With a name like "Some DM 1", the map may give the impression that it's only an average or run-of-the-mill experience when it comes to deathmatch play. Don't let the name fool you though, there's much more than meets the eye when this level is put to the test. The creator of this map, Cyb, is a prolific and talented wad author with an eye for good design and Some DM 1 is pretty representative of his ability; uncharacteristically however, the map suffers from one potentially fatal design feature. This will be explained with greater detail later on in this review. Visually, Some DM 1 sports nice architecture that helps to bring the map alive. The rocky fort theme fits the design very well; the stone hallways feel solid and powerful, and this atmosphere is enhanced by the huge metallic beams running through the roof. The lighting isn't exactly extravagant, but this is ok considering that most of the map is exposed to a gloomy daytime sky. Use of the original Doom's episode 1 sky fits the rest of the map seamlessly, and adds more to the impression one gets from an old abandoned fort. Texture alignment was dead on, and I have not been able to find any misalignments to date.File name: somedm01.wad Author: Cyb Map Size: Small Map Summary: A regular old DM map for you to play. No port specific enhancements...[but] you should use at least Boom. (Excerpted from somedm01.txt)
This rocky interior just oozes atmosphere.
As for the map layout, its simplicity is what makes it such a fantastic level to play in. The author used a time-honored yet simple technique of building an arena in the middle, then connecting outlying hallways that encircle the middle. Even in a one on one game, the flow was excellent. Movement from one area to another is fast, with ample room to dodge and evade attacks from your opponents. You can lock yourself in brutal super shotgun combat with foes in the middle of the map. Or, if you are of the more devious persuasion, there are outer windows facing the center that you can snipe from. There are even shotguns sitting conveniently on the ledges, so you won't have to travel far to get a decent "poking" weapon.
Mountains in the distance show through the cold grey sky.
Weapon placement is generally well done. There's a good mix of bullet weapons lying around nearby, which are just right considering the flow of the map; the fast and uninterrupted nature of the gameplay almost demands that instant hit weapons be used. The author also included a plasma gun that is very easy to get. Players are not punished whatsoever for getting such an effective weapon, which leads almost indefinitely to abuse. One consolation though is that since moving around the map is so fast, the plasma gun's effectiveness is reduced greatly; there aren't many places to pin opponents, which means less of those cheap plasma spray kills. The one massive flaw that this map suffers from however stems from the two BFGs that are present on the map. Having two BFGs on a map is a little excessive, but the author at least tried to compensate for this by locking them behind large silver crates. To get to one of them, a player is required to hit a switch in one area that will lower the crate around the BFG. He would then have to hot foot it over to the BFG before the crate comes up around it again, sealing it for the next player to try their luck.
The silver crates in this level hide your keys to victory.
While this is barely enough to rationalize the presence of two absurdly powerful weapons on a single level, there is an unintentional bug in the map that lets players bypass this process *completely*. The reason I called this bug "potentially" fatal is that only people using jump-enabled ports like Legacy and Zdoom can exploit it - Boom/MBF/SMMU users won't have to worry about other players using it to their advantage. If jumping is enabled, simply walk up to the side of the silver crate, making sure to face the box's exit switch (these switches are normally intended to release players who are trapped in the box while getting the BFG). Then, jump up, and in the middle of your jump, hit the "open" key. For some reason, Doom acknowledges the command and lets you open the box from the "outside", giving you free access to the BFG. When everybody in the LAN game I was playing in found out about this trick, the game went straight to hell in a wastebasket; I don't think I've seen so many big green BFG shots sailing through the air in my life, ever. Needless to say, this trick makes it easy for anyone to thoroughly abuse the damn thing. Having said all that, I walked away from this map with some mixed feelings. Weird BFG tricks aside, Some DM 1 is a very good deathmatch map at its core. Because of this unintentional bug however, it might be easy for other people to spoil what would otherwise be a fun and balanced game. If you plan on playing this map on a port that supports jumping, do everyone a favor and turn it off. You'll have a hell of a lot more fun that way, I guarantee it.
Review by Razorback
The Doom DM Resource Recommends:Get Some DM 1 from Cyb's Page.2-4 Players If you're using a jump-enabled port, turn jumping off Play over Doomserv Highly recommended with the ZCajun Bot