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The /newstuff Chronicles #205
Classic Doom - Posted by AndrewB
- 27 Comments
Boo and welcome to a scary Halloween edition of The /newstuff Chronicles. This
week we are cursed with 11 blood-curdling WADs and a total of 34
glow-in-the-dark levels. There is no real theme for this week's cacklingly
normal collection. We have a little bit everything, ranging from bat-ugly to
cauldron colorful to disembowelingly unplayable. Try not to vomit violently
during this week's collection, because, well, this is Halloween and that's what
tends to happen to people. Right? Oh, I'm not putting one over anyone with this
tedious monologue. We all know that every week is Halloween on The /newstuff
Chronicles.
- Phobos
by Matt Cibulas
125kb - ZDoom, Skulltag, Legacy - Doom 2 - SP, Coop, DM We
start with a very simple skin replacement. This looks just like the regular
Doom marine, but the color scheme of his uniform is changed to a clashing
green/orange ensemble. He also has some demon-like sounds.
- Tandl
by Cecelia
269kb - ZDoom - Doom 2 - SP, Coop, DM I don't
mean to let anyone down, but this WAD will appeal to a very specific group of
people. What group that is, I don't know. This WAD contains, among other
things, a red sky texture and roughly two dozen versions of this red sky with
lightning bolts. Essentially, you will occasionally see the sky flash and hear
thunder rumble every once in a while. Lightning enthusiasts should be dressing
down for this one.
- SargeBaldy Speedmapping Compilation #13
by Various Authors
420kb - Doom 2 - SP - 14 maps -
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- As the title clearly explains, we have a fairly large
collection of single-player maps, all supposedly created in less than two
hours. The theme of this WAD is essentially "dungeons and monster
traps." Because it is made by 14 different people, it varies greatly in
detail, balance, and size. The maps range from small to medium in size, easy
to extremely difficult in difficulty, and from infrared to ultraviolet in
color. Most of the maps are playable, and almost all of them are impressive
for 100 minutes of construction time. This is another treat for anyone who
loves to see map-makers suffer.
- The
Smashing Deathmatch Wad by PumpkinSmasher
197kb - Enhanced Port - Doom 2 - DM - 3 maps -
- These are three fairly normal, medium-sized deathmatch maps.
There is no one identifiable theme to these maps, but they do have some common
characteristics. They are all unrestricted, "doorless" maps. They
also have a fairly high level in detail, but this is mostly in decoration.
Also, they all lack BFGs, and use plasma rifles as the central weapon. One of
the maps has a theme of "dark," where you can see the glow of the
sky but hardly anything else. This would make for an interesting, if not
frustrating deathmatch.
- Sure
Shot by Lee Szymanski
30kb - The Darkening Textures - Doom 2 - DM - 1 map -
- From a co-creator of The Darkening Episode 2 comes a small
deathmatch map running on MAP25. Compared to what you might expect from a
Darkening-style map, this is fairly normal. It is a slick, quickly-navigable
map that is completely open; that is, there aren't any movement-constricting
doors. It has a lot of height variations and is very "ledgy." The
weapon of dominance is the plasma rifle. And just like any other map from The
Darkening, it has a fairly high level of detail. Ideally, this map is suited
for 2 to 6 players. Remember that this WAD depends on textures from The
Darkening Episode 2 to display properly.
- Usp .45 Tactical
by Luiz Eduardo
33kb - Heretic A weapon from Counter-Strike is
finally made available in Heretic. If you like pistols in Heretic, then you'll
like this.
- The Marbelous Three
by Jan Engelhardt
292kb - Enhanced Port - Doom 2 - SP - 1 map -
- This is a medium-sized single-player map for Doom 2, MAP19. It
is a combination of tech base and marble. The level is generally easy to
medium in difficulty, with all skill levels implemented. The enemies are small
to medium-large, and the medium-powered weapons are provided. This map stands
out a bit in its amount of detail. Obviously a lot of work has been put into
this, with the author estimating 300 hours of work. However, this seems a bit
out of place for a map that takes maybe ten minutes to complete.
- Blackout
by Coen Blazer
291kb - Enhanced Port - Doom 2 - SP - 2 maps -
- They can be sparse at times, but they do trickle through. We
have two more interesting single-player maps, and they're built around a
facility theme. While the first map may not live up to its name that much, the
second map is very dark. It's not so dark that you can't see anything, but it
is consistently dark throughout the entire level. These two maps present an
above-average challenge. Ammo and health can be quite hard to find, but there
are some major-item secrets. In that sense, this may be a rare WAD that
actually compels the player to look for secrets, because it's pretty hard to
survive without them. Enemies vary from small to medium, and so do the
weapons. The level of detail in these maps is enough to satisfy and immerse,
but not so much that it's a waste of time. In addition, these maps contain
music from Rise of the Triad.
- Candles On The Ceiling
by CtrlAltDestroy
221kb - Doom 2 - SP - 2 maps -
- I should mention that even though this WAD technically has two
maps, its really two versions of the same map: One requires an enhanced DOOM
port (MAP01) and the other is doom2.exe friendly (MAP02). This map is fairly
large, very difficult, and it takes monster traps to the limit. There are lots
of big monsters and big weapons, but it can be very hard to keep your health
at an acceptable level. This level seems somewhat primitive, and it makes
strange use of textures, but it makes sense in a demonic sort of way. The
level itself is quite colorful, spans a great distance, and it also spans a
great height. Even if it's not easy to survive, it's an interesting map that
is different from the rest. One final note is that the editor Ade
2 was used in making this WAD, which implies that the author is some sort
of masochist.
- Oh
Noes by Lynxtor
226kb - ZDoom - Doom 2 - SP, Coop - 10 maps -
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- It seems that whenever a WAD is released this week, there is
some sort of catch. Indeed, these are ten single-player levels for Doom 2.
They are all small-medium in size, very squarish, very bright, and very
cramped. Ammo and health are fairly balanced, although a player can run out of
ammo if they warp to maps individually. The level of detail in these maps are
quite low, and therefore it looks like something out of 1995. It looks like
it, but it isn't. On the bright side, there are a handful of snappy music
replacements, and the levels have very special names.
- No Imp Left Behind
by Jan Engelhardt
89kb - Enhanced Port - Doom 2 - SP - 1 map -
- We all feel a little small sometimes, just like this sugary
little map. This small single-player level for Doom 2 is high in detail, with
a pleasant artistic glow, and a medium challenge. The theme is nameless, but
the map is quite colorful. It's just another hot little number to add to our
collections.
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