+ M3 - "Simply Dead...".
+ M9 - "Deliverence?". A nicely reimagined boss fight from the original Doom II.

[UnknDoomer]

4. Lich's Fortress (2024).

https://www.doomworld.com/forum/topic/1 ... level-map/

A simple, straightforward map for Heretic, apparently the author's first attempt at mapping. You will have to fight ~ 60 enemies, led by 1 iron lich.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVbsM34KkA8 (video)

Settings and features:

* GzDoom 4.12.2, difficulty 4/5.
* Complete completion will take ~ 5 minutes.

[UnknDoomer]

1. Cave Halls (2024).

https://www.doomworld.com/forum/topic/1 ... ave-halls/

A rare guest - a single map for Hexen with an emphasis on dynamic action and a minimum number of puzzles. It does not stand out with anything special, but all the inherent, characteristic elements are in their place.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FUp4nLY-cA (video)

Settings and features:

* GzDoom 4.12.2, difficulty 4/5.
* Walpurgis 0.99.
* Complete completion takes ~ 40 minutes.

[UnknDoomer]

188. Into Sandy's Cities (2024).

https://www.doomworld.com/forum/topic/1 ... sens-maps/

A Wad of 32 levels (2 secret), presented by @GermanPeter, in its own way answering the question of how the fate of Doom II would have turned out if all the main participants had been busy with other projects, and the title itself had been entirely created with the participation of only one person - Sandy Peterson. The rest of the description of this work can be limited to the capacious phrase indicated in the original source - "... look and play like they're straight out of 1994.".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRNkh9WULBY (video)

Settings and features:

* GzDoom 4.12.2, UV difficulty.
* Complete completion will take ~ 4 hours.

Secret levels.

M15 -> M31. It seems to be quite difficult to open. Either I missed a segment or the trigger didn't work somewhere, but from a certain point it became impossible to access part of the level, I used noclip.
M31 -> M32.

Pros:

+ M8 - "Twists and Turns".
+ M18 - "The Colosseum".

[UnknDoomer]

189 (3). Three Is A Crows (2020 / 2023).

https://www.doomworld.com/forum/topic/1 ... n-idgames/

Wad reviewed and recorded at the request of RaRu Des2122, see the topic. Initially started as a project within NaNoWADMo 2019, later grew into something more. Wad of 32 (2 secret), quite original, levels. Each map in its own way plays with certain design features, as evidenced in particular by the description:

1. Unexpectedly long corridor.
2. A room with seven doors in one wall, and exactly one other exit.
3. Make the player feel sorry for an enemy.
4. A least seven arrow shapes that indicate the direction of something, at least one of which the player walks through.
5. 37 chaingunners in a single level! Precede their appearance with an image of the number 37... and include at least one other reference to the number 37 somewhere in the level.
6. A lift that you keep encountering, but ████ ██ ███ ███ ███ ███ ███.
7. approximate the feel of a store with a storekeeper from which you can buy things... but maybe ███ █████ █████ ██ ██ ████?!
8. Include a key whose location is very hard to find by chance... but for which there are multiple clues indicating where the player should look, scattered around the map.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoIrvoil18Y (video)

Settings and features:

* GzDoom 4.12.2, UV difficulty.
* A number of levels start with a forced start with a pistol.
* M15, M31, M32 and M16 had to be recorded a second time due to a glitch. Due to this, M15 starts with a pistol.
* It will take ~ 7,5 hours to complete.

Secret levels:

M15 -> M31. I managed to find the location of the secret exit, but I couldn't get to it. I used "noclip". M31, including on the first try, can be completed within 1 minute, ignoring all opponents. Otherwise, the secret maps are not particularly interesting.
M31 -> M32.

Pros:

+ M2 - "Empty Handed".
+ M4 - "The Mantle".
+ M5 - "Murder Machine".
+ M16 - "Risk Factor".
+ M19 - "Crossfire".
+ M27 - "Pushback".
+ M28 - "Reunion".

Contras:

- M29 - "Sheep Poison". I never liked maps, as well as segments in certain games, the mechanics of which are tied to constantly decreasing health. M29, perhaps partly claiming some originality, in fact collected all possible cliches of this kind of annoying solutions, in particular from dead ends and labyrinthine sections, to an overly hidden exit. After I got stuck in a room with constantly spawning monsters and found out that the real exit is at the other end of the map, which is quite difficult to get to, "noclip" and "god" came into play.

[UnknDoomer]

190. Cold Steel (2024).

https://www.doomworld.com/forum/topic/1 ... ty-mapset/

Quite an unusual wad, of 9 levels (1 secret, 1 slot went to the epilogue), in the context of the entourage and atmosphere, located somewhere in the middle between the works for Doom 64 and specific sketches, in particular in its interpretation of the classic plot of the Divine Comedy. The sounds were changed, 1 new monster + boss is provided.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaK_1ETK-Ko (video)

Settings and features:

* GzDoom 4.12.2, UV difficulty.
* Complete completion will take ~ 1,5 hours.

Pros:

+ M4 - "Mirrors".

Secret level.

M4 -> M31. You will need to find 4 switches and shoot them. 3 are only visible from a certain point and are located next to stone statues. Another one opens the gate in the first segment and is located in the section where you can climb up the square blocks.

[UnknDoomer]

40. Eviluation (2024).

https://www.doomworld.com/forum/topic/1 ... zdoom-wad/

A short map, that uses some of the GzDoom features and has nothing to do with the work of the TNT team. The action revolves around the following backstory - Doomguy has disappeared somewhere, while the demons have not gone anywhere and new candidates are needed to fight the monsters. The player will have to take the role of one of them and clear a certain sector to move on to the next stage of the tests.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKvkGwkxGhw (video)

Settings and features:

* GzDoom 4.12.2, UV difficulty.
* Complete playthrough will take ~ 8 minutes.

[UnknDoomer]

41. Drömmar (2024).

https://www.doomworld.com/forum/topic/1 ... on-dreams/

Wad, according to it's author, is based on dreams that he dreams. However, you shouldn't expect anything particularly surreal here - the specifics of what's happening will mostly be limited to the fact that the dumguy will be thrown into another segment of the level several times, when he, for example, tries to pick up a key, or that here and there you will encounter modified inclusions from some classic maps of the original two titles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rs1uuV517H4 (video)

Settings and features:

* GzDoom 4.12.2, UV difficulty.
* Complete playthrough will take ~ 20 minutes.

[UnknDoomer]

191. DemonHunter (2024).

https://www.doomworld.com/forum/topic/1 ... de-gzdoom/

A fairly standard Heretic wad with 9 levels (1 secret). Notable moments include a rare combination of elements from Hexen placed in the Heretic realm - although the matter is limited in this case, as usual, mainly to textures, there are also inclusions like the same mechanisms. Other features include 1 new monster, a storyline with short cutscenes, intermediate bosses that are enhanced, shadow copies of the original monsters.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExBvPvP1vkE (video)

Settings and features:

* GzDoom 4.12.2, difficulty 4/5.
* Samsara Reincarnation -> Eradicator -> Elena.
* Complete completion will take ~ 1 hour.

Secret level.

E1M6 -> E1M9. A level in the spirit of Wolfenstein. Due to a bug in the wada itself or the use of a modification, it was not possible to get to it - in one of the rooms I came across a barrier that does not remove, in other words, a softlock. After leaving the room, I examined the surroundings using noclip, but did not find any mechanisms that would affect the opening of the secret passage.

[UnknDoomer]

192. The Crossroads (2024).

https://www.doomworld.com/forum/topic/1 ... -released/

Overall, a straightforward and simple Hexen wad, consisting of a hub and several sublevels. No secrets, no puzzles per se. However, despite the given concept, it plays quite well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvgL_oxhJd8 (video)

Settings and features:

* GzDoom 4.12.2, difficulty 4/5.
* Walpurgis 0.99.
* Complete completion takes ~ 1 hour.

[UnknDoomer]

5, 6. Sunken Dungeon, Casa De Lava (2024).

https://www.doomworld.com/forum/topic/1 ... etic-maps/

Two maps for Heretic, occupying slots E1M6 and E1M7. Apart from the fact of a rare release of single maps of this kind, one can note an interesting combination of structure and style in the spirit of the "old school" with serious attention to detail, which, both in particular and in such a combination separately, is not often encountered nowadays. Some explanation for this phenomenon is the date of the author's registration on doomworld - ?.04.01, more than 23 years ago.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeExb4PmK5Y (video 1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ag0-mnnHa3U (video 2)

Settings and features:

* GzDoom 4.12.2, difficulty 4/5.
* Complete completion will take ~ 20 minutes.

[UnknDoomer]

193. Afternoon (2024).

https://www.doomworld.com/forum/topic/1 ... e-project/

Overall, a relatively standard, modern wad of 15 (1 secret) levels, presented by @Ludi, logically divided into two segments. The first is short and moderately simple maps. The second is tough skirmishes in small and large spaces. M13 stands out in the latter case, with the number of opponents approaching 4000. Otherwise, there is nothing special to say about this work, except for the fact that the maps have a rather peculiar name.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xA7_RNUB5w (video)

Settings and features:

* GzDoom 4.12.2, UV difficulty.
* A full walkthrough will take ~ 1,5 hours.

Secret level.

M14 -> M15. You need to find a hidden switch on the epilogue map.

[UnknDoomer]

194. Condemned (2024).

https://www.doomworld.com/forum/topic/1 ... n-idgames/

A wad for Heretic consisting of 8 levels (1 secret). There is a short story, one new, ultimate weapon, two types of custom monsters. The Wad works in conjunction with the Wayfarer's Tome modification and, judging by the prefix in the name, "ZDoom Heretic Episode", uses some of the features embedded in GzDoom.

Secret level.

M4 -> M8. The exit is behind the waterfall and opens, apparently, after reaching the main one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcoe6lp2R_Y (video)

Settings and features:

* GzDoom 4.12.2, difficulty UV.
* M8 has shadow monsters that cannot be killed completely.
* Complete completion will take ~ 1,5 hours.

[UnknDoomer]

195. Lines progress (2024).

https://www.doomworld.com/forum/topic/1 ... mplevel-9/

A wad of 32 levels (2 secret), built around the idea that each subsequent map is bigger than the previous one. The difficulty varies significantly as you progress. In particular, M29 and M30, which is generally not typical for Doom maps, are inferior in degree to a number of their predecessors. Numerous traps with the participation of archviles, cyberdemons and masterminds are included. By the way. Apparently, the combination of black and purple is an imperishable trend of recent years.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvuVG4VfrqM (video)

Settings and features:

* GzDoom 4.12.2, UV difficulty.
* Complete completion will take ~ 7 hours.

Secret levels.

M15 -> M31. In short, you will need to find a yellow skull.
M31 -> M32. Likewise.