IronEagle Competition 7: Scimitar

[Pegleg]

The IronEagle competition, the Ironman competition that welcomes all comers from the casual newcomer to the hardcore veteran, has arrived once again. Last month, the mapset was relatively short and this month has the potential to be similar, depending on your perspective.

 

This month, IronEagle competitors will test their mettle against Scimitar, released by @cycloid in 2006, who has contributed to a number of community projects as well as authoring this mapset.

 

Scimitar is a collection of 20 maps that tell the story of the sole survivor of an assault team that was sent to destroy the command center used by the demonic army that invaded Earth. The early maps being easily enough, but the difficulty ratchets up as the set progresses. The maps are designed to be short, with par times for many in the range of 2 minutes or less. Be aware that the zip file contains a readme text file that contains information about the maps and spoilers, so if you don't want to be tipped off about any surprises to come, don't read it.

 

The mapset begins at Map 01.

 

This month's winners (for further details, see below):

UV: Bdubzzz

HMP: Crusader No Regret

HNTR: Pegleg

 

The rules are mostly the same as before. The one change is that the demo requirement for streams will be relaxed for this month--if you choose to stream, you don't have to record a demo at the same time.

 

Rules:
The basic rule is that you submit a demo/stream played at a particular difficulty level (HNTR, HMP, or UV) and you play without saving and reloading. Further rules are below.

Spoiler

 

Submissions (except for streams, as described below) must include a demo from one of the listed available ports.

The first actual attempt must be submitted, there are no do-overs (with very few possible exceptions which I will address as they arise).

A run must be done in a singular sitting with no saves. (With room for breaks. This will be addressed below.)

If we do a WIP wad, make sure you are using the latest available version to minimize demo desync issues.

Stream and video runs are accepted if and only if a demo of the same run is provided.

Secret levels are treated as extra credit.

Freelook is allowed, but jumping and crouching must be disabled for wads that do not support them.

 

 

Accepted Ports (any of these are acceptable; there is no preference):

PRBoom+

ZDoom

GZDoom

 

Category System:

Category 1: Blind run.

This explains itself. You have no knowledge of the wad and have not played/seen it before.

Category 2: Non-blind.

If you have played the wad before and/or possess any foreknowledge, your run is non-blind. Basically, anything that is not Category 1 is Category 2.

• I'm happy to be lenient on this, to a degree.
  • If you die in the first 10 seconds of the first map and you see virtually none of the mapset except the first few rooms, I'm happy to say that the playthrough you submit as your run was Blind.
  • If you die 10 seconds into Map 02 and then play again and go on to survive the mapset, something like that would still be Category 2.

 

Difficulty System:

You may submit a demo/stream for only one of HNTR, HMP, or UV. Choose only one, because subsequent submittals will be rejected (i.e., if you submit a HMP demo, the HNTR demo you then submit will be rejected). We're not using the 1CC rule set here.

 

Only runs from the same difficulty will be pitted against each other. Each difficulty will be graded separately. 

 

When you submit your run, please the include the following information:

• The category (1 or 2)
• The difficulty
• What map you died on, if there are multiple maps (if you survived, just say so)
• How many kills you had on the map you died on (if the selection is only 1 map, just record your kill count)
• The time elapsed when you survived/died (even if it's only approximate)

 

You may include the port you used, but that isn't necessary. You may include a commentary about the maps or details about them, if you want to (e.g., how you thought the demon rush would do you in on Map X, but it was really the circle of hitscanners on Map Y). If you do include specific information about the map, please put it in a spoiler, so that people that want a completely blind experience won't be tipped off.

 

Breaks:

Everyone gets tired. Sometimes people do better than they expected. Nature calls. Every now and then, there are family emergencies. Needing to take a break shouldn't necessarily end a promising run. However, there are some general ground rules:

• Spoiler

   

  • You are free to take a quick break when needed. Intermission screens, if applicable, are the best time to do this.
  • Multiple demos cannot be accepted, barring exceptional circumstances.
    • An example would be that you can only record/stream for a certain amount of time, so you are forced to split up long demos/streams.
  • You may split up demos at death exits.
  • If you reset the map before going to the tally screen on a death exit, you must either end your run or play the map again.
    • If you die going back around, your survival of that map will count, but your run will end there.

   

 

Even if you die, you are encouraged to finish the wad.

Attempting to max the maps is not necessary to win.

Ranking for mapsets is determined by: 1) the last map you completed, 2) if you survived, the total time elapsed, 3) if you did not survive, the total time elapsed, 4) total kill count on the map where you died

Ranking for single maps is determined by: 1) survival, 2) total kill count upon death, 3) total time elapsed

 

All mods used during play must be merely cosmetic.

If you die, please wait a few seconds before quitting.

 

If you don't know how to record demos and don't want to stream, I recommend getting a launcher (such as the ZDL launcher), which may make your life easier (at least, when it comes to recording demos for Doom).

Once you have the launcher set up to find your IWAD's and ports, you can use the field at the bottom entitled "command line parameters" to record your demo with ease.

 

Template for PRBoom+:

Spoiler

-file scimitar.wad -complevel 9 -skill <4> -warp 01 -record <IESCIMITAR>

Where the skill is 2 for HNTR, 3 for HMP, and 4 for UV AND IESCIMITAR would be replaced with whatever your demo name was. Obviously, remove the angled brackets.

 

Template for ZDoom:

Spoiler

-file scimitar.wad +compatmode 6 -skill <4> +map map01 -record <IESCIMITAR>

Again, the angled brackets should not be included.

 

Using the ZDL launcher will allow you to select your skill directly and skip the wad selection and warp by immediately starting you in MAP01 on launch.

This wad uses complevel 9 or Boom (strict).

 

Obviously, the angular brackets indicate fields where you choose what goes there. Don't actually leave them in your command line.

 

When recording in ZDoom, double check your compatibility settings. When the compatibility is set from the cmdline, it doesn't always stick, so open the port in an IWAD map and make sure to set it to Boom (strict) to be sure the compatibility settings are correct. ZDoom will remember the settings next time you start it.

 

Happy Dooming!

 

 

 

Previous IronEagle Competitions

 

2018

Scientist 2 (Winners -- UV: leodoom85   HMP: n/a   HNTR: Liberation)

Vanguard (Winners -- UV: Bdubzzz   HMP: n/a   HNTR: Liberation)

Crumpets (Winners -- UV: NoisyVelvet   HMP: n/a   HNTR: Pegleg)

 

2019

Dark Covenant (Winners -- UV: kmc   HMP: n/a   HNTR: Pegleg)

Brood of Hatred (Winners -- UV: Bdubzzz   HMP: Crusader No Regret   HNTR: Pegleg)

Riot Control (Winners -- UV: Bdubzzz   HMP: Walter Confetti   HNTR: Pegleg)

Edited June 11, 2019 by Pegleg : Winners added.

[leodoom85]

Nice. At least this is better than waiting for Sigil, if it's released soon :D

20 shortish maps? Ok, I'm on. I'll play this tomorrow.....I promise.

[DynamiteKaitorn]

Is there any rules about typing as I play?

[Vyre]

Hi! First time entering this contest. I attempted a category 1 (blind) run. I died on MAP15 on UV to a rocket that caught me by surprise. (Total time elapsed 1:04:23 and 7/10 monsters killed.) The demo was recorded with GZDoom g4.0.0. I was really hoping to survive this set and got super antsy halfway through as a result lol. Overall the maps were short and sweet, if spartan in detail, and I liked the use of the custom monsters. MAP12 was a personal favorite.

IEscimitar_vyre_demo.zip

[xvertigox]

Got sassed in map07, cat 1 UV, 0 kills on map07 15m30s runtime

 

Spoiler

 

 

Edited May 4, 2019 by xvertigox : added run time

[leodoom85]

1 hour ago, DynamiteKaitorn said:

Is there any rules about typing as I play?

Honestly, typing in-game in ZDoom ports are more distracting than productive unless that you find yourself stuck in a pit or in an unescapable area...

[SleepyVelvet]

DEAD: E2M3 (Map09) - UV Blind

 

Drowned in a puddle scrambling for ammo.

edit: for some reason my demo desynch's on the map I died on... wierd... at least its the map I died on.  strange.

prboom-plus.exe -file .\scimitar.wad -complevel 9 -skill 4 -nomusic -warp 1 -record noisy_scimitar_ironman.lmp

Edited May 4, 2019 by NoisyVelvet

[leodoom85]

Dead at Map 09 thanks to imp. Played in UV, blind, GLBoom+.

If the maps had at least green armor................would be more tolerable but no.

 

Demo of disaster: ie_scimild85.zip

[Pegleg]

Dead on Map 04

Difficulty: HNTR

Kills: 31/45

Category 2

PrBoom+ v. 2.5.1.4

 

pegleg_ie_scimitar.zip

[Bdubzzz]

Category 1 Survived in 1:12:24 

UV

GlBoom

IEscimitar-dubz.zip

Thought it was gonna be an easy wad first few maps but then SSG zombies started showing up so i started taking my time way more. Also I found a few secret green armors which helped a lot.

[Suitepee]

I haven't forgotten about this, I'll be doing my run tomorrow evening.

[Beezle]

Dead on Map 02 in 3:22

Difficulty - UV

Kills - 32

Category 2

PrBoom Plus 2.5.1.5 Test

 

 

Played beforehand some of the first map, but then noticed the zombiemen sprites were replaced with Pain Elementals, usually load Revenant100's Spritefix and vsmooth, didn't know the fists were replaced with a scimitar in this wad. Really cool. Terrible run hehe, but look forward to finishing this.

bzlscimi.zip

[Suitepee]

https://mega.nz/#!mEoQgApb!X1HH3JGkLk5bdxzXbZJtQWrQ-1iI_5_WXUiYagBf0yk

 

Seemed a fun and quirky little wad. (category 1 run) Died on "E2M1" due to my own stupidity in underestimating how many Mancubi would be down there.

Edited June 1, 2019 by Suitepee

[Crusader No Regret]

Last minute entry.  HMP blind, only loaded up the mapset beforehand to check for new music without moving.  Recorded with -nomusic.

 

Author wasn't kidding about the maps being short.  Maybe I could have finished if I hadn't gotten shot up in map 4 and finished off by a lone shotgunner in map 5.

 

PrBoom+ 2.5.1.4 -complevel 9

scimitarfda_cnr.zip

[Pegleg]

Thank you to everyone who joined the fun for this month of bite-sized maps. Hope to see you next month, and bring your friends.

 

Without further ado, here are the results from IronEagle 7: Scimitar.

 

UV

1. Bdubzzz (Survived)

2. Vyre (Map 15)

3. leodoom85 (Map 09)

4. NoisyVelvet (Map 09)

5. Suitepee (Map 07)

6. xvertigox (Map 07)

7. Beezle (Map 02)

 

HMP

1. Crusader No Regret (Map 05)

 

HNTR

1. Pegleg (Map 04)