The DWmegawad Club plays: Congestion 1024

 

What is the DWmegawad Club?

This is a place where we settle down, have a cup of tea (or drink of your choice) and take a month to play through a megawad on our own, together! Any keen observations, criticisms, or frustrated ranting about it goes here in the discussion. As long as you want to say something about what you've played, feel free to speak your mind.

 

Can I join?

Sure. The only rule is that you have to play at least some of the levels in our monthly megawad to contribute, but you're generally encouraged to finish the whole thing, even if you've played it before.

 

What levels am I allowed to post about?

Whatever day of the month it is, is the upper limit for the map you can post on. So if it’s the 6th, you may discuss up to MAP06.

 

Do I have to post an entry every day?

Nope, not at all. This is only for our more enthusiastic members. As long as you play through it with us you’re part of the club.

 

When do we vote on the next month’s megawad?

Voting begins on the 25th of the current month. Remember to add one “+++” before your vote to make it easier to count. For example:

 

+++ Ultimate Doom

 

Note that you can only nominate up to three separate wads for a single month, and the wads must contain at least three maps each. The winning wad must receive at least four votes for a thread to be made. Ties will be decided by RNG.

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>>>DOWNLOAD CONGESTION 1024 HERE<<<

 

To close out 2019 we’re closing all doors and windows, forcing doomguy into a 1024x1024 playspace! For those not in the know, that means the whole playable level fits inside of a space smaller than the final room with the acid trenches in DOOM 2 MAP06! What creative contraptions can these mappers dream up in a space barely big enough to model a house in? Let’s find out!

 

Author & Maplist:

MAP01 - “Water Facility” by Hobomaster22

MAP02 - “Garden of the Descent” by Iori

MAP03 - “Dilapidation” by shitbag

MAP04 - “Outpost 1024” by The Flange Peddler

MAP05 - “Autumn in Hell” by shitbag

MAP06 - “Departure Point” by Hobomaster22

MAP07 - “Dead Small” by Szymanski

MAP08 - “A Jagged Stroll” by shitbag

MAP09 - “Monday Morning” by Psyren

MAP10 - “Gothika 1024” by shitbag

MAP11 - “Caco District” by Lutrov71

MAP12 - “Warehouse 667” by shitbag

MAP13 - “The Focus II” by DoomedAce

MAP14 - “House of Shadows” by Psyren

MAP15 - “Bantam” by Cyb

 

MAP31 - “Archvile Madness” by Jimi

MAP32 - “Nullspace Junior” by Russel Pearson

 

MAP16 - “Deja View” by Szymanski

MAP17 - “Omega Outpost” by Szymanski

MAP18 - “Tutorial #99” by Hobomaster22

MAP19 - “Lip Service” by Potgiesser

MAP20 - “Claustrophobic Sting” by The Flange Peddler

MAP21 - “Corpse Yard” by DoomedAce

MAP22 - “Prison Escape” by Jimi

MAP23 - “Close Quarters” by Job

MAP24 - “Zyklon B” by Stealthy Ivan

MAP25 - “Stein und Stahl” by Catsy

MAP26 - “Marbelous!” by The Flange Peddler

MAP27 - “Tower of Hades” by Cycloid

MAP28 - “A Bridge Too Far” by The Flange Peddler

MAP29 - “Magus” by Potgiesser

MAP30 - “Nullified Departure” by The Flange Peddler, Lutrov71

 

BONUS CONTENT

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kmxexii's review

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OLD THREADS

 

Edited May 8, 2023 by dobu gabu maru

Ahh, finally, a mapset that I really enjoyed, sadly I did not finish it, since I like to leave my playthroughs incomplete, but the Megawad Club is just a good excuse to finish with some wads.

1024.wad "Congestion 1024":

Here we have an entire Limit-removing adventure consisting on maps that are based on a really small grid, 1024x1024 map units to be exact. Did you just enjoy Tom Hall styled maps? did you enjoy Klie's maps from the Master Levels? well, this wad is just like that, but reduced to the extreme. Small square shaped maps fully compresed with cramped playthrough, let's see how the authors manage to make a good mapset out of this limitation.

MAP01 - "Water Facility" - Nick "Hobomaster22" Laurent (100%K/I/S):

A nice starting map which consists fully on a small courtyard with low tier enemies, nothing too hard even on UV. And already the 1024x1024 playfield rule was broken right at the secret door next to the starting area. which is some map units outside the boundaries of said playfield. But nothing to worry, it's nearly unnoticeable and we are talking about a secret. By the way, you can clip through said door and get the armor from outside, at least this could happen on PrBoom, don't know about other source ports. Nothing too hard.

MAP02 - "Garden of the descent" - Tremor "Iori" primmett (100%K/I/S):

Another short map taking place inside some kind of canyon, again, nothing too hard, here you are going to find a well placed sniper Revenant, that could make your climb to the top a little bit harder. There is also a HK, and a pretty cliché AV at the end with some demons, you can easily exit the level or hide behind the pretty well placed extended wall to your right, facing the exit. Nice looking map, but I couldn't manage to find my way to the Armor secret.

Deaths: 0

Maps in order of preference:

 

Good start, and I like this one features short maps, since I want to take this month to study for my finals a little bit more.

I will not participate this month , claustrophobic maps tend to bore me and I'm too lazy to write reviews for very short maps.

 

Map one - Water Facility

 

Short and sharp. I grabbed a megaarmor through the wall somehow...

 

 

Verticality was the name of the game here. With such a small area to play with, the only way to add depth is with height. Some relatively tricky combat because the enemies definitely have the height advantage against you.

    I've always wanted to play this wad for a long time, this seems like the perfect opportunity to play and debut myself in the club.

 

    Pistol Start, UV, and no saves on GZdoom.

 

    MAP01 - “Water Facility” by Hobomaster22.

 

    A cool and simple start, with some nice visuals. The megarmor can be picked up behind the door at the starting area without triggering the secret. I didn't know it was there, I was simply peek-a-booing the shotgunner and got it. The only thing deadly about this starting map is the demon and spectre. They can block you when you're doing the jump which will result in you becoming their meal.

 

    MAP02 - “Garden of the Descent” by Iori.

 

    A small canyon with a lot to climb, the revenant definitely makes it annoying as you can't get a good shot on him and might result in you falling several times. The double knight flank forces the player into rushing forward against the imps, allowing you for more space to take them out. Couldn't figure out how to get the green armor so went for the blue switch. A vile in the front and a couple of demons in the back, nothing too fatal. However, I did die because I only took out the first two demons and was focusing on the vile. Didn't know there were more demons that came in later and got sandwiched. Overall, cool map.

 

Death counter: 1. (One on Map02.)

Pistol Start, UV, no saves,

 

MAP01 - “Water Facility” by Hobomaster22.
     Nothing too interesting for my taste. I got down, punched a button. I didn't know how to go back or progress, so I've noclipped up, killed the last imp and finished the level

 

MAP02 - “Garden of the Descent” by Iori.

     Nice music and atmosphere. For Doom crazily vertical. I've finished in the second approach, when I've sniped the Revenant with the chaingun. I had a lot of luck with the Archvile, as I've managed to stunlock him with SSG. Escaped most of the pinkies to the next map...

 

MAP03 - “Dilapidation” by shitbag.
     This took me several attempts. Map has nice details and good music, and is really action packed. Trap upon a trap. Not my style, but nice.

MAP04 - “Outpost 1024” by The Flange Peddler
     Quick and easy, but somehow climactic. Didn't like the music. Liked the graphics and mounster count. It somehow felt similar to some sections of the Doom 2016. It might play nice with Noiser's D4Vanilla.
*plays Map04 with D4V*
Yeah, it feels just right.

 

MAP05 - “Autumn in Hell” by shitbag

     Out of all maps until now, this is the first one I honestly enjoyed. Between the music, space and plethora of nice little visual touches this level feels grim, desolate and beautiful. It focuses on low level weapons and monsters, with a climactic boss battle at the end. I didn't like the damaging floor, though.

 

MAP06 - “Departure Point” by Hobomaster22

MAP07 - “Dead Small” by Szymanski
     Since I strongly prefer weak gameplay with good atmosphere over the opposite, I've found those maps quite bland and uninteresting.

 

MAP08 - “A Jagged Stroll” by shitbag
     First impression - don't play this map with software rendered, there's too much need for looking up and down. I'll write more once I set myself up gzdoom or something.
     Didn't like this map. Music is OK, but the corridors feel really narrow and constraining. Level, for all it's difficulty, feels grindy because of that. There are upsides - you can just run through most of it.

Next maps - I'm sorry guys, but I think I'm out for this month. I've looked and maps 9 and 10, and this mapset really isn't my style. I'll be reading through the posts and play the maps which seem nice based on the descriptions:)

Edited December 10, 2019 by Baron Pampa

After a couple of months off, let's do this.  ZDoom 2.8.1, Hurt Me Plenty, continuous play with saves as necessary for my enjoyment.

 

MAP01: Water Facility

 

I think it's pretty neat to start out a WAD built around the question "How much gameplay can you fit into a single small square?" with a level that given almost all of that available real estate over to a single playable space, that being the reservoir and the catwalk overlooking it, with only the corridor at the start of the map functioning as an arguably separate room or area.  Outside of that it's a pretty standard example of a Doom techbase, with the expected low-tier enemies putting in their scheduled appearances to menaceyou as you navigate your way across the map.  I think the secret areas (the eastern one especially) extend a little bit outside of the intended boundaries of the map, but if the project's organiser was content to include this map in spite of that then it's not my place to complain about whether the rules are being sufficiently adhered to.

 

MAP02: Garden of the Descent

 

This claustrophobic little grove challenges the player to scale its high walls, creeping along narrow ledges and leaping from one prominence or pinnacle to the next, all under the watchful gaze of a revenant who is more than happy to rain down rockets upon would-be mountaineers.  Once you've scrambled your way to the top, you can retrieve the blue key from an ornamental folly and make your way, as quickly or as carefully as you please, back down to the garden where you started, where an arch-vile and minions await to throw one last set of obstacles in the way of your escape.  It's an atmospheric little level with a wonderfully sombre music track accompanying its scenic visuals, and I think it's an interesting choice to make the level's upper plateau as large as it is, lavishing so much real estate on the castle-like structure that houses the blue key, when much of the gameplay takes place in the garden below or in the task of ascending from said garden to the plateau - it makes the blue key's presentation feel all the more extravagant.

So, hello DoomWorld!

 

    I have been lurking here ever since I started playing DooM about 2 years ago. Whenever I started a new wad I'd try to find a relevant DWMC and read along as I progressed, stopping when encountering posts about levels I haven't played yet. So, I guess this is as good as time as any to start engaging.

    Gotta say, I was anxious about what this month's pick would be, as what I saw of HR2 did not look like something I'd like. Unsure about Congestion 1024 (have not seen anyone play it), but we'll see.

 

Setup: GZDoom 4.2., UV, continuous, mouselook, saving if needed (but prefer as little as possible), playing with Final Doomer mod.

 

MAP01: Water Facility

    So, a small regular-looking techbase 'donut' design with light opposition. I like to play safe so I picked off the hitscanners before going for a shotgun dropped by a shotgunner, and then disposing of the rest of the enemies. Easy, especially if you do not rush in.

 

MAP02: Garden of the Descent

    Like the texturing, I think I saw the cliff textures somewhere before (maybe Japanese Community Project). Anyway, mouselook makes this a lot easier, especially the HK bit. Died once to pinkies while frantically trying to run away from the Archvile. Second time around I rushed straight for the pinkies, thankfully the Archie did not follow me there. Legion of the Lost for midi music, which was a nice fit.

 

    Preliminary thoughts: Generally I like larger, exploratory-oriented maps (like A.L.T.) and 'realism' (such as it is DooM), so not sure what I'll think about 1024 at the end. A longer map has more time to leave an impression (even if it is a bad one), so these maps will have to do something special to remain in memory. Anyhow, thanks for having me and hopefully I'll get to some mapping soon!

 

Alright, let's do Congestion 1024. I've read about the project's premise on the Doom Wiki and it is quite interesting, curious to see if/how the mappers managed to create good levels in such a small canvas!

 

MAP01: Water Facility (Congestion 1024)

PrBoom+ 2.5.1.4, HNTR-PS, no saves, 100% everything

 

A solid techbase opener with some teeth despite the extremely low monster count. The secrets are creative and one of them is only accessible if you find the other one as far as I know. The lift to the tower with the switch raising stairs to the exit can be easy to miss. Detailing is impressive but I feel it would get old fast on a larger level. The stuck door to the left of the exit is a neat touch. Good level, fun to rush to the exit.

 

Levels in order of preference:

 

MAP02: Garden of the Descent (Congestion 1024)

PrBoom+ 2.5.1.4, HNTR-PS, no saves, 100% everything

 

Now we find ourselves in a beautiful garden. The stones triggering the stairs with a switch raising even more stairs is a funny bit. There's some platforming to do here, nothing too tricky but can be a bit annoying when going fast. I actually died here as the hell knight was cheating and threw two high damage fireballs in less than one nanosecond :P The second time I almost died as well but decided to not play poorly and managed to reach the exit. The secret is clever, although I suppose for freelook players it's very easy to spot. Great but relentless level.

 

Levels in order of preference:

Edited December 10, 2019 by Andromeda

I remember playing Congestion 2014 a long, long time ago, sometime in the 2000's in fact. So... let's revisit it, then.

 

ZDoom, HMP difficulty, pistol starts

 

MAP01: Water Facility

A highly detailed, nice-looking techbase opener with a handful of zombies and imps to give your shotgun something to do. The map ends very quickly, almost before it begins; I wish there was at least one more battle. The author managed to fit two secrets into the cramped space, but given how short and nonthreatening the map is, the secret items feel unnecessary. And, of course, the mandatory mention of the megaarmor which you can accidentally grab through the door, not that you'll need it.

 

MAP02: Garden of the Descent

A pretty-looking map with wistful music. You start in a squarish pit, which looks a little artificial, but the view is better once you get to the top of the cliff (the transition from muddy ground to verdant grass looks real pretty), and there's something oddly comfy about the thin railing-guarded ledge you cross on the way up. The combat is fun but easy, although hearing Revenant missiles being fired at you from some unseen heights is unsettling.

Congestion 1024

 

Looking forward to this one, interested to see how mappers can make the most of the limited space. Usually I play continuous, however this time I have opted for pistol start, as I feel like 1024 wads would be very hard to balance for continuous play (sure enough, the text file recommends pistol starts). So UV, pistol-starts it is, on GZDoom 4.2.3. Hopefully no-saves given the 1024 size. I don’t usually play for secrets, but hoping I can manage to get them here.

 

MAP01 - “Water Facility” by Hobomaster22

 

If there was a mapslot where 1024 isn’t so much of a constraint, it would be this one. That said, it’s still much smaller than most level 1s of course. So here we start with a water-themed techbase, with a bunch of easy zombiemen to finish off. A door to our left contains a megaarmor, but the area is too small and the player can access the armor without triggering the secret.

 

This makes the main area fairly trivial. However, due to my slow play the demons had brushed themselves up against the wall, leaving me needing to finish them off with the pistol. Once cleared I could finally get the shotgun and clear the remaining enemies much quicker. The secrets are an easy spot with the automap.

There is a small water rectangle that looks brighter than the rest of the map, which looks strange. Other than that, I think the map looks nice and is laid out pretty well.

 

MAP02 - “Garden of the Descent” by Iori

 

Well the posters above weren't wrong, this one has an awful lot of verticality! Seems like a map better with mouselook on. It starts with a favourite of mine, clearing imps with the SSG (though I prefer a bigger horde of them to annihilate). Then there is a bunch of triggers leading you to the summit of the garden. In the middle of it all is a lone revenant, which threatens but really is in a place where it can’t really hurt you and is easy to finish off.

 

On the other hand, the hell knights at the top can make quick meat of an unsuspecting player. Fortunately there is a hideout around the outside of the BK enclave.

It ends back at square one, triggering the BK switch to reveal an arch vile. Which sounds mean on map 2, but really is no trouble as SSG ammo is abundant. A bunch of demons spawn also, but in a place where they don’t really meaningfully interact with the player (at least not for me).

 

For some reason, I expected the teleporter to teleport me somewhere else. But it’s the exit instead, so 0% secrets for me.

 

MAP03 - “Dilapidation” by shitbag

 

This one packs way more of a punch than the first two, and is all the more enjoyable for it. We return to a techbase, but unlike level 1 rather than having a single central area, it’s a sequence of small-scale traps containing hitscanners and a few medium-tier enemies that are easy to fall victim of. The plasma secret does help a bit, though with just 40 ammo you need to pick the best spot to use it. The ending YK area is probably the weakest, with just a shotgun dude and hell knight it’s not very exciting. The rest of the map is cool though. Only found the one secret here.

GZDoom, mouselook, continuous, UV

 

Map01

Nice lookout to the central water area from the hallway. Bit of hitscan fuckery to distract you from the demon/spectre while you only have the pistol, particularly that bastard shotgunner in the tower. Main thing here is not to get cornered by the semi-invisible pig and his mate. Solid level overall with a bit of action. 2/2 secrets.

 

Map02

Now we find ourselves in a canyon/crevice, and what's this? Everyone's favourite instagib bastard already making an appearance, conveniently placed about 100000m above you where you cannot see his homing rocket making a beeline for your ass. Blue key area was a tad intense with a couple of hell knights and some imps in that tiny area. And geez, we've already got an archvile, complete with some imps and pinkies to cock block you, ensuring best possible chance of fried doom guy. The platforming to the top was kindly inoffensive and I liked the walkway with the guard rail. 0/1 secrets. 

 

Map03

Mother fucker teleporting hell knights! Almost ruined my day and in my panic kept pressing the wrong button and was wondering why the fuck am I not moving?! A techbase with lots of close quarters action and traps, feat. chaingunners. The one at the start didn't get me as the sound of his closet opening was not timed exactly with the door, tipping me off. It was clear with each key, with the way the key rooms were set up, the atmosphere, that shit was gonna go down....!  The exit was an anticlimax admittedly, considering the events of the level thus far. Just a couple of dudes and a unthreatening hell knight. Still, fun blood pumping level. Bonus points for those poor imps who had no choice but to commit suicide. 2/2 secrets.

 

 

 

Dilapidation.

 

Not much to say here. I probably shouldn't play continuous on short/easy maps like this (I say that as I promptly die to a Chaingunner).

 

I'm a big Megadeth fan, so the music track was right up my alley. Nothing else to really comment on.

MAP03 - “Dilapidation” by shitbag.

 

    Godamn it shotgunner, why do you always get a 40 on me? Well, that was pretty much the start. Some background scenery from the windows, which I liked. It added flavor with the good use of tech texture here. The combat was a close call in this one, two parts in particular almost killed me. The late teleport chaingunner when you get the red key, and the revenant trap before the blue key. Good thing I found the plasma gun secret, made the encounters easier. I agree with Magicana, I enjoyed the music in this one.

 

    Death counter: 1. (One on Map02.)

MAP03: Dilapidation (Congestion 1024)

PrBoom+ 2.5.1.4, HNTR-PS, no saves, 100% everything

 

Here is a pretty well detailed tech base! This base is in very poor condition, with cracked walls and waste leaks all over - what exactly is the maintenance team doing?  The place is full of traps as well, with the blue key trap posing the most danger but the red key encounter can be quite hectic as well. I died to the surprise revenant in the blue key room, the bastard fired a max damage missile while in punching range before I could land the last shot. The yellow key trap is a cakewalk when compared to the others, that section feels a bit filler. Fun level.

 

Levels in order of preference:

Edited December 10, 2019 by Andromeda

MAP03: Dilapidation

 

This is the first level of the WAD that goes out of its way to feel like a full-scale Doom level in miniature, with three keys and their corresponding locked doors to work your way through and a veritable maze of hallways and chambers to explore.  The level of detail (lighting effects, ceiling ductwork, broken walls) feels quite lavish, as does the use of corridors 128 units wide to construct the "spine" of the map; for this type of level I personally would probably have felt a temptation or compulsion to use narrower corridors to make more space for larger rooms within the layout, but the way it's done here demonstrates that the opposite approach works just as well.  Compared to the earlier levels this is the map that most significantly subdivides and breaks up the available space and it does make for somewhat "scripted" feeling combat gameplay.

MAP03: Dilapidation

 

    What a well-detailed level, I loved it! Combat is semi incidental, and semi trap based, and not very hard. The Red Key trap was probably the hardest part, but thankfully I found the secret plasma gun which helped me dispatch the enemies before they pinned me. Did not die, but that room almost did me in. Revenant got permastunned by the chaingun and the rest of the level was fairly easy as well. As other mentioned, Yellow Key room and the exit rooms were a bit 'What, is that it?'.

    What I loved the most was the level of detail, especially those beautiful airducts. I will definitely steal draw some inspiration from this map's detailing.

 

    I found myself replaying these levels 2-3 times before gathering my thoughts and going onto the next one. I suppose that is one nice thing about their brevity. Also, the SMM is apparently 256 units wide, so I wonder how they will be used in this mapset. Stationary turrets? We will see ...

MAP03: Dilapidation

A densely detailed mini-techbase, squeezed into a tiny nook between muddy-brown rocks (perhaps somewhere near the garden of map02). It feels bigger than it actually is, thanks to its abundance of rooms with distinct visuals. It is also longer than the preceding two maps; long enough that all three keys see their use. The combat feels generally forgettable, though.

MAP03 - "Dilapidation" - Ray "Shitbag" Schmitz (100%K/I/S):

This map is cramped, but it's pretty well made in a way that makes you feel like playing on a bigger playground than the usual 1024, and this is good, since mappers had to make maps feel bigger in order to make the experience feel better.
Good techbase map with basic detailing in order to give this short map a decent look. This one, though harder, wasn't a big deal to make me die. It had, by the way, bigger encounters with more of those higher-tier enemies. there is a GA secret at the end, which it will probably have more use on continuous gameplay, since a shotgunner and a HK is not that much of a threat. 

Deaths: 0

Maps in order of preference:

 

 

MAP04 - “Outpost 1024” by The Flange Peddler

 

Hmm, this one was a bit of a mixed bag for me. The start very much screams your standard E1 techbase. However, what is nice to see is the texture variety displayed in the other rooms in this map, from the darker colours seen in the west, to the cavernous textures to the north. It also follows the pattern of the previous map by displaying a view to the cave outside of the 1024. The floating platform to the YK is also pretty neat. So aesthetically it is a good map.

 

However, I feel the gameplay is lacking. The opening incidental combats in the west and north areas are fine, but the spawns that trigger once you grab each key feel limp, especially the RK and BK where two mancubi and two revenants spawn respectively, with the player already having ample chaingun and rocket ammo. The caco battle upon grabbing the YK was more enjoyable, but still would have been nice to see some more monster variety.

 

Other oddities were the double switches where one would have sufficed, and the end where you are literally just pressing switches then leaving the level. I think it would have been better if the RK switch that lowers the YK was changed to a BK switch, and then the YK switch triggered the exit.

MAP04 - "Outpost 1024" - Ian "The Flange Peddler" Cunnings (100%K/I/S):

Another Techbase, with nice lookings and more than one path to take on this map. I really liked the 3D bridge floor, although you can cheese the RK switch from below. Nice looking, plays really well, and finally we find some threats. Still, I could survive without any problems through this.
The only problem I found is progression, which is quite weird and not that good as Horus said.

Deaths: 0

Maps in order of preference:

 

I hope it does not take much more to get any harder...

MAP04: Outpost 1024

 

If MAP03 felt like a conventional Doom level in miniature, this one felt more to me like a piece carved out of a larger map, a single encounter around which the gameplay of that larger hypothetical level has been brutally amputaed to pack three keys and their respective switches into this confined space.  I feel there's a degree of artificiality to the proceedings here, the blue and yellow set into adjacent walls in the start room, the rockets and launcher provided as forewarning of the impending arrival of high-tier monsters in a transparently "here are the tools for the job you're about to do," sort of way.  It's a map that certainly works within the limitations imposed by the project but I don't know to what extent it works with them, if that's a distinction that makes sense.

MAP04: Outpost 1024

Most of the level is centered around a roomy warehouse, where a Chaingunner might pose the most serious threat in the beginning. Some Mancubi and Cacodemons appear later on, but are easily dispatched with the rocket launcher. The Revenants might be the most dangerous for the first-time player, given how close they appear — I was left with 1 HP after the encounter.

The area outside the windows seems roomier this time. The rock "spilling" into the base via a hole in the wall is a nice touch, and makes the room a bit less claustrophobic. The bridge crawlspace is an interesting way to recycle some of the space in the level.

MAP04: Outpost1024

 

    Unlike the previous map, this one did feel small. The detailing is nice and I do appreciate that several laps around the map are needed to finish the level. Ambushes were a bit easy though, although it does depend on how you move and where you were heading when the ambush is triggered. Guess I was always heading towards a door of some kind whenever monsters appeared. Cacoswarm was nice, if only to bring some red color in the usual techbase envirnonment.

 

 

Played with GZDoom (Boom strict compatibility), UV

 

MAP01 - “Water Facility” by Hobomaster22

 

A fine starter map. I am immediately impressed by the detailing these levels have to offer, especially for such a small space. Nice use of a Boom bridge.

 

MAP02 - “Garden of the Descent” by Iori

Despite the presence of an Archvile, the most difficult part of this map is the ascent to the blue key area with the two Knights. I like the use of vertical space.

 

MAP03 - “Dilapidation” by shitbag

The music reminds me of Megaman. This map has nastier traps than the previous two, most having to do with devious Chaingunners. This map has some fun encounters, especially with the Knight and Caco.

 

MAP04 - “Outpost 1024” by The Flange Peddler

My favorite of the set thus far, and one that surprised me with its awesome use of a 3d bridge. I thought the mid-textures were just fancy decoration, but no, they are actually a full-fledged platform!

I played with GZDoom, HMP because I'm not a hardcore Doom warrior.

 

MAP01 - Water Facility

Nothing special, small and easy map for the begining.

 

MAP02 - Garden of the Descent

Good idea with making a map bigger by increasing height, I hope there will be more maps like this.

 

MAP03 - Dilapidation 

My fav map so far, full of small rooms filled with action, I've got a shot at my back couple of times.

 

MAP04 - Outpost 1024

Another fine map, not as good as previous, but better than the two first ones.

MAP04: Outpost 1024 (Congestion 1024)

PrBoom+ 2.5.1.4, HNTR-PS, no saves, 100% everything

 

Another well detailed tech base on display, I especially like the floating platforms en route to the yellow key. All three keys are used here, culminating in a short switch hunting activity. The traps sprung when you pick up each key are rather tame, perhaps with the most dangerous being the neat cacoswarm triggered after the yellow key. There's some platforming to be done here to grab the armor and the red key. Also of note are the plentiful rockets that make this a rather rocket launcher centric affair (which I love) on such a cramped level, great stuff!

 

Levels in order of preference:

Edited December 10, 2019 by Andromeda

MAP05 - “Autumn in Hell” by shitbag

 

This one changes the theme up, with the player starting in a very brown corridor. Fortunately, the rest of the map is very well detailed (a general theme in this wad it seems, the mappers really took an opportunity to add a good amount of detail to their 1024s, without it being too much). For example, the crosses added to the marble walls and the latticed metal ceiling.

 

We have our first pain sector in the poison here too, but it’s not much of a problem unless the opening hitscanners tore you apart.

 

In general the map seems pretty easy, with the exception of the very end where an arch vile spawns and you only have a shotgun and chaingun. It becomes more problematic when the arch vile teleports to the main area – it resurrects the hitscanners you killed earlier and is hard to dodge up there. It caused my first death playing this mapset so far.

 

There are 3 secrets on this map, all fairly intuitive, in fact one didn’t even seem like a secret to me as it revealed itself just by moving around the map.

 

This was definitely an enjoyable level, though I agree with DJVCardMaster in that I hope they find a way to ramp up the difficulty soon.

MAP05 - "Autumn in Hell" - Ray "Shitbag" Schmitz (100%K/I/S):

Another fine map, this time the style changes quite a bit, we move out from the techbases and place ourselves on a somewhat "Inferno-styled" map with a kind of unfitting skybox that gives the map another style different than "inferno". This one has more hazards like the nukage floor you'll need to get through. Still, it's pretty easy if you are playing the continuous way. I feel this one would be harder to deal with if you pistol start. specially with the AV.

Deaths: 0

Maps in order of preference:

 

I'm surprised people did not like MAP04 that much...

MAP05: Autumn in Hell

 

This one is notable for its combination of limited weapons and mostly low-tier opponents coupled with an arch-vile; the latter would be annoyingly free to wreak havoc if the minions he was so gleefully bringing back weren't quite so squishy, but as it is, once you get past the initial panic spike of the arch-vile teleporting away and the squelching sounds and angry grunts of monsters being resurrected on the other side of the wall, it's actually pretty manageable.  This would be a supremely annoying setup with tougher minions, but the chaingun in particular can drop the undead as quickly as the arch-vile can bring them back up, and the whole process leaves a pile of clips and spare shotguns waiting to be scooped up once you're eventually done.  Architecturally it's a place where a beige brick structure abuts a vine-draped green marble castle or temple, with the muted colours and soft lighting lending a pleasantly understated atmosphere to the experience.