threshold of pain (author unknown)

Filename: psxthreshold.zip can also be found at Kaiser's homepage

File size: 61k

Author: unknown, converted by Kaiser

Homepage: unknown

Other work: unknown

As I don't have a Playstation or PSX Doom, I don't know how good the conversion
is at all, and I am just reviewing this map as if it is any other.

The construction of this map (which runs on map29) is not bad; it starts off
in wide tunnels at first, then these tunnels lead up outside. There are parts
in which it is very obtuse, and being forced to go around in circles is not a
good way to play. There's not a fantastic amount of detail there (as you can
see from the shots). The map is quite well planned; you can see that it probably
made a good sketch on a bit of paper somewhere from its general shape.
There are worse ways to build maps, but there are better ways too.

The gameplay, again, is not bad. There is a good supply of hellknights populating
the level, which make it a bit of a challenge but not fantastically hard. I advise
playing in DOOM2.EXE so that the painelementals can't throw out lost souls at you
while you fight. There is a totally unnecessary light-amp which makes the map
look even uglier than it is when you get it (see below.) The map really isn't
that clear or explanatory!



Errors: none.

The æsthetics are probably the weakest aspect of this map. The texturing is
allright when you're underground, but ye gods it's ugly when you go up above!
The extreme difference in light-levels doesn't help this either. There is
enough grimy green stone above to double the export of a minor country,
and to double opticians' customer numbers (it's so ugly that people go
blind by looking at it.) It is a very wide map. There is a lot of
unnecessary width in the rooms where there are fewer monsters, which
shows lack of adequate planning on the original designer's part.

The things are placed very unevenly; there are parts in which there are hardly
any things at all, and then you find them all huddled together somewhere as if
they're afraid of something....

verdict